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(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.)

Jonathan Keen, Saran Yu, and Cameron Berkeley

Some Years Ago

"Jonathan, something the matter?" Hollister asked from behind as Keen was sitting at his desk looking through the pictures of Cameron's high school graduation.

Keen jumped a bit and turned quickly, eyes wide. He relaxed when he registered who was there. "No. Nothing at all Captain," he said. "Just looking at some pictures Yu sent of Cameron's graduation. She was his date…"

Hollister looked dubious. Keen shifted a little. "Son, don't be jealous over a child. Start to worry when he's a proper, fully developed man," the Captain said.

"You're always so reassuring, sir," Keen dryly answered, unimpressed. Hollister smirked ever so slightly. Keen huffed and looked back at the pictures woefully. "She graduated last year. She took him as her date. It was supposed to be me you know."

"I know. She had made you promise you would go with her. You were quite pleased by that," Hollister said. Keen closed his eyes. "You realize you could have stayed that night, don't you?" Keen was quiet. "To be all business all the time will only damage your health and mental wellbeing. Contrary to Alterran rhetoric, work and money are not the most important things in one's life." Keen's jaw ticked ever so slightly. "Did you ever apologize to her for missing it?"

Keen winced hard. "No sir," he sheepishly mumbled.

"Then it's high time you did so, don't you think? It would help you both feel better about that night." Keen sighed and nodded in agreement. They were due back in port any day now, he knew. He missed Saran dearly…

Subnautica

When the ship docked, only Yu was there to greet him. He frowned in a measure of concern. Usually, Cameron was present as well. Yu looked upset. That concerned him more, and he moved to a better position, starting to feel a little anxious. He scanned the docks for Berkeley but saw no sign of him. The moment they were docked, he was off the ship. "Saran," he said, going straight to her and gently taking her arms. "Where's Cameron?"

"Home, I assume. He's upset with me," she replied, not meeting his eyes.

"Why?" Keen asked.

"He… he asked again if I was sure we could never be more than friends. I made it pretty clear to him I saw him as a brother and nothing else, so that hurt him pretty bad," she said. Keen was quiet, shifting a bit. "I suppose a part of him blames you for it," she continued.

Keen let out a breath. "I should have been there," he said.

"No. It would have been a conversation that had to happen eventually anyway," she replied, forcing a slightly strained smile.

"No, not for that. I should have been there the day of your graduation. I shouldn't have left. I just… I'm not sure I ever apologized for that," he said. In some roundabout way he'd avoided doing as much even now, he noted to himself, but Yu and Berkeley were used to that from him. He wasn't convinced they should be though. He owed them better. They had certainly put up with him long enough that they deserved that much at least.

Her smile fell and she bowed her head. "You didn't, but it's alright John. You were busy. I understood," she said, not meeting his eyes. That hurt more than he cared to admit.

"Still…" he murmured.

"It's alright," she cut off firmly.

He nodded and looked around with a frown. "Did you come down here all by yourself? Through District D of all places?" he asked.

"Not unarmed I didn't," she replied with a huff, rolling her eyes. "Good thing too given the number of looks I got on my way here."

Keen shook his head with a frown. "Cameron should have known better," he said.

"Cameron is eighteen," she replied, smirking a little.

"Still old enough to know better," Keen reaffirmed.

"Not necessarily old enough to have a proper grasp of action and consequence, though," she replied. "It's one thing to know something. It's another to understand it. It's another to have the wisdom to act on it. He probably figured we'd always been fine before, so I'd be fine now."

"That boy," Keen said with an annoyed and frustrated sigh, running his fingers through his hair. "Honestly. Berkeley is smarter than that. At least he'd better be given he wants to go in for engineering." Yu smiled a little. He frowned at her curiously. "Why are you smiling? This is serious," he said.

"I'm just a little surprised is all. That you've kept tabs on him," she said. "I know there's been tension between you two for a while now." Keen was quiet, shifting a little. "Come on then. Let's walk. Make our way to Berkeley's house and say hello," she said, taking his hand in hers gently and leading him away from the docks. He followed her dutifully.

Subnautica

Yu and Keen walked through Sector D sticking close together. They kept both eyes open, so to speak, to be sure they weren't attacked from out of nowhere. "I despise this place," Keen murmured, bad memories flowing back in droves.

"You never did tell me why," she remarked. "You changed around it I noticed, the night you met Hollister."

"It isn't important," Keen replied.

"John…" she began.

"Yu, it's nothing," he repeated more firmly, giving her a warning look.

She frowned and pursed her lips in frustration before sighing in annoyance and letting it go. She scanned their surroundings. "We're being watched. Closely," she said. He pulled her nearer to him and she smiled fondly to herself.

