Ruby and Martin:
Chapter 3: Bonding
Martin wasn't sure how long he had slept when his eyes finally opened. For a bunk bed made by controlling, military alien, the bed was just as comfortable as the one he had back home and he slept without any dream or nightmare to bother him.
His eyes opened due to the light coming from outside the window. Ruba had pulled up the screen to have a better view of outer space, thus explaining why she was sitting on the floor and had her eyes glued to the window.
"Uh... what time is it?" Martin rubbed his eyes.
"The sixth hour in the morning." Ruba said, which Martin had to guess she meant 6am. "I'm sorry if the light from the travel ring woke you up, but I'm used to watching sunrises at this time."
"How can you see sunrises in outer space and with the speed we're going?" Martin climbed down from his bed and joined Ruba at the window. For a moment, he wanted to ask her if she was mocking him, but after a few minutes of watching, he began to see things he hadn't noticed since the beginning of the trio and while they first entered the travel ring. He could see planets distantly floating on the other side of the travel ring like small marbles in fast movement. Each of them had a half much brighter than the other, making them shine the way city lights do whenever you drive in a very fast car.
"Wow," he gasped. "Which planets are they?"
"Probably those from the 4th or 5th system. We should be arriving at System Zero after lunch."
"So many stars... I don't even know if they're the same as those we have on Earth."
"The one you call the North Star is actually the sun of Oasia," Ruba commented. "It gives it a very white light, and at sunrise, it looks like a crossover of white, sea blue, and green. Not as impressive as the ones on Earth and the Felindrax planet, but still pretty."
Martin nodded, and as he did that, he noticed something. With the purple sleeping shirt she was wearing, it exposed the upper part of her chest, particularly a purple star marking the skin just above her heart. Martin especially noticed how Ruba's purple veins pouring down from her eyes and down her neck were meeting up at the star. Its inside looked like a spiderweb of purple veins.
"Ruby... I mean, Ruba. What is that?" He pointed at the purple star.
She looked down at what he was pointing. "That? It's just my birthmark. All girls in the Felindrax planet have it."
"Actually born or bionic?" Martin questioned.
"Very funny. You actually want to hear the whole story?"
Martin sat down in a comfortable pose and gave her all his attention. Ruba rolled her eyes before having them focus on the stars.
"It's the gods who created the System Zero and gladly destroyed it when they had their conflict over the mortals' independence. They kept doing that every cycle, nuking planets and allowing the survivors to rebuild their societies and for the debris to form themselves into new planets bearing new sentience. When the gods split their essences until the time might come, some chose to leave traces. Traces that could be used for finding new hosts. When Violet lost the first time and some of Felindrax planet's debris drifted away, she left traces of her physical form to join them while she got sealed away in her temple."
"I said to my Felindrax: 'My traces will find their way to girls who will be born with my birthmark. When their time is ready, my birthmark will lead you to them so they can help you save your kind. Train them, raise them, love them, and choose wisely when you present me with a potential host.'" Violet briefly spoke.
"And that's how the Felindrax do it. At every cycle, there are girls from different planets born with Violet's birthmark. It changes depending on how they grow up." Ruba poked at her birthmark, causing it to do glitch glowing. "Mine was blurry when I was born, but at my current point, it's more geometrical."
"It certainly appears so," Martin nodded, "but I'm still not sure why you're the only human to have it."
"Yes, what were the odds? The night you killed that man to save your parents from the Yono, the same night the ninja came to warn Ronilda Stoppable's parents," Violet said coldly, "what would be the odds that when these events occurred on the same night, Ruby was discovered?"
A chill went down Martin's spine.
"I already told you I was six when I was taken, but you don't know the rest. That night, I had snuck out of my bedroom and to my backyard. I wanted to use the telescope my human uncle had given me. And that's when I felt the burning pain coming from my chest."
"I sensed it! A human child with my birthmark! I needed and wanted that child for my people! 'Break the engines if you must, but bring the child to our planet!' The Felindrax are so loyal, they effectively sped up their time to get to Earth on that night."
"I was so in pain, I wanted to scream for my human mother, but somebody clothed my mouth and I fainted," Ruba continued. "When I woke up, I found myself in a room just like this one, only with one bed and a force field keeping me in. The hours I spent screaming to go home and punching on the barrier, hopelessly trying to find a way out."
