Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Humans are to be feared.

You stay away, as far away from them as you possibly can. They are ruthless animals who know nothing but to kill and destroy. 

Even if you manage to take a limb away, they can fight with the last of their breath through a drug that courses through their own blood. Sharp claws that can scratch until you bleed out, strong teeth that can go through bone and bite your arm off, not to mention they have an immense amount of pure, raw, power.

The Galactic Council has ruled to leave these creatures on their own planet and to never bring them up into the outer galaxy. They could cause mayhem and will kill thousands.

However, many scientists and bounty hunters ignored these warnings and secretly snuck behind the Council’s back and took some of these newly found creatures off their home planet to either study upon, cut their body parts and sell, keep as a pet, and the list can go on. 

Of course, the humans wouldn’t go down without a fight.

In the instances that the Council had to clean up the mess after the brutal things that went down, they found many gruesome stories that they feared, and knew, would come true. 

A human escaped their bounds and managed to kill everyone on the ship by smashing their head with their own two hands. Another story came up where a human carrying a younger one broke free from its cage and killed every scientist on board. Another story is when a human attacked a cargo ship. Even when shot multiple times with the ray-gun, this human looked completely fine as it didn’t seem to work on them and they instantly killed multiple of them and took the inventory. 

Rumors upon more rumors had spread of these disasters that had befallen and many started to fear the creatures known as ‘humans’. They were monsters and were feared across the galaxy. No one had ever seen one and no one has lived to tell the tale.

Yet, there are still many that refuse to listen to the council and harbor these dangerous beings.

“Fuck.” Dream says, as he wipes the blood that was on his hands on the old clothes he was wearing. 

He was stuck in a metal-like cage, like an animal, and had been clawing at the metal bars for weeks. 

Tears were welling up in his eyes as he can see his two best friends stuck in a cage opposite from him. They looked absolutely tired and about near death and he felt like it was all his fault, it was his fault. 

If only they didn’t sneak outside of the orphanage that night like Dream suggested. If only he agreed with George to stay inside and sleep. If only he didn’t pester Sapnap and George to come with him to go see the stars. None of this should be happening.

But it is. And it’s all his fault.

“Fuck!” He says again, a little louder this time as he tries harder to break out of this cage, kicking endlessly at the bars.

There were other people in this room but now it was filled with empty cages and a good amount of blood from previous injuries.

There used to be an older lady who would always smile at Dream but couldn’t speak the same language. She was gone within the first week. There used to be an older, middle-aged, man who would always tell George it ‘will be okay’. The last Dream ever saw him was two weeks ago. There used to be a younger teen next to Sapnap’s cage who Sapnap would try to cheer him up with some ‘dad’ jokes. He never came back since he was taken away last week.

Dream doesn’t know where they go but once these… creatures take you somewhere and you don’t come back within two days, you are never seen again. 

Usually they would perform ‘experiments’ on them but it took no longer than four hours and you were immediately put back into your own kennel. Sometimes it was shots, sometimes they would draw your blood, and other times you would be tied to a table as they performed whatever surgery they wanted to.

The first time they took Dream, Sapnap and George were yelling in the background to ‘unhand him’ and ‘let him go’ but Dream felt like he deserved whatever punishment awaits him. It was his fault for getting them in this situation in the first place. When he came back, the look of relief on both of his friend’s faces made him feel even more guilty. He has to get them out of here and back home. It was a promise.

But it might as well be an empty one.

A sound came from the left, signifying that the door was opening in a few seconds. Dream doesn’t know who they’ll take this time, but he sure as hell won’t let them take his two friends. But even he knows he is powerless against these bars and even more so against these things.  

He’s not sure what to call them but ‘Aliens’ seem too nice of a word but it explains exactly what they were. Dream would rather call them ‘absolute pieces of shit that should never exist anywhere in the galaxy’ but that was too long of a name. So he opted to call these things based on what they looked like.

The door opened and out stepped the main person who everyone, especially Dream, knows. Dream has always kept a watchful eye on this particular creature since he seemingly gives orders to the other ones and is the one taking charge. 

This thing has a black body, seemingly the color of the void, with three white eyes on where the forehead should be. Multiple tentacles or something protruded from its back and it walked around with a white lab coat. The tentacles carried multiple things from a pen to a clipboard to other stuff that is used for surgical purposes. 

He called this creature ‘Nightmare’. It gave him nightmares just looking at that thing.

Nightmare stepped further into the room and looked at Dream with its three eyes and seemingly squinted. Dream has had enough of being scared of that thing and snarled at its face. 

What he was not expecting was for Nightmare to completely ignore him after that and look back over to his two best friends who were glaring at this creature but not saying a word. Nightmare started to make some kind of gurgle noise and the four creatures that were positioned at the doorway came in and opened both of George’s and Sapnap’s cages.

Dream felt his heart stop as a look of fear flashed in his eyes.

“No-” Dream started shaking the bars of the cage, making large rattling noises, as he screamed. “NONONONONO--ANYONE BUT THEM! PLEASE! TAKE ME! YOU FUCKER-”

Nightmare ignored the cries of Dream and gurgled something else to the other ones who immediately listened to whatever that fucking thing was saying and started to drag his two best friends away. During this turmoil, his friends fought back and tried to get in a quick say to Dream.

“Dream!” Sapnap starts while using his foot to increase the amount of drag as the creatures pull on him. “I want you to know that I love you and don’t blame you! Whatever happens, none of it was your fault!”

George chimes in, voice full of fear but still held steady, as he rushes out his own line. “I don’t blame you either, Dream! We love you and care about you! None of this is your fault!”

They weren’t allowed another word as they were shoved out of the room. Dream felt like killing those monsters that were taking his friends away, he felt like destroying these creatures and rid them from wherever the fuck they came from. He has never experienced this kind of deep hatred towards something in his life. 

He has hated things before. Some kids bullying his friends, a person who stole his last favorite piece of candy, or even some person online who was trolling. Never had he ever wanted to kill something before but now he was beginning to understand the people who murder.

Nightmare and the other creatures had left the room and Dream sat there in complete silence. Darkness had enveloped the room as the lights turned off and Dream was left by himself and with his own thoughts. 

And that was the most dangerous thing. 

A week had passed.

They never came back after the two day mark like he had hoped. He was by himself, alone in the neverending darkness. 

The only time he ever saw any of the creatures was when they would come in to feed him whatever was on the plate. He’s not sure what they have been feeding them but it looked like a dragon fruit but tasted almost like grilled, tasteless, chicken which always threw him off when he bit into it. 

This time, he didn’t eat whatever they gave him. He didn’t deserve to eat after not being able to protect his friends and leading them to this point.

Even though their last words to him were that it was ‘not his fault’, Dream has only himself to blame for the way things had turned out. 

I’ll kill those things. Every. Single. One.

Dream had the times remembered in his head when they would feed him, when they would come in to check on him, and when the lights turned off and on. In about ten minutes, one of those creatures should be coming in to give Dream food. By then, Dream will play dead. 

He laid on the ground, shut his eyes, and tried to not move his body as he made his breathing as thin as he possibly could. 

Right on que, the thing walked into the room and Dream felt his heart speed up but his body laid motionless. He didn’t breathe anymore as his body was still. There was a low grumble of a noise that came from it but Dream didn’t react. He knows he shouldn’t react as much as possible. He felt something like a stick poke his shoulder a few times and then the creature started talking even more, like it was in a hurry or worried about something.

But how can this thing act worried if it is a monster?

No creature who is sentient enough would do this to any of them. 

There was a sound of a cage opening that Dream has heard before, meaning that this thing had opened the door. Dream still didn’t move, he wanted to wait until the best opportunity. The thing poked him again a few times and Dream didn’t react. The noise that the thing made faded a bit in the background, as it walked away from Dream to look at some kind of communication device. 

Dream took his chance.

He opened his eyes and charged towards the open door of the cage. The thing had no time to react but it tried to reach out towards the gate, most likely to close the door, but Dream busted through. 

Dream didn’t think he put that much force into moving the thing’s arm, or whatever it was, but it split apart from its body and spewed out a blue liquid as the thing started to wail. Dream had to move. If anyone was near, they could hear that thing screaming and would attract more of them. He was about to turn and leave but then stopped. 

This was the same monster who let all of this happen, even participated in helping take away all those people before. If they were monsters, then Dream will just become something worse.

He started straight at that thing, lifted his hand, and landed a punch as hard as he could right on the creature’s face. It felt like mush when he landed his punch and blue liquid splattered across the room. The thing had screamed loudly, probably already yelling for the other things to come, but it was cut short when Dream finished his attack. The body of that thing didn’t move after that, it stayed still. It was dead.

Without feeling much of anything, Dream turned to the door of the room and ran out.

Bringing this entire ship to hell is the first thing on his list. Revenge.

There was banging on the door. 

Dream is not sure how, but he made it to what looks like the cockpit. He already killed the two creatures that were controlling the front and he blocked the door. He didn’t know what any of these buttons did or what this weird looking steering wheel could do but he knew he had limited time before those things found a way to break through.

One voice stood out from the rest. Hissing sounds came from the door and a stern garbling sound came from behind it. It was Nightmare and the thing sounded absolutely pissed.

He can only imagine the horrors of punishments that await if he gets captured.

Taking a deep breath, he sat on the chair and grabbed the steering wheel. He didn’t care about landing this spacecraft. He sees plenty of planets that he has never seen before. He’ll just crash the ship. Even if he dies, at least he’ll bring down the rest of these monsters before they can take anyone else. They can all go to hell with him.

Dream, before he wound up finding the cockpit, searched every room for his friends. He killed anyone that got in his way and made sure to check everything but there was no trace of anything.

He misses his two best friends. Sapnap, with his infinite amount of jokes that always made Dream laugh in hard times, his friend that he can call a brother, and one he can always count on to have his back. George, who would do anything for him, always tries to cheer him up and make sure he’s okay. They grew up in the orphanage together and promised to always stay with each other no matter what happens.

Now they’re gone.

There was nothing left for him here.

Dream tightened his hold on the steering wheel. Tears started to well up in his eyes but he brushed them aside as he looked towards a planet. He’s not sure what button he pressed, but it seemed to work as the aircraft went faster and faster, straight towards the planet.

He closed his eyes when he saw the land in sight, embracing his fate.

“And to hell we go.”

Chapter Text

It was hot, very hot, as if it was burning Dream’s skin. The dizziness from waking up just now did not help with whatever situation was happening around him. He heard crackles from somewhere and Dream shifted his eyes around to see that he was surrounded by fire. It wasn’t touching him but the amount of smoke and fire was concerning.

Where am I?

He tried to remember where he was at and what he was even doing. A flash of his friends, George and Sapnap, passed in his mind then everything came back to him in an instant as another headache shot up. Dream pushed past the pain and sat up from where he was lying down on the metal flooring. 

He coughed a bit while taking a look around the cockpit that was still in flames. The door was still closed and it was quiet. 

Those things are either dead or gone.

Dream didn’t want to take his chances by getting lost in the ship trying to get out so he made his way to the front of the airship, clenched his hand into a fist, and punched. The glass was strong but Dream was so dizzy at the time so he kept going until the glass finally broke.

It shattered and Dream climbed out through the hole it made. Bits of glass pieces mixed with blood were on his arm but Dream guessed it was because of the adrenaline rush that he couldn’t feel anything.

It was dark out so Dream couldn’t tell where he was going and he didn't even know where to head to either. All he knows to do right now is to get away from the fire and away from anything else. Even in the dark, Dream could tell that he was walking through a forest so he kept going until he was away, as far away as possible from the wreckage. 

Until his feet couldn’t take it anywhere, he kept going and stumbled upon a cavern. He heard a bit of running water and walked further in. 

It was small yet so beautiful.

It was a tiny cave and it was lit up by these small, bioluminescence, blue flowers. There were also a few purple crystals sprouting out from everywhere. Not to mention that the cave was covered in luscious green plants, their leaves entangling one another and plants that resembled clovers were at the bottom making it soft to walk in.

What stood out the most was the waterfall that trickled down water into the lake. The water reflected the light from the blue flowers, making the water look like it was glowing even, and it was so clear that Dream could see the bottom of the lake. There wasn’t any fish or anything but he didn’t mind. It felt like it has been awhile since he has ever seen a place so peaceful. After everything that happened and the torment he has been through, this was a safe haven to him. 

His feet finally gave out and he fell onto the clover-like plants. It was almost as soft as the bed he had back at home. 

Home.

There was no possible way to go back, even if he did try to fix the ship that he crashed earlier, he doesn’t really know how to get back to Earth from wherever this planet is. 

It’s not like there was anything there to go back to anyways.

He stared around at the flowers, to the plants, to the waterfall, then to the lake. The running water sound with the slight breezes of air from the entranceway made Dream take a deep breath before trying to fall asleep.

“I miss you guys and I wish I could have told you… but I love you too.”

Nothing answered back. Dream went to sleep.

It didn’t take long for Dream to figure out how to work things in this place. The water was fine to drink, most of the plants here are edible, and he built a small hidden entrance to the cavern he found so if any of those things come looking for him, Dream can hide. He also has some emergency weapons that he made from the wood in the forest. 

The forest was filled with blue trees, apparently, as he couldn’t tell the color at night when he first arrived so all his weapons were this cyan-blue. He crafted a spear and a small bow with a couple of arrows. The arrow heads were made from this black stone that he found and he tied it to the wood sticks by using shavings of the wood that formed a string-like substance.

He didn’t kill anything, but he practiced using the bow and throwing the spear for fun. And in the case that those things come back, he has a chance at survival. There wasn’t much to really kill either and Dream isn’t sure any of these animals that live here were even edible. They were colored weirdly, ranging from purple to even multi-colored, so Dream decided to not risk his chances.

The fruits he found in the forest seemed edible enough and he makes sure they’re good to eat by only taking a sliver of it then seeing if his body has some type of reaction. He made a list of what he can or can not eat. One time, a single berry caused him to have a stomach ache for days so he knows not to eat that type. 

So far, Dream has counted the amount of days he has been here by keeping track of the amount of times he slept. He uses a rock and skids it on the side of the cavern to keep track of the tally marks.

It has been two weeks so far, almost a month now.

Dream does a lot of collecting of food but makes sure to not collect too many as he wants the fruit to grow. There are times where he gets bored or he needs to take his mind off of things so he either explores more of the land, making sure to mark trees along the way so he knows how to get back, or he practices his weapon usage.

There wasn’t much to do really, Dream was just surviving. It wasn’t living but he’s not sure what else to do or what he even wants to do. What he wants… he already killed all of those things that took his friend’s life away so what more is there to do?

Kill them all.

Dream closed his eyes and he didn’t want to think about it but his friend’s voices rang through his head, the last words they were able to tell Dream before they were pulled away.

“I want you to know that I love you and don’t blame you! Whatever happens, none of it was your fault!”

“I don’t blame you either, Dream! We love you and care about you! None of this is your fault!”

He was struggling to breathe, he realized, and had to do the eight-count thing he learned from somewhere online back on Earth. It took relatively long for him to calm down but it worked and he made a promise to himself.

“I will kill them all.”

Dream hasn’t seen any of those monsters, or creatures, whatever it was, in a long while. It has been quite peaceful ever since he came onto this planet. It’s been about two months now, he kept track. He thought about going back to the wreckage and seeing if there was anything salvageable to obtain but thought against it as well. He’s pretty sure most of the stuff was burned up. Going back to it meant announcing your location if there was anything still over there.

Why not?

Even if he goes back and comes across any of those things, he’ll just slaughter them. That’s what they deserve after everything they had taken away from him.

His freedom, his home, his friends. Everything.

And that’s when he decided. 

He’ll go back to the airship, Dream thinks he remembers the way there. He had been avoiding it since he arrived here but he wanted to face it someday. He guesses he’ll just go today since there wasn’t much else to get done.

He traveled further and further away from his shelter, he doesn’t want to call it ‘home’, and carefully avoided tripping over the roots of the trees and navigated his way through the forest. Through these two months he had been here, he got used to dodging and weaving his way through the trees, as if it was his own territory. 

It was a few hours of walking and traveling through the forest. He didn’t run since he wanted to conserve his energy in the case he needed to run.

Dream finally stumbled upon the wreckage and had his gut turned inside out just looking at it. The pain of every memory that had occurred here came back all at once but Dream continued on, ignoring his own growing headache. 

The ship, that probably used to be in one piece, was now in multiple pieces and scattered across the floor of the forest. Trees that were near the area were scorched or torn down. He came closer, making sure with every step to check his surroundings in the case he saw those things. Dream already has an escape route planned out in his head when he keeps moving forward, changing it according to where he was at in the moment. 

The ship was split into multiple parts so Dream decided to enter into the back of the airship first. He climbed over the debris and slowly walked, making sure to listen for anything that could be near. Dream went into each room that he could see. He stumbled upon the cage room, where he and his friends were locked up, and sucked in a quick breath.

Calm down, it's dead. It isn’t here anymore.

Crossing the room and searching each of the cages, he didn’t find much of anything and didn’t want to continue searching for nothing. Dream left the room in a hurry and tried to search the other parts of the plane. 

He didn’t find much, as Dream expected, but he did find a few things. The fruit that he had been forced to eat was still fine, looking as if it didn’t age one bit from the time he was here. Although he hated eating it, Dream thought it would be useful so decided to take a few. He also found a messenger bag to hold all the items. It was thrown inside a small door that had other people’s items. Dream doesn’t want to think about why they were in there. He also found more clothes and packed them into the bag. 

When he deemed it suitable enough, he finally got up and went to leave the scene. 

As he was just about to leave, he heard the crunching of twigs and whipped his head back.

His eyes met the other creature’s own.

The thing looked like a bird mixed between a human. But it wasn’t. It had blonde hair, a little lighter than Dream’s own. It wore a striped bucket hat and a kimono-like attire. Black feathers grew from its skin and cheeks, its legs and hands were similar to that of a bird and the thing bore claws. The creature also had a third eye on its forehead. The one thing that stood out the most were the large, black wings on the back of it.

Dream took a step back, the creature took one forward.

Every escape route that he had previously had planned was left forgotten. There was only one thing that rang out in his head.

Run.

The creature was speaking in a soft, warbled, kind of tone, while putting its claws up into the air, and it was slowly making its way towards him. 

Dream turned and ran.

He then heard the creature yell out. Dream didn’t turn back to find out why as he kept pushing through the forest. He’ll be damned if he gets caught, again.

Making sure to not trip on the roots on the trees, Dream followed the small marks he made into the trees to lead him home. He heard something running beside him, something big, and Dream looked to the side to see a flash of pink. It seemed like the creature before called upon its horde and it was chasing him. 

Dream was glad he practiced using his weapons. Instead of turning right where his cave resides, he turned left where he knows there is an open field. It’s better to have an open area to know where those things will attack. 

He brought out his bow and took an arrow out while he was running. Dream practiced this, he knows what to do. But practicing is different than when you’re actually running away for your life.

Dream made it to the field and used his heels to do a quick turn around and to see exactly what he was facing. Dream held the crossbow up and pointed it at the forest. 

The first thing he saw come out of the forest was the pink thing. Its face resembled a pig with tusks. It had red eyes, was wearing a yellow crown, and the creature was huge.  

Dream heard a swoop of wind and saw the bird-thing land right next to the pig creature. 

Oh, of course it can fucking fly. 

It was speaking again, somehow whispering, to that pig thing then turned to Dream. Its three eyes were staring at him and Dream felt his heart stop for a split second before picking up pace. 

More things came into sight from the forest. Another bird-thing came into view from behind the black-bird creature. This time, they didn’t have the third eye, and its wings were a bold red color. It also had blonde hair and red feathers poked from its skin. Dream isn’t sure why that one didn’t fly and stayed on the ground but he knows to save that information for later. 

Two more creatures followed. One was quite small, about four feet, and looked something akin to a bee. Brownish-black hair on top and it had four clear wings that buzzed about when it was flying and two antennas on its head. The other creature was skinny but tall and stood beside both the red-bird and bee thing.

It was… disturbing. At least the other ones resembled something like the animals and bugs on Earth. This thing’s face was half void black and half pure white. It had two eyes, both a different color from each other, and Dream thought it didn’t have a mouth until the thing started talking to the bee one. It was horrifying to look at. 

Five against one, huh?

Dream is confident he can kill these things like he killed those creatures before but he isn’t sure what these things can even do. Back then, Dream studied those creatures that captured him for months and took record on what each could do. He had never seen creatures like these ones before.

The black-bird, Dream is going to nickname it that, stepped forward first but put his claws up yet again and was speaking something. Dream isn’t sure if it was trying to talk to him like he was some cornered animal but he isn’t going to find out. He shot an arrow at the thing but didn’t aim it at the creature, but near its legs.

“One more step and your head is next.”

Dream doesn’t want to get into a fight that he doesn’t know if he’ll win or lose. If he does kill that bird creature, it will trigger the others to fight and kill him in retaliation. He only wants to fight as a last resort but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to kill them. He just needs to get stronger first because he doesn’t know if he can take on five at once.

The black-bird looked confused at Dream’s words but tried to continue talking to him as if Dream was just a startled animal which made him even more angry. He reloaded his next arrow into the bow and aimed straight at the creature’s head this time.

Something was off. 

The creature's third eye was not looking at him, but behind him. That’s when Dream realized all too late.

There were six of them.

Something fired at him and Dream felt a sting on the back of leg. He quickly looked down to find something like a needle that injected him with a serum. Dream quickly took it out then looked up at the thing that fired at him.

It had blue tinted skin, sharp elf-like ears, bat wings it seemed like, and bright neon green eyes. It stood at the edge of the forest but was still in the clearing. The one thing that Dream kept staring at was that thing’s coat.

It was wearing a white lab coat, like what Nightmare used to wear. 

Dream growled, loudly enough that the whole field could hear him. Then he started racing towards that thing that shot at him and raised his fist to slam into it. The black-bird yelled out something to it but Dream ignored whatever it was saying.

The blue thing ducked behind a tree before Dream could land a punch on it and his fist met the wood of the tree and split it in half, causing it to fall over. The thing scrambled backwards, was shocked for just a moment before trying to run back to the others. Dream went to chase after the thing but then felt a little dizzy when he tried taking another step.

“What- What the fuck did you fuckers do?”

Whatever they shot at him, it was making him dizzy and disorientated. His vision started to blur as he put a hand to his head to stop himself from going down. Dream will be damned if he gets caught again. He looked up to find the alien things staring at him and Dream wanted to rip their eyes away.

They had no right to stare at him like he’s the monster.

Dream drew his bow yet again and tried to steady it even with his vision starting to go black. He aimed straight at the red-bird one and narrowed his eyes in disgust just looking at that thing. The black-bird seemed to have noticed Dream’s motive of attack as it yelled out to the other. 

They didn’t have time to duck but Dream didn’t shoot.

The bow dropped to the floor and so did the arrows he was carrying. He fell to the floor and that’s when his vision turned completely black. 

Please, not again.

Chapter Text

Philza flipped a few switches and pressed a couple of buttons until the ship was on autopilot. In the meantime, he hopped off the seat, minding his wings, and walked to the door. Philza opened it with his keycard wrapped around his neck and strutted down the hall.

The talons he had sounded little ‘clacks’ each time it hit the floor, and some of his feathers that popped from his skin brushed against the walls slightly. He came to a room and opened it again with his keycard. There was a mic with a long, thin, line attached to the speakers that Philza knew goes throughout the ship.

He clicked the mic to “ON” until the light was green and opened his mouth to speak.

“Meeting in the conference room. New mission received from headquarters.”

WIth that being said, Philza started to head off to the conference room himself but grabbed a few papers and a pen before heading off down the hallway.

The airship was rather large but it made sense to be. Philza and his crew were the main squad assigned by the Galactic Council themselves to take care and look after the galaxy. They are paid rather well by them but that is only because Philza and his team put their lives on the line. They receive dangerous missions, but sometimes they are just chores that the Council doesn’t want to clean up, and resolve them. Philza can handle himself just fine but now he has to look after his crew too and doesn’t want to put any of them in dangerous situations. He hopes he doesn’t have to.

He entered the meeting room and it seemed like everyone was present. There was only one person who was late, as always.

“And Wilbur?” Philza asked.

“Late.” One of the crew members replied. “He is finishing something in his lab and said he will ‘be there soon’.”

Philza blinked his third eye, meaning he understood. As an avian, blinking their eyes means they understood the situation or agreed with something someone has said. Philza surveyed the room and looked at each member that was sitting down in their chair.

Technoblade, or also called Techno, was a piglin. He had thick, pink skin with fur. He also had centaur-like legs with hoofs, floppy ears, and sharp tusks. He adorned a golden crow with shiny jewels and also wore a red cape and some other clothing that Philza didn’t know what the name was but they could be described as ‘fancy’.

Next to him was Tommy, who was an avian like Philza but just a fledgling. Maybe not that young but young enough that he could not fly yet. Unlike Philza’s black wings, Tommy’s wings were a bright red with little hints of orange. He could be confused for the sun if Philza isn’t careful. He also wore a red-white robe that Philza had made for him. He was talking amongst the other younger crew members.

One of them being Tubbo, but also called bee boy, as he was a bee hybrid. Four clear wings buzzed slightly on his back and he had two antennas on the top of his head that protrude from his dark brown hair. His skin was a pale yellow and he had stingers located on his fists. He wore a striped sweater with shorts and was quite small compared to Tommy. However, everyone looked small when compared to Ranboo.

Ranboo was an Enderman hybrid of some sort. Even Philza isn’t too sure what he is mixed with. Usually all Enderman are all black but Ranboo isn’t. He is half black and half white with a different mix of freckles all over his body. He had long, sharp ears and fluffy hair all over his body but still managed to look lean and tall. His feet as well as his hands formed claws and his eyes were two different colors, one green and one red. 

After a few minutes passed, the door finally opened to reveal the last member of the ship. 

It was Wilbur who was carrying a few notebooks, a pen behind his sharp ear, and his green eyes glowed in the darkness of the room since it was dimly lit in the first place because Wilbur can’t handle bright light. His skin was tinted blue and he had his small bat-wings folded a bit back. Wilbur was a phantom hybrid, the last few of his kind, and he wore his signature white lab-coat over the top of everything else.

“And what kind of concoction did you make this time?” asked Philza. 

Wilbur laughed while he rushed over to sit down. “Nothing, nothing. I was just trying to find out how to make a regeneration potion.”

“Well, glad you could make it. Since everyone is here, let’s begin, shall we?”

Philza clicked the button on the table and a holographic presentation appeared. It was a picture of another spaceship and it was spinning in a slow motion circle to give a full view from all angles. Philza made sure everyone was paying close attention before starting to talk about the new mission they have been assigned. 

“Now this,” He gestures with one of his talons, “was the stolen ship that we were chasing down and have finally located.”

“Then what are we sitting here for? Shouldn’t we be preparing to battle and secure that vessel? We have been trying to find that ship for a while now, right?” Technoblade started to say but Philza only continued on.

“That’s just the thing, we haven’t been able to locate it for the longest time, thanks to its masking equipment, but it finally decided to reveal itself on a planet near division 241 out of nowhere. That just doesn’t make sense.”

“Soooo,” Wilbur tapped the desk to gather attention to himself to make sure everyone was listening, “what I’m thinking is that it could be a trap.”

“That’s what I thought at first too.” Philza said and then clicked another button on the desk and the holographic picture changed into multiple photos that appeared revealing a wreckage and a burnt down area of land.

“One of the drones from the Galactic Council had taken pictures and it seems like they crashed the ship and the masking mechanism that was used to hide their location got destroyed in the process as well.”

Flipping through more and more photos, none were taken too close and they only received photos from a certain distance but not close enough to inspect much damage or information. Philza went into more detail on what their new command was.

“Orders from the Galactic Council said to investigate the crash and file a report.”

“That’s it?” Technoblade huffed. “Seriously? We’re just the clean-up crew?”

“Although I do hate it as much as you do,” Philza tapped his talons lightly on the table. “An order is an order. We’re going to use our smaller vessel, land on the planet, quickly investigate the crash and then I shall file a report back to the GC.”

“If this is so easy then why are you making us all come along?” Tommy spread his wings to stretch before slouching back in his seat.

“We still do not know the reason for the crash and we do not know if any of those people who stole the ship are still alive.” Philza calmly replied. “And in the case that there are, they will not take kindly to us as they, more than likely, remember our faces and who we are.”

Techno snorted to that. “I think I took a few eyes from them last time we met.”

Philza blinked his third eye again before clicking another button that displayed the planet with multiple information laid out.

“Here is some basic information about this planet. It currently doesn’t have any ‘sentient’ habitants that we know of. There are animals that live there but they shouldn’t bother us while we investigate the ship. The planet is mostly covered with blue trees called ‘warped’ wood but they are not dangerous in any way but very hard to cut down or damage at all so resources here are not that great. The planet is mostly cloudy, even during its ‘daytime’ so you don’t have to worry too much about covering your body for any light, Wilbur. More information is provided on the slide.”

Philza pointed to the planet then it proceeded to give out more information when Philza touched the hologram. 

“We are embarking tomorrow so I suggest all of you get some rest. And I mean all of you.” And Philza gave a glare to Wilbur. “Do not stay up doing experiments again.”

“Yeah, yeah, noted.” Wilbur waved his hand. “I mess up one time and you can't let it go!”

“It almost cost us our ship last time.” Philza remarked and Wilbur went quiet.

“With that, you are all dismissed. Please take this time to rest up and prepare for tomorrow, thank you.”

Tomorrow came as fast as a blink of an eye. Philza and his crew were putting their equipment and gear into the small ship they were planning to disembark on. There were many things that they brought from the scanners to the writing pads to take down information and they even brought self defense weapons but they didn't think they would be needing those but it was always good to be prepared.

There was one thing that was odd to Philza that he had never seen before. Wilbur brought along a special type of dart gun and had it on his waist, under his coat, but still noticeable.

“What is that?”

“Oh, this?” Wilbur took the gun off his belt and held it up for Philza to view. “I modified the prototype A216 to further blankspace-”

“Speak normally, please. I can’t understand scientist talk.”

“Right, right. Okay, well, I changed this dart gun into a better one. If any people are shot with this, they should sleep for 3 days straight.”

“Sounds like a dangerous drug in that dart then.”

“Oh, it is.” Wilbur chuckled. “I bet it can even knock out a human!”

Philza laughed at that. “Yeah, ok, like we will ever live to see one!”

“Ok, ok- but it was a funny joke! I don't think any of us will live through a human attack.”

“You’re right about that.” Philza shrugged. “Never seen a human through my hundred years of living and don’t plan to either.”

Wilbur laughed as he entered the vessel and sat upon one of the seats and strapped himself in. Philza waited at the entrance for the others to carry the last of their items before they all sat in their seats and buckled up as well. 

Philza sat in the driver’s seat and slipped a few levers which started the engines then engaged the navigation system before pressing another few buttons which then made the spaceship hover for a minute then Philza pressed the final blue button and the vessel took off into the endless space.

They flew by a few asteroids, even being careful to avoid the small pebbles, and the ride was smooth-sailing from there. Philza was a remarkable aviator but people mostly say it is because he is from a winged species but that is not it at all. He has studied, engineered, and practically built spacecrafts since he was young so he knows the controls like the back of his talons.

Reaching the planet within a remarkable speed for how slow this smaller vessel was, the planet looked grey from the outside with bits of blue and purple could be seen. Philza calculated the time remaining before they hit the first atmosphere layer of the planet called the exosphere. 

From there, Philza had shifted the lever on the side to slightly move the wings of the spacecraft back to slow them down then proceeded to press a few more buttons that engaged the vessel’s reverse thrust that slowed them down even further. And making sure to calculate the timing with where he wanted to land, Philza perfectly executed the landing and safely hovered over the ground before turning off the engine and letting the ship softly land.

Philza reached over and unbuckled himself from the chair and the others proceeded to do the same when they saw their captain do so first.

“Alright,” Philza brought out his tracker and gave instructions to the other crew members, “The extraterrestrial spacecraft we are going to investigate is about six hundred meters from here. All we are going to do is check what caused the crash, see if there are any survivors, then proceed to take pictures and give a report back to the GC. If there is any such case where things take a turn for the worse, you are to return to the ship immediately while I handle things from there on. Any questions?”

Tommy raised his hand and Ender as well as Tubbo who boarded the ship gave him a look of confusion.

“Yes, Tommy?”

“Let’s say we know how to fight-”

“No, absolutely not. If any of you see or suspect something is wrong, you are to immediately run back to the ship. The only ones I will allow by my side to fight are Technoblade and Wilbur. The rest of you are ordered to go back if there is any kind of danger.”

The young avian groaned before agreeing. “Yeah, alright, fine.”

“Good.” And with that, everyone left the vessel and Philza put it into camouflage mode. So anyone hoping to steal an aircraft wouldn’t be able to see this one and take it for themselves.

It was cloudy, just like Philza had researched, and it was perfect weather. It wasn’t raining, which was perfect for Ranboo, and it wasn’t too sunny, which was perfect for Wilbur. They then looked at the navigation real quick before heading off into the forest in the direction that they knew where the ship was.

They walked over the roots of the trees and between them too. What was a little odd was that some of these trees had some kind of mark on them, as if they had been carved. Technoblade seemed to have noticed as well and touched it, his own claw gently graced over it.

“This was made by someone or something.”

“It could have been an animal? Maybe it was clawing the trees.” Wilbur suggested which didn’t seem too off the mark.

“Didn’t Philza at the presentation say that these trees were hard to damage? Yet, there are multiple of these marks on most trees that we have passed by.”

“But if it’s an animal that lives here, maybe it adapted to its environment and gotten stronger?”

Technoblade hummed in response but didn’t believe in what Wilbur was suggesting and Philza knew Techno’s mind all too well and had to agree with him on this one.

Something strong is here.

They continued on until they started to find bits and pieces of the airship and a good burnt chunk of the forest. The trees, even when they looked burnt to charcoal, still stood tall. A few did fall or were torn from the crash but not too many as Philza was expecting. 

There was a small clearing where the spaceship was that Philza and his crew came to investigate. It was broken in three main pieces with bits of other scrap everywhere. 

Philza gave out orders. “Techno, you check the back of the spacecraft. Wilbur, you stay with the younger ones and check out the middle piece of the spacecraft. I will go to the cockpit area to get a diagnosis of what malfunctioned. You are to meet back up here in this exact spot in an hour. If anything happens, press the emergency button located on your belt. Is that understood?”

“Understood.” They all answered then proceeded to run off in the direction where they were told to explore. Philza wasted no time as he gently flew over to the front of the airship which was a little farther away from the other main pieces. 

He gently landed near it and examined the front.

The strong glass that was meant to withstand the pressure of travel in space and many other things as well was smashed. Even in the event of spaceship crashes, usually the glass would remain untouched or only slightly cracked but never to this extent. It looked like it was even smashed from the inside of the cockpit as the glass fell on the outside. 

Something was trying to break out of the cockpit?

There were a few dark splotches of blood, it seemed like, but a color that Philza had never really seen. A dark, brownish-red was on some of the glass and looked like it dripped out of the ship but didn’t leave a clear trail.

Philza took a few pictures of the front before hopping into the hole, minding the glass and being careful to not damage his wings. He stepped into the cockpit and looked around. There were two dead bodies, most likely the two pilots, and they were mostly decayed. The bodies were slightly burned and the controls of the spaceship were entirely damaged.

But the weird thing was that the bodies didn’t look like they died due to a plane crash or from smoke inhalation. The skulls, to Philza’s horror, looked like they were bashed in several times. Someone must have killed the two pilots and took over the ship.

Did they not know how to land the spacecraft? Why did they kill the pilots in the first place? Judging from what this person did to these bodies… I don’t think they were on good terms with them at all…

Philza thought that whatever had done this must have been a powerful creature if they were able to overtake not one, but two people, then managed to survive the crash and break through the strongest type of glass.

He took a couple more pictures then looked at the controls to see which levers were flipped and what buttons looked like they were pressed or on. Whatever this person did, it sure didn’t know how to operate this spacecraft. Multiple levers and buttons were turned on that did not need to be or weren’t supposed to be on when you are landing an aircraft. Philza took multiple photos of the system and made sure to write down what each lever or button did and explain why it didn’t make sense if they were supposed to be landing.

After about thirty minutes of taking pictures and snooping around some more, he received a few messages on his intercom.

[TECHNO]  I found a room and there’s a bunch of cages here in the back of the ship. There’s nothing in them anymore but… Whatever they had in here, it wasn’t good. I passed by multiple dead bodies but there is one in the cage room… It looks horrible. The arm was torn off and its head was reduced to mush. Phil, I don’t think we should stay here.

[WILBUR] Heya! We have passed by a couple of bodies but they dont look like they were killed by fire or the crash… We found a body with its head completely ripped off. I found the scientist room and, Phil, it’s a mess... Even the kids I have with me are scared of whatever did this. We’re heading back to the meetup spot.

“That… is concerning.” 

Usually the younger ones don’t mind seeing a few bodies or so since they have seen and been through worse. Whatever they saw that actually made even one of them scared says plenty enough. Philza collected the rest of the data before hopping back out of the cockpit then proceeding back to the area where everyone was told to meetup at. 

He sees his whole crew standing there and Philza let out a sigh of relief seeing that no one was harmed. Although the teengers looked a little off-put, Philza didn’t question it. He addressed Wilbur and Technoblade.

“Did you take photos and make a simple report?”

“Yes. But, Philza, there’s something wrong here-”

“I know.” Philza blinked his third eye. “I checked out the cockpit and didn’t like what I found either. Let’s just hurry back to the ship then give the report.”

Everyone didn’t argue with that. They all had a bad feeling and didn’t want to stay here any longer than they had to be. They followed the same path, making sure to step over the roots again and going through the blue trees. About half-way through their walk to their own vessel did Tommy say something.

“OH SHIT! I forgot my emergency belt!”

“Huh?” Everyone turned to Tommy who gave a sheepish grin.

“I guess I dropped it back when we saw the scientist room? I was just shocked seeing all of… that.”

“Maybe you should wear it properly next time instead of wearing it like a sash.” Tubbo remarks.

“It made me look cooler!”

“But you lost it!”

“Enough.” Philza sighs as he turns around. “All of you head on back while I go collect it.”

Technoblade and Wilbur looked a little worried about sending Philza off on his own back to the ship. Even if Philza was the strongest out of them all, that does not mean he is invincible. However, they didn’t argue with him as Philza left the group and headed on back.

The tree tops seemed to have swayed a bit in the wind, as if they were warning him to turn back. Philza just thought it was his nerves getting to him after seeing the bodies and the crash site. He continued onwards and Philza started to get another uneasy feeling washing over him. This time, he decided to be much more silent as he headed back. 

He made it back to the clearing where the spacecraft was but saw something moving. Philza could only see the back of it but it seemed to have blonde hair, a tad darker than his own, but this thing wasn’t an avian as there would have been massive wings on its back if so. He slowly made his way closer to get a better look then accidently stepped on a few twigs that gave out his location. The creature whipped its head around at the noise and Philza met eyes with something he never thought he would ever see in his lifetime.

A human.

It looked like Philza but it didn’t have the feathers or wings, nor did it bear talons like he did. The thing had two, green eyes that grew wide at meeting Philza’s own. It had two hands and was standing on two legs and was carrying some sort of bag with it. Philza still couldn’t believe it as he stared right at that thing that stared right back. 

The thing took a step back and Philza took one forward.

He can’t let this thing run loose. Every article and every video that the Galactic Council had given Philza and his crew about humans were told to immediately kill and dispose of any and all humans as they are a threat to every sentient lifeform out there. They were dangerous creatures that should never be allowed to roam free or they will kill and destroy since that’s all they know.

But that’s just the thing, this creature didn’t look like it was going for an attack right now. Maybe it was analyzing him for its next course of action?

Philza tried to speak slowly, like trying to calm down an animal that is planning to attack.

“Okay, alright,” He put his claws into the air, trying to somehow make this thing, this creature, understand that Philza does not have any weapons on him. “Let’s all just- just calm down-”

The human turned and ran off into the forest.

“FUCK!” Philza pressed his emergency button on his belt and, not even a minute later, Technoblade rushed out from the forest and was looking gravely concerned until he met eyes with Philza.

“What happ-”

“It’s a human!”

“Heh?” Technoblade’s concerned look turned to that of confusion. “A human? You’re jok-”

“We can’t let that thing roam free! We have to capture it! Look me in my eyes and say I’m fucking joking!”

Technoblade took in account the seriousness of Philza’s voice and immediately agreed.

“The others will follow your location, I will fly and follow the thing from the sky while you stay on the ground and chase it. Ready? Alright-”

Philza pointed towards the way it ran, stretched his wings, and took flight. Technoblade did not hesitate to rush toward the way that Philza pointed. 

From the sky, Philza could see a flash of blonde hair that stood out from amongst the trees and he could also see that Technoblade was running faster and faster until it almost caught up with it. Philza expected for the creature to turn right to try and lose them in the forest but it made its way towards an open clearing then made a sharp spin to face towards Techno.

It was holding something but Philza couldn’t tell what it was but it seemed like a weapon of some sorts. It pointed it at the forest but didn’t move. Techno stepped out into the clearing but didn’t rush at the human and Philza was thankful for that. Usually the piglin would not waste a second to run at an enemy but now he was being careful since he doesn’t know what a human could do. 

Philza glided down until he landed safely next to Techno and started to whisper. 

“Do not attack it, we don’t know what it’s capable of.”

“If it’s anything like what happened on that ship, then I think I have a pretty good idea on what it could do.”

Philza recalls the bodies he found in the cockpit and the messages that Wilbur and Technoblade had sent. The amount of damage that it did, even if the people were thieves of some sort, was devastating. They could not let this thing roam free if any other person decides to land here. Philza looked at it, straight into its eyes, and it looked like the creature slightly flinched.

Huh?

Before he could think on that anymore, the rest of his crew showed up. First was Tommy who stumbled out of the forest, looked up, and did not stop staring at the human in the clearing. Philza can’t say he’s surprised that Tommy wouldn’t stop looking at it since no one has ever seen a human before other than the videos and pictures they were sent by the GC. Two more members of Philza’s team showed up but it was only the other two young ones.

Where’s Wilbur?

He didn’t have time to ponder that right now. There was a human with something in its hand that could kill them. Philza tried to calmly talk to the thing, hoping to catch it off guard in the case that Techno runs up to attack since that’s the only plan he’s got so far in his head.

“So… what’s your name? Not sure if humans have one but we can give you one if you like?”

He put his claws up in the air in a ‘surrender’ kind of way but that only made the human flinch back a bit and still gave off angered vibes. Tommy kept shifting his eyes from Philza to the human and looked absolutely terrified of what it might do to his captain and even one he calls father. 

“Okay, so you can’t understand us- that’s fine. My name is Philza and-”

He took a slow step forward and the human did not like that at all. It pulled back on the string of the weapon and it fired out a sharp arrow that landed at Philza’s feet. Even though it missed, everyone could tell that the human did that on purpose as it started to yell at Philza.

Wait… can it communicate? I thought they weren’t sentient? Was the Galactic Council wrong?…

Philza didn’t understand what it was saying and looked a little confused at the human’s words. But that only seemed to anger the human further as it drew another arrow from its bag.

From the corner of his third eye, Philza saw Wilbur who was sneaking behind the human and was trying to hide between the trees. His blue tinted skin made him easier to blend into the blue-tree environment as he made his way behind the human and drew out the dart gun and slowly lifted it to aim it at the human. 

Philza tried his best to not look at Wilbur and give out his location so tried to focus on the human so the creature wouldn’t suspect anything.

However, it was smart and turned around but it was already too late as Wilbur fired the gun.

The dart landed right into the creature’s leg but it pulled it out and started to yell. When it landed eyes upon Wilbur, something clicked, and the human growled at him as it looked beyond pissed.

Philza screamed from across the clearing, “WILBUR! DODGE IT!”

Just as the order was yelled out, Wilbur managed to step behind a tree before the incoming attack and the human’s hand landed right onto the tree that he hid behind.

To everyone’s surprise, the tree that was supposed to be strong, cracked in half and came crashing down but Wilbur scrambled out of the way before it hit him. Wilbur looked at the tree in horror then thought the human was going to attack him again but it seemed like the effect of the drug was working and he used that opportunity to head back towards his crew. 

The human mumbled something as it put its hands to its head, trying to negate the effects of the drug, then looked up with a scorching glare. Everyone took a step back seeing how they angered the human. Philza thought it was over since it looked like the thing was getting ready to pass out as it kept swaying but it managed to steady itself for a few seconds and draw its weapon.

But it didn’t aim for Philza like he was expecting the human to.

It aimed at Tommy.

It was already too late even when Philza tried to warn Tommy to get behind a tree.

