Chapter Text
Adrian lost part of themselves when their mate decided to join the voyage to save their planet. They knew they would not be complete until their mate came back. But Rocky wouldn't be Rocky if he didn't go, didn't help fix the problem, and guarantee a future for them. Adrian knew the eridian they chose to spend the rest of their life beside, and he would come back for them.
So, Adrian prepared. They involved themselves in the efforts to maintain Erid and its people alive until the mission crew got back with the solution, helped create new ways for them to survive, to ensure their way of life and the continuation of their species. Domes to maintain the specific climate conditions for when the temperature gets too low, and new ways to sustain their food source. They paved the way to bioengineering research and projects, so that food could be artificially created. They kept themselves busy, while one of their hearts was away. So that the crew would have a home to come back to.
When the years passed, and no news came, Adrian sought comfort with the mates and families of the other crew members, others experiencing the same pain that they were. When the date for the mission’s return came and went, others lost hope and sought out new solutions. Mourned. Not Adrian, their heart could be outside of their body and too far to hear, but it was still beating, and that they knew for sure.
Objectives changed, the Eridians decided Tau Ceti was too far away, they would focus their efforts locally, on-planet efforts were doubled, all available Eridians rushed to help, and Adrian did not stay behind. Despite their belief, the planet was still in trouble, and they would not sit idly waiting hopelessly to be saved.
More years came and went, and all of those somewhat related to the mission crew lost their hope of ever seeing their loved ones again. Even still, Adrian remained strong.
“He is not gone.” They said, “I still feel one of my hearts beat with him”.
Deep down, they knew that every solution they could come up with to help the planet, no matter how advanced, would only ever be a temporary fix. Their sun was dimming, those things in space were eating it. Once again, the population directed their effort above, set to Threeworld to collect and study samples of the Astrophage, an attempt to somehow determine a way to reduce their numbers, their impact, and hopefully, erase them altogether.
This time, Adrian went as well, most of the families and loved ones of the previous mission's crew decided to go. It was their first time outside of Erid’s atmosphere, they never thought about what space would feel like, so they were not prepared for it. The complete absence of anything outside of the craft, their perception extending only to their crewmates and the ship itself, was a terrifying reality. Usually, on the surface, there would be a constant background input, structures close by, faint vibrations of others moving far away, how far the ground would extend, but now there was nothing.
They could feel their crewmates and the ship, that's it. They couldn't help but think of Rocky. Was this what he was experiencing as well?
Not the time, they need to focus.
Regardless of their own lack of perceptions, the ship was equipped with state-of-the-art sensors to aid in their mission, used primarily to pick up on the behaviour and patterns of the astrophage. It was one of those sensors that picked up on their radar something out of the ordinary.
A small metal structure, rounded and appearing hollow, filled with what would later be discovered to be oxygen, floating just above Threeworld’s atmosphere, in the middle of the astrophage line.
After the initial shock, discussion of the possibility of alien life, hypothesizing hostility if that was the case, the crew decided to make contact with the structure. After all attempts to communicate via radio frequency went unanswered, they began efforts to engage the small vessel and dock.
Xenonite barriers were constructed, exoskeleton suits crafted, and they maintained continuous monitoring on the vessel and the creature inside it. The fear of the unknown was permeating the craft. Finally, they completed the docking process with the alien ship.
The only entrance that appeared to exist was completely sealed shut, the material seemed to be of incredibly poor strength and was easily breached. The space inside was beyond simple, it did not seem to hold the capacity to sustain the voyage that brought the vessel here, nor did it have any meaningful life support capabilities. It would hold for extremely short missions, maybe, but not deep space.
Most disturbing, the inside was coated vigorously with a thick, coagulated fluid, it stuck to every possible surface, including their xenonite suits and tools. Was this a deliberate choice on the creature’s preferences?
And there was, of course, the creature.
Almost indescribable and horrifyingly unlike anything any eridian has ever imagined. Also completely covered in the fluid substance, it lay on the ground, making small noises, organs in its central cavity contracting and expanding, what they assumed to be it’s heart faintly beating. Their soft tissues appear to be outside, unprotected by any sort of carapace or exoskeleton, a structure with hardened material was present on its insides, but still much weaker when compared to an eridian’s inorganic outer layer. Similar to an Eridian, but flipped inside out.
It presented a four-limbed form, all attached to a midsection, with a smaller structure on top, for what they assumed to be its neural processing. Disturbing noises came from the many movements and contractions made by the creature’s visceral organs. Too many of its parts had articulated joints, all of it seemed to be able to move in many different, unnecessary ways, twisting and pinching where one shouldn't be able to. Its insides were also filled with a liquid substance, pulsing all throughout its body. More fluid seemed to leak from the creature’s several orifices, holes, and points of entrance scattered around its body, to many unnatural openings.
How a creature like this was able to survive, let alone achieve space travel, was completely beyond Adrian's realm of comprehension.
When the first eridian approached to make contact with it, the creatures spasmed out and turned towards them with an indistinguishable sound.
“I’m… alive?” It appeared slowly to access itself, before noticing the eridian team making their way closer and becoming agitated. “What the fuck!?”
