Lyris smiled, enjoying watching Kir get flustered over her and Harrison's obvious feelings towards each other. Compared to X'hondrians and humans, Serenians didn't typically believe in the idea of soulmates. They initially all mated for life, but they also felt that everyone's souls were connected to everyone's. Not just on Serenfolia or in the galaxy, but in the entire universe. But if soulmates were real, it was very clear that those two were. She had a knack for reading people and it went beyond even their physical expressions.

Her smile turned upside down when Kir mentioned disengaging Harrison's enforcer bracelet. She understood their concern about him being controlled, she had it as well. But she knew removing it would be even worse. "I don't think you should get his hopes up. The Emperor made them that way because he didn't want them having their freedom. I get your concern, I really do, but honestly he might be better off with it out here. Humans are as rare as they are fragile. He'll need it to survive out here."

Once the ship took off Lyris felt her heart skip a beat. She had been on that station for a while, having stowed away on a cargo ship on one of her many walkabouts around the galaxy. She didn't think she'd ever get off it, but in one day she met two people she never thought she'd meet. Two people that gave her a sense of hope that she was starting to lose.

Lyris was pulled from her happy thoughts once Kir asked about Serenfolia. She dropped her head solemnly. She gathered herself before looking up again. "I haven't been home in a while. But... They're wellish. The Empire treads softly on our world. They destroy our history so they can destroy us without physically doing so, but they've failed to destroy it all. Our spirits are strong and we're still hopeful that the prophecy will come true and that the galaxy will know peace once again." Her last sentence was a bit of a test. She hoped Kir or at least her parents knew of the prophecy and that's why they gave her, her name. If she did, her journey may not have been for nought after all.

Meanwhile Harrison was changing his clothes. He thought about immediately getting into the casual clothes that Kir got him, but instead decided on getting into his loungewear. He needed to sleep once they all got situated. He wore a basic t-shirt and some woolish pajama pants. He took the rest of his clothes to the Captain's Quarters of the ship and placed them in a chair for now. He'd still have to get rid of the original Captain's clothes. He then returned to the kitchen to wait for Kir so he could give her, her surprise.

Kir tried not to show her disappointment when Lyris confirmed the very thing she had tried not to think about. The impossibility of freeing enforcers from the control of their armour had been one of the very things that had stymied any previous attempts at rebellion. The empire was too vast and well-armed to stand up to easily, and enforcers were the first line of defence that had, at least previously, been the truest barrier to any sort of coup. If they really did plan to take on the empire, they’d have to destroy it from the inside instead of chipping away from the outside. The unsettling realisation took hold that it was possible their only path to success might involve using a central killswitch to disable - and likely kill - all of the enforcers. X’hondrians were pacifists; to take a life without due cause was an abhorrent to them as anything could be. Sure, they were carnivorous, but there was a vast difference between killing to meet one’s bodily survival needs and war. And yet…wouldn’t killing the enforcers be just as much a necessity to the long-term survival of any number of oppressed species under the empire’s control? Then again, didn’t enforcers deserve release from imperial control? How many, if any, had actually volunteered? Better still, how many had volunteered while truly informed, fully understanding the autonomy they were sacrificing? The moral dilemma raged on as an internal debate so loud she almost didn’t hear Lyris continue.

She decided to table that particular problem for the moment. They still needed to get their bearings first. Kir didn’t want to be dishonest with Harrison, but perhaps telling him she probably couldn’t keep her promise seemed like something that should be done privately at the right time. With all the excitement of the day, she didn’t want to dash his hopes. He’d given up everything to free her on the vague promise to help him get the bracelet off, and now she was going to have to likely rip the rug out from under him while he was likely grappling with the notion he might never see his home again.

Lyris mentioned the prophecy, and Kir almost wondered if it was a false hope to cling onto those words. The prophecy was old. Quite a bit older than she was, and she couldn’t recall anymore if it was from before the divergence of the tribes. On X’hondria, it had been written into the poetry of song, and it was one of the first recitations any young child learned. It was so thoroughly drilled into the collective consciousness from a young age there was no hope any X’hondrian born before the empire had decimated their world would forget. But much of X'hondrian culture had been outright outlawed. To be caught signing the songs or speaking their language or wearing any piece of their traditional clothing was a punishable offence. To know they had done much the same to Serenfolia, and that they continued to do so, made her shudder. How much had they lost? How much of it would even be recoverable? The elders and keepers of the culture would begin to die out if they hadn’t been executed by the empire, and their knowledge would go with them.

“Whatever the legend says, we’ll start with freeing Serenfolia,” Kir stated. She knew she shouldn’t make unilateral decisions for Harrison or Zev, but if she couldn’t save X’hondria, then she would save her sister world. “I doubt Harrison will hesitate to agree, and Zev… I’ll talk to him and offer him an out if he doesn’t want to be involved in this, but I have a hunch he’s a bit more than just a ceaseless flirt.”

The “how” remained to be seen. At best, there were four of them in a cargo freighter that lacked the armour, manoeuvrability, and combat capabilities to even take on a single dogfight…taking on freeing an entire planet was more than just a little daunting. They had no money, no resources, and no connections. They’d be better equipped to have a go at the empire with sticks and rocks than their current outfit.

“I put my things in the crew bunk. You could take the other bed in there if you want,” Kir suggested. “At the very least, you should probably get some rest. Who knows what’s coming next?”

