The heat of the afternoon sun beating down on his back is what finally forced an exhausted Deimos to stop. His shoulder length hair was pulled back into a ponytail, his green goggles were resting around his neck, his baggy pants and tank top were stained with oil, and he was exhausted from the hard work, but he was satisfied with the results. He set his tools down and brought his arms above his head, stretching out his sore limbs.

It had been a few weeks since he and Hifuld had returned to Iscarmilas, and he had spent every day since then working hard on repairs. His red eyes glanced down at the open panel on his ship, it was still a mess of wires and metal, but it was much more organized than when he started working on it. Once he got the parts he needed, then the ship would really be space-worthy.

"How's it going up here?" Hifuld's voice called.

Deimos scooted to the edge of the ship, to where his boss stood holding two cups of ice water. "It's going good! I think I've figured out which wires go where, so I'm almost done fixing all the torn ones! I may need to buy some more though, they were more damaged than I expected."

He reached out, a red aura surrounding his hand and then swirling around one of the cups of water. It floated upwards into the human's waiting hand, and the red glimmer disappeared, and he eagerly chugged the refreshing drink.

Hifuld scoffed and rolled their eyes, but had an amused smirk on his face. "You know, it's more polite to come down and get the drink, not use your floaty powers to take it."

"Aww… But where's the fun in that?" Deimos teasingly replied with a smirk of his own.

The green alien chuckled as they made their way up to the flight deck where the human was sitting. They took a swig of their own drink as they plopped down next to Deimos. "So. Once you have the tech side of it finished, what do you have to do next?"

"I have to replace all the damaged or old parts, especially that old computer on the bridge." Deimos scrunched up his nose and shook his head. "That thing must be centuries old, I wouldn't trust it to navigate me across a room, let alone the galaxy."

He placed his gloved hands on the ground and leaned back, a frown on his face. "But I don't know how to get the parts with what they're doing to prices right now." He let out a frustrated sigh. "You heard about that, right? The Iscarmilian sellers raised their prices for off-worlders! I couldn't even afford to buy tea this week! It's the library all over again!"

The green alien merely sighed and shrugged their shoulders. "Yeah, I heard. It's not much of a surprise. Whenever the officials feel like refugees are getting too bold, they do stuff like this to show their power. Just bide your time, it'll go away in a few weeks."

Deimos shook his head. "I don't want to wait. It's so dumb, they shouldn't be allowed to get away with that! Especially when the Galactic System rules state that all species should be treated fairly. How can they be a member of the Galactic System and still get away with that?"

"The GS can't stop what they don't know about." Hifuld calmly replied,"The Grand Minister and all the others in charge do a good job at keeping the stuff they do to us off the news, and they know nobody will try to reveal it because they're afraid of what will happen if they do."

The human groaned and flopped backwards, a pout on his face. "It's all so dumb! What's the point of doing this? If the Galactic System ever found out, they'd be in a lot of trouble. Why do it?"

"Same reason that people always do. Because they believe shitty things and have the power to act on those beliefs." Hifuld softly declared, their voice void of emotion.

The duo fell into a silence, neither one of them willing to continue the conversation about the unfair treatment they received on a planet that was supposed to be their home. It was hard for them to speak about it longer than a few minutes, especially when one was actively trying to help fix the broken system and another didn't have much faith that it could be fixed.

Deimos glanced down at his empty cup, watching water drip off the melting ice cubes for a moment before he set the drink next to his boss. "I should head back, before it gets too late." He jumped off the flight deck, gently landing on the ground below. "I'll see you tomorrow, Hifuld."

Hifuld nodded, and then turned their head back towards the sky. It seemed their discussion had left the alien in a somber mood, so Deimos decided it was best to leave quickly before he fell victim to the same feeling more than he already had.

He walked through the old, crumbling buildings alone. His pace was slow, which gave him time to think. He replayed the conversation in his mind, recalling what Hifuld had said about the officials and the Galactic System.

If the Grand Minister, the leader of the entire planet, is keeping our treatment a secret, then it must mean that they're not supposed to be doing it… He thought, shoving his hands in his pockets. So if someone were to take that information straight to the Galactic System… Maybe then they would-

Any more ideas were cut off by the sudden sound of footsteps. Deimos felt his heart seize, but forced himself to keep walking. He listened closely and glanced around, searching for the source.