"'A human with Violet's birthmark? How can this be?' 'The only planet in the 13th system to bear sentience, and after millions of years, these primitives finally have someone we want?' 'Do you think it's a sign?' 'She doesn't look exceptional.' 'She must be, she has the birthmark.'"
The story changing narrator between Ruba and Violet, blinking eyes from normal to violet colors, reminded Martin of a glitching computer. "So yeah, that's pretty much it," Ruba said.
"That... Well it helps, I now understand how you came to be introduced to them, but still, you're the only human? Weren't there others? I mean, if the Felindrax are desperate for alien women, surely Violet planned to prepare a lot for them."
"It's the way it is. While her essence was trapped in her temple once a new cycle started, her physical debris spread across the universe, and it's so big it takes time. For the planets that kept experiencing those destructions, they get multiplied doses of the debris, thus multitude of Violet's traces. And then there's the catch of once she chooses a host and the latter fails to perform her job, Violet never chooses another host from that host's planet."
"So if Violet had a host in the past, like say a fully-cured Felindrax..."
"She did." Ruba nodded.
"She can never have another Felindrax host again."
"You got it."
"That might explain why she preferred you as a candidate. If you were the only human among say 99 girls from planets that had already been taken, you pretty much had the position guaranteed."
"I don't know." Ruba stared at her clawed fingers and agitated them. "I already told you I was the most primitive one among my more evolved classmates. Why should I have believed back then that a goddess would look at me with even a pinch of consideration?"
"Well clearly you made the effort. I mean you're here, you argue with your goddess like a married couple, and you picked on Iron as if he was the old crone he reincarnated himself in."
Ruba blinked. "That's probably the second time you told me something weirdly nice."
"Really? What was the first?"
"Back when you interrogated me. You said 'For an alien, you have some nerve.' And I thanked you."
"Yes, but that was before I found out you were an alien!" Martin raised a hand in defense.
"Born human, raised alien." Ruba pointed out.
Later
Breakfast was yet again a Coraplastia menu: green wheat oatmeal, hot herbal tea, Coraplastia fruit salad, and for addition, Felindrax violberry cake. As Ruba felt better than she did yesterday, she decided on joining the others at the cafeteria. The humans at the table either kept to themselves or dared to eye on Ruba as any nearby Felindrax crewmate immediately jumped to please her. Giving her the biggest chair, offering to pour her tea, serve her the finest, larger portions of breakfast, or asking if she needed fanning.
"Alright Felindrax, that's enough! Ruba needs some space! Shoo!" Flora held out two blue flowers, their vines wrapped around her arms. The crewmates looked scared enough of the flowers, they left them alone.
"Thanks, Flora. I needed it." Ruba sat down on the nearest chair, indifferent of its appearance, while Flora lifted the lid sealing the heat of the green wheat oatmeal pot. Ruba sniffed with delight. "Green wheat oatmeal from the Coraplastia Ceresian Wheat? Yum!"
"I convinced the spaceship's cooks to give a little spice for our breakfast on the house." Flora winked. "Nothing speaks to them better than extra ten viols."
"Genius." Ruba shared a fist-bump with Flora and the two began serving themselves. Flora also took the opportunity of grabbing an unused herbal tea pitcher from the nearest table and put the blue flowers in them.
"What exactly are these?" Drakken pointed at the flowers.
"Morpheus Flowers. They spit sleeping gas. Very practical in case you want to avoid fighting." Flora smirked.
"Pretty ironic considering you had no problem trying to kill me with vines," Gilliard grumbled and impaled his fruit salad with his fork.
"That was different," Flora retorted matter-of-factly. "I only resort to violence when I'm back on the clock. Since I'm off the clock..." She pulled one of the Morpheus Flowers out of the herbal tea pitcher and aimed it at Gilliard. Blue pollen-based gas blasted straight to his face, leaving him to land his snoring face.
"Flora," Ruba chided.
"He's fine, he's just going to sleep for an hour or two." Flora put the Morpheus Flower back in place.
Out of curiosity, Buffy tried poking Gilliard on the head. A louder snore came from him. "Ye really knocked him out."
"Should I materialize a pillow for him?" Ruba offered.
