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Chapter Text

It was supposed to be a simple mission: check in on a Hidden Path safe house on a planet in the far Outer Rim that hadn't been reported in a while and then leave. But nothing was ever simple for Cal. He should know this by now.

Cal had taken the Mantis alone for this mission with BD-1. Merrin and Greez were staying on Tanalor with Kata to oversee work on new homes with other members of the Hidden Path. The hideout had been safe, only dealing with errors on comms he and BD were quick to fix.

The journey back wasn't so simple, however. The Mantis was ambushed by a sudden imperial patrol hot on their heels. It was far too risky to hyperspace jump back to Kohboh, let alone Tanalor. So he'd taken a blind jump to hyperspace with Cal trying to use the Force to guide him to safety. As usual, however, something went wrong. A blast to the back of that ship between the shields had sent their systems haywire right as they jumped. 

By the time they came out of hyperspace, Cal had a killer migraine, and the navigation readings were haywire. Did he black out? He wasn't sure.
He rubbed his temples at the console as the ship drifted through some unknown system. "Ugh, BD? What's our status?" He asked 

BD chirped some binary and hurried to the holotable to take readings. Shields still working. Fuel half full. Long-ranged navigation failing. Hyperdrive failing. Other systems intact.

Cal cursed. "Of course. The two things we need." He started flipping switches. Where the kriff were they? 

"I don't have this system in databanks. Can you scan for anything we can safely land on for repairs? Maybe a ship port?" 

BD trilled back a diagnosis. The system they were in had nine planets, one with enough life signs to be marked as habitable. Four of those planets were gas planets, and the rest didn't have any suitable life signs. They could land on them sure, but there was nothing on them to use.

It made deciding where to land easier. "Send me the coordinates." He called to BD. 

He had the coordinates before he even finished talking. He smiled and keyed them in. "Thanks B." 

BD bweeped back and returned to the co-pilot's chair.

Once they were cruising along, he tried to look into sending a comm signal to his team. He knew Tanalor wouldn't be reachable. They were still trying to figure out communications across the Abyss, so that was a no-go. But if he could reach a member of the Hidden Path on their channels, they could hopefully get a message back to Merrin. 

Comms were weak at best. He must've been really far out. He still didn't know what region of the galaxy he was in. If he was even still in the galaxy. (A worry to shelve for later) But he sent one anyway with a prayer to the Force it would get through.

'Alive. Safe. Hyperdrive Damaged. Be Back Soon - K.'

Was it enough? No. Merrin was going to chew him out when he got back for being vague and reckless. But it would have to be enough for now. He'd have sent his coordinators, too, but no long-range navigation meant he didn't even have that. 

When the planet came into view, he was at least happy to see from afar that there was greenery. And water. A lot of water. That meant life and, hopefully, settlements. He hoped whoever lived on this planet could give him directions or, if hostile, leave him be. He just needed to fix his ship and get out…

Okay, maybe also explore the planet a little bit too. He couldn't help it; he and BD were like minded like that. Endlessly curious about the undiscovered. What secrets could this planet hold? So long as he got the ship fixed, he could scope out the area a little bit, right? Just to make sure it was safe. Maybe it could serve as a safe house location, too.

As they lowered into the atmosphere of the planet, he started doing a general short range scan. Just to get the usual read of the land. It really was beautiful. Tall mountains capped with snow, sweeping forests of green. He could even see a desert not far off and a shoreline far in the other direction from just the region he was landing in. He'd never seen a planet with such a variety of climates before. It was exciting! He wondered where he should land the Mantis first-

The Force pinged around him, and he swerved the ship to the left. A large blur of metal blew past the Mantis, and he heard a distorted, mechanised shriek loud enough to rattle the ship. 

Cal leaned closer over the console to look out the front window better. BD-1 mirrored his movement with a surprised bwoop. The amalgamation of metal flew back past the ship and out in front of it, gliding through the air to turn on the Mantis again.

For a brief moment, Cal thought it was some sort of high-tech ship. But he quickly realised it was... he didn't even know what to call it. It looked like a bird. An enormous one at that. Only it was made of metal and pulsed with purple energy. He'd never seen a droid that big before! It was almost as big as the Mantis! 

"What the kriff is that?!" Cal yelled out as he looked through the glass. He started flipping switches to prep the Manits's guns. That bird didn't look friendly. It reminded him too much of the gorgara on Dathomir.

The droid bird cried out again, and its eyes turned red as it focused on the ship. Not friendly! It dived bombed at the ship again, and Cal swerved on the steering wheel to lurch the ship to the side, swinging the fin of the ship around to smack the bird out of the air. 

There was a crunching sound and a distorted mechanical cry as it hit the creature, but Cal could sense electricity in the air, even from within the ship. The Force was tense with danger. The droid bird wasn't done with them yet. 

He slammed on the thrusters to get ahead and checked their sensors from behind. The droid bird was already back in the air and giving chase.
BD bwooped as he pressed more buttons.

"I know it's gaining on us!" He yelled at the small droid, "Dammit. Keep the ship steady!" He ordered BD and got up. 

BD replaced Cal's presence on the console, pressing buttons and plugging his scomp link into the console.

Cal went to the guns and manned the canons. He carefully took aim as the bird got closer. Just when he had a clean shot, he took it… and missed. Kark. The bird easily swooped under the blast and tried to grab the back of the ship with its large claws. It only barely missed.

Storm clouds were gathering in their air and seemed to be following the large bird. Its chest started glowing. He'd faced enough zeffo temple guardians to guess what was about to happen. 

But he saw it. An opening. Like the guardians, the bird seemed to hover in place to ready its shot.

Cal readied another cannon blast. "BD! All power to the shields and canon!" He yelled.

BD bwooped that he was crazy but did so anyways. The ship slowed just a little from the power divergence.

Electricity crackled from the bird's chest as it readied its strike. Lighting bellowed around it, and thunder clapped before the bird sent its blast out at the Mantis with a cry. Cal fired his shot at the exact same time. 
His shot was a direct hit. 

His blast shot through the bird's chest with a loud clap like thunder in the sky, leaving a large hole where Cal assumed its core must be. The bird made no cry as it fell; all light and power to it just stopped, and the now large hunk of lifeless metal dropped from the sky like a stone. 

Unfortunately, the blue electric ball from the bird was also a direct hit. 
The Mantis's shields protected them from the worst of the damage. But it sent a wave of blue electricity over the ship, short circuiting everything. Power went in and out, and Cal cursed again, rushing back to the pilot seat. 

Thankfully, BD had disconnected himself from the ship before the blast could affect the poor droid. But it meant the ship was now set for a swift emergency landing.

Cal looked around and saw a large clearing further out in the rainforest he could use, just bordering on the expanse of the desert he could see. It was the best he was going to get. 

"Hold on, BD!" Cal yelled out as he unlatched the landing gear, gripped the steering wheel, and pulled up on it, bracing for impact. 

The Mantis landed in the clearing with a deafening crash, skidding along the wet dirt and knocking over several large trees in the process. Cal and BD were thrown off the console and onto the cockpit floor. 

When the ship stopped moving, Cal groaned and sat up, "You okay bud?" He called, rubbing his back from the rough landing.

BD chirped and hopped back onto the co-pilot's chair, looking down at him.

"Yeah yeah I know. Another crash landing. Not a word to Greez, alright?" 

Another chip.

"No, no stim needed, I'm fine." He pushed off the floor and started flipping switches at the console to see what systems were still active. He didn't know how the ship still had power after that, but he was grateful for it, at least.

BD started listing new diagnostics. Hyperdrive and long-range navigation are still inoperable. Comms and weapons were damaged but still operable. Short-range navigation is still intact. Fuel still half full. Shields Damaged. Hull damaged. Space flight not recommended.

Cal groaned and rubbed his face. Great. Now he was stranded. 
"Had to pick the one planet with a giant killer droid bird in the sky. Good job Cal." He muttered to himself 

He walked to the holotable, bringing up his brief scan of the planet. The air was breathable, at least, and the climate was humid in his current landing zone. So, at least he wouldn't die going outside from the elements. Which was good, considering he'd need to leave to start surveying repairs and check the area for more hostiles. 

He wanted to hope that the giant droid bird was just a freak occurrence, but he knew that, given Cal's luck, not even Greez would bet on those odds. 

He looked over the planet on the holotable "Well, the air's breathable at least. Any sign of imperial comms?" He asked BD, who perched next to him on the table.

BD pressed some buttons and trilled back a no. That made him hopeful that this wasn't at least some secret imperial hideout testing new weapons of destruction. But a droid like that had to be man-made, so the fact it wasn't imperial didn't fill him with confidence either. Who in their right mind would build a death machine like that?!

"Well that's good, at least. Hey, maybe we found another Tanalor?" He joked to the droid as he packed his things, trying to lighten the mood. BD had all his stims. He had his lightsaber and blaster, food, water, rebreather... That should be everything. 

