Sorry for the short chapter after such a long wait. I got laid off so things have been rough. Thank you to everyone for your patience with me. I hope I can make it worth your while.

Reinrassic would guiltily admit to not thinking on his way back. At least, not about piloting his ship. He was still mulling over what a failure his conversation with the Supreme was.

"Do you really think someone with your ideas is worthy of becoming the Supreme? What even makes you a worthwhile Highbreed when you allow such nonsense into your head and out to the world?" The rest of the council stared down at him disapprovingly, boring into him with their eyes. He was going to collapse under the weight. It crushed the air out of his lungs. "I thought you stood a chance, but what do you stand for, if anything? You seemed a quiet man until nearly a year ago, now? You have spoken for the wrong side. Do you really intend to tear our society apart for your… pathetic compassion?"

"..." At the worst moment, he was without words, without fight, without hope. He fucked up. "I trust your judgment, Supreme, if you do not think me suited for the position, I will follow whomever you believe is worthy." He swallowed, "But, I will not stop. I will admit, before, I may have stood for nothing. But I stand now. And, even if I step back, I will not stand down."

"...you are dismissed-"

The blast lurched him forward, heat on his back as the ship shook. Reinrassic looked over his shoulder, he had seconds- that was his right engine! He looked forward to see himself pitching forward as the ground got closer; time slowing down.

It was a terrible dream. It was a waking nightmare. The heat of the fire on his back was a large chest, too warm to be an ordinary Highbreed. The scream of the wind as he fell became a terrified scream for his name as he braced himself with his right arm. For less than a second, he swore there were arms of the palest and darkest greens around him, yet, all he could see was Ben-Ben's face.

Then there was only pain.

…..

When he first woke up, feeling somewhere between numb and in pain, with a grotesquely familiar weightlessness on his right side, he just stared at the ceiling.

It was pale pink, curved, meant to be comforting. It looked just like the ceiling that he'd woken up to all those years ago. It made him sick. He stared at it for what must have been hours. He didn't even try moving. Moving would just confirm his fear.

When the door opened, he finally moved his neck to see Medicus walk in. He half expected the talk the doctor from his childhood gave him, only this time, I would be Ben's name instead of his mother's on the grave. Medicus blinked at him as if he didn't expect Reinrassic to be awake. He pressed a button on the wall before stepping closer.

"How are you feeling?"

"Terrible, how long was I unconscious?"

"Three days." The way he was standing, the way he clutched his pad… Reinrassic knew enough to tell Medicus was nervous.

"How bad is it?"

"A few superficial cuts, a couple that may scar. Some broken bones. The only thing major is…" he looked down on Reinrassic's right side. "Hopefully, that alien blood of yours will allow it to regenerate again, and prevent scarring as it did in the past."

"Mn," The lack of feeling when he unconsciously tried to move his right arm hurt. "... what happened?"

"An overlooked part in your right engine. One of your fuel compressors was loose."

"Impossible!" he tried to sit up but Medicus stopped him. "I am incredibly meticulous when it comes to ship maintenance. Especially so with my personal cruiser!"

"I understand," he cringed, "that was what Ben-Ben said."

"Yes, where is he?"

"..."

"Medicus!"

"I don't know!"

"What?!"

"He left the same day you were hospitalized! He was furious when they said there wasn't enough evidence to pursue a sabotage case. He left raving about proving this was no accident-"

"And you let him?"

"How were we supposed to know he would not return? I promise you, we are searching everywhere for him."

"You should have found him by now!" Reinrassic did not let himself be stopped this time, nearly falling over when he tried to push up with his missing arm. He hissed at the pain of moving.

"Reinrassic, you can not move right now! You are injured! We are searching for Ben-Ben-" Reiny smashed the wall next to himself with his good arm. Medicus nearly dropped his pad, stepping back.

"FIND HIM!"

….

"It was sabotage!"

"There is no evidence of that-"

"There must be! You mean to tell me there are no cameras, no scanners, no witnesses? There is no way we would have made it to the Supreme's palace with that kind of damage, much less left with it!"

