Hello again ! Whilst a weekly schedule is what I hope I can keep at a minimum, nothing prevents me from uploading in advance ! Haha, loophole !
Anyways, I want to thank all those that took the time to favorite, follow, and especially review this story. It's really nice to know that people are interested in this story, and it gives me unprecedented motivation to continue it !
Feel free to review this chapter, whether it is to leave positive or negative criticism, or even if you have a question, which I will do my best to answer next chapter in the AN !

P.S. : It seems there were issues with the first upload of the story; here's the amended version, which hopefully will fix the issues !

On this note, I hope you all enjoy this new chapter, and onto the story !

-"Shepard. I've gotten a preliminary report from Miranda. An excellent job as always."

Jane gave a small nod. She wouldn't usually dignify the Illusive man's praise with something like that, but...well, if it was for the sake of information on Liara's whereabouts, she could at least be polite.
Maybe.
For a bit.

"We will need to further investigate this...Ghost, you've found. I'll leave it in your hands for now, so long as you further all information found on the subject back to us."

Jane frowned.

-"You know, when I went there, I expected to find some super weapon, or the remains of a big explosion. Not a small, unknown sentient."

The Illusive man took a puff of his cigarette before continuing.

-"Massive anomalous readings on Omega, like nothing we have seen before, and you find a being that doesn't match any database. This cannot be a coincidence." Tapping on his chair, he changed the subject, something Jane was all too happy to do.

"On the subject of your ex-crewmate now. Liara T'soni is currently working as an information broker on Illium. She seems to have quite the network of connections for one so new to the business."

Relief and worry warred within her, as she did her best to remain impassive externally. On the one hand, she now knew that not only was Liara alive, but where she was. On the other hand...she was on Ilium. Despite all the pretty airs and the beautiful architecture, Jane knew better. The place could be just as dangerous as Omega, albeit in a far more subtle manner.

-"I see."

-"Shepard, I am aware that your crew is very important to you. If you want to recruit Liara, feel free to do so. But don't forget; the collectors are the real target. Getting distracted for too long could prove fatal."

And just like that, the polite facade was gone. She glared back at the man.

-"I am fully aware of what we're facing. Keep your nose out of my crew's affairs."

They stared at each other for a few tense seconds, in absolute silence. She refused to back down.

-"Of course Shepard. As I have said, I brought you back so you could do things your way. I am merely reminding you of the bigger picture."

She almost winced at the not so subtle reminder of what she 'owed' to the Illusive man. In truth, she does not consider herself as beholden any debt to the man. But it still rubbed her the wrong way.

-"Then I'll keep doing things my way. It's worked so far."

-"Good luck Shepard. Our enemies aren't slowing down."

With that, the hologram disappeared, leaving her alone in the coms room.

-"...EDI. Tell Joker to plot a course for Ilium."

-"Understood Shepard. Mister Monroe is already heading for the mass relay."

-"Good. Tell Garrus to bring our new guest to Mordin's lab. We might as well get some answers on the way." She sighed. "Tell Miranda to come as well. If she's going to make reports to the Illusive man, we might as well skip the part where she goes over the recordings of whatever spyware she has installed."

EDI did not comment on the later part, her hologram winking out of existence as Jane entered Mordin's laboratory.

When she reached the laboratory, Mordin was pacing around obviously agitated, muttering to itself. Noticing her entering, he immediately snapped his head towards her, speaking with his insane pacing.

-"Ah. Shepard. Good to see you. EDI has briefed me on your discovery. New species, sentient. Possesses strange resilience, speed, and abilities. Very interesting. Fascinating even. Will have to conduct experiments, collect samples, perform scans..." His eyes closed, as he took a breath. "So long as the subject consents, of course."

Jane cocked an eyebrow, crossing her arms. The salarian truly was one of the most frenzied in his speech that she'd met of his species.

-"Slow down doc. Garrus's bringing him right now; you'll get to satisfy your curiosity soon enough."

Mordin nodded rapidly.

-"Of course, of course. Assume you'll want to interrogate the subject before any scientific analysis can be done. Can wait." Once again, his eyes closed as he took his breath. "Patience important."

She almost chuckled at the irony of Mordin using the word patience, but decided not to comment. She hadn't know the doctor for too long, but she was sure he was capable of patience in a scientific context at the very least.