It only took a few seconds for his glowing red eyes to notice someone coming towards him outside of the alleyway. He recognized them instantly, it was Dune, one of the officers who had attacked him the day he met Hifuld, and had tried unsuccessfully to chase him down several times since then.

Deimos frowned and came to a stop, glaring at the Iscarmilian. When the footsteps didn't stop he glanced quickly behind him, and found that several more officers had now appeared in a semi-circle around him.

Something is different… He analyzed, keeping his eyes on as many as he could. Usually they're angry and frustrated, but they're all smirks today. I don't like that… What's going on that I don't know about?

"Hello, little monster." Dune sneered, their lips curled up in a mixture of sadism and glee. "What do you think you're doing out here all alone? It's almost like you aren't listening when we tell you to stay where you belong."

Deimos allowed himself to smirk in return, and dramatically shrug his shoulders. "That would be a little tough, don't you think? If I went back to where I 'belong' on Earth, I would miss you all dearly~! Who else could I constantly irritate but my favorite corrupt officers?"

Instantly, he got to watch as Dune's smirk turned into a disgusted frown. "Don't play coy with me, primitive! You know exactly what I mean, and if you keep this attitude up then we'll just have to remind you of your place!"

The human kept a smirk on his face. "Well, that all sounds really fun, but…" He shifted on his feet, preparing for what would happen next. "You'd have to catch me first, wouldn't you?"

Without warning he dashed forward, straight towards Dune. The alien seemed to be expecting this, as he lunged forward to try and catch the human. At the last second, Deimos skidded to a stop and jumped backwards. Dune was thrown off balance by the sudden change, and fell forwards with no way to catch himself before he crashed to the ground.

Deimos quickly took the chance to jump over the man's form, and take off in a sprint down the alleyway. He heard the sound of several people chasing after him, but didn't turn back to taunt or check how many.

He skidded around another corner, closer to the main city, and picked up speed. The sooner he got to the city, the easier it would be to blend into the crowd and escape from them. He just had to keep going until then, just a little longer and then he would be-

Suddenly, he felt his foot catch on something and he tripped. He crashed to the ground and tumbled, coming to a stop several feet from where he had been before. He could feel the stinging of scrapes and scratches as he hissed in pain, glancing back towards where he'd come from. What just happened?

Deimos found his red eyes landing on a familiar figure, and he felt his entire form freeze up in shock. An imposing form, blonde hair, blue eyes…

"Desler!" The human croaked in disbelief.

The man in question chuckled as he stared down at Deimos. "Surprised to see me?" He sneered,"I know I'm upset I had to see your disgusting face again. But now that everything's right again, I knew I had to teach you a lesson."

Deimos frowned, his mind reaching to find an explanation for what the Iscarmilian could be implying. "What the hell are you talking about?!"

"Oh, you'll find out soon enough, human." Desler snidely declared as he reached towards his side, where a weapon stood prominently.

The human felt a burst of panic as he tried to scramble to his feet and run the other way, but this time he was too slow. He heard the weapon fire, and an extremely painful electric shock ran through his body. He screamed in agony as he crashed back onto the ground, limbs twitching but unable to move.

The last thing he saw was Desler approaching him with a satisfied smirk before everything faded to black.


When Deimos finally woke up, he felt groggy, sore, and cold. He groaned, forcing his eyes open as he tried to move to sit up. He felt something tight on his wrists, resisting his attempts to separate his arms.

A glance down showed him that his wrists were bound by metal cuffs. He frowned and took a second to scan around. He was in a small gray-colored room with a metal slab, and the front of the room was covered by a forcefield. On the other side he could see a hallway, and hear nearby chatter and footsteps.

The puzzle pieces finally clicked together and Deimos let his head flop back with a groan. "Oh, great. I got arrested…" He scooted to lean back against the wall, his body sending stabs of pain through him in protest.

He lifted his cuffed wrists, wiggling his hands to no avail. All he managed to do was make one of the scrapes on his arms that had begun to clot start bleeding again. He huffed in annoyance and let his head rest on the cold back wall. "Can this day get any worse?"

The sound of footsteps caused his red eyes to flick to the forcefield, where he saw a satisfied looking Desler smirking at him, one hand on his weapon and the other holding a cup. He could see the Officer badge shining proudly on the man's chest as he came to a stop at the edge of the forcefield. He looked as proud as a kid who managed to get into the cookie jar.

