We Go... Together Chapter 6
As usual Massive Fucking Spoilers for Subnautica. Also found on AO3 - same title, same username. Hope you enjoy the update :D
The Sorrow-Filled Depths
The three survivors spend a few days relaxing, gathering local supplies, checking on the gardens and planning for the future. On one of her solo trips out Hikari found a cave system that she thought would be worth exploring. She and Nicholas go out and find another Degasi base, along with an alien containment system and a strange egg. They install the system in the base, and put the egg inside. Nemo on her journey for replacement parts for a new seamoth came across a different cave system - and in it she found some glorious vibrant purple plants along with one that was a delicate blue; she took cuttings of them both and then grew them in the containment system the others had set up. They talk a lot, and Nemo tells them a bit of her background, edited of course - there are few people who could learn the full truth and not run screaming. But the explosion, the war, the fighting against a friend these things she tells them and the good things as well - snowball fights and dancing until dawn. She learns about Hikari’s first paper published at 15, and about how Nicholas’ dad took him camping every year until he left for the Academy. Hikari talks about the failed experiment that nearly killed her and Nicholas speaks of that one space flight where there was an unexpected meteor shower; a meteor tore a hole through the cargo bay and spaced three of the crew. Hikari finds a deck of cards in the belongings she salvaged from the Aurora and this leads to the three of them bemoaning the lack of a fourth player for Bridge or Hearts; Nicholas enjoys Up and Down the Spaceway but Hikari hates it, eventually they compromise on Sevens. Nemo carves a 3-player cribbage board from the wood of the island trees and then proceeds to soundly beat both of the others at the game. They still haven’t solved the deep-dive problem, the prawn suits can’t be built without aerogel and despite their best efforts they’ve not seen any aluminium oxide - corundum - crystals. It’s Nemo who finds a potential solution in the form of a cyclops bridge blueprint - they’d need two others to be able to put together the larger sub but it gives much needed hope to the team. Hikari and Nemo travel out together to try and find more Cyclops parts but they end up in the wrong mushroom forest - however this leads them to a large cave system, there’s heavier water pooling and draining into the caves but they’re almost at the seamoth depth limit. Further exploration reveals yet another base, they get in to start stripping it when they’re attacked. The strange animal is a cross between a crab and a squid - it seems to be able to emit EMPs. Nemo looks over at Hikari, who is frozen and Nemo can recognise a flashback when she sees one, so she grabs Hikari by the hand and swims them both out to their subs. Abandoning the Falcon for now, Nemo once again seats Hikari in her lap and pilots the Makoto to safety.
They surface a ways from the base - driven by her healer’s instinct Nemo had headed for the sun - and it seems to be helping, Hikari’s shakes slow and then stop and she offers Nemo a soft apology. “Nah, enough of that - you saw me after the explosion, I get it Hikari. If you wanna talk I’m here and I’ll listen, you don’t want to say anything that’s fine too.” Nemo listens as Hikari talks about her young protege Berkeley - how he had a sense of humour and was her equal in terms of understanding and the project they were working on when the alarms going. How they’d raced together to find a lifepod - and then how it took on water but they were able to create a bilge pump. They had cobbled together rebreathers and made for the surface from nearly 500 meters below. And as they swam they were attacked by one of those crab-squids. Berkeley had looked her in the eye, lifted a hand in farewell and distracted the predator allowing her to reach the surface. “I saw the pod when we were heading towards the base. It just all…” she trails off and begins to cry. Nemo holds her tightly, and rocks a little, humming softly and providing what comfort she can. Nemo doesn’t want to leave yet another seamoth behind, and so once Hikari has recovered some, tells her to head back to the base, that she will be no more than an hour or two behind. Hikari gives her a watery smile “You best be, or I’ll sic Nicholas onto you.” Nemo mimes a stab wound to the heart, and the brief chuckle she receives in return is so worth it. “Word of honour - see you soon.” She makes sure Hikari is headed in the correct direction before diving back down into the depths. Nemo ignores her sub - currently idling around the back of the base and instead swims to find the lifepod Hikari had mentioned. Magic swirled in her hands, and was sent into the sands, magic that sought calcium. It returned to her with a skull but no more - the rest of the bones lost to the sea or to the monsters that dwelled here. She carried Berkeley to the pod, and gently placed his skull inside. She swam back out and called more magic - careless of the cost, and slowly oh so slowly the metal of the pod changed, becoming a memorial that none would see and as it shaped itself Nemo sang -a bubble of air to breathe in and the songs of mourning. She sang his name, shaping it so that it would always echo a little in this place, sang of his deeds and his valour. And she closed with the only prayer she used anymore - that peace would find him wherever his soul roamed.
Having done what she could, Nemo goes back to the Falcon and begins the trip back to base. It does not surprise her at all to see the BnBM coming towards her when she’s about halfway back, but she flickers her lights in a greeting and allows Nicholas to take point for the rest of the journey. That night she slips into Hikari’s room and holds her hand while telling her of the rituals she did for Berkeley in the hopes it will bring some comfort.