Should the song I used exist at the time the story takes place? No. Did I use it anyways? Yes. Do I care? No. We can handwave it as aliens have music too. Btw, the song is the lyrical cover of "Star" done by Man on the Internet.

M dragged the wrapped Corrodium behind him, making a mark on the ground. He stopped when he heard a scoff and looked up to the noise. Perched on a rock was a Ciziah, looking down at him. The Ciziah wore a dirty white almost ritual-like outfit, but with bits torn off or purposely ripped off. "So, whatcha got there?" the Ciziah asked.

M looked at the Ciziah, glanced at the wrapped item, then looked back and said, "Corrodium."

The Ciziah whistled. "Damn. Expected you to lie or something. Cool. Name's Cich," the Ciziah said.

A beat of pure silence.

"M," he replied.

"Nice. Where you headed?" Cich asked.

Another bit of silence, M answered, "Myself and two of my partners are on this planet to find and revive our Ectonurite friend."

Cich hummed, nodding a bit. The Ciziah suddenly dropped down to him, a brown bag bouncing on his back. "Hm. Have fun," Cich commented. "Imma continue wandering or something, might go to that," he said a word in a language he didn't understand, "place, I dunno yet. Don't ask how I know an Earth language, it's better if you don't question it."

"I wish you luck on finding your settling place," M somewhat nodded.

Cich raised a brow slightly before muttering to himself, "Ah yes, introduce two completely different cultures to each other and see how they react." The Ciziah then began to walk off, leaving M. The Thep Khufan stared at Cich for a moment before returning to his task of dragging the Corrodium.

-()-

Zorya slammed into Rhinorush, barely pushing the Crabdozer back. Rhinorush quickly snapped his head down to the Pelarota, attempting to bite the pillbug-like. A bit of a struggle happened between them before Rhinorush threw Zorya back. The Pelarota crashed into one of the trees, snapping it in half. She left to the ground just as both devices began to beep. EightEight and Kevin came up to them as they detransformed.

As they regrouped, Ben asked, "Why didn't Rhinorush's hide crack when Zorya attacked me?"

"A Pelarota's shell becomes stronger with age. Due to being young, Zorya's shell isn't as strong as it could be yet," EightEight answered.

"Then why was Rhinorush's hide so strong?" Gwen followed up.

EightEight was silent for a moment before saying, "I suppose it's so strong to make sure they don't burn on Pyros, but I haven't done much with anything Pyros related other than keeping an eye on some Crabdozers because a wildlife reserve needed more hands to help move them." Gwen nodded a bit.

The sound of a bird and the breeze through the wind caused them to look up, seeing a few clouds move out of the way of a full moon. Some trees stood up tall in the sky, framing the moon. The sound of wings and a bird flying off, a loosened feather floating between the trees before disappearing into the woods.

"The moon's pretty," Kevin muttered.

Ben and Gwen both nodded and made a noise of agreement, causing EightEight to say, "Reminds me of myself and Dee's first day on Earth."

"Really?" Gwen asked, looking towards the disguised Sotoraggian. Kevin joined her, but Ben stayed staring up in the sky.

She nodded, adding, "It was difficult before Dee formed the Dragoon, but it was a first for both of us. Dee, cutting all connection with his family on his home planet and his cousin on Omnium-Pourri. Me, willfully disconnecting myself from my siblings."

"That sounds pretty cool," Kevin said.

"Can you tell us about it?" Gwen asked.

Ben continued to stare up at the full moon.

EightEight hummed before saying, "I'll tell you, but Dragua requested I keep his real name and species hidden until he wants to reveal it, but I exclusively call him Dee in private."

Kevin and Gwen sat down on the ground, EightEight smiling under her mask before following. Ben noticed and sat down as well, but his attention was wrapped at the moon.

-(...)-

In the not too distant past…

"The planet's natural satellite is pretty," he said, looking up at the sky. EightEight stepped off the ship and followed his gaze.

"The satellite's albedo is quite spectacular," EightEight hummed. A few seconds of silence passed before the Sotoraggian asked, "Where are we, anyways?" When he looked towards her, she added, "You were the one to come up with this."

