I'm so sorry it has taken me so long to get back to this! I guess whatever powers that be have decided I'm going to stay ill for my last semester of college and its almost all I can do to keep up and rest. Also power cord got borked on my laptop so that took some time. I'm not done with this story by a long shot.
Also Thank You DaOneInDaCorner for your comment! I have always done this sort of thing in my head but with the scope of NMS I wanted to write it down, properly. Also the fact that everyone has a variability in what they encountered also spurred me to write out what happens when I play.
With the alarms going off and the trio of rowdy Gek chattering nervously it was rather hard to concentrate. The enemy was Vy'Keen and They took note that the ships were the same color of the group from Urringa Ansumu. That did not come as big of a surprise. With the pulse and warp offline, they had to stand and fight. This Korvax vessel did not have a lot of weaponry when They first bought the craft but knowing space battle that was probably inevitable caused them to make sure that it had decent weaponry. It was the shield that wasn't the best. They barked a command for one of the Gek to have the Titanium on standby to charge up the shield if it failed, but it was in Their language and might as well been silent. They caught the Gek behind them attention and pointed toward the shield panel and barked the Korvax word for Oxide. Gek were intergalactic traders surely they knew the other languages to at least be able to trade. The Gek then barked at the two in the back and hopefully Their wishes would be met but Their mind was more focused on the fight now.
Two of the enemy vessels were approaching from the port side of a vessel. They both shot off their photon cannons and they dodged the line by diving the ship under the fire and They focused with keeping the craft pointed toward the moon since that was their destination. They switched to the Phase beam and managed to catch one of the ships propulsion and the last They saw of that ship was spiraling back to the planet below their plane of orientation.
The shields got hit with three shots and as They veered away and tried to get the vessel in range they noticed that one of the Gek had just recharged the shield to full and the one behind them knocked Their hands away to man the weaponry. They focused on getting the vessels in range when the Gek said in broken Korvax "3 ships around!" One of the ships flew past them going toward Starboard and was promptly shot down from the Gek behind Them. 2 ships then.
The two other ships were keen to laying down fire and it was a chore weaving through it all to stay unscathed. One of the Gek whooped as They did so and another said something in Gek which They didn't understand but as long as they all stayed alive it didn't matter. Another ship darted in front of them and the beam only grazed the vessel, probably didn't make the shielding go offline yet. They focused on trailing that vessel, to remove it quickly from the battle. The Gek behind them hissed in agitation and shot a couple of the asteroids with the cannon, which They failed to see how that helped but then the cunning of Their companion showed. The asteroid had moved a bit from the impact of their fire and before the Vy'Keen vessel could compensate their wing of their vessel and shielding was torn away. The Gek delivered the final blow as another beam shot and this vessel exploded.
The last vessel caught part of the bottom of the ship, but their shields took all of the damage. In the back of Their mind it was probably fascinating how Their ship and the enemies was dancing about with no regard to any one plane of axis. This felt familiar in a way that anything else hadn't to Them and with a sound that might be a laugh escaping from Them; they lined up their ship's weapons and the last ship was hit until it also spiraled back to Urringa.
The celebration from Their companions was tangible. A strange kind of verbal thrilling almost like a bird rang through the cockpit. They engaged the pulse drive to head to the moon post haste. They needed to lay low for a bit.
They wondered if it was just Their fate to keep running into places that reminded them of Agodstovenis… Urringa Ansumu's moon was called "Udsonyinemur." As their former statement stated it was similar to a couple of planets they visited. It was -90 C which that was just the day temperature, the nightly temperatures were probably colder. The sky was a blood red with yellow puffy clouds and the ground was off white that seemed to be like snow. There was hardly any vegetation but barring that there seemed to be a plentiful amount of fauna.
Not that it mattered. With those slavers so close they couldn't afford to waste time collecting. Whatever powers that be decided to give them a break it seemed. They came across a station with an outpost and a transmission tower and some shelters huddled close stave off the forceful winds that howled on this world. They landed on the pad, and everyone disembarked a bit hurriedly. They even stretched a bit, feeling somewhat stiff.
They ushered the trio in the outpost and they talked with the Vy'Keen stationed there. Their standing had not been hindered and after talking in broken Vy'Keen they were able to convey what had occurred. This Vy'Keen gave them a jolting pat on the shoulder and a word of praise. At their confusion the Vy'Keen in simple words thankfully, told them it was a pirate organization with no honor at all. In the Vy'Keen's general public opinion, killing the rogues was rather honorable, and brave.
With that cleared up they sold a bit of their acquired gold at the terminal but when they tried to pay for boarding rooms the Vy'Keen waved them off, saying…basically they fought well, so they should rest well.
The suite They were granted had a common area and rooms no doubt attached from it. The trio of Gek were clattering, seeming like they hadn't a care in the world. At Their approach the trio clustered around Them and while the words weren't understandable…the sound of gratitude was very much present.
