Sure, in a situation like this, fear is going to be natural. They also could not count themselves completely free by any means while Principality troops patrolled each and every room. Tahlia in particular should be warned that the cockpit was the most heavily guarded spot on the ship, that and the exit. As for Benji, he remained calm, anchored to a belief that these soldiers were moreover a means of protection, rather than restriction. But he had his reason for thinking so, Benji knew much more than the rest of the crew. As for the ship's armory, he will remain silent on the matter, he cannot risks anyone becoming restless enough in armed hostility. That will ruin the precious progress made with Principality. Though, he orchestrated no plans to deceive nor mislead them. In fact, he deems it his very goal to spill the theory that bends humanity, a suspicion centered on his own race.

"Y-Yaz, we're here now, all six of us," Benji lightly put his hand on her shoulder in hopes to console her. But in hearing his own words, Benji knew that it was not the most reassuring thing to here, especially when noting Rend in the corner. As for what Echo has said, she was partly right, something did change their minds, but Benji held part in that.

"Well, you want to know why we were arrested in the first place?" Benji leaned against a close wall with arms folded. As far as Benji was aware, Pseudo failed to gain permission from the Principality to inform the others about the sudden imprisonment. The whole order of monarchs was far too occupied in mass hysteria after Echo's brave stance on the rebel queen's throne.

"They needed someone to blame, that's why. Yep, we're the scapegoat. So, you know that throne Echo sat on, that once belong to the Velbenan queen, before she defy the Divine Regency, a power greater than the Principality. How did she specifically defy them? She launched six humans into alien territory. Cryonautics, all the Velbenan queen's doing. She hired some outer rim shape-shifting scum to act as head of Project Renascence. At first, I thought that is what infuriated the Principality- settling another race without permission gained from the Divine Regency. Then it dawned on me, that we might actually--"

"Cetehz henn ywrez Vruewrurd, otihr kagnossi gniessokue drip henn ecoshea. Cleamsulheo ophae bu Questevian uent stirrip kliemellua vafl." Benji approached the Britheian that had just spoken to him in Discovering Tongue. While so, he rubbed the top lid of his black eye, reminding himself of his last encounter with those creatures. But no matter, Benji still appeared quite excitable by the news, he smiled and spoke back with enthusiastic tone, "Blealm vafl Vruewrurd, ualson zienna! Fleatuspy chilyrd henn otihr grapohx."

"Good news," Benji reverted back to English. "We're getting a fresh new change of clothes. I figured to make a request to Princaplity, that we see Katex in a new light. Katex is in the planet we're on, if you didn't know. Early tomorrow, we head to a Qustevian tailor. Well, all of us except Rend. Don't see why he would have to go, since he's already dressed with a new attire. He can stay on ship. Not only will the Pseudo-Human be here to make sure he doesn't try anything, the whole ship will be surrounded by Principality troops." Yes, Benji even spoke about the man as if he was not even in the room, because Benji really wished he wasn't. If there was any way Benji could keep the rest of the crew away from Rend, then that's what Benji will aim for.

The crew dispersed immediately after Owen had left, it was best that way. Dr. Childs saved Rend's life, before it was placed in the hands of Benji. And although Benji disagrees with Owen intervention as an act of self-defense, he still counts the man a member of the crew. He deserves to be there according to all meetings, even if he walks out of one with an outburst. However, Rend on the other hand, Benji anticipates his absence at all times.

But even when it was all over, for now, he thought of her. Echo, Benji wanted to speak to her. Multi-dreaming is not something you walk away from feeling all peachy. No, it can leave emotions, even relationships twisted. She had a special gift though, foreseeing alternate realities. But still, that was dangerous, very dangerous. As for him, Benji, his mind was always set on the present. And at this moment, he realizes the girl needed her sleep. First encounters with multi-dreaming leaves only a restless slumber.

Though, there was someone Benji thoroughly missed when separated from his own crew. To him, she is indestructible. She said something to him only hours after her initially release from the cryo-tanks, it was in the cockpit. Her precise words were, "I just focus on the present, regardless of whether it is or isn't real. It's only natural to think like that sometimes." It was nothing flowery nor rich in terminology, but since then he reminds himself to respect the woman. She spoke true to the very core of his deepest thoughts.

"Hey, hey-- Tahlia!" Benji raised the volume of his voice, practically shouting to get her attention. Amidst her each blow pulsating against the leather, vibrations throbbed from the nearby stereo blaring with punk-rock. Besides the music, he could not blame her for not initially responding, she likely was not expecting visitors either way.

So, this is where she decides to spend her time when the cockpit is bombarded with Principality security, the ship's gym. The equipment inside was comprised of a pull-up bar, two treadmills, dumbells, and one last thing, what Tahlia had found favor in for the moment, the punching-bag.

"Hi! It's me. Guess what..." Tahlia was surprised to see Benji enter the gym. She hadn't expected anyone to find it; she herself discovered it entirely on accident. Then again, it was Benji. He'd had two years to explore the ship, whereas everyone else got less than 24 hours. She paused for a second, turning down the music a little and turning towards Benji. He grabbed the door of one the lockers, "There's an extra pair of gloves in here." Benji dug his hands deep inside of the boxing gloves. "Listen, I don't have any martial arts, boxing, wrestling, or whatever experience. But screw it, let's spar. Everyone starts somewhere, yeah?"

Benji hunched over in an amateur fighting position, one that could obviously leave him losing his balance. But no matter, he was ready and eager even if the whole situation seemed totally random by having the ship's doctor entertain a boxing match. Yet, in Benji's perspective, it was according to a theory.

Needless to say, Tahlia was a bit confused. And to be honest, the spectacle that Benji put on was pretty comical to Tahlia. She almost laughed, but she realized Benji was actually serious. Fair enough; she figured training would be necessary at some point. Maybe next time they got ambushed they could put up some sort of meaningful resistance. But first, Tahlia would have to fix Benji's stance.

"Would you like a lesson first, or do you want to just get to it? I won't hold back, you know," She said, whilst adjusting his stance. Of course, that was a lie. Tahlia was fairly confident that Benji wasn't lying about having never fought before. She wouldn't let him win, but she wasn't about to just curb-stomp him.

Instantly without warning or hint, Benji gave her a sharp jab directly to the jaw. It was a forceful attack, yes, but nothing enough to knock Tahlia off her feet, nor leave a bone broken. Yet, his heart fell to the floor. This was not what he intended. This is what he feared would happen. A subconscious impulse overriding a conscious mind.

Benji took a step back. And then another step back, and another, and another, until the cold metal wall pressed against his spine. But he did not retreat out of fear for any potential attack from Tahlia. Benji needed to realize he was no longer dreaming; there are real consequences to face now in waking life.

"I swear--," he choked on each breath heaved by the lungs, desperately trying to allow his own words to escape his panting. And those words just began tearing as his own fear unraveled against his now pale face. "T-this wa-was-my--f-first... t-time-do-ing-som-somthing-like... that.".

