A person that doesn't know what they're doing @weeweeknutz - Tumblr Blog

I have titled this one very succinctly "The Space One". Because titles don't need to be there until I actually sit down and think about it lol

I have been sitting on my ideas for a while now, so I can't point out exactly what inspired them other than reading some other space!au sanders sides fics. I'm not sure if I missed other fics since I do tend to look for Virgil-centric stuff, but one common theme I saw was 1) Virgil is a human and 2) he was kidnapped and forced into an alien fighting ring. And don't get me wrong, I love love love the idea and there were quite a few good fics for that. But my brain tends to wander off into "how would I do this story" and "how can I subvert common themes". And so.

(Please note that this is a combination of old notes being rearranged to the story's proper order, as well as me writing new snippets. If I refer to something not said yet, just keep going)

The main story would start with Roman (human) being tossed in a cell. And it's not a fighting ring, but a science lab.

Why did Roman get picked up is the question. Obviously death worlders are the new shiny thing in the universe. But that is mostly for the fighting rings. So I guess Roman (and Remus?) get kidnapped.

I can't see any way for it to work unless Remus gets kidnapped at the same time. If he hitches a ride when Roman is kidnapped, then he would have plenty of time to track Roman down and try to bust him out then. If he didn't, he has no way of getting off planet. Raiders don't come that often, and he has no way of knowing when they do, nor being there to intercept.

So yeah, Remus gets kidnapped too. He is going to be sent to a fighting ring, and Roman is chosen for the scientists. They obviously can't understand what is going on at that point, just that they are being separated. Remus fights so hard to not be separated that he has to be sedated heavily. Roman fights as well, though perhaps a touch less viciously, and is also sedated. The raiders figure Remus would make them more money in the ring, and the scientists would want the calmer one anyway.

Roman is confused and panicking. It affects how effective he is when trying to fight off the raiders. He's not one to just up and punch an alien. Not when push comes to shove at least. (He does better protecting others than himself.)

Remus has no fear. He'll rip the throat out of anyone who tries to separate him from his brother. The only reason he hasn't busted them out yet is that they have the advantage of surprise, and then keeping him restrained, sedated, locked up, etc. Once they give him five minutes alone and conscious, they will regret it.

I absolutely will need to write the side story/flashback to Remus's experience. Because he does not get his chance before Roman is taken away.

But back to the start of the story, Roman is thrown into a cell on (what he doesn't know is) a science experiment station, and his cell is already occupied. There is already an alien there, curled up in the corner, unmoving. Now, Roman has not been having the best of times so far. Kidnapped, attacked, drugged, ripped apart from his brother, and now this. He hasn't had a moment to collect himself, a moment to think, and really it's all he can do right now not to just break down. His quiescent companion may have the right idea of it, as he pulls himself into an opposing corner, curling in on himself and just tries to breathe.

It takes time, but for now he has nothing but time, for Roman to ease up, to uncurl and explore the small space, to observe the other alien who still has not moved. As nothing continues to happen, the ever outgoing, ever moving Roman gets hit with the most distressing of maladies; boredom. Yes it's a terrifying situation, but nothing is still nothing and he will go insane if all he can do is dwell on his own thoughts (and failings). So he starts talking to his cellmate. First complaining about the terrors he'd just been through, then getting distracted reminiscing on what he's missing back home, then petering off into quiet as the realization sinks in. He may never go home.

The tears come then. Roman pressing his hand to his mouth to muffle his sobs, but what else can he do? He is stuck on an alien ship, surrounded by creatures he can't understand, and his only point of comfort, his only connection back home, his brother, is gone.

Movement near his face makes him jerk back. He hadn't noticed, it had been so gradual, but the alien in the corner had uncurled just a little, and from its back one spindly limb had reached out. The pointed end was intimidating, but it hovered there a few inches away as Roman stared, not moving. Eventually, slowly, it continued its way forward, sweeping a tangled strand of hair away from Roman's forehead. While Roman couldn't make out anything that resembled familiar facial features, the alien having a hood-like covering, its eyes (if it had any) covered by a dark, solid looking film, its mouth a pair of scary looking mandibles, he couldn't help but lean into the touch, taking comfort in the first bit of kindness he'd encountered in this nightmare.