"Ben-" Frustra started.

"Are any of you going to help me?!" Reinrassic's siblings looked at him with uncertainty. It was already declared an accident. There was nothing to do. Ben-Ben wasn't having it. He stormed out, done with their unwillingness to help. Reinrassic was meticulous with the care of his personal cruiser. Not to mention, such a deadly error would've been caught by the internal safety scanner. This could be nothing but sabotage! He would go out and prove it.

Only...Ben stopped walking as he thought how he'd leave without a ship.

Well, he'd been plenty durable down on that desert planet. He looked out a window. If he went down to the first floor he could slide down the platform the estate was on to the forest below. He has a pretty good idea of the flora and fauna he'd face. And, if he followed the sun, he should make it to town in a few hours. Once there, the hatchery was easy to find. Curant had a sibling that had a friend who worked in the palace. Right now, they were his best hope.

Sliding down the platform had been a bit harder than he'd imagined, mostly because it was bigger than he thought it was.

But this? This was just… incredible! He'd thought the surface looked gorgeous from above, but being down here on the snow, between the trees? It was completely different. The tall, wine colored trees were hung with ice that turned the sky into a kaleidoscope of shadow and crystal. Ben-Ben couldn't stop looking around as he made his way through the woods. The cold had never felt so pleasant before. The snow crunching under his feet was indescribably wonderful.

He understood that they preferred to keep their natural scenery untouched, but it was so nice down here-

"RRRRRRRRrrrrrrrr…." Ben froze when he heard the growl. Crap.

He turned slowly to see the hulking form of the spider-like beast watching him from up a slope. THere was only one thing he could do.

Ben sprinted through the trees, hoping to go between a group small enough the spider monster wouldn't be able to follow. It barely slowed down. He went flying when a massive leg slammed down behind him in an explosion of rock and snow. He tumbled forward, rolling to his feet only to barely dodge another attack.

There was a reason Higbreed developed their white and grey markings. The snow covered planet was incredibly rocky. The plant matter was dark. Ben had read stories of Highbreed stopping and hiding in the snow. All he had to do was hide his colorful face and close his eyes. The beast chasing him's sight was motion based. He could disappear.

And get trampled.

Ben grabbed onto a tree, sliding under one of it's large roots just before a sound vibrated his bones. It made his stomach do backflips, but the beast roared in pain.

"That's right, big guy," A low, but very impare voice yelled over the roar, "Get back in your territory before I turn up the music!"

Sure enough, the massive spider beast backed away through its path of destruction. Ben peeked out from behind the tree to see the darkest Highbreed he'd ever seen. She was tall and imposing, holding something that looked strangely like a shotgun. She was all black and dark grey, only a spattering of white on her chest, wings, and shoulders. She looked over at him questioningly.

"Uh, thank you for saving me. I'm-"

"Ben-Ben Tennison, not often you see a celebrity on the surface."

"Yeah…" He stepped out into the open.

"I am Tsari, local ranger."

"I didn't know there still were surface rangers." She gave Ben an odd look before "smiling"

"There is a lot you probably do not know about Agustakens. The ones you have been with are known as the Highbreed. I-" She gestured to herself, "am Lowbreed."

"Lowbreed?" Ben had never heard of such a thing.

"Yes, we are the first people, and the last to walk the surface of this planet. If the Highbreed had their way we would surely be extinct. However, I doubt you are here for a history lesson."

"Normally, I would be exploding with questions, but right now I am trying to solve a sabotage case and need to get to the city."

"The city? You have friends there?" Tsari slung her strange weapon over her shoulder and started through the snow.

"I- yes. I need their help to prove-"

"I care little." Tsari shut him down.

"Oh," Ben stopped following her. "I apologise." He felt terrible. This woman had her own struggles. He'd read up on animals, but to think, there was more written about animals than a whole group of Hig- no, Agustakiens. It almost made sense, why they insisted on a title instead of a species. And, if he hadn't found any information on Lowbreeds, how much did most Highbreeds know about them?

