I watched as yet another attempt to remove the worms failed.

There goes attempt #126734958021. Ugh.

Seriously, WHAT THE HELL HAD THESE SENTIENTS BEEN EXPOSED TO DURING THE OLD WAR?! HOW COULD THEY RESIST THE POWER OF THE GREAT DREAMER?! HOW TO COULD THEY FIGHT OFF DEFENSES THEY HAD NEVER SEEN BEFORE SO EASILY?! HOW?!

I...it's just...

Well, back to the drawing board.

Now, though, success wasn't looking likely at all.

A ringing noise drew me out of my thoughts - it seemed those who I had offered sanctuary in my hub universe had begun to arrive. Solaris, syndicate members, even a couple of Ostrons, all looking to escape the oncoming storm.

As I made my way to their gathering, I passed Melissa, who was lying down, for once relieved of pain. Most of her injuries had healed, but she hard started sweating purple stuff over the wounds on her back, which some of her Coelohim had taken to cleaning. This seemed to make her feel a little better, but since the purple fluid had been secreting for around three days...

Might as well see how she is doing.

"You okay?"

Slowly, her eyes turned to me. It was sad, seeing those normally mischievous eyes look so worn out and tired. Being belittled and needled on by her was preferable to seeing this.

"I'm...fine. And you?"

"...Could certainly be a lot better."

"You and me both. So, you going to help Tylos move in the new arrivals?"

"Yep. I might not...might not be able to save this universe...but I can still try to save as many people as possible."

"Even when you don' think you can win, you still put other people before you...I like that."

"Thanks. You want to come along?"

"Might as well - not sure I'll get another chance to see something like this."

"Um, sir? It's Tylos."

"What is it?"

"We have a...situation outside. I believe it would be best if you came out right now and saw it for yourself."

Sharing a look of surprise with Melissa, I began to make my way toward the docking bay where the refugees were supposed to gather. Fun fact - in the time since I'd been turned into a monster of myriad varieties of flesh, I now had the ability to shape my new form to some degree, allowing me move my still mostly human torso around on a stalk/tentacle like growth. I'd made sure to send pictures and other things to some of the people leading this mass exodus, so that no one would freak out at the sight of me.

When I got outside, though, no one - be they innocent civilian, Tenno, Solaris, Ostron, or random being that had only been recently thawed out of the Repository's cryopods - was scared by my arrival.

Granted, that might have something to do with absolutely titanic sentient now resting right behind them.

Oh, and said sentient was pretty clearly Zen'hurros.

"My, my," began the Sentient, "what an interesting gathering."

"They're refugees, so don't even think about hurting them," I said, priming the void cannons.

"Why would I? They are not the ones who wronged me...well, excluding the Tenno of course."

"Fair enough. Just don't do anything funny."

The Tenno just stared at me, bewildered at much willingness to show courtesy to the Sentient.

"S," I continued, "are you alone? Did Hunhow send you here without any backup to kill me? Or did he merely intend you as a distraction for another to free me from this mortal coil?"

"I came here of my own volition...though I will concede that I brought company."

First, the Sentinet gestured behind him, revealing the mighty form of an Eidolon. Then, he extended one of his limbs, allowing someone to take steps onto the refugees' platform.

It was...Ballas?

"So, this is how our world ends?" Questioned the Orokin Executor. "With its last untainted progeny fleeing to greener pastures."

"...I guess that's how it will go," I intoned. "...Or maybe not."

"What do you mean by that?" inquired the executor.

I turned to face Umbra, who had immediately steeped forward when he had seen Ballas arrive. Our eyes...okay, my eyes and his eye...met, and an unspoken conversation was held. Surprisingly, Umbra was very understanding of what I was suggesting, and why.

I turned my attention back to the Executor and his Sentient Companions. "IF you three wish to seek haven with these refugees...I won't stop you."

...So that's what a Sentinet looks like when it is surprised. Funny.

"Are you...are you...are you joking?!" questioned Zen'hurros.

I shook my head. "No. So long as you do not bring any harm unto those I have offered protection, you may join their ranks in seeking sanctuary within my domain."

"Why?" intoned the Executor, who was just as shocked as the Sentients...who appeared to have multiplied since I last checked. Oh well - they weren't doing anything threatening.

"Because...because even if your kind has brought great harm onto others, there are still ones among you who are innocent of those crimes...and I don't believe in punishing one being for the sins of another."

"So you're going to just forgive Ballas for his crimes?" That was Etran. "What, are you going to give him a palace as well?"

"Oh no, I'm not going to forgive him. Forgiveness must be earned...though maybe yes on the palace. A palace, after all, can still be a prison if you're not allowed to leave."

To my surprise, the Tenno actually nodded at what I had said, after a moment of thought.