But the thing didn’t shoot. The weapon it was carrying dropped to the floor and so did its ammunition it had. And finally, the human dropped to the floor and everything went quiet other than the small gusts of wind that blew.

Tommy looked at the human’s passed out body then to Philza.

“What do we do now?”

Philza tapped his side before managing to come up with a reply. 

“For now… we’re taking that thing back with us.”

Chapter Text

“What are you staring at dummy?”

Dream was looking into the night sky, filled with stars, as if he was in a trance. He turned his head away to the person who spoke and smiled as he recognized, of course, his best friend.

George.

The other laughed slightly, walking towards Dream, then proceeded to sit down next to him.

“The stars…” Dream replied as he looked back up to the sky, “I was staring at the stars.”

Dream loves the stars.

“Again? You always sneak out of the orphanage to watch the stars. Doesn’t it bore you?”

Dream chuckled. “Never. I think I fall more in love each day.”

“Ugh,” George shoved Dream playfully and laughed, “You’re such a loser!”

Dream laughed but then heard another familiar voice ring into his ears. 

“What are you two doing?”

Sapnap.

Dream looked at him, smiled widely, and gave a friendly wave for Sapnap to come join them. Sapnap snorted but proceeded onwards to sit down next to his friends. They all sat down and chatted for a long while.

It was near a cliffside in the forest. They sat upon the top of the cliff watching the stars and chatting away. This was their ‘spot’ where they usually run to escape the orphanage or just to hang out and talk. 

Dream was the first to find this place in the dead of night and had always run up here to watch the night sky. He told George and Sapnap, who were his best friends in the orphanage, soon after about his ‘secret hideout’ and this has been their spot ever since. 

“The stars have always been pretty.” Dream says while watching them. “I wonder what they would look like if we went flying around them…”

“What? Like- in space?” George laughed. “Why don’t we build a spaceship then and see?”

Sapnap laughed with him as he sarcastically added in, “Maybe we can even meet some cool aliens!”

It took us one by one. Every human that was once in their ‘cage’ was taken away by those things. 

Dream blinked his eyes a couple of times. “Huh?”

George and Sapnap paused, looking at Dream worriedly.

“You ok Dream?” asked George.

“What’s wrong?” Sapnap questioned as well.

“Yeah- no… I…”

Dream stood up from the ground and so did his best friends. It felt like he was remembering something that was important… Something that his mind was trying to block out and wanting to stay in the ‘here’ and now… Where is here?

It experimented on us as if we were nothing but ‘things’ to it. There were too many. We thought we couldn’t fight back. We were too scared to try.

“This-” Dream looked around and noticed that the forest trees weren’t… they weren’t trees. Well, yes, they were but not trees from Earth. These trees were blue in color. “This- This isn’t real.”

“What are you talking about?” George stepped forward but Dream only took a step back.

“Dream, what’s-” Sapnap started to ask but Dream interrupted.

“You aren’t real.” He stated it as a matter of fact this time. “Both of you aren’t real.”

It took them. It took everyone. It took my family away. 

It killed them.

“You’re… dead.”

As soon as he said that, two gunshots rang out and Dream saw both George and Sapnap shot with a needle as they collapsed to the ground. Dream looked over into the forest and saw a blue-tinted creature with a… white coat.

But then it started to morph into something different.

The face twisted, it grew larger in size, the skin turned into pure black, and it grew multiple tentacles. Dream recognized it immediately and his heart started to speed up as the only thing going through his mind was to ‘run’.

It was Nightmare.

Dream took a step back but he was too close to the cliff’s edge and he slipped. He was falling and falling and Dream was getting closer and closer to the ground. Plunging towards the bottom of the cliff, the ground was only a few yards away and-

Startling awake, Dream breathed heavily in and out as he tried to steady himself. The feeling of fear and the sleep myoclonus was enough to make him fully wake up, although it wasn’t a pleasant sensation to wake up to. 

“What-”

He looked around rapidly and it took some time for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. He was on some sort of… nest? What was this? It was a pile of blankets and fabric scraps bundled together to look like a cup-shaped casing. He pulled the blankets off of him and stood out of the strange structure and stepped ever so slowly around the room.

He was in some type of box, maybe a cage, and Dream did not like that. He felt a panic attack coming on but he pleaded with his body and mind to calm down.

Not right now- I have to focus- please-

Ok. Don’t call it a cage… a cell? Would that be any better? Dream started to count over and over and did the breathing technique he remembers to do. He looked around again and even though it was dark, he could see where most things were.

The ‘nest’ where he woke up in resided in the corner of the room. There was a secondary smaller room, which Dream somehow figured out how to open the door to, looked somewhat similar to a bathroom. He stepped back into the larger room and looked around for any exits and found there to be none. Even when he skimmed the walls with his hand, there didn’t seem to be any.

Am I trapped here?

Dream remembers everything that happened before he passed out. There was only one explanation on where he was and that could be under the confines of the new aliens that found him. Dream remembers the one in the white coat and inwardly shivered. He doesn’t want to be an experiment, not again… never again. He will fight until his last breath if he has to but he is not going to go through that torture ever again. 

I need to kill it. Every single one.

The creatures were probably somewhere else and were going to come back. It was only a matter of time. Dream sat next to the pile of blankets, not wanting to place himself in it as the creatures were most likely the ones to place it there. He stared at the other side of the wall, waiting and watching. 

As soon as those things open those doors, I will kill it.

That wasn’t a threat, it was a promise.

Dream kept staring, waiting for anything to show up. He’s not sure how much time has passed and he was starting to get more and more anxious. Counting but then recounting again, he forgot what number he was on as his mind began to drift deeper.

Are those things going to torture me? One of it had a white coat just like Nightmare… Are it all just going to starve me on the brink of death so I can’t move? I need to-

Something clicked and Dream stood up immediately as he widened his eyes in shock. The whole wall that he was once staring at had turned transparent, looking like it just disappeared. Light shone through and the whole cell was lit up.

And there, standing right in front of him, were all the creatures staring at him. 

Dream didn’t care anymore that there were six of them. He scowled at each and every single one of it.

Kill it.

Dream rushed forward and raised his fist, aiming at the one with the white coat first. The main threat.

All of the creatures stepped back, including the one in the white coat. Only one of it crossed its arms and looked straight at Dream, squinting its eyes at him. The one with black wings did not move a single inch from where it stood but Dream didn’t care as he ran forward…

And straight into an invisible wall. 

He reeled back from the force and fell onto the ground and looked up in surprise. Dream couldn’t see any wall but it apparently was there and he ran straight into it. Rubbing his nose from the blood that started to drop, he stood back up and stared right into the eyes of the thing that didn’t seem phased when Dream went to attack it.

Dream guesses that the black-bird thing was the leader or something, like Nightmare was, as it began to say something that Dream could not hear the other side. Even though the creature turned its head to the others, the third eye on its forehead did not leave Dream’s stance and watched him.

Fucking creepy thing. He inwardly cursed as he walked back over to the other side of the wall and curled in on himself in the corner. Dream sat in the opposite corner of the nest-looking item, not wanting to use anything those things give him. He still watched those things with glaring eyes but did not move from where he was since those things weren’t getting any closer to him than they did from the invisible wall.

He watched as the black-bird one started moving its own mouth to communicate with the others and they all seemingly talked for a bit before going about their own business. 

Only one stayed in the room, the pig looking one, watching Dream silently. He guesses it was keeping watch of him to make sure Dream doesn’t break out. 

Once any of those things open this wall, I’m killing it all. 

He stared right into the eyes of that pig-alien-thing and glared. The alien didn’t do much of anything else but looked away from Dream and opened a page of something and completely ignored Dream’s glaring.

I’ll bring you all to hell with me.

It has been about two weeks, Dream guesses. He is not the best at keeping track of time but he kept track of the amount of times he slept and was able to scratch it into the wall. The food they gave them, unlike the previous ship, was different each time. The previous ship, with Nightmare, had only given them the same fruit that tastes like under-cooked chicken and a small cup of water. This time around, they gave him different foods and more than enough water. There was a small trap door, invisible to him, that it slid the food into the cell. 

Dream was skeptical of the food, thinking it may be laced with poison or other drugs like what Nightmare used to try on the other humans so he didn’t eat it at first. On the brink of starvation did Dream decide to try out the food. It was… good? He didn’t know how to describe it but it tasted like a homemade meal and it almost made him tear up. Although he didn’t know whether it was poisoned or not, it was better than starving and being left too weak to do anything if those things came into the cell to do any ‘experiments’.

There were rotations, Dream watches, as he recognizes the turnaround time for each thing that switches out for the other. The only one he has not seen at all for the past few weeks was the black bird one meaning that the thing must be off somewhere else and not in charge of watching him. 

There were three rotations. 

One is the pig-looking creature who doesn’t do much but sit there and stare at something in its hands. The thing is usually alone when watching him but Dream doesn’t think he can take it on as it could be alone because that thing was strong. 

The second rotation made Dream shiver and he did not go any closer to the invisible force field, staying as close to the corner as he could. The second rotation included the blue alien-thing with that fucking white coat and the other one was the tall, lanky, looking one whose appearance scares the fuck out of dream. When its eyes landed on Dream, he couldn’t help but flinch and give a harsh glare as much as he could telling the thing to ‘back off’. The blue one always turned the lights down low for some reason and that made Dream even more terrified as his heart began to quicken its pace but he tried to remain calm in front of the two creatures, not wanting to show that he was afraid of those things. 

Those two didn’t do much and didn’t try to get Dream’s attention and vice versa, Dream didn’t do much of anything to gain their attention either. So, Dream always remains quiet until they leave for the next things to watch him.

The third rotation was… interesting? Was that the right word? The next rotation consisted of the red-bird one and the other one was the bee one. Everytime it walked in to switch out from the past rotation, the red one seemingly waved their wings to Dream to greet him then the other two walked out. Both of those things kept talking amongst itselves and the way it talked was very enthusiastic. Although Dream can’t hear anything from behind the wall, he watched as it moved their arms from side to side and even up and down. The bee one is always close to the red bird and they are almost always next to or seen together. 

Bee and red bird? What a clingy duo…

More than a few times the red one looks over to Dream and blinks its eyes a couple of times before moving its arms to Dream. This happens on more than a few occasions as the red-bird one slowly stopped talking to the bee creature and focused more on Dream.

Is it… trying to communicate?

It didn’t seem possible, since these creatures or whatever it was lack any kind of empathy. Dream should know, he’s been through it all and has seen all of them ignore the cries and pleas of the other humans in the cages. Why should they be any different?

This time though, Dream stood up from the wall, which startled the red bird as it stopped trying to communicate, and he walked over to the invisible wall. The bee one, who didn’t say or do anything much, stood up as well and grabbed the red bird’s hand then tried to pull it back.

However the red bird thing did not move.

Even when the bee one tried its best to pull it back, the red bird did not move and was seemingly interested in what Dream was doing. 

Dream sat down next to the invisible force field and stared at the red bird for a couple of seconds. He pointed at himself then to it then did a crossing motion of slicing its neck off.

“I will kill you and that bee thing over there once this wall is taken down. I will pluck each and every feather off of you while the other things watch.”

He doesn’t think the red bird got the message at all as it seemingly bounced up and down that Dream started to communicate with it. It started talking fast to the bee one whose antennae went downwards. Dream doesn’t know what that means but the red-bird kept going on and on about something…

It was only until the red bird walked over, pressed a button and walked into Dream’s cell that he got the message. Dream was a little shocked that the red bird was dumb enough to just walk into the cell with no one to protect it but he didn’t let this chance slide.

Slowly, he stood up from the ground and his eyes began to darken as he stared at the red creature. The red-bird thing put up its talon-hands and was trying to say something. This time, Dream was able to hear it since they were inside the cell, although he wasn't even sure what it was saying. Dream heard the bee one whisper something, looking between the red-bird and Dream constantly, but the red-bird was more focused on communicating with Dream.

Dream didn’t care.

As soon as the red-bird tried taking another step, Dream ran forward and threw the thing back. He heard the bee-one cry out and the red bird flew to the other side of the wall and whimpered slightly as it landed on the ground. Before it could stand up to run out the cell, Dream was already on top of it.

Grabbing the neck of this thing on the ground, he squeezed slightly, wanting it to suffer, and the red-bird creature started to squirm and scratch at Dream’s arms with its talon-hands.

Dream didn’t care. 

Blood started to ooze out from the scratches the bird left but the only thing on his mind was to kill this thing and everything on this ship like he had done last time. He felt a thump on the side of him and Dream saw the bee one trying to punch and kick Dream off of the red bird. It was yelling and screaming, probably trying to scare Dream off of the other one. 

Dream didn’t care.

He shoved the bee back with his other hand then proceeded onwards. Dream lifted the red-bird creature off of the ground and in the air by its neck. The creature was starting to stop fighting against Dream as it looked like it was losing consciousness. The bee one kept coming back to get Dream off of it but he had no problem pushing the thing aside since it was small and didn’t hold any power anyways. 

Dream. didn’t. care.

Why should Dream care if these things die? None of it cared when they were getting tortured. None of it cared when he cried for it to stop. None of it cared when it took his only family away. So why should he care?

“Hell to you all!” Dream felt his inner rage be let out as he started to squeeze the red-bird’s throat tighter. It’s as if killing every single monster on that previous spaceship wasn’t enough. It was never enough.

“Why them?! Why couldn’t you all have taken me instead?! Why am I the only one who survived?!”

It was him and only him left. He hated thinking about it in that stupid cage, he hated thinking about it on that blue planet, and he hated thinking it in this fucking cell. Like the whole world was against him and taunting him for his mistakes.

He should have died. Dream should have been killed off first. He was the one who wanted to go look at the stars that night, it was all his fault. If only he stayed inside like his friends suggested instead of wanting to go see the stupid fucking stars.

Dream hates the stars.

He could hear footsteps running towards the door on the other side. He guesses that the bee one must have already called the others and it was only a matter of time before it all came running in. 

Dream glared at the bee one, dropped the red bird creature on the ground, and kicked the bee aside. The bee hit the wall, hard, and looked to be unconscious after that so Dream went back to what he was doing. 

The red bird creature was trying to catch its breath and looked at the bee one and tried to go to it but Dream didn’t let that happen. He grabbed its neck yet again as the things on the other side of the door kept banging.

This time though, Dream looked into the red bird’s eyes and saw something. It wasn’t hatred, like what he was used to seeing when he killed these creatures, it was something else. It was a human emotion that he knows very well as he has felt it and saw it in the eyes of many others, especially his family when he last saw them… this thing had fear.

It was afraid.

It was afraid.

No…

They were afraid.

The door had burst open and Dream dropped the red bird to the ground as soon as it did. He took a couple steps back and stared at his own hands that were covered in scratches and his own blood. It- They weren’t trying to kill Dream or hurt him, they were trying to defend themselves because they were scared. Of Dream. Of him. And they had every right to be afraid… he acted like a monster to them.

He was no better than Nightmare.

Dream looked down at the red creature who looked up at Dream in fear but also confusion. Now that Dream could clearly see past his clouded judgment, he could recognize some of the emotions that the creature was showing. 

Dream felt utter regret for attacking them. They were so small, both the bee and the red-bird were smaller than Dream. He basically attacked two kids and he has never felt more remorseful than now. 

He looked to the bee one and silently prayed to whatever God there was that they were alive. It took a couple of seconds for the stomach to move but Dream could see that the bee one was still breathing. He gave out a sigh of relief and before he could turn back to the red bird, something pushed him back.

Next thing Dream knows, he’s on the ground and staring down the barrel of a gun. 

There were multiple of them talking and only one stared at Dream with utter fury and their eyes did not stray from Dream. The black-bird did not move a single inch as they gave out orders to the others.

Dream dropped his gaze from the gun pointed at him and looked over to the bee hybrid who was being taken care of by the white-coat blue one, trying to check their injuries. The red-bird was being looked after by the pig creature and the tall creature that Dream saw before stood a little further back but looked on at the others, worriedly. 

Only when Dream heard a click of a gun did he focus back on the creature in front of him.

The black-bird one looked angry and Dream understands why. He hurt two of the tiniest ones in the crew and almost killed them. If Dream were one of them, it was better if they just killed him off at this point. Dream could tell that the black-bird wanted to and he saw their finger twitch slightly at the trigger. Dream accepted his fate, closing his eyes and bowing his head slightly.

Maybe I’ll finally see George and Sapnap again?

But that thought soon left him as the red bird cried out and started yelling. Dream was surprised and, apparently, so was the black bird in front of him but they still did not move and the gun was still pointed at Dream. It was a few minutes of the red-bird talking and the others joining in as well and the black bird gave out one last word then everyone left the room.

Looking at the black bird, straight into their eyes, the black bird squinted their eyes at him before slowly backing up, gun still pointing at Dream, then left the cell. Dream saw the black bird press a button and the transparency of the wall turned back into solid once more and Dream was left alone in the dark.

Are they… not going to kill me?

It’s not like he wanted to get killed, really. He was accepting of it but he doesn’t really wish to die. But it would make sense? He almost killed two members of their crew so it only made sense to kill him. There was no point in trying to keep Dream unless… 

Are they actually going to experiment on me?

He didn’t want to think about it. He tried not to think about it but it was the only possible answer to why they still wanted to keep him alive. He went back into his usual corner and curled up there as he was left back in the darkness.

I… I hope they’re alright…

Chapter Text

Everyone turned silent to Philza’s orders, including Tommy. Tommy was in disbelief like why would anyone want to keep a human?! Technoblade didn’t question the order as he stepped forward and replied with a simple request of his own. 

“Can you get the ship ready for take-off?”

“Will do.” Philza replied then turned to the others and gave out simple orders to each of them. 

“Wilbur, you stay with Techno and make sure that thing stays asleep. Whatever you shot it with, make sure you’re prepared to shoot another.”

Wilbur flicked his wings in agrement as he quickly went after Techno to go collect the human, also reloading his gun in the process. Philza then looked at the other three.

“You three start walking back to the ship and stay a safe distance away from the human. Who knows how long that sleeping drug will last… I’ll fly back and make sure the ship is ready when you get there.”

Tubbo and Ranboo both agreed to the order but Tommy was too focused on the human to pay attention. Technoblade looked like he hesitated just a bit before picking up the human and putting it over his shoulder. 

Tommy remembers the confrontation, the human yelling at Philza then almost shooting at Tommy. Although Tommy was a bit scared of it, he couldn’t stop thinking of the human yelling at Philza. 

It was like… it was like the thing was trying to communicate to them?

But every video that Philza made him watch for ‘homework’ made by the Galactic Council has shown time and time again that humans aren’t sentient and aren’t able to communicate with them. It showed that the humans needed to be killed off as they would attack and kill without any hesitation and were dangerous overall. But… for some reason, Tommy didn’t feel that way.

It was like the human was trying to tell them to… back off? To remain as far away from it as possible and even fired what seemed like a warning shot at them. Sure, it did attack Wilbur and was even able to knock down a tree, but it looked like something on Wilbur triggered the human to attack and, not to mention, Wilbur did shoot it first.

On the walk back, Tommy kept giving glaces back to the human that Technoblade was carrying and he was brimming with curiosity.

If it is sentient… then we can prove it to the Galactic Council and we can be the first ever to communicate with a human!

It… No, they seemed to be sentient and Tommy could tell the rest of the group was a little off-put on the idea of killing them as they were starting to come to the same conclusion. Although it may be a human and they were taught to immediately kill them or let the Galactic Council handle them, Tommy thinks they could try to communicate with them instead of killing them off.

The group finally made it back to the ship and Technoblade put the human down onto the floor and sat down in his seat, making sure to keep watch of them. The others sat down in their seats as well and all eyes were watching the human and were afraid with every breath that the human would wake up and attack them. 

Philza wasted no time in making the ship take off towards their main aircraft. Tommy watched as Phil pressed a few buttons and flipped a few switches and they were already on their way. Tommy was always fascinated about how to fly spaceships and he knew it wasn't as easy as Philza made it look like. He hopes that one day Philza would trust him enough to fly the ship by himself. Phil is still teaching him the basics but Tommy is confident enough that he could fly it with no help… or at least, he thinks so.

It took about an hour to get back to the main spaceship and Philza piloted it back with no problem whatsoever. Everyone was still afraid that the human would wake up any second but they still seemed to be in a deep sleep. 

When they landed, Techno picked the human back up and got out of the ship first as everyone else followed. Philza made sure to completely shut off the aircraft before getting out. 

“We… don’t have a cage.” Philza says as he looks to Techno. 

“We have a cell?” Wilbur suggested. “It could work?”

“You think it would work against a human?” Tubbo asked and Wilbur looked like he didn’t know how to answer that. And Tommy understands why as no one knew what a human could do.

“It will have to do. Technoblade and I will put the thing in the cell, the rest of you start writing your reports… but… don’t include the human in it.”

“Huh?” Everyone looked at Philza in surprise. Usually he would immediately inform the Galactic Council of any findings and give a report as soon as he could. 

“This is… the first time I have ever encountered a human… alive, that is. I’m not sure how I am going to tell them about it so let’s wait until I think of something. Until then, just write about everything before we saw the human then turn it in to me. Understood?” 

“Understood.” Everyone answered.

Technoblade and Philza left towards the jail area while Wilbur went off to his lab more than likely. Tubbo and Ranboo talked for a bit while Tommy was lost in thought.

Did Philza not want to tell the Council because he is questioning about the humans too? Maybe… Just maybe…

Tubbo grabbed his shoulder and pulled him away from his thinking.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Oh- uh- nothing!”

Tubbo didn’t believe him. “Uh-huh” He twitched his shoulders, a sign of sarcasm. “Anyways, Ranboo and I are going to our rooms to write our report. Make sure to write yours!”

“Yeah, yeah, I will!” Tommy flapped his wings slightly, signaling a goodbye, then made his way towards his own room.

He pressed a few buttons on the keypad then slid into his room. It wasn’t small, quite spacious actually, and he usually practices using his wings here. There was a small desk on the underside of his bed, as the room was a two story and he jumps from the top all the time. Tommy strided over to the desk and sat down on the chair. He pulled out his tablet and started typing up his report while also pulling out his usb card that he used to take pictures.

There wasn’t much to say in his report other than ‘bodies everywhere’, ‘no survivors’, and ‘airship had crashed’. The only thing that kept coming back to his mind was the human.

Tommy wanted to talk about how different it looked than the videos the Galactic Council provided. He wanted to talk about how strong they were and how fast they were. And the main thing he wanted to talk about… was that Tommy thinks they are sentient beings. From the makeshift weapon it made to the way it started to talk to them. 

In addition to that, unlike the videos that were shown and everything that he was taught from the handbooks, the human didn’t attack them immediately. Instead, it was running away before turning to give off, what seemed like, a warning to them. The human only attacked when it was shot at by Wilbur. 

He was already done writing his report but was still thinking about the human.

“Maybe…” Tommy started to say out loud. “Maybe the Galactic Council was wrong about humans?”

And that was a dangerous thought.

It was about a few hours before Philza called them all to go to the cell. Tommy was excited to go and see the human once more. His other friends though, Ranboo and Tubbo, looked a little anxious to go but still followed orders. While they were walking towards the cell room, they saw Wilbur and greeted him.

Wilbur looked tired as always but there was a hint of uneasiness as well. Tommy can guess that he also didn’t want to go see the human since they did attack him and almost kill him in one punch. 

They all arrived in the cell room, well, the door before the cell. There was a wall that was not transparent yet, as Tommy knows the wall can be made transparent or not. Philza and Technoblade were already standing there and discussing something before turning to the rest of the members.

Philza was the first to speak to them.

“There are going to be three groups of watchers.” He started while everyone was intensely listening.  “I am not going to be there as I have to man the ship and get the rest of the reports ready. The first one is Technoblade and he can watch the thing alone.”

Technoblade gave a gruff noise as he had already discussed with Philza before, already agreeing.

“Next group is Wilbur and Ranboo.”

Wilbur and Ranboo looked at one another before turning to Philza and agreeing with the decision.

“Last group is Tommy and Tubbo.”

Tubbo had already agreed but Tommy was a little upset by the decision. He was hoping to be alone when he was put on watch like Techno was so he can get some info about the human without anyone trying to stop him.

“Tommy?” Philza questioned, waiting for the younger to agree.

“Yeah, yeah, I got it.”

Philza squinted his eyes at Tommy then added, “The only reason you are with Tubbo is to make sure you don’t do anything stupid.”

“What?!” Tommy sounded offended as he squawked out. “What do you m-”

“Tubbo has always done as he was told and always made sure to keep you safe and keep you out of trouble. You, on the other hand, only cause trouble.”

Tommy was a bit bitter about that but he couldn’t argue with facts. He does do whatever he thinks is right and doesn’t really listen to orders if he feels like he wants to do something else.

“Fine!” He exasperated.

Philza gave Tommy a long stare then continued on with his debriefing. “Right… You will switch out every six hours. The most important rule I want you all to follow is to always have your emergency button on you in the case something happens.”

Philza then waved to Techno and the piglin walked over to the buttons and switches, flipped one of them, and the transparent wall turned on. What they weren’t expecting was the human to be awake and staring at them with wide eyes. The drug that they shot the human with should have made them sleep for three days but it only has been about less than twelve hours.

Not even a second had passed before the human started to race forward with their fist held back to aim at one of them. Everyone took a step back, including Tommy, as his own heart started to race. But the human looked like they were aiming for Wilbur first, and that also made Wilbur jump back. The only one who stood still, not afraid that the creature could break the barrier, was the one and only Philza.

But then they hit the wall, quite hard that even Tommy flinched.

The human was on the floor for a couple of seconds then started to rub their face as Tommy could see a few droplets of, what looks like, blood fall. Philza began to ignore how the human almost attacked them as he continued on.

“Another rule is that you are to never open that door. There is a small compartment to put in food but you are to never open the door fully and let it out.”

Everyone agreed to the rule. However, Tommy kept looking over to the human. They curled into the corner, instead of the soft nest that was on the other side, and curled into themselves. He… kinda felt bad for them and Tommy didn’t know why. He knows he should view the human as an enemy and as a monster that could destroy hundreds but when they look like that… they just looked scared.

“Techno is on first watch. There will be a beeping from your communicator to let you know when it is your turn to watch the thing. Until then, all of you may return to your rooms.”

Philza left first as everyone but Technoblade followed. Techno went to sit in one of the chairs on the side. Tommy was the last to leave but gave one last long stare at the human before leaving then mumbled under his breath, inaudible to anyone else.

“They’re not a thing…”

When they did the first rotation, it was finally Tommy’s and Tubbo’s turn to look after them. Before they switched out from Wilbur and Ranboo, they turned up the lights and sat down. Ranboo had already left the room, too scared of being seen by the human already, while Wilbur gave one last say to Tommy before he left.

“Don’t do anything stupid.”

Tommy stuck his tongue out in response and Wilbur chuckled as he did a small wave with one of his bat-like wings. Tubbo sat on one of the chairs while trying to avoid looking at the human as much as possible, since he was scared of them too.

Tommy did the exact opposite. He kept staring at the human with fascination and awe. He kept staring until Tubbo pulled him away from his thoughts.

“Don’t even think about it.” He says, “Philza gave clear orders-”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” Tommy replied with annoyance as he sat down in the other chairs. In hindsight, he should’ve just ignored the human. But whenever he was talking to Tubbo and exaggerating his words with his body, he noticed that the human was paying close attention to his movements. Maybe it was to study him? Or maybe they see Tommy’s fast movements as a threat?

He gave a long look over to the human and stopped talking to Tubbo. The human didn’t look like he was going to attack or angry for that matter, they just looked confused. Tommy, despite Tubbo telling him to not look or speak to the human, started to tell a story to the human while waving their arms about to try and communicate. The human looked at Tommy for a few seconds before turning their head away from them.

But Tommy isn’t one to easily give up.

Day after day, Tommy slowly stopped talking to Tubbo and focused more on talking to the human, even if they couldn’t hear him. He tried to express his story more with his body and using his talons to describe the settings and people. After a bit, the human started to watch him instead of ignoring his antics.

And in the second week, to both Tubbo and Tommy’s surprise, the human got up from the corner where it usually sat and moved towards the barrier.

Tubbo sat up from the chair as well and rushed towards Tommy and tried to pull him back.

“Get away from the wall! I think it’s going to try and break it!”

Tommy didn’t move and Tubbo was growing increasingly more worried with every step that the human took towards them. But the human only sat down in front of Tommy with the barrier in between them and Tommy watched with wide eyes as the human was… they were communicating!

Although Tommy didn’t understand a single word that the human was saying, it was replicating Tommy’s movements and saying something that Tommy couldn’t hear. He was ecstatic at this discovery and got up from the floor and bounced up and down, flapping his wings in excitement as he turned to Tubbo.

“Tubbo!”

“No, Tommy, don’t even say it-”

“Let me go into the cell! Just for a minute!” Tommy pleaded and Tubbo’s antennae seemed to twitch as he was thinking about what could happen.

“It’s not safe-”

“They can communicate!” Tommy started with determination. “The Galactic Council was wrong about them! If we can prove that humans are sentient, then we won’t have to kill them! And we’ll be the first to discover that!”

Tubbo was still skeptical, even with Tommy’s persuading, but it was hard to dispute that humans could actually be sentient if one was already trying to communicate in front of them. His antennae went downwards, meaning that he disapproved of the situation but Tubbo still agreed.

“Two minutes. That’s it. If anything goes wrong, I’m pressing the emergency button.”

“Thank you Tubbo! I knew I could count on you!” Tommy laughed as he hugged his friend then raced over to the machine that controls the wall and clicked a button that opened the door to the cell. Tommy didn’t waste another second as he stepped inside the cell and gave the human a small smile.

The human stood up from where it was once sitting and stared at Tommy. Tommy tried to not look threatening in any way as he put his arms up, and started to speak slowly to the human.

“My name is Tommy. I am from a small planet with other avians like myself. This is one of my best friends and their name is Tubbo.”

Tubbo was at the door of the cell, looking constantly between Tommy and the human. But Tubbo saw something in the human’s eyes that Tommy didn’t.

“Tommy, get out of there, now.”

“It’s fine, Tubbo,” He took another step forward and started to speak more to the human, “I’m sure you’re just scared- far away from your home-” Another step. “And you-”

The human rushed forward, punched him in the gut and sent him flying back into the wall.

“Tommy!”

It was dizzy, everything was seemingly spinning around and he felt like puking up his insides. When Tommy looked up, he felt a sense of dread wash over him as his eyes landed on the human’s eyes. Before he could even scramble to get out of the cell, the human grabbed Tommy’s neck and pinned him to the ground. 

Then it started to squeeze Tommy’s neck, cutting out his airways.

Tommy, fear-stricken and dizzy, started to use his talons to scratch the human’s arms that were holding him down. Even with the amount of scratches that Tommy gave them, the human didn’t relent and kept squeezing.

Although his vision was starting to turn black and becoming dizzy, he saw Tubbo punching the human and trying to shove the human off of Tommy while yelling and screaming.

“Get off him! Let go of him you fucker!”

The human shoved Tubbo back with his other hand then lifted Tommy up from the ground by his neck. Tommy’s vision was turning black as little dots began to appear and the feeling in his arms started to become numb.

Tubbo…

His best friend kept coming back even when the human kept pushing them off. He could hear a bunch of yelling going on from outside the door to the cell room. Tommy isn’t sure what had happened but the human let go of him then he heard a loud thud.

Tommy was gasping for air, shaking, as he tried to regain focus with everything that was happening. He looked to his left and saw Tubbo on the ground and Tommy felt tears brim his eyes.

This is my fault…

He tried to crawl to his best friend but the human stopped him yet again and grabbed his neck then lifted him up from the ground. Tommy felt a rush of fear as his whole body began to shake and he met eyes with the human.

This time, he saw the human pause. There was something that the human saw in Tommy that made them release him. As soon as the human did, the doors burst open and out came the rest of his crew, including the captain.

Tommy looked up at the human in confusion and saw that… they looked terrified. Not of Tommy or the rest of the crew members, but of themself. When the human landed their eyes on Tommy once more, he could see regret in the human’s eyes. The human looked over to Tubbo then tried to go towards Tommy again but Tommy’s vision was blurred by a bunch of black feathers.

Philza had pushed the human back, onto the ground, and pointed the gun at them. He gave out strict orders, his voice didn’t hide the anger he felt.

“Wilbur, check on Tubbo’s condition then get him out of here. Technoblade, carry Tommy out of the cell. Ranboo, don’t come any further.”

Wilbur rushed over to Tubbo and checked his vital points and gave out a clear statement. “He’s alive.”

Technoblade whispered to Tommy with a gruff voice. “You alright?”

“Y-Yeah.” Tommy stood up shakily but then heard a click of a gun and looked to Philza in horror.

“Get them out of here, I’ll take care of this thing.”

Technoblade started to pull Tommy but he shoved him away and started to yell out.

“Don’t hurt them!”

Philza twitched slightly. “It is not your decision.”

“They didn’t- They didn’t mean to! It was my fault!”

Wilbur let them argue as he carefully picked up Tubbo. Technoblade didn’t know what to do in this situation and let Tommy talk to Philza.

“Didn’t mean to?” Philza asks. “You’re telling me that this thing didn’t mean to choke you out and almost kill Tubbo.”

“I-I think they’re just scared! I went into the cell without any warning and stepped towards them... I think they’re just scared of us!”

“We’re scared of it! Are you really taking their side than Tubbo? He’s the one who is hurt right now thanks to your foolishness to not listen to my orders! That thing is better off dea-”

“They’re not an thing!”

The room fell silent for a good couple of seconds then Philza responded, with almost no emotion.

“Meeting room, now. ”

Chapter Text

No one had said a word. They, including Tommy, were making their way towards the meeting room. The only ones going to the medical office were Wilbur and Tubbo as he needed to tend to Tubbo’s wounds. 

As they entered the meeting room, Tommy sat down in his usual chair and so did Ranboo and Techno. Philza was the last one to arrive as he went to the front of the table and stood there.

He gave a long sigh before addressing Tommy.

“You want to continue your argument about that human?”

Tommy stood up from his chair, speaking up. “They are sentient.”

This caused alarmed eyes to be staring holes into Tommy but he didn’t back down, not even when Philza’s eyes glared at him.

“And you can prove this?”

“Well- kind of- They looked like they were talking to me and they copied my movements sort of?”

“So,” Philza deadpans, “you don’t have proof then?”

Tommy clenched his hands and bowed his head. “Not… exactly, but-”

“Tommy.” Philza starts, “What you are saying goes against what the Galactic Council has taught us time and time again. They even have proof with videos that humans are senseless, mind-killing, unempathetic creatures. You, on the other hand, have no proof that these things are sentient.”

“If you just give me a chance to-”

“To what?” Philza spread his wings, intimidating the other. “To talk to that thing? Didn’t you already try that? And now look what happened! You and Tubbo could have died if we didn’t get there in time!”

“I-I know…”

“And Tubbo is now hurt thanks to you.” Philza’s words stung deeper than anything before and Tommy scrunched up his nose just replaying the scene over again. 

“Just... let me try aga-”

“Out of the question.” He tapped his talon on the table. “You are forbidden from keeping watch of that thing from now on. You are hereby banned from going anywhere near that cell.”

“Phil-”

“That’s Captain to you, Tommy.”

Tommy took a step back, astonished that Philza would say such a thing to him. Technoblade and Ranboo did not say a word, although Ranboo looked like he felt bad for Tommy at the moment.

“Another punishment is that you will watch every single video that the Galactic Council has provided us about humans and realize that it is not sentient and write a ten page essay.”

“They are sentient! They didn’t mean to hurt me! They were just scared! They-”

“Tommy.”

Tommy’s mouth slammed shut as Philza’s third eye on his forehead was seemingly going berserk but the avian tried to remain calm. Philza took a deep breath then gave out one last order.

“It is not sentient. My last order is to go to your room. Do what I told you and reflect on your actions today… We are heading to the Galactic Council's main spaceship and I will tell them there about the human and turn it in.”

Tommy wanted to say something more, to protest, but one look from Philza made him shrink back. With a heavy heart, Tommy begrudgingly walked out of the conference area and made his way to his own room. 

“Damn it.”

When Tommy arrived in his room, it was the usual mess he lives in. He walked over to his desk and shoved everything off in anger.

“DAMNIT!”

From the papers to the pens and the electronic equipment, it all fell to the floor. He wanted to cry, he wanted to get angry at something, but he could only get angry at himself. He was to blame for Tubbo getting hurt and to not listen to orders because he believes that the human could be sentient… even though he has no proof.

Tommy looked down from the desk and saw that his computer was replaying a video. But he doesn’t remember clicking on a video and playing it at all. He bent down and flipped the screen towards him and began to watch.

It was a few humans and a bunch of the Galactic Council army shooting at them. The humans kept yelling and screeching as a war broke out. The humans managed to kill a bunch of them, severing their heads, tearing their arms off, or even biting them. It was a horrid scene that Tommy refused to watch at first but decided to now since he was strictly told to.

In the midst of the chaos, Tommy noticed in the background that one of the humans didn’t attack one of the soldiers that covered its face in self defense. Usually the humans looked like they would attack at any given moment but instead, the human gave them a chance to flee back to the group. Then it replayed the video again, on a loop. 

“They-” Tommy gulped as he started to smile at the screen. “They are sentient! They have to be!”

Although it probably wouldn’t count as proof, this gave Tommy an all-new resolution to prove to everyone that humans are conscious and aware.

Tommy picked up his papers from the ground and his computers and started to do his research. Although he may not look like it, Tommy is an excellent coder. 

When he was younger, he was able to hack into government systems and change official documents if he wanted to. That was, until Philza caught him. Instead of handing him over to the Galactic Council, he offered Tommy to be a part of his crew and that was when Tommy’s whole life turned around. He was thankful to Philza and even looked up to him like a father-figure. It was shocking at the meeting when Philza spoke to him in that tone and didn’t let Tommy get to talk.

“I’ll prove it, I swear I will.” 

Tommy pulled up every single video about humans that he could find and watched them. Every single movement or saying they did, Tommy wrote it down. He even tried practicing the ‘language’ although it was a bit weird with the dialect and the way the words were pronounced. 

It has been about three days since Tommy holed himself up in his room. 

He had plenty of snacks and other drinks in his room so he didn’t need to go out and Tommy preferred not to as he didn’t want to run into Philza. He didn’t want to start an argument when the other wouldn’t even listen to him.

Then someone knocked on the door, jolting Tommy away from his studies.

“Y-Yes?”

“Tommy, i-it’s me.”

Tubbo.  

Tommy raced to the door, leaving whatever he was working on behind and opening the door frantically. His eyes met Tubbo’s and he immediately engulfed Tubbo in a hug.

“I’m so glad you’re okay! How are you? Is everything alright? Are you even allowed to be up? What-”

“I’m fine, Tommy, but…” Tubbo looked behind Tommy at his desk. “Philza told me to check on you and to convince you…”

Tommy let go of Tubbo and took a step back. “Convince me to what?”

“He wants me to convince you to stop thinking humans are sentient.” 

“Are you… going to try to?” Tommy asks.

“Tommy…” Tubbo stepped further into the room then started walking towards the desk to look at what Tommy was working on. He flipped through the papers and pictures and Tubbo’s eyebrows started to furrow even more looking at every sentence.

Tommy piped up, thinking Tubbo was going to take his side like always as he walked over to the desk as well and started talking about his analyses and other things.

“So that- in this video I saw the humans form some kind of code and was able to trick the Galactic army- and here, there was a younger-looking human and this one got really angry when one of the Galactic army’s soldiers hit them! Then there was this video which showed a human not attacking the soldier! Instead, they tried to run away first like-”

“You’re taking its side?”

Tommy stopped talking and stopped going through the videos to show his friend. He slowly moved his head to Tubbo and saw betrayal mixed with utter sorrow. It took Tommy a second to form his words, not knowing what Tubbo was talking about.

“Taking- Taking its side? What do you-”

“The human. You’re taking its side.” Tubbo set the papers he was holding back onto the desk and stared straight into Tommy’s eyes. “I was the one who got hurt. It was totally fine and had no problem killing you or me. Yet, here you are trying to prove something that isn’t true.”

“T-Tubbs?” Tommy was in disbelief as Tubbo looked almost disappointed with him. 

“It didn’t communicate with you. It was just copying your movements as other animals have done before. Now, stop all of… this.” Tubbo motions to the whole desk with the papers and documents and Tommy’s ‘proof’ that he tried so hard to work on.

There was a moment of silence then Tommy spoke up.

“...No.”

“No?”

“I- I’m sorry Tubbs but… it’s not that I’m taking sides. I’m doing what I think is right.”

“It attacked us. It attacked me. It almost killed you.”

“I think they were just scared.” Tommy corrected Tubbo. “Let’s switch it around then. If a bunch of humans locked you up then decided to come into your cell, how would you feel?”

“That won’t happen because it is not sentient! Humans will kill us the first chance it gets!” Tubbo yelled which startled Tommy a bit as he took a step back. Usually Tubbo would never get mad or angry with him and would always take his side on things. Now, it was different.

“Tubbs-”

“Don’t call me that!” Tubbo went back to the front of the room, next to the door and gave a glare to Tommy. It looked like he had been betrayed by Tommy. “Don’t you ever call me that until you stop defending the very thing that attacked us, that attacked me! Just give up!”

“I… Ok.”

Tubbo calmed down a bit. “So you give up on-”

“I won’t call you Tubbs no more.”

Tubbo stopped talking and the anger came back twice as much. He didn’t say anything anymore as he walked out of Tommy’s room and left Tommy by himself yet again. Tommy stared at the door for a long while before turning back to the desk and breathing out a long, tired sigh. 

“I’m… I’m sorry. But I can’t give up just yet.”

Tommy pulled up a USB drive and plugged it into his computer. He started to code into the drive and type away, trying to focus on this rather than the confrontation that just had happened. 

Although he lost one of his best friend’s trust, he couldn’t afford to give up on defending the human. There was something…

“The Galactic Council is wrong.”

Tommy was finished.

It has been about a week since he was ordered to stay in his room and the only information that Tommy got about what Philza was going to do with the human was that they were heading to the Galactic Council’s headquarters. However, Tommy knows that the Galactic Council will kill the human immediately. He has to do something before they get to the main ship.

He had a plan.

And if Tommy was wrong, he would die. His plan consists of being locked in the cell with the human with no way out. In another view, it was the dumbest plan he could ever come up with but it was also the only plan to prove to Philza and the crew that the human was sentient.

Packing up the papers, electronic devices, and other things that he thought were important, he shoved it all into his bag and carried it. 

The most important thing for the plan he had was the USB that had been embedded with a code.

“Let’s do this.”

Tommy made sure he had everything and the USB in his talon. He opened his door and peered down the hallways. There was no sight of anyone so Tommy stepped out and made his way, quietly and slowly, towards the cell. 

He’s not sure who is on duty right now but Tommy is sure he can trick them and get inside the cell and shut the door. There was only one chance and he doesn’t want to mess it up or he will be put on watch. 

Finally at the door before the cell, Tommy knocked two times before a voice popped up.

“Yes?” 

And it was Ranboo. Tommy opened the door and noticed that it wasn’t Wilbur with Ranboo but Tubbo was there instead. As soon as he caught eyes with Tubbo, he glared at Tommy then looked away from him. Tommy tried to not look hurt at the gesture and instead, started to talk to Ranboo.

“Hey Ranboo!” Tommy said rather awkwardly as he scooted a little more inside.

“Tommy?” Ranboo tilted his head. “What are you doing here? Aren’t you banned from-”

“Well, I got kinda bored.” Tommy says as he stepped closer to the control panel for the cell while trying to distract the others. “Being in my room for almost two weeks kinda sucks. Also- I didn’t know you two were on duty together?”

“We didn’t have a choice.” Tubbo says, not looking at Tommy. “Philza had to switch the groups since we were down a person.”

“...Right, sorry.” Tommy mumbles, then inserted the USB into the control panel and looked at the button that opens the cell door. He looked to his left and saw that the human, through the transparent wall, curled up in the corner with their head down and they didn’t look up. Tommy took a deep breath.

“And sorry for this too.”

“Huh?” Ranboo was confused for a moment before Tommy shoved him backwards into Tubbo. They both fell onto the floor and Tommy didn’t waste another second as he raced back over to press the button to open the cell door.

Once the door was open, Tommy threw himself inside and shut it. Thanks to the coding that he did, the cell door locked immediately behind him. Tubbo and Ranboo got up from the ground and their faces filled with dread at seeing that Tommy was inside the cell. 

They tried pressing the button to open the cell but it didn’t work. Tubbo ripped out the USB drive to stop it but Tommy had coded it so once it was inserted into the control panel, it would take into effect and could not be stopped.

