.

(A/N: For anyone reading, feel free to use the first names I give these characters in your own writings if you want. Heck, use the head-canons and backstories too if you like them. Or even any ideas in general. They're pretty open-source.)

Alien World

"Do we know anything about this planet we're arriving at in a few more hours?" Ryley signed to Ozzy in the cafeteria.

"Not a thing," Ozzy replied. He looked up and spotted Keen entering the canteen. "Keen!" he called. Keen looked over at them and approached. "I hear we're due to arrive at that mystery planet by the end of the day. What's the plan?" Ozzy asked.

"We make planetfall by six. There we divide into two teams, stay the night in the ship, then set out early the next morning at approximately five. One team will focus on data collection and the scanning of flora and fauna. The other will mark resources of note and gather up samples and materials where they can. The information we collect will be returned to Alterra for review, and if they deem the planet rich enough in resources, they'll stake a claim before the Mongolian States, the Savannah Trans-Gov, or the Sol Trans-Gov have the chance to. We remain until we hear word either way, and if the project is a go, we claim the location for Alterra and set up a research facility to receive the scientists and miners who will be sent there later."

Ryley tapped on the counter. Keen gave him a mildly annoyed look. "What if the fauna isn't so friendly?" Ryley signed.

"That will be the Captain's directive to give," Keen replied. "He will brief the crew prior to entry into the planet's atmosphere." He looked at Ozzy. "Any plans to join one of the teams sent out? You may find some edible flora you can make use of."

"Not a chance. Not until I know for a fact that settin' foot on that alien soil isn't gonna get me killed," Ozzy replied. "Then maybe, maybe, I'll venture out a bit."

Ryley tapped on the counter again. Keen looked at him with an annoyed frown. "I'll join a team," Ryley signed.

"No," Keen bluntly said.

Ryley's eyes narrowed. "Why not?!" he signed. "I can't scream for help, but I can scream. I can't shout out orders or warnings, but I can shout and get attention. I'm not incapable Keen."

"No. I can't allow it. You'll get yourself and others killed," Keen replied.

"Because I can't talk?!" Ryley furiously signed.

"That may in fact play a part, yes; but it's far more likely you'll get yourself killed because you, Robinson, are neither a seasoned explorer nor a trained survivalist," Keen retorted. "I refuse to risk the entirety of this crew for one inexperienced crew member wanting to play adventurer."

"I can handle myself!" Ryley insistently signed.

"Your orders are to stay on the ship!" Keen snapped.

"No," Ryley signed, a conspiring smirk crossing his lips.

As he expected, Keen faltered. He faltered in a big way. All eyes turned to the scene curiously as the Second Officer struggled to figure out how to respond to such blatant defiance. "I am your commanding officer. You will do as I say or be charged with insubordination," Keen finally said. Much of the bravedo in his voice, though, had evaporated as he tried to tone it down and keep the interaction quiet and hidden from prying ears.

"Fine. You don't want me to go with a team, I'll go solo," Ryley signed.

"And get yourself killed?" Keen demanded. "I won't allow it."

"So stop me," Ryley challenged.

"Robinson!" Keen angrily shouted.

"Keen," Ryley signed calmly, pointing at him.

Keen faltered again. Murmurs were beginning among the crew. Keen glanced uneasily back at them before turning to Ryley once more. "I… Shall we bring this up with the Captain, then?" the Second Officer asked, bravedo vanishing again.

"I won't go far," Ryley signed.

"I said no," Keen replied.

"You were willing to let Ozzy go!" Ryley protested.

"Because Ozzy I can trust not to be a damn fool!" Keen snapped. "I will not risk the lives of others for a defiant little…" He stopped himself before he could say something he regretted, but leaving the sentence unfinished was twice as bad because it left Ryley to try and fill in the blank. Ryley narrowed his eyes, a deep frown on his face. Safe to say he was assuming the worst.

"If you don't trust me out there alone, then put me with a party. Problem solved," Ryley signed.

"I said no and that's final. Now I have no time for your nonsense. There are more important concerns on my mind than your reckless spirit," Keen said.

"Either I go out solo or I sneak into a party. Your choice," Ryley signed firmly.

