Chapter Text
Tubbo tugged a thick glove over his claw, flexing his nails to let the glove settle properly. Beside him, Ranboo pulled a far more elaborate glove over his much more complex tarsus.
"And why are we doing this again?" Ranboo asked, his antennae twitching.
Tubbo fluffed his ruff out, shaking nota onto the floor and managing to get some on Ranboo.
"We've been over this already," Philza told him, endlessly patient. "Nobody in their right mind makes temperature suits for Mimids, Procy are essentially brand new to the galaxy, Perids can't really wear clothes, Corvi are so rare they might as well be unique, and, well…" Philza gestured vaguely to Technoblade with one wing, almost hitting the Human with his primaries.
Tubbo acknowledge the point with a flick of his wings – he had listened the first time Philza had explained this to them – but Ranboo still looked nervous and hesitant. Surprisingly, so did Technoblade. Tubbo couldn't imagine why. He wasn't going to disembark on an infamously dangerous planet full of who-knows-how-many bounty hunters, smugglers, traffickers, and other people that might want to pick a fight with the crew of the Hardcore. Not to mention Agames, who were famous for being aggressive and confrontational even on other people's planets.
Tubbo methodically latched his boots, gloves, and combined boot-gloves to the central section of his temperature suit, making sure they maintained a proper seal. Ranboo hesitantly followed his lead, zipping the connector sections to his gloves and boots. He shifted side to side in the boots, his antennae flicking uncomfortably. Tubbo didn't blame him. He didn't know how Technoblade could stand wearing clothing all day every day. Already, the thick whiteviolet insulator of the temperature suit was starting to rub strangely at his forelimbs.
The suit had been designed to fit around the base of his wings, leaving him enough range of motion to speak, but not really enough to fly for long. There was also a stiff pocket – a bit like a Tida's elytra – built into the back of the suit for Tubbo to tuck his wings into if they got too hot. The collar of the suit rolled up over his ruff, sealing into the base of the helmet that had two narrow grooves in it for his antennae to fit through.
Once they were suited up, Ranboo and Tubbo looked essentially the same. Dull whiteviolet temperature suit, glossy white helmet, twitching black antennae, and upright posture. Only Tubbo's height and extra limbs gave him away.
"Alright, just a quick check in, you know how the temperature suits work?"
Tubbo bobbed his antennae, and Ranboo warbled a staticky affirmative.
"Turn your suits on," Technoblade instructed, flicking through a user guide on his ppad.
Both Tubbo and Ranboo reached for the dials on their temperature suits. The monitor tucked between Tubbo's thorax and abdomen started up with a low whir, and Ranboo's did the same a moment later.
"The appropriate temperatures should be set already," Technoblade said, crinkling his crest together at the display on the ppad, "but you two should also know what temperature you're best suited to, so if you need to adjust it, trust your gut. The suits' temperature gauge is in galactic standard rades."
"Great!" Tubbo said, twisting the dial slightly to make it a bit cooler. He'd gotten used to the cooler air on the Hardcore – for Niki who couldn't regulate her temperature very well and Tommy who had way too much fur, in Tubbo's opinion – and the standard settings for Api would be a bit too warm for him. He noted absently that Ranboo adjusted his temperature the other way.
"Okay, I think that's everything, right?" Technoblade swiped something on his ppad, rapidly scanning the new page, "you've got-"
"They've got everything they need, Techno," Philza interrupted, raising a wing in front of Technoblade to cut him off, "They're fine. They've done this before."
"Not without backup," Technoblade objected, "I should-"
"You should stay here unless something serious comes up," Philza interrupted again. "Your presence alone tends to cause emergencies, mate."
Technnoblade subsided slightly, but he didn’t look happy about it. Finally, Philza managed to usher him back into the hallway towards whatever Technoblade did in his free time. Probably think up new ways he could give the whole crew nervous breakdowns.
"Alright, you lot have got everything you need," Philza waved vaguely at the door behind them, "Go."
The airlock hissed, then slid open. It was a bit of a shock to just be able to open any outer door on the ship, and Tubbo took a moment to look around through his visor as a ramp touched down on the ground.