"Keep moving," Keen said, picking up the pace a bit. She nodded, reaching into her handbag and grasping a hidden weapon. Suddenly Keen heard a door to a nearby shop open behind him. Before he could turn, he felt someone seize his arm and yank him roughly back. He shouted as he was pulled away from Yu.

Yu spun around, drawing her concealed pistol, but suddenly she was seized from behind by a man who burst from another shop. A convenience store. She screamed and began to struggle. Keen fought desperately against the men holding him. At least two he could tell now. Decent-sized men both, because goodness knew less than that wouldn't have been able to hold him down. Yu struggled to regain control of her pistol, but the man holding her squeezed her wrist until she was forced to drop it. She kicked violently back at him, glad she'd worn heels, and he screamed in pain, staggering but keeping a grasp on her. For about half a second.

Suddenly the man cried out in pain and went down. Yu didn't bother wondering what had happened. She just dove for her pistol, snatching it up and aiming at the men holding Keen. "Let him go!" she ordered. They threw him into the street and fled immediately, Keen crying out in pain. Yu ran to him, not bothering to fire on the men, and quickly pulled him out of the road before he could be hit by something. "John! John, are you alright?" she breathlessly asked.

"I'm fine," Keen replied. "What of you?"

"Fine," Yu said. She looked back at the man who had gone down, then to whoever had sent him there. She gasped. "Berkeley!" she exclaimed.

Keen looked sharply up in disbelief. Sure enough, there was Berkeley sporting an annoyed expression on his face, flicking his hand as if trying to shake away pain. "Yu, Keen," the young man said without turning to them. Instead, Cameron took to rubbing his hand.

Keen frowned and stood up. "Let me see," he directed.

"I'm a big boy, Keen. I can take care of myself," Berkeley bit a little sharply.

"Let me see please," Keen said, sounding mildly exasperated. Berkeley gave him an annoyed look then sighed, holding out his hand. Keen examined it, feeling gently around. Berkeley winced. "You might have broken something," he said.

"It'll heal," Berkeley said.

"Cameron," Keen said.

"John," Berkeley replied.

Keen frowned in annoyance, eyes narrowing. "For goodness' sake, for your own good health listen to me for once!"

Berkeley opened his mouth to argue. "Cameron," Yu said, cutting him off before he could. He looked quickly over at her. "Get it checked out," she said.

"It's fine," Berkeley replied.

"Have you seen the Borealis yet? Hollister's ship?" Keen asked. Berkeley gave him a curious look. "Would you like to?" Keen pressed.

Berkeley shifted, glanced at the man he'd lain flat, looked at his hand, then sighed in annoyance and nodded, relenting. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd decided to stay home," Yu said.

"I changed my mind," Berkeley replied, shoving his hands into his coat pockets and walking passed them. He bumped Keen a little rougher than necessary as he did so. Keen sighed in annoyance and followed him with Yu.

Subnautica

Berkeley watched silently as his hand was firmly wrapped by the medical officer on board. Keen waited near at hand, quiet. Yu had made her escape, neither blind to the tension hanging thick in the air, nor wanting to be part of it. As soon as the medical officer finished tending the wound, he left. Clearly Yu hadn't been the only one feeling the tension. Keen and Berkeley sat in silence together, Berkeley leaning forward in his seat. Keen was quiet. "I'm sorry I missed your presentation," he soon said. Berkeley was quiet. "I know you didn't see me, but I did attend the cap and gown remotely." Berkeley glanced quickly up at him, looking a little vulnerable for a moment before hiding it away and looking down again. "For what it's worth, I'm glad you decided to come meet me at the docks." Berkeley shrugged. "I… Yu mentioned…" Keen began. Berkeley tensed up, jaw clenching tightly. Keen stopped himself. "I'm sorry, Berkeley," he finally said.

"It's fine. I'm fine," Berkeley said.

Keen was quiet. "What are your plans now?" he finally chose to ask, steering clear of the Yu topic.

Berkeley winced and shifted a little before looking tiredly and somewhat sadly up at him. "I think we should talk about this with Yu," he said.

Keen frowned, concerned at this, but nodded in agreement. He rose, offering his hand to Berkeley. Berkeley looked at first like he would refuse it, but soon sighed and took the offered hand. Keen pulled him to his feet and stared at him a moment. Berkeley stared back with a troubled expression. He shifted then hugged Keen without warning. Keen stiffened briefly, but then hesitantly returned the hug. Berkeley let him go and walked passed him. Keen followed, now more than a little worried about where this was going.

Subnautica

"Abroad?" Yu asked in disbelief, eyes wide. "You're going off to study abroad? Where?"

