Within the universe, there are an unfathomable amount of celestial entities- From comets, to stars, to planets, to entire galaxies- The unknown so seemingly endless, it'd be impossible to find every nook and cranny. Yet one sole explorer had an attempt, losing herself in her fascination, logging her discoveries in thousands of notes, then vanishing amongst the lights of the cosmos afterwards. An expansive venture at first, it slowly spiralled into the deadly combination of loneliness and homesickness. It should be considered a miracle, the explorer hadn't literally strayed off the way, for she could've ended up in places worse than her mere insanity.

As the lights and hums of her ship would fade, so would the explorer, seemingly lost in an endless cycle of searching for something she no longer remembered. Counting each one faintly visible within the emptiness of space, the explorer would forget and become one with the stars. Her name, her reasons, her ambitions, her dreams, her life- It all vanished slowly, prowling in the dark until it would appear out of the blue once more, in a time and place unknown.

The last time the explorer remembered, was well over a century ago. After eons upon eons of searching, she'd finally done it- A faintly familiar solar system, with a faintly familiar planet she once called home. Though the downfall was soon apparent, for the robots she'd once known were all gone. Within the depths of the scrapyards still standing, the explorer salvaged what she could, to keep remnants where possible. She built upon her own ship and her own tech- A vocoder, for she'd lost her thoughts and opinions, to function as a voice, as well as a companion. Perhaps it'd be a little less lonely from then on out.

What a silly thought to have, for an explorer who'd already been one with the stars for way longer.

— COMPANY TO KEEP —

Hidden within notes long faded, the explorer had usually gone through life solo. Born into a dying world, she was one of the unfortunate ones left to fend for themselves- Yet she had a name and a purpose back then- Ophiuchus, an astronaut robot, her best interest to merely survive. Sticking to no other machine but herself, Ophiuchus was regarded as an outsider. The robot grew up alongside others around campfires, in freezing buildings about to collapse, nearby small towns that caused nothing but envy and not much else.

Almost as frail as a stick, Ophiuchus had nearly been denied the luxury of sustenance and shelter- For she was one of the first to volunteer for their species, once a war had been announced against the organics. If not for her undying persistence, the robot would've been one of many aimless wanderers, trying to assist regular townsfolk. Ophiuchus proved to adapt and pick up new skills well, which was a benefit for the foreseeable times. The robot got through the initial hurdles, and for the first time in her existence, she was able to experience a peaceful rest.

If anything, it was more difficult to adapt to a whole new life. It wasn't about the skill to shoot properly, nor was it about staying alert all the time- It was about connecting to others in different leagues, as well as the fear of losing this stability as if an ebb and flow. The longer she persisted, the more it'd show how much of an effective ground soldier she was- Even if she lacked in other walks of life. The recruit remained to her own, despite the fact she'd become part of a larger group, a platoon, a whole war.

The first time Ophiuchus seemingly addressed another directly, out of personal peeve rather than duty, was during target practice, serving well over a decade by then. A sniper unit by the name Laszlo, the robot told the other off for joking too much- For it distracted her from her training. While Ophiuchus knew this Laszlo from her platoon, the same couldn't be said otherwise- She'd always stuck close to the walls and the shadows, passing everyone in life as if a ghost. Unfortunately from then on, her disguise was blown- Laszlo was aware of her existence, and the two soldiers would go through the joys of the clone wars together. At first somewhat annoying with the inability to ever shut up, Ophiuchus eventually grew to enjoy his company- Her first ally, her first comrade, her first friend- It connected Ophiuchus closer to the experience of life itself, rather than by instincts and skills.

The second soldier who'd bring a connection, was Faldorn- A tank unit who'd put himself as a solid rock in-between a stressed nihilistic astronaut and an increasingly-depressed jokester. The three of them formed a solid group, although would truly shine once a fourth robot joined- Nestor, an aerial unit who'd complete their dynamic rounded. The group got along splendidly despite their differences, both off and in the fields- A decade later, the Quadrivials were formed, becoming one of the most notable special operation teams of the wars- They answered to the last robot's brother, Caesar, who'd also become a staple in their lives. With these allies by her side, Ophiuchus got to see there was more to life than persistent survival- She grew to love these comrades as family, appreciating them for bringing flavour and colour into her existence.