Ballas and the Sentients, meanwhile, seemed to have huddled up to have a conversation. What it was about eluded me, though I assumed it was about whether or not to take up my offer.

Soon enough, they reached an agreement.

"Thank you," replied Zen'hurros, who had moved one of his limbs to back. "...May we offer you a token of our appreciation?"

"Sure."

"Thank you once again...oh, and this is going to hurt a bit."

Wha-

A second later, Zen'hurros rammed the limb I had observed forward toward m-ARGRPAINSOMUCHPAINP̊̿͛̔̿ͦ͡A̘̮͙̞̍ͯ̂ͤ͌̽ͯIͧͫ͏͕Ṅ̤̗̮͉̣̟P̙̯̠̊̏ͬͮA̶̔ͤ͊̏ͮ̑Ĭ͖̯̰ͤ̉̾͝Ǹ͖ͫͨͣP̫̣̘̭̞͑ͫͧ͆̀Ả͚̖͔̗̹̜̌̍̋I͑Ń̘̯̪̘̣̥

M͎͋ͭ͆̃́͊̚Ä͚͕̦̏̓̑̚̕K̷̫̣̺̟͈̭̈́̔͐ͅE͂͌͊̀̂͆̋͏̹͙͇̼I̹̞̺T̡̰̺̻̦͈̑̽̎̓̎Ŝ̗T̨̻̲͙̥̤̲͋ͤ̈ͣ́͊ͧȎ̡̙̮̑ͤͮͣͅP̗͋͐́ͫ̈́̕!̦͓͛͆̋̆

"Don't fight it," intoned the Sentient.

The pain came in flashes, and in between them, I focused on what was happening around me - Melissa had tried to lunge at the Sentient, only to be restrained by two drones. The Tenno were also taking aim at it, only for...Umbra?!...to stop them from attacking. Oh, and the rest of my body had just spilled out onto deck.

Slowly, the pain began to subside, leaving me enraged for offer the Sentient kindness...also, why was the rest of my body convulsing? And what were all of those bulges on it?

Suddenly, the bulges split open, revealing the Sentient worms within, which began to bore out of my body, almost in slow motion...scratch that, they were in slow motion and...was that the man in the wall?

"Yes, it's me, False Tenno...though perhaps now that title is invalid."

"Why are you talking to me now of all times?"

"Well, now you bear my touch, so you might as well use."

"What the hell are you-"

"̵̬̤̲͚̦͈̙ͧͧ͋A̩̯̓͑͒I͙̥̮͎̫̻̯͋͌͌ͬͫ̃M̡̖̣̦͛ͤ͘͟ ̘͓̾ͦ̾͋̍̇Y͉̻͈̖͔̟̿͠͞͠O̹̺ͥ̏ͦ̀̀U̫̥̞͎͉̞͉ͣ̌ͬͧ̕͞R̨̗̙̗̪̯ͦ͛̃̋ ̢͓̭̃͞͞P̯̹̼ͧ͟A͍̓̅̆͊L̨̫̺͎̂͋̃ͤͥͣ͊̂͜M͓̣̘̗̽̎̀̃̌͝ ͆́̉̓̐ͦ̏͆҉͔̫̩̱͠A̺̫̻̬͍̍͂͘T̜͎̤̙̖̜̝̠̹̔ͩ͒͜͠ ̡̖̖̖̞͈̐̍́̎T͈̣̮̼̹̑̑ͫḦ͖͍͖́ͥ̄ͥͩ̇̚̚͘͜Õ̢̹͎͋̉ͬ̚̕͜S̏̊̐̐̑̆̅͜͏̹̻̮͚͉͉̤̤Ȩ̛̼̖ͧ͂͆ͩ ̵͖̤̎̋̾͌̌ͭͨW̜̝̞̭͚͙̄ͣ̀̂̐Ǫ̢̪̤̯̂ͦ̏ͭ̃̑ͬ̔͡R̥͇͓͚̹̟͍̘̼̀ͯ̾ͨM̛̦̯̥̭̈́̏ͪS̴̢̻͕̙̰̭̤̋̕ ̥̬̦ͯ̌̂̒͐͐͆ͨA̴̫͔̣͓̻͔̲̋ͥ͞N̤̻̭̞̱̦̺̺͐͆̀ͦ̒ͤ̔̀͟D̶ͣ̊ͩ҉҉͉̟̤̗̼̣ͅ ̧̤ͮ͊ͬͥͬ̏͐̀F̦͈̘̟͛̐Ǫ͇̘͔ͬͥ̀C̻̬͐ͣ̾͂͒̄̊̚U̎̌ͧ̄͏̻̜Ṡ̷̰̱͚̖͓͍͈̺͑̌̀̆̅̓̀̚!̛̰̲̂̆̾ͧ̿ͬ̔ͩ͡"̟̩̟̜̣͓́̃̍ͦ͘͘͡ͅ

Bewildered, I complied...and watched as a beam of light flew forth from my palm into one of the worms, killing it. Stunned, I looked at my palms, then back at the worms, and for the first time in a while, smiled.