Virgil has Not been having a Good Time of it either. But there is something about this alien that is soothing, something about the voice that eases the painful pressure in his chest. So when it stops making those noises, he has to do something to encourage it to start again. It had been so long since he'd used his spinner limbs, it hurt to extend it from it's tightly clamped spot from his back, but all he could think to do was offer a grooming comfort. The texture of the alien's head adornment was very different, soft and light as the finest of threads. When the alien didn't protest, didn't react violently, Virgil cautiously extended a second limb, trying to focus on the task of smoothing the hair adornment into some semblance of order, careful untangling knots from the fine strands.

Some focus on Roman and Virgil feeling each other out/figuring out they aren't going to kill each other. They would have to start learning a common language. I think Virgil's people don't bother with Common, since they feel no need to join the space federation etc etc. A bit of snobbery there. So Roman and Virgil both kind of suck at Common, but they learn to communicate some. I think Virgil is actually unaware that Roman is considered a deathworlder, as his people don't pay much attention to things in space that don't affect their planet. And to be fair, Virgil's people would probably be considered deathworlders of a different sort if they could leave their planet.

Learning Common is self-defense for them, so they can understand some of what is going on around them in the lab. Virgil knows some, thanks to hanging out with Janus a lot. It was more of a curiosity thing, because Virgil never intended on leaving the planet. And anyone coming to their planet needed to learn Virgil's language, or they would not be traded with. With that common (ha) ground, Virgil and Roman can start to teach each other their own language too.

One of the things they discover is that when Roman sings, it calms Virgil down immensely. This is probably the first thing that gives them common ground, and how they start trying to communicate more.

*scours notes* Uh apparently I didn't actually write this down, so let's see. *squints* I really feel like I'm missing notes bc I swear I wrote this down.

The science ship/station they are on is an off the record craft, as the experiments they do are (for lack of a better term) inhumane and against federation law. They are unrelenting in their pursuit of knowledge, and also sell the information back to interested parties. One reason they wanted the deathworlders is to figure out the best way to deal with them, to hurt them (Virgil especially), because that is very valuable information. For humans, this is brand new for them, so they have a lot of things they want to learn about their biology before they even begin to start with countermeasures.

Enter Logan. Logan's species is a race that values and pursues knowledge. The best education in the known galaxy can be found on their planet, and they covet that prestige with pride. But they are also free with sharing their knowledge, because after all what is it's worth if no one knows it? So their species spread out far and wide in the galaxy, bringing their teachings with them. Having one of them as a teacher is highly sought after as the best kind of education, though they themselves consider it to be sub-par to what you can find on their home planet.

Logan desperately wanted to have a home education growing up. But his parents had been ones who had traveled the federated space, had seen hundreds of different species interacting with each other, and had encountered some of the best and worst experiences because of it. They felt the value of having Logan grow in the ever changing environment, learning other cultures and the new knowledge that was just out there for the learning, was more beneficial than the superior education he could get on planet without the interpersonal opportunities. Logan couldn't really understand this, and felt cheated out of a superior learning opportunity.

This is why, when he hears about a ship that is allowed to learn freely and without restrictions, he leaps at the opportunity. Patton, his best and only friend growing up on a space station together, has some reservations.

Patton's species isn't anything to write home about. They are not super strong, fast, or smart. They are not the best flyers (despite their feathered limbs and ability to glide when planet-side), they are not great engineers. They are a completely average species in comparison to all the other interesting ones out there. But they are friendly and incorporated into the federation with no issues, always ready to help out a person in need. Patton is no exception to their generally cheery disposition. It's how he befriended the somewhat cold Logan, after all!

Patton definitely helped Logan deal with some of his bitterness and resentment about growing up on a space station instead of his home planet. Always looking on the bright side, he was able to keep Logan from becoming too cynical, too bitter. Instead he encouraged Logan's curiosity and wonder at everything in life, happy to be Logan's sounding board even if he didn't understand much of what was being said. (Patton does not realize that he DOES absorb a lot of the information. He is quite intelligent in his own right, but next to Logan he doesn't notice.)