"Are you coming?" Ben-Ben looked up to see Tsari further away sitting on a very old looking hoover scooter, like what a DNAlien would ride. "I will take you to the city."

"What? Why?"

"It will be problematic for my people if you were to die here. We do not have the same protections as the court families."

"You know about them?" Ben asked, jogging over to her. Tsari rolled her eyes.

"They are isolated from us, not the other way around. We have access to broadcasts and media. Well, my tribe does. There are some even more remote than we. Those who have no access to modern technology. Even if ours is outdated, it works. And, it is free."

"Do you get it from junkyards or something then?" Ben looked at the bike, there was no way to sit on it without riding like a motorcycle and sitting against her. "Wait, you mentioned- gah!" Tsari grabbed Ben-Ben's arm and pulled him onto the bike.

"There is no such courtesy with the lowbreeds little one, you will have to hold on."

"I-" Ben was shocked at first, but quickly regained himself. "Of course, just been a while."

"So I have heard, human."

"Heh, I do not mind being called that," Ben-Ben said as he put his arms around Tsari and they took off. Judging from her size she must have been around twenty. The hover scooter hummed under him as it glided just over the ground. It bent and moved over the ground strangely. Even stranger was his arms just casually being around another person. He'd forgotten how good it felt to just be around someone. How much he missed casual touch. "Do you know what happened to Reinrassic III?"

"Sort of. Unfortunately, I can not offer more than shelter and transport."

"You do not have to offer anything!" Ben exclaimed over the wind whipping past them. "I- can I ask you some questions?"

"You may."

"How many of you are there?"

"Uncertain, though, in estimation, I would say less than a million, though more than half a million."

"That's a big guess."

"Communication is limited."

"Oh… Why haven't I ever heard about you?"

"They didn't want you to know."

"Know what?"

"... The Highbreed are ashamed of their history. They pretend to bask in it. But it is fraudulent."

"All of it?"

"The beginning."

"Then… what's the truth?"

"..." Ben didn't think he'd get his answer when Tsari didn't speak for a few minutes. But what he did hear was shocking. "They do not teach about us in school. The only Highbreed we truly communicate with is the Supreme. It is with her we have an agreement to avoid certain areas as to not be seen. In return, in the minds of the Highbreed, we are no more."

"Most Highbreed think the Lowbreed are actually extinct?"

"It is for our own protection. The previous Supremes actively hunted us. It has been this way for thousands of years. Ever since the divide. Long before history was digitally recorded, tensions arose between us, and the pale, beautiful ones. In the beginning, a pale child was simply good fortune. Then, they became a goal of breeding. Pale children hid easier among the snow, grew larger, had thicker skin, bigger wings, there were plenty of reasons to want them."

"And so darker children were less desirable."

"Indeed. Over time, we became excluded from society. In a few hundred thousand years we were second class citizens, then slaves, then outcasts. There is a great deal I could tell you about the history from before the history you know. There is not enough time for that now. I will say that, five Supreme's ago, they went from avoiding us at all costs, to believing us too many in number. Our deaths were hailed as necessary. But, culling turned to attempted extinction. Only the deal we have with the current Supreme protects us."

"Then, whoever the next Supreme is could be pretty bad for you."

"It is only natural selection."

"It doesn't upset you?"

"It does, but there is little I can do. There has been war, terrorism, terrible things from both sides. And we came out on bottom. My only intentions as of current are to enjoy living while I am alive."

"You are rather cold, Tsari."

"I apologize, our bodies tend to absorb heat better than-"

"No, it's an expression. You have closed your heart- metaphorically."

"I am cold because I choose to live in the moment rather than be sorry for myself, or mad all the time?"

"Yeah, and I can tell you are lying about not doing anything about it. I mean, you're helping me- I mean you are helping me."

"Ah," she sighed in her monotone voice, "I have been found out." It was hard to see through the trees, but Ben-Ben could see the nearing shadow of the city, once they came under it, the temperature dropped. "I will admit, I have been hoping the Devalah candidate would win over the Cortalis candidate. Nemilos is not known for his compassion. His ancestor was the one to start the hunting." Tsari slowed down. "Are you expected?"

