For the longest of time, he could count his successes on one hand. Failures on the other, were plenty and he'd long lost count. Occasionally, he'd miss the ease of naivety, despite the fact it'd been fleeting ever since he was born. Other times, mostly with the help of his friends, he'd remember to ground himself and move on.

Nestor was born only half a century before the war against organics and their clones began. The second born, the robot would look up to his brother Caesar, as they both grew up into a world suffering from neglect. Much like his sibling, Nestor developed a need to protect their species and world, allowing the organics to ruin them no more. Once Caesar had gone onto the fields, Nestor would soon follow him. From that moment on, naivety would disintegrate with time.

— TRUDGING ALONG —

---

After the onboarding was done and over with, the fresh soldier was thrown into the masses. At the start there were many, way too many for his liking- Yet Nestor found a few he could cling to in the face of danger, calling them comrades. When they were gone, it took Nestor some time to find new comrades. When they were gone, too, it took Nestor more time to find new comrades.

It was but a mere moment- It was fleeting- It was pointless. The only one the soldier seemingly could rely on, was his brother, as he persisted and climbed the ranks. Nestor didn't dare clinging onto others bound to lose, resulting into a robot treading the scarlet scrapyards alongside hundreds, even thousands of others- Yet he was all on his own. This feeling was amplified by the fact he was an aerial unit- Everything and everyone had become akin to tiny specks of dust at that height.

For years, he managed to trudge along like this, unchanging and unfaltering- Despite the loneliness that never left, alongside the camaderie with his brother. Nestor witnessed his brother rising, yet falling in his own memories. A sense of unfamiliarity whenever called by his name. Individuality and naivety lost, Nestor tried to remind his brother- Though Caesar would dwell further away from his grasp, the younger sibling having no choice, but to keep up the pace.

He'd have fallen behind, if it weren't for a few helping hands from his platoon- A ground unit of the name Ophiuchus, a tank unit of the name Faldorn, and a sniper unit of the name Laszlo. They, too, had been amongst the rusted crimsons for a long while. It was the first time in years, the soldier thought to himself that perhaps these were worth hanging onto.

When they proved to work together effectively, they were sent on particular operations here and there, outside the edges of the battlefields- Ambushes. Infiltrations. Strikes. With Faldorn as their leader, the Quadrivials were a squad deemed a specialty. For years, they trudged together, forming a family Nestor never knew he could've had.

— DISINTEGRATED WORLD —

---

The soldier had gotten used to the unchanging and unfaltering, despite the circumstances- Thus it came as a hit, when Faldorn was discharged for his services. Even if the end of the clone wars was in sight, the last mile ran felt like a marathon to Nestor. The robot surprisingly had energy left to cheer loudly upon the awaited victory, clinging to his brother and his comrades, refusing to ever let them go.

Though with it, came change. 

The majority of their species left the planet behind, after finding it was better to start anew. Nestor, alongside his brother, two out of three comrades, and several thousands of others, stayed. An attempt to reform what was destroyed by organics, to regrow what had wilted.

His brother had a lost stare upon looking over the empty landscapes, not quite reactive as he once was. His comrade Laszlo, forced with laughter and positivity, not quite willing to let go of the past. His old comrade Faldorn, confused upon the first visit after the war, not quite recognising what had happened. His soon-to-be-old comrade Ophiuchus, saluted their squad one last time as she left for the stars, not quite knowing where she'd end up.

And with change, Nestor found, he'd cower.

The robot longed for the times of familiarity, yet for the times of naivety. He trudged along for the years to come- Trying to repair a world irreplaceable- Trying to restore a comrade's memory irreplaceable- Trying to find one's self irreplaceable.

It was half a century after the war, when the rest of their species would leave these ruins behind. One last look and one last sentiment shared by what was left of their society- Unfortunate it had to end like this, but the greener pastures were truly elsewhere. Nestor stood alongside his brother, two out of three comrades, and several thousands of others. Ready to leave, through galactic anomalies that'd warp them elsewhere within the universe.

In the midst of departure, the younger sibling lost sight of the older one. By the time one's shout was audible again, they already found themselves elsewhere. Nestor stood alongside Laszlo and Faldorn, in the midst of unknown territories. The anomaly behind them nowhere to be seen. His brother nowhere to be seen. Only wild critters would skip in the distance, upon the sound of his desperate shouts.

A change irreversible, it was too late.