"You want to go out and get yourself killed, be my guest! One less thorn in my side. I have no time for your nonsense," Keen said.

"Sneaking it is," Ryley signed before shrugging.

"Departing this ship is not your directive!" Keen fired back.

"So what?" Ryley signed.

"I… You…" Keen stammered, faltering again. "So help me I'll bring you before the Captain for this insubordination!"

"You go to Hollister for all the problems you can't make go away?" Ryley signed.

"Keep up with this attitude and my current problem will be sent away sooner than it thinks," Keen coldly said.

"You just don't have the spine to deal with it yourself," Ryley signed.

"No! You're wrong. I simply respect the captain too much to step on his toes when it comes to his latest favorite," Keen replied.

"Then call him here and let's talk it out," Ryley signed.

Keen stared at him, then glanced around the café at the observing eyes. To summon Hollister might be perceived as a show of weakness, but then any move he made at this point might be, short of backhanding and arresting the Systems Maintenance Chief. That, though, would probably invite the captain's wrath.

Subnautica

"Keen, he can join up with me when I head out. I don't mind watchin' his back. He's goin' stir crazy in here. Can you blame him for wantin' out?" Ozzy soon said. Things were getting dicey now, and he couldn't watch this anymore. The murmurs of the other crew were increasing, the volume getting a bit louder, and if no one stepped in soon, Keen was gonna end up in a position he might not be able to get out of. Ryley didn't understand what he was doing here. He didn't understand how badly it could go or how horribly it might end for the SO. He was still new to this lifestyle. Chain of command, ship rules, common courtesies… none of that meant anything to Ryley. Not yet. It was something he was gonna have to learn sooner than later, but Ryley moved fast and with determination. If he set his mind to something, he pursued it relentlessly. Waiting for him to learn the hard way wasn't an option. He needed to be outright told. If Robinson kept on the way he was going, he would screw them over worse than he could even imagine. He would talk to his friend about what he was trying to do later. He probably should have done it first time Ryley implied it was what he wanted to do at some point. First things first, school the guy on the subtleties, or not-so-subtleties, of mutiny.

"Come again?" Keen said, looking at him in disbelief.

"If the guy wants to explore, let him explore, but there's safety in numbers. I may not be any kind of survivalist either, but two still stand a better chance out there on an alien world than one does," Ozzy said. "I'll be his party. Back him up if things go bad."

"Absolutely not!" Keen said. At the same time, Ryley frantically shook his head, a little alarmed by the statement.

"Well for once you two agree on somethin'," Ozzy said, smirking. The two started and exchanged quick looks before turning back to Ozzy.

"The captain will deal with Robinson's insubordination," Keen said more calmly now. "His defiance will not go unpunished."

"Keen," Ozzy said firmly. "I'm offerin' you a way out." Keen shifted and glanced at the observing crew, then turned to Ozzy once more. "Very well," he relented. "He's your responsibility."

"And I plan on takin' it plenty seriously," Ozzy said, giving Ryley a hard look that made the younger man wince and quell a bit.

"Then I absolve myself of anything bad that might happen to him," Keen said, giving Ryley a dark look.

"Sure. No problem. On my head. I get it," Ozzy said, handing Keen his usual. Keen took it, nodded a thanks, then walked out. Ryley watched him go then gave Ozzy an annoyed look. "We'll talk later," Ozzy said. "Now isn't the time. Look, there's a lot you don't seem to understand about bein' up here in a spaceship a million miles from safety. When we go out tomorrow, I'll fill you in on a few things you seem to have missed. Leave Keen alone Ryley. At least for now. Until you actually understand what you're inviting pullin' off stunts like this."

Ryley hesitated, but it was rare that Ozzy ever took a tone or attitude like this unless it was serious, so he nodded in agreement. He'd hear his friend out before he pursued matters further.

Subnautica

Landing the ship? No problem. Scouting the area and preparing to ready a base camp? Not an issue. Being forced to sit on the sidelines and just watch it all happening? Ryley was less than impressed. "Come on, it ain't so bad. Guys like you and me, we ain't specialists or scientists or anythin' like that. Leave things like that to people who are," Ozzy, sitting at his side, said. Ryley gave him a look that screamed 'don't try and make me feel better'. "Hey, instead of sulkin', why not make somethin' of the downtime?"

