Sunset Precedes The Dark

The first thing that Ignatius saw when his optics rebooted was not what he expected at all. It was not a chaotic landscape full of non-euclidean geometry, flaring wild magicks, and bizarre colours splotched around like a splatter painting as was described in the documentation. No, the first thing that he saw was a dark, damp cave with an opening ahead that was streaming in bright white light through what appeared to be a roaring waterfall.

The second thing he saw was slightly more predictable, however. Curled up on the floor of the cave just in front of him was Captain Moreno, who appeared to be dry-heaving, likely a result of the elixir brewed by the Lunar Queen. Looking her over quickly, her body seemed completely unchanged by the trip, which meant that the potion worked as intended, albeit with unforeseen side-effects. Ignatius added the current circumstance to his mental list of reasons to be happy being inorganic.

Thankfully, his helmet’s systems had already rebooted by now, and he reconnected to Claire’s own radio to speak to her directly through the din of the waterfall. “Are you alright, Captain? We seem to be safe for the moment, if you need to catch your breath.”

Before he could get an answer, the giant mirror behind him began to loudly shimmer and warp, forewarning him of the arrival of the next members of his team. Hooking his hands under Claire’s arms, he yanked her up and over his shoulder, and leap out of the way just in time to avoid being crushed by the mountain of metal that fell through the portal next.

Crashing down loudly onto the wet stone of the cave, Rhys’ battlesuit scraped loudly as he struggled to rise to his feet before collapsing again. Setting Claire down in a sitting position against the wall to let her rest, Ignatius walked over to Rhys and opened the channel to his radio as well.

“Captain Steele, can you hear me? Are you alright?” Ignatius bent over to try and look the Solar in the eyes, but at the moment he was face-down in a small pool.

When he answered, Rhys’ voice was a slurred groan, “I can hear you fine, Lieutenant. I just… emptied my stomach into my suit. Give me a moment, will you?”

Nodding, Ignatius looked back at the large mirror, waiting for the final member of his team. While staring at its surface, he noticed an odd detail about this side of the portal. Much like the one on Terra, this mirror was encircled with engravings, but they were not runic like the ones he saw earlier. They appeared to be pictographic, depicting a story of some sort, revolving around what appeared to be a large ram.

Ignatius didn’t have time to closely examine the engravings however, when the glassy surface of the portal began to warp again. With only a second of warning, Ignatius had just enough time to leap backwards before Colette came barrelling through the mirror, straight past where Ignatius had been standing into the still-crumpled body of Rhys.

Tripping over his leg, the canid went heels-up as she tumbled to the ground face-first, the sound of metal on stone reverberating loudly through the cave for the second time in a minute. Ignatius took a moment to thank the roaring cascade at the entrance for muffling the sound of his companions, because if not for that, they likely would have alerted every creature within a kilometer of their presence by now.

“Colette. How do you feel?” asked Ignatius, after having connected to her helmet as well, “You haven’t vomited yet, which is a good sign.”

Shaking, Colette rolled over onto her stomach, struggling to get to her feet. As she pushed herself up onto her hands and knees, she shuddered suddenly, silently wretching.

Finally, she spoke between choking gags. “I think that has to be the third worst thing I’ve ever experienced. I’m not looking forward to doing that again.”

Ignatius crouched beside her, patting the canid on the back. “What, pray tell, takes second and first then?”

Colette chuckled weakly, appreciating his effort to distract her from her churning stomach. “Second worst thing was having my arm ripped from its socket by a Death Knight.” She paused, choosing her next words carefully. “The absolute worst was having my heart torn out.”

Ignatius cocked his head slightly. “I always wondered how you got your prosthetic. But how did you survive cardiectomy? I would think that is normally fatal.”

Rhys gave a throaty laugh as he finally picked himself up, his mechanized suit whining as stood, with his head nearly hitting the ceiling. “I believe she is speaking metaphorically, Lieutenant. No one physically removed her heart from her chest.”

“Now is not the time to be looking back on old wounds,” interrupted Claire as she rose to her feet, “We need to secure this area and begin preliminary scans of the environment. Colette, how soon can you have your equipment ready?”

The canid sighed as she glared at Claire. With Ignatius’ help, she stood up and gave a weak cough before answering, “I know my job, don’t worry. Just give me ten minutes in some open air, and you’ll have your readings. I’m still catching my breath though.”