"I sent a message and we agreed to meet at an emergency road to the east. Though, I do not think he will be expecting me so soon."

"Do you know how to get in?"

"Yes, he explained it to me."

"Well then, this is as close as I dare." Tsari came to a stop. Ben felt hollow when he let her go.

"Will I see you again?" Tsari blinked, like she hadn't expected him to want to.

"Well, if you attract another araneolus it will not be hard to find you."

….

"Ben-Ben!"

"Curant!" Ben had been standing around at the meeting place for a while now, not sure if he should try to find Curant elsewhere. Right before Ben-Ben wandered off, the taller Highbreed arrived with a metal case under his arm.

"You made it! Truly, my friend, you amaze me," Curant sighed with relief, his grey wings fluttered slightly. "I did some digging before coming, but we'll need to move fast."

"Fast?"

"My cousin's friend, my contact into the palace, she found something- well- the absence of it." He pulled out the case and set it onto a pipe in the cramped back alley. Ben watched a feed of the ship landing pad. He watched the minutes tick by as Reinrassic arrived, then time skipped, then he left. Over all, there was roughly half an hour missing.

"This is perfect! Why else would there be such a specific error but sabotage?! We have him!"

"Well…" Curant coughed nervously. "I don't think this will be enough."

"What? How much more do we need?"

"We need to prove at least something was done. As specific of an error that this is, it's all we have. Unless we can prove a hack, it could just be an incredible coincidence."

"Seriously? Fine! Where do we start?"

"I...I am not entirely certain. I have never investigated anything beyond failure to understand instructions by DNAliens," Curant confessed. Ben-Ben put his hands on his hips and nodded.

"That makes sense I guess, but I used to be a defender of Earth! My grandpa, Gwen, and I investigated all kinds of crazy things and fought aliens and weirdos alike! So, when I need to know what to do, I ask myself- what would grandpa Max do?"

Curant stared in confusion.

"So… um… what would your grandfather do?" He asked, cocking his head to the side.

"Hmm," Ben-Ben put his hand under his "chin" like he was thinking, "He would probably say we should start with the ship. Any idea where we might find it?"

"The ship? Well it would be in his family's hands as long as they have not sent it to the scrap yard."

"Would not the authorities hold it for an investigation?"

"It was ruled an accident," Currant said matter of factly, "So no."

"So, one of the candidates for Supreme is seriously injured- he is in a coma- and no one is suspicious at all?!" Ben threw his hands up in indignation.

"I am incredibly suspicious." Currant said, packing up his pad in its case. "I think most everyone is. All my friends are demanding I get in contact with you to find out what is happening, but I have kept this a secret."

"Oh," Ben deflated, "Sorry, I am just…"

"I understand," Currant got closer, putting his hand up like he wanted to comfort Ben, "I am here to help, my friend."

"Thank you… I guess I will have to contact someone now to find the ship."

"Does anyone know you are here?"

"..." Ben straightened up indignantly, "I- I am not a child that needs supervision!"

"... What is a child?"

"Nevermind, I'll call Frustra."

….

Reinrassic had gone over everything nine times over now, watching Ben-Ben leave, disappear into the forest, and never return. He had contacted Curant, Ben-Ben's best friend outside the family, but had received no reply. He'd taken off his wrappings on his right arm, watching as the bone and flesh grew back agonisingly slowly. He refused further pain killers, and could almost feel his bones knit back together.

It was like everything was turned up to eleven as he kept track of seven different screens at once. When Frustra came in he didn't even need to look at her to know.

"What lie have you told me?"

"..." Frustra looked down, ashamed, "Ben-Ben was here the same day he left."

"I know-"

"He came back. Check the hangar where your cruiser is stored. I helped sneak him in and out." Reinrassic opened another screen, bringing up the footage and speeding it up. They investigated the wreck, Ben-Ben and Curant, seemed to find something, then left. He whipped around, hissing and clicking with rage as he cursed in his mother tongue.

