The Uo'Ru continued to stare at them with oily eyes and an unreadable expression on its grotesque face.

Cuore's instincts told her to run both her katanas through the creature before it did something to hurt them all, but she resisted the urge solely on Kieran's assurances.

"Kieran," Ceodore said after a momentary pause. The tone was a hint of warning, possibly a reprimand for having gone off on his own and bringing this thing back.

Kieran sighed in reply, still gripping the door frame. "Yeah, I know, not the smartest idea. But we needed to do something, and this…"

He glanced back at YuneXai, who turned her head to look at him as well. Kieran closed his eyes as he spoke again. "She won't hurt us, trust me. She and some of the other Uo'Ru are trying to stop TinSouRe, or at least…I think that's what she's trying to tell me."

Ursula crossed her arms. "You think?"

"She…well, none of them can speak. Not even Lunarian. She has been trying to talk to me telepathically but," he winced. "It's not as easy as it looks."

"They can't talk?" Ceodore wondered aloud, looking confused.

Cuore made note he hadn't replaced his sword in it's scabbard yet. She, too, was on edge and found herself unsure how to proceed.

YuneXai must have understood the question because she reached up and encircled her boney fingers around her throat, before pulling it away sharply.

Cuore blinked, "Your…vocal cords were removed?"

The Uo'Ru bowed her head once.

"Why?" Cuore asked, puzzled. "And…by whom?"

YuneXai turned back to Kieran and he nodded, only to grimace a moment later. His breathing hitched and his eyes narrowed, but he relayed the message she was obviously telling him.

"TinSouRe did it to them, all of them. All the Uo'Ru," he explained. "She did it because…because they were too powerful, their control of…magic was too advanced."

Cuore's eyes widened. "The magic Lunarian's cast is by using vocal tones and words to illicit elemental forces. She took away their power, or at least tried too…"

Kieran nodded, "Yes, she was…afraid of them. Afraid of what they could do."

He winced again and gripped the wall with both hands. Cuore was torn between running to help him and staying away from the fiend next to him.

"Stop it! You're hurting him!" she snapped.

She was surprised to watch the Uo'Ru reach out and steady him with a hand. Kieran merely exhaled sharply, eyes still closed. "It's alright, she's not trying too, it's just…"

"Your mind wasn't wired for telepathy." BarZenDao chided. "However mine is. It makes no logical sense you would continue when she can converse with me much easier."

Cuore darted a glance at the boy. "Are you sure?"

He nodded. "Yes. It will cause me no discomfort, and we share the same native language. I can translate the relevant data for you."

YuneXai turned to face BarZenDao as he approached, stopping in front of her and tipping his head to one side. "As long as you are alright with it?"

They stayed still for a moment before BarZenDao nodded, glancing over his shoulder at them. "This will work well. YuneXai apologizes for the discomfort, Kieran. And for frightening all of you."

"It's fine," Kieran said, waving a hand in dismissal and stepping forward with shaky steps to sit on a pile of debris. He sighed and buried his head in his hands.

Cuore hesitated for a moment, unsure if he wanted her company after she had pushed him away before. Finally she made up her mind and slipped over to sit next to him carefully perched on the edge of the fallen support beams and wall fragments.

If he wanted her to leave or wanted her to sit closer, he could easily make up his mind either way.

BarZenDao began his translation with YuneXai, speaking quickly and concisely.

"YuneXai was one of the ship's pilots. She is sorry for what has happened here and was very intrigued by your suggestion to work together. As we suspected, the majority of the Uo'Ru assumed we were working with TinSouRe, thus making us their enemy."

"Well, we didn't really walk into this situation knowing anything," Ursula complained, shifting her weight between both feet. "Still, I guess we did pick sides…"

BarZenDao shook his head, "YuneXai says she doesn't blame you, and from what she has learned of your species and your time here, she feels you are not a threat."

Ceodore frowned and finally sheathed his sword. "I'm not sure that's a good thing or not."

The Uo'Ru changed position, walking on uneasy, swaying legs further into the room so that she could see all of them. BarZenDao kept pace with her, at her side, clearly still communicating.

"She also wishes to apologize to you, Cuore, for what happened."

Cuore looked up, startled, and found herself staring directly into dark pools. And yet, for all the frightening appearance, she had to admit she saw no malice in the eyes.

"What…were you after?" she whispered. "I…know the Uo'Ru, whoever was there…they wanted something, but I…don't remember what."

YuneXai ran a hand down her malformed arm before blinking and falling still as BarZenDao translated.

"They were after your blood. They'd been keeping an eye on everything going on in the safe zone, watching TinSouRe for a chance to stop her. They knew you had survived the virus and they wanted your blood to run their own tests for a cure. Considering they thought you were working with TinSouRe, they accessed your mind to try and find out more about the research."

