It was good to be back on the ship, good to have the crew together again, though Simon's obvious absence was noted. She was still getting used to having her own ship, eager to run actual missions, to command a crew to prove that she could do it. Adam, for his part, did miss her, she had been a good foil to his disorganization , however it would be a pity to waste a talent like her on simply being first mate for the rest of her life.

His new choice was Lt. McCaster, the young man had given up a lot to be part of his crew, a promising career in the UNSC, and most certainly proportions . Just like the rest of them he would be labeled as a traitor.... So young too.

Adam sighed, wondering why he had to feel so old when he had barely seen three decades of life. McCaster wasn't that much younger than him, maybe five years at most, and he had grown up a lot since joining the crew. Adam was letting him pilot the ship now from the auxiliary piloting station. Some captains preferred not to fly their ships themselves, though Adam had rarely passed up the opportunity to do it himself.

Now, McCaster needed practice.

Right now he was slow and cautious, but overtime his confidence would grow. In a jet it was easy to tell where you were in relation to the rest of your jet. The bubble canopy made it easy to see where everything was, and the vehicle was small enough that you always seemed in control.

With a ship as big as the Omen, that was harder.

Adam stared at their new destination, a small star cluster on the rim of the milky way galaxy. The had talked about their plans in great detail back on Arcadia, his exoplanet named by popular vote of the citizens, and they had all had a collectively difficult time deciding what was going to happen from here.

They knew generally what they wanted.

To keep earth safe

To protect the Universe

To thwart the Void.

But it was difficult to know where to start. The void had been quiet since Kelly's death, and while everything had changed, it had now become their new normal. The worlds were still spinning governments were still functioning and people were going on with their lives. As of yet it was hard to see what they could be doing to stop all of it.

Etium, the Tesraki Adam had fought with in the Drev war, Claimed that he had an idea, and vanished shortly after, though no one had heard from him in some time. Adam had to admit that he was worried, the little Tesraki had only just begun to recover from the war, and his confidence was coming back in slow chunks. He worried how well he would fend for himself out there I the vast universe.

Adam hoped to see him again.

But until then, they would have to wait, to respond to the dangers, and as of yet there didn't seem to be any.

So, it only seemed right to do what they always did.

What they were good at.

Deep space exploration.

Everyone loved seeing new planets and discovering new species. If you discovered it, you got to name it, and now that they weren't following GA or UNSC rules, you also had the potential to adopt pets.

They had already gone back to Jeffery's planet on a multitude of occasions, befriending and luring plenty of the strange snake species away to populate their own little asteroid.

Adam had returned to a familiar planet, with a hill where he and Sunny had gone on one of their first real dates, and while there he had been pleased to find the strange Dodo like birds were still there eager to be picked up and played with.

He certainly did not want to mention how many of them he had stolen for his own selfish ends.

Turns out Dodo's and whatever species Jeffery was got along, and since the two groups tended to eat similar things, they actually ended up balancing out the ecosystem as scarcity became an issue.

He would liked to have called these scientific missions, but his crew had coined the phrase going to the pet store as a better explanation for going on deep space missions.

Behind him McCaster checked and double checked the warp coordinates looking up at Adam with a nervous expression.

"can you...."

"Nope." Adam said cheerfully, "I will not check your work, better make sure you did it right so we don't warp directly into the center of a star."

McCaster blanched and looked over his coordinates one more time, reading and re-reading every line before nervously putting them into the computer.

He took the controls ready to fire.

"And what do we always do before warp?" Adam coaxed.

The young man looked at him confused.

"We warn the rest of the crew." Adam prompted gently.

McCaster blushed, "Oh, yeah yeah of course I.... yeah." He reached out with his hand and engaged the Comms system, giving a shaky warp warning to the ship before steadying himself, slowly and nervously engaging the warp drive rechecking every step as he went. Adam did not bother him to move faster, it was expected that he was going to be slow, and this is how Kelly had encouraged him to fly, give him all the time he needed but make him do it without help just supervision.