Ryley considered this, then turned to him again and began to sign. "Were you serious about coming with me to explore?"

"Yeah. Besides, no better time to have that little talk I said we needed to have," Ozzy said.

"Now is a good time too," Ryley signed, frowning.

"Tell ya what. I'll give ya a spoiler. The word 'mutiny' mean anythin' to you?" Ozzy asked. Ryley started. "If it doesn't now, it sure will after tomorrow," Ozzy added. Smirking, he patted Ryley's shoulder and got up to leave. He had to start prepping dinner. Pretty soon the crew would be back on the ship, and they'd be ravenous. Ryley watched after him, then looked towards Keen - who was down on the ground overseeing the setup - a bit uncertainly. He hadn't actually thought of that, he uneasily noted to himself.

Subnautica

The next morning found Ozzy and Ryley making their way through the foreign, alien world armed with machete's. Alterra had banned weapons from survival kits, but this wasn't a survival situation, these weren't from a survival kit, and Hollister was a contracted Captain, not Alterra. At least for now. Fournier had mentioned something about how the Trans-Gov was really starting to wear the guy down though. Ryley turned to Ozzy and tapped his shoulder. Ozzy looked over at him. Ryley tilted his head curiously and signed, "Are we going to have that talk or what?"

"Sure," Ozzy said, stopping by a plant that looked edible, cutting off a piece, and tasting it. Ryley grimaced. He half expected the man to drop dead from poisoning one day, but given the amount of antidotes and neutralizers Oz tended to bring along, this wasn't the guy's first go-around with alien flora. Still…

"I'm not going to have to bring you back paralyzed or dead, am I?" Ryley signed.

"Maybe," Ozzy said, shrugging. "I figure this is gonna be what kills me one day if anything does. Not exactly the adventurin' type. This is about as daring as I get, and I mean, one day I'm gonna come across somethin' I don't have a catch-all for."

"Can we not make that day today?" Ryley signed.

Ozzy smirked but didn't directly answer that. He grabbed a piece of fruit from a tree and bit into it. "Now this is good," he said. He tossed Ryley a piece. Ryley caught it, looking incredulous, then grimaced and figured what the heck. He bit into it and his eyes widened a bit. He stared at it in disbelief. "See?" Ozzy said. "I swear you can find the best delicacies out there on uncharted worlds." Ryley nodded and took another bite. It made his mouth feel numb, but not in a necessarily bad way. Maybe it had a mild paralytic component to it, which meant eating too much would be a bad idea, but eating a little? Not so bad. He signed as much to Ozzy. "You got a brain on you, I'll give ya that. Never even thought about the numbness," Ozzy said.

"How have you survived again?" Ryley signed with a teasing smirk.

Ozzy laughed. "Luck," he replied. He took a seat on a rock and Ryley perched on a log. Ozzy's smile fell a little. "Look, whatever's happenin' between you and Keen, it can't keep on like this. The man's Second Officer. The only guy higher up than him is Hollister. When you're in a position like that, you can't afford to lose respect or credibility. Not up here. Not in the dead of space where the nearest help is a million miles away. You don't like him, he don't like you, and that's fine, but try'na mortalize him to a crew that's puttin' their full trust in him up where no one can hear you scream, ain't a good idea. When trust and respect go out the window, people get scared. When you get scared, sometimes your brain doesn't work so well. When your brain stops workin', you start getting stupid. When you start getting stupid, you make bad decisions. Decisions that could cost you your life and everyone else's. Keen's a lotta things - Self-conscious, unsure of himself, anxious, easily flustered, fakes it 'til he makes it - but one thing he isn't is careless. Despite those flaws, despite how little you think they lend to a good leader, he doesn't let 'em get in the way. For the most part, he keeps a cool, level head. For the most part, his decisions save lives. Is it always gonna be that way? Nah. He's made costly mistakes before and he'll make 'em again, but everyone screws up once in a while. Sometimes real bad. What you gotta do is learn from it, not keep makin' the same mistake over and over. Keen's good at that. He's saved more lives than he's cost. Strip him of the trust and respect he's built with this crew, you risk mutiny and incite rebellion. Getting Keen into the kinda trouble he can't get out of, you risk everyone. Hollister will back him one hundred percent, then maybe we lose the Captain too. What then? The rest of us are just a buncha inexperienced extras with no clue how to fly a ship or how to get home. What happens to us when the Captain and SO are out of the picture?"

