Yoongi and Hoseok's shuttle control room was crowded with noisy, excited crew. Everyone could see green jungle, yellow rock and warm light through the shuttle glass instead of dark, vast space. Their hasty retreat was finally at an end.

What had started as a wail of panic over the loudspeakers as Jung Hoseok announced an emergency landing ...had somehow taken just as sudden a turn once Min Yoongi had raced his way from his workshop and into the ship's cockpit.

"I still can't believe this."

Yoongi now sat in the central pilot's chair of the control room and nursed an amber-colored drink in muted, grumpy fashion while Hoseok sat in the chair nearest to him and seemed, for once in his life, struggling to make anything reminiscent of words.

Yoongi went on, "I've known you our entire lives, Hoseok. But this. This idiocy takes the cake."

"It was an accident, Yoongi..."

"You swerved in the wrong direction to avoid hitting a dragonite, and knocked our ship against Mt. Marauder. Then sounded a fucking war cry."

"I thought the dragonite was being Influenced by our enemies! That we really we're under attack! ...It was an honest mistake."

"This from such a tactical genius... I'm appalled." Yoongi wasn't going to let this go easily.

Hoseok wasn't going to, either. He replied so sharply, every other set of ears in the room began to burn.

"Listen here, Yoong. We're delivering a Gwangju Ai to the headquarters of our rebel alliance. A Gwangju Ai. I was expecting some flack, more sophisticated trackers... to have to fight off at least ONE small fleet on our way here. But we didn't get any attention. Which, tactician that I am, made me think it was because there was a trap waiting here for us. So yeah, when I saw a dragonite so close to our shuttle and flying straight for us, I snapped. I thought I was right, the trap had been sprung...and into the belly of the beast we had landed. But, yeah, I was wrong. So... my... fucking... bad."

Jungkook stood with folded arms near the back of the room, his eyes pinched together in concentration as he observed the heated exchange between Jung Hoseok and Min Yoongi. His mind was half-present, and half-slipping through various mental calculations, making him look like he was on the spot of a factoid game show and he was about to lose the million dollar question.

Jungkook wondered to himself, Hobi does have a point. Why was it so dang easy to get here after we caused such a stir back at the Games?

Tae stood next to Jungkook, plucking absentmindedly at some lint on the front of his lightly sparkling white shirt. Then Tae leaned into Jungkook's thick shoulder and asked in his smooth, rich voice, "Any guesses where this place is we're about to land?"

Jungkook pivoted his neck to look towards that rich questioning voice, with his cheek brushing into the front of Tae's crimped silvery hairs. He didn't balk in the slightest at Taehyung's close proximity. "If my calculations are correct...somewhere in the Chaos galaxy."

"Is it a nice sort of place? It looks like it could house a tropical resort!" Taehyung's starlight smile glinted.

Just as these words had escaped his lips, the ship shifted and whirred over a scene that stalled the cheer and joy in Taehyung's eyes. Instead, the silver-haired young man soot straight as a board, and his piercing blue eyes became slits.

Through the glass, everyone could see rows upon rows of tents propped up in military ranking fashion. There was a sandy dug-out that looked like a small fighting pit, with figures speckling the landscape, walking between spaces. Between the tent space and a yellow rock outcropping, there was a collection of long, emerald-green-colored rods the size of battering rams.

Taehyung said, deep and dark, referring to the massive green columns laid bare on the landscape below them, "They're pulling out all the stops it seems."

Jungkook shifted and put a firm hand on Tae's shoulder. "I'll talk them out of using those leaf weapons, Tae. They'll listen to me. Don't worry."

Tae answered stiffly, "They had better. Because I didn't sign up for this rebel alliance business just to become the villain all over again. And the only reason someone could have that much leaf in one place..." Tae sighed in anger and frustration, and Jungkook squeezed his shoulder in reassurance.

Then Tae and Jungkook's eyes both fell on where Hoseok and Yoongi were now whispering argumentatively in each other's directions with fresh haste. Hoseok was leaning so far out of his seat that he was practically falling into the floor while Yoongi reclined lazily back into the central pilot's chair as if nothing in the world could possibly touch him.

