Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Elkin awakes under the stars, framing the colossal body of Giant’s Deep. A giddy smile immediately spreads from ear to pointed ear as they sit up from their sleeping bag, glancing over to Slate prodding the campfire. As soon as the engineer saw Elkin sit up, they cracked a grin of their own, straightening their posture.

“There’s our pilot! Back from your pre-launch campout under the stars, I see,” Slate hums, flashing their teeth. “Time sure flies, doesn’t it, Hatchling? Seems like only yesterday you joined the space program, and now it’s launch day…”

“Oh don’t start getting sentimental on me now, Slate-” Elkin responds as they climb from their sleeping bag, their brilliant grin never leaving their face, betraying the excitement that rattled their very bones.

Slate laughs, shaking their head. “Yeah, yeah- ready to get this beauty off the ground? It’s all fueled up and ready to go!”

“All systems go!” Elkin replies with a laugh, nodding excitedly. Slate nods as well, their expression turning stern for a moment. 

“Glad you’re excited, but remember, if you wreck the ship I’m not building you a new one. I’m not made of lightweight reentry grade aluminum alloys, you know,” They huff, before their expression softens and they continue. “Anyway, you’ll need to get the launch codes before you lift off. Just bring those back here once you’ve said your goodbyes or whatever.”

Elkin nods again, taking off sprinting towards the village as soon as they finish. “Thanks Slate! See you soon!”

The older hearthian chuckles as they watch them run off, shaking their head and turning their attention back to the fire.

After a very quick, overly-excited, and energetic round of goodbyes to everyone in the village, Elkin made their way up the path to the observatory. Passing the patch of ghost matter where Arkose stood, throwing rocks, their attention is caught by a scrap of paper pinned to the sign marking the Zero-G cave.

“Hey! Come say hi to your old flight coach before your launch. I’ve got zero-g training set up if you want a refresher.

-Gossan”

They smile softly as they read the note, turning towards the cave and quickly making their way over. They wave a hand over their head, beaming brightly as they spot their flight coach in the cave entrance. “Gossan!”

The older hearthian looks up, a feeling of pride swelling up in their chest as they see their student approach. “Hey, I thought I might see you before the big launch” they reply lightly, smiling.

“Might? What, you think I’m too excited to stop and say goodbye?” Elkin huffs, a joking air of offense radiating off them. “I wouldn’t be lifting off today if it weren’t for you”

Gossan’s smile brightens at that, glancing away as they clear their throat. “Nervous?”

Elkin blinks, huffing as they immediately grow defensive. “Right, like you weren’t nervous for your first flight-” 

Gossan chuckles lightly, shaking their head with a knowing grin. “Hey, don’t worry about it,” They hum, setting a comforting hand on Elkin’s shoulder. “Your nerves are between you, me, and the vast endlessness of space.”

“Thanks Goss,” Elkin replies after a moment of stubborn silence, letting out a hefty sigh. “As excited as I am, I guess I am pretty nervous too-”

“You’ll do fine out there, Elkin. Really,” Gossan hums, a reassuring smile on their face. “I’d worry more about that ship, if I were you. Hopefully that lunatic Slate at least fixed the retro rockets-”

“Okay, well that’s not helping-” The younger hearthian huffs, narrowing their eyes at their flight instructor lightheartedly.

“Sorry, sorry-” Gossan laughs awkwardly, shaking their head. “So listen, there’s a ‘satellite’ - which is definitely not just a piece of broken mining equipment - set up down in the zero-g cave and in need of repairs,” Elkin’s expression softens as they listen, tilting their head. “If you’re looking for a little last-minute zero-g practice, you can go ahead into the cave. Or not, so long as you’re confident you can make ship repairs in space.”

“Nah,” Elkin shakes their head, beaming. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m ready for the real thing.”

“Heh. Darn right you are,” Gossan replies, their wide grin and misty eyes displaying their pride clearly. “Don’t get yourself killed out there, you hear? Not after I’ve put this much work into training you.”

Elkin lets out a huff, laced heavy with emotion as they step forward and wrap their flight instructor in a hug. Gossan blinks in surprise, smiling softly as they hug their student back for a moment before gently shooing them off.

“Go on now, go make Outer Wilds Ventures proud.”

It wasn’t long after their goodbye to Gossan that Elkin approached the Museum-Observatory, smiling as they spotted their best friend standing next to the newest exhibit. “Hal!” They call out as they approach, beaming brightly.

“Hey, hey, it’s my favorite astronaut!” Hal replies with a grin as they look up from the statue, crossing their arms. “Launch day at last, huh buddy? Time to finally put all our hard work to use! I’m so excited it’s making me nauseous-”

“Normally I’d make some sort of joke, but I feel the same way right now-” Elkin replies with a nervous laugh, cracking a goofy grin. “Stick around the observatory after I launch and I’ll radio in to read you the first thing I translate, okay?”

“You’d better! You and I put so many hours into that translator- be careful with it, okay? Stars above, don’t break it please-” Hal rambles, looking sick as they brought up the possibility of the tool getting broken.

“ Hal, ” Elkin huffs, holding a hand up to stop their friend’s little spiral. “I’ll be careful with it, promise. I certainly don’t want it getting broken any more than you do-”

“Sorry, sorry- ignore me, I’m just nervous,” Hal replies as they run a hand over their face. “And I’m not even the one going into space! How are you feeling-?”

“I’m so excited-” Elkin replies with a grin, “And so nervous, stars I have no clue what I’ll find out there-”

“Don’t let it get to you, you’ve been training for this day since we were hatchlings! You’ll do great out there, and with our translator by your side there’s no doubt you’ll bring home some groundbreaking new discoveries!” Hal huffs enthusiastically, patting their shoulder. “Anyway, I know you’re here for the launch codes, but you gotta check out the new statue while you’re here-”

“Of course I do, I’m not gonna take off without checking out our awesome new exhibit!” Elkin rolls their eyes lightheartedly, shifting their gaze to the Nomai statue.

“Yeah, I knew you’d wanna see this beauty for yourself- Hornfels just finished prepping it for display today,” Hal hums, smiling as they follow Elkin’s gaze. “Amazing, isn’t it?”

Elkin just nods, taking a moment to really take in the beautiful masonry. They couldn’t help but get absorbed in all the intricately crafted details, feeling that longing pull at their chest that drew them to reach for the stars in the first place, to learn more about this lost people.

“Makes me wish we could see what a real live Nomai looks like, but I guess this is as close as we’ll ever get,” Hal continues, stepping closer as they gingerly set a hand on the statue’s neck. “Check it out - looks like they had fur! Fur is weird .”

“You can say that again,” Elkin chuckles, nodding again as they cross their arms in a lighthearted but impatient stance.

“And it’s in such great shape too, especially for how old it is-” Hal smiles, before glancing back to their best friend. “...Ah geez, I got a little carried away there. Go on, you have a ship to launch! Take care of yourself out there, you hear?”

Elkin beams, pulling Hal into a quick hug. “I will, don’t worry! Don’t miss me too much!” They counter, jogging into the Museum.

As they make their way to the ramp that leads into the observatory, they take a quick glance over the other exhibits, gaze lingering on the piece of wall that held the nomaian text they and Hal had slaved over to create their translator. They smile softly, sending a salute to the piece of wall before heading up into the observatory.

They glance around the room, spotting Hornfels busy at the towering computer station, their silhouette framed by the glowing screens. Elkin approaches, clearing their throat as they get close.

Hornfels jumps, turning around before cracking a smile. “Ah, there you are! Perfect timing, I just finished up pre-flight observations and local conditions look good. Ready to get off the ground?”

“So ready!” Elkin nods, beaming.

“You’ll be our first ever astronaut equipped with a Nomai translator tool!” They hum excitedly as they turn back to the desk, rummaging through the files and papers. “I confess, I’ve been giddy all day just thinking about it. We’re better equipped than ever to unravel the mysteries of the Nomai-” They find the scrap of paper they were looking for, turning back to the excited rookie. “You and Hal should be very proud of your work”

Elkin blinks, flushing a dusty purple as they nod sheepishly. “Thanks Hornfels-”

The older hearthian smiles, nodding. “So, tell me, what’s your plan once you’re in space?”

“Well, I’m gonna learn more about the Nomai, for sure,” Elkin replies, gesturing to the tool strapped to their belt with a chuckle. “As for where I’ll go, I think I’ll start small, check out the ruins on the Attlerock maybe-”

“I might’ve guessed you’d say that, no sense in making a translator tool if you aren’t going to use it!” Hornfels laughs lightly, nodding. “I’m sure Esker would appreciate the visit, too. Looks like all that’s left to do is send you off! All in all, it’s a fine day for a launch!”

“I’m ready to get off this rock!” Elkin cheers, beaming.

“Excellent,” Hornfels matches Elkin’s beaming smile, handing them the scrap of paper. “You’ll be needing these launch codes, then. Best get off the ground before Slate makes any more modifications to your ship, eh?”

“Don’t remind me-” Elkin chuckles humorlessly, taking the paper with a nod. “Thanks Hornfels!” They add, turning and heading down the ramp with an enthusiastic wave.

“Best of luck out there! Let me know if you need anything!” Hornfels calls after them, waving in return.

Making their way out of the museum, Elkin stops for a moment, taking in the statue once more. Then, with a loud ‘whoop!’, they jog out of the building and towards the launch pad without a second glance. The statue looms in the doorframe, eyes still sealed shut.

Chapter Text

Orbiting the Attlerock, Elkin steers their ship with a steady hand, focused eyes scanning the surface of the moon before locking on to the silhouette of the lunar outpost in the distance. Pulling the ship to a hover, they touch down relatively smoothly, beaming as they slip on their helmet and quickly hop out of the ship. From their rocking chair, Esker looks a little shocked, one hand holding the brim of their hat up as they stare at the freshly landed ship and the brand new astronaut headed their way.

“Esker!” Elkin calls out as they approach in big, bounding, low-gravity steps, waving a hand over their head.

“Hey, hey, Elkin! Ground control didn’t tell me you were launching-” The older hearthian replies, surprise lingering on their features. “Long time no see! Actually, I guess it’s been a long time since I’ve seen anyone-”

“Really? I even told Hornfels I was gonna stop here first-” Elkin replies, their furrowed brows unseen under their tinted visor. They shake their head, huffing lightly as they pull out the translator. “Anyway, check it out! Hal and I’s Nomai translator tool, ready for its first time in action!”

Esker straightens up, raising a brow as they look over the tool. They let out a whistle, clearly impressed. “Well now, you don’t see somethin’ like that every day-”

“Wanna see its first run out on the field? I’m gonna take it to the ruins down on the south pole and see what those have to offer,” Elkin hums, tilting their head as they fold the gadget back up and slip it back into its designated pocket.

“Huh-?” Esker blinks in surprise, gaping slightly. “Really? You want me to come with you?”

It was clear how lonely they were, especially with the poorly masked desperation in that response. Elkin nods, offering an invisible smile as they set a hand on their hip. “Yeah! It’s kinda a big deal, I want anyone there I can get. Hornfels and Hal are waiting back at the observatory for a live translation as well!”