The sliding door to the bridge opened, Garrus entering with Ghost walking slowly behind, his head darting around, seemingly still taking the ship in. He had a piece of paper in his...well she supposed they were hands, with one holding the paper and the other rapidly darting over it, holding the quill she'd seen him use back on Omega.

-"Brought our guest mam, safe and sound." Seeing that Ghost was still quickly looking around, he sighed. "They've been like this ever since arriving. It's been difficult keeping him in one place." Shrugging at Jane's questioning look, he continued. "I think they're making a map ? It looks like it at least. I haven't really been able to ask them."

Jane nodded. Despite how advanced the translators were, they didn't really work with written language when not in a digital form…

-"Ghost ?" The little being's...mask ? Snapped to them, a cold shiver running down Jane's spine as she stared in those empty holes it had in the place of eyes. It still made her uncomfortable. "So, we've got a few questions to ask you, if you don't mind. Just to try and understand...well, everything about the situation."

The little being stared at her for a second, before giving a nod. She smiled, relieved. Cooperation was a good sign.

-"Perfect. Why don't you take a seat and make yourself comfortable."

For a moment, Ghost froze. She frowned. It was hard to tell, but there were small movements it made constantly. The rigidity was clearly discomfort, or surprise. Then again, assumptions would bring her nowhere when it came to an unknown species. Ghost ended up walking slowly to the chair, patting it for a second, placing it's hand down before slowly taking it off. Only after examining their hand did they sit down, their previous rigidity apparently forgotten.

Suspicion, then. Unsurprising if it had lived any amount of time in Omega.

As they settled down, Miranda entered the room, attracting jane's attention. She was holding her omni-tool, obviously intent on recording the questioning session.

"Good to see you join us Miranda."

The cerberus agent gave a nod, standing further from the group. It seemed she had no intention on participating. Jane inwardly shrugged. As long as she was around, it should be fine.

She turned back her attention to Ghost.

"So, Ghost." Where to start… "What are you ? You're obviously not human, or turian, or...well, anything we know off." From the tilt of the head it made, it musn't have understood her question. "What I mean is, are there more of...you ? Or at least, like you ? And if there are, do you have a name, that refers to you, collectively ?"

That seemed to get something out of it, as it nodded, taking a piece of paper and writing on it. She wondered how much he had. It wouldn't do to have him run out, she wasn't sure he'd be able to use an interface.

When it finished writing, it handed the paper to her, Mordin peering over her shoulder.

Vessel.

She frowned. She'd expected the name of a species.

-"So your kind is named...vessels ?"

Ghost nodded.

"I see. Then, I assume there are others like you ?"

The nod was more hesitant; slower.

"Do you know how many ?"

It rose it's arm, and she finally managed to get a better look at it. Like it's legs, it seemed almost like it ended in a stump, the arm as dark as the rest of it's body, so dark it seemed to swallow the light cast by the lights of the lab. Then, the stump at the end shifted, her eyes widening. It was like watching water reshape itself, as give small digits appeared, four closing while one remained up.

Mordin was tapping at his omni-tool, a feverish light in his eyes.

-"Able to restructure his body to an unknown extent. Unprecedented, absolutely revolutionary. The possibilities…"

Jane tuned him out, focusing on the...vessel, before her.

-"Only one ? There's only one other like you."

The vessel lowered his hand, inclining it's head down. Then, it grabbed another paper, and painstakingly wrote :

More before. Now two.

Jane felt a pang of pity for the little creature in front of her. Well, that certainly explained why they hadn't been discovered before. They must have experienced some kind of extinction level event before the galactic community found them. Still, this didn't explain what they were doing on Omega.

"I'm...sorry to hear that. What happened ?"

The vessel grabbed the paper back, writing down. It seemed to think for a moment, as it stopped, before continuing.

The Infection.

Garrus, who'd gotten closer in order to be able to read as well, hummed thoughtfully.

-"An infection ? You mean like the plague in Omega ?"

The vessel tilted his head, making the turian sigh.

-"Right, you can't understand me...this would be so much easier with a translator." He turned to Jane. "That thing he did earlier...with the light. Have you felt any secondary effects since ?"

She shook her head.

-"Nothing at all."

-"Well...it's worth a try I suppose."

Mordin lifted a hand.

-"Stop. Caution advised. Would rather not anyone go through whatever process this...vessel made Shepard go through before further analysis. Even if no ill intent present, unexpected side effects still possible. Again, would advise caution until further developments."

