"... Oh, Ben." May bit back a sob as she observed the still form of her husband, floating in the transparent liquid that filled the Rejuvenation Tank. The top of the cylinder was filled with floating black particles, which she knew to be his charred skin.

What was it? A curse? On Ben's family, or the Shuu-Pa? She'd never been so scared in her life. The call for medical personnel. When they brought in Ben, Norman and Peter's friends, unconscious and injured.

Ben barely pulled through. The first layer of skin on his back was completely gone, his nerve endings terribly damaged. He had gone into shock and then slipped into a coma from the pain only. It would be weeks before they could try to wake him up.

And Peter. She was the one she was worried the most about.

While Ben was gravely injured, that was something she could comprehend. What happened to Peter, no one knew anything about. He had told them that something had happened in the facility, which had stuck that crystal into his chest, and... Changed him.

The crystal had somehow fused to his flesh and, most importantly, his heart. Any attempt at removing it would prove fatal. From the testimonies of Peter and the others the crystal had brought on some kind of transformation which had allowed him to dispatch a technologically advanced guardian bare handed.

Whatever this transformation was, Peter hadn't managed to trigger it again and no analysis of any kind had been possible. At the moment he was being monitored in a special room of the sick bay. By his own suggestion he wasn't to be let out until they managed to get a fix on what had happened on him.

She couldn't but agree. But she dearly hoped she wasn't to lose her only family in the same day.

Year 3025 AD

The energetic crisis forced humanity to look at the stars for their future. In 2925, twenty great space ships of the Cradle Class left Earth. One hundred years later, three of those ships have settled on planets devoid of intelligent life. Five now share their intended destination with alien cultures. Four have taken theirs with the strength of arms. Three others have become their own destinations, expanding into sprawling space stations. Of the other five, nothing is known, lost in the sprawling cosmos.

Among the second group of Cradles, the ship Mida has been turned into a space exploring vessel, tasked with mapping the galaxy and re-establish physical contact with the other ships.Peter Parker is a crew member of the Mida, carrying on his back the legacy of his parents, whose research on the mysterious race of the Shuu-Pa brought on a tragedy.

A tragedy that was almost repeated as Peter and his friends get attacked by a security guard in the ruins on Argos 6. Thanks to a mysterious power he acquired in the ruins, Peter manages to defeat the guardian, but his uncle Ben Parker suffers grievous injuries…

The Legendary Spiderman

Chapter 3 - Great Trouble

"You've parted us again, Peter."

"Well, excuse me for being still a little suspicious." He was 80% sure he wasn't going crazy. Unless everything that had happened ever since he woke up the previous morning had been a dream, he had indeed done something to himself that had made him… Something else.

He raised his eyes from the floor of the containment cell to the figure hovering in front of him. She was almost identical to a normal human if not for the pointed ears, blue skin, waist length crimson hair and similarly coloured eyes. No white, no iris, just crimson. She was wearing what he could only describe as a white toga, which covered her body down to her feet. If he had been prone to look at her in another light, he may have found her beautiful.

Alas, he had other things on his mind regarding his mysterious new acquaintance. "I have some questions, if you will." She nodded. "... What's your name?" She tilted her head to the side. He raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"That's really what's most prominent on your mind?" She was blunt. He shook his head.

"Not really. But it's only polite to introduce oneself, no? And you already know my name. Seems only fair." He shrugged his shoulders. "So?"

"I don't know." That really wasn't a good start. "I don't remember. Maybe I never had one?"

"You have amnesia?"

"Yes… I think. I don't know, it's like…" The figure held a hand to her forehead, shaking it slowly. "It's like there's a fog on my mind. Like I have been asleep for centuries."

"If you were inside that altar we found in the ruins, that may be a possibility." 'She was sealed there by the Shuu-Pa, then. Maybe it's an after-effect of her cryogenic sleep?' "Well, then… Not to sound rude, but, what are you?"

"I don't know." Peter groaned.

"... Okay. Let's try it like this. What do you know?"

"I know that we shouldn't be apart." Did he already think that she was blunt? Because she was. "It feels wrong."

"Okay, I get it." 'From the way she's talking, maybe she's some kind of… Symbiotic alien?' Which brought him to the next question. "What happened back there? In the ruins?"

"You let me in, Peter. And we were both stronger for it." Peter nodded.

"I noticed. No normal human could have done what I did." Also, those words confirmed his theory. "But, exactly what did you do? What was that… Suit that covered me?"

"An extension of your body, if you will. I had to work with what I had." The female alien put a hand to her chin, tapping it. "You humans have such limited physiology that I couldn't implement all of the changes into your body proper."

'Did-Did she just insult me?' Peter scratched the side of his head, confused. This alien was weird, to say the least.

"I had to modify the cells in your epidermis. Create special mitochondria, if you will. They create special materials that, once secreted through your pores, come together and form the 'suit'."

"I see." 'I'll have to ask aunt May to observe the process.' "And where does it disappear to, afterwards?"

"Back inside your body to be processed back, with the exception of any damaged tissue, of course." Damage. So it was something made with the prospect of violence in mind. "You should wear it all the time, Peter."

"What are the properties of this suit?"

"It protects you from harm. And absorbs the shock from your own strength." That gave him pause, and he absent mindedly looked down at his body. It was looking and it felt better that it had ever had. He never was much of an athlete. "Right now I'm restraining it. Without the suit, you could seriously harm yourself. And I'd hate that, Peter." She paused. "Also, it would be pretty stupid. Wouldn't it?"