"Accessed?" Kieran suddenly snapped, looking up at YuneXai. "They didn't access anything, they hurt her."

YuneXai blinked, making a sign with her deformed hand that Cuore recognized as a Lunarian gesture for regret.

"She apologizes for that as well. She was not present, but word reached her and the rest of the Uo'Ru quickly of what had happened through telepathy. Apparently YingFey warned them that they would damage you, but the others were desperate for answers and didn't care how they got them." BarZenDao explained. "She expresses relief at seeing you well."

Cuore wasn't sure how to feel about the apology, but she was still a logical creature, and it made sense. Besides, it was slightly comforting to know not all of them were planning on hurting her.

"YingFey?" Ursula questioned.

BarZenDao nodded. "Another bioengineer. I recall meeting him on board once or twice. Not as skilled as TinSouRe, but still very good. I don't remember what projects he was working on here."

Cuore cleared her throat. "Thank you for the concern, YuneXai, but I'm afraid we simply don't have the luxury of time at the moment. TinSouRe is drunk with power, and I'm sure you know what she is planning to do."

"YuneXai agrees," BarZenDao said, nodding. "She also says that the Uo'Ru are aware. This force was intended to slow her down."

Ceodore looked around the room, eyes lingering on the corpses scattered about and the marks of magic on the walls. "It didn't go well, I take it."

"No, it did not." the Lunarian boy confirmed. "They were no match for her in her current state. Not only that, but YuneXai cautions you all."

"About what?" Kieran asked warily, still pushing his fingertips into his temples.

"TinSouRe is inside the systems of this ship,"

Ursula shrugged. "We know,"

"And the minds of the weaker, more advanced Uo'Ru." BarZenDao finished.

Cuore blinked and stood slowly. "The more advanced? As in, those in the final stages of their aberrant mutation?"

YuneXai bowed her head again, obviously a symbol of assent.

"Wait, the final stage?" Ceodore asked. "I was pretty sure once they got to this point, that was it," he said, gesturing to YuneXai.

Cuore shook her head, "Very close, but not quite. The Uo'Ru look the same, but the further the mutation pushes them, the more the mind starts to go. I had suspected such a thing when I was doing research with TinSouRe, but I couldn't find any data on them after a certain point."

BarZenDao looked uncomfortable, but his voice never wavered. She suspected she wouldn't have known how much it bothered him if she didn't know him as well as she did.

But it made sense that he would feel uneasy. He was still infected, despite the fact that he hadn't started to change completely.

"You were correct. They have had…issues with those in the final days of life turning into feral, beast-like monsters with no thoughts. The other Uo'Ru are aware of when one changes, since they are linked telepathically, but they are unable to do anything but put them out of their misery."

"The bones." Kieran muttered, finally looking up. "Those bones we found behind that door. Those were where you were locking them up, wasn't it? After they….changed."

BarZenDao glanced at YuneXai, and there was a long pause.

Finally he turned back and nodded. "Yes, though, as you can understand, she does not desire to talk about it."

Ursula held up her hands, "Okay, I get it, but one more question; TinSouRe is controlling these….changed ones?"

"Yes," BarZenDao confirmed. "Apparently when they reach that point, their minds are blank and volatile. TinSouRe's influence is great, and she can force them into her bidding, just like she did with the machinery."

"Fantastic." Ceodore grumbled, tightening his fingers around the hilt of his sword. "Then what's our plan? We don't have a lot of options."

Cuore sighed, "I don't know. I haven't come up with anything that I think might work." She turned to regard YuneXai; "Unless you have an idea?"

BarZenDao paused again, obviously listening, and after a few heartbeats relayed the message. "She does not have anything solid, but she advises that we meet with the others who have not fallen under TinSouRe's sway, including YingFey. They may have a better understanding of the situation."

Before anyone could say yes or no to the suggestion, YuneXai collapsed under her own weight, hitting the floor with a dull thud.

BarZenDao winced, looking startled. "I-I hadn't realized you were injured,"

Cuore hesitated, not wanting to get too close to the creature and then felt a spike of guilt when Ceodore didn't even pause before kneeling down and carefully looking over the Uo'Ru.

"These wounds must be from the fight with TinSouRe?" he said, gesturing to some strange marks. "I didn't see them until now, since…well, not to be rude, but your body is…different then what I'm used to."

BarZenDao frowned, "I'm having trouble maintaining the link with her. She is no longer fully conscious."

Ceodore rocked back to sit on his heels. "I'm going to try some white magic, but I have no idea if this will work. I don't know how different the Uo'Ru are from us, or even regular Lunarians."

He took a deep breath and began an incantation of a curative spell. BarZenDao moved around YuneXai's body and settled himself on the floor as well, likewise beginning to weave magic.