Logan sees the off record science ship as an Opportunity. Patton can't help but feel there is something very wrong about all this. Despite Patton trying to dissuade Logan from going, Logan ignores the warnings. All Patton can do is tag along. Because while something in him is crying that this is the scariest idea in the world, letting Logan leave alone would be even worse.

I think Logan and Patton's situation is actually Logan's fault. He is a bit amoral in some ways about discovering new things. Patton, his oldest friend, tries to be his moral compass, but Logan is stubborn. The excitement for discovering something new overpowers his sensibilities, and Patton can't always put his foot down strong enough to stop him.

So perhaps Logan signs up for a stint on the science ship, thinking they will be pushing the boundaries of what is known and all that. Patton is more hesitant, not having a good feeling about it. By the time Patton is proven right, by the time Logan is presented with a scenario even he thinks is too cruel in the name of science, they are well and truly trapped.

Unfortunately, Patton's premonition is accurate. At first Logan is overjoyed. It's exactly what he wanted! Space to do any experiment he pleased! No limit of resources and ideas! But then he was told (ordered) to perform experiments on other people. Other aliens. This was not what he signed up for! He wasn't going to torture living beings just for a bit of knowledge. All well and good, they said. You don't have to, of course not. We'll just use your buddy there, Patton was his name? You can sit in your little room doing your silly experiments by yourself.

Now with his friend's life hanging over his head, Logan is forced to choose. Does he hurt these people he doesn't know, to save his friend's life? He has to. He has to, because the only thing worse than the screams of the victims is the thought of them being Patton's screams instead.

Some focus on the experiments, and Roman coming to realize that Logan does not want to be doing this any more than they do. Probably has to have Patton be dragged into the overlooking room and hurt to drive Logan to continue, for Roman (and/or Virgil) to understand.

Comes to a head when Logan can't bring himself to perform the experiment. It's too cruel. They have Patton, but even that. Looking into Patton's eyes, Logan knows he understands, even if it breaks both their hearts.

When it comes down to it, when Logan just cannot do this anymore, despite Patton, despite everything, he threatens to kill himself. He knows they do not want to lose Logan, and demands (begs) they let Patton go. He will continue anything so long as they let him go. They of course call his bluff, and it's coming down to the point where they are going to kill Patton (and lose Logan), when Roman manages to snag Logan's arm, pulling it to him. Conveying without words that Logan should use it on him, save them in the moment. Eventually Logan does, and it is as horrible as he imagined. (Poor Roman, but he stands by his sacrifice. Virgil not so much, calling him ten kinds of idiot as he has to nurse him through the aftermath).

Some focus on the aftermath. Of course Virgil being an anxious wreck over what happened to Roman, worried that Roman is going to die. Roman is Not Having a Good Time either.

Oh what if Logan has to stay in the cell to observe the effects on Roman. Whether he's ordered to do so for the experiment's sake, or insists upon it for his own.

That would give time for a little bonding between the three. Logan trying to sooth Virgil (who is understandably Not Having It), and Roman trying to build bridges with a guilt-ridden Logan. Logan does not want to care about the experiments (people they were sapient beings). Roman cares about Logan's point of view, but the thing is he doesn't care and is going to befriend him.

In the midst of all this, while Roman is still shaky and sick, still barely able to move himself about, everything comes to a head. There is a commotion on the ship, alarms blaring, and in their cold little cell they are shocked when another deathworlder human comes barreling into view, various alien entrails hanging off him. Remus is here to break his bro outta this place.

Roman insists on saving everyone. Virgil goes without saying, but Logan as well, and also that flighty little alien friend of Logan's who they are holding hostage. Remus doesn't really care who comes along now that he's reunited with his brother. Though his pilot buddy isn't going to be happy about it. The thought makes him cackle. As does the pilot's reluctant agreement to the plan over the comms, as he helps guide them.

Logan is fully expecting to be killed by Remus at this point. Yes, maybe Roman likes him for some inexplicable reason, but Logan was the reason Roman was in so much pain. A pack-mate like Remus had every right to annihilate Logan with extreme prejudice. However one word from Roman (well, a few words), and suddenly Remus is all for protecting Logan, and even helping track down and save Patton.