"Ehm, yeah." Peter flushed, remembering an experiment gone particularly wrong. "What about the climbing?" Scratch the strength that allowed him to manhandle a military robot. Climbing a completely flat surface like it was walking through a corridor was what had surprised him the most. "Is that in the suit too?"

"No. That's a psionic process." Peter blinked, slowly.

"... I'm sorry?"

"Humans are not familiar with the term?" She sighed, disappointed. Normally, Peter would have taken offence. But now?

"No, we are! But... Psionics?! I'm affecting reality with my mind?!"

"Yes. It's a largely instinctual process. I made it so that it'd come to you as natural as breathing, or walking." She continued, trailing past him and holding up her hand to the nearest wall. "You alter the electronic charge of what you touch and the epidermis in direct contact with it. The magnetic force is what makes you... Stick."

"You mean to tell me that I can create a strong enough magnetic hold to keep me sticking to a surface with just my feet and the tip of my fingers while carrying two grown men?!" She nodded. Peter gasped. "Don't act like this is not a big deal!"

"It's not."

"Is too!"

"Maybe for humans."

"Oh, sure, rub it in. Damn mysterious technologically and biologically advanced symbiotic aliens..." The young human muttered.

"Symbiotic?" She wasn't exactly expressive, but he could hear the question mark.

"Oh, so there IS something you don't know!" Peter grinned as he turned to his interlocutor. "Symbiosis is a close and often long-term relationship between two organisms. I'd say ours is a mutualistic kind of endosymbiosis..." He trailed off, putting a hand to his chin.

"What... Does that mean?" Judging from her voice, Peter could hypothesize that she hated being out of the loop, at least on his thoughts.

"It means that you live inside me and that we're in a mutually beneficial relationship." He held up his hand, pointing at him and then her in quick succession. "You help me, I help you. Entiende, Ninã?"

"Who's Ninã? And you want... To help me?"

"You're the one who doesn't remember anything about her past. Even with everything that's happened to me and my uncle in coma, you're still the one worse off." Peter sighed as he went back to his aunt's words about Ben's situation. He wanted to visit him. "And Nina was a joke... But, hey, what about I call you that, from now on? Would be easier on the oratory, that's for sure."

"Nina." She repeated, her eyes observing the floor. Then she looked at him again. "Is that my name?"

"If you want to. I guess it's a start, for a symbiosis." The young man stretched, smiling at the alien. "Got lots of catching up to do. You've saved my life, helped me save others, and you turned me into the most evolutionary advanced human ever existed."

-I-

"Another disaster. Thrice damned race of space idjits!" Jameson slammed a fist on the conference table, making miss Grant jump on the spot because of the suddenness of the act. Jameson had stormed in the room promising pain but had then spent a good five minutes just staring at nothing. "... Well, at least no casualties, this time."

"And it wasn't a complete disaster, Jonah. This time we got results." Robbie Robertson put forward his pad on the table. "A whole, intact, fully functional Shuu-Pa settlement. Computers full of data. Dozens of bodies. One of their space-ships."

"How did transportation of that go, by the way?" Jonah accepted the offered pad, picking up the schematics of the Shuu-Pa craft. "And who the hell managed to figure out how to turn that thing on?"

"One of Major Parker's trainees. Flash Thompson." Miss Grant states. "The tech department and the Wings were quite impressed. Aside the difficulties with Shuu-Pa language and the fact that he's had no formal training, the controls looked nothing like the ones on a human craft."

"Maybe the lack of training is why he could do it. No preconceptions to break through. Still, he took one dumb risk." Jonah narrowed his eyes. "Also, how's Parker? The young one."

"Apparently, he now has some kind of... Guest. An alien of some kind, currently residing in his body." Norman took word, chuckling. "Apparently that was the content of the shrine they found. Also the reason why he managed to take down our would be killer."

"Typical. First leave ever and he gets himself a space STD. Risks?"

"None currently registered. Young Parker seems to be the one in control in their relationship, so to speak. And physically he's healthier and stronger than anyone on this ship." Which only made Norman giddier about the data he'd been decrypting.

"... Okay. A mixed disaster. Still, there's too much we don't know. I want the gunri to look at this too. Hands on." He placed the pad down, a bit more forcefully than needed. "We're going back to Helios. And until then no one is to touch anything Shuu-Pa we have on board. No ship, no samples, nothing that could pose a hazard. And no experimenting, Norman." The Overseer sent the Head of the Science Division a narrowed look. "One crew member with a parasite is enough. Got it?"

"Of course." Norman tried his best to smile amiably. Inwardly, he was scoffing. Only a fool would keep him a minute longer from the most important breakthrough of his life.

-I-

"So he's still in there at his behest?"

"At first. Now there's also the orders from the Overseer. Not that Peter seems to mind." May explained as she walked Harry to the containment module Peter was currently occupying. "He's spending most of his time talking with the Symbiote currently occupying his body."

"Ehm, not to be rude, Peter is my best friend, but, are we sure he didn't just... Lose it?" The copper haired trainee offered, scratching the back of his head. "I mean, for everyone else, Peter is talking to air. Couldn't he really be talking to air?"

"We considered that. We did a brain scan. Several, actually." May stopped at a console. With a few touches, she brought to life on the screen a wave-like form. "This is the latest one Peter took, right before the mission. No anomalies were detected." Harry nodded. With another touch, she summoned a similar figure right beside the original. "This is the one we took earlier this morning."

"Huh." Harry was no scientist, but he had a mind for details. If the first was the usual reading, with a line making sharp highs and lows, the second was that overlapped with a second line which progressed in waves and spirals. May separated them. Harry got it. "Son of a bitch, there's two?"