"No, he's good." Martin said dismissively as he ate his oatmeal. Just then, his parents came in. The Simian Witch kept a good hold on Monkey Fist, whose eyes were bloodshot red.
"What happened to ye?" Killigan exclaimed. "You look like you whacked yourself on the face by golf clubs!"
"Trying to reason with Stoppable didn't work?" Martin gave up his seat to his father. The monkey man was still horribly shaken, so his wife explained to everyone what happened last night. Stoppable's rage had scared Monkey Fist to the point that he pulled an all-nighter.
"It was a poorly executed shot," Flora pointed out. "If it had been you in his shoes, you'd probably have reacted the same way if he tried talking to you. Stoppable did kill two Lorwardians with his portion of Royal's powers just because they planned to turn Kim Possible into a trophy. A person angered by their loved ones in danger is one thing, but an angry parent? I learned that the hard way when he smacked us in Dubai."
"So is he still in the attic?" Martin asked.
"No. Diamona sent him to the kitchen," his mother answered. "Turns out he bakes whenever he faces parental depression, so he's now BFFs with DNAmy."
"And Kim Possible?"
"Too afraid to come out of her room."
"Probably because she was too frustrated to let her ego admit she was wrong." Everyone stared at Ruba as she calmly ate the rest of her breakfast.
"How did Violet enjoy her dinner?" Flora asked.
"What makes you say that?"
"Your screams didn't echo in the halls last night. Unless the Felindrax brought in a sacrificial lamb, Violet actually allowed you to sleep peacefully with that full stomach of hers."
"Ha! A sacrificial lamb in a spaceship run by a vegetarian!"
"Yeah, you're right. Even in my head, it doesn't sound right."
"Time out!" Monkey Fist did a time-out sign with his hand and gave the calm Ruba a murderous glare. "You feasted on Stoppable's frustration?"
"I didn't, Violet did. I didn't pay much attention to it until my first strike, but being the host of the goddess of frustration... Let's just say I'm like her tour guide in a massive buffet of international frustration. She feeds on it, digests it, grows stronger, and flushes it down the toilet when she's done, Ironically, it's when she feasts on a lot of frustration that I actually get some sleep. Mixing others' frustrations with mine actually obscures my mind and relax me." Ruba took a sip of tea. "The frustration belching isn't great, though."
"The frustration belching." Martin then remembered how Ruba had demonstrated her capacity of zombifying a crowd by breathing a purple breath out of her. "Oh, I get it now! You didn't zombify the GJ agents or those people in Dubai! You just infected them with the... burps of Violet's frustration meals, and unless you ordered them to, they lost the infection once they calmed down?"
"Yep."
"Gross, but effective, I'll admit it."
"Your goddess feasted Stoppable's frustration?" Monkey Fist exclaimed once again.
"And you actually care?" Ruba asked flatly. "Don't tell me. 21 years without him to bother you with his clownish antics and now that he's scary beyond all reason, you miss him?"
"How did you get 21 years?" Flora asked.
"Seven years as the Yono and then the previous fourteen years."
"Wow. That is a long time." Flora stared at Monkey Fist. "No wonder you're both senile without each other."
"I DID NOT MISS HIM!" Monkey Fist snapped.
"You had a hate shrine just for him ever since you two know each other," the Simian Witch had to agree with Flora.
"Seriously?" Dr. Drakken looked at Monkey Fist in disbelief.
"That's it. I'm done." Ruba got up to leave the table. Nearby agents immediately cleared up her dishes while Flora ran to catch up after her. With bad timing, Diamona came in carrying a chocolate cake.
"Where are Ruba and Flora?" Diamona asked.
"They just left. You missed Flora knocking out Gilliard with Morpheus Flowers and Ruba embarrassing my father on the Stoppable topic," Martin wiped his hands with his napkin.
"Son of the year," Monkey Fist grumbled.
"Ouch, rough time. Well, I guess I'll just eat by myself the Seven Layers of Heaven chocolate cake he baked and DNAmy's ginger snaps." Diamona threw a cookie in her mouth and chewed it. "Yum!"
"How are Stoppable and DNAmy coming through?" The Simian Witch asked.
"Besides their new missing-daughters share circle? Clearly bonding over baking Earth pastries. The pre-teens on board are piling in masses, we might as well consider Earth pastries as a resource for the universal market. So yeah, they're calming down."
