Lysis

Phase IV : Replication

Note:
So, the reason that Eunice's presence disables the Omnitrix is because her connection to Primus conflicts with the Omnitrix's connection to Primus (Azmuth only pays for the shitty Bluetooth connection, I guess). Technically the Omniverse-era Omnitrix doesn't connect to Primus because it's the "completed" version, and Primus itself doesn't even exist anymore according to Word of God.

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According to the Plumbers' database, the Monceros system was on the outer edge of the Milky Way. It hosted three enormous planets that orbited erratically around a twin white-dwarf system.

All three planets were incapable of developing life naturally, but one of them had a moon that boasted an incredible assortment of flora and fauna. The research done into the moon theorized something about its planet acting as a shield against the intense fluctuations of heat and light from the two stars, but Ben wasn't very interested in the science behind the why. He only wanted to know the where, and it looked like he had his answer.

Kevin had once shown Ben how to land a cruiser and engage the autopilot. The memory of those beginner's flying lessons made Ben's throat tight. At the time, he just thought Kevin was being paranoid. Now, Ben was glad that he'd been well-equipped in case of an emergency.

He only wished he hadn't needed it.

"We should be landing in a few minutes," Ben said once he'd confirmed the orbital flight path with the autopilot. "You should buckle up. Breaching the atmosphere is always kind of bumpy."

Elena gave him a patient smile. "Ben," she said, "I'm not a living organism, remember?"

"Oh. Right." Ben felt a flicker of embarrassment, but quickly suppressed it. It was just a habit, he supposed — Kevin was always reminding Gwen and him to buckle up.

Gwen had teased him about it once and Kevin had retorted, "Hey, if you'd ever seen what's left of people after accidents close to light speed, you'd always make sure to wear your safety harness, too."

It was Kevin's way of showing that he cared — even back when their team (their friendship) was new and hesitant, and Kevin would have rather died than admit it.

Ben's throat felt tight and his eyes burned. He missed them.

"Ben." Elena set her hand on his wrist, gently coaxing his hand away from the controls. She watched his expression carefully as she folded their fingers together, but Ben wasn't uncomfortable, so she didn't stop. Their palms touched and Elena curled her fingers around his. "The autopilot is set. You should sit down," she said gently.

"I know." Ben didn't move.

Elena hummed softly as she glanced out of the window. Ordinarily, Ben thought that the view of space was beautiful — all of the bright pinpricks of stars and the smears of color from far-off galaxies. But today, Ben just thought that it looked empty.

"Back on Earth," Elena began, "I always thought that the night sky looked kind of boring. I thought that it was just because of light pollution, but now…" She gave Ben's hand a squeeze. "I still think that space looks empty. This view is pretty, but it's meaningless. Seeing my first alien world, though… That was gorgeous. The whole planet went from a blip just like the others to a real, tangible place filled with more life and experiences than I could even imagine." She bit her lower lip. Ben's eyes followed the motion. "Does that make any sense?"

"Yeah, it does," Ben assured her. "As a kid, I always imagined what kind of planets my aliens would come from, but I always thought about things like the terrain or if they had any alien-sports. I never thought about all of the beings who would have to make their society work, or all of the wars they may have fought in the past, all of the difficulties a species would have to go through to evolve into the aliens they are today."