Lo-Nine, The Sigmafly, Some Time Ago

Phela

Flap, flap, flap.

Bored, bored, bored.

She fluttered her wings, sending cool air throughout the small hangar. The squishy worm shuffled in their sleep. It was quiet. It was lonely. The dim light revealed the filled hangar of their ship. She remembered when she was young the stories her L’yophin told of ships that traveled far. They all had names. She didn't know the name of this ship. Did this one have a name? Did it matter? She was still locked in here and the others had left on their adventure, leaving them behind. She chittered and grumbled.

She was cramped and bored, if anyone couldn’t tell.

Ever since she joined her L’yophin, she had been squished into this confined space, aching to be free again. The blue glowing guy was kind to her and helped her wing muscles, but she still wanted to be out there and not in here. She wanted freedom.

She began cleaning her tooth comb antenna simply due to the fact that she had nothing else to do. Her big squishy worm was warm and fun to snuggle, but that was about it. The others and her L'yophin were having a time without her. She was missing out.

They were adventuring and she was babysitting the worm. She chittered and grumbled. It was decided. She would have fun too. She would be free to fly and travel. She got up and stretched her aching limbs, giving the worm a light pat as she left for the exit. It stirred awake, letting out a warbling grunt. Phela turned and gave the worm another reassuring pat.

"What are you doing?" the worm thing asked.

"Go," she replied.

"But you can't!"

She cocked her head, absently cleaning her antenna as she eyed the squishy thing. That was silly. She could and would go. Why would she stay? L’yophin was out there.

"Yes. Go."

She skittered to the entrance and touched the metal hull, channeling her power. Her birthright flowed through her, gripping the alloy. The green coiled metal warped and melted to create a large entrance. She squeezed through and stared off into the darkness. She shivered at the strange place.

“L’yophin!” she barked.

Nothing replied. She skittered out of the hold and onto the cold stoney surface. Her sensory antenna could 'see' farther than any human through smell and sound. And her own eyes nestled inside compound layers could see into the ultraviolet. But since she lacked any words to express or understand that, she simply was. This darkness was home for her. She fanned her wings, turning back to see her worm thingy scooting out of the hold.

"Stay," she said.

The worm barked a cry back at her as she spun and lept, wings carrying her high. The wind around her gusted and screeched as she vanished into the black sky. The blue guy had tended to her expertly. What should have been cramped and emaciated wings were as strong as ever. She left the ship and worm far behind, exploring the darkness. Noise echoed out below, making her weary to land. It was violent and desperate combat. Her L'yophin was in trouble. She couldn't get a good scent trail of anything. Smells kept dropping in and out of her senses.

Scary. Weird.

She spotted the ultraviolet outline of hundreds of figures below that vanished in and out of existence. Her sense of direction was skewed due to the flickers of light below. She fought the temptation to land and investigate the glowing things, especially the one that radiated like the sun. She could feel a terrifying presence that made her instincts scream to run and hide. But she also felt the pull and had no choice; it was bright and she had to see. That one winked out before she had any choice to fly near or flee far.

She fluttered and glided silently along, observing the strange things beneath her. It felt like her old home, but it had no ceiling, no glow dots, and had stranger things than before. Navigation was both difficult and easy at the same time; which confused the poor Rhomoth. She caught sight of something ahead. There was one glow that stayed consistent to the rest of the chaos below. Off in the distance. She didn't feel fear or concern, only curiosity. She fluttered along, carried by the cool flowing air. It was as if it was drawing her to the glowing light. No, not a light. This was different.

"Lamp…"

She cooed and chittered at the shining thing. It was immaculate. Radiant. And most of all, very, very bright. She was hypnotized by its incandescence, drawn into the glimmer glow of its majesty. She got closer and closer, seeing the shining object that dazzled the light into the darkness of her element. She recognized what it was. It was like the ship she had spent so much time on being cramped and bored. But this was bigger. And shiny. There would be no cramped boredom here. Only the Lamp and her staring at it. She shook her abdomen in excitement. She landed nearby and began her skittering pilgrimage to the holy Lamp. This was an endeavored development for the ages. She spotted the glowing light on the nose of the most transcendent of ships. She fluttered and hopped aboard, circling it in preparation. She clung to the underside of the silvered hull, an alloy she recognized well from her tiny metal friend. She was ready.

She stuck her face into the light, staring deeply at that most holy of Lamps. Her eyes widened as the hypnotic glow caught her. She saw the vastness of the universe, observing all of creation. She knew and understood its warm glow. She chittered and cooed at the knowledge of on high. The Lamp knew all.

"Lamp…"

It would tell her comfy secrets.

"Lamp…"

It would describe it's all warming glow to her.

"Lamp..?"

It would click off and leave her in darkness. She blinked as the blinding light went dim. It took several minutes to shake from the effects. It was gone; the perfect glow of eternity.

"But… Lamp!"

She chittered disappointedly at the darkness that spread before her.

"Where… Lamp?"

She tapped the hull, as if willing it to return. But alas, there was only darkness. Something else clicked on, further down the ship.

"Lamp!"

The day had become joyous once again as the holy Lamp light glowed further down the hull. She cooed and skittered along, wiggling in anticipation of the calling glow.

As soon as she neared, it clicked off.

"Lamp…" she whined.

It was dark and she was alone. Again. Why was Lamp gone? And just as her hope began to fade, another one clicked on. She chittered in surprise. Three Lamps in one day. Her fortunes were blessed. She began her journey along the hull to her precious light, forgetting all else. It clicked off all too soon. She grumbled in annoyance.