“Allow me to go first, then,” spoke Ignatius, walking towards the entrance of the cave, “I can check our surroundings and make sure there is no immediate danger. The three of you can rest a moment more.”

His teammates exchanged quick glances before all sharing a nod. Each of them slowly sat back down as Ignatius experimentally stepped up to the downpour, letting the mist gently coat him. When the moisture didn’t begin to eat through his suit, he took one more step forwards, into the rapids themselves. Besides getting a bit damp, Ignatius suffered no ill effect from what he was now almost certain was merely water. Thankfully, his coat and uniform were all treated against the elements, and most of the water harmlessly rolled right off of him. Satisfied, he pushed the rest of the way through the waterfall out into the brightest light he had ever seen.

Even through the tinted visor of his helmet, his eyes needed a moment to adjust to the blindingly bright light, but what met his view was unlike anything he had ever witnessed before. He stood in a river that was surrounded on all sides by colour. The knee-high water itself was clear and pure, revealing beneath its shimmering surface a bank of colourful stones and sparkling sand, as though the stars of the night sky had been planted beneath him.

Looking along the sides of the channel, Ignatius saw life growing wildly in a way he had only ever observed in ancient data logs. Flora of every hue grew unchecked and free by the water that fed them life, blooming into various shapes and patterns completely contrary to the carefully maintained and organized orchards of the cities that he was so used to.

Completely enthralled, his eyes followed the growth of the plants up along their stalks before moving to the tall, dark, and sturdy trees that grew just beyond the lines of brush. Reaching as high as Rhys’ suit and even higher than that, the noble trunks of these ancient woods stood anywhere between four to eight meters tall, as though they were competing to see who would touch the sky first. Their limbs and branches were covered in rustling leaves that fluttered in the wind that cut through the crevasse he stood in, hypnotizing him with a dance that had millions of participants.

Looking even higher still, Ignatius saw the blue sky that hung above it all, with a ball of light so bright he dared not look directly at it. The richness of the blue was beyond words that he could conjure, making the hue artificial skies of the cities feel like a cheap imitation by comparison. Indeed, he couldn’t help but ponder for a moment what kind of indescribable violations upon his home planet could have resulted in the dark red skies its people now knew as “natural.” To even call the skies of Terra “skies” at all felt like a blasphemous mockery of what blessed his eyes now.

So lost in thought and wonder was he that the voice of his fellow Lunar in his ear nearly went unnoticed. “Ignatius? What is your status? What does it look like out there?”

“Beautiful beyond words,” answered Ignatius quietly, still enraptured by his surroundings.

Colette asked next, sounding slightly concerned. “Is the area secured, Ignatius? Is it safe to meet you outside and see this ‘beauty’ you’re talking about?” The worry in her voice was cut with curiosity, as she had never known Ignatius to refer to anything as “beautiful” in the six years she had known him.

Tearing his eyes away from the heavenly azure hanging above his head, quickly reevaluating his surroundings. Not looking at the wondrous colours this time, but more carefully observing for movements or strange shapes, he saw nothing amongst the flora nor the stony cliffs that surrounded him. Only splendor.

“My apologies. The area appears to be secure, feel free to make your way out of the cave whenever you are ready.”

Ignatius wasn’t sure why, but he felt confident in his casual observation of the surroundings. Normally when ordered to scout an area, he would scan the entire breadth of it with scrutiny, but this place was different, somehow. Something carried in the breeze that told him with certainty that there was nothing to be feared here, that this was a place to be at peace.

He continued gazing at the world around him in a trance as his teammates pushed through the waterfall, one-by-one. Claire came first, her stature tense with apprehension of the new world that awaited her. Despite her readiness for conflict, nothing could have prepared her for the shock that came with the surroundings that had so easily ensnared Ignatius in a stupor.

She had expected anything and everything except for the sheer, palpable serenity that was all around her now. Much like her Lunar comrade, she felt enamoured by the sights she beheld now. For the first time in a decade, she felt a calmness wash over her that had been so deeply longed for that she had forgotten what it felt like to be fulfilled. She almost forgot all of the pain of that last decade in just a moment, before it all came crashing back down, reminding her of her mission, and turning the small smile that nearly graced her lips back into a sullen frown.

