The briefing had been simple. Both Darius and Orpheus understood they were here perhaps for their affinity with ghosts, which the higher ups had predicted might be hiding inside the ship. As a scout it just seemed this job was perfect for him. Simple enough, right?
It had been an uneventful week aside from the regular training schedules. He'd meet his mission partner on the flight there, he'd been told. He waited on the airstrip for further instructions.

    Called from his normal duties Zahir was troubled by the lack of members that didn't want to take part in this mission. Of heavy importance this mission seemed to be sensed around rumors and scared stories. The mission had be left at his desk and called in as soon as possible. Bag packed and Chuu carrying his own, of his little snacks, Zahir cradles his partner in hand heading off to the airstrip as directed. Uknown of his partner he kept tight to Chuu wary of who he'd be tagging along with. No word and miscommunication and or of lack of information to begin with he was a bit .. well lost on the airstrip already. No guidance just a direction to walk towards ... he only hoped he walked along the right way.

    Chuu was the first to spot Darius. He wiggled from Zahir's grasp as Zahir only looked to Chuu. "What is the matter? You have everything you need." Chuu cooed as he pointed towards Darius's direction. All Zahir saw was Nai which drove his direction more towards Nai finding Darius there waiting. "Darius?" Speaking out a bit curious and a bit surprised to see him so soon after their last mission. "Hey h-how have you been?" Chuu crawled up on Zahir's shoulders reaching up waving to Nai.

Nai let out a shriek when she spotted Chuu, nudging into Darius to let him know what she'd seen. "Zahir!" he smiled and waved as the man approached. "Been alright. You?" Darius gave Nai a pat and let her go greet her pokemon buddy. She came to their side and peeked over Zahir's shoulder to say hello.
Chuu cooed up at Nai reaching up to grab hold and lightly hang off of Nai crawling up to hug her close vibrating his little body as he was really happy to be with Nai again. Nai is super fun for Chuu letting her hang like this and be up high. He missed flying but this was as high as he wanted to be and he was happy with it. Cooing more and he purred to Nai sweetly.
    Zahir chuckled some as he held a smile nodding to Darius. "I'm doing alright. Been a bit haste at the hospital but i'm doing good. Chuu is happy, very happy that you guys are here. Have you heard word of this mission. Some boat being wrecked and we are going to find it. I haven't heard much else but all i know is that i'm here for you guys." He nodded adjusting his bag off of his shoulder and the bag around his waist.’
    Nai moved in to make sure Chuu didn't fall away and heated up a little. She was happy to see a familiar face. She cackled with joy and twirled a little, makings sure her little friend didn't fall off.
    "Some ship in the middle of nowhere..." he shrugged and looked over to the plane. Another soldier in the distance was gesturing them to start boarding. "After you," he smiled. "Mentioned ghosts or something. Thought Orphy would be of use, I guess."
    Chuu cooed more as he hugged more feeling the warmth as he cooed and purred more hugging as he nuzzled his face to Nai sweet like.
Zahir nodded as he waved for the pokemon to enter first. "Hm... we will have to keep ourselves on alert.... I've heard of some interference with equipment gets to be a bit of a deadzone out there.... We will have to keep close... Phrixos tho ... he doesn't do so well with ghosts i'm afraid.... Unless he can see them before they see him then he's fine... Like with Orphy as he tells me..." Zahir could still somewhat feel the bruise but it wasn't as bad as he's had it as before. "Did you enjoy the cookies?" He held a smirk changing the subject a bit as he boarded the plane with the other.
    "Orphy's half ghost, I guess?" Darius grinned. "We'll look after you! Don't worry about it..." He looked over to see Nai having a good time for now. At least it'll ease their pokemon into the mission. He hoped this one would go better this time. "Cookies were great. Thanks! Want more next time." he laughed. "Come on,"

    The plane ride was short, but far too loud to have a real conversation. Darius sat there most of the time, enjoying the feeling of being in the air. They soon touched down back on desert soil and the plane's occupants were let out. The desert looked empty, save for a large silhouette in the distance. It was obvious what it was.
    Zahir hoped for better this time around too... He could still feel Phrixos's anxiousness as he sat on the plane or was that his own fears pulling together. He couldn't help but sit there within the loud engines holding his pad in his lap to type away clearing out a report that needed to be done even tho it could have waited until after the mission.... His mind calmed a little as he felt them touching back down on the sands of the desert. He grew wary as he looked to Darius.