BD stomped his feet at the Jedi, reminding him of the giant bird that just shot down their ship.

"Okay, maybe not." He went back to the holotable and reviewed the scans. "There's a structure east of here we can check out. Might help give us a lay of the land."

BD bwooped as he climbed to Cal's back.

"We need to check the damage to the hull first, but then we'll go. Okay? Don't think I haven't forgotten last time you ran out to scan alone." He teased his droid, chuckling at the indignant bweeps BD replied with.

He opened the door and walked down the ramp as it extended.
The humid, fresh air was nice to breathe, at least compared to the stale air on the ship. The sun was high in the sky and shone down on him as he walked out. He raised a hand to shield his eyes as he looked around the clearing. 

"Well… hopefully, that was the last killer droid we see for a bit." He spoke to BD, chuckling as the droid was already quick to hop off his shoulder to the ground and scuttle ahead, eager to start scanning new sights.

"BD wait up!" He called as he chased after in a light jog. 

Chapter Text

Aloy hadn't known what to expect when GAIA informed her of an unknown ship entering the atmosphere. 

She'd expected the worst. Expected NEMESIS to have arrived early and begin wreaking havoc upon the planet. She was glad that wasn't the case, but it left her even more wary now. 

Something else had come to Earth. Was it more Zenith? Another horror sent early by NEMESIS? Or something else? She wasn't sure which answer worried her more.

She flew through the sky on her Sunwing towards the anticipated landing area. In the jungles near Fenrise. Aloy supposed there were worse places it could end up, although, depending on what this was, maybe she wanted a little worse.

"Any updates on its trajectory, Beta?" Aloy asked through her focus to her pseudo sister.

"Nothing yet," Beta's voice replied. "Scans indicate it's a lot smaller than the Odyssey's transport ship, smaller than a Tallneck even."   

"Well, I'll take that as good news." She adjusted her position for better comfort and kept flying.

Beta made a sound of concern "Aloy, are you sure you want to do this alone? I could ask Kotollo to head out and meet you. Safety in numbers and all. We don't know what this could be."   

"Exactly my point. I'm sure, Beta. Whatever this is, I want to see it before we act. Hopefully gain some intel if it's a threat."

"And if it's not?"

"I'll… cross that bridge when I get to it."

She heard a loud rumble in the air and turned her head to the sound. Her eyes widened. She grabbed a hold of her Sunwing and rapidly threw her weight leftwards to make it tilt. 

The large spaceship soared past her through the sky. The sheer velocity of its speed made the clouds curl around the empty space and made her head spin.

A familiar mechanised scream had her ducking her body low to the Sunwing's back to watch as a Stormbird blew past them as well, hot on the heels of the ship. Stormbirds were a daunting foe, but they did make for great airborne defence, even if not the intention. 

"Aloy?! Are you okay?! " Beta's voice sounded panicked

Aloy grunted and realigned herself on the Sunwing. "I'm fine! Looks like our ship met the local wildlife!"

"Be careful!"

Unlike the Odyssey's transport ship, this ship was much smaller, only a little bigger than the Stormbird giving chase. The main hull of the ship was slender, with a large fin-like wing propelled from the top that seemed to swing side to side with the momentum of the ship's movement. 

She urged her Sunwing to follow after the ship and the pursuing Stormbird. She tried to stay back so she would be out of the crossfire. 

Light built up from the underside of the ship and her eyes widened. She forced the Sunwing to dive and watched as a large red blast sailed over her. The Storm Bird had avoided the intended blast as well. She could feel the burning heat from the laser as it passed over her. Great! The ship had laser cannons! Why not?!

She flew back up and watched the dogfight continue. Neither came out on top as a blast from both seemed to knock them out of the skies. The laser blast from the ship tore through the Stormbird's chest and decimated its core, sending it falling to the desert below them. She made a mental note to avoid those cannons. 

The electric blast from the Storm bird also did its job, sending the ship careening down to the rapidly approaching rainforest. It crashed roughly in a large clearing, smoke billowing from the hull. She couldn't tell if the vessel being grounded was a good thing or not. Only one way to know for sure.

"Beta, the Odyssey was the only ship to escape Sirius, right?" She asked, her brow furrowed as she urged her Sunwing to land. 

"That's what the rest of the Zenith told me. They said they were the only survivors. There's no ship like that in any of APOLLO's database either. " Beta gave an annoyed hum over the frequency "I'll keep checking though. What's happened?"

"The ship's grounded. I'm going in to investigate." 

"Okay…" She could hear Beta moving "I'm telling Kotollo and Erend to be on standby, just in case. "

"Beta, I'll be fine."

"Then indulge me at least."

Did she detect sarcasm there? It made her smile. It was nice seeing her sister more at ease and less high-strung. 

"Okay, Fine. But only if I say I need backup."

——

Even if the ship was smaller, it was still daunting in size as she approached. She left her Sunwing behind to glide nearby while she approached. She had her hunter bow out at the ready just in case things got ugly.

She ran a scan of the ship with her focus. It wasn't made of any metal her focus could identify. Nor did it have anything she could override. Even aside from the smoke billowing from it, the ship looked worse for wear. Evidently, it suffered damage even before the Stormbird shot it down. 

Her scan picked up something else on the other side of the ship—a person. She knew the Zenith said they were the only survivors of their colony, but she also knew they weren't above lying or just being plain wrong.

Her focus couldn't pick up any distinct details. But they were on the other side, seemingly surveying the ship. Scans also showed a small machine on the figure's back. She'd never seen a machine so small before.

Her frown deepened. "They look human." She commented quietly, "Beta, when I get a good scan of him, run facial recognition. I wanna see if this is another Zenith we're dealing with. Run DNA too, if you can, just to be safe." Aloy spoke through her focus. 

"On it Aloy. I might be able to recognise him if I see him too." She sounded tense. Aloy couldn't blame her. After all the Zenith put Beta through, it was only reasonable she'd be nervous. 

She avoided getting too close to the large ship in case it had any radar scanning tech she hadn't seen yet. She watched through her focus as the figure suddenly leapt up onto the ship's roof. That wasn't a normal jump humans could make. She kept her body pressed close to the trees as she observed further. At least she could actually see them now.

They looked human enough. She'd guess from her view they were male. She could see from afar he had fiery orange hair like her own. He wasn't dressed like a Zenith either, with a blue vest made of some sort of leather under a white shirt and an orange shoulder pad on one side under leather straps. She hoped that meant no zenith shields either. There was what looked like a gun in a holster on his leg, and he had some sort of long silver cylinder hanging at his hip. They'd stand out like a sore thumb in any settlement. She was too far to get a closer look at his face. But with how similar he looked, calling him an alien felt odd… she'd settle with 'stranger' for now. 

She could see the small machine with him now. It barely reached the stranger's knee and was painted white and red. It had no arms, only two legs to move around on and two antennae sticking out from the top. It didn't look like any animal she recognised, either. 

She let her focus scan him from this distance and sent the data to Beta.

The stranger walked along the top of the spaceship and stopped at a spot where the metal was peeled up from the hull and smoke billowed out. Whether the damage was from the Stormbird or the crash landing was unclear. "Well… found the hull breach," he commented to himself. At least she could understand him.

The small machine on his back hopped off and scuttled to the wreck. It made loud beeps and one of its lenses lit up, scanning the damage. Its antenna flicked back and forth, and it tilted its head up at the other.

"Yeah yeah, I know I can solder it back in place." The stranger looked down at the machine. "Still doesn't change that the processor board is fried. The gyro too." He pushed his hair back out of his face. "Ugh… Greez is gonna kill me."

Was he… talking to it? Impossible. You couldn't talk to machines, not unless they had advanced AI. 

The small machine bweeped back up at the stranger. He scoffed, "Oh ha ha, very funny BD." 

Okay, maybe he could talk to it. That didn't make her feel any less tense.

Aloy narrowed her eyes as she watched the droid climb back up onto the stranger's shoulder while they continued examining his ship. This was strange. He wasn't acting like the Zenith she'd met before. They were all uncanny. Human, but lacking in humanity. This stranger seemed more… alive, she supposed the word would be. More expressive in his words and movements. It didn't mean he wasn't a threat, however. Why had he come to Earth? Was he running from NEMESIS? Did he even know what that was? 

"Aloy?" Beta's voice through her focus momentarily startled her.

"Yeah?"

"I got your scan of him." She sounded surprised," It's not enough for facial recognition, but I don't think it's needed."

"Why do you say that?" 

"Because his DNA isn't human."

"It's not?" Aloy paused. "It's not, I don't know, like the Zenith or something?" 

She could imagine Beta shaking her head."No. It's similar to ours. In some ways, it's practically identical. But there are small changes in the helixes that I've never seen on anyone before. There are organs and bones in his body that look like ours, but they're constructed all wrong. He didn't originate from Earth." Beta sounded excited now. 

"Huh…" Aloy was less so.