She looked behind her in time to see the massive form of Rhys stepping through the waterfall, blocking it entirely and leaving a gap of open air under his shoulders that flooded the cave behind him with warm sunshine for the first time in uncountable years. As the water splashed off his armor, it misted into the air to diffuse the daylight into a halo of rainbow colours that drifted slowly down around him.

Despite the reek of bile that clung to the inside of his battlesuit and stung his nostrils, Rhys did not at all regret the trip here. Instead of thinking about how difficult it would be to scrub the stench from his suit, he thought about how such a frivolous thing was a pittance of admission to pay to have his life blessed by the sight before him. In that moment, he considered himself the luckiest man in the Solar Guard, and felt his breast swell with pride and triumph that he was able to live to witness this after everything he had suffered through back home. He had lived to see it, and promised himself to live to see the day that home looked like this too.

Last of the group to leave the darkness of the cave was Colette, who slipped out between Rhy’s legs into the blazing daylight. At first she was blinded by the light of the brilliantly blazing sun overhead, having to hold up a hand to protect her sensitive eyes. Squinting, she quickly adjusted the settings on her helmet’s lenses until she felt comfortable enough to get a good look at her new environment.

The first thing she noticed was the abundance of colour that surrounded her on all sides. An abundance of colour from plants meant an abundance of animals to eat and pollinate them. On Terra, most plants were nearly identical as a result of cloning or poor biodiversity, but at a glance, no two species were the same. Vast biodiversity meant a thriving ecosystem, which meant that the environmental horrors that had befallen her homeworld were likely not present here.

The next thing she noticed was that along with the rich life, the air and water on this planet appeared to be free of any and all pollution. The river she stood in was so clear she could see individual pebbles along its bed, and there was no visible smog nor dust in the air, unlike the Terran surface beyond the cities or the tunnels she was born in. Looking towards the end of the crevasse they stood in, she saw where the river poured off another cliff as another waterfall, and beyond that was a stretching forest and landscape that she could clearly observe for kilometers, each tree and mountain as clear as the stones beneath her boots. Clean, clear atmosphere and plentiful life boded very well for this planet, and for the mission.

Excited to begin her tests, Colette caught the attention of her team by clearing her throat into their shared radio channel. “Alright everyone! It was hell to get here, but it’s time to get to work, right? I don’t know about you three, but I’m pretty anxious to see if this air is breathable for us. Let’s get onto dry land so I can set up shop and start taking samples!”

Ignatius and Claire were hesitant to move from where they were standing, each wanting to take more time to appreciate their surroundings, but silently deciding in unison to follow Colette’s lead. Rhys had already begun stomping his way over to the shore, detaching the invaluable block of ancient machinery from his back to deploy it on a dry, stable surface so that the curious canid could begin to print out her necessary materials.

“Ignatius,” said Claire, grabbing his attention, “We should probably find some high ground to get our bearings. Check for any landmarks, or perhaps signs of civilization. Let the Solars set up here.” The synth nodded in affirmation before turning away, headed for the bank opposite of the rest of the team.

Claire made her way to shore and moved past the two Solars as they began to set up a camp of sorts, with Rhys dropping large quantities of stone and flora into the top of the fabricator and Colette producing various pieces of equipment from the bottom of it. As interesting as the process was, and as curious as she was about how the fabricator functioned, Claire decided against asking the canid about it. Instead, she refocused on the task ahead of her.

Gracefully and silently weaving through the trees, she made her way to the rocky cliff that rose high above them, and once at its base, she began to swiftly scale its face. Scrambling along the stone incline, Claire made good use of her cybernetic arms, with the clawed fingers ensuring that she had solid handholds all the way up. Halfway up, she took a moment to turn and look for Ignatius on the cliff opposite of her. Sure enough, he had managed to climb even further, despite not having the same advantage of clawed hands. Redoubling her efforts, it took her only a few minutes more to reach the ledge above her.

Claire’s fingers hooked deep into the grass at the top as she struggled to pull herself over the edge, the weight of her armor and prosthetic legs not helping in the slightest. As soon as her whole body was on solid ground again, she did a quick survey of her new surroundings, and her eyes went wide at what she saw.

No more than a hundred meters ahead of her was a stone structure clearly made by intelligent beings, with walls of stone brick and once elegant archways now reduced to crumbling ruins. Ancient dilapidated ruins were half-expected however, with what little intel the team had on this world. There was civilization at least four-hundred years ago, so seeing the structure wasn’t entirely surprising. What Claire was not expecting to see was a large, shimmering tree of crystal sprouting up from the center of the ruins, emanating an aura of light around the surrounding area. While it was unlike anything back on Terra, she could tell from a glance that what she was looking at was magic.