"Two minds in one body, and one is alien. We learned from the gunri that no race has the same brain readings as another, and this machinery shows it visually." May disappeared the projections. "According to Peter the alien has no memory of her past or her connection to the Shuu-Pa." May then smiled. "It hasn't stopped him, though."

"Stopped him from what?"

-I-

"-been like this for an hour, still no side-effects! Even my circulatory system has been modified!" Harry rolled his eyes. He should have known.

"Peter, if you really want to keep on rambling, please do so standing." The soldier said, leaning his palms against the transparent screen. "I'm not used to talking to people hanging from the ceiling."

"Buzz-killer. But seriously, watch this!" Peter did as told, dropping from the ceiling in a perfect crouch. Right after, he sprung into a double backflip and landed horizontally on the transparent wall, scaring the hell out of a woman walking by. "Impressed?"

"Leave it to you to find a way to cheat at life! I worked very hard for my physical shape!"

"What?! You're a glorified lab rat!"

"And you're a scrawny half nerd half spider!"

"Former scrawny." Peter grinned and flexed his right arm, showing bulging biceps. "First thing I'm doing once I get out of here is challenge everyone on board to arm wrestling."

"Speaking of which, any idea to when that will be?" Harry crossed his arms and leaned back first against the cell.

"Well, we cleared that I'm safe, sane and not in any way contagious. I bet I will be home free once the gunri get to look at me too." Peter slowly crawled back to the floor, and then stood. "That's when the real fun will begin."

"Fun? You're calling being the eye of the political shit-storm fun?" Harry snorted, shaking his head. Peter blinked. Harry stared. "You have no idea, do you?"

"Huh, I was referring to the speech I'm planning to give to the scientific community. Nina gave me enough hints-"

"Wait, who's Nina?"

"My guest."

"Your alien is a girl?"

"Yes, I'm sharing a body with a girl. Laugh it up."

"Is she hot?"

"Focus, Harry. What were you talking about?"

"You don't follow politics back on Helios much, do you?" Harry sighed. Himself, while trying to find something he was good at, found out that he had a head for following shifts in power and their effects on society. "gunri are a very superstitious lot. You know that."

"Yeah. So?" They worshipped stars, and thought of the Shuu-Pa as divine beings, and thought of their disappearance as the signal of the end of days. Centuries later they knew better, but a good chunk of the population now feared anything related to it- Oh. "Shit."

"Yup. Shit. Jameson probably had to make promises and grease a few people even for consent at landing on the planet. Now we have on our hands a conglomerate of structures that people will either want to forget about, study or bomb from orbit. You probably have inside of you the reason that whole facility was built."

"Peter, there are people who want to hurt you?" Nina chose that moment to newly make her presence known to Peter. He decided to ignore her question for the moment.

"... Actually, I think I may be something even more shocking." Peter admitted. Harry turned to him fully.

"What do you-" A sharp siren echoed through the air. "... Sounds like we're about to enter hyperspace."

-I-

"Shields up. Bulkheads down." On the main deck of the Mida, the vision of outer space was obscured to the admiral as the bulkheads covered the transparent walls of the deck. It was replaced by a projection of the outside. He then pressed a button on his console. "Ladies and gentlemen of the Mida, this is admiral Ben Urich."

-I-

"We're about to use hyperguide, destination: Helios." Norman frowned, and reluctantly powered down all his machinery before the ship did it for him. During hyperguide the power grid was offline for all but the necessary systems.

-I-

"As usual, strap yourself in or hold onto something. Hyperguide is probably the greatest gift we got from the gunri, but we still haven't managed to get rid of the slight recoil that comes with a ship our size using it."

"We're going home, Ben." May whispered to the floating form of her husband. "Just a little longer."

-I-

"Don't panic if you have a slight feeling of nausea. It will go away in a few seconds. We're starting countdown!" The siren started blaring again, and the deck went into a calculated frenzy, with the last system check. "Five! Four! Three!"

-I-

"Peter, what's Helios?"

"Hold on, if you need to. You'll see very soon." Peter used his new powers to stick himself to the nearby wall.

"Talking to your girlfriend, Peter?" The former bespectacled teen rolled his eyes as Harry fastened himself to a chair in the room.

"Shut up and hold on, Harry."

-I-

"Zero! Hyperguide!" The admiral declared, and his direct subordinates obeyed, activating the system. On the screen, as usual, the space around and in front of the Mida distorted in a conical form, and then flashed white. Propelled by its thrusters, the giant colony ship crossed in seconds a green tunnel of bent space that would have taken them weeks at their normal speed.

"Admiral, destination in 10! 9!"

"Brace for recoil!" The admiral followed his own advice, pushing himself as further back as possible in his armchair, two automatic seatbelts crossing each other over his torso in an X. "Recoil!"

Another flash of white light and the Mida was now facing different stars and just like a car of the days of hold, the sudden loss of speed caused a jerking motion for the occupants of the ship. "Status report."

"Shields operative. Bulkheads integer." A deck crew member called out. "Hull undamaged. All systems on standby and functional."

"Destination confirmed. We've reached Helios space." Another, female, member finished. Admiral Urich nodded.

"Shields down. Raise the bulkheads. Start contacting the Capital's Spaceport." At his orders, the projection of space disappeared and the external bulkheads raised while the spacecraft's trajectory adjusted itself. He smiled as a planet covered in green, blue, and shades of yellow and pink appeared, surrounded by a single moon.

-I-

"That's Helios, Nina." Peter explained as the planet came into view. The alien floated to his side, observing it through the window on the far end of the room. "That's my home."