Tubbo pressed the emergency button on his belt and started screaming into the communicator for the rest of the crew, most likely. Tommy couldn’t hear them since he was inside the cell but he could guess what Tubbo was yelling about. Ranboo tried to pry the invisible door open with his claws but nothing worked.

Tommy shifted his bag slightly on his shoulder then turned around to see that the human had been awake and was staring at him. Tommy gulped and started to shake as he remembered the events that unfolded last time he was in here.

Instead of taking a step forward like last time, Tommy decided to take a different approach. Tommy slowly backed up until he was on the other side of the cell then sat down onto the floor. The human looked a little confused at the motion but they didn’t look angry and also didn’t get up from their spot.

Tommy pulled out his notes, slowly so as to not startle the human, and started to read them to himself. The notes he took were of the human language and behaviors of them. He tried practicing but there was only one word that was frequently common among the humans that they used a lot so Tommy had only practiced that one repeatedly. 

The human still didn’t move from their spot and didn’t say anything either as he looked, not at Tommy, but at the transparent wall. Tommy finally looked up from his notes to see everyone, including Philza, was in the room trying to stop Tommy’s code to open the cell door. He caught eyes with Philza and he started to yell at him. Although Tommy couldn’t hear from within the cell, he could tell that Philza was angry yet there was a hint of fear in his eyes.

The second part of the code should start soon.

However, right when Tommy knew the second part of the code was going to happen, the human stood up. The human slowly made their way and was only a few feet away from Tommy at this point. He saw the faces of his crew started to panic and it became worse with each step that the human made towards Tommy. Tommy didn’t move and waited with bated breath on what the human would do next.

If the human was sentient and Tommy didn’t mistake them last time, then the human wouldn’t hurt him. Tommy saw their eyes filled with regret after hurting him. He can’t be wrong.

The human stood over Tommy and he still didn’t move, even after seeing that the other crew members were banging on the wall and was desperately trying to open the door.

Tommy watched as the human lifted their hand towards Tommy… but then the second part of the code was implemented.

The wall went from transparent to solid and no one could see inside the cell and vice versa.

Even the human was surprised as they stopped what they were doing and looked at the once-transparent wall. 

Tommy smiled as he tried to talk, softly this time. “Sorry about that. I did that because it would be nicer to talk to you without any distractions.”

The human stared at Tommy before making a response of their own, although Tommy still doesn’t know what they’re saying. Tommy gave a pause before looking at the human, questioningly. The human seemed to give out a long sigh then sat down in front of him.

“I… don’t understand what you’re saying. I’m sorry, I only speak Common.”

The human shook their head but didn’t say anything as they stared at Tommy’s notes and papers. Tommy did learn one word in the human language he tried studying. He’s not sure if he’ll say it right or if it was an actual language, but he tried to anyway.

“F-Fu… Fuck?”

The human looked up from the papers with wide eyes and stared at Tommy for a long moment.

Then they erupted into pure laughter.

Tommy smiled.

Chapter Text

Dream was left in the dark for who knows how long. He didn’t count, he was tired of counting his days and how long he had been here. It was useless in the long run anyways if they plan to kill him soon.

Dream hated everything. Not just the aliens and the spaceship, he also hated himself. If only on that day he went back into the orphanage like his friends suggested. Call it survivor’s guilt or whatever you want to call it, Dream knows he has it but doesn’t know what to do to fix it. There was no possible way to bring his friends, his own brothers, back from the dead. 

They’re gone and it was all his fault and he took out his anger on aliens, two smaller ones, who had nothing to do with it. 

He was the monster. 

If only he didn’t go out that night. If only he listened to his friends. If only…

It was all his fault.

It was about midnight when Dream woke up from his sleep. He had another nightmare again and didn’t want to go back to bed. He saw the other people still sleeping and carefully got up, pushing the covers off of him.

He made his way, stealthily, to George’s bed and shook the other one up gently.

“Huh?” George rubbed his eyes and still sounded a bit drowsy. “Whacha’ want?”

“George.” Dream greeted the other. “I’m going to go to the spot.”

George was a little more awake at this point as he turned to look at the clock that was hanging on one of the walls. It was around one in the morning and he sighed.

“Was it a nightmare?” George asks.

“...Yeah.”

“I’ll come with you. I don’t want you to go out alone at this time.”

George pushed the bedsheets off of himself and quietly made his way to Sapnap’s bed and woke him up as well. Sapnap jolted awake and looked around to find the faces of his two friends then went back under the covers.

“I’ll go to the spot later, let me sleep.”

“Dream had another nightmare.” George says and to this, Sapnap stood up and looked at Dream then back to George.

“Alright, alright. We can go.”

Dream thanked them before they put on their shoes and slowly opened the door to go outside. As soon as the orphanage was nowhere to be seen, they stopped whispering and made their way to the forest. On the way, they started to ask questions about Dream’s nightmare.

“Was it bad? What happened?” Sapnap asks as he steps over a tree root. The forest was hard to navigate but they’re used to going on this terrain at this point since they have been to that spot many times.

“Just… I-I don’t- I forgot…”

“Dream,” George says as he also tries to go over the next few tree roots, “you were shaking when you woke me up. I am not going to believe that you ‘forgot’.”

“Well… It’s hard to describe my dreams. Weird things happen.”

“And what happened this time?” Sapnap moved a tree branch out of the way and held it back for the others to cross through.

“I was… It started out nice. Both of you were there and we were at our spot. But then… there was this scream coming from the forest and I decided to go investigate and you two came along. I don’t know what happened but the next thing I knew, you two were on the ground bleeding out. I looked into the forest and met eyes with this… dark entity? I don’t know what it was but just staring into that void of darkness made my heart beat faster and skin crawl. I tried to reach out to the both of you but something held me back and it looked like black tentacles wrapped around my body until I was engulfed in darkness…”

“Ew- tentacles? Really? Sounds gross.” Sapnap tried to joke but it didn’t make Dream feel any better. He sighed and added in. “It must’ve been scary. Monsters in nightmares can really-”

“I wasn’t scared of the monster.” Dream says to which Sapnap and George paused and looked at him, waiting for the other to continue. In a much more quiet tone, Dream mumbled, “I was scared of losing you two.”

George looked like he was holding back from laughing just hearing that as he stepped to Dream and gave him a hug. Sapnap joined in as well and both of them finally let go

“We’ll always be there for you,” George smiles, “no matter what!”

“We won’t die that easily! It’ll take an army to kill us!” Sapnap laughs.

Dream laughed a bit with him while wiping his tears away. It was a horrible nightmare to think about and Dream doesn’t know how he would feel losing his two best friends, his brothers, his family.

They made it to the spot and sat down upon the top of the hill that overlooked the rest of the forest. The wind blew periodically and the tree branches moved with the wind, leaves falling ever so slowly. The stars shone brighter than any city light, the night time making them illuminate even more so. 

The stars have always helped him. Everytime Dream stares at the stars, he feels more at ease. It’s as if they carried away all of his nightmares for him and helped relieve Dream of any stress. He loves the stars and, many times, goes out in the middle of the night just to see them.

Sapnap, George, and Dream all sat upon the grass on the hill top. They talked about all kinds of topics, from food to electronics, anything to distract Dream from recalling his nightmare. 

Dream laughed and it had been about two hours before they even knew it. It was around three in the morning and Dream laid down to look at the stars as they seemingly shimmered in the night.

Something was off.

Dream noticed something blocking the sky as some of the stars were covered by a black object. Dream sat up to get a closer look and it moved. The thing landed at the bottom of the hill. His friends didn’t seem to notice as they kept talking. Watching the… was it an airplane? No, it moves too quickly and precisely. It could be some kind of drone? But what kind of drone was that big? Not to mention that it was quiet, not making a sound. Usually, drones or planes are very loud and make some kind of noise but this thing was absolutely quiet.

“George, Sap, look at that.” Dream pointed to the bottom of the hill, over the top of the trees where that thing was.

George and Sapnap turned their heads to look at where Dream pointed at, then they stood up just as fast and were wide eyed.

“What the hell-”

“What is that-”

Dream took a moment then looked back at the aircraft-thing. It wasn’t moving from where it landed in the forest clearing. It was still dark out but he could make out the tiny details on the aircraft and little lights on it as well. Despite his better knowledge, Dream was curious.

“I’m going to go see what it is.”

“What? No- let’s just go back. It’s already late anyway and they’re going to do checks in the morning.” George shook his head and grabbed Dream’s wrist. But Dream just pulled back and rolled his eyes.

“It’s just for a minute and then I’ll go back. You guys can go back first.”

Sapnap shook his head. “You’re not going alone, I’ll come with you.”

“Ugh- fine! I’ll go too.” George crossed his arms but still agreed to come along. “Only because I don’t want to walk back by myself.”

“Uh-huh.” Sapnap snickers. “Totally not because you’re worried for us.” 

George smirks then shoves Sapnap lightly. “Whatever.”

“You didn’t deny it.” Sapnap says.

Dream chuckles lightly as his friends bickered behind him and he led the way down the hill and towards the weird object. It didn’t take long to reach the end of the hill then they started walking towards the forest clearing. 

As they were approaching the clearing, they heard some kind of noise that sounded a lot like a different language. Although Dream can recognize certain languages based on their tones or dialects, he could not recognize this one.

“Stay low and make sure to not get spotted.” He whispered to his friends who nodded in agreement, already knowing that something bad was going on.

They ducked behind a tree with a few bushes and looked into the clearing. Dream looked at the airship and… it looked different than anything he has seen before. There were a few things moving around and Dream squinted his eyes and had to cover his mouth to stop from screaming as he saw what those things looked like. Many of them came in different colors and shapes but one thing was noticeable. 

None of them were human.

Call them what you will, creatures, monsters, aliens. Dream realized that whatever these things were, they should stay far away from them. His friends came to the same conclusion as they pulled on his sleeve and made a gesture to run. Dream nodded, although a bit shaky, then stopped when he heard a scream. 

He turned around and saw a few kids in a couple of cages. They looked younger than Dream and were crying. His friends still tried to pull him back but Dream couldn’t leave. Not when there were kids who needed help.

“I- I got to help them-”

“Leave them! We’ll contact the police or something!” George shakes his head and keeps looking up just in case the creatures spotted them. Their voices were barely above a whisper.

“They’ll be gone by the time the police arrive!” Dream spits back. “I’m going to help them. Just- Just go get the police while I unlock the cages!”

“Dream, no-” Sapnap started to say but Dream was already moving across the clearing, using the forest and darkness to his advantage. Dream isn’t sure what was happening but he’ll be damned if he couldn’t help those kids.

When he made it across the clearing and to the cages, he looked at the young kids much more closely. There were two young boys and a girl and all of them were crying, begging to be let out to go back to their families. However, the aliens or whatever they were didn’t seem to listen or care as they kept talking amongst themselves and completely ignoring them which was perfect for Dream. 

He hid behind a bush and studied the lock that was on the cage. He has never seen anything like it but he still needed to try. Silently, he crept closer to the cage. 

It was weird when not even one of the children inside the cages noticed him, even when Dream knocked on the cage to try and grab their attention. It was too late when he noticed that they weren’t children, not even human either. 

They were holograms of humans. 

It was a trap.

Right when Dream was about to turn and run, one of the aliens found him and screamed for the others. Dream’s heart picked up its pace as he looked into the eyes of multiple creatures that turned their attention to him and got out, what looked like, weapons. 

Dream knew the shortest path was through the open field and not into the forest but the forest provided cover. However, the open field was the fastest route back. Dream ran straight and dodged and weaved through multiple aliens that shot their guns at him. One managed to shoot at Dream’s legs and he fell to the ground.

His legs were tangled in some kind of webbing and whenever Dream moved, it seemed to tangle even more so.

Dream looked up to find that the aliens all had their guns pointed to him. Most of them wore white coats. One of them undoubtedly stood out from the rest. One with a void body, three white eyes that held no pupils, and multiple black tentacle-like things on its back. Just like his nightmare.

“Shit-” Dream tried to use his hands to untangle the mess as his heart was beating out of his chest. The thing, the one from his nightmare, stood above him and pointed the gun straight at him. 

One thing he did notice, despite a gun being pointed at him, was a symbol on the sleeve of the creature’s jacket. It was like three triangles conjoined at their edges with a circle surrounding it.

Dream held his breath and turned his head away, awaiting the impact of the gun. 

Then he heard his friends scream and he opened his eyes to see them running towards him.

“Leave him alone!”

“Get away from him!”

“No-” Dream felt his eyes grow wide as he yelled out, “No- Stop! Go back! Please! George! Sapnap!”

They didn’t listen, Dream knew they wouldn’t but he still hoped they would turn back. His friends tried to make it to Dream but they, too, were caught up in the same netting. Dream cursed under his breath as he fought back the aliens that dragged him into one of the cages. 

He watched as they stuffed his friends into cages as they shouted profanities at them. Dream’s own breath was becoming unsteady and his heart was beating too fast. He was shaking and it felt like the cage was closing in on him. 

Everything was happening so fast, too fast.

They were boarded onto the ship then put into a room with other cages, some empty and some with other people. The other people didn’t say anything as they were put in there, as if any fight they had in them was gone. Their eyes were filled with defeat and misery and only looked at Dream and his friends with pity yet did not say anything. 

As the creatures shut the door, Dream looked around the room to see any openings, anything at all to help him escape. His friends were on the other side of the room and were kicking at their own cage to try and open it. 

“Shit- Fuck- I-I’m so sorry.” Dream stammered out, tears already falling from his eyes as he roughly wiped them away. “I didn’t- I didn’t want this to happen- I should’ve stayed in bed- I-”

“Dream.” George sternly says, making Dream choke up and become silent. “This isn’t your fault. We’ll get out of here alive. All of us will.”

Sapnap was still kicking the bars of the cage as he chided in, “Don’t blame yourself for this Dream.” Another kick. “I mean- how could anyone expect fucking aliens of all things?!”

Dream didn’t respond. Not wanting to talk any further. No matter what his friends say, he knows in his heart that this was all his fault. 

After about two hours, Sapnap and George became tired but still were awake. Dream sighed into his hands as he made a silent prayer to whatever was listening.

Please keep my friends safe. I don’t care what happens to me but please… Keep them safe.

Nothing answered back.

Nothing.

Shifting further into the corner and curling himself up even further than before, Dream stayed where he was.

Finally, after what seemed like it had been about a day, the wall became transparent again and there stood the pig-one, back on the usual watch. They didn’t look at Dream and only sat on the usual chair and paid attention to whatever it was looking at, possibly a book.

Dream started to nickname them instead of just calling them random names. He started to call the pig-looking one “nerd” since Dream had only ever seen that alien reading. It suits them.

After that, Dream started to nickname each and every single alien he has seen thus far.

The one that was half void and half pure white he nicknamed ‘Half-and-half’ which was less scary sounding than what they looked like. The one who wore the white coat, which Dream despised, and had the bat wings, he called ‘Bat’. Don’t ask why, he just couldn’t find a better suitable name honestly. The one with the big black wings who seemed like the leader of the group he called ‘Crow’. The little bee one he called them ‘Buzzer’ and the little red bird one Dream decided with ‘Little Red’. It suited them in an odd way. 

It had been about three to four days when he saw Buzzer back. 

Dream looked at Buzzer and Half-and-Half as they talked to one another. Buzzer did not share any looks to Dream or even made any eye contact but Dream didn’t care. He let out a sigh of relief seeing that they were alive and well. They had every right to be mad at him so Dream stayed in the corner, curled up, as he tried to fall back asleep.

His breathing was shallow and Dream only got up to take little bites of the food they gave him and to drink some of the water. After doing so, he retreated back to the corner and stayed there. 

He repeated the same thing for a week now and there was no sign of Little Red coming back. 

Dream knows he didn’t harm Little Red as much as Buzzer but he could have gotten into trouble with Crow so he hopes that Little Red was okay. 

There was a sound. Then a sound of a door being slammed shut which caused Dream to wake up from his half-asleep drowsiness and he met eyes with the one he attacked before, the one who is supposed to be on the other side of the wall, Little Red. Instead, the winged creature was inside the cell with Dream, as if they hadn’t learned their lesson from last time. 

They were shaking, obviously scared, but there was a hint of resolution behind their eyes as they stared at Dream. Slowly backing up until they were on the other side of the cell, they then sat onto the ground, which Dream was rather befuddled by. 

Why are they here? Why would they let Little Red in again after what happened last time?

Dream turned his head to the transparent wall and saw that Little Red’s friends were not taking this very well. In fact, they were freaking out and trying to pry the cell door open and ultimately failing. 

Oh. They didn’t want Little Red to come in. Little Red came here themselves.

Although Dream still doesn’t know exactly what was going on, he could guess that Little Red locked the door to the cell with something and the rest couldn’t get in. Dream watched as the rest of the creatures came flooding into the room before the cell. Chaos ensued although Dream could not hear a thing from inside the cell.

Dream sighed and stood up from the ground. He slowly made his way towards Little Red and didn’t pay much attention to the other aliens as he knows they are glaring daggers at him right now.

Now about a few feet away from Little Red, probably even a little closer honestly. He reached out a hand towards Little Red but then the room fell into darkness, the only light coming from inside the cell, although a bit dim. 

The once transparent wall turned into solid and Dream could not see outside of the cell and he could make a guess that the other aliens could not see inside either.

Then, Little Red spoke. Dream couldn’t understand a word they said but it seemed like they were talking quieter than before, as if they didn’t want to startle Dream. He stared right into the eyes of Little Red before saying his own language.

“Why did you come back in here? Aren’t you afraid of me?”

Little Red looked a little confused at his words as he tried to respond, although Dream still has no idea what they were saying. Dream shook his head and gave a long sigh before sitting down on the floor as well. He looked at the papers scattered on the ground that Little Red had. However, Little Red spoke up again and tried speaking the same language as Dream.

Although they had a bit of an accent, Dream recognized the word immediately.

“ F-Fu… Fuck?”

Dream looked up to Little Red with wide eyes and stared at them for a long moment. They probably didn’t even know what they just said which made it ten times funnier in Dream’s mind as Little Red waited patiently for Dream’s answer. 

But Dream didn’t say anything back and only bursted out laughing.

And he didn’t notice the way Little Red smiled.

Chapter Text

Dream didn’t know how to communicate with Little Red.

It was awkward to say the least. Little Red started to talk ( which sounded like chirping) more and more while pointing to the writings on the papers. 

Dream looked at the writings, trying to interpret them but he couldn’t make sense of any of the symbols. It was completely foreign to him. 

He tentatively reached a hand forward and picked up a few of the empty papers himself then looked up to Little Red who had stopped talking and watched Dream with great interest. 

“Do you have a pen or something?” And Dream did a writing motion with his hand on the paper to emphasize his question. 

Little red seemed to have gotten the concept and grabbed a- it looked like a stylus- out of their bag and handed it to Dream. Dream didn’t write down his language, knowing that Little Red wouldn’t have been able to understand it anyway. Instead, he drew a circle and tried his best to draw the parts of land he remembers. After he was finished he raised the paper up and pointed to it.

“Earth.” Dream says. Little Red tilted his head and Dream could see their underlying confusion. Dream points to the paper again and says more slowly, “Earth.”

“E-Eart-H?” Little Red attempts to repeat the word back but Dream knows that the young one doesn’t understand. They only repeated what Dream said.

Dream just sighs and crumbles the paper in frustration. They weren’t getting anywhere with this and Dream can’t learn their language if he doesn’t even have any translation books lying around. He threw the paper to the side then covered his face with his hands.

What can I even do? This is going nowhere…

Little Red does not know how to communicate and the other ones definitely don’t like Dream so there was no point in trying to talk to the rest of them. Writing or even drawing does not work since Little Red does not seem to understand anything he does. 

Then he felt a little tap on his shoulder. Then two taps. 

Dream looked up and watched Little Red. Little Red tapped Dream's shoulder, attempting to communicate in a different way. 

Little Red tapped twice on the ground, handed a paper to Dream, tapped once, and took it back. They repeated this with various objects, and Dream started to understand the pattern: two taps for yes and one tap for no. 

However, Dream still couldn't comprehend the question being asked. 

“So… two taps for yes, one for no?” Dream repeated the action while acknowledging the taps. It still didn’t help but any form of communication was better than nothing. “You know that doesn’t help if I don’t even know what question you're asking?”

Little Red fluttered his wings a bit as they saw Dream start to get it then they got up from the ground and picked up the crumbled piece of paper that Dream had thrown away. 

Carefully unfolding it with their talons, they held it up to their eyes and stared at it for a long while before something clicked. 

Hurriedly, Little Red pointed at Dream with his claw then to the paper drawing of Earth while making a loud noise. Dream narrowed his eyes, trying to understand what Little red was saying. 

Seeing Dream’s confusion, they started to do the same thing a few times. They pointed to Dream then back to the drawing. And Dream realized that Little Red understood it and what Dream wanted. 

Dream stood up abruptly, hope and excitement going through his head.

“Y-Yes! Earth! Can- Can you take me there?!” 

Dream nodded frantically but Little Red didn’t know that gesture so Dream tapped the wall twice so Little Red could understand that ‘yes that's what i want’.

Little Red rejoiced and flapped their wings in delight, understanding Dream's request. Dream felt a surge of hope. Little Red's joy was evident as they held up the paper and danced around, resembling a joyful parrot.

Dream was happy and for the first time in a long time, he had hope. Maybe he could actually get to go back to Earth? Maybe Little Red knows where to take him and will get him home safely?

Yet, he couldn't shake off the guilt lingering within him.

There was nothing back on Earth for him. He used to have his two friends, ones he can call family, right beside him but now… They should never have died. If it wasn’t for Dream…

Even if he managed to explain his ordeal to the police back on Earth, he knew nobody would believe him. The thought of being considered crazy and locked away probably wouldn’t be far from what were to happen.

Little Red seemed to have noticed his turn in emotions and stopped to step closer to Dream. Dream flinched a bit, bringing himself back into reality ( as obscured as being abducted by aliens may sound as a reality ), and took a step back. Little Red stopped and waited until Dream looked more calm before taking another step then another.

Little Red was around Dream’s shoulder height and they took one step forward to close the gap. 

What Dream didn’t expect was to be engulfed in a feathery hug.

Little Red, Dream had noticed, tried their best to not touch Dream with their talons, afraid of scratching him. Their wings wrapped around Dream and their head tucked into Dream’s chest. They murmured words that Dream couldn't comprehend, but the gesture itself was understood.

And something welled up in Dream as he felt his eyes start to burn and a single tear had escaped. He wiped it away just as quickly but more began to fall.

“You’re- You’re so fucking- fucking stupid.” Dream said as he tried to laugh in between his sniffling. “I almost killed you. I almost killed your friend… You have no reason to be this kind to me, you know? It’ll get you killed one day Little Red.”

Then there was a pause as Dream managed to calm down and wipe away the last of his tears as he chuckles and ruffles Little Red’s hair mixed with feathers. 

“I really hope that day never comes.”

It’s been about a few hours and Dream sat outside of the nest structure while Little Red sat on the blankets and pillows. Lil’ Red tried to pull Dream into the nest but Dream opted to sit on the side which left Little Red looking like he was pouting.

Little Red showed Dream photos of different things from different places while chirping. They even showed him photos of the other members that Dream saw with Little Red. 

Dream stared at the white coat one a little too long. Little Red had noticed so Dream hurriedly picked up another photo.

Suddenly, a loud banging noise echoed through the room, drawing Dream's attention to the door. 

After a few anxious moments, the door burst open, revealing a figure known to Dream as Crow, the black-bird one. Crow appeared panicked, scanning the room until their eyes locked onto Little Red. 

Initially confused, Crow's gaze shifted between Dream and Little Red before transforming into anger. Their black wings extended as they took a step toward Little Red, about to say something but was interrupted.

Standing up from the nest, Little Red rambled on about something while Crow spoke in a low, threatening tone. Dream realized that Little Red was in trouble and couldn't bear to witness the potential loss of his only hope of returning to Earth and the only one trying to help him. Taking a protective stance, Dream positioned himself in front of Little Red, shielding them from view.

Growling, Dream warned, "Stay back."

Crow was momentarily taken aback by Dream's defense of Little Red, but quickly retrieved a weapon of some kind and aimed it at Dream. Unfazed, Dream refused to back down until Little Red's voice broke through his determination.

Little Red tapped the wall once.

It took a moment for Dream to comprehend Little Red's message, and he slowly lowered his arms, placing them by his side.

“N-No?” Dream looked at Little Red and they tapped once again and only then did Dream, reluctantly, decide to back down.

Dream stepped aside, his body tense with a mix of fear and frustration. He couldn't understand why Crow was so hostile towards Little Red. The tension in the room did not die down as Crow kept their weapon trained on Dream, suspicion evident in their eyes but there was a hint of confusion as well. 

Little Red and Crow engaged in a conversation, adopting a significantly more civilized manner this time. Meanwhile, Dream chose to remain silent and positioned himself to the side, avoiding drawing any additional attention to himself.

Shortly after Crow's arrival, the others—Half-and-half, Bat, Buzzer, and Nerd—all entered the room. However, Dream initially failed to notice their presence. 

He exchanged a glance with Bat, the individual in the white coat, and instinctively took a step back. Fear coursed through his veins, speeding up his heartbeat. Overwhelmed, Dream averted his gaze from the white coat and decided to settle down, deliberately avoiding looking at anything in particular.

The symbol on the coat made him want to throw up just looking at it as Dream recalled all the bad memories on the part ship.

The two bird-like aliens talked for a long while, with Buzzer joining in for a second then remaining silent after.

It took a bit but Crow put the gun away. It seemed like they came to an agreement with Little Red and one by one, they all left the cell leaving Dream to his own thoughts. He stayed where he was as the door cells closed.

Maybe Little Red could convince Crow to take me back to Earth?

Dream was left alone in the cell again, but this time, with hope. 

Dream sat back against the cold wall of the cell, his head tilted upward as he let out a sigh. It had been more than an hour or so since the interaction. He clung tightly to the hope that he would be able to get back to Earth and away from the chaos in space. His mind churned with different thoughts, some positive while others were negative. Was he only clinging to this hope because he had nothing left?

He closed his eyes, pushing the image of Crow’s hostile gaze and the weapon they had pointed at him. If it wasn’t for Lil’ Red, Dream probably would have been shot by now.

The sound of the cell door opening made his eyes shoot up abruptly.

His eyes landed on three figures who were inside the room, while the rest of them were outside the transparent force field thing.

Lil’ Red, Bat, and Crow were all in the cell with him. Lil’ Red’s wings fluttered nervously, but their expression was determined and Dream raised an eyebrow.

“What are you doing back in here? And with them as well.” Dream gestured to the other two, who took a step back when Dream moved.

Lil’ Red, on the other hand, moved forward without fear.

Little Red chirped slightly then sat down near him. Crow and Bat were watching, wary of any and all of Dream’s movements. Dream didn’t look at Lil’ Red and only stared at the other two, especially Bat with the white coat. Just because Lil’ Red wanted to help him doesn’t mean that the others would.

Seeing that Dream wasn’t doing much and seemed wary, Lil’ Red reached into their bag and brought out another piece of paper and stylus from earlier. They placed the items in front of Dream and tapped the paper twice.

Dream frowned. “You want me to draw again?”

Lil’ Red tilted his head in confusion, then chirped something before tapping the paper twice yet again.

Dream hesitated but lifted his hand towards the stylus. Crow reached for his weapon on his side but one loud and angry chirp from Lil’ Red made them stop.

Dream froze mid-motion, glancing cautiously at Crow, whose hand hovered over the gun and then at Lil’ Red, their small frame radiating defiance. Dream couldn’t help but feel a flicker of admiration for their bravery. He picked up the stylus slowly, keeping his movements as non-threatening as possible.

“I’m not going to do anything so relax.” Dream muttered, his voice laced with frustration. “Unless you give me a reason to.”

All of Crow’s eyes narrowed but they backed off, their hand moving away from the weapon. Bat, meanwhile, stayed eerily silent, their white coat pristine and only slightly wrinkled, as if they were observing Dream like a lab subject. It made him feel disgusted.

Dream swallowed hard and forced himself to focus on the paper in front of him. He wasn’t sure what to draw this time, but he knew it had to be something meaningful. Something that would help him communicate his intentions at the very least.

After a moment of thought, Dream began to draw. His hand moved steadily as he sketched out the outline of Earth again, just as he had before. But this time, he added more details: a spaceship near the planet, lines to indicate trajectory, and drew a simple stick person standing on it to represent himself.

When he finished, Dream pushed the paper toward Lil’ Red and tapped it twice, mimicking the pattern they had established. “Earth. Me. Ship.”

Lil’ Red leaned in, their light blue eyes scanning the drawing intently. After a few seconds, they chirped something excitedly and lifted the paper for the others to see.

The black-bird alien stepped forward, their wings flaring slightly as they studied the crude drawing Dream made. They didn’t seem happy as they let out a low, guttural sound. The tension in the room didn’t go unnoticed by Dream. And Bat… Bat just stood there, arms crossed, watching the scene unfold like a spectator at a show.

Dream stood as still as possible, not wanting to escalate the situation. Crow hissed something under their breath then Lil’ Red stood up and chirped back. It was a moment longer then Crow flapped his wings and slowly stepped back.

Lil’ Red walked back to the entrance of the cell but gave a glance back towards Dream, flapping his wings in a silent goodbye. Dream waved his hand, his human way of a farewell.

Bat lingered for a moment longer, their gaze staying on Dream before they too turned and followed Crow out.

As the door slid shut behind them with a faint click, Dream was left alone in the quietness of his cell. The hum of the ship’s machinery is the only sound to break the silence. He let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, and let the tension in his shoulders ease and he sank back against the wall.

The paper was left with Lil’ Red, who took it with them outside the cell. The once transparent cell was now made solid, not being able to see any of them anymore. He didn’t know what Lil’ Red said to Crow, but it was clear that the others weren’t agreeing with them. 

He couldn’t shake the thought that even if Lil’ Red wanted to help him, the others weren’t so kind and would put a stop to it. And if that happens, Dream would be out of options.

Dream felt helpless, trapped in an alien spaceship with no control over his fate. But he didn’t want to give up, not yet. Not when he was so close to having them understand that he wanted out.

An hour or two later, Dream felt the spaceship shake slightly. 

And his heart started to speed up. He sat up straight, his senses sharpening as the subtle vibration beneath him grew stronger. He pressed his hands to the floor, feeling the faint tremors of the ship through the metallic surface. Something was happening.

The hum of the ship’s engines shifted, a low, grumbling sound replacing the steady thrum it had before. Then he felt the spaceship lean. Dream frowned.

Was the ship… turning?

He couldn’t see outside as there were no windows in his cell but he could feel it tilt.

The sensation didn’t stop there. The ship seemed to accelerate, the vibrations intensifying as it picked up speed. Dream scrambled to his feet, worry etched onto his face. His thoughts began to spiral.

Where are they taking the ship to? Are they trying to get rid of me for good? Or…

Dream gritted his teeth, the uncertainty was maddening. Every possible scenario played in his mind, each worse than the last. He pressed his palms against the cold wall, wishing he could see what was happening.

Then, just as suddenly as the acceleration began, it stopped.

The ship shuddered, a jarring halt that made Dream stumble back. The hum of the engines faded, replaced by a long silence. A low groan reverberated through the ship, followed by the unmistakable sound of something shifting.

And his heart sank further.

They landed somewhere.

But nothing else happened after. No one came to get him or take him away.  The silence felt heavy, almost suffocating.

Hours upon hours passed but it was hard to tell in the stillness. Dream paced the cell, running his fingers through his hair. He kept glancing at the walls and ceiling that were trapping him like a caged animal. With a frustrated sigh, he slumped against the cold metal, his hand resting on his knees.

Then, Dream heard the click of the door opening.

Dream’s head shot up to see who was entering but… no one was there.

Dream scrambled to his feet, watching as the edge of the door was slightly open with a narrow gap. He blinked in disbelief and slowly moved closer.

Is this some kind of test? What…

He waited, his heart pounding, expecting someone to burst through the door and apprehend him. But no one came.

He took another cautious step forward and peeked through the gap. The room outside the cell was eerily quiet. No voices. No footsteps. Nothing.

Dream opened the door wider and stepped out. There was still nothing so Dream took this chance to explore and find an exit. Lil’ Red was trying to help him but the others didn’t seem like they would. This was his only chance.

As Dream quietly made his way down the corridors, the ship felt almost abandoned. There was an unsettling stillness about it.

As he rounded the corner, something caught his eyes- a large set of doors at the end of the hallway that was partially opened. A faint, natural light spilled through the gap, starkly contrasting the glow of the ship.

Dream’s heart leapt. This was a chance to escape.

He quickened his pace, his footsteps now echoing in the empty corridor. As he approached the doors, the light grew brighter, almost blinding. Then he heard the voices outside that made him halt his movements. They were the same voices of the aliens that put him into the cell.

Still, this was his only opportunity. 

Dream stepped out, ready to fight them if needed to, and continued. He stood on a platform that looked like a ramp that leads downwards to the planet’s ground. The smooth surface steamed under the light of what looked like a pale, foreign sun. 

Surrounding the ship and landing pad was a rocky terrain, filled with pebbles and large boulders. They were on top of a mountain top that had plenty of open room. A lavender sky stretched above him, dotted with faint, swirling clouds. The air was thinner, colder, but not unbreathable. This wasn’t Earth but he would have to make do.

Then his eyes latched onto the group in front of him. Dream’s breath caught in his throat as he spotted the aliens- the very ones that imprisoned him- locked in a chaotic battle just a few yards from the edge of the landing pad. They were all fighting something massive, and it wasn’t going well.

The creature was like a warthog, but grotesquely oversized and with six legs, with gnarled tusks that glinted like jagged steel. Its thick, armored hide glimmered in the pale sunlight, and its crimson eyes burned with savage fury. It charged and swung its head at Half-and-half who barely managed to dodge it.

Crow lunged at the beast, wings flaring as they tried to slash its face with some kind of sword, but the warthog bellowed and swatted them away like an annoying insect. Nerd and Buzzer clung to the edges of the battlefield, shouting an unknown language to each other, clearly trying to come up with a plan.

Then his eyes landed on Lil’ Red.

The alien-bird was injured, as far as Dream could tell. Their usual posture unsteady, their wings drooping from both exhaustion and an injury. There was a deep gash that ran across the side of their stomach area. It was a deep, sickly green blood that stained the items they had on and some of their feathers.

He watched on as the little alien chirped weakly, but the others were too occupied trying to distract the monster to help.

Lil’ Red was clutching onto something with their talon-hand, something that sparkled and almost glowed. It was similar to a red ruby but something was different about it. They barely managed to hold onto it as they crawled away from the monster, trying to gain some ground.

Dream’s heart twisted. He didn’t want to care. He needed to leave, to find his way off of this alien planet and away from them.

But Lil’ Red was the only one to show him kindness even after all he did. They were the only one who tried to understand him, even when he’d been nothing but hostile.

Dream froze when he met eyes with Bat, who saw him first.

The bright, neon green eyes locked onto Dream, and their expression shifted in fear and shock. Then, Bat’s gaze hardened, and they shouted something to the others, their siren-like voice sharp and commanding.

Dream tensed as Crow whipped around, their dark wings flaring wide. The black-bird alien hissed in his direction, momentarily distracted from the ongoing fight with the monstrous warthog. The rest of the group turned to look as well, their reactions ranging from disbelief to panic.

He took a cautious step back, ready to bolt if they came towards him. But then his eyes shifted to Lil’ Red.

The red bird-alien looked like it was moments away from collapsing as they clutched the ruby tighter. The green blood dripped from their side, staining the ground beneath him. They looked up at Dream with wide, fearful eyes, chirping faintly. 

Lil’ Red didn’t look like they were afraid of Dream like the others were. Instead, they looked like they were afraid for Dream and were trying to warn him to stay away. Dream’s stomach twisted and his mind reeled.

The others were still being attacked by the warthog-thing, not being able to take another step towards Dream. 

This was his chance. His only chance to run away. He couldn’t stay here and help. They would all capture him and lock him away again after everything is over. He couldn't- He can’t-

The warthog let out a deafening roar, shaking the ground as it turned towards Lil’ Red who was still on the ground. It stomped the ground with its hooves, and aimed its tusks towards Lil’ Red.

Dream’s instincts told him to run as far away from here as possible. But his legs refused to move.

When the monstrous warthog took one step towards Lil’ Red, Dream ran.

Chapter Text

The human was struggling to communicate with Tommy, as far as he could tell. 

Tommy decided to fill in the silence with his talking and even showed the human some papers with his handwriting. The human looked at them but kept flipping it upside down then right-side up. Tommy sighed, knowing that the human probably doesn’t know what the letters were.

Tommy placed a few empty papers on the ground while he was shuffling through his bag. Then he watched as the human picked up a few of the blank papers, waiting to see what they would do next.

The human did a motion with their hand, similar to when Tommy would write then it clicked. The human wanted a writing tool. 

Tommy grabbed his metal pen out of his bag and handed it to the human. He watched on as the human drew a circle and some strange patterns inside it then shaded some parts in.

After about a minute, the human seemed to be finished as it set down the writing tool and held up the paper to Tommy.

They pointed to the paper and said something. “Earth.”

Tommy tilted his head in confusion and the human repeated the sound. It was a word. Was that the name of the thing he’d drawn?  

Tommy tried to repeat it but his tongue wasn’t used to the pronunciation. “E-Eart-H?”

Tommy watched as their shoulders dropped, releasing a breath. Tommy flinched slightly when the human crumbled up the paper and threw it to the side. The frustration was obvious, and it made him shrink back. Tommy wanted to help them but didn’t know where to start. How could he when he doesn’t understand a single word?

The human covered their face, mumbling sounds Tommy couldn’t understand. The human looked so lost, so defeated. But he didn’t give up.

An idea sparked in Tommy’s head.

He could start using the basics that anyone would know. Tommy hesitantly and slowly reached out his taloned hand, then tapped the human once then twice.

The human looked up and Tommy smiled. He tapped twice on the ground, handing the human the paper, then tapped once and took it back. He repeated this motion for various objects he had on him until he thought that the human got the message. If they truly were sentient, it should be easy for them to figure out.

Their eyes lit up with a certain understanding. The human mimicked their actions and Tommy became excited as he exclaimed, “Yes! Just like that!” He flapped his wings slightly in joy.

They got it! They understood!

Then Tommy remembered the crumbled paper. He picked it up and smoothed it out, staring at the drawing. There had to be a meaning to this drawing and Tommy studied it for a minute. 

The circle… was it a planet? Most planets were that shape anyway. Then… it had to be because the human wanted to return to their planet. That was the only logical assumption that Tommy could come up with.

Tommy pointed at the drawing then to the human then back to the drawing. They narrowed their eyes, confused on his actions then Tommy repeated the motion. Their expression changed.

The human stood up immediately, as they said something and moved their head up and down. Tommy was slightly confused until the human then tapped the wall twice. Tommy froze for a moment, processing the gesture they both learned. 

Two taps meant yes. They want to go there.

Joy surged through Tommy as he flapped his wings wildly, holding up the paper and hopping in place. He was able to communicate with a human! The Galactic Council was wrong and so were all his crewmates. Tommy wanted to yell at them with the biggest ‘i told you so’ in history.

But when Tommy looked back at the human, their expression shifted again. The hope was still there- but it was mixed with something heavier- sadness, maybe? Their eyes became distant and Tommy stopped his celebration. He stepped closer, tilting his head in concern.

Tommy took another step closer and the human seemed to blink back into the present, and flinched as they stepped away. Tommy waited for them to settle down, then took another cautious step forward. Another. Then another.

Finally, Tommy was close enough to wrap the human with his wings into a hug. He was careful, making sure his sharp talons didn’t scratch the human as Tommy tucked his head into their chest as he whispered soft, comforting chirps.

The human stiffened at first then relaxed. Their chest heaved- and there was a strange sound coming from the human- sniffling? Tommy looked up to see water coming from their eyes. The human tried wiping them away but it was of no use.

There were words spilling out from the human. Although Tommy couldn’t understand them, the tone was enough. It was heavy and filled with regret and pain. 

The human made another noise then ruffled Tommy’s hair.

For a moment, everything felt brighter.

It had been about two hours since Tommy trapped himself inside the cell with the human. The human stayed outside the nest that Philza and Tommy made together for prisoners. It seemed intent on not wanting to lay in it which Tommy huffed and pouted. 

Tommy pulled out his bag and showed the human photos of different planets he had been on and his trips. He also showed the human his crewmates but Tommy stopped when he noticed the human almost flinching at Wilbur’s photo. He decided to put it away.

Then a loud bang echoed through the room, drawing not only Tommy’s attention but the human to the door.

Tommy watched in alarm as the door burst open. Stepped in was Philza, their black wings extending to make themselves appear more threatening. His eyes landed on Tommy, and from worry and confusion quickly turned into anger.

“TOMMY-”

Tommy stood up in a hurry, “Let me explain! I know what I did was dangerous and stupid but you have to hear me out on this! Phil- Captain! Please listen and-”

“Tommy.” Philza spoke in a calm but intimidating manner. “You violated your Captain’s orders and basic protocol.” Philza’s eyes swiftly glanced at the human then back to Tommy. “Slowly, walk over here and away from the human.”

Tommy became increasingly worried and was about to say something more then the human stood up. 

They placed themselves in front of Tommy, letting out a low growling sound accompanied by a string of their language. Are they protecting me?

Philza was shocked for a moment then quickly retrieved his gun from the holster on his side and pointed it at the human. The human stood where they were, unfazed by the potential threat. Tommy had to do something.

“Don’t shoot! Just-” Tommy looked around for anything to help then remembered the key communication he taught the human.

Tommy tapped the wall once.

And the human seemed to slowly come to an understanding. They muttered something, words that Tommy couldn’t understand. Tommy tapped the wall once again. The human hesitantly stepped to the side, backing down from the fight.

Philza still held his weapon towards the human with a bitter expression, but Tommy saw he was confused at what had just happened.

“What did- What did you just do?” Philza asked.

“I told them ‘no’, to not fight. One tap means no. Two taps mean yes.”

“Impossible.” Philza says, “Humans can’t understand our language, let alone gestures.”

Tommy stepped forward cautiously, trying to bridge the gap between the tense standoff. “It’s not impossible. They’re smarter than you thought- smarter than what the Galactic Council taught us.”

Philza narrowed his eyes, his grip on the gun unwavering. “And why, Tommy, would you risk everything by disobeying orders just to prove this? Do you know how dangerous that thing is? What if it attacked you again?”

Tommy hesitated, glancing at the human, who now stood silently, watching the exchange with wary eyes. There was a new resolve in Tommy’s mind, he wasn’t going to back down now. 

“They didn’t. I’ve been in here this whole time and they didn’t attack me. What would you say about that?”

Philza was quiet, his jaw tightening. There were no words to be said.

Then the others showed up, the rest of Tommy’s crewmates. Ranboo, Wilbur, Tubbo, and Techno all entered warily, keeping their eye on the human.

Tommy noticed that the human stepped back at the sight of Wilbur entering. He was a little confused but didn’t say anything. 

Are they afraid of Wilbur? Now that I think about it… They also flinched at Wilbur’s photo.

Tommy shook his head, he couldn’t think about that now. He had to convince his crewmates to give the human a chance. And he knows exactly what they need to do.

“Tommy, let’s go-”

“I’m not leaving.” Tommy states which earns multiple glares sent his way. He was stubborn and it was going to remain that way.

“This isn’t negotiable. Come here, now.” Philza bit back, trying to suppress his anger so as to not rile up the human.

“For once in your life, just listen to me!”

The room fell into silence. No one moved and no one spoke.

Tommy took a deep breath, his voice steady despite the tension. “They’re not what the Council says they are. I think they’re just scared, confused, and only attack because they feel threatened.”

“They feel threatened?” Tubbo scoffed, his wings buzzing slightly before settling down. “We’re the ones in the most danger! Have you seen the damage that it can-”

“They haven't attacked me since I’ve been here.” Tommy states once more. “Just give me a chance to prove it. To prove that they’re sentient.”

“And what if you’re wrong?” Philza asks, “You’re asking to gamble our lives on something you can’t prove.”

“I can prove it.” Tommy says which earned confused stares. “I want to call upon a meeting, Captain, if you would let me.”

The silence that followed was heavy, filled with unspoken doubt. Finally, Philza sighed, rubbing his hand to his face, the claws not bothering his skin.

“Why must you be so stubborn?” He slowly dropped the gun and put it back to his side. “Fine. I’ll give you a chance to say what you want and we’ll listen. Everyone, to the conference room.”

One by one, everyone filed out including Tommy. Philza was the last to leave the cell room, making sure his crew got out safely. Tommy noticed the way Philza stared at the human with a slight sadness but was quickly gone when he turned away to leave.