The demonkin made sure she was still connected to her team’s radio channel before announcing her find, the tension clear in her voice. “I found some old ruins up here, which means we have confirmation on some sort of intelligent civilization. Additionally, I have eyes on what appears to be some sort of magical tree made of crystal. I’m going to take a closer look.”

“Did you say magic tree?” Colette responded, her curiosity piqued. “If you can, try and bring me a leaf or something, just a small sample. If it really is magic, I can run some tests and it can give us a lot of insight into this world… Which reminds me,” she added quickly, “Ignatius, can you still perform spells?”

It only took a few seconds for the synth’s tinny voice to reply. “It would appear that yes, our magic is compatible with this world. Which means that either that tree is naturally creating incantations by some unknown means…”

“Or this world has a new type of undiscovered magic for us to study and learn,” Colette finished with a gleeful tone in her voice. “I really hope it’s the second option here.”

As much as it pained her, Claire couldn’t help but smile at Colette’s enthusiasm, which was undeniably infectious. She was just glad that no one could see it right now.

“Also, I should mention while I’m up here,” announced Ignatius, “That while I can confirm what Claire sees, I also have eyes on a few other interesting landmarks. Just further up the crevasse seems to be a wooden bridge that we missed that is connecting my side to Claire’s, and it doesn’t look very old either. More interestingly, to the north-west, I can see another large crystalline structure. It almost looks like a castle of sorts… Approximately five kilometers out. Perhaps a settlement?”

“As interesting as that sounds, let’s focus on one thing at a time, shall we?” joined Rhys. “We can investigate that later once Colette has gotten her readings. We’re going to be here for a few days, after all. No need to rush.”

Disregarding Rhys, Claire moved forward towards the gleaming crystal tree, keeping low and as hidden as possible amongst the foliage. Although she was trained to maneuver through urban and arid environments, many of the techniques Lunars were taught to keep swift and quiet were still viable enough in this new environment. Deafening herself to her squadmates for the moment, Claire disabled her helmet’s noise cancelling to better gauge her surroundings and be mindful of possible movements around her.

It only took her another minute to reach the ruins proper, but instead of approaching the main gate, Claire elected to climb up the side of the structure along a pile of collapsed bricks to get a better look inside through an empty window frame. Peering in from above, she could see now that the glowing crystal tree was in fact a treehouse, complete with its own windows and door. Due to the glow of it, she had difficulty seeing inside the tree through its tinted windows, but she did definitely see something inside. More specifically, she saw several figures moving around the interior, which piqued her curiosity. Still, wanting to remain hidden took priority, and Claire elected to simply take a sample for Colette before any of the tree’s inhabitants could notice her, or come outside.

With a careful leap, Claire jumped through the ruined window frame and landed beside the tree without a sound, as her hiding spot was too far away to collect a leaf from any of the branches. With grace befitting one of her position, Claire leapt straight up and grabbed a hold of one of the lower branches, being certain not to jostle any of the smaller crystals that hung from the limb. For all she knew, they could either be windchimes or a security system, and she did not intend to alert those inside of her position.

Making sure that she was still out of sight of any of the windows, Claire delicately swung herself up atop the branch she hung from, and began to shuffle along the narrow, perfectly smooth surface to the nearest limb with leaves within reach. Under most circumstances, Claire was perfectly content with her below-average stature. It made for a smaller target, and made her lighter than her colleagues. This was unfortunately one such situation in which she wished she had the height of Ignatius or Colette, because she presently found herself standing on her toes to reach a leaf.

After two attempts, Claire managed to pluck it from the tree as easily as a leaf from any other non-crystalline subject. It was only when she turned back to begin her climb down that she saw a face in a nearby window looking straight at her, its mouth hanging open in shock. The creature seemed to match the descriptions of the native “ponies” that the team was intended to make contact with, with this one in particular having a green mane and a lighter hued coat.

Over the next second, Claire debated whether or not she should kill this one to remove traces of her discovery, considering the ramifications of their first contact being a murder. Another second passed as she reasoned that it would be foolish, as it would be all-too easy to trace the kill back to her and her squad once they did make formal contact, ruining any chances of diplomacy before they even arose. By the third second, she had come to a very simple and easy decision. Flee.