The unexpectedly skilled blow to her face caught Tahlia completely off guard. Her head twisted to the side and she instinctively brought her hand to the spot where her face greeted Benji's fist. It actually kinda hurt. No real damage, but it was a pretty sharp hit nonetheless. She ended up biting the inside of her cheek as well. She turned and looked at Benji, seeing him back up a bit, seemingly as surprised as she was. Maybe he hadn't expected his little sucker punch to work. She hadn't expected it at all. Oh well; if he was going to fight dirty, she was going to fight hard.

"You coy little shit!" she muttered, smiling a little bit. Perhaps he wasn't a bad fighter after all. She needed an excuse to stretch her skills, and what an ample opportunity that Benji gave to her. "You wanted to fight, didn't you? You started this, Benji, one of us has to finish it." She was grinning nearly ear to ear at this point. Her eyes were wild, and she had righted herself into an aggressive stance. She was going to fight now, no matter what. "Get your scrawny ass over here, let's go!"

As soon as he noticed her lips curling a smirk, he felt a wave of relief. Sure, there was an ounce of fear. That same woman most nearly constricted Rend to the point of death with her bare hands. Tahlia had the intention to exhaust his every breath, and she most likely would have if the circumstance lacked an interruption.

Fortunately, he did not piss her off, or so he had hoped. "Oh you better watch out; see this black eye, I've fought a Britheian." Well... that was not necessarily true. But no matter, he put each foot forward, hopping towards Tahlia.

"And lost, obviously!" Tahlia taunted, faking a punch and instead going for the legs in an attempt to knock him down.

"Actually--", Benji hit the cold floor, yet he landed on his side, with arm and palm down. He assured himself that he would fall correctly, just as he learned. "I didn't fight back... kind of wished I did though." Maneuvering himself back into a standing position, Benji rolled over till the soles of his feet surfaced the floor, then he bounced back into action, this time with a far more stable stance. "Then again if I did, who knows what would happen--" He paused, distracted by his thoughts, repeating the sentence to himself Then again if I did, who knows what would happen--. If I did... Three more times he echoed the word in his head, If... If... If...

His arms dropped as his green eyes gazed downwards towards the floor he had just fell on. In his mental state, Benji was no longer there in the Artemis. No, he was there in Rend's mansion with Mr. Rend and Mr. Rend's new... wife. All reality was drowned out by that scene he had experienced in his last dream. Both the punk-rock music and Tahlia's voice was blurred by it.

Tahlia smirked at the result of her attack. Despite how good Benji may have thought he was, she was still better. Regardless of how well he recovered, he hadn't countered the hit. She hadn't lost her edge, but to be fair she was still going up against what she assumed to still be a novice.

Benji seemed to zone out for a moment. Tahlia's excitement for the fight was quickly replaced with concern. No, this could very well be another trick. She kept her guard up... but, then again, this was far from any normal behavior she had ever seen, and something about how Benji moved indicated that he wasn't faking anything. To be honest, the whole scene was pretty unnerving. It almost seemed as though Benji was being possessed, or something.

"Hey, you alright?" she asked, simply. She was still wary. Maybe fighting dirty was his style. It was useful in real-world scenarios, but basically completely inappropriate for training.

His response was delayed, not until a few minutes of the flashback ending did he give his head a shake for the realization that he was still conscious. Finally, Benji spoke, "Y-yeah... Um.. T-Tahlia, I need to be honest..." His mind raced through the three secrets he held: the ship's armory, multi-dreaming, and the execution. Then, Benji realized what was most pressing: he plotted to kill. "I wasn't going to tell anyone, because I did not want to drag any of you into this, or even put it on your conscience. But, I'll let you know why the Principality has allowed us back on the Artemis-- I made an offer with them, pardon the rest of the crew from this crime we never committed, and in return they can use me to hunt down the Velbenan queen. I am supposed to make some kind of contact with her, convince her that I abandoned the crew, in hopes to gain her trust. Then, I... eh.. I deliver the execution."

Tahlia hadn't expected such a revelation, but that didn't explain his state just a moment ago. Still, she could tell that Benji wasn't kidding about this to get Tahlia's guard down again. And, to be honest, Tahlia still didn't really understand the whole political situation. She knew enough to know that it was still pretty serious business, and that the Velbenan queen was, apparently, humanity's benefactor. She lowered her stance and ran a hand through her hair, a scowl working its way across her face.

"She's the one who basically saved us, right?" She let out an exasperated sigh. "Refresh my memory; what were her motivations for doing that? And furthermore, why is the Principality butthurt enough to want to kill her?" she asked, scornfully.

"Because of the Vruari! The Divine Regency!" Benji at this point was shouting, with neck tightened and brow furrowed. Then he paused, taking a step back, noticing his near outrageous yet passionate behavior. He has not yet truly dug into detail about the Vruari kind and their special ability. "W-Wait... wait... Echo's the only one I told... What if-- Oh crap..." Then it occurred to him that the pure apprehension of the Vruari invites multi-dreaming. Perhaps it were not true. No matter, Benji was not sure if he was ready to connect with another, he has even had the chance to speak to Echo. How would Tahlia respond to the process? What would she see?

"What? 'Oh crap' what? Not gonna lie, politics aren't my strength, nor am I particularly enthusiastic about them, and I'm also not too fond of the idea of murdering she who pulled our asses out of the fire." she said. She stopped, noticing that her voice had been steadily rising. She let out another sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Sorry. Just... explain everything to me again, as simply as you can, please. Fuckin' politics."

"Okay, let me start with the--" Benji gave a frustrated sigh, he loathed the possibility that this discussion may be stringing the dream connection with Tahlia. Not that he hated Tahlia, no not all and in any other circumstance he may be curious to do so with her. But it was too late. "No... It doesn't even matter anymore, I already gave the Principality my word. Tomorrow is my last day," Benji began ripping off the boxing gloves, as he also trudged his path back over to the locker they were found in. It bothered him to deny her answers, but he had to make the greater judgment that be better than creating a bond to just end up leaving. "After that. You're free. Everything else, is for me to worry about."

"Wait, what?" He couldn't be serious. He made such a big deal out of it just to fuck off and do his own thing? Tahlia was hot on Benji's heels. Was he talking about a sacrifice? Did this assassination imply he had to stay behind? At this point, Tahlia might decide to beat some answers out of Benji if it came to that. "Hell no, you are not getting off like that! Now I need to know! At least tell me what, exactly, you plan on doing."

"Whatever I'm told." Benji shut the door of the locker as soon as his brief statement finished. He was finished elaborating, because he often finds himself constantly babbling on and on. But not now. Saying too much could pull Tahlia into the mess. But he could tell, she was determined.

"Look, in case you couldn't tell, I'm trying to help." Tahlia walked over to the door to the rest of the ship, preemptively blocking it off. "And despite what tricks you may know, I'm willing to bet I'm still a better fighter than you. I'm getting answers." She didn't mean to sound threatening, but she wasn't about to pull out any stops either. If what Benji was saying was true, he was going to attempt to assassinate an alien; a fairly powerful one, at that. He'd probably also get killed in the process. She wasn't about to let that happen. "Like it or not, this isn't just your problem anymore."