"Aloy, this is incredible! Humans have been asking if there was life beyond the stars all this time and now we have our answer! Perhaps he's a slightly different species variation like humans are to Neanderthals!"

"Beta, slow down. We don't want to get ahead of ourselves here." Aloy warned.

"It is certainly fascinating to discover that life beyond humanity is, in fact, so similar to us. I wonder if there are more like them or if they'd be open to showing us. " Sylens' voice suddenly mused through their frequency.

Aloy stopped and then scowled at the sudden interruption. "Sylens, I told you to stop listening on my comms." 

"You did, but you will need all the help you can get, given you are encountering an alien life form. Perhaps they will be able to give us insight into our NEMESIS dilemma. Unless you would rather just kill this unknown threat and let such knowledge be squandered."  

Aloy scowled at that but didn't reply. She hated when the man had a point. She didn't know what this stranger wanted but if he could help her regarding NEMESIS, she'd gladly take it. If he threatened the safety of her planet however… She'd deal with him the same way she'd dealt with the rest. 

Chapter Text

The stranger eventually left his ship and started to trek east. There were Old Ones ruins in that direction, so she assumed he must be on his way to investigate them. 

She kept at a distance but followed suit, pacing her movements carefully to stay in time with the other and remain hidden. She wanted to test more of how the stranger reacted to Earth. Would he treat it with disdain? Or care? He seemed curious enough.

His machine certainly was. It kept leaping from his back to go ahead and scan everything. From trees to flowers to rocks, everything seemed up for scanning. The stranger didn't seem to mind, though. If anything, he looked amused by the antics. She'd admit to herself the little machine was cute in its own way.

When the trees began to part and open up to a collection of Old Ones buildings, the stranger paused. She watched his head tilt up to look at the old, rusted structures with a frown. "This is… ancient…" he commented to his machine. BD, she heard him call it. 

BD bwooped and scanned the first wall he passed, which had long openings for missing windows and rusted metal walls. It stopped scanning and trilled to its owner.

The stranger paused his walk and stared at the machine. "It's how old?! " he exclaimed, eyes wide. "Kriff… that predates the High Republic!"

High Republic? She mentally filed that name away to look into later. She had to leave the safety of the trees to keep following. She quickly rolled to take cover in the red ferns that grew in patches through the ruins.

What worried her was how the patches of grass between buildings lay flat. Something large passed through here. Another machine, most likely. She couldn't tell what kind through. She hadn't seen any other signs. All she could see was that it was massive in size.

The stranger continued to walk through the ruins. "BD, stay close to me. Something feels off here." He muttered to his machine. She couldn't tell if she was glad or not that he seemed to sense something off as well.

BD trilled back something that she guessed was agreement.

He paused by the ruins of an old tank half buried by rubble and dirt half wedged on the side of a rusted building, perfectly reclaimed by nature. Vines blooming with red flowers hung from its broken and rusted guns. 

He seemed to stare intently at the tank for a moment before reaching out to it and placing his palm over the metal, concentrating. He held the position for a moment before gasping. He stumbled back from the wreck, looking at his hand. 

BD bwooped at him with what Aloy assumed was concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine, buddy. Just…" He looked at the ruined tank. "Droids destroyed this… All of this, but… Why? What happened here?" he asked aloud.

Aloy stared at him from the ferns, confusion racking her brain. How did he know all that from a single touch? Did he have some sort of scanning tech she didn't see? She thought the machine was doubling as his scanner, like her focus.

"How peculiar. He's more interested in Old Ones history than most of humanity ought to be. Almost reminds me of you." Sylens commented

Aloy wanted to tell him to shut up but didn't want to risk giving away her position, so she bit her lip and kept silent.

BD trilled some binary at him and scuttled ahead, stopping at the remains of another machine. A watcher. It had arrows in its shattered lens and along the metallic chest. It made her tense to see. That machine kill looked fresh, and she knew she didn't do it. So who else was nearby?

The stranger shook his head and followed BD to kneel by it. He pulled an arrow free and looked at it in his hands with a frown. "So it's not just droids on this planet. You ever seen machines like this bud?" 

BD beeped and continued scanning the watcher, perched on its head. Aloy, meanwhile, tried to get closer, hoping her focus could scan the small machine for anything useful.

The stranger stopped trying to examine the watcher and sighed. "I know you're there." He called out, dropping the arrow.

Aloy froze. She could've sworn she hadn't made any noise. 

The stranger stood and looked directly at her in the ferns. He held that strange silver cylinder in one hand; he looked tense. "If you're gonna try to kill me, can you get on with it?" He asked.

BD meanwhile chirped and hopped off the watcher, scuttling right towards her.

Her eyes widened and she preemptively pulled her bow taunt at the ready.

"BD Wait!" The stranger called and chased his machine.

Aloy stood up at that and took aim at the stranger's head with a regular arrow. "That's far enough!" She called out.

The stranger stopped and slowly held up his hands, not moving closer. His eyes widened at the sight of her, scanning her up and down. He seemed just as surprised by her appearance as she had been by his. The little machine stopped too, looking up at her from in front of the ferns and chirping at her curiously.

She was able to get a proper look at his face now. He was tall, maybe about a head taller than her. His red windswept hair blazed a polished copper in the sun, much like her own. He had a similar copper stubble across his face as well. His green eyes looked tired but were scanning her every move, ready to react. He was anticipating a fight. She was too.

"Look, I don't want any trouble." The stranger said slowly.

"Be nice Aloy," Sylens warned. Aloy noticed how the stranger's eyes darted to her focus for a split second and then to her bow.

"So you say," Aloy spoke, keeping her voice steady and her drawstring pulled taunt. "The last time we had unwanted visitors on this planet, they caused a lot more than trouble."

"Unfortunately, I believe you there. But I promise, I just want to fix my ship and go."

"Why should I believe that?" Aloy narrowed her eyes. "Why have you come to Earth?"

The stranger scanned her up and down, slowly lowering his hands. "I take it you've been following me since I landed… It wasn't by choice. We crashed here. Your wildlife isn't particularly friendly."

"We?"

The stranger gestured to the droid, "It's just us." His eyes darted to elsewhere in the ruins, "Wanna tell your friends I'm not a threat either?"

That remained to be seen, but his comment still made Aloy frown. "Friends?" she repeated. None of her team was with her now. They were all back at the mountain base.

Aloy heard a shuffle over stone and metal to the left and turned immediately with her bow towards a shaded corner of the building closest to them, firing her arrow. 

There was a shout, and a body collapsed out of the dark. A man clad in leather and metal armour with a bow in hand, the armour colours immediately denoting his allegiance. Regalla. Damn it all, she thought she'd already taken out the last of the stragglers still loyal to her memory!

The stranger stumbled back at that as shouts came from around them. They were surrounded! Aloy cursed. She'd been so focused on following the stranger that she hadn't thought to check her surroundings!

More of rebels descended from within the ruins, weapons drawn. One that gave her the most concern was a rebel champion who landed the furthest away from them, drawing a long sword of amalgamated metal and energy shield at the ready.

Three rebels drew their bows and fired at the duo.

"Get down! Aloy yelled to the stranger, rolling under the projectiles. She notched two arrows to her bow and fired back. The arrows landed in the chest and shoulder of one of the rebels, sending them sprawling to the ground. 

A strange whirring sound came to life behind her, and she turned her head back. The stranger had also ducked under the arrows and sliced his arm upwards. A long orange blur moved with him and sliced more fired arrows out of the air instantly. 

She stared. What the hell was that thing?!

The stranger looked back at her, his eyes wide. His face and body were bathed in orange light from the… sword? in his hand "Not your friends then?!"

"What do you think?!" She yelled back. 

A rebel came charging at the stranger from behind with a shout, and Aloy reacted quickly, notching another arrow and firing as the stranger turned to defend. Her arrow sailed past the stranger's head and landed straight through the rebel's head instead, bringing them down immediately. 

The stranger looked back, surprised by the save. "Thanks!" 

"Thank me later if we're still alive!" Aloy rolled under the swing of another rebel and drew her spear with her free hand. She stabbed through their stomach and used the momentum to throw the body over her as she moved, refusing to slow down and closing distance on the other archers.

She swung her spear wide, striking the legs of one of them and preceding the knee them in the face when they fell forward. The second rebel leapt back and went to bring his spiked wooden club down on her head. 

A sudden blast of blue energy shot through the head of the rebel, however, and sent them crumbling to the ground, leaving a disconcerting smell of burnt flesh in her nostrils.

She looked back to see the stranger holding his gun out towards her, the barrel smoking. So his gun also fired lasers. Great.

Another rebel came at the stranger with a club at the ready, but he swung his sword of orange light up. It cleanly severed through the wood like hot metal through snow before he stabbed the blade through the rebels chest, kicking them off roughly.

He aimed his gun and fired off two more laser shots at another foe, one through the shoulder and the other through the head, right through their helmet as if it wasn't there. BD was clinging to the stranger's back and watching the ensuing fight around them. The stranger didn't seem affected by their weight at all.