As they moved towards the conference room down the corridor, Tommy looked back to the cell-room but kept going. If he truly wanted to help the human, he would need to convince his crew to give them another chance.

They turned and opened the door to the room. The room was stark with a long table surrounded by chairs. A holographic projector sat at its center, casting a faint light across the dimly lit space. Each crew member took their seat, their expressions ranged from skeptical to outright hostile.

Philza stood at the end of the table, his wings partially extended in a display of authority. “Alright then, Tommy,” he said, his voice commanding. “Speak your case.”

Tommy stepped forward, his heart pounding. “I know what humans can do, I’ve seen it happen in all the videos I’ve studied. But trust me when I say that there is something else going on here. They’re… They’re not what we think they are. It’s something entirely different from what the Council made us think of them.”

Tubbo spoke, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “Oh, so now you’re the expert on humans?”

“I’ve been with this one.” Tommy said firmly, refusing to be derailed. “They’ve had every opportunity to hurt me, to attack, and to kill. But they haven’t. They’re trying to communicate with me.”

“Communicate?” Wilbur asks, interest peaking.

“Yes. They’ve already understood my signal- one tap for ‘no’, two taps for ‘yes’. And-”

“So, what?” Tubbo asks, leaning back in his chair with his four arms crossed. “They learned a new trick, big deal. That doesn’t prove anything. For all we know, they just copied your movements.”

“No.” Tommy was quick to fire back at Tubbo. “They didn’t just copy it. They understood what I meant. When the human was about to attack Philza, I tapped the wall once and they understood what I meant.”

Everyone became surprised, almost shocked at the revelation as they looked to Philza for the truth. Philza was quiet for a moment longer before his wings retracted closer to his body.

“It’s true. I’m not sure how Tommy did it but he stopped the human from coming towards me... But that still doesn’t excuse what happened last ti-”

“They’re scared, confused, and afraid. Afraid of us . That’s why they attacked, why we attacked them as well. Is that not true?”

Philza’s gaze was steady, unyielding. “What do you exactly want us to do?”

Tommy flapped his wings slightly, nervous. He didn’t want to take it this far but there was not much of a choice. This was the only way to prove, without a doubt, that humans were sentient creatures.

“A communication crystal.”

All eyes shot up to Tommy, a mix of disbelief and outrage. The tension in the room thickened as everyone processed what he had just suggested.

“A communication crystal!?” Tubbo barked, his wings buzzing in agitation. “Do you even know how rare those are? The Galactic Council doesn’t just hand those out- especially not for humans!”

Philza’s expression darkened, his wings puffing up in frustration. “Tommy, even if I wanted to entertain this absurd idea, there’s no chance that the Council would give us it for a human. You’re asking for the impossible.”

Tommy took a deep breath, bracing himself for his next suggestion. “Then we don’t ask the Council.”

A pause. The room felt like it dropped several degrees.

Wilbur’s phantom wings twitched slightly before asking, “What are you trying to say?”

“I’m saying we get it ourselves.” Tommy says and continues. “There’s a planet- Sarth X46- where the crystals form then we can refine it into a communication crystal. It’s a dangerous planet, sure, but-”

The outburst came immediately, cutting him off.

“That planet is a death trap.” Techno states. “The atmosphere alone is unstable enough to fry our ship's systems. And don’t even get me started on the creatures that live there.”

Ranboo joined in, looking at Tommy as if he’s gone insane. “You can’t be serious. Even if we did manage to land, we’d have to fight our way through an entire ecosystem of things trying to kill us.”

“And for what?” Tubbo snapped, his four arms gesturing wildly. “A shiny rock to help a human who we don’t even know can communicate? This isn’t even worth our time!”

Tommy stood his ground, his wings flaring in fury. “It is worth it! If we get the crystal and prove that they’re sentient, we can stop the senseless killing- on both sides.”

“You’re letting your emotions cloud your judgement, Tommy.” Philza said coldly.

Tommy paused. “...What do you mean?”

“You should be more worried about the safety of the crew. Yet, you’re more worried about what will happen to the human.”

“What? But I-”

“The Galactic Council ruled that no one should own or be in any possession of communication crystals unless authorized by them personally. Those who are will be prosecuted and either jailed for life or executed.”

Tommy froze at Philza’s words, the consequences pressing down on his mind and almost making him want to turn back. Yeah, almost.

“I know the risks.” Tommy said, voice much quieter now but no less resolute. “But you are the one who taught me to fight for what’s right, Captain. To stand up even when it’s hard. Well, this is me standing up.”

Philza let out a sigh, rubbing his head as if trying to ward off a headache. “If we’re caught, it’s over- not just for you, but all of us. What if you’re wrong?”

“And what if I’m right?”

The room fell into silence, the tension weighing on each of them. Philza’s wings twitched as he stared at Tommy, his expression unreadable. He finally spoke, his tone heavy with exhaustion. 

“This isn’t just your fight, Tommy. It’s the crew’s, and I can’t make that call without them. We’re casting a vote, right here and now. If the majority says no, that’s the end of it. No arguments, no more schemes.”

Before Philza could call upon the vote, Tommy stopped him. 

“Wait!”

He looked at each of his crewmates, each of their faces a mix of skepticism and fear. If they were to vote now, they would all vote against him. He had one shot to convince them, and he couldn’t afford to fail.

“W-Why don’t I show you all first?” Tommy offers.

“What?”

“Let me show you the human. Show you the side that I’ve seen. I think… I think if you watch and see, you’ll understand.”

Philza’s wings twitched, his three eyes narrowing. “You think one look at the creature that's been classified as a threat for centuries is going to change our minds?”

“You are basing your decision on fear and self-taught lies-”

“Be careful what you say about the Council, Tommy.” Philza remarks, “It could land you in prison for treason.”

“Let me show you.” Tommy insisted.

Philza hesitated, his gaze flickering between Tommy and the rest of the crew. Finally, he agreed. “We’ll see the human. But if there’s any sign of danger, it’s over.”

The crew stood, following Philza as he led the way back to the cell. Tommy quickened his pace and walked ahead of him which earned a silent glare from Philza but nothing more. When they reached the door, they all entered the room.

The cell was on the side, the wall still not transparent and solid instead. Tommy walked over, entered a code and made the wall transparent once again.

The human was sitting on the floor of the cell, looking up at the ceiling with their eyes closed. Then Philza gave orders.

“Tommy, Wilbur, and I will all go inside. The rest of you wait out here. If something goes wrong, you know what to do.”

Everyone agreed, although Wilbur seemed reluctant to go in. The cell door opened and all three of them stepped inside as the human’s eyes immediately landed on them.

Tommy’s wings fluttered nervously, but he didn’t want to stop. He needed to prove to them that there was a chance that the human was sentient.

The human spoke an incoherent language while moving his hands toward Philza and Wilbur who both took a step back at the human’s gesture. Tommy, on the other hand, moved forward.

“Hey there.” Tommy greeted them. However, the human’s eyes stayed on the two behind Tommy, wary of their movements.

This won’t work. I have to show them…

Tommy opened his bag and took out another blank paper and the same pen from earlier. He placed it in front of the human, which caught their attention, and then he tapped twice.

The human was silent then mumbled a noise. Tommy tilted his head in confusion, then continued. 

“Draw what you want.” Then he tapped the paper twice again.

The human stopped then lifted their hand towards the pen which caused Philza to reach for his gun.

“Don’t you dare!” Tommy glared at Philza, his Captain. The human wasn’t doing anything wrong and was only trying to reach for the writing utensil.

Philza’s hand hovered over the gun, but made no move to grab it. The human continued, slower this time, and picked up the pen. The human muttered a few sentences that no one could understand and Philza lowered his hand away from the gun. 

It took a long moment before the human started to use the pen on the paper, drawing something the others didn’t recognize.

Finally, the human finished and pushed the paper towards Tommy, tapping it twice in the established language they created together.

Tommy scanned the drawing intently, trying to figure out what they drew. The circle had to be a planet but everything else… it seemed out of place. Still, Tommy held up the paper to the rest of his crew members.

“See! Look!”

Philza stepped a bit forward, looking over the drawing. He wasn’t happy as he said, “That doesn’t prove anything.”

Tommy scoffed as he stood up. “What do you mean it doesn’t prove anything? Just look! That circle has to be a planet and-”

“It’s a human!” Philza hissed.

“And we shouldn’t take a chance because of that?”

Philza flapped his wings and grumbled. “We’re taking the vote. Step out.”

Tommy hesitated, his grip tightening on the paper. He turned to look at the human, who was watching the interaction intently. Reluctantly, he walked out the cell with Philza and Wilbur.

Wilbur lingered for a second, staring at the human before walking out alongside them.

Ranboo pressed a few buttons and the door cell shut again, locking, and the wall became solid once again.

“Let’s take the vote then.” Philza commands, looking at Tommy then to the rest of the crew. “You all saw the interaction. Now, we decide. Should we risk going to Sarth X46 for a chance to get a crystal for a human?”

Tommy’s heart sank, already knowing the votes were going to be unfavorable. If need be, he would have to travel there himself. If they wouldn’t help, he’d find a way to do it. 

Then the votes began and Tommy watched as Wilbur, Techno, and Ranboo raised their hands in favor of Tommy’s side. He was shocked to say the least and so was Philza and Tubbo, but for different reasons.

“What are you all even thinking?!” Tubbo yelled. “Are you caught up in Tommy’s craziness?”

“I’m a scientist, believe it or not.” Wilbur says. “And I’ve seen animals that mimic others. That wasn’t mimicry. It seemed like the human fully understood what they were doing and was trying to communicate.”

Ranboo hesitated, shifting nervously before speaking. “If the human actually is sentient, then we should at least try to help them, right? I was the same way before you all helped me.”

“Except your species was known to be sentient and thinking for a long time!” Tubbo argues. “This is a human! You should know that they’re not-”

“It’s risky, sure.” Techno shrugged. “But I’ve fought much worse for less.”

Philza was reluctant, not expecting even Techno to agree to do this. Philza’s wings shook slightly, not wanting to do this and Tommy knew why. If they were to do this and fail, they would lose everything.

“A vote is a vote. We’ll head towards Sarth X46. Techno, meet me in the cockpit.”

Techno tapped his hoof, agreeing to the order and walked off. The others did the same, going to prepare to land and adventure. Before Tommy could leave, Philza spoke one last time to him.

“If the crystal doesn’t work, and this human turns out to be nothing more than a vicious animal… You’ll have no more say in anything.”

Tommy froze, his wings twitching slightly. He faced Philza, his expression determined. “Fine by me.”

And he rushed off to prepare for the upcoming planet, one known to be dangerous. Tommy had to prepare.

Philza turned the ship, setting the navigation towards the planet Sarth X46. Techno stood at the controls, focused on monitoring the ship’s systems. The engines pulled as tension filled the air.

“This planet’s gravitational pull is tricky.” Techno muttered, his hoof tapping rhythmically on the floor. “One wrong move and we’re space debris.”

“We got the two best pilots in the universe to control this ship.” Philza replied. “I’m more worried about the giant apex predators that live there.”

“Oh, right. Do you have a plan when we’re ambushed by the planet’s welcoming committee?” Techno jokes.

“We get in, grab the crystal, get out. Simple.” Philza sighed, knowing it wasn’t as easy as he made it out to be.

They pressed the acceleration to make the ship go faster. It only took a couple of minutes and they slowed the ship down, landing sight of the greyish purple planet.

“Prepare to land.” Philza calls into the mic, knowing the whole ship would hear.

The ship began to rumble as it entered the planet’s atmosphere.The view outside the cockpit was a swirling mass of clouds. They broke the barrier and went past the fog.

The terrain finally came into view, the planet filled with mountains and crowded forests. This planet was mostly devoid of color, leaning towards grey and purplish hues. They looked around quickly, trying to find the most flat surface to land on. Finally, they see a jagged mountain with a mostly flat top.

They made their way towards the area, slowing down. Philza guided the ship down carefully as the engines whirred in protest as the ship adjusted to the planet’s denser gravity, pulling them down. The spaceship hovered over the area for a moment before settling onto the rocky surface with a heavy thud.

They landed but that was just the beginning.

 “Alright.” Philza flipped a few switches, powering down the engines but keeping the ship’s defensive systems on standby. “Gear up and make sure everyone’s ready. It won’t be long before the animals here come towards us. And it won’t end well.”

Another thought went across Philza’s mind.

I can’t believe we’re doing this…

Techno and Philza both left the cockpit and grabbed their gear. It didn’t take long as everyone became prepared. Tommy was already at the loading bay, securing his suit and double-checking his gear. Wilbur made his way shortly after then Philza and Techno followed. Lastly, Ranboo and Tubbo joined them, both visibly uneasy.

Tubbo adjusted the straps on his bag, muttering, “This is insane. I hope you all know that.”

The loading ramp lowered with a metallic groan, revealing the harsh landscape of Sarth X46. The ground was mostly even on the top of the mountain but became more sharp and uneven towards the bottom where it led to the forest below. 

The world looked quite beautiful in its desolation. The lavender-colored sky with the clouds covering the pale sun. The grey forest below complimented the grey mountainsides around it.

Wilbur spoke as they made their way down the ramp, “I have a scanner that can pick up the crystal’s energy signature. There probably isn’t much if the Council took all of it but we can try.”

“Let’s hurry then.” Philza says as he looks to the forests, trying to hear for any animals that may come at them.

The group began their cautious descent down the rocky slope, the brittle ground crunching underneath their feet. Every step echoed faintly in the eerie stillness of the mountaintop, but there was the occasional distant growl from the forest below.

Wilbur’s scanner emitted a faint beeping sound, the frequency increasing slightly as they approached the cave on the side of the mountain. “Inside that cave.” He whispered, trying to not attract any animals to their position. “It’s faint though.”

Philza scanned the area with sharp eyes before speaking. “Stay alert and head towards it.”

The group advanced, weapons and tools at the ready. The entrance of the cave loomed ahead, a dark hole in the rock, its edges uneven and sharp. The faint hum of Wilbur’s scanner grew louder as they stepped inside.

The air inside the cave was cooler, damp, and heavy with the smell of minerals. Wilbur led the group deeper into the cave, focusing on his scanner to pinpoint a location. There was moss growing on the sides of the wall, illuminating the area faintly and casting shadows.

After a few minutes, they reached a larger chamber where the scanner’s beeping stopped entirely. Wilbur frowned and waved the device in several directions. “The signal cuts off here. There’s nothing left. The device probably picked up on the energy left behind from the crystals that were here before they were taken.”

“Nothing left?” Tommy’s wings drooped as concern etched into his features. Then desperation hit him as he looked around the cave, digging through the stones on the floor. “No, no. There has to be something! Help me look for-”

“I knew this was a mistake.” Tubbo crossed his arms as he huffed. “We should just call the Council and tell them about the human. They’ll deal with the thing and we don’t have to care anymore.”

Philza did agree with what Tubbo said. He had been contemplating the longest on telling the Galactic Council about the human they managed to catch. Philza had been putting it off to the side, debating whether to inform the Council or handle it quietly.

“Enough, Tommy.” Philza’s voice was firm but there was an undertone of exhaustion. “There’s nothing here. Tubbo’s right. We need to-”

“No!” Tommy snapped, glaring at Philza. “Who knows what the Council will do to the human? I’m not giving up! If you’re not going to help then just leave!”

Tommy dropped to his knees, frantically scraping the ground. The rest of the group exchanged uneasy glances as well as pity. 

Tubbo rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath, “He’s losing it. Let’s just leave already.”

Philza paused as he watched Tommy ignore him and continue digging around. He sighed as he turned to the rest of the crew. “Everyone head towards the cave entrance and wait there. I’ll… talk to Tommy.”

The others hesitantly left, sparing a few glances towards their captain but then they were all out of sight.

“Tommy.”

Tommy didn’t acknowledge him. He continued digging, dirt caking his talons and arms. It broke Philza’s heart to see the little fledgling he had brought in turn so desperate to save a human.

I should have never brought that human onto the ship.

“Tommy, please-”

“Leave me alone.”

Tommy worked frantically. His breathing turned shallow, his hands raw at this point but he kept going. 

But Philza wouldn’t give up. He needed Tommy to back down.

“Tommy,” Philza’s voice softened. “I know what you think you’re doing is right but this isn’t just about what you want. It’s about keeping everyone safe and-”

“I am keeping everyone safe. Including them.”

Philza’s heart dropped as Tommy mentioned the human as a person. He sighed, not wanting to argue. Philza crouched down as he placed his hand on Tommy’s shoulder.

“The human will be fine. The Council will take care of it and we can go back to-”

Before Philza could finish, Tommy froze. His fingers brushed against something cool and smooth beneath the dirt. He scraped away the last layer of dirt, revealing a faint, shimmering light.

It was a crystal.

It was small, no larger than a pebble, but its color and glow was unmistakable.

Tommy stared at it, his hands trembling as he lifted it. “I… I found it,” He whispered, almost in disbelief. Then louder, “I found one!”

Philza was also surprised and a little disappointed. He didn’t want Tommy to find one and was hoping for it actually. He looked at the crystal and inspected it in Tommy’s hands.

“It’s… tiny. I don’t think it has enough energy to-”

“It’s enough!” Tommy clutched the crystal tightly, his voice cracking slightly. “We have to at least try.”

Philza hesitated. He looked at Tommy- his dirt covered hands and face, his pleading eyes, his unwavering resolve- and sighed.

 “Alright. Let’s hurry back to the ship. Remember to stay close.”

Tommy nodded, relief climbing onto his features. He held the crystal tightly in his talons and followed Philza toward the cave entrance. As they emerged into the pale light of the planet’s lavender sky, the rest of the group turned to them.

“Well, I’ll be damned.” Wilbur’s wings dropped slightly at the sight of the faint glow in Tommy’s hand. “He found one.”

Ranboo tilted his head, his nervous demeanor flickering between the crystal and to Philza. “Does it… have enough energy? It looks kinda small.”

“It will work.” Tommy cut in. “Let’s go.”

Tommy moved forward, pushing past them without waiting for a response. He was focused on the crystal in his hands and getting back to the ship. The others exchanged glances but no one said a word as they made their way up the same path.

The ship was finally in sight as they reached the summit of the mountain. But as they began their approach, the ground beneath them trembled slightly. A low, guttural groan echoed through the air, freezing everyone in place.

“What was that?” Tubbo whispered, his wings twitching nervously.

Philza scanned the surroundings, his three eyes darting to every shadow.

The tremors grew stronger. From behind a jagged rock formation near the ramp, a massive creature emerged. 

It had dark brown armored fur, six legs, tusks that glinted with the sunlight, and its eyes glowing a faint crimson red. It was double the size than any of them.

“It’s a Kraat! Get to the ship!” Philza ordered.

The beast snorted as its gaze locked onto Tommy. It bellowed a loud roar that sent chills down their spines. Philza knew he had to act fast and to get his crew to safety.

The Kraat pawed the ground, preparing to charge. Philza ran up to the front, pushing Tommy back. He spread his wings in a protective manner and got his sword out.

It barrelled towards them, its massive tusks carving into the rocky ground. Philza used his sword to derail the animal away from the group behind him. He barely managed to pull it off. 

The rest of the crew followed the order but Tubbo lagged slightly behind, trembling slightly. The Kraat shifted its attention on the slowest one, its crimson eyes narrowing. Then it charged towards Tubbo before Philza could stop it.

“Tubbo!” Philza shouted, his voice desperate as he tried to close the distance.

Tubbo’s legs felt like lead as he watched the monster head towards him. He stumbled, tripping over a few pebbles in his panic. Just as the Kraats’ tusks loomed dangerously close, Philza watched with wide eyes as Tommy darted past everyone with the crystal clutched in hand and pushed Tubbo out of the way.

Tubbo hit the ground hard, rolling out of the way of the Kraats’ path. But the creatures’ tusk landed on Tommy instead, tearing into his side and sending him flying back.

He hit the rocky ground with a sickening thud. Yet, Tommy still held onto the crystal as if it was the most important thing in the world.

“Tommy!” Tubbo screamed, his wings flaring at the sight.

Philza’s mind was reeling as he looked at Tommy’s body, still unmoving.

Tommy- Tommy is hurt- Tommy is injured- I need to- I have to-

Then, he moved. Tommy shuffled himself to a sitting position. He first looked at Tubbo, who was fine with only a few scratches, then to the crystal in his hand. It was still intact and he breathed out a short sigh of relief.

Philza noticed the amount of blood on Tommy’s side of their body and their wing was slightly damaged from the impact of the ground. He needed to do something fast.

It charged again, this time at Ranboo who managed to dodge the attack as it swung its head. Philza lunged toward, using his wings to give him a boost of speed, and tried to slash its eyes. However, the Kraat easily batted him away.

“We need to distract it!” Techno says to Tubbo. “Then Philza can land a clear hit.”

“How do you want us to distract that?!” Tubbo argues back.

They talked for a moment longer, trying to come up with something to help the others. Philza got up from the ground, focusing on the Kraat that had circled around, debating on who to attack next.

A yell from Wilbur got everyone’s attention.

“The human is out!”

Philza quickly turned his head towards the ship.

Standing at the top of the ramp was the human. It looked on at the ongoing battle but their eyes wandered off to the forest then back to Tommy. Philza glared, spreading his wings slightly in intimidation. 

But fear crawled into his mind as he was facing, not one, but two threats.

The others felt the same as they looked at the human in a panic. They could barely face the monster in front of them let alone a human.

The Kraat made a deafening roar and everyone’s attention turned towards it. Philza’s heart dropped as it turned to Tommy to finish the blow. It stomped the ground a few times as it aimed its tusks towards the fledgling. 

His heart dropped even further when the human ran towards Tommy as well.

But Philza was surprised to see what came next.

Chapter Text

Dream should’ve ran. 

He should have turned the other way and run into the forest below. Away from the aliens, away from the ship, and away from the chaos unfolding.

But when the large monster took one step towards the alien who was the only one kind to him, Dream’s body moved before he could think of anything else.

Dream ran towards the boar, adrenaline kicking in. He rushed to the side of it as it was moving forward then used his elbow to maneuver the beast out of the direction it was going in which was towards Lil’ Red who stayed on the ground. 

The beast roared and tried to push back against Dream but it wasn’t enough. Dream stopped in his tracks but the beast couldn’t slow down in time as it slammed itself into a huge boulder. 

For a moment, the beast was dizzy and Dream used this time to check in Lil’ Red.

He ran over to them and crouched down. This sudden movement startled the bird-alien but Dream checked over their injuries without touching them. At a closer look, the injury wasn’t too deep than what Dream saw from afar. However, it was still causing pain and prevented Lil’ Red from standing.

The others watched with bated breath on what Dream would do next.

The beast groaned, managing to shake off the rubble that fell upon it and turned towards Dream. It roared, loud and angry, and stomped the ground as it trampled forward again. This time, it was aiming for Dream.

Dream narrowed his eyes but he didn’t have a plan in mind. The beast stormed towards him and Dream did the same, running towards the monstrous boar. Dream aimed for its tusks and let his hands grab onto it as his legs pushed against the rocky ground.

He managed to halt the creature in its tracks within a few seconds.

Dream questioned what had just happened, whether the beast stopped by itself or if Dream managed to do so. But he was only a human? How did he manage to stop a monster this huge?

The monster grunted as Dream held its tusks and tried pushing against his hold with all six of its legs but failed to even budge him. Dream tilted his head in confusion then pushed the beast backwards, as if shoving a puppy away from a toy. 

The monster reeled back and fell against the rocky terrain. It let out a small whine of pain, retreating a few cautious steps back. Dream didn’t think he used that much strength but when he looked at the beast’s tusks, they were visibly cracked.

Dream blinked in disbelief, his gaze shifting from his hands to the creature. That… wasn’t there before. Did I- Did I do that? The thought was absurd. He wasn’t superhuman and didn’t have any sort of super strength. Hell, he even lost a few arm wrestling matches with Sapnap.

The memory of fighting the aliens aboard the previous ship flickered in his mind, but this should have been different. This creature was a towering force of nature, twice his size and built for destruction. He should have been thrown off the cliff and killed, yet he didn’t so much as receive a single scratch.

The beast shook off its hesitation, its growls deepening into a roar of pure fury. Its eyes locked onto Dream and it pawed the ground with renewed determination.

Dream backed up, aiming himself near the cliff's edge. The beast grunted before going forward to tackle him. And at the last second before the beast could touch him, Dream pivoted out of the way. The beast’s momentum carried it forward, its hooves skidding helplessly on loose rocks.

The creature let out a panicked wail as it tumbled over the edge. A thud echoed through the canyon below as it hit the ground.

Dream peered over the edge, his breath catching in his throat. The beast wasn’t dead- it writhed in agony, two of its six legs twisted unnaturally. It let out a furious screech that echoed into the sky before scurrying off into the dense forest, defeated but alive.

Dream stepped back from the edge, his heart pounding. He had just defeated a creature that was bigger and was supposed to be stronger than him.

He didn’t dwell on it too long as he turned around to go back to Lil’ Red, moving away from the cliff’s edge. He scanned the area for the bird-alien. He was still on the ground where he was before and Dream jogged over. 

The others watched on as Dream crouched down and took another look at the injury.

“Are you okay?”

Little Red’s wings were tucked tightly to his side, even though one was slightly injured. Dream noticed the small, glowing rock in their hand but didn’t pay too much mind to it.

Lil’ Red tilted their head, their feathers ruffling slightly before they made a series of chirps and clicks. Dream tried to interpret the alien’s reaction but shook his head. He doesn’t understand.

Lil’ Red paused then pointed towards the ship and tapped the ground twice.

“Yes?” Dream looked to the ship then back. “You want to go to the ship?”

Two taps.

Dream sighed as he looked at the other aliens. The other aliens stood at a cautious distance, their expressions a mix of astonishment and wariness. 

Crow’s sharp gaze bore into Dream, their wings half-spread in a defensive manner. Buzzer’s arms were crossed tightly as they kept their eyes flickering between Lil’ Red and Dream. Bat and Nerd exchanged uneasy glances. Half-and-half looked nervous and their long tail swished side to side.

Dream glanced back at Lil’ Red, whose small talons weakly tapped the ground again, urging him forward. He sighed and shook his head.

“I’m not going back.” Dream pointed to himself, then to the ship, then tapped the ground once.

Lil’ Red processed Dream’s gestures. They chirped softly, feathers fluffing up in what seemed like confusion to Dream. The alien-bird repeated the double tap on the ground, then pointed insistently to the ship.

Dream furrowed his brow, glancing between Lil’ Red and the others. They were all watching the interaction closely. He wasn’t sure if they understood the gestures but their body language suggested they didn’t like where this was going.

“I said no,” Dream muttered, this time shaking his head more firmly.

He pointed at himself again, tapped the ground twice, then motioned towards the forest where the monstrous boar had fled. “I’m staying here. I’m not leaving with you. You’re not- You’re not going to put me in that cage again.”

Dream moved to stand up but Lil’ Red grabbed onto their sleeve and let out a series of rapid chirps, their tone rising in urgency. Their bright eyes locking onto Dream’s with an almost pleading look.

“I don’t know what you’re saying!” His frustration spilled into his tone, though he didn’t pull away from the alien’s grip.

Behind him, Crow took a step forward at Dream’s growing anger, their wings flaring slightly as they barked out something sharp and commanding. Dream turned his head, glaring. “I don’t care what you have to say either.”

Crow clicked their tongue, their posture tense, but they didn’t advance further. Lil’ Red chirped loudly, causing Dream to turn his attention back to them, and started to speak more. Dream listened in, his jaw tightening.

“Look, unless you can magically start speaking my language, this is pointless.”

Lil’ Red let out another chirp, this one softer and a bit more hesitant. They released Dream’s sleeve and tapped the ground twice. Then, with a visible wince, they pointed to the ship. Dream’s anger was replaced by curiosity. Why are they so insistent?

Before Dream could respond, a rustling sound caught his attention. Crow was walking towards him, their movements slow and deliberate. Dream tensed, instinctively taking a step back, but Crow raised one hand in a calming manner, their other hand gripping something metallic on their side.

Dream’s eyes narrowed as Crow stopped a few feet away. Without breaking eye contact, Crow extended their arm, holding out the same gun that he held Dream at gunpoint with once.

He froze at the sight. Was this a threat? Are they going to kill me since I left the cell? His heart beated faster as he tried to read Crow’s intentions, but their alien features gave nothing away.

To Dream’s utter shock, Crow dropped the gun to the ground and kicked it towards him until it was at Dream’s feet.

“What the fuck?” Dream picked up the weapon slowly, looking at Crow with a bewildered look. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Crow stepped back, their wings folding tightly against their back. They let out a series of low, measured chirps, their tone surprisingly calm. Then they tapped the ground twice with their feet, mimicking Little Red’s earlier gesture, and pointed towards the ship.

Dream glanced at the weapon in his hands, then back at Crow. He looked at the others. Buzzer’s eyes were wide with alarm while the others seemed uneasy at the idea.

Dream’s gaze shifted to Lil’ Red, who chirped softly and tapped the ground twice then pointed to the ship. Dream hesitated then groaned.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this but-” He sighed, “All right, fine.”

The group moved towards the ship, Crow leading the way while the others followed closely behind, keeping their distance away from Dream. 

Lil’ Red limped as Dream walked next to them. He wanted to help the bird-alien onto the ship but they squawked stubbornly and lifted themself up. Dream still had the weapon in his hands, carrying it along with him in case they turned on him.

They boarded the ship and Dream expected some kind of trap to be made but nothing happened. 

The others left while Bat, Lil’ Red, and Dream stood in what seemed to be a medical room. He felt uneasy and wanted to leave. Lil’ Red sat upon a long chair while Bat examined the wounds and wings.

Bat talked to Lil’ Red as Dream stood awkwardly to the side. The alien left the room and then came back with a glass bottle filled with a red liquid and handed it to Lil’ Red who drinked it all in one gulp.

Dream watched with amazement as the wounds healed and their wing fixed itself back into position. The powers of alien magic will always astonish him.

Little Red chirped something to Bat and gave them the red pebble that was in their hand. Bat glanced at the stone then to Dream.

“W-What?” Dream asked, taking a step back.

Bat said something back to Lil’ Red, but nothing that Dream could understand, then left the room with the glowing pebble. Dream isn’t sure if that rock was important but if Lil’ Red held onto it even after being attacked, it must have been crucial to them whatever it was.

Lil’ Red goes to step out the room then stops and turns to Dream, waiting for him to follow.

Dream hesitated for a moment, his grip tightening on the weapon Crow had given him earlier. He glanced at Lil’ Red, who chirped softly, their tone light and encouraging. With a resigned sigh, Dream nodded and followed, trailing behind the alien as they led him further into the ship.

The corridors were sleek, with smooth metallic walls that hummed slightly. They have already taken off, probably somewhere in the middle of space by now as the ship seemed steady. The lighting was dim but had a soft glow. Dream couldn’t help but marvel at the advanced technology.

Lil’ Red guided them down a hallway before stopping at a door. They tapped a panel on the wall, and the door slid open with a silent hiss, revealing a medium sized room. It looked akin to a one bedroom loft apartment you could find on Earth but had different features.

For one, there was a nest-like bed on the second floor but there were no stairs or ladders leading up to it. Dream looked at Lil’ Red’s wings and didn’t have to guess how the other gets up there. 

There was a large, circular window that showed the endless stars below the loft and a desk sat beneath it. On the walls were shelves filled with trinkets, treasures, and tools that Dream couldn’t identify. 

“Is this… your room?” Dream looked around, eyes lingering on every crystal and trinket that covered the walls. “It’s amazing.”

Lil’ Red showed him around more, lifting up every treasure that they had and showed it off. They were talking, trying to explain what each thing was but Dream could only smile and nod. He didn’t understand what they were saying but they seemed excited to show it off.

Then there echoed Crow’s voice, saying a string of words. Dream looked up to the intercom confused but when he looked back to Lil’ Red, they had a solemn expression. They chirped and stood up. Their movements seemed more subdued now, as if they were waiting for something to happen.

Dream followed Lil’ Red closely behind, leaving the gun in the room all but forgotten, as they navigated the ship’s winding hallways until they reached a larger, more imposing set of doors. It slid open to reveal a much larger room, with a big table and several seats surrounding it. Inside, the crew was already gathered.

The atmosphere was tense, much more than it was when they were all fighting outside. Crow stood near the table, their wings spread slightly, exuding authority. Buzzer leaned against the wall in the back corner, arms crossed and watching Dream warily. Nerd and Half-and-half sat at the table, their expressions neutral but cautious. 

Lil’ Red moved further into the room and chirped slightly as Dream followed. Next that came in was Bat, who was carrying something in their hands, an item that presented a faint red glow. 

Everyone seemed to listen intently as Bat held up the item and began talking in a language that Dream didn’t understand. Dream looked at the item he was holding up to the group.

It was the glowing pebble from before that Lil’ Red was holding. It was somehow fashioned into a necklace, the red pebble now smoothed and polished, hanging from a braided cord that looked like it was made of shimmering silver threads. The glow of the stone pulsed faintly, as if alive.

Bat then turned to Dream and took a step forward. 

Dream’s breath hitched as Bat advanced, the faint pulsing glow of the necklace casting an eerie red light against their white coat. The same white coat as the ones on the previous ship Dream was on. The same coat that Nightmare was wearing.

He instinctively took a few steps back, his hands raising to defend himself. The others twitched at Dream’s fighting urge but made no movement.

Bat paused mid-step, their gaze shifting to Lil’ Red. After a brief moment of silence, they extended the necklace to Lil’ Red, speaking softly in their alien tongue.

Lil’ Red chirped in response, wings shifting slightly in agreement. They carefully took the necklace from Bat’s hands and turned to Dream. Their movements were gentle compared to Bat, as if trying to not alarm Dream any further.

When Lil’ Red stepped closer, Dream swallowed hard and did not move a single step. They held up the necklace, the glowing necklace swaying slightly in their grasp.

Lil’ Red chirped again, their eyes sparking with urgency and curiosity. Dream hesitated but slowly, he lowered his head.

The bird-alien stepped closer and carefully placed the necklace over Dream’s head, the cord resting against his neck and the glowing stone settling against his chest. Dream felt a faint warmth radiating from it, as if the stone was acknowledging him.

The room was silent.

All eyes were on Dream as the pulsing glow of the stone grew steadier, almost brighter. Dream looked at it but nothing about him changed. He thought it could be some kind of collar to control him but no one made any moves.

Everyone was still staring at him, almost waiting for Dream to do something.

Right when Dream was about to speak, he coughed then cleared his throat which came out more like a growl. He didn’t notice the way the others seemed disappointed.

Even if I did speak, it’s not like they’ll understand-

“See? I told you it wouldn’t work!”

A voice spoke up from the corner of the room. It was a voice that Dream could understand. 

It was human words.

Dream’s head shot up, his eyes wide. He turned towards the voice, his heart racing. He expected to see another human standing there but instead, it was Buzzer who sat up from the wall and was glaring at Dream.

There’s no way that was Buz-

“I told you all it wasn’t sentient! We risked our lives for nothing!” Buzzer huffed, their tone sharp and annoyed.

He was wrong. 

The voice was Buzzer. Then another voice came, speaking the same language that Dream could understand.

“I’m sorry, Tommy.” Bat’s wings dropped slightly in pity. “We tried.”

Dream watched as Lil’ Red’s eyes looked at him and back to the group. They looked sad, almost sorrowful. 

“Tommy, it’s alright. ” Nerd speaks up, his voice much deeper than he thought.

Dream tried speaking up, “I-”

But Crow came first, his voice echoing through the room. “I’m sorry, Tommy. But… We must get the human contained back in the cell and give it to the Council. No more arguments.”

“We just need to find a bigger crystal!” Lil’ Red… or ‘Tommy’ says back, desperation clear in his voice. Dream watched as Tommy’s wings fluffed up in spite. “And you all saw what happened! They saved me! Philza, please, I know that they can-”

“Give up!” Buzzer snaps back, stepping forward. “We’re bringing that thing back into the cell and we’re calling the Galactic Council. This is the best for both you and that thing.”

The way Buzzer was talking about him, like he was some kind of object, made him furious. And who even was this ‘Galactic Council’ that they wanted to take him to?

Half-and-half spoke up, trying to de-escalate the situation. “Tubbo, let’s calm down. And Tommy, he’s right… we need to put the human into-”

“First off, I’m a fucking person. Second, I’m not going back into that cell.”

Dream spoke up, voice cracking slightly from the soreness in his throat.

The room went dead silent at Dream’s words. The crew, who had been bickering moments before, now stood frozen, their eyes staring in disbelief.

Tommy, still standing near Dream, blinked in shock. His wings were slightly raised, as if unsure of how to react. Buzzer (or Tubbo as Dream was listening to the conversation) who had been so certain of his position, looked taken aback, their mouth opening and closing as if trying to find the right words. Even Crow, who Dream heard his name is Philza, now stood frozen in shock.

Then came a scream from Tubbo, who screeched and reeled back.

“FUCK! IT CAN TALK!”

Chapter Text

“I KNEW IT!” Lil’ Red flapped his wings in delight as he laughed but the others weren’t as ecstatic.

The room erupted into chaos. 

Tubbo staggered back, his eyes wide in disbelief as their wings buzzed behind them. Philza, still frozen in place, didn’t seem to know what to do at the moment. His wings twitched slightly, and he glanced at the others, clearly trying to process the situation.

Dream was equally stunned but handled it better than they all did.

It must have started when he was first kidnapped by aliens. After that, he had to adjust to new changes fast, no matter what came. After his friends were taken and killed… he had to think fast in order to escape. Then he landed on a planet where he adapted to what was there and survived. Dream read articles about how fast humans could adapt to their situations better than most animals but he didn’t think it was true until he went through everything he did.

“This- This shouldn’t be possible.” Half-and-half muttered, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

The others seemed to snap out of their daze, all speaking at once, a jumbled mess of confusion and questions. “You’re sentient?!” “Is this some sort of trick?” “How can it talk?!”

Dream felt a surge of anger rise up, but he kept his voice steady, not wanting to lash out.

“Stop calling me ‘it’, I’m a person, a guy, a human- And yes, I’m fucking sentient or whatever you want to call it.” He bit out the last part much harsher than he intended it to. “My name’s Dream.”

Never would he have thought that he would be introducing himself in front of a bunch of aliens, but here he was.

“Oh! M-My name is Tommy!” Tommy greeted, his wings flapping slightly in excitement. “Where are you from?”

“... Earth.” Dream says slowly.

“What’s Earth?”

“My planet.” Dream states, looking at Tommy’s red wings.

“Oh! The thing you drew right?”

Dream eyes shot wide and quickly asked, “You know where Earth is?! Can you take me there? I need to-”

“Woah, woah- slow down.” Bat took a step forward and Dream saw the white coat swish under the faint light and he automatically took a few steps back. The others took notice of the sudden movement but didn’t ask.

“Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. My name’s Wilbur.” The bat-winged creature replied, who clarified what he was a split of a second later. “I’m a phantom which is why my wings are like this. I can’t be anywhere near direct sunlight and bright light hurts my eyes which is why most of the ship’s lights are dim.”

Nerd snorted, “Yeah, go ahead and tell the human your weaknesses, Wil.”

“Shut up, Technoblade.” Wilbur groaned. “I sometimes overtalk.”

Nerd, who Dream now knows as Technoblade, chuckled. “Yep, you do.”

“I’m… Philza.” Philza says, his massive black wings retracting close to his back. “I’m the captain of this vessel. Uhm- Dream, right? The other two are Ranboo and Tubbo.”

Philza pointed with his claw to each of them when announcing their names. Tubbo was quiet now, assessing the situation while glaring at Dream. He didn’t pay no mind to the bee one as they had every right to be mad at him after Dream attacked him before.

“Uhm- Hi?” Dream waved to greet them. It was awkward to greet your previous captors who held you in a cell for who knows how long.

Philza paused, glancing at Tommy then back to Dream as he sighed. “Dream, we… We didn’t know that humans could- we- we thought they were just monsters. A non-sentient creature-”

“I’m not. I’m a human- A person. And-”

“So what if they’re sentient? That human attacked us!” Tubbo barks out, stepping forward even more. “Are we just going to forget that?!”

Tommy huffs and moves closer to Dream, stepping in front of the human and spreading his wings.

“Tubbo, stop it.”

Dream spoke up, trying to defend himself. If he couldn’t get all the aliens on his side, he’ll be put back into that dark cell again.

“Listen, I-I’m sorry for what I did to you and Tommy. I was scared and woke up in another cell all over again- I didn’t know what to do.”

“The last ship…” Philza spoke, the authority in his voice returning after the initial shock, “That was all caused by you?”

Dream didn’t want to answer. He looked away, thinking of the right thing to say to get them on his side but nothing came to mind. 

He had killed every single alien who got in his way on that last ship. Then he crashed the vessel, hoping that everything would end but he managed to survive only to end up being captured by these new aliens. 

“I-I didn’t mean to. I just-”

“See?” Tubbo looks around the room, point an accusatory hand to Dream. “The human knows what it did. We can’t have someone that dangerous walking around this ship.”

“He can stay with me.” Tommy blurted out, retracting his wings slightly inwards. “I’ll take responsibility for him.”

“Tommy, that’s ridiculous.” Tubbo said, his tone carrying a hint of worry that Dream could hear. “The human is dangerous and has already attacked you once before.”

“He’s a person just like us!” Tommy snapped, his voice rising. “Yeah, he messed up, but maybe if we hadn’t treated him like a caged animal, he wouldn’t have been so scared in the first place!”

Tubbo glared at the human since he was the cause of this then looked back to Tommy with softer eyes. “The human is dangerous, Tommy. It just admitted to crashing and killing a whole ship. Do you have any idea what else it could do?”

Dream felt the weight of Tubbo’s accusations but forced himself to speak up, his voice shaking slightly. “I just- I- I wanted it all to stop. Everything.”

“What… do you mean?” Philza asks, prompting him to go on.

“They… They were experimenting on us. Putting stuff into our bloodstream and stuffing us into cages too small for any person to be. The last ship took everything from me. My home, my friends… I lost everything. I thought I was the last human alive. And I did something drastic to end it.”

“You took over the ship?” Technoblade says, already knowing the answer.

“Yes. And I didn’t plan to live when I crashed the ship… I was hoping to end it all there. But somehow, I survived. I lived on that planet for a while until- Until you all came along. I was… scared. I thought you all were going to be like the last ship so I was going to kill you. ”

“I knew it-”

Dream was quick to cut Tubbo off. “But I’m not going to. I won’t. I was trying to survive, that’s it. I’m sorry for what I did, okay? Trust me when I say I won’t hurt any of you. I just- I just want to go home.”

The sincerity in his voice seemed to resonate with most of the crew. Tubbo still seemed hostile but kept quiet as he looked to Philza, the captain, for a decision.

Philza glanced around the room, his gaze lingering on each member of his crew before landing back on Dream. “This is a lot to take in.” He admitted, his voice softer now. “But if we’re going to figure this out, we need time. And I need to talk to the Council about this discovery. I’m sure that they can help us find a solution.”

“The Council?” Dream says slowly, taking in his words. “I heard you talk about them earlier but what is that?”

“Uhm- well,” Wilbur hums, trying to come up with an explanation. “The full name is the Galactic Council for Interstellar Order. Basically, they’re the lawmakers and overseers of peacekeeping of various civilizations across the galaxy. Almost all planets of the galaxy fall under their jurisdiction. And we work under them.”

“Oh.” Dream takes in the new information but more questions raised in his head. “But what about- wait- wait- now that I’m thinking about it, how am I able to talk to you only now?”

“That’s easy to answer. That necklace we made for you is made from a special crystal that, if properly tuned and linked, can act as a universal translator. It picks up your brainwaves and interprets your language patterns, allowing you to speak and understand any language.” Wilbur explained, gesturing to the glowing red stone that pulsed whenever someone spoke. “It’s not perfect since it was small but I’m glad to see it worked.”

Dream touched the necklace, feeling the faint warmth of the crystal against his skin. “So… this thing is translating everything I say and hear?”

Wilbur’s wings twitched slightly in acknowledgement. “Pretty much. It’s a rare item and we had to risk ourselves to get it. Normally, it’s only used to talk to other known sentient creatures or high-ranking Council members. It’s also banned from having or using one if not approved by the Council.”

Dream frowned. “Then why give it to me?”

Philza let his wings drop to the ground, resigned. “Because we needed to confirm whether or not you were sentient. It’s one thing for Tommy to insist, but we needed undeniable proof before making any decisions. If you could communicate complex thoughts and emotions, it would prove you’re not just some… creature.”

Dream felt a spark of irritation at the choice of words but pushed it down. “And now that you know?”

