#gorben

This wasn't actually the first time she'd been in this kind of situation, although it was the first time she found herself trapped without either her weapons or her team. The fact that she'd effectively been defanged wasn't lost on her. So, while she was confident that Gwen would be able to take care of herself, Silya wasn't so sure about her own chances. Progress was slow. She must've circled around the same rooms a dozen times before she found herself back near the holding cells, only now on the opposite side of the force shields.

The others had regained consciousness by then. At first, when they saw her emerging from the shadows, they shouted at her, mistaking her for one of their captors. They only went quiet when she raced over to quiet them, eyes flickering between her face and the tentacles at her back. "You-!"

Silya motioned for them to keep silent. Sure enough, upon closer inspection, she recognized one of the other captives as the missing guard. The other two were still hard to identify, but given the mud on their shoes and how ruggedly they were dressed, she thought they might've been independent agents like her assigned to the wilderness. She hurriedly examined a nearby panel to try to shut down the shield.

"Behind you!"

The sudden shout was followed by a harsh blur of movement. Her body was thrown sideways as a teal, webbed hand swiped the air near her face. Three of the tentacles spread apart to catch her fall while the fourth coiled around her attacker's wrist. It was the amphibian from only moments earlier.

He swiped at her again only for another tentacle to grab his other wrist as well. He then jerked both arms down, snatching up the false limbs. Silya's knee buckled as tried to drag her to himself and she fought to keep her legs braced against the floor.

Before he could reel her within his reach, the second set of tentacles lashed out with a punch to his stomach. His grip faltered and the woman was able to scramble away. Once again, she ran for the cover of darkness and somehow found herself crowded among containers. She must've wandered into the cargo hold.

The amphibian's silhouette followed after her. She could hear his respirator easier than she could see him. Each gargled breath pushed her deeper into hiding. She crouched low, almost crawling along floor so not to reveal herself, and ducked behind a wide box.

One of the shorter tentacles looped around her forearm for comfort and she attempted to pat it to calm it down. The last thing she needed was to get tangled up in them right now. Based on where the sound of the respirator came from, the amphibian was taking his time prowling the room—but he made sure never to leave too much space between him and the entryway to his back, just enough so that she couldn't dart by him.

Silya held her own breath. She almost wished he would say something. Hearing him taunt her would've likely been preferable, because it would've given her some sort of read on what kind of enemy she was dealing with. The silence itself felt predatory; the mute patience of a hunter that knew its prey was cornered.

Sinking so low that she might as well have been lying on her stomach, she crept toward the adjacent wall. Maybe if she stuck to the cargo hold's perimeter, she could keep herself far enough away from the mercenary to get around him. Every time she heard him draw close, she rolled around the nearest container to stay out of his line of sight.

She managed to crawl all the way back to the entrance, leaning against its frame in a readied sprint, when something grabbed her from behind. She was lifted off of her feet and then hurled to the floor on her back with enough force to knock the wind out of her lungs. She felt the plates of the Spinal-ARCH bite into her flesh and the tentacles lash out around her for any kind of purchase as she tried to cry out in pain and couldn't. The brutal landing made enough noise though, calling the amphibian back over to her.

"I don't know how you got out, but it won't happen again."

Half-dazed, Silya squinted up to find a different mercenary looming over her. This one was more machine than man, the rise and fall of his chest armor the only sign that he was a living being at all. He blocked her escape one way while the amphibian blocked the other.

"Are those normal?" the latter pointed at what Silya could only assume were the tentacles.

There was pause, then the former's tone dipped in suspicion, "No. They're not."

The armored alien reached down and one of the tentacles lashed out to try to attack him only to get caught under his foot with a heavy stomp. Silya deactivated the Spinal-ARCH, earning a moment's surprise as the limbs vanished. She shoved herself up and tried to swerve around them only for a fist to bury its way into her chest and knock the air out of her again as she collapsed to her knees.

"What if we broke a bone?" the mercenaries continued their conversation, unmoved, "It won't change the way the meat looks too much, will it?"

"No, I don't think we need to go that far." This time, there was a grin in the other's words, as if he could sense her rising terror.

He reached down to resume his inspection when something snaked around her wrist. It almost looked like fabric. In an instant, she was dragged down the hall, coming to a stop several meters away from the pair and in front of the legs of two other aliens she didn't immediately recognize.

Silya didn't get the chance to look up. An ear-splitting howl boomed through the narrow space, and the only thing that kept her from digging her nails into the ground in response was the solid metal beneath her. She felt her hair whip back as though it were blown by a strong wind and kept herself flat to avoid getting swept away.

The newcomers then moved past her. She hadn't yet fully processed what just happened when another strong grip picked her up like a cat. Electric purple eyes scanned over her with concern.

Before she could utter her surprise at seeing Gorben, a trio of red, yellow, and blue streaks catapulted into her arms. "Silya!"

While her team weren't exactly in a fit, three angry faces did stare up into hers. They'd gotten separated from each other before, but they must've thought she'd up and left them to handle a job on her own. Aoi and Clutch were the first to wriggle away from her. "You disappeared on us!" the Demongo nano puffed out his cheeks, the flames on his head flickering indignantly, "No fair! I demand equal notice on all schemes!"