With leaf in hand, Claire leapt down from the branch she stood on and landed silently on the soft dirt and grass that surrounded the tree. Not daring to look back, she dashed for the nearest opening in the wall of the ruins, diving through a hole left by some missing bricks. Claire rolled with her momentum and carried herself back up onto her feet with finesse that only came with years of practice, and she continued running towards the ledge she climbed up from. Finding some cover behind a tree, Claire slid to a crouched halt behind the trunk and some bushes, only finally daring to check if she was being pursued.

She waited, motionless for a minute, then two. When no creatures came looking for her, she finally let her shoulders relax. Confident that they were not coming after her, Claire looked down at the crystal leaf in her hand that she was careful not to crush as she fled. Even apart from the whole and in the shade of the tree, it still glittered with inexplicable light, unlike anything she had ever seen before. It was almost hypnotically beautiful, but she stifled the thought as she walked towards the edge of the cliff.

“I got your leaf, Colette. I was spotted by a local, but they don’t seem to have followed me. They didn’t react with hostilities, at least, so diplomacy is still on the table for the time being. I’m on my way down, and then we can decide what to do next.”

“Great to hear, Claire,” replied Colette, “Though I’m a little surprised to hear you were seen, I’m also glad it didn’t escalate. I took some samples from the environment and they’re being processed now, but we should know in a moment how toxic or safe this world is. Rhys and I will be waiting near the cave entrance for you two.”

Taking another glance at the leaf, Claire sighed. Despite everything that has happened so far, the most surreal part of the mission for her was working alongside Colette again. She was prepared to face new dangers in an alien world, with certain death staring her down at every turn. The last thing she was ready to face was the past that she had spent ten years trying to bury, exhumed by fate like an angry, restless spirit to haunt her. The only solace she felt was knowing that after five days, the mission would be over, and she could rebury her guilt where it belonged.

Stepping off the ledge, Claire plummeted straight down, her stomach rising to her throat as gravity took her in its grip. She closed her eyes, mentally bracing herself for the landing. A fraction of a second before she hit the ground, her suit detected the incoming impact, and automatically activated a pre-programmed spell that was built into every set of Lunar armor.

As her feet hit the ground, it felt like she turned into a giant pillow, everything going soft and numb for just long enough to negate the impact of the fall. Immediately after, she felt as she always did, solid and strong. It was a curious sensation, one that she did not particularly enjoy, but one she found far preferable to the pain of her bones and organs being turned to pulp.

With one more deep breath, Claire gathered herself, and began to make her way back through the foliage to the camp by the river to deliver the sample that Colette was so excited for.

When Claire arrived at the camp, she saw that Ignatius had already beaten her back and was standing next to Colette, looking over her shoulder as she sat on a rock. Behind them both was a crouching Rhys, who seemed to be staring off into the distance, paying no one any mind. The canid was busy pouring over an electronic tablet, presumably going over the readings of her equipment. Claire could only assume that the various unfamiliar machines resting on a nearby table were the tools she used to scan the environment, but once again, she couldn’t be bothered to ask.

As Claire approached, Ignatius tapped Colette on the shoulder, drawing her attention away from the tablet. She looked up, and was simultaneously glad to see the crystalline leaf, and slightly less so to be reminded of who held it. Holding out a hand, Colette gestured for the Lunar Captain to pass the sample over, who instead tossed it at her with an underhand throw. Ignatius snatched it out of the air and gently passed it to Colette as Claire turned away again, stepping back into the shade of the trees and leaning up against one.

Not keen on starting a fight over the mishandling of the sample, Colette turned her attention back to her data tablet as she reviewed the data she had so far collected. She kept getting an error about an unknown element in the environment, so for the time being she decided to stand up and bring the crystal sample over to one of her machines, placing it gently inside of a sealed metal box.

“What does this one do?” asked a curious Ignatius who had followed her back over to the table. Colette was happy that he was at least curious about her work, instead of dismissive like the other Lunar she was stuck with.

“Basically, it’s a scanner to determine what kind of energy the sample is giving off, and how much. It’s either really magical or really radioactive, and that is important to know whether or not this planet is actually habitable.”

“Habitable almost implies colonization, Colette,” interjected Rhys, who finally moved his head to look at them. “At the very least, my orders said no such thing about that.”