She had a second to breathe and scanned the battlefield. The champion was still getting closer and several more rebels were approaching them. More arrows were fired at the stranger. He seemed to already know where the arrows would be before they got close. His sword moved like an orange blur to cut through any that got close, firing back with his gun when he saw openings.

Now that she could better see the strange weapons the other had, her focus activated to scan them further. 

The other's gun wasn't made of any material her focus could identify, although it had a small power pack attached. It didn't look like any guns she'd seen in Old Ones holos, but its sleek black and gold design made it easily identifiable as a gun.

The sword just made her even more confused. The hilt was made of more unidentifiable silver metal. It was needlessly long for a sword and crude in design, like two seperate hilts connected together. The weapon's blade glowed bright orange and gave off ridiculously high temperatures. Far higher than any other energy melee weapon she'd seen used by any man or machine. It was the kind of weapon she knew could cut her in half with ease if she made the wrong move.

Her focus told her the core of the blade was in the hilt. Something inside it gave off an extremely high-energy signature that powered the blade. In energy contrast, it made the gun's power pack look pathetic. According to the scans, the orange blade appeared to be made of condensed light, like a laser.

"Right, a laser sword. Because why not." She muttered under her breath. Just how many fancy toys did this stranger have?!

"Fascinating. " Sylens mused, unbothered by the danger she and the stranger were in. " Such a weapon would be just as dangerous to its user if misused. "

"Not the time Sylens!" Aloy snapped back as she dropped her bow for a second to pull out her sling. She loaded it with a blaze bomb and fired; it landed directly on one rebel and exploded, sending flames over him and two others next to him. 

As they panicked and struggled to bat out the flames, the stranger grunted and threw his sword in an arc. The single blade spun out in front of him and sliced through the three men with ease, cutting them down. Limbs went flying. She didn't even want to question how the hell the blade returned to his hand.

The stranger turned his head to nod at Aloy in thanks before he rolled back to avoid a sweeping strike from the rebel champion's sword. He swung his sword in retaliation, and it embedded itself in the champion's energy shield. Both looked equally surprised by that. The champion was by how the blade had pierced his shield, and the stranger was by how it didn't go all the way through it. 

She picked up her bow again and ran ahead, notching another arrow and shooting at the champion. The arrow pierced through the champion's lower leg and made the champion shout out, recoiling back. The stranger's sword deactivated, and he leapt away from the energy shield.

She met the stranger back to back; there was still the champion and about four other rebels remained.

The stranger scowled and adjusted his sword hilt. Two small pieces of metal jutted out from near the emitter. His sword lit up again, seeming longer now and the parts of metal on the emitter lit up with even more light to form a cross guard "I've got the big guy if you take out the others," He offered through pants.

Aloy glanced back at him for a moment. "Alright, deal." She muttered. She wouldn't say they were allies. They didn't even know each other's names. But when were surrounded by enemies, one didn't have many options. Might as well see what else the other was capable of in the process. 

She notched an acid arrow to her bow and fired at the closest rebel running at her. The arrow sack exploded on contact and sent metalbite all over the chest piece. 

She took the chance to rush forward and drove her spear through the opening in the armour the metalbite made, impaling their chest. She twisted her body to avoid the next strike from the second. The other two made some distance from her to fire with their bows, but they seemed to pause, watching the stranger's battle with their champion. She couldn't help but turn to watch as well.

The stranger rolled under a swing from the champion's sword and manoeuvred his sword to slice at their back. The champion's shield managed to block the strike. The sword still had enough weight in the strike to make the champion stumble forward, the shield sparking and flickering out.

The stranger held his sword up and blocked when the champion's sword swung back to hit him. The orange laser cleanly severed the metal sword, and the stranger grunted when hit by the metal debris sent flying from the broken weapon.

BD perked up from the back of the stranger and shot out a dart of what looked like blue electricity at the head of the champion. The dark blue lightning did little to hurt them, but it did make the champion recoil back, giving an opening.

The stranger's sword moved in a sweeping motion, slicing up and cleanly severing the sword arm of the champion from his body. The laser sword moved back down quickly to slice across the champion's chest with a shout. The champion finally fell back and didn't get back up.

The stranger panted and turned back to Aloy, then he eyed the two remaining rebels and went for his gun again.

Aloy notched two more arrows and took aim at the last rebels. They didn't charge, though. Instead, they stumbled back, taking off and fleeing the fight. 

She frowned and lowered her bow. "That's… unusually cowardly for tenakth."

She paused when she realised she could hear the painfully familiar sound of machinery moving, stomping through the area close to them.

"Uh… I don't think they're running from us…" The stranger sounded tense. He had turned to face behind them and his eyes were wide, looking pale.

Aloy turned her head to see what the stranger was staring at and blanched at the machine that had appeared between the buildings, stalking through the battle site.

Ursine in design and bursts of fire jetting from its forearms and back. Purple tendrils of wires and energy leached off it. It easily towered over them, and its mandible-like jaw opened into a roar. Its eyes turned red and were locked on them. A Fireclaw. An Apex one at that.

The stranger stared at the machine and readied his sword. "Are we fighting this thing now or running?" He asked her, sounding already fed up. She couldn't blame him. What a welcome to Earth.

"Unless you want this thing chasing you to your ship, we're fighting it." Aloy made sure she had her arrows notched at the ready.

"I was afraid you'd say that."

Chapter Text

The Fireclaw charged at the two of them, and they scattered. Aloy ran left, and the stranger ran right to avoid the charge. The Fireclaw seemed to think the stranger's orange laser sword was the more interesting target, as once it recovered from the charge, it rose up to its hind legs and lunged at him.

The stranger leapt over the first swing from the Fireclaw and twisted his body backwards to avoid the second. He swung his sword, and the blade successfully severed several metal claws from the machine's right paw. 

The Fireclaw backed him into a corner against one of the old, rusted buildings. The stranger looked to one of the thinner support columns beside him that held up part of a half collapsed balcony above them. He gripped his sword tightly and swung it at the column. The superheated blade cleanly sliced through it at an angle, and immediately, the metal groaned; the rusted and eroded balcony gave way and fell onto the Fireclaw with a loud crunch of metal.

The Fireclaw roared and Aloy watched the stranger scramble around the momentarily trapped machine to get free, eyes wide. One of his pants legs was lit up with flames. He frantically batted them out once a reasonable distance away. "Why does it spit fire?!" He yelled at Aloy frantically.

"It just does!" She yelled back as she frantically searched her quiver, recovering a shock arrow and aiming for the power cells on the back of the machine. She fired right as the machine broke free of the rubble. Her arrow missed the cell by a few inches and she cursed.  

Aloy whistled loudly to call her Sunwing, drawing the Fireclaw's attention. 

She notched a Chillwater arrow and sprinted towards the machine. She skidded beneath the first swipe and the jets of fire blasted at her to shoot her arrow into the gaps of the armour plating. Frost spread over the machine's chest for a moment, but it was already starting to melt. Freezing this thing entirely wasn't gonna be easy.

She scrambled out from under the machine quickly, slicing her spear at its back legs. As she did so, she sent off a few more plates of armour . The extra damage cost her, however. The Fireclaw turned and smacked her with the back of its front paw, sending her sprawling to the ground a few feet away with a cry. Her body ached. That was gonna leave a mark.

The Fireclaw faced her as she pushed herself back up. It stood up on its hind legs again to strike down and crush her.

The attack was halted when a blast of purple from above struck the Fireclaw's shoulder, sending metal plating flying off the machine and causing it to stumble back with a loud crunching noise.

Aloy's Sunwing flew overhead, and the fin on its head glowed with purple energy. Another blast of plasma shot down from its fin, striking the Fireclaw again as it passed. Aloy breathed a sigh of relief for a moment. She was glad to have her Sunwing on standby. She'd have overridden another machine to help in the fight, but there weren't any nearby to allow for that.

She felt hands help her up and turned to see the stranger next to her again, his weapons momentarily sheathed to help her stand. 

She pulled away once up but nodded in thanks.

The Fireclaw made a sound like metal tearing, and its claws dug into the earth. Flames jetted out from its forearms as it did so, setting the debris it unearthed alight as it hurled it upwards towards the Sunwing. The flying machine avoided the first two molten boulders, but the third hit it directly in the chest. The attack sent it careening to the Earth with a loud crash. Sparks exploded from where it landed, and the machine didn't get up. 

Aloy scowled. So much for the extra aid.

More shots from the stranger's gun drew the Fireclaw's attention away from the Sunwing and to the stranger next to her. It seemed to scan the two for a moment and dug its paws onto the ground again, unearthing a large chunk of broken concrete before throwing the huge slab at them both. As it flew at them, the concrete broke into multiple chunks of molten rock.

