On the marshy planet of Derth, a lone figure knelt down next to a newly dug grave, the dirt on top still settling. His clasped hands were wrapped in strips of fabric, still raw from digging the grave that his dear friend now rested in.

Seto Kaiba mourned in silence, he couldn't find the right words to work through his grief. He lowered his head and unclasped his hands, revealing the necklace that Greer had gifted him moments before his death.

He stared at the jewelry as guilt threatened to overwhelm him. After everything that they had been through together, it was all that he had left to remember him by.

Seto looked back at the grave, and then towards the sky above them. He took the two ends of the necklace chain, and wrapped it around his neck.

"Greer… I… I'm so sorry…" He reached up, holding the gemstone in his hand. "You were my first real friend, I'll never forget you… I promise, I won't let your death be in vain."

He moved to lean against the warped tree that Greer's grave was in front of, pulled his knees up to his chest, pressed his forehead against his knees, and let the tears flow once again.

After his makeshift funeral for Greer, time seemed to pass by at an excruciating rate. Trying to keep track of how many days passed felt overwhelming after being trapped in a windowless cell for so long.

Seto explored the strange swamp the best he could, but he found that the water was much deeper than he initially thought, and the swamp itself seemed to stretch on for miles with no sign of life. Derth seemed to be uninhabited.

After wandering in several directions and finding nothing, Seto decided to remain near Greer's grave. Although he was afraid of being too close to the escape pod, he didn't want to wander too far and never find a way off the planet.

After two days, a dehydrated Seto gave in to his thirst and drank the swamp water that surrounded him. It tasted surprisingly good, and helped him to forget about the gnawing hunger in his stomach.

Another two days passed when Seto noticed something moving in the water. When he moved to investigate, he found it was a piece of metal. The same gray-white color from the Karalis escape pod.

As he held it in his shaking hands, he watched several more pieces begin to float up. That's strange… He thought. Is the escape pod breaking apart?

A foolish idea popped into his mind. If I can get enough pieces from the escape pod, could I build something to get off this planet? He thought hopefully. Maybe something to call for help?

It wasn't the most concrete solution to his situation, but it was the only one he had.

Seto spent the next day wading around the scene of the crash, searching for anything that may be of use to him. He gathered the metal pieces and waterlogged wires in a pile near the edge of the grassy patch he had been resting on.

He sifted through the piles, and frowned. It was good, but not good enough. He needed more than this to build something useful, like a computer or something to type on…

Seto thought back to that harrowing escape, before the escape pod had sunk, before Greer had been… He shuddered and looked back towards the wreck. He knew there was a computer down there somewhere, he had used it to pick this damned planet to land on. There's a computer down there somewhere, but could he reach it.

"I have to try…" Seto told himself as he walked around the grass, towards where he thought the pod would be. "I don't see any other way of getting back to Earth…"

He pulled off the threadbare prison shirt and waded into the water until his feet could no longer find land to step on. He swam out a little bit, took a deep breath, and dove down.

The water was murky and hard to see through, even with the heat of the large sun. He swam down until his lungs started to burn, long enough to notice something large in the darkness a few feet in front of him. The pod, maybe? He couldn't check just yet, he needed air.

Seto swam back up, taking a big gulp of air as he surfaced. He swam closer to where he had seen the large object, and prepared to dive down again. Deep breath, one, two-

Before the half human can do more than inhale, something large suddenly breached through the water, a loud roar accompanying it's arrival as water sloshed around in violent waves.

He looked upwards and yelped in shock, a large worm-like creature looming over him. He scrambled backwards, desperately reaching for land, but he didn't make it in time.

Just as his hand grasped some strands of grass, the creature had managed to wrap itself around Seto's weakened form and yank them both backward, and underneath the water.

Seto frantically clawed at the creature's thick skin with his human hand, his Karalis one pinned to his side and useless. He kicked and thrashed, but all that succeeded in doing was taking away what little breath he had.

As the light of the sun began to vanish, Seto felt his vision fading out from lack of air. The creature suddenly tightened his grip and- in his panic -the half human took in a gulp of water.

He expected to start choking, or finally pass out and be embraced by death… but none of those things happened. Instead, as he began to inhale and exhale, Seto found that he was breathing perfectly fine under the water. W-what?

Seto quickly shook off his confusion. No! I don't have time to wonder, I have to escape NOW!

With his newfound strength, Seto forcefully wrenched his hand out of the tight grip. The claw quickly formed, and he slashed across the creature's skin with as much power as he could muster.

The creature let out a surprised screech as purple blood began to cloud in the water. The pain caused the creature to weaken its grip, which was enough for Seto.