It invoked a…wistful emotion. The trio seemed to decide that they were going to remove their suits helmets and They took note of how the Gek appeared. The tallest of the bunch was a solid orange color with yellow eyes placed a bit like a (frogs) eyes and it had a black beak that was longer than the others. The middle of height one had (lime) green skin and matching eyes, its beak took up more of its face and it had three horns with the middle being taller than the other two besides it on the crown of its head. There were darker green stripes that ran up and down on the skin as well. It had three little orange dots near the tip of its beak. This one seemed to be the more down to planet on of the lot. The smallest one was a pale yellow and had red eyes. Its beak had a metal plate attached with metal ornaments near the beak. It also had orange dots but with the plate they only saw two. It had a different nose protrusion that the others didn't. It was brown above the plate and three nostrils perhaps? This one had clear scales showing on top of its head a browner color than the yellow skin underneath.
It's strange to see that though they were the same species that there was such a variety to their appearance. They still clattered amongst themselves as they were removing gloves, and boots showcasing webbed feet, and long fingers with a single bony joint. The green one seemed to notice that They were just observing them and made a motion of taking off their suit and pointed at their being. They shook their head…. They were not comfortable with the thought of seeing themselves yet. This apparently was the wrong choice because suddenly the three Gek were surrounding them chattering at once. They held their hands in a stopping motion but to no avail. "Is something wrong?" a Vy'Keen voice drifted from the door that went to the rest of the complex. The Gek barked a couple of phrases, and the Vy'Keen must have been translating on their behalf. "Traveler, they wish to show their gratitude for saving their lives and to do so, Gek prefer to…Kalkten…bathe the being that is deserving of the gratitude. Water holds religious and social components in their…way" This was probably the closest to any actual sentence that They could understand. They cleared Their throat and in a small disused voice said simply in Vy'Keen "I do not care to see myself. This suit…has been worn since I started." The Vy'Keen seemed to relay this, and the Gek seemed to ponder a moment before answering a brief sentence. Again the Vy'Keen translated "They say you can keep your eyes closed. They say that you should bathe due to…the work you have done."
This did not sit well…but as long as They didn't look at themselves…then surely They wouldn't panic. They hoped for not panicking. It was only respectful to have the Gek follow their traditions. Cleanliness would also be prudent as well. It would ensure They had a good chance of not getting sick. They nodded briefly and the Gek cheered.
Later that evening they had prepared the room that was reserved of washing, and the Tall Gek pulled them and showed them that it had matched Their atmosphere requirements from taking a reading from Their suit. They decided to sit down, their knees in front of Them with Their weight resting on their legs. Their hands fidgeting on Their thighs. They closed Their eyes.
One of the Gek undid the clasps of their helmet, and slowly lifted it from Their head. It was strange to feel air on Their face…The Gek murmured something in its tongue, almost contemplational. Another set of hands was removing Their right glove, with the last Gek removing the left. The clasps of their suit was being released and They forced themselves to take a deep breath…the panic was lurking in Their mind waiting for the right moment to take Them unaware it seemed like.
The suit came off a lot easier than what They were expecting. The coldness of the room had them shivering at the temperature. One Gek grabbed a covering that was over Their torso and removed it, Their arms having to lift to truly be rid of it. Their legs had a covering as well and They stood briefly to shimmy it off their legs and the Gek also removed Their boots. This left Them without anything on, and it was quite strange. They still did not look, and the Gek helped Them sit back down.
A question burned through Their mind, and after a couple of moments asked quietly in Vy'Keen. "Is…There sickness you can see?" This was mostly referring to how the Dead traveler's logs had some of them twisting into some weird creatures. That, They thought was the main reason why fear paralyzed them concerning their appearance. One Gek grasped Their left arm, and answered "No. There is mark here." With a claw it traced this abstract pattern onto Their arm, no doubt tracing said mark. After a moment another Gek spoke "It burn mark. Old" So, it was a scar then. From what? It had to be something from before They woke up. What could have caused it there was no way to discern…They were not going to look. The last Gek piped up "You different. Not like anything else. Coulrakanigh. Good."
They continued to focus on Their breathing. The Gek got to work on scrubbing Themselves clean. They started at the tips of Their fingers and worked all the way to Their feet. Some places felt stranger to be handled than others. One Gek was cleaning Their…hair is what mentally popped into Their mind as the Gek messaged Their head to lather. The Gek spoke softly, mostly in their language. With the occasional Vy'Keen word of "easy." They supposed that They probably seemed like they were tense.
Then came the warm water, that cascaded around Them, rinsing Them off. The rest of the time was rinsing, and lasted only a moment. As the Gek behind Them gathered up their hair, They noticed that it had grown to a ridiculous length. How had They not choked on it? They made a motion of Their hands trying to convey They wished it to be cut. The Gek drew out Their hair to its full length, and pulled at various lengths. They gathered Their hair to where They had a hold of it at the base of Their neck, and nodded. The Gek was quick to cut it quickly, and it felt like a good bit of weight was gone. They were toweled dry, a brisk and quick affair.