"Universal market?"
"Aliens share resources. Obviously." Diamona said matter-of-factly. "At the top or bottom of the food chain that unites all planets in every system, the people trade their resources in exchange for others. Money is a mere triviality. A planet's residents have all the same salary amount, but try converting it with other planets' currencies and then you see who's better than who."
"And the main resource for the Felindrax is supplying soldiers, mercenaries, and other military forces." Will Du looked at Diamona with a scowl.
"That and moonstones. LOL, Violet's embarrassed whenever we bring it up in front of Ruba's face, but Violet's original moon for the Felindrax accidentally exploded and its debris created craters on the planet. Cue eras' worth of moonstone mines for architectural foundations, textiles, local technology, and spaceship material."
Martin pondered a thought in his mind. He excused himself from the table, having the others believe that he needed to put away his dirty dishes and go meditate in his dorm. Once he did the first half of his excuse, he made his way through the ship until he found the spaceship's infirmary. Dousus was there, finishing his tending to a pre-teen who had twisted his ankle while training. Martin was briefly marveled as Dousus managed to fix the ankle in a matter of minutes. The pre-teen took precautions and patiently walked his way back rather than rushing.
"Hello, Martin Fiske," Dousus smiled at him. "How are you surviving being dormmates with Ruba Kala?"
"Oddly well, since I'm still alive."
Dousus chuckled at Martin's dry joke and wiped his wands with a bacteria-killing cloth. "So, what can I help you with?"
"Well, I just learned you used moonstones for your technology and, well, knowing about your bionic warriors..."
Dousus smile turned into a mild, bitter pout. "Are you wondering if we're poisoning our own soldiers with our moonstone-based technology?"
"M...maybe. I mean, I'm already witnessing Ruba as some kind of victim of psychological abuse and I'm wondering if the moonstones in her bionics might be affecting her the same way mercury poisoning..."
"That's enough!" Dousus suddenly became impatient.
"I'm sorry!" Martin held his hands in defense. "I didn't mean to offend you..."
"I know. Forgive me." Dousus grabbed some kind of purple spray out of his pocket and skirted some of its liquid on his face, soothing and allowing him to sigh calmly. "We're aware of those... imaginative stories you humans come up with about aliens solely seeking to invade your planet."
"Indeed."
"I must say, I don't even know how you humans managed to come up with those stories about Violet seeking to corrupt mortals. I mean, seriously, 'Violet Death'? I've known a bunch of publicists who've come up with weird nicknames for Ruba, but this is just mocking our deity."
"We never..." Martin cut himself when he remembered what Melgo Lipsky had told them about meeting the Yamanouchi ninja who posed as a midwife to help Kim Possible give birth to Ronilda. "Never mind."
"Why do you wonder these things now?" Dousus put away his supplies into cabinets and pressed his thumb on a screen to activate the DNA locks.
"I don't know... I guess I'm just startled by how Ruba deems herself less worthy than her comrades, how when she depressed, she reminded me of Ronilda, how I don't understand why I don't sense Crimson in me, and... I have no idea what to make of my father and Ron Stoppable."
"I see." Dousus pulled a chair to sit on. "For starters, I can assure you that the Felindrax haven't dared to psychologically abuse her..."
"But back when we held her prisoner, she claimed Violet's energy was killing her and Violet had the Felindrax lie to the girls they kidnapped!"
"She thought that giving lies you'd believe easily would help her get away. I mean, would you have believed you if she told you 'I'm a space hero hosting a goddess in me and I just need to kill your girlfriend to save the universe, so no harm done?'"
Dousus' point made Martin give a recognition scowl. "And pulling out her baby teeth to grow the adult ones and inject her bones with moonstone?"
"We just did it with her. The children of her age already had their adult teeth, so when we first brought her in, we were confused as to why her teeth were still in delay, crooked, and sensitive. And don't get me started about the additional molars threatening to come out, Ruba needed three days of ice treatment."
Martin touched his cheek, thinking about the time when his parents dragged him to a dentist to remove his wisdom teeth.
"For seconds, your sightings of how Ruba might reflect Ronilda, do not forget they are Violet and Royal's hosts. Destiny wanted them to be the light to the other's shadow, the tough fairness versus the blind benevolence, and perhaps because they were meant to be arch-enemies, you were not fit to be Ronilda's despite your families' histories."