Finally McCaster began the countdown and Adam braced himself tightening his stomach and taking greater though control over his bladder. When warp came, he was disoriented for only a few seconds before being back to full operational capacity.

"Wow." He said softly.

Their ship was settled in the center of a large star cluster, and the light that came onto their bridge was almost blinding. There were at least five stars in the cluster, with three of them relatively close together for stars, orbiting each other in a complex patter, the two closest orbiting each other, and the third orbiting both of the main stars. Out behind that a few smaller stars did the same. It was a new cluster of stars to be sure, newly born as far as stars go.

And there was still plenty of emissions and debris littered around the area. Particles of dirt and gas refracted the light streaking the world around them in blue and pink. The crew gave a collective gasp of shock as a chunk of asteroid rolled past their front screen, pearly white in color, and sprinkled with what must have been pure diamond.... Entire asteroids made up of pure carbon chains.

Each of these asteroids reflected the tinted light and cast rainbows in all directions .

"Woah."

"Alright everyone, names, give me names." Adam prompted, "I need to feel it, really feel it."

"Easter."

"Marshmallow."

"Rainbow."

"Yeah I am feeling very uninspired right now." Adam said shaking his head at them in disappointment. Names continued to ring out from the crew until one voice raised up from the others, emanating from behind him in the doorway.

"Clearly, this is the Candy-Land Cluster."

Adam turned in his seat looking to where maverick was standing I the doorway. Her hair was shaved almost all the way down on the sides, though the top was long, braided back across her head like a Viking might have worn it. Exotic alien scales and feathers hung on strings woven int other hair, She wore very tall black boots, a black corset and pulse armor not dissimilar to what Ramirez wore. A digital Tatoo glittered just under her collar.

"The Candy land cluster." He rolled the name around on his tongue, and immediately liked it.

"Maverick Wins."

The rest of the bridge crew let of sounds of disappointment, but quickly embraced the name. the Cluster did have a strange quality about it, sugary, almost childish. The light was yellow blue and pink, while rainbows danced from the diamond asteroids. Flat disks of dust and rock circled the stars, while, others already boasted a full contingent of planets. Some gas giants just too small to have become stars, and a few smaller, rocky worlds.

It was to those worlds that they would be heading looking for signs of new life

It was while giving his orders that Adam noticed soemthing odd.

Something

Floating out in the darkness.

It was difficult to make out, and he had to step up to the front viewing screen and squint trying to make it out. It was very close to their ship, whatever it was, either that or it was much larger than he thought, though that didn't seem right.

From what he could tell the object was, smallish, and almost translucent though it was tinted purple and blue at its edges, light dissipated through its milky surface, and it seemed to somehow, glisten, though that would have been impossible as water immediately boils when in space due to the lack of pressure.

As he watched, it seemed as if the thing, whatever it was, responded, to his watching, and to his great surprise it moved.

He stepped back watching its body flare out and then contract sharply, growing larger as it drew closer.

The others had noticed his fascination and clustered around the viewing port watching with open mouthed awe as this, thing, floated towards them billowing softly once, and then twice, as it grew closer the details became more clear.

"Is it just me or does that...."

"Look almost exactly like a jellyfish?"

Adam frowned sagely, "More like a jellyfriend."The others turned to look at him with raised eyebrows. He lifted his chin in defiance, "I won't apologize."

This.... Space jellyfish, billowed forward again until it was right outside the view screen, dangling there in the black, small translucent ribbons, not unlike Conn's ribbons trailed from behind it. Adam stared at it in awe, his eyes wide, and his hand pressed against the glass. It was beautiful, and graceful and...

Suddenly it was attached to their front viewing screen.

They all pulled back in shock as the thing oozed over the glass pulsing just slightly as it settled itself against the viewscreen.

"What the...." And then a sudden warning siren blared on above them.

Adam jolted upright and turned on his heels. He didn't even have to ask as the crew hurried to figure out what was going on.

