Chapter 5 : The Village


The ship's interior was shrouded in a cold, metallic silence, interrupted only by the occasional flicker of malfunctioning lights and the soft hum of damaged systems struggling to stay online. The air felt heavy with the weight of uncertainty, the tension from the previous battle still hanging over them like a dark cloud. J's systems slowly rebooted, her neon-yellow eyes blinking to life, casting a faint glow across the room. For a moment, she stood there, motionless, her mind replaying the events of the previous day—the relentless onslaught of the shadowy creatures, the way their bodies dissolved into smoke, and the disturbing realization that something far more dangerous was lurking on this unknown planet.

Her gaze drifted toward the ship's viewport, where the fractured moon hung ominously in the night sky, its broken pieces casting jagged shadows across the frozen wasteland outside. The stars beyond it seemed distant and indifferent, offering no comfort, only a stark reminder of how far they were from anything familiar. The suns had set, plunging the planet into a cold, eerie darkness.

J's tail shifted slightly, her body moving with mechanical precision as she approached the viewport. Her mind was already working through the next steps. They couldn't afford to stay put much longer—the ship was in desperate need of repairs, and their oil reserves were dangerously low. The battle had drained more energy than expected, and without replenishment, their systems would begin to overheat.

She turned away from the viewport, her expression hardening as she walked toward V, who was slumped against the wall, her tail folded behind her in a restless sleep mode. J reached out and tapped her shoulder lightly, her voice sharp and commanding.

"V, wake up. We've got work to do."

V's eyes snapped open with a faint mechanical whirring sound, her yellow irises flaring to life. She groaned theatrically, stretching her arms as the sound of metal creaked from her arms as she sat up, her face twisting into a lazy smirk.

"Already? I was starting to have a nice dream… something about tearing those shadow freaks apart," V said with a cocky grin, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she pushed herself to her feet. "What's the plan, boss? More monster hunting?"

J didn't respond immediately, her cold gaze shifting toward N, who was still powered down near the cockpit controls. His frame was folded uncomfortably, his visor dark, and his body completely still. For a moment, J hesitated. In sleep mode, N always looked… vulnerable. It reminded her of how fragile they all really were, despite the deadly weapons they carried. But there was no time for sentiment.

She stepped forward and tapped the side of his head lightly, her voice firm but not unkind.

"N, come on. We need you up."

N's visor flickered to life with a faint hum, his systems coming online as he blinked rapidly, his head jerking slightly as he woke. His voice, when it came, was jittery and nervous as usual, as if he were still shaking off the exhaustion from the previous day's battle.

"Huh? Oh, right… right, I'm up. Sorry, J. I was just… recalibrating… or something," N mumbled, rubbing his eyes as if he were a human waking from a deep sleep. He quickly straightened, his visor glowing a faint yellow as he took stock of the situation. "What's… what's the plan?"

J folded her arms, her expression unreadable. "We're going to scout the surrounding area. We need oil, materials to repair the ship, and anything else that can help us figure out where we are. This planet isn't on any of the JC Jenson star charts, so we're running blind," She glanced slightly at the console where the star map supposed to be before continuing "Alongside that we will also map the place so if any future expedition by JC Jenson were to occur they would have all the necessary data to make do."

N nodded quickly, though his visor flickered slightly with unease. "So… we're going back out there? Into… you know… the place with the shadow monsters?" His voice wavered slightly at the mention of the creatures, his memory of the battle still fresh.

J's eyes narrowed but didn't soften. "Yes. And we need to be prepared this time. I want you to pack some oil canisters for the trip. We don't know how long we'll be out there, and we can't afford to run out."

N's tail fluttered nervously behind him as he gave a quick, shaky nod. "Got it. I'll… I'll get right on that," he stammered, quickly making his way toward the ship's storage compartment.

As N scurried off, J turned her attention back to V, who was now pacing the room with a casual, almost predatory grace, her tail moves around with restless energy. Despite her usual cocky demeanor, J could tell that V wasn't entirely unaffected by what they had encountered. The creatures they had fought were unlike anything they had ever seen before—relentless, mindless, and driven by some unseen force. And while V masked her unease with bravado, there was an edge to her movements that hadn't been there before.