    Chuu stayed clung to Nai feeling happy as he stayed with her.  Zahir stood to go to them lightly rubbing at Chuu's back to get him to loosen his hold taking him from Nai. "Sorry Nai you two can play again when the mission is over. Time to get to work hm? Keep close to Darius." Zahir smiled rubbing her cheek smiling soft as he checked them first before stepping off seeing the silhouette in the distance. Zahir returned his gaze to Darius. "Ready when you are..." He didn't seem all that easy himself as he felt something off about this. "Be cautions please... I'm having a bad feeling..." He held Chuu close to his chest as Chuu nuzzled Zahir to calm his nerves some.
    Nai shrieked a goodbye of sorts as she returned to Darius's side. It was go time. "Let's go then. Don't worry." he offered his best smile and looked at Nai. "Ready to fuse?" she seemed ready, and did a little twirl. "Come on then..."
He raised his ring and in a flash, Orpheus appeared, drones starting a slow circling around his body. He took a moment to gather his thoughts and memories, and remembered what he was supposed to do. He hovered over the sands towards Zahir and Chuu as he gazed towards the ruined ship in the distance. So majestic for a piece of junk, somehow.


    Zahir watched as they fused together seeing Orphy he nodded his head. "Hello...." Was all he said as he looked to Chuu holding the top of his head as they Fused Phrixos stood there shaking off a chill down his back rubbing his eye looking over seeing Orphy standing there. "Hello again." He nodded to Orphy, his senses came too as he could feel Zahir's troubled feeling. He held his chest trying to calm down again. "This mission... has Zahir worried." Is all he says looking up to Orphy meeting eye to eye.