His implants buzzed, and he patched Narobi through from engineering, "Captain, something is wrong, our engines have shut off.... For whatever reason I don't know why."

From the other side of the room, "Captain, our radio signals are completely down , nothing coming in or out."

"Life support is still good, but we're dead in the water."

That phrase sent a chill up his spine. With the ship as it was, they could have survived almost indefinitely, though he knew better than almost anyone that mass hysteria and madness could claim a stranded ship easily, and now that they couldn't' send radio signals....

He took a deep breath, trying to banish thoughts of the doomed Civilian transport slowly eating itself alive under the quiet watch of the hand of God nebula.

No, best to remain positive until he was sure there was actually a problem.

His eyes caught onto the front viewport again surprised to find two more of those strange jellies had attached themselves.

He frowned thoughtfully.

"McCaster, are we in grappling range of one of those asteroids?"

There was a long pause before McCaster was able to answer, "Yes sir, I think the one on the right is big enough."

"Attach us to the asteroid, use the grapples if you need to."

He turned and began walking toward the door, "I think I know what the problem is."

***

Fealty was pleased to see him.

The Ai had been dormant for a few months, and it seemed pleased to have him back inside the suit. He found he was also pleased to be back, though the AI would be disappointed to learn that they were not going to be involving themselves in any combat situations. Beside him a few marines and Dr Wilson, one of their resident biologists, was suiting up for their little mission.

Outside McCaster had grappled them to the face of one of the large diamond asteroids with some difficulty, but they were now locked securely in place.

Adam tapped his gravity boots to see if they were working, and he felt a light pulse through his armor as they responded.

Fealty gave him a systems diagnostic.

Dr Wilson was already taking a look at pictures of the creatures his eyes wide excitement pulling up the corners of his mouth, "Conn, the space dragon, both incredible, we should have known there was a high possibility of meeting other creatures, and honestly a jellyfish makes sense, space is a lot like the ocean in terms of form and weightlessness, plus their enlarged size. Honestly its likely there isn't even an upper limit to how big these things can get....well until they start producing their own noticeable gravity which at that point would start forming them into spheres like gravity tends to do."

Adam smiled as he listened to the scientist talk.

He had long since given up on trying to be the kind of person who could DO the science, but he still loved listening to it.

A voice came over the comm in his helmet, "If you do anything stupid, I hurt you."

He smiled at the sound of his wife's voice, "I would never."

He heard her hum in scorn, "yeah right."

She cut off the communication, but he knew she would be watching him closely as they stepped into the small airlock and allowed the room to depressurize. When the door before them opened, fealty was forced to dim his visor to an extreme as the burning light of the Candy-land Cluster burned into him. Before his feet the asteroid glittered with a million facets, and though there was no sound he could imagine his feet crunching over the strange surface.

He took the first step followed by the others as he turned to view his ship, backing up a pace so he could get a better view.

"Oh.... I think I see the problem."

Their ship wasn't covered in the space jellies per say, but there were some sizable clusters, the primary body of them clustered around the back of the ship where the warp core and engines would be situated. Still others found themselves clustered in oddly strategic locations around their communications receivers and transmitters.

Wilson frowned, "Well, I think its safe to say they are attracted to heat and light."

The engines for heat and the radio transmitters for light, since radio was just a form of light transmission. There were a few who didn't follow that pattern, but the surface of the ship would have been warmed by the glowing suns, almost to a painful degree.

If any of them were to to touch the surface with their bare hands, they would easily boil.

Inside his helmet Fealty seemed almost as curious as they were, and began tagging each and every one of the strange jellies with a bright pink stamp counting them as it went.

There weren't so very many of them, a few hundred at most, but most of them were dangerously close to the engines, which is likely what had shut them off.

The engines were designed to protect themselves from any foreign body that might seek to clog them. It wasn't very often that a ship would do this. In fact, he had never seen a ship do this until now.

With cautious steps they approached one of the pulsing jellies, sitting just a few feet above the asteroid surface.