Turns out the pilot is Janus (of course). Janus had heard rumors of a live specimen of Virgil's kind, and was chasing it doggedly. Remus attempted to hijack his ship, but they ended up working together. Janus needed the muscle tbh, and didn't expect to become as fond of the human as he did.

For his part, Virgil is definitely struggling to not just collapse into a useless pile. His species is not designed for this kind of stress, and everything in him just wants to curl up and die. He's not going to be terribly responsive in the crisis, just focusing on one step in front of the other. He's not going to recognize the ship they pile onto, eyes only focused on Roman wherever he leads. And even when he's safe, away from the lab, he's never really had a chance to process the trauma of his own capture and everything that happened with it. Much like when Roman first met him, he's going to retreat into himself. (Is it real? It has to be a dream. He's going to wake up again in that cold cell, Roman pale as death beside him, they are never getting out—)

The thing is, Janus is going to be focuses on piloting. But otoh, he came to the facility for a reason. Does he trust Remus at this point to find and rescue Virgil without confirming it's him? If not, he wouldn't leave the facility until he knows a)the captured person is not Virgil or b) the captured person does not actually exist and it was just rumor.

Plus Janus is not a combatant. Sure, his species is one of the more dangerous ones in the galaxy, but he is just as susceptible to gun fire as any other soft bodied species. So he's not going to charge in like Remus. But he is going to be sure. He may not be a master hacker, but he has a few tricks up his sleeves (all six of them). He's able to take partial control of the ship, such as door commands and slowing down pursuers.

He's also able to protect his ship. Obviously he had to take the risk to attach to the science ship in some way, dock. So guards can and do swarm aboard to try and take him out. But they weren't expecting a 20 foot snake, on a ship designed with his movement style in mind. There are lots of tubes for getting around the ship, rather than normal walkways, lifts, etc. It's more like a tunnel system, and Janus gets the drop on them every time. There is a worrying number of bodies when the others make it to the ship.

I think what might be good is a pov section to show all this, but also to show Janus getting into the ship's cameras, so he can see for himself that it is Virgil. The gut punch of relief, that he found Virgil, than Virgil was against all logic still alive. And he can't even react as he wants, can't collapse wailing to the floor in relief, can't rush to Virgil's side. He has a job to do, or none of them are going to get out of this alive.

On Virgil's side of things, he may not even know Janus is there until after they have escaped. Once they are on the ship, Janus is going to jet out of there like their ass is on fire. They exit stage left, pursued by angry scientists.

Pulling up notes from below as this would fit here well for the escape.

Patton taps into some forgotten power of his species that acts as a kind of clairvoyance, specifically useful for navigation. He begs Janus to trust him (there's no time for long discussions), and directs them into a nearby asteroid belt. Janus and the other pilot are both skillful enough to navigate, but under Patton's directions, Janus takes risks he never would. The other pilot can't keep up with the seemingly suicidal navigation, and they manage to lose or damage the other ship.

I'm also very fond of the idea that Remus rigs the main ship to explode as they leave. They others wouldn't have agreed to such an extreme action, so much death and destruction, but now that it's done they can't help but be relieved.

Roman does not trust Janus (listen, the man has trauma ok). Sure he helped Remus out, and got them out of there, but he is hiding something. Something to do with Virgil, who is not getting better. Roman has seen the looks Janus has been giving his friend, and he is not here for it. Roman is aware at this point how much of an anomaly Virgil is, the only one of his species to have successfully survived off planet. He does his best to keep Janus away.

(Janus is furious at being kept away from Virgil, but the cards are not in his favor here. His only ally is Remus, and he figures that pack-mates (brothers, twins even if that is a difficult concept) will choose each other over him. And while Logan and Patton are not combatants, they are clearly on Roman's side. Plus Patton's clairvoyance is something he's not sure he can get around. That, and he does have to fly the ship most of the time. So until, unless Virgil asks for him himself, Janus is stuck being their chauffer. He probably manages to sneak to his bedside a few times, quietly holding Virgil's hand in the dark. When he's caught by Roman, all Roman sees is Janus looming over his friend. It's a tense time for everyone.)

But Virgil is barely responsive, Logan and Patton don't share his worry about Janus, so it's up to Roman to figure it out. And he (thinks he) does. He finds the crates in the cargo that Janus said never to open. He confronts Janus in front of everyone, pulling a somewhat coherent Virgil with him, shows everyone what is in them.