Feeling uncomfortable, Cuore paced away from them and into the massacre that was the rest of the room. She looked over the dead Uo'Ru and noticed that their wounds weren't all magical based.

Some were nail and bit marks, or gouges that tore through their flesh. She had a terrible feeling it wasn't just TinSouRe that came through here, and even if it was, she may have turned them on one another.

Cuore shuddered and hugged herself, mind working a mile a minute on a solution to the situation. But nothing came to mind, and she was beginning to lose the tight hold she had on her panic.

She heard footsteps behind her and glanced over her shoulder to see Ursula approaching. The blonde offered her a slight, uneasy smile. "How are you holding up?"

Cuore shrugged, eyes downcast. "As well as can be expected, I suppose. This…is a lot to take in."

Ursula settled a hand on her shoulder, "I know. But we'll get through this. Together."

Cuore smiled, but it was somewhat forced.

All the bright sentiment in the world wouldn't help them against a being as infinitely powerful as TinSouRe.

There was mutterings from behind them that drew their attention, and Cuore frowned as she watched Ceodore stand. He caught their eye and shook his head, obviously meaning the magic didn't work.

Cuore sighed, feeling a stab of guilt for having been so standoffish toward the Uo'Ru woman. She had been nothing but helpful, and yet she couldn't bring herself to trust her completely.

They wondered back over wordlessly and Cuore blinked in surprise at the fact that Kieran was sitting next to BarZenDao, who had his eyes closed and was muttering in Lunarian.

"Fal-Tor-Voh, YuneXai. Raa'ck-Nor T'Iz VaRon K'year-Tem-Tem Xia. Jhet'Leya T'Iz Tez Z'I, Xia VaRon Ran'U Gar-O KyRe Tat'Ra TinSouRe, Kia Dia. Fal-Tor-Voh.*"

A few more breathes could be seen before YuneXai's body fell still, and BarZenDao opened his eyes. "She's gone."

There was only a heartbeat before he stood, expression unreadable. "She told me where to go to meet the other Uo'Ru. We should move on."

"We're just going to leave her here?" Kieran asked, looking up to give him an odd look.

The boy frowned, "Lunarians typically recycle the deceased for possible salvage. Such a thing does not seem to apply to this situation, nor do we have the time."

The boy must have noticed the looks they were giving him because he looked uneasy a moment later.

"Another cultural difference?" he asked.

Kieran rolled his eyes and stood, "Yeah, something like that. But you make a good point. We don't have time."

Cuore knew BarZenDao was purposefully being aloof and logical. The words he spoke to YuneXai as she passed were old, and phrases that many Lunarians didn't bother uttering to the dying. For a race with no concept of an afterlife, they had no need to create elaborate farewells.

And yet, he had felt the need to do and say something to her. Cuore found it sweet, and further proof he wasn't as Lunarian to the core as many would believe.

"How are we going to convince the other Uo'Ru that we want help to defeat TinSouRe?" Ursula asked.

"I can. I have knowledge from YuneXai." BarZenDao assured her.

Ceodore was pondering, and he spoke slowly, as if a plan was still forming in his mind. "We may want to split up." He was quick to hold his hands up. "Before anyone argues, hear me out."

Cuore did as he asked, though she was thoroughly prepared to counter whatever had said next.

Once the prince was sure everyone would stay quiet, he continued; "I know, it's not the ideal suggestion, but we are running short on time. TinSouRe needs to be stopped, but we also need to get to the Uo'Ru. I think some of us should head that direction while the rest attempt to track TinSouRe. I don't want anyone engaging her quite yet, not without a plan, but…we can't leave her unchecked."

His reasoning was logical, and she frowned, annoyed by that point.

Ceodore sighed and continued. "All of us will have to hurry, but we need all the help we can get. What does everyone think? We're in this together, after all."

"I don't like it, but your right." Kieran remarked, crossing his arms.

Ursula nodded. "Agreed. It makes sense."

"The Uo'Ru are in another direction," BarZenDao added.

Ceodore flicked a glance at Cuore, who sighed. "How shall we split the group?"

He smiled at her briefly, clearly thanking her for the vote of confidence, and then assessed their number with a quick sweep.

"BarZenDao and I can go find the Uo'Ru. He knows the way, and they might be willing to accept me being there more because of my heritage."

Cuore knew full well he was putting her on the other side of things because of her previous run-ins with the creatures. Truthfully she couldn't blame him. Besides, he had told her he would always be protective of her.

"Ursula should go with you as well," Kieran mentioned. "Two mages together need a fighter to watch their backs, and Cuore can summon Eidolons if her and I get into trouble." He looked to her, "Agreed?"

Cuore nodded and Ursula shrugged. "Fine by me," the blonde said, "I think it makes sense, though splitting up at all isn't my favorite idea."