Esker beams, lifting themselves from their rocking chair. “Alright, alright- let me suit up, I’ll gladly join you,” They reply, turning towards their little cabin with a glimmer in their eyes.

Approaching the pole, Elkin and Esker walk side-by-side, both brimming with excitement at the prospect of a new discovery.

“Elkin to Ground Control, do you read me? Over.” Elkin speaks into their radio as they step into the ring-shaped ruins, making their way towards the middle. Esker trails close behind, taking in the ruins for what felt like the hundredth time.

“Affirmative! Hornfels and Hal, hearing you loud and clear!” Hornfels’ voice crackles in over the radio, and Hal’s is quick to follow.

“I’m so excited my stomach hurts- oh, uh. Over.”

“Alright, alright, don’t barf in the observatory Hal- I’m working on it, over.” Elkin responds with a chuckle, looking around. “Hm, not seeing any text out here. Let’s head downstairs, Esker.”

Esker hums in response, glancing over to the young pilot before perking up and following them down.

Down the spiral staircase, a writing slab slotted with a Nomaian scroll caught Elkin’s eyes, and they quickly shuffled over. “Okay, okay- I’ve got something here. Anyone got something to write with? Over.”

“Already one step ahead of you, Hatchling. Over.” Hornfels replies.

“Alright- okay, alright, here goes-” Elkin huffs, bouncing on their heels as they hype themselves up before pulling out the translator tool. “Okay. The root line is authored by a ‘Coleus’. I was upstairs testing the Eye signal locator, and it can hear and follow the signals from the sun, Giants Deep, and Brittle Hollow. Line over.”

“Eye signal...? What do you mean, ‘eye’? Over.” Hornfels huffs, the furrow in their brows practically audible in their tone.

“Not sure, but the translator is indicating its capitalized, like something of interest,” Elkin hums thoughtfully, staring at the translated text.

“Well they’re talking about the apparatus upstairs, I can tell that much. Dunno about this ‘Eye’ business, but I’ve fiddled around with it a little, and it’ll line up with all the mentioned planets,” Esker inputs, leaning against the wall. “The one with that strange symbol just spins around, back and forth, though.” They add, pointing towards the metal effigy mounted to the wall.

“Well maybe if you’d translate more of it, it’d make sense!” Hal huffs impatiently, and after a moment, “Over.”

“Well then, maybe for that I’ll just shut off my radio and read it to Esker~” Elkin teases, their cheeky grin audible over the line.

A gasp from Hal. “You wouldn’t do that to me, would you-? Over.”

“Nah, not really,” Elkin chuckles, shaking their head. An impatient ‘ ahem’ is heard from Hornfels, and Elkin continues. “Alright, branching off the root, Coleus continues; However, something strange is happening when I ask the Eye signal locator to follow the Eye’s signal: The device’s indicator rotates wildly and never points to just one direction. ”

They think about that for a moment, glancing at the symbol on the wall that Esker had pointed out. “They were looking for this ‘Eye’, which seems to be marked by the same symbol on the text in the museum. The next branch sprouts off Coleus’ second message, authored by a Thatch. This is a curious result. It’s possible that the Eye has stopped calling out its signal. There’s a second response authored by Filix. I see! I most likely calibrated the locator incorrectly. Privet (my apprentice) and I will make adjustments and try again. Over.”

“Thatch and Filix are both responding to Coleus here? Over.” Hornfels asks, their voice brimming with concentration as they write all this down.

“Yup,” Elkin hums, waiting a moment before continuing. “Branching off their own response, Filix says An update: Disappointingly, everything is correctly calibrated after all. Cassava responds to that message, It saddens me to posit this, my friends, but I believe we need to build a more sophisticated device if we want to… ”

They trail off for a moment as they read ahead, raising their brows. “ ...if we want to find the exact location of the Eye of the Universe. Over.”

“...Eye of the Universe? What does that even mean?” Hornfels replies, deep curiosity mingling with their confused tone.

“Whatever it is, it sounds important,” Elkin hums, looking to the last line of the scroll. “There’s one last branch here, responding to Cassava. Authored by Thatch, it says Then we build it. Don’t lose hope, Cassava; our search for the Eye is what brought our cLA- THEY CAME HERE LOOKING FOR THE EYE!” Elkin interrupts themselves with a shout as they realize, leaving the ground for a moment in their excitement. Their volume even makes Esker jump, and a squeal of feedback resounds over the line.

The radio sits in silence for a moment, Hornfels too shocked to scold the excited pilot for shouting over the line. “Oh my stars…” Hornfels manages after a moment, sounding absolutely giddy. “I’d imagined big discoveries with the translator out in the system, but the very first reading? And to find out they came here, for something we didn’t even know about, no less! Oh- oh dear, it seems Hal needs a moment- Over.”

Elkin chuckles, shaking their head. “I figured that was bound to happen at some point… Wow, Eye of the Universe, huh? Knowing the Nomai, that’s probably literal, over.”

“And yet that still doesn’t very well tell us what it is. I will say, I cannot wait to find out more! Over.” Hornfels replies cheerfully, excitement and curiosity in their voice.

After finishing up in the ruins, Elkin and Esker start to make their way back towards the outpost.

“I guess I’ll probably head to Brittle Hollow next, see what I can find at the upgraded locator,” Elkin hums contently, a light skip in their step at the excitement of making such a discovery. “Say hi to Riebeck while I’m there, too”

“Sounds like a plan now, doesn’t it? I’ll be sad to see you go, but I wish you luck on your travels, Hatchling,” Esker responds, a melancholy tone to their voice as they trot along next to them.

“I’ll be sure to radio in with anything interesting I find,” Elkin smiles, glancing over to the older hearthian.

Esker blinks, smiling sadly. “I’d really appreciate that,” They hum, sounding like they were about to continue, before the sight of Timber Hearth cracks the horizon and a thought comes to mind. “Actually, hey, before you leave. I’ve been picking up something… weird, on my signalscope back on Hearth. Pretty sure I just need a repair, but it doesn’t hurt to check while you’re here, yeah?”

“Hm?” Elkin furrows their brows, tilting their head as they glance up at the rising planet, before pulling out their own, practically brand-new signalscope. “Yeah, sure, anything to help! Where am I checking?”

“It was comin’ from up north last I checked, you can see the smoke rising from here,” Esker points out the plume of smoke, an almost inaudible hint of dread in their voice.

Elkin nods, aiming the tool up at the north pole of the planet. As soon as they line up, they freeze, their body tensing. “...is… is that-?”

“You hear it too?” Esker replies wearily, the dread even more pronounced. “Stars… I didn’t think…”

With eerie harmonica ringing in their ears, Elkin reaches shakily for their radio. “H-hey Hornfels, you still there-?”

There’s a moment of silence, waiting for the forgotten ‘over’ , before Hornfels responds. “Elkin? What’s wrong? Over.”

“Yeah, uh, you might want to take a signalscope and point it north,” They respond, their voice trembling. “Over.”

“Huh? Alright, I’m not sure what you’re on about but-” Hornfels shuffles around as they get out their own signalscope, before abruptly falling silent as they hear what Elkin and Esker were hearing. There’s the sound of things falling before their line cuts off, leaving Elkin and Esker to stare at each other in a befuddled manner.

“I uh. Think I might have killed them-” Elkin huffs humorlessly, dropping their hand down to their side.

Chapter Text

Back on Hearth, Gossan strolls up to the launch tower, leaning against one of the trees by the campfire. Slate looks up from where they hadn’t moved since Elkin’s launch, eyes narrowing as their lips curl up into a sneer.

“What do you want? Looking for parts that fell off the ship or something?” Slate growls, prodding at the fire with their aptly charred poking stick. “Something else to blame me for?”

Gossan sighs, brows pinching together as their gaze doesn’t leave the sky. “I’m just thinking, Slate. My student just launched from this tower, y’know”

Slate rolls their eyes, but doesn’t comment further than that.

They both sit in an uncomfortable silence for a while, before Gossan speaks up, voice soft. “They remind me of Feldspar, so much-”

Slate barks out a harsh, humorless laugh, shooting them a glare. “You think I wanna talk about Feldspar with you, of all people? Please, spare me your waterworks and go cry on Hornfels’ shoulder about it.”

Gossan sighs, pushing themselves up off the tree. “Yeah, dunno why I tried…” They reply with a huff, turning and heading off towards the observatory.

Strolling into the museum with their eyes low, Gossan cuts through the exhibits and heads straight up the ramp. They don’t immediately spot Hornfels, and when they do, they find themselves shocked to see the museum curator on the floor. Clutching a signalscope and holding the earpiece to their ear, they looked pale.

“Hornfels-? Hey, what happened? You look like you’ve seen a-” Gossan starts, but before they can finish, Hornfels unplugs the earpiece, letting the sound of Feldspar's harmonica fill the room. With that, Gossan goes pale as well, staring at the signalscope with wide eyes. “...ghost…”

Back at the launch tower, Slate prods grumpily at the campfire, but they aren’t left with much time to sulk when Elkin’s ship speeds overhead quick enough that Slate almost misses it.

“What the f…?” Slate mutters to themselves with wide eyes, staring for a moment before leaping to their feet and sprinting in the direction the ship flew. “Stars, Gossan wasn’t kidding-”

At Youngbark Crater, Elkin’s ship loomed, parked at the edge. Elkin stood in front of a mangled mess of spiny vines, surrounded by Tektite, Hornfels, Gossan, and Esker. Slate jogs up to the edge of the crater, wheezing and panting as they rest their hands on their knees. “Oi! What in Hollow’s Lantern is going on here?! How did Esker get here-?” 

The five hearthians gathered by the alien seed all look back as Slate yells into the crater, Elkin pulling away from the others. “I brought them! Come on down Slate, you’re gonna wanna be here for this!” They call up to the engineer, waving them down

Slate slides down into the crater, jogging over to the group. “What’s happening? And the fuck do you think you’re doing flying the ship like that??” They add, pointing a stern finger at Elkin.

“Sorry, sorry-” Elkin raises their hands defensively, chuckling sheepishly. “I was kinda freaking out. Before you blow a gasket, there’s not a scratch on it,” They huff lightly, turning back to the group. “C’mon, we’re about to see for sure…”

“See what?? Will someone tell me what’s going on??” Slate demands, following as the young pilot pulls out their scout launcher. Nobody responds, faces grim as they all watch the seed expectantly.

With a whoosh, Elkin launches their scout, and the piece of equipment disappears into the eerie white opening. As they start taking pictures, the others crowd around, watching the little scout’s journey through the fog, faces painted in confusion as they watch it travel hundreds of  meters into the seed that couldn’t have been bigger than a meter across. There’s a couple gasps of surprise as massive teeth appeared in one frame, and the next, the scout had settled into the mouth of the ghostly remains of the massive anglerfish, a seed that looked scarily similar to the one right in front of them nestled in its middle.

Elkin huffs, starting to rotate the camera when they didn’t spot anything else. Rotating towards the mouth of the remains, the camera reveals a suited figure looming, a campfire barely visible in the background that they had gotten up from to investigate the sudden appearance of the little scout.