Garrus shrugged.

-"Makes sense I suppose. Fine, I'll leave it up to you to be our ambassador, Shepard." The drawl he put on the word ambassador made Jane roll her eyes.

-"Oh haha. Very funny." Turning back to Ghost, who was still sitting down, patiently, she asked. "So, is it this...infection. Was it some kind of disease ?"

The vessel nodded, grabbing a piece of paper.

Her curse.

That caught her by surprise.

"Her curse ? Did someone cause this infection ?"

Ghost nodded. Garrus muttered a curse, while Mordin frowned.
-"Biological weapon ? Collectors again ? No, no observed female member of collector race. Act more like asexual drones."

She remained focused on Ghost however.

"We'll come back to that later. Where do you come from ? I assume you're not from Omega."

It tilted his head. She decided to clarify.

"Omega is the place we found you. It's a space station on an asteroid."

It nodded, although the slight tilt of the head made her think it was still confused. Perhaps it came from a pre space faring species ? It didn't seem to possess any signs of technology, showed a lack of understanding of very basic things for any member of the galactic community...the more she thought about it, the more it made sense.
It didn't explain what it was doing in an abandoned section of Omega however.

It picked out yet another sheet of paper. She might have to buy more until they could teach it to use an omni-tool or an interfaced computer.

Hallownest.

-"EDI ? Do you recognize the name Hallownest ?"

The synthesized voice of EDI echoed through the room, apparently startling Ghost, who's head snapped around, looking for it's origin.

-"Negative. No match in any database."

-"Thank you EDI." She raised a placating hand to the agitated vessel. "EDI is an artificial intelligence. She lives in the ship. It's why you can't see her."
That seemed to settle them down somewhat.

"So you come from this 'Hallownest' ? Is it a planet ? A star system ?" She doubted the later, from the name, but it might just be a translation issue.

The vessel tilted his head once more, grabbing a piece of paper.

A kingdom.

Huh. That was new. She didn't think she'd heard of a monarchy since...well, since the rachni queen. And even then, qualifying that as a monarchy wasn't exactly correct.

"Stop me if I'm wrong, but this is what I get so far. You used to live in a kingdom, called Hallownest, with other vessels. Then, someone caused an infection, which killed all but two of your kind."

The vessel stared up at her, then nodded, slowly. Perhaps there was more to the story, but at least everything she had said was somewhat correct. Better than nothing she supposed.

"Alright. How does that bring you to Omega ? Do you know how you got there ?"

Ghost grabbed a piece of paper, and started writing. It was the most he'd written so far, and it took a few minutes, handing it over to Jane.

She sent me here. Used a gate.

"Is that the same 'She' that caused the infection ?"

They nodded.

"I see. Still, a gate ?"

Garrus spoke up.

-"Gate huh ?" He took a pondering look. "Do they mean like the prothean Conduit on Ilos ?"

Jane nodded.

-"Perhaps...say Ghost; when you say gate, do you mean something which allows you to travel from one place to another, in an instant ?"

They nodded rapidly.

"Nice guess Garrus."

The turian shrugged.

-"It explains how they got there. Although, I don't remember seeing any kind of machinery which would allow that kind of travel."

-"Maybe. But for now, it'll do. I'm more curious about who this 'She' is." As she said that, she'd turned back to the small vessel, her tone inquisitive.
Ghost stared back at her, empty eye holes staring back into startled green eyes.

She gulped. There was something...an intensity about the emptiness, that wasn't there before. She could almost feel the air around her grow colder. From the way Garrus and Miranda shifted uncomfortably, Garrus's hand slowly sliding to his gun, they could feel it.

As she kept on staring, she could feel her mind faltering. It was almost like she was being sucked in; like the darkness in those eyes was calling to her.

Then, the vessel's head snapped down, as it wrote slowly on it's piece of paper, and the moment was over. She sighed in relief, falling back into her chair. Where had THAT come from ? Some biotic ability ? She'd never felt so...hollow.

As she grabbed the paper he handed to her, she noticed her hand was shaking slightly. She forced it still. She'd stared a reaper down; she wasn't going to be intimidated by a masked midget.

The Radiance.

Two words shouldn't have inflicted such dread into her. They really shouldn't. And yet, as she read them, she felt some primordial dread waking within her, sending her mind down the path of fight or flight.

But she was Commander Shepard. She did not let instincts rule over her. And so, she forced the fear down, and handed the paper back.