"Going to try and stop me, should I put the gloves back on then?" He was being direct. His last question was in no sly remark to slip in a threat. That was a serious question. "No, I'm not joking, is that what's its going to take for me to leave?" Benji reopened the locker door, before slipping his pale fingers through the holes of the boxing gloves. Then, one foot after another, he approached Tahlia. "Look, I don't even want to actually fight you-- just move." Benji pressed his fists against her shoulders, shoving her away from the door. He was aware that strength was not on his side, that he was betting everything on his body; it was built like a teenager's. But no matter the consequences, Benji was ready to face her head on, if it came to that.

Tahlia threw off her gloves before ripping off Benji's in turn. "You asked for this!" she said, quickly throwing a leg behind Benji's and giving him a shove, tripping him backwards. She went for the door controls and attempted to lock the room while he was down. Memories from several years ago began to filter into her head. She remembered what happened to her squad after she left Syria. She wasn't about to leave someone else to die.

Benji's reaction was a matter of mere instinct and reflex from spending a mock-lifetime trapped in an illusion. Before she was able to tend to the doors, he grasped her neck in one hand, while the other dominant one latched onto her shirt, acting as a weight to drag her down with him. He tried to fall landing on her, but with his lack of muscle, Benji only managed to drop them both against their sides. "Stay out of this, Tahlia! Does it cross your mind, that if I really want to mislead you, then I could easily just lie to you?"

"That's not what concerns me!" Tahlia flipped on top of Benji, grabbing his arms and pinning him to the floor. "Did it not occur to you that you're in over your head! You're a doctor, not an assassin!" she said, leaning in as she said the last sentence. "Where did you learn how to fight, anyways?"

"It doesn't it matter where I learned how to fight!" His upper-body strength was not as weak as some may believe, Benji was able to carry Echo out of the First Temple, but unlike Tahlia, she was not fighting against him. Benji felt trapped at this point. He saw it as impossible to counter her weight. "Now, get off me before you do something crazy again! Owen's not here to stop you. Wouldn't want another accident, but fracturing Rend's neck and tearing his vocal cords wasn't really an accident, was it?" That was low, especially because he completely supported her decision to subdue Rend in the first place. Though Benji said such a thing out of frustration, and he instantly regretted it.

Tahlia had to stop for a second to process what Benji said, and what started as bullheaded resolve turned into blind fury for a moment. "You son of a bitch!" she yelled, bringing her fist into the air and preparing to strike down on Benji. What fucking right did he have to bring that up when everyone knew damn well that he effectively threatened the good of the whole crew when he pulled the gun on her. She started to bring her fist down, aiming right for Benji's nose.

Even if he had a free hand, he would not block nor stop her. Benji knew the pain would be well deserved.

But she stopped. Rend was an enemy; Benji wasn't, though he was quickly becoming a pain in the ass. Tahlia tilted her head down and slammed her fist into the ground next to Benji's head. "God DAMMIT!!!" She shoved herself off of him and brushed her hair back with her hands, taking several deep breaths. At that point, a part of her wanted to just let Benji get himself killed, but that wouldn't do any good in the long run.

"Do you fucking want to die? Is that what this is?"

"No! But I have a better question: why do you care if I die?" He spoke behind clenched teeth, trying to slow down his rapid breathing from the kicking adrenaline.

"Because I..." She paused, pinching the bridge of her nose and letting out a sigh. True, she wanted to help, but the reason why was far beyond what she ever wanted to say to Benji, or anyone, for that matter. "We need you. You're the only doctor on the ship. We can't afford to lose you." She crossed her arms and shifted her stance. "And as much of a pain in the ass as you're turning out to be, I'd prefer you stay alive; I do like you as a person."

When Tahlia explained his value as a doctor, he started believing that things were only professional with her. But then, he disregarded that thought when hearing her last statement. He sat on the gym floor, with hands partly covering his face, fingers digging into his hair. Benji was haunted by his own remorse. "Ah... Well, now I really feel like a complete prick... But what has been done, is done. I am leaving... but I should let you know..." He paused, still hesitant to present option, but it would only be fair to her to at least have the opportunity. "The Principality originally proposed the entire crew hunt down the queen. But I persuaded them that they don't need six people, one is enough to get her attention. However... I'm sure because they were initially okay with six, two would be fine."

Tahlia let out a sigh. She wasn't about to leave Benji alone. Or anyone else among the crew. She was responsible for enough of her friends' deaths. "Glad to hear you come to your senses." She held out her hand to pick him up off the floor. "That being said, how do you suppose we go about doing this?"

"Well, first off, I really don't want to tell the others about this," Benji took her hand, as he climbed back onto his feet. "Telling anyone leaves the risk of them actually wanting to join. I told you because I honestly was looking for your input and advice. I guess I wasn't really expecting you to want to get involved... or ask so many questions. Either way, I know that you're built for this. You are the only one with real combat experience. But I'm not going to try and stop you this time if that is something you decide to do."

Tahlia thought about it. In all honesty, it probably was best that no one else gets involved. Honestly, Tahlia herself was the only person that she saw as being expendable out of the whole crew, minus Rend. Even if they were out a pilot, the controls and interfaces were intuitive, and as for security the rest of the crew was smart. They would just have to be more cautious in the future. Benji, however, was not.

"Oh and Tahlia one more thing...completely off topic but...," Benji knew that he could not allow himself to leave without telling her this first. "It's about what I said-- I'm sorry. I don't blame you for almost punching me in the face, and if I said something like that again just smack some sense into me."

Tahlia sighed. "Well, yes. I'm coming with you. And I can understand why you wouldn't want to involve the others. I wouldn't, either. Oh, and for the record..." She walked up to Benji and gave him a light, but firm smack on the back of the head. "Now we're even. Just don't bring it up again."

From the shower head water graced his pale forehead, streams trickling down his faded black eye. Benji's fingers stroked his scalp, touching each black strand until his palm slid in a descent towards his beard. The water was quite colder than he would usually prefer it, but nonetheless, he liked it, found it refreshing to purify his sweat-ridden self after the brawl. His wrist rotated in a circular motion, twisting the shower knob until the water ceased. It was about time he decided to finally dry up, Benji honestly did not know how long he spent wasting water. He lost tracked of time itself in there. No matter, in all actuality it was late, all the others either fell fast asleep or attempted to.

Benji grabbed the towel he hung against the wall of the shower. He smothered his face in it before mopping the rest of his body with the cloth. Next, Benji proceeded to get dressed. Since the invasion occurred while everyone was getting some rest in their rooms, he wore what he would normally sleep in: his free Cryonautics t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. He has been wearing that ever since, it was nice change to be putting on his khakis, a button-down shirt, and a sweater vest. Benji planned to make his way to the library once exiting the bathroom, because he was not yet tired and figured a book might clear his mind, if not at least make him a bit sleepy.