"So they gave you your job back?" Deimos made a surprised noise. "Wow, they must really be understaffed."

Instantly, the smirk faded away and was replaced by an annoyed expression. "You foolish primitive, do you really think you should taunt your position? You're at my mercy right now."

The human couldn't help but scoff. "Ooh~ Scary, scary! What are you going to do, arrest me again?"

Desler sneered at him. "I can do much more than that, you little monster. You may be able to run and dodge like a little coward in the city, but here you are trapped, you can do nothing."

Deimos knew he probably shouldn't have done what he did next, but he just couldn't help himself. He lifted his cuffed hands, the gentle red aura flowing around them once more before appearing around the cup in Desler's hand. It lurched forward, the cold liquid splashing across the officer's chest and soaking his shirt.

The Iscarmilian officer yelped in surprise and dropped the cup, which remained floating in the air with the help of Deimos's powers. He let the cup twirl in the air for a few moments before he cut off his powers, and let the cup clatter uselessly onto the wet floor.

"Huh, how about that. There was something I could do~" Deimos casually quipped. "Man, you really are bad at this whole 'intimidation' thing, aren't you?"

The man let out a furious growl before he punched at the wall. The forcefield flickered off and he rushed forward, grabbing the human by his oil-stained shirt and lifting him up. He pulled his fist back threateningly. "How's this for intimidating?!"

"Boring!" Deimos shrugged the best he could while being held off the ground. "You think you're the scariest thing I've dealt with? You only pick on people you see as weaker than you. How am I supposed to be afraid of someone who is so obviously a coward?"

The fist collided with his cheek moments later, and he was thrown unceremoniously onto the metal floor before the forcefield reappeared once more. Deimos winced as he landed, but quickly forced himself to glare up at the alien once more.

The furious Desler sent a glare of his own right back as he seethed, his clenched fists and gritted teeth showing that Deimos's words had got to him. "Stupid primitive!" He snapped at the prisoner. "Keep this up, and I will make you regret it!"

Deimos kept his face impassive. In reality, he knew his situation was precarious. If Desler had really gotten his job back, he could easily use that power against the human in many ways. But he had analyzed Desler well enough to predict that wasn't likely to happen.

He's too egotistical for his own good. He wants me to be scared. He was me to cower and beg for mercy. He wants to feel like he beat me. Deimos thought to himself. He won't do anything until he can be satisfied by my fear, so I won't give him that.

Their staring contest lasted a few seconds before Desler seemed to realize that his human captive wouldn't be broken so easily. "So this is how you want to play? Fine." He spun on his heel. "Maybe a few days here will make you remember your place."

Deimos watched the man storm off, waiting until the hallway had emptied before he allowed himself to sit up and sigh. His cheek was already stinging along with his other scrapes. "Great, just great…" He grumbled to himself, allowing his thumb to rub across the cheek.

He had a feeling trying to escape wouldn't be a good idea. It seemed Desler really did have his job back, if his quick removal of the forcefield was anything to go by, then pushing the unstable officer too far would be a bad idea.

"I guess I just have to bide my time." Deimos calmly decided as he did his best to get comfortable in the metal room. "Whatever happens, happens."


The few days that Desler had threatened never came to be. It was a few hours after his arrest that the sound of arguing pulled the human out of the slumber he had managed to drift off in. (What else was he supposed to do other than sleep? The cell was boring.)

"You cannot be serious!" Desler's voice echoed through the hallway.

"This is an abuse of power and I will not stand for it!" A second, more familiar voice rang out.

Deimos perked up instantly, he knew that voice. "Pezel!" He whispered, forcing himself to his feet and moving unsteadily closer to the forcefield.

He could see the two men heading towards him. Pezel's eyes were burning with a fury, focused on the human in the cell while Desler hurried to keep up with him, wanting to continue their argument.

"Pezel! You are not allowed to do this!" Desler snapped angrily. "I arrested him for perfectly legal reasons! He attacked an officer, he deserves to go to jail, just like he did when he attacked me last year!"