-"The Radiance huh ? So she's the one that sent you here...and the one that killed your kind." She hesitated. "Is she...the other vessel still alive ?"

Ghost shook his head vehemently. That was by far the strongest display of emotion she'd seen from it, and she rose her hands placating.

-"Sorry, sorry. What is she then ?"

Another unknown species ? Or perhaps, the vessels weren't as unknown to the galactic community as she'd first assumed...

The vessel grabbed the paper, but seemed unsure what to write. It stared at it for a few minutes, silently.

-"Commander ? We're entering orbit over Ilium. Thought you'd like to know."
Joker's voice almost made her jump. As she registered his words however, excitement and anxiety coursed through her.
Liara. She was so close…

-"Copy that Joker. I'm on my way." Turning to Ghost, she gave an apologetic grin. "Sorry about that, but duty calls. I'll leave you in our capable doctor's hands. His name is Mordin."

Ghost briefly paused, lifting his head to the Salarian, giving a quick nod, before returning to his paper. Chuckling, she got up, but found herself intercepted by Miranda on her way out.

-"Commander, before you go to Ilium...I'd like to talk to you. It's about a personal matter."
Frowning, Jane nodded.

-"Alright, I've got time. Lead the way."

Miranda gave her a grateful nod, which in an of itself was enough to send small alarm bells in her head. Miranda was NOT one to show weakness of any kind, least of all emotional.

Garrus seemed to hesitate between following Shepard or staying in the lab, Mordin calling out to him.

-"Garrus. Please send another human crewmember here; need someone that can communicate with little one here."

The turian gave a nod, hiding his relief. Something to do, at last.

-"I'll send Jacob. He'll be able to handle himself if things turn violent."

Mordin gave a quick nod, already turning back to his machines, typing frantically.

Garrus rolled his eyes, leaving to the armoury. Thankfully, it was right next to the laboratory, and he was back with the dark skinned human in the minute.

The newly arrived human gave the small vessel a curious look, who had started to write slowly on the paper.

-"So this is our guest huh ? Welcome aboard."

Ghost slowly tilted his head upwards, giving a small nod back. Jacob cocked an eyebrow, turning to Garrus.

"Does he speak ?"

The turian shook his head.

-"No, they doesn't. As far as we know at least. They're using this...paper, and...quill ? To write."

Jacob snorted.

-"Sounds inconvinient. Shouldn't we give him...her...it ? An interface ?"

Garrus shook his head.

-"They don't seem familiar with technology. For now, it'll do." His voice drawled slightly at the end. It was a little boring waiting for the vessel to finish writing everytime only to see a single word, but he supposed it wasn't the fault of the poor thing. He'd just started writing in a new language after all.

-"He understands English. We're not sure if he understands all human tongues, or merely the ones Shepard is familiar with. Most likely the latter."

Finally, Ghost finished writing. Looking around, he tilted his head, paper half held up, head swivelling around slowly. Garrus noticed that, tilting his head towards the vessel.

-"I think he's looking for someone to give his paper too. Mind reading it too us ?"

Jacob nodded.

-"Of course." Walking up to the vessel, he dropped to a knee, putting on a gentle smile. Garrus almost snorted. It seemed to be a human habit to make themselves smaller when dealing with the newly acquired vessel.

"Hey little guy. Mind if I read that ?"

-"He's not a kid...I think. Actually I'm not sure."

Jacob was about to retort, but cut himself off as Ghost handed him the paper over.

-"Thanks." He said, giving a grateful nod. Despite what Garrus said, he was sure the thing in front of him was a child. Something about the way it looked just felt...childish. Or maybe he was reading too much into it. Instead, he read the paper out loud.

-"A Goddess. Of Dreams. Fluffy Light. Enemy."

Frowning, he turned to Garus.

"Well that doesn't make much sense."

But before Garrus could answer, Mordin snapped around.

-"Goddess ? Possible religious connotations, or simply a way for translation to reflect something very powerful ? Possibly both ?" Turning to Jacob, he spoke, rapidly.

"Ask if Goddess a metaphorical entity, or a physical entity." Taking a breath, he amended. "Ask if it is has physical attributes."

Jacob hesitated.

-"Uh...yeah, sure doc." He handed back the paper to Ghost. "So, a goddess ?" Ghost nodded. "Is that like, a way of speaking ? Or a title for someone ?"

