As I enjoy our journey to pnet C-53, one I purposely made a tad bit longer, some days passes as I indulge myself in pleasure and rest. Making the most of a rare opportunity of vacation and letting loose before I probably have to go back to the side of Thanos to keep deying him.

  Why I submit myself to such life?... Sometimes I wonder that, I could just get rid of the mad Titan, in no way an easy task of course but possible nonetheless... The answer to such question I sometimes ask myself is simple... I have a duty... A commitment to my people. ‘What’s left of them at least.’

  In the st hours before arriving on the pnet I sit in the bridge, the outside space a cacophony of light passing by the main window as we traverse the gaxy in a faster than light speed. There I observe one of my rings, one bigger than the others used on the ring finger of my left hand. The symbol of my duty and commitment. The ring is gold with a bck simple design been the only remarkable trace the emblem of my people, a series of circles and half circur traces that refers a byrinth with four independent sections. I had taken it out of my finger pying with it in contemption.

  “Master, we disengaged the FTL engine. Approaching C-53 right now.” Eve warns me as I take my attention from the ring, the pnet reflecting on my eyes that widens a little. In front of me it is floating unassuming, a small pnet in a backward pce of the gaxy, but despite seeing it through numerous holograms and data nothing compares to what I am seeing right now.

  I have seen innumerous pnets and conquered most of them but for some reason I find myself admiring this one. Like a vivid blue marble full of details and life, the clouds obscuring its surface at same time that adds details to its overall appearance, The green of the nd mass contrasting with the other colors each with their own tone.

  ‘Beautiful...’ I put the ring in the arm of the chair as I immerse myself in the view. Eve standing behind me as she puts her hands on my shoulders. We immerse ourselves in the moment as we approach it.

  *Rumble*

  “Master! -” Suddenly I feel Eve’s hands tightening on my shoulders as she practically screams, but before I can question what’s happening the ship shocks immensely throwing both of us through the bridge with so much force that the artificial gravity generator probably became useless. The only thing keeping me from breaking bones is my personal shield that goes overdrive to keep me safe as everything not stuck on the floor becomes projectiles.

  “Eve!” I call for her as I try to stabilize myself with my mind but with the ship itself probably spinning uncontrolbly in space my efforts prove futile, the force making me dizzy and turning difficult any kind of concentration.

  I feel a hand holding my arm as a sudden force throws me to what I think is back, my body hitting something that I recognize to be a small cockpit my shield whining with the strength of the impact. Now in front of me Eve struggles to keep herself in pce holding the bracers of what now I recognize as an escaping pod as she pins me down.

  “We were hit! Lost engines! Andy can’t stabilize! We will crash into the pnet!” She reys the situation to me in short sentences making me realize the severity of the situation. Hitting the ejecting command with a pained expression she activates the emergency unch of the pod. “Master... Find us.” My eyes widen understanding her.

  “Nonoo!” I scream as the pod closes, and its safety belt pins me in pce as it ejects itself from the side of the ship giving just a slight frame of the ship’s hull getting far as it too starts spinning uncontrolbly.

  The stabilization system starts in full power as it enters the pnet atmosphere, the small window granting view of Andy now quite distant descending without control, some pieces of her compromised hull disintegrating as some small explosions tells me the extent of the damages, the fact she didn’t just split in two in this situation proving to me her durability.

  Far below I spot a glowing object falling on the pnet too, it’s strange glow and the trajectory it’s following indicating that it was what hit us.

  In the few seconds I took to observe all of it I can just watch in horror and despair as I process the fact that so many things have gone wrong in the span of just a moment.

  To make matters worse the pod arms suddenly spring to life, looking to the panel on my right just below the window I see the reports of the pods integrity that has fallen without me realizing, the dampening and fall control system is damaged and it’s burning and breaking during the fall, some others systems already failing. ‘It was hit by debris!’ I think understanding the reason for such predicament. “You are fucking kidding me...” Was all that I could say before everything shakes and darkness consume my vision.

  *

  Pressing down the pedal the engine of the car increases its output making it go faster, the feeling of the acceleration exhirating Olivia. She always liked to drive and when she goes to the city to buy somethings, she always takes the opportunity to go a little faster in the more deserted road between it and her town.

  Despite living in a small town, she rarely needs to go to a bigger city unless she needs to buy some materials she usually uses, materials that are more controlled and not used normally, that is. And why she would need those? Simple, as a solo scientist and inventor she of course mess with things normal people wouldn’t.

