About six years ago, Akash was taken on a business trip with his father in an attempt to negotiate a deal to help ship his water harvests into the farther reaches of known space. It was Akash’s first time visiting another world. This world was, for all intents and purposes, a giant ball of water, pummeled by never-ending storms. In what few safe spots there were - ‘Eyes’, they were called - there would be a base floating on the surface of the ocean by balloons and other fascinating sciencey tricks that Akash was all too enthusiastic to ask about at his young age. There was a distinctive point during this trip, he recalled, where, while trying to get a better look at the process that made the base float, he fell out of a two story window and into the ocean. A few friendly aliens were quick to act, saving his life.

But what Akash was staring at in this present time was neither a memory nor a dream. For the first time in his life, ominous storm clouds hovered over Agni-Karma. He was at a complete loss for words.

While he was wracking his brain, trying to make sense of things, he quickly remembered about the ship. Akash grabbed a rather cumbersome solar powered tablet with a large, green screen from his bedside table. He quickly scrolled to his short list of contacts and attempted to use it to open a video call with Jagjit, and warn him about the incoming storm. Unfortunately, Jagjit’s communicator didn’t even dial. In a panic, he quickly tried to contact Mira. Again, no response. Akash quickly surveyed the room, before noticing the water tanker. He looked back up at the storm, and made his choice.

The tanker’s wheels were catching so much damp sand in their treads that for a moment, Akash thought it might have been both faster and safer to take off running instead. To say nothing for how the rain was inhibiting his vision - the windshield wipers and headlights only went so far. But he was all too familiar with Jagjit’s house, able to recognize it from a little, boxy shadow in the distance.

Akash threw the door to the tanker open, and jumped out. While the wet sand was slippery at first, Akash quickly found himself running to the front door and pounding on it.

“JAGJIT!” he cried. There was no response. A clap of thunder sent shocks and chills down Akash’s spine as a bright red flash accompanied it.

Something’s not right, he thought. Or rather, felt. For all he knew, lightning could take on a wide variety of colors based on atmospheric conditions and other things he would probably know more about if he had paid more attention in school. He pounded on the door again, fruitlessly. Akash then decided to run around the side and hop over the fence to the backyard. The idea behind calling Jagjit, after all, was to make sure that the ship was safe.

But the ship was gone.

Akash stared at the large, empty field where his friends’ interplanetary pet project once stood. It took another boom of thunder and flash of red lightning to snap him out of his stupor. He quickly tried to figure out any kind of excuse for the ship to be gone - did Jagjit already move it to a safe location? It definitely wasn’t towed or dragged, there would be tracks or markings. Did someone steal it? How would they, if nobody but them knew about it? Did Jagjit-

Well, if Jagjit flew it off to a safe location, where would he put it? A cave?Perhaps the market - there would be a place they could use to cover a ship up during a storm, right? Or was Jagjit hovering it offworld? Market, he could check. Easily. It would be easier, of course, if it weren’t for the storm, but he had nothing to really fear from it.

Akash turned around and opened the gate, only to be greeted by three vaguely humanoid shadows standing right on the other side.

“Hello?” Akash stuttered. He had never seen an alien like this, but he figured that the first thing to do would be to give them a polite greeting in Basic.

They responded with a horrible roaring noise. Akash could have sworn it sounded like they were trying to talk, but he couldn’t understand what they were trying to say. The moment the noise subsided, they lunged at Akash, bearing claws. Akash quickly ran towards the house and flung the back door open, only realizing it wasn’t locked after he slammed it shut. He knew the inside of Jagjit’s house a bit better than his own, and was able to almost instantly locate a small shelf to barricade the door with.

While he was inside, though, Akash thought it was a good time to look for Jagjit. It wasn’t a large house by any means, so he quickly found out that Jagjit wasn’t home. Not only that, but Jagjit took both his communicator and his rifle with him.

If he took off on that ship without us... thought an enraged Akash. He quickly calmed down. Jagjit would never do that. At least, Akash hoped so. Investigating further, Akash stepped inside of Jagjit’s bedroom. It was dimly painted, with offworld wooden furniture. And while Jagjit’s bed clearly hadn’t been slept in, there were a few printed photographs of him and his friends. Akash picked them up, and rifled through a few. Ever since they started working on the ship, Jagjit had stopped taking photographs. The most recent one was actually the three of them posing in front of their find.

Akash was so busy looking at the photographs that he didn’t notice the ghostly attackers approaching the window. They only came to his attention perhaps half a second before they shattered the window to try and break into the house. Rainwater found its way through the shattered glass and flailing claws as Akash groped around for the nearest object - which felt like a blaster pistol - and immediately fired at one of the shadows. It didn’t react, or respond to the blaster in any way. Akash quickly realized that he was trying to defend himself with a children’s toy from the canteen’s AR arena. He swore as he ran out the door, still clutching the toy blaster and the photographs for no reason he could really think of. But now was not the time for any rational thought. Now was the time to make sure that Mira and Jagjit were okay.