Philza exchanged a glance with Tommy before addressing the room. “Now… we still have to take this to the Council. This is bigger than us. Since humans have been misclassified as non-sentient monsters for centuries, this is going to change everything.”

“Change everything?” Tubbo says, his voice sharp. “You mean it’s going to put us all at risk. What happens if the Council decides we’re at fault for not reporting this earlier? Or they’ll just eliminate us with the human as well to keep everything under wraps.”

Dream’s stomach twisted. “Eliminate? As in- kill?”

“Yes.” Tubbo bites out, crossing all four of his arms. “Do you think they’ll give you a big welcoming hug, human? There’s plenty of videos of your kind killing others mercilessly in the galaxy. The Council won’t listen to you.”

Dream took a deep breath, trying to steady his racing thoughts. “Then don’t take me to them. Help me get back to Earth instead.”

Philza looked at Dream with sadness, almost pity. “It’s not that simple. If we don’t report this, we risk being branded as traitors. That would mean losing everything- our ship, our status, even our lives. And the location of your home planet is unknown to the rest of the galaxy so we can’t help you even if we wanted to.”

“Unknown? Why would it be unknown?”

“The Council withheld that information from the rest of the galaxy in order to stop anyone from visiting and to protect the rest from humans. To avoid any potential conflicts, they erased the exact location of your planet from any charts. It’s locked away in the highest-level archives, only accessible to the Council themselves.”

His home- his planet- was deliberately hidden, turned into some forbidden secret. His chest tightened as he processed the revelation then looked back to the captain, Philza.

“So you’re saying… no one can find Earth without the Council’s permission?”

“Exactly, mate.” Philza confirms. “But you don’t need to worry. I’m sure the Council will-”

“You can’t just hand me over to them without knowing what they’ll do!”

Tommy stepped forward, taking his side. “Dream is right. Let’s figure something else out.”

“And do what exactly?” Tubbo threw his hands up. “We have no way of finding this human’s planet. And if we tried, we’d all be hunted down for treason.”

Philza raised his talon hand, silencing the argument. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes were filled with thought. “Enough. I know this isn’t a decision we can make lightly. Let’s… think about this for a while longer before deciding. Dream,” He paused, “You can stay with Tommy in the meantime.”

This caused outrage from Tubbo.

“What?!” Tubbo shouted, his wings buzzing furiously as his voice echoed through the room. “You’re letting that thing stay out of the cell? Are you serious?”

Philza’s gaze remained steady, his tone calm but authoritative. “I am. Tommy has proven that the human can communicate. We owe him a chance to show Dream is not a threat.”

“A chance to kill us in our sleep, more like!” Tubbo barked, his hands gesturing wildly. “This is reckless, captain. You’re putting the whole crew in danger!”

“I’m not going to hurt anyone.” Dream says, stepping forward despite Tubbo’s glare. His voice carried a mix of frustration and sincerity. “I just want to find a way back home. I don’t have any reason to attack you.”

“No reason? You already attacked us! You almost killed Tommy!”

“And I regret that,” Dream snapped back, his voice rising. “I didn’t know where I was or who any of you were. I thought you all were going to be like that last ship but you aren’t. If I really wanted to kill you, I would’ve done so already.”

The room went quiet for a moment, the tension thick in the air. Then, Tommy spoke up, breaking the silence.

“Tubbs, I get why you’re mad. Really, I do. But let’s give him a chance, yeah? He helped us fight against that Kraat and saved me so I owe him anyway.”

Philza sighed, running a talon through his feathers. “Tubbo, I understand your concerns, but Tommy is right. This is for the best for everyone. And we’ll monitor the situation closely, I promise. If Dream proves to be a danger, we’ll reevaluate. Until then, he will stay with Tommy.”

Tubbo didn’t argue with the captain but his voice was filled with frustration. “I told you not to call me ‘Tubbs’ if you were going to side with that thing. And I hope you all know you’re making a big mistake.”

Tubbo turned on his heel and stormed out of the room, his wings buzzing in agitation.

Dream watched him leave, a pang of guilt settling into his chest. He wasn’t too mad at being called a ‘thing’ since Tubbo seemed very furious with Dream after being attacked, anybody would be. Instead of addressing what Tubbo said, he turned to Philza.

“Thank you for giving me a chance.”

“Don’t make me regret it.” Philza says then looked at Tommy next. “Tommy, You can show the human around. Wilbur, stay with them.”

Wilbur bowed slightly, acknowledging the order.

As soon as Philza finished speaking, Tommy practically bounced around, his wings fluttering in excitement. “Alright, big guy, stick with me. I’ll show you all the cool stuff on this ship!”

Dream chuckled nervously, still processing that he is able to understand them now. “Lead the way.”

Tommy had grabbed Dream and practically dragged him out of the room. Wilbur followed along, his white lab coat swishing slightly with every step. Dream couldn’t stop glancing at it, unease growing in his chest.

The stark white fabric was too familiar, too similar to the coats worn by the aliens who experimented on him back on the last ship. His memories of that time- being poked, prodded, and treated like an object- made his stomach churn. Dream also lost his friends, his family, to those aliens that took them away.

“You alright?” Tommy’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Dream lied, forcing a small smile.

Tommy seemed a little suspicious but shrugged it off. “Alright! First stop is Wilbur’s scientist lab since it’s right around the corner. It’s quite messy and a few papers scattered everywhere but I’m sure you’ll find something cool.”

Wilbur chuckled softly from behind them. “Don’t overwhelm him.”

Dream’s gaze flickered back to Wilbur. The scientist’s tone was kind, but the sight of the coat made his skin crawl. His mind replayed flashes of cold metal tables and sharp instruments, of aliens looming over him, their voices incomprehensible and uncaring.

“Tommy,” Dream said suddenly, his voice tight, “can we go somewhere else?”

Tommy frowned, his wings twitching. “Uh, sure, big guy. Observation deck, then? It’s got the best view of the stars. Very peaceful and-”

“I hate the stars.”

Tommy blinked at Dream in surprise. “You hate the stars? How can anyone hate the stars?”

Dream’s jaw clenched, his gaze fixed to the floor. “Because they’re all I’ve seen since I got taken. And it’s also the reason why I got taken. I went outside with my friends to go look at the stars and then… Everytime I look at them- I just get reminded of my mistakes that cost my friends lives."

The energy of the hallway shifted. Tommy looked awkward, unsure of what to say, while Wilbur’s expression turned contemplative.

“Well… that’s fair.” Tommy said softly, his earlier cheer dimming. “Then where do you want to go?”

Dream hesitated. He didn’t have an answer. Every corner of this ship was alien to him- literally and figuratively. Wilbur saw his pause and decided to pipe in.

“What about the greenhouse?” Wilbur suggested. “It’s quiet and full of plants, completely different from the rest of the ship.”

Tommy perked up at the idea. “Oh yeah! The greenhouse is great! Tubbo spends a lot of time there though, so…” He trailed off, his wings fluttering nervously.

Dream frowned at the mention of Tubbo. The last thing he wanted was another confrontation. “We should go somewhere else.”

“Don’t worry about Tubbo.” Wilbur said quickly. “If he’s there, we’ll handle it.”

Dream sighed, considering the suggestion. A space full of plants sounded peaceful. He hadn’t been around anything resembling Earth’s nature since his abduction. It might even help him feel a little more calm. 

“Alright.” He said finally.

Tommy grinned. “You’ll love it! C’mon!”

Tommy talked for most of the way, explaining his duty as a crew member aboard the ship. As they walked, Wilbur kept pace, occasionally chiming in with explanations about the ship’s systems or the crew’s duties.

Dream tried to focus on Tommy’s cheerful banter, but his eyes kept drifting to Wilbur’s coat. The closer Wilbur got, the more tense Dream felt. He had to fight every urge to keep him from knocking Wilbur down. Finally, he couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“Do you have to follow us?” Dream blurted, stopping abruptly.

Wilbur’s wings twitched, his hands tucked into the coat’s pockets. “Philza asked me to… I’m sorry but did I do something to upset you? You seemed quite displeased with me.”

Dream didn’t want to explain, didn’t want to relive the memories, but the tension that was bubbling up inside him was too much to ignore. He looked at Wilbur, forcing himself to meet his gaze.

“I hate that coat.” Dream finally said, his voice low but firm.

Wilbur blinked in surprise, glancing down at the white lab coat he had on. “My coat?”

Dream’s fists clenched at his sides. “It reminds me of… them. The ones who experimented on me. They wore coats exactly like that.” He looked away, swallowing hard. “Every time I see it, it’s like I’m back there.”

The air grew heavy with the weight of his words. Wilbur’s face softened, his wings lowering slightly.

“If that’s the case then…” Wilbur then shrugged off the coat in one smooth motion. He folded it neatly over his arm, his expression calm and understanding. “Is that better?”

Dream blinked, caught off guard by the gesture. “You- You didn’t have to…”

“I wanted to.” Wilbur said firmly. “You’ve been through enough. I don’t want to make things harder for you than they already have been.”

Dream was surprised to say the least. All of the scientists on the last ship wouldn’t so much as glance at them even when they screamed in pain or terror. This one was different.

He exhaled slowly, some of the tension easing from his shoulders. “Thanks,” he muttered, unsure of what else to say.

“Don’t mention it.” Wilbur replied, giving a small smile. “Let’s get to the greenhouse. I’m sure you’ll love it.”

They walked further until they finally met two large doors. Tommy entered some symbols in the corner of a keypad and the doors opened. 

Dream’s breath was taken away from what he saw.

The space was vast and lush, filled with greenery that stretched up towards the ceiling. Vibrant flowers bloomed in every shade imaginable, their colors vivid under the soft glow of artificial sunlight. The air was warm and humid, filled with the scent of soil and growing plants.

Dream wandered further in, his hand brushing against the leaves of a nearby plant. The sensation was grounding, almost nostalgic. These plants come from all over the galaxy, he could tell by the different colors and shades. Only some of them reminded him of Earth, his home, but he didn’t recognize any of them and sighed in disappointment. He was expecting this but he was hoping to find at least one plant from Earth.

Still, it was pretty.

“This is beautiful.” Dream murmured, touching a small flower that was still growing.

“Told you!” Tommy said, grinning. “Way better than the stars, right?”

Dream manages a small smile, nodding. “Yeah, way better.”

Tommy paused and copied his motion of nodding as well as Wilbur. Dream chuckled and asked, “What are you two doing?”

“Uh- what you were doing before you said yes?” Tommy repeats the motion and Dream smiled, holding back another laugh. It was like a parrot trying to copy a human’s movements.

“You mean nodding my head?”

“What does it mean?” Wilbur asks, curiosity peaking. “Is that a human way of hidden communication?”

“Well…” Dream began, finding it odd yet endearing that something as simple as a nod could be so foreign to them. “Not exactly hidden. It’s pretty common. Nodding your head like this-” He demonstrated again, a slow dip of his chin, “usually means ‘yes’ or agreement.”

Tommy’s eyes widened as if he’d just uncovered a grand secret. “That’s so simple… yet so genius! You don’t even have to say anything, you just…” He enthusiastically bobbed his head up and down, his wings flapping in excitement. “Yes! Yes! Yes!”

Dream laughed, the sound surprising even himself. It felt good to have a moment of lightness amidst the heaviness that had been suffocating him. “Yeah, that’s pretty much all to it.”

Wilbur, on the other hand, took a more methodical approach. He mirrored the motion slowly, his wings twitching slightly as he processed the gesture into his mind. “And what about the opposite? Is there a way that your species says ‘no’ without speaking?”

“Yeah, you just shake your head side to side, like this.” He demonstrated, moving his head in a slow, deliberate motion.

Tommy immediately tried it, shaking his head vigorously. “No! No! No!” He said, laughing at his own antics.

Wilbur tried the motion out for himself, then stopped and laughed. “Fascinating how a simple motion can carry so much meaning.”

Dream paused, looking the scientist up and down. Of course a scientist would want to take in as much information about a new species as possible, but it still made Dream feel a little uneasy.

Wilbur seemed to take notice of Dream’s wariness and tried to put him at ease. “Sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I was just curious. Not in a bad way, I promise.”

“No, it’s alright.” Dream replied curtly. “I’m just a little wary of aliens after everything that happened…”

“Understandable.” Wilbur nods then pauses before offering, “Why don’t you ask us some of our gestures? I’m sure you have questions about us?”

Dream hesitated. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to learn about their culture or get closer to any of them, especially with his lingering mistrust. But the curiosity was there, nagging at him. It might even be helpful to understand them better, if only to navigate the ship and avoid misunderstandings.

“Alright.” Dream said cautiously. “Is there a meaning when you lower your wings? Does it mean something specific?”

“It does, actually. Not really ‘specific’ but lowering our wings is a sign of humility or sincerity. It’s a way of showing that we’re not a threat or that we acknowledge someone’s feelings.”

Dream nodded, filing that information away. “What about when you flap your wings? Like what Tommy does often?”

Tommy grinned and flapped his wings dramatically, causing a small gust of air. “This? It can mean a lot of things! Excitement, frustration, impatience- it depends on the context. Right now, it’s just because I’m super hyped!”

Wilbur chuckled and mimicked the motion, slower than Tommy to demonstrate. “Yes, wing movements are highly contextual for us. A small, slow flap might mean someone is deep in thought while a rapid one usually shows agitation or high energy.”

Dream found himself intrigued despite his initial reluctance. “What about when you spread your wings? I’ve seen Philza do that on the battlefield and towards me as well.”

Wilbur’s expression shifted slightly, a flicker of something serious crossing his face. “Spreading our wings wide is a sign of dominance or authority.” He explained. “It’s meant to make us appear larger, more commanding. In a confrontation, it can be a warning or a show of power.”

Dream frowned, recalling the encounter. “So it’s a threat?”

“Not always.” Wilbur clarified. “It can also be protective. If he spread his wings towards you but didn’t attack, it might have been a way to establish boundaries without escalating things further.”

“That sounds like Philza.” Tommy chimed in, nodding. “Big scary bird-dad energy.”

Dream couldn’t help but smirk at Tommy’s description. He continued on with one last question. “And what about folding your wings tight against your back? I’ve also seen Philza do that towards me.”

Wilbur’s demeanor softened, his wings replicating the movement. “It’s basically the opposite of spreading your wings. It’s a way to minimize our profile so we’re viewed as less of a threat.”

“So your wings are mostly tied to your emotions and instincts. Like- almost an extension of who you are?”

Wilbur laughed softly. “You’re understanding quickly. At this rate, you’ll be fluent in alien-body language in no time.”

“Well, thanks for explaining all of that. I guess it’s… helpful to know.”

“Of course.”

They all laughed but that moment of peace was short-lived. A familiar voice echoed through the greenhouse, sharp and unwelcoming.

“And what is that thing doing in here?”

Dream tensed, turning to see Tubbo standing a few meters away, his expression hard and his wings buzzing in agitation.

Chapter Text

Philza watched on as Tommy, Wilbur, and the human left the room. Now there was only him and Techno left. He sighed as he let himself slip into a chair.

“Oh, what am I to do, Techno?” He asks his long time friend and most trusted ally.

Techno snorted, almost chuckling. “Don’t know. Honestly, was not expecting for Tommy to be right.”

“Then why did you vote to get the crystal?” Philza asked, confused.

Techno leaned back against his chair, crossing his arms. His red eyes flickered with thought.

“Don’t you think something’s off?”

Philza tilted his head, waiting for an explanation.

Techno sighed, his voice low and measured. “The Council.”

Philza frowned as he leaned forward. “What about them?”

“Think about it, Phil. Why would the Council ban the galaxy from using something as simple as a translation crystal?”

“Because…” Philza paused, “they claimed it would destabilize the balance between species, leading to conflicts or exploitation.” His voice trailed off as he repeated the familiar justification. It was the official reason, one drilled into everyone’s minds. And no one would argue with the Council’s law.

Techno’s expression turned grim. “You and I both know that’s not the whole story.”

Philza leaned back, his wings twitching uneasily. “You’re suggesting there’s another reason?”

“I’m not suggesting. I’m saying it.” Techno’s voice dropped to a whisper. “The Council wouldn’t ban things unless it threatens their control. A universal translator? That’s a tool that could unite a species, not divide them.”

“...it would prove to be a hindrance to them, yes, but that doesn’t prove anything. These are mere speculations, Technoblade. Ones that could make you branded as a traitor.”

“Technically, we already defied them by getting the crystal behind their back and having a human in our ship. Why not just take them down?” Techno smirked, his sharp teeth glinting under the dim light.

“That would be treason.” Philza sighed, rubbing his temple as Techno’s words sank in. “What’s with you and wanting to take down governments, Techno? We literally work for the Galactic Council.”

“Correction,” Techno says, “you work for them. I’m only working for you. There’s a difference.”

Philza side-eyed him, though there was a hint of a smile tugging at his lips. “Semantics.”

“Truth,” Techno countered, his tone sharp but playful. “You think I signed up to enforce their little rules? Nah. I’m only here because you’re here.”

Philza laughed, “I do thank you for that but I still work under the Council, Techno. That means you do as well.”

“Well, what do you plan to do? Don’t you need to file a report of the ship crash back to the GC?”

“Right… I’ve been putting it off for a while that even they are starting to get concerned.”

“Concerned or suspicious?”

Philza frowned, his talons drumming the table. “They’ve been asking for updates and I’m running out of excuses. It’s not like I can tell them we found a human.”

“Then don’t.”

He looked up sharply to Techno. “And what exactly do you suggest I say?”

Techno shrugged, his crimson eyes gleaming with mischief. “Say the ship’s systems were too damaged to gather much data. Blame it on faulty scanners. Throw in some space radiation for good measure- they love that excuse.”

Philza exhaled a weary breath. “They might already be suspicious, Techno. If I keep stalling or feeding them half-truths, they’ll send someone to investigate. It’s better to tell them about the human and what we found out.”

Techno’s expression hardened. “You think that’s a good idea? Do you really want to hand Dream over to them?”

“I don’t like it either.” Philza admitted. “But for now, I won’t tell them of the human.”

“Then what do you plan to tell them?”

Philza was in the captain’s room, the door locked and the hum of the ship’s systems providing a soft background noise. He sat at his desk, talons drumming lightly against the console as he stared at the communicator. His feathers were ruffled, portraying his unease. 

With a resigned sigh, he leaned forward and pressed a sequence of buttons, opening a secure line to the Galactic Council headquarters.

The screen flickered before the face of a familiar alien appeared on screen. He had sharp features and a cocky grin. His horns twisted underneath his ears, yellowish and grey.

It was Schlatt, the Council’s head officer. He was leaning back in the chair, chewing on what looked like a cigar. His office in the background was cluttered, an unusual sight for a high-ranking official but one that Philza was used to seeing.

“Philza!” Schlatt drawled, his tone dripping with fake enthusiasm. “Finally getting back to me on that report? Thought you’d gone and retired without telling anyone.”

Philza forced a polite smile. “Schlatt, always a pleasure.”

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s cut the formalities. What’s the hold up? You’re weeks overdue for that crash report. The Council’s starting to think you've gone rogue.”

Philza leaned back, composing himself. “Apologies for the delay. I’ve been working with my crew to recover what we can, but the environment was hostile, and progress had been slow.”

Schlatt narrowed his eyes as he blew a puff of smoke towards the screen. “Hostile, huh? That’s convenient. What kind of ‘hostile environment’ are we talking about? Space radiation? Predators? Faulty equipment? Or just your team being incompetent?”

Philza’s feathers bristled, but he kept his tone calm. “A combination except the last one you mentioned. We managed to repair most of our ship but most of our data got corrupted… I’ll send the photos and a written report after this call.”

“Great.” Schlatt took another inhale of his cigar, “The Council hated the wait. And Philza…”

“Yes?”

“You didn’t see anything off did you? Or find something you need to report back to us?”

Philza hesitated for the briefest moment, his mind racing. Schlatt’s casual tone didn't mask the weight behind his words. 

It was almost like Schlatt knew what they were going to find. Of what they were supposed to find.

“No,” Philza said evenly. “But I do find it weird that there were alot of dead bodies that were not caused by the crash.”

“And did you find what caused it?”

Philza tightened his grip on the edge of his desk, his feathers bristling slightly despite his effort to stay composed. “It could have been infighting, something that happened before the crash. We don’t have much to go on.”

Schlatt stared at him for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then, with a smirk that didn’t reach his eyes, he tapped the ash from his cigar and leaned back in his chair. “You sure you didn’t see anything? Because if you did, you should report whatever you saw back to us. Trust me, we’ll believe you. And I’m sure you know the consequences if things aren’t properly reported.”

Philza narrowed his eyes to the screen. He then slowly asked. “It sounds like… you do know what caused the crash better than me. Surely, that wouldn’t be the case, would it?”

Schlatt’s smirk deepened, but there was no humor behind it. He took a slow drag from his cigar, letting the smoke curl around him before answering. “I’m just making sure everything is accounted for. After all, it’s your responsibility to report any abnormalities.”

Philza’s feathers ruffled involuntarily, but he kept his voice level. “If the Council knew something about the crash, it would have been helpful to share that information. Did… they know something that we didn’t?”

There should be no way that the Council knew of the human in the ship. Not unless… Not unless-

Schlatt chuckled, the sound low and condescending. “Oh, you’ve always been a sharp one, Philza. Maybe too sharp for your own good. Let’s just say that the Council has ‘suspicions’. But suspicions don’t mean facts, and that’s where you come in. You’re there to clean up the mess, not ask questions.”

Philza’s jaw clenched tightly, but he maintained his professional demeanor. “Understood.”

“Good.” Schlatt leaned closer to the screen, his gaze sharp and piercing. “Just remember, Captain Philza, the Council doesn’t tolerate loose ends. If there’s something you’re not telling us, it’ll come back to bite you. And I’d hate to see someone like you- one of our best- get caught up in a… misunderstanding.”

Philza wings twitched in acknowledgement, the tension thick in the air from the masked threat. “I’ll make sure everything is in order.”

“See to it that you do.” Schlatt said, stubbing out his cigar with a twist. “If I have to come out there myself, you won’t like how I handle things.”

The screen went dark as Schlatt had cut the connection himself. All that was left was the oppressive silence that loomed over Philza. He exhaled slowly, his talons tapping against the desk in thought.

It seemed like Technoblade was right. There was more to this than what meets the eye. Schlatt’s words replayed in his mind, each thinly veiled threat tightening the knot in his chest. He’d been in the Galactic Council’s service long enough to know when something didn't add up but he also knew what questioning the Council would lead to.

The Council knew more about the crash than Philza was led to believe. They probably even knew what caused the deaths prior to the crash. If Schlatt was sending veiled threats his way, it must be because they are already suspicious of what they found. If the Council already had suspicions, then their interest in his crew’s mission wasn’t because they were curious about the crash. They were looking for something specific- or someone.

The human.

Philza closed his eyes briefly. Keeping Dream on the ship without reporting it to the Galactic Council was already a risk. If they discover Dream… no, when they discover Dream, the fallout wouldn’t just affect him- there will be consequences for his whole crew. No matter how strong they all are as a team, no one could go against the entire Galactic Council’s army.

Philza stood, his wings flaring slightly before folding tightly against his back. He couldn’t let the Council take away the human, not when Philza is doubting their narrative.

But he couldn’t let his crew get killed off for a human. 

His mind was a storm of conflicting thoughts. Protecting Dream meant defying the Galactic Council- a move that could spell doom for his entire crew. But handing the human over without knowing the Council’s true motives didn’t sit right with him either.

Philza wanted to help the human after everything he has been through. He could tell that Dream was frightened of them and was sincere about his regret of hurting them. His instincts wanted to trust in the human but the stakes were far too high. The Council wasn’t known for mercy, and Schlatt’s words only confirmed that they wouldn’t hesitate to eliminate them.

He straightened his posture and left the room. His steps were brisk and purposeful as he headed back towards the meeting room to discuss with Techno further about the issue. As he passed through the hallway, he looked over the ship and made sure everything was working correctly.

His boots echoed through the metallic flooring as he moved with purpose. His wings rustled slightly as he adjusted them, his mind replaying the hidden threat from Schlatt. 

Philza reached the meeting room where he knew Technoblade stayed, waiting for him. When he entered, Techno was looking over a report on a handheld device. His crimson red eyes flicked up as Philza entered the room.

“Hullo.” Techno greeted him, setting the device down. “You look like you’ve got some bad news.”

“I do.”

Techno crossed his arms, humming in thought. “And? How bad is it?”

Philza exhaled softly, his gaze flickering to the side then back to Techno. “They’re suspicious of us. Schlatt… I think he knows we’re holding something back, even if he doesn’t have proof. And there’s something else.”

“There’s more?”

“I think-” Philza paused, contemplating. “I think you were right. There’s something more to this than we thought. Schlatt didn’t say it outright but I think he knows that there was a human on the ship that crashed.”

Techno stood up, his gaze sharpening. “So he knows about Dream, or at least suspects something related to him.”

“Maybe. Or maybe it’s something else entirely.” Philza said, stepping further into the room. “But whatever it is, Schlatt isn’t giving up until he finds it. If we don’t give him what he wants, he’ll come here himself to investigate.”

“Then he’s looking for Dream. That’s the only thing they couldn’t find in the crash since the human managed to survive and leave the area before the Council could investigate with their drones.”

“It just doesn’t make sense.” Philza frowned. “How could the Council know of the human harboring the ship if the spaceship was taken by traffickers long ago?”

“That I do not know, but I don’t like how things are playing out. For now, let’s just keep Dream here and away from the Council.”

They both fell silent for a moment, the situation heavy in the air. Philza stood still, his mind going through different strategies, options, and consequences. For now, they would have to keep the human here, but Philza isn’t sure how much longer they could hold that secret.

Then, a loud, piercing scream tore through the silence.

It was unmistakably one of Philza’s crew members- panic and pain echoing in the sound. Philza’s heart dropped at the sound. Even Techno became alerted as his eyes shot to the door.

“That was from the greenhouse.” Techno states, voice low and urgent, his piglin ears managing to hear much further than others.

Without another word, both of them were already moving, their footsteps hurrying down the hallway as they raced towards the scream. Passing through the winding corridors, the greenhouse was just ahead. 

As they approached, another scream echoed, this one louder and filled with more desperation. Something was wrong.

Philza’s mind raced. Was someone attacking them? Was the Council already here?

They reached the door to the greenhouse, and Philza hurriedly pressed the keypad and entered the password to get in. The doors slid open and Philza as well as Technoblade stepped inside.

The sight made them freeze in place.

The room was in disarray, plants overturned and some of the equipment broken. But it wasn’t the chaos of the room that struck Philza- it was Dream.

Dream stood in the middle of the greenhouse, his fearful eyes flicking up to the two who entered the room. Under him were the unconscious forms of Tubbo, Tommy, and Wilbur, who laid sprawled on the floor, their bodies limp and unmoving.

He was standing over them, his expression torn between confusion and fear, his fists clenched to his sides. Then, Dream yelled at Philza and Techno, threatening them.

“Stay back!”

Chapter Text

Tubbo kept his eyes on Dream, glaring daggers at him. His eyes were filled with suspicion and his wings buzzing behind him, irritated. The atmosphere shifted instantly, and the calm that had settled earlier evaporated.

“Step down, Tubbo.” Wilbur says calmly, stepping in front of Dream in a protective manner while trying to diffuse the situation. “He’s not a threat. And he has every right to be here as much as you do.”

Tubbo’s gaze flickered to Wilbur, then back to Dream, and his wings finally stopped buzzing. “Not a threat?” He echoed, voice tinged with disbelief. “I’m not the one who attacked two kids trying to communicate with it. That human doesn’t even belong here so don’t you dare compare me to it.”

Dream felt the weight of Tubbo’s words hit him like a physical blow. He knew he was the outsider here but hearing the distrust in Tubbo’s voice stung more than he expected. 

Dream didn’t know what to say back to defend himself. He couldn’t help but feel that Tubbo was right in a sense. And no matter how much Dream apologized to him, it wouldn’t do much of anything.

“I know you don’t trust me.” Dream muttered, “I didn’t mean to hurt anyone. I just…”

“You don’t need to explain yourself.” Wilbur interjected, stepping closer to Dream and spreading his wings a little further. “You’ve been through a lot and some people need to understand that.”

Tubbo’s wings twitched, frustration growing in the air around him. He took a deep breath and narrowed his eyes at Wilbur. “I don’t care if the human has been through something. That thing nearly killed us.”

Dream flinched at the malice in his words. His chest tightened as guilt washed over him. No matter how much he apologized, it wouldn’t change what he had done. But then Tommy stepped up, his wings flaring in agitation.

“Tubbo, you need to stop! He’s already apologized and even saved me! What more do you want from him?”

“I want it to leave! The human is dangerous-”

“His name is Dream!” Tommy sharply corrected, yelling back at Tubbo.

Dream’s heart sank further. He needed to get a handle on this, for their sake as well as his own. But before he could say anything further, something strange caught his attention.

A faint mist began to rise from one of the flowers in the corner of the greenhouse, a delicate, colorful blossom that Dream hadn’t noticed before. It seemed harmless- just a faint smoke curling up in the air and Dream didn’t know much about alien plants- so he turned back to the argument in front of him.

“I don’t know why you’re so obsessed with that human! Don’t you know that you could’ve died?!”

Tommy glared at him. “I will remind you that he saved all of our asses back there from that Kraat! Maybe you should stop blaming him for everything and start seeing him for what he is- a person who’s just trying to survive like the rest of us!”

Tubbo’s eyes blazed with anger. Usually he would turn around and stop arguing, but this time was different. He stepped forward and pushed Tommy backwards which shocked everyone else in the room.

“I am seeing it for what it is! The human is dangerous! One good act doesn’t erase everything else!”

Tommy blinked away the shock, and his anger came back twice as much. “You’re so caught up in blaming him that you can’t even see the truth! You can’t see past your own damn fear!” Tommy snapped, shoving Tubbo back.

Tubbo stumbled but recovered quickly, his wings now buzzing furiously. “Fear? I’m not scared- I’m being realistic! Unlike you, I actually care about the rest of my crew!”

“That’s funny coming from someone who’s getting mad over nothing!” Tommy shot back, his voice rising. “You’re the one making things worse right now, not him!”

Wilbur stepped forward, his wings slightly flaring. “Enough! Both of you, stop it! If anything, it’s both of you making things worse!”

Dream, standing slightly apart from the group, felt his chest tighten. The tension in the room was unbearable, and he couldn’t ignore the growing sense that something was wrong.

“Let’s stop.” Dream suggests, stepping closer. “There’s something wrong here-”

But his words were drowned out by Tubbo and Tommy’s escalating shouts.

“You don’t get it, do you?” Tubbo yelled, his voice cracking. “This isn’t about just you or me! It’s about the whole crew- our safety, our lives! And you’re gambling all of that on it! On some stranger you barely know!”

“Yeah? Well, maybe you should try getting to know him instead of acting like you’re better than everyone else!” Tommy fired back. “Maybe then you’d see you’re the problem, not him!”

Dream’s eyes darted to Wilbur, who was visibly struggling to keep his composure. Even he seemed affected by something, his own bat wings twitching and his usual calm demeanor slipping. The barely noticeable mist was everywhere now, circling around them and making the air heavy and difficult to breathe. It was a strange, sweet scent.

He watched on as the others breathed in more of the mist. Then he noticed that they shifted even more so, their movements growing more erratic, their expressions darkening.

“Sometimes I wonder how I even became friends with you in the first place! How could I become friends with someone this fucking stupid!” Tubbo yelled, furious.

“That’s funny because I was thinking the same damn thing! I should never have become friends with you!”

“Fuck you!”

Tubbo lunged at Tommy, shoving him hard enough to send him stumbling back. Tommy immediately retaliated, throwing a punch that caught Tubbo’s shoulder.

The fight escalated even more so. Tubbo swung back, landing a hit on Tommy’s arm, and the two began grappling, knocking over a row of potted plants in the process. Soil and shards of ceramic scattered across the floor. 

Dream flinched as a loud crash echoed through the greenhouse- a piece of equipment had been knocked off a shelf, shattering on impact.

“Damnit!” Wilbur’s voice broke through the chaos. He stepped forward, wanting to separate the two, but his own movements were sluggish, his judgement clouded. His wings flared and folded unpredictably, showing his inner turmoil. He was getting mad, angry, almost furious but it almost looked like Wilbur was trying to fight it.

Dream looked back to the flower that spewed out the irregular mist and he came to a realization. The mist wasn’t harmless- it was affecting the rest of them, amplifying their anger and aggression.

But he was the only one not affected by it.

“W-Wilbur! The flower in the corner!” Dream called out, his voice rising with urgency. “It’s making mist in the air! I think it’s making you guys lose control! You need to stop breathing it in!”

Wilbur turned to him, blinking as if trying to process the words through a haze. “What?”

Dream glanced at the flower in the corner, its petals pulsating faintly as it released more of the mist. “That plant!” He pointed, his voice sharp. “It’s releasing something to mess with your heads!”

Tubbo kicked Tommy into another table. The bird-alien hit the edge with a loud, piercing scream that echoed through the room and maybe even through the whole spaceship. Instead of backing down, he tackled Tubbo in return, both of them tumbling to the ground in a flurry of fists and buzzing wings.

Dream didn’t want to hurt anyone, but this couldn’t go on. Wilbur was still trying to hold himself back from throwing a punch as he came to the same realization as Dream. Quickly, he got out a miniature gun from his pocket and handed it to Dream.

“Listen carefully.” Wilbur was staggering slightly, trying to remain composed. “This gun has six tranquilizers. You have to shoot us then get rid of that plant. I’m not sure how you’re immune but-” Wilbur struggled to keep himself calm as the mist visibly worsened his condition. His wings were twitching violently, showing an internal battle to remain in control. “Take the damn gun and fucking shoot!”

Wilbur threw him the gun, fighting the urge to use it himself. Dream barely managed to catch it. His fingers closed around the cold metal, his mind racing.

It’s just a tranquilizer- it’s not going to hurt them.

It was better than letting them tear themselves apart. He first turned to Tommy and Tubbo, who were still throwing punches at each other on the floor. Tommy’s desperate yells and Tubbo’s buzzing wings filled the room as they rolled, knocking over yet another table. Dream raised the gun, steadying his hand as best he could. His heart pounded.

Then Dream pulled the trigger.

The first dart hit Tommy in the shoulder. He let out a startled grunt, his movements slowing almost immediately. Tubbo stopped fighting and shoved Tommy off of himself then scrambled back. Tubbo looked up to see Dream holding the gun, then he looked back at Tommy with pure regret and he screamed.

“Tommy!” Tubbo screamed, desperation and regret mixed into one.

“He’s fine! I didn’t kill him!” Dream tried to explain, but the other wasn’t listening. Tubbo immediately stood up from the ground and faced Dream.

“Monster! I’ll kill you!”

His eyes were wild, his chest heaving as he lunged towards Dream and prepared to attack. Dream felt guilt tug at him but he didn’t have a choice. He raised the gun and pulled the trigger yet again.

The second dart hit Tubbo’s lower chest. He staggered back, confusion flashing his face before his knees buckled. He hit the ground with a soft thud, his wings twitching weakly before going still.

Dream exhaled sharply, his hands slightly trembling. Now that he could understand what they’re saying, it made hearing their screams worse. His mind started to drift back to the first ship where he ripped the alien’s heads off and killed them without mercy. He wonders if it would have been different if Dream could understand them but he shook that thought away. He needed to focus.

Dream turned to Wilbur, who was leaning heavily against a table, his face pale and strained. The mist had already taken a toll on him.

“Just do it.” Wilbur muttered, his voice weak but still lucid enough to warn him. “Right now, I’m fighting the urge to attack you. When you grab the plant, there’s an airlock down the corridor. You can eject it into space.”

Dream nodded, his resolve hardening. “Understood.”

Without another word, Dream raised the gun and fired the dart into Wilbur’s leg.

Wilbur gasped as the tranquilizer hit, then his body slumped to the floor, unconscious. Dream set the gun to the side and turned towards the flower in the corner of the room, its vibrant petals still pulsating faintly as it released another puff of mist.

Before he could take a step towards it, the doors of the greenhouse opened. 

Philza and Technoblade stepped forward, taking in the scene before them.

Dream knew it looked bad, especially with the others passed out on the floor and the room nothing but chaos. 

Philza’s eyes scanned the room, landing on the unconscious bodies of Tubbo, Tommy, and Wilbur. His wings flared up instinctively as his gaze moved to Dream. His expression was a mix of confusion and concern, then it immediately shifted to anger. Technoblade, standing next to him, was equally shocked, though his posture was more guarded.

“Stay back!” Dream shouted, his voice raw with urgency and frustration. 

His fists were tight as his sides, wary of what they might do. The last thing Dream needed is more people breathing in the mist and attacking one another. From the looks of it, that anger would be directed towards him instead.

“What happened here?” Philza demanded, ignoring his warning. His wings extended slightly, preparing for a confrontation. 

Dream felt the weight of their gazes on him, and a rush of guilt hit him again. He had to explain quickly or they’ll move further into the room and breathe in the mist that affected everyone else.

“Do not breathe in the mist!”

Philza and Technoblade froze, their eyes narrowing, confused but still wary.

“What did you do to them?” Philza’s words were steady, and his wings flared more aggressively.

Dream hurried to explain. “The flower in the corner-” He pointed to the exact plant that was causing the chaos, “is producing a mist that was making them attack each other. Wilbur realized too late but he handed me a gun to tranquilize them all because it was getting out of hand! If you breathe it in, you’ll lose control!”

Philza paused, sniffed the air then recoiled at the sweet scent. At once, both Technoblade and Philza proceeded to cover their faces from the mist.

“Who brought that on board? That’s a Gleoris flower!” Technoblade says, looking over to the flower in the corner.

Dream didn’t know what he was talking about but knew that they understood what was happening now. “I- I think I’m immune to it! Wilbur told me to take it to the airlock where it’ll get rid of the flower.”

Philza nodded slowly, backing up from the room filled with the mist. “We don’t have time for questions. We need to neutralize it before it causes more chaos. Dream, can you go and grab the flower and take it to the airlock?”

Dream nodded and rushed towards the flower. He pulled it out from the stem, the roots dangling from his hand, and brushed off the soil in a hurry. Dream turned on his heels towards the exit and was ready to rid the spaceship of the threat once and for all. 

As he passed Philza and Technoblade, the two watched him cautiously, making sure they didn’t breathe any of the mist.

“I’ll go with him to show him how to use the airlock.” Technoblade says as he runs besides Dream, not letting Philza get a word of argument with him.

Instead the captain yells from behind them, “Dream, if you become affected by the mist then let us know!”

Dream didn’t have to think about why he would say that. The last thing they would need on a ship in the middle of space is an angered and uncontrollable human.

They reached the airlock that was just around the corner. Technoblade opened the airlock while Dream shoved the flower in the containment chamber, watching it pulse one last time before the door shut.

With a soft press of a button, the airlock opened, and the flower was ejected into space, disappearing from the vastness of the universe.

Dream stood there for a long moment, letting out a shaky breath. He turned back to the greenhouse, feeling a weight lift from his shoulders but also the exhaustion settling in. 

Technoblade patted him on the back and muttered under his breath, barely audible for him to hear but Dream managed to catch it, “Good job.”

As they walked towards the greenhouse doors which were now closed, they saw Philza pressing a few buttons on the side. He was working quickly, adjusting the controls to the room as Dream and Technoblade watched on quietly. When he was finally finished, he turned to them, his face a mixture of relief and lingering concern.

“The mist should be gone soon from the room. I adjusted the controls to ventilate the mist out of the greenhouse.” Philza says and Dream could hear the air circulation system hum to life. “Should be gone within a minute.”

Dream exhaled slowly, shaking off the unease in his shoulders. He had tranquilized them to save them but Dream still felt guilty hurting Tommy and the rest of them. He wonders if what happened would make Tubbo even more aggressive towards him…

Philza took a step towards him, snapping Dream out of his thoughts. “You did good, Dream. I’m sorry I doubted you at first-”

“No, no.” Dream shakes his head. “You had every right to. After what I did to the last ship and what you saw when you walked in, I would’ve thought the same thing.”

Philza hummed. “Once the air’s clear, we can start helping them. I would give it another minute though just in case.”

“Right.” Dream looked at the door, staring at it. “Will… Will they be okay? They were arguing pretty badly.”

“That's what the Gleoris flower will do.” Technoblade, who was standing beside Dream, looked over at him. “It amplifies anger and aggression to dangerous levels. It can even drive you to kill someone you’ve known for years… They’re lucky that you were immune to its effects.”

“The flower’s mist clouds judgement and makes you do things you would never think of doing.” Philza adds in. “But they’ll be fine since the flower has been disposed of and the mist is dispersing. I’m more concerned about how we didn’t see and dispose of that plant sooner.”

“Looks like it’s something we have to ask the others once they wake up.” Technoblade shrugs.

“It should be safe now.” Philza said, inputting the code to open the doors. “Let’s go in.”

Dream hesitated for a moment, but Technoblade gave him a small nudge. “Come on. It’s fine.”

The three of them stepped into the greenhouse. The air was fresh and clean, a stark contrast to the suffocating sweet scent from before. Dream’s eyes immediately went to the others. Tubbo, Tommy, and Wilbur were still lying where they had fallen, breathing steadily. Tubbo’s wings twitched slightly, a sign he was coming to.

Dream kept his distance while Philza knelt by Wilbur, checking his pulse and gently shaking him awake. “Wil, can you hear me?”

Wilbur groaned, his neon green eyes fluttering open. He looked dazed but otherwise fine. “Phil? What…” His voice was hoarse, probably a side effect of the tranquilizer.

“You were affected by a Gleoris flower.” Philza explained. “Do you remember what happened?”

Wilbur’s gaze shifted to Dream, his brow furrowing as he pieced things together. “Yeah… Yeah, I do. Thanks for saving us, Dream.”

Dream shook his head nervously. “No need to thank me. It was your plan after all.”

As Wilbur sat up and stretched, Tubbo groaned from beside them, his eyes blinking open. He looked around, confusion and exhaustion etched on his face. When his gaze landed on Dream, his expression hardened for a moment then looked around in a panic. His eyes finally caught Tommy and he scrambled towards him, shaking him.

“Tommy! Hey, wake up!”

Tommy groaned, swatting weakly at Tubbo’s hand. “M’fine. Let me sleep some more…” His voice became muffled as he buried his face into the crook of his arm.

Tubbo exhaled weakly, his wings drooping in relief. “You scared the hell out of me.”

Tommy peaked up at Tubbo, confusion and irritation clear. “What are you on about?”

“I- I thought you got shot.” Tubbo spared a second of a glance towards Dream then back to Tommy. “I thought the human shot yo-”

“Dream saved you two from killing each other.” Philza crouched beside them, correcting Tubbo in the process. “You were caught in the Gleoris flower’s mist and it amplified your aggression. Dream is immune and managed to stop you all.”

Tommy sat up slowly, processing the information. He started to recall the events and everything that he said and looked up at Dream. “So… you knocked us out?”

“I told him to.” Wilbur states. “The flower would have made you kill each other. We were just lucky that Dream was immune to it.”

Tommy huffed. “That’s not what I meant. I wasn’t trying to blame him. I was just asking.” Tommy looked back to Dream and bowed slightly. “Thanks, big man.”

Dream smiled. “Anytime.”

As the others finally became more aware, Dream stepped back and gave them space. Tubbo’s wings fluttered as he helped Wilbur and Tommy stand up, his gaze flickering to Dream occasionally. The distrust was evident, but it seemed tempered by a slight understanding.

Philza straightened up, dusting off his coat. “I was going to ask who brought that flower in but… I think this is enough chaos for one day.”

“Tell me about it.” Technoblade snorted.

“I think we should all get some rest then go back to our discussion from the last meeting tomorrow. Everyone, go to your room. Dream… If Tommy allows it, you can sleep with him.”

Tommy practically jumped up, his wings flapping excitedly.

“Of course it’s fine! Never thought I would have a human sleeping over at my place.” Tommy laughed. “I would’ve cleaned up better.”

“Beats being in a cell.” Dream shrugged.

Philza used his wings to wave a single goodbye then left the room with Technobalde following close behind. Wilbur gave a soft bow, his wings flicking up once then left the room as well.

The room was quiet now with just Tubbo, Tommy, and Dream left in the room. Tommy gave a look to Tubbo, almost like he wanted to say something, but decided against it.

Tommy stretched and rolled his shoulders, letting out a dramatic sigh. “C’mon Dream. Let’s get back to my room so I can make you a nest for yourself.”

Dream hesitated, glancing at Tubbo, who was still watching him warily. Tubbo narrowed his eyes as their gazes met but it softened slightly just enough. Tubbo huffed and walked towards the exit.