Obviously, Roman proclaims, Janus is a black-market body broker. He carelessly spills one of the crates open, littering the floor with body parts that obviously came from others of Virgil's species. Possibly fashioned into armor at this point. (Logan doesn't have enough info to process, Patton is horrified, and Virgil…)

Janus doesn't care about the rest of them. He has eyes only for Virgil, who is staring down at the spilled pieces. He was looking for Virgil this whole time. Couldn't stand the idea of his remains being violated like this, in the hands of the worst space had to offer. He bargained, blackmailed, and downright stole every piece he could find. (How could he even tell if it was Virgil he'd found? Janus told himself he'd know, however foolish that was.)

This is about the time I should admit I got REALLY INVESTED in Janus and Virgil's backstory, so much that it's what I first wrote in my notes. Hence all the references to it that I just can't be bothered to write out. So here are the notes from the top, and should fill in some of the holes in the references so far l o l

Virgil's race is one that developed from a deep fear of death. They evolved over time, gaining traits to protect themselves, until they became nearly invulnerable to any outside harm. No impact, blade, energy weapon, etc works on them. The catch? They also cannot leave their planet, because they die from the shock/fear/stress/one other secret reason. They long since stopped trying. So the society itself is a bit full of itself as a defense mechanism, looking down on space goers. That does not stop them from trading, but it's very difficult to get a contract for their wares.

Virgil's race is also known as a race of weavers, the cloth and products they create of highest quality etc. Janus is from a race of naga-esque beings. Despite the fact that they are a very competent race of pilots, most other races shun them from crews because their body type (no legs, a need for tunnels and ramps) doesn't work with the most common ships. The ships need to be larger to accommodate, and the most comfortable ships of their design are a series of tunnels and ramps instead of lifts and doors. I really want to include the six arm aspect as well, because gosh darn I adore that for Janus. He manages to silver-tongue his way into being one of the very few merchants allowed on Virgil's planet to trade and sell their wares. He meets Virgil on his visits, and they strike up a honestly very close friendship/admiration.

Since Virgil's species is a community of weavers, their outfits are Statements as well. The styles and such was one reason why Janus and Virgil interact at first. Janus is a species that normally doesn't put much stock in clothes, since so much of their body has to touch a surface to move. Generally they only adorn their upper body, and that is more fashionable in space than on planet. (Space suits are likely a nightmare, if they use them at all).

So Janus basically is a challenge, and Virgil is the one to take it up. To create clothes that this snake man both likes and fits well for his species. I had an idea that the caplet and/or cloak part flares like a frill if Janus moves in a certain way, basically a souped up threat display. Janus adores it ofc.

If clothes are status, and Janus comes to them in a very plain top, he won't garner respect. But our smooth talking friend picks up on this, and is able to turn it into a "i totally respect your culture why don't you both teach me about it and spruce me up to your standards" type thing.

Virgil is the only one to not be completely taken in by what Janus says, realizing that Janus basically manipulated his people into giving him clothes for free. He is angry about it, because he can't give Janus something bad as that would reflect bad on his people, but he doesn't want to give him anything good since he is annoyed. His pride as a weaver wins out as he creates The Perfect Garment as far as he can with his limited knowledge on what he can observe of Janus.

Janus was expecting either something of their style to be given to him, ill fitting but he'd put up with it for visits, or something simple. When he is gifted something that is quality, that fits wonderfully, that incorporates his own culture into it, he is shocked into honest admiration. (Virgil does not know what to do with the honest thanks and praise Janus gives him. He thought…Janus was just doing it for profit. Not that he would actually appreciate it….)

At first it was Janus trying to get an in with one of the best (if not the best) weavers on the planet. Most weavers specialize in one type of weaving, be it cloth, computer, rope, etc. The best of them can do more than one. Virgil happens to be able to do any of them. (He doesn't really like people is the thing, so if he's practicing some form of weaving he's mostly left alone. It's a bit of the procrastinator who does a lot of work to not work hard thing. If he's always working, he won't be asked to do things.)