After taking notice of their presence, the creature began to thrash violently, kicking its hind legs on the ground and making its way to the corner of the vessel before reaching for an object within its reach and forcibly swinging towards the eridian closest to it.
“Get the fuck away!” It vocalized unintelligibly, louder than before. “What even are these things?”
Fluid appeared to be flowing from one of its limbs, it was also growing weaker as it moved, movements slowing down. As it dropped the object it was previously swinging, the first eridian carefully approached again.
“NO, no! Get away…” It voiced, speech more stunted than before, it’s upper body slowly making its way to the ground again. “Please, get away from me!... I just want to live…”
To Adrian, it just seemed so sad, these last moments of fight it had in it. Desperate but defeated by something they did not know, clearly scared.
When it completely stopped moving, heartbeat slowing again, the eridian team moved to secure the creature. The fluid flowing from its limb appeared to be due to it being severed, it clearly was in dire need of medical attention. However, with its biology being completely unknown, Adrian worried whether they would be able to provide any help. Quickly, they moved the creature into their own ship, protected by a xenonite barrier in similar atmospheric conditions as its own, and placed it in a contained room.
Their primary objective for the mission was completely forgotten, the Eridian crew decided to make their way back to their planet as soon as possible, sending any discernible information and data about the creature ahead to a team of biologists on Erid. Any and all possible experiments were conducted to assess the conditions and necessities of the creature, to ensure its safety and survival.
Not once did it wake up again in the days that followed.
A primary enclosure site was prepared on the ground, maintaining atmospheric conditions, and it was moved there as soon as they landed. They tried their best to clean and decontaminate the creature, providing similar replacements to its previously discarded items. Any items they could not replace, as well as the ship itself, were safely studied and stored for when the creature woke up. The medical and biological team took over its primary care, while others researched food options and necessary living conditions based on what little data they had.
Adrian stayed close, monitoring the scientist’s progress and helping when they could. They felt for the creature, alone in an unfamiliar world, unable to communicate with anyone, despite not being conscious, it must be scared.
They were able to bring it to a stable condition, carefully doing what they could to heal the severed limb. They assessed that it was incapable of echolocation, instead relying on a biological mechanism to decipher electromagnetic radiation to interpret its surroundings. They experimented with several wavelengths to discern its comfortable range, assessing if any of them would garner a reaction.
Adrian was responsible for the structure that the creature would stay in. They tried their best to create a comfortable environment, but not much could be done until they could attempt to communicate with it.
Eight days after the initial contact, and after receiving medical attention, the creature woke up.
Once again, it trashed and vocalized violently, preventing any eridians from coming close to it. It clearly showed visceral fear of them, unable to understand the situation it was in, attempts to calm it down and converse with it were unsuccessful, and Adrian was losing hope if they would be able to keep the creature alive at all.
Breaking away from the scientific group, Adrian gathered their meal and excused themselves. Before they were able to remove the mineral sheel from the food, their mind went out to the creature again.
What if their mate was in a similar situation to it? Trapped and hurt in an unknown world, with unknown people, unable to communicate. Adrian hoped that, if Rocky was ever in a similar position to the creature, that someone would try their best to help and understand him. They did not know what caused the delay of the crew's return, and that is what it was, a delay, but they hoped their mate was somewhere safe, with someone kind to watch him sleep.
Watch him sleep…
Despite their monitoring of the creature, it had no one to watch it sleep, it didn't know it could rest safely, that it would be protected.
Sustenance forgotten, Adrian made their way to the creature's enclosure. It was attempting to sleep again, curled in the farthest corner from the entrance, squeezing itself against a wall. It made sad, pained noises, and its breathing and heartbeat were accelerated, moisture gathered at its form, and droplets of liquid ran from its upper structure.
They donned a xenonite suit and, at the advice of the medical team, took a container of water and of the sustenance engineered by the scientist, to try to offer it for the creature's consumption. Adrian decontaminated and slowly made their way toward it, trilling and chirping soothing melodies, as if to calm an eridian pebble. They sat down at the base of the creature's resting space, continuing with the song without disturbing it. Slowly, the creature relaxed, heartbeat and breathing evening out, it still moved while unconscious, but it seemed to be able to rest more easily.
14 963 seconds later, the creature started to wake up, calmly coming into consciousness again, as Adrian still sang. It took little time for it to notice them and tense up again, coiling in on itself as if getting ready to attack at a moment's notice.
But it didn't, it just faced towards Adrian and stayed extremely still, heart beating frantically. Adrian maintained the song, making calm soothing noises, and waited for the creature to decide what to do next.
It slowly uncoiled, spherical organs present in its upper half moving around, it appears to have noticed the sealed nourishment. Adrian slowly and carefully extended the items within the creature's reach. It quickly took them before examining carefully. As it discovered what the items were, it sat in a more relaxed manner, facing toward them.
Adrian decided to take slow steps away to allow the creature privacy to eat. However, it tore open the packaging and the water flask and rapidly consumed the provided meal.
The creature was completely disgusting.