The white haired Iscarmilian didn't stop until he reached the front of Deimos's cell. "If I recall correctly, Desler, you had attacked a young child and then initiated the first punch last year, and this time you tripped him and used a stun gun on him after letting your subordinates chase him for months! That is not justice, you are tormenting him!"

"Tch, like the primitive doesn't deserve it…" Desler scoffed.

Pezel grabbed Deimos's upper arm, helping him up as he turned and pointed threateningly at the taller man. "Don't use that disgusting word in front of me." He hissed, and then moved to walk around the blonde. "I am releasing him, whether you want me to or not."

Deimos struggled to keep up with Pezel's speedy pace, but didn't dare say a word. The tension between the two officers was so overwhelming that he was worried he wouldn't even be able to gather enough air to speak if he wanted to.

The painful silence lasted until they were near the end of the hallway, when Desler seemed to gather enough anger to break through the thick atmosphere. "You're going to regret this, Pezel!"

The officer sighed in response, his eyes pained. "The only thing I regret is not doing something about all this sooner…" He whispered so quietly that Deimos barely heard it, and his words made the human frown in concern.

As he glanced back at the furious Desler, he found himself feeling as if things on Iscarmilas were about to reach a tipping point.


Less than an hour later, Deimos found himself sitting on a hospital bed while Analyzer sprayed a bacteria spray on his scrapes and abrasions. He winced slightly, but made sure not to move too much. He really didn't think going to the hospital was necessary for simple scrapes and bruises, but Pezel insisted and he had just freed the human from jail, so he went anyway.

Speaking of Pezel…

The human glanced towards the chair next to him where the officer was now sitting with his face resting in his hands. The usually composed Pezel was replaced by an exhausted and disheveled man.

Deimos frowned as he felt a stirring of anxiety in his gut. If all of us refugees have noticed the way Iscarmilas has been getting worse, then just what has poor Pezel been dealing with? He wondered, and shuddered slightly. Poor guy, probably nothing good…

He glanced down at his damaged arms, and awkwardly patted at his knees. "So… Desler really got his job back?" He nervously questioned. "How in the world did that happen?"

Pezel sighed, and ran his thin fingers across his temples. "The Grand Minister stepped in. He said that it was an unfair firing because 'refugees are always hard to deal with' and it was only fair that he get a second chance." He scoffed and shook his head. "It's completely wrong, but he is the leader, there is nothing we can do about it."

"What a load of shit." Deimos grumbled as he slumped forward.

"I agree." The Iscarmilian officer leaned back in his seat. "I'm lucky I was able to get you out at all. Now that Desler is back, his little followers have been keeping a close eye on me. I feel as though they are waiting for a way to get me in trouble, and I may have just given it to them."

Deimos frowned, suddenly feeling guilty. "I-I'm sorry, Pezel. I didn't want you to get in trouble because of me-"

The alien cut his hand through the air. "No, don't apologize. You have nothing to apologize for. The officers shouldn't treat you like that, they're in the wrong. If it weren't you, it would have been someone else."

"I know that, but… It isn't fair to you. You're just trying to do the right thing…" Deimos weakly replied.

Pezel sighed and lowered his head. "Yes, that's true… But, when the wrong people are in power, they will do what they can to stop justice. If that means attacking innocent refugees or getting rid of dissenters, that's what will happen."

Before their conversation could continue, the blue alien stood up. "I have to go now, before my absence becomes long enough to arouse suspicion. Please get home safe." He turned towards the door, but stopped moments later. "And please, try not to provoke Desler too much. After this stunt, I am not sure how much I will be able to protect you guys."

The kind officer left the room without another word. Deimos stared at the door for a long moment before he sighed and turned back to the computer. "Can you believe this, Analyzer? All of this, attacking me and the others, threatening Pezel, this is all just so wrong!"

The AI's mechanical arms slumped slightly. "I agree, Deimos. Seeing such discrimination all over the planet is cruel!"

Deimos nodded, glad they agreed with him. "I wish there was a way to stop them. Especially now that it's escalating. I couldn't even buy Sky Flower Tea because it costs more now, but only for refugees! They might as well place a huge sign that says 'Hey! We're assholes if you're not from here' on their stands!"

"It is not just the stores either!" The AI exclaimed, their voice furious. "The hospital is being forced to give only certain medicines to certain races, depending on their citizenship status! It is cruel! As a medical AI, I was trained to care for all patients no matter what, so why must we listen to these foolish demands?"