"Death?" Ryley sheepishly signed, looking thoroughly embarrassed now.

"Oh yeah. In a big way," Ozzy said. "At least if their idea of mutiny is tossin' the Captain and Second Officer out the ship. Maybe we get lucky and they just toss 'em in the brig, but then the minute we land, guess who's in trouble? Deep, deep trouble."

"The crew," Ryley signed defeatedly.

"And the one who incited it most of all. You know the death penalty's still a thing, right?" Ozzy said. Ryley grimaced, a hand subconsciously going to his throat. "Inciting mutiny's one of the few things that can still land you it. The number of lives on the line, the amount of risk… it's too dangerous to chance someone doin' it again, so they punish it hard."

"Okay! I get the point," Ryley signed. "I'll stop and try to make it up to him."

"Keen holds grudges real good. Good luck with that," Ozzy wryly said, smirking. Ryley grimaced. Of course. Just his luck. Ozzy chuckled. "Come on. We should probably head back before we go too far and end up lost. Or something's food."

"Ryley, Ozzy!" a voice shouted out. They started, looking quickly over in surprise.

"Was that Keen?" Ryley signed.

"Yeah. It was," Ozzy replied, standing uneasily up. "He sounds freaked out. No other reason he'd use first names. Keen's formal when it comes to stuff like that." Ozzy turned around. "John, over here!" he called.

It was only seconds before Keen shoved through the foliage and came to a stop. "Back to the ship, now!" he ordered, pointing.

"What? What's goin'…?" Ozzy began.

"Now!" Keen commanded, drawing a weapon and staring passed them nervously. Ozzy and Ryley exchanged mildly alarmed looks and began to run back. Keen waited until they'd passed him, eyes fixed on whatever was behind them—neither dared turn around to check—then pursued quickly, taking up the rear. "This planet is not safe. Designation Red if I have anything to say about it."

"Excuse me?!" Ozzy freaked. Ryley made a questioning sound, since clearly he had no time to sign out a full question.

"It means deadly. Do not visit unless absolutely necessary. Maybe it can be used in a pinch or for specialized things, but never beyond that," Keen said. "The only thing rated more dangerous is designation deep red. That means never, ever visit. Inhospitable. Guaranteed fatality."

"We never saw anything!" Ozzy said.

"Exactly," Keen said. "They don't intend for you to see until it's too late."

"They?!" Ozzy demanded. "Oh screw this shit. The hell was behind us, Keen?!"

"All you see is darkness. An unsettled feeling washes over you like something is watching you, but you don't know what. It gets darker and darker as it draws close, and you think that maybe night is falling, but it isn't night. Whatever it is, it hides in those shadows. Shadows it generates. If you find yourself caught in the darkness, it's too late."

"How many of us died for you to figure that one out?!" Ozzy demanded. Keen was silent, expression grim. Ozzy and Ryley's hearts sank. Ryley made a sound, looking uneasily around. It was getting dimmer.

Keen whispered a curse under his breath about five times, picking up the pace. The darkness was coming from multiple angles now, and the planet was suddenly eerily quiet. "Do you have weapons?!" he blurted desperately.

"Machetes!" Ozzy replied.

"Dammit all!" Keen shouted. "Get up a tree!"

"They can't climb?" Ozzy asked.

"Damned if I know, but it's a better chance than we have on the ground," Keen replied. "Captain, come in. We're surrounded! Get the ship off the ground if you haven't already."

"Keen, where are you? We're coming for you," Hollister replied.

"Negative! Don't chance it. We've lost too many already. Get off the ground or you may not get another opportunity!" Keen replied frantically as eerie wails began to sound around them, growing louder.