Yet about the time of putting his khakis on, Benji began hearing multiple footsteps, heavy footsteps. Immediately, he jerked the shower curtains to the side, making eye-contact with his unexpected visitors. "What are you doing here? Something wrong?"

"Allow me to escort you to the cockpit, it is urgent." Without even slipping his shirt on, Benji followed Pseudo while Britheian troops shadowed their path.

---

---

"You can evidently see Echo Montigawitz enter Ailbeart Rend's dorm room, with Rend currently present in that moment." Pseudo pointed at the screen monitor, directing his synthetic finger at Echo who appeared in the video footage. "The door slides shut, and since this ship was originally built under the approval of Velbenan queen, the Artemis was designed with cameras present in all rooms except the bathrooms and dorm rooms to ensure privacy. Therefore, there is no surveillance provided to show us what happened in that room."

With arms folded, Benji's brow furrowed in irritation. However, it was not as if he had any right to control her. Of course, he is concerned since he feared Echo's perceived alternate reality may be affecting her decisions in waking life. No matter, as long as whatever she was doing does not put anyone else in danger, then Benji was not going to force her to do anything. "Even though I don't like it, whatever did go on in there is their business. I can't infringe upon that."

"And naturally you wouldn't, unless you were aware that immediately after she exited the room, clearly sober and not intoxicated, Rend was no longer there. None of our surveillance records him ever walking out. After guards investigated any escape out of that room, they came to the conclusion that his own means of leaving beside the door would be the--"

"Vents," Benji interrupted. "I wish I didn't spend so long in that shower-- I wish I knew sooner, maybe he got lost in that maze of ventilation. But that doesn't make sense, Rend might be a monster, yet he wouldn't do such a thing unless he knew he would be successful." Benji's expression twisted and contorted into one expressing paranoia. Rend escaping was bad news, there are a number of ways Rend could completely sabotage Benji's mission for the queen, but more importantly Rend could hurt the crew. "Pseudo, we need to secure the exit, but more importantly the armory, just in case. Rend might be outnumbered but there is the slight chance that he might try an attack once armed, and I don't want any more surprises from him, the first time was enough."

"There is an armory on this ship?!" The Britheian captain snarled at Benji. Since Pseudo intended that the Principality forces be informed of all precautions that were going to be enforced, they had been conversing in Discovering Tongue. The captain now discovered that the entire time, the Humans were in possession of arms. In charge of security aboard the Artemis, for him, it was quite unnerving to know that.

"I swear I was going to inform the Principality about that. It is just that, when I reunited with the crew, telling the Principality was something that I just must have subconsciously pushed off. But that doesn't matter right now, getting Rend does. The armory can be either accessed through the vents or the library. The queen must have appreciated the classics, or at least tried to make the secret-bookshelf-door leading to the armory a little obvious in hopes that we actually do have the chance of finding it. I say we head there right now."

---

---

Benji activated the secret door once his hand extracted the correct switch- a navy blue book directly under Lord of the Flies. He held his breath, expecting gunshots or bashing batons against Rend's elderly body once the shelf slid sideways, allowing an open path to the armory. Though no sound of hostility nor security was heard. Nevertheless, he followed alongside Pseudo.

"Well, that's good news," Benji sighed in relief while wiping the cold sweat from off his forehead. Rend was nowhere to be found once they made their way inside. But Benji was still on edge, and snatching an arming sword that dangled off the wall was proof of that. Though just as he did so, instantly a warm grasp curled around the back of his neck. "The last time you held a blade in your hands, you destroyed Principality property," the familiar deep, grouchy tone of the captain growled in his ear.

"Yes... but that was before I made my alliance with them, before me and the Principality made a deal. And there's no way I would do anything to cut my ties with them. Besides, what can my one blade do against your troops?"

With a grunt of approval, the captain released Benji from his hold. Once freed, Benji began wrapping a belt around his waist to hook the sheath for his sword. He wished to feel safe with a weapon he trusted himself with. And though the only time he has ever handling a sword before was during the invasion, it was far safer than equipping a gun without any firearm experience.

After Benji's encounter with the captain, he turned to Pseudo, "Now that defenses against Rend are in position. I will deal with Echo. The Principality can do whatever they want with Rend, but not Echo."

"Very well, as all forces are currently occupied, so you will be responsible for her interrogation."

"Go to the cockpit and override the door to her room. I don't want Echo running off. And as for the others, override their doors also, but keep them open."

---

---

Through the hall connected to the other dorm rooms, Benji anxiously rubbed his hand against the hilt of his sword, anticipating for Pseudo to activate the doors. With each second that passed, he grew even more uneasy wondering about what the others may think about him. Though as soon as the doors did slide open, all the distress vanished. Benji's whole demeanor became stiff and antagonistic as he lifted his sword, bashing the hilt against the metal wall. The horrendous racket he caused was quite alarming enough to rob everyone of sleep.

Though immediately after the banging, followed his voice. Yet this time, it was far more firm and strangely a little deeper than usual with a raised volume, "Go to the kitchen, now! Don't ask me any questions. Oh, and don't wait up for Echo... or Rend for that matter."

Owen wasn’t asleep, at least, not in any sort of sleep that could be considered restful. He had already been troubled enough as it was by the mental fortitude of his shipmates that seemed to be about as sturdy as a frozen lake on the first day of spring, and he couldn’t feel anything but guilt from his quick escape from his conversation with Yaz once it began to read like it would turn into a full-out therapy sess. Yet he had gone through the whole routine of getting ready for bed, and had spent what felt like either ten hours or ten minutes looking at the wall through barely opened eyes. Finally, he felt as if he was drifting, and perhaps he would actually get some real rest.

However, as his door whooshed open by itself and a cacophony rang throughout the hall and into his eardrums all hopes of sleep were dashed as Owen shot up in his bed, his head whipping around the room in a panic. It sounded as if the ship was being torn into two, yet there was no signs of any damage in his room itself; still, the noise was too loud and too close for it to be anything but an immediate problem. The man rushed out into the hall, stopping immediately as he saw the Doc banging his sword against the metal walls as if he was trying to rally up a horde of marauders. Owen gave the man a peculiar squint, not because he couldn’t make him out, but because he couldn’t think of any good reasons for Benji to be armed. Part of him felt that perhaps he had finally fallen asleep and he was now dreaming. Another part of him thought that Benji had cracked and his life was going to turn into a B-horror movie very quickly, the kind where the black guy dies first.

Probably should’ve talked to the Doc more, he thought with a frown as the image of him being gutted while in nothing but his skivvies entered his mind. Or at least gotten dressed first.

"Go to the kitchen, now! Don't ask me any questions. Oh, and don't wait up for Echo... or Rend for that matter."

Owen sighed; good, he wasn’t about to die. Maybe. The Doc didn’t look like his usual self. Generally he was more shifty and skittish, now he seemed to rigid and severe. Either something had scared him straight, or his mind had finally truly snapped. Either way, Owen sure as hell wasn’t just going to nod his head and dumbly walk to the kitchen in a pair of briefs and a tank top. He took a step back so that he was leaning out of his room and glared at Benji; there was zero doubt that he was upset by this entire situation.

