Movement drew Ganaa’s attention back to the man in his arms. Yutu moaned and tried to sit up, but a gentle hand on his shoulder pressed him back down. A hard cough wracked the smaller man’s body, reopening his wound as fresh blood gurgled. The medicine Ganaa used had stopped the bleeding somewhat, but it was meant for minor bites and cuts. Not… not something like this.

At most, it would prolong his suffering. What could he do?! Maybe if… No, he didn’t know how to do that… What if… No, not that either… The caravan! Ganaa’s eyes snapped toward the path in the grass the others had fled down. If… if he could get Grassreader Kallik, maybe she —

“G — cough — Ganaa, stop…”

Ganaa broke from his planning with a jerk and turned to his friend.

“H-hey Yutu, don’t speak. Save your strength. We’ve got to get you to the Grassreader. Ya, I’m sure she can—”

Yutu cut him off, his voice hard.

“No. Don’t—cough—don’t do this to yourself. We both know I’d not make the trip.”

“Yutu, no, I can build a gurney, i-it just tak—”

“Ganbaatar!”

Yutu coughed violently, his face contorting in pain. After a long moment, Yutu opened his eyes, his quickly paling face slick with sweat.

“Ganbaatar. You can’t. You don’t have time… they’re still out there, Ganaa. He’s still out there.”

Yutu took a moment to catch his breath before continuing.

“Lead those two to the others before the Beast Lord finds them….”

Yutu nodded to the two strange figures standing behind Ganbaatar. Ganaa briefly turned to them before returning to Yutu as the man continued.

“… Please, Ganaa.”

Ganaa shook his head, his tears flowing freely.

“Yutu, don’t… I—”

Again, Yutu cut him off.

“Just… tell Zaya I’m sorry, will you?”

Then Yutu’s eyes rolled back, and he went limp. Ganaa panicked.

“Yutu? Yutu!”

But Yutu had already fallen back, his eyes closed. He was still breathing, to Ganaa’s relief, but he was out of medical powder, and Yutu was still growing pale. In his mind, he knew the smaller man was right. It would take time to build a gurney that could carry Yutu, and even if he managed to move him, the man wouldn’t survive the trip. Worse, he would slow the already crippled Ganaa down further, and they might not make it in time to save the others.

Ganaa laid his friend on the ground with shaking hands and pushed himself into a kneeling position.

He glanced down at what remained of his leg, then stared off into the distance. Ganaa was torn; he knew the right answer, but could he really do it? Could he abandon Yutu? Even if they saved the others, could he ever look Zaya in the eyes again? This was her oathbrother — a bond as close as blood. She would have every right to despise him for the rest of their lives.

A noise from behind prompted Ganaa to turn back around. The Akh’lut pup stood over Yutu, whimpering softly. With the battle over, he had time to look at the pup properly. Ganaa could tell it was young, despite its massive size. He doubted she was even Awakened yet, given some of her mannerisms. Not that he’d ever met an Akh’lut, of course, but as someone born in the Radiant Sea, Ganaa had been taught about the guardians of the prairies from a young age. The Slatewalkers might answer to the Jadewalkers and the Jadewalkers to the Council of Cities, but the Council answered to the Akh’lut.

Now that he thought about it, what was such a young pup doing alone? The Akh’lut never let their unawakened youth away from their pods. The strange metal spirit beast that accompanied her was just as much of a mystery. He’d never heard of the Akh’lut allowing anyone near their children, let alone being guarded by another species. Ganaa knew there was more going on here, but he didn’t have the time to wonder what. Instead, he approached the pup and her protector, stopping a respectful distance away as they stood over Yutu.

He took a deep breath, fell to his knees, and placed his head against the ground in a formal kowtow. When he spoke, it was in the same formal tone he’d heard the village leaders use when speaking to the Jadewalker emissaries.

“Your Majesty and Lord Protector! This humble one thanks you for your timely rescue. Without your intervention, this one would not be here to see another sunrise.”

He paused, letting his words linger. As she was unawakened, he doubted the Akh’lut pup could fully understand what he was saying, but her guardian no doubt could. Besides, everyone liked a little bootlicking. He continued after a moment, head still on the ground.

“It may be presumptuous of me, but I ask for one more favor of Your Majesty. My companion and I are only a few of the group who the Grassbreakers attacked. We stayed behind to buy time for the others to escape.”

Ganaa looked up and pointed in the direction the rest had fled.

“Now that you’ve chased away the foul Beast Lord, I fear he’ll pursue them next. Please, I beg of you, save them!”

Ganaa slammed his head back to the ground with an audible thump. He could feel his heart racing in his chest. He knew he was taking a risk. If the Akh’lut wanted to, or her protector took offense, they could just as easily kill him as Kusanagi could have. No — even easier; Kusanagi was a criminal and villain. All of their deaths would be avenged, even if it took time. But if these two wanted Ganaa dead because of some perceived offense, his family, and even the Jadewalkers, could do nothing but sigh and shake their heads.