Ceodore seemed to hesitate and then relented. "Alright, then let's go."

Cuore flipped open her Ii'Tash and begin scanning for where they needed to go, only to have Ceodore reach out and grasp her shoulder lightly.

She looked up in surprise and saw his troubled expression.

"I meant what I said," he muttered quietly. "Don't engage TinSouRe, just watch her. We'll meet back up with you as soon as possible."

Cuore offered a half smile, "Alright."

"Promise me," Ceodore insisted.

She paused, and then nodded. "I promise."

It seemed to put him at ease and he returned her nod, adding; "Be careful,"

"You too," Kieran called back, unlatching his swallow from his back.

Cuore gestured off towards one of the hallways. "That way,"

"Lead the way,"

Ursula called one last goodbye to them as they plunged into darkness.


"Its' way too quiet," Kieran muttered, peering around them at the darkness.

Cuore hadn't been helping the silence any by not saying anything, adding to his already frazzled nerves.

He didn't regret finding and communicating with YuneXai, but he was still feeling the effects of the uncertain and tense bond, no matter how brief.

BarZenDao had been right when he said his mind wasn't wired for telepathy. He had somewhat expected it to only be words transfer back and forth, like talking to someone without actually talking.

But it was so much more then that; it was words created by feelings and memories, not actual conversation. Even the few times he and Cuore had linked, it wasn't like this.

But perhaps that was because the Uo'Ru were different from Cuore, too. Or that she was just being extra careful.

Kieran glanced over at Cuore, carefully picking her way across the cracked flooring and eyeing her Ii'Tash. He wanted so badly to talk to her, maybe just stop her and rest a moment, despite the lack of time.

But she said she needed space and time, and he promised to give it to her, no matter how painful it was.

Cuore suddenly sighed and looked around. "We are getting closer, I think. And this is most definitely the route TinSouRe took."

"What makes you say that?" he asked.

She gestured to the wall ahead. It was melted and collapsed, as were the supports inside the bulkhead, leading to another hallway beyond.

"We're still one step behind her," she complained, eyeing the opening.

Kieran shrugged. "We probably always will be. She has a head start. But we know where she is going."

"Unfortunately I see no way to catch up to her, or cut her off. She's taking the fastest route by creating her own." the teal haired princess said.

She didn't wait for him to reply and stepped through the opening, carefully sliding through the beams to the other side. Kieran followed her lead, stooping low to avoid catching his head on the low hanging ceiling.

He'd been trying to think up an alternate plan, but so far, nothing came to mind that would work. The core didn't even have power running to it, so they couldn't slow her down by cutting it. She would just blow up the core anyway. It didn't have to be on for that to happen.

They couldn't reach it before her and mount a defense since she was already well ahead of them.

They couldn't strike her down without running the risk of helping her do exactly what she wanted.

He sighed.

Cuore looked over, eyeing him carefully. She didn't say anything, but he shrugged. "Sorry, I'm just…trying to come up with a plan."

"I take it you have to yet to succeed," Cuore commented.

Kieran nodded and she frowned. "Neither have I."

They agreed wordlessly to continue on, though Kieran hated the tense silence. He couldn't decide if it was because they were walking into certain doom without a plan, or because he felt so disconnected from Cuore.

Perhaps a mixture of both.

Either way, it frazzled his nerves and he anxiously adjusted the grip on his swallow. In some ways, he wanted to face TinSouRe soon; at least then he could stop worrying over a non-existent plan.

They continued their quiet trek through partially compressed passages, weaving through TinSouRe's trail. Sometimes the path was obvious, with whole sections of bulkhead and wall devastated.

Others were harder to track, and they stayed within the obvious corridors.

After a winding hallway that merged with stone, they stepped into a slightly larger section of the ship. The ceiling hung low, but the walls were wide and showed off a more impressive space.

Kieran wasn't sure what about the room bothered him, but he felt a sudden spike in apprehension that made him twitch.

"I don't trust the stability of this structure," Cuore murmured, testing some of the floors with her feet before stepping on them. "I suggest we move carefully and quickly."

"Agreed." he replied.

The way the metal twisted through jutting spires of stone made it look like this part of the ship had taken part of the impact head on. The concave ceiling and creaking floor made him wonder how much of it was preserved only because no one had touched it in ages.

The whole area seemed surreal, with the possibility of a collapse literally hanging over their heads as they moved.

Luckily, as they ventured further into the dangerous area, a cramped but intact path could be seen across a field of jagged debris.

Kieran hesitated to hop a small gap in the metal flooring and eyed the rocks beneath. He wasn't sure they were stable, or if it was deceptively recessed.

Before he could make up his mind about risking the movement of a small jump or finding another way around, an ominous sound crackling sound started up from across the room.