“Maybe you should put that weapon down and tell us what’s going on first, Doc,” said Owen, his voice strained.

An exaggerated groan was released, expressing Benji's absolute annoyance while rolling eyes followed. He lowered the sword. "Sure thing, Owen, don't want you wetting your panties even though I'm clearly trying to keep us safe. If not I could easily slit your throats when you were sleeping. Of course, this is not your first time you told someone that's trying to protect you, to put a weapon down." Benji plugged the sword into its sheath, yet while doing so he grumbled to himself. And since he stood directly near Owen, it was within the other man's ear shot, "You clearly wouldn't have saved Andrew when Rend shot him... Always thinking everyone around you is crazy because we don't have a degree in manipulating people's mind and calling it therapy..."

Owen had turned to put on some pants when Benji had put away his weapon, his teeth gritted firmly in his mouth as he tried to ignore the doctor's insults and threats. If Benji was trying to rile him up, for whatever awful reason he had, then it was working, but Owen wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of letting him see it. However, Owen froze at the mention of Andrew. Benji had no right to say that; if Owen was there when Rend shot Andrew he would’ve taken the bullet for his friend. Assuming, of course, that Rend had actually shot Andrew; it wasn’t hard to imagine that was the case, but they had no hard proof. As much as Owen would’ve loved to condemn the man, he wasn’t just going to hang him for crimes that he may have committed—Owen wasn’t the Principality.

“At this point I think it's more accurate to call it common sense,” he said with a growl as he turned and poked a finger against Benji’s chest. He raised his voice so that it, too, reverberated off of the walls. “Why are you acting like such a dick?”

The doctor seemed to have grown a mean streak, although this would not be the first time Benji has demonstrated such malevolence. He had only just recently pissed Tahlia off. So although Owen's question was called for, Benji felt threatened when a man 6'4 uses what Benji felt was an aggressive gesture, especially since he is only 5'5 and nearly one hundred pounds less than Owen. "Don't touch me!" Benji snarled as the back of his fist slapped away Owen's finger. "Besides this is your own damn fault, Owen! If you didn't decide to stop Tahlia when Rend fired a GUN on us then he would be dead, and I wouldn't have to be worried about him escaping right now!" If Rend truly did escape, that jeopardizes the Benji's deal with the Principality. Because, that leaves the possibility of Rend contacting the Velbenan queen and telling her everything, even having her turn on the crew.

Owen folded his arms over his chest, looking down at Benji as the doctor implied that it would have been for the best if he had let someone be murdered by—

"What!?"

Owen twisted away from the other man, putting his hands on his head as he paced back and forth. No matter which way he cut it, Rend escaping was bad news. If the old coot did anything stupid then it would probably end up being on their heads for whatever damn backwards logic these aliens used. Owen let out a heavy breath. This was bad, bad, ba—he stopped. How did Benji know any of this? Owen spun on his heels, fixing Benji with a peculiar look.

"How do you even know that he escaped?" asked Owen, accusation heavy in his voice.

"Why don't you just go in the kitchen like I said so I can explain everything!?" Benji was losing his patience because he was running out of time. His urgency could be recognized by the harsh tone in his voice. Not only did he worry about Rend, Benji still had Echo to deal with. Though, Owen was presently proving to be his greatest obstacle to get over. "If I could, I would have already dragged you there, but you and I both know you're not really in my weight class."

"Hmph," said Owen with a snort. He didn't know what Benji's play was here, but the man was acting far too strange for him to go along with it. It was something he had said. Well, okay, it was a lot of things he had said, but one thing in particular colored him concerned: Don't wait up for Echo. He eyed the sword. As far as Owen could tell, two things were either possible: either Benji had completely lost his marbles, or he had found them. If the former was the case then there was no way he would let the man out of his sight while armed. He was a danger to the others, to himself. If it was the latter then, shoot, he liked the man better when he was batty.

"I could ask you why you're so determined to make us go to the kitchen. If it's so urgent, then wouldn't it be best to explain it here and now? I'm sure as eggs not going anywhere, and you aren't going to be able to make me. It's like you said: if you could, you would," he said, his voice low so that the other man would have to strain to hear him. "So, would you mind telling me why Echo isn't invited to our little family breakfast?"

"Guess who helped Rend escaped?" Benji raised his eyebrows as he glanced over at Echo's door. "And yeah, I know you're just going to ask more questions like 'how do I know she helped him', but-- damn it! Stay out of this, Owen, you wouldn't understand what is going on. I want to see her alone." Benji tightened his jaw as his teeth clamped down against each other. His annoyance turned to anger, because Owen continued to stand so stubbornly in his way. So Benji spoke with the upmost amount of hostility and aggression,"I already know you are not going to let me do that, now are you?" It was really a rhetorical question since Benji already knew Owen's answer to it. "Fine... Fine!" he yelled. "I'll go with one other person. But that person is not going to be you."

Owen's nostrils flared as a smirk crossed his face. A moment ago Benji wanted him to go to the kitchen so he could explain things to him; now the doctor was saying that Owen wouldn't understand what was going on. Benji was talking too much, unraveling his own yarn with hardly even the slightest bit of provocation. Owen nearly felt bad for the doctor, he himself was often guilty of saying too much to the detriment of his point. In a way, it was nice to see someone else's emotions get the better of them; of course, considering the implications that came with Benji wanting to see Echo alone while armed, Owen couldn't really enjoy it.

"I don't think so. Not if you're keeping that thing," said Owen, nodding to the sword. "Let's make a compromise. You give that to me and I'll see if Tahlia and Yaz would be kind enough to go wake Echo up, since she seems to be the only one who's allowed to have their beauty sleep," he said, having noticed that hers was the only door not opened thanks to Benji. "While they fetch her so that she can tell us what actually happened with Rend, we can go to the kitchen like you wanted where you can explain to me what is exactly going on. Nice and slowly, of course, and in small words if you could. I'm clearly too stupid to understand what's going on all by my lonesome."

As Owen spoke, Benji maintained full eye-contact with nothing more than the floor beneath his feet. Though when he finished speaking, Benji slowly raised his head up, "Ha, really? Really? You know, I was right, I couldn't drag you out of here, but there is something else I had in mind. I just really didn't think it would come to this. I didn't want it to come to this." Benji turned away from Owen, yet Benji did not make his way towards Echo's door, instead he approached the nearest Britheian guard positioned in the hall that was strictly there to protect them if Rend ever potentially made an appearance. Then a familiar sight unravel-- Benji communicating in the alien tongue while the rest of the crew remained completely oblivious. Though this time it was different, because this time was not just a simple conversation heard...

As soon as Benji walked back to Owen, two troops followed beside him. "You might never forgive me for this." Benji did not hate Owen, surely he was annoyed by him, frustrated even, but Benji was aware that now Owen may hate him. The two strapping Britheians grabbed both Owen's arms and shoulders, one soldier tightening a grip on his right and the other on his left, dragging Owen away by force.