Parting ways with Lyris, Kir returned to the kitchen to find Harrison. Her clothes had already been stashed in the shared two-person crew bunk. As much as she might have preferred the privacy of the captain’s quarters or even the first officer’s, Zev needed far more space than she did, and Harrison was a stranger in a strange land and might need the privacy as he began to process everything. She figured she would be the one most comfortable with a shared space, and knowing now that it would be shared likely with Lyris, she was perfectly at ease with it. It would be like the thing on Earth they called a “slumber party”. It always seemed so fun in the movies, after all.

“Looks like I haven’t totally lost my touch,” she smiled at Harrison as she rounded the corner, glad to see at least the pyjamas seemed to fit him well. “I feel like we need to have a whole debrief after the day we’ve had, and I have something I’d like to run by you, but I think maybe that can all wait until morning. What was it that was on your mind, though?”

Lyris’ eyes widened and ears raised with an excited twitch when she heard Kir's proclamation. She had just met her today and at the mention of the prophecy said they'd start with the freeing of Serenfolia. She hadn't even asked her to do so. She took it upon herself with no hesitation. Lyris held back the tears starting to form in her ducts. She could finally go home. Her people could finally be free.

Lyris was glad when the conversation transitioned to the sleeping arrangement. She wasn't sure how long she could contain the emotions that were boiling to the surface. She gave Kir a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you, sister.” Was all she said before disappearing from her side in a blur making a dash to the crew bunk. Once inside, she closed the door behind her and began to pray.

Kir barely had a moment to process before Lyris was gone from sight. That did at least clear up the question she’d forgotten to ask about her gift from Serenfolia. So, she was a speedster and a thief. That might just come in handy in the future, if she chose to stay on for the real rebellion beyond liberating her home planet. Though, all things considered, Kir wouldn’t have blamed her if she chose to stay on Serenfolia and help rebuild once the empire’s grip on the planet was gone.

Prophecy aside, liberating Serenfolia was a somewhat selfish endeavour. As X’hondria’s sister planet, she hoped the Serennians might be willing to provide sanctuary to any X’hondrians their rebellion managed to free. Even if they ultimately failed to overthrow the empire, freeing even a handful of X’hondrians would still be worth whatever came of their failure. It would be a chance to rebuild, and perhaps offer the kind of hope that would spark courage in those still shackled. If they knew there was somewhere safe they could go, maybe they would jump at the chance to escape just as she had. That would be enough.

---

“I don't think you ever could.” Harrison said instinctively to Kir's remark about not losing her touch. He turned away nervously before looking back when she asked him what was on his mind. “We can do the debrief before we all call it a night. If it even is night right now. Anyway, we still need to tell them what our plan is so they could sleep on their options. Both literally and figuratively. But that's not what I called you back here to talk about. I wanted to give you this.”

Even if they hadn’t been bonded, Kir could have felt the nervousness rolling off him in waves. Still, she sensed nothing negative from him. If anything, he seemed almost joyful under it. Or maybe that was excitement? He was quickly learning to mask his thoughts, and while she could still read his emotional state quite easily, she would have had to press harder to get any more than that. Given the open connection between them, she tried her best not to pry and invade his mental space.

Harrison reached into his pocket and pulled out the obsidian diamond bracelet that Lyris had snatched for him earlier. “I saw this and thought of you. I wanted you to have jewelry that represented your freedom and complemented how beautiful you are.”

And even with the bond, he still surprised her. It was, in a way, part of the upside of not pushing further into his mind than what was on the surface. He was genuine enough that she could trust what floated to the top without thinking too hard about what he might be masking.

Kir smiled softly, colour rising in her cheeks as she ducked her head for a moment in embarrassment. She took the bracelet gently, holding it up and turning it to see all sides of it in the light. It was beautiful, to say the least. Possibly more beautiful than anything she’d ever worn before, though perhaps that was more a fact that it came with no weight of oppression. This was a gift given with genuine affection and seemingly no expectations. In the palace, a gift was never just a gift; there was always a caveat to any favouritism.

“This is… I don’t even know what word to use,” Kir chuckled to herself at her loss for words. “Beautiful doesn’t seem to encapsulate it. Yes, it is gorgeous, but it’s…meaningful, too. There’s not a word for that in Genspeak or English. There’s a word in my mother tongue, but it doesn’t translate very well; it’s too nuanced. You know my history, and you already keep finding ways to try to undo the damage. I don’t know what our future holds, but I hope one day I get to repay that favour because it hardly feels like enough to just say ‘thank you’.”

Harrison was hit with a wave of relief. He was worried she wouldn't like it or that it might remind her of her time with the empire. But instead she loved it in ways she couldn't completely express. He wasn't sure himself if there was more to it than a gesture of friendship and freedom. He couldn't deny that he was mesmerized by her the moment their eyes met. And their connection was already something greater and more profound than he had experienced on Earth. But Kir didn't owe him anything. Not her love and certainly not a thank you. Even if she hadn't promised to help him remove this armor he would've freed her regardless. Everyone deserved to have their own free will and autonomy and he'd never take either from her.

“You don't owe me anything.” He finally said, approaching her to help her put the bracelet on. “You've already opened my eyes to a whole galaxy I wouldn't have gotten to know without you. I'm living mine and every archeologist and explorer's dream. You've already given me the gift of a lifetime.”

Kir’s heart fluttered as he wrapped the bracelet around her wrist. The care with which he handled the bracelet as he gently steadied her wrist while he clasped it. Whatever this feeling was, she wasn’t ready to name it, but she did trust him with it. He’d done nothing but treat her with kindness and respect, and had given no indication that it was disingenuous.