"Are you ok?" Poppy was the only one of the trio openly taking her absence seriously.

As much as she wanted to reassure them and as many questions as she had for them over how they managed to find her, they couldn't wait around. Silya turned back to Gorben, "Gwen's trying to stop them from fixing the engine. We need to keep this ship grounded!"

The Transylian picked up on the urgency in her voice before the explanation itself, steadily setting her back down on her feet. Her entire body ached from the earlier pummeling; however, thankfully, the short breather was enough for her to manage the pain for now.

She naturally gained a little more energy back from Clutch's leech ability too. The mummy and wolfman had already taken out the two mercenaries and were currently setting the other prisoners free. The amphibian was bound by his legs, but only temporarily stunned. He grabbed the gun at his hip, aiming for the nearest of the Anur aliens, when Clutch sped forward and twisted his wrist. The tiny Tetramand then swung the much larger amphibian over himself, Overpowering the mercenary and slamming his head into the floor.    

A familiar piece of tech caught Silya's eye. She recognized her nanocomm among a line of others strapped to the amphibian's belt. Gwen's was also among them, which she stashed in her pocket to return to her superior later. She put hers back onto her wrist and helped pass out the rest to the other fusion fighters as they walked over.

"You do look a little rough," Clutch placed his hands on his hips, "If you need to rest up, you can leave this one to the real heroes."

Not letting his teasing get to her, Silya readied her shattergun. "Not a chance."

The Anur trio already knew their way around the ship well from their journey to Earth. They led the way toward the engine room while two of the other fusion fighters went to find the exit. With any luck, they'd signal for backup or keep any other potential dangers from finding them.

Silya, her team, and the remaining fusion fighter followed the first group. Truthfully, she didn't think they were able to offer much in the way of support. Between the mummy, werewolf, and Transylian, they had a pretty solid match up against any one or two mercenaries they came across at a time: One to constrict their opponents' movements, one to either lash out with an explosive sound wave or brute force their way through, and one to grapple or electrocute anyone left standing. There wasn't really anything left for the humans and their nanos to do except watch the rear.

Whether it was thanks to a vigor for battle, a genuine sense of moral duty, or the knowledge that they could be blamed for the whole mess, the Anur aliens also fought with a certain... gusto.. The engine room was locked, forcing Gorben to short out the door's controls. When it zipped open, they found the large reptilian from earlier blocking the entryway. He spun on his heel and launched himself at the Transylian—only for the latter to catch him by the throat and hurl him back into the room. Metal claws raked the floor as the lizard caught himself. He attempted to charge once more. Sparks and teeth went flying as Gorben grabbed the reptilian by the back of the skull and slammed his snout into the wall until he lost consciousness.

Gwen was a fighter in her own league. Not only had she taken out the engine completely—evidenced by the large slash through the machine that made it look like a laser cutter had torn through it—but she seemed to have been holding her ground against the reptile and yet another mercenary just fine. The one she currently faced off with was a portly, pink alien with no visible features other than a wide mouth and a pair of thick goggles over his eyes. While he didn't appear to be built for combat, he absorbed hit after hit of the multiple energy discs she hurled his way. It wasn't until the mercenary was distracted by his colleague's defeat that she was able to get a proper strike in, changing the shape of her mana into a much larger form and bludgeoning him back into the wall. She fired off an additional beam of energy for good measure, ensuring that he didn't get up.

She looked over the group as a whole as she caught her breath, accepting her nanocomm back from Silya. "Is everyone out?"

"And waiting," the other woman replied.

Gwen's eyes briefly met the mummy's as she gestured to the mercenaries lying out cold. She didn't hesitate to take charge, "Bind them for now. But don't think this means we won't have more to talk about when we get back."

Silya did a quick count in her mind. They hadn't fought off all of the mercenaries, based on what Gorben had said; however, there was a good chance anyone remaining had either also fled in an escape pod like the Anur aliens or were currently out 'hunting.' In that case, it wouldn't hurt to have a couple of fusion fighters stationed around to watch the vessel in secret, in the event that they returned to it so they might catch them by surprise.

No sooner had she mentioned the idea, an all-too familiar, animalistic shriek echoes from the passage behind them. She and the other fusion fighter instinctively moved forward, weapons at the ready. The shadows warped and distorted just ahead of them before erupting into countless spidery legs crawling along every surface. A late warning followed after them:

"We've got Alpha Arachnids! There's too many of them—look alive!"

It was a swarm. Had the unexpected buzz of activity following the crash attracted them?! Silya clenched her jaw. Whatever had, they couldn't let the wave of fusion monsters corner them. "Poppy! Aoi!"

At the cry of their names, the two nanos shot ahead of her, each casting their unique ability against the approaching mob. The passage ignited in a spiral of blue flames and the monsters temporarily halted. The other fusion fighter unleashed a volley of bullets against the spiders, while Gwen followed suit with her energy blasts.