Colette waved a dismissive hand at the Rook as she turned on the device with her datapad. “It’s mostly just a formality. I honestly just want to know if we can take our suits off, because I really would rather not be stuck in this armor for five days. I get that we can technically ‘go in the suits,’ but I’d really rather not if the choice is available, you know?”

Rhys nodded his head empathetically, while Ignatius shook his in disbelief. “Did you know that some of my people actually choose to install synthetic organs? I cannot imagine why anyone would want to worry about soiling themselves.”

Colette playfully elbowed him with a giggle. “It’s a part of the experience! Always on the lookout for something to eat and someplace to shit, that’s organic life for ya.” Rhys gave her a hearty laugh as Ignatius simply crossed his arms, clearly unamused. Despite that, she imagined him smiling under his helmet, regardless of the fact that she wasn’t sure if he even could.

A moment later, her datapad updated with the results from the scanned leaf, and a flurry of updates immediately followed from her environmental scans. Taken aback, Colette started quickly swiping through the new data with a finger, trying to make sense of it. The excitement of discovering a new form of magic evaporated in an instant as she realized what exactly she was looking at.

“Ignatius, take a look at this for me. You’re a mage, tell me if I’m reading this correctly, because I must be reading this wrong.” Holding out the tablet for him to see, he glanced down at the readings. He wasn’t familiar with much of the terminology, but judging by the flashing diagrams and symbols, he was able to understand enough.

“I’m no technician, Colette… Half of this makes no sense to me. So correct me if I am wrong in my interpretation, but this reads to me as though that leaf has a tiny little soul, and that same energy is permeating the entire environment. But surely that cannot be correct… That would defy everything we know about magic.”

She stared hard at the tablet, chewing her lip nervously for several seconds unsure how to respond. She looked up at Rhys, who just shrugged his massive shoulders, equally at a loss for words, though mostly for a lack of understanding. Glancing back at Ignatius, he too was silent, still glaring at the tablet. For just a second, she glimpsed at Claire, who hadn’t moved from the tree she was leaning against. She wasn’t sure why, but Colette could feel the demonkin’s gaze resting on her through the opaque violet visor of her helmet. She knew that Claire was staring at her, she just didn’t know why.

Looking back down at the tablet in her hands, Colette felt pressure rising in her chest. Ever since she was a pup, she loved learning new things, experimenting and studying new sciences and environments. She left her tribe for this, and yet for the first time ever, Colette felt like this was something she didn't want to learn. Her mind was doing backflips trying to rationalize the information in front of her. It couldn't be true, but the numbers don’t lie. Between the cognitive dissonance wrestling with her mind, the deafening silence of her teammates, and the judging glare of Claire, she felt like collapsing.

Her hand moved on its own, moving from the datapad to her belt. It knew where the switch was, she didn’t need to think about it. Panic was squeezing her chest, and she couldn’t think now. She needed relief, and it was just a thumb press away. Staying calm was important during a mission, that’s what the drugs are for. To stay calm. A small click, and the panic washed away from her as coolness flooded her veins. Her mind slowed, and the doubt melted away. She let out the breath she didn’t know she was holding, and she felt reason return to her. She could work now.

“Colette,” Ignatius’ voice snapped her back to reality, her eyes wide at the realization of what she just did. Her eyes darted to look at him, and he was staring back at her now. He spoke low and slowly, the concern clear in his enunciation. “Are you… Alright?”

She swallowed hard, immediately understanding that he saw what she just did. Despite the calming chemicals in her blood, she felt her fur prickle with fear. Her eyes darted around to find something, anything to deflect with. Then she noticed the blinking notification on her datapad, and smiled.

“Hey, look at this,” she announced, pointing at the small screen and stepping away from him, “That unknown element in the environment was the same magical signature that was in the leaf, which means the scans are done! Considering that the energy seems to be inert, and the rest of the atmosphere is safe, we can take off our helmets!”

Ignatius stared at her for a few seconds more before turning and walking away towards Claire, understanding the unspoken words of “Not now.” Colette allowed herself some relief, having narrowly dodged a subject she wasn’t ready to discuss just yet, and giving herself some time to mentally prepare for the inevitable confrontation. Now, however, was the time to revel in fresh air and sunlight, and without a second thought, Colette retracted her helmet back into her armor and looked up at the sky.