“ Feldspar- ” Gossan gasps softly, leaning in closer to get a better look. Hornfels goes pale, and Esker steps over to their side, afraid they may faint again. Slate stares in shock, silent for an excruciatingly long moment before they find their voice.

“what…?”

“I’ve… been hearing their harmonica from here for- stars, a few weeks at least-” Esker admits quietly, staring at the scout’s photo display with droopy ears. “They’d been gone for so long, I never thought it could possibly be real- ”

Slate steps back with a stumble, bringing a hand to their head as they shakily sit themselves down. “They’re alive…?”

Gossan huffs, stepping back. “Well they can’t possibly be inside… that .” They gesture to the seed, glancing up at the sky. “Where are you, Feldspar…?”

“Well, the plant looks a whole lot like a mini Dark Bramble, at least to me-” Tektite offers, shifting their weight against their pickaxe.

“Hold on-” Elkin glances up as well, furrowing their brows and pulling down their helmet visor. “I’m getting two signals from the scout.”

“Two signals?” Gossan furrows their brows, glancing over at their student. “Oh, stars… it can’t be…”

Elkin steps away from the group, climbing up to the edge of the crater before looking around. They stand there for a moment, staring at the little blip on their HUD that marked the ‘other’ scout. Sitting in the twisted maw of Dark Bramble off in the distance, taunting them. “Goss… it is. They’re in Dark Bramble”

“ Fuck ,” Gossan hisses, looking back at the rest of the group. “Slate-”

Slate looks up, their shell shocked expression twisting into something almost wrathful . “Gonna rub it in my face?”

Everyone shifts their gaze to Slate, most of them looking a little shocked at the reply. Gossan blinks, deflating with a sigh. “Slate, no-”

“I was wrong! They’re alive, so take your jabs!” Slate sneers, spreading their arms.

“Slate.” Hornfels steps in sternly, looking down at them with a scolding expression. “Now is not the time. Feldspar is still out there, we need to stay level-headed.”

Elkin slides back down into the crater, making their way back to the group as Esker and Tektite separate to discuss the seed.

Gossan sighs, hesitating for a moment before crouching down to be on Slate’s level. “I was just going to ask if you’d prepare the rescue ship.”

Slate blinks, furrowing their brows as they scramble to their feet. “You’re not just gonna fly into Dark Bramble , are you-? Feldspar’s the only one crazy enough to do that, and look where it landed them!”

Gossan sighs, getting back up as well. “Would you rather I just leave them stuck there? It’s been six years, Slate-”

“Of course not! But face it, you don’t know what you’ll be facing in there, and whatever it is stranded the greatest pilot in Hearthian history,” Slate growls, prodding a finger at their chest. “I’m not helping you kill yourself.”

“Come on, Slate-” Gossan pleads softly, stepping back. “I just want to bring them home-”

“Slate-” Hornfels tries to interject, but is quickly silenced by a cold glare from the engineer.

“And you think I don’t?! I want them home too, but the answer definitely isn’t rushing into the most dangerous planet in the system, thrusters-blazing!” Slate snarls, before sighing. “You know what, whatever. Get yourself killed for all I care, but prepare the ship yourself,” They huff, turning and making their leave. “I won’t aid this suicide mission.”

Hornfels lets out a tense sigh, glancing at the others before taking off after Slate.

Gossan sighs heavily, shoulders sagging as they run a hand over their face. Elkin sets a hand on their shoulder, raising their visor to offer a sympathetic look. “I’ll help prep the ship, if you want.”

“Hatchling…” Gossan blinks, glancing over at them with a frown. “Today’s supposed to be your big day, you’ve done more than enough already. Get back out among the stars, where you belong.”

“I have the rest of my life to be among the stars,” Elkin counters with a stubborn huff. “The faster you get out there, the faster you can get Feldspar home. They’ve been gone way too long as it is”

Gossan sighs, cracking a weary smile. “Alright, fine. Let’s get to the shipyard, then…”

“That seed is bad business,” Esker huffs, staring down at the gnarly mess of alien roots. “Chert left an audio log out on the Attlerock talkin’ about how Dark Bramble tore apart that ice planet that used to be there”

“Already one step ahead of ya there, Esker. I was just about to get Hal and Marl to help me rip this thing up, but then half the Outer Wilds Ventures team showed up-” Tektite replies, narrowing their eyes at the plant. “This tearin’ apart planets business doesn’t sound good though. We should probably get working on it as soon as possible.”

“Tell you what, I’ll get started on tryin’a chop this thing up while you grab Marl and Hal,” Esker offers, resting their hands on their hips. “I’ve been itchin’ to get my hands dirty for a while-”

“Works for me, I’ll be back soon then,” Tektite nods with a huff, stepping back to go find the young hearthians.

“Slate.” Hornfels calls after the engineer as they follow after them, a little winded from scrambling out of the crater in pursuit. Getting no response, they raise their voice a little. “Slate!”

“I’m not taking it back,” Slate replies over their shoulder, not stopping. “And I’m not helping.”

“You don’t want that to be the last thing you said to them, is it?” Hornfels huffs, a

pleading look on their face.

With that, Slate slows to a stop. “...So stop them”

“Slate…” Hornfels droops, frowning. “I can’t-”

“But you agree it’s a bad idea, right? That they’re just gonna get themselves killed-” Slate pushes, turning to face Hornfels. “You have every reason to ground them for safety- for their own good, before they kill themselves and destroy Feldspar’s dream-”

“There’s no point having your dreams come true if you’re not there to see it.” Hornfels huffs, shaking their head. “Yes, I agree that it’s dangerous, and stupid, but… it’s also our chance to get them back. I certainly don’t have the heart to tell Gossan they can’t try…”

“You have to-” Slate demands with a scowl, glaring at the meek museum curator.

“No,” Hornfels retorts, narrowing their eyes nervously at the engineer. “No, I won’t stop them. I’m shocked that you, of all people, aren’t grasping at the throttle to get Feldspar home- they don’t deserve to be left out there all alone. We can’t not try.”

Slate huffs, glare faltering. “So you’re just fine sending them off to their death?”

“I’m not.” Hornfels shakes their head, glancing off to the side. “I know chances are slim. But I also know that, at this point, Gossan probably won’t even listen to me…”

Slate sighs, shoulders slumping. “I don’t think I have it in me to hope for the best-”

“Do you at least have it in you to apologize, then?” Hornfels replies, their expression softening. “I know you’ll beat yourself up over it if anything happens…”

Slate huffs, lips curling up into a sneer. “You want me to apologize to them ??,” They snip, before letting out a sigh. “Tch, it’d take me hours to get through all the apologies I owe them anyway…”

Hornfels sighs, shaking their head. “I won’t push you, but think about it. I’m going to see how far along they are with prep…”

“I’m sorry that your launch day ended up so hectic,” Gossan sighs as they inspect the rescue ship, crossing their arms. “None of us expected anything like this-”

“It’s alright, Goss, really-” Elkin replies with a hum as they climb up to the fuel tank, hauling a fuel line with them. “I’m glad Feldspar’s been found. And besides, I already made an incredible discovery anyway!”

“Really?” Gossan raises a brow, glancing up at the young pilot before continuing their inspection. “Well don’t leave me hanging, what’d you find?”

“I found out that the Nomai came here from somewhere else,” They hum, dropping the line into the tank and starting to fill it up. “Specifically, looking for something they called the Eye of the Universe ”

Blinking in surprise, Gossan looks up at Elkin again. “Eye of the Universe, huh? Now that sounds important, doesn’t it?”

“I can’t wait to find out more,” Elkin replies with a smile, watching the fuel tank slowly fill. “It’s an impressive name, but it doesn’t shed any light on what it was-”

“Well, it sounds to me like it’s the universe’s eye,” Gossan replies with a cheeky grin, chuckling to themselves. “But seriously, that’s an incredible discovery. You better tell me everything else you learn when I get back”

Elkin’s cheerful expression falters at that, hesitating before sliding down off the ship. “Well, you better make it back, then.” They huff, pulling the other into a tight hug. Gossan frowns, returning the hug just as tight.

“I’ll try my best, Elkin…”

Chapter Text

After finishing up their final preparations, Gossan takes a seat next to the ship, letting out a heavy sigh as they look up at the sky. “I’m coming for you, Feldspar… Don’t you worry…”

They glance back down as they hear footsteps, spotting Hornfels walking into the shipyard.

“Hey… almost ready for liftoff?” Hornfels asks softly, taking a seat next to the weary-looking pilot.

“Just finished packing up the ship,” Gossan replies, reaching back and giving one of the landing gears a pat. “I was just taking a breather before I left.”

“Gossan, listen…” Hornfels starts, glancing away as they fidget with their vest. “Maybe you should get some rest before you launch, take off in the morning-”

Gossan tenses, glancing over at Hornfels with a pleading look. “Hornfels, come on-”

“I’ll have the ship lifted to the launch pad for you, but I don’t want you lifting off without a clear head,” Hornfels huffs and steels their expression, shaking their head. “It’s been a long day. Go get some rest.”

“Hornfels, please ,” Gossan begs, their tone bringing a look of surprise to the other’s face as they avert their gaze. “I- I can’t , I have to bring them home-”

Hornfels sighs, setting a hand on Gossan’s shoulder with a comforting squeeze. “They’ve been surviving in there for six years, a few more hours is nothing. I’m not losing another pilot in there, Gossan.”

“But-”

“No buts about it, I need you in top shape before you go out there,” Hornfels sighs, getting to their feet. “I’ll make you get the launch codes from Slate, don’t test me-”

Gossan tenses, sighing heavily before getting to their feet. “ Fine. But I’m waking you up at the arse-crack of dawn for my launch codes.”

“As long as you get some rest, I’ll be happy,” Hornfels replies with a shrug, turning towards the ship crane.

Gossan huffs, turning and making their way out of the shipyard with the gears turning in their head, hellbent on getting to Feldspar.

At the launch pad campfire, Hornfels and Slate sit together, sharing a bottle of sap wine and conversing softly with each other. 

“Thanks again. For… making them stay for the night,” Slate hums softly, gaze fixed on the fire. “I don’t… I don’t want to stop them, I just…”

“It’s alright,” Hornfels responds with a light huff, taking a sip from the bottle before passing it over. “No need to explain yourself, I get it. They’ll understand by morning as well, once their hero-complex tunnel-vision wears off-”

Slate laughs dryly, nodding. “Yeah…” They trail off, taking the bottle with a huff and taking a large swig.

The two sit in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, passing the bottle back and forth and enjoying each other’s company.

That is, until there’s the unmistakable sound of a slamming ship hatch and thrusters firing above them. Both hearthians leap to their feet, staring at each other with wide, shocked eyes for a moment before cramming into the lift that was really only meant for one person. At the top, they stumble out onto the launch pad, Hornfels running out to the middle to stare up at the ship quickly receding into the inky canvas of stars.

“How did they even…” Hornfels mutters, voice shaking.