"The China Territories. In the Mongolian States," Berkeley muttered, not meeting her eyes. Or Keen's, for that matter.

"When are you planning on going?" Yu demanded.

There was a beat of silence. Berkeley finally leaned back in his seat, tongue flicking out over his lips in a nervous sort of tick. "By the end of the week," he said. "I'm all packed up. Everything is in order. It's just a matter of getting on the spaceship now. It-it's due this Friday. It takes off Saturday morning." Keen was bowled over, stunned to silence. Yu's lips were parted in disbelief, hurt and guilt in her eyes. "It wasn't because of you, Sar," Berkeley said quickly. Yu clearly didn't believe it. "I just needed a change of environment. The Mongolian States have always fascinated me," Berkeley insisted.

"Cameron…" Yu began.

"For how long will you be away?" Keen asked.

"Not sure. Long enough to get my bachelor's degree at least, possibly more, so four years plus thereabouts," Berkeley replied, picking at the wrapping a bit. He flinched when Keen lightly but sharply slapped his hand. He gave the man a dirty look but otherwise accepted the correction with a huff. There was silence for a while.

"I wish you all the luck in the world, Cameron," Keen finally said, sounding defeated. He couldn't help but feel like this could well be the last nail in the coffin for his and Berkeley's relationship.

"I know John," Berkeley replied quietly.

"Will you come back?" Yu asked, sounding anxious.

Berkeley smiled softly at her, though the smile was a bit strained. "Of course I will. Just… not for a while. It's probably for the best anyway. For all of us."

"Cam…" Yu began before stopping herself.

"It's fine," he cut off. "Really it is." Keen was quiet, wishing he was anywhere but here right now. When the three of them parted ways, and Cameron and Yu walked home, he returned to the Borealis, disappeared into his cabin, and possibly wept.

Present

Some Weeks Ago

Keen had known this would happen the moment Berkeley revealed himself to them after coming home from the China Territories. There was no denying the way Yu had gawked at him. Oh this leave from the Borealis just got better and better. "What happened to his being like a brother to you?!" Keen snapped sharply.

"What does it even matter to you how I view him? It's not like we're official or anything! Which, by the way, was your decision, not mine!" Yu retorted. "You're the one who didn't want to get serious. For goodness sakes, John, you won't even call it a date when you and I go out together, so what does it matter if I flirt with Berkeley a little here and there?"

"I was under the assumption we were unofficially official!" Keen snapped.

"And I was under the impression we were at best friends with benefits! At least you certainly seemed intent on keeping us there," Yu retorted.

"Then what are we, Saran?!" Keen demanded.

"How about you tell me?!" she shot.

"It doesn't really matter now does it, since you're suddenly so interested in flirting it up with Berkeley!" Keen replied.

"Get out!" Yu shouted, pointing at the door.

"I planned to! You know what? We are just friends with benefits. Have fun with your boy toy!" Keen snapped sharply back, storming out of her house and slamming the door behind him. Yu sobbed, covering her face with her hands.

Subnautica

It was only near the end of his leave that he cooled off enough to try and apologize to her and make amends. He went to find her to do so. Around this time of day, she was always in the park. He found her alright. Found her in Berkeley's arms nose-to-nose beneath a tree on a hill that was supposed to be his and hers. He couldn't find words to speak. To say it hurt would be an understatement. When they spotted him, they were startled. He didn't say a word to either, just turned on his heel and stormed off. "John!" Yu called after him in alarm, but it was Berkeley who chased him first. That was probably for the best, because Keen refused to be held responsible for whatever he would have done to Yu had she been the one who ran after him. He refused to be held responsible for whatever he did to Berkeley too for that matter, but Berkeley was more durable, therefore far more likely to survive a violent outburst than Yu.

"Keen! Keen, wait, please!" Berkeley pled. Keen took the opportunity to lash out, making a blow at him. Berkeley dodged it but barely, wide-eyed and mortified. "John, nothing came of it!" he insisted.

"Nothing came of what?" Keen darkly asked, teeth clenched.

"Do you plan on listening to the full story or murdering me before it's done?" Berkeley asked.

"That depends very much on how you tell it and what you say," Keen replied.

"I won't try and defend myself. I found her crying after you and she argued, I wanted to make her feel better, so I brought her to a bar to get her a drink. I'd hoped to talk to her and try to help her feel better about what had happened! One drink turned into two, then three, then four, then five, and the next thing we knew, things were happening that couldn't be taken back," Berkeley said. "Nothing has gone on since!"

"What do I care if it did? She and I were only friends with benefits anyway!" Keen snapped.