He went back to the ship, EightEight stepping out of the way before following. He paused before saying, "Where did NineNine put the map scan thing again?"

"Learn shape changing spaceships, Dee," EightEight deadpanned. She then walked over to what was effectively the cockpit and tapped on something, bringing up a holographic map. The map showed that of one of the large landmasses of the planet. (Which was saying something considering way too much of it was water.) Artificial lines made out different sections of the landmass, though he had no idea why. Inside of those sections were smaller sections made out by lines of lighter colors. Inside one of the sections in a section was an orange dot and all over the sections were red dots, though some of the red dots were bigger than others. Overlapping the red dot closest to the orange dot was a blue dot.

He looked at it before saying, "Assuming the dots here mean basically the same things as on Omnium-Pourri, the red dots are Plumber locations, blue is a Galactic Enforcers base, and orange is 'you are here'." The Sotoraggian nodded. "Cool, is it possible to bring up the names of the sections?"

EightEight tilted her head slightly before gurgling, "This planet is backwater. Unless there's a pre-made map made by other creatures not native to this planet, I don't know for sure." She lifted a claw and tapped something near the bottom of the holographic screen. It changed slightly, but not enough to be useful.

"Of course it's in the planet's native language," he sighed.

"One of," EightEight corrected.

"Huh?" he blinked.

"You know Methanos?" she started. He nodded, causing the Sotoraggian to continue, "This looks eerily similar to a map of Methanos with the map lines. If I were to guess, assuming the lines have similar reasoning to that on Methanos, the line could separate the lands of the native's 'tribes'. Each of those 'tribes' could use a different language, like how Revonnah has different versions of Revonnan."

"How about we assume this is the language of this 'tribe' or whatever," he suggested. She shrugged.

"Granted, 'tribe' is probably the wrong word, but we don't know how the natives refer to themselves," EightEight replied. Just as she finished, a beeping went off nearby. Both of them looked at the screen, catching what was effectively a notification in the top right. The Sotoraggian reached over to a button and pressed it. The screen quickly changed to a setup that allowed both parties to see each other. On the other side was a Galvan, a somewhat large robot, and a few other species he couldn't pinpoint at the top of his head.

The creature most clearly in front of the camera, definitely on the older side while also being clearly male and being a green humanoid creature, seemingly stared at the duo with his three eyes before asking, "Who are you two?"

EightEight glanced at him. He looked at the creature through the screen and said, "I am Bose. This is my friend EightEight."

A voice in the background of the screen said something. The Galvan replied to whatever was said, the robot randomly deciding to add to that. Attention on the other side seemed to slide to the robot, but not of the creature in front of them.

"You two are aware that you are near a Plumber base that functions as an outpost for the Galactic Enforcers, correct?" the creature asked.

"I doubt they'll understand me," EightEight gurgled.

Bose hummed slightly before answering, "We only realized it after we landed and checked the map."

The creature hummed before saying, "I'll have Driba send you a set of coordinates. Please head here as quickly as possible without being noticed." Bose nodded and the screen went dark.

"Sit in that chair or step out for a moment," EightEight suddenly said, sitting in the seat she didn't motion to.

"Wait, why?" Bose asked.

The Sotoraggian stared at him dead in the eyes.

"Shape changing spaceships… right," he muttered, ears pinning back. He sat down in the seat EightEight motioned to before looking at her. She then pressed something on the keyboard in front of them. He flinched and pressed himself to the seat as the ship started shifting.

After a bit, the ship finished shifting. As Bose looked behind him to see what changed, EightEight said, "The Dark Eagle, a shape changing shape ship."

His ears lowered themselves before he looked at EightEight and asked, "How?"

"Magitech, pure tech, and altered holding cubes," EightEight explained. When Bose looked at her blankly, she added, "Altered in a way to hold items, not creatures. Calm yourself."

Bose looked towards the window with a face that read 'wtf' as EightEight pressed something else. The keyboard in front of them shifted to be more of a general ground vehicle board. The screen on the board beeped and the Sotoraggian tapped it at. He glanced at the screen, unable to read the language.