  Enjoying the prospect of having more resources to py... work with, and the adrenalin of a higher speed, she ughs heartily.

  *Swoosh*

  *Boom*

  “What the!” That until something flies by slight above her hitting the road ahead and disappearing between some trees.

  *Screech*

  “Shit!” In a fast reflex she hit the brakes barely keeping the car in control and avoiding turn over. “Oh my god! Oh my...!” she gets out almost panicking but the words die in her mouth as she realizes that it was not a car accident or something like that.

  She looks around trying to understand what happened her eyes follow the path of destruction. As curiosity takes the best of her, she looks to her car checking if it’s outside the road, despite being very rarely used its best to make sure her car doesn’t stand in the way of some loaded truck. ‘I’m don’t want to walk all the way home...’ Not that the road is really in good condition since whatever crashed on it destroyed the entire ne she was using.

  *Bip-bip* locking her car just to make sure and in an act completely opposed of her apparently caution she follows the path of torn asphalt and fming pieces of wood.

  As she walks through the now uneven terrain she struggles with her heels, fixing her round gsses as it tries to fall from her face with each misstep. ‘Yes Liv, go for a walk inside the woods in high heels, what could go wrong?!’

  Doesn't take long for her to reach the end, a few meters from the road a crater stands out, the far side of it now a mound of dirt and debris that was dragged, the surround has fallen trees and burning pieces of wood. At center of it the culprit lies inert.

  “Is that...” She couldn’t help but pause, there lies what just could be described as a capsule, slick bck format with graffiti details flickering white lights that with the hull indicates it had quite a ton of damage.

  “Ok Liv... you got it.” Divided between the fear and the curiosity about something clearly technologically advanced she approaches. A now visible window shows what's inside.

  “Oh my...” Her eyes widen as she sees what’s clearly an alien. Looking to the sides she gets nearby. “It is unconscious...” She sees that it didn’t fall scoot free, a bck substance flows from its head.

  “It’s... very ugly.” She can’t help but comment as she observes the creature lying inside the capsule.

  It has almost non-existent white hair that falls until its shoulder, sharp ears pointing up and no nose. The wrinkles allude to its apparent old age and the bck vest with a high neck colr and gold details gives it a rich vibe.

  *Hiss, snap*

  “*Aaaah*!” As she screams armed by the sudden reaction of the capsule, the same decompress and opens.

  *Gasp! *

  The creature inhale sharply opening it eyes and frankly looking around making Olivia freeze in fear with a squeak, this draws the creature attention as it gazes to her, bck eyes fixated on auburn ones. With heavy breath it opens its mouth.

  “??? ??? ???? ???? ???” It talks in a strange nguage making Olivia frown no less scared which the creature realize and as if noticing something it reaches for the neck squeezing it and trying to speak but still in a strange nguage. It grunts in frustration as she inclines her head to the side understanding its attempt at communication, the fear decreasing.

  “Argh!” The sudden stress makes it feels the pain on the head and after bringing a hand with what looks like sharp metal cws to the head it notices the blood on it. ‘Those look sharp...’

  With difficult it gets out of the capsule and almost fall dizzy, “Careful-” Olivia in reflex grabs it arms not really thinking about what she did and supports the creature. It looks to her strangely and she freezes again mid-sentence. ‘Fuck! Why did I...’

  “????? ???” The alien speaks again looking to her and lifting its cwed hand and holding her arm, looking to its hands she flinches and her almost subsided fear comes back in full force, in a yelp she punches it on the face.

  *Thud*

  After it falls on the ground a silence permeated the area with only Olivia’s ragged breath breaking it, her eyes widen slightly at realization of what she just did. “Oh...”

  *

  As the conscience comes to me for the second time, I force open my eyes, my vision is blurry and my head throbbing with a headache.

  After my eyes adjusted, I grunt getting up my body compining in pain and different from when I woke up in the pod my jaw too. I touch it trying to alleviate the discomfort as I look around and I notices that my fingers metallic cws are missing with my rings making me frown.

  I was ying in what's looks like a stuffed chair but with more than one section, the arms supported my head and my feet. Around me I notice I’m on a room quite open and illuminated, a bck box atop a wood stand that I assume to be a device and decorations around that brings a feeling of home.