"Oh for goodness' sakes," Berkeley said, visibly annoyed. "She loved you, Keen! It was no big secret. It was you who refused to take it to the next level. She wasn't going to wait forever for you!"

Berkeley couldn't dodge the blow he delivered that time, and was sent to the ground with a shout of pain. Keen leapt on him, enraged to hear those words recited back to him. Enraged even more about how true they were. Viciously the two tangled on the ground. Berkeley put up a good fight, Keen would give him that, but when all was said and done, he was the bigger man. At last, getting the upper hand, he raised his fist to strike.

"Jonathan, stop!" Yu cried, catching his arm from behind and keeping him from hitting the younger man. "You're going to put him in hospital!"

Keen glared down at Berkeley furiously. She was right, he knew, and a part of him fully intended to do just that, but another part acknowledged that Berkeley wasn't wrong. At the end of the day, nothing had ever been made official between he and Yu. That was entirely his fault and he fully acknowledged that. When he'd stormed off the day he had argued with her, he had given the impression their unofficial arrangement had met its untimely end. At the time maybe he'd meant it, but you meant to do a lot of things in the heat of the moment that you didn't actually want. Like putting Cameron in a hospital.

"Keen, I swear to you nothing has happened since!" Berkeley said, sounding afraid. Not for himself, though. For Yu and maybe even him for whatever reason. Keen glared at him, then scoffed, standing up and pulling his arm away from Yu gently but firmly. He glared down at Berkeley quietly then huffed and turned, walking swiftly away. "John!" Cameron cried out, going after him desperately. "John please, I'm sorry! I promise you I am! I didn't mean for this to happen. It wasn't supposed to happen!"

"Well it did!" Keen snapped.

"Do you want me to leave? If you do, I will. I won't ever look back! I never wanted to hurt you! John!" Berkeley exclaimed in dismay, giving up on pursuing his friend and just stopping in his tracks. Keen kept walking but then paused with a frustrated sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. He shook his head bitterly and looked darkly back. "Please. I know this can't be fixed, I do! I know it can never be made better, just… Whatever you want from me, I'll give it to you. Anything at all."

There was silence as Keen glared darkly at him. "You were drunk, were you?" he finally said.

"It isn't an excuse," Berkeley wisely said.

"You regret it do you?" Keen asked.

"I regret betraying her trust. I regret even more betraying you," Berkeley answered. Keen's jaw twitched ever so slightly. He would grant the younger man points for honesty though.

"And you expect me to believe you'll do whatever I say without question or hesitation," Keen said.

"I'll do whatever you say without question, hesitation, or expectation," Berkeley answered.

Keen shook his head at him bitterly. "Return to the Mongolian States and don't come back," he mercilessly replied. "Don't look back at me, don't look back at her, don't speak. Do nothing but put one foot in front of the other until you're long out of sight."

Berkeley was silent, arms wrapped tightly around himself. He looked miserable. As he should, Keen determined coldly. Letting out a shaking breath, the younger man turned on his heel and walked away from him. He passed Yu without looking at her. He didn't even turn when she reached out to catch his arm, just pulled it away and kept going as quickly as he could. Yu covered her mouth and looking down, squeezing her eyes tightly shut. She didn't try to go after him. Nor did she try and pursue Keen when he stormed off the other way.

Present

They docked in Sector D. Keen made immediately for Yu's place. It took him an hour to walk there. He dreaded it each step of the way and knew this wasn't going to be an easy conversation. He stopped outside her door, hesitating, but was soon able to talk himself into knocking. Within two minutes, she answered. She caught her breath when she saw him there. "Drunk were you?" he asked, sounding more bitter than he'd meant to. Tired and angry too, he presumed.

She wrapped her arms around herself. "He didn't tell you the whole story. What happened that night was my fault, Keen. Not Berkeley's. I was certainly more sober than he was at the time. You know he can't hold his liquor for the life of him. Don't blame him for this, please! Hell, I couldn't even tell you if he remembers that night! He woke up severely hungover with me at his side and was stunned. I woke up hungover and confused he couldn't remember. He practically had a panic attack when he realized what had happened and what it could mean for us. All of us. Not just me and him. You know Berkeley. You know he would never have done that to you if he'd had a coherent thought in his head that night!" Keen continued glaring at her, anger sparking in his eyes. "Oh don't pretend like you've never pulled things like this on me before! Never official, remember? Friends with benefits, remember? God, how many people have you slept with since high school again? Because I know for a fact it wasn't only me!"

Keen's jaw clenched ever so slightly. "Nine," he bitterly answered. "I've had a grand total of nine sexual partners." He frowned a little, thinking back. "Seven consensual," he corrected quietly. She started, looking shocked. Keen sighed in frustration, running his fingers through his hair. "In fact, as far as you or anyone else is concerned, there was only ever seven."