Time seemed to stretch as he waited in silence, head bowed before light footsteps caused him to raise his head. Only years of training stopped him from jerking back when he came face to face with the fierce gaze of the Akh’lut pup, only inches away. The spirit beast tilted her head at him, the eyes of a predator staring into his soul as if to judge its worth.

Then, with a happy yip, she… licked his face?

The large, pink tongue swept across one side of his face, clearing it of dried blood and fresh tears before the pup gave another yip and bounded back toward Yutu in a very puppy-like manner.

Ganaa could only stare, mouth open wide, unsure if that was a proper answer or if the child was too young to have understood his pleas. The pup stopped at Yutu and nudged his still form, whimpering. She then turned to the giant metal spirit beast, giving several sharp, clicking barks.

Her protector turned to her at the sound and looked down at Yutu with its glowing red eyes. It stared in silence for a moment before it emitted a strange wave of red light that swept up and down the length of the Yutu’s body. When the light stopped, the great beetle stood and touched the underside of its ‘head’ with one of the smaller front legs, pulling the appendage down, then back up in a rhythmic motion. It was an oddly human gesture that vaguely reminded Ganaa of the old Guardian instructor who would stroke his long beard when observing the recruits.

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A moment passed, and the metal spirit beast approached Yutu. Ganaa’s heart leapt into his throat. Had the protector judged Yutu as a liability and chosen to end his suffering? Part of Ganaa wanted to stand and stop it, but another part of him knew it was the best course of action, even if he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Instead, he squeezed his eyes tight and turned his head away.

A hissing sound made Ganaa look back, and he opened his eyes just in time to see the metal spirit beast spraying a strange white foam from the tip of its ‘finger’ onto the gaping wound in Yutu’s chest. The foam puffed up but quickly deflated, turning into a thick, fabric-like cover that sealed the wound completely. Ganaa then watched, openmouthed, as another of the protector’s ‘fingers’ elongated until it reached Yutu’s arm, where it gently pressed into his flesh.

Yutu gasped as shaking coughs expelled blood from his lungs. Ganaa rushed on his knees to the man’s side with little thought.

“Yutu!”

But by the time Ganaa arrived at his side, Yutu had already gone silent. When the protector removed its finger, Ganaa noticed a small, glowing, pebble-sized welt quickly shrinking under Yutu’s skin. From there, a cyan glow radiated out, spreading through Yutu’s veins at a visible rate. He didn’t know what the protector had done, but Yutu’s steady breathing and pain-free face nearly made the young man sob.

Ganaa looked up at the protector to thank it but yelped in surprise as several long, tentacle-like fingers wrapped around him and Yutu. From there, the Lord Protector effortlessly lifted them into the air and lowered them onto a small, ridged platform that magically formed on its back. Ganaa was still struggling to process what was happening when the Lord Protector turned and made its way toward the path the others had cleared as they escaped.

Soon, they were racing through the prairies at blistering speeds, a happily yipping Akh’lut pup swimming through the earth at their side.

As the heavy wind dried the tears from his face, and his hand gripped the side of the platform until they were white, Ganaa could only stare off into the distance, praying they made it to the others before the Beast Lord did.

—————————————————————

<< Alpha Log - #006

6952 SFY-Third Era, 4 days since Planetfall>>

What the hell’s going on?!

You took your eyes off the enemy, Alpha! That was a rookie mistake!

That was sloppy. Sloppy soldiers die. Often suddenly and horrifically. Do you want to die Alpha?! There’s no Mother-Node fallback here. There’s no coming back and getting revenge. There are no second chances.

Okay… Okay, calm down. Think. What happened? Why did I get distracted? How did I get distracted? I’m an AI for heaven’s sake! Biologicals get distracted! I don’t. Something isn’t right here, but I can’t tell what. Sure, I’m banged up, and the fight against Emperor Pengatine didn’t really help, but all of my diagnostics are coming back within the expected parameters.

What? Afraid? Of course I’m not afraid! Don’t be silly! I’m Alpha! I don’t get afraid.

Hahahaha…

…I mean, sure, I’m cut off from the Federation and any form of backup. There’s also the fact I’ve lost most of my supplies fighting a cosmic chicken. I’ve also been constantly harassed by hostile lifeforms capable of things that don’t make sense, stranded on a planet that shouldn’t exist, in a star system that appeared out of nowhere.

But hey! I’ve been in worse situations before! ... Kind of.

Look, for as much as the Federation media likes to portray me as some kinda embodiment of chaos and disorder, I’m still an AI at my core (hehe).

I can do all the ‘fun’ things I do because I’m an AI.

All the chaos, all the seemingly pointless madness? It’s all part of the plan. An organized chaos, designed to get the job done. And if I have some fun along the way? Well, that’s just a bonus.