She rolled out of the trajectory of the rubble, but it never came. She felt a strange ripple in the air next to her. Not the wind. She couldn't explain what it was. But she felt something. The largest chunk of concrete stopped midair and fell to the ground ahead of her with a slam as if it hit an invisible wall. She took advantage of the sudden new cover to scramble behind it, avoiding more falling debris. The adrenaline of the fight kept her from dwelling on that for now, but it left her with more questions. What the hell was that?

The stranger scrambled next to her behind t he concrete, redrawing his two weapons and narrowly avoiding more flaming rock. He looked at Aloy.

"Don't suppose you know how to kill this thing, do you?" The stranger asked. 

She nodded. "I know its weak points. How good of a shot are you with that gun?"

"Decent enough. Just tell me where to aim. BD can-" he paused and looked to his shoulder. He seemed to have realised now that the droid wasn't with him. His focused expression turned frantic "BD-1?!"

A loud, frantic trill from the other side of the debris made them both turn to look around it. BD was by some overturned metal brought down from the collapsed balcony. The little machine's leg was caught under some twisted metal, trapping it. 

Fireclaw also turned its head to the sound, its red eyes flickering down at BD. BD's antenna flicked back, and it shrank down against the rubble.

The stranger blanched. " BD! " He shouted and shot out from around their cover. He drew his gun again and fired several shots at the Fireclaw. One shot struck through one of the machine's eyes while the other blasts left singed holes in the metal. The struck eye sparked and dimmed out, half blinding the machine. The Fireclaw roared, diverting its attention from the smaller target and onto the stranger again.

He waved his hands. "That's right! Over here you oversized bucket of bolts! " He fired two more shots at it. The machine roared and fire jetted from its back, going for the charge.

Damnit! She hadn't even had time to make a proper plan! She quickly rounded the other side of the rock and sprinted for the small machine. Better to get it free now so as to not worry later. 

The stranger shot at the charging machine several times and raised his sword defensively. He rolled under the first swipe that came at him and struck backwards, the heated blade severing more metal claws from the left paw this time. 

While the stranger kept the Fireclaw busy, Aloy sprinted to BD. She skidded to a stop in front of the droid and grabbed the old metal pinning it down. With a grunt, she lifted it just high enough for BD to crawl free. 

The small machine chirped and scuttled to her, looking up at her and bobbing its head. Was it trying to thank her?

"Uh.. you're welcome? " She said hesitantly, "Just don't get separated again."

A crash next to her interrupted her, and she turned to see the stranger landing next to her on the ground with a pained groan. The leather of his blue vest was singed black in several areas. Frankly, a lot of the man's clothes were singed. Nice to know he was about as fireproof as the rest of mankind.

The Fireclaw was a short distance away and was turning to face the two. It struggled a bit now due to its mangled front paws. The left one was just a stub leaking blaze onto the ground, and the right was an amalgamated mess of metal and sparking electricity. Evidently, the stranger's sword had done a number on them.

The stranger pushed himself back up and accepted Aloy's hand when she extended it to help him up again. " Thanks. " He winced, holding his side. BD trilled and raced past Aloy to climb back onto its owner's back.

A small greenish-blue vial ejected from the machine's head all of a sudden. The stranger caught it out of the air and stabbed it into his injured side without hesitation. He seemed to breathe easier afterwards and tossed the empty canister away. She'd file that away as one of the many things to question him about later.

"So you said you know it's weak spots? " He asked her as if that entire ordeal didn't happen.

She shook her head in disbelief and pointed to the Fireclaw. Her Sunwing's attacks had thankfully dislodged the metal plates around the shoulder joints, exposing the orange blaze sacks beneath.

"You see those sacks of blaze on its shoulders?! "  

The stranger looked back at her. " Sacks of what?!"

Ugh, this jargon barrier was gonna get frustrating fast. "The orange liquid! "  

The stranger looked back and nodded. " Yeah?"

Aloy notched two more arrows. " Shoot the left one! " She yelled while she took aim and shot at the right. 

The stranger mercifully decided not to object to that and took aim as the Fireclaw charged again at them. 

Her two arrows hit the mark and cracked the blaze sack open, sending the volatile liquid over the machine. The stranger's shots also cracked the opposite blaze sack and ignited it. Flames lit up over the Fireclaw's back as it stumbled to the side and roared. 

The stranger stumbled back and glanced at Aloy, bewildered. " Was lighting the fire droid on fire really the best move?! " He demanded. 

"Shut up and get your sword ready. " She huffed and took aim with two chillwater arrows. The flames over the machine were already dying out, but hopefully, it would have softened the metal. She fired, and the arrows exploded in frost over the machine's face, causing it to roar again. 

"I need you to expose its body, so get close to that thing and start cutting off the armour on its back. " She ordered

The stranger stared. " Oh sure, why do I have to be the one getting up close?!"

" Because I'm not the gymnast with a laser sword! "  

The stranger looked offended by that comment. He likely would have kept arguing, but another whirring snarl from the Fireclaw distracted him. He grunted in frustration. " I better not regret this. " He muttered and charged forward with his sword at the ready. 

The Fireclaw saw the stranger getting close and raised its mangled paws to try and crush him. 

Right before impact, however, the stranger leapt up impossibly high onto the machine. The same way he'd lept onto his ship. He somehow managed to balance on the back just long enough to stab his sword down into the Fireclaws's back. The machine roared and flailed about. The stranger gritted his teeth and dragged the saber back, the heated blade severing metal plating from the machine. 

The machine tried to roll on the ground to crush its attacker. The stranger took the hint and withdrew the blade, leaping off and slicing off more metal plates as he did so. His attack seemed to only make it mad, but it did the needed damage. Now the back was vulnerable.

"Is this normal around here?! " The stranger yelled as he rolled to avoid another crushing blow from the Fireclaw and the molten rubble each attack sent up. " Fighting for your life against giant killer droids?! "

" More or less! " Aloy yelled back as she notched three chillwater arrows and aimed at the exposed machinery. Two of the arrows struck the upper leg joints dead on, while the third lodged in the plating just above. All three detonated and sent a blast of chillwater over the machine. Frost spread over the affected areas. Just a little more.

She unhooked her sling and readied a bomb of chillwater. She took aim as the machine still tried to eat the stranger and fired. The bomb exploded over the back of the Fireclaw, and the chillwater was finally activated fully. Ice spread all through the machine, momentarily freezing it in place aside from the occasional jolted movements.

The Fireclaw made a loud whirring sound as fire jetted from its back, trying to melt the ice quickly. Their attacks had done a lot of damage, but as typical for a Fireclaw, that didn't stop its ferocity. Why couldn't these damn machines die faster?!

" I have no idea what you just did, but it's still not down yet! " The stranger grimaced as he appeared back next to Aloy, still holding his laser sword, now without the cross guard lights on the hilt.

"Oh gee! You think?! " Aloy replied sarcastically as she notched another three regular arrows. She aimed at the exposed frozen machine and fired. Sparks exploded from the back, and another chunk of machinery came free. Still not enough to kill it, though. She knew of one more weak point. 

"It's weaker now from the ice. If we can crack the blaze sack on the stomach, then one big impact should kill it. You got any more fancy tech that'll expose its stomach without torching us? " She asked her ally.

The stranger looked at her, then at the Fireclaw that was almost free of the ice. He made a face. 

"Yeah, I have one. Just make it count. " He ordered. The laser blade of his sword unlit, and he sheathed the hilt, running straight at the Fireclaw. What kind of plan was that?!

"What's he doing?! " Beta exclaimed over the feed. 

"He's just as crazy as you are it seems. " Sylens seemed to sigh in disappointment.

She watched the stranger brace his position and hold out his hands to the machine, palms splayed. She couldn't tell if he was trying (and failing) to make himself look more intimidating. Or just trying to get its attention. 

If it was the second, it worked. The Fireclaw snarled at the stranger as it got free of the ice and charged at him… only to stop.

No. Not stop… it was still trying to lunge at him, swiping its mangled paws and snapping its mangled jaws at him, but it wasn't moving forward. As if some invisible force was holding it in place.

Aloy watched with wide eyes as the stranger grunted and threw his hands up . The Fireclaw shook briefly, then lifted with his movement, floating in the air. She could hear whirring from the machine as it also seemed to be trying to process what was happening. She certainly was. So was Beta and Sylens. How the hell had he done that? Some anti-gravity tech? She had no idea. But now wasn't the time for that. 

She ran forward and slid underneath the machine, nailing its belly with arrow after arrow as she did so to weaken the sack.

Her final arrow struck true and cracked its webbing just as she skidded out from under. Blaze was dripping from the belly to the ground. "Now! " She shouted.

The stranger twisted his hands and brought them down in a slam motion; the Fireclaw followed suit by slamming violently to the ground. The cracks and the impact did their job as the Fireclaw exploded in an eruption of blaze and fire. Aloy covered her face with her arm to protect herself from the heat. 

When the inferno cleared, the machine didn't get up; its lights finally dimmed. There was a moment of silence, broken only by the sound of panting between the two survivors and the crackling of the surrounding flames.