"It's a good planet. It seems very biologically various, and your species is dominant. Suitable environment for a long term survival." He blinked but then sighed, causing confusion for his best friend out of the cell. "Peter, what's a girlfriend?" Then he facepalmed. Of all the new terms to get from outside sources…

-I-

"Mom, dad, look!" A young human child pointed upwards, causing his mother and father to follow his arm.
"That's the Mida returning." The father, a tall human, explained as he hoisted his first-born on his shoulders. "Weird. They were supposed to come back in 6 months, from what I heard."
"Maybe they discovered something important?" The mother, a gunri, her frame thinner and more slender than the human's but taller, no body hair and big red eyes and hair of a darker shade of crimson and skin of bright pink, intertwined her fingers with her life-mate's as they watched the gigantic spaceship head to her docking area.

The Mida was unlike any other space-ship on the planet, and even when the humans and gunri projected the orbital spaceports they didn't include a docking space for the Mida in it. Instead they built a docking area right on the surface of the planet, at the gate of Helios, the capital, where the gigantic spacecraft would land and turn into a citadel.

Even when not surmounting the endless recesses of space the Mida could still be a home to all its occupants, if needed.

-I-

"Overseer Jameson. We're happy to have you back on Helios." The male gunri, his skin a dark purple and his hair bright yellow, grabbed onto both of Jonah's hands, squeezing them in the traditional gunri greeting.

"Happy to be back, Lord Kaapara." The moustached man squeezed back, and his words earned a smile from the alien.

"That human title still makes me feel uncomfortable, knowing your history."

"Closest thing we could find closer to your word for it. We'll let you know when we evolve our puny human vocal chords to your level." Jameson joked, but he quickly noticed the telltale signs of worry in his old acquaintance's behaviour. "… Something we should discuss in private?"

"If your subordinates can handle everything here, that'd be advisable." The gunri nodded, his voice barely more than a whisper. "We will talk on the way to the Ruling Seat. Your request to address the Decani has been approved."

-I-

"Coming through! Nothing to see here!" The appointed leader in place of Ben shouted, actually causing to gather attention more than diffuse it as their small group plus Peter in a transparent cage were lowered from the cargo hold.

"Except a caged freak of nature." Flash added under his breath but loud enough so that Peter could hear him. The captive frowned at the trainee. "Sorry, Parker. I'm grateful for the save back in the ruins, but you can't expect me to tone it down that much. It's practically an involuntary muscle by now!"

"Yeah, I guess it was hard enough for you to remember you can keep your voice down." Peter sighed, waving it off and focusing on the sight of the spaceport, humans and gunri alike trafficking around ships, most of which were headed for the other cities on Helios. More than one turned in their direction as they walked by. "... My social standing will go down before it goes up, will it?"

"You know it, Pete. And we'll make sure to deviate through the Market District. Because we love you. And..." Harry trailed off as he started observing their surroundings. Peter noticed that he was staring at a group loading a cargo ship. They were heavily armed, and donning a navy blue uniform that he didn't recognize. "... That can't be right." He mumbled.

"What is it, Harry?" The three ex school-mates were all on one side of the cage. Close enough to hear each other even when speaking quietly.

"You saw those soldiers?" Peter and Flash nodded. "Those uniforms... They're from the HGC."

"The Helios Guardian Corps?" He didn't recognize the uniform but he knew the name. Uncle Ben had been a member, a most prominent one.

The humans had arrived on Helios in the middle of a genocidal planet wide civil war. Just like them the gunri had not originated on Helios. They had arrived on the planet thousand of years before and settled into a peaceful cohabitation with the warrior race of the Tin-Lo, Helios' natives.

Over time, though, their relationship soured to the point the Tin-Lo decided they wanted their planet for themselves again and set out to wipe out the gunri. Things were bleak for the peaceful race until the Mida appeared out of the sky.

In the final years of the conflict the Tin-Lo disappeared into the wilder areas of Helios, which they knew much better than the gunri, and shifted to guerrilla-like tactics. The HGC were formed as a special unit of the army to hunt down these last pockets of resistance.

The unit only existed as a symbolic entity after the war. Tin-Lo hadn't been seen by gunri or humans for decades. "Maybe something has happened while we were away?"

"Could be." Harry nodded, agreeing with Peter's line of thought. "Let's hope it was nothing serious."

-I-

"An entire town?" Jameson hold on his cigar slackened, the thick stick bending down.

"Yes. Every single human and gunri, killed and piled up in the town hall." Lord Kaapara shook his head, his face veiled by sadness. "It didn't have a garrison. No one trained to fight, except some war veterans. It was a community of farmers." He held his face with one hand. "It was a slaughter."

"... Was it them?"

"We found no bodies belonging to the attackers. But we found weapons. More advanced than the war, but... Yes, it looks like the Tin-Lo."

"Why now? Why after all these years?" Jameson had been a field reporter during the war. He remembered how ferocious the Lin-To were. But he was also the one taking the iconic picture of the last Lin-To to fall when the HGC breached their last stronghold. They had been utterly and completely defeated and the gunri/Human civilization flourished. What could have possibly made them decide to do this? Their pride?

"We don't know yet. And there haven't been other incidents since then but the... Council, as you call it, has decided for a few cautionary measures." Kaapara continued, their trip to the Debate Chamber of the Ruling Seat almost over. "Garrisons in all the frontier towns. The reactivation of the HGC."

"Which are nothing more than a glorified relic, now. They called back veterans from retirement to train new troops?"