Holding her wrist to her chest, she looked at him affectionately, “Well then, at the very least I want to make the galaxy safely traversable for you to explore to your heart’s delight.”

No. Harrison was wrong. Her words confirmed it. He had deep romantic feelings for her. It wasn't even the X'honnar that did it. It was just who she was as a person. Their connection went deeper than their minds. The moment those words crossed her lips all he could think about was exploring the galaxy with her. But for now he'd hold those feelings within. He refused to force his own feelings onto her.

She glanced around, but the others were both busy with their own things. Lyris was, presumably, still in her room and Zev was still in the cockpit probably going over the navigation chart before he handed the guidance off to the ship’s autopilot for the night. A timekeeper on the wall in the kitchen showed it was getting late by the standard of universal time.

“We should talk to the others,” Kir suggested. “It’s late, and you and I have already had a long enough day. We both need a chance to process…well, everything. I’ll get Zev if you get Lyris.”

Harrison nodded and left the kitchen with a smile. He was walking on air, almost literally. He made his way to the crew bunk and knocked on the door to get Lyris’ attention.

Lyris had just finished her prayer when Harrison knocked on the door. “Coming!” She called before standing up from her kneeling position. “Thank you.” she whispered to herself before walking to the door and opening it.

“I was starting to get worried. It took you a while to open the door.” Harrison teased.

“Ha ha.” Lyris laughed sarcastically. “I don't run all the time. But you needed something, Captain?”

Captain. Yes, he had taken the Captain's Quarters but it never really set in that he might be looked at by the others as the captain. The only place he's been a leader in was the classroom and people did try to look at him as one when he became a hero on Earth, but he was really just helping when people needed him. But he had to accept the fact that he was about to be a leader of a rebellion that he decided he wanted. “Yeah, Kir and I want to talk to you and Zev about something before we all rest for the night.”

Lyris looked down to see that Harrison was already comfortable and ready for bed. “Well, let's not keep your sleep waiting.” she said, following him to the meeting area.

Meanwhile, Kir had lingered behind just to take in the moment for a little longer. She looked down at her wrist, the dark stone of the bracelet standing out in such stark contrast to her pale skin. She still couldn’t quite wrap her mind around it, around him. With a sigh, she dropped her arm again and went to find Zev in the cockpit. Pausing in the open doorway, she knocked lightly on the wall just inside.

”Hey. Got a sec?” Kir asked.

”Yeah, of course. What’s up?” Zev turned away from the console to give her his full attention.

“Harrison and I are gathering everyone in the kitchen. Just wanna run some stuff by you before we all call it a night,” she explained.

“Well, the autopilot’s set, so there’s nothing keeping me here.”

The two of them made their way back into the kitchen, the only real communal communal space on the ship. Kir looked to Harrison, nodding as Zev got settled.

“Do you want to do this or do you want me?” She asked, offering to take the lead if he didn’t want it. So far, they’d done everything together, and she wasn’t going to immediately dump the leadership position solely on his shoulders.

“I'll take it.” Harrison said, stepping forward and clearing his throat. “First, we want to thank you for jumping on a stolen ship with a couple of strangers and trusting me, especially, with this armor. Second, before we met you two Kir and I decided on starting a rebellion and bringing down the Empire. Honestly, the moment I learned about what's going on out here I knew I needed to do something to stop it. I know it’s risky and probably a suicide mission from Hell, that's the Earth's final destination for bad people, but we're doing it and we're giving you the option of joining us or parting ways with us once we finish the drop. You don't have to answer now. Sleep on it if you need to.”

Harrison stepped back and almost reached for Kir's hand for comfort, but stopped himself. He was nervous, but he reminded himself that he couldn't just touch her whenever he wanted. He tried to watch the expressions on their faces to get an idea of what they were going to decide.

Lyris couldn't believe her ears. First Kir offered to liberate Serenfolia and now Harrison, the human, was saying the words she never expected to hear in her lifetime. A rebellion. The fall of the empire. The prophecy. The galaxy would know peace again. So many thoughts were running through her mind and hearts. She fell to her knees in tears of joy and gratitude. Her prayers were answered quicker than she imagined. “The Galaxy will know Peace again.” But instead of saying it Genspeak she said it in the language of the old tribe, in the language of the prophecy.

Zev was wholly unsurprised. He wasn’t expecting it to come out five minutes after they took off, but a free X’hondrian toting around a broken enforcer from Earth was just too weird. He knew they were trouble, but then again he liked trouble. He’d told Kir flat out he didn’t like easy women. Still, his self-preservation instinct was screaming to cut his losses and run. No one just decided to go toe-to-toe with the empire, and those two had barely been off Earth for five minutes. Neither of them had any idea what things were like in the empire. But, he had a growing fondness for the X’hondrian, and if she believed in the human who freed her, what was stopping him? It’s not like he had much sense of direction before. He was just trying to make ends meet and stay off the empire’s radar.

Kir stepped away from Harrison immediately, drawn not only by Lyris’ outburst, but also the sound of words in a language that should have been long dead given the empire’s quest for complete control. Either Lyris was older than she thought, or she was exactly as important as Kir thought she was. The only reason Kir herself knew it was because she’d been tracking to be a historian of cultures and languages, and one of her specialties was the origins of their two tribes. X’hondrian history was long, though, and it took decades to become an expert. She never finished her education track before the empire invaded…

Turning quickly to look at Harrison apologetically and then back to Zev as she admitted, “I may have also unilaterally decided we would start with liberating Serenfolia when Lyris and I talked. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about, Harrison.”

She dropped down to her knees in front of Lyris, gently gathering her into her arms to just hold her through it. Kir had to imagine there was so much unexpressed grief pent up, and the dam had finally broken to let it all come flooding out. She just sat there on the floor with her, rocking gently.

“Well, that might be the most normal thing that has happened today,” Zev shrugged, watching Kir and Lyris. “Look, I’m just a pilot. I go where the money is and the empire isn’t. Trying to overthrow a well-established empire wasn’t exactly on my to-do list. That said… Who knows? Maybe you two are the thing that’s been missing from every other attempt. You’re either cleverer than you look, or you dumber than a drunk Nosfarian. Maybe a little of both. Either way, I’m curious.”

Harrison wasn't expecting either of their reactions, especially Lyris’. This was not the same woman he met on the station. So confident and strong, but now looking at her like this had him realizing how much she and everyone else in the galaxy were holding inside. Just the smallest glimmer of hope was enough for it all to come out. He watched as Kir went to comfort her and turned his attention to Zev. “I'm glad to have your curiosity and we don't really have the need for credits unless we're buying something for the crew so you can have what we get from the drop. I can't guarantee a rebellion would line your pockets, but back on Earth war is the most profitable business. As it grows, who knows what we'll be paid to do.” He decided not to let Zev know just how much money he and Kir had on them yet. With money being his primary motive he could easily rob them and leave them on their mission of doom.

Zev scoffed, muttering to himself, “Well, money isn’t the only thing of value in the universe.”

Friendship didn’t pay the bills, and certainly being part of the core team behind a rebellion wasn’t going to make the empire any easier to traverse, but the value of the people right there on that ship was beyond quantifiable. Any one of them alone was worth more money than he could ever hope to make in a lifetime, but together? Working and collaborating and functioning as a team, there was safety in that. Harrison and Kir had made it through the station entirely under the guise of being an enforcer and an accompanying slave with little information to accurately base their farce upon - impressive to say the least, so who knew what they might be capable of once they got their legs under them? And Lyris? A Serennian? That went without saying. Maybe he was usually in it for the money, but this little endeavour might well just prove itself worth more than all the coin in an imperial vault. A free galaxy meant he was free to do as he pleased again without constantly looking over his shoulder. And maybe he’d make it out the other side with a proper ship he could call his own, and that was worth a bit of risk. He’d sleep on it before he gave a final answer, but he was leaning toward sticking around. He could always bail if things got too hairy.

Harrison then knelt down next to Kir and Lyris. “You helped me put a smile on Kir's face today, Lyris. We'll definitely save your home first.”

Lyris lifted her head to look at both of them. She couldn't believe the blessing she received today. Just when she was ready to give up on a search many believed was foolish, they came to her. She wiped her tears with her shirt and stood up to give them her official answer. “Thank you, Harrison and Kir. I'm with you til the end.”

Kir picked herself up off the floor again, looking at Zev, “I hope you’ll stick around for more than the money.”

”Well, if you’re the one asking, how can I say no?” Zev flashed her a playful smirk. “I’ll give you a real answer in the morning. I’m gonna sleep on it, and if that little crying jag is any evidence I think we all need some shut eye.”

”Agreed,” Kir nodded. “I’m bunking up with Lyris. I left you the first officer’s quarters, Zev. Figured you’d be more comfortable with a little extra space to move around.”

”Pretty and thoughtful. You’re a keeper, KK,” Zev said as he stood and departed.

“I’m going to take that as my cue. Good night, Harrison,” Kir said. She hesitated a moment before pulling him into a hug, relaxing into it and whispering just to him, “Thank you for everything today.”

Out of all of the unexpected things to happen to him today, Kir hugging him was the most unexpected and most welcomed. It was the perfect end to a perfect day. He gained three new friends and possibly family. A hastily assembled crew of Galaxy Liberators. Harrison finally responded to her thank you with a whispered, “You're welcome and thank you for the adventure.”

Harrison pulled back from the hug and headed to the Captain's Quarters to get adjusted to his new room.

Lyris stood there as a third wheel as Kir and Harrison hugged each other. Once Harrison left she locked her arm into Kir's and gave her a smile. “You ready?”

”Yeah,” Kir nodded, returning her smile.

Whatever notions Kir had about having a slumber party with Lyris were quickly dashed. The Serennian was out like a light the moment her head hit the pillow in her bunk. She wondered if that was a function of a wild day, or more of a common occurrence given the energy she must expend every time she used her abilities. It didn’t bother her, though. She was glad at least one of them could sleep. Kir, on the other hand, laid awake for what felt like an eternity. It wasn’t the bunk - the bed was fine, perhaps even more comfortable than the bed she’d had on Earth which was really quite serviceable - but something more intangible that she couldn’t shake. With Harrison around all day, she’d felt comfortable. Safe, even. It wasn’t that she felt unsafe with Lyris, quite the opposite, but it wasn’t the same safety. Kir wouldn’t have said she was drawn to power, but Harrison did have the power to stand up and offer protection that she couldn’t necessarily manage on her own. Sure, X’hondrians had some extraordinary abilities, but at the end of the day they were still quite vulnerable especially in sleep. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a good, solid night of sound sleep, but if she had to guess it was before the empire invaded her homeworld.