Aloy breathed out a loud sigh of relief. Finally. She hooked her bow over her back and sat by the wreck, panting. She hated Fireclaws.

BD climbed over the Fireclaw wreck with excited bwoops, scanning the dead machine in detail. The stranger seemed too tired to object to that. 

He came over and practically collapsed, sitting next to her. " I have fought armies, Inquisitors, a Gen Dai, even a Sith Lord, and I'd rather fight all of those things at once than fight 'that thing' again. " He grumbled between pants.

"I have no idea what any of those things are, but would you believe me if I told you that's not the worst machine on this planet? " Aloy asked. 

The stranger turned his head to look at her. " I do… and I hate that I do. " He huffed and pushed his hair away from his face. " First, my ship is grounded by a droid bird, then I'm attacked by raiders, then that! All in less than an hour! Why can I never catch a break? " He grumbled to himself. 

"Huh… " Damn. Aloy felt that complaint in her bones. Ever since she learnt her identity as Elisabet's clone, she'd been constantly moving forward, trying to save the planet. She never could rest. She couldn't afford to. She still didn't know if she could trust this stranger, but she felt kindred with them at that moment .

Speaking of which, she was getting really sick of calling him that.

"Got a name stranger?" Aloy asked him.

"Cal Kestis. " He gestured loosely to BD behind him on the wreck. "That's BD-1. I take it this means we're not gonna try to kill each other? "  

"That remains to be seen, but for now? " She nodded. " I need a breather. " She gestured to herself, "I'm Aloy. " She introduced. It was nice to introduce herself to someone for once instead of everyone else knowing her by reputation or spying on her.

Cal nodded. " Good to meet you Aloy… so what in the karking sithhells was that? " He demanded, pointing behind him again. She had no idea what 'karking sithhells ' meant, but she figured it was some sort of curse. At least some things didn't change across star systems.

"We call it an Apex Firceclaw. "

"An Apex Fireclaw? Well, ain't that an accurate name. " Cal muttered sarcastically. " Hold on, does that mean there are also 'regular ' versions of those machines? "

"Unfortunately. Most machines have an apex version of them. "  

Cal stared. " And I thought Dathomir was dangerous. " He muttered.

BD-1 trilled some binary as he climbed back over to land between them, looking up at Cal hopefully with dilated lenses.

" No, we're not gonna go find a regular one! " Cal replied to the machine, looking bewildered. " It almost ate you! "  

Aloy eyed both Cal and the droid. "You can talk to machines? "  

Cal and BD paused their discussion to look at her. "Yeah? " Cal spoke as if it were obvious: "I learnt binary as a kid. "

" You can 'learn ' binary? "  

Cal nodded slowly. " I take it that's not a normal thing here? "  

"Not at all… So you really just crashed here? You don't have any other reasons for being here? "  

Cal shook his head. " My hyperdrive was damaged. I hoped a ship port here could help me fix it quietly. Didn't account for the giant bird though."

Aloy looked him up and down at that. The other was vastly overestimating the current advancements of Earth. She got up with a sigh and started her usual routine of scavenging the dead Fireclaw for parts. That fight had depleted a lot of her resources. " Hate to break it to you Cal, but you're not gonna find much help in any port here. They don't fix spaceships. They won't even know what a 'hyperdrive ' is. " She used quotation marks for the unknown term.

Cal looked back at her and stood up. His eyes flickered back and forth as he ran her words back before he paused and stared at her with a look of dread. "I'm not the first person to land on your planet from space, am I? "  

Aloy cringed at him and nodded " First one not from Earth, yeah. "

Cal stared at her for a long moment. " Huh… " His brows furrowed, and he started pacing. BD chirped at him from his shoulder.

" Yeah, I know. That does complicate things… I guess we're fixing this ourselves. "  He rubbed his face. "I should've expected this by now with my luck."

Aloy looked Cal up and down. "You're handling this a lot more calmly than I expected. "  

"It's not the first time I've crashed my ship. "  

She glanced to where smoke could still be seen on the treeline from Cal's ship. "Clearly. What damaged your ship in the first place? Before the Stormbird did that is. "  

Cal stopped pacing. He looked at her like he wanted to comment on the 'Stormbird' name but decided to glaze over it for now. " Long story. The Galaxy isn't exactly a friendly place right now. "

"So you were being hunted? " Don't tell her this guy was a fugitive or something.

"I'm always being hunted. But we were ambushed, yeah. Hopefully, we weren't tracked."

Aloy made a face at that. She hated when people were vague, and the comment about being tracked was something she liked even less. "For your sake, I hope so. I didn't save your life for you to bring more problems here. " She warned, pulling free a power cell to store away.

Cal looked up at her and huffed, "Hey, I didn't ask to get stuck here on your deathtrap of a planet! Why is it covered in death machines anyway?! Who in their right mind would build things that?! " He gestured again to the Fireclaw.

Aloy removed more machine muscle from the dead machine, storing it in one of her bags. " Also a 'long story.' " She muttered, throwing the term back in the other's face. " The machines are a part of this planet; you're just gonna have to get used to them like the rest of us. "

Cal scoffed and shook his head. " Look, I appreciate the help saving me, but I'm sure BD and I can manage from here. Just tell me where a good place to find machine parts is, and we'll be out of here before you know it. "

Aloy stood up at that as she removed a circulator from the Fireclaw corpse. "Not so fast. I still have far too many questions for you, and I need to know if your arrival spells trouble for this planet. I have enough to worry about and don't need more surprises. So you're not going anywhere. "  

Cal folded his arms at her. " And what? Are you gonna stop me?"

Aloy held her glare at him. " I will if I have to."

They remained in a tense stand off for a moment. 

Beta's voice cut in on her focus. " Aloy, I don't know what parts he needs, but maybe one of the cauldrons could make them. We could activate the one under the mountain base again. " She offered

"Or you can bring him to the Far Zenith base. The Zenith printing technology would be faster. " Sylens interrupted, "And I would like to meet him."

Cal's eyes darted to her focus again, and he raised an eyebrow, waiting expectantly to hear how she'd respond. If she'd respond. He could definitely hear her focus somehow. She didn't know how to feel about that.

Both options didn't sound like bad ideas. No, that wasn't true. Both ideally end with the ship being fixed. The only difference was that one would mean Sylens could meet Cal and potentially get his hands on his technology. Shockingly, the idea of Sylens with a laser gun or sword was less than appealing.

She sighed and faced Cal. " Look, I don't trust you, and you have no reason to trust me. But it's gonna get dark soon, and we're sitting ducks out here for more machines or rebels if we stay here. I have a base in the mountains to the east where you can get parts that could be used for your ship. I can get us there. But in return, I want answers about who you really are. Sound fair?"

Cal remained quiet for a moment. He then gestured to his ear. " That arrangement good with your 'friends? '"

" I trust them… most of them. " She ignored how Sylens sighed in annoyance at the intended jab.

"How reassuring… " Cal looked at her for a long moment and then glanced at BD. The droid chirped at him, and he finally nodded with a sigh. He looked at her again. " Alright, fine. But I want answers about this planet too. " He held out his hand to her "Truce? "  

At least handshakes were still a thing for aliens. She shook his hand with a nod "Truce. Now follow me."

Chapter Text

While this day wouldn't come close to Cal's top five worst days ever, it was undoubtedly amounting to his strangest day ever. This planet, Earth, was similarly amounting to the strangest planet he'd ever been to. Parts of it were so advanced and yet… so primitive at the same time.

He'd seen strange and dangerous planets before. He'd braved the shadowlands of Kashyyyk. He'd rediscovered a lost plant. By the Force, he'd even survived Dathomir and came out with a Nightsister for a companion. A companion whom he loved very dearly for the record. 

But a planet filled with machines for most of the wildlife was new to him. Machines were typically man-made, so how were there so many in abundance? Why were there so many in abundance? The humans here clearly had no choice but to adapt to the environment. Their clothes and weapons told him they seemed to operate with the machines inside their own ecosystem. A tentative ecosystem, but an ecosystem nonetheless. He was glad the Separatists never knew about this place during the Clone Wars. The idea of the Jedi going into battle against multiple Fireclaws or Stormbirds was enough to make him queasy. Kark, the idea of the Empire having access to these machines was enough to make him want to hurl.

The Force was also strange on this planet. It was strong but felt… fractured. Like it was trying to heal a deep wound. It reminded him of a Force tear, a wound in the Force he had to carefully sew back together. Only this was a planet-wide tear. Something that couldn't be easily fixed with some light meditation. That, piled on with the echo he witnessed of those… horrifying droids ripping that tank apart, only left him with more questions. Life and death were a cycle on all planets, but there was a pain lingering here that could only come from an immense tragedy. Like the kind he felt from the Venator on Zeffo or the massacre in Kujet's tomb. This planet teemed with life, but something terrible had happened before that. This planet was a mass grave. 

And that was all without the interference of the wider galaxy! 