Silya activated her Spinal-ARCH once more. The Nergal tentacles shot out from her back and latched onto a grate above, yanking her up. She planted her feet against the wall added her own firepower to the mix, targeting the Alpha Arachnids clinging to the ceiling.

For a while, all that could be heard were the spiders' shrieks, the splatter of fusion matter, and rapid gunfire. In the confining space, the chaos was almost deafening. Then, just as suddenly as it began, it stopped. As Aoi's Demon Fire died down, all that was left were large pieces of wood, oozing green puddles, and acidic burns in the metal.

The ragtag group glanced around at one another. Now that the worst was over, a sense of relief washed over them, but also trepidation—both sides still finding that their newfound allies were certainly a fright to behold. 

....

By the time they returned to the base, Silya was ready to pass out. Unfortunately, a necessary stop by the medic's cabin would delay her rest even further. As expected, there were bruises; massive ones, covering both her chest and back. The medic seemed at a loss that the beating Silya took hadn't resulted in a fractured rib or some other internal damage, and all she could really do for the bruising was offer some cold compresses and pain medicine. 

Meanwhile, her nanos could only offer their help in the form of their usual verbal jabs.

"It could've been worse," Aoi shrugged after hearing the full story of what happened, "You should count yourself lucky that those mongrels didn't want to sample the local cuisine first..."

"A free sample is about all they could make of her," Clutch added, "I always knew you were short, but you're a shrimp compared to those guys!"

"Are either of you gonna shut up?" Poppy scowled at them. It wasn't that she was against teasing her IE Donor on occasion, but this wasn't one of them. Maybe it was because of all they went through together in the Future, but she was a lot more mature than many of Silya's other nanos.

At the same time, deep down, Silya knew that Clutch and Aoi didn't truly mean anything by the ridicule. This was their way of overcoming the bleaker moments of their job, poking fun and trying to have a laugh.

"Speaking of giants..."

Returning to the barracks, Silya paused mid-step and followed her nanos' gaze. The Anur system aliens stood clustered together with Gwen and some of the other leaders at the base. At that distance, it was hard to tell what exactly they were talking about, but the young woman imagined it had something to do with ensuring that they were indeed trustworthy. First there was the rough history between their worlds, then the alliance their planet already had with Fuse, and now this incident... It would likely take a while for both sides to come to some kind of agreeable terms.

Spotting her, Gorben found a way to excuse himself and began to approach. Silya might've pretended not to notice and kept walking were it not for how nervous he seemed as he drew closer. She still didn't buy how anything about her was remotely terrifying to a towering hulk like him; however, if he was going to go out of his way to act friendly, then she figured the least she could do was not flinch at the sight of him.

Gorben stopped directly in front of her, "How are you feeling?"

"Don't worry. My wounds aren't anything I can't walk off."

"That's good."

A thick, awkward atmosphere settled between them in the absence of words, just like it had back in the forest. The longer it dragged on, the more a nasty, delighted grin began to spread across Aoi's face. As Gorben evaded her eyes, struggling to add anything else, Silya shot the Demongo nano a look in a mute order to keep his mouth shut.

She cleared her throat, "Really, I'm fine. And a large part of that is thanks to you. If you hadn't caught me, I probably would've splattered at the bottom of the satellite tower... So, thank you."

She hoped she didn't paint too grim a picture, but if it upset him, the Transylian didn't show it. If anything, he merely looked stunned. "N-no problem."

Neither of them could eke out much more than a few words after that and it was only small talk: Checking to make sure that they had gotten through the recent fight relatively unscathed and had each settled in. The non-conversation dragged on long enough that Gorben was eventually called back—to both of their relief.

With that, Silya went on her way, eager to hit pause on the long nightmare that was the recent events and enjoy a deep dream.

END OF TRANSMISSION

Part One Part Four

...

Author's Note: Now that I'm done with this fic, since it'll probably be a long while before I get to draw it in comic form, I want to talk about Gorben's characterization a bit here, because he was honestly a lot of fun to write. I wanted to bring in the canon from Omniverse where, unlike the aliens who work directly under Zs'Skayr, much of Anur actually thinks of the people outside of their system as monsters. We don't get a ton of development at times and I'm a stickler when it comes to things like that... except I didn't want to amp up the fear factor as much as the show played it for laughs.

As a result, Gorben ended up being this character to kind of tightrope between genuine fear and a rational understanding. He's a good guy and his people need the kind of firepower humans can wield against Fuse through imaginary energy, so he goes into the situation trying to set his feelings aside while also grasping that humans will either be scared of him as well or possibly even hate him for what Zs'Skayr has done... But then, the more he learns about humans, the more they kind of freak him out. XD

"What do you mean they're winning against Fuse? No one's won against Fuse!" "What do you mean they're beating him back through pure imagination and sheer will?" "Isn't that coffee stuff they drink literal poison to most species on their planet?!"

Then he sees Silya, and he not only realizes that she and most other humans are total lightweights compared to the majority of his own kind, but that, yes, he could, in fact, snap her in half if he wanted to. And he starts to feel bad... right up until he watches her take down a fusion monster two to three times her size and all of those walls of his immediately go back up.

I'd like to think that, mentally, he's both sides of this argument: