MILKY WAY TIME: 1 YEAR 3 MONTHS SINCE NAMJOON AND SEHUN WENT MISSING

SEHUN'S TIME: 12 HOURS SINCE HE WENT MISSING

Jungkook watches Jimin trace his fingers across the '13' on his wrist, the black ink fairly intact despite years of age. "I would ask how you're holding up, but I think I can guess," Jungkook says, engaging the docking gear. Jimin slows their approach, easing up on the yoke.

"I'm actually not doing too bad. I think doing something about it makes me feel... I don't know..."

"Powerful. It makes you feel more powerful, like you can actually make a difference," Jungkook finishes. Jimin nods despite it not being a question to answer.

"Funny how I'm the most prestigious man in the system but I can't even find one man. Never pops up on any maps, the tracker never enabled again, no signs of either of our sons. Nothing. It's like they disappeared from existence. I only hope Triton has something. A clue."

Jungkook doesn't reply. There's no way he can. Besides, they're already cleared for landing, Jimin taking them into their proper docking point. Jungkook watches the approach out the window, noting how different Triton looks from when he was last on it. Him and Taehyung adopted their only daughter on Triton. He doesn't quite recall if that was the last time he was on Triton or not. They rotate around the system so much at a slow pace. The pace is slow so if any crew member has business on a planet or moon they pass, they can take a small transport ship down, handle it in a couple days, then return before the rotation is over. It's been their system for years.

"We're secure. Let's get movi-"

Jungkook rests a hand on Jimin's shoulder, the older glancing up. "Stay here," Jungkook says. Before Jimin can protest, Jungkook places his hand over his mouth. "I don't trust people, you trust them too much. I know as soon as someone spots me walking out of this ship, they'll come here trying to barge in. I need you to defend it, okay? Keep it locked down. Docking security is better than it used to be, but not perfect. Plus, where I'm going, I kind of need to fly solo."

Jimin licks his hand, Jungkook recoiling and gagging. "I was going to say okay without question, but thanks for the explanation, daddy."

"I hate you."

The Commander chuckles, Jungkook slinging his bag over his shoulder and striding down the ladder to the main bay. The lights are shining on him, highlighting his dark, curly locks. The leather jacket he has hides his tattoos, but he's sure the ones on his hand are still visible. Jimin opens the door for him, Jungkook marching out and hitting the concrete that is the docking center. A ginormous open space with ships flying around and parking. Jungkook almost smiles. What a wonderful day despite the situation. He's exploring again. He feels alive.

He garners attention as he wanders the clearings, slipping into the main city of Triton. The one where Namjoon died. The shiver that normally comes when he thinks of Kim Namjoon doesn't this time. He wonders why. Probably because he's here searching for Park Namjoon.

Jungkook ignores both the people watching him and his thoughts, his dark clothing helping him blend in at least a little bit. He sneaks along the side of the road, sauntering down until he finds the spire. The communications tower.

Jungkook crosses the street, noting that many are taking his picture. He wonders what would happen if he returned to his home. Mars. People consider Jungkook a hero, but very few realize he fought against Mars during his prime. The textbooks seem to ignore that he's a Martian entirely, instead calling him an 'experiment from the Belt'. That isn't far from the truth, but it's laughable at best.

The doors slide open when he goes near them, his footsteps almost pounding as he heads up to the front desk. The receptionist types one last line on her hologram before turning to him. "How can I hel- Mr. Jeon," she says, getting up and giving him a bow in greeting. "Mr. Jeon, what an honor. How can Triton Communications be of service to you today?"

"The Tokyo is opening an official investigation regarding ships near the outer rim. Don't worry, no one here is under investigation, but we request access to your ship logs dating a year and a half back to present day if that's possible."

"Of course, sir. Executive Jeon, is Commander Park here?" she asks.

"He is. He's staying with our transport ship at the docks. He's not much of a techie like me, he wouldn't understand all the data."

She nods, holding back a squeal. "I'm sorry, sir, I probably seem so unprofessional."

"No no, don't worry about it. Trust me, I've gotten much worse reactions before I was even a member of the Tokyo crew. No need to apologize." She smiles, him chuckling. "Do you want a picture?"

"It's taking all my willpower not to scream yes."

Jungkook motions for her to come out, the two posing for the picture she takes with her wrist comm. She grins, him holding up a peace sign and returning the happy expression. When the picture snaps, she scurries behind her desk again and calls the higher-ups.