I do think there has to be a bit of a liar revealed, where Virgil wises up to the real reason Janus started befriending him. But not too much. I'd say someone plants the idea in Virgil's head, perhaps someone he doesn't really get along with lashing out in jealousy or whatnot, challenging Virgil as to why he thinks Janus really keeps coming around. It's certainly not for Virgil's shining personality. Virgil, with the self esteem in the toilet, has to agree. And worry. And ask Janus.

For his part, Janus has long since put aside his plan of exploiting Virgil, seeing as a) he likes Virgil and doesn't want to take advantage, and b) doesn't need to, since Virgil works with him anyway to get his wares. So the question throws him for a moment. Why did Janus approach Virgil? He either tries avoiding the question ("Surely by now you realize I'm fond of you." "No, I mean the first time."), and/or he hesitates just enough for Virgil to draw (technically correct) conclusions.

I'd say Virgil goes off in a huff/after a screaming match, because he is big emotions. Has himself a panic, perhaps a friend or mentor finds him to talk him through it a bit, but either way he comes to recognize that sure, maybe it started out like that, but he and Janus put in the time to become actual friends. And he likes Janus, and doesn't want to give that up.

Janus might try to follow after Virgil, but likely loses him. Virgil is fast when he wants to be, and Janus has a bit too much pride (to his own detriment) to be seen slithering around like a madman. He resolves to let Virgil cool off and track him down later so they can actually talk. He has time before he has to leave.

Turns out he doesn't have to, as Virgil comes slinking back like an upset cat. Hissy and upset but stubbornly in Janus's presence. I had a vague thought that Janus had an upcoming trade he couldn't miss, part of why he couldn't go after Virgil. Virgil was supposed to be there to help smooth things over, but Janus figured he wouldn't show after that. So Virgil showing up as promised is a surprise, and Janus accepts it as the olive branch it is.

While still upset, they do have that talk. They can admit it was a shitty way to go about it, but it's not like they knew each other back then. And their friendship can survive a little bump like that. Definitely a snarky chat, but they make up before Janus has to leave again.

It was bordering on something more when disaster strikes.

Raiders come to the planet and nab a group of the finest weavers from their job (Virgil among them). It was a quick in-and-out, and they fled before anything could be done to stop them. The world is shocked and horrified by the abduction, knowing their stolen people are already dead at this point.

(Virgil survives because of a few reasons I think. He is somewhat genetically more resistant, but I think it's more exposure therapy. His close relationship with Janus put stresses on him that others of his kind did not have. Janus would push him to take risks he normally would not, and his body build up a resistance. The other thing which doesn't come into play yet is that there is a frequency that keeps his kind calm, native to the planet. Leaving it so abruptly causes the initial kill shock, but if it can be endured they can live on. At extremely heightened anxiety, but live. The frequency can be found in most human voices, so later on Virgil will be given a music player and headphones, which helps regulate his emotions.)

The raiders had been hoping that rumors of the species's weakness were exaggerated, because they wanted to monopolize the weavers to produce the high quality items themselves. Unfortunately for them they were not, so they have a holding cell of dying creatures. Poor Virgil is having a horrible panic attack amid his dying friends and acquaintances, and is straight up not having a good time. The raiders are surprised at how long it's taking this one to die, and eventually come to realize he won't be dying.

Virgil's kind has natural armor that makes them nearly invulnerable to most things in common space. The raiders as a backup intend to use the corpses for materials and sell that at least. Plus they have one live weaver out of it! Only Virgil is far too weak and panicked to do anything (even if he were inclined to cooperate), and they assume they captured a non-weaver with the others.

One of the raiders has a better idea of how to get more profit, by selling Virgil to a mad scientist group basically. They can dissect him and figure out why he didn't die, and if not they can figure out how to overcome the species natural advantages. If they can figure out why he didn't die, that would open the planet to more raids.

Virgil is left to their mercy for a while, before Roman is tossed in with him. And so it goes, and so it went. And now he is safe from the raiders, safe from the scientists, and is on his best friend's (or what were they) ship. And there are body parts at his feet, and Janus is there, and Roman's voice (normally soothing the ache in him) is loud and angry and wrong.

