"Harvesters," Cassie said, to Pechi's delight. The Canira was practically having a seizure, her head was bobbing up and down so fast. "And it's based off of birth season?"

"Yes, although there's also the issue of what phase the moon was in... I'm trying to give you a basic reading, so it's not entirely necessary we have all the details, ha-ha... they're the spirits that are said to lead the mind to wherever the mind goes after death. I personally subscribe to theories of the interspacial afterlife, where Sentients' consciousnesses are merged from all their experiences across dimensions into a fully cohesive whole, but I understand that's impossible."

"All of what you're saying also sounds like heresy to me," said Alexa. "Not that I particularly care much for the Auspicia, but you should know that you're talking about literal heresy."

Pechi rolled her eyes. "I assu-u-ure you that all the worlds I'm describing are completely compatible with your m-m-monotheistic system."

"Great. Don't start explaining that, because no one wants to hear it. While you're messing with superstition and pup's tales, the adults will be talking, here, in our corner," Benn said.

"While I agree with the assessment, I would advise that you could serve to be less harsh about it," Tabai said, lowering her head towards her food.

"Agreed. As an added point of contention, aren't you the youngest here by at least a solid year or two? Who put you in the adult's corner?" asked Dusty.

Benn's face twitched. "Me, because I'm an adult. I'm also the only one who hasn't catastrophically failed to measure up to their duties yet, seeing as I've actually been training while we've been making the universe's stupidest u-turn, which is burning out our fuel, which will make us more vulnerable for when the dragons jump us and take out half the crew, which is, of course, all in accordance with--" she blinked. It all came out too quickly.

She looked around, expecting shock, suspicion, possibly even that delicious honeyed assent from her shipmates, who would finally drop the curtain on her. She took in a quick breath, and though there was silence, it wasn't the silence she'd hoped for. She could feel it like a hot, humid day back home, making her feel almost delirious.

"Are you going to go on?" asked Alexa.

Benn shook her head. "You wouldn't believe me if I did."

"Where are you getting all of this from? Are you okay?" asked Cassie. "Space can be really trying. If you want to finally start using the schedules I make, we could add a little more rest time to your day, maybe some socialization, and we have some herbs upstairs, the really potent stuff... as much as I hate incentivizing that, the government told us we could use it, so..."

Benn snapped, "You're trying to sedate me with drugs, then?"

"No. Literally not at all," Cassie started.

Benn shook with pain and panic, both wracking her small body at the same time. "I'm going to leave," Benn said.

"To go where?" asked Tabai, who was getting to her paws. The green Canis was a massive impediment, standing over Benn and leering straight down.

"Wh-what are you doing?" asked Benn.

"Trying to prevent your paranoia from paring you from the party. You have to admit that your reactions have been, and I hope this isn't a stretch, somewhat suspicious as of late? I'd like to know why you think we have ill will, when all of us aboard are your friends."

"We're shipmates," interjected Alexa.

"We want to help," Tabai reiterated.

Benn's face cracked open into an uneasy smile. "You're not scared of death, are you, Tabai? They told us we might die. We're going to die and become rock, like everyone there, or the dragons will murder us."

"You don't need to be scared of the dragons. They are full of shit," Alexa said. "We were going to see if there was some way to 'add them' into our mission, so they don't die in the void of space in their tiny vessel. They'd really planned on eating native flora and fauna... dragons are the worst, but we have a responsibility, I suppose, out of the goodness of our hearts. Complete digression."

"You're going to let them on board?" Benn shrieked.

"We outnumber them and we have a high-security cell, just in case we had to bring the seraph back alive," Alexa leered.

"That thing would not hold a seraph," Dusty objected.

"Oh no, we're definitely murdering the seraph," Alexa agreed. "It was just in case."

"Stop-- stop derailing! You're going to get us all killed!" Benn barked.

"Let's take it to a vote," Alexa said. "You all think we're going to die if we bring the dragons on board? Benn, you've inspired me. I might vote neutral. I have no problem with letting them die in space, especially if it means I never have to speak with them again."