Only one worm escaped my onslaught, and it was swiftly cut down by Umbra, at which point time seemed to return to normal.

I briefly admired my handiwork, before turning my attention to Zen'hurros. "...Did you..know that would happen?"

"It was what I hoped would ensue, but I admit there was no certainty there."

"...How did that happen?"

"You are a being who has looked outward across the multiverse in search of knowledge. Perhaps now you should turn inward."

Shrugging, I pulled up an X-Ray machine and examined my torso, specifically where the Sentient had struck me.

I found ,y heart, my lungs, my stomach...and a flawless sentient core.

"This is my gift to you," intoned Zen'hurros. "I did not know if your body could accept this offering, but if it did, then you would become one of us...and Hunhow's shards would no longer be able to hide form you."

"..Thank you."

"You are welcome...So, what happens now?"

"Now?"

"Will you continue with your current plan, or will you attempt to take back what you have lost? Know that, whilst I did not arrive here on Hunhow's orders, he will seek your death."

"Why? To be sure that I cannot retake the Commander."

"That, but also because the machine will reject his authority so long as you live. Only your death will allow him to master it."

"I see...well, if he want's to see me dead, he's gonna have to work for that."

"I see, violence it is," intoned the Sentient, in an oddly happy tone. "In that case, may I help you?"

Now it was my turn to be surprised. "You, help me? Why? You don't owe me anything."

The Sentient just stared at me, then laughed. "You freed me from device that tore apart my back. You eased my pain when this vessel fell from the heavens. You offered me a home within your lands. There is so much that I owe you...and even if I that was not the case, I would still help you. You assist others simply because you can. Is it truly a surprise that some of those you help wish to repay that kindness out of gratitude?"

"I...I..." Honestly, it was a surprise. I'd never really thought people would want to help me. I mean, maybe if they had a shared interest, yes, but this? Helping me just because they could? And because they were grateful?

I'd never really heard about this before when Commanders were involved. It felt...really nice.

"...You assistance is appreciated."

"Well, count us in too," replied the Tenno. "And us," added the Solaris.

"US as well," intoned an Orokin. Ok, that was a surprise. "You offered us salvation that we may not really deserved because you felt it was right. Consider this repayment for that."

"We will also assist the warmblood" intoned a Slaan.

"Your kind may have been our enemies, but, at least this once, we will stand with you," intoned a Promethean.

I think I actually blushed from all the support I was receiving. Melissa seemed to notice, if the way she smiled was any indication.

"...Thank you all for your support. I admit, though that this won't be easy - I know not where Hunhow is, nor what he intends to do next, for starters."

"He's heading here, in one weeks time," responded Zen'hurros. "He would rather eliminate you himself than allow another to potentially mess it up."

"Oh. Well, in that case, I retract my former statement. Still, we will need to train and prepare. All of us will need time to ready ourselves for the oncoming battle...even me."

"We know," snarked Cyreesia. "You could really use some work with a blade."

"Which one should I start with?" I deadpanned. The Tenno were masters of all weapons, after all.

Suddenly, a sword landed blade first into the ground a few feet away from me. Examining it, I found that it was a zaw I had made some time ago, recently gilded. Turning upwards, I saw it was Melissa who had thrown it at me, a soft smile on her face. "How about we start with the one you made for yourself?" Next to her, I saw Rory holding up a kitgun I had made, as if telling me to use this as well.

"...I can work with that."

XXXXXX

The refugees quickly got to work preparing for the coming battle - some sharpened blades, others gathered supplies. I even saw kids polishing all kinds of gear, from shields to bullets, and in general trying to contribute to the plans for this fight. One way or another, this would be the last battle I would fight in this universe. I needed to make sure it was a victory.

To that end, I'd managed to separate my human body from the monstrous one I'd ended up with, so that I could use both without have an easily targeted weak point...points. I'd made sure to send away Melissa and Cassidy when I did that, mostly because regenerating everything below my waist did not include my clothes.

Turning my attention away from the actions of my allies, I brought my focus back onto Melissa. She was standing upright now, looking quite a bit better - I think she had been acting more hurt than she really was earlier. Granted, that wasn't exactly hard, given that she was already dying.

She was also a reason I needed to win this last fight -she was living on borrowed time, and if I lost, she would also die.

Funny, how I'd come to care about a ROB.

...Who was right now getting cleaned by one of her creations again. Good grief that looked weird.

"I know."

"Seriously, what is that purple stuff?"

"In terms you know...it's analogous to honeydew."

Oh...I really needed brain bleach now.

XXXXXX

AN: Read and Review! This is Flameal15k, signing off!