"John?" she asked in concern.

"Don't!" he immediately cut off. "Just don't."

"You can't just drop something like that on me and play it off like nothing!" Yu protested.

"Watch me!" he snapped sharply. "There were seven partners, five were female, two were male. You were among the five female. That's all there is to it. And yes, while you and I were… spending a great deal of time together," he hated that he couldn't say dating, "I was indulging here and there. There's a reason I've come back. I'm more than aware of what you've put up with from me over the years." There was silence between them. After a moment, he let out a shaky breath and shook his head. "I'm sorry I was too much a coward to make things official. I'm sorry I was too undecided to make anything more of us than what we were," he finally murmured.

"You still can," she answered quietly.

"Perhaps, but it seems I have a little rival now," Keen said in frustration.

"The rival you sent away?" she asked.

Keen started, recalling what he'd said to Berkeley, and cursed loudly. "Has he gone yet?" he demanded.

"I don't know," she tiredly replied. "I haven't seen him or been able to contact him since the day you drove him off."

"Dammit!" Keen said. "By now he must be in the Mongolian States again."

"He might have stayed in the hopes of fixing things between you two," she offered.

"He had no way of knowing when or even if I would ever come back," Keen replied.

"He would know. Just like I knew. It's a question of whether he obeyed your order immediately or put it off in the hopes of maybe fixing things," she quietly and tiredly said.

Keen started and met her eyes once more. For a moment, there was silence between them. "I'm sorry for everything I've put you through. For everything I've put him through as well," he finally said.

"It's fine. We'll sort it all out. For now, find Berkeley. Make up at least somewhat, then maybe it'll be best if we all roll the dial back a bit and get on a level field with one another," she said. "No romantic relationships muddying the waters, just Berkeley, Yu, and Keen. We'll work up from there. All of us."

That hurt more than he would like to admit, but he heard the wisdom in the words. It would be best for all of them to start at square one. Then they would let the chips fall as they may. "Agreed," he said quietly. Yu nodded. Keen pulled out his PDA and searched Berkeley's tracking number. "How has work been?" he asked.

"It's been alright. Alterra's a bit too stifling an employer for my liking, but a job is a job. Besides, it seems something is in the works. There's a big project floating across desks. With luck I'll find myself on it," she said.

"I'm aware of it. Hollister was the Captain assigned to the job. He's been given leave to select a few crew of his own. I'll put forth your name to him, assuming you're not already on Alterra's list. Hollister could use a technician. Something to think about," he said.

She smiled a little. "I'll keep it in mind. Thank you."

As Keen scrolled across the map, his heart sank. He sighed and closed his eyes. "He's not here," he quietly said.

"Check the docks. Signal's not always good in that location," she said. "He would have wanted to meet you when you returned. He's probably been down there each day checking the manifest and searching for the Borealis. Go and make things right between you. I'll come by later. Finishing up a few things here first." Keen nodded and hurried to return to the docks.

Subnautica

Berkeley had no idea why he had decided to meet the Borealis as it came into port. Keen had made it perfectly clear he never wanted to see him again, and while he had promised the man he would leave, before he did, he wanted to try at least once more to fix this rift between them. Staying as long as he had already was pushing his luck, but it would be weeks before the Borealis returned again. He couldn't wait another two months for them. If he missed this opportunity, that was it. He needed to see the man. Fate, though, had other plans. No sooner had he reached the docks when he was waylaid. Now he was being pressed by men he had never met and didn't trust. "It's a good job. Good pay. A few hours' work. We take some photographs, record a couple of skits, and you're on your way to fame and fortune."

"I'm an engineer, not a model," Berkeley bluntly replied. "Good day, gentlemen."

He tried to walk away but was grabbed by the arm. He gasped a bit in surprise as he was pulled roughly into an alleyway and pushed up against the wall. He stayed calm because panicking right now would only spell ruin. He'd find a way out of this somehow or other. Then again, what did it matter if he just disappeared? It wasn't like he had much to stay for anymore… He'd lost his two best friends, he'd fallen out of touch with his parents, and while he'd been meaning to link up with them again, as of yet he hadn't so would anyone even care at this point if he vanished, he bitterly wondered to himself? Would anyone even notice? He hoped they intended to kill him, but he doubted it. This was Sector D, after all. If you disappeared here, odds were your fate was worse than death, so he wouldn't disappear. He'd do everything he could to avoid disappearing, in fact.

"Let me go," he coldly warned. His response was a serrated knife to the throat, and he swallowed in fear. He regretted everything, but too little too late.