"Alexa! That's just awful," complained Cassie. "Voting in favor."

"I'm for the protection of life, and that means all life. I'm in favor," Tabai said with her head held high, as if her incredible brashness were anything to be proud of.

"Also neutral," Dusty said.

"Neutral," agreed Pechi, "N-n-not because he is! I b-believe th-there is inherent risk, but I'm m-m-more worried about our own food supplies, and it's just... well!"

The group looked to Benn, who was shaking. "I knew you were all against me."

"We're not--" Tabai began, sounding more offended than she had any right to be. Shut up, Tabai. You can stop at any time, and it'll save a little more of your skin.

"Don't lie to me," Benn warned. "I will bash your face into pretty little pieces, Tabai."

Benn crammed herself into the elevator, adrenaline coursing through her body, and barricaded herself in the training room, leaning her training equipment against the wall. She did not touch the punching bag once, but instead waved it back and forth with telekinesis, letting the clink delude those outside that the silly bunny was still at it. With every undulation of the chain, she felt her breath still further, and a silent dread rose up in its place. She kept herself against the wall so that no one could see her if they so happened to walk in. She was going to be a prisoner, but she wouldn't be a spectacle.

There had to be a way to save her own life.

There was a way to save all their sorry lives.

She had to get off the ship.

A plan bridged ahead of her, arcing out in an acidic rainbow of hues so bright they made her eyes burn. She felt her stomach turn, something cold growing there and getting stronger by the moment, and her internal clock counted up to Omnian midnight. There was no way to tell if it was off without looking at their numbers, and she suspected someone had been changing the clocks, because her numbers and their numbers didn't match up anymore.

The good thing was that she could leave without conflict, even if it meant stepping around Tabai's dormant body. Idiot, idiot, idiot. What did she think she could do? The gentle cant of the ship assured Benn she was likely on the right path. Benn had already memorized the times Alexa put autopilot on, but they were brief, given that it was Alexa, control freak, dominant, general pain, thinks she's the boss of--

No one else was awake right now. A lap around confirmed it. Good. Maybe not good enough. Should she check downstairs to ensure that there was no security to stop her exit? No. Not enough time. She went to the inner ship anyways and checked around, waving through the transmissions bank.

Someone had deleted all the logs.

That was fine. That was perfectly fine.

She looked up, seeing her reflection in the glass, and behind her, a spectre of bright, shimmering fur and a sad expression.

"They killed you," Benn said. "Unless you wanted this. Unless you're in on this--"

G'ana shook her head.

"I'm not crazy," Benn warned the figure. "I'm more sane than anyone here, so, you'd better get out, because I don't believe in ghosts."

G'ana looked imploringly back at her.

"I'm doing the right thing," Benn growled. She twitched. "Leave, or I'll shatter the glass. It'll ruin your precious mission. Is that what you want? That's the language that gets understood on here, right? Utter violence. Guess what? I'm utterly violent. There's never been anything else to me. I am a muscle and I'm set to hold something in the paws, in the mouth, by grip, magically, literally, I am going to cling onto something and swing it downwards with all the force of death herself. That's all I can do. That's all I can do. I can't-- I can't talk to them, and they don't want to talk to me, and G'ana, you'd understand, you're half-breed, too, didn't they look at you like that? Omnia follows us everywhere. Omnia follows us everywhere and puts her sweet poison in our mouths and she's watching, judging, I want to prove her wrong, but I can't, because she knows me too well, and she hates me, she hates me--"

Lucil's visage shone behind them, from atop of her tapestry. Benn dashed forwards and in a movement fit for a Viviante, she kicked the wall behind her so hard that the tapestry fell.

"I'll meet you wherever they put the sinners," Benn told Lucil. "Whatever your paradise is, I don't want it."

G'ana's dismal expression still shone out from the window, and Benn looked back and gave her a solemn nod. She wondered what it would feel like to be turned to stone.

Climbing the elevator towards the secured room with an airlock and an escape pod, gunning for the dragons (according to the bioradar, just an hour's fly away, given that the dragons, too, would be approaching), Benn figured that it would be better just to die.