His head was still reeling from that discovery. The knowledge that this planet had barely discovered FTL technology. Completely cut off from things like the Empire and the Republic before that. 

Sure, a lot of planets liked to stay cut off from the rest of the galaxy. Dathomir was a prime example of that. But a planet untouched by the greater galaxy with advanced sentient life was rare. 

He didn't know what protocols he was supposed to follow regarding first contact, but whatever they were, he definitely wasn't following them. Getting into sudden battles with the locals and wildlife didn't sound like it would be on that list. All this further added to his concerns about whether he was even in his galaxy, but again, that was something he could concern himself with when his ship could fly again. One problem at a time.

He currently followed Aloy through the rainforest paths. She had arranged with some of her allies to meet them at the border of the rainforest by a path that led through the mountains. Her own ride back had been destroyed by the Fireclaw, so this was the best alternative. Hopefully, these new allies didn't try to fight him. He was sick of fighting things on this planet already. 

Cal was still trying to make up his mind on Aloy. She'd almost shot him when they met, yet she didn't hesitate to fight beside him when surrounded by what he assumed were bandits and helped him take down the Fireclaw. She spoke as if she knew more than most, knowledge that seemed more like a burden than a gift. A feeling he unfortunately knew well. She clearly didn't trust him, but then again, he wasn't sure he trusted her. At the very least, he could see she was protective of her home, something he could understand. If a complete stranger had landed on Tanalor with technology he didn't understand, he'd be wary too.

The other thing Cal noticed about Aloy was her presence. The Force shone around her like a beacon. He wasn't entirely sure if that made her Force-sensitive, but it was highly possible. He'd felt many different presences in the Force after all.

Master Tapal had been a stalwart mountain in the Force. Strong, sturdy and unshakeable. A landmark Cal would always turn to as a padawan and one he didn't know how to go on without when it fell. 

Cere had been like the ocean. Vast, deep, mysterious. Her presence was calm and inviting on the surface, capable of enveloping you with its energy but also capable of great power and destruction to the unprepared.

And Merrin was like a flame. The magic of Dathomir bore bright around her. She could be an inferno, consuming everything around her. But she could also be an enveloping warmth. A source of comfort that he missed. She must be worried for him. He hoped he could see her again soon.

He'd akin Aloy's presence in the Force to a strong gale. Moving constantly and brushing against everything in sight. An untamed whirlwind of energy that was always pushing forward. Merrin once described his own presence as something similar. He doubted she knew what the Force was from how she fought, but he could see how deeply it connected her to the planet, much like Merrin to Dathomir. She had a snark to her that reminded him of his own, but from the little she did say, she seemed genuine. 

His gut told him she was trustworthy. But his gut had told him the same thing about Bode and look where that got him. He'd keep guarded for now. At least until he got to know her better.

For a time they traveled in silence. But it didn't last long with Cal quick to break it.

"So… why is your planet covered in machines?"

Aloy glanced at him. "Oh no, my questions first. I need to know what I'm dealing with helping you." She told him, her tone leaving no room for argument.

Cal huffed to that. He still needed her help, so he could play along for now. It wasn't like any information he could give would affect the greater galaxy from here.

"Alright, what do you want to know then?"

"Where are you from? What planet I mean." Aloy asked point blank.

Cal looked around at the large trees they passed between on the path. "Well, I grew up on a planet called Coruscant. It's not really my home anymore, though."

"How come?"

Cal scoffed. "Jedi aren't welcome in most of the galaxy these days, Especially there."

"Jedi?" Aloy frowned at him. "What's that?" 

Cal unhooked his lightsaber hilt and held it up. "We were peacekeepers in the galaxy."

"So, soldiers."

"Peacekeepers." Cal repeated shortly, "We helped people in need and protected them. Defended those that couldn't defend themselves and ensure peace…" he sighed and rehooked his sabre to his belt. "But yes, we also fought to ensure that peace… a lot. At least we used to. Like I said, we're not welcome in most places these days."

"Why?" 

Cal did his best to explain how the galaxy used to be. How it was once ruled under the Republic before being turned into the Empire and the Jedi turned fugitives. She didn't seem to fully understand, but she was taking it in stride at least. Better than he expected. But then again, he was pretty light on details. 

"All the Empire has done since coming to power is leave death and destruction in its wake. Anyone that opposes them is either captured or killed."

"Your galaxy is under a dictatorship?" Aloy frowned and shook her head. "Never thought I'd hear about another Mad Sun King so soon…" 

"Mad Sun King?"

"Long story."

"I get the feeling there's gonna be a lot of those," Cal muttered.

"Probably." 

"Either way, it's good the Empire hasn't found this planet by the look of it. As fun as it would be to watch Empire soldiers get thrown around by machines, they're relentless." He shook his head sadly, thinking back to Kashyyyk's endless battles. "If the Empire thought this planet had useful resources, they'd try to mine it for all its worth, and they wouldn't stop until they succeeded."

Aloy scoffed. "They could try. This planet has been through enough. I'd be dammed to let people from the stars try to take it for themselves."

Cal glanced back at her. Her scowl made a weary chuckle escape him. "I wish more people in the galaxy shared your view. People resist, but… most just prefer sticking their heads in the sand and pretending everything's fine."

"… Sounds like you've been fighting for a long time." Aloy sounded empathetic to that. Given the battles they'd just had, he wouldn't be surprised if she had as well.

He nodded. "Yeah… I guess I have." He never liked thinking about how long he'd been doing this… it was depressing.

Aloy sighed. "When we get to my base, I can explain this planet better. For now, just know this planet's seen its own hardships we're still recovering from."

Cal glanced off the side to the trail to see another rusted dead machine he didn't recognise. "I can tell." He agreed.

They kept walking, passing large broken slabs of concrete. Old roads perhaps? How did machines cause the world to become so-

The Force around him pinged with danger, and he tensed up. He was about to tell Aloy to stop, but the Huntress had already stopped. "Damnit." She cursed.

"What is it?" Cal asked, looking around. 

The trees in the area were all well spaced out, the foliage over the ground broken up by large roots that rose up and twisted over concrete and dirt.  A small stream passed nearby them, filling the silence with the soft bubbling of water flowing. What was strange was Cal could see small glowing red lights in the area as well. Mines? Did they walk into a minefield?

"Stalkers," Aloy muttered as she drew her bow and scanned the trees. "I should've prepared for this when I planned this route."

"They sound friendly." Cal didn't intend to keep being sarcastic, but humour helped him hide his worry. "Is every droid on this planet out to kill you?"

"If you encroach on them… then pretty much." 

How comforting. BD clung closer to his jacket, antenna down. He drew his sabre hilt but kept it unlit for now.

"How can you tell they're here?" He asked. He could sense danger, but he didn't see anything other than those strange lights. They weren't camouflaging, were they? 

Aloy picked a rock up off the ground, took aim at one of the glowing lights further away, and threw it. The rock made contact and the light grew brighter, letting out a shrill whistling sound and shooting up into the air like a flare. 

Cal followed Aloy's gaze to the trees and watched as one of the branches rippled, light refracting and ripping to reveal another mass of machinery powered by blue light. 

"Oh, they camouflage now." Cal was really starting to hate this planet. And here he thought bounty hunters having that trick was too much.

"Shh!" Aloy hissed to him.

Cal wisely shut up for now and watched as the Stalker crept down the trunk of that tree and hit the ground, the machine's metal rippling again to disguise itself in the greenery. Now that he knew what he was looking for, it was easier to spot. The light refracted unnaturally around it, and the foliage parted for it. But it was easy to lose sight of it if he wasn't squinting. It approached where the flare had gone off and seemed to scan the area. 

"Into cover now!" Aloy hissed and dragged him down into a large patch of red ferns.

He watched the machine begin to prowl the area. When it got closer to them, he saw it was much bigger than he had initially thought. Nowhere close to the size of the Fireclaw or Stormbird, but still formidable.

"Stay here. There's normally more than one." Aloy started to notch an arrow to her bow, pausing only when Cal grabbed her arm.

"I can fight, you know that. I'm not about to sit this out." He told her, glancing back at the Stalker, "Just tell me what to aim for."

Aloy glanced at him and sighed after a moment. "Okay. Near its chest is a stealth generator that makes it invisible. Its tail has a lot of reach, so avoid that. If you can somehow use your fancy sword to destroy its heart, you'll kill it quickly. And watch out for its bombs and the gun on its back."

"The what?" Cal looked at her at that last part with wide eyes but didn't get a chance to ask further as Aloy took aim and fired at the invisible creature.

The arrow made a loud whistling noise as it flew. When the arrow struck true, it let out a deafening blast of what Cal could only guess was compressed air. A large part of the machine was blown off from the impact, and the Stalker rematerialised, falling back with a loud metal crunching sound before shooting back up to its feet. 

It let out a loud howl and started running around the two, small flashing red objects releasing from its back around the area. 