Ghost grabbed his paper back, writing something on it before handing it back.

Like Vessel. Ghost is Vessel. Radiance is Goddess.

Jacob shook his head.

-"Okay, this is getting confusing for me. So you're a vessel, and that...Radiance, is a goddess." Turning to Garrus, he asked, almost imploringly. "Do you understand what they're saying here ?"

The turian nodded.

-"Sort of. The Radiance appears to have killed off most of his species with some kind of biological weapon called 'The Infection'. And apparently, he sees it as some kind of divine entity." He frowned. "Maybe...maybe this is something like the Thorian."

Mordin picked up on that.

-"Thorian. Mind controlling plant. Seen as higher entity by those under control. Similar idea of being of higher power, but does not fit with the notion of enemy. Those who saw it as a god like entity worshipped it. If this one sees it as a goddess, despite it being the enemy…" The salarian seemed to run out of breath, closing his eyes. "Troubling implications."

Jacob turned back to the vessel.

-"So I'm guessing you don't like her much, huh." Bashfully, he stammered. "Ah, hm, sorry about what happened to your kind." He muttered under his breath. "Way to shove your foot in your mouth Jacob."

Mordin approached, his omni-tool opened.

-"Questions can be continued later, when Shepard is here. Need to conduct analysis, experiments. Jacob, ask Ghost here if they are willing to have blood sample taken of. Please."

Jacob nodded.

-"Hey, um, do you mind if the good doctor here does a blood test on you ?" At the vessel's silent...staring, he assumed, although he couldn't see eyes in that mask of theirs, he added. "They're going to put a needle in your arm, and take a tiny bit of your blood for analysis. It won't hurt, it's just for medical purposes."

At the word needle, Ghost's head snapped up to the doctor, right arm twitching occasionally.

"Uhm...do you not like needles ?"

Ghost grabbed a piece of paper, making sure to keep Mordin in his field of view. Then, after writing something on it, he handed it back to Jacob.

-"...Big sister uses a needle to fight ? You have a big sister ?"

Ghost nodded slowly. Jacob sighed.

-"Questions for later I guess. Don't worry little guy, the doc's syringe isn't nearly big enough to be used as a weapon."

The vessel's arm stopped twitching at that, but their mask remained fixed on the salarian, who seemed almost offended by Jacob's proclamation.

-"Highly debatable. Syringe's needle very capable of piercing arteries, used appropriately. Can be very efficient wea…"

-"Doctor, please. He's trying to reassure the poor thing, not give it more reasons to be worried."

Mordin stopped.

-"Right. Right. Of course."

Jacob rolled his eyes.

-"So, you okay with it ?"

Ghost gave a small nod. Mordin clapped his hands.

-"Excellent ! Let us proceed then."

Mordin approached the vessel, grabbing their arm in one hand, immediately frowning at the contact.

-"Hm. This feels...strange. Solid, yet water like consistency." Taking off his hand, the frown deepened. "No residue. Fascinating."

Garrus let himself lie back against the wall, his sniper rifle in hands. He didn't think the vessel had bad intentions by now, but when dealing with an unknown species, who knew what kind of reaction these kind of tests could have. Jacob just awkwardly shifted as he watched the doctor go about his ministrations.

Speaking of which, the Salarian was now placing the needle against Ghost's arm. Before he planted it, he turned to Jacob.

-"Jacob. Tell the patient that if he feels pain or discomfort, tap my hand. Cannot communicate verbally with them."

-"Ah right." He repeated the warning to Ghost, who gave a nod. Once that was done, the doctor sunk the syringe's needle in their arm.

-"Hm. Strange. Surface resistance identical to inner resistance. Difficult to plant syringe, but not impossible like krogan hide." Trying to draw the syringe's valve back, he blinked at the surprising lack of success. "Strange. Cannot draw blood. Perhaps specimen possesses different anatomical structure." He tried to draw...anything, again. His eyes widened as the...skin ? Of the specimen started to shift rapidly, the dark substance filling the syringe in an instant before shattering it as it expanded from the inside, sending shards of glass flying everywhere, some cutting into the salarian's fragile skin. Garrus rushed forward, Ghost flailing his arms around, hesitantly reaching towards the salarian. Jacob had a hand on his gun, staring, unsure what to do.

Mordin grunted in pain, but rose a hand.