V caught J's gaze and raised an eyebrow, her smirk never fading. "So, what's the plan when we run into those shadow freaks again?" she asked, her voice casual yet tinged with excitement. "'Cause let's be real, we're gonna run into them. I can feel it." She twirled one of her arms transforming into a blade twirling playfully, the metallic sound of it slicing through the air sending a chill through the room.

J's expression remained cold and calculating as she considered the question. "We're not here to fight. Not unless we have to. Our goal is to conserve energy and find resources. If we do encounter them, we need to be efficient. No wasting energy on unnecessary attacks."

V's smirk faltered slightly, and she tilted her head, eyeing J with a mixture of curiosity and skepticism. "Efficient, huh? Sounds like you're planning for a worst-case scenario."

J's eyes flickered with a faint glow as she turned toward the storage compartment where N was rummaging. "We're not dealing with animals, V. These things don't act like normal creatures. They don't retreat, they don't bleed, and they don't stop coming. We need to be prepared, or we won't make it through the night."

V folded her arms, leaning against one of the ship's damaged walls as she sighed dramatically. "Fine, fine. No playing around. Quick and clean. But if we do run into them, I want dibs on the first one. I've got a score to settle." She flashed a grin, though it didn't reach her eyes.

J didn't respond, her mind already running through potential strategies for dealing with the creatures. The way they evaporated upon death suggested they weren't organic, at least not in the traditional sense. But they weren't drones either. She couldn't shake the feeling that something far more sinister was at play.

J's eyes flickered with a faint glow as she turned toward the storage compartment, where N was busy packing oil canisters into a small, portable case. He looked up as the two approached, his nervous energy returning in full force.

"I-I've got the oil packed," N stammered as he closed the case and lifted it carefully. "It's not much, but it should last us a couple of days, maybe more if we're careful."

J nodded in approval. "Good. We'll take what we can get."

N's visor flickered with relief, though his nervous energy didn't entirely dissipate. "So, uh… do we have a specific direction in mind? Or are we just… you know… wandering around, hoping we don't run into any more of those… things?"

J glanced out the viewport, her eyes narrowing as she scanned the horizon. The landscape outside was a barren, frozen wasteland, the icy ground stretching out endlessly in all directions. There were no landmarks, no signs of life—just the fractured moon hanging ominously above them, casting long shadows across the snow.

"We'll head north," J decided, her voice clipped and decisive. "It's the only direction we haven't explored yet. We'll fly low and fast, cover as much ground as we can without draining too much power. If we spot anything—oil, tech, anything we can use—we investigate. But no unnecessary risks."

V's tails flared slightly as she stretched, her eyes gleaming with anticipation. "Sounds like a plan. And if we run into more of those freaky shadow monsters?"

J's expression didn't change, her voice cold and calculating. "Then we eliminate them. Quickly and efficiently."

N nodded nervously, his visor flickering with anxiety. "Right… quick and efficient… no problem…"

With that, the trio made their way to the ship's exit. The airlock door hissed open, revealing the desolate landscape beyond. The cold wind swept across the frozen ground, carrying with it the faint sound of distant howling—whether it was the wind or something more sinister, none of them could tell. The sky was a deep, inky black, dotted with stars that offered no warmth, no comfort. The fractured moon loomed large on the horizon, its broken pieces casting jagged shadows across the ice.

J was the first to step outside, her wings unfolding as she took to the air with a graceful, mechanical precision. V followed closely behind, her movements fluid and confident, while N hesitated for a moment before finally lifting off, his wings fluttering nervously as he joined the others.

The wind howled around them as they soared above the frozen wasteland, their eyes scanning the ground below for anything—any sign of life, any resource that could help them survive. The landscape stretched out endlessly beneath them, an expanse of ice and snow, broken only by the occasional jagged peak or frozen lake. The silence was almost deafening, broken only by the sound of their wings cutting through the frigid air.

"Stay sharp," J said, her voice cutting through the wind as they flew in formation. "We don't know what we'll find out here, but keep your eyes open for anything—oil, tech, civilizations or anything that looks out of place."

V swooped lower, her eyes gleaming with a predatory excitement. "If we find more of those freaks, I'm calling dibs on the first one," she said with a smirk, though her tone was more serious than usual.