"How much will you be worth, I wonder?" the man holding him against the wall said. Suddenly Berkeley brought his knee up between the man's legs. The man screamed in pain and Berkeley broke away, racing from the alley frantically. The men pursued him immediately, and he knew he was done for if they caught him. His odds weren't good. He didn't know this sector well, which meant he was on their home turf, which meant he was as good as caught already. The docks he was on were empty say for the terminal, an unmarked ship, and the Borealis. The Borealis was too far away to reach, the unmarked ship probably belonged to these men, and going to the terminal would be pointless. They'd probably pass him over to his pursuers without a second thought if it meant these people left them alone in exchange. He ran into an alley to try and lose them and cried out in alarm. Ahead of him was a wall he had no chance of scaling! He whipped around quickly. They were closing in on him more slowly now. He saw zipties and rope. He saw tape. He saw weapons. Nervously he backed himself against the wall and scanned for any sort of weapon. He spotted a metal rod and dove at it, scooping it up and brandishing it. He regretted not bringing a pistol along. He'd known better. He'd just figured he'd walk into Sector D, get to the docks in time to meet the Borealis and Keen, then buy a ticket to the Mongolian States and leave after they'd hopefully spoken. In and out quick and simple. Nothing was ever simple here though, was it?

"Berkeley! Berkeley, where are you?!" he heard a familiar voice shout from somewhere nearby.

Berkeley started, eyes widening in shock. "Keen?" he asked, looking in that direction. Wait. This was his chance at salvation! "Keen, help me!" he shouted desperately.

The men rushed him before the words had fully departed his mouth, and he tried to fight back, but numbers overwhelmed. Quickly they covered his mouth and began dragging him out of sight behind a crate. He tried to shout again, but couldn't make a loud enough sound for it to matter.

"Berkeley! Cam!" Keen called, closer now. Berkeley fought desperately to try and alert his friend of his whereabouts, but his attackers had a firm grip on him. Already they were binding him with the zip ties and tape. They taped up his mouth too, and eyes. His heart pounded in his chest, plummeting rapidly, and he was terrified that this would be it. Said heart sank into the pit of his stomach when he heard Keen run passed the alley calling for him. Soon the footsteps and voice faded away and he wanted to scream in frustration, because of course this would be his luck. The men forced him up, wrestling him quickly out of the alley doubtless to bring him to their ship. He tried to shout again for help while struggling, but it was futile.

"Let him go!" he suddenly heard Keen shout. He caught his breath, turning his head in what he presumed was his friend's direction. He tried to scream through the tape.

"Grab that one too!" one of the men ordered.

"Oh no. You won't be taking anyone," another voice said. Berkeley recognized it as Captain Hollister's. As Keen's friends, he and Yu had been invited on board the Borealis fairly often over the years as it stopped by their settlement, so he knew the man well enough. He could have cheered then and there, but wasn't quite willing to celebrate just yet.

"Give me the boy," Keen said through what sounded like clenched teeth. Berkeley couldn't help but feel mildly annoyed at the term, but he doubted Keen would ever stop referring to him as 'the boy'. Berkeley felt the serrated blade being pressed against his throat again and caught his breath. "Give him to me!" Keen shouted. "Please, I'll pay you." Berkeley heard the desperation tinging his friend's voice, and that brought him more relief than anyone would ever know because it meant that John still cared. He'd been so afraid he didn't…

"The authorities!" he heard one of the men shout from somewhere nearby, and his heart almost stopped because he knew that now their best option was to cut their losses. Probably literally. He was the losses. He realized instantly what was coming and shouted in terror, jerking his head and neck back from the knife as best he could in a desperate attempt to save his own life. He felt the blade rip across his throat.

"Cameron!" Keen shouted.

"Fire!" Hollister ordered at the same time.

He felt himself thrown down to the ground. Bullets and lasers echoed out all around him and he had no idea what was happening in the battlezone roaring on the docks. Nor did he care. He was just relieved he was still alive. Given how much blood he felt spilling from his throat though, no one could be blamed for thinking otherwise. Hell, at the rate the blood was spilling, his life expectancy might be at best a few minutes anyway.

"Cameron! Cam, no! No, please no," he heard Keen plead. He felt his friend turning him over. He felt John's hands on his neck, trying to staunch the blood. He let out a wheezing breath to try and signal he was still alive. He was vaguely aware of Keen begging him to hang on before he lost consciousness.