-"I'm fine. Unexpected reaction. For both parties, I believe." He added the last part after watching the still fretting Ghost, who seemed torn between reaching out to him and pulling back. "Apologize for concern. It seems more caution is required. Still, information obtained. Will have to do less...invasive scans."

Ghost grabbed his paper, writing frantically.

Sorry. Can't control it.

Jacob translated at Mordin's inquisitive look.

-"Ah. No trouble. Should have been more cautious. Curiosity over new species overrode scientific precautions. Will be more careful. Apologize for any distress caused."

Mordin walked up to one of his machines, tapping it.

"Please ask subject to step in front of machine and stand still. Will be scanning for many things. May take a while. Hope patient is, well, patient."

Jacob explained to Ghost, who simply gave a small nod, getting up from the chair and walking towards the machine. Mordin observed him walk, commenting.

"Legs do not seem to end in any appengenges. Yet does not seem to be hampered by this. In fact, has been shown to possess incredible speed. More testing required."

As the machine started scanning Ghost, illuminating him in a pale blue light, the synthetic voice of EDI emerged from the ceiling.

-"Mister Vakarian. Commander Shepard wishes to see you on the bridge for a mission on Ilium."

Garrus shrugged.

-"Well, looks like it's show time. I'll leave him in your care Mordin."

The salarian gave a quick nod.

-"Yes yes. Can take care of rest myself. Thank you for assistance."

The turian chuckled as he left.

-"No problem doc. Go easy on him."

Jacob looked awkwardly around.

-"Uhm...if you're just going to be doing tests on him, is it okay if I just...go back to the armoury ? I've got some things to take care of…"

Mordin waved him off, not even turning.

-"Of course. Will have EDI call you if needed."

With that, Mordin went back to his holographic displays, watching the information that appeared as the scans went on.

"Fascinating...yes, will definitely have to tell Shepard when she returns."

Mordin had gone into the back of his laboratory once the scans had been done, leaving Ghost sitting on the same chair as before, as he went to analyze the data he'd been given. So far, the results had been incredibly strange. He'd never seen anything similar; and more than once, he'd had to check if the devices had been working correctly. It had been at least two hours since he'd first started looking through the data, and he hadn't turned away once since.

"Ah, EDI, call Jacob please. Need translation."

-"Of course doctor Mordin."

It didn't take long for the human to arrive.

-"Uh...doctor ?"

-"Ah, Jacob. Good. Need you to inform subject that I wish to attempt to take sample again. Have idea."

-"Uh, doc. He's gone."

The salarian froze. Then, he whirled around, his eyes widening at the inconspicuously empty seat where the vessel had been sitting.

-"Oh. This can't be good. EDI, why did you not notify me of his departure ?"

-"I'm sorry doctor, but my sensors are entirely unable to register Ghost."

Jacob was already leaving the room, running towards the bridge, while Mordin's mind raced.

-"How come ? Sensors should be able to...unless...of course. AI calibrated to detect light. Even something entirely black should reflect some amount of light, or other radiation. Scans have shown subject absorbs any semblance of light, rendering it invisible to an AI looking for light reflection, NOT light absorption. Will have to correct that later." He frowned. "Still, should have been able to detect door opening."

-"Calibration will be done to ensure proper detection. However, doctor Mordin, the door did not open once until Jacob entered since Garrus's departure."

Mordin sighed.

-"Most intriguing. Need to find subject; most likely still on ship. If not, could cause problems. Need to inform Shepard."

With that said, he left his laboratory, heading to the lower levels. Perhaps the vessel had merely gone exploring the bowels of the ship.

Ghost looked over the ever stretching city. This place was strange. Far bigger than any place in Hallownest, bigger even than the city of tears had been.

They hadn't wanted to bother the strange doctor, as the others had called him, and so had used their shadow dash to simply pass through the door. It had been thin enough to allow that, thankfully.

As they started walking the corridor, they thought back on the ones who'd taken them from that…'Omega' place. They'd never seen bugs like them before, but then again many of the bugs of Hallownest had been just as strange when he'd met them.

They noticed that there were bugs here they hadn't seen on...Shepard's, the dream nail had told them, ship. Blue and with strange protrusions on their head. Those that noticed them, gave them confused looks and whispers.

They felt their arm twitch towards their nail. Attention was something they were hardly used to; and nowhere since the white palace had they seen so many non hostile bugs.

As they arrived in a large plaza, they took out their paper and quill.

There were places to explore, and maps to be made.

Time to go exploring.