Ozzy yelped and leapt at the nearest tall tree, heaving himself quickly up. Ryley followed in alarm and looked down at Keen. Keen was holding his ground. Ryley shouted. Ozzy looked quickly down, and his eyes widened. "Keen, get up here now! You got a better chance fighting from above than below!" the head chef shouted.

Keen cursed and quickly began to climb after them. Ryley waited, hesitating to go further without knowing the man would catch up. "Robinson, move!" Keen ordered. Ryley of course didn't, looking unimpressed. "Damn you!" Keen snapped. Ryley ignored and only started climbing again when Keen was closer. They reached the uppermost branches of the tree. As they climbed, the light grew brighter and the shadows began to fade. None of them were willing to believe that meant they were safe just yet though. Sure enough, slowly the light began to dim again. Keen fired blindly into the darkness. There was a horrible sound, and the light suddenly was back full force, but soon it was dimming again.

"Are-are we gonna die here?" Ozzy asked in terror, eyes wide. He was not a brave man, he'd fully admit to that. In fact, he was an outright coward far as he was concerned. When dealing with people? No. When dealing with the unknown? Oh hell yes.

Ryley looked urgently around for a sign of the ship and gasped in relief when he saw it rising above the canopy. His eyes widened in horror, though, when he saw the entity clinging to it. He made a sound of alarm, pointing. Ozzy and Keen looked quickly over, and their eyes widened as well. "Captain, it's on you!" Keen shouted into the communicator. An electromagnetic pulse surged out from the ship. The creature dropped with an unholy shriek. Hollister turned the ship their way and flew rapidly towards them.

"Keen, I'm opening the docking bay. You have to get into the ship," Hollister said. "Find a way!"

"How about old-fashioned rope?" Ozzy asked.

"Rope should do the trick. Captain, at the very least, I'll get you Robinson and Ozzy," Keen said, taking Ozzy's suggestion without thinking twice about it.

Ryley started and looked quickly over at him in disbelief, eyes wide. That hadn't been expected. He would have figured the guy would leap at the opportunity to sacrifice him. Ryley was used to being the expendable one. The one everyone was willing to drop first. That a man who presumably disliked him, if not outright hated him, was willing to save his life instead of his own, wasn't a gesture he was used to. He didn't let himself think too much on it though. If that was how it was going to be, fine. The problem to solve was how to save all three of them instead of sacrificing one.

"I'm not leaving you behind, son!" Hollister said, very real fear and unease creeping into the man's voice. Ryley started, eyes widening. He looked quickly at Ozzy.

"Long story," Ozzy said with a grimace.

"I'll find a way out. These were never a problem before midday. If I can just hold out until night… I'm not sure of the biology or patterns of these creatures, but if they're only active come the afternoon, it won't necessarily be impossible," he said. "As long as my ammunition holds," he added under his breath to Ozzy and Ryley.

"We ain't leavin' you behind!" Ozzy protested. Ryley nodded vigorously in agreement. Keen gave them both an incredulous look. Mostly Ryley. Ryley winced a bit. Clearly Keen had thought much the same about him as he had thought about Keen. Namely that the other would be delighted to leave his opponent behind.

"Keen, rope incoming," Hollister said. The docking bay opened, and Huggins and Fournier were right there. Without hesitation they threw down the rope to them and anchored it, ready to drag the trio up with a few other crew members. The shadows were all around the three now. They could barely even see the rope!

"Go!" Keen ordered. Ozzy and Ryley scrambled for the line and seized it. Ryley started up first. As the smallest and lightest, he would theoretically also climb the fastest. Ozzy was right behind him. Keen held his ground, firing at the unseen entities in an effort to ensure they didn't reach the rope and board the ship.

"Keen!" Ozzy shouted. Keen grabbed the rope and started to climb quickly after the other two. He shouted in alarm when he felt something seize him and fired blindly back at it. The shadows dissipated a little, and he climbed higher.

Ryley dragged himself onto the ship. Ozzy followed. Ryley looked quickly down at Keen, who had been a significant way behind them, and gasped when he heard the man shout and saw him being dragged down. Since he wasn't firing anymore, it could be assumed he was out of ammunition. Ryley cried out then grabbed the rope again, sliding quickly back down. He pulled out the machete he had on him, expression determined.