"Yes, which is further reason for us to express sorrow for Ben Parker's situation. His return would have been a great injection of experience and morale." The gunri let out a low sigh, before raising his head high and focusing on the heavy double doors in front of him. "But it's a discussion best left for another time."

"Yes, it is." Jameson grumbled. He had took part to a Debate only four times in his life and each time he had never cared to repeat the affair. As the double doors to the Ruling Chamber opened, he wondered which of the two old geese would get on his nerves further, this time-

"A word of warning. Lord Roppi and lady Bah-Le have stepped down. Two new Decani now occupy their seats." Jameson paused in his step, but for a second. He then walked again but with a slight spring now in his step.

-I-

"The council now gathers for Debate." Jameson glanced at the vast chamber, amused at the surprising situation. The two old farts had been replaced by one human and one gunri which made the council, for the first time since their arrival on Helios, of equal human and gunri representation. Two humans and two gunri. Two and three if they counted the Arbiter who, as a neutral party, most people didn't. "As Arbiter I, Lord Kaapara, will now ascertain the identity of the presents for the records. For the Seat of Culture, Decana Uebu?"

"This Decana is present, Arbiter." The old gunri woman raised her head, the hood of her flowing robes pulled down to reveal a silver head of short cropped hair and a body which barely held onto its once vivid pink colour, her eyes covered by a large black ribbon with red trimmings which echoed the colours of her baggy robes. Her lips were curved in an entertained smile.

Jameson rolled his eyes. Now that the two blights were gone she was the oldest member of the Council, and still the most troublesome. The other two may have been a pain in the ass to deal with but he had never managed to get how the old gunri's noggin' worked.

"For the Seat of Science, Decanus Connors?"

"Present." The human decanus raised his only arm, his long white robe with blue stitches only sporting one sleeve. The scientist sported a gaunt face and a faraway look in his grey eyes, his short chocolate curls falling flat on the top of his head, as if deflated of life.

"For the Seat of Law, Decanus Stasee?"

"I'm here, Arbiter Kaapara." The gunri was strongly built, dressed in an emerald robe with white decorative motifs. A rare body, for their race... Which meant that he had a human parent. His fingers were crossed on his lap, a strong jawline accentuated by a thin line in place of a smile. Grayish-blue skin was decorated by pearly white eyes and long gold tresses.

"For the Seat of Commerce, Decana Fisk?"

"Present, Arbiter." The small human woman set large blue irises on Jameson, sizing him up for a moment before avoiding them again, her eyelids falling anew. Long raven hair fell to the right side of her face, collected in a braid. Her bronze skin barely showed the signs of ageing. Jameson would put her at forty, which made her the youngest member of the council ever. Her petite body almost disappeared in the folds of her pink and violet robes.

"We have an honoured guest as Orator, today. J. Jonah Jameson, overseer of the Mida." Jameson took a small bow for the assembled chamber, as was customary. "Off the record, I'd like to welcome Decana Fisk and Decanus Stasee to the council before we begin. May your service to our people be just and fruitful." The two named Decani tilted their heads forward to that. "Orator Jameson is here today to confer about the incident on Argos 6. I trust you all received the report I prepared?"

"Yes, Arbiter. It was exhaustive." Surprisingly, at least to Jameson's experience, Connors took the word first. In the other debates he had taken part into he had been mostly passive, only intervening when asked, rarely intervening out of his own initiative. "You confirm that young Peter Parker is healthy, overseer? Physically and mentally?"

"My Lab Heads will be able to answer in further detail, but yes. The young man is physically and mentally fine... Actually, better than fine." The Decani flipped through the document on the screens tied to their chairs. Even Uebu. Which was... Weird. "You'll see that compared to his last physical before the mission, his physique has improved enormously in every possible aspect. Even beyond mister Osborn's experiments."

"This is believed to be caused by his new guest." Connors stated for his colleagues. "A symbiotic organism which was sealed in the ruins."

"Is it dangerous?" Decanus Stasee inquired. "Have there been any signs of the symbiote interfering with this man's mind? Of it being somewhat hostile?"

"Only to the Robotic Guardian which attacked the exploring group and severely injured major Ben Parker. But I understand that doesn't fully answer your justified grievances, Decanus." Connors answered, not missing a beat as he quickly flipped to a particular page. "As you can see at page 17 of the Report, I've already arranged for transportation of young Peter Parker to my personal facility directly from the Mida. He will be under scrutiny until he's deemed safe and fit to rejoin society. And I will be at your disposal to answer any questions you might have."

"Yes, I was notified of the Mida's 'special cargo'... A team of Defenders will escort the group once they reach the city limits." Stasee tapped his chin with two featureless fingers. "Your personal facility is secure enough. I have no further inquiries, but please keep me informed."

"I will. Thanks for your patronage." As Connors bowed his head, a mirthful chuckle echoed in the chamber. "Something... Funny, Decana Uebu?"

"Oh, funny? My no, Decanus Connors." The blind gunri corrected, a hand on her bosom. "I was delighted. I think it's been almost two decades since we've seen such an articulated speech from who was once the pride of the Seat of Science. Why, I think you may have swayed my old heart."

'You mean this guy was once someone's pride?' Jameson thought as he observed Connors, who coughed in his fist, a slight flush on his cheeks.

"Perhaps. But these are not normal circumstances, Decana. This is a monumental finding that could finally raise some light on one of the galaxy's greatest mysteries." And maybe the old istrione was onto something. Connors had been prepared for that too. He stood from his seat. "What happened to the Shuu-Pa? If they were wiped out, as the bodies found on Argos seemed to indicate, what did? How? Did some of them survive? Escape somewhere?" He raised his arm and quickly swiped his chair-screen, which projected an hologram in the middle of the chamber. The gunri ship. "And that's not the only bounty of knowledge that awaits for us on Argos. One of their spaceships, computers full of data... The Mida brought back only a nugget when what awaits is a gold mine."