After she messed with the screen, EightEight said, "I got the coordinates from them. By the beds should be a few ID masks. It'll be best if we wear one each, just in case."

"…yup," he drawled, popping the 'p'. He stood up and walked to the back of the vehicle as EightEight started it up. He came to the shelves built into the vehicle as it began to move. He glanced at the top shelf, which held odd, glowing cubes, before returning his attention to finding ID masks.

…

He stared out the window as the vehicle moved towards a town that seemed oddly active but at the same time abandoned city. The vehicle came to a building that had a sign which read 'Sparksville Parking'.

He looked at EightEight's human disguise. While definitely different from her normal self, it was simple and still strangely her. His disguise was similar, just with his colors.

The vehicle stopped at the 'door' to the building. A human on the smaller side stood nearby.

"Hello!" the human (?) cheerfully said. "May I know your names?"

"Dealla," EightEight gurgled.

"… huh?" the human deadpanned. Looking closer, the human was clearly female with long, brown hair and somewhat unnatural green eyes.

"Er, she's Dealla," he said. Wait, did he have a fake name? Uh- "I'm Dragua."

"Oh, ok! I'm Perry! Here, I'll guide you to where to park your vehicle," the human cheerily said. She then started off, making movements with her hands to guide them.

Once the vehicle was moved to the desired spot, the human (?) did another motion. EightEight shut off the vehicle. He sighed and stood up, followed by the disguised Sotoraggian.

As they stepped out, the human asked, "Are you two, by chance, the EightEight and Bose creatures Spiral said would come here?"

Bose froze and EightEight nodded without hesitation. He glanced towards her in minor panic.

"Cool! I get the fake name thing, I'm Alyna. Here, come with me to see Spiral. When we get pass the yellow door you can take off the ID masks," the definitely not human said. His panic faded as the disguised creature walked off. EightEight did something to effectively lock the Dark Eagle before following Alyna. Bose followed, hidden ears twitching slightly.

They went to the back of the shop to a set of grey doors. Alyna pushed them open, motioning for the duo to follow. The disguised Sotoraggian quickly followed, Bose stalling before doing the same. Gosh, the whole situation back at home was still messing with him.

Quickly, the disguised creature led them to a door which was painted an obnoxious yellow. The trio went through them, then Alyna promptly took off her mask. Once the ID mask fizzled out its hololight hologram, Alyna appeared as a small, somewhat old imp-like creature with short, brown hair and wearing a yellow outfit.

They went down the stairs, the ground silent as they did so. They reached the bottom, which had a brown door blocking the exit. Alyna pushed it open and the group walked in. Below the odd town was a small yet flourishing undertown. This underground city was clearly lived in with lights shining through every main road, stores set up, buildings clearly occupied, and different creatures walking through the streets. Alyna walked through the roads with clear purpose with the duo following her.

They came to the center of the undertown, which was marked by a statue of a strange lizard with an over-decorated face and in a pose like a deity or guardian. "What's that?" Bose asked, staring at the statue. Alyna paused, causing the two to do the same, then looked at the statue.

"Oh, a Chinese Dragon. I dunno why Spiral had it there, but it's cool looking," Alyna said.

A yellow furry humanoid with fluffy dog features added, "I can't help but overhear, but from what I've heard, dragons in Chinese culture are supposed to represent protection."

Bose nodded, ears loosened. Alyna started off again, EightEight turning to seemingly smile at him before following. He quickly joined them, smiling as well.

They came to a building, tall and painted red with white symbols. As they approached the door, he heard EightEight mutter, "Uxoron… that or Sauron."

The three entered the building. Inside was what was effectively a bar, but clearly not shaped like one. Many of the creatures looked towards them as they entered, the room suddenly becoming silent. Alyna stopped in the center of the room, motioning for the two to do the same. They do so as a different set of footsteps were heard. Some of the creatures screech their chairs out of the way, allowing a green, male, humanoid lizard through. Alyna does an odd bow before stepping out of the way.