    Orpheus gave Zahir a slight bow as he fused away. A more familiar anon took the man's place, and he greeted them as well. "Hello Phrixos. Darius could tell." Orpheus nodded to him. "I am here to look after you. There is little to worry about. Come." he hovered away and towards the ship. A large old thing, for it to be this size from such a distance.
    Phrixos nodded as he tried to calm Zahir leaving him to be himself as Phrixos stepped onwards watching their surroundings holding his tablet in hand as he surveyed the area. "This is going to be a long walk... So much distance between us and our destination." Phrixos could hear something  in the distance as he felt that shiver go down his back. He fell silent as he continued onwards constantly looking over to Orphy seeing him there with him still.... Only hoping that there wasn't much of anything to be afraid of. "Saying this right now.... If i take Hesperus i apologize ahead of time."
    Orpheus didn't say anything, silently agreeing. There was a distance to go, but it would give them a clear moment to think through what the mission was about. The ship seemed to call out to him - to Nai inside - and he was not afraid at all. "Do you need a light?" he asked. "I have Helios." Two drones stepped out of the spiralling group and hovered in front of Orpheus. "It will be fine. I will light our way, should it come to that."
Phrixos shook his head. "It's not that at all... " He rubbed the back of his head as he looked over to the drones. "I ... don't like things sneaking up on me... To not see them first... Knowing or well feeling something there and not seeing it there at all... I don't do well with that kind of feeling is all..." He felt that shiver go down his back again. It was still after midday... The sun wouldn't set soon but most likely it would by the time they'd reach the abandoned ship. "Tell me... Orphy.. what do you see?"
    "I will see them ahead of you." he reassured Phrixos. "There is nothing on my radar." he told him, checking his headset display again. There were few pokemon out here right now, and most of them were probably burrowing in their homes or somewhere where they wouldn't disturb them. "There is nothing to worry about right now."
    Phrixos still felt uneasy. ". .... .   ..  .  Do me a favor... inform me of any changes in your line of sight... Anything even small things." Even tho Orphy says there's nothing to worry about he can still feel something on the back of his neck... looking back to the plane as if something was following him but there wasn’t.
    "I will. Are Zahir's fears getting to you, Phrixos?" He looked the other in the eye. "It is perfectly ok. As long as you stay strong and most of all, fused - we will be alright." He checked his display again - no changes.
Phrixos nodded to the other as he groaned a bit as he rubbed the back of his head again giving a hint to Chuu to keep calm and make Zahir calm too they would be okay... for the most part. "I am trying very hard to keep Zahir calm... He had a bit of a misfortune of running into a not so friendly Haunter in the past....  Tho from what he tells me he's over it… Just the lingering side effect of him having things pop up on him without him knowing first frightens him. More or less.... His senses are going crazy...." .... He paused a bit looking over seeing an outline of a pokemon. "I see something over there which pokemon is that?" Phrixos wondered as he inched closer to Orphy.
    "I see..." He knew what that was like, at least. "We did not have a favourable debut mission, we sympathise." Darius wasn't too keen about letting that detail slip, but it was too late now. Their focus was quickly redirected to something in the distance. "I can see something on my display..." Nothing was obstructing them, so he could partly go on observation from where they were. "From what I can tell, it is probably a Krocorok."
    Phrixos nodded as he look forwards back towards the shipwreck as he nodded moving onwards to not lag much longer than they have too. "Let’s continue... Night is falling and i'd rather get to the ship before we have to camp out in the open..." Nodding as he stayed close by to Orphy as he shoved his hands in his own pockets keeping them warm. Nights grow cold in the desert as they continued onward.
    "I agree." He continued onwards, observing Phrixos as the temperature gradually went down. The desert night was cold and unrelenting, if you were caught up in the wrong place at the wrong time.Noticing the other anon was starting to feel its effects. "You can borrow Helios." The drone split from the rest still circling Orpheus, and floated beside Phrixos, burning a warm blue fire.
    Phrixos looked to the little guy as he lightly reached over not putting his hands of the fire of course but feeling the warmth felt night. "I'll care for him thank you." He gave a soft smile to Orphy as he held his hands there for Helios to tone down his fire for him to hold. "I think you'd be better against my chest. As they say for others unlike yourself. It's better to keep your chest warm everything else will begin to warm themselves evenly." He nodded as he zipped up his coat more adjusting his scarf to hang low for Helios to sit there in his scarf to keep his chest warm.
    "Is that so..." Orpheus was always warm. He had no need for that. "There..." he turned the fire completely off for Helios, but the core of the drone remained warm and glowing. It flew into Phrixos's scarf and sat there. "Is that comfortably warm?"
    Phrixos nodded as he looked into his scarf down to the little guy in there rubbing the top of his head. "Do these little guys... have feelings? I mean interaction based like you and i or ar they completely mechanical?" Phrixos popped his collar up to keep the back of his neck warm the brisk winds lightly brushed him.
    "They are just machines." He said simply. "But I give them names to tell them apart. And it humanises them, even if it is just a small amount. Their AI are slightly different, however. They all know their place in the group."
    "So persay me petting Helios is just my comfort mechanism coming out thinking as if i were petting Chuu? If Chuu was here as an example." Phrixos connected the humanising as a sort of familiarity. "Hm... is the AI sophisticated enough to adapt on its own without your command?" Phrixos wondered.
"Yes." Orpheus looked at the three remaining drones, and they turned back as they spun around him. "They act under my command with how I think about them. Names have given my mind personalities for them, so maybe they do have personalities..." he wandered off topic for a second. "The AI can only do so much. In the end their priority is maintaining functional integrity. They will eventually force themselves into a corner without direction."
    "Aw well if they have a direction they are fine on their own?" He wondered as he looked to Helios reaching in to pet the top of his head as they continued to walk feeling his warmth keep him stable in the cold weathers of the desert. "Thank you tho Helios is keeping me warm. These drones of yours are very unique. What are the other two's names? I know Hesperus and now Helios. Which are the other two?"
    "Only if the situation does not change." Orpheus watched Phrixos pet his drone. A useless move, but he knew it would help him feel better. Somehow he did sometimes wish these tiny machines were more than that...
    "The other two are..." one rose up from the remaining three that circled Orpheus. The two that remained, he pointed with a hand. "This is Oizys... and this is Erebus." The drones looked exactly the same, however.
    "Have you ever thought of upgrading their software? Possibly help with their general AI to understanding and adaptability skills to learn on their own but understand basic commands from the start? I mean i'm not tech savvy but i know enough to understand strings of code to call of action and create basic, ‘if else’ statements in the codes." Phrixos knows majority of this from Zahir. "Zahir took up some tech classes outside of understanding the home systems. He's much more useful that people like to presume about medics... He's been teased about being a Medic sometimes since they say 'He's only good for stopping blood and patching patients up he doesn't get into real fights.... maybe that's why i'm here... to show those people that he's meant to be better." Phrixos shrugged feeling a gust of wind pick up he shivered at his shoulders as he wiggled to the cold to create more warmth.
    "I have not..." he thought about it. "They have served me well thus far... they understand and take orders. Adaptability is not their strong suit." Orpheus thought back to Darius and what he used to be. He couldn't say that they sympathised with Zahir, and he couldn't disclose why. "Medics must be more than doctors." He said, repeating his human's thoughts, thinking back on how Phrixos was the other day. "Darius says that doctors are the real fighters, who do nothing but pursue the chances of success till the end. Your kind require strong hearts and strong wills."
    Phrixos held a softer look up to Orphy when he spoke like that almost wanting to know what else he could do for the team work he's meant to take part of. "You know... i think that’s the nicest thing anyone's said so far on a mission based...." He nodded as he hugged himself nuzzling his chin close into his chest feeling the cold settle in more.
    Orpheus said nothing when he looked over to him, but set Helios's core warmer. He wondered why Phrixos had been unappreciated so. Medics were important, and they, like any other soldier, had to know how to hold their own on the field.