"Violet mentioned that Ruba was taken on the same night I killed the Yamanouchi leader to free my parents from the Yono. Which occurred on the same night that the Stoppables were warned... You don't think I'm to blame, do you? Or do you think Crimson expected that my act would give an awakening for Royal and the alert for Violet?"
"If I were you, I wouldn't really rush in waking up your dormant goddess. Even as the consort of the gods' king, Crimson is volatile, infidel, and cruel. Iron may be a master manipulator and the worst of the deities, but Crimson is the most emotionally dangerous. She preys on any form of love, familial, platonic, romantic, or even love in its worst forms. I already find it a miracle that she hasn't made you do your worst while you had your romantic moments with Ronilda."
Martin smiled happily. "Thank goodness! I was worried our relationship was primarily due to the whole Crimson being married to Royal!"
"Hold on, I promise nothing!" Dousus waved his hands. "I can't guarantee that you didn't get at least 10% from Crimson's influence. Trust me, if she were awake in you, you'd be doing worse things. So, maybe don't really try to wake her up."
Martin shrugged. He still felt like it was good news, knowing that his relationship with Ronilda was most likely not the fruit of some god's concoction.
"And lastly, concerning your father's... issue with Ron Stoppable. I'm not much of the expert on the matter, but from the data Ruba collected from Earth, I think it's possible that because they gained traces of Royal's essence from the Jade Idols, Monkey Fist and Ron Stoppable gained a... sort of psychic link. They might have not noticed it, but I think that link between them is what's causing their particular reactions whenever they are near one another that causes them to trade emotions depending on the situations."
"You mean like how my father's shocked of Stoppable's sudden change into a cynical, rage-filled beast?"
"Yes. Stoppable's enraged, it scares Monkey Fist. Back in the old days, when Monkey Fist was the enraged one, it was Stoppable who became the scared one. When Monkey Fist was there, it gave the chance for Stoppable to step out of his cowardly light and be brave, and when Stoppable was there, it put Monkey Fist in a larger killing lust. Years without Monkey Fist has left Stoppable to obsess over keeping his family in one, and years without Ron Stoppable has left Monkey Fist partially incomplete without someone to challenge him."
Martin stared at him. "I understand what you're saying, but this idea is messed up."
"Big time," Dousus agreed.
Minutes later
Martin and Dousus made their way to the training room in the hopes of catching some sights of Ruba helping train the pre-teens. The monkey boy had to admit, he felt comfortable watching the Felindrax train. It distracted him from his thoughts by reminding him of his own young times training in Tai Shing Pek Kwar. Then again, he preferred it when he saw the pre-teen aliens practicing fighting with their bare hands than with weapons.
"Flora mentioned yesterday on the methods you applied to train young soldiers," Martin commented. "What kind of mission are these children being put on?"
"Currently? Patrolling and guarding. They're still beginners. We only send them on dangerous missions depending on their level of efficiency," Dousus nodded. "They get to form their own squads to help them develop sense of leadership, teamwork, and loyalty."
"And finesse in their work?"
"Clearly the Felindrax military is more refined than the barbarian methods of those Lorwardian brutes. Hunting and conquering planets for sport! Violet would have our hides if we dared to show her ingratitude for the homeland she has given us by taking those of others!"
Martin frowned. Dousus was clearly nice but he was like the other Felindrax, joining in on calling out humans and Lorwardians as less evolved than them. He didn't seem to do it out of malice but more in a matter-of-fact fashion. At this rate, Martin wouldn't be surprised if Ruba treated her own kind like garbage because the Felindrax raised her to think that as part of her kidnappers' society, she had to behave as such.
"Pardon me, doctor," one of the crewmates approached them, "but Ruba Kala was wondering if the human accompanying you would be interested in helping the tutoring of the young ones. She claims that he might give some outer perspective on human-style combat."
"Let me guess," Dousus said deadpan, "one of the children asked 'What is there to be afraid of? Humans are helpless?'"
"Indeed." The crewmate snorted. "You think the kids would know better than to ask such things when they have a walking example."
"I'll gladly help Ruba teach them some manners." Martin cracked his knuckles. "I need some exercise."
Minutes later
Martin stood on the ring, his arms crossed as Ruba addressed the pre-teen who had questioned.