"Where is he! What did they find?!"

"I do not know where he is right now, but they found the remnants of your engine had parts you didn't put in. The parts that failed were older, and not the exact model on record. I gave them your receipts for them and the records for modifications on your cruiser."

"Where did they go from here?"

"They went to meet up with a friend of there's from house Cortalis."

…..

"I can not believe your aunt is in hose Cortalis."

"We do not speak often, but she is a very active member of the XAC. I believe she is trustworthy. She also reached out to me to offer aid, knowing you from the forum are a close friend of mine."

"So you are finally using the acronym for the Xenomorph Appreciation Club?" Ben-Ben grinned.

"I admit to nothing," Curant crossed his arms indignantly.

"You heard him, right Paul?" Ben asked his friend, who was driving the cruiser Frustra had lent them. It was cramped, being meant for transporting DNAliens, but it was super low profile and easy to look over.

"I can not believe you named it."

"He's my friend, Curant! Just like you." Curant guffawed at that, offended his friend would put him on the same level as a DNAlien.

"I work with DNAliens on the daily, they are imbeciles."

"Still a lot smarter than Xenocites." Curant shut up after that. They pulled into a hidden, old garden that had fallen into disrepair. Weeds had taken over the ancient statues, but most were dead as a more modern wall blocked nearly all the light. Curant insisted on getting out first. When they stepped out, ben thought they were alone. From out of the dry, crackling shrubbery stepped a taller impare Highbreed. One eye on her left side was a deep lapis blue.

"It has been some time, Curant."

"Dureae," Curant greeted her respectfully, "thank you again for agreeing to help us."

"I am glad to. It is about time someone shows the young heir his actions have consequences."

"So he did do it?"

"I do not know. But i have these," she handed over a thumb drive. "These are records of purchase from a rather shady merchant in the lower city. There is also evidence our heir was in communication with someone from the palace, but the conversation is encrypted, and I am unable to decode it. Just as well, my documents show purchase, but not what was purchased."

"So, we'll have to speak with this… Jeb? The one who runs the shop?"

"Indeed," Dureae nodded with a grin. "Just tell him Nemilos and I are no longer on good terms. Tell him I sent you."

….

"So…." Ben-Ben looked around at the apartment Curant had brought them to. There were tanks all over once they got past the main room full of Xenocites. It was very neat, everything out of the way and easy to find. Yet, it looked so much more lived in than anything at either the estate or Reiny's home. "I thought most Highbreed lived with family."

"They do, but I prefer my privacy. I like to do what I want when I want to." Curant stated, pouring some food into his tanks.

"I kind of like that. I think that's why Reiny- I- I mean Reinrassic- I-"

"Reiny?" Curant looked at him strangely.

"I- it's- it is a nick-name. It is a human term of endearment by shortening someone's name."

"Hm, that would be… most disrespectful by most Highbreed standards. He lets you call him that?"

"...Only in private." Ben-Ben blushed and Curant laughed.

"You are so strange! Ah, but who am I to laugh? It is late, we will go meet that 'Jeb' character in the morning." Curant shooed him off to a guest room. Ben-Ben motioned for Paul to follow him. The room reminded him of his bedroom back on Earth. It was set up the same and had a similar size. Ben-Ben took in a deep breath and sighed.

"You can take the bed, I will sleep on the floor," Ben said.

"What?! No! I could never!"

"I think we both know where this is going," Ben said, putting his hands on his hips. Paul looked down in defeat.

"You are just going to order me to take the bed, yes?"

"And you said you were 'of inferior intelligence,'" Ben-Ben grinned. He did take the blanket and a pillow, leaving Paul with a sheet and the other pillow. Ben-Ben rested on his back, staring up at the ceiling. "Are you still awake?"

"Yes, Ben-Ben?"

"You think Squishy is okay without me?"

"I think he will be fine with the other DNAliens. They are quite fond of it."

"Do Xenocytes have a gender?"

"Some? Some take on the gender of their host, others suppress it. Is this not something that you should ask Curant?"

"..."

"..."

"... I miss Reiny."