The team recoiled in horror at Colette’s bloodcurdling scream as she fell backwards into the dirt, her hands covering her face in agony. Rhys was petrified, uncertain of what to do. He couldn’t help her in his suit, and he wasn’t about to exit it to help after seeing Colette toppled instantly like that.

Ignatius on the other hand, did not hesitate, and was already running to her before she hit the ground, pulling off his overcoat as he moved. Sliding to a stop next to the downed canid, he threw the garment over her to help cover her face from the light, the completely opaque black material blocking out all rays from the offending sun. As Colette’s screams turned to pained whimpers, Ignatius looked over his shoulder at Claire, who was standing mid-stride, her hand outstretched. The demonkin lowered her arm, and slowly moved back to her spot in the shade, leaning on the same tree again as if she hadn’t moved at all.

“Colette,” asked Rhys quietly, his voice coming through the speaker in his helmet, “Are you alright? You gave us quite a fright just now.”

Ignatius didn’t dare to lift the coat to examine her injuries, lest he blind her again. After a moment of silence, a weak laugh could be heard from underneath the heavy Lunar fabric, followed by Colette’s hoarse voice.

“That was pretty dumb of me, wasn’t it?”

Rhys gave a relieved chuckle as Ignatius just shook his head in disappointment. The Lunar’s helmet split open and retracted into the collar of his vest, allowing him to speak freely as he rested a comforting hand on his friend. He was disappointed in her on several levels right now, but she was still his friend.

“Yes, Colette,” said the synth gently but firmly, like a parent scolding a child, “That was very dumb of you. Are you going to be alright?”

She sensed the double meaning in his words, and bit her lip, thinking for a few seconds before responding. “I think I’ll be alright… I just got excited. I’ve never breathed fresh, clean air before, you know?”

Ignatius shook his head again. “No, I don’t. Like your fondness for bowel movements, the organic appeal is lost on me, I’m afraid.” Despite the monotone delivery of the joke, the synth still earned a pair of small chuckles from the two Solars.

“I guess I should probably get back up, huh? Can’t stay under this thing all day.”

Claire finally decided to join the conversation by silently stepping up beside Ignatius, her arms crossed and her voice harsh. “Please, by all means, waste more of our time. It’s not like we have a tight schedule to-”

“ALRIGHT!” Colette sat up quickly, throwing the coat off of herself and onto Ignatius. Her eyes were scrunched tight and her lips were curled back in a hostile snarl, directed in Claire’s general direction. She then took a deep breath, and the anger fell from her face, but was immediately replaced with a look of curiosity. Sniffing the air more carefully now, her ears perked up in delight as the scents on the wind finally properly settled in her snout.

“Woah, hold on. You two need to get a whiff of this. This place smells amazing.” Rhys and Claire exchanged glances before shrugging at each other and opening their helmets. Rhys first turned away from the sun, putting it to his back whereas Claire seemed to look directly at the sun before opening hers.

The three of them spent the next several seconds breathing deeply and slowly as Ignatius watched curiously. He had never seen three people so excited to just breathe before, but he accepted that these were particularly unique circumstances.

“The air here smells so nice,” said Rhys as he stood up straight from the crouch he had been holding this whole time, “It’s completely unlike the recycled air in the city, as though it has minute… flavours. I think I’m smelling the river right now.”

Claire on the other hand, seemed to be busy bathing in the light of the sun, her head tilted back to better catch the rays on her face. “So this is sunlight. It’s so… warm.”

Glancing down at Colette, he saw that she was still on the ground and struggling to open her eyes, squinting hard to avoid hurting herself again. She noticed Ignatius’ gaze and turned to him, giving a somewhat forced smile.

“I should probably just give up and close my helmet again, huh?”

“Probably, if you cannot see in this light. You do know that if you turn off your suit’s closed circulation, you can still breathe the air without being blind?”

Colette nodded before shrugging, standing up finally. “Yeah, I know. But it’s not quite the same as just enjoying the breeze on my face. I think I’d like to do that for a moment longer before we get moving again.”

Ignatius nodded again, slower. He still didn’t understand the appeal of a breeze on the face or the warmth of the sun, or even a breath of fresh air, but he could at least appreciate that his teammates did. Ultimately, the synth decided to let his teammates enjoy themselves a little longer as he walked over to a patch of colourful flowers he saw earlier. Examining them closely, he knew that although he could not stop and smell them, he could at least admire how pretty they were.