N, flying slightly behind the two, glanced nervously around, his visor flickering with anxiety. "Let's… let's hope we don't run into any more of them, okay? I… I don't think I'm ready for another round of whatever those things were…"

J didn't respond. Her attention was focused on the horizon, where something caught her eye—a faint glow, barely visible against the darkness. It was far off, just a pinprick of light against the vast, icy expanse, but it was definitely there.

"Hold formation," J ordered, her voice sharp and commanding. "There's something up ahead."

The trio flew in silence, the wind howling around them as they sped toward the distant glow. With each passing moment, the light grew brighter, and J's mind raced with possibilities. Was it a settlement? A source of power? Or something far more dangerous?

Whatever it was, they were about to find out.

The trio soared through the cold night air, the wind howling around them as the faint glow in the distance grew steadily brighter. J, leading the formation, glanced over her shoulder at V and N, her mind racing with possibilities. Whatever this distant light was, it was the first sign of civilization they had encountered on this planet, and it could be their only chance to find supplies—or answers.

"Thoughts?" J's voice cut through the wind, sharp and direct. She didn't slow her pace, but her focus remained split between the distant glow and her teammates.

V, flying slightly lower, smirked as she adjusted the angle of her wings to glide more smoothly through the frigid air. "Could be a town, maybe a settlement. Or…" she paused, her eyes glinting with excitement, "a trap. Wouldn't be the first time we've been lured into something nasty."

N, who was flying slightly behind both of them, looked far less enthusiastic. His visor flickered nervously as he scanned the village below, his wings fluttering with anxiety. "I don't like this," he mumbled, his voice tinged with apprehension. "If there are people down there, why haven't they tried to contact us? I mean, we're not exactly being subtle here…"

J's eyes narrowed as she surveyed the scene below. N had a point. If this village was inhabited by any sentient life, they should have picked up on the ship's presence by now. The glow wasn't artificial like a beacon—it was the light of something far more primitive. Fire.

"No signals," J muttered, her tone more thoughtful than worried. "No signs of life, either. We'll approach cautiously. V, stay sharp. N, keep scanning for anything unusual," J ordered, her voice cold and steady. "If there's any hostile presence, we handle it. If not, we scavenge what we can and get out."

"Got it," V said, her wings twitching slightly as she prepared for action. N just gave a quick nod, his visor pulsing as he ran scans.

As they continued to close the distance, the light resolved itself into the unmistakable flicker of flames. The air, which had been filled with the scent of frost and snow, was now tinged with something more acrid—the faint, unmistakable odor of smoke. The closer they flew, the more the outlines of buildings began to take shape against the dark horizon—structures that looked small and crude from a distance but grew larger and more defined with each passing second.

"Looks like… a village?" V mused, her wings beating faster as she dipped lower toward the ground. Her tone was almost disappointed. "Not exactly the bustling metropolis I was hoping for."

J narrowed her eyes, scanning the scene below. The village sprawled out in the valley beneath them, a collection of small buildings clustered together in a rough grid. But something was wrong. Many of the structures were damaged, their roofs collapsed or their walls reduced to rubble. In the center of the village, a few houses were still burning—though the flames were weak, little more than embers now, as if the fires had been left to burn out on their own.

"It's been hit," J said aloud, her voice grim. "Recently, by the looks of it."

V swooped lower, her wings brushing against the cold air as she hovered just above the ground. "Not much of a hit, though. Whatever did this didn't finish the job. Fires are still going, but barely."

N's visor flickered as he hovered above the village, his wings fluttering nervously. "But… by what? There's no signs of life."

V grinned, though there was an edge to her usual bravado. "Maybe whatever hit them is still around. Make some good target practice."

J ignored her, her eyes scanning the village with cold precision. From their vantage point in the air, she could see that the destruction was widespread but recent—the smoke still rose from some of the buildings, and the fires hadn't had time to consume everything. Whoever had lived here had abandoned the village long ago. Hours, days at most.

"We're going down," J ordered, her voice calm but firm angling her wings to descend. "Stay alert. We don't know what we're getting into."

They descended swiftly, landing in the snow-covered streets with barely a sound. The ground crunched beneath their boots as they took in their surroundings. The village loomed around them—broken windows, splintered wood, piles of debris littering the ground. The air smelled of ash and something sharp, metallic, that made N's visor flicker with unease.