The computer's words made Deimos stop his rant, and glance down at the robot. "Even at the hospital?" He repeated. "Seriously?"

"Yes! It makes me overheat with anger!" The computer furiously replied.

Deimos's eyes gleamed as he found the gears in his head spinning. "I see…" He glanced at the robot. "Analyzer, do you have access to the documents and messages ordering you to discriminate against patients?"

The computer screen tilted to the side, confused. "Yes, I have access… Why do you ask?"

"I told myself when all this started that I would find a way to stop people like Desler and the Grand Minister. We know the Galactic System doesn't know about this, but what if they did? If I can gather enough information and send it behind Iscarmilas's back, they won't be able to stop the repercussions!"

Analyzer perked up. "Yes, that just might work! But…" They slumped their metallic limbs downward. "I am technically forbidden from giving classified documents to civilians of Iscarmilas."

Deimos almost cursed his luck, but his mind worked quickly. "Well… I am not technically an Iscarmilian citizen, am I? I'm a citizen of the Galactic System, but a refugee on Iscarmilas. So it doesn't exactly count, does it?" He crossed his now bandaged arms. "And if that's enough for you to work around, there's an old mining ship at the scrapyard run at the edge of town. It's my ship, but it isn't registered yet since it can't fly. So… You wouldn't be breaking any rules by sending the data to my old computers there, would you?"

The AI made a humming sound. "You are quite clever, Deimos Earthborn! I believe I may be able to get around the restrictions on the data with that, but I cannot give you anything other than that. Patient information is strictly confidential, I hope you understand."

"Don't worry, I won't need that." The human patted the robot's metal hand comfortingly. "What I need is proof of their discriminating, like the rules they're making you and the doctors follow."

Analyzer nodded their head, and then leaned forward. "Do you think the information I provided will be enough for your plan to work?"

Despite the fact that Deimos could never recall gathering information like this before, he somehow knew the answer. "No, it won't be, but it will be a start. With some time and effort, I will be able to gather enough to make sure the Grand Minister cannot dispute any claims."

"I see. Well I am glad to help either way!" Analyzer dipped their screen. "I hope that your mission will succeed. I know there are many of us in the hospital and outside of it who would be happy to see them face justice."

Deimos smiled, feeling more determined thanks to the AI's kind words. "I'll do my best to make that wish a reality, I promise."

The robot nodded again, and they sat in silence while they finished tying the bandages on the human's upper arms. Once the task was completed, the robot scooted back and tilted their screen once more.

"Perhaps, if you would like, I could sneak you some Sky Flower tea from the offices. It is free for medical personnel. I may be able to give you a few packets."

The human couldn't hide his glee at the mention of his favorite drink. "Yes! I would love that, but please, don't put yourself in harm's way for me…" I've already done that with enough people today...

Analyzer ignored his warning and quickly shook their screen. "I insist! Every time you have come here, you have always been kind to me. You listen to me, and you even took my recommendation of Sky Flower tea! Not everyone sees AI as people, but you do. This once, let me repay that kindness."

Deimos felt a warmth in his heart, and let himself smile once again. "Alright, Analyzer, if you insist." His eyes gleamed excitedly. "Thank you very much, it's been a while since I have been able to afford it!"

"Of course! I will be right back!" The AI declared, before they scurried out of the room.

Alone with his thoughts, Deimos glanced towards the window behind him. He could see the hustle and bustle outside, along with the beauty of the evening sky. Despite all its faults, he still loved Iscarmilas. It was the first home he'd ever had (as far as he could remember), where he met his friends, and so many more experiences.

But those faults were still present, and now more than ever he wanted to do something about it. The odds were against him, especially with Desler back in a position of power, and at times it seemed like his plans would be impossible to execute correctly.

Those worries had begun to be silenced however, as he thought about his friends. Pezel, Analyzer, Hifuld, Lozo, Lala, Franklin, Belos, Rimaf, Mifyd, and the many others who were struggling with the cruelty that those in power exerted.

When he remembered that, he suddenly felt strong. Even if it took all his strength, even if he had to fight tooth and nail to do it, he would get the information he needed to put his plot into motion. No matter how hard that was, because if his actions could finally force a change on Iscarmilas and make a better world for those he cared for, then it would all be worth it.