"Where... is Lamp?"

She hadn't exactly made it to the 'what is Lamp?' part just yet. But that was fine, because another Lamp had glowed into existence. It was lower down on the hull and smaller than the others, but that was alright; she had Lamp and they would never be apart ever again.

Until it clicked off, abandoning her. Lamp was fickle, although she didn't know what that word meant, exactly. There were many things she didn't know, like the name of the small noisy green guy or what the word adamantite meant, but there was one thing she did know; that Lamp was good and it should stay and not leave or go elsewhere and should just appear right now.

She felt a rumble as a long line cracked from the hull. She fluttered and startled off the hull, gliding away and turning to see what all the commotion was. A lone glowing seam was there along the ship, bigger than the other glows. And this one was a line and not a circle. That was new. It grew wider as liquid metal flowed, descending into a ramp. The transcendent glow returned, much greater than the others.

"Lamp… Lamp!"

She chittered and wiggled as the ramp touched down against the black stone. It was glorious. It was bright. It was… Lamp.

She took a tentative step before wiggling her abdomen. She gave her wings a flap and skittered forward, investigating the new brightness. She halted at the ramp, giving it a quick tap. Satisfied, she clambered aboard, drawn in by the radiance. There were many, many other objects that gave her little pause because the holy Lamp was all that mattered. Larger than herself, it called to her by name.

"Phela…"

At least… she thought it did. But that didn't matter because Lamp. She skittered up the side, gazing deep into the event horizon for eternity. Her eyes widened from inside their compound shell. Her antenna tasted the glowing richness of Lamp. It tasted like a transparent plasticine alloy, but she didn't actually know those words. Or science. She did know Lamp, though. She was so entranced by the light, she didn't even notice the metal cage slowly closing around her. She had Lamp, so everything was fine. It clicked in place, forcing her to fold her wings back. It was cramped, but Lamp. It was enclosed, but Lamp. Anything could have been anything, but then there was Lamp so it was all OK. Someone began speaking, but she wasn’t really paying attention; she was observing the universe itself.

“Good Proturan, scans indicate you are an offshoot of the species. Why are you here? What is your name?” the robot voice asked.

“Lamp…” she chittered.

“Yes... That is a lamp. What is your name? Are there others with you?”

Why was it talking to her? Didn’t it know there was Lamp?? She cooed at the bright glow.

The light then clicked off. She blinked as sudden darkness enveloped her. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the dim radiance of the hangar. Lamp was gone. But where was it? She chittered and turned to the new glowing one. It was a transparent blue metal sphere that looked like an eye. It was a new Lamp.

“Ooooh… Lamp.”

“No. I am not a lamp. I am Prosine. What is your name? Why are you trespassing?”

He was using a lot of words. She liked Lamps that didn’t talk so much. Or at all. This was an odd Lamp. She chittered back at the thing, eyes glazing over at the glow.

‘What is your name?”

“Phela,” she cooed.

“Are you alone?”

She thought about it. She definitely wasn’t.

“No.”

“Who is with you?”

“You. Lamp...”

“No. Is anyone else with you?”

She thought again. Who was she with? She had the… Well there were guys… But no one was with her apart from Lamp?

“No?” she chittered back.

“Do you have any friends?” the Lamp asked as it bobbed at her.

This time she thought hard. Her L’yophin. Yes. That was correct.

“Yes. My L’yophin.”

“The Dugrum spider? The old diplomat for Primetech?”

She chittered back at the strange Lamp. Those were a lot of words she didn’t understand.

“Yes?”

“Fascinating… I have misjudged you. I thought you were a threat or at the very least a pest. You have my apologies for my unbecoming behavior.”

“Lamp…” she cooed back at him. He floated this way and that as she tracked him, eyes wide.

The cage receded into blue glowing pixels, blinding her with radiance. She stood still, fanning her wings as she waited for the darkness to fade back into light. She skittered to the Lamp and tried to grapes him, only for it to shimmer and fuzz. Lamp was insubstantial. So she just stared at him intently.

“I have never seen a Proturan quite like you. I may have in the past, but my memory banks are incomplete.”

“Lamp…”

“Yes- lamp. Very strange. Proturan specimen appears to have only rudimentary intelligence. Possible beast of burden? Studies will see. Beginning scans."

She chittered and shivered at the beam of light sweeping over her.

"I am getting strange radiation. Magic signatures? Fascinating…"

The head bobbed and dipped as she tracked it intently.

"Phela, is it just you and this L'yophin?"

She twitched her antenna. Yes. There were more. Their names were… Well. She assumed they had names.

"Little Metal… Green Noisy… Blue Glow… Squishy Worm… My L'yophin."

The Lamp glowed briefly.

"Are those your friends?"

"...Yes."

The Lamp seemed to ponder her answer.

"Were you separated from them?"

"Mhm," she chirped.

She was worried about her L'yophin.

"Do not worry, good Phela the Proturan, they shall return."

"Yes," she barked.

Her L'yophin would return. She hoped they would find this new ship and the talking Lamp. She reached out again, trying to grasp him, only for his holographic image to fuzz and blur.

"Now, rest for a time. Your adventure is finished for now."

"Uh!"

She didn't really know what that meant, but there was flashing light and yummy smelling food in front of her. Food pellets; her favorite!

She ate with gusto, nibbling down on the earthy flavored treats.

Her L'yophin would return. She knew it.

She realized she forgot someone.

Where was her squishy worm?