N's visor flickered as he scanned the area "Where… where is everyone?" N asked, his voice shaky as he scanned their surroundings. "There's no one here, J. Not a single body. Just… wreckage."

J's eyes were cold and calculating as she walked down the main street, her wings folding behind her as she began to walk down the main street as she surveyed the area. "This looks like a mining village," she muttered, noting the rusted equipment scattered around—pickaxes, carts, conveyor belts leading toward the distant mountains. The tools were old, primitive by their standards, but some were more advanced, sparking faintly with dying energy cells. "The tools. They're Primitive but functional."

V walked over to one of the mining carts, giving it a light kick. It rolled a few inches before stopping. "Mining, huh? That explains the mess. Maybe they overloaded their generators. Still, doesn't explain the fires." She glanced around, her eyes narrowing as she picked up a discarded tool. "And 'primitive' is putting it lightly. This stuff looks like it's from the 21st century. I mean, who still uses manual pickaxes?" She look around again analyzing the devastated village "And they way how this place look destroyed this isn't just an accident, J. This place was attacked."

N crouched beside one of the tools, his visor flaring as he scanned it. "It's… it's old," he murmured, standing up quickly. "Really old. Centuries behind us. And the buildings—brick and wood. Almost medieval by our standards."

He paused, scanning again. "This stuff… it looks man-made. Human, even. But…" His visor glowed faintly as he processed the data. "But that doesn't make sense. This isn't a human planet. At least, it's not supposed to be."

J's gaze hardened as she processed this. The village, the technology—it didn't belong here. The ship's scanners had marked this system as uninhabited, devoid of sapient life. And yet here they were, standing in the ruins of what looked disturbingly like a human settlement or at least, something close to it.. Then again, the ship's scanners had only had a brief window to map the planet before they crashed. Maybe something had slipped through.

"So, what do you thinki?" V asked, leaned against a half-collapsed wall, her eyes gleaming with curiosity her voice filled with amusement. "So… what do you think? Humanoid aliens? Something like those Star Trek types, or maybe those Twi'lek ones from Star Wars? who's in the early stages of the Industrial Revolution? Or perhaps their version of the digital age ?."

N's visor flickered nervously as he glanced around. "I don't know, V. I mean, look at this place. The architecture, the tools—it all feels… human. But that doesn't make sense. This isn't a human colony. It can't be. We'd know if there was a colony this far out."

V nodded. "Maybe… or maybe something even weirder. But if they were advanced enough to build all this, why didn't they fight back?"

J's mind raced as she scanned the village again. The tools, the buildings, the destruction—it was all too familiar. Too human. But how? None of the star charts had indicated human settlements anywhere near this system. And yet, here they stood, in a village that looked straight out of the 21st century.

"If this is an alien species," J said quietly, "they've mimicked human architecture almost perfectly. That… or we're dealing with one hell of a coincidence."

V raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into a smirk. "Coincidence? Sure, let's go with that. But come on, J, this place iswaytoo human." She pointed to a sign hanging crookedly from a nearby building. It was faded, the letters barely visible under soot and grime, but it was unmistakable:Welcome to Wales. Beside it, another sign:SDC.

"What does that mean?" V asked, squinting at the letters. "Some kind of alien language?"

J shook her head. "It's not in our database. Doesn't match any known human dialect. And yet… it looks like human writing."

N tilted his head, staring at another sign that readCaution: Volatile. "It's not just the writing," he said quietly. "The buildings, the tools, the layout of the village… it's all so similar to human settlements from the 21st century. This tech is ancient."

"Indeed," J replied, her voice distant as her mind raced.

The trio moved deeper into the village, The further they went the more they began to notice more signs of destruction. Buildings that had been torn apart, debris scattered across the streets. But there were no bodies, no signs of the people who had once lived here. It was as if they had simply vanished, leaving behind only the remnants of their lives.

"This place is ancient by our standards," J said quietly as they passed by a series of mining carts, many of them upturned or broken. "But they're functional."

N's visor flickered as he scanned one of the nearby carts. "It's weird, though. The energy cells they were using—they're depleted, but they don't look like any standard cells we've seen. The tech looks familiar, but the power source is… different."

J stopped in her tracks, her eyes narrowing as she turned toward N. "Different how?"