He lit his sabre up and followed the machine's movements. Even if visible now, it was fast. He watched two of the small bombs deployed roll near him and Aloy. 

He didn't even think twice and gave a large push with the Force. The bombs were sent careening back, flashing red faster before exploding mid-air. 

Aloy had notched two more arrows and stared at Cal. "How the hell are you doing that?!" 

"It's a Jedi thing!" Cal spoke back quickly.

"Well… keep doing it!" Aloy ran forward at the Stalker to get in its running path. 

Cal decided not to object and just used the Force to push any bombs that were close to Aloy away. 

Once Aloy was close enough, she fired her arrows at the Stalker, shooting the gun on its back clean off. She gave a triumphant yell to that and continued pressing her attacks as the Stalker was momentarily disoriented.

BD chirped. She was really good at this!

"Yeah, she is." Cal agreed with a smile. This wasn't nearly as bad as compared to their last fight. It should be too hard to-

The Force pulsed behind him, and he heard a loud whirring sound. He turned quickly and swung with his sabre, deflecting a blue blast of energy fired at him.

A second Stalker was visible between two trees further back. The gun on its back aimed right at Cal. It fired again, and Cal deflected once more, sending the blast into a tree near the second machine, where it left a singed mark in the wood. 

He drew his blaster and went to fire back, but just as quickly as it had appeared, it disappeared with a ripple of refracting light, rushing sporadically through the trees. Seeing how fast it was paired with its invisibility made him see how much of a threat these machines were. 

"Hold on bud." He told BD as he holstered his gun again. He just had to wait for the right moment for the machine to get close to him. 

He closed his eyes and focused his senses outwards. He could do this. He trusted the Force to guide him.

There! 

He leapt up with a flip right as he felt movement come behind him, narrowly missing the swipe from the invisible machine as it lunged at him and falling to land directly on its back. 

He wasted no time and instantly brought his lightsaber down through the back of the machine, slicing through and severing the body in two. 

The lights died from the machine instantly as the two halves reappeared and collapsed. Cal landed on the ground with a roll. He stood up quickly and gave a triumphant grin. BD also trilled victoriously while Cal scanned the battlefield for more enemies. 

Aloy had her Stalker on the ropes; most of its components had been blown off, and now it was just vainly trying to strike at her with its front paws.

It lunged once more at Aloy. An attack she quickly rolled under and got in close. She stabbed her spear directly between the chinks of its battered armour and twisted. 

The machines froze up and collapsed finally, the lights on its body going out.

Cal grinned as BD hopped off to scan the Stalker's body at his feet. "Remind me never to piss you off. You're scary with that spear." He called 

Aloy pulled her spear free from where she stood on a slab of the broken road and looked to Cal. She glanced down at the bisected Stalker at Cal's feet and gave a smirk of her own "You're not so bad yourself." 

They were quiet for a moment before small laughs came from the two of them, the tension between them finally breaking.

"So Jedi can move things with their minds?" She asked, "You've done that a few times now." 

Cal nodded and started walking over the concrete towards her. "It's a lot more than that, but it's one of the things we can do, yeah."

Aloy shook her head as she put her spear back over her back. "After everything I've seen, I shouldn't be surprised. I'm guessing all the fancy tricks you can do are also 'Jedi things'?" 

Cal nodded. "Well, that and a lot of survival instincts." He started to say as he walked over a cracked part of the concrete to reach Aloy.

Evidently, this was a mistake, however, and the Force warned him of this too late. 

The concrete under him crumbled immediately from his weight, and Cal felt himself go weightless with a yelp, falling through the hole that had suddenly formed in the rock and into darkness. 

------------------

Cal swore for a moment he blacked out when he hit the ground. He let out a pained gasp and curled up, everything hurt. He felt water soaking his clothes but couldn't bring himself to move. He needed a minute to blink the dark spots from his eyes. 

He rolled onto his back and saw the light shining above him from the hole he fell through. Why was he always falling through holes in the ground?

"Cal?!" Aloy's voice yelled from above, followed by frantic beeping from BD, "Can you hear me?! Are you okay?!"

"Ugh… Still alive!" He yelled to the beam of light above him, "Just gimme a sec!"

"Hang on! I'm coming down!" 

BD leapt down immediately with a trill. The droid fell the distance before his thrusters activated to let him hover as he landed, negating any fall damage. He scuttled over, and his lenses dilated, scanning him. A helpful chirp told Cal he had a bruised ribcage.

"Yeah… I feel it BD. Just hand me a stim already." He complained. 

His hand caught the dispensed stim right as Aloy came climbing down to land next to him. Her boots made a light splash as she landed, and she hurried over quickly, scanning him over. "Okay, don't move, I have a tonic that should help."

"No need." Cal winced as he stabbed the stim into his side. The bacta did its job quickly, and he felt himself breathing more easily. He sat up and held up his hand. "Mind helping me up?"

Aloy grasped his hand with a nod and pulled him to his feet. She looked surprised. She looked up at the entrance to the cave far above them. "I'm surprised you're not more injured from a fall like that." She admitted, "Those healing canisters are handy." 

"Would you believe me if I told you I've fallen further?" He asked. 

"Nope." Aloy replied immediately, "I've fallen further than that too." She looked around the area and frowned deeply "I had no idea an old world facility was here…"

"Old world?" Cal did seem to register his surroundings now as he looked around as well. He relit his sabre to get a better look, illuminating the room with orange light. 

They were in some kind of warehouse space. Metal walls encased the area, and he could see old metal crates and server towers scattered in the corners; the occasional dull spark came from wires hanging from the ceiling and walls where lights once sat. Stalagmites rose up along the edges of the space and clustered around crates thanks to the droplets of water that fell from the ceiling, creating stalactites as well. The corner of the room where they had landed was submerged up to their ankles in water, likely courtesy of the stream above ground. Higher up he could see rails and walkways that indicated a second floor and doors at the other end of the warehouse that led to Force knows where. 

So it wasn't a part of an old road they'd been walking on. It was a roof.

Cal frowned. There were a lot of echoes here, faint, but they were there.  He walked over to a crate and ran his free hand along the metal. He frowned and tried to focus on the emotions he could draw from it.

"Whoever was down here, they were moving supplies somewhere. For soldiers… I think…" he muttered. "They felt... desperate."

BD bwooped and scanned some of the crates next to Cal. He trilled that they continued things like fabric scraps and empty weapon caches, further confirming his theory.

"Supplies for Enduring Victory…" Aloy frowned deeply, a hand on the metal at her ear and looking around. Her voice sounded sad.

"Enduring Victory?" Cal repeated and glanced over at her. 

Aloy glanced back at him and seemed to consider something for a long moment. She sighed and started digging into a small pouch at her belt, pulling out another small triangle piece of metal.

"Here." She tossed it at Cal. "Put this on like mine."

Cal caught it out of the air with his free hand and looked at it. It was so small in his palm. He glanced his eyes up at her. "What is it?" 

"It's a Focus. You'll need it. It'll help you see more." Aloy explained, gesturing to the matching piece at her temple. 

BD chirped and climbed up his back to perch on his shoulder. His lens lit up, scanning it curiously, and Cal waited patiently for BD to get a diagnosis. BD chirped that the Focus posed him no danger and was safe to wear. He nodded and placed the Focus on the skin just before his ear on his left side. The small tech adhered to his skin, and he heard its activating sound with a trill. 

Almost immediately, his vision changed. It was like the world was suddenly enveloped in a layer of holo film; everything was painted in purples and blues, unlike the familiar blue of holos he was used to. 

He took a few steps back from sheer surprise as he looked around. Aloy was watching his reaction with interest while BD bweeeped at him with concern.

"I'm okay BD. I think." He told his droid, petting his head and looking back to Aloy, "Is this how you see the world?" 

Aloy nodded. "You can deactivate it when you touch it." She explained, tapping her own Focus to prove her point. 

Cal matched her movement and was relieved to see his vision return to normal. He was already used to sensing everything around him through the Force. Adding a new element to keep track of at all times would give him another migraine on top of the usual ones his psychometry gave him. 

"Thanks…" He looked around the room; more areas seemed to light up with blue and purple holos he hadn't seen before. "Woah..." He looked back at her. "You're fine trusting me with this?"

Aloy let out a sigh. "You said a Jedi is a peacekeeper. That you help people. If that's the case, then… this planet could really use one's help these days."

There was a tired tone of desperation to her voice Cal hadn't heard from her before. He knew that feeling well.

And who was he to turn away from help?

"Well… I can't make any promises, especially since I don't know what you need. But I'll do what I can to help while I'm here." He told her

"That's all I can ask." Aloy seemed satisfied by that and turned away. "I don't think we'll be climbing out the way we came. Hopefully, this facility has its own way out." 

Cal glanced up at the hole they fell through. They could probably make the climb with some effort.. but he was curious about the place. And he had a feeling Aloy was too. So he didn't argue and gestured to the door at the end with his free hand. "Alright, lead on."