Inspector Edda was never a mean or angry man. Cold, sure, but never ill-intentioned. Unless you pissed them off.
They didn't have many friends, didn't feel the need to. Only hurt when they left.
So imagine his surprise when at the end of the universe, another escaping ship swallowed Lyff's. It was absolutely massive, with moon-like exterior, reminding Lyff of the times he'd unwillingly overheard Ivy talk about the origins of the Aurora. The thought was interrupted by someone banging on the door to his ship. Opening it would reveal Marius standing in the doorway, fist still raised. "Von Raum? What do you wa--"
"I don't want anything, inspector! But you're not gonna survive the end of the universe stuffed in a ship like that!"
"... What's wrong with my ship??"
"Can't time travel, can it?"
When Briar woke from her slumber, her gaze fell to the people standing in front of her. They didn't introduce themselves, didn't say a word. Just cleared the way for her to go.
And so she did, killing hundreds on her way out and hundreds more past that. When the battle was over and there were no more soldiers left, she turned to see one of the two approach her. The woman now introduced herself as Nastya Rasputina, the engineer of the starship Aurora. She introduced her previous companion as Jonny d'Ville, Aurora's first mate. She claimed there were more people on that ship, but didn't think it mattered to introduce them as she would either meet them soon enough or never have the chance to.
It was at this point Nastya gave her a choice. She could stay here, thought Nastya had no idea was that might bring for her. Or she could join Nastya and her crew on their journey through space, guarantying her stories of interest, friends among the crew and complete autonomy the moment they landed on a new planet.
It wasn't hard to pick which one. The Briar Rose didn't know how to fly a spaceship or navigate the stars and there was nothing left for her here. So why wouldn't she join Nastya? And besides that, it could server as sort of a thank you for waking her up.
When Ulysses stumbled into that vault they should have died. Their tale says so, as the Mechanisms quite literally labeled it 'Ulysses Dies at Dawn'.
But as it turns out, between the years of drowning sorrows and the deaths of the four suits and Hephaestus, they had made quite a name for themselves.
That is to ignore their remaining possession of the eye of the Cyclops. So it shouldn't have been that surprising when a wooden hand stopped the vault door from closing. When they turned their head to the side, they saw Hades, Persephone and a nymph walk in. Persephone they recognised from posters and news articles around the City, the nymph they'd seen serve at their favourite bar.
As the blood and life force drained slowly from their body, they watched the three whisper among themselves, catching flards of 'Ulysses' and 'tree' and 'help them'.
And then Persephone walked up the oak tree they'd fought to protect and injected something into it. "There is beauty in death," she told them. "But you knew that."
Whatever she injected, it made the tree sprout like wildfire. The earth beneath them grumbled and shook from the force of the ever expanding roots until something pierced Ulysses' chest. They watched in mixed fear and curiosity as the root now growing through their ribcage wrapped around them, growing leaves and branches. Slowly the growing came to a stop. The nymph, who had been watching curiously up until this point, drew a blade and cut Ulysses free. The cut end of the root grew to a close around their arm.
Hades stepped forward and reintroduced themselves as Ashes O'Reilly, introducing Persephone and the nymph as Raphaella la Cognizi and the Toy Soldier respectively. They explained that after seeing a peer like Hephaestus venture into lower levels like these, they had gathered the allies they knew the locations of to go check it out. With the suggestion they help Ulysses survive. And to help them get off the planet they loathed.
Galahad laughed as the turrets ran dry and his blood pooled on the floor. He watched, still standing, as the Pendragons approached the final door to the GRAIL. He had fulfilled his mission as sent by God.
And then someone kicked down the door behind him. He couldn't find the strength to turn, but my the sound of metal clashing against metal, it wasn't hard to guess.
And so it was to no surprise that when Galahad finally collapsed, he was caught by a brass man. The Hanged Man himself. He tried to ask Merlin how he'd gotten free and all the way to Galahad in the time that he had, but even if the prophet hadn't shushed him, the bits of blood and bone he coughed up would have.
Just then the sun flickered and brightened, casting Merlin in rays of golden light. The Hanged Man was no mere prophet, Galahad knew then, he was a saviour. A metal angel sent my God.
And that metal angel gave Galahad the strength and determination to hold on as Merlin carried him all the way through Camelot, all the way through Annwn, onto another ship, where he was laid to rest.
He would wake up the next day with the Hanged Man, who's name now clearly read Brian, sitting beside his bed.
Thought I'd write a bit about how each honorary Mechanism joined the crew! I feel like I did better with Galahad and Ulysses than the other two "'o.o
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