“That stubborn prick must've scaled the launch tower-” Slate hisses, narrowing their eyes at the shrinking ship up in the sky. “Stars, they’re really committed to killing themselves…”

Hornfels tenses at that, turning on their heel with a huff and pushing past Slate as they step back into the lift, leaving the engineer looking confused up on the launch pad. They take off towards the observatory as soon as they reach the ground, not even bothering to send the lift back up to Slate, who is quite baffled at this point.

“Well how the fuck am I meant to get down…”

It didn’t take Gossan long to decide they weren’t going to let Hornfels keep them grounded, they didn’t have a care in the world about anything but Feldspar at the moment. Getting up to the launch pad, however, they found would prove an issue. Hornfels and Slate were guarding the lift, so they couldn’t try to guess the codes put in place to stop them, and climbing the elevator shaft was obviously out of the question.

For a while they considered some sort of makeshift grappling hook. With a long enough rope and a rock, they could hook to one of the supports and climb their way up from there, but even the back of the launch pad was too visible for a climb like that. Someone was bound to notice, with how long it’d take them.

And then it hit them. The Zero-G cave, and the prepped practice suit that had gone neglected in Elkin’s haste to lift off. The suit itself wouldn’t fit properly, but the jetpack would be useful. Even without a boost function, it’d get them up there quickly and quietly enough to take off before they get caught.

Without a second thought, they take off towards the cave. Most of the village was distracted, celebrating Elkin’s first discovery with a bonfire and s’mores, so they were in the clear.

Well, mostly.

“Gossan?” A soft voice comes from behind them. Gossan almost curses. Porphy.

They turn, cracking a nervous smile as they awkwardly avert their gaze. “Heyy Porphy-”

“I’ve been looking for you,” Porphy replies sweetly, oblivious to the other’s quickly rising guilt. “I was a little surprised when you weren’t right there with Elkin, honestly…”

“Ah, yeah-” Gossan chuckles nervously, rubbing the back of their neck. “Well, Elkin had a little issue with their ship, I’m just helping get it fixed so they can take off again tomorrow-” They lie shakily, hoping the other wouldn’t notice. “I’ll meet you by the fire when I’m done.” 

“Really…? They didn’t mention anything about their ship…” Porphy furrows their brows slightly, tilting their head. “Well, don’t take too long, Rutile won’t let us keep this bonfire going for too much longer-”

“I’ll try not to-” Gossan replies softly, taking that moment to continue towards their goal.

Porphy watches them go with a small frown and an unsure look, hesitating a moment before turning and heading back to the fire.

Making their way towards the zero-g cave, Gossan’s stomach twists in knots, debating for a moment if this was really worth it. If they got themselves killed without even saying goodbye to Porphy… And Elkin had only just begun their journey as an astronaut, they’d miss so much. But they couldn’t stop now, not when Feldspar was just within reach after all these years.

Elkin had been having a good time at the bonfire, until the disturbance of a takeoff rattled the crater, leaving everyone looking confused and worried. That worry only increased tenfold when Hornfels sprinted through the village, not stopping to explain despite several demands of “what’s going on?” being shouted at them.

Elkin gets up, weaving through the crowd and chasing after Hornfels with a worried frown. “Hornfels? Hey, slow down a sec! What happened?”

Hornfels tenses, glancing over their shoulder at the young hearthian. “Ah, Elkin- D-don’t worry about it, go enjoy your celebration!”

“Gossan ran, didn’t they-?” Elkin responds with a huff, crossing their arms stubbornly. “I’m not stupid, I heard the ship. Kinda hard not to”

Hornfels sighs, nodding. “I’m gonna see if I can get ahold of them over the radio, talk some sense into them-” They reply, turning and continuing towards the observatory.

“I’m coming with,” Elkin replies firmly, leaving little room for argument as they follow quickly after Hornfels.

Making their way up the ramp into the observatory, Hornfels rushes to the radio with Elkin close behind. “Ground Control to Gossan, do you copy? Over.”

There’s an achingly long moment with no response, before Elkin takes the receiver. “Gossan, it’s Elkin. If you don’t respond I’m going after you, over.” This earns a squeal of “You will NOT!” from Hornfels, but it also brings a response out from Gossan.

“You better not, Hatchling. Over.”

Elkin frowns softly, sighing. “You didn’t even say goodbye, y’know. Over.”

There’s another moment of silence. “Sometimes it’s better that way. Hopefully I won’t have needed to, over.”

Slate barges into the observatory, huffing and panting heavily. “Hornfels you arsehole , you left me on the launch pad!”

Hornfels pays them no mind for the moment, gently taking the receiver from Elkin. “It’s not too late to turn back, Gossan. You can still say goodbye, over.”

“Not when I’m this close, Hornfels. Tell Slate I’m sorry, though, will you? Over.”

Slate tenses, freezing for a moment before sprinting across the room and practically tearing the receiver from Hornfels’ hands. “Hey! Hey, you don’t get to do that! Tell me yourself you fucking prick!!”

There’s a dry laugh in response, before, “Sorry, Slate. For everything. Over and out.”

“Oh, real fucking rich! You’re gonna apologize after six fucking years and not even let me get a word in?!” Slate snarls, gripping the receiver with white knuckles as the radio begins to crackle with static, indicating Gossan had left the line. “Answer me, you arsehole!”

“Slate…” Hornfels frowns, setting a gentle hand on the engineer’s shoulder. “It’s over. There’s nothing else we can do.”

Slate huffs, keeping their gaze low as they set the radio on the desk and wordlessly walk out. Hornfels’ frown deepens, and they glance back at Elkin.

“I’ll be fine,” Elkin says flatly in response to Hornfels’ gaze, arms crossed loosely over their chest. “Go check on Slate.”

Hornfels nods solemnly, turning to follow after them. “Let me know if you need anything, alright?”

“I will,” Elkin hums softly with a nod.

Chapter Text

Back at Youngbark Crater, Esker was hacking away at the parasite clawing at their planet as Tektite returns with Hal and Marl, all hauling in as much treecutting equipment as they could carry.

Marl brightens as they spot the figure in the crater, abandoning their armload as they slide down and rush to meet them. “Esker!” 

Hal lets out a light huff as they kneel down to collect Marl’s equipment, and Tektite chuckles with a wide grin. “Figured lettin’ ‘em find out themselves would be best.”

Esker glances up, beaming brightly as they saw the blur that was Marl barreling towards them. Spreading their arms, they catch the younger hearthian in a hug, letting out a hearty laugh. “Marl, ya big lug! It’s good to see you!”

“When did you get back?!” Marl shouts as Esker spins them around, pulling back to get a look at them as they stop.

Esker laughs, ruffling Marl’s beanie on their head. “Just a little while ago!” They reply brightly, but their expression drops a little as they continue. “Elkin brought me back, we uh… came to check out the harmonica signal comin’ from here…”

“Harmonica-?” Marl raises their brows, glancing over to the foreign seed. “Like…?”

“Feldspar’s, yeah. It’s theirs,” Esker replies, turning to look at the seed as well. “They’re in Dark Bramble, and this nasty plant here is probably a piece of it. Y’know, seeing how we can hear and see them in it-”

“Speaking of which,” Tektite huffs as they approach with Hal, both hearthians setting their equipment near the seed. “How’s it coming?”

“Ehh-” Esker cringes, glancing back to the spot they were working on. “Not great, to be honest- barely made a dent.”

Tektite blinks, furrowing their brows. “ Barely ? That can’t be right- how small are we talkin’?”

“Couldn’t even fit yer littlest finger in there,” Esker replies with a huff, shaking their head. Tektite peers over their shoulder, taking a look at the small notch in the vine Esker had been chopping at.

Their brows raise when they see just how little progress was made. The branch Esker had been chopping at looked like it’d been hit once at the most, but that clearly wasn’t the case with the sweat clinging to their brow.

“Not sure how well choppin’ at it’s gonna work…” Esker sighs, shaking their head.

“Well, you got any other ideas?” Tektite huffs in return, resting a hand on their hip as they lean on their good leg. “We could try burnin’ it, but I don’t wanna risk settin’ anything else on fire.”

“Hm…” Hal hums as they crouch down near the seed, rubbing their chin thoughtfully. “Well, if this really is a piece of Dark Bramble- and the evidence really does point towards that- it’ll likely be quite resilient to a lot of things. A plant that thrives in the vacuum of space- it’s probably resistant to both extreme heat and cold-”

“Nerd.” Marl prods with a grin.

“So you’re sayin’ burning it won’t work,” Tektite huffs, crossing their arms.

Hal huffs, shooting Marl a lighthearted glare before glancing to Tektite as they stand back up. “What I’m saying is I can ask Hornfels later to run some tests with me to see what we can do to destroy it. But for now, there’s four of us, and that’s four times the power against this thing, so we can chop at it for a bit and see what kind of progress gets made.”

Esker hums thoughtfully as they listen, nodding. “Alright, that sounds like a plan. Let’s get to work, then.”

“Yeah, lemme get at this thing!” Marl cheers, grinning like a maniac as they hustle over to the pile of tools and grab an axe. Hal chuckles, following them over and grabbing one as well.

“Having young hands on board’ll definitely be helpful-” Esker hums to Tektite, stretching out their back with a series of satisfying pops.

“You can say that again-” Tektite chuckles, shaking their head as they make their way over to get started.

“Oh, real fucking rich! You’re gonna apologize after s-” Gossan switches off their radio as they approach the gaping maw of Dark Bramble, huffing. 

“Sorry, Slate. I don’t have time for a proper apology…” they mutter to themselves as they stare into the eerie white fog. “If I die in here, then it’s not with an old friend as an enemy.”

They take a deep breath, steadying themselves before entering the fog.

They look around nervously when they can’t see anything but white for a moment, and then the fog thins, and they’re faced with a void filled with vines and lights. Even after seeing it in Elkin’s scout pictures, it was an eerily awe-inspiring sight to see it with their own eyes.

“Stars, this place is creepy…” They mutter as they open up the signalscope on the ship’s control panel, starting to scan for Feldspar’s signal. When it doesn’t pick up anything, they feel their chest tighten a little.

“Okay, they’re probably just not playing at the moment. They can’t play all day and night, Gossan…” They attempt to reassure themselves, but that doesn’t help much with the fact that they now had no clue where to start, let alone any clue as to how to navigate this place.

With huff, they start to aimlessly fly around, hoping they could find some visual clues instead.

It had been a few hours since the four had started hacking away at the bramble seed, and though progress was slow, there was definitely progress. Tektite and Esker were taking a break off to the side, and even Hal and Marl were looking exhausted.

“Ugh, we’re definitely gonna need to find a better way to do this-” Hal groans, wiping their brow as they step back from the twisted plant.

“Even I agree there,” Marl huffs, panting as they take another chop at the plant. “Never thought I’d get tired of hacking at something-”

“And yet you keep going-” Hal prods lightheartedly, crossing their arms.

All four of them glance up in surprise as they hear a takeoff, looking between each other in confusion.

“Did Elkin go back out?” Marl asks with a huff, furrowing their brows.