Lights flickered on some disused and damaged screens mounted on one wall, and a familiar voice echoed unnaturally through the technology.

"I admired your tenacity, despite the futility of your actions."

TinSouRe's eerie laughed traveled through the space next. "I am much too close to my ascension. I cannot waste any more precious time on the likes of you."

The area rumbled and Cuore looked around, startled. "I have no idea what systems she's in, but-"

A bulkhead was crashing through the ceiling, tearing through rock and metal alike and shredding the remains of the unstable room. Everything happened in the blink of an eye; the roof collapsed at the same time as the plates they were standing on folding into themselves, turning the entire cavern into a rain of rock and metal.


"You're sure you can convince the Uo'Ru we're friends?" Ceodore asked, uneasy.

BarZenDao spared him a look that held a twinge of annoyance. "Yes, as sure as the last time you asked me that exact same question."

The prince held his hands up in surrender. I'm sorry, I'm just kind of…nervous."

"For obvious reasons," Ursula chimed in.

The Lunarian by sighed. "I know. But we will be fine. They are still Lunarian, at their core, and thus they will listen to logic. And YuneXai's knowledge I possess."

"I guess your right…" Ceodore muttered.

He still didn't like the idea of waltzing into the Uo'Ru's main base of operations and trying to convince the all power fiends that they were allies now. There was so much that could go wrong, and yet they had little choice.

It didn't take long for the path in front of them to veer sharply downward and to the left through a short passage of tangled metal and rock. Then it evened out once more, making them find their footing as they neared an intact door.

BarZenDao frowned, "I would guess this is an entrance to the Uo'Ru controlled section of the ship. I'll attempt the door."

Before he could try the controls on the side, the door zipped open to reveal an Uo'Ru.

Instantaneously, the area was filled with the horrid screech of the monster, dropping them all to the floor.

The scream didn't knock him out, but Ceodore almost wished it had. He felt disoriented, paralyzed. Vaguely he could feel something tugging at his arm and half lifting, half dragging him over the smooth metal flooring.

There were sounds and lights but it felt like it was miles away, or part of a dream he was waking up from.

He wasn't sure how much time passed before he finally felt his senses returning. There was still a lingering disconnect, but sounds sharpened and his vision cleared enough where he could focus.

"Are you conscious?" BarZenDao asked, leaning into his field of view.

Ceodore groaned. "I'm not sure…"

"Drink this," the boy said, thrusting something into his field of view.

The prince groaned again and forced himself to sit up, take the offered vial and drink it before he thought too much about what was going on.

Everything felt like it was taking hours, but once the liquid finished draining down his throat, he paused and gathered himself.

Looking around, he tensed.

Uo'Ru were stumbling back and forth between working consoles and machines, while bright lights were woven through the walls. Those overhead were mostly broken, but compared to the rest of the ship, this section looked remarkably untouched by destruction.

Apparently sensing or seeing his growing panic, BarZenDao cleared his throat and spoke once more. "Don't be alarmed. I've convinced them of our intensions and they've agreed to at least hear us out on our plans to stop TinSouRe. They allowed us this space to recover and apologize for the intenial attack."

"I'm sure they thought we were coming to get them," Ceodore muttered, massaging his temples. "Whatever you gave me to drink, it is helping."

"A tonic they use to keep some of the harsher symptoms of the Uo'Ru virus at bay. YingFey thought it might also work to counteract the effects of their physic discharge."

"You met YingFey, then?" Ceodore said, glancing up again.

BaarZenDao nodded. "Yes."

"Wait, where's Ursula?" he asked, looking around.

BarZenDao gestured to another flat, metal surface that looked like a cross between a bed, a table, and a work station. "She is still…I don't know a word for it."

"Out," Ceodore supplied. "Knowing her, it might be awhile."

BarZenDao eyed him as he moved to stand, but he felt better and only took a moment to let the room stop spinning before nodding to his Lunarian friend.

"I'll see if I can't wake her, then we should meet with the leaders…or…whoever is in charge here. We don't have a lot of time." he explained.

The boy nodded, "Agreed."

It took a great deal of shaking to rouse Ursula, and then a fair bit of coaxing to get her to fully wake up. Once she was sitting upright, BarZenDao held out one of the vials.

She made a face, looking disgusted and untrusting. "I'm not drinking anything on this ship,"

"Come on, it's harmless." Ceodore replied, exasperated.

She turned her annoyed expression on him. "After everything that's happened?"

He sighed, "Alright, fair enough. Can you stand?"

"If I can lean into you," she remarked, wobbling on her feet and latching onto his arm.

He paused, uncertain.

"Are you…being serious, or flirting?"

Ursula's lips quirked to a feisty grin. "Maybe a little of both? I do like to have romantic moments at the end of the world, after all."