Hoseok's speedy whispers only grew in volume as he grew more animated in his face and hands. "...not the point, Yoongi. I thought we'd agreed that only units that pass MY test can join the combat ranks."

"They'll be fine. I know this guy."

"That doesn't matter. It's not about that—if they don't see me test them, they won't respect me as their ranking officer. And if they don't respect me, they won't listen to me when it counts in battle. Also, these guys have a reputation for being...unconventional. And not in a good way. How could you just let them waltz into our work without getting some feedback from the rest of us first? From ME?"

"Well, it's too late now. I already sent Dean's crew on a scouting mission of sorts. They won't be back for a while, anyway."

Hoseok scowled darkly. "I hope we don't end up regretting that."

"I won't."

--

Meanwhile, Shae was standing off to one side of the control room with her arms wrapped tightly into her chest, biting her lip. She was lost in her thoughts...when Ava came up behind her and shrugged an elbow into Shae's arm.

"Hey." Ava tipped her chin just-so. Suave.

"Hey." Shae tucked her arms a little tighter into her sides, unsure.

Neither of them liked this awkward feeling, like there was a tall stone wall between them they were trying to peek over the top of it, both looking for a truce. Now that Joon was away, perhaps the chances were a little higher that things would smooth back to normal between them. But first, to test the waters.

"Nervous about this?" Shae asked.

Ava barked a single laugh. Then her mouth curled into a slight frown and she admitted, "A little. You?"

Shae asked with pleasant sarcasm, "What do you think?"

Ava and Shae exchanged smiling glances, stiff laughs.

Then Ava asked, "So, uh, how was last night?"

"...What do you mean?"

Ava wiggled her eyebrows and repeated in a more exaggerated tone, nuging her elbow in obvious fashion into Shae's arm all over again, "I mean, HOW was your NIGHT?" Then Ava cast her playful green eyes in the direction of Jung Hoseok, slumped over and still bareling through his argument with Min Yoongi.

"AVA." Shae shoved a fist into Ava's shoulder, her mouth open slightly in mock shock.

"WHAT? It's a legitimate question!" Ava said in a quieted rush of words, "I mean...did you sleep in his bed last night?"

"Stop. Just. Stop." With each word, Shae was pushing Ava one step further and further towards the edges of the control room as a physical statement of her embarrassment.

"Well, you're not answering, so that means the answer is 'yes.' Did he sleep in his bed, too?"

Shae stopped pushing Ava's arm. She buried her face in her hands, and her voice came out muffled as she said, "Of course not. It wasn't like that."

"Hmph. You know what I think?" Ava's voice flickered with amusement and self-satisfaction at her own genius. "I think that it bothers you so much... because you find Hoseok attractive."

"AVA." Shae's normally genteel voice had a hint of sharp threat in it. "I know what you're trying to do, but my feelings for Joon aren't going anywhere. And you'll just have to accept that."

"Well, from where I stand, your feelings for Jung Hoseok aren't gonna go anywhere either. Especially if y'all keep getting all up in each others' buseinss, if yah know what I mean."

Ava wiggled her eyebrows a bit to emphasize her point.

"You never quit, do you?"

Ava answered gleefully, "Never."

It was taking all of Shae's strength of willpower not to cave into the silly mocking of her dear best friend. She was serious about Joon. A few days absence wasn't going to suddenly change that, Shae thought. But... she was also thankful to have her best friend teasing her so mercilessly. It felt like the world had suddenly been out right again.

Ava sighed. "How is it that you manage to always like the guys that I can't stand? What is this cruel fate?"

"Perhaps the universe thought our friendship was more important."

"SO YOU ADMIT IT. You DO find Hoseok attractive."

Shae buried her face in her hands again. "OH MY GOSH. That's not what I am saying."

"It's what you just said."

Shae rolled her eyes, then they landed in Ava's direction. "Maybe it's a gift we have such different tastes. I mean, let's say I was as into Min Yoongi as you are." Ava bristled at Shae's words, but the soft young woman spoke on. "I mean...you'd be so angry. I don't need any Ava more fury in my life. I have enough of it right now because of Joon, thank you very much."