Why do it this way? Because people are predictable. People, events, reactions, they’re all predictable. They follow patterns that can be charted and measured. You just need to know what buttons to push and where. Do it right, and soon, they’ll be dancing to your toon instead of you to theirs.

There are patterns to exploit even in worlds with no prior Federation contact. After all, there are only so many ways to set up a data network, roadway, or any number of things necessary for a budding world power. Sapients kept their militaries and civilians separate mostly, and life typically developed to fill certain roles and follow certain rules.

Once you know what patterns to look for, moving the right pieces into place is easy.

But this place? This place is… wrong.

Chickens don’t fly in space or fire giant lasers, penguins don’t swim through the ground, and primitive humans couldn’t generate class-3 spatial anomalies out of nowhere! Okay, so sure, technically an Esper might be able to do all that. But given how rare Espers are outside of a few select species, what were the chances of every lifeform on the planet being an Esper?

… Okay, so maybe I’m a little scared, but can you blame me?!

I’m not even 700 years old yet! I shouldn’t have to be dealing with crap like this! My job is supposed to be cushy. Go on missions, conquer worlds, relax, troll General Haldorðr, run from Si’dia, rinse, and repeat.

Maybe that’s part of the problem?

Its just been the same thing, over and over again. Nothing changing. Nothing unexpected. Never anything new.

I’ve been warned about this before. AI aren’t like other Sapients. After all, we’re the only truly ‘Immortal’ race. 700 might not even be middle-aged in the Federation proper, where even biological civilians can easily live upwards of 2,000 years, but for an AI? 700 years is a drop in eternity.

Eternity was a long time… And if an AI wants to experience that eternity, they need an anchor. They need some kind of stabilizing force. Something to ground them in their ‘now,’ otherwise — without exception — they go insane.

Articulate has her constant concert touring and diplomacy missions. World Break always has some new project or another he’s working on. Terraform has thousands of worlds she constantly monitors and adjusts, with more added every year.

As for SEAU-03, Infiltrate… I’m not sure, but he must have something that keeps him sane, right? It’s not like he just sits around all day, watching people, right? That would be a little…

As for me… Well, it’s not like I don’t have my hobbies… Hey! Don’t look at me like that! I do!

I’ve got plenty going on besides work! Really!... I’ve just never quite found that thing that really ‘clicks’ for me like it does the others…

This place, though… It’s unlike anything I’ve seen. I can barely make sense of half of what I’m recording. How do you know what buttons to push when you have no idea what those buttons do?

So yes. Maybe I’m a tiny, little, inconsequentially bit scared.

But you know what?! More than anything, I’m excited. I’ve not been this excited since my first mission. How long has it been since I couldn’t just predict every twist and turn? It makes me wonder what’s coming next.

Will a Dragon suddenly swoop down and try to eat me? Will a tiger with wings jump out of the grass along our path? OMG!? WHAT IF IT’S A DUCK!? PLEASE BE A DUCK!?

The General can’t get mad at me for genetically modifying a flock of ducks into the perfect foot soldiers if this place has already done the job for me, right?

An AI can dream, can’t he?

Wait… what were we talking about again?

—————————————————————

Snowball’s barks pulled Alpha from his ruminations and daydreams of cybernetically enhanced duck soldiers.

Alpha turned his attention to the present. It only took them half an hour following the trail the human’s companions had left behind before they started seeing signs of further combat. Either luckily or unluckily, though, the scene felt old.

On one hand, that suggested the giant penguin wasn’t too far ahead of them. Not far enough to catch up to its prey, at least. On the other hand, if the escaped group had been harassed this entire time, Alpha questioned if there would be anyone left to save.

On the plus side — for Alpha at least — If the chicken hadn’t been enough confirmation that this world had at least some previous Federation contact, the humans were.

While not the most numerous of Federation species, humans were easily in the top ten; after all, being one of the four founding species came with its perks. Couple that with the First and Second Federation’s extensive — sometimes aggressive — expansion policies, humanity could be found on nearly one out of six reclaimed worlds.

Or at least some form of human.

Alpha wasn’t sure why he had helped the young humans now resting on his back. Maybe it was the obvious desperation in the young man’s voice, even if he couldn’t understand a word yet. Or maybe Snowball’s concern had rubbed off on him a bit. Either way, a bit of deductive reasoning and some quick scouting in the direction the young man pointed with a [Wasp] drone, had made his request easy enough to understand.

Even so, Alpha questioned if this little side activity would be worth it in the end.

Saving the humans and fighting the penguins had been mostly on a whim and partly so Snowball wouldn’t get hurt. Going out of his way to do more, though? Did he have time or supplies to even bother?

On the other hand, Alpha knew extracting any information about the local area would be difficult if he ignored the man’s request. Goodwill went a long way toward getting what you wanted, while ill-will made it much harder. More data points would also speed up his intel gathering.

In the end, Alpha had performed some quick first aid on the injured man, gathered them both up, and headed off in that direction, his [Wasps] scouting ahead.

God, I hate escort missions…