N crouched down beside one of the carts, his visor glowing faintly as he examined the remnants of a broken energy cell. "It's not powered by standard fuel or solar energy. Whatever was powering this… it's crystalline in structure." He paused, his voice tinged with confusion. "It's not in our database. This… this doesn't match any known energy source."

J knelt beside him, her eyes narrowing as she examined the remnants of the cell. The crystals were faintly glowing, even in their depleted state, casting a soft, eerie light. "This isn't any kind of crystal we've encountered before. Whatever it is, it's powerful."

V knelt beside them, picking up one of the shards and holding it up to the light. "Crystals, huh? Not exactly cutting-edge tech for the 3rd millennium. But I'll give them this—these things pack a punch. If they were using this to power their tools and equipment… well, maybe they weren't as primitive as we thought."

J's eyes remained fixed on the crystal, her mind racing with possibilities. "If this civilization was using crystals as a power source, then they must have weapons that we don't have an equivalent of. They had access to energy we don't fully understand."

N looked up, his visor flickering nervously. "But if they were so advanced, why didn't they fight back? Why is the village in ruins? What happened here?"

J's eyes narrowed as she moved toward the center of the village, her wings twitching slightly. The more she looked around, the more unsettling the situation became. The layout of the village, the technology, even the signs—it all pointed to a civilization that was terrifyingly similar to their own at least in the 21st century. And yet, something was off. The destruction was too recent, too violent. Whatever had destroyed this village hadn't left any survivors.

"Whoever lived here," J muttered, her voice low, "they were wiped out. And recently. But by what?"

V crouched down beside a smoldering pile of wood, her fingers trailing through the ash. "Could be those shadow monsters we ran into." Her voice was less playful now, more serious. "They fought like nothing I've seen before—unnatural, terrifyingly strong. I bet they could give the military a run for their money, at least in the 21st century." She paused, a thought coming to her mind. "Maybe this village was their target, and we just happened to be in the way when they finished up."

J considered this, folding her arms as she looked around. It made a certain kind of sense—those creatures had been far too powerful to be random. The village's destruction could've been the result of their attack. But there wasn't enough data to draw any solid conclusions yet. It was all speculation.

"Maybe," J said, her voice distant. "But there's no way to know for sure. Not yet."

They continued their grim exploration, moving deeper into the village, searching for anything that could give them answers—or, more importantly, something useful. Their ship was still damaged from the crash, and with limited resources, they wouldn't last long without repairs.

N was the first to speak up again, his voice hesitant. "We need to find something—anything—that could help us fix the ship. We're running low on power, and if we can't get the systems back online…"

J nodded, her expression hard. "I know. That's our priority. Let's focus on what we can salvage."

V glanced around, her eyes scanning the wreckage. "The tech here might be ancient by our standards, but some of it still works. If we can find enough energy cells or something compatible, we might be able to rig it to work with the ship's systems."

N knelt beside one of the mining carts again, his visor glowing as he scanned the equipment. His voice was tinged with both hesitation and hope. "These energy cells are depleted, but… the crystal structure is still holding power. If we can extract the remaining energy, we might be able to repurpose it for the ship. It's not much, but it could be enough to get us through."

J knelt beside him, inspecting the remnants of the crystal-powered cells. Her mechanical expertise kicked in as she examined the structure closely. "I can work with this," she said, her tone sharp with focus. "I'll need to run some tests, but if I can stabilize the energy release, we might be able to convert it into something the ship's systems can use."

N nodded, his visor flickering as he processed the data. "I can help isolate the energy flow. I'll assist with the extraction, but the conversion… that's your area, J."

J's expression tightened with determination. "It won't be perfect, and it won't last long, but it might give us enough power to get the ship operational again. At least for a short jump to a safer location."

V, who had been scanning the area with a more casual air, glanced over but kept her distance, knowing this was out of her wheelhouse. "I'll keep an eye out for anything useful," she said, kicking at a pile of rubble. "Not that I'm much help with this tech stuff, but hey, I know the basics. I'll see what I can scrounge up."

She moved through the debris, her sharp eyes more focused on security rather than the tech itself. She picked up an old power tool, turning it over in her hands. "The wiring's shot, but maybe there's something in here you can use, J. I'll leave it to you to figure out the rest."