“They shouldn’t have, they’re doing a bonfire in the crater to celebrate their first discovery-” Hal replies with a huff, looking to Esker and Tektite, who were sharing a nervous look with each other.

“You don’t think it was Gossan, do you?” Tektite asks, huffing.

“Well, couldn’t be anyone else…” Esker replies grimly, shaking their head.

“Welp,” Tektite sighs, shaking their head as well. “Let’s hope they at least have a plan…”

“Oh-” Hal blinks, furrowing their brows in worry. “Hornfels is gonna freak- if they’re not freaking already-”

As if summoned by Hal’s mention of the name, Hornfels is heard over Esker’s radio. “Ground Control to Gossan, do you copy? Over.”

Hal huffs, nodding, as if to say ‘called it’.

“Gossan, it’s Elkin. If you don’t respond I’m going after you, over.” Elkin’s voice comes through after a moment, and everyone shoots a look of surprise at the radio, immediately worrying for the young pilot.

“Elkin, no-” Hal says softly to themselves, grimacing in fear at the idea of their best friend disappearing in Dark Bramble. Marl frowns, looking like they’re having similar thoughts, and Esker and Tektite share worried glances.

“You better not, Hatchling. Over.” Gossan replies. Hal sighs in relief, running a hand over their face.

Esker sighs, getting up with a huff. “Well, it’s prolly ‘bout time we headed back to the crater, anyway-”

“Yeah- I should go check on Elkin-” Hal replies with a nod, glancing over their shoulder.

“Go on ahead, Hal. We can just leave this equipment here for now, who knows when Hornfels will have time to come look at this thing after all'at ...” Tektite replies, waving them off.

Without a second glance, Hal nods again, quickly running off to go find Elkin.

Gossan had been cautiously traversing the Bramble for an indistinguishable amount of time. It could have been an hour, or ten, they couldn’t tell in this place.

For what felt like the hundredth time, they pull out their signalscope and scan around the area for Feldspar. They blink in surprise when they get several signals, all Feldspar. “What…?”

They take a moment to think, huffing. “This place is… stars, what have I gotten myself into…?” They mutter, deciding to just pick one and go for it.

Kicking their thrusters into full blast, they head towards the light they picked, not noticing how another light nearby bobbed and waved ever so slightly. Not until it was too late, at least.

With a terrifying screech, an angler the size of their ship emerges from the fog with gaping jaws open wide. Gossan jolts, glancing over to the beast with wide eyes before jerking their ship away from it’s toothy maw.

“Fuck, fuck fuck fuck-” they mutter under their breath, reaching for their radio-

With a deafening crunch and the creak of metal bending, the fish bites down into their ship, taking their outstretched arm with it. The rushing whoosh of the cabin depressurizing drowns out their scream as the fish rips off the chunk of ship, and they glance over with a pain-clouded gaze as it struggles with the metal and wood wedged between its jaws.

Shaking, they stumble from the pilot’s seat to the medkit on the undamaged side of the ship. With a hole that big in their suit and no oxygen left in the ship, they knew they’d run out of air in moments, but that didn’t stop them from trying to fix it.

They sloppily bandage the gushing stump of their arm before fumbling with the suit patch tape, taking as many deep breaths as they could before they lost all their air.

Still drifting through the void, their ship floats through the node they were aimed at as they unsteadily sit themselves on the floor, finishing up with the tape.

Leaning tiredly against the wall, their vision starts to fade, barely hearing the faint harmonica music that was slowly getting closer.

Chapter Text

Down in the museum, Elkin sits in front of the language exhibit, staring at the spirals of Nomaian text. Too tired to return to space, but too worried to sleep, they found themselves searching for a source of comfort, and these words brought that. It was something they could read without the translator, something so familiar but so alien to them, something that told them there was so much more left to find.

“What would a Nomai do…” They mutter to themselves as they trace the sigil of the Eye with a finger, sighing tiredly. Closing their eyes, they lean lightly on the chunk of stone, letting themselves get vulnerable with the strings of words that drive them to learn more. “Did you know fear like this? To wonder if the ones you love will come home safe? How would you have handled it…?”

“Talking to the rock again?” Hal’s voice brings Elkin back to reality with a jolt, and Hal can’t help but snicker a little. “Sorry, didn’t mean to spook you,” They hum, taking a seat on the floor next to their friend. “I heard what happened. You doing okay?”

Elkin sighs, running their hands over their face. “I guess I’m just… worried. Gossan’s one heck of a pilot, but Dark Bramble…”

“Yeah-” Hal huffs, shaking their head. “It’s a tough situation. But, hey, there’s not really anything you can do about it, so worrying too much isn’t gonna do you any good.”

“I hate that you’re right-” Elkin groans, resting their forehead in their hands. “How can I not worry, though-?”

“Well, a good night’s rest will probably help, as much as you’re clearly avoiding it. It’s been a long day,” Hal replies lightly, offering a small smile. “And then you can get out there and learn exactly what this Eye of the Universe is, and before you know it they’ll be back.”

“You don’t know that they’ll make it back,” Elkin retorts accusatively, pulling their hands away to shoot Hal a weak glare.

“True,” Hal raises their hands defensively, grimacing. “But there’s no use dwelling on what-ifs that haven’t happened.”

Elkin sighs, letting their head drop down between their shoulders. “Ugh. Stop being right.”

“Maybe when you stop being pouty,” Hal teases with a chuckle, poking them.

Elkin lets out a playful gasp, looking up at them with wide eyes. “How dare you call me pouty ! I’m sulking, there's a difference.”

“Well, stop sulking then. You’ve got four planets to bring our incredible invention to! Imagine all you can learn-” Hal responds with a grin, nudging them with an elbow.

“Yeah, yeah-” Elkin chuckles, shaking their head. “Alright, fine, I’ll get some rest. But I’m making you wait until I come back to Hearth for any updates~”

“Rude!” Hal huffs, pouting. “I put just as much work into that translator as you did, if not more-”

“Yeah, but I did all the space training to actually be able to use it,” Elkin grins, getting up to their feet. “Besides, you know I’m kidding. I can’t keep my big mouth shut for that long-”

“Oh what, and not because I’m your best friend? I’m hurt, truly-” Hal replies dramatically, draping the back of their hand over their forehead for added effect.

Elkin rolls their eyes with a chuckle, shaking their head as they turn towards the door. “Goodnight, Hal.”

“Night Elks,” Hal replies, before furrowing their brows as something catches their eye. They get back to their feet, hesitating, before “Wait, did you move the skeleton-?”

Elkin blinks, furrowing their brows as well as they turn back. “Huh-? Why would I move the…?” They trail off as their eyes catch the Nomai skeleton exhibit.

The tube of glass that usually held a pile of organized bones now displayed a half-assembled skeleton, slumped against the glass with its empty eye sockets staring at where they and Hal had been sitting. At this sight, Elkin is hit with surprise, and a strong wave of emotion that wasn’t their own. Melancholy, remorse, understanding. Stumbling back slightly, they grip their chest, staring with wide eyes.

“Must’ve been Hornfels then-” Hal begins, before stopping as they see Elkin’s face. “Woah, you okay-?”

Elkin hesitates for a moment, wondering if they should tell Hal the skeleton wasn’t like that when I got here , before huffing and shaking their head. “Yeah, just spooked me. Must be more tired than I thought.”

“Yeah- go get some rest buddy,” Hal hums, waving them off. “I’ll be waiting to hear from you after you take off!”

“Night,” Elkin huffs lightly, turning and making their way out of the museum.

After a night of restless sleep, Elkin was among the stars once more, slowing their ship to a drift in Brittle Hollow’s orbit before making their way towards the south pole to land. Spotting Riebeck’s ship, they crack a smile as they pull their ship down into a smooth landing near theirs.

With a quick once-over of the ship and their suit, Elkin hops out, making their way towards the large dome capping the south pole of the planet. They take a quick look at Riebeck's ship to ensure the jumpy traveler wasn't holed up inside before trotting up to the observatory. They spot the lights marking the entrance, and they make their way down the small set of stairs.

Spotting the broken door and the tape recorder nearby, they let out a light sigh. “Yeah, figures I can’t just walk in…”

They step over to the audio log, crouching down to press play and smiling softly as they hear Riebeck’s voice play from the tape. “I’m here! I did it! I put the ship down safely! Um, in that the ship went down, and I didn’t sustain bodily harm. A few minor repairs, and it’s like the ship never even hit those rocks!” Elkin lets out a chuckle as they listen, humming thoughtfully. “One of my better attempts. Feldspar would barely have laughed at me, I bet. That’s the good news. The bad news... I, uh, haven’t found a way inside this structure yet. The door is broken, and I know I’m not great at exploring, but I think I would have found a different entrance by now if there were one. P... probably. I can’t get inside from here, but I know there are paths below the surface. I’m going to head north to the ruins on the equator to try to find a way down.”

“Well, thanks for the heads up, Riebeck,” Elkin says to the recording, standing back up. “I guess I’ll head that way then. After I double-check the surrounding area-”

After a quick second sweep of the south pole to ensure there were no hidden entrances that Riebeck had missed in their examination, Elkin was on their way towards the equator of the planet. They left their ship by the observatory, happy to travel on foot and take in the sights.

Pulling out their signalscope to check on Riebeck and see how far they were, Elkin’s attention is quickly caught by a nearby signal of unknown origin. A droning wail, certainly not any of the travelers’ instruments, though the fact that it wasn’t on the same frequency would’ve told them that as well.

With a new spark of curiosity driving them, they decide to follow the signal. Before long they find themselves at a different point on the equator, staring down the massive piece of Nomaian wreckage. “A distress beacon, huh?” They observe to themselves as they examine the beacon, before making their way over to the small Nomaian device on the ground that functioned like their tape recorder. 

Pulling out their translator, they take a seat next to the recorder, hitting play and letting the translator do its work. After a moment, they begin to skim through what the translator had pulled from the spinning transcript, taking out their tape recorder as they do.

“I’ve landed on Brittle Hollow, and was following Riebeck’s trail when I came across the Nomai spacecraft crash site. There’s a recording disc with a transcripted log on it near the distress beacon. It reads as follows; Thatch starts, Is everyone unharmed? A ‘Plume’ responds to this, No one was badly injured from the escape pod’s impact. We’re incredibly fortunate. ”

They stop for a moment, furrowing their brows thoughtfully as they glance up at the pod. “What were they escaping from…?”