  As the memories of what happen comes back to me, I remember the Terran that found my crashed pod, apparently a female of the species. “Is that her home?” She appeared to be amicable and despite her clear fear helped keep me on my feet as my injured head tried to bring me down. ‘Then I lost consciousness again?’

  Remembering my injury, I touch my head this time felling some kind of rough clothe on it. I’m still in my vests but it seems that somethings were took from me, mostly my devices and belt what doesn’t spell a good scenario.

  “??? ??? ?????” I hear a feminine voice coming from the side and looking through the top of the strange chair I found the same Terran that found me.

  As before she is wearing a strange green and baggy upper clothe that goes up to her neck, but different from mine it’s not smooth the threads are thick and clearly visible. The lower clothe is different, the threads not so apparent but still keeping a rough feeling, blue with some variations in different parts, it clings to her body accentuating her curves, on her feet what looks like a fluff footwear.

  She is quite tall for a Terran, since according with Eve’s reports the male's average height is 175cm and the females are 162cm and I would be 195cm in their own measure system. Making some quick math in my head she would be 178cm with dark brown hair that is arranged in a disheveled bun atop her head some strands framing her slender face, behind what I recognize to be round gsses auburn eyes look to me in surprise and slight fear. Glossy pink lips slightly apart.

  “???????” She speaks again noticing my silence and lifting a tray with what seems to be food. Approaching cautiously, she sets it in a small table in front the spacious chair not too far from me and pushes it in my direction.

  On the pte smokes lifts in the air indicating its hot, a liquid with what appears to be pnts and meat mixed in, to one side some other pnts this time just cut and the other some meat also cooked. She has prepared it not knowing what I eat so she made some options. ‘That’s... kind.’ Felling a strange warmth at the gesture despite her fear.

  “Thank you.” I say a confused look on her face. Remembering that my universal transtor broke I nod to her in a universal gesture of recognition what she seems to understand giving me a small smile.

  I grab a utensil that resembles a scoop and try the liquid first. Eve gave me a crash course about pnet C-53, so I have some understanding about it, including its food that I know is edible to my species.

  After the first scoop I was reminded of my pained jaw which I touch, my action makes her uncomfortable as she looks to the side avoiding my gaze, a frown coming to my face, but feeling my belly rumble in need of nutrients I divert my attention to the food.

  Everything was delicious and I showed it to her by eating all of it. When I finished admittedly faster than normal, she emits a harmonious sound that reaches my ear making it vibrate in pleasure. ‘Eve told me that female Terrans do those, it’s some kind of ugh, albeit more tamed.’ An expression of happiness.

  “Ahem...” Cleaning my throat as to disperse my slight embarrassment I get up making her tense.

  Through Eve’s reports I came to think of Terrans as a barbaric and underdeveloped specie but looking to her I couldn’t see more than the normal reaction that sentient being would have when faced with an unknown specie. ‘Actually, she is way tamer than I would have expected.’ A non-space faring specie meeting an otherworld one for the first time is a tense situation and most of the times a violent one.

  But she is clearly quite intelligent, showing cautiousness but avoiding antagonizing an unknown being, understanding my vulnerable situation yet not exploring it, an attitude quite far from some species that I came to know which would have eaten or just pin killed me. ‘If not kidnapped and ensved me.’

  Although communication seems quite the hurdle since my universal transtor is broken, we need to come to an understanding. Learning her nguage is not an option right now, since despite her been quite receptive I did crash in a pnet with a specie with a modicum of technology advancement which means that other Terrans may have detected me and like every ruling party of a civilization they will seek what they could extract from me, willingly or not.

  My immediate objective right now is keeping myself safe and recover but I also can’t stay here for long without reaching an understanding with her, I also need to find Eve and my ship which I certain survived the crash. I hope they do not encounter the more unsavory type of Terrans.

  ‘First I need my things.’ tracing a rough pn I see my next objective, getting my things and finding a way to communicate with the female Terran.

  The first part was not too hard, with a bit of body nguage I got her to bring me to where she put my things, despite reluctant.

  With a straight posture and hands behind me I follow her the back of her house, and then to another small build resembling more a workshop. Looking around I realize that there are a lot of devices some complete others half done, materials and equipment around some parts resembling a b with a small device with panels. ‘It’s primitive but I recognize a pce like that anywhere.’

  “You are an inventor.” I say looking to the Terran in a new light, a sense of familiarity washing over me. She looks back tilting her head in a way that made me find it cute, but clearly not understanding me.