It was pretty big, as large as his torso spread out as it was, about half the size of that when it wasn't.

Dr Wilson took a few moments to examine it.

As Adam watched, a familiar craving appeared inside him, a familiar sensation that he found hard to ignore.

His hand twitched at his side.

Ramirez glanced at him warily.

The Jelly pulsed aagain.

It was kinda cute.

His hand twitched again.

Dr Wilson leaned in.

"I'm gonna touch it." he announced, much to Dr. Wilson's dismay

But his hand was already outstretched, Dr Wilson tried to stop him, "Wait Adam no! What if it stings!"

It was already to late. Inside his head Fealty activated the touch sensors on the outside of his gloves and a strange sensation shot through his hand as he patted the top of the Jelly's flat body. It was... warm and gooey though somehow without being wet?

It was an impossible sensation to describe.

He continued to pat the jelly filled with glee, and surprised when it began to wobble slightly pulling back from the ship and.... Vibrating.

He wasn't sure if that was good or bad, but soon enough it had detached completely from the ship, and was floating before him, its tendrils waving. He continued to pat its top, surprised at the sensation, and just how adorable he found the thing.

And then before he knew it the creature shot forward, wrapping itself around his chest and torso, suctioning itself to the front of his armor.

The others held up their hands as if ready to attack but he ordered them to stop happily patting the jelly with one hand as it continued to vibrate, and it seemed to him, to press into his hand.

Wilson stared at him with an open mouth.

"what is it doing?" Ramirez wondered.

"I.... I think its purring?" Adam said unsure of another word to explain the strange creature's behavior.

He grinned eyes bright with pleasure as he continued to pat it.

"It's definitely the heat." Dr Wilson mused, though.... I it does SEEM to enjoy what you're doing."

Adam frowned looking up at the ship.

Thinking.

"Well, I have made up my mind!" he announced as the others looked on at him warily.

"We can't leave them on the ship, but clearly they are too cute to just leave here, so...."

Wilson sighed.

Ramirez grinned.

And with their help, they were able to peel off the jelly and place it inside one of the cargo airlocks before beginning their hunt. Extra members of the crew stepped out of the ship in their suits to help with the project. Gently removing each jelly on pairs of two or three from the hull, and carrying them to the airlock where they were placed.

Adam walked by Ramirez carrying three of the jellies with him, and Ramirez laughed immediately sending a picture of Adam in his imposing black and green suit of armor, covered by the delicate glowing jellies.

With the last jelly removed from one of the forward transmissions, he received a call from Nairobi that the engines were responding again, as were their communications.

Adam returned to the ship, stripping off his suit and thanking Fealty who, despite not getting to fight, seemed pleased at their mission, before hurrying to the lower airlock which they tentatively filled with atmosphere.

The jellies didn't seem to care, though they kept the gravity off just in case.

Adam, much to the chagrin of Sunny fished one of the jellies from the airlock after hooking it with a small gravity sticker, which was generally used to negate gravity on small objects like balls during certain hover-games, but it seemed perfect for the jelly who was then able to float out into the ship on its own. Wilson cautioned that he didn't know what the creature would do to him if it touched him, but Adam was certain that it was friendly.

As he released the creature, it gently floated over to him, and then, as it had done before suctioned itself to his torso. It was a smaller jelly than the others, so it didn't take up as much of his space as he patted its strangely soft and ambiently warm skin.

"This is the weirdest feeling ever." He announced letting the others come forward tentatively to pat it.

Eventually Wilson was unable to contain himself too curious not to touch.

Adam was delighted to learn that the jellies, seemed to be able to recognize specific people as, at one point it got bored of his heat and detached, but continued to follow him around the ship. Returning to the bridge, waffles gave the creature one look and then gave him the side eye as if she was judging him.

He grinned at her and patted her head, so just sighed letting him get away with his antics.

He just wanted more pets for his strange little moon.

He ordered McCaster to return so they could deal with the jellies as soon as possible.