He wriggled himself free, pushing off against the worm-like body to give him a head start as he quickly swam back up. As soon as he broke to the surface, he scrambled for land and stood as far away from the water as possible, his chest heaving and adrenaline fading.

The creature swam around near the surface for a few minutes, but a well-aimed throw of a particularly sharp piece of metal from Seto was enough to convince it that eating the half-human wasn't worth the trouble. With a strange rumbling noise, it slunk back into the darkness of the deep swamp waters.

Seto stays on guard for a minute longer before finally giving into the exhaustion gripping him, and flops down on the grass with a groan.

Once the panic has faded away, his curiosity returns. He takes a few more breaths, but he doesn't feel any need to cough up water. "But I was breathing underwater… H-how? I should have died but how did I…"

He trailed off as a memory returned to him, of when he stripped the Karalis guard of his armor. Their captor had lines on the side of his neck, could those have been some kind of gills? Was that how Seto had managed to survive too?

He reached up to his neck, and found similar lines around the same area. He couldn't see them, the water too murky and Greer's gem not reflective, but they were there.

"Another gift those bastards gave me…" He growled as he let his hand drop haphazardly back on the ground. He grabs the grass again, ripping it straight out of the ground. "I just… I don't want any of this… I just want to go home…"

For the third time in less than a week, Seto felt his eyes burn with tears once more. Just like the last two times, he let them fall.

A full week had passed since Seto had crashed landed on Derth, and the half-human had almost given up hope of escaping.

Food was impossible to find, and diving in the water was too dangerous now that he knew what was down there. Underwater breathing or not, Seto doubted he could fight off such a monster if it truly wanted to eat him.

That was how he found himself leaning against the tree again, by Greer's grave. The fast growing grass had already begun to cover where it had been, but Seto managed to wedge a metal sheep up against the tree, scratching a small message onto the makeshift tombstone that read 'Greer, a hero and a dear friend'.

He read the message over again, wishing he had been able to write more and honor Greer as he truly deserved. But he couldn't, and it seemed he would soon meet the same fate.

"I'm sorry, Greer… I tried, I really did. But I don't know what else to do…" He whispered as he held onto the necklace and leaned backwards, letting his eyes slip shut as he listened to the gentle sounds of the swamp.

Then, the sounds were silenced by the sudden noise of a spaceship. Seto's eyes snapped open and he jumped to his feet, frantically searching for where the sound might be coming from. The Karalis? No, no, please don't let it be them…

But when his eyes landed on the ship, Seto found himself calming the slightest bit. It was a medium sized and imposing ship, but it was made out of many different colored, jagged metal sheets and nowhere near resembled the supposed 'perfection' that the Karalis tried to show off.

Still, ages of dealing with danger left Seto wary of completely relaxing. Even if it wasn't them, how was he to know it wasn't someone working for them?

The half human watched the ship move to land on shallow water several yards away. Once the ship's thrusters were off, Seto slunk away from Greer's grave, keeping towards the large trees and their hanging leaves as he tried to see who had landed on the planet.

The ship let out a screeching noise, and a small ramp rolled out, splashing into the shallow water. Then, the back of the ship slowly slid open to reveal the inhabitants.

Seto had thought the Karalis were rather intimidating, but the man stomping out of the ship beat them by a long shot.

He was huge, taller than Seto himself by at least three heads. His arms were long and muscular, nearly dragging on the ground, while his legs were much smaller in comparison. He was a light blue color with several darker spots on his body in several areas. He had spines on his broad shoulders, a head of thick, dark hair, a unibrow, and tusks jutting out from his lower jaw, one of which was blackened and cracked. His clothes were baggy pants with large pockets, and a tank top stained with what looked like oil.

The beady black eyes scanned the swampy marsh a few times before his eyes seemed to catch the sight of the mental pile that Seto had created. The alien lumbered over, when he stopped at the sight of the grave.

Seto felt his heart speed up, and he had to squeeze the tree trunk to stop himself from snapping at him to leave the grave alone.

The alien's gaze remained on the grave for a few moments before he looked up at the large tree. His large arm reached up, yanking one of the spiky purple flowers from the branches, and then setting it down on top of Greer's grave. Only after the flower was set down did he bow his head, and then return to sifting through the metal sheet.

The half human watching nearby found himself relaxing much more, the sight of someone else giving Greer the kindness he deserved made him feel guilty about what he was going to do next.

He glanced at the ship, now empty and unguarded. With one last glance to make sure the alien was distracted, Seto began to creep his way towards the spaceship.

