Gather to wake me when the time is right
How will we know-
You will. Trust.
Leader's intention zipped through her circuitry as she searched galaxy after galaxy for a place to hide and await this right time Spirit Guardian had hinted at. Creator had been just as vague before closing Leader off, and sending the four of them away with their surviving magic asleep Companions.
She landed on a moon to pause before crossing empty space to the next galaxy. She had been across the span and breadth of this one, and had not found any of the water planets with life signs favorable to her liking. She was beginning to consider she was being too picky, but this was important, and she would cover the entire universe if she had to. She had plenty of time to do this properly. Companion would awaken when she landed on an appropriate sphere, and she trusted she hadn't come across an appropriate one, yet.
She didn't sense any enemy following, or before, her, nor had she for some time, she realized. Fire guardian's distractions must have worked. The metal craft sprung up off the cratered orb, and was soon leaving the outer meteor rim, flying into open space. She opened her maw and let out a sonar wave. Several water planets bounced back to her. She sped across the span quickly, keeping her guard up. Now was not the time to fall prey to enemy surprises.
As she closed in on the nearest arm of the spiral, she let out more sonar waves to zero in on her quarry. This particular arm didn't have what she was looking for, but she was picking up nuances of water from the next arm over to the right, or two over to the left.
She filed away the layout of this arm of celestial bodies, and chose to fly to the right. The planet in the next arm wasn't quite what she was looking for, either. There were more arms with more planets. She pushed on, always to the right.
A planet nursed by a yellow star caught her attention. She landed on the satellite of the blue speck to inspect it closer. A sonic wave told her this orb possessed conditions that were favorable for hiding out the wait.
This water was the correct balance for a hominid species, and the one dominate sentient species was showing signs of evolving in ways complimentary to Creator's kind. They were land-based, at least. Yellow would approve of that.
She leaped off the moon to orbit closer for a better scan, and was nearly detected by the many fierce warrior clans dispersed across the breadth of that bunch of landmasses, on one side of the world. They were inquisitive and clever, this species. That was what would appease Green.
The other side of the world proved to be birthing ground of progressive weaponry and battle tactics, among other inventions. Their passion, bravery and creativity would win Red over.
When some inventor warrior people embarked an adventure that brought them face to face with the warrior star gazers, it dawned on her that she had found her choice planet for her concealment. Under cover of pre-dawn, she entered the planet's atmosphere and followed a wending sliver of flowing water to its head, before backtracking to a sizable cavern. Companion would require water and solitude when her landing awakened him.
She set down as gently as she could, purring as she sensed Companion stirring.
"Mmph... Wha-? ...What happened?" Companion unlatched his safety harness and got up to find a dehydrate food. Then he sat back down and began to flick controls to sift through data files. "Where are we, Blue?"
Companion spent several hours studying the information Blue had gathered for him, breaking periodically to perform his kind's body maintenance, and to retrieve water.
"You brought us to a primitive planet? You couldn't find a more advanced species?" Companion stamped his feet as he shot up from his seat and stormed out of the cabin.
Blue was perplexed as she let Companion out. She didn't comprehend his knot of emotions.
He walked several meters away, turned his face to the sky, and screamed into the night. His anguish reverberated eerily throughout the quiet canyon. He repeated this yell thrice more before falling to his knees, and beating his fist on the ground. Then he sat on his heels, and threw his head back with a final yowl.
"Do you have any idea how long we're going to have to wait for these people to just get airborne?" Companion turned to glare up at the massive space craft and answered his own question, "No, of course you have no idea how long this will take. Your kind were created in a matter of decades." Companion's shoulders sagged and he looked down, continuing, "By us, and others like us." Then Companion looked up at Blue's face again, "Blue, I'm never going home... I don't know if I can make this my home." Companion unhitched his blade and stared at the emblem.
Blue watched Companion and waited patiently. She had watched, or sensed, Companion do this many times when he was contemplating options. She also listened, as Companion tended to mutter when he thought.
The data files showed this planet's sentient species had vastly different physical differences from his own mixed heritage. His Altean roots would allow him to affect their skin tone and size, but he would still have an alien appearance. He couldn't do a thing about his ears or yellow eyes, for instance. He would have to be very careful how he approached these infants.
"Blue, there was something in your files about weapons technology... they're at the mixing metals stage, but there was something about some of them mixing powders that explode when ignited, right? I might have a way in, but I think I'll have to be on the other side of the planet to do it."
Blue was pleased Companion had thought of something so quickly. It meant she had done her part well. She opened her maw for him. Companion spent a moon phase scouting areas and gathering intelligence pertinent to hominid species, before sending her back to the canyon, alone.
Blue had no idea what amount of time had passed when she sensed Companion's energy, again, only it was different and her lair was almost completely drained. She couldn't connect with him, as she had been able to, before. Sometimes he would come right up close to her, but then he would leave, as though he couldn't remember where to go, or how to get to her.
Then the one carrying Companion's changed energy came back with others, and there was one among them that reminded her of Companion's first meet energy. She was surprised when the youth swiped his hand across the trail of markings she and Companion had magicked together, and she felt the boy's energy spark the trigger and they fell through her trap. She was able to connect with this new hominid and she singled him from the others. He was persistence and he had with him a leader, a dependable right-hand, a good heart, and a curious and sharp mind.
Her wait was over. It was time to go home.