With a small huff, they shake their head and continue. “Anyway, Thatch responds, This is good news, at least. Have we heard from Escape Pod 2 or Escape Pod 3? Oh, and Filix was on this ship- they’re the next to respond, stating, No, I... I’m unable to make contact. My equipment can hear the other two escape pods’ distress signals, however. If it’s any comfort, both pods must be structurally intact. I’ll continue calling for them. Thatch tries to express their gratitude, but is cut off by Plume. Thatch, the moon is approaching again! ”

Elkin chuckles dryly at that. “Yeah, Hollow’s Lantern can be quite the beast- Thatch responds, Everyone brace yourselves, swiftly! The volcanic moon has returned! Be cautious of falling ash and debris! It’s safe to assume a small amount of time passed between that last statement and Plume’s next response, stating ...I believe the moon has passed. Filix is the next to reply, This planet doesn’t appear eager to have guests. We are certainly unwelcome on its surface. Thatch responds, We need to find shelter, and quickly. The volcanic moon won’t be gone for long. Lastly, Plume adds, I observed several promising sites below the surface, but we’ll need to construct a way for everyone to climb safely down this cliff. Perhaps we could build platforms? ”

Left with more questions than answers, Elkin decides to follow the trail left by the escapees of this pod, making their way over to the aforementioned cliff. Cringing slightly as they spot the rickety, ancient platforms, Elkin carefully starts to descend under the crust.

The black hole slumbers peacefully beneath them, visually warping the edges of the platforms and causing Elkin’s stomach to turn. Even for a thrill-seeker like them, a precarious perch above a ravenous super-dense celestial body was enough to make anyone queasy. And so is the feeling of the ground beneath your feet no longer supported by anything.

One of the platforms was loose, and cracked away from the sheer cliff as soon as Elkin put their weight onto it. With a ragged gasp of surprise, they white-knuckle their jetpack throttle and leap from the falling platform towards the nearest piece of solid ground.

While it was a rough landing, it was still a landing, and they lay for a moment on the ground, gulping for breath with wide eyes as they recovered from the scare. After a moment they jolted in realization, quickly checking the translator and letting out a breath of relief when they felt it unharmed.

“Get ahold of yourself Elkin, you’ve been training for this for years-” They mutter to themselves, taking a deep breath. “It’s… not like one slip-up means certain death…”

They let out a frustrated groan, trailing off into a nervous chuckle as they get up and muster up the strength to start moving again. 

“Note to self: tell Riebeck they’re a lot braver than they look-” They mutter to themselves as they make it down into the ruined settlement, glancing at the half-empty O2 meter glowing in their helmet HUD, and then back at the crumbling path they had just come from. “I hope there’s trees in here… Suffocation on my second day would be an embarrassing way to go.”

After reading a small message at the entrance warning about the instability of surrounding areas, they make their way up the first ramp in the small settlement. Their worries are almost immediately forgotten as they spot the big glowing sigil of the Eye through the doorway across from them. With a grin they make their way towards the building, pulling out their scout to check the stability of the surrounding area, and their grin widens as they see it at 100%. They rush into the structure, pulling out their translator as they see the text on the wall under the sigil and hopping down into the little alcove to translate it. Taking their tape recorder with their other hand, they continue to log their findings.

“Okay, I’ve- uh, descended… somewhat safely underneath the crust. I’ve got some text here inside a building that appears to be some sort of shrine to the Eye of the Universe,” They start, “Root line authored by Thatch. This knowledge is too dear to lose; here is everything we can recall about the signal we encountered while aboard the Vessel. Line end. I assume this is referring to the ship that the escape pod above this settlement came from. Filix responds to Thatch, The signal looked like an eye: round, with a circle at the center much like a pupil. Suppose the signal was looking for something. Another response from Filix, to Thatch’s same message, says The signal was older than the universe itself! This is the most significant detail. ” They pause for a moment, stopping the recording to take that in. “Older than the universe…?”

It was one thing to be excited about a discovery. Finding out that discovery may be the biggest in Hearthian history is an entirely different story. “Older than the universe ?” Elkin repeats to themselves, radiating awe and disbelief as they start the recording once more. “...And responding to that is Plume. No Nomai clan has ever encountered anything like it! How can anything in this universe be older than the universe itself? Line over.” They chuckle breathlessly. “I get what you mean, Plume- anyway, Thatch replies to that, saying Imagine what rare and profound knowledge it might offer. We must find this Eye of the Universe. That ends this piece of text.”

Shutting off their recorder, they look through the grate below their feet. Furrowing their brows as they spot what looked like paintings, they fire their scout down to the ledge below to see what exactly was on these paintings.

As they capture the first of the three paintings, they tilt their head, turning their recorder back on. “Still in the shrine building, there’s some paintings on the lower level. The first depicts the Eye, calling out its signal to what I can only assume is the Nomai vessel.”

They capture the next. “The second depicts… A mass of thorny vines, ensnaring the vessel. And the third depicts the vessel firing off three escape pods from inside the mass of vines. One stays trapped in the vines, and the other two land on Brittle Hollow and what looks to be Ember Twin.” 

They stay silent for a moment, staring at the last painting. “...Their ship was… attacked by Dark Bramble, when they came here looking for the Eye… And some of them couldn’t make it out, it seems.” They shut off the recorder, quietly taking a seat as they think back to the museum the night before.

Their confession to the empty room, the skeleton that had mysteriously changed position, the sudden rush of baseless emotion. It had to be a coincidence, though, skeletons don’t just move . And Gossan had just taken off at the time, their emotions were bound to be unstable, so that didn’t prove anything.

They huff, getting back to their feet with a shake of their head. No use pondering the impossible, there’s more to be learned.

After a thorough examination of the temporary settlement (and a good cry, with all the mournful messages to loved ones possibly lost to the bramble), Elkin approaches the gravity crystal path that led to the Hanging City. Craning their neck to trace the path with their eyes, they grimace.

They’d always loved the gravity crystal exhibit at the museum as a young hatchling, it was fun to quite literally bounce off the wall, but that was in a safe environment. Looking at the way this path snaked upside-down along the underside of the planet’s crust made their legs feel like jelly, and the lack of any barrier between the path and the black hole certainly didn’t help.

But there was no way they were going back the way they came, and gravity crystals seemed like a better bet than crumbling makeshift walkways thousands of years old. So with a deep breath to steel their nerves, they step up onto the wall, walking up the curved path onto the ceiling.

Though nerve-wracking, their trek across the crust was relatively uneventful, and they made it to the Hanging City. Walking down the wall of ice, they step away from the gravity crystals, dropping into the building below.

And as they make their way out onto the walkway that acted like the streets of the city, they can’t help but stop and stare at the view. They even take a moment to crouch at the edge of the walkway, despite the fear of falling, to admire the structure dangling so close to the slumbering beast beneath them.

When they stand up, they catch a glimpse of something out of the corner of their eyes. Turning to look, a Nomai skeleton was peering over their shoulder, uncomfortably close.

The sudden appearance pulls a shriek from Elkin, and they stumble away. Suddenly, there’s no ground under their feet, and they’re plummeting. Before they even have time to react, they collide with the structure they had just been admiring, and their vision goes dark.

Chapter Text

Feldspar had grown used to the dull yet challenging life that came from surviving in the depths of the Bramble. After what they could only guess was a few months, they’d given up any real hope of being rescued, though they continued to play their harmonica every moment they could.

And when a little scout showed up in their campsite, and promptly disappeared again, they were quick to brush it off as their mind starting to fray. After all, they had no clue how long they’d been stuck in this eerie limbo. However, it was a little hard to brush off an entire wrecked OWV spacecraft as a hallucination, especially when it lands in the middle of your camp and nearly extinguishes your fire.

Pulling their harmonica away from the port in their helmet, they just stare for a moment. Has someone finally heard them then? Who was the poor soul that had risked it all to come get them? The latter isn’t left unanswered for too long as a figure stumbles out of the gaping hole in the ship, collapsing on the ground in front of the campfire with panting gasps and groans of pain.

In less than a second, Feldspar is on their feet - which in hindsight was a bad decision, they realize, as their head immediately begins to spin. They stumble their way over, collapsing to their knees next to the apparition as they try to regain their composure, spiraling into a fit of coughs and gags. Once they could breathe again, and they were sure they’d no longer risk heaving the minimal contents of their stomach just by moving, they reached out for the apparition. And when they feel a very real body through their gloves, they almost break into sobs. But they restrain themselves for the moment, gently shaking them as they suppress another cough. “Hey, you there- yo-aCK- y-you gotta get up, mate-”

With a shaky groan, Gossan looks up, huffing softly in disbelief. “Felds…?”

Feldspar tenses at the sound of their voice, realizing who it was in front of them. “…Goss boss?” They hesitate for a moment, letting the guilt claw at their chest before they reach out again, weakly trying to lift them up. “Come on, let’s… let’s getcha looked at-”

“Thank the stars, I made it- I made it…” Gossan shakily gets to their knees, and Feldspar sighs in relief, taking their remaining arm and gently wrapping it around their shoulders. Slowly, both pilots get to their feet, and Feldspar leads Gossan over to the log by the fire where they spent most of their waking hours.

“Guess I’m destined to be a righty-” Gossan jokes weakly as they’re sat down in front of the log, Feldspar gently leaning them back to support their shoulders.

“Yer destined to be dead if I don’t fix this atrocious bandaging-” Feldspar replies with a huff as they tear away the roll of suit tape that was still dangling from the stump of an arm, removing the sloppy patching and revealing their blood-soaked bandages. “C’mon, keep talkin’ to me. Tell me what happened, yea?”

“Stars- those darn fish-” Gossan huffs, leaning their head back as Feldspar worked on what was left of their arm. “Those things get big -”

Feldspar can’t help but let out a raspy chuckle, gesturing to the skeleton they currently resided in. “Ya think?” They ask sarcastically as they pull off their scarf, tearing off a thin strip to use as a tourniquet. “By the looks of the damage, ya only ran into a lil’ one, too.”

“ That was a little one ?” Gossan gasps as Feldspar ties the strip of cloth down tight on the heavily bleeding stump. “Stars… Slate was right, I really didn’t know what I was getting myself into-”

“It's alright, Goss. We’re relatively safe here, at least…” Feldspar replies with a sigh, taking a seat next to them as they rummage through their supplies. “Been here pretty much since I ran off…” They trail off, sounding like they wanted to ask something, but they don’t finish. They turn to the side, reaching into the wooden crate beside them and grabbing one of the flasks of liquor to sterilize the wound.

“Six years.” Gossan says softly after a moment, sensing the unasked question. They try their best to hold back the hurt in their voice. Feldspar had run off and disappeared for six years, and everyone thought they had died.

“ Really…? ” Feldspar’s response comes barely audible, whispered in disbelief. “Six years ?”

Gossan just nods, not trusting themselves to speak. Feldspar hesitates for a moment before opening the flask, pouring a liberal amount of the contents over the bloody stump. Gossan tenses, biting back a cry at the burn, and Feldspar pulls out a roll of bandages and starts to re-wrap their wound in tense silence. As they tie off the bandages, they sigh, running a hand over the face of their helmet. “Goss, I- ugh, I’m so sorry-”

They don’t respond for a moment. Feldspar goes to turn away, knowing they deserved the silent treatment for their disappearance. But Gossan just lets out a wet-sounding laugh, weakly sitting up to throw their arm around their long-lost friend. “Oh, who cares about that now- you’re alive -”

Feldspar blinks, chuckling softly as they carefully return the hug. “Of course I’m alive, I’m Feldspar -” They reply, but there was a hint of… feebleness to it. Gossan could feel the other pilot begin to tremble, and they held them a little tighter, not wanting to let go after so long apart.