"Thank you so much," she whispers. He nods right as she turns her attention to her earpiece. "Yes sir, Executive Jeon Jungkook is here." A beat of silence. "He's requesting access to our ship logs from a year and a half ago to now, sir. The Tokyo has an open investigation on ships near the outer rim. He mentioned nothing about us being under investigation."

He can faintly hear a man speaking through her earpiece. Another instance where his enhancements would've done good. He'd hear every word. The conversation falls flat, the woman nodding almost to herself and pulling a file up on her hologram.

"All's well?" he asks.

She hums. "He's gathering the data now. He'll send it to me, then I'll transfer it to your drive." He agrees, waiting for the data to come through. Meanwhile, he observes the vicinity. There's hushed voices all around, most likely discussing the presence of Jeon Jungkook after years of him never touching down on a planet other than Earth. He's been on Earth many times for meetings, but other than that, Jimin handles most of them. He'll drop to Ganymede, the Belt, and all of the major civilizations for PR and to catch up with the leaders, but other than that, there's nothing of note on the planets Jungkook needs to see.

"Alright, can you show me your wrist comm?" she asks. Jungkook swivels his body to face the front desk, placing his arm on the metal structure so she can scan it. "All set, it should have transferred to your files." He double-checks to make sure it has, then briefly nods.

"Thank you very much for your service, I appreciate it. Give my thanks to your higher-up, this will help the Tokyo greatly. We won't forget this." There's a hint of a threat behind his words. 'If there's anything hidden from this data, we will find out, and you'll regret that'. He doesn't voice those words exactly, but based on the way she plasters a smile on her face, she can hear it.

"Have a good day, Executive."

"I wish the same for you."

He checks the data while marching out, eyeing the farthest dates before zooming to the data about a year and three months ago, when they truly went missing. He's not sure if there's a conspiracy surrounding Namjoon and Sehun, so that's why he asked for data further back than he needed. It's a poor attempt to cover his tracks, but it's an attempt.

The people following him are starting to concern him. Not because they're following him, but rather because they're so stoic it hurts. Jungkook plays with the idea of confronting them, then shakes it away and closes the tab of data spewed out around his face. No need to show anyone what he's looking for; he'll go over it with Jimin on the ship.

The truth is, Jungkook doesn't know too much about ship logs. Jimin would seeing as he has training in piloting. Jungkook lied to Jimin since he wanted a moment alone on Triton. Alone on the place his husband was born. Jimin probably sensed that. Jungkook's beyond grateful to have a friend so understanding.

Jungkook notices the ship docks up ahead, but there's a part of him that can't go yet. He shifts his head. The people following him are still there, halted behind him by about twelve feet. Maybe fifteen. Jungkook isn't sure. But more importantly, there's an observation tower on his left about fifty feet away. A smile blesses his thin lips, his feet carrying him in that direction before he can stop himself.

The followers continue, Jungkook entering the tower only a minute later thanks to his fast pace. Many murmurs break out around him, but he ignores them to instead buy a ticket to the tower and hop in the elevator. The people following him slip inside, Jungkook pressing the top floor. The observation deck. An opening on the top of the spire that allows him to oversee the entirety of the city. The city Tae was born.

"Media, fans, or suspicious?" Jungkook asks.

There's a beat of quiet. "Would it be bad to say all three?" one man replies.

Jungkook shrugs. "Guess not."

The elevator ride is silent for the entire minute it takes to get to the hundredth floor. When the metal doors squeak open, Jungkook is the first one out. He's amazed they let him out first, but he's not going to voice complaints. They continue to follow him as he steps onto the balcony, a wide array of people stretched out before him. His jaw drops at the setting sun that's far, far away from Triton, her rays barely skimming the surface anymore. He rushes to the edge of the dark platform, noticing the forcefield that stops anyone from falling off.

He presses both his hands against the distortion, his eyes drinking in the sights of Triton. He glances up, a royal blue sphere staring back at him. Neptune. His hands sink further into the shield protecting him from the hundred-story fall, his eyes casting back down at the glassy, ice surface of Triton. The sun's rays dance across the mixed palette of the terrain, many light reds and grays peeking through. The city is bustling with life, a nice contrast to when he was here all those fateful years ago.

"Is it how you imagined?" the same man from before asks, his gaze on the surface like Jungkook's.