  “???? ?????? ??? ????” She points to a table; there my devices are neatly organized some tools around. Getting near it I crab my wrist terminal, but the cover falls of. Looking to her I lift an eyebrow questioning and she avoids my gaze. ‘So that’s how she expresses guilt.’ My jaw ache and my eye twitch but I can’t really get mad at her, maybe because I’m touched by her kindness since she took me to her home and nursed me or because I now recognize her as a tech-savvy being, despite primitive... maybe both.

  Analyzing the rest of my devices I noticed that most are damaged or completely broken, no doubt because of the crash.

  From those that I give more importance, my shield generator is depleted and broken, it’s the reason I’m not dead since it protected me since that thing hit my ship. Observing it I feel utterly pathetic, being the smartest being in the gaxy I was almost killed by a shiny thing from space.

  My teleporter is fried, and I suspect that what broke it also broke my transtor. The terminal despite damaged is salvageable, my cws are intact including its functions, of course I made it to be durable, as I should have made the others, a stupid mistake I know realize.

  So many stupid mistakes... Centuries of compcency and self-imposed limits, of working in the backstage only scheming and deceiving, the only job in the battlefield been to order and to preach the Mad Titan’s words. I trained my mind and tongue but left every other part of me atrophy. ‘Eve... your master is a failure.’

  I shake my head as I focus on what I must do. I know the injury on my head affected my brain so if I want to recover, I must avoid using my telekinesis unless necessary. Despite having absolute control over it after centuries of training give me precision ranging from the most brute method to the most delicate one and been limited only by my psionic power it still takes a tool on my body specifically the brain, so no telekinesis for a while.

  Which leaves me the devices, right now other than my cws there is nothing really usable, but with it I can fix or adapt some of these and it seems that here I will have some resources to use.

  Looking around and grabbing some tools as the female Terran follows me curious I gather what I need to build the first item in my priority list; a transtor.

  I dismantle the devices separating what is useful and start creating a primitive transtor; I first try to turn the terminal functional to connect to my transtor so I can program it, since I don’t have access to my broke one since it’s inside my neck I have to do it from scratch. The hardware is not hard to make, despite a bit bulky and in less than an hour I have it ready.

  The Terran watches in wonder seem me work with the alien tech and her own not noticing or caring that I am using some of her resources, I smile at it and feel grateful making sure I show her the steps I doing as if teaching a child. We maybe not understand each for now, but some things are universal no doubt.

  After programing the basics using the terminal I ask for her computer and indicates her to use it to show me a dictionary. I could learn how to use it, but the nguage barrier would slow me, and my wrist terminal isn’t in condition to just hack it and use it to access the world web of this pnet and download what I need.

  Connecting both devices the program in the transtor starts downloading and decoding the nguages of this pnet, starting from hers. As I observe the process happening in the computer panel, I take the opportunity to learn a few things here and there.

  “Thank you, Terran.” Using what I learned I turn to her and say my gratitude; she that was distracted by the process look to me surprised.

  “??? ??? speak English? Terran?” She questions me. I don’t understand much but know what she is asking.

  “Making transtor... Learning.” I expin pointing to the screen.

  “Oh...”

  When the transtor is done, I take it. This transtor is a strip like device that has a center body and two arms that serves to secure its position. Putting it on the back of my neck I boot the transtor.

  [Initiating EX transtor device.]

  [Testing hardware]

  [Loading nguages]

  [Initialization complete]

  Some diagnostics and loading ter the device are booted. The universal transtor is just a chip linked to the nervous system that interacts with the speak center of the user’s brain transting the signals of what I hear and speak to something I or others understand. Since my chip is fried, I made an external one with the same principle that utilizes the communication structure from the original chip.

  “Can you understand me?” I say, the Terran looking to me in surprise.

  “Yes! You really created a transtor... That’s impressive, you not only made an entire hardware from parts, but you programed it to recognize and decode nguages from the internet.” She analysis what I did in a surprising dispy of intelligence.

  “It’s a simple matter; your technology is quite... simple. Since unfortunately, mine broke when I crashed, I had to make one.” I expin in subtle manner.

  “How many nguages can it transte?” She says curiously examining the device on my neck.

  “All of them... the ones on Earth at least.” I expin keeping my posture straight and regal. “Ahem... I wish to thank you, for rescuing me and everything else.” I speak with a slight bow.