— LAST GOODBYE —

Once the last stretches of the war were in sight, the Quadrivials had gone through it all, until the turning point came that Faldorn was discharged. While the three left were affected, Ophiuchus tried to keep her two remaining allies afloat. The robot recognised the faltering of their wills- One that was all too familiar within herself, which she refused to see happening to her friends. It was her persistence that dragged the trio through the final moments needed, even if it was still a heavy ordeal all around.

With the deserved victory on their side, Ophiuchus was one of the few unsure what would happen next. After all, she was one of the few that had barely anything, if any, to return to. Nestor and Caesar had one another. Faldorn had returned to his family some years prior. Laszlo, sort of luckily, had a similar lonely life as hers- Perhaps they could stick together. The uncertainty of what awaited felt akin to impending doom- Even more so than holding out on the fields for the enemy.

Would the robot return to her nomadic and lonely life after this?

Would she never see her friends again?

Would she be able to find a home?

Though answers soon came to her questions- Offered a home, with any of her friends, it was as if she could have a slumber party with each of them anytime she wanted. Ophiuchus felt relieved, but similar to her friends, it all disappeared once it was apparent Faldorn had forgotten them all- Their old leader suffering from amnesia, the four were forced out of his house after their first ever visit. Where her other friends attempted to rebuild, both in the friendship and dying planet departments, it was too much for Ophiuchus.

Her previous worries shattered, the robot decided she had to leave. She needed to be alone. She'd spent too long in the company of others, and the thought of losing even a bit of that was daunting- So much so, in fact, it was utterly terrifying, in a way she wanted to drop it all and prevent further unlikely, but possible hurt. It didn't take long for Ophiuchus to find an old ship with plenty of fuel- After renovating where needed, she'd walk alongside the shadows once more- Not wanting to question that miniscule speck of doubt for even a single second.

With a last salute, the robot disappeared in her ship, which in turn disappeared amongst the stars. No longer a stray, a sidekick or a soldier- Becoming one with her fear, eventually fascination, the robot turned into a seeker of the stars.

— ONE WITH THE COSMOS —

Known by many aliases since her journey started, Ophiuchus was mostly referred to as an astronaut, traveller, wanderer, explorer or starseeker. After years of roaming around space, the robot had become a tale to the occasional place she'd visited- The myth of an explorer who attempted to map out the entire universe by themselves. At times, she wondered if these myths had made it back home- Even if impossible, as most planets with sentient life were rather primitive- Though she could always dream.

It was a decade into her venture, when the astronaut started noting her adventures and discoveries. Badly written humble words on scattered notes, she found a better use through proper journals later on- Ophiuchus would go through these in no time, as if each one was written in the span of a day. The longer she kept noting her findings, the more she'd grow curious of the nooks and crannies unfound. It turned into a desire to figure out the unknown, as its reveals proved to be therapeutic to her- It was a way to process the war put behind.

Going from planet to planet, system to system, slowly she'd discover other worlds within the expanse of space. Her notes would grow and grow and grow, to the point they were all around her, allowing only thought of her explorations, rather than reminiscing of the past. Wondering how to word her latest discovery, what this new type of flora was, who these primitive warriors operated, where to go next- Endless wonder upon wonder, it left no space for anything else. Slowly but surely, whatever once was, was shut out- The explorer took a deep dive, surrounding herself with nothing but her own thoughts, within the shadows of the stars.

Never to be seen again, some say she literally vanished.

Throughout her travels, the astronaut eventually had to adapt to a new alias- For she'd only faintly remember her origins, which were further away the longer she explored. She settled on one simple to remember, as it essentially was just astronaut- 4STR0N4UT, though alternatively, Fourstrun, if she had a day she preferred noted numbers more. This was especially important to rely on, if by chance she found herself on a planet uninhabited, let alone stranded.

It was roughly 25 years into her journey, when she was lost for the first time. Somewhere on a lush planet, in the middle of nowhere, the astronaut had to adapt to a world unknown. To persevere and to survive, which for some reason left quite the bad feeling looming over her- As if she'd done this before- Though she didn't want to dwell on it, for staying alive was the priority. The robot had the luxury of plenty fuel and supplies for over two decades- Now the time was up, and it was an opportunity to do it differently.