So when Janus's voice reaches him, when the familiar hissing syllables coalesce in his swimming mind to words and meaning, when he hears Janus implore that he couldn't stop looking until he found Virgil, that tore open something long since buried under terror and sorrow and pain. For the first time since being snatched so cruelly from his planet, Virgil's hood pulled back, his eye shield sliding up into his hair, his mandible pulling back to show the heartbroken expression on Virgil's face. With a desperate whine, Virgil threw himself at Janus, feeling all six arms wrap around him, feeling secure for the first time in so long. Virgil breaks from the stress, the grief, clinging to Janus, his first, best friend in the world, who had found him

So that's the main story, but I have a few other ideas for it as well.

Side story notes:

Remus is definitely on a quest to fuck every species possible in the universe. He is aromantic and as pansexual as can be (the things he's attracted to let's be real.) His favorite memory is coming up for air out of a particularly foul pile of slime, reveling in the unique, definitely repulsive experience with the slime alien. To be fair tho, after one close call and injury in sensitive areas, Roman put his foot down and forces Remus to study the physical compatibility of any species he wants to fuck. He can be gross and safe, after all!

Roman ends up joining Logan and Patton. He is asexual (does NOT get his brother at all here), but absolutely in love with them. It honestly doesn't take much, this is easy enough to develop over the course of the story.

Logan is so much of a genius it's unreal. I'm thinking at one point the "humans can survive what others cannot" is put to the test, like with radiation. Remus volunteers as tribute, because what a way to go, his teeth will rot right out of his mouth, and he gets to save all his friends and family. Roman can't stop him in time, so instead implores Logan to help, dredging up every bit of highschool biology to impart to Logan in the desperate hope that Logan can figure out how to reverse the effect of radiation poisoning. In like…ten minutes.

Logan does better than that, he cures human aging lol. Accidentally. Roman had to help Remus the last bit, so Roman also needs the "cure", but it boils down to Logan went a bit too fast, focused on only the problem in front of him, and made a compound that was self-regulating, and would also repair any dead/dying cells in the human body. He had a bit of a hiccup when it would cause the cells to mutate exponentially (cancer), but he fixed that too. Problem is, it will keep all the cells in the human body healthy. Forever essentially.

Logan can (and likely does) replicate this for other species. This knowledge is so fucking dangerous that if anyone ever figured it out, Logan would be the number one target of the universe. He destroys all evidence (except his own brain, it's forever up there), and everyone vows to never speak of it again.

Patton's newly (re)discovered clairvoyance should get explored as well. Patton always thought it was just a gut feeling he had, and didn't realize how accurate the feelings tended to be. I do like the idea of Patton being a feathered species, with unusually pretty patterns.

Virgil does not like fighting, regardless of how strong he is. The others respect this, and don't ask him to fight. Remus and Roman are happy enough to be the protectors and aggressors. However when someone he loves is threatened (Janus especially), Virgil is willing to both shield, and to throw down with a bitch.

Though I do have an idea that during the initial raid, Virgil does try to defend himself using his sharp weaver legs. The act of hurting/killing someone, the blood on what should be his tool for something he loves to do, hits hard.

Character study

Virgil

Drider-esque species, mostly focused on weaving. Their computers are actually very advanced as they incorporated their weaving into the technology and ran with it.

The species as a whole reacts badly to stress. They can literally die from stress. Thus they generally do not take any risks.

Ugh words. They evolved to be extremely hard to kill physically. So much so that it's almost a joke how easy it is to kill them by taking them off planet. Can't scratch their hides, but they faint at the first sign of tension

One thing unknown to them is that there is a frequency outside of common hearing ranges that emanates from the planet, that regulates their emotions. That is why space travel is nearly impossible for them. There are ways to artificially produce the tone, if they had ever bothered to discover the reason they can't go to space.

I think the species is a very agreeable society. That's part of why Virgil doesn't fit in, as his personality is more snarky and argumentative. But they do lean a bit too far into the utopia mindset. Nothing bad can happen, because bad things lead to people dying. Disputes are settled with quiet debate. It's shameful to raise your voice at people, or startle them, or move too fast, or be too much.

Which also makes Virgil's argument with Janus such an outlier. Virgil has been taught his whole life to keep his emotions in check, to not react strongly, etc. But Janus brings out the best worst in him. If there were any witnesses to the argument, Virgil probably gets lectured later.

