The soft hum of the ship's core pulsed beneath the metal floors.
Silence settled in the lounge, broken only by the loud, sloppy chewing of someone who had clearly never learned to chew with their mouth closed.
"Who's the kid?" Barock asked mid-bite, crumbs launching from his mouth like shrapnel.
The short, round mechanic leaned back in a steel chair bolted to the floor, a grease-smeared napkin hanging from his collar. His hairy arms jiggled as he scooped another glowing-blue spoonful of slop into his mouth.
Silva stood nearby, leaning against a support beam, arms crossed.
He jerked his chin toward Akira.
"This is Akira. He's with us now."
"What do you mean by that?"
The question came from Kiluar, tall and regal, grumpy eyes barely lifting from the star map screen.
Akira stood by the door, hands in his pockets, his usual half-dead gaze scanning the room like he already regretted being there.
Silva pushed off the wall with a sigh.
"Alright. Roll call."
"Everyone this is new guy... Akira"
He pointed across the room.
"That's Barock—our mechanic. Makes sure this heap doesn't explode mid-flight."
Barock grunted, mouth still full, and waved a stubby hand.
"This is Akira. He's joining us. Get used to it."
He motioned to Kiluar.
"Our navigator. Royal blood. Good with blades. Bad with jokes."
Kiluar didn't look up.
"Charmed," he said, voice smooth, detached.
"It's not often we entertain creatures from such... underdeveloped civilizations."
Akira blinked. "...Okay then."
Silva gestured to the far corner, where a towering red-skinned woman leaned against the wall, slowly polishing a rifle longer than Akira's leg. Her scaled skin shimmered faintly. A thick tail curled and flicked behind her.
"That's Jinka. She handles the big guns. Don't piss her off."
"Noted," Akira said dryly.
Silva turned toward a calm, bark-skinned figure typing on a holo-pad.
"Ginto. Science and tech. Smartest guy on the ship. Also slowest eater in the galaxy."
Ginto adjusted his glasses and gave a small, peaceful smile.
"And that's Shinko," Silva added, pointing at a blank-faced girl with soft eyes. Her skin shimmered strangely—like oil floating on water.
"She doesn't talk much."
He tapped his temple. "Thought-communication. Translator. Empath. And a professional buzzkill."
Shinko bowed faintly toward Akira.
Kiluar finally turned in full, folding his arms.
"What is his purpose here, Silva?"
Silva glanced at Akira.
"...He survived me. That's a start."
Jinka scoffed. "Humans are weak. What makes this one different?"
Silva shrugged.
"Something about humans draws me in. Curiosity. Rage. Self-destruction. I didn't come here to conquer Earth. Just... understand it. Think of it as a long vacation."
Jinka rolled her eyes and walked out of the room.
Barock wiped his fingers on his shirt and looked up.
"So, what now, boss?"
Silva clapped once.
"Now? We explore. Blend in. Earth-style."
He looked at Akira.
"Where should we start?"
Akira walked past him without even a glance.
"Kill yourself," he muttered.
He stopped near Shinko.
"Hey. Is there any room I can use?"
Silva's eye twitched.
"Hey—"
"Fine, fine." Akira sighed. "Try Tokyo. It's close. Packed with humans. Now can I get a room?"
Silva growled quietly to himself.
Cut To:
A red "BREAKING NEWS" banner flashed across a television screen.
The anchor looked pale, shaken, as images played behind her.
"—still no explanation for the massacre at Hayashi High. Authorities urge citizens to remain cautious—"
The ship touched down in silence, in a forest on the outskirts of Tokyo, cloaked from radar.
The crew stepped onto solid ground, clustered near the exit ramp.
Akira glanced at them—baggy clothes, overcoats, weird eyes, glasses, towering builds.
"Is this really necessary?"
"Yeah," Silva said. "We can't have people knowing we're aliens."
Then—
A scream.
"MONSTER!!"
A girl across the path was pointing. Silva's ashy-silver skin, Jinka's tail...
She turned and bolted.
"...Shit."
The group scattered into a nearby alleyway, cramming behind rusted bins and crates.
"This is stupid," Akira muttered. "You're all a damn circus."
Ginto raised a finger.
"Actually—I've been working on a device. It creates localized illusions around the body. We can appear human."
Akira spun toward him.
"You couldn't have said that earlier!?"
Ginto adjusted his glasses.
"Timing is an art."
A moment later, they emerged from the alley—now disguised as ordinary people.
Mostly.