"Oooh, such passion! It's like going back in time... Hmm, why, yes." Uebu continued, joining her hands in front of her body. "Right before the failed Falcon 3 mission, if I remember correctly."

"You do. There's finally a chance for me to face the mystery of the Shuu-Pa with more information at my disposal than the crumbs left behind on Helios which you so generously bestow on us, Decana." Connors brought a hand to his chest and bowed, and Jameson swore he saw the shadow of a smirk.

"Hmm... An once in a lifetime opportunity, indeed." The Decana had all the appearance of someone who wanted to say something more but held her tongue. But she was still smiling. The Overseer couldn't help but wonder what he wasn't privy to.

"Any thoughts on the matter, Decana Fisk?" Kaapara asked of the woman, who had simply listened to the proceedings up to now, her eyes closed.

"As of now nothing regarding this matter concerns my Seat yet. Any technology we may reverse engineer is still weeks, maybe months from being applicable, and I doubt the Mida brought with them anything that could irremediably damage our crops or water sources." She slowly raised her eyelids, her pupil revealing black irises. "But if I may dare suggest something out of Decanus Stasee's Seat of influence, I'd suggest not to reveal this to the general public yet."

"Permission granted this one time. I agree with the Decana. A good part of the gunri still feel strongly about the Shuu-Pa." The towering gunri answered, crossing his arms over his chest. "Information about this should be released slowly, judiciously. I trust all the personnel of the Mida was made to keep a vow of secrecy, Overseer?"

"Yes, Decanus. And even so, less than twenty people are privy to all the details of the mission."

"I'll need a list of those names." Stasee commented, before turning his attention to Uebu. "Your thoughts, Decana Uebu?"

"Give them something, not everything." The old woman answered, stretching her arms over her head. Jameson had always thought her mannerism and body didn't match. "Let people know that the Mida found Shuu-Pa ruins on Argos 6. That will frighten most to keep from asking question and appease the curious ones for a time. Feed them... Crumbs, with time."

"Does anyone think differently?" This was translated, in Jameson's mind, as the Arbiter saying: 'this is her territory. If you think differently from her speak now. Can't guarantee she'll listen to you unless the three of you all object the same way to the same thing.' No one spoke. "Does anyone need to address our honoured guest any further?" Again, no one spoke. "If no one feels like further questions should be raised I, as Arbiter, will bring an end to this Debate."

"Well, I have a message, if that's the same." James on had patiently waited until this moment arrived. The only moment when an Orator could freely address the council. Lord Kaapara nodded and let him step forward. "Peter Parker, the young man with the unexpected guest, wishes to address this council at a date of your choosing."

"... He does?" This apparently managed to pique Decana Fisk's curiosity enough. "About what?"

"He's a scientist. Just like his parents." As he said that, Jameson noticed Uebu's mouth form a catty smile. Her head turned in the direction of Connors. "He has told us everything critical or that we could need to ascertain if he's a danger, but not everything. There's something he'd like to tell you personally before he addresses the scientific community."

"Highly irregular." The Arbiter observed. "What is it he wishes to address the council about?"

"Believe it or not, he thinks he solved a mystery about the Shuu-Pa. Specifically, the secret behind their strength."

-I-

"... Fascinating."

'Yeah, I thought you may say that.' Peter thought Nina would be impressed by the Market District, being amnesiac and all. It was the most bustling of Helios's districts, filled with humans, gunri and hybrids of all colours, ages and trades of life.

It had started growing after the war, when humans and gunri could focus on reconstruction and mixing their cultures, technology and collective knowledge. Peter smiled as he saw a tall lanky gunri haggling the price of a pair of goggles while a human child with a skin tone a tad too azure for his race begged his gunri mother to buy him one of the large red and white wildly striped pomes on a bench.

"I've never seen so many people together." Nina commented as the levitating craft sailed across the city's skies, flanked by four members of the city guard. Wearing what he recognized as riot gear, riding the two seats hover vehicles. Which gave Peter and his two guards from the Mida -Harry and Flash- further reason to believe something had happened.

'You may have. You don't remember much, right?' Peter 'thought' to Nina. Useful being able to speak this way. Talking to air wouldn't do his social graces much good.

"Correct. But... I feel like I'm right in this assumption." The ethereal alien morphed her delicate features in a frown. "I'm not used to relying on something so unspecific."

'Welcome to the world of gut instincts.' Peter chuckled and again marvelled at how familiar and curious he felt towards Nina, at the same time. There were so many things he didn't know about her. And yet he already felt how far he could go with his teasing, how he should treat her. Even how she felt about him.

"I don't like it." Then again, she was pretty spontaneous.

"God, I'll never get used to seeing you grin and smile and stuff to yourself." His next retort was put on halt when Harry reclaimed his attention. "What are you two talking about?"

"Nina's never seen a marketplace. She likes the bustle."

"What's a bustle?"

"Does she, now." Harry raised an eyebrow and chuckled.

"Wait till she sees San Patrick's day, then." Flash said from his seat on the right of the pilot.

"What's San Patrick's day?"

"A celebration we brought over from Earth. Involves getting drunk. And lots of green." Peter explained out loud. He slapped a hand over his mouth and Harry laughed.

"I can't get drunk."

'Aw, too bad-'

"You can't either." At that Peter paused.

'Come again?'

