The sentient native, Mira, had her expression contorted in confusion. She glanced back at her party mates and towards her cousin named Lyria.

  "That must be Lyria," Altair murmured as he gazed at Lyria and her clothes, which seemed to denote an established religion. "That's the girl who gave us something we have never seen in our entire lifetimes." He mumbled as he gazed in amazement at the sentient species they had encountered.

  "That's right, Lieutenant," Vigil buzzed with excitement. "Though it is too early to draw such conclusions, the species of this world... they greatly resemble the fantasy creatures of Terra."

  "Once a figment of our imagination..." Altair paused, then continued, "Who would have thought that they do exist, huh?" He said, as he gazed towards the pointy ears of the two females and the animal-like features of the male.

  "Indeed, Lieutenant," Vigil fizzed in suspicion, "as if they were created to resemble humanity?" He thought of numerous conspiracy theories.

  "That's interesting," Altair rebutted. "However, we lack too great information; it must have just been a coincidence." Altair said as he observed the intensely human features of the sentient species.

  After talking to her companions, Mira pivoted back to the glowing red eyes and once again spoke up.

  "I apologize; could you clarify what questions you are intending to ask?" Her eyes grew with curiosity, yet at the same time attempting in vain to play hard to get.

  Altair, who saw through the entire thing, simply sighed in exhaustion.

  "It wouldn't be a fair first contact if we are the only ones who keep asking, Lieutenant," Vigil buzzed plainly, his processors working overtime to optimize the situation. "I suggest that we should let them ask questions of us, but keep our answers vague, Lieutenant."

  Altair, deep in thought, slouched back in his seat and tapped his index finger at the console.

  "Hm." He hummed. "I guess you are right about that." He sat straight back up and continued maneuvering the console. "Let's do exactly that."

  "Let's do this instead." The Ironside whirred. "I will ask you a question, then you can ask me a question." The glowing red eye zoomed in on Mira.

  Mira, sensing the gaze, had a cold chill run down her back. With a pivot of her head, she glanced at Lyria, her cousin, and Brennan, who were both waiting patiently.

  "What did the Ironside Golem say?" Lyria said, her voice crackling, but her eyes sparking with an intense drive for knowledge. "Come on, don't hold it against us now."

  Brennan, who had lain back down earlier, merely perked up his ears, intending to hear the entire conversation.

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  "Well, it wants to ask a question..." Mira pondered, then continued, "In exchange we could ask the Ironside a question." She placed her right hand on her waist and her left hand below her chin, caressing it while lost in thought.

  "Sweet, the north star has blessed us!" Lyria said excitedly.

  However, Mira, despite her eagerness, was less forward with it. "We should be careful with it." She mumbled deep in thought. "What if the Kingdom of Babylon claims the relic?" She said cautiously.

  "You mean those fanatics and extremists who claim they are the rightful heirs to the Kingdom of Babel?" Lyria said in disbelief. "Impossible! Just because the relic spoke in the First Tongue—" She was cut off.

  "Nevertheless, no matter their claims, we are on the Stygian Frontier." Brennan interjected as he stood back up, gaining interest in the subject, then continued. "As far as I could remember, if they claim such a relic, then it could spark tensions between nations."

  "There are multiple claimants to the Babelian legacy after all." Mira agreed with a plain expression. "I guess we all have an agreement then?" She continued.

  Upon the confirmation, Brennan and Lyria nodded their heads and allowed Mira to take the lead.

  "They sure talk a lot among themselves..." Altair said as he gazed through the interface, watching with intense curiosity their interactions.

  "At least they are providing good linguistic data for me to process, Lieutenant," Vigil replied with positivity.

  "Ah, yes! I almost forgot about that." Altair acknowledged and then continued, both of his hands wandering around the console, trying to find other things to do. "Thank you for reminding me, Vigil."

  "No problem, Lieutenant!" Vigil spoke with great enthusiasm in his voice.

  With a sigh, Altair slouched once again in his seat. He wandered his eyes across the dark and cold ceiling, thoughts running through his mind at lightning speeds.

  "Right..." He mumbled under the silent air. "Our priority should be to gain a foothold in this world." He paused, then continued, "Then find a way back to Terra and find out the truth of what happened." He muttered under the dull air and the silent whirring of the surrounding machinery.

  Just as he was about to return, Mira spoke once again.

  "Alright, we agreed to exchange questions and answers." Her words were firm, but deep inside, slight cracks could be found, which did not go unnoticed by Vigil.

  Upon receiving the data nodes, Vigil quickly displayed them across Altair's interface.

  "Fair, then I'll go ask first." Altair spoke with deep clarity. "What do you call these abominations surrounding us?"

  Under the observation of Altair, he saw that Mira's eyebrows flinched, as if confused by what he had just asked. Nevertheless, she took a deep breath and finally answered.

  "We call them Stygians." Her words reverberated across the communication arrays. "They spawn in every water source within this world." Mira glanced down, her expression forlorn and defeated.

  "I understand; you may ask your question then." Altair followed.

  Mira went silent, but once Altair zoomed in, and under the notification of Vigil, he saw a strange atmospheric particle emanating around them. Along their throats, slight visible vibrations were being emitted.

  "Lieute—" Vigil tried to warn, but was cut off.

  "I know, I know," Altair said, fascinated by what was happening. "Let them have their space; instead, record and study the intricacies of these atmospheric particles." He paused and then continued, "The faster we learn their language and process, the better for us and our goal."

  His eyes were focused, but deep within his mind, an ocean full of desire and longing was swirling all around.

  "Elena..." He muttered under the silent cockpit, an intense longing raging forth. Yet he resisted and calmed himself. "I need to find out what transpired," he said as his gaze finally lost its focus, succumbing to his dream of desires.