The sky of Abiectus was a smoky gray-blue, tinted darker by the visor, and it was interspersed with the dull golden glow of surface transport ships and a much larger glow that was likely one of the suns. The paved roads were made of rough red stones, likely the same material as the walls and roofs. The buildings honestly reminded Tubbo of hive-clusters, although they were stuck far too close together, running over each other and building on top of other structures. Where Tubbo would have expected mudwax bricks, these ones were formed of dusty red-and-blue stones.
"There should be a native guide around here somewhere…" Philza peered over Tubbo's head, his wings fanning slightly.
At that moment, a group of four people rounded the corner. Three of them were in temperature suits, but the one leading them was a dusky red Agam, looking quite at home in the dusky red-and-blue environment. Tubbo had never seen an Agam without a temperature suit of their own. The wide, flat spikes rising from all over their back was expected, although Tubbo hadn't expected there to be so many. Apparently Agam temperature suits hid a signifigant portion of the smaller spikes.
"Hello!" the Agam called, "Philza, of the Perfedio-Creo, I assume?"
"That's me," Philza admitted easily, "You're Bad Suncircled?"
"Yep!" Bad scurried forward rapidly, stopping a few blocks from the Hardcore's ramp and propping himself up on his two back legs and tail. He waved both front claws rapidly beside his head, almost like the gesture Technoblade used as a greeting. "Sorry I'm a bit late, I had to pick up a few others."
"That's fine," Tubbo said, trying to get used to the feeling of speaking with the temperature suit, "We just got finished."
"Wonderful!" Bad said, and the three who had been trailing behind him finally caught up.
They gathered slightly behind him, each wearing an impersonal whiteviolet temperature suit, almost identical to the ones Tubbo and Ranboo had. Tubbo recognized the one on the left as an Ovor and he was pretty sure that the one in the middle was a Lida, but he had no idea what species the one on the right was. They were six-limbed, standing on four legs a bit less than two blocks tall. The temperature suit had a large opening near the rear of their back, making room for a rattling forest of long, narrow quills.
"Now that I've got you two, this is everyone," Bad announced, dropping back onto all fourst to gesture with his tail, "They're all a bit hard to tell apart in temperature suits, but this is Punz, Ant, and-"
"Puffy?!" Philza squawked, his wings flying open.
"Hey, Philza!" the Ovor – Puffy, apparently? – called, skirting around Bad, "Didn't know you were heading this way!"
"I didn't either, until very recently," Philza said, his primaries rattling slightly before he closed his wings again, "It's great to see you. Where's your lout of a brother?"
Puffy tossed her head dismissively, "Oh, you know, he had very important things to do."
"Well, I'm glad you're here," Philza said, stepping forward to meet Puffy and gently tap their heads together, "I was worried about sending Tubbo and Ranboo out alone."
"I'll make sure they don't get up to too much mischief," Puffy said, "And anyway, I know Bad. He's good at his job."
"Aww, thanks Puffy!"
"Anytime, Bad!" Puffy called over her shoulder. She paused briefly next to Ranboo – who gently tapped his antenna against one of her horns – then tugged him easily after her. "Let's get going, yeah?"
Tubbo flicked his wings against the temperature suit and followed them down the ramp. Once they reached Bad, the Agam turned around, starting back down the street. Ant and Punz fell into step behind Bad, and Ranboo and Puffy took up the rear. Tubbo twitched his antennae, speeding up slightly to walk beside Punz.
"Hello," Tubbo said, bobbing his antennae amiably, "I'm Tubbo."
Punz peered down at Tubbo, the quills on his back and tail rattling with each step. "I'm Punz, but I guess you heard that already."
Tubbo bobbed his antennae, slightly unsure of how to phrase his question. His ruff tried and failed to fluff up under the temperature suit, and Tubbo had just lifted his wings to speak when Punz beat him too it.
"If it's not too rude to ask," he said, "what are you?"
The tension in Tubbo's ruff immediately released, and his antennae drooped slightly with relief, "Oh, thank Prime, I was just about to ask you that."
Punz let out a rasping chittering noise that the translator only interpreted as 'amusement'. "Makes sense, I guess. You don't see us outside the home systems very often, but I'm a Hystric."