"You can't get drunk."

'What do you mean I can't get drunk?!'

"Technically, you can. But your new metabolism would require great amounts of alcohol." Nina explained, and Peter palmed his face. "Why? You wanted to get drunk?"

"I liked having the option!"

"What now, Pete?"

"I can't get drunk." Harry blinked.

"Whaddayamean you can't get drunk?"

"Lightweight." Flash snorted.

"No, Flash. With Nina in my body I literally can't." The soldier froze and turned around with a gaping face.

"That's inhumane!"

"I know, right?!" Added in Harry.

"Well, it's not impossible, but I'd need my body weight in alcohol. Also, the potency..." The trio of old classmates devolved into the conversation, with their escort wondering just what the hell was going on on that transport.

-I-

"Hmm! So good!" The gunri smiled as her child bit into the striped apple she had bought him, his chin covered in the plump fruit's juice. He grinned and raised it. "Do you want to share, mama?"

"It's fine, Tommy." She smiled down. Then she brought a hand to her hair, preventing her hairpin to fly away due to the sudden gust of wind which stormed the road. As a large shadow passed overhead, she raised her gaze mimicked by most of the crowd.

"Mama! Look!" Her son pointed as a group of humanoid shapes flew overhead, wing-like apparatus strapped to their bodies. She narrowed her eyes as she saw two of them drop metallic objects in the middle of the marketplace.

As the blast came, she covered her child with her body. They were far enough to only experience the air displacement. Others were not so lucky.

-I-

"What the-!" The Floater shook with the strength of the explosion, and the pilot struggled to keep it upright. Peter knocked against one end of his containment cubicle and Harry barely caught a member of their escort before he fell.

"Oh, god..." The leader of the Defenders balked at the destruction below. Stalls and buildings were destroyed and on fire. The people... His hand immediately went to the side of his helmet. "Land this thing on top of a building! Command! We have a bombing! There's victims! Widespread damage!"

"It was no bomb, sir!" Harry shouted and pointed upwards. All the occupants of the floater followed his arm, and took in the group of six humanoids with metallic wings.

"... The hell?" Peter mouthed. "Unassisted flight?"'That technology doesn't exist on Helios!'

"Sir, your orders!" Harry asked as the floater landed on a rooftop. The eight Defenders disembarked immediately.

"You two stay with your friend." The leader said. Harry nodded and Flash looked like he wanted to say something but held his tongue. "Let's go! Merry, contact command! Keep them adjourned!"

The team of Defenders rushed towards the end of the roof, jumping to the next building, looking for a better vantage point.

"We should go help." Flash let out.

"You heard our orders, Flash. We stay put and protect Peter."

"I doubt I need much protecting, Harry." Peter stood, narrowing his eyes to try and get more details of the attackers. He grimaced as they bombed a tall building.

"Because you know everything about those things, huh?" Harry clicked his tongue and trained his rifle on the bombers, using his scope as a makeshift telescope. "... The hell?"

-I-

"Focus your fire! On my mark!" The leader of the team of Defenders said as his subordinates prepared themselves. He activated his scope and balked. "What in..."

The six were, as he thought, not flying with real wings but metallic and leather harnesses strapped around their bodies. But what really threw him for a loop was underneath. The men were muscular. The harnesses let strong limbs and a wide torso be seen, but covered in what looked like dry, tough dark red leather. Their faces were covered in goggles with red lenses and a mouth apparatus in the shape of a prey bird's beak.

"Sir, your mark!" One of his men broke him out of his momentary paralysis. He picked the last one of the group, his scope placing an electronic mark that would transmit to the ones of his team.

"Mark!" He shouted and they opened fire. The projectiles reached their target, injuring his right limbs and damaging the corresponding wing. He spiralled down, screeching. Literally screeching.

"Target down!" He shouted but then noticed that the one in the front turned in the direction of his position. "On my mark...!" Before he could mark anything, the five remaining enemies sped up. He lowered his rifle and gasped. They were charging them. "Open fire!"

He shouted and the eight Defenders unleashed a heavy wall of fire, but the five wingmen glided and twisted, dodging everything.

"Waaaaah!" He gasped as the group flew past them, forcing the Defenders to their knees... Except for the unlucky three who were too slow.

"Aaaaah!" Two screamed as their captors released the grip their legs had on their prey's bodies and let them plummet to their death.

"Hhhgk!" Another grabbed at his neck, where the tip of one of the wings had sliced through his neck.

-I-

"Fuck! They're getting slaughtered!" Flash said, lowering his rifle. "We've got to help!"

"Flash, you heard our orders!" Harry let out, but he was gripping his weapon just as hard, Peter noticed as he lowered the telescope given to him by Harry.

'... Nina.' "I estimate good chances of victory. But you'll need your friends' help." "... Harry, get me out of here." The two augmented soldiers turned to Peter, surprised he was getting covered in that suit again. "Come on. You got to protect me, right? I just need to be there, then."

"... You crazy son of a bitch." Harry groaned, placing a hand on his forehead. But then he moved to the invisible door of the transparent cube restraining Peter.

"Got a plan, Parker?" Flash asked as the blue, red and white skin finished covering Peter, head to toe.

"How fast can you push this floater, Flash?" Peter asked, much to Flash's surprise. But considering the carnivorous grin that followed, he had asked the right question.

-I-

They had gotten weaker. Or maybe they had just gotten stronger. The Defenders had downed one of his flock with the element of surprise, but they were now going through the lawmen like wet paper.

"Gghgh!" Literally, in the case of the ones they had sliced through with their metal wings. The Defenders were now down to three. Another raid and they would be done with them...