J barely glanced at it, her mind already racing with more critical tasks. "Thanks, V," she muttered absentmindedly, before moving toward another nearby building, her gaze sharp as she searched for anything that might help.

Inside, she found what appeared to be a workshop. The walls were lined with rusted tools, most of them too damaged to be of much use. But in the corner, a small generator caught her eye. It looked more advanced than the other equipment, and despite its wear and tear, it seemed salvageable.

"This looks promising," J said, stepping inside and motioning for N to join her. "Check this out. It might have been a backup power source."

N hurried over, his visor flickering as he scanned the device. "It's a generator, alright. And it's… partially intact. The power core is damaged, but the energy conversion system is still functional."

J straightened, taking a moment to assess the situation. "I can fix this," she said after a pause. "But we'll need to replace the damaged core. If we can find another crystal or something similar, we can use this to charge the ship's systems."

N hesitated, running another scan of the surrounding area. "That might be tricky, but I'll help you search for compatible parts. Those crystal shards we found earlier might do the trick if we can stabilize them."

J nodded, her mind already running through the calculations. "We'll have to make it work. Let's gather what we can and start the repairs. We don't have much time."


V stood at the edge of the village, her wings twitching. The wind stirred the dust and debris around her, but it wasn't the desolation of the place that bothered her. It was the silence—the kind that gnawed at her, reminding her how little time they had left. She'd wandered away from J and N, not because she was frustrated with them, but because the scavenging was proving pointless. Broken tools, rusted machines, and outdated tech—it was all junk.

J and N were still back in one of the buildings, going over that useless old generator. V wasn't much help with the technical stuff, but even she could see that thing was beyond saving. They were running out of time, running out of options, and they still hadn't found what they needed to get the ship spaceborne again.

She sighed or a robot equvilent of a sigh, squinting at the horizon. The village ended in jagged rocks and rough terrain, the kind of landscape that swallowed whole the hopes of travelers who wandered too far. But something caught her eye—a dark opening in the earth, like a wound in the ground, leading somewhere unknown.

Curiosity stirred in her. She spread her wings and glided over, landing lightly at the edge. Peering down, she saw something glimmering faintly in the shadows. It wasn't just a hole—it was a cave. The walls near the entrance were studded with small, glowing crystals. They looked exactly like the ones they'd seen in the village, powering old mining tools and equipment. Here, though, they were untouched, raw, and potentially far more powerful.

V crouched, her sharp eyes scanning the entrance. This had to be the source of the villagers' power. If the cave was filled with these crystals, it could be the solution they were desperately searching for.

Her fingers tapped the radio clipped to her belt. "J, N—you both need to get over here. I found something."


Back at the building, J and N were working in silence. The wrecked core lay exposed, a tangled mess of circuits and burnt-out components. The more they searched, the more apparent it became: the thing was dead.

J stood, wiping her hands on her pants, frustration tightening her chest. "It's useless. Without a replacement core, we're stuck."

N didn't even look up. His visor flickered as he scanned the remnants of the machine. "The crystals we found are too small. They're not enough to power something like this. We need a larger source."

J nodded, pacing the room as her mind raced. They had some oil left on the ship—enough to keep their systems cool for maybe a week, if they rationed carefully—but without a new power core, they wouldn't survive long enough to find more. They would overheat.

"We can try cobbling something together from the junk around here," N suggested, though his tone lacked conviction.

"No," J muttered. "We can't afford to gamble on makeshift repairs. We need something reliable—something that'll last."

Just then, V's voice crackled through J's radio. "Hey, J, N—you both need to get over here. I found something."

J frowned, motioning for N to follow. "What is it, V?"

"A cave," V's voice replied, excitement barely contained. "I think I found where the villagers were mining those crystals. And there's a lot more down here."

J exchanged a glance with N. "We're on our way."


The two flow through the village, the sound of their flaps echoing in the eerie silence, the remains of the settlement looming around them. As they reached the edge of the village, they spotted V standing at the mouth of a large hole in the ground. As they land in front of her.

"Took you long enough," V said with a grin, her tail twitching as she gestured toward the cave. "This looks like the main mining area. I flew down a bit and saw more of those crystals in their natural state. They're everywhere."