Tossing and turning did nothing, and after a while she worried she’d do something to wake up Lyris. Sighing, she conceded and admitted her defeat. Sleep would not take her, at least not in her bunk. She turned, peering over at Lyris’ peaceful form in the dark, listening to the steady sound of her breathing. Perhaps, if she was lucky, Harrison was equally as sleepless. She probed ever so gently across to his mind, testing for wakefulness before she tried to speak to him. She opened the door of her mind to let him reach out if he was awake enough to feel her mind close to his.

Harrison was staring up at the ceiling, thinking of the day he had. He honestly still couldn't believe he left Earth. The only planet he had known his entire life. Now he was planning to free many. He didn't know what he was thinking. He didn't have a real plan and he was now dragging three people into a rebellion. He didn't know anything about the galaxy or the empire. And if his enforcer armor was broken how strong was a real enforcer's armor? He had only been using the armor for a year. These enforcers had real experience. He couldn't help but think he was just leading them all to their deaths. Why did they trust him so much with their lives?

Harrison's thoughts were interrupted by the presence of Kir's mental touch. He recognized it already. It was a strange, but fascinating feeling. “You couldn't sleep either, huh?” He thought in his mind, projecting it back to her through the ship's walls.

Kir settled into a new sense of security reconnecting her mind to Harrison’s. It was odd and unfamiliar, but it wasn’t bad. If anything, it was just what she needed to feel a little more relaxed. The thought of simply slipping through the walls and into his room was tempting, but too invasive to just do without asking. That space was his, and he deserved his privacy, too.

”No… Too many racing thoughts and too much-“ Kir finally started before she cut herself off, searching for a palatable word that didn’t involve ‘safety’. She settled on adding, ”Too much uncertainty. Lyris is asleep, though, so I’ve only had myself to go in circles with. I get the feeling you’re having the same problem. Maybe the solution is talking in circles together. Maybe then we can find a way to get some traction. Putting our heads together hasn’t failed us yet.”

Admittedly, a small part of her was a little excited to perhaps still have her slumber party, but instead with Harrison. If nothing else, maybe airing out both of their thoughts instead of ruminating alone would help them sleep better. Kir was in well over her head with trying to spark a rebellion, but she was a quick study. Harrison, she figured, was equally drowning in the responsibility he had suggested taking on. He had expressed he was new to the armour and to serving as a hero on Earth, and as far as she was aware there had been no uprisings led by him in the past year.

Harrison felt reassured that Kir was feeling the same way that he was. That they were plagued by the same heavy thoughts that threatened to crush them. He thought about hiding his doubts from her, but was glad that he didn't have to. “You want to come over?” He finally asked. “As much as I love the sound of your voice in my mind, I think this conversation would be better vocal.” When Harrison realized she was coming over he scrambled to put a shirt back on so she wouldn't be uncomfortable around him or thinking he wanted anything from her.

Kir didn’t need to be asked twice. Smiling to herself, glad for the invitation, she concentrated for a moment before rolling over to phase through the wall into the main passageway that ran through the center of the ship. Touching her feet lightly back down on the floor, she padded a few steps up the hall to Harrison’s door. It took more concentration than it used to just to shift her body enough to phase through the door, but she was fifty years out of practice. She knew she’d pick it up easily enough once she’d had some practice. For an X’hondrian, manipulating their bodies was as easy as breathing, but for her it was like she’d just surfaced after a long dive, still gasping for breath.

As she rematerialised on the other side of the door in Harrison’s room, she glanced around for a moment. It clearly still had all the previous captain’s things, but they weren’t planning to keep the ship so it seemed reasonable to leave it intact in case it was returned to the original owners.

”I agree, this is much better,” Kir nodded as she turned toward Harrison, still standing. In her pyjamas near the door.

Harrison stared at Kir for a moment, taking in her pale appearance in the Captain's dark cabin. There was a window that showed the galaxy around them, the planets and moons that they passed reflecting light into the room. He thought she looked amazing in her casual clothes. He didn't even think that she'd also be wearing pajamas.

He caught himself staring and got out of the bed so neither of them would be comfortable from their opposite positions. “Do you want to sit?” He asked, extending his hand to offer her the chair or the bed.

”Only if you sit with me,” Kir said as she picked her way around the edge of the bed to sit there. She patted the spot next to her to encourage him back over. “I have a feeling we’ve been agonising over some of the same things, and also some completely different things. Tell me what’s on your mind?”

It was obvious he’d been holding back. She’d hardly heard his thoughts since he went back to have a word with the scrapper before they left. One the one hand, she was impressed he was adapting so quickly to having the constant mental link between them, but on the other she didn’t like the idea that he felt he couldn’t be totally open and honest with her. Every step they took going forward relied on them being able to trust each other. If they were the roots from which the rebellion grew, they had to be firm and stable, and that meant there could be no holding back from each other.

Harrison sat down next to her. It was strange yet welcoming to him that she seemed to be able to read and understand him even without their psychic link being open. He decided not to hold back what was on his mind. A heavy sigh escaped his lips before he lifted his head to look at her. “I'm afraid I'm just leading you all to get killed. I don't know anything about war, liberation, or leading a rebellion. Yet you all seem willing and ready to follow me into the fire. Part of me wants to say screw it and just find a way for us to have a life together in this mess. The other part of me, the louder part of me keeps saying no. People deserve to be free. Your people deserve to be free and I gave my word to Lyris that we'd free her world. Even if I wanted to I couldn't just stop there.”