"Seriously? C'mon, man, is this necessary?" asked Owen, an incredulous look on his face as Benji returned with two aliens flanking him. There was a slight amusement in his voice, one that quickly gave way to panic as the aliens seized him and began to drag him away. No amount of struggling would be able to break him free, and Owen had seen how rough they had treated the others to even try in the first place. "Benji! Benji! Goddamn it, Doc, call your goons off," he said, his voice growing into a scream as he was dragged out the door. "Benji! Benji!"

Owen’s cries crept into Benji's conscience. He could not help but fold his fingers against the hilt hooked to his hip. The sword was previously stripped from the armory’s wall because of his desire for security. Now, he felt unstable about his decision. Benji expected Owen to curse him madly, yet there were no sounds of hate only desperation. But no matter where his feelings forced him, Benji forced himself to commit.

And when the man’s shrills could only be heard through the ship’s echoes, Benji trudged towards Tahlia while his head remained downcast. With what he just did, Benji made it not an option to proceed to Echo’s room alone. He had to prepare for Murphy’s law, if anything were to go wrong inside of her room Benji at least wanted a witness. He just stained his own reputation, without someone there to vouch for him, it would be quite easy to cast criminal accusations.

Once he faced Tahlia Benji gradually raised his head to herself. Yes, he kept it in the back of his mind that Yaz was still there present in the hall. But part of him wanted to pretend that she wasn’t. He still had a soft spot for her. With all the hell they have walked through yet, she, out of the six, preserved an innocence—an innocence Benji had seemed to have forgotten, or lost,.. somehow. He chose to speak to Tahlia because she was the most familiar with multi-dreaming, that is exactly what crossed his mind when he told Owen that he just wouldn’t understand. Although, Tahlia may since he almost spoke of it during their altercation in the gym, and he had a hallucination due to the multi-dreaming there in front of her. Though he was not enthusiastic to even make eye-contact, it was as if in his inhalation, he could smell her displeasure, her resentment, and her wrath. He prayed it was only his imagination, that it was far from reality.

“Tahlia--” her name was the only word he could voice.

As he inhaled, his chest elevated while his ice green eyes squinted, studying her cybernetic arm. Before Project Renascence, before the cryo-tanks-- when earth was still home, his profession of a doctor had been vastly replaced by machines. Once man mastered the machine to execute medical procedures, there was a realization that machine never grew fatigue, nor tired during surgeries. There was fate that a machine does not error when perfectly engineered. But Benji's profession of a natural doctor was not completely hopeless, because to claim that a machine is perfectly engineered is debatable to some. To some, the thought of a machine sowing the stitches to seal one's fate, was repulsive or frightening. Natural doctors studied traditional medical practices, rather than the popular modern alternative that integrated more technological and engineer classes in the course. The physical body is second nature to Benji, not the synthetic one. Whatever Echo was doing with her arm was beyond Benji, but he had a suspicion. The cylinders clicking in rotation, gave him unease as he was reminded of the sound a gun makes when cocked back. Another reason why he felt anxious by her arm's re-calibration, was because it was not normal. Why was now, a time when he just nearly labelled himself a threat, the only time he has ever witnessed her robotic arm functioning like that?

His hand maneuvered its place against the sword's hilt, but this time, it did not simply rest there. Instead Benji began to lift the sword from its sheath. Yaz? Really? No, she was not his enemy, not even close. The blade was only raised an inch before he cancelled out his own fear in replace for reason and rational, something he was in dire need of.

Finally he exhaled, sighing, "Ain't that the million dollar question?" He eyed back at Echo's door, now wondering if it be a better idea to stick his original plan of first explaining himself and the current chaotic situation, instead of jumping the gun and getting to Echo's room no matter what. "I know your not lying when you say you're... scared. You did that weird thing with your arm, that's not normal I've never seen or heard you do something like that... until now when I pulled a dick move on Owen." Benji stepped back from the door, "Gah... I really want to get in there. I probably could, if I wanted to. But that just means I am walking away from the mess I already made with the slight chance that I'll just make an even bigger one. I know what I did to Owen was real screwed up, and I'll be a man and face my consequences for it... He turned towards the hall. "We can worry about Echo once I explain... everything. Or least what Pseudo showed me on the ship's surveillance. It is what started all of this."

---

All pigment in Benji's face had vanished till it was nothing but pale. As soon as he stepped into the kitchen where Owen and Tahlia were located, he swore he could throw up right then and there if he did not toil with ever muscle in his body not to.

The same window that revealed to the rest of the six that they were no longer on earth but space, was stained with streaks of jet red. As for Owen's nose, no one needed a doctor like Benji to know that its crooked shape and the swelling that surrounded it, meant something was seriously wrong. From the broken nose to the busted lip, Owen's face and even neck was coated in blood.

This was exactly what Benji feared, and it was all because he lied to the Britheians to get Owen out of his way.

Tahlia entered the kitchen, still fuming. No matter how she saw it, she couldn't reconcile Benji's behavior. Had he simply explained the situation from the get-go, the argument with Owen could very well have been avoided. Regardless, she realized that there were bigger fish to fry. If Rend was loose, he could very well be a threat to the crew not only physically, but politically. The damned Principality could turn this against the crew, saying it's their fault. Corporal punishment certainly was part of their MO.

She stopped that thought process, realizing that conjecture wouldn't get anyone anywhere. She closed her eyes, still standing in the doorway between the hall and the kitchen. She pinched the bridge of her nose and let out an exasperated sigh. Hopefully things would come to light soon. Everything had been madness, soothed only by brief moments of relative peace, from the moment that they were captured. Getting pissed off and contributing to the pandemonium would do no good. She was still angry, but she tried to calm herself. One more deep breath, followed by a sigh, then she finally opened her eyes.

Immediately, any vestige of reason that she had managed to collect since the argument with Benji had shattered once more as she saw Owen, his face battered and beaten, resting against the far wall, barely conscious. "Shit!" She ran over to him and checked him over. "Fuck. Owen, can you hear me? Say something!" He was at least responsive, if slow and barely comprehensible. She thought she could make out a dumb joke about there being a doctor onboard, before consciousness slipped away from him.

"God dammit!" She felt his pulse and checked his breathing. Slightly accelerated, but that was to be expected. He was, most likely, concussed. Her instincts kicked in and she picked him up by the shoulders and began dragging him to the med bay, when she saw Benji appear in the doorway they had just come from.

Initially, Benji could not fathom the outcome of his actions. Even as Tahlia glared at him, all focus, all attention was on Owen. It was not until Tahlia was a step in front of Benji hauling Owen away, did he all of a sudden realize that he could not let Tahlia tend to Owen herself. If there was anything that Benji could do right, if there was anything that he took pride in, it was being a doctor. Even when Rend, of all people, was transferred to the med-bay after his altercation with Tahlia, there was the open opportunity for Benji to either shut down the man's ventilator or to lie to the crew and mislead them into believing that there was no chance in his survival. But he didn't.