— UNKNOWN TERRITORIES —

---

The three veterans set up camp in a strange new world, with knowledge adjusted. It didn't take long to discover this world was a more primitive one than their past home. It took longer to discover how its culture worked, how its folks worked, how its language worked.

And despite that, each failed attempt to remind Faldorn would be a pit in the stomach. Each failed attempt to find contact would drag them down. Each failed attempt to return home would bring them further and further to the below, until there was nothing left to cling onto but the bottom of the pit.

The two comrades who remembered it all, had it worse than their amnesiac ally. Where Laszlo spiralled upwards, faking his positivity, Nestor spiralled downwards, into an endless sea of darkness. The third, Faldorn, managed to be their rock and keep the trio together. They scraped by like this for about a year. They adapted, eventually. They knew how to survive. They knew how to communicate. They knew how to be part of this world, albeit there was faltering interest to escape their stranded situation.

Yet, something shimmered in the shadows, one time.

"Nes! At eight!" his sniper friend exclaimed hastily.

Handing him his weapon, Nestor looked through the scope.

"You're sure?" he asked, not sure whether he believed what he saw.

"Affirmative", Laszlo replied, with a determination he hadn't heard since the war.

Stranded on this planet, too, was another aerial unit.

Another from the other side. Another raptor. Another clone.

— OLD ENEMIES —

---

Over the span of weeks, Nestor and Laszlo kept track of the clone. Taking notes on the approximate times and whereabouts. The robots were fewer, that they knew, for the clone managed to become part of a squad of knights. They'd considered letting him go, let bygones be bygones- But their hatred wouldn't allow them to, nor the possibility of presenting a memory in the flesh to their amnesiac comrade.

With the sun a few hours into the skies, Nestor set foot at the bridge of the base. Laszlo was hidden within the forest behind, last bullet readied in his weapon. Faldorn left none the wiser, as he was told they were out to fetch supplies. The aerial unit stood as still as a statue, not moving an inch when the clone appeared, alongside the leader of his squad. The knight donned in white and gold armour, greeted him with a question unsurprising- Who was he?

He didn't answer. He didn't answer again, when the knight repeated his question. He changed stance, ready to move position, in sync with the red dot- A loud shot echoing- Laszlo yelling directly after- Grabbing his comrade, up into the skies, towards a window- A crash, followed by the immediate confrontation.

It was all too easy- This clone was an amateur compared to him- Knocking him out of base- Barely blocking in time- Two birds colliding in the air- Walls crumbling and voices shouting- His dagger nearly there- A familiar voice screaming- A singular second of recognition- A force returned- Cracking of twigs and branches, the robot suddenly found himself annoyingly stuck in a tree.

He was nearly there, yet so far away- The clone had collapsed, his allies running up to him- And to his chagrin, Faldorn ran up to the clone as well, shouting seconds ago he didn't want anyone to fight. Instead of a quick battle, it ended in a lengthy conversation between Nestor, Laszlo, the clone and two brotherly knights.

That day, the truth was revealed to the clone, who'd suffered a similar memory loss to Faldorn. That day, the robots learned Raptor had found a way to live on this world, unlike them- The clone had a place within this group, originally found by the brothers Trine and Arzanium. There was a sting, when Nestor saw the obvious camaderie. The conversation was concluded on neutral grounds- They were to leave one another alone, and that was that. The last the robots would see of Raptor and his allies, would be by lending their aid in partially rebuilding their base.

Faldorn didn't relive his memories, again.

False hope stupidly clung onto, again.

A failure tiring to deal with, again.

Time to change pace, again.

— NOTHING BUT DEFEAT —

---

The incident with the clone had done them some wonders, at least- It kickstarted a venture as mercenaries. Over the next years, the three veterans moved around the region, minding their own business. As if they were nomads, they never stayed in one place too long. Occasionally, they'd witness the clone on adventures with his squad. The camaderie even visible from far away, it only bittered Nestor as he hadn't seen his brother in so long.

They were supposed to have a new start like that!

They were supposed to find their place in a strange world like that!

They were supposed to have a good ending like that!

And yet they didn't. Nestor trudged alongside Laszlo as they did another quest. Faldorn stayed behind, with the rare moment of clarity, albeit hidden within the mist almost immediately again. The trio eventually settled longer in towns found favourable, using rewards from questing to pay for lodging. The robot had found himself at the bottom long ago- Now, he was ensuring to be stuck in it for a while longer.

Failure upon failure, it all felt pointless.