Harrison finally breathed after letting all of that out. He wasn't expecting to say all of that, but it just flowed out of him. He still felt wrong though. He had a year with this power and thought to do nothing like this on Earth. So many oppressed and enslaved people even today. And that was one planet with different countries. How was he supposed to change and free a whole galaxy if he couldn't even do that?

”I think we’d be hard pressed to find anyone with the experience. Anyone who might has either already tried and failed, or the empire took them out before they had the chance. Maybe that’s our greatest strength - we’ll never be expected, and we might bring a fresh perspective no one else has. You and I both have incredibly unique lived experiences,” Kir assured him. “I wish we had access to the X’hondrian archives. We were like what you call monks; we were keepers of knowledge and history. There’s so much we could learn from the archives to prepare us, but there’s no telling what happened after the empire took control. My access to information about X’hondria was restricted after I was taken. Though… I suppose there’s a chance, however slim, they were able to hide copies of the archival records…”

Kir shook her head, looking back at Harrison, “Although you originated the idea, you’re not leading this movement alone. You gave me the hope to stand up to the empire with you, and I will be by your side to support you the whole way. We are doing this together, so we either rise together or we fall together. It is a far greater sin to never try at all than to try and fail.”

She didn’t know where that grounded belief came from. Just moments ago she’d been agonising over the decision, over whether she was right to agree to this with him, and whether they were right to invite others into this movement so early. They had no plan, barely any direction, almost no money, and definitely no ship. What chance did they stand? The empire could crush them without breaking a sweat. And yet, the moment Harrison expressed any sort of doubt in himself, she jumped to assure him he was capable of more than he gave himself credit for. She couldn’t help herself, or her belief in his abilities. In just a single day, he’d proven more than once his ability to rise to the occasion when he was called upon, and she doubted that would change any time soon.

She was right. Of course she was right. These were the words he needed to hear to shake loose Harrison's doubts. And if she was fine with putting her life on the line than who was he to stop her? He already lived a long life of adventure. If it ended trying to free a galaxy he would've died knowing he lived a life worth living. And even if they did fail all it took was a spark of hope. Someone out there willing to go against the odds to fight for what was right. As of right now their numbers were three and one maybe going up against an entire galactic empire. If that wasn't a story that'd inspire planets to rise up together then he didn't know what would.

He stood with a newfound look of determination and unbreakable will on his face. “Look out Emperor! Your reign of terror has lasted too long. It's time for your empire to collapse!!” He exclaimed triumphantly. It was a battle cry more for himself than anything. It settled his mind and heart on this goal. He laughed to himself, hoping his outburst didn't wake the others. Harrison sat back down next to Kir and smiled. “Thank you.” He said softly before reaching out to hug her. He paused for a moment, before recalling that she hugged him earlier and continued with the hug. “I really needed to hear that. I'm ready now.”

Kir couldn’t help a laugh at his energy. All it took was a nudge in the right direction - toward confidence - and he perked right up. It’s what she was hoping for. His confidence and joy were contagious, at least for her. If he believed, she believed, and if she believed, then he believed. It was a circle of positivity that fed itself. Fate always had plans, and one could rarely predict them. She wondered if X’hondria had never fallen, if the empire had never expanded that far, would she still have met Harrison? Was that preordained by Fate? Or did everything have to happen just right to put them in place to meet? If things hadn’t happened just as they had, would her life be totally different? Would she find herself looking at some other person with such affection and admiration? Kir supposed it didn’t matter “what if”; she was here now on this ship with these people staying up far too late with this man, and that was all that really mattered. She’d been going in circles about it ever since she went to bed, turning it over and over in her head all the infinite possibilities that it could have been different, but it wasn’t and there was nothing more futile than questioning what reality might have been.

“I think I’m ready, too,” she nodded firmly as she pulled away from the hug. She hadn’t realised how starved she was for touch, and the warmth of contact nearly made her refuse to pull away at all. “I think I was still stuck on the consequences, but something about being in your presence reminds me the consequences of not acting are far greater. I let myself lose hope when I was trapped on Earth, and I don’t want to be that person anymore. I want to be someone who does something. Tomorrow, come what may, we’ll figure out next steps. Together.”

Her words hit him once again. If he wasn't sure already that he wanted to do this, her talking of losing hope before they escaped together would have certainly done the trick. What if people in the galaxy were losing hope and they needed them to open the doors of their invisible cells? “Let’s make sure no one else in the galaxy loses hope ever again.” He paused for a moment to think. “Is there anything else on your mind or do you think you're good to sleep now?”

Kir hesitated for a moment. They were still so new to each other, but her racing thoughts hadn’t been the only thing keeping her awake. She wasn’t sure how to tell him, or rather ask him, not to leave her alone. She could go back to her room with Lyris - it’s not like the Serennian was going to hurt her - but she didn’t know her the way she knew Harrison.

Frowning as she tried to find the right words, she fidgeted with the bracelet she still wore around her wrist, “I don’t know how to express it in the right way, but I’ll try. I know the culture on Earth, especially in America, is vastly different to where I’m from, so this might be too much to ask, but… I’m hyper aware of my own vulnerability when I sleep, so I don’t sleep very well anymore. I feel safe with you, like I can finally relax. Can I stay with you tonight?” She looked up at him, trying to read his expression without reading his mind.

Harrison's eyes widened just slightly at the request. He wasn't against it. He just wasn't expecting it. He gave her a nod. “You can sleep with me tonight and every night until you feel comfortable to sleep with Lyris, Co-Captain.” He added the last bit with a smile and a wink to make her more comfortable as he knew it probably took a lot for her to ask that. Though for all intents and purposes she was the Co-Captain of the ship and crew. They started this journey together. They were on this journey together. And if he were to be honest it would probably be good for him to have the company as well.