Subnautica

Keen waited outside medical bay, hands covering his mouth. To say he was terrified of the news that would come out of that room was an understatement. "He'll live," Keen barely registered the doctor declare. "They didn't cut deep enough to kill. Seems he pulled his head back just in time to spare himself a premature grave. No injures besides it except some cuts left by the zipties. He's woozy, lost a good amount of blood, and will have a mean scar, but he'll recover in a couple of days."

Keen barged passed without waiting to be permitted and went right to Cameron's side. The young man was rubbing his sore, bandaged wrists in annoyance. He oomphed when Keen pulled him into an unexpected hug. Extremely unexpected in fact, because Keen was not what you'd call an affectionate or touchy-feely sort of man. "Am I still exiled?" Berkeley dryly asked.

"Keep quiet," Keen ordered bluntly. After a moment more, he at last determined it was safe to let Berkeley go. "I'm bringing you back home. You need to rest," he said.

"Isn't Hollister leaving on an expedition soon?" Berkeley asked.

"Not that soon. We're going. Now," Keen said.

"Yu…" Berkeley began.

"Will hear of this ridiculousness soon enough. Right now, my priority is getting you somewhere safe," Keen said.

Berkeley nodded in agreement and was surprised when Keen pulled him into a hug once more. Sighing in defeat, the younger man leaned against his friend. Honestly, he felt more relieved than Keen would ever know. "I'm going to leave, John. Just as I promised."

"You don't have to. I'm sorry. For everything," Keen replied, pushing him gently back.

"It's best for all of us," Berkeley said. "I won't go so far as the Mongolian States. Just away from here. Pursue career opportunities elsewhere so that maybe everything between us can reset."

"Yu said something similar," Keen said, still not releasing his shoulders.

"Then she realizes it's for the best too," Berkeley said.

"You're going nowhere until you've recovered from your wounds," Keen said.

"Fair enough," Berkeley said, offering him a smile. Keen nodded and hugged him briefly again.

Subnautica

Ozzy waited with Ryley in medical bay for Keen to leave the room Berkeley was holed up in. Word was Cam had run afoul of what amounted to space pirates and nearly lost his life. Ozzy felt a tap on his arm and looked over.

"Who are Yu and Berkely? Have I met them?" Ryley signed.

"Nah. Sorry. Forgot you haven't crossed them yet. Saran Yu and Cameron Berkeley are old friends of Keen's, both of 'em. Every so often one or the other or both stop by for a visit when the Borealis is in port. Keen says Yu's recently been brought on as a technical officer on offer from Alterra. One of the best in the field. Berkeley's a recently graduated freelance engineer. Works for whoever's willin' to pay the big bucks I guess. Does favors for Yu and Keen no charge or at a discounted rate. There's some kinda tension between Keen and him though, and I don't mean the romantic type. Somethin' is up with them. I figure it's probably best not to get involved. Might have to do with Yu, might have to do with the fact Berkeley's a lot like you in all the ways Keen hates, might be a mix of both."

Ryley smirked and signed: "Sounds spicy."

Ozzy couldn't help but laugh at that. The door to medbay opened just then and he looked quickly over in time to see Keen exit, looking tired. "John, everything okay?" Ozzy asked, standing up. Keen shook his head. "Berkeley gonna be okay?" Ozzy carefully breached. Keen nodded. "You doin' alright?" Ozzy asked. Keen gave him an incredulous look. "Right. Stupid question."

Keen let out a breath. "He'll be ready to go home by tomorrow. I plan on seeing him there," he said.

"And Yu?" Ozzy asked.

"It's… complicated," he replied.

"I was askin' if she knows what happened to him yet," Ozzy said.

"She'll know soon enough," Keen said.

"Uh huh… Seriously, you doin' okay?" Ozzy asked.

"Not now Ozzy," Keen replied, walking away. "I don't need you psychoanalyzing me."

"Like I'm smart enough for that," Ozzy called after him. Keen gave him a hard, annoyed look and huffed, leaving. Ozzy smirked a little, but he was genuinely worried about the guy. He hoped John would come around and open up to him a bit sooner than later. Satisfied everything was okay, he left medbay with Riley in tow.

Subnautica

Fournier read through an article grimly while she and Huggins sat in a coffee shop near the docks, waiting for Hollister's call. "What are you reading?" Huggins asked.

"An article about the Degasi," she replied.

"That ship that disappeared years back?" Huggins asked. "I remember it. A real do it was. When me parents heard about it, they doubled down on tryin' to discourage me from going to space on expeditions, so I doubled down on refusing."

"I know. My father started to get uneasy too and began implying I should stop going up there as well. Wanted me to start running things from the ground. It didn't help there was a kid reported to be on board. Some eighteen or nineteen-year-old whose old man was a high-ranking Mongolian chief. That shook dad pretty bad."