Tubbo's antennae shot up, straightening with surprise, and he inspected Punz closer. He knew that the two primary manufacturers for shipside weapons – Diamond Quill Munitions and Latch & Trigger Firearms – were founded and run by Hystrics. Tubbo wasn't as informed about planetside weapons, but he knew that L&T made more damaging firearms than the standard shipside bows and crossbows.
"And you?" Punz prodded after a moment. Tubbo startled, wings twitching against the temperature suit.
"Oh, sorry," He said, "I'm an Api. We tend to be very… personal."
"Api, huh," Punz said, considering, "you guys make poisons?"
Tubbo flicked a claw dismissively, "Harvest and process, yeah. Technically the flowers make them."
Punz flicked his tail – very spiky, very dangerous tail, Tubbo was steering clear of it – and looked away, scanning the area around them. While Tubbo and Punz had been talking, Bad had led them away from the starship docks. The buildings had gotten taller and more ornate without the risk of pieces getting blown off or broken during landings. There was an unfamiliar teal wood used as doors and decoration, and the ground had gone from dusty red-blue to polished black cobblestones.
"We're in the market district proper, now," Bad announced cheerfully, slowing to a halt and drawing the group's attention back to him, "Before we go much farther, I need to get a few things straight."
The group shuffled into a loose semicircle around Bad, halfway concealed by a narrow alleyway so they wouldn't stop the flow of traffic.
"Now, to begin with," Bad started, leaning back on his tail to tower over most of them, "I know, and you all know, that none of you are, oh, let’s say entirely legal."
Tubbo's antennae shot straight and beside him, Ranboo's eyes started glowing a faint but noticeable purple. Punz's tail flicked and his quills rattled, lifting almost straight up and Puffy lowered her head almost like Niki would.
"No no, calm down," Bad hurried to reassure them, somehow keeping his tone lighthearted and almost jovial, "I won't be turning any of you in, certainly, and all of you have paid me enough that I won't let anyone else turn you in. I'm just saying that there's no need to skirt around potentially illegal purchases!"
"Just like that?" Punz asked warily, his gaze straying to Tubbo, "no questions asked?"
"My job is not to ask questions," Bad said cheerfully, "So long as none of you are fighting each other, I don't have any issues with it."
There was a long pause while everyone sized up the other members of the group. If anyone attacked Tubbo, he would be ready to defend himself, even in the bulky temperature suit. Honestly, though, he wasn't really expecting them to, and so long as nobody bothered him, Tubbo was willing to live and let live.
"Alright," Tubbo agreed, breaking the silence with a bob of his antennae, "works for me."
Ant shook his head and looked away. Punz flicked his tail, slowly flattening his quills down again. Puffy lifted her head, eyes flashing but not immediately threatening.
"Wonderful!" Bad said, and he slapped his front claws together with a sharp 'smack!' of scales striking scales, "In that case, just a few extra notes. Always greet Agames that you don't want to hate you like this-" he paused to shake his front claws rapidly beside his head again, like he had when greeting Philza "- and never look at anyone straight on. It's a challenge."
Tubbo took a moment to be glad Technoblade hadn't come with them. He could barely look at anyone not straight on. Also, he tended to be challenging in other ways.
"Finally, try not to even look like you're stealing," Bad finished, "An Ovor or a Ceram will call the authorities, but an Agam will just gut you himself. Usually when you're not looking!" Bad's voice was still a cheerful, pleasant hum, and Tubbo wondered, slightly unsettled, how many times he'd given that warning. And how many times he'd seen it go ignored.
"Now that's over, who wants to go first?" Bad asked, scanning the group of them with a keen eye. Even he, Tubbo noticed, never looked at anyone's face directly.
"I need shroomlights," Punz said, taking the lead.
Bad tipped his head slightly, making a confused noise in his throat, "Shroomlights? Really? I thought you could get those from the Lampyr or Naja much cheaper."
Punz flicked the end of his tail up, glancing at the weapons harness he was wearing over his temperature suit, "They don't really like me, and Hystrics aren't very common. I got jumped in clicks last time I tried to get through Naja security."
"Alright, shroomlights first!" Bad agreed easily, dropping onto his front claws to poke his head out into the main thoroughfare, "there should be some just down this way."