The half human hesitated at the edge of the grass strip. The shallow water would surely warn the alien, he would need to go around. He kept to the grass patches, circling around the other side of the spaceship, where he couldn't be seen.

Only then did Seto allow his bare feet to sink into the shallow water. He waded to the edge of the ship and leaned against the edge, making his way towards the opening. But just before he reached it, he found himself started by a figure in front of him. He jumped backward and spun around to face it, only to find it was not an attacker, but his own reflection.

Seto's eyes widened in shock, it was the first time he had seen himself since before his captivity. He moved forward, his shaking hand gently tracing the stranger in front of him.

His face had changed the most drastically, with half of it the same viridian green color as the Karalis, while his eye was a glowing yellow sclera and a black pupil. His ear on that side had changed, now matching the Karalis spiked ear, and it also seemed to move with his emotions, as it now rose up with his curiosity.

What had previously been only brown hair was now broken by dark green streaks that matched the Karalis hair color.

The green splotches continued down onto his neck, where he could see the lines. His chest was covered halfway, and then descended down to what he had already seen before, with both his legs the same viridian green color.

His own reflection, the person he no longer recognized, left him with a pit in his stomach. No matter how much Seto wanted to deny it, he was half-Karalis. Everytime he looked at himself, he would be forcefully reminded of the people who kidnapped him, tortured him, and murdered his only friend.

Seto's hateful thoughts were suddenly brought to a halt when a large, strong hand grabbed the fabric of his shirt, and lifted him off the ground. The half human let out a surprised yelp as he was turned around, and found himself face to face with the large alien.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" The large man asked, his voice deep and gravely.

Seto swung his leg around to try and hit the man, but the alien just moved him out of reach. The half human let out a frustrated growl, and struggled even more. "Let me go!"

The man let out a croaky laugh. "Why would I do that when you're trying to steal my ship?" His beady eyes scanned Seto up and down with a look Seto couldn't describe, and then looked around the swamp. "How did you end up here, kid?"

The half human stopped his struggling, and sighed. "My escape pod crashed. I've been stuck here since…"

The alien looked towards the meager salvage that Seto had managed to gather. "That metal is from a Karalis ship." It wasn't a question, it was an observation.

Seto stilled, his mismatched eyes staring at the large man with overwhelming suspicion. "Are you with them?" He questioned.

"Are you?" The stranger said right back.

"No!"

The alien curled his lip and motioned at Seto's face. "Then why do you look like one of them?"

Seto felt disgust at the reminder of his appearance, quickly followed by rage. "I didn't ask to look like this! They did this to me! They tried to invade my planet, they killed my best friend! I'm not with those bastards!"

The alien's expression changed, and his beady eyes looked past Seto and towards where Greer's grave sat. "Oh…" He seemed to come to a realization. "You escaped from that prison ship, didn't you?"

The half human blinked in surprise. "You know about that?"

"Only rumors, nothing concrete. Never knew if I could believe it, because I hadn't seen any real proof until now." He explained as he motioned at Seto and the metal pile.

He hummed thoughtfully, and then slowly lowered Seto back down into the water. "Why don't you have lunch with me? I'd like to relax for a bit, and I bet you have quite the story to tell."

Seto's stomach growled eagerly at the thought of food, there was no way he could refuse. So he eagerly nodded, and followed the large alien to the ship.

They sat on the inside of the ship, just before the ramp. The large alien went further inside, and returned with some strange looking fruits. They were bumpy and a neon pink color with purple spots.

The stranger handed one to Seto, before taking a large bit out of his own. The half human watched him suspiciously for a moment longer, before he focused on his own food.

Seto took a large bite out of the fruit, breaking through the soft skin, and instantly felt his senses overwhelmed with a heavenly taste. It was sweet, but not too sweet, and it was the most delicious thing he had tasted in a long time.

His hunger got the best of him, as he eagerly began to scarf down the fruit several bites at a time. The juice dripped into his hands and down his chin, but he couldn't find it in him to stop.

"Whoa, whoa, slow down! You're gonna get sick eating like that!" The large man exclaimed as he set down a box of similar looking fruits. "There's more where that came from, you ain't gonna starve right in front of me so there's no need to eat like an animal."

Seto was suddenly very aware of his own behavior, and felt his cheeks heating up, his ear lowering in shame. "Ah… sorry. I haven't eaten in a while, and this is much better than the food we got in the prison."

The stranger chuckled and sat down with a grunt. "I bet." He took a bite of his own food, once he had swallowed, he looked back at Seto and motioned with his free hand. "Why don't you start from the beginning?"