"My parents even worse," Huggins dryly said. "Y' think the Mongolians will ever find them? Or at least what happened to them."

"Torgal's a pretty big name to just disappear into thin air like that, so they'll definitely try," she replied, holding a mug in one hand and the paper in another.

"What system was it in again?" Huggins asked.

"The system orbiting star 4546," she replied. "Not a lot of information on it. A few known planets, but no one knows anything about them. They're in Mongolian-occupied space, so your best answers will probably come from them." She sipped at her coffee.

"Little short on Mongolians around these parts, cuz. Good riddance to 'em I say."

She gave him a vaguely annoyed look, but she wasn't surprised at the prejudice. Alterra and the Mongolian States did not get along. At all. She couldn't have begun to tell you all the rhetoric spewed in the school systems against the Mongolians. Meanwhile, Alterra bragged itself up. Not a shocker. It seemed Alterra bragged itself up above any other Trans-Gov, but hey, the other Trans-Govs were probably doing the same—putting down the others and talking up themselves. It was a vicious cycle. For as much rhetoric as Alterra spewed, the Sols, Savannahs, Oceanics, Mongolians, etc, probably spewed equal amounts against Alterra. What could she say? Business was cutthroat.

"So whadaya know about the Torgals?" Huggins asked, curious.

She snorted. "Paul Torgal was one of the biggest stakeholders in the China Territories and ran probably the single largest mining company there was. Sixty-nine or seventy years old. One legitimate son, Bart Torgal, who he claimed was his only child, but everyone knew otherwise. He was fifty when the kid was born. You don't move around that much, have that kind of wealth and status, boast those kinds of looks—and you can bet he had it going for him even at his age—and somehow end up having your first kid at fifty. There's not a chance."

"Judgemental Jo," Huggins teased.

"His reputation as a lech precedes him," she replied.

"Fair enough. So how many illegitimate children you figure?" Huggins asked.

She snorted in derision, putting down the article. "Who knows, who cares? If I had to guess, at least two or three. Maybe more," she said. "Rumor has it he got around a lot. Ah well. What happened to Degasi was a tragedy for sure, but it's not the first time something like that happened. Mercury II, remember?"

"I've heard of it plenty. Another of the arguments me parents kept bringing up to try and keep me from pursuing a career on a spaceship," he said.

"It disappeared around star 4546 too," she said, pushing back her chair and standing up. "Clearly that's not a place ships want to be. Come on. The Borealis should be heading out again soon. That friend of Keen's, Berkeley, is due to be offboard in not too long now. Let's go." Huggins nodded, finished his coffee, then rose and followed her dutifully.

Subnautica

The cousins entered the ship's canteen to a sense of solemnity hanging heavy in the air. "Degasi. Such a tragedy. It's Mercury II all over again," Hollister remarked, reading the same review article that they had been reading outside while a plate of food sat untouched in front of him.

"You doin' okay Captain?" Ozzy asked, a concerned frown on his lips.

Hollister shook his head. "Bad memories is all, Ozwald. I knew the captain of the Mercury II well. Very well… Intimately…" Keen, sitting nearby, gave him a surprised look, eyes a bit wide. Hollister wryly smirked but offered little more information than that. "Diana was a good woman who deserved a better fate. I can't help but resent the Mongolians a little for how the matter surrounding Mercury II was handled. They were Sol Trans-Gov, but at the time the Mongolian States were refusing to let ships from rival Trans-Govs into their territory. Permission was only granted if the passage was necessary."

"Which meant?" Keen fished.

"Which meant no search crew from Sol or Alterra could go in and look for them. Which meant only the Mongolians were able to. Which meant that many less eyes on the matter. The Mongolian search efforts were a spectacular failure, as far as the general public knows. There are rumors, though, that they did in fact figure it out, just hid the matter where they had no right to," Hollister said.

"Damn Mongolians," Huggins said.

"That attitude will not be permitted on board this ship, Victor. Guard your tongue. We're all guilty of some sort of shady dealing or other. Mongolians are far from the worst offenders. In that I would dare say Alterra may take the cake, so to speak," Hollister said. "Now come along. We have work to do."

"Yessir. Sorry," Huggins replied.

The Captain looked over his crew. "Now, we're on our way to pick up some more participants in the Aurora expedition coming up, but there's a side quest I've been tasked with. A planet in Alterra's sights they want scouted out for usability. It's on the way, so we'll be making a detour. We have no idea what will be waiting for us down there, so be prepared."

"Yes sir," the crew all said, saluting him. Hollister nodded, rose, and left. Keen trailed behind him. A few more matters needed to be tied up, such as the Berkeley one, but after that, they were free to head out.