And when they could hear the soft muffled sobs that started to flow from Feldspar’s helmet, Gossan felt their heart break, and they opened their mouth to console their friend. But before they could say anything, Feldspar let out a series of ragged coughs that shook their whole body. Gossan jolts, furrowing their brows as they rub the other pilot’s back.

“ACK- hrk- Fuck, w-we gotta get yer su-suit-” Feldspar tries to get something  out, pulling back from the hug, but they spiral into more coughs and a fit of dry retching, leaning themselves against the log for support. Gossan reaches for them worriedly, not knowing what to do.

Feldspar lets out a few wetter sounding coughs before spitting something out into their helmet, shakily catching their breath. “L-let’s uh- hn…guhh- let’s get that suit patched back up… the, uh… atmosphere in this place’ll poison ya, even with air around…” they mutter weakly, reaching for the discarded roll of tape.

“…Stars, Felds, how long have you been coughing like that-?” Gossan asks softly after a moment, and Feldspar could practically see the pitiful look on their face, even with the helmet obscuring it.

“Don’t look at me like that-” Feldspar huffs, trying to sound stern, but it just came out sounding strained. With a sigh, they reach out for what was left of Gossan’s arm, starting to patch up the tear in their suit. “I uh… I dunno, didn’t even know how long I’d been here…”

Gossan frowns, holding their stump out for Feldspar, and finally letting themselves really look at the damage. The anglerfish had bitten it off at just above the elbow, leaving them with most of their upper arm intact. They took a moment to be grateful that the beast hadn’t taken more from them, though they couldn’t help but mourn the loss. They doubted they’d be able to fly again with only one hand, if they somehow got out of this place.

And with that thought, a question slips from their mouth before they could stop it. “We’re going to die in here, aren’t we…?”

Feldspar lets out a laugh, like the notion was funny to them. “Been asking myself that question for six years, Goss boss-”

After a night of rest, Esker, Tektite, Hal, and Marl returned to Youngbark early in the morning to continue their work on chipping away at the bramble seed. Full of a fierce determination, they all had high hopes for the day of hard work ahead of them.

That is, until they got to the seed. It quickly became clear that the minimal progress they had made was almost gone . The plant had healed. Hopes and faces fall fast, and Tektite turns away and rubs their temple.

“It’s… getting bigger. Really fast,” Hal was the first to finally make that observation, staring at the seed with a morbid disbelief before a nervous chuckle bubbles up in their chest. “Uh- That’s- heh, heheh- That’s really bad-”

Marl huffs nervously, eyeing Hal. “Don’t start panicking now, you’re the smart one-”

“That’s not helpful, Marl!” Hal snips, shooting them a glare.

Esker sets a hand on each of their shoulders, giving them both a look. “Let’s step back ‘n take a deep breath, hatchlings. Nothing productive comes from a panicked mind.”

They both look at Esker with a huff and oblige, stepping away from the seed. Tektite pinches the bridge of their nose before following the three, not wanting to look at the looming threat of doom in front of them for any longer.

Esker takes a seat on the ground a little ways away and motions for the others to take a seat with them. Once everyone is seated, Esker closes their eyes and starts to take deep breaths. Tektite is quick to copy, while Marl and Hal stare at each other for a moment before following.

After a couple minutes of quiet, steady breathing, Esker is the first to speak up. “Alright. Now that we’re calm, let’s figure this out.”

Hal stays silent, a thoughtful look on their face as they run through ideas, though Marl is the first to suggest anything. “We could try blowing it up.”

Tektite tenses, opening their mouth to oppose, but they’re cut off by a hearty laugh from Esker. “Well that’s a start, at least! Gonna need to be more specific than that, though.”

“I don’t like this idea-” Tektite mutters, huffing. 

“Slate could help with that,” Hal suggests, rubbing their chin. “I’m sure they could use something to work on, anyway-”

Marl cracks a grin, nodding excitedly. “Yeah, let’s get Slate in here!”

Esker chuckles, glancing over to Tektite with a mischievous glint in their eyes. “Sorry Tekkie, looks like you’re outnumbered. I’ll make sure they don’t destroy anythin’ but the seed.”

Tektite huffs, rolling their eyes as they get to their feet. “All I ask is I get left outta it when Rutile finds out.”

Esker lets out a lighthearted huff, nodding. “Fair ‘nough,” They reply as they get back to their feet as well. Hal and Marl quickly follow suit, and the four of them head off to go find Slate.

They’d never admit it to anyone, but Slate was already a mess after Gossan’s takeoff. They didn’t need to admit it, really, with the sorry state they were in. It wasn’t even noon, and yet they sat alone at their kitchen table with a flask in hand, barely able to keep their head up.

And when they hear a knock at their door, they’re quick to shout a slurred, “Fuggoff!” in the direction of the doorway. Taking a swig from their flask, they’re jolted into reality by the door opening anyway, and Esker’s voice.

“Slate…?” The concern in their voice left a bitter taste in Slate’s throat as they swallowed their mouthful - or maybe that was just the liquor.

“Didn’t’cha hear me? I said fuggoff-” Slate sneers as they shift their gaze to glare at Esker, but their expression falls flat when they see Hal and Marl behind Esker, looking worried and shocked. “…Well what’d’ya bring the hatchlings for…”

Esker sighs, glancing back at Hal. “Would you-?”

“Yeah, I’ll go get Hornfels…” Hal cuts them off gently, turning to make their way to the observatory. Marl hesitates for a moment before following them.

“Oi, ther’s’o need t’bring Hornfels ‘nto this-” Slate protests, slamming their flask down on the table and shoving their seat back as they quickly get to their feet. And with a stumble, they were on the floor just as quickly.

Esker is by their side in moments, letting out a heavy sigh. “Stars, Slate, how much have you had to drink?”

Slate lays stunned on the floor for a moment, just staring at the ceiling before they let out a defeated sigh of their own. “Fug’f I know… Jus’ check th’flask…”

Esker huffs, taking a deep breath as they get back to their feet and grab the flask off the table. They give it a little swirl to judge how empty it was, before glancing back down at Slate with another sigh. “You’ve gotten yourself properly sloshed, then, haven’t you?”

Slate groans, draping an arm over their eyes. “I don’ wanna hear’t, ‘sker-”

Esker huffs, shaking their head as they crouch down by Slate’s side again, setting a hand on the engineer’s shoulder. “Let’s get some water in ya, then you can lay down and sleep this off, alright?”

“…but?” Slate huffs after a moment’s hesitation, knowing the other had more to say.

“…But, we’re talkin’ about this when yer sobered up,” Esker replies softly, taking a seat on the floor. “Nobody wants to see you do this to yourself again.”

Slate stays silent for a moment, before letting out a weak sob. “T’s all my fault…”

“Nope, none of that-” Esker huffs stubbornly, gently sitting them up. They take one of Slate’s arms, draping it over their shoulders and getting to their feet with a grunt. “Water and a nap, then we can talk.”

Slate leans heavily against Esker as they stand up, barely able to support their own weight even with the other’s help. Small sobs continue to flow from their mouth despite their attempts to stop them as Esker leads them over to the couch, shushing them gently as they sit the drunken engineer down.

As Esker heads to the sink to grab them a glass of water, Hornfels enters the cabin, looking worried.

Hearing Slate’s soft sobs and seeing the flask on the table, Hornfels quickly puts together what had happened, shuffling over to the couch. “Slate…” 

Slate shifts their gaze to look at Hornfels, too ashamed to meet their eyes. “Hey Starshine…”

With a sigh, Hornfels sits next to them, holding an arm out for Slate. “C'mere, Wingnut…”

Slate immediately leans into Hornfels, trying to hold themselves together for a moment before bursting into tears.

Esker makes their way back over with the water, handing it over to Hornfels. “Here, once they calm down. I'll leave you be…”

“Thank you, Esker,” Hornfels sighs softly as they take the water, hesitating for a moment before, “Keep an ear out for Gossan, would you?”

“Haven't shut my radio off since they left,” Esker replies gently, making their way to the door. “You should get some rest, too. Ya look exhausted.”

Chapter Text

 Seated on the stoop of the hatchling cabin, Hal lets out a big yawn, a warm mug of tea in hand as they look up at the brightening sky. Still sore from their long day of work the day prior, they roll their shoulders and take a deep sip from their mug. Marl makes their way up the path, rubbing sleep from their eyes as they wave to Hal.

“Ready for some more arse-kicking?” Marl calls out to them with a sleepy grin, jogging up the rest of the way to the cabin.

“Depends, whose arse is being kicked? Ours or the bramble seedling’s?” Hal replies flatly, raising a brow over their mug. 

“Ouch, good to know you have so little faith in my skills-” Marl pouts dramatically, plopping down next to them. “Maybe you’ll get your arse kicked, I don’t plan on it though.”

Hal rolls their eyes, taking another long sip from their mug as they shove Marl with their free arm. With a sigh, they finally respond, “You know that thing’s gonna take forever to chop up, with the rate things are going.”

“Well, complaining about it won’t make it go any faster,” Marl replies, scooting out of shoving range with a cheeky grin. “C’mon, let’s go find Esker and Tektite, I’m sure they’re both up by now.”

“Really? I’m not even done with my tea! I haven't even had breakfast yet either, boulderbrain.” Hal huffs, narrowing their eyes at Marl.

“Me neither, now come on. You can drink and walk, Esker won’t let ya go hungry,” Marl hums, hopping off the stoop and gesturing for Hal to follow as they trot down the path.

Blinking, Hal cracks a smile and quickly follows after. “Hey, yeah, it’s been a while since we’ve had Esker’s cooking, hasn’t it?”

“Far too long,” Marl smiles softly, leading the way towards Esker’s cabin. Hal trails close behind, cradling their mug in both hands as they sip from it.

Hornfels makes their way up the other end of the path with a fresh bowl of porridge and their own mug of tea, looking exhausted. They barely even notice the two young adults until Hal shoots a quick ‘good morning’ in their direction, which makes them stop in their tracks.

“Oh, Hal. While I appreciate the effort, I’d prefer if you’d ask next time before uh… ‘rearranging’ any exhibits. Some of them are quite fragile.”

Hal blinks, furrowing their brow in confusion as Hornfels continues off towards the Observatory. After a moment it clicks, and they stare with wide eyes as they stumble with their words. “But I- That wasn’t- I-”

Hornfels doesn’t seem to hear them, keeping on their path.

“Eh, whatever! They don’t seem torn up about whatever it was!” Marl calls over their shoulder, shrugging. “C’mon, food’s gonna get cold!”

“Who moved it then…?” Hal mutters to themselves, hesitating for a moment more before jogging after Marl to catch up.

Riebeck had been camped out in their little alcove for almost two days now, gathering the courage to get back to exploring this dangerously fascinating planet. They stood at the edge of their camp, staring out at the Hanging City as they tried to convince themselves to pack up and get moving. 

 “It’s not that bad really, the view’s even quite beautiful… wh-when you ignore how scary it is…” They mutter to themselves, wringing their hands nervously. A piece of falling rubble catches their eye, and they watch as it bounces off the lowest dangling building.