J peered into the darkness, following the faint glimmer of the crystals. "This must be where they got their power," she mused. "If these crystals are as powerful as we think, they might be exactly what we need."

N knelt down, his visor scanning the cave entrance. "The energy signatures are strong," he admitted, "but unstable. We don't know what we're walking into down there."

V shrugged. "We need those crystals. Without them, the ship's not going anywhere. And we're almost out of time. We've got, what, a week of oil left if we're careful? We can't afford to sit around waiting for a better option."

J nodded. "The ship's core is fried. Even with the oil we have left, we'll overheat in days. If we don't find a solution soon, we're done."

N stood, his visor flickering as he recalculated. "I don't like this. We don't know what's down there. The readings are strange, and the deeper we go, the riskier it gets. It could collapse. There could be more of those creatures."

J crossed her arms, her expression firm. "We don't have a choice, N. The ship's systems are failing, and we need a replacement core. If we don't find something to cool ourselves and fix the engines, we'll be stranded here. And then, we'll overheat and die."

"I get that," N said, his voice tight with frustration. "But we don't know what's in that cave. The energy could be unstable, or the crystals could be dangerous in their raw form."

V stepped forward, her tail twitching with impatience. "Look, sitting around here isn't going to fix anything. We've already seen what these crystals can do. If there's a chance we can power the ship and find something to help with our cooling issue, we have to take it."

N clenched his fists, scanning the entrance again. His instincts screamed caution, but he couldn't deny the urgency of the situation. They were running out of time. Finally, he nodded in resignation.

"Fine," he muttered. "But we stick together. If things go bad, we pull out."

V smirked, nudging him. "Relax, N. We'll be fine. You've got me and J watching your back."

J nodded, her expression resolute. "Quick and clean. We grab what we need and get out."

The trio stood at the cave's entrance, the faint glow of the crystals casting shadows over their faces. The air felt cooler here, almost heavy, as if the cave itself was holding its breath. J took a step foward, her tail twitching in anticipation.

"This is it," she said quietly, her voice cutting through the stillness. "Let's move."

With that, the trio descended into the cave, the darkness swallowing them as they ventured deeper into the unknown.


To be honest with you all I find this chapter to be quite a mess and I find their reaction to the pressence of the village which is a sign civilization to be quiet underwhelming there might be room for improvement but for now this is all I can do might do a rewrite later but for now here is chapter 5 after a week since last update.

Now as for now our trio find themselves in the village looking for anything they could salvage to help them and now they found a cave that is filled with dust but are they truly alone though ? And what happen to those villagers and where are there bodies ? Stay tune on next chapter of Remnant: Disassembly.

Also that part where V comment on using manual pickaxe despite Uzi and Nori using it in canon well lets just say due to them living on Earth they don't know that on outer colonies they still use those especially by worker drones.

Reviews.

ChimaTigon : Just so you know I'm still thinking about it.

Guest : language and also sorry but how else that I'm going to have him think on who the trio are without making any assumptions ?

Theheroneeded : Its Bram so it make sense he will be a glory hound as for when just wait and see and I already put clues in chapter 4

MidKnightMoonglow99 : Well he does have a "problematic personality" as Ironwood say and also thanks for the advice.

Ssgtsplatter : When this take place will a be reveled and you might see some clues on when this take place if you read more carefully in Chapter 4 and as for N being friend with Penny well he might be but I wouldn't say she would be Uzi replacement in Remnant.

OmegaKing99 : Thanks and yes the plot thickens

Noire12 : Bingo yup this takes place several years before canon but specially when ? Just wait and see.

Guest 2 : Bram

The Court of Talons: Don't worry and thanks Bram would definetly make a good antagonist for these Robot Vampire Angels.

Redpo12 : I just change it so thanks.

MurderTitansFan : I try my best.

BoshWag: Glad you like it and also glad to be your first favorite stories and yeah there's going to be a lot of changes because of the murder Trio for simply being here and don't worry this won't be the typical route where charcters just become tag along for Team RWBY and the rest of the beacon cast if your wondering. As for the Grimm yeah might try and create some original Grimm if Im up to it perhaps take some Inspiration from 40K.

Blake : Yes and Yes and screw those Grimm.

Anyway that is all I hope you enjoy and I hope you all have a wonderful day/night! Take Care! Thank you all and stay healthy.