They led Them to what They assumed to be Their personal room, and softly urged Them to sit down on Their bed. Before They really knew what happened They felt themselves grow tired, and found deep sleep waiting for Them.
The first thing they noticed is that They felt cold. They burrowed back into the covers and with their legs brushing each other; promptly realized that They still did not have anything on. They still did not care to see themselves so after a moment of contemplating They withdrew all Their limbs under the blanket before opening Their eyes. Their exosuit was laying on a table on the opposite side of the room, folded neatly with Their helmet laying on top of the pile.
Keeping Their head more tilted up They slowly got up from the bed and approached the table. They picked up the coverings that They had worn under Their suit, and tucking Their hands underneath the fabric so They could inspect it. It was a white top, that had nothing on it. It was soft however. The bottoms were looser than what the top appeared to be. It had various pockets and had splashes of greens, brown, and black all over the fabric. After inspecting a bit more trying to dislodge a memory and not getting a glimpse, They closed Their eyes and proceeded to dress Themselves. This seemed to be more muscle memory with which They were grateful for.
The suit was a bit more complicated but They managed to properly clasp it. They left the helmet off because They couldn't see Their own head without a reflective surface and carried it into the common area. The Gek were already up and flitting about making food for the next few days and inventorying what they had amassed. The trio chirped their greeting to Them and one made a motion toward the helmet. At the veiled question They shrugged. It had been more of a whim. The green Gek came toward Them peering up at them. "Eyes pretty." They blinked at that. It seemed the Gek had decided to converse with Them in Vy'Keen due to the fact that was what They knew most of. "color?" They were curious now. The Gek got a ponderous look on its face before replying. "Copper." They filed the knowledge away. Copper colored eyes huh? They wondered if that was a common color among their people.
"What plan?" This was the brown scaled Gek speaking now. They pointed at all the Gek and simply said "Get a ship." The three of the Gek seemed surprised, and after a moment of discussion in Gek they all nodded to Them. Getting ready to depart was a pretty expedient affair to which They were glad. They weren't exactly used to waiting on others to go about Their business.
The moon was still in the negative nineties range in temperature and though wind whipped through, They just prayed that it didn't storm on this world. The Transmission tower had coordinates for a plaque and since it was only a few minutes away the group set off. They scanned what fauna They could, and thankfully it seemed to be nothing but non-predators. On the way to the plaque They harvested a decent amount of Heridium and plutonium. If They did recover a ship, it would need repairs hopefully just similar enough to Their first vessel.
The long story short is after heading back to reclaim Their ship after getting to the plaque and harvesting the common resources to repair a ship, and then flying around to look for ships. It took nine different ships before the Gek seemed to want one. The latest find was a trading vessel of size; much larger than the small Korvax vessel. The contents of the ship were a few Carite sheets which were needed. The repairs and what was needed for said repairs took them eight sols to complete. The first couple of days was spent resource gathering, with Their units they bought another multi-tool for the Gek to use and it helped reduce the amount of time collecting in the cold conditions. The weaponry was not anything to be thankful for. A simple phase beam without any enhancements was not wise. The shielding was far more advanced than Their own and the sheer amount of space in this ship was quite nice. They figured it was far slower though and not advisable to a traveler who may need to be quick and battle worthy.
The rest of the time was trying to get the ship online, which took a plethora of patience and perseverance. During this time, They got to know their companions better. The tall orange one was Kuriou. The Green pragmatic one was Athenis. The brown, impatient one was Jalen. The trio was also a lot younger than They could have guessed. They were not complete children because from what They gathered all Gek were borne from water, but none of their number had more than sixteen years. Athenis was the oldest at almost sixteen, Kuriou was thirteen and Jalen was twelve. This made Them wonder if giving them a ship a good idea, and after this frigate was working then…it wouldn't be right to separate ways. They would like to take this group to a place They knew was safe. The group had requested Their assistance to getting to a Gek controlled portion of space that housed a big city.
They agreed because it seemed right to do so, as long as They continued toward the center. The Gek were hesitant but they asked their own questions. Most pertained to thing They couldn't answer for. What were they, what Their home was like. Those questions hurt. The Gek picked up on it and settled for easier ones. Advice on ships, weapons, and Their experiences since waking up. It was all in broken Vy'Keen but even They were learning a good bit of Gek…even if it was only swear words at first.
After sleeping in the small quarters of the trade ship; They felt the itch to set off again. Firing up the engines was met with celebration from everyone even Jalen who seemed irritated at everything most of the time. They managed to open a channel for communication between Their vessel and the newly renamed Dentaalin. With Their ship taking point, and the Dentaalin following with a completely open cargo hold, They planned to explore the last planet of this system.