While he'd lost hope long ago, Nestor could still look to the stars each night, as the days would pass, not stopping for anyone. The robot could no longer keep up with the pace, wanting to stop and rest. He got comfortable in the dark, by forgetting about it through time spent at bars- Gambling or drinking, it didn't matter to him. As long as he managed to be distracted, it would get him a bit further through existing.

The robot found more distraction in connections and hobbies made, admittedly. He'd made some buddies at the bar he could talk to, play cards with, such as Keme. Strangers who were fleeting, yet didn't suffer the possibility of diseappearing any second. Tunes played as he learned piano, songs never remembered for the next time. Lyrics that were fleeting, yet didn't suffer the possibility of dying at all. It was somewhat comforting.

Though, it was thanks to his comrades, his brothers, his family- That Nestor still kept trudging through the sludge of life itself. A thoughtful birthday gift from Faldorn one time, even if he hadn't celebrated in years. A crack in Laszlo's shell, as he once in a while vented out his frustrations, even he had his qualms. An occasional spark, whenever the trio could genuinely relax after a quest well done.

It was a little less pointless, for the sake of the ones he cared about.

— END OF DAWN —

---

Changes crashed over him once again, when Nestor awoke on a planet anew once again. Finding themselves in the events that would become the End Of Dawn, unpleasant truths would be handed to everyone. For Nestor, it was discovering that his buddy Keme was affiliated with the clone and his squad. It also was having to work together, as the circumstances demanded it.

Though, unexpected truths would come to light too. From afar, the clone seemed to go on happily with his life- While up close, he was as terrified and cowering about everything to a painfully relatable degree. Forced to collaborate, enemies and allies alike would play on an even field. Eventually, the fake formalities would disintegrate with time.

Welcomed truths arrived as well. By coincidence, the three veterans were reunited with their fourth, though by that time Ophiuchus went by a different alias, 4STR0N4UT. It was clear that the past had all affected them one way or another, and the longer the End Of Dawn went on, the more idiotic Nestor felt for not recognising it beyond himself- Especially when, as if a miracle, Faldorn regained his memories back in the midst of battle, becoming the former self his friends had missed for years.

After a long fight against beings beyond anyone's comprehension, they'd finally won. A quartet reunited, they returned home with their former enemies. A pact was made, two squads that would come together for the most demanding quests. Valiant knights, alongside futuristic robots, to fight the direst lurking dangers. Upon naming their squad, they wanted to cling onto the Quadrivials that once were. Naming themselves something similar, yet different however- Quantum Quartet, on the suggestion of Nestor, a name his three veteran friends were extremely fond of.

Hope was found once again with a goal in mind. A space-faring ship available and fuel supplied by extraterrestrial allies, surprisingly on the knights' side- The robots would spend their last days on this world that had become somewhat of a home- With 4STR0N4UT seeking out the stars, as it was her specialty, pinpointing the whereabouts of their species who'd left the war behind long ago. Once the coordinates were found, they would be going home- And that thought would pull him out of the deepest depths.

The remaining mile would be a marathon, Nestor knew, but now the robot had the fuel to keep trudging along.

— FUTURE ARC —

---

Alongside three other veterans, Nestor would salute his knightly allies one last time, several years in the future. The home of their species found, they'd lived in a galaxy at the centre of the universe for a long while. After a bunch of checks and other verifications, Nestor was the first to sprint past to reunite with his brother he'd long missed.

Though he no longer went by Caesar, he discovered, he went by Chieftain.

Though they no longer differed a century in age, it was more a whole millennia then.

A reunion that somehow fell short, due to the truth found out. The anomalies the robots had left their war behind with, didn't change their location only- It changed time also. His brother had lived on far longer without Nestor, than the other way around- He had different experiences, different priorities, and most of all, a different life.

The robot found solace still by sticking with his three closest comrades, as reforming the bond lost with his brother went more difficult than hoped. Yet, he couldn't lose hope, not when he had finally arrived at his destination. Nestor knew his brother was beyond happy to see him- Though getting used to the changes, would take time for both siblings, and their comrades involved too. After all, his brother went from a two-bot household to a six-bot one- And Nestor went from a nomadic lifestyle, more or less, to a stable place within a stable world.

They all trudged on regardless. They'd done it so many times before, it was as if it was their nature- And with time, Nestor would feel truly reunited with his brother, finding his true happiness alongside his family within unknown territory yet again. Despite the changes, the robot found he'd no longer cower at it, instead ready to take them right on.