Chapter Text
Tango held on tight, claws digging into the arms of his chair as his ship shook around him. He was shoved back into his seat as he was propelled up and up and up.
Tango squeezes his eyes closed, unwilling to look out the window.
The metal and glass rumbles as he crashes through the protective barrier around Hermitcraft. The ship stops shaking and Tango opens his eyes.
He's in space. Or the void. The two are one in the same.
He looks back through one of the ship's windows. Hermitcraft is getting smaller and smaller behind him, the moon he was supposed to land on still inside Hermitcraft's barrier. A firewall he can see now that he's no longer on the server.
Tango flicks on his radio. It crackles with static, useless at this distance. And he's too far from any server to get a signal for his comm.
This is... not ideal.
The void is an interesting place, for sure. Tango doesn't know a lot about it, being from the nether which has no such thing. But he does know the void contains every server to exist.
The void isn't a preferred way to travel between servers but it's possible.
Provided you can get through a server's firewall.
He takes out his comm, tail flicking behind him. If he can't contact anyone, he might as well get to the hub. It's safer there, or so he's been told.
Only, he immediately has to swerve to avoid crashing into one of the old Hermitcraft servers. Tango drops his comm to the floor in his haste to grab his ship's controls. He doesn't know how damaged it might be from going through one barrier. He'd rather not attempt to force his way through a second.
The Hermitcraft servers all orbit around each other like a solar system. He asked Xisuma about it once, after he learned about all the servers being nearby. Why admins keep their servers near each other like that.
Xisuma told him it's just easier that way. Easier to keep track of them. Easier to create them. Easier to protect them.
Tango drifts farther and farther away from the Hermitcraft server system. With a sigh, he unbuckles from his chair to retrieve his comm.
Which seems to have broken when he dropped it. So there goes his plan of teleporting right to the hub.
Tango sighs, turning his gaze to his window. Immediately all his reservations and whisked away with his breath at the sight he sees.
The void is beautiful.
Instead of the inky black between the stars Tango's seen whenever he's been on any server the space around him is lit up with color. Pinks and purples and blues. Reds, yellows, and oranges. They all bloom between the pinpricks of light, clouds of color swirling slowly in the dark sky.
In the distance, Tango can spot other server systems. Ones that belong to his friends and friends of friends. He can see the Life Series servers in the distance. Even farther than that, he can spot things like Empires. Small personal servers drift between the larger systems.
They glow. Faintly, but they do. A night sky filled with worlds owned by people Tango will never know.
It's vast and glorious and beautiful. Oh so beautiful.
It makes him wonder why people don't visit the void more often. Even those born in it like Xisuma seem to flee to servers and the hub, hiding from something.
And then, Tango spots it.
He's never met Fwhip. But Jimmy told Tango a lot about Empires while they were together on Double Life. Many nights under the stars were spent talking about the things they've built and the people they know.
Tango talked a lot about his ideas for Decked Out 2. Jimmy spoke about Empires.
Now Tango can see Fwhip's server system. It's held gently in the hands of a giant.
Its skin reflects the darkness of the void with freckles made of stars. Long sleeves hang from elbows, still in the quiet of beautiful nothing. Short, fluffy hair is filled with nebulas of color and pierced by long, elf-like ears. The color contrasts the pure black of massive wings so incredibly. Blindfolded eyes watch the servers cradled in its hands while the figure sits elegantly on something nonexistent.
It looms more and more as Tango and his ship drifts closer, getting bigger and bigger. He can't even begin to comprehend how massive this being is, how it could crush an entire server system without even trying.
Tango stops moving as he just stares, admiring the masterpiece before him. His breathing stutters as he forgets how to breathe at all.
He's completely and utterly entranced.
He blinks. It seems almost like the being is... looking at him?
A third hand raises from the being's lap. It slowly moves towards Tango's ship before fingers curl around the metal, plunging the interior into darkness. He stumbles as the ship tilts and speeds up, grabbing onto the control console for dear life.
For a moment, Tango considers if this is it.
And then, everything stops.
The being opens its hand and Tango's ship stabilizes, floating above a palm so massive it could swat a server like a fly.
"Now where did you come from?"
The voice comes from everywhere and nowhere at once, layers of langues he doesn't understand sounding under the two he knows. It's loud and overwhelming but familiar and comforting. Hard to understand and yet clear as day. The being doesn't open its mouth to speak but Tango knows in his soul the voice is theirs.
Tango watches as one ear on each side of the head seems to split or spread into five. Like a satellite dish. He wonders if the being did that in an attempt to hear him.
"I..." His mouth suddenly feels dry. He swallows nervously, grip on the control panel tightening.
He wouldn't be able to get away, even if he wanted to.
"Hermitcraft." Tango manages to choke out, voice breaking and cracking. This entity makes his entire body and mind scream danger while his heart and soul scream friend.
The being tilts its massive head and Tango is instantly reminded of the avians he knows. His thoughts are sliced like shears through paper when it hums.
The sound comes from the being, Tango's ship, from him. It comes from his skull and from inside his mind. It comes from nowhere and everything remains silent aside from the quiet beeping of the ship.
It thinks for a long moment before speaking again. "I should... get you back to your server."
Tango holds on and the being moves as though to stand, free fourth hand coming up with a sweeping gesture. He watches through the window opposite of the entity as Hermitcraft is pulled closer. So close that Tango, although barely, can see the moon collide with the land of the server.
He feels the being wince more than he sees it.
"Or... maybe not."
Tango hopes his friends are okay.
His breathing stops as he sees the void ripple with movement. Something pulls away from Hermitcraft, hands clasped around something.
It looks different from the first entity, slightly smaller in size. Its hair is a little longer and devoid of any color while the wings are full of light and painted with rainbows not unlike the first's hair. Its robes are similar to the first and its mouthless face is filled with eyes, skin spattered with stars mostly around the hands.
Tango has the feeling he should be scared.
He's not.
The second one looks up at the first, tilting it's head quizzically. The first waves before gesturing to the second's hands. The second looks down, unclasping its hands just enough to see what's protected inside them.
It's Boatem. Tango can't really see them from this distance but he's sure it's them. He doesn't dare to ask, though. Doesn't dare to push for answers, to know if they're okay.
The second closes its hands around the Hermits. It nods to the first before stepping back a few paces. It turns, massive wings spreading wide. With a single flap, the entity is gone.
The first entity seems to sense Tango's apprehension because it speaks to him again.
"Don't worry, he's just taking them to the hub. They'll be safe with him. Promise."
"Right..." Tango turns to face the being. "What are you, anyway?"
It pauses. If it had eyes, Tango's sure he would have seen them blink in surprise. "You... don't know what I am?"
He leans on the command console. "No. But I'd like to put a name to someone so beautiful."
He doesn't know why he says it. He means it, though. And it feels natural to say. The cloud of color that blooms on the entity's face like blush settles something in his soul.
It just feels right.
"Ah... W-well I'm not anything you need to worry about, Rancher."
Tango stands after a moment, processing what it said, watching as its free hand comes up to cover a nonexistent mouth. An action that's so painfully mortal it makes him think.
"How did you..."
"FORGET YOU HEARD ANYTHING!"
"Only Jimmy calls me that..."
He studies the entity, puzzle pieces falling into place. Tango's certainly experienced his fair share of weird so making the connection isn't that out there.
"Are you...?"
"Surprise?"