Co-captain had a nice sort of ring to it. Not one leading the other, not just one giving orders to the other, but a partnership. Together, as they both had agreed. She smiled softly, once again reassured by his easy, warm agreement and the playfulness of his wink. It would surprise her if the rest of the galaxy didn’t fall in love with him instantly. He had all the charm and charisma, and he was certainly doing an excellent job of drawing her in, though she felt no sense of falsity to his persona. That was just simply who he was, and she liked it. She liked it a lot, and she was trying very hard not to think about that.

”Let’s call it a night, then,” she suggested, moving over to give him space to join her as she laid down. “I have a feeling we have a lot more long days ahead of us.”

Harrison grabbed one of the pillows and laid it along the space between them, causing Kir to look at him with confusion.

“I don’t really think we need that, unless it would make you feel more comfortable?” Kir stated.

He looked at her as he started to settle in, surprised, but moved it all the same, “I was doing it to make you feel comfortable.”

”I’m fine, Harr,” she assured as she snuggled down under the blankets with him. “I don’t think you have even the slightest hint of a malicious thought in your head about me.”

Just like Lyris, she was out like a light. She was safe and warm and cared for. For a moment, she could forget anything that had happened in the last century of her life. In her half-asleep haze, she was just a child on X’hondria again and nothing bad had ever happened to her. At some point in the night, she gravitated toward Harrison’s warm, cuddling closer and curling into him as she sought it out without a pillow to serve as the barrier to stop her.

Lyris stretched herself awake like a cat, extending her arms and legs as wide as she could be as a yawn escaped her mouth. “That's the best sleep I've had in ages. How about you, Kir?” There was silence. “Kir?” The Serenian asked, finally looking up to see that she was the only one in the crew bunk.

Lyris slunk out of bed before stepping outside to look for her. She sped around the entire ship and it seemed that no one was awake, but her. Then it hit her and a mischievous grin crept on her face. She buzzed towards the door of the Captain's Quarters. She vibrated the molecules in her head to phase it through the door to get just a peek. She looked around until she found the bed and there Kir was, cuddled up to Harrison. She couldn't contain the excitement on her face and almost got her head stuck. She focused her thoughts and looked closer to see that they were both fully clothed. She only knew that because their comforter was on the floor. They clearly didn't need it with all the heat between them. She was happy for Kir. They were taking their love one step at a time, but she wondered if they even knew that.

Lyris phased out of the door with a smile still on her face. “You go, girl.” She whispered, trying not to wake them.

Zev roused from his deep meditation by the disruptive force of Lyris speeding through the ship. Aenids didn’t sleep so much as meditate to reconnect and commune with the mycelium network that spanned all of known space. It was perfectly restful and rejuvenating for him, but Lyris’ speeding disrupted the flow. That was something he’d have to get used to, or perhaps they’d have to have an agreement: no super speed during meditation times. It seemed a simple enough accommodation; it was just basic courtesy.

Emerging from his room across from Harrison’s to find Lyris practically halfway through the solid door. He stopped, perplexed by the sight and trying to understand what exactly he was looking at. As she pulled back, he realised she must have such fine control of her body and the speed she was able to achieve to the point she could literally vibrate herself in between the atoms of solid objects. That would almost certainly prove useful to any rebellious efforts.

”Wanna tell the rest of us why you’re spying on Harrison? Or, better yet, what you saw?” Zev asked as he finished stretching himself upward to work out the kinks of staying in one position for too long.

Lyris’ fur stood and crawled at the sound of Zev's food. She turned around to see the Aenid pilot stretching. He was already tall before, but with his arm stretched he truly looked like a giant. “It's not polite to sneak up on people.” She said, finally composing herself and walking over so she wouldn't be talking outside their door. “And I'm not spying on Harrison, I was looking for Kir and found them in there cuddling. I was totally right. They're so in love!” She clasped her hands over her mouth realizing she said that last bit a little too loud. “Clothes were on though, so no naughty thoughts, Aenid.”

Zev chuckled softly at the hypocrisy of her statement, but decided to let it go without his usual snark. He did comment on her confirming they were just asleep in there together, “Well, you’re lucky they weren’t in the middle of something. Talk about a mood killer. So am I for that matter.” He grinned, “Still got a chance.”

Nodding, seeming satisfied he knew all he needed - or wanted - to know, he turned toward the kitchen to go see what he might be able to scrounge up to eat. Greens weren’t exactly a usual staple in the grease-preserved diets of freight crews like the one that had probably been on the ship before. As long as he could find something vegetable-adjacent, it didn’t actually matter if it was fresh. In fact, really the more desiccated the better. It added a nice, earthy flavour.

Lyris paused to think about what Zev just said and nope. She was not having that. She ran into the kitchen after him and said, “Stop right there. With all she's been through, that was something. She cuddled him. Those two are practically married and I can't have you ruining this rebellion before it starts with a love triangle.”

”What’s it matter to you if I have a thing for her?” Zev asked curiously as he opened the fridge to go spelunking. He pushed aside bottles and jars, sending them clanking as they shifted. “Besides,” he added, peeking his head back out for a moment, “Breakups and divorces happen every day. They met yesterday. They’re cute, but I’m not convinced yet. I mean…freely choosing to date the very force that subjugated your people and keep them scared shitless so they don’t even consider rising up against the empire? You ask me, it doesn’t seem like a stable foundation to base a relationship on. She’s too cool with it, and my money’s on her exploding at some point if she doesn’t actually face that and everything else that’s happened to her. So, you can’t blame me for being hopeful.”