 Their blood runs cold when they see limbs, and they realize it wasn’t rubble at all. It was a body.

 They stumble back, collapsing into a sitting position, frozen in shock. When they’re able to find their voice again, they fumble with their radio, hyperventilating. 

Elkin groggily awakens to the sound of panic on the radio and their helmet beeping at them to refill their nearly depleted oxygen tank. Their head was throbbing, and their body ached, but they were alive.

 How am I alive?!

 They snap into consciousness at that realization, taking in their surroundings, and almost screams when they realize they’re floating at the edge of the solar system, tens of thousands of meters from their ship and losing air fast.

 “Okay, so Chert and Gabbro are accounted for, and Riebeck made the call,” Esker’s voice comes through, their tone grim. Elkin doesn’t pay it much mind, noticing the structure in front of them, framed by a halo of the sun. If they were going to die in space, it wouldn’t be from a lack of trying.

 “That uh… That leaves… Elkin. Over…” Esker finishes their statement as the young pilot jets towards the orbiting station. With each breath they took, the air in their helmet got thinner, and a cloud of dizziness began to take hold.

 Elkin reaches the airlock, wheezing and rasping on an empty tank by now, struggling with the lock mechanism as their eyelids droop heavily and their head spins, fighting back panicky giggles.

 Then there’s the scraping of stone, and a rushing whoosh fills their ears as oxygen floods their helmet. They rip in a gasp hard enough to make their throat burn, choking out a sob as they pant for breath. They curl into the fetal position in the airlock, bursting into tears as they grapple with the fear of the near-death experience and the crushing relief of not being dead, ignoring the grim chatter over the radio discussing what should be done.

 They stay like that until they feel better and their sobs calm down. After a moment, they hesitantly reach for their radio. “Elkin to Ground Control… I-I’m okay, guys. Over.”

Dragging a chair and another mug of tea up the observatory ramp and towards the desk loaded with equipment, Hornfels takes a seat with a heavy sigh. After a much-needed nap with Slate they were much less exhausted, but then they had to monitor Elkin’s re-takeoff, and with them back in the sky and no update still from Gossan, Hornfels was anxious leaving ground control empty. And so back they were, patiently sitting by the radio as they sorted through different reports from the Travellers.

“R-Riebeck to Ground Control- p-please come in- please-” Riebeck’s voice came through panicked, sounding like they were about to cry.

Jolting at the sound of the radio crackling to life, Hornfels looks up from their stack of paperwork with a tired sigh. Reaching for their receiver, they take a deep breath before responding. “Ground control to Riebeck, I read you traveller. What’s wrong, over?”

“There was- I saw- I-I-” Riebeck’s hysterical hyperventilation was coming through on the radio, and Hornfels sighs heavily, knowing at this rate it’d take the astronaut an hour just to spit it out.

“Esker to Riebeck, take some deep breaths for me, traveller. Whatever’s wrong, we can’t help ya if ya can’t say it, over.” Esker’s voice comes through like a ray of sunshine on a rainy day, and Hornfels feels a weight lift off their shoulders.

There’s a long moment of silence before Riebeck finally responds. “I saw- I saw someone fall into the- th-the black hole- over-”

With that, Hornfels freezes, eyes widening. Stars, the Ventures’ travellers were dropping like flies at this rate. “Y- you’re sure-? O-over-”

“I don’t know! B-but I swear I saw limbs, a-and it was too dark to be sandstone-” Riebeck snips, their voice squeaking slightly as they do. They were clearly shaken up enough to be sure.

Hornfels can’t find it in themselves to respond, frozen at their desk. They’d lost another one, and they dreaded finding out who it was they’d lost. Though, realistically, they knew it only could’ve been one traveller.

“Esker to Riebeck, take a step back, traveller. We’ve got it from here.” Esker sounded almost too calm for the situation, but Hornfels didn’t miss the way their voice shook. “All units, check in, over.”

“Chert to Ground Control, checking in from Ember Twin, over.” Chert is quick to respond, keeping their check in short and sweet.

There’s a moment of tense silence before there’s another check in. “Gabbro to Ground Control, couldn’t’ve been me, lost my ship on the Deep, over.”

Hornfels stares with bated breath at the radio, waiting desperately for one more response. But as the moments pass with nothing, they set their head in their hands, letting out a small cry of distress.

“Okay, so Chert and Gabbro are accounted for, and Riebeck made the call,” Esker comes through when there’s no further response, tone grim. “That uh… That leaves… Elkin. Over…”

As it’s said out loud, the dam breaks, and Hornfels lets out a sob. “No no- please no, it can’t be…”

Another moment of silence passes, and Riebeck’s voice comes through once more. “…So, what do we do now, over…?”

“Well,” Esker hums, tone solemn. “We’ll collect their ship, we’ll mourn. And life goes on, I suppose, over…”

“Poor Elkin,” Gabbro sighs, their tone flat but soft. “At least it was probably painless, or at least quick, over.”

Setting their head on the desk as the sobs wrack their body, Hornfels almost reaches to turn off the radio, the mournful conversation being too much. But as their fingers brush the knob, another voice comes through.

“Elkin to Ground Control… I-I’m okay, guys. Over.” Elkin’s voice snaps Hornfels out of their miserable puddle, sounding exhausted and raw, but very much alive.

Sitting up at the speed of light, Hornfels fumbles with their receiver, tears still streaming down their face and their voice still choked up. “Elkin- where are you, what happened? Are you safe, over?”

“Well, I seem to be somewhere on the edge of the solar system, but I am safe inside a structure that appears to be of Nomaian origin, over.” Elkin responds, sounding tense and on edge. 

“Edge of the-?!” Hornfels eyes widen in surprise, letting out a strained groan. “Well, at least you’re safe for now. But you didn’t tell me what happened, over.”

There’s a moment of silence, Elkin hesitating to answer, before, “Uhm. Well, I found my way into the city hanging under the crust of Brittle Hollow, and then… I got snuck up on by a skeleton and fell? Over.”

Hornfels sighs heavily, rubbing their temple. “Elkin, please. Would you just take things seriously for once? Over.”

“I’m not joking! I crouched down to check something out, n’when I stood back up t’was right behind me, over!” Elkin insists quickly, their words slurring slightly as they ramble.

“You must’ve hit your head when you fell-” Hornfels replies with a huff, keeping their head cradled in their hand. “Chert, I’m going to need you to put your star charts on hold for a bit and go pick up Elkin, over.”

“Okay, maybe I did hit my head on the way down, but there was the skeleton in the museum too! They’re moving around, I swear, over.” Elkin butts in, their tone sounding desperate.

Hornfels hesitates for a moment, glancing towards the ramp into the museum before shaking their head. “Elkin, please. Let’s just get you home, over.”

Elkin knew it’d take a miracle to convince Hornfels that they really had seen the skeletons move, and so they pushed themselves out of the airlock to take in their surroundings. Floating towards the floor, they lurch slightly as the gravity tile pulls them down, stumbling towards the wall before catching themselves.

“M’kay, well, I guess I should probably figure out where I am huh? Over.” They speak into their radio half-sarcastically, taking a moment to steady themselves before they look out into the station.

“I suppose that’d be the best next step, wouldn’t it? Over.” Elkin could swear they heard a hint of sass in Hornfels’ voice with that response.

“Uh. Chert to Ground Control, packing up for liftoff now. I should be lifting off Ember Twin within five minutes,” Chert chips in awkwardly. “Keep me updated, over.”

Walking along the wall, Elkin makes their way over to the plaque of text in the corner, the glowing Nomaian script catching their eye. They take out their translator, skimming through without reading it to their radio, before raising a brow. “Well, apparently this place is called the ‘White Hole Station’, and the Nomai were already aware that the black hole won't just rip you to shreds. This thing can take me back to Brittle Hollow, there's a warp pad in here. I just have to figure out how to make this thing spin- over.”

“White Hole? Make it spin? Stars, this whole thing is a mess, over-” Hornfels replies, their curiosity tainted with stress and the lingering emotions from the big scare.

“Tell me about it,” Elkin huffs in response, irritated at the whole situation. “I'm gonna figure out how to uh… turn this thing on, I guess? Over.”

“I suppose that'd be easier than trying to find where you are at the moment,” Hornfels sighs, shaking their head. “Just be careful, and keep me updated. Over.”

“Copy that, over.” Elkin turns to check out the rest of the station, glancing up at the diagram next to the text. 

An icon of Brittle Hollow, and what Elkin could only assume was the White Hole Station on a disc of some sort. They huff, making their way down the gravity beam that leads into the lower floor and grinning when they see the Nomai ball mechanism.

Moving the ball across its strange interface and sliding it into one of the two slots, Elkin stumbles slightly as the station lurches and begins to rotate. They quickly make their way over to the other gravity beam, grin widening when they see the disc of the station now rotating on the diagram. They step onto the warp pad, looking out the window above them.

“Station is in motion, I'm waiting on the warp pad now. Over.”

“Copy. Chert, update? Over.” Hornfels replies, sounding more tired than anything else at this point.

“I'm on my way to Brittle Hollow as we speak. Let me know where I need to land, over.” Chert's response is quick and focused.

Elkin watches as Brittle Hollow comes into view in the circular pane, tapping their foot impatiently.

As the planet lines up, there’s a feeling that makes their stomach churn, and they find themselves standing on the northern glacier of Brittle Hollow, on a pearly white warp pad with a matching white hole warp core. Elkin kneels down, taking a good look at it before glancing over to their scout launcher with a matching warp core installed. Not to mention the alternating black hole core on the scout itself.

“No way…” they mutter to themselves, before snapping out of it as they notice a faint hissing, realizing there was still a crack in their helmet.

“Shit-” with a hissed curse they scramble for their tape, quickly covering it up before grabbing their radio. “Alright, okay, uh, it looks like I'm on the north pole of Brittle Hollow, over.”

“Copy that, over.” Chert replies, and Elkin steps off the warp pad, taking a seat on one of the short walls lining the warp.

Within a couple minutes, there's the sound of ship thrusters overhead, and Chert's ship makes a smooth landing nearby. With a small groan, Elkin gets to their feet, sauntering over to the freshly landed spacecraft.

The ship hatch pops open, and they climb in, immediately coming face-to-face with a concerned Chert.

“Are you alright?” They ask, gesturing for Elkin to kneel down as they check the younger pilot over. “C'mon, let me see.”

Elkin huffs, rolling their eyes as they kneel down and remove their helmet. There was a little cut above their brow that was already starting to bruise, but not much else. “I'm not a hatchling, I'm fine- now c'mon, my ship is parked on the south pole.”

“Nope.” Chert huffs, shaking their head as they head back to the pilot's seat. “You're definitely concussed, I'm not letting you fly in this condition.”

“But my ship-” Elkin pouts, huffing as they find themselves a place to take a seat.

“It'll be fine where it is for now. Let's get you home,” Chert sighs, buckling in and taking the throttle. “Hang on to something.”

“My shiiiiiiip,” Elkin whines dramatically as they hold onto the wall, slumping back.