The society is also a bit stuck up. They know their product is the best in the universe, that they are sought after. They know they are superior in physical prowess, and don't feel the need to prove it in barbaric practice like fighting. They (can't) don't care about leaving their planet, as the universe has nothing to offer them that they want.

Virgil plays with his strings like fidget toys

Janus

Naga-esque, 6 arm species.

Known to be good pilots.

Also not sought out as pilots because of the different configuration a ship would need to be in to accommodate their body type. The arms are less of an issue than the snake body. It needs a lot more space, and chairs have to be removed. Moving from deck to deck is also difficult in most standard ships for them.

He is a mildly shady trader. He's not above making a few under the table deals, but plays it safe for the most part. His strength is in his connections, and the fact that he is one of the only traders allowed on Virgil's planet. That gives him access to a market most others do not have.

He is not interested in a partner of any sort before Virgil. No one trusted him enough, and he didn't trust people right back. His species was already a bit maligned because of their ship needs, so anyone who wouldn't even try to conform to Janus's space was not to be considered. (Virgil loves the tunnels in Janus's ship. So fun to scuttle through.)

When you spend your whole life on a ship, these things matter.

Roman

Human, kidnapped.

Unfortunately doesn't do well under dangerous pressure, and isn't as careless as Remus. While he probably could physically do more than he does, emotionally, mentally, etc he cannot, or does not think to.

He probably does want to return to Earth, at least at first. He had dreams and ambitions.

I could see one of two things happening here. First is just the simple fact that they cannot get back to Earth. It's outside of the Federations jurisdiction for now, and even if they did expand to include Earth, there would be a very long first contact integration before humans could be returned. Plus the fact that humans had been kidnapped could also start a war, since humans were quite prone to that sort of thing.

The other thing that could happen is Roman is returned. And he tries to go back to his life. But there is no Remus (who absolutely chose to stay in space), and acting no longer holds the same kind of spark now that he knows there is an entire universe out there to explore, to impress. Plus he misses his friends so much. The quiet steadfastness of Logan, the cheerful peppiness of Patton. He even missed Virgil and his woebegone beloved snake.

Remus

Human, kidnapped but not for long.

I think they do get him to the fighting ring for a bit. Remus is probably the cause of half the "deathworlder" rumors and tales of violence, tbh.

If they think mere walls can stop him, they have another thing coming. Does not fear death, but also will fight with everything he has to avoid it.

Patton

His species isn't anything to write home about in terms of their presence in the known universe. They are generally a cheerful bunch, not particularly war-like in any aspect, not particularly skilled, etc. They just are one of them many sapient species of the federation equivalent.

There are stories though, about past prophets and their escapades. It's even said that the greatest one from the past predicted first contact and the integration of their species into the federation. It's how they didn't get exploited, being able to see the outcomes. Still, it's mostly speculation and not proven, long enough ago that the details not recorded were lost.

They are a particularly pretty species, many would agree. The colors in their feathers go beyond what human eyes can perceive, and are appealing to many different species. So that, coupled with their friendly personalities, does mean they tend to mingle with many other species, both platonically and romantically.

Logan and Patton grew up on the same space station I think. Neither has a close relationship with their home planets, learning about them in the abstract.

Augh no the clairvoyance is perfect as well, as Patton had a flash of Bad Things when Logan accepted his job. When he couldn't talk Logan out of it, managed to get him to agree to Patton coming along as a companion. Patton just knew if he let Logan go alone, he'd never see his friend again.

Logan

From a species that excels in the sciences, he is a genius among geniuses. A bit amoral, which gets him into the situation it does.

He does feel a bit cheated out of not having the chance to have an education on his home planet, supposed to be the best in the galaxy. But his parents felt a more rounded experience meant more, where Logan could learn other cultures and ways of thinking, rather than the rigid (if brilliant) teachings available on their home planet.

I think this is where his arrogance comes from. The fact he feels cheated by life a little bit, a need to prove himself, and the simple fact that no one out there can challenge him successfully on matters of the brain. If only he learned the lessons his parents had tried to instill about learning about people as well.

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