Except another of his flock was hit, a hail of projectiles injuring his right leg. Following his lead, they all turned around. A floating vehicle with three occupants was heading their way, one of them firing at them.

"New target." He proclaimed, and the flock followed his lead.

-I-

"They noticed us!"

"Thanks for the commentary, Flash!" Peter shouted over the sound of the engine. Didn't think floaters could go that fast, but they had stripped it of anything superfluous and a fair bit of armour. Speed over defence. "Ready?!"

"I still think you're going to end up a smear on the asphalt, but, whatever you say!" Harry said, loading a particular payload in his Midas grade weapon as the flock came closer. "Keep it steady, Flash!"

"Steady is my second name!" Peter was more inclined to 'deranged', with how hard Flash was laughing. "Woooh! You ready, Parker?!"

"Harry!" Peter crouched, feeling his hands tingling.

"Now!" Harry's rifle shot the grenade forward with a loud 'Pomf', a trail of smoke left behind it as he exploded right in front of the Flock in a flash of bright light. The five screeched, disoriented. The helmets and suit of the trio protected them.

"Good luck." 'And good landings!' "WooooAAAAAH!" Peter screamed as he jumped up and off the still speeding floater, hoping he had aimed his jump correctly... 'Yes!' As he found the metal and flesh of one of the birdmen under his hands and feet, his magnetic power keeping him there, he guessed he did. "Sorry, pal. You're in a no-fly zone! Let's see your licence!" The man just screeched in an animalistic fashion as they began losing altitude. "Sir! You're in contempt of the law!" Peter grabbed on one of the wings. "I'll have to confiscate your vehicle!"

He jumped high and off the flier while holding on the wing with his magnetism. The result was the contraption being ripped off, and Peter's eyes widened as he saw blood ooze out the... Injury? "Oh, gross! Taxiiii!"

"On it!" Peter heard and saw Flash bring the speeding floater under him. He landed without capsizing it, which was a plus.

'The plan's working!' "Hey. Those wings are grafted in their bodies and-" Peter blinked as he noticed the wingman stuck on the front of the floater, clawing at the metal. "You've, huh, got something there."

"Duh. I ran into him!" Flash explained and Harry raised his rifle and blasted the man in the face, blood spraying all over the windshield.

"WOAH! DUDE!" Peter let out at the spectacle. Harry raised an eyebrow.

"What? You think the guy you dewinged was going to survive the fall?"

"He's got a point." "Not the point! Just... Overkill! Shoot his wing next time or WOAH!" Flash swerved and dropped in altitude to dodge two more wingmen rushing their floater. "Okay, later!"

"Much obliged!" Harry shouted as he opened fire to keep the leader of the flock off them.

-I-

So they had some fighters left... The one in the suit was interesting. He moved not like a normal human or gunri, and possessed superior strength.

His ear heard sirens. Reinforcements, and they had not done that much damage... But retreat was an option for this mission. He whistled with a high pitch. The remaining members of his flock fell in line behind him.

"You're not getting away, ugly!" The enemy pilot shouted as they followed. The leader whistled, and the three of the flock armed their remaining bombs.

-I-

"Sonuva-!" Peter gasped as he saw their targets release three, four, five... Seven bombs, right over a heavily populated area! "Harry!"

The redhead was already shooting but the throws had been deliberately wide. His projectiles only struck and detonated three of the explosives. "Shit!"

"What do we do?! What do we do?!" Flash shouted as he slowed down, their quarries getting away. Time seemingly slowed down for Peter as he tried to went through all of their options. Everything they could at the moment, trying to find a way to save those people...

Nothing. Even if he threw himself off to catch a bomb in midair to throw them upwards, he wouldn't be able to catch all of them. It was hopeless...

And that's when Nina created an option for him. "You have referred your new mobility as 'arachnic'. Researching these creatures in your mind, I think I found a solution." His mind was then filled with the necessary information, about this new skill that Nina had just created for him...

And he couldn't help but think: 'Nina, you're awesome.'

"What does that mean?" He didn't answer as the world returned to normal. He trust his arms forward, his hands in a particular position he never used but was already familiar to him.

Out of thin air, twin strands of a luminescent material shot forward and latched themselves onto two bombs. Harry's eyes widened behind his helmet. "Peter, what-"

"Get ready to shoot!" Peter shouted as he repeated the motion, catching the two bombs left. He then caught the four lines, quick as lightning and anchored his feet on the floater. "Hnnnngaaaah!" He swung hard, rotating the four bombs to give them momentum before releasing them upwards.

On instinct, Harry followed the explosives with his rifle and when he had them in his sights and they reached the apex. "Hold onto something!" He shot them. Bullseye.

"SHIT!" But the apex was still way too near to their floater. The concussive force of the quadruple explosion reached their vehicle and sent it in a spin.

"GOOD PLAN, PETE!" Harry shouted as he grabbed onto the vehicle, losing his rifle as he did. "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST DO?!"

"I'LL TELL YOU IF WE SURVIVE THIS!" "Chances of survival for the whole group are 76%." The trio of former classmates screamed together as they kept spinning all the way to the ground.

Far away, the leader of the flock chuckled and deactivated his enhanced vision. The mission hadn't been completely successful, but he had found something better.

There were still warriors among their enemies. His people's return could yet be a great battle.

To be continued...

In the next episode!

"You ask me, they looked more like a bunch of Vultures."

"The public has now been exposed to mister Parker."

"It's simply a physical manifestation of my awareness."

"This was the secret of the Shuu-Pa! This is why they were so strong!"