"Stop," the sharp tone sounded from his lips as he gripped her shoulder. "I'm the doctor. I've got it from here."

"You goddamn well better fix this shit!" was all she could muster. She was exercising every fiber of her being to restrain herself from doing or saying anything more. Her blood was boiling, and were the circumstances different, she would likely have beat the shit out of Benji right then. But he was, after all, the only doctor that she knew of onboard the ship, and he wouldn't be able to help Owen if he himself was battered and bruised.

She stormed off again, past Yaz and back to her room. She went immediately to the drawer where she kept the pieces of Rend's gun that she held on to. She was surprised when they were still there; expecting the aliens to have taken it. Maybe they didn't have enough information to know that they were weapon parts. Regardless, she was glad. If ever there were a time to arm up, now was it. Of course, there was still the matter of ammunition and getting the other pieces; especially from Echo, seeing as she was still in her room.

As soon as Tahlia made her sudden exit, Benji hooked his arms underneath Owen's underarms, slightly lifting the concussed man off the floor. Before, truding towards the med-bay, Benji angled his head and attention at the Britheian guard posted near by, "Afli trettalt Piecimtue gnaq Echo dudrerd Yaz aphysse ..." With haste before Yaz could become suspicious about what he just said, Benji translated his words in a paraphase, "Yaz, Echo's door should be open for you now, I simply told the Britheian to have Pseudo open the door for you. That's all I said, I swear nothing else. You should be able to speak with Echo now... Tahlia can go with you if you want." It was apparent in his voice that Benji struggled in hesitation to say Tahlia could accompany Yaz, because what if Echo did admit to helping Rend? Only Benji knew why she would possibly do a thing like that. He felt her strange attachment towards Rend, the man who is her husband, but only in an alternate reality.

Benji believed that the kitchen would be the place where he would explain all that he could in the limited time that Pseudo gave him to question Echo. But it slipped from his mind at the time of what would happen to Owen, if Benji gave more thought to his rash decision Owen would not be lying in the med bay drenched with blood spewing from the nasal cavities.

Owen eyelids peeled back from his pupils, sensing that he was no longer alone in his unconscious state. Lying against the bed, his function of movement mirrored his waking life, he lacked any sense of motion. The only thing he could do was watch and observe the only other man in the med bay, Benji.

The surgical gloves he wore implied his operation on Owen's fractured nose. Yet it was not from just Benji's fingers that the blood trickled, his entire torso was caked thick with blood. Other obscure imagery appeared on Benji, an orange Cryonautics flag draped from his mouth. One of his arms was no longer of flesh and blood but cybernetic, while the other arm was tattooed with a winged sword. As Benji wiped away the blood with a rag in hand, a crown was revealed inked against his chest. He unsheathed and lifted his blade right before directly stabbing it through the crown.

Benji gasped instantly, glancing at his hand and searching for his reality check. Once realizing the twisted multi-dream nightmare through the impossible count of fingers steaming from his hand, he obtained lucidity. After spiting the flag from his lips and heaving the sword out from his chest, Benji burst with words, "O-Owen, is that YOU? L-Like, REALLY you?"

Owen didn't know how to respond, although not in the usual sense. Normally, he would've made a quip about how a question like that was completely asinine. It didn't matter how he responded to that, did it? If he said it was him, then it was him. If he said it was him when it really wasn't him, then Benji would have to believe him to be Owen anyway. If he said it wasn't him, then Benji would know that it was him being a jackass. No, not knowing what to say wasn't the problem here; Owen quite literally did not know how to respond. He couldn't get his lips to move, or his vocal cords to vibrate, or even his brain to construct a sentence. It was like someone had come by and told him that he was now aware of his own breathing. All he could focus on now was what used to be a normal, automatic function turned into a manual operation, and as if he had thrown behind the wheel of a stickshift car he had no clue how to control it.

Wait, wait, wait, not being able to talk wasn't the only thing wrong here. He didn't have to be very astute to realize that—there was something about seeing a person yank a magical sword out of their chest that instantly raises ones awareness that something was off. Owen blinked, still too confused to quite get what was going on. The last thing he remembered was standing in a hall in his briefs arguing with Benji. No, no, no, that wasn't the end of it. Benji had, like a bratty child running to a teacher over a schoolyard spat, sicced his alien goons on Owen. Then he remembered seeing stars, and they weren't the kind out in space. And now he was in the medbay, alone with Benji, hallucinating. Well, this wasn't alarming.

What did you inject me with? he thought, unable to move his lips to ask Benji the question.

"Hm...," Calculating his next thought, Benji dragged his fingers through his curly jet black beard. He assumed the reason why Owen was not speaking was because of shock. Whatever he just witnessed could only be described as a nightmare. Benji predicted it be best if he simply stated it directly, "Errr... None of that and this is actually... you know... real. Except you... I hope. N-No-no-no, I know you're real! Because this is a... nightmare. Which a nightmare means you hate my guts. Which makes a lot sense given the circumstance. And I don't blame you." The more Benji spoke, the quicker the odd imagery vanished from his person till the Benji that Owen most recognized remained. Furrowing his brow and folding his arms Benji barked with bitterness, "I-I caused your coma. I'm a damn son of a bitch... a real asshole..."

A nightmare was right. Owen didn't remember his dreams too often, but he knew for certain that none of the good ones involved him on a gurney being poked at by another guy (especially if that guy had effectively been the one who had put him there in the first place). Still, that explained all of Benji's extra features. It was odd that Benji was talking to him as if he wasn't just a part of his nightmare, but Owen didn't dwell on it. If he was dreaming, then there was something he had wanted to do for a hot minute now.

He just had to remember how to move first.

Bit by bit, wiggle by wiggle, Owen got feeling in his body back. His toes, his legs, his fingers, his hands, his arms, all forms of basic motor functions came sweeping back to him as he became more aware of his surroundings. There was darkness at the edge of his peripheries, and when he moved his eyes there was a moment of viewing nothingness before his imagination filled in the details of the world around them. However, in those details were minute discoveries that showed that he wasn't in the real world: the door was in the wrong spot, the room stretched on to far, and when he looked away and then back again things had shifted ever so slightly. So, if this was a dream, then he should be able to move just fine, even if his real body was still out cold.

Owen bolted to his feet with a shocking amount of quickness, took two steps forward, and then swung his fist in a wide arc towards Benji. It felt as if his arm was swimming through molasses, and all momentum was lost as his body stumbled as he followed through, missing the Doc by several inches. Owen grunted. He never could throw a proper punch, but this one had that unmistakable feeling of unreal weakness that he had only felt when he was dreaming, like how even all of his strength would be unable to even bend a pencil. Owen straightened himself up and adjusted his tie, uncertain of how or when he had put on a suit. He glared at Benji with a fiery intensity.

"I think the word you're looking for is backstabber or traitor," said Owen, crossing his arms. "But I'll take asshole."