Ceodore rolled his eyes. "Whatever, come on. Let's talk to Yingfey…"

She stifled a giggle, but let him lead her over to where BarZenDao was one-sided conversing with a group of Uo'Ru.

Being this close to the creatures was still troubling, but he forced his uneasy and bias into the back of this mind and tried to focus on the task at hand.

BarZenDao glanced at them as they approached and then gestured to the Uo'Ru in turn; "Yingfey, ShinTai and FenRaiYu. They are the self-styled leaders of this…well, whatever this is."

"Resistance against TinSouRe?" Ursula suggested blandly.

"ShinTai appreciates your sentiment," BarZenDao informed them. "They are all glad at your recovery and offer another set of apologies over the attack before. Actually, all the attacks before."

"It's alright. It seems none of us had the full story of what was going on," Ceodore said, trying to decide which figure to train his eyes on. "I'm sorry, too, for any damage we caused all off you. We honestly thought the best of TinSouRe."

BarZenDao frowned. "As did we all…"

The Uo'Ru identified as YingFey, the tallest of the group, gestured something with his hands and BarZenDao nodded.

"He says they don't have a solid plan for stopping her, but that the information we have obtained is extremely helpful."

"Well, good, because I don't think any of us want her to blow us all up…" Ursula commented, finally trying to stand on her own.

"Indeed, in that we are in agreement." BarZenDao continued. He walked over to one of the consoles and began inputting symbols. "The Uo'Ru have already attempted to stop her on many occasions, but she has foiled all attempts."

He pointed at the screen which displayed information Ceodore didn't understand. It looked like Lunarian writing and possibly ship details, but he couldn't be sure.

"FenRaiYu has confirmed they tried to cut the power to the ship when TinSouRe attempted her first round of machinations. This planet, your planet, was not where they intended to land. They had hoped to either disable her, and her alone, or land on a nearby desolate planet."

"Crash landings don't always go according to plan," the prince commented, crossing his arms. "Alright, so where do we go from here? They know what she is trying to do?"

BarZenDa nodded, turning back to face them. "Yes, and we have a few options to consider. The first one I have already declined, as it would involve damaging your planet."

"…Thanks," Ceodore said, unsure if he should ask for details or not.

"Your welcome." the boy said flatly. "The other possibilities are…variable."

An Uo'Ru with a missing hand stepped up and brought another image up on the screen, but again, Ceodore had no idea what it was saying.

"TinSouRe might be contained within aTre'y-Cy Jem'HaDar*, though no such crystal exists currently on this vessel." BarZenDao translated. "If we had more time, there is a possibility that one could be produced, I've been told, but we do not have time."

"You made it sound like there was more than one option here," Ursula said, flicking an uneasy glance at an Uo'Ru as it lumbered past on twisted legs.

The boy nodded and looked to YingFey before speaking. "YingFey has been unable to create a cure for the Uo'Ru virus so far, but he has managed to make something…worse using Cuore's blood."

"Wait, worse?" Ceodore exclaimed, wincing.

He couldn't fathom anything worse then the Uo'Ru virus at the moment, not to mention that he questioned how the Lunarians even went so far as to explore something worse when they were supposedly after a cure.

But, they were nothing if not curious.

BarZenDao nodded along with YingFey. The boy shrugged, "Cuore's blood is…unique. Her form is highly resistant and adaptable. It destroys anything that doesn't fit into its' base code, or, mutates it too adapt and adsorb."

BarZenDao frowned before continuing. "It appears that while trying to modify the cells to create a cure, they found it incompatible with their codes. The cells tried to change their entire form, and the Uo'Ru virus fought back. It was an internal war that ended in the subject's death."

"You tested it," Ceodore asked.

The Uo'Ru bowed his head.

The prince frowned, but didn't bother to argue the moral implications. They didn't have the time, and he knew full well that the Lunarians would never see some of what they did as wrong.

"You think we can weaponize this against TinSouRe?" Ursula asked. "She'd never let us get close enough to inject her."

"Hence the delay in implementing the plan," BarZenDao replied. "They would have tried it before, but TinSouRe was impossible to reach. But now, they feel we may hold the advantage, since they have our help."

"That's a vote of confidence," Ceodore thought, not sure he shared the idea.

Ursula's expression mirrored his thoughts, but she, too, said nothing.

BarZenDao apparently didn't notice and continued; "YingFey is working on synthesizing more of the poison, if you will, as we speak."

"Are we really just going to poison TinSouRe?" Ursula asked, holding her hands up.

"You…are confused by the method?" the boy asked, seemingly confused.