"Better," he whispers. "There's no bodies in the streets. No bullets flying through the air. My best friend isn't bleeding out in front of me." He stares with longing at the ground countless feet below him. "I thought I locked those memories away, but every time I'm confident I'll never think of them again, they come rushing back like they were never gone. I wish I knew how to feel about that." There's a heavy quiet that follows his words, Jungkook turning to face his followers. "Still suspicious?" The man smiles.

"Only a little."

~~~

Jungkook has his wrist comm plugged into Jimin's hologlobe, a large hologram cloaking their faces with mixes of a blue and light purple palette. Jimin's scrolling through the list. He already tried searching up the 'Moonchild', but of course, no results.

"If they didn't dock at Triton, where else could they have gone?" Jimin mumbles. He's not sure if he's asking for Jungkook's opinion or asking himself. Jungkook treats it as the latter.

"Is there any other name it could be listed under?"

Jimin swipes the data, eyes narrowing when he reaches a specific ship. "No, but there's one possibility." He grabs the cube listing the ship name, pulling it out. "On the day Namjoon and Sehun left, an unknown ship flew past Triton but didn't check in. I doubt Namjoon and Sehun know how to check in, I never taught my boy that. Did you?"

"Never, but even if I did, I doubt he'd do it," Jungkook says. Jimin accepts Jungkook's answer, opening the details on this ship. His eyes expand, Jungkook scooting closer. "What is it?"

"It's classified as a racing ship. Size and color matches the discount Moon."

"You named it the Moon and now you're calling it the discount Moon? Really?" Jungkook asks, letting out a huff and leaning back in his creaking chair.

"Sorry, can't help it. I mostly named it that so Namjoon could feel more connected to us. I got the sense he felt almost... excluded. Turns out naming it that made it even worse. This whole time I thought I knew his problems. Turns out his biggest problem was being my son."

"Hey, he loves you dearly. He loves us dearly. I know that wherever he is right now, he misses you and is proud to be known as your son," Jungkook insists. He pats Jimin on the shoulder. "And we have a lead. Come on, let's see the file. You should be able to track their trajectory, right? And if not, we'll get the logs from the research teams on Pluto."

Jimin agrees, noticing the flight pattern. "Um... Jungkook?" He nods. "The trajectory cuts off halfway. It's like they completely disappeared between here and Pluto."

Jungkook creases his brows. "But that shouldn't be possible. Triton's satellites go out that far. Did one of their satellites go down? And why didn't they report that?"

"Doesn't say. It's like it completely went off the charts. My guess is they probably didn't notice, the ship isn't exactly noticeable." The answer floats in the air, threatening to leave their mouths. 'The Ring'. Those are the two words they're both thinking. Somehow the Ring is involved here, hiding from the scanners on the Tokyo somehow. Jungkook runs the idea through his mind multiple times, but nothing adds up. If Sehun and Namjoon got taken into the Ring, how has there been no signs of disturbances?

"Well shit."

"Want to know what I think?" Jimin asks. Jungkook stays quiet. "I think they left the solar system." Jungkook's eyes almost burst out of their sockets, but Jimin holds up his hand for Jungkook to keep quiet. "There are a few options here. Either the Ring took them away and came back somehow, Triton's satellites malfunctioned and lost trajectory, or they were close enough to the edge of the solar system that their data got scrambled thanks to the distortion. It makes sense, doesn't it? They're two young boys. Reckless. Desperate to make a name for themselves other than Jeon and Park. If it wasn't the Ring, then I'll feel a lot better, so I'm gonna pretend they left the solar system, but there's only one way to find out."

"Pluto," Jungkook mutters, rubbing his fingers against his temple. "We have to go to Pluto."

Jimin sets the course, the ship humming to life. "About five hours until we get there give or take. Have any songs you want to sing while we fly there?"

"Don't tempt me into giving spoilers for the new song Tae and I are working on," Jungkook replies, nearly whistling. "It's a love song. Normally we don't like to work on cheesy songs like that, but it's almost like a celebration. A celebration song dedicated to our marriage and our kids."

"I almost threw up."

"Thanks Capt."

Jimin and Jungkook softly smile, Jimin glancing out the window and eyeing Pluto in the distance. A small dot that'll get closer as time goes on. "I love you, Jungkook," Jimin says.

Jungkook peers over at him. "I love you too, Jimin. Everything alright?"

"I don't know."

"Why?" Jimin taps his fingers against the yoke, the auto pilot doing most of the work. The weapons system is cloaked in a sheet of green, highlighting Jimin's lips and cheekbones.

"I feel like everything's about to change, and I don't know why..."