  “Oh... No problem” She seemed to realize something and backing away slight she becomes apprehensive. “Who are you? And why did you came to Earth?”

  “I’m known as Ebony Maw; I... was passing by the pnet C-...Earth, but my ship was hit by something and ended up crashing here.” I can’t really say to her I came to prepare the pnet for a future invasion.

  “Your ship? That small capsule?”

  “No, that was an escape pod. My actual ship crashed somewhere in this continent, and I need to find it.” Eve is waiting for me.

  “Oh... That’s bad, how will you do it?”

  “I would use my wrist terminal to locate the signal from the ship, but it’s too damaged for long range scan.” I expin showing the barely functioning device. “Luckily my escape pod should have parts and tools for me to fix it.” It should have a spare one too but considering the extensive damaged everything received I doubt it survived.

  “Uhm...” She becomes thoughtful. “You will look for you pod now?”

  “For now, I would like to know exactly where I’m... and maybe recover a bit.”

  “Right! Sorry... Here is United States of America or USA for short, the country I mean. The state and city are Los Angeles, California... my home.” She gestures to the terrain with a smile. “And you can rest here, no problem.”

  After finally being able to communicate properly, she began to ask some more questions about me and my specie, where I was going and my objectives.

  “So, you were going to another pnet as a vacation?” She questions. We are back in her house, this time talking in the kitchen.

  “That was the pn, after a few decades of work I can take a vacation, a right I got despite my boss being... a lunatic.” I expin as she pours me a cup of what I think is coffee, Eve told me about it, and I have been interested in tasting it. ‘The smell is quite interesting.’ ... Yes, I can smell things.

  “Decades? I thought you seem old but how old are you?” She asks surprised and then notices the rudeness. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to...”

  “Don’t worry, child, I’m old, it's the truth huhuhu...Different from Terrans my people live a lot more, I’m a few centuries old.” I say sipping at the coffee. ‘It’s bitter...’

  “Wow! Too think a live being could live so much...” She whispers the st part in somewhat somber tone. “Why do you call us Terrans?”

  “It’s how your species is called, this pnet is unofficially known as Terra and your people Terrans.”

  “You know about us?”

  “Of course we know, there are few of your kind travelling through space.”

  “What! That’s impossible we barely reached the moon some time ago.”

  She expined to me about the missions to the moon, and the technology level of the world. As Eve had expined to me, Earth is not very advanced and hasn’t dominated space travel. The few exemprs of humans scattered through the gaxy are probably colterals of abduction or more esoteric means.

  Suffice to say that the moment I mentioned it to her she became quite fearful about me abducting her, I found it funny, but I reassured her that my interest in humans don’t tend to this... Although looking to her I wouldn’t oppose to have her company. ‘I have Eve thought... And she did help me.’

  The chat soon changed to others matter, including my job that I described as someone in charge of medical and technological issues.

  “So, you are some kind of medic and engineer?”

  “You could say so, I’m specialized in biology and technology, the former I use less, but I’m capable to do surgery and even cybernetic enhancements, the tter is my main area though, from ships design to technological inventions.” Of course, I didn’t tell her that most of what I created was used to exterminate half the popution from some words nor that pnning those genocides were part of my job.

  “That’s cool, I wish I could work like that... I’m smart you know?” She says looking to her cup. “At st, among my people... I graduated early and got some diplomas in hope to work in big companies, invent and discover, push technology forward and explore the potential of humanity... I will someday... even if no one believes me.”

  “I believe you can child, I may find humans primitive, but I recognize a good mind when I see one.”

  Not just she has quite the tolerant mind considering that she is interacting with me a literal alien in a pnet that probably never saw one. But seeing her workshop and how she could keep up with me as I created a transtor, albeit an extremely simple one, reinforces the notion that she has quite the brain in her head.

  “Thank you, Mr. Maw... But I not a child thought?” She says correcting me with a frown. “I’m 21 years old.”

  “That’s a baby to me, huhuhu” I say as she pouts cutely.

  “No! Even worse, just call me by my name please.” She sighs probably realizing that to an old being like me she might as well be one.

  “Well, I can’t, you didn’t tell me yours... Rude brat I would say.” I joked with her.

  She while still exasperated realizes her mistake and stand up and offers me a hand to which I accept involving her soft hand with my long and thin fingers.

  “Sorry for the te presentation, my name is Olivia... Olivia Octavius.” She tells me with a smile.