The blonde shook her head, "No, I'm questioning the morality of it. I…I guess I knew we'd kill her, but…"

Ceodore sighed, "I know what you mean, Ursula, but we don't have a choice. We've tried to reason with her, and we're out of options. I wish there was another way, but…"

"She is our enemy," BarZenDao reminded them. "I understand your hesitation, but it is her life, or ours and possibility that of all life on your planet."

"I guess you have a point…" she muttered. "I just hate to think about…never mind."

Ceodore smiled slightly and gave her arm a squeeze, letting her know he agreed but understood what they had to do.

"Then we are in agreement? The Uo'Ru want to know." BarZenDao said, gesturing to their surprisingly gracious hosts.

Ceodore nodded, "Yes, this is the best plan we have. I say we do it. Hopefully we'll meet back up with Cuore and Kieran in time to stop her."

"I believe we will. Overloading the core will take time, even should she reach it." BarZenDao explained. "I discussed that with some of the others."

"Well, then there is that at least," Ursula commented, crossing her arms. "I really hope Kieran and Cuore are alright and haven't tried anything stupid."

"I don't think they'd risk it," Ceodore assured her.

A sudden alarm went off and he looked up, nervous. "What is that?!"

The Uo'Ru scrambled around them, slowly but frantically, and BarZenDao held still for a moment. It took Ceodore a moment to realize the boy was listening to their thoughts to gauge the situation.

Finally he looked back to them, expression grim. "It appears TinSouRe has unlocked all remaining containment units within the ship."

"Meaning…?" Ursula prompted, crossing her arms.

The boy shook his head slowly, "Meaning, any experimental technology or creatures on board, still functioning, now have free run of the ship. I believe she is bidding her time."

"Crytsals…" Ceodore muttered. "Is that poison ready to go? We're out of time."


Cuore was glad the fall was only a few feet down, or they would have been seriously injured. As if stood, she merely felt bruised, battered, and slightly disoriented.

Somewhere to her right, she heard Kieran groan, then swear, before shuffling.

"Are you alright?" she asked into the dimly lit area.

He sighed, "No, but I'm not dead and I can move. You?"

"Much the same," she replied, carefully sitting up and nearly banging her head against one of the collapsed beams.

"Watch-"

Her warning came too late and she heard a smack and another string of swear words. He finally half stood, half knelt, and squinted into the rest of the space. "Have I mentioned how much I hate this ship?"

Cuore joined him, squinting into the room in the hopes of finding some way out. "Yes, I believe we've discussed it before."

She brushed hair off her face. "There is one good thing,"

"What?"

"If TinSouRe is spending her time trying to stall us, then she has yet to reach the core. This means we are working as a distraction for her."

"Well, isn't that great," Kieran replied, voice dripping in sarcasm.

Cuore pointed to a section of room less damaged then the rest. "We might be able to crawl somewhere through there."

They inched their way over, careful to avoid any other nasty surprises. She almost impaled her hand on a spire of metal she failed to see.

"Why don't you use the Ii'Tash for light?" Kieran asked afterwards.

"It…was damaged in the fall," Cuore admitted.

He sighed, but said nothing.

They managed to find a short, narrow and upward facing tunnel to climb through that lead them to a wider tunnel that still showed jagged walls of dangerous looking metal fragments.

Kieran paused, looking around, and glanced back at Cuore. "How did TinSouRe know we were after her?"

"She likely used aura-seeking. Locking onto magical essence."

"So why isn't she trying something now?"

Cuore stopped to think. "I don't know. It's possible she is too far away, or perhaps she has nothing to manipulate here."

He didn't look convinced, but didn't directly say anything.

They reached the end of the line again and he pointed up. "I see something up there, maybe an opening. We'll have to watch ourselves climbing."

Cuore nodded and began the ascent, grasping carefully at hand holds, trying not to be stabbed with metal or stone. Kieran followed several paces back from her. She tried not to wince at bruises from their recent fall, since she didn't want him to become over protective again. Besides, she was sure he, too, was hurting.

She reached the opening and hauled herself up, relieved to see a room with a door nearby. Kieran joined her a few moments later.

Cuore knew the door wouldn't budge, but she sighed all the same. They were wasting time they didn't have, and she was beginning to wonder why TinSouRe only dropped them this far.

Kieran was right.

Why wasn't she still trying to kill them?

"Can you get that door open?" he asked, massaging his wrist.

Cuore shrugged, "I can use magic. It will take time, though. I'm not sure how stable this section is, and I don't want another collapse.

He nodded, looking around the rest of the room.

Cuore began to form heat into flames in her hands and then stopped, blinking a few times before staring at the door.

The Maenads were wired for telekinetic abilities, though she had never manifested them.

Until now.

The Uo'Ru virus had altered her somehow, and it left her wondering if she now had all the benefits of her genes unlocked to her.

Besides, if TinSouRe was aura-seeking, using magic would make it easier for her to track them.