"Well go on, Shella," Ruba gestured to Martin. "After all, he's a helpless human. What do you have to be afraid about?"
The pre-teen climbed on top of the ring. She was roughly 4.7 feet tall for a twelve-year-old, her ocean blue skin much more different than Drakken's pale blue skin, her lapis hair flowing down to her shoulders like a waterfall, and her tail moving behind her. Martin noted how Shella's tail fin reminded him of manta rays. Shella looked uncertain at first, but then she went forth to swing her tail at him. Martin easily jumped out of the way, and when the timing was right, his right foot grabbed Shella's tail and swung her to the other side of the ring.
"Tail spinning, I'm so scared," he muttered drily.
"Yes, Shella, he's so scared," Ruba agreed. "This ain't primary education anymore, start acting like a Felindrax warrior from Oasia!"
Shella got back to her feet and held her hands out. From nearby pots, water rose and trailed over her palms to form balls that she shot at him. Martin merely held his hands out and flicked his fingers to splash the water balls into mere puddles. He used his Mystical Monkey Power to direct the water towards Shella and freeze beneath her feet. Shella dug her tailfin into the ice and use it as a steering mechanism to help her skate towards Martin. Knowing how in such a position, her tail balancing her could weaken her, Martin aimed to strike the leg, but Shella noticed his plan and did her best to dodge him.
"Fine awareness, Shella," Ruba shrugged.
Shella gave out a smug smile, but as she was busy keeping Martin away from her tail, she did not see the kick he threw at her stomach, sending Shella flying. Martin used MMP to have the entire ice shackle Shella. While she struggled through her bonds, Ruba jumped on the ring and leaned over the child.
"So what have we learned?" She asked.
"To watch my tongue and not underestimate humans," Shella said meekly.
"Very good." Ruba waved her hand to make the ice felt, freeing the child. "Just for learning that lesson, you're dismissed from class and will be put on cleaning duty in the engine room."
Shella nodded and made her way out. Her classmates snickered.
"The same punishment will go to all of you if you continue such immature activities." Ruba scowled at the pre-teens, forcing them into silence and looking guilty while she lectured them. "Need I remind you this is no longer primary education? Your behavior and performance are constantly observed by our society to sort you for your final tests! So unless you plan to be a bunch of pathetic soldiers wasting their lives as trench guards, do yourself a favor by learning today's lesson: never underestimate anyone, especially those from weaker species, and watch how you speak to your elders!"
"Forgive us, godly host," the pre-teens spoke in unison.
"Forgiven." Ruba took a deep, calm breath. "Proceed to your five-minute break. We shall resume once you're hydrated."
The youngsters nodded and made their way to a table where herbal tea canteens were distributed.
"Points for your disciplinary methods." Martin clapped his hands.
"Back at you for not playing soft on the kids." Ruba handed him a canteen. The moment his fingers caught the canteen, she slipped hers away in a hurried fashion as if to avoid creating contact. He dismissed the gesture and proceeded to drinking the herbal tea, and surprisingly alien herbal tea is much stronger than Earl Grey and peppermint combined.
"You often teach children or do teachers just have you come over because a godly host keeps the students in line?"
"Both." Ruba finished her canteen's content without leaving behind one drop. "I did spend some of my free time volunteering in my mom's primary education class, and normally once every sixteen-year-old passes their final test, their observations now count for the others. To be clearer, since Flora, Diamona, and I passed our test, we get to observe and add our thoughts on the kids' progress before determining their final tests, and since I happen to be a godly host..."
"Please don't start telling him the cliché speech of 'their fates rest in my hand'," Violet groaned.
"Would it kill you to stop interrupting me?"
"I beg your pardon, but since it's a society where higher status speaks first. I'm the goddess, and you're the host. I speak first."
"Yes, but last time I checked, that rule goes to the physical beings, and since you're just a string of essence slithering in my organs, your status is as good as a parasite. So shut up!"
And Violet silenced herself.
Pure contrast, Martin noted. Ronilda couldn't control having Royal in her and between Ruba and Violet, it's almost like a couple fighting over a remote.
The same shaking he had experienced yesterday in the dorm happened in the training room. The Felindrax were put in the alert.
"We just crossed the second gal-jumper," Ruba guessed. "We're finally in System Zero."