As Tubbo walked past Dream to leave the room, he muttered, just enough for Dream to hear, “Thanks.”

Dream froze for a moment, the unexpected word catching him off guard. He turned, watching Tubbo’s retreating figure as the alien made his way out into the hallway without another glance. It wasn’t much, just a single word, but it felt like a weight was lifted from his shoulders.

Maybe, and just maybe… things might actually turn out okay.

Chapter Text

As they walked, Tommy started rambling about how he’d make the nest just right, with proper insulation and maybe even stolen materials from Philza’s stash. Dream smiled faintly, letting Tommy’s voice wash over him, grounding him after the chaos.

Even if the necklace around his neck was translating the alien language that Dream doesn’t know, he was just happy that he could finally hear words he could understand after not hearing anything like it for months. 

After his friends were taken and Dream was the only human left on the last ship, he didn’t have anyone to talk to. Even on the planet he crashed on, it was just himself.

So he let himself listen to Tommy, letting the words he could understand reach his ears and nodded along, agreeing to it.

They finally reached Tommy’s room, and the bird-alien opened the door and revealed the previous room that Dream had already been in. 

Hurriedly, Tommy went over to what looked to be a closet, and opened it up. A mountain of blankets fell on top of him and Dream rushed over to help.

“You alright?” Dream shifted the blankets away, digging Tommy out of the pile.

Tommy popped his head out with a muffled laugh, his feathers ruffled from the sudden avalanche. “Yeah, I’m fine! I forgot how much I stuffed in here.” He pushed the blankets aside and stood, brushing himself off.

Dream couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight. “You’ve got enough blankets to build a fortress.”

“Nest-making is serious business,” Tommy quipped, grabbing a handful of blankets and tossing them on the floor. “You’re going to have the coziest nest. Trust me.”

Dream crouched down, helping arrange the pile of blankets into something resembling a nest that birds on Earth make. Tommy darted back and forth, occasionally muttering about colors clashing or how the materials weren’t “properly layered.”

“You’re really into this.” Dream says, watching as Tommy meticulously adjusted a corner that was sticking out.

“Of course! It’s like… instinct or whatever.” Tommy waved his talon hand, fluffing up a particular spot. “Plus, I don’t want you complaining that you can’t sleep. This’ll be the best nest you have ever seen.”

Dream laughed softly. “It’s the only nest I’ve had, other than the one in the cell, so the bar’s pretty low.”

Tommy shot him a mock-offended glare. “You’ll eat those words once you see the masterpiece I’m making here.”

Dream leaned back, letting Tommy take the lead. He glanced around the room, taking in the small details he hadn’t seen before. The small scratches on the wall, the scattered trinkets, and then to the desk covered in papers and a small tablet.

He grew curious, wondering what was on there. Dream stood up from the metal ground before wandering over to the desk. Tommy was too absorbed in perfecting the nest to notice.

The desk was even more cluttered up close, but somehow organized in its own chaotic way. Sheets of paper with scribbled symbols- alien language, no doubt- were scattered across the surface, some with intricate diagrams or sketches. On the side, standing up on its own, was a small, sleek tablet with a glowing screen that pulsed faintly as if it had been recently used.

Dream hesitated before picking up the tablet. It felt light in his hands, its smooth surface was cold to the touch. He tapped and it turned on. The interface was foreign, filled with symbols he couldn’t read, but there seemed to be a few universal patterns- arrows, grids, and what looked like folders. His fingers brushed over the screen, and it responded instantly, opening up what appeared to be videos.

The cover of the videos is what shocked Dream. There were humans, many of them, but before he could click on a single one to play, a voice interrupted him.

“Oi, what’re you looking at?” Tommy’s voice jolted Dream out of focus.

Dream turned, holding up the tablet. “Sorry, I- I didn’t mean to look…”

“Hey, man, no need to apologize. I was just curious.” Tommy abandoned the nest for a moment, walking over and peering at the screen. “Oh, that? Long story short, I got grounded and Philza told me to go watch multiple videos of humans by the Galactic Council.”

“Why?”

“Because I was trying to prove that you were sentient.”

Dream blinked. “How?”

Tommy’s feathers ruffled slightly in what Dream assumed was frustration. “The Galactic Council is full of stuck-up idiots who think they know everything just because they’ve got big fancy ships and rule almost the entire galaxy. They declared humans to be non-sentient, even called them ‘monsters,’ and told the whole galaxy to kill them on sight.” He jabbed a talon at the tablet. “Those videos are what the Council recorded and gave to the rest of the galaxy to try and prove their point. Philza told me to watch it and see that I was wrong but- as it turns out- I was right so HA!”

Dream’s eyes moved back to the screen, looking at the thumbnails of the videos. “Did… did it work? Your argument, I mean.”

Tommy shrugged. “No, not at first. They thought I was crazy, especially after the incident where… where you attacked us. But I didn’t care- I knew something was up so I wrote down everything, watched the videos multiple times, tried to study human words, and even wrote multiple presentations on how humans could be sentient but no one believed me.”

Tommy picked up a few papers, showing Dream the papers littering the desk, some even falling to the floor. Each paper was covered in writing, leaving almost no space. Dream was shocked by the sheer amount of it.

“Wait so- all these papers… You were trying to help me?” Dream felt a mix of emotions swell in his chest, gratitude and disbelief, as he looked at each paper on the desk. He must've pulled multiple all-nighters and even had to go against his own captain, Philza, to try and prove his argument. “Thanks, Tommy. For standing up for me. If it wasn’t for you, I don’t think I'd be here.”

“Eh, don’t mention it.” Tommy hummed before smirking, nudging Dream’s arm with his wing. “Besides, it’s fun proving those pompous Council bitches wrong.”

Dream chuckled, his gaze shifting back to the tablet. He wanted to click on one of the videos, to hear human voices, and to see what kind of humans were also out there in the vast galaxy. He wonders if the humans made it out alright or if the Council hunted them all down.

“The videos-”

“I wouldn’t recommend watching it.”

Dream paused, his fingers hovering over the screen. “Why not?”

Tommy’s expression turned nervous, his feathers flattening slightly. “Those videos aren’t exactly… uplifting. They’re edited to make humans look as bad as possible. I think the Council picked moments of violence, fear, and desperation- stuff to make you all look like monsters, not people.”

Dream swallowed hard, a knot forming in his stomach. “But it’s not the whole truth, right?”

“Of course not,” Tommy said firmly. “It’s just propaganda. But… it did mess with my head for a while. Made me doubt myself. I don’t want you watching that and thinking it’s all you are.”

Dream hesitated but nodded slowly as he put the tablet down. He appreciated Tommy’s warning but curiosity still gnawed at him. If those videos were how the galaxy saw humans, he wanted to see what they saw- even if it hurt. He decided to look at it later but kept it secret.

“Alright, I’ll take your word for it.”

Tommy relaxed, his feathers fluffing back up. “That’s good. Last thing I need is you being sad because of some stupid Council lies.” He pointed dramatically to the nearly finished nest. “Now sit and appreciate this work of art I’ve made for you.”

Dream laughed, shaking off the heaviness in his chest. “Let’s see this so-called masterpiece.”

He settled down into the nest, which was surprisingly soft and supportive. The layers of blankets and pillows felt comforting, almost safe. Now Dream wonders why humans didn’t have a nest back on Earth. This was surprisingly the best thing ever.

“Well?” Tommy demanded, leaning forward eagerly. “How is it?”

Dream smirked. “I’ll give it a solid nine out of ten.”

“What?!” Tommy squawked, “What do you mean nine?! Where’s the other point?”

Dream shrugged. “Don’t know. Maybe I’ll save it for when you outdo yourself next time.”

Tommy threw a pillow at him and Dream caught it easily, snickering. They started to play fight with the pillows and leftover blankets, hitting each other lightly while howling with laughter. Dream made sure to let Tommy win and held back as much as he could.

Eventually, their laughter subsided and was replaced by exhaustion. Tommy jumped up into his own nest, located on the second floor of the room. He grinned triumphantly down towards Dream. “I totally won that pillow fight.”

Dream chuckled, settling down into his own nest. “Yeah, sure. You’re unbeatable, lil’ brat. Goodnight, Tommy.”

“Night, Dream.” Tommy yawned, already sounding half-asleep as he curled up, his feathers fluffing out for warmth. Within minutes, his breathing evened out, soft and rhythmic, signaling he was asleep.

Dream laid still for a while, staring at the ceiling. Despite the comfort of the nest, the weight of everything he had learned tugged at the edge of his mind and prevented him from falling asleep. The Galactic Council who had made videos that formed lies about his kind- it gnawed at him, leaving a restless energy he couldn’t shake.

Philza and the rest of them work for the Galactic Council. Even Dream knows that one wouldn’t give up everything for one person. They were most likely going to vote to tell the Galactic Council about him tomorrow and give him up.

He glanced towards Tommy’s nest, making sure the bird-alien was truly asleep. Quietly, Dream slipped out of the nest and made his way back over to the desk. The tablet sat where he had left it, its faint glow beckoning him.

Tommy’s warning echoed in his mind, but the need to know was stronger. He needed to understand what the galaxy thought of humans and what he was up against. If he could talk to the Galactic Council, maybe he could convince them to give Philza the location of Earth so he could be sent home.

With a deep breath, he picked up the tablet and tucked it underneath his arm. He moved towards the door and into the corridor, making sure to not make a sound.

The hallway was dimly lit, casting long shadows along the walls. He needed to find more information, to understand how much deeper this all went. He headed towards the only familiar room he knew, the meeting room where the others had been previously. Dream hoped to find out if there were humans still in the galaxy and see if he could find out where they are.

When he reached the door to the meeting room, he paused for a moment, listening. The sounds of the ship around him were distant and there was no sign of anyone being around. Satisfied, Dream pressed the button on the side of the door and it slid open, revealing the same room he saw before.

The room was darker than before, almost eerie, but the faint glow of the walls offered just enough light for him to navigate. The room was set with a large table in the middle with multiple chairs surrounding it. 

Dream sat on a chair in the middle and placed the tablet in front of him on the table. He tapped it and it turned on, the glow making him wince slightly at the sudden bright light.

Slowly, his eyes adjusted to the brightness. The tablet casted a soft blue light in the dark room. Symbols, unfamiliar and cryptic, filled the screen. Dream navigated the interface carefully, clicking the same folder he did last time until the multiple videos popped up with the humans in the thumbnail. There were too many to go through in one night, but he had to get a glimpse at the very least of what the Galactic Council was handing out.

Dream took a breath and played the first video.

The screen flickered for a moment before the video began. It was a scene of chaos- humans running, screaming, and fighting against aliens. 

There was a familiar watermark on the edge of the video and Dream got goosebumps just looking at it. It was the three triangles conjoined at their edges with a circle surrounding it. Dream ignored it, paying attention to the video.

Dream’s stomach twisted as he watched. He could understand both the humans and aliens in the video thanks to the translation necklace he received. He’s not sure if that was a good thing anymore.

The humans in the video were desperate, wielding improvised weapons against their attackers. Their faces were covered in dirt and sweat, yet determination burned in their eyes. Despite being outmatched, they fought back with everything they had. 

Screams of terror from the aliens painted the humans even more so as ‘evil’ and their weapons weren’t doing much of anything against them. A voice screamed out who Dream thought was human but it wasn’t. It was just the translator working.

“We must eradicate the humans before they destroy everything!”

The alien’s yell was filled with fear as they scrambled away from a group of humans advancing with makeshift weapons and jagged metal rods. The human’s faces were twisted with a sort of desperation that Dream could tell was similar to when a cornered animal has no choice but to fight for their survival.

Dream’s hands trembled as the scene unfolded further.

The humans managed to corner one of the aliens- an insect-like being with translucent wings. It cowered, emitting a few pleas and whines that Dream could understand and pity. But the humans in the video showed no mercy. They attacked, their weapons brutally effective due to their strength.

The alien’s cries grew weaker, its wings crushed, and its body crumpled up. The humans cheered, their voices hoarse and wild. One of them even raised the alien’s weapon as a trophy, their yells filled with nothing but rage, then the video cuts off.

Dream hesitated before clicking on the next video, unsure if he should even watch any more of them.

The next video cut abruptly to a different scene, this time of humans storming what looked like a small alien outpost. Fires raged in the background, and the footage zoomed in on a human man with a bloodied face, shouting at a group of aliens as it held up a head of one of them. Dream would have thrown up but he did the same thing back on the previous ship to the past aliens who tormented him. The man in the video cried out, yelling at them.

“You killed my brother! You took everything from me! Now you’ll know what it feels like!”

The man swung his weapon downward towards the group, and the video cut to black before the impact, leaving Dream’s imagination to fill the empty void. His breath hitched, staring at the screen. 

The aliens wouldn’t understand the human in the video. So if someone were to show them this video of a human holding a beheaded alien, those aliens too would think humans are monsters.

These weren’t the people Dream knew. These were humans who were stripped of hope, consumed by fear and hatred, turned into the very monsters the Galactic Council claimed them to be. Even Dream himself had become that ‘monster’ in the video. But the video only showed half the story. 

These videos were designed to dehumanize humans, to erase the context of their suffering and desperation.

He scrolled to another video and hesitated yet again, but his curiosity pushed him forward. 

This one opened with a group of humans that seemed to be raiding a transport ship. The weapons were seemingly stolen from previous encounters as it didn’t look like regular makeshift ones. Dream understood the human girl as she shouted to the others.

“Supplies! Get the supplies and go!”

Aliens around the area screamed, scattering in all directions. A human woman dragged a crate of food out, her face focused but her movements becoming frantic from the chaos. Another human covered her, firing what looked like an alien rifle.

The camera panned over to a group of humans cornering a small group of aliens who were trying to fight back. One alien cried out, “W-Wait! We’ll give you what you want!”

But the humans didn’t listen. Dream knew the humans couldn’t understand the aliens anyway. They advanced, their expressions empty, and they raised their weapons up high before bringing it down. Right before the impact, the screen cut to black.

Dream pushed the tablet away, his chest heaving. The room felt colder, darker even.

These videos were propaganda, yes, but there was truth in them. These humans had become the monsters that they all feared- not by choice, but by circumstance. They were fighting to survive, but their actions painted them as savages in the eyes of the galaxy.

Dream buried his head in his hands and let out a long sigh.

How can I fix this? How can I prove to the Council that humanity is more than this?

He would have to show the Galactic Council that humans were more than violence and rage- that they were capable of kindness and mercy. The problem is how to change the whole Galaxy’s mind about humans and, after the videos shown here, it would be almost impossible. And Dream was only one human, he couldn’t do it alone.

Dream wished he was home.

He used to hate that orphanage he was stuck in but now he misses it. Not for the bad caretakers or unpleasant food, but because he had his two best friends by his side.

Sapnap and George were the only family he had ever known. They had been constants, his brothers in all but blood. He missed the memories of their laughter, their bond, and even their petty fights made Dream’s eyes start to well up. If they were here, maybe he wouldn’t feel so lost or alone. And maybe together, they would’ve come up with a solution.

But they weren’t here. They were long gone.

He clenched his fists, pushing back the wave of grief threatening to overwhelm him. No. Don’t cry. I can’t afford to-

“Uhm- you alright?”

A voice caught him off guard and Dream’s head reeled up, looking at who it was.

In the doorway stood Technoblade, the tall, imposing alien Dream that he had never much talked to. His sharp, tusked features were partially obscured by the darkness, but his piercing red eyes practically glowed. He was leaning casually against the doorframe, arms crossed, almost relaxed. 

Dream stared at him for a couple more seconds then muttered, “I didn’t hear you come in.”

“I could say the same to you.” Technoblade replied, his voice low and even, though there was a faint trace of amusement. He stepped into the room, his hooves making a soft thud against the metal floor. “Thought you’d be asleep by now like everyone else.”

Dream’s eyes flicked to the tablet then back to Technoblade. “Just… needed to clear my head.” he said cautiously.

Technoblade raised an eyebrow, his gaze drifting to the tablet. “Uh-huh. And that includes watching the human versus alien videos in the dead of night?”

Dream bristled slightly, but before he could respond, Techno held up a hooved hand. “Relax, I’m not here to lecture you. I couldn’t care less what you do in your freetime. But I do wonder…” He trailed off, sitting onto a chair across from Dream, his movements deliberate and calm. “What are you hoping to find?”

There was something unnerving about Technoblade’s calm demeanor, like he was somehow reading his mind.

“I just wanted to understand what you guys thought of me. Y’know- before the whole translation necklace thing. I wanted to know what the galaxy sees humans as and why they’re afraid of us.”

Techno let out a quiet snort. “You know now, right? You’ve seen the videos. Fear is a powerful motivator, and the Council knows how to weaponize it.”

Dream frowned. “But it’s not the whole truth. Those videos don’t show everything- why they acted that way, what they went through… They just twisted it.”

Technoblade leaned back in his chair and hummed, studying Dream with an unreadable expression. “To them, humans aren’t people. There was nothing to show for their side of the story… So, what do you plan to do?”

“I want to change the galaxy's perception of us. I want to show them we are sentient and we are capable of mercy and kindness. Not just violence and cruelty.”

“Yeah, good luck with that.” Technoblade says and chuckles, his tone dripping with sarcasm. 

Dream narrowed his eyes, irritated. “What?”

Technoblade shrugged nonchalantly, his tusks catching the faint glow of the tablet. “Look, I’m not saying it’s impossible… Well, nevermind, I am saying that. You’ve seen how deep the Council’s propaganda runs. They’ve spent years, almost decades, painting your kind as the galaxy’s worst enemy. You’re not going to change their minds by a cute lil’ speech.”

Dream’s hands balled into fists in his lap. “So what am I supposed to do? Sit here and let them keep spreading lies?”

Techno tilted his head, red eyes gleaming. “No. You fight back.”

“What? But that’s just going to feed into their lies!” Dream snapped, his frustration overwhelming him. “And even if I wanted to, I don’t have a fleet or resources!”

Technoblade smirked, leaning forward so that his imposing figure filled Dream’s view. “You’ve got one ally, at least,” tapping a hoof to his chest, “Me.”

Dream blinked, taken aback. “Why would you want to help me?”

“Honestly, I want to see how this plays out.” Technoblade said, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “If you somehow manage to pull this off, it’s going to piss off a lot of people I don’t like. Win-win.”

Dream stared at him, a mix of skepticism and caution swirling in his head. “What’s your plan?”

Technoblade grinned, sharp and cunning. “First, we need to find a weakness of their own. Leverage those, and we might have a chance at flipping the narrative.”

“You’re talking about manipulation.”

“Whatever you want to call it, sure.” Technoblade waves him off. “This isn’t about proving your moral superiority- fuck that- this is about survival.”

Dream remained quiet, his mind holding conflicting emotions. He understood Technoblade’s point, but it didn’t sit right with him either.

“No.” Dream finally said.

“No?” Technoblade was clearly surprised. “Care to elaborate?”

“I’m not going to stoop to their level and manipulate others.” Dream said, meeting Technoblade’s gaze with unwavering determination. “It’ll just prove them right.”

Technoblade sighed dramatically. “You think playing fair is going to work? The Council doesn’t care about that. They want power and results.”

“I don’t care.” Dream snapped back. “I’m doing this my way. I want to show them that humans can be better than what they think we are.”

Technoblade let out a low whistle. “Big talk for someone with no plan.”

“I’ll find a way.” Dream shot back.

Technoblade stared at him for a long moment, assessing him, then let out a quiet laugh. “Y’know, I really thought you would agree to my plan but I guess I was wrong about you. You seem to be…” He trailed off but didn’t continue. “Nevermind.”

Dream frowned at the cryptic comment but chose to not press it. He was already too tired from the videos and everything that unfolded today.

Technoblade stretched and yawned theatrically. “Since you’re dead set on trying to be a decent moral compass, I suggest you start by getting some sleep. You look like shit.”

“Wow, thanks” Dream rolled his eyes.

“It’s true. You’re no good to anyone if you’re falling apart from exhaustion. Rest up.”

Dream didn’t argue, running a hand through his messy hair. “Fine, Technoblade, you win.”

“Just Techno is fine.”

“Goodnight, Techno.” Dream muttered, shutting off the tablet and walking towards the exit.

“Goodnight, moral compass.” Techno called as he left the room.

The door slid shut behind Dream, and silence filled the space. Dream walked the long corridor until he stopped at Tommy’s room. He remembered the pattern that Tommy did to get in and entered the code, it worked. 

The door opened and Dream stepped in quietly, looking up to see if Tommy woke. Inside the dimly lit room, Tommy was sprawled out on the bed with one arm hanging over the ledge. Dream let out a quiet breath, relieved that he hadn’t woken the kid. 

He made his way to the desk first, placing the tablet as quietly as he could then made his way towards the nest that Tommy and him built earlier. He sat down in the middle of the nest and pulled a leftover blanket on the side over his body. 

It wasn’t long before he found himself falling asleep, exhaustion taking over.

Chapter Text

Dream woke up to the faint sound of movement. Blinking groggily, he looked up to see Tommy shuffling around the room, trying- and failing- to be quiet.

“Morning.” Dream mumbled, his voice raspy from sleep.

Tommy froze mid-step, a trinket dangling from his hand. “Oh, you’re up. I was trying not to wake you. You seemed tired.”

That’s funny. Techno said the same thing.

Dream let out a chuckle, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. “It’s fine. I’ve got plenty of sleep.”

“I was gonna go grab us breakfast. I don’t know if you want to eat with the others or-”

“I want to eat here.” Dream says almost immediately. He then paused, realizing how abrupt he sounded. “I mean… if that’s alright?”

Tommy tilted his head then shrugged. “Yeah, sure. I don’t feel like dealing with their morning crap anyway. I’ll bring something back.”

“Thanks, Tommy.” Dream said quietly, leaving the blanket in his lap.

“Of course.” Right before Tommy left through the doors, he asked. “Anything you don’t like? Or do humans just eat whatever?”

Dream didn’t know what kind of food they had but didn’t want to face everyone before the important meeting today, not when he now knew what they viewed him as.

“Anything should be fine. I’m not picky.”

Tommy nodded, a human motion that he was taught. “Got it.”

“Thanks.”

As Tommy stepped out, he paused briefly in the doorway, glancing back over his shoulder. “You… uh- are you okay?”

Dream blinked at him. “Yeah. Why?”

Tommy fidgeted with his wing, looking unusually awkward. “You just look kinda… down? I don’t know how to explain it but you seem almost sad.”

Dream’s throat tightened but he forced a smile. “I’m just stressed about today’s meeting, that’s all. I’ll be fine.”

Tommy didn’t seem convinced, but he didn’t push any further. “Alright. I’ll be right back soon.”

The door slid shut behind him, leaving Dream in an empty room filled with silence. It made his thoughts run wild. Tommy must have high-level instincts if he was able to tell that Dream was depressed.

It wasn’t just the meeting that was going to happen today, it was about the videos he saw last night. Dream glanced over at the tablet on the desk and sighed. The videos he saw were gruesome and made to show that humans were nothing more than violent animals. The humans that Dream saw were desperate, blinded by revenge, merciless, or all of the above.

He couldn’t shake the images from his mind- the cries, the pleas, the blood, the raw hatred. It was a version of humanity he never wanted to look at but he couldn’t deny what he saw. Desperation changes people, and survival will bring out the darkest parts of anyone.

Then his thoughts became one of concern as he wondered what happened to the humans after. He couldn’t help but think of the worst possible scenarios. Were there survivors? Dream imagined himself in their place- fighting for his life for even a shred of hope. At the very least, the humans didn’t seem to be alone and fought in groups so he hoped that they managed to get away.

The sound of the door sliding open snapped Dream out of his thoughts. Tommy returned, balancing two trays of food and wearing his usual grin.

“I’m back!” Tommy practically sings. “And I brought all kinds of food in case you don’t like something.”

Dream managed a small smile. “Thanks.”

Tommy set the trays down and watched as Dream hesitantly grabbed a small fruit-like item. Tommy immediately grabbed the same thing from his plate and bit into it, showing the other how to eat it. 

Dream snickered and took a tentative bite. The fruit was surprisingly sweet, with a texture between an apple and a mango. Though, the taste was more like a pear. For the first time, a fruit actually tasted like a fruit and not chicken or something weird.

“Not bad.”

“Right?” Tommy took another bite. “Stick with me and I’ll pick the best food out there.”

Dream laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

They ate in relative silence for a few moments, the quiet broken occasionally by Tommy’s explanation of the food on Dream’s plate. It was oddly comforting to have someone explain the new food in front of him instead of shoving it in a cage, expecting you to eat it or starve.

“So,” Tommy started, once they were finished with the meal in front of them, “you nervous about today? The meeting, I mean.”

Dream’s gaze drifted to the empty tray. “A bit. This Council- I’m honestly afraid of what they’re going to do when they take me.”

“They’re not going to-”

“Let’s be real, Tommy. Your crew is going to vote to hand me to the Council, and… I saw those videos on your tablet.”

Tommy flinched at the sudden change in Dream’s tone, frustration and fear clear in his voice.

“Dream-”

“I’m just a monster in their eyes.”

“That’s not true!” Tommy argued, his expression hardened as he stood up. “You’re a person!”

“A person to who?” Dream scoffed, standing up as well and out of the nest. “Even if they view me like you do, they’re not going to give up everything for me. They work for the Council, Tommy, and so do you. By helping me, you’re putting everything on the line. Your ship, your crew, your life. The others have realized this already and they’re not going to help me further. You know this.”

Tommy’s face shifted, his anger softening into something more conflicted. “I… I get it. I know what I’m risking. But we shouldn’t hand you over to the Council like you’re nothing! You deserve a chance to prove them wrong!”

Dream threw his hands up in frustration. “And what if they don’t care about what I have to say? What if- What if I’m just another example to them? Another reason to hate humans?”

“Then screw them! You’ve already proven enough that you’re not like those humans in the videos! You’re better than-”

Dream’s expression darkened as he shot back. “Those humans are the same as me! They’re not monsters, Tommy, they were scared people who were fighting for their survival in a situation they had no control over.”

Tommy flinched and took a step back, looking guilty. “Dream, that’s not what I meant. I was trying to say that you’re different-”

“Different? How am I different? Is it because I can finally talk to you? Because I can show some amount of control? Is that what makes me worth saving?” Dream’s voice was bitter and fear started to pour out. “You’re trying so hard to convince me- no- to convince yourself that I’m not like them. But the truth is, I am like them! I’ve fought. I killed. I’ve done whatever it took to survive. The only difference is I’m standing here, and they’re not.”

Tommy looked torn. He wanted to say something but couldn’t find the right words. “I’m sorry, Dream, I really didn’t mean it in that way.”

Dream paused and realized. He was taking out his anger and frustration on Tommy, someone who had done so much to help. Dream exhaled sharply, furious with his own self, and backed up to give Tommy space.

“No, I’m sorry.” Dream said finally, his voice softer but still strained. “I know you didn’t mean it like that. I’m just… scared, I guess. I know I’m going to be sent to your Galactic Council and they’re just going to see me as a liability.”

Before Tommy could respond, the intercom crackled to life, and Philza’s stern voice echoed through the room. “All crew to the meeting room in five.”

Tommy glanced at the speaker then back to Dream. “Looks like the meeting is about to start.”

Dream took a deep breath, straightening his shoulders. “Let’s get this over with.”

When Tommy and Dream arrived to the meeting room, everyone in the ship seemed to already be there and they all sat down in a chair. Philza was at the end of the table, not sitting down, but standing with his arms crossed, radiating authority that only a captain would have. Philza’s eyes met his and Dream waved awkwardly.

“Welcome.” Philza said, his voice somewhat soft despite the tension in the room.

Tommy pulled out a chair himself and one for Dream, sitting down next to each other. Despite the argument they had earlier, Dream was happy to see the other still wanting to be there for him.

Technoblade sat a few chairs down, his figure reclined lazily as if he were bored already, but his sharp eyes paid close attention to every detail. Dream’s eyes lingered on Techno, the conversation from last night replaying in his head. Although he may not agree to his plan to manipulate the Council, it seemed like Technoblade was trying to help him.

Wilbur leaned forward in his chair, his hands clasped on the table, his expression calming and intrigued. Ranboo sat a few chairs from Philza, paying close attention to the meeting. Tubbo sat at the far end of the table, not making eye contact with anyone. He seemed to be thinking about something but Dream’s attention was stolen away when Philza spoke once more.

“I know we called this meeting for the vote but let’s pause that for now. Let’s start off with the Gleoris flower. Do we know exactly how that flower came on board?”

No one answered.

Dream glanced around, noting the way the crew avoided each other’s gaze. Even Tommy seemed unsure as he shrugged.

Philza’s eyes narrowed slightly, confused. “Nobody? Not one of you has an answer?”

Wilbur was the first to break the silence, his voice calm but edged with uncertainty. “We picked up supplies from that trading outpost a few weeks back. It’s possible it came from there, mixed in with some other seeds. But that’s a guess, not an answer.”

Technoblade hummed, acknowledging the guess thoughtfully. “If it did come from the outpost, it raises the question of whether it was intentional. The flower itself is rare so for it to mix in with the rest of the seeds without notice…”

Ranboo shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “Could it have been planted by somebody in that outpost?”

“More than likely, yes. I’ll send a message to the outpost people to look into it, then.” Philza flapped his wings slightly then moved onto the next topic. “Let’s move on to our bigger situation… Before we vote, I want to share some information. If you all have information yourselves to add to this topic, please do so.”

“Information?” Tommy tilted his head.

“Yes, information that could influence your decision. This vote isn’t just about what happens to Dream- it’s bigger than that.”

“What are you talking about?” Tubbo looked concerned, leaning forward.

Philza exhaled deeply, his wings now folding against his back. “This vote is about whether we’re willing to defy the Council. This is a choice between safety for ourselves or moral principle to keep Dream safe.”

“Wait- what you’re saying…” Tommy’s wings twitched as he looked concerned. “You believe the Council is going to hurt Dream?”

“I made a call to the Galactic Council.”

Dream became alarmed at this, his eyes widening in disbelief. “You called them?”

“I had to.” Philza states. “I needed to make a mission report of the crash. They were beginning to grow suspicious of me. But, I did not tell them we found a human. I am waiting for the vote we are going to make today.”

“What did you find out?” Ranboo asks, remembering what Philza had said before about ‘new information.’

Philza paused, his gaze flickering around the room. “I have reason to suspect that The Council may know that there was a human on the crashed ship. I didn’t tell them- It was more cryptic than anything- but Schlatt seemed intent that there was something more that we needed to find.”

“Intent how?” Tubbo bristled, wings slightly buzzing.

“If we don’t find what he wants, he’ll come here himself to investigate. He said the Council had ‘suspicions’ of something more on that ship but I think he knows more than what he was letting on.”

“So…” Ranboo looked to Dream then back to Philza. “It’s the human, then? That’s what he wants?”

The room grew tense in the silence that followed as each member processed the situation. Philza sighed, knowing what they have to do next.

“Let’s take the vote. Should we keep Dream here or not?” He said, and went around the table. “Ranboo?”

“I…” Ranboo’s eyes flickered between Philza and Dream. He looked deeply conflicted, his hands fidgeting nervously on the table. “I’m sorry,” he began softly, his voice barely above a whisper. “I can’t risk it. Not for all of us. My vote is no.”

Dream’s heart sank but he understood. If he was in his position with his friends by his side, he would have done the same.

Philza’s wings twitched and he moved on. “Wilbur?”

Wilbur leaned back against the chair, his fingers tapping idly on the table. “If we hand Dream over, who knows what the Council will do? My vote is yes, let’s keep him here.”

Dream glanced at Wilbur, thankful for his support. It was one ‘yes’ and one ‘no’ so far and Dream’s heart started pounding in his chest. 

Philza’s expression remained neutral as he turned to the next person. “Tubbo?”

Tubbo sat up straighter as his name was called. He paused, seriously contemplating the situation then shook his head. “I… I can’t. I’m sorry, Dream.” It was the first time Tubbo used his name, though it hurt to hear in the moment. “I can’t put everyone at risk for one person. My vote is no.”

Dream nodded solemnly, knowing this would happen anyway.

Philza turned to Technoblade. “Techno?”

Technoblade’s sharp gaze swept across the room. “I don’t trust the Council and I don’t trust their motives. Handing Dream over might be trouble, but keeping him here? That’s guaranteed trouble.” He smirked, leaning forward. “My vote’s yes.”

“A little weird but okay.” Philza huffed and turned to the fledgling. “Tommy?”

“Of course it’s a yes!”

“Yeah, I knew it. And one last person… Dream?”

“Huh?” Dream froze, stunned by the question. “Me?”

Philza’s expression was calm but firm in his decision. “You’re a person and this does concern you… I don’t see why not?”

Dream glanced around the room, his gaze lingering on each person- Ranboo’s guilt-ridden expression, Tubbo’s conflicted frown, Wilbur’s calm defiance, Technoblade’s steady confidence, and Tommy’s determination. 

Tommy seemed ecstatic that Dream is getting a vote, thinking that things would be in his favor.

Dream took a deep breath, his voice trembling slightly.

“My vote is no.”

“What?!” Tommy’s face twisted in disbelief, his wings flaring slightly. “Dream, what the fuck are you-”

“I can’t put you all in danger because of me. If the Council is already suspicious, keeping me here will only make things worse. You will lose everything. I’m not worth that risk. My vote is no.”

Dream’s words hung in the air, leaving no room for any argument. All eyes turned to Philza, waiting for his next words.

Philza remained standing at the end of the table, his wings folded tightly behind him. His expression was unreadable as he stared at the table in thought then looked up to meet their gazes.

“Technoblade, Wilbur, and Tommy all voted yes.” Philza says, his voice calm. “Tubbo, Ranboo, and Dream all voted no. We have a tie. And it looks like the decision falls onto me.”

The tension in the room could almost be seen. Even Technoblade, who had been lounging lazily before, straightened in his seat. Tommy sat rigid, his wings twitching nervously.

Philza let out a slow breath, leaning forward slightly. “This isn’t an easy choice. The Council doesn’t make idle threats. If we defy them, we’re as good as dead.”

Dream’s fingers tightened into fists under the table, and he lowered his gaze. He knew what Philza was going to vote for but hearing him slowly explain it felt like a knife slowly making its way to his heart.

“I have been a captain of this vessel for a long while, working under the Galactic Council for almost a decade. I’ve seen what happens when people challenge the Council. It never ends well. For anyone.”

Tommy stood up, “Philza, you can’t be serious! You’re not actually going to-”

Philza raised his talon hand, cutting Tommy off. “Let me finish.”

Tommy wanted to argue but one look from Philza made him sit back down. Tommy’s wings drooped to the floor, unsure of what to do or say.

Philza straightened, his wings unfolding slightly as he looked directly at Dream. “It would be safer, smarter even, to hand you over.”

“Listen, Captain Philza,” Dream sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I know what you’re trying to say. I-”

“But,” Philza interrupted, “I’ve never been one to take the easy path.”

The room froze.

Philza’s expression softened and a small smirk formed on his face. “Fuck the Council. My vote is yes.”

Chapter Text

The room erupted into chaos.

Tommy let out a triumphant cheer, throwing his arms into the air. Technoblade smirked, letting out an amused chuckle. Wilbur let out a relieved sigh, a wide grin spreading across his face.

On the other hand, Ranboo looked torn as he glanced nervously around the room. Tubbo buried his face in his four hands, groaning, “I can’t believe this…”

Even Dream, who was supposed to be happy about this, felt guilty. He could see the worry etched onto Tubbo and Ranboo’s faces despite the others celebrating.

“Oh, fuck yeah-” Technoblade says, “We’re going rogue. It’s about damn time.”

“That’s what I said!” Tommy laughed, clearly more happy than anyone else. “I hated the Council from the start.”

“I…” Dream started, his voice faltering. He took a breath and tried again, louder this time. “I don’t want to be the reason the Council comes after you. Captain, you need to redo the vo-”

“Stop.” Philza cuts him off, his voice sharp but not unkind. “We made our choice. Why must you feel the need to justify your existence?”

Tommy nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah! Fuck the Council- We’ve got Philza on our side. What could go wrong?”

“Plenty,” Tubbo grumbled, his wings slightly buzzing in agitation.

Philza spread his black wings slightly, bringing the room’s attention back to him. “Alright, enough of that. If the Council’s going to come after us, we need to be ready. We need supplies, backup plans, and escape routes. We’re not going to start a fight just yet.”

“Ah, I see.” Technoblade leaned forward, his smirk turning sharp. “You want to play as their ‘ally’ until we have everything we need.”

“Exactly.” Philza smiles. “I don’t want them waging a war with us right now. We’re going to steal as much as we can before they notice.”

“Smart play.” Wilbur hums.

“Are you sure this is okay?” Dream asked, his voice laced with uncertainty. “You realize you’re giving up everything, right?”

Tubbo scoffed. “Of course it’s not okay.”

“I’ve been meaning to lean away from the Council for a while now.” Philza says, “There were many things I didn’t agree with but this? Trying to make a whole species be viewed as monsters without giving them a chance? That’s too far.”

“I can’t believe this.” Tubbo stood up from the table and walked off until he left the room, his steps echoing down the hallway.

Dream watched as he disappeared in anger, feeling a knot tighten in his chest. He expected Tubbo to vote no. Although it may seem like he was the ‘bad guy,’ Dream knew it was only because Tubbo cared about his crew. Dream understood, but it didn’t make it easier.

“Is he going to be okay?” Dream asks, unsure if he should follow Tubbo and apologize.

“He’ll calm down.” Philza said with a sigh, “We need to focus on what we’re going to do next. This isn’t exactly stealing seeds from a fledgling. We’re talking about stealing from an entire empire.”

“We should take it slow.” Technoblade suggests. “Be careful not to leave a trail and take a few things here and there before they notice.”

“Exactly what I was thinking.” Philza states. “I’ll look more into the places we need to go to but for now, rest. I’m sure this meeting must have taken a toll on everyone.”

“Don’t need to tell me twice.” Tommy stretched, his wings flaring out for a second before retracting. “Y’all got me stressed all morning.”

“That concludes this meeting then. Technoblade, I’ll need you for planning.”

“Taking down a government system that rules almost the entire galaxy? Count me in.” 

Technoblade and Philza left the room, talking about different sorts of tactics they could use and which planets had GC facilities that they could steal from.

Ranboo stood up, announcing, “I’m going to check on Tubbo.”

The three left the room until there was only Wilbur, Tommy, and Dream left. The room felt quieter now, air filled with unspoken thoughts. Tommy hit him lightly, causing Dream to flinch and look at the bird-alien.

“What?”

Tommy let out an exaggerated sigh, leaning back in his chair. “You’re an idiot. I can’t believe you voted ‘no’ even after our argument. I thought you didn’t want to go to the Council?”

“Yeah, I have to agree with Tommy there.” Wilbur nodded. “You even shocked me.”

“It’s not like I wanted to go.” Dream huffed, crossing his arms. “I just didn’t want to drag you all down with me. I’m not sure what the Council is capable of but if they rule an entire galaxy, they must be strong.”

“Well, either way, that was stupid.” Tommy says. Then, he leaned forward, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. “But I know something stupider that we can do?”

Wilbur raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “What do you have in mind?”

Tommy smirked. “We’ve got time before Philza and Techno finish their whole ‘grand plan’ to deal with the Council. I say we should snoop around a little, cause some chaos.”

Dream looked between them, hesitating. “What do you mean by ‘chaos’? Because I don’t think that’s a good-”

“Relax.” Tommy interrupted, standing up and spreading his wings slightly. “Nothing too bad. Let’s go into Wilbur’s lab and look at the different types of stuff he has.”

“Stuff?” Dream looked over to Wilbur who only shrugged nonchalantly.

“Just some vials of different liquids that can do different things.” Wilbur remarks, “Some of them are… interesting.”

“Interesting?” Dream repeated, narrowing his eyes. “I don’t think we should…”

Tommy laughs then grabs Dream’s arm, pulling him to stand. “Trust me, you’ll want to see this.”

“I told you I don’t like labs.” Dream sighs into his hands, but follows Tommy down the corridor nonetheless.

“And you also told me you didn’t want to go to the Council yet you still voted to go.” Tommy retorted with a slight glare, looking over his shoulder. “So clearly, your judgement is a little off.”

Dream rolled his eyes and glanced over to Wilbur, who was walking alongside them. “And you’re okay with this?”

Wilbur shrugged. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Uhm- because we’re going into your workroom? I thought scientists- I don’t know- I thought you don’t like people going through your stuff?”

Nightmare sure didn’t.

Dream’s mind drifted off to the last ship. The containment cell. The needles and knives. Nightmare had always been cold, clinical, and cruel. Dream was always forcibly dragged to undergo another experiment or whatever they wanted to do. But that thing was dead now, alongside the others on the ship. There should be no possible way for them to survive…

The mere thought of stepping into another lab sent a shiver down his spine. He needed to run. He needed to get away from them and as far away as possible.

Tommy and Wilbur wouldn’t hurt me… would they?

Wilbur nudged Dream lightly, snapping him out of his thoughts. 

“I’m not like those scientists you’re thinking about.”

“How’d you-”

“Everyone on this ship has seen and been through some shit. I can tell when someone is spiraling.” Wilbur notes and sighs. “Look, if you really don’t want to go then you don’t have to. No one is going to force you, I promise. But I would love to show you some cool stuff I have and maybe talk with you for a bit.”

“Wilbur’s lab is awesome!” Tommy chimes in. “Although it’s messy, he has some stuff that will blow your mind!”

Dream chuckled, easing up slightly. “Okay.”

“Lovely.” Wilbur grinned. “It’s not everyday I get to show a human my… creative work.”

“Philza says you're insane.” Tommy quips.

“Insanely smart.” Wilbur corrected. “You’ll see.”

They arrived at a thick metal door with a keypad. Wilbur punched in the code and the door slid open. The room was dark and there wasn’t anything to see. It was pure darkness. Dream hesitated and his heart started to speed up. His mind was already mapping out an escape route.

“You can leave whenever you want to,” Wilbur reminds him, seeing Dream’s inner panic. “It’s okay.”

“N-No.” Dream shook his head. “I already made up my mind…”

Wilbur offered a small smile then stepped into the room, the other two following as well.

The darkness inside was overwhelming at first, but with a flip of a switch from Wilbur, the space was illuminated. Dream blinked a few times and looked around.

The room was nothing like he expected.

Unlike the sterile, cold labs that haunted his memories, this one was warm and chaotic. The walls were lined with shelves crammed with colorful vials, strange gadgets, books, and papers scattered everywhere. 

There was a faint scent of something metallic mixed with citrus in the air, and it was comforting in an odd way. The room itself was pretty big with a few large tables that were covered with different items ranging from dried plants to metal scraps.

“I usually work in the dark, that’s why it was like that.” Wilbur’s wings flapped slightly as he continued. “Welcome to my lair. Try not to touch anything you think you shouldn’t. You may grow an arm or two.”

Tommy laughed, already darting to one of the shelves. “See?! Isn’t this cool?”

Dream lingered near the doorway, still tense but curious. “Okay, this isn’t too bad.”

“Exactly.” Wilbur headed towards a workstation. “Now, let’s see… Ah, here.” He picked up a small vial filled with a shimmering pink liquid. “This stuff can help with the healing process of your wounds.”

“Oh- that’s amazi-“

Tommy snorted. “Lame. Show him the good stuff, Wil.”

Wilbur paused, sending a playful glare at Tommy. “What do you suggest I show Dream?”

Tommy grinned mischievously. “Show him the poisons. The real scary stuff.”

Wilbur hummed in thought then nodded, a human thing that Dream taught him. He was glad to see it catch on. “Alright. But no touching, I mean it.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Tommy said dismissively, already trailing behind Wilbur as he moved to a shelf near the back of the room.

Dream followed cautiously as he stepped further into the room. His eyes darted across the assortment of strange items in the room, each one more dangerous-looking than the last. He finally reached where Tommy and Wilbur stood and looked at the assortment of jar-filled liquids.

There were all sorts of colors, liquids that glowed, some shimmered, and one container looked akin to a lava lamp.

Wilbur grabbed a deep red jar and held it up for Tommy and Dream to see as he explained. “This one’s called Crimson Fangs. A single drop of this could knock someone out for hours.”

Tommy let out a whistle. “Now that’s pretty cool.”

Dream looked at the red liquid and tilted his head. “What would a full jar do if one drop can knock them out?”

“Kill them.” Wilbur answered. “That’s why you have to be careful with the amount.”

Wilbur set the jar back on the shelf and grabbed another one. This one was a cloudy green liquid that seemed to bubble faintly. “This one is a bit more aggressive. It can cause temporary paralysis and a severe burning sensation.”

“Sounds dangerous.” Dream wrinkled his nose. “Why even have this stuff?”