The creature stopped in front of the duo, silent. A white noise filled the room before the lizard finally opened his mouth.

…

"It's a full moon again," EightEight said, perched on the roof's edge. He looked towards the sky, seeing the bright albedo of the moon shining down on them.

"Just like when we came here," he muttered, coming up to her and crouching down. "How long ago was that now?"

"Roughly two Earth months ago," EightEight answered. "Thoughts so far, Dee?"

"Kinda sad Spiral died a few days ago," Bose muttered. The Sotoraggian nodded.

"He was getting up there in age. At least he died peacefully," EightEight hummed.

Silence.

"Hey, Eight?" Bose started.

"Yea?" EightEight complied.

"Do you think what your brother said about us two is true or…?"

The Sotoraggian laughed before saying with an unusual thrill, "Should we date?"

"Eight, why," he whimpered, feeling his face heat up and fur fluff. She laughed again.

"In all seriousness," the Sotoraggian added once she finished laughing, "there still needs a lot more time before that can become a serious thing we consider."

"Good, you agree, don't scare me like that again," Bose whined. EightEight let out a barking laughter at that. She lifted a claw and put it on his shoulder.

"Anything else you want to talk about?" EightEight asked, her other claw dropping from her knee to the edge of the roof.

Bose nodded before asking, "Why do you think Spiral trusted us so much?"

The Sotoraggian paused before bringing the claw on his shoulder to her other one. She then said, "I have a guess for you, then it'll proxy me. Your species, at least the ones most known in the whole of galactic society, are known to be loyal and kind. Stiff, yes, but there's an underlying layer of dedication. Proxy to me since… well, Seven pointed it out before we left." She smiled under her mask as his fur became more frazzled.

Silence fell around them as they continued to stare into the full moon. Stars sparkled in the sky, like glitter. As EightEight continued to stare, Bose took out a small device and placed it down. He clicked something on it. Music began to play from it.

"I fell below / Left the world I've known / Hoping that someone would find me / Life underground / It's over now / Tried to leave all that behind me," the device sang out.

He stared up with her.

"When they call my name / The de-"

…

"-mon comes / But am I to blame? / I tried to be good / I really did / Not sure I could…" the device sang. It was suddenly stopped by Bose tapping it.

The wind angrily wooshed by them, fluffing his fur and clouds rolling in above them. EightEight looked at him as Bose said, "Sometimes, I wish Spiral never died." EightEight moved her head to better look at him as the clouds covered the full moon. Taking it as an opening, he continued, "Exodus didn't last very long thanks to a chronic illness and everyone started looking to me. I know next to nothing about how to lead, let alone about other cultures. How am I supposed to be the head of this if I can't even trust my own home? I can't just abandon them! What am I supposed to do?"

Bose looked at EightEight, eyes pricked with emotion. The Sotoraggian leaned back, put her palms against the roof, then said, "Go with your gut. I know squat about leading a town, just a small group with a signalural goal: finish the mission. If you still need help after that, Driba and Atom-Admix were close to Spiral. Maybe they would know something."

"Or Polaris," Bose muttered. EightEight hummed. He clicked on the device again.

"Leaving two worlds / Broken, unfurled / Couldn't take any more crying / Been disposed of / Learned about LOVE / Lights above from sta-"

…

"-rs slowly dying / I once knew light / Burning bright / Shadows invade / I've lost the dawn / Sunlight's gone / Left this dismal grave."

"Hello?"

Bose suddenly clicked the device and the two turned. Coming through the door on the rough was a Galvan. It wore an armored garb, but was clearly unique despite having the colors of the Plumbers on it.

"Hey, Driba," Bose said, EightEight nodding to him.

"May I ask why you two are up here, especially out in the rain?" Driba asked, coming up to them.

"It's a full moon again," Bose answered as EightEight looked back into the sky. "We always come up here during a full moon."

Driba stood between them, looking up at the sky as well. "The weather on this world is nice," Driba randomly commented. Bose nodded, the three falling silent. He clicked the device.