"Ryley!" Fournier cried out.

"Robinson, get back on board the ship! That's an order!" Keen shouted, kicking at whatever had seized him. Ryley ignored him, and as soon as he reached the man, he jammed his machete down into whatever was below. It screeched, releasing its would-be victim, and quickly Ryley cut the rope below Keen. Numerous shrieks rang out and the shadows completely faded away. Keen gaped in shock and looked at his associate in disbelief. Ryley smirked, sheathed his machete, and headed back up once more. "What on…?" Keen began before trailing off. He looked back down uneasily, grimaced, then starting to climb again, choosing not to question it.

Subnautica

Ryley and Keen were quickly seized and hauled up into the ship with the remaining rope. The doors to the docking bay were closed, and for a moment they sat there trying to catch their breath and get over the shock. At last Keen looked at Ryley, eyes narrowed, then huffed and stood up, brushing himself off and marching agitatedly away. Ryley winced and bowed his head in frustration.

"Don't take it so hard," Huggins reassured, noting the crestfallen look. "It's his way of sayin' thanks without actually havin' t' say it. Guess he figures it would condone insubordination." Ryley sighed in frustration but nodded in defeat.

Ozzy approached, patted his shoulder, and hauled him to his feet. "You okay?" he asked. Ryley nodded then pointed at him. "Yeah. I'm fine. Here's hopin' Keen is too," Ozzy said, looking after the man. Ryley nodded a bit distractedly as he mentally reviewed everything that had just happened. Somewhere deep inside him, an inkling of respect began to grow for the Second Officer…

Subnautica

They'd lost thirteen out of fifty on that planet, Ryley and Ozzy learned from a solemn Fournier. Far too many, as far as Hollister and Keen were concerned. The crew tried not to think about the disaster on the uncharted planet Hollister had been hired to scout out. Huggins and Fournier had had the misfortune of being stuck with the parties that went scouting. They'd seen a lot of crap over the years and had been on more adventures than they could count—had more than a few close calls too—but nothing had compared to what they experienced the day they made planetfall on that uncharted jungle world. Their team, B, was the lucky one. Fewer casualties than team A.

That same evening, Hollister and Keen fought tooth and nail to get the planet they'd just left a Designation Red. They went so far as to enter a shouting match with the Alterra higher-ups in front of the entire crew, in fact. Keen was even more passionate and determined than Hollister about it, it seemed. Inside Ryley, that inkling of respect that had begun to form started to grow. Inwardly he found himself applauding every word the SO said. Sure, the guy still grated on his nerves like no one's business, but damned if he wasn't starting to admire the man. Even if just a bit. He doubted the Second Officer shared the sentiment, but that was beside the point. The point was that for the first time since meeting Keen, Ryley found himself wanting to prove his worth to him somehow. The thing with Keen was that if you wanted to prove yourself to him, especially after antagonizing him, you had to bend over backwards to do it. Testing his limits with the Second Officer and nearly exposing him to the crew had backfired horribly. The man wasn't easily impressed as was, and gods help you if you'd gotten on his bad side. Like he too-often tended to, Ryley had gone too far. Now he was going to have to pay for it.

Despite saving the man's hide, Keen made sure to make his life as difficult as possible in retaliation for the disrespect he'd shown the SO the night he'd tried to call him out in front of the crew. Now to be fair, for a while he'd taken his lumps. He figured he probably deserved them. When Keen showed no signs of backing off though, even after Ryley figured he'd paid for his mistake a thousand times over, he began to get bitter and a little snarky. In turn, Keen pushed him even harder, so now it was on. If the SO wanted to play hardnose and refuse to make up, fine. If he wanted to make his life miserable, fine! He'd just be sure to return the favor in full. So, he did.

Needless to say, it didn't make things better between them because why would it? He and Keen's dynamic only escalated straight up from there until eventually Hollister gave in and separated them, making sure they crossed paths as little as could be gotten away with. They still thought it was too often and the captain did as well, but the latter held onto the hope that one day they would make amends. Time would tell, Hollister supposed. He just hoped it didn't tell too late.