Silva and Jinka were still towering over the crowd, walking skyscrapers in human clothes.
"Why is everyone still staring?" Jinka muttered.
"You're a seven-foot-tall woman," Akira whispered. "The illusion can't fix that."
The crew stood awkwardly inside a cramped, warmly lit café. A dozen humans surrounded them, minding their own caffeine rituals.
Barock sniffed the air.
"What is this... dark-smelling fluid?"
Akira collapsed into a chair.
"It's coffee. Don't ask."
Kiluar folded his arms, observing silently before speaking.
"Earth's people are... fragile. Loud. But oddly expressive. I find them intriguing. Like clay that screams when sculpted."
Everyone stared at him.
Akira blinked.
"You always talk like that?"
"Yes," Kiluar replied, without a trace of irony.
Silva stirred his coffee as if it owed him money. "So... what now?"
Akira sipped his quietly. "We try not to get arrested."
"Why is every human staring at me?" Kiluar muttered, adjusting the collar of his disguise coat.
Akira sipped from his cup.
"Because you're tall, silver-haired."
Kiluar raised an eyebrow. "That explains nothing."
Barock leaned over with a grin.
"Bro, you look like a calendar model from a fantasy novel."
Kiluar blinked. "Is that... an honor?"
Akira shrugged. "Depends on the month."
Before Kiluar could respond, Ginto frowned, eyes fixed on his tablet.
"Hmm."
Silva glanced at him.
"What?"
"I'm picking up an unusual temporal aura from Akira," Ginto said slowly. "It's... not entirely human. It's mixed. Part Varnak."
All eyes turned to Akira.
Akira blinked once. "The hell's a Varnak?"
"My species," Silva muttered.
"I told you. There's something different about humans. I gave him a bit of my cells. They didn't reject it. They adapted."
Jinka sat up straighter, her red-scaled brow furrowing.
"Wait. That's not possible. What do you mean mixed? How does that even make sense?"
Ginto's fingers paused mid-scroll. His expression shifted from curiosity to quiet concern.
"...I'm picking up something else."
Everyone went still.
"Another temporal signal. Not human. Not... anything I've seen."
Silva leaned forward. "No other species have visited Earth. Not in centuries."
"Except us," Akira said, bored tone cutting through the tension. "So why are you here then?"
Ginto didn't answer that.
Instead, he pointed to the screen.
"This signature isn't in my archives. Not even close. Whatever it is... it's not catalogued."
Kiluar frowned, arms crossed.
"That shouldn't be possible. An unknown species?"
Ginto nodded once.
"It's within a ten-kilometer radius."
Silva stood.
"Then we go."
"Why bother?" Kiluar muttered,
Ginto still watching the scanner. "Something we've never seen before... that definitely bothers me."
Akira stood as well, dusting his hands.
"So you're saying there are more aliens on Earth?"
"Yes," Ginto said flatly.
They walked through the streets in awkward formation, drawing more attention than they wanted.
Barock stopped to poke a plastic food display.
"How is this fake stuff shinier than real food?"
"It's not food. It's advertising," Akira muttered.
Jinka smacked his hand.
"Stop poking things!"
Silva shoved his hands in his coat pockets.
"This place is too clean. I hate it."
They stopped in front of a modest, lantern-lit restaurant tucked between two buildings.
Ginto tapped his screen again.
"This is it. The signal's strongest here."
"I'll take care of it," Akira said, stepping toward the entrance.
"Wait—" Silva started, but Akira was already gone.
A waitress stopped Ginto at the door.
"Sir, we ask all customers to leave devices like a mobile phone at the front counter."
He blinked. "How are we supposed to identify the target without tech?"
"We'll recognize him," Barock said confidently.
"Will you shut up?" Jinka snapped.
Kiluar sighed, brushing past them.
"If it's living here, then it's disguised. Like us. Blend in."
They filed in and sat down near Akira, who was already seated, arms crossed, eyes closed, unnervingly still.
Silva leaned in.
"What's happening?"
Akira didn't open his eyes.
"Don't know. Just... something feels off."
Kiluar arched an eyebrow.
"Do humans have sensory abilities?"
Shinko silently shook her head.
Akira opened his eyes and raised one hand.
"Waitress," he called, pointing to a specific woman across the room.
She turned, smiled gently, and walked over.
"Can I help you?" she asked.
Silva understood what's going on. His posture straightened. His voice dropped an octave.
"...I'd like to talk to you about something."
Looking at her with fierce eyes
"...You're not from around here, are you?"