Cuore took a deep breath and let it out, quieting her mind and trying to get in touch with whatever force controlled such things.

This wasn't magic, this wasn't strength. She couldn't tap into it like she could her other intact abilities, and she couldn't talk to it like the Eidolons.

But somewhere, deep inside, she knew how to feel. This power was something of an extension of will, a thought made manifest.

It took the mind, not the heart, to use this type of influence.

She could feel the door, feel it's inner works, the texture of the metal. But not feel with her hands, or see with her eyes.

But with her mind.

She realized it weighed nothing, not when she was moving it because she wanted it moved.

The doors zipped open with a sickening sound of metal grinding and gears snapping.

Cuore blinked, dropping her outstretched hand in surprise and a tinged of fear.

That kind of power frightened her. It was so very much Maenad.

"How did you do that?" Kieran asked, coming to stand at her side.

Cuore swallowed. "I'm…not sure. I think…I think I used telekinesis."

She worriedly awaited his reaction, but he didn't seem surprised. Instead, he eyed her for a moment and asked quietly; "Are you alright?"

Cuore nodded. "I…think so. We should continue on."

She stepped through the door without waiting for him to comment. She didn't want to talk at the moment, not with TinSouRe still on the loose.

As they entered the room beyond, everything shook around them. Something stepped from an alcove on one of the walls.

The form was metallic, standing about seven feet tall with dangerous looking bladed appendages and a masked almost human like face.

It creaked, turning towards them in two parts; upper body first, then legs twisting around the ball-like torso.

"What is that?" Kieran asked, already into position to fight.

Cuore shook her head, "I'm not sure, it's not like anything I've ever seen before."

TinSouRe's voice filled the room, coming from the robot that faced them and all the consoles and wires.

"You are becoming quite the pests. I have unlocked all the experiments of the Lunarians. They should keep you busy while I complete my ascension. I bid you farewell."

Cuore drew her swords and glanced at Kieran, who frowned. "I should have guessed we'd have to fight a giant robot before this was all said and done."

"Better that then something with tentacles." she replied, sparing a half grin.

He made a face, "Yeah, no more Marboros. Those things suck."

Cuore dearly hoped the others were having better luck then they were.


Author's Note: Whew, been awhile, eh? Sorry for the delay. I have been so busy with a bunch of stuff happening all at once. All good, but all at once! Also, other stories (You might have noticed,) and some real-life articles published as well for research/lore relating to my job.

BUT, no one cares, you want THIS story! ;) Well, it's baaaccckkk! There's actually only 2-3 chapters left, then an epilogue, at which point I will probably be done in this 'verse for the foreseeable future. (I might write one-shots here and there, but I don't think I'll keep going with massive stories in this fandom)

Don't worry, though, this isn't a "dead fic" yet. I'm still planning on finishing it, just not as quickly as I had hoped. I'm hoping for the people still reading (if there are any,) that you'll be excited over this update! I didn't fully edit this chapter, but most of it has been written for a few months now. I just needed to tie it all together and finish it up.

I also hope it doesn't feel rushed in any way...I'm a little rusty with these characters from working on other stuff, so I'm trying to get back into the swing of it.

Lunarian Lesson below:

Fal-Tor-Voh, YuneXai. Raa'ck-Nor T'Iz VaRon K'year'Tem-Tem Xia. Jhet'Leya T'Iz Tez Z'I, Xia VaRon Ran'U Gar-O KyRe Tat'Ra TinSouRe, Kia Dia. Fal-Tor-Voh - Whew, you ready? Roughly translates too (this was hard even for me,)

"Rest in peace, YuneXai. I'm sorry for not curing you. Thank you for then help. You (will) not be forgotten. We (will) stop TinSouRe, I promise. Rest in peace"

Broken down:

Fal-Tor-Voh – A phrase used to comfort those about to die.

Raa'ck-Nor - An expression of regret, as in saying "I'm sorry"

T'Iz – "For" in the sense of "to give" (IE: This is for you)

VaRon – when used in a sentence, like the word "not". Literally, the advice of "not" doing an action (IE: I wouldn't do that if I were you)

Tem-Tem – As in making a word a verb, like adding ING to the end of a word; "Living" "Running" "Flying" etc. Always added with a '

K'year – Cure

Jhet'Leya – "Thank you" – an expression of gratitude

Tez – "The", "This", "That", etc.

Z'I – "Help"

Xia – "You"

Ran'U Gar-O – Forget, Forgotten

Jai – "Ours"

TatRa – "Wait", "Hold", "Stop"

Kia – "Me" or "I", to refer to oneself

Dia – "Promise"

Tre'y-Cy - A type of specialized crystal tech that is used to store things other then data

Jem'HaDar - Used before, refers to the tech used that is crystal in form (not real "crystals" like gemstones)