“We tend to have a lot of enemies.” Wilbur shrugged as he put the jar back onto the shelf. “And I can’t fight well so I use any resources at my disposal. Poisons like these happen to be very easy to make.”

“Forget that- Show Dream the most dangerous one!” Tommy says, flapping his wings slightly. “You’re going to love this one- It’s the most dangerous poison in the entire galaxy!”

Wilbur hesitated. “The Golden Death?”

“Golden Death!” Tommy confirmed, nodding his head quickly. “Exactly!”

“I don’t know… That one is a little too dangerous to show, Tommy. And I don’t think Dream wants to see-”

“It’s fine.” Dream shrugged. “I’m curious now anyway.”

Wilbur sighed, running his hand through his messy hair. “Fine. But only because Dream asked.”

He walked over to a secure cabinet in the corner and unlocked it with a pin. Dream watched on as Wilbur came slowly back with a larger bottle in hand. It was clear and Dream saw the amber liquid swirl around with each step that Wilbur took.

For some reason, it looked familiar to Dream.

“Golden Death.” Wilbur said dramatically, almost akin to a villain revealing his super-secret evil plan. “This stuff is not to be messed with.”

“What does it do?”

And why does it look so familiar?

“Kills you. That should be obvious with the name. But it kills you slowly. You’ll be begging for death before it can off ya’. It shuts down your whole system but only one piece at a time,” Wilbur explained, holding the bottle up closer to the light. The golden liquid glimmered like sunken sunlight. “First, your vision gets blurry, almost dizzying, you’ll start spouting nonsense while vomiting, you become so weak you can barely stand up, and then your heart speeds up until it finally stops.”

“That sounds like a nightmare.” Tommy took a step back, a bit scared now that Wilbur explained its effects.

Dream’s eyes narrowed as he stepped closer, staring at the bottle. Something about it was tugging at his memory. The color especially stood out to him.

“Wilbur,” Dream said slowly, “are you sure this is a poison?”

“Absolutely,” Wilbur replied firmly. “It killed hundreds of people before. I’ve never seen anything more toxic in my life. Just the fumes can cause you to become light-headed. Why?”

“Could I take a look?”

Wilbur hesitated, glancing between the poison and Dream. “You want to… look at it? I don’t think that’s-”

“Wilbur,” Dream interrupted, his tone calm but insistent. “Just for a minute, I promise.”

Reluctantly, Wilbur handed the bottle over, watching Dream like a hawk. Tommy took another step back but this time, away from Dream as he held the poison bottle in his hands. 

Dream examined the swirling golden liquid. It was almost too familiar- the color, the slight froth clinging to the edges, and the way it moved. It wasn’t thick like the other poisons that Wilbur had shown before. This was different from those ones.

Dream twisted the cap off which caused Wilbur to look at him in alarm but made no move to step in. A faint hiss escaped, followed by a faint smell. It had a rich aroma with a malty sweetness, a deep roasted earthy tone that took Dream a few more seconds to realize what it was.

But there was only one way to confirm.

He lifted the bottle and took a few sips.

“WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?!” Wilbur shouted, reaching for the bottle but it was already too late.

The liquid hit Dream’s tongue, and the bitter, slightly malty flavor only confirmed his suspicions. It wasn’t the best drink- warm and a bit flat- but it was recognizable nonetheless. He swallowed the drink while Wilbur snatched the bottle away in a hurry, looking at him with horrified eyes.

“Oh stars- Dream just- He drank the Golden Death. He’s trying to kill himself- We need a cure- Oh stars- Oh no-” Tommy started panicking, his wings flapping slightly in response to his emotions. “Wh-What do we do?”

“Dream, lay down.” Wilbur put the bottle on the near table and grabbed Dream’s shoulder, trying to push him to the floor. “Why would you do that?! I-I don’t have a cure for that specific poison-”

“That’s beer.” 

Dream said it so nonchalantly like he didn’t just ingest the ‘Golden Death’ in front of them.

“...Beer?” Wilbur echoed, his hands frozen mid-panic as he stared at Dream in confusion.

Dream nodded, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “Yeah. It’s a pretty common drink on Earth. Well, for adults I mean.”

Wilbur stepped back, visibly shaken by this. “You’re saying this- this poison that can kill hundreds is… normal for humans?”

“Pretty much,” Dream replied, shrugging. “Technically, it is a type of poison but humans drink it all the time for fun.”

“FOR FUN?!” Tommy squawked. “What kind of species drinks poison for fun?! Nobody drinks death for fun!”

Dream raised an eyebrow. “People on my planet drink it all the time.”

“Are they immune?” Wilbur asks, clearly intrigued by this information. “Do they not get any side effects?”

“Well… No, we still get most of the effects that you mention if we ingest too much but we don’t really die from it. Vomiting, the talking nonsense, vision blurring, dizziness-”

“THEN WHY ARE YOU DRINKING IT?” Tommy screamed, clearing losing his mind about this new fact.

“Well, I don’t. But other people drink it for fun. They crave that feeling.” Dream answers. “Some people use it as an escape but others drink it for their traditions, it all depends. There are even places on Earth dedicated to serving alcohol. What you have there is not that strong compared to some of the other stuff Earth has.”

Tommy’s wings flared in shock. “What do you mean ‘not that strong’? What’s stronger than what can kill others with a single drop?”

Dream chuckled as he listed out, “Whiskey, vodka, tequila. Take your pick.”

Wilbur looked astonished. “Your biology is more unique than I thought. That’s amazing.”

Tommy’s face was a mix of horror and awe. “Humans are insane.”

Dream laughed at their reactions. Never had he seen two people get so shocked by such a simple thing that was pretty common where he had lived. 

“Does everyone on your planet drink this poison?”

“No, not the kids like me.” Dream answered and he didn’t notice the way the other two stiffened. “Only the adults were allowed to. We’re not supposed to drink-”

“You’re a child?” Wilbur asks, clearly stunned by yet another revelation.

Dream froze, realizing his mistake as Tommy and Wilbur stared at him with wide, worrisome eyes.

“Wait- no, no, no.” Dream backtracked quickly, holding his hands up defensively. “I’m not a kid! I mean- Well- It’s complicated.”

Wilbur raised an eyebrow, his tone suddenly firm. “Dream, how old are you?”

Dream hesitated, his fingers twitching at his sides then muttered, “...seventeen.”

“Oh my stars.” Wilbur’s wings stiffened as he processed the information. Tommy’s jaw dropped so low it was a wonder how it didn’t hit the floor.

Dream flinched, crossing his arms defensively. “I’m not a baby. Seventeen is old enough to handle myself.”

“Old enough to… Dream! We aren't considered adults until we’re twenty-five!” Wilbur’s voice was sharp with concern. “What do you mean you’re-”

“Well, humans are considered adults at twenty one so-”

“You aren’t even an adult by your own people’s standards!”

Dream’s jaw tightened, his gaze flickering downward. “I didn’t exactly grow up in a place where anyone cared about rules like that.”

The room fell into an uneasy silence as both Wilbur and Tommy blinked at him, their shock giving way to confusion. 

“What do you mean?” Wilbur finally asked, his tone softening.

Dream sighed. Never would he think he would be explaining his whole pity story to a group of aliens, but he might as well. “I grew up in an orphanage. A place where they put kids like me who have no family. And the people there… they couldn’t have cared less about us. You learn to figure things out on your own pretty fast when you’re left with barely anything.”

Tommy’s wings drooped, his earlier shock fading into sympathy. “You… grew up alone?”

Dream shook his head. “No. Not totally alone- I had my two best friends, Sapnap and George, who I met at the orphanage. But…”

Dream grimaced when he remembered what had happened. The aliens dragged his friends away, and they never came back. Dream wished he could've taken their place instead. It was all his fault. 

“They’re gone.” Dream finally said, not wanting to elaborate.

Tommy’s face twisted into a mix of guilt and sorrow. “You’re still a kid,” he said, his voice quieter now. “You went through… all of that and- and you’re just a kid?”

Dream laughed bitterly. “Well, if you’re feeling sad about my pitiful life then you should hand me that bottle.”

“No.” Wilbur took the bottle back into his hands and closed the lid carefully. “Poisoning yourself is not the answer, even if humans are mostly immune to it.”

“Aww- please,” Dream begged. “I never got to actually try some back on Earth and who knows when I can go back or if I can even go back!”

Wilbur frowned, clutching the bottle tightly as he looked at Dream. “You don’t need this stuff. You don’t need to drown your sadness in… what was it called again?”

“Beer. And it’s not drowning my sadness,” Dream argued, his green eyes locking onto Wilbur’s neon ones. “It’s experiencing something from home. Let me have this, please, Wilbur.”

Wilbur hesitated, his resolve wavering. Tommy was frantically shaking his head in the background, telling Wilbur to not do it. Wilbur did feel bad for Dream, especially after hearing the story of how he grew up.

“Fine.” Wilbur relented, much to Tommy’s horror. “But if you so much as look like you’re going to kneel over, I’m taking it back.”

“Yes!” Dream cheered, reaching for the bottle eagerly. Wilbur handed it over with a reluctant sigh, looking at him like an older brother watching their younger make a terrible decision.

Tommy groaned loudly. “This is such a bad idea. What if he dies?”

“He’s not going to die,” Wilbur muttered, crossing his arms. “... Maybe.”

Dream uncapped the bottle and took another sniff of the golden liquid. Gradually, he tipped the bottle back and took a much longer drink this time, letting the liquid slide down his throat.

“See?” Dream said, holding the bottle up triumphantly. “I’m fine.”

Wilbur and Tommy watched him nervously. For a moment, everything seemed fine and Dream even drank some more. That was until he practically emptied the bottle within ten minutes while Wilbur and Tommy chatted about the other poisons, occasionally looking to Dream in fear he might fall over.

Dream set the bottle down with a satisfied grin. He was never able to drink back on Earth but the rules don’t apply to space, right? It didn’t taste too good since it wasn’t cold, more lukewarm, but Dream didn’t mind. It has been awhile since he had seen anything that resembled home.

Then, Dream wobbled.

“Uh-oh.” 

Tommy grabbed Wilbur’s sleeve to get his attention as he pointed to Dream in a panic. Dream tried to look like he was okay. He stood and straightened up, but his feet were swaying slightly.

“He’s wobbling. He’s wobbling!” Tommy started to panic at seeing the effects but Dream shrugged nonchalantly.

Dream blinked rapidly, seeing swirls in his vision. “M’Fine.” He said, his voice sounded slightly slurred. “Totally fine. I- whoa.” He stumbled backwards and landed on the floor with a small thud.

Wilbur hurried over and crouched down instantly, his hands throwing over Dream’s shoulders. “I should’ve known.” He groaned. “Why did I let you convince me?”

Dream burst out laughing, his cheeks flushed red. “I just drank a little too fast. It’s fine.”

“Wh-What do we do?” Tommy was starting to panic.

Dream waved a hand lazily from the floor, still grinning but he couldn’t feel his face. “This feels great!”

“Great?!” Tommy shouted. “You’re dying!”

“Not dying.” Dream corrected, shaking his head vigorously as he giggled. 

Wilbur groaned, burying his face into his hands. “I’m never letting you talk me into anything ever again.”

Dream gasped and abruptly stood up from the floor, causing Wilbur to yelp and fall back.

“Dream, what-”

“We should have some fun.” Dream’s grin widened as he stood unsteadily, holding his arms out for balance. “And I have an idea!”

“Oh no.” Wilbur muttered, scrambling to his feet. “Whatever it is, it probably isn’t good. You’re not in a good state of mind right now.”

“What kind of idea?” Tommy asked warily, his wings flaring slightly as he tried to keep his distance from Dream.

Dream’s eyes sparkled with chaotic energy, and he swayed towards the door, pointing dramatically.

“Adventure!”

“No.” Wilbur snapped, stepping in front of the door to block Dream’s path. “You’re unstable. The last thing this ship needs is you running around causing problems. And if Philza sees you, he’s gonna murder me.”

Dream rolled his eyes and stumbled over to a table, grabbing a large vial of some kind of substance. He came up with an idea to get Wilbur out of the way. “What’s this? It’s cute. Pink and swirly… Imma drink it.”

“No, no! Don’t do that!” Wilbur rushed over and grabbed the vial out of Dream’s hands.

The plan worked.

Dream suddenly sprinted- well, stumbled- toward the door. Wilbur put the vial back in a hurry and tried to grab him, but Dream was faster, throwing open the door and yelling, “Let’s gooo!”

Tommy flapped his wings frantically. “Oh stars, he’s loose!”

Wilbur sighed deeply as he stopped at the door, watching Dream’s silhouette get smaller. He walked over to a nearby table and grabbed a containment net.

“This is going to be a long day.”

Chapter Text

Dream ran through the hallways, laughing hysterically as Tommy and Wilbur gave chase.

The effects of the alcohol make him bold, reckless, and completely crazy. He should’ve known that drinking alcohol when you never drank before would hit harder than anything. Dream thought beer wouldn’t do much but when you never drank it before in your life, it becomes a problem.

Dream darted through the corridors of the spaceship, nearly tripping over his own feet but managing to stay upright. His laughter echoed through the hallways, a mix of genuine amusement and chaos-filled adrenaline.

“Dream, stop!” Wilbur shouted, his wings flaring as he tried to catch up.

Tommy wasn’t far behind, practically screeching. “Philza is going to get mad at us if he sees you like this!”

Dream glanced back at them with a wild grin. “Then tell him I drank your deadly poison and I’m having the best time!”

He narrowly avoided colliding with a stack of crates, skidding around the corner.

“That’s exactly what we don’t want him finding out!” Wilbur groaned, struggling to keep pace. 

Dream suddenly stopped in his tracks, wobbling slightly as held onto the wall for balance. Tommy and Wilbur skidded to a halt behind him, panting.

“Why are you stopping?” Wilbur asked warily, preparing the containment net in his hands as he stepped forward.

Dream turned to them, eyes bright with mischief. “Do you guys have like… a weapons room or something?”

Tommy’s jaw dropped. “NO!”

Dream began running again. “Guess I’ll find out for myself.”

“STOP!” Wilbur yelled, throwing the net in his hands but Dream managed to dodge it with a laugh.

Dream’s drunken sprint led him down a few more corridors, all while laughing wildly.

Just as Dream rounded another corner, he slammed into two familiar figures. The momentum sent him stumbling backward, nearly toppling over but he caught himself on the wall.

“Dream?” Philza’s calm voice cut through the chaos. His black feathers ruffled slightly as he stepped forward, taking in the sight of Dream’s flushed face and unsteady stance.

“Oh, heya there Cap’! And of course, the chaos-filled Technoblade.” Dream greeted with an exaggerated wave, his grin wide and slightly lopsided. “Honestly, Technoblade is such a cool alien name. I gotta say- you are the man, or pig? I don’t know but uh- you back from your super-secret planning thing?”

“Techno, Philza!” Wilbur’s voice rang out from behind Dream as he and Tommy skidded to a stop, both panting and looking absolutely mortified.

Technoblade raised an eyebrow, his red eyes narrowing as he looked between Dream and the flustered Wilbur and Tommy. “What did you idiots do to him?”

“N-Nothing!” Wilbur stuttered out, holding his hands up defensively. “We’re just playing around and-”

“Dream drank the ‘Golden Death’!” Tommy blurted out, pointing accusingly at Dream.

Philza’s eyes widened, and his wings flared slightly in alarm. “He did what?”

“Snitch.” Dream leaned casually against the wall, still grinning like an idiot. “Anyway, y’all need to relax, I’m fine! Humans are somewhat immune to this so-called ‘poison’.” He giggled. “You guys are too uptight. You’re supposed to be rebels now! Rebels should have some fun! Let’s go blow up a planet!”

Philza pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering something under his breath before stepping closer to Dream. “And exactly how much of it did you drink?”

“Not much.” Dream replied, he grinned sheepishly as he continued, “Just the whole bottle.”

“THE WHOLE BOTTLE?!” Philza shrieked, looking at Dream in shock as if were a dead man walking.

Technoblade let out a low whistle. “The whole bottle, huh? No wonder he’s acting like this. The effects are probably going to get worse than this soon.”

Philza turned to Wilbur, his voice dangerously calm. “Why didn’t you stop him?”

“I tried!” Wilbur exclaimed. “But he was… persuasive.”

Technoblade chuckled. “Persuasive?”

Dream laughed. “I can be a very persuasive person.”

Philza sighed deeply. “I leave for a few hours, and this is what I come back to.”

Dream beamed at him, completely unbothered. “Well, if you don’t mind, I’m gonna go explore your weapons room!”

“You’re not going anywhere.” Philza snapped, stepping in front of him. “You’re staying in the meeting room until that stuff wears off.”

Dream pouted, crossing his arms. “You’re no fun.”

“Good, I wasn’t trying to be.” Philza shot back.

It was almost akin to a father reprimanding their child for doing something they shouldn’t. Everyone else started to laugh at their dynamic as they made their way down the hallway.

The group eventually reached the meeting room, Dream stumbling along the way with Philza firmly guiding him by the shoulder. They sat Dream down in a chair at the large table, though he immediately slouched in it, a goofy grin plastered across his face.

“I feel great!” Dream announced, laughing while throwing his arms up. The others sat down in chairs close to Dream to keep an eye on him. “I feel better than great- almost invincible! I bet I could single-handedly take down the entire Galactic Council right now. Give me five minutes and maybe, uh- uhm… oh! One of those laser guns!”

“Dream.” Philza said flatly. “You’re not fighting anyone. Just stay right there.”

Dream laughed. “You’re just afraid of my awesome new power!”

Technoblade kicked back in his chair, arms crossed and slightly chuckling. “This is quite entertaining.”

“Entertaining? This is a disaster!” Tommy hissed, clearly distraught by the situation. “What if his effects get worse? He’s already starting to talk nonsense-”

“Excuse me,” Dream interjected, slamming his hand down onto the table. “I’ll have you know that everything I say right now is profound. For example- did you know that stars are just big balls of gas? Oh wait- you should already know that, you’re in space. OH! How about my planet, Earth, has several planets around it? Bet you didn’t know that!”

Philza sparked interest in this, leaning closer. “Your planet knows about their galaxy? How many planets are there near you? That could give us a clue to where your ‘Earth’ is.”

“I don’t know- eight? Or maybe nine but I’m not sure if Pluto counts as a planet to y’all. We revolve around a star… and your mom’s ass!” Dream laughed loudly, almost falling out of his chair.

“Oh, great stars above…” Philza sighed heavily, even more so than before.

Techno chuckled. “That’s the most childish thing I’ve ever heard.”

“Well, he is a child so it makes sense.” Wilbur shrugged then all eyes snapped to him, other than Tommy who knew about this information already.

“What do you mean by that?” Philza asked, his eyes narrowing as he turned his full attention to Wilbur.

Wilbur froze, realizing just how much trouble he is going to be in. “Uh… I mean, not literally a child. Just, you know, childish and immature. That’s all!”

Tommy groaned, burying his face with his wings. “Wilbur, you absolute idiot. You might as well tell them the truth now.”

“Tell us what?” Philza’s voice was calm but there was a sharp edge to it as he straightened up.

Dream, oblivious to the tension rising in the room, waved his hand dismissively. “Oh, they’re just being dramatic. I’m not a kid. I’m very, very, very old. Ancient, even. I’ve seen stars form and I’ve eaten pizza rolls.”

Philza ignored Dream’s rambling and stayed focused on Wilbur, who was now visibly sweating. “Out with it, Wilbur.”

Wilbur hesitated, glancing between the drunk Dream and Philza. “Dream is… younger than we thought.”

“How young?”

Wilbur winced, finally admitting, “He’s seventeen.”

The room went silent for a moment, save for Dream humming some incoherent tune. Philza stared at Wilbur, his face unreadable as he processed the information. Slowly, the emotion became clear: a mix of shock and regret.

“Seventeen?” Philza repeated, his voice low. “You’re telling me that he’s a child?”

“Hey!” Dream interjected, finally catching up on the conversation. “I’m not a child! I’ve survived alien abductions, fights to the death, and even a crash landing on some random blue planet! I’m a survivor.”

“And you’re about to survive a fall from that chair.” Technoblade said dryly.

Sure enough, Dream wobbled, flailed his arms, and toppled onto the ground. He hit the floor with a loud thud, groaning. He stayed on the floor and laid down, the world spinning around him despite him remaining still.

“We kidnapped a child… and gave him poison.” Philza’s wings twitched as realization dawned on him.

Dream, still laying on the floor with his eyes closed, raised his hand. “Technically, it was the other aliens that kidnapped me from my planet, not you. You were second. Sooooo… you’re more like accomplices.”

Technoblade looked down at Dream with mild amusement. “Glad we’re clarifying the ethics here.”

“Of course.” Dream continued. “They put me in a cage first. You guys… put me in a cage but bigger.” He frowned. “Now that I think about it, I’ve spent way too long in cages.”

“You’re a child!” Philza reiterated, much hung on that fact. “I can’t believe that we didn’t realize! We have to get you home. Your parents must be worri-”

Dream snorted. “Don’t worry about that, Cap’, because this kid doesn’t have any.”

Philza froze, the words hitting him like a slap to his face. “You… don’t have parents?” He asked softly, his tone completely different now. It was gentler, almost apologetic. “What about any family?”

“Nope. Just me, myself, and I. Well… and my two best friends, but they’re long gone now.” His voice faltered for a moment, and a flicker of pain crossed his face before it quickly disappeared, replaced by his usual grin. “So, you don’t have to worry about that. I’m used to it.”

The room fell into an uneasy silence, everyone exchanging uncertain glances. Even Technoblade’s amused smirk faded as he studied Dream more closely.

“Dream…” Philza began carefully, crouching down to his level. “I… I didn’t know. I’m sorry.”

Dream waved him off again, his movement sluggish and uncoordinated. “Don’t be. Besides, I’m here now, right? Coolest human kid in space!”

“That you are.” Technoblade agreed, smiling at Dream’s spirit.

Dream grinned lazily, clearly pleased with the acknowledgement. Then, his eyelids started to grow heavier by the second. He swayed slightly where he laid, blinking up at the ceiling as if the stars were spinning around him.

“Not tired,” He mumbled, though his words slurred all together. “I could fight the whole galaxy… or maybe take a small nap.”

“Uh-huh, sure.” Wilbur hums as he crouches down beside him. “Let’s get you up first, yeah?”

“Let’s take him back to my room to rest.” Tommy says, “I have a nest for him there.”

“Right.”

Wilbur carefully lifted Dream’s arm and hooked it over himself while Tommy grabbed the other arm. The two of them worked together to pick him up while Dream slightly stumbled.

“Make sure you don’t drop him.” Philza states. “And Wilbur?”

“Yeah?”

“You and Tommy will come back here to tell me everything. I would love to hear how he ‘persuaded’ you to let him drink poison.”

Wilbur winced at the sharpness in Philza’s tone but flapped his wings in acknowledgement. “Understood.”

Philza crossed his arms and watched on as Wilbur and Tommy half-dragged, half-carried Dream out of the room. Dream was mumbling something incoherent, his head lolling as they maneuvered him through the hallway.

“This guy is heavier than he looks,” Tommy grumbled, struggling to keep Dream’s arm steady on his shoulder.

“Hang in there, we’re almost there.” Wilbur replied, putting more of the weight from Dream on himself than Tommy.

When they reached Tommy’s room, Tommy inputted the code on the side of the door then entered as the doors slid open. The space was cluttered but the makeshift nest in the corner stood out- a pile of blankets and pillows that were perfectly neat.

“Wow, you made that better than your own nest.” Wilbur jokes, but there was some underlying truth.

“Oh shut it.” Tommy huffs, clearly embarrassed. “Just place him in the nest so we can get yelled at by Philza already.”

Wilbur rolled his eyes but carefully helped lower Dream into the nest. Dream woke slightly from the motion, his eyes covered in a haze.

“Hey, buddy.” Wilbur says softly. “You can rest now.”

Dream squinted at him, his face scrunching up in confusion. For a moment, he seemed to study Wilbur intently, trying to see through the fog and dizziness in his eyes.

“...Sapnap?” Dream’s voice cracked slightly, his tone filled with a heartbreaking mix of relief and guilt. He sat up immediately from the bed, grabbing onto Wilbur’s sleeve. “Sap- Oh my god- I’m so, so sorry-” He hiccuped, his voice trembling as he continued. “I couldn’t save you- or- or George- I should’ve- I- I’m so sorry.”

Wilbur froze, his hand hovering in midair. “Uh… Dream? It’s me, Wil-”

But Dream wasn’t listening. His glazed eyes shifted to Tommy, who was watching this scene with wide eyes.

“George- holy shit- George!” Dream’s voice broke, and tears started to well up in his eyes. “I should’ve listened to you. I shouldn’t have dragged you into all of this.”

Tommy, for once, couldn’t say a single word of anything. He stared at Dream, completely caught off guard.

“I-” Dream hiccuped again, rubbing his face as tears started to spill down his cheeks. “I thought- I thought I’d lost you both forever- I can’t believe this.”

“Dream.” Wilbur’s voice softened as he tried to explain. “We’re not… We’re not them-”

“I tried to end it.”

Wilbur stopped all together. Even Tommy was frozen in place as Dream’s raw emotion was on full display.

“I was so alone. I thought it would be better if I never woke up again. If I wasn’t alive, maybe it’d hurt less? But I… I survived the crash and kept on living.” Dream let go of Wilbur’s sleeve now, his hand trembling as he brought it into his lap. “I failed you guys. I should’ve done more. I should’ve never gone out that night. I- I didn’t mean to but-”

“Dream-”

“I’m sorry.” Dream finally said, his gaze falling to his lap.

Wilbur’s heart ached at the emotion in Dream’s words. He could feel the weight of Dream’s guilt and self-blame. It made him want to do anything to take it away… but Wilbur couldn’t bring back the dead.

“No.” Wilbur whispered, reaching his hands onto Dream’s own. “No, Dream, we’re sorry. You should’ve never gone through that.”

Dream let out a shaky breath, muttering more apologies, his body trembling with the weight of everything in his mind, and the guilt he still carried heavy on his shoulders. He laid back onto the nest, his eyes fluttering shut. Slowly, his breathing evened out as sleep took over.

Wilbur and Tommy exchanged a look, both of them uncertain but united in a way. 

“Is he… okay?” Tommy asked quietly, his voice barely above a whisper.

Wilbur exhaled slowly, his hand still resting on Dream’s as he watched the human drift off into sleep. “From the poison? Yes. But everything else on his mind?... I don’t know.”

Tommy nodded, his usual energy replaced by a heavy silence. He could still hear Dream’s words, the numerous apologies, and the burden of pain that Dream carried alone. 

Although Dream talked about it before, Tommy never paid too much attention when he talked about ending it. The idea that Dream, who had been nothing but strong in front of Tommy, had been so consumed by grief and guilt that he almost had ended it, unsettled him in so many ways.

“What can we do?” Tommy finally said after a long moment.

“Help him heal.” Wilbur replied. “Just like Philza has done for us, we should help him too.”

“Right.” Tommy nods. “Philza is waiting for us. We… We should go.”

Wilbur sighed as he turned towards the door and walked with Tommy following close behind. They both gave one last look to Dream, who was still laying down peacefully, then headed off back towards the meeting room.

As they walked back down the hall, the conversation played over and over again in their heads. They learned so much of what Dream had been through this whole time, and it was a lot to process.

Tommy walked quietly behind Wilbur, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jacket, his face lost in thought. Perhaps grappling with the realization of just how much Dream had suffered.

The door to the meeting room came into view, and Wilbur gave Tommy a glance. “You ready?”

Tommy let out a shaky breath but nodded. “Ready to get yelled at, sure.”

Wilbur chuckled softly, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Philza is not gonna yell. Be angry, sure, but not furious.”

They reached the door to the meeting room. Wilbur gave Tommy a quick glance before he opened the door. They both stepped into the room and were greeted by Philza and Technoblade’s stares. 

“Come in and sit down.” Philza ordered, his voice steady but laced with concern. He was trying to hold his composure but the lines on his face spoke volumes. “Tell me what you know, then.”

Wilbur and Tommy sat down, the silence between them thick and uncomfortable. But Wilbur decided to speak first.

“Dream is a kid. He may be strong since he’s a human but Dream is still a child. Seventeen to be exact.”

“And he doesn’t have parents either.” Tommy joined in. “He told us he grew up in a place called an orphanage where they place kids who don’t have any family.”

“But that place wasn’t good. The caretakers there… he told us he had to survive by himself most of the time.” Wilbur shook his head, clearly distraught by the idea.

Philza’s expression faltered for a moment before he regained his earlier composure. “And what else? He said that he used to have two friends… Did he say what happened to them?”

Tommy shook his head. “No, not in detail. But it has definitely something to do with the last ship. I remember him saying that about the last ship and how they took his friends away.”

“Right.” Wilbur agreed. “It must’ve been scientists because he was afraid of my lab coat. Which is weird because I thought the last ship was overtaken by rogues?”

Technolade leaned back against his chair, crossing his arms as his crimson eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “That is weird. Rogues don’t usually have scientists on board. They’re mostly traffickers.”

“That is something we should look more into… but Philza, I think we know the names of his friends. He mistook us for them.” Wilbur says.

Philza’s face softened, his wings fluttering slightly. The idea that Dream had been through such trauma at his age was deeply unsettling.

“Why did he mistake you two as his friends?” Philza asks.

“He was so out of it but it was clear that he thought we were them. Dream called me ‘George’ and called Wilbur… What was it? Snapmap?”

“Sapnap.” Wilbur corrected. “And… he started apologizing profusely. And- And he said more things.” Wilbur’s face darkened as he continued. “He blamed himself for their deaths, Phil. He said he tried to end it all after that.”

Philza’s breath caught in his throat. And so did the guilt weighing down on him. He remembered pointing a gun straight at Dream in the cell, and the human looked so accepting of death. If it hadn’t been for Tommy stepping in to stop him, he would’ve pulled the trigger out of anger.

“Philza, what do we do?” Tommy’s wings twitched as he asked desperately. “You’re better at this than us- How do we help him?”

Philza sighed. “This is different… I’m not sure even if I could help. But if he is mistaking you two as his past friends, that means there must be some level of trust between you and him.”

“R-Really?” Tommy perked up at this, flapping his wings now. “You think he trusts us?”

“Maybe.” Philza says. “But if you really want to help him, you two need to find out what exactly happened on the last ship.”

“Got it.” Wilbur replied, already thinking of how to get Dream to confide in them. “Will do tomorrow when he sleeps the poison off.”

“Speaking about that…” Philza smiled but there was a hidden threat behind it. “Do tell me exactly why you thought giving a human kid the most deadliest poison in the galaxy was a good idea?”

“Oh- Uhm- Well… It’s a long story-”

“I got time.”

Chapter Text

When Dream woke up next, he had a huge headache.

The pounding in his skull was relentless, and he groaned as he pressed a hand to his temple. His body was stiff, and every muscle ached like he’d been through war. Slowly, he opened his eyes, squinting against the dim light in the room. It took him a moment to realize where he was.

He was laying in the nest that Tommy had built for him, it was soft and comfortable. He debated whether to stay down or get up, but then he heard a voice pipe up from the other side of the room.

“Morning starshine!” came a familiar, teasing voice.

Dream sat up then turned his head and saw Tommy sitting at the desk, going through some papers as he smiled at him. The jacket he had on was slightly rumpled, and his hair was wild. He looked like he hadn’t slept much.

“Tommy?” Dream rasped, his voice came dry and scratchy. He coughed, clearing his throat. “What happened?”

“You don’t remember?”

Dream shook his head slowly, wincing at the pounding in his skull. “Not… everything. I remember being in the meeting room. Then you and Wilbur tried to take me to bed but…” He looked down at his hands, his voice trembling. “I didn’t… I didn’t hurt anyone, right?”

“What? No! Of course not!” Tommy stopped fiddling with the papers, his teasing demeanour stopping immediately. “You just… had a bit of a meltdown. Nothing too crazy- You’ve been through alot.”

Dream frowned, his gaze still fixed on the nest beneath him. “What did I say?”

Tommy tensed slightly but quickly masked it by leaning back in the chair. “Nothing much. You miss your friends but that’s normal.”

Dream’s stomach twisted at Tommy’s vague response. “I need to know what I said.”

Tommy hesitated, looking anywhere but at Dream. His playful face was replaced by an uncharacteristic awkwardness. “You, uh, said some stuff. You were upset. But, like, that’s understandable. It’s not a big deal.”

Dream’s eyes narrowed slightly as he studied Tommy. “You’re avoiding something. I can tell.”

Tommy’s wings puffed out, his face scrunching up. “I’m not avoiding anything. You’re being dramatic.”

“Tommy,” Dream said firmly, his voice low and tired. “Please just tell me what I said.”

Tommy looked at him, his mouth opening to reply, but then he clamped it shut again. He turned away, looking back to the papers at his desk as if they were the most important thing in the world. “You look like death won over. You should get some more rest.”

Dream winced as he pulled the blankets off of him. His frustration was starting to become clear. “Did I- Did I say something wrong? I’m sorry if I-”

“Dream,” Tommy cut him off sharply, finally meeting his eyes. “You didn’t do anything wrong. But… I don’t think you want me telling you what you said so- so just drop it, alright?”

Dream stared at him, his chest tightening. He wanted to argue, to push, but Tommy’s tone left no room for debate. Whatever he’d said, Tommy didn’t want to share. Not now at least.

“Fine.” Dream says as he stretches out his arms.

“Good. Now, for real, you should get some more rest. Wilbur and I have something planned for you today.”

“What is it?”

Tommy grinned. “You’ll see.”

Tommy didn’t elaborate further and it was all up to Dream’s imagination. Dream closed his eyes again, the headache still pounding in his skull, and let the tension fade. Although his mind was racing with new thoughts, his body was still exhausted and he let sleep take over.

The next time that Dream woke up, his headache somewhat subsided and someone was shaking him slightly.

“Dream, c’mon, wake up.” It was Wilbur’s voice this time, calm but insistent.

Dream groaned and rolled onto his side, cracking one eye open. Wilbur was crouched down beside the nest, a small soft smile on his face. Behind him was Tommy who was fidgeting in place, clearly excited for whatever they had planned.

“We’ve got something cool that you can do!” Tommy says, flapping his wings slightly.

Dream pushed himself upright, rubbing his eyes. His body still felt heavy but the extra sleep did help wear off the headache he had. “What is it?” He asked groggily. 

“It’s a surprise.” Wilbur answers, now moving to stand up. He offered his hand to help Dream do the same. “You’ll see soon enough.”

Dream followed the two of them out of the room, his curiosity growing with every step. The corridors of the ship felt less oppressive now, replaced by anticipation of what is to come. It took only a couple of minutes of walking until Wilbur stopped at a singular door. 

It was a large metal door and Wilbur pressed a few buttons on the side. The door slid open with a hiss and revealed a large room, spacious with high ceilings and an open floor. Various pieces of equipment were scattered around- bars, weights, and a few other alien contraptions that Dream could not recognize.

“Do you guys have everything on this ship?” Dream muttered, clearly impressed.

In the center of the room was Technoblade, casually spinning an axe-looking weapon in his hand. He adorned a large leather bag, and had clothes that looked more loose to give him extra agility it seemed like.

Technoblade looked up as they entered, his red eyes gleamed with interest. “About time.” He said gruffly, setting the axe to the side. “I was starting to think you backed out.”

Dream blinked, looking between the others. “Backed out of what?”

Tommy smirked. “Your special training.”

“Training?” Dream echoed, his confusion plain to see.

Techno stepped forward. “I gave them the idea last night that they should teach you some stuff. You know- to make you feel safe.”

“Teach me what exactly?”

“Tricks for getting out of cuffs, restraints-” He shrugged. “Whatever mess you manage to wrap yourself up in.”

Dream tilted his head, processing the offer. “Why would you want to teach me that?” He asked cautiously.

“Think of it as an investment. If you can keep yourself alive, it’ll save me the hassle of having to come rescue you.”

Wilbur snorted, shaking his head. “Ignore him. He was the one who wanted to teach you this.”

Dream paused. “Does Philza know? Or Tubbo and Ranboo?”

Tommy huffs. “Tubbo hasn’t talked to any of us after the vote. He’s been locked up in his room mostly. As for Ranboo, I see him around but he’s quiet.”

“Philza knows.” Wilbur answers as well, “He’s the one who agreed to it.”

“Philza did?” Dream asks, his eyes widening.

“He thinks it’ll be good for you.” Wilbur confirms, his tone softer now.

Dream frowned, his fingers absentmindedly brushing his wrists where Nightmare and the other aliens had put handcuffs on him before. “I guess he’s not wrong…” Dream muttered.

“Exactly.” Techno cut in, stepping closer. “This is about giving you skills to protect yourself.”

Dream glanced up at Techno. “Says the one who needed help from that monster with the six legs.”

“You mean the Kraat?” Technoblade rolled his eyes. “Oh please, I had that handled.”

“Tommy almost died-”

“Nah, you’re mistaken. I was totally about to unleash my secret inner power and kill that thing.”

Tommy clapped his talon hands together, grinning. “Right then! Let’s let Technoblade begin the instruction. Wilbur and I will be on the side watching in case something goes wrong.”

Dream watched as Tommy walked over and plopped himself on a nearby crate, while Wilbur went towards a more shaded area, leaning against a railing.

“Alright, Techno,” Dream said, crossing his arms, “What’s first?”

Technoblade stepped forward and pulled out a set of cuffs from his bag, tossing them to Dream who caught it with a slight stumble. 

“First rule of restraints- remain calm. You should never panic. These things are designed to make you feel trapped.”

Dream turned the cuff in his hands, his smirk fading as his focus shifted. 

“These ones seem different than what I’m used to.”

He missed the way Wilbur and Tommy stiffened at hearing that part. Technoblade’s expression remained neutral as he continued on. 

“These are standard issue cuffs- used for general containment. I’m guessing the ones you’ve dealt with before were for… specialized purposes.”

Dream gave a small nod, his fingers brushing over the metal. “Yeah, these seem simpler.”

“That’s the point.” Techno said, gesturing for Dream to put them on. “We’re starting basic. We’ll work our way up.”

Dream hesitated before clicking the cuffs around his wrists. The weight around his wrists brought back memories he didn’t want to revisit. He pushed it down, trying to remain calm like Techno said. 

“Alright,” He said, his voice steadier than how he felt. “What now?”

“I want to see you try and get out first. I’ll pinpoint mistakes and tell you what you should do next. Now, it may be tricky but-”

A loud, audible, snap of metal was heard and echoed throughout the training room.

Technoblade froze, his mouth slightly agape as he stared at the pieces of metal on the ground. Tommy and Wilbur looked up from their spots, equally surprised. 

Dream blinked down at the broken cuffs in his hands, his own surprise evident. 

“Uhm… Was that supposed to happen?”

Techno recovered quickly, shaking off his earlier shock. “No but those cuffs were pretty old and worn out anyway.” He snatched the broken pieces from Dream and tossed them aside before digging into his bag for a different set. “These ones should be good. They’re a little stronger than the previous one. Let’s see you try it.”

Dream nodded as he was handed another pair of cuffs, different in color and felt more sturdy. He clicked the cuffs onto his wrist and glanced up at Techno.

“Same thing?”

“Same thing,” Techno confirmed, folding his arms and watching closely. “Now, don’t feel bad if you don’t get it. I have plenty of tricks to show you-”

Another snap echoed throughout the room.

Then a bigger thud sounded as the metal landed on the ground, in pieces. Technoblade stared at the shattered remains of the cuff. Even Wilbur and Tommy stared at the broken cuff in astonishment.

Finally, Techno managed to mutter out, “Those were brand new…”

Dream looked sheepish, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry.”

Tommy fell off the crate, laughing so hard he could barely breathe. “Oh my stars, Techno! Your second pair lasted even less than the first ones!”

“Shut up Tommy.” Technoblade snapped, still staring in disbelief at the pieces on the floor. He picked a bigger piece up and turned it over in his hands, inspecting it for flaws. “How did you…”

Wilbur was trying (and failing) to keep a straight face, his shoulders shaking with silent laughter. “Maybe you underestimated him. Or maybe you’ve been scammed.”

“I was not scammed.” Techno grumbled, narrowing his eyes. He turned back to Dream, his tone laced with frustration and but also a hint of curiosity. “Alright, let’s test something.”

Dream blinked at him. “What?”

Techno walked to the side, digging into one of the crates then pulled out a large metal bar. He walked back over and handed it to Dream. “Bend that.”

“Bend it?” Dream asked, looking at Techno in confusion.

“Well, since you’re snapping cuffs off like they’re nothing, I want to see what else you can do. Go on.”

Dream hesitated, glancing between Techno and the bar in his hands. With a small sigh, he grabbed onto the bar tightly, testing the weight, then pulled. The bar groaned in protest, and to everyone’s shock, it began to bend under his grip.

Tommy’s jaw dropped to the ground, his laughter replaced by stunned silence. Wilbur straightened up, his eyes wide.

Dream released the bar and handed it back to Techno who took it in his own hands. It was bent almost to a right angle.

“Uh…” He began, glancing nervously around the room. “Was I supposed to do that? It felt like a metal spoon. Sorry if I-”

“No, no.” Techno raised his hand, his face unreadable. “This is… good to know.”

“Good to know? Good to know? Techno, he just bent a metal bar like it was nothing!” Tommy squawked.

“Right.” Techno hummed, pulling the bent bar closer to inspect it. “Not bad. Though I think this means my training is going to need a bit of… adjustment.”

Technoblade dug into his bag for a solid minute until he found what he was looking for. Then, he held up another set of cuffs, these ones looking similar to the ones in Dream’s past.

“Try these ones.”

Dream, reluctantly, took it from Techno’s hands. He snapped the cuffs around his wrist and the weight felt more familiar than before. These felt heavier and more solid than the last two.

Dream took a deep breath and then pulled. The cuffs shifted slightly but didn’t break. He tried pulling harder this time, but the cuffs didn’t budge. 

“Come on,” he muttered under his breath, his muscles straining as he twisted and jerked his wrists. Still, the cuffs held firm.

Techno watched him closely, arms crossed, and the smirk he had before returning. “Finally, something even you can’t break out of.”

Dream stopped pulling, frustrated but also realizing the futility of his current approach. He let out a slow breath, steadying himself. “Why are these ones so different?”

“Those ones are built to withstand any force applied to it. You can’t just overpower them.”

“Then how the hell do you get out of them?” Dream asked, looking up to Techno.

“Patience and technique.” Techno explained and motioned to the cuffs. “What you need to find is the weak points. There’s always a gap somewhere, even in the strongest locks. You just need to find it.”

He pointed at the cuffs. “First, notice how the chain’s not directly in line with the locking mechanism. The lock is on the side.”

Dream nodded slowly, trying to follow along as Techno spoke.

“Now,” Techno continued. “If you rotate your wrists in the right way, you can apply force to that lock and shift it. But you need to do it with control. If you’re too rough, it could snap the lock and you’ll permanently have the cuffs on.”

Dream took a deep breath, replaying the instructions in his head. He wasn’t used to taking things slow, especially in stressful situations where he had only relied on his strength and willpower to push through.

“Here, let me show you.” Techno said as he moved to Dream’s side and started demonstrating. 

He rotated his wrist carefully and Dream followed suit, applying gentle pressure onto the lock. With a faint click, the cuffs loosened just enough to allow him to slip his hands out. The cuffs fell to the floor with a loud thud and Dream stared at it for a long minute.

“That’s the trick,” Techno said, picking up the cuff to show Dream. “You can’t break out of them but you can work with them, find the pressure point and then manipulate them until you’re free.”

Dream kept his eyes on the cuffs that were now in Techno’s hands. He felt a little lighter than he did before. 

The cuffs that he could have never taken off before in the previous ship now felt less like an unbreakable force but more like a puzzle to solve. And the realization hit him hard that he wasn’t powerless anymore, he could finally escape if they captured him again.

“T-Thank you. Truly, thank you.”

“Nah, don’t mention it.” Techno shrugged. “I do want to say again that you should never panic with these types of cuffs though. These cuffs are made to make you do exactly that- panic, pull too hard, and burn through your energy. If you’re smart about it, you can get out within a few seconds.”

Tommy, who had been watching intently from the side, jumped up and clapped. “Look at that! Dream’s a cuff master now!”

Wilbur gave a low whistle. “Impressive. He’s a very fast learner.”

“Let’s do something different this time.” Techno chuckled as he walked over to a chest, black and green with what looked like an eye on the front. “How good are you at dodging?”

“Dodging?” Dream asks.

He was excited to learn something else to help himself escape. It felt like he was gaining control over something that had once been used to trap and make him feel powerless. Now, he hadn’t felt this free in a long time.