"I'm...not...into Min Yoongi."

"Since when?"

"Since he proved that he doesn't just have the persona of an asshole. He actually IS one."

There was a finality in Ava's words that made Shae realize she'd have to wait a little bit to broach the subject of Min Yoongi again with her best friend.

--

Jungkook was explaining the major constellations of the Chaos galaxy in which he believed they were now in to Taehyung, when Jungkook noticed the pygmy-short, pink-haired Woozi walk up between them with his mouth slightly agape and his beady eyes open wider than usual.

He was star struck.

Jungkook looked down at Woozi, so did Taehyung, and then the two young men exchanged confused looks with each other. They followed Woozi's gaze towards where Shae and Ava stood shoving into each other and giggling.

Taehyung waved a hand in front of Woozi's face and, after a second, the small young man snapped out of his trance.

Tae asked, his rich voice crackling with laughter, "Cat got your tongue?"

"What?"

Tae was positively melting with curiosity now. "I mean, you got a new crush, kid? Who is it, Shae or Ava?"

"I'm not a kid," Woozi mumbled. "And ...I'm a sucker for freckles."

Ava.

Taehyung let loose a cackle of purest glee.

Jungkook, on the other hand, swallowed hard and blinked a few times in quiet disbelief. "Uh, I think she's a little too old for you, kid."

Woozi snapped, "Just how old do you think I am, Jeon Jungkook?" The way Woozi said his name dripped with polite condescension.

"Not old enough. And besides, she'd chew you up and spit out your bones. Trust me on that."

Woozi gave a tiny, pixie smirk, "My type."

Jungkook felt struck with a mild fatherly panic, as if it had just slapped him in both cheeks and told him, "Get it together, man." He suddenly felt it was his responsibility to counsel this deviant pink haired child on his misguided ideas about the world.

Meanwhile, Taehyung released an avalanche of fresh laughter and doubled over holding onto his knees to keep from falling over, wheezing through his glee. "As ... I ... live ... and ... breathe."

--

"We're coming up on the moon Muse now, the Library of Mirth in sight. Want me to prepare to land this thing, or would you like to take over, Lilith?"

Joon didn't take his eyes from the gorgeous emerald gleam of the sizeable moon that was lazily orbiting around a gargantuan blue planet. Joon leaned into the steering wheel of that small transport shuttle just slightly, as if already prepared for the followthrough.

Lilith sighed from the copilot's chair and leaned over and back to look towards where Jin was slouched into two of the back chairs, swiveled together in makeshift bed with a proper lavender eye mask covering his eyes. And there rested Chimin, still unconscious and strapped securely onto the table via Jin's couture leather belts like some Adonis of a failed mad science experiment.

"Jin, buckle up. We're here."

"Mph." Jin flopped his hands lazily around, not bothering to shift his awkward slumped position or to open his eyes for the sake of convenience. Instead, his hands flailed until he found the buckles somewhere near his armpits. Lilith watched him then exert the limits of his dexterity in attempting to pull the straps together without properly sitting up in his seat.

Eventually, he prevailed.

When Lilith turned back around in her chair, she was smiling in amusement.

Joon asked in an annoyed voice, "So, landing? Not landing? What am I doing, captain?"

Lilith found the use of the 'c' word in Joon's agitated tone an odd combination of grating... and satisfying. She cleared her throat. "Land us, Joon."

"Aye aye."

Lilith's eyes shifted to her left, searching the serious sternness in Kim Namjoon's face. So cool, so calm... so far from Kim Seokjin.

Shut up, brain. Shut up.

Lilith growled in irritation as the turbulence began, while the shuttle jostled into the small moon's orbit, "Take us down easy, Joon, this isn't a bucking bronco at a rodeo."

"I'll take us down how I take us down. Shut up a let me land this ship."

The turbulence worsened; a sudden jolt would have sent Lilith flying face-first into the cockpit glass if not for the straps securing her shoulders firmly into place.

If she weren't so distracted by the cabin's short-term chaos, she would have had a few more choice words for the ex-leader of Noon Moon fortress jus then.

But she'd have to save them for later.