"After what I did, is it best that I leave for good?" In his every bone of his body, Benji wanted to explain himself, but what use did it have if Owen did not want him there anymore? "I could stay until you wake from your coma, but if you are against me even doing that. I can try making arrangements with Pseudo to get a medi-bot to monitor you." Benji was against the medi-bot route because he felt strongly that a human patient should be tended by a human doctor, but he still let be an option for Owen to exile him sooner. "It's completely up to you, Owen."

"Why does it even matter?" said Owen, tossing Benji's suggestions away with a flip of his hand. "Stay, go, it's not going to change a damn thing. You're still going to do as you please and throw around your weight without ever considering a single consequence."

As Owen spoke, the walls around them had shifted from those in the med-bay to that of a dystopian novel, giant screens surrounding them as if they were being entombed by an old-time cinema. Invisible projectors splashed images on the screens of Benji, some true and some fabricated, and all colored jaded through Owen's eyes. The Doc's features were exaggerated, as if he were in some vaudeville act, and marionette strings seemed to pull his limbs in short, quick bursts of flailing in a mockery of his skittish nature. The man on screen wasn't necessarily Benji, then, but rather a pseudo-Benji. There was pseudo-Benji pulling them out of cryo, pseudo-Benji running when Rend and Tahlia got into a fight, pseudo-Benji dropping from the ceiling and skewering a robot, and pseudo-Benji ordering the aliens to take out Owen.

The final clip was of not of Benji but of Owen as his face was slammed against the glass by Benji's goons. The image looped, the crack of something breaking echoing throughout the room that had lost all color during the transition until it was almost deafening. As the violent image looped the aliens slowly crossfaded into Benji, grinning with a sadistic satisfaction, as if he were enjoying the act of smashing in Owen's face. Owen had little reason to believe that the Benji in front of him was anything but a part of his dreamworld, but even then, a little guilt-tripping would be nice. They were in a nightmare, but whose it was was no longer certain.

"I'll tell you what," said Owen, his glasses reflecting the screens and nothing else. "Put yourself in my place. Why don't you tell me what you think I would want? It'd be a good way to see if you have anything empathy left."

To answer Owen's question, Benji reminded himself of an old agenda of his when Rend was still considered their main threat. "I-If we rev-reversed the r-r-roles...," He began speaking, voice shaking while at the same time he paced in a circle to observe each screen at a closer look. "And you did to m-m-me, what I d-did to you..." For him to ponder this thought and minimize all distractions, Benji stopped moving and closed his eyes. Taking a deep breath, Benji finally opened his eyes and turned around to face Owen. Before answering his question Benji had a few things to say first, "I-I-I'm sorry...O-Owen, I never wanted that to happen to you... I never knew that was going to happen to you." The reason why Benji compared himself to Rend was because the two of them have put the life of another on the crew in direct harm. But the difference between Benji and Rend was that a gun guarantees death to whoever's heart faces its barrel, but the Britheians guards never guaranteed Owen death, nor did they guaranteed that Owen would simply be removed or even handcuffed.

"Remember that we both knew that if I could, I would have dragged you out of there myself. That was all that I wanted, that was all that I expected-- well, the worst case scenario I could have actually thought of was, they hand-cuff you. You didn't resist their grasp, so I didn't think you would give them any reason to beat you. But I don't say that now to j-justify what I did." Benji knows that his greatest error of it all, was to put Owen's well-being in the hand of the Principality. "But I was desperate and scared. I feared that if I didn't report back to Pseudo with information about Rend's escape through Echo, they would interrogate her themselves. And who knows what would happen to her then, especially because she is already on thin ice after the stunt she pulled in front of the monarchs? I was determined to speak to her first because I felt it could be... somehow... some way... m-m-my f-fault... f-for why she helped Rend escape." Owen was not the first to multi-dream with Benji, Echo was. And Benji blames himself, because he regrets that he never went lucid and stopped the dream before progressing. Though he did not know at the time when dreaming with her, that she could become attached to Rend in waking life.

"But to answer your question, Owen... if I were you, I would want me r-removed. That is why I left that decision open, because that is what I would want if I were in your shoes." Benji spoke the absolute truth as he recalled when all of the crew were reunited in the living area. He remembered that it was there that he began the process of a long-term goal of his, separate Rend from everyone else. He did so by declaring that Rend remain on the ship while the rest of the crew venture out into Katex on their trip to a tailor for a new set of clothes. "Though, the position I am in now, do I want to leave the crew-- no, not at all... I will be completely cut from Yaz... Echo... Tahlia... and you, Owen..." With each solemn step, carefully approaching Owen, Benji walked as if he were stepping on holy ground. "I... c-care about every single person whose name I just called out..." Benji squinted, using his lower eyelids like dam to barricade the overflow of his tears. "Look," he tried raising his voice, but only strained it and croaked, voice cracking. "Y-you want the whole t-truth, just the truth... O-okay... I've been working behind the scenes, made an offer with the Principality: pardon the rest of the crew from this crime we never committed, and in return they can use me to hunt down the Velbenan queen... So, if you tell me now that it is best that I cut my ties with the crew, I still intend on completing that mission and freeing us, but Tahlia will not go with me. Because, just before everyone went to their rooms for rest, I told her everything and after some arguing... I gave her the option to join me, she took it. Yet, if you say that it would be best I remain connected with the crew, she will accompany me. Though keep in mind, as do I, that any mistakes on my part could possibly lead to her death..."

"No, no," said Owen hastily, shaking his head. "I wanted you to tell me what you thought I would want, not what you would do in my position. I wouldn't want any of us, not you, not even Rend, to leave the crew, because, as much as it sucks, we are all we have left, and it's a lot easier to keep us all from doing something stupid if we're under the same roof." Owen stepped forward so that he could tower over Benji, his eyes glaring down at the Doc. "But if you think for a single second that I'm going to let you drag Tahlia into some suicide mission so you can stab in the back the only alien that was on our side in the first place then you are sadly mistaken."

"Plus, even if you somehow do manage to track down the Queen Bee, it's not like that's going to acquit us of our crime because, face it man, we are just guilty for even existing. Do you really think that just because you give them Frankenstein they aren't going to go after Frankenstein's monster as well? How did you not think of that?" asked Owen, shrugging his shoulders in bewilderment. "Seriously!"

"You see all of this could be avoided if the Velbenan queen never pulled us out of Earth. She had no right too! In order to do something like that the Principality must to come to an unanimous decision or the Divine Regency must interject and make a decision for them. She knew the consequences if she defied both orders, she knew what would happen to her. But where she now? Oh, wait-- she ran away to avoid her own execution. And with what their guards did to you... I now know for a fact their patience runs thin. How much longer till the Principality gives up on us completely and decides it be better to make an example of us with an execution-- an execution that is rightly the queen's? But fine, if you do not want Tahlia apart of this, then she will not come... " Well, Tahlia is going to be livid. Not only will Benji inform her that Owen is not waking up, that he is in a coma with the possibility of never waking up ever again, now Benji will also cut her out of the mission he already included her in. "However I will complete the task they have given me, even if it means joining their side. What other choice do I have to our avoid deaths? I'm doing this, Owen, even if it means I have to do it alone."