"I remain still / Power of will / Leaves me here to keep on trying / I know somehow / There's no point now / To try and stop the hate, t-"

…

"-he dying / I finally see / Neither world cares for me / I'll stand my ground / No one can / Stop me now!"

EightEight reached to the device and clicked on it. Bose looked at her, the full moon gleaming over them as she said, "This past month has been a bit of a mess. You need to rant about it?"

"Yes, thank you," Bose suddenly sighed, body relaxing almost instantly. "Driba has been a massive help, no denying that. So has Phoenix and Shaw, to be fair. But in the name of Kirbiane, so much is happening. Those freaking Forever Knights people attempting to destroy the village, that weird gang looking for Sunspot, Shatterstar's whole thing, the secret deal Havok tried to do, the insanity with Mikhail, just… how did Spiral deal with all of this?! Especially since Havok was doing that for months before he died apparently! Oh yea, and the freaking assination Mirage almost pulled! For the sake of Kirbiane, why is this so difficult!?"

EightEight stared as Bose collapsed into sudden silence, once again tense. She moved to be closer to him, moving the device slightly, before she said, "Maybe instead of doing this alone, you make connections with other undertowns. Even those in city underbellies. Make a web that spans the entire planet where creatures not from this planet can stay connected. A system where no non-native needs to turn creatures they actively distrust. Heck, if needed, maybe go against the humans if there's enough reason."

"A dragoon," Bose suddenly muttered.

A beat.

"Can you give context?" EightEight asked.

He looked at her, a smile growing on his face. "A dragoon, an organization that's massive and is willing to do what it takes to make things right."

Bose just knew she had a grin under her mask. "The Dragoon." Bose broke into a splitting grin.

"Yea."

A click.

"No hopes, no dreams / I have nothing / Death is all that can define me / Th-"

…

"-e end's calling / No more stalling / Stars will fade but I'll keep shining."

The song stopped. He picked it up and handed it to the disguised Sotoraggian. She raised a brow. "What is this for, Dragua?"

"You hold on to it, Afri," he said, looking into the sky. "As a memory before everything became… a new home for creatures on this planet."

Afri seemingly smiled. "I will, then." She looked towards the sky as well. The full moon hung above them, the reflected light washing off them. "Where are you heading now?"

"Going to start a sub-main hub in that New York City place Colossus suggested," Dragua said.

"A big city is a good place to start," Afri nodded.

Silence followed.

"I'll be with you. Always. Just remember that," Afri suddenly muttered, taking out something and holding it out. Dragua looked at the item. He grabbed the folded paper. He undid the folding and looked at it. It was a picture of eight Sotoraggians, each dressed in a different color yet without their signature armor on.

Dragua refolded the picture and looked at Afri. "And me with you." Afri stared at him.

-(...)-

Present day…

The moon began to be hidden by clouds as she fell quiet. Gwen and Kevin continued to stare at her while Ben slept on the ground, curled up. EightEight then took out something which looked like a small recorder. She placed it on the ground and pressed a button that resembled a triangle.

Music began to play from the recorder, the same from the story the Sotoraggian told. EightEight looked to the sky. The two awake children looked to the sky as well, the stars somehow seen through the clouds.

The song finished and EightEight looked at the Wyrmlings. She smiled slightly, seeing them all sleeping. She stood up, picked up Gwen, then walked towards the Dark Eagle. She went into the vehicle, placed her on the bed the girl claimed, then went back outside. The Sotoraggian did the same for the two boys as well.

She sat down at the driver's seat and looked towards the recorder in her hands.

-()-

Dragua looked at a drawer, quiet before pulling it open. He grabbed a folded piece of paper and opened it up. The disguised creature smiled slightly. "Having to play the fool is a difficult task, huh…?" he whispered.

Ushi: 1- Which alien I would want to be... probably a Petrosapien. 2- What I think Nega Ben's story is? Honestly, it could be anything but on the spot, I want to say he stayed irrelevant even after defeating the Highbreed so convinced himself he was better hiding. Dunno, didn't put much thought into that trail so.