He wasn't sure what made him feel like he could speak to the stranger, maybe it was because the ship was his only way off Derth, or maybe it was because the alien had placed a flower on Greer's grave. Either way, Seto found himself beginning to speak.

Seto told the strange just about everything. How he moved his space station to save his planet from a meteor, how he became a half-Karalis, being trapped on the prison ship, his torment at the hands of the Scientist, the escape, losing Greer, and finally his week trapped on Derth.

"...And then you landed here, and here we are…" He finally finished, his throat scratchy after talking for so long. He quickly took another bite of another fresh fruit, the fourth one he had eaten since finally getting access to food.

The stranger had finished eating a while before him, and listened to his tale with an attentive gaze. His expression remained unreadable for most of the conversation, except for a brow furrow every now and then.

They sat in silence for a few moments before the large man looked towards the nearby grave, the purple flower still settled on top. "I'm sorry for your loss, Greer sounds like he was an honorable young man."

"He was…" Seto followed his gaze, his hand squeezing the necklace around his neck. "Greer fought till the very end… I'll never forget him."

The large alien hummed gently, and then returned his attention to Seto. "So you were planning to steal my ship and go back to Earth. How exactly did you think that would work? You don't know how to fly a ship."

"I know how to pilot a plane…" Seto muttered childishly as he pulled his legs up to his chest. "But… I wasn't really thinking. I just wanted to get off this planet and go back home, back to Earth."

The stranger furrowed his brow again, and seemed to be in deep thought. After a long minute, he got to his feet and stood to face Seto. "Here's the thing, kid. Earth, that planet is very far away. My ship isn't the fastest, it would take a long time. But I can't take you, even if I wanted to. I work on an outpost as a mechanic, and part of my pay is a room to stay in. If I was gone that long, I'd be fired for sure."

Seto felt his hopes begin to vanish again, and lowered his head. "Oh…"

"But, I think I can still help you get back to Earth in a different way."

The half human quickly perked up, his ear raised and eyes wide. "Y-you can?" He asked, desperate for any small chance to return to the planet he missed dearly.

"Like I said, I work as a mechanic at an outpost. It's a busy place, people always stopping by for repairs and the like. I've been looking for an assistant to help with the workload, so I have a proposition for you. If you work as my assistant, I'll help you build your own ship to get back to Earth."

Now on his feet, Seto crossed his arms and thought. "Won't that take a long time?" He questioned.

The alien cringed. "It will, but believe me kid, you're much better off knowing how to build your own ship than hitching a ride. Earth is pretty far from any outposts or planets, anyone willing to take you would charge you a shit ton. With your own ship, you don't have to worry about that, and you'll be able to fight in case the Karalis track you down." He motioned to his ship, and held a large hand out to Seto. "What do you think?"

Seto thought about the mechanic's offer quietly. In all honesty, he hadn't planned ahead of escaping from prison in the event that he didn't survive. But the stranger was right, he doubted anyone would want to take a half-Karalis fugitive on a months long journey back to Earth. He had no way to pay them, and he had no doubt that the Karalis wouldn't care about killing anyone in their way.

Building a ship was the best choice, and though it would take a while, it meant he could guarantee a safe way back to Earth, back home, back to Mokuba…

The half-human nodded, and shook the large alien's hand. "Alright, I'll do it."

The large alien grinned happily, and eagerly shook back. "Good! It'll be nice to have an assistant! My name is Baulrad, and yours?"

"Seto Kaiba."

Baulrad nodded and let go of the much smaller hand. "Well, Seto Kaiba, are you ready to head to the outpost?"

"Just about…" He looked back towards his friend's grave, and at the purple flower on top of it. "There's just one more thing I need to do."

A half hour later, the ship slowly lifted itself out of the water, and began to rise further into the sky. Seto sat on a small couch by one of the large windows, staring at Greer's grave. No longer just a pile of dirt, the burial site was covered in the beautiful purple flowers.

His mismatched eyes remained on the grave until it was no longer in view, which was when he placed a hand against the window, his other holding the necklace, and bowed his head in respect for his friend. I'll never forget you, Greer. Maybe someday, we'll meet again...

As the ship broke through the atmosphere, Seto turned his attention to the large man in the pilot's seat. Baulrad pressed a few more buttons, and the ship began to speed through the endless expanse of space.

A strange feeling washed over him as he sat in the unfamiliar spaceship. His circumstances had changed, Seto himself had changed. The Seto Kaiba who he was now was much different than the one who had entered the Kaiba Corp space station that fateful day, when everything about his life was violently disrupted.

He didn't know what would happen next, he didn't know what dangers he would face, the only thing Seto knew for sure was that he would meet every challenge head on.