For approximately another 15 years, Fourstrun was stuck on this lush but lonely planet. In that time, the astronaut had slowly but surely figured out several things- One of them, was to reutilise basic resources into the most primitive version of fuel. It meant her travels after this trip would take longer, albeit adaptable and renewable- Two, she learned the insides and outsides of her ship. The ability to reform and repair it where needed with proper care, as well as customise it more to her taste- Finally, three, she found she didn't like being lonely. Something in the light called out to her within the shadows, and the explorer wanted to find it to satiate her sanity.

Scouring the stars for one specific spot proved harder than merely seeking them. The explorer would find herself on planets she'd possibly already visited, she didn't remember- Or on planets she'd not, which meant she wanted to note her findings, further delaying her destination. What was thought would take a few months possibly, would take years up to decades. There was no way Fourstrun could've backtracked, as by then, all her notes were more than scattered and an endless mess of incomprehensible insanity.

As the time turned into an endless loop, so did she, stuck in her lonely ways of discovery- Until she'd by chance stumble upon her old home, a lucky find after she'd left it one and a half century ago. Though found empty, the dying planet was truly desolate- Faint memories of old friends, with a dream to renew it- Vague visions of a lengthy conflict she'd gotten through with these same friends- Fourstrun left as quickly as she'd arrived, seeing no purpose in staying. The only discovery she'd made, were recycled scraps to renew her means, such as a vocoder and fuel.

By then, it meant to keep venturing amongst the vastness of space, to keep making new discoveries.

How long had it been since she remembered anything but the shadows?

How long had she been seeking the stars within the universe?

How long had she been this empty?

By then, the explorer had forgotten everything.

— END OF DAWN —

A planet the size of a gaia world was an odd sight, sure, but not one she hadn't ever seen before. Though, this particular one she'd found, would soon turn out to be far more than she could've possibly imagined. Whether by chance or specially picked was unknown, yet Fourstrun would land on a planet that'd see the first consequences of the End Of Dawn. Thought alone initially, it was as if her entire system exploded, the second upon seeing someone rather familiar- An enemy who unlocked all her memories without even raising a finger- Rather, this enemy, apparently called Raptor, was scurrying away in pure fright, as the explorer instinctively reacted to shoot the clone- Then missed, then somehow finding herself within a camp filled with others.

The amount of reminisced regrets all popped into existence simultaneously, when Raptor wasn't the only familiar one around. There they were, as if it hadn't been three centuries whatsoever- Her old pals, Faldorn, Laszlo and Nestor. The explorer wept tears of joy and hatred at the same time- For she was beyond happy to have finally found what she was seeking for so long- Yet she was beyond frustrated it was by sheer chance, not knowing what was going on much like everyone else.

Banding together with her comrades and former enemies-turned-allies, Fourstrun fought alongside them, against the hellspawn brought forth to destroy the universe. Her past remembered, it mattered no more- She'd become a starseeker, Ophiuchus was long gone- Yet she'd stick with her first friends made, and would do so until the very end. The astronaut swore she'd never leave her friends behind ever again, nor be possessed by her feelings of fear, anguish and everything else. Known for her perseverence no matter what, Fourstrun had to persist herself for the first time in her existence.

Once the mortals had finally won against the forces of the End Of Dawn, Fourstrun followed her comrades and the enemies-turned-allies to their home. Situated on a not-so-primitive planet, the explorer found herself in a medieval world. Her friends would introduce her to where they'd been, the Quadrivials reforming into the Quantum Quartet- Aiding this world wherever was needed, for the time they had left on it. With a ship and fuels available as well, Fourstrun could aid her friends further- A goal in mind, the next destination for her and her friends, would be the home of their species, wherever they'd gone after the war. The explorer didn't know how long it'd take, though likely years.

One last thought remained, however, that the explorer would mull over by herself- If she'd been travelling for well about three centuries, where had her friends been for all that time? According to them, they'd been here for seven years, having left the warzone behind right before then. One oddity that stuck out, and the explorer wasn't entirely sure if that was a mystery worth solving- Instead the explorer preferred to be in the here and now, with her friends. As long as she was with them, it wouldn't matter too much if the journey home was longer than anticipated. Fourstrun had found her home once more- Wherever they'd go, she'd follow, persisting any obstacle on the way, no matter what.