Techno pulled a sleek, black, futuristic-looking pistol out of the chest, one structurally made for his hooves hands. It gleamed under the training room’s light as he turned back to Dream, spinning it in his hand like a cowboy in an old western movie. The sight made Dream tense up.

“Relax.” Techno said, noticing the shift in Dream’s posture. “The ammo’s been replaced.” He popped open the chamber, revealing small, soft projectiles. “These are filled with a harmless material for training purposes.”

Dream frowned, taking one of the rounds as Techno handed it over for inspection. Dream squeezed it, then blinked in realization, a laugh bubbling out of him. “Wait a second. Is this… Styrofoam?”

“Uh- sure? I don’t know what that is but yeah.” Techno replied, unbothered, as he checked the gun’s settings. “Why?”

Dream couldn’t stop himself from laughing. “Did you just invent Nerf in space?”

Techno paused, staring at him with confusion. “Nerf? What’s Nerf?”

Tommy perked up, looking between the two. “Nerf? That sounds like something you’d eat.”

Dream grinned, shaking his head. “You guys don’t have little toy guns that shoot foam darts? It’s a thing on Earth- kids love them.”

Wilbur squinted, intrigued. “You’re saying Earth kids play with these… ‘Nerf’ guns?”

“They’re toys!” Dream said quickly, still laughing. “It’s harmless, just like these. You run around shooting foam darts at each other. It’s a whole thing.”

Tommy blinked in amazement. “So what I’m hearing is that Earth kids train to be warriors from a young age?”

Wilbur nodded. “Makes sense. Humans are hardcore. Stars, even the adults on Earth drink poison for fun.”

“Okay, okay,” Dream said, still chuckling as he held up his hands. “You know what? Forget I said anything. Let’s just stick to Techno’s space Nerf.”

Techno, ignoring the banter, walked to the other side of the room. “Alright, if you’re done laughing, let’s see how well you can dodge.”

“Wait- I thought I would at least get a gun too?”

Techno smirked and cocked the gun. “I only have one gun made for this purpose. Besides, it’s not like your kidnappers are going to give you a gun to be ‘fair’. I can promise you, they won’t. Anyways, hope you’re ready!”

Dream’s grin faded. “Wait-”

Before he could finish, Techno fired a bullet round directly at him. Dream yelped and ducked, barely avoiding it.

“Eyes up, Dream!” Techno shouted, already aiming for another shot. “You need to see when your attacker plans to shoot next!”

Dream scrambled up from the ground, dodging another bullet as it whizzed past him. Tommy and Wilbur burst into laughter, cheering from the sidelines.

“Go, Techno! Teach him how we do space Nerf!” Tommy cheered.

Dream darted to the side, barely avoiding another bullet as it zipped past his shoulder. He knows that these were no more than foam bullets, but the speed they were going at was faster than he thought they would be. 

His adrenaline kicked in as he calculated his next move. Techno was fast and precise, but there was a rhythm to his shots. If Dream could time it right, he might have a chance to close the gap.

“Your goal is to take the gun from my hands!” Techno states, firing another round. “You’re not going to get far if you keep to one spot!”

Dream smiled, sidestepping just in time. “You won’t be talking so big when I win!”

Wilbur cackled from the sidelines. “Yeah, Dream! That’s the spirit!”

Techno didn’t let up, his aim unrelenting. Dream rolled behind a crate, peeking out only to have another shot ricochet off the edge. He winced, realizing he wouldn’t last long if he stayed on the defensive. 

He needed to move.

He darted out from his cover, zigzagging to make himself a harder target. Techno tracked him with the gun, firing in quick succession. Foam rounds zipped past Dream, one almost grazing his arm, but he pushed forward, closing the distance inch by inch.

“Not bad,” Techno called, reloading with lighting speed.

Dream used the moment to his advantage, lunging forward just as Techno raised the gun again. He grabbed for the barrel, but Techno twisted, yanking it out of his reach.

“Too slow,” Techno said with a grin, firing a round point-blank at Dream’s chest.

Dream stumbled back with a grunt, clutching at his ribs. “Okay, that was cheap.”

“No one’s out here to play fair.” Techno replied, already taking aim again.

Dream gritted his teeth. He darted to the side, faking left before pivoting hard to the right. Techno adjusted his aim, but Dream was already diving low, sliding across the floor to close the gap. With a burst of energy, he lunged upward, grabbing the gun barrel with both hands.

He used this momentum to twist the gun out of Techno’s grip. Techno tried holding on tight, but Dream’s human strength wasn’t something he could compete with. With a final yank, Dream managed to wrench it free and stumbled back, holding the gun triumphantly over his head.

The room went silent for a beat before Tommy broke into wild applause. “He did it! He actually beat Techno!”

“Well,” Wilbur smiled, “That was unexpected.”

Techno dusted off his hands. Then, to everyone’s surprise, he let out a low chuckle. “Not bad, Dream. Not bad at all.”

Dream panted, still clutching the gun as he tried to steady his breathing. “Thanks.”

Techno took the gun from Dream’s hands, walking over to the chest to put it away. “If I had one of my real guns, though, you would’ve been dead as soon as we started. Other than that, you did perfectly. But you should never let your eyes leave your attacker. That will give them room to surprise you with another bullet, got it?”

“Y-Yeah.” Dream nodded. “Understood.”

“But there’s one more thing I want to teach you.”

“And what’s that?” Dream asked, raising an eyebrow.

Techno smirked. “Breaking out of cells. I’m sure you want to know how to do that?”

Dream’s exhaustion vanished at Techno’s words. His eyes lit up with determination and curiosity. “Breaking out of a cell? Will you really teach me that?”

“Of course,” Techno said with a grin, crossing his arms. “If you ever find yourself locked up again, you will know how to get out.”

Techno motioned for Dream to follow him. Tommy and Wilbur, who were also interested, got up from their areas and followed close behind. 

Techno led the group to a corner of the room where a small, reinforced metal cage stood. It was compact but sturdy, with thick bars and a complex locking mechanism on the door. It was eerily similar to the one where Dream and his friends were each stuffed in. Dream’s heart started to speed up.

“This is a standard cell design, used in half the galaxies out there and on most spaceships.” Techno began, gesturing to the cage. “Durable, heavy, and designed to make you feel hopeless. You know that bar you bent, Dream? This is ten times tougher than that. But there’s always a way out.”

Dream studied the cage, shaking slightly at the sight. “How do you even start? I mean, if it’s locked and you’re inside then it should be impossible…”

“You don’t start with brute force.” Techno said, tapping the lock. “You look for weak points- worn hinges, loose bolts, anything that looks out of place.”

Dream crouched down, inspecting the cage. 

Techno continued. “Most locks, even advanced ones, rely on mechanical components. Just like the cuffs, you can manipulate it enough to unlock it. If you have something small and sturdy- like a piece of wire or even a scrap of metal- you can use it to open the lock. It takes patience and practice, though.”

“What if- What if you don’t have anything?” Dream’s hands graced the cold metal bars of the cage as memories washed over him. His mind raced back to the last time he’d been imprisoned. 

The feeling of helplessness and not being able to do a single thing. He hadn’t had anything- no tools, no scraps, nothing but his own two hands. And they weren’t enough. Nothing was enough.

Dream’s voice wavered slightly as he spoke again. “What if there’s nothing to work with? What do you do then?”

Techno’s gaze softened as he noticed Dream’s face turn colder. He leaned back against the cage and crossed his arms. “If you’re stripped of everything, you have to get creative. Your environment is your biggest asset, no matter how barren it may look.”

Dream frowned. “Like what?”

“Start with the cage itself.” Techno explained. “The bars, the floor, the walls- anything that’s been there long enough might have some wear and tear. Sometimes, you can break off a small piece even if it’s just a small screw.”

Dream’s hands instinctively tightened on the bars, feeling for any imperfections. “What if it’s reinforced? Like those cages I was in before- there wasn’t a single weak point. It’s like they- It’s like they planned for everything.”

Techno nodded slowly. “In that case, you turn your attention to your captors. Pay attention to routines, any weaknesses they have. Maybe they’ll become careless when delivering food or leave something behind by mistake.”

“That’s exactly what I didn’t have.” Dream muttered, a shadow passing over his face. “I didn’t have time. I didn’t- I couldn’t do a single fucking thing against them when they decided…” He stopped, swallowing hard. His thoughts drifted to his friends, to Sapnap and George. His best friends, brothers even, and both he couldn’t save.

Techno’s voice broke through his spiraling thoughts. “Look, sometimes, things don’t go your way. You can’t always control the situation. But what you can do is prepare for next time. That’s what this is about- learning and adapting. You’ve already got the strength. Now all you need is the strategy. After that, you’ll be unstoppable.”

Dream took a breath, letting Techno’s words sink in. He didn’t want to feel powerless anymore. He didn’t want to be the same person who couldn’t do anything when his friends got taken away and killed. 

“You’re right. So- How do I do it?”

“Get in the cell.”

Dream shuddered slightly but knew he needed to learn. Before he could enter the cage, Wilbur yanked him back.

“Whoa, whoa!” Wilbur said, holding a hand up to Technoblade. “Are we just going to ignore the fact that putting him in a cage seems… wildly wrong?”

Techno rolled his eyes. “Yes, Wilbur. But the best way to learn how to get out of a trap is to get in one. You don’t learn to swim in water by standing on the shore.”

“Yeah, but you also don’t throw someone into a poisonous sea to teach them.”

“Well, he’s sorta immune to poison so that’ll help.”

“Techno!”

“Shut it, Wilbur.” Techno groaned, clearing tired of arguing. “Let him decide then if you care so much. What’ll it be, Dream?”

Dream hesitated for only a moment, glancing at the cage. The memories of confinement, the cold metal against his skin, the feeling of helplessness- it all came rushing back. But he clenched his fists, forcing the thoughts aside.

“I want to do this,” Dream said, stepping forward. “I need to learn.”

Techno nodded approvingly as he held the cage door open. Dream stepped inside, the weight of the bars feeling heavier than he’d anticipated. With a loud clang, Techno shut the door and locked it.

The metallic smell of the bars filled his nostrils. The urge to panic bubbled up, but Techno’s ruff and stern voice cut through his fear.

“First rule, remain calm.” Techno said, leaning casually against the cage. “Panic clouds your judgement. The more you panic, the harder it is to think clearly.”

“G-Got it,” Dream managed to stutter out.

“Second rule,” Techno continued, “Look around. Observe anything and everything. If you think hard enough, you can use almost anything to your advantage.”

Dream nodded, swallowing hard as he forced himself to steady his breathing. His eyes scanned inside the cage, searching for something- anything- that could be used as a tool. The bars were smooth and solid, the floor seamless. There was nothing.

“There’s noth-”

Techno tapped a clawed finger against the lock. “Even if it feels like there’s nothing, there’s always something. What do you see?

Dream frowned, focusing harder. “The bars, the hinges, the lock… but it’s all solid.”

“Don’t just look at what’s obvious,” Techno said, his tone patient. “Think about the materials, the structure. Weak points aren’t always visible- you need to look for them.”

Dream crouched, running his hands along the bars and the base of the cage again. This time, he pressed harder, feeling for even the smallest imperfection. His fingers grazed a slight groove where the bars met the floor, but it wasn’t enough to give him an advantage. Frustration gnawed at him.

“What if the cage is perfect- reinforced, no gaps, nothing to work with?”

Techno sighed. “No cage is truly perfect. Look closer.”

And Dream did. Squinting his eyes at every crevice and every groove. He noticed that the bars were weird, almost looking like they were twisting but they were smooth. His fingers traced over the strange, subtle twisting design. It wasn’t natural- it was deliberate.

“Why do the bars look like this?”

Techno smirked, proud that Dream had noticed. “That, my friend, is a common thing they do for cells. They reinforce the bars by shaping them in a way that makes them harder to grip and bend. But there’s a downside.”

Dream glanced at him, intrigued. “Which is?”

“They have to be fitted in segments.” Techno tapped the bars near the grooves. “If you find the seams where these segments connect, you might learn something.”

Dream examined the grooves again, pressing his fingers against them. A couple of the segments were smooth, but one near the bottom felt… different. It was colder than the rest, and when he pressed on it, there was the faintest bit of give.

“The bottom of the bars,” He muttered. “It’s slightly loose if you tilt them in.”

Techno grinned. “Good job. Now pull every single bar in.”

“Every single one?”

Dream hesitated but obeyed, wrapping his fingers around the bars and pulled them inward with as much force as he could. One by one, he tested them, feeling for even the slightest movement. Some didn’t budge at all, locked in place, but a few wobbled- only by a little.

“This section,” Dream grunted, straining against them. “Is looser than all the rest.”

“Every cage has a section where the assembly is weaker,” Techno explained. “Find that weak section and pull further in. The bars are designed to make you want to push out, thinking it will help, but it doesn’t at all.”

Dream took a deep breath. He adjusted his grip and pressed his foot against the base of the cage and pulled, slowly at first, feeling the metal resist before slightly bending.

“Keep going.” Techno encouraged, watching intently.

Dream gritted his teeth, pulling harder at the low-level of the bar. A soft creak filled the air. His heart pounded. Dream exhaled sharply and yanked again, pulling inwards at one of the bars with all his strength. The metal groaned under the force, shifting more and more until it finally snapped.

The bar jerked out of place, the seam at the bottom coming undone. Dream’s breath hitched as he stared at it.

I- I did it. I actually did it!

Wilbur whistled. “Well, damn.”

Dream let out a shaky laugh, a wave of relief and triumph washing over him.

Everything that had chained him down since that day cracked, just like the metal in his hands. The failure of not being able to help save his friends and the loss after. Now, he could finally do something about it if it were to ever happen again.

Dream crawled out of the space he made from the broken bar and escaped, something he didn’t know how to do when he first came here.

He smiled and turned to Technoblade.

“Is there anything else I can learn?”

Techno smirked at Dream’s newfound determination. Tommy and Wilbur shared a look to each other, knowing they made a good choice to get Dream to do this. Technoblade stepped forward, slightly chuckling as he pulled out a toy weapon and handed it to Dream.

“Now that you know how to break out… Let’s make sure no one can lock you up again.”

Chapter Text

They finished up the training with Techno teaching him a few defensive fighting techniques. Although Dream learned how to maneuver his way out of different situations, Dream still felt he had so much to learn. Since the rest of them decided it was enough, they stopped.

“I’ll teach you more next time, Dream.” Techno says, “You need to eat and get some rest.”

“Oh, c’mon! We just got started!” Dream huffed, holding his toy weapon given to him by Technoblade.

Wilbur chuckled. “He’s right, Dream. We can do more next time.”

“I’m tired just watching you two.” Tommy yawned. “And you didn’t eat all day so I say we get some food.”

Dream sighed but relented, his stomach growling now when he realized he didn’t eat. With a nod, he followed the others down the sleek metal corridors of the spaceship. The hum of the machinery beneath his feet was a constant reminder he was still far from home.

As they walked, Dream’s eyes wandered since they took a different route this time. He was starting to get used to the strange, alien architecture, but one thing caught his attention.

Along the side of the corridor, small ships were docked- sleek, compact, and built for speed. They were nothing like the massive spaceship they were currently on.

Dream slowed his steps, his gaze fixated on the tiny ships. “What are those things?” He asked, while pointing to the smaller spaceships.

Techno glanced at them. “Escape pods. Mostly used for emergency evacuations or short-distance travel.”

Dream took a step closer, inspecting them. “Do… Do all spaceships have them?”

Wilbur nodded. “All ships should have them.”

Dream hummed, filing that information away. He didn’t know why, but something about the escape pods stuck with him. It could be because that would mean that some of the aliens on the last ship could have survived. Then…

Techno clapped a hand on his shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts. “C’mon, let’s eat before you start planning some dumb escape attempt.”

Dream rolled his eyes but let himself be pulled along. “I wasn’t planning anything- I was just thinking of some other stuff.”

“Yeah, sure, buddy.”

“I really wasn’t!”

“Oh, stop teasing him Techno,” Tommy cut in, stretching his arms behind his head. “Let Dream think about whatever weird escape plan he wants. But first- food.”

They finally arrived at what seemed to be the ship’s designated food hall. It wasn’t huge, but it was enough for the crew. There were a few scattered tables with chairs next to them. Behind all of that was an open food counter. The scent of something warm and slightly spiced filled the air. Dream wasn’t sure what it was, but it smelled good.

Following the others, Tommy grabbed him a tray and he watched on as portions of food were given to him. The meal looked strange- some kind of thick pasta with bread that had an odd bluish tint- but Dream learned not to question the colors of alien food for a while now.

They all sat down at a table, and Dream hesitated before taking a bite. It wasn’t bad. It was better than whatever the orphanage would give him and his friends. He kept eating, hoping that the food wouldn’t kill him later.

“So,” Wilbur started, stirring his pasta. “What’s got you all worked up over the escape pods?”

Dream swallowed his food before answering. “N-Nothing.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Well, I was just thinking… If every ship has them, then-” He paused. “Back on the last ship- don’t you think some people could have gotten away?”

The table went quiet for a moment. Techno was the first to speak. “Maybe,” he said. “But you shouldn’t worry about it.”

Dream looked down at his food. “Right.” He sighed, shaking his head.

The conversation shifted to lighter topics after that- Tommy and Wilbur bickering over something dumb, Techno making sarcastic comments here and there. Dream let himself relax, even laughing a few times. It felt weirdly… nice. Almost normal.

“Oh, by the way, I learned a human word and said it to you but did I say it correctly?”

“Human word? You mean English?”

“Yeah, I think so” Tommy nodded. “It took me a while to pronounce it correctly but I had no idea what I was saying. What does it mean?”

Dream paused, thinking about what Tommy was talking about then it clicked. Dream laughed, loud and bright, almost toppling over.

“W-What?” Tommy asks, curiosity growing.

“Tommy-” Dream said in between his laughs, “You- You said the word ‘fuck’. The first word you ever spoke in my language is fuck.”

Wilbur choked on his drink while Techno grinned, shaking his head.

Tommy’s eyes widened in realization. “Wait- so the first human word I ever learned is a curse word?”

“Yep.”

There was a brief silence before Tommy burst out laughing. “That’s amazing! Oh, I have to use that more often!”

“That makes so much sense.” Wilbur recovered, chucking. “Of course that’d be the first word you pick up, Tommy.”

“Well, it’s not like I can pick up other human words easily. It was hard to understand them from the videos… Oh! You know what- Dream, you should teach me!”

“Teach you… my language?”

“Yeah!”

“Well…” Dream nodded slowly. “Sure, why not?”

“YES!” Tommy’s wings flapped in excitement. “I can’t wait to learn all the curse words in the human language!”

The conversation kept flowing, and the warmth in Dream’s chest didn’t fade. He hadn’t laughed like this in what felt like years.

Eventually they finished their food. They got up and decided to head towards their rooms to get some rest.

Techno patted Dream on the back as they walked. “You better get some sleep. I shouldn’t see you in the middle of the night wandering around.”

“It’s always night in space.” Dream chuckled. “And we’ll have to see, won’t we?”

“Brat.” Techno turned the corner and left the three of them.

Wilbur piped up, “My room is down that way so I’m just gonna… yeah.” He shuffled back and turned. “Have a good rest!”

“Thanks, Wilbur, you too.” Dream waved goodbye and turned to Tommy.

“Let’s head back.” Tommy smiled.

Dream and Tommy headed towards the room where the nests were. It didn’t take too long before they made it and Tommy entered the code and the door opened. Tommy fluttered over to his nest on top while Dream fell down into his.

“Night, Dream.”

“Yeah, you too.”

It didn’t take long before Tommy fell asleep. He was exhausted since the morning, Dream noticed, so it’s no wonder that the fledgling knocked out immediately after laying down.

However, Dream wasn’t tired. Even after all the training he did today, he still felt restless. And despite Technoblade saying to not wander around, he still wanted to explore a little more to clear his head.

Dream got up from the nest, ever so slowly, and made his way out the door.

The hallway was quiet, the sound of the ship’s engine was distant, but he could feel the hum of the sound beneath his feet. Dream glanced around, taking in the dim lights lining the walls that guided his path. The spaceship was massive, and he barely saw a fraction of it.

He carried himself forward, past rooms and corridors he hadn’t noticed before. He turned into a different hallway that he never went down before and followed along.

And when he turned another corner he saw something different. Most of the hallways were dimly lit or had a light source of some sort.

The hallway he was looking at was dark, almost pitch black.

Dream stopped in his tracks.

At the far end, where the darkness met the unknown, a faint glow of what resembled moonlight shimmered. It wasn’t real moonlight- there should be no moons in the vast emptiness of space- but something about the way it pooled at the end of the hall called to him.

Slowly, he stepped forward.

The darkness swallowed him the further he walked in. He could no longer see himself as pure darkness was all around. He kept following the light at the end. The air felt cooler, and his footsteps barely made a sound against the metal flooring. It was eerie, but not unwelcoming. 

The glow at the end of the hall grew brighter the closer he got until, finally, he reached the source. The hallway opened up into a cast, domed room made entirely of- what looked like- glass.

The observation deck.

Dream sucked in a breath.

The stars stretched out before him in an endless sea of silver, blues, and purples, speckled with distant planets and nebulas. He had seen the night sky before, back on Earth, but never like this. Never so infinite.

He stepped further in, staring all around in silent awe. The view made him feel small, yet it didn’t scare him. It was peaceful. Alone with nothing but the stars. He allowed himself to just… be.

Dream didn’t know how long he stood there but a voice startled him from behind.

“I didn’t expect to see you here.”

Dream spun around, heart jumping into his throat. Standing at the entrance of the observation deck was Philza. The bird-alien’s wings were half-folded behind him, the dim light from the stars catching on his dark feathers, giving him an almost ethereal glow.

“I-” Dream swallowed. “I didn’t mean to intrude.”

“Everyone is allowed in here.” Philza chuckled, stepping forward. He came to stand beside Dream, looking up at the stars. “I come here often to clear my head.”

Dream glanced back out at the stars. “It’s…”

“Peaceful.” Philza finishes for him. “But it also can be scary to stare out into the vastness of space, reminding you just how small you are in the grand scheme of things.”

Dream let out a breath. “Right.”

Philza hummed knowingly. “You’ve got a lot on your mind, haven’t you?”

Dream didn’t answer right away. He wasn’t sure what to stay. Instead, he sat down on the floor with Philza following suit. 

Philza didn’t push him to speak. The two sat there, silent but present, staring at the vast space around them.

After a moment, Dream whispered, “I used to love the stars.”

Philza’s expression softened. “Used to?”

Dream swallowed. His chest felt heavy, but at the same time, something about Philza’s tone settled the storm in his mind.

“Yeah,” Dream admitted. “Back on Earth, I used to stare at them all the time. Me, Sapnap, and George… We’d sneak out to the back of the orphanage, into the forest on an hill, and just sit there for hours. We’d make up stories about space, about what was out there.” He let out a quiet, shaky laugh. “We used to say that if we ever got the chance, we’d go up there together. Explore space and leave the shitty orphanage behind.”

Philza remained quiet, letting Dream speak at his own pace.

Dream’s fingers curled against the cold metal floor. “And I… I did something so stupid. I fucking- I wanted to go out one night to look at the stars again just because of some silly nightmare. Since they didn’t want me to go out alone, they followed me. We sat at our usual place but I saw something…”

“Something?”

“A spaceship. I didn’t know what it was at the time and wanted to go check it out. Sap and George tried to stop me,” Dream said, his voice growing quieter. “They said that we should go back but I didn’t listen. And- again- they followed me.”

Philza’s expression remained calm, but there was something knowing in his eyes, something that told Dream he understood more than he let on.

“There were humans in cages and I- I tried to hurry up and free them but… they were only holograms. It was all a trick.” Dream’s finger’s clenched into fists. “And then.. They took us.” He exhaled shakily. “The aliens, they threw us in cages like we were nothing. There were other humans there that fell for the same thing. After that, I don’t know how long I was there for- but it was hell. A living hell.”

Philza’s wings rustled softly as he shifted beside him. “What did they do, Dream?”

Dream let out a bitter laugh, running a hand through his hair. “I don’t know what their goal was but they- it was basically torture. They put shots into me, cut my body to collect blood, some even just hit me for the hell of it… Even so, I was luckier than the others. Some didn’t make it back to their cage. When you don’t come back within two days, you are as good as dead. And- And they took my two friends away- I- I couldn’t stop them-” He cut himself off, shaking his head. “I never saw them again… So I did something drastic. I don’t care if you view me as the villain… I don’t regret what I did back on the last ship.”

Philza didn’t speak immediately. The two of them sat in silence, the vast expanse of space stretching endlessly before them.

“You know, when you’ve been out here as long as I have, you start to realize something,” Philza says. “Space isn’t just cruel and cold.” He gestured toward the expanse of stars before them. “It’s also endless. Full of possibilities. Full of things you can’t predict.”

Dream blinked, staring at him.

Philza continued. “Despite everything, you’re still here, aren’t you? You’re still fighting, still moving forward.”

“I killed people.”

“You did what you had to do to survive. I’m not gonna sit here and tell you whether it was right or wrong- that’s not my place. But I will tell you this- you shouldn’t waste time drowning in what-ifs. Focus on what you can do.”

Dream clenched his jaw. “Then what should I do?”

Philza chuckled, leaning back slightly. “That’s the real question, isn’t it?” He glanced at Dream, his gaze steady. “The thing is, you’re not the only one who’s had to make tough choices to survive.”

Dream frowned. “What do you mean?”

Philza exhaled, shifting to sit more comfortably. “I didn’t always have a crew, you know. I didn’t plan on taking people in. I was a one-person crew, carrying out orders for the Council. But one by one, I found them- people, like you, caught in impossible situations. And I couldn’t just leave them.”

Dream listened in silence as Philza continued.

“Technoblade was the first,” Philza said, a small, fond smirk crossing his face. “He was a slave thrown into a fighting ring, forced to fight to the death over and over. The people running it illegally were never going to let him go. No matter how many he killed, there’d always be another fight, another opponent. I barely got him out of there in one piece, but now?” He chuckled. “Now he’s the deadliest fighter in my crew, and I wouldn’t want anyone else watching my back.”

Dream’s eyes widened slightly. He had never heard of Technoblade’s backstory. The man seemed so laid-back and nonchalant that Dream never would have guessed he had been trapped in and survived a gladiator ring.

“Then there’s Tommy,” Philza continued, shaking his head with a chuckle. “That little shit got himself arrested for hacking into some government database. He was so proud of it too.” He grinned. “I had to drag him out before they could take him away for good. Even told the Council myself that he’s now a part of my crew. Kid’s got a sharp mouth, but he’s got a sharper mind. Can break into just about any system you put before him.”

Dream slightly smirked. That sounded like Tommy.

“Wilbur…” Philza’s expression darkened slightly. “The Council gave me the order to capture him alive. Wilbur was one of the top ten most wanted people in space. But… He was a mess when I found him. Running cons, scamming his way from planet to planet, always on the move. He didn’t trust anyone- and for good reason. But I gave him a place, a real one, not just a temporary hideout. Took him a long time to believe it, but he’s family now.”

“The Council didn’t make you turn him in?”

“It took a couple of fights- and me threatening to quit- but they finally relented and let me keep him.”

Dream let the words settle in. “What about…”

“Tubbo and Ranboo came last,” Philza said, tilting his head back slightly. “Tubbo was caught up in some underground weapons trade, way in over his head. But it was Tommy who mostly saved him rather than me. When I saw Tommy bring in a new person to join the crew, it was hard to say no when I saw Tubbo’s face. And as for Ranboo… well, let’s just say the kid was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and I wasn’t about to leave him there.”

Philza turned back to Dream, his expression unreadable. “The point is- despite everything that happened to them, they’re still moving forward.”

Dream felt Philza’s words press down on him. His only drive to keep moving forward had been revenge- against the aliens who had taken and killed his friends, against the universe that had thrown him into a nightmare. He had fought and killed and bled… but for what?

“What if I don’t deserve to move forward?” Dream whispered.

Philza huffed. “That’s got nothing to do with it, mate. None of us have clean backgrounds. But if you keep punishing yourself for what you’ve done, you’re never gonna get anywhere.” He fixed Dream with a firm look. “The real question is- do you want to keep going? Do you want to find something beyond just surviving?”

Dream looked away, staring into the endless expanse of space.

Do I?

For so long, it had been about escaping. From escaping the aliens, escaping his cage, escaping the memories that haunted him. But now that he was out, now that he had a chance to do something else… he realized he didn’t know what that was.

Philza let the silence stretch between them before speaking again. “If we didn’t find you, would you have lived on that blue planet for all of eternity?”

“...Maybe.” He shrugged. “I didn’t have a plan. I didn’t think I’d ever get off that planet or that anyone would find me.”

“You wouldn’t have lasted forever.”

Dream shot him a glare. “I was doing just fine. I had a shelter, some food-”

“I’m not talking about that. You were surviving, yeah. But at what cost?”

Dream opened his mouth, then closed it again. He hated how Philza made it sound so simple… and how he was so right. Because the truth was, Dream hadn’t been okay. He had been rotting away on that planet, isolated and angry, his mind slipping further every day. If they didn’t capture him and brought him off that planet, he might’ve lost himself completely.

“...I didn’t know what else to do,” Dream finally muttered.

Philza smiled softly at him, his wings rustling slightly. “That’s the thing about space,” he said, gesturing toward the stars. “It’s endless. Full of places you haven’t been. Just because you didn’t know what to do back then doesn’t mean you won’t find a reason now.”

Dream stared at the stars, watching as they blinked in the dark void of space. He hated how he was always so entranced by them. He hated how they shined down at him. He hated how they sparkled even in the loneliest of nights.

He used to love the stars.

And he hated how he still loved them.

Dream exhaled sharply. His body ached, his mind exhausted from everything. From the past, from the present, from the unknown future that stretched before him like the endless void of space.

He had spent so long consumed and blinded by rage and grief. He had fought, killed, and clawed his way out of hell, only to find himself drifting without any purpose. There was something, deep inside him, that wanted him to find a new meaning to keep moving forward.

“What if I can’t?” He asked, voice quieter than what it was before.

“Then you take it one step at a time.” He shot Dream a look, a smirk forming. “You’ve already taken the first one. You didn’t let yourself die on that planet. That means there’s still a part of you that wants to live, whether you admit it or not.”

Dream clenched his fists, staring at the stars.

Philza used his wing to lightly touch Dream on the back, comforting him. “Think about it, mate. I’m not saying you have to join us, but… if you want something more, there’s a place for you here.”

Dream blinked, shifting his gaze from the stars to Philza.

“Wait… are you- are you inviting me in your crew?”

Philza let out a chuckle. “No pressure, of course, but I would love for you to join us. You don’t have to decide now. Well, you don’t have to decide at all. But… just think about it.”

Dream narrowed his eyes slightly. “Why would you even want me on your crew? I nearly killed the first people who tried to help me. I’m dangerous.”

Philza sighed, tilting his head. “A little crazy? Maybe. But you’re not dangerous.” He met Dream’s gaze, steady and unshaken. “I’ve taken in people who thought they were too far gone before, and you know what? They’ve always proved themselves wrong.”

Dream let out a stifled laugh. “Then… If- If you don’t mind… I would actually love to join your crew.”

Philza smiled, silent as he nodded- something he learned from watching Wilbur and Tommy do towards him. Dream felt something lift off his shoulders. He finally found a new reason to keep going.

Then, suddenly, he heard something.

Soft. Faint.

It was footsteps, disappearing down the dark hallway.

His entire body tensed instinctively. He turned towards the entrance, watching as he tried to listen again but there was no more sound. Dream’s eyes flickered to Philza, but the other had no reaction.

“Did you not hear that?”

Philza looked to the entrance where Dream was staring before. “Hear what?”

“Footsteps. Someone was just outside.”

Philza paused then gave a nonchalant shrug. “Probably Ranboo. Kid’s got a habit of wandering at odd hours. Half the time, he doesn’t even realize he’s doing it.”

Dream didn’t answer. Something about it felt off. Dream exhaled through his mouth, forcing himself to ease the tension in his body. 

“Right,” he muttered. “Probably Ranboo.”

“Relax, I can promise you that no one is going to harm you. You’re part of my crew now, nothing will happen to you while I’m still here.”

Dream let those words settle over him. Part of the crew. It felt strange to hear but oddly fitting.

“Soooo,” Philza studied him for a moment before his expression softened. “Even if I tell you to get some rest, I doubt you will, right?”

Dream snickered. “You got that right. I have too many things on my mind to fall asleep now. For example- when is our first mission going to be, Captain?”

“Right, thought so.” Philza rolled his eyes. “Well, did you enjoy the training?”

“Huh? Oh- right. Yeah, it was… refreshing.” Dream nodded. “Learning from Technoblade was actually pretty fun. I thought he would be a stern teacher but he was quite patient with me.”

“He may seem scary at first but he’s got a good heart.” Philza finished with a knowing smirk. “Techno doesn’t waste his time on people he doesn’t think are worth it. If he’s training you, then that means something.”

Dream smiled, rolling the thought around in his head.

“A little off topic here but…” Philza pauses. “Why don’t you tell me more about them?”

Dream blinked. “Who?”

“Your friends,” Philza clarified. “You… When you drank that poison last time, you mistakenly thought Wilbur and Tommy were your friends from the past. I don’t think they told you, have they?”

Dream froze, his breath caught in his throat. He hadn’t realized that his drunk self has given away more than he intended.

“They…” He forced his voice to remain steady. “They refused to mention it.”

“Didn’t think they would. They know better than to bring up something painful when someone is not ready.” He leaned back slightly, one of his wings still behind Dream while the other was folded nearly behind him. “But I figured… maybe you’d want to talk about them.”

Dream hesitated.

Talking about Sapnap and George- just even saying their name- it felt like ripping open a round that had barely begun to scab over, But at the same time… if he stayed silent, he would never be able to move forward.

A small smile crossed his face as his eyes lit up, the stars making them even brighter.

“George was an idiot,” he started, voice lighter than before. “But he was me and Sapnap’s idiot. He used to pretend he wasn’t interested in half the things I showed him, but I could always catch him sneaking a glance when he thought I wasn’t looking.”

Philza chuckled. “Sounds like a stubborn one.”

“You have no idea. And Sapnap-” Dream shook his head, his smile growing. “That guy was all fire and recklessness. We used to fight over the dumbest things, but at the end of the day, he always had my back. No matter what.”

There was warmth in his voice now, something that had been missing for far too long. He kept going, telling Philza about their adventures, their inside jokes, the way George would roll his eyes but secretly enjoy the chaos, the way Sapnap would drag them both into trouble just to see if they’d follow.

For a split of a second, it felt like they were still there. Like if he turned around fast enough, he’d see them laughing behind him, waiting to tell their own stories.

Then his voice faltered, and the light in his eyes dimmed as the weight of reality pressed down on him once more. Philza didn’t say anything as Dream grew quiet. He just used his wing to cover Dream’s shoulder, grounding him.

“The stars are beautiful.”

“Yeah,” Dream nodded, rubbing his eyes from the tears that began to fall. “I… really do love them.”

Chapter Text

“Fuck the Council. My vote is yes.”

Tubbo’s heart stopped as a million thoughts passed through his mind.

Tommy erupted into cheers as well as the others gave their silent approval. Ranboo was the only one like him who was dreading the future.

He buried his face in his hands, “I can’t believe this…”

They started to talk more and more, and Tubbo’s wings were buzzing in agitation as the meeting went on. He thought Philza, his own captain, would vote for the right thing and what would be best for the crew. Instead, he voted for the human to stay.

“I can’t believe this.” He reiterated. Tubbo stood up from the table and left the room.

The door slid shut behind him, sealing him away from the others. Away from their stupidity. Away from the decision that would doom them all.

He let his footsteps echo down the hallway, each step heavier than the last. His wings twitched as he stormed toward his room. He barely registered the murmurs the others said, nor did he care if anyone followed.

“Unbelievable.” He muttered, as he opened the door to his room and entered. His wings flared out, agitated. “What is Philza even thinking?”

His room was medium-sized with a bed in the corner and a desk on the side with a chair. A few potted plants lined the walls while a soft, orange light radiated around the room.

Tubbo huffed. His crew worked for the Galactic Council, not just any government system. They worked under the ones who ruled over almost the entire galaxy. They shouldn't do things like this.

Dream wasn’t just some lost traveler who lost their way. He was dangerous. A wildcard. A liability. A killer.

Tubbo had seen the reports, seen the videos of humans and how savage they can be. 

Dream was unpredictable. He had slaughtered aliens with his bare hands. He even tried killing Tommy and him the same way. That wasn’t something you could just undo.

And now, they were just letting him stay?

Philza. His own captain. The one person Tubbo thought would be the most rational about this had just thrown away everything they had known.

Tubbo kicked the nearest chair in his room. It skidded across the floor, clattering against the wall. 

They were making a mistake. And worst of all? They wouldn’t realize it until it was too late.

They’re giving up everything just for a human. A single human.

A soft knock interrupted his spiral of thoughts. It was hesitant, barely audible over the buzzing of his wings and the thoughts consuming his mind.

Tubbo exhaled sharply, glaring at the door. He thought it was Tommy, or one of the others, here to convince him to give the human a chance. But the voice he expected was different.

“Tubbo?” Ranboo’s voice was quiet, almost cautious. “Can I come in?”

Tubbo didn’t answer right away. He wanted to be alone, to sit in his frustration, to let it simmer. But he also knew Ranboo wouldn’t leave unless he let him in.

Tubbo groaned, dragging one of his four hands down his face before stomping over to the door. With an irritated wave of his hand, the door slid open, revealing Ranboo, eyes flicking from Tubbo’s face to the floor.

“Hey,” Ranboo says, his tail swishing back and forth in nervousness.

Tubbo crossed his arms. “What?”

Ranboo hesitated before stepping inside, letting the door slide shut behind him. “You- uhm- stormed out pretty fast back there.”

“Yeah, no shit.”

Ranboo frowned. “Look, I get it. I do but… maybe it’s not as bad as you think?”

Tubbo let out a hollow laugh. “Not as bad as you think? Are you serious?” He gestured wildly. “You saw what he did back on that last ship! Don’t you think he could turn and do the same thing to us?”

Ranboo rubs the back of his neck. “I mean… I don’t think he wants to hurt anyone anymore.”

“That doesn’t mean he won’t.”

Silence stretched between them. Tubbo turned away, staring at his desk and away from Ranboo.

“I just…” He inhaled sharply. “I thought Philza would see reason. But instead, he’s risking everything. Our job, our spaceship, our very lives against the Council and for what? A human he barely knows?”

Ranboo didn’t have a response to that. He just stood there, fidgeting slightly, before speaking again. “Look, I know you’re mad-” Tubbo scoffs. “-but what’s done is done. The rest of the crew voted to let Dream stay so I think we should give him a chance.”

“Yeah, sure.” Tubbo but out sarcastically. “Let’s give the human a chance to turn and kill all of us- or, better yet, get us all in trouble and sentenced to death by the Council.”

Ranboo stood there, staring at Tubbo for a long moment. His mismatched eyes with something unreadable- disappointment? Frustration? Tubbo couldn’t tell.

Finally, Ranboo spoke. “His name is Dream.”

Tubbo stiffened. 

Ranboo didn’t wait for a response. He turned on his heel and walked out, the door sliding shut behind him with a quiet hiss.

Tubbo stood frozen in place, his hands curled into tight fists.

His name is Dream.

Tubbo scoffed, turning back toward his desk and slamming a hand against it. It didn’t matter how much Philza or the others wanted to act like this was normal. Dream was still dangerous.

And he needed to change their minds or do something to stop them.

A day had passed, and Tubbo stayed in his room. 

He didn’t go out of his room, didn’t speak to anyone, and barely ate. His mind was too wrapped up in the decision that had been made, the consequences that would surely come.

Tubbo decided to take a walk to clear his mind, and to hopefully come up with a plan to stop the others from making a drastic decision.

Slowly, Tubbo made his way around the ship. He stopped by the greenhouse, cautiously stepping in and making sure no one was there. The flowers and plants were the one thing soothing him on this whole ship.

After spending some time there, he walked around some more. Then he heard some faint sounds of people talking.

As he followed the sounds, he realized it was inside the training room. Tubbo hesitated but pressed the keypad and entered the code in which the doors opened. 

Tubbo entered but stayed out of sight, pressing himself against the wall and out of the light that lit up the arena.

His breath caught in his throat as he watched the scene.

There, in the middle, he saw the human running towards Technoblade who was shooting at the human in record speed. Still, Dream managed to dodge every single bullet that came his way.

Right when a bullet landed on Dream when he tried to snatch the gun away, the human tried again. This time, he managed to succeed in taking the gun away, ripping the gun away from the Technoblade.

Tubbo’s eyes widened.

Tubbo had never seen Technoblade lose before, even in a play fight. Dream was fast, his movements precise and calculated. Tubbo had watched as he disarmed Techno with terrifying efficiency, twisting the gun out of the warrior’s grasp and stepping backwards to gain distance.

Tommy, who was on the sidelines, broke into applause. “He did it! He actually beat Techno!”

“Well,” Wilbur was standing under a shaded railing, “That was unexpected.”

Something clicked in Tubbo’s mind. The crew were all teaching the human new things. Dream was learning, improving, and becoming more dangerous by the second.

And no one else seemed to see it.

Tubbo left the room in a hurry, managing to remain quiet as he made his way out.

He needed to talk to Philza, to stop them from proceeding and to convince him to give up the human to the Council.

“P-Philza!” Tubbo knocked on his captain’s door.

There was a pause before the door slid open.

Philza stood there, arms crossed, looking at Tubbo with a knowing expression. “I was wondering when you’d come to me.”

Tubbo clenched his fists. “You knew I’d come?”

Philza sighed, stepping aside. “Come in.”

Tubbo hesitated before stepping inside. Philza’s quarters were neat and tidy. A desk with scattered documents sat in the corner, and a few trinkets from past travels were displayed on a shelf. A small plant sat on a windowsill, swaying gently from the ship’s artificial air currents.

Philza shut the door behind them and turned to face him. “You’re going to try and convince me to hand Dream over, right?”

Tubbo’s wings flared in frustration. “Of course I am! Do you not realize what we could lose once we’re branded as traitors!? And now Technoblade is teaching him how to fight!”

Philza didn’t look surprised. He just listened, as if he had expected every word. “And you think that’s a bad thing?”

“Yes! Of course!” Tubbo snapped. “He’s a human! He doesn’t need our help! He already slaughtered an entire alien crew, nearly killed Tommy and me, and you're trying to teach him more?”

Philza remained silent, watching him carefully. Tubbo felt his stomach twist.

“You can’t seriously think this is a good idea.”

Philza exhaled, rubbing the temple of his head. “Tubbo, I understand where you are coming from- I do. But Dream isn’t the same as he was when we first found him.”

Tubbo scoffed. “That’s what he wants you to think.”

Philza’s eyes darkened slightly. “No, that’s what I know. He’s not training to kill- he’s training to defend himself. Dream’s not our enemy and you need to understand that.”

Tubbo’s wings started to buzz with frustration. “Defend himself from what, exactly? We’re the ones sheltering him! We’re the ones who will suffer if the Council ever finds out! Or should I say when?” His voice rose further. “He’s dangerous, Philza! I don’t understand why you refuse to see that!”

Philza narrowed his eyes, his voice unwavering. “Because he’s just a kid, Tubbo.”

Tubbo barked out a bitter laugh. “A kid? Are you serious?” He took a step forward, throwing his arms out. “Kids don’t massacre entire crews! Kids don’t steal ships and crash them onto planets! Kids don’t look at you like they’re deciding whether you’re worth sparing or not!”

Philza’s face remained unreadable. “He’s seventeen, Tubbo.”

Tubbo froze.

The number rattled in his head, clashing against the image of Dream- the cold, calculating human who had wiped out an entire ship. The man who held Tommy’s neck and almost killed him as well.

Seventeen.

Even if he was still older than him, Dream was a kid, just like him.

Tubbo’s jaw tightened. “That- That doesn’t change anything. He’s still dangerous.”

Philza sighed, putting a hand on Tubbo’s shoulder. “Tubbo. Listen, mate, I know you’re scared of him because of what he did to you. But he’s not the monster you’re making him out to be.” His voice softened, but it held steady. “He’s just a scared kid who’s had to fight for his life every second since the moment he was taken. And I won’t throw him to the Council without knowing what they will do to him just because you’re scared.”

“What about our jobs? What happens when the Council finds out? Don’t you realize-”

“I know what’s at stake,” Philza interrupted, his voice sharp. “I know what it means to go against the Council. I know the risks we’re taking… But I also know what it means to abandon someone who has no one left.”

Tubbo scowled. “You’re making a mistake,” he muttered.

“I hope you come to see that I’m not.”