Lyris couldn't believe her ears. She'd understand Zev's point if Harrison was an enforcer who was somehow freed of his programming, but he wasn't even an enforcer at all. Just some lucky or unlucky guy who ended up with one of the most powerful weapons in the galaxy on his wrist. “Harrison's not even an enforcer. He's a human and it's not like he wears his armor to bed.” She didn't answer his first question immediately. She watched him rummage through the fridge to look for something. “And she seems happy and I don't want anything ruining that. X'hondrians have been through a lot this past century. Plus, like I said. The rebellion's what's important. I assume you've decided you're joining? If so, I'm gonna suggest that no one dates anyone within the crew until it's over. We don't need to be distracted with the lives of everyone in the galaxy on our shoulders.”

Lyris absolutely hated being serious, but this was too important not to be. She much preferred to be carefree and having no rules at all. Rules reminded her too much of her time on Serenfolia. She had to know and memorize every rule, every law, every sacred text, every prophecy. It was all so mind-blowingly boring. She appreciated and loved her people and their rich history but she didn't want to be tied down to them. The Empire's presence only created prison walls around the place she already considered her cell.

Zev frowned at Lyris’ statement about Harrison. He may not have been an enforcer in the formal sense, but he still carried that armour and as far as he knew, it couldn’t be removed just the same as any other enforcer. While he was willing to see where this whole rebellion thing led him, he also stayed because he didn’t trust that Harrison’s armour was really offline for good. He didn’t get the sense Harrison was a double agent, but at the very least he liked Kir, and since Lyris seemed to be a package deal with her now, he stuck around to make sure they both got away if Harrison did end up turning on them wilfully or not.

“Hang on, hang on. You’re putting words in my mouth. I never said anything about dating her. You’re jumping way ahead of me here. Look, you may be ready to put all your eggs in one basket, and that’s fine, but I’m not there yet. Harrison may have good intentions, but I don’t trust that bracelet of his. I like Kir; she made me laugh right from the start, and yeah, she’s also just my type. So, maybe I’m sticking around to make sure the only known free X’hondrian doesn’t end up back in the empire’s clutches, and maybe a part of me is also hoping I’ve got a chance with her, but I’m not too stubborn to put her own happiness above my interest. I think you’ve judged me a little too quickly, Lyris.”

He ducked back into the fridge having felt something near the back of a drawer, making a pleased hum as he emerged with a very brown head of lettuce in his hand, “Perfect.”

Lyris was puzzled. Both of Zev's words then and now sounded like he wanted to date or at least do a horizontal dance with her. But he also seemed to genuinely care for her deeper than that. She didn't know if his mistrust was rooted in jealousy or truly just his thoughts on the empire. She didn't blame him either way, especially for the latter. She was going to offer an apology but when he pulled out the inedible lettuce she jokingly responded, “I don't think I have.” She lifted her hand to cover her nose and gave him the kitchen to enjoy his breakfast.

She made her way back into the crew cabin and tried to find something for her to wear. It didn't seem like anyone on the crew was a woman. The only female clothes they had were the ones Kir bought herself. She sighed before sitting on her bed. She would've taken an outfit for herself, but she already creeped in on Kir's private time with Harrison. She'd just wait to ask.

Zev watched her go with a shrug as he started pulling the wilted leaves apart to munch on his way back up to the cockpit to check the status of the navigation. Dropping into the chair, he reviewed the computer’s logs of course corrections and engine adjustments made. With the autopilot still on, he wasn’t paying too much attention to what it was doing while he ran through the morning checks until a warning popped up on his screen: landing protocols initiated.

At the same time, the computer alerted everyone else, announcing automatically from speakers that ran throughout the ship, “Landing protocols initiated.”

Kir appeared first, standing in the doorway, “Zev…? Why are we landing?!”

Lyris joined soon after speeding back out of her room. She didn't have time to concern herself with the fact that Kir was finally awake. As if Kir needed an echo she asked, “We're in the middle of nowhere. Where are we landing?

Zev was already mashing buttons frantically on the console as he tried to regain control of the ship, “I would also like to know this.”

“Aren’t you the one flying the ship?” She asked sarcastically, but her voice was dripping with concern.

“Something is overriding the controls and forcing us to land, but to the best of my knowledge there’s not even a planet in this sector.”

“Well, run a scan. There must be something out there.”

“I’m completely locked out, Kir,” he said in a serious monotone, finally turning to look at her. “We should prepare for the worst.”

Turning slightly, she called out to Lyris and Harrison, “Strap in! We’ve got trouble!”

Harrison finally stepped out of the Captain's Quarters and joined the others. “What's going on? The Empire found us already?”

Waking came slow and easy for Kir. It wasn’t sudden or startling, there was no immediate sense of impending doom that had her stomach curdling with anxiety. She took a deep inhale, and exhaled with a yawn as the world came back into focus. The blankets were gone, but she wasn’t cold. In fact, she wasn’t alone either. That realisation brought the previous day flooding back into her sleep-addled mind. Meeting Harrison, the escape, meeting the others and stealing a ship…starting a rebellion with Harrison.

Harrison.

She smiled softly to herself, remembering their talk the night before when she’d joined him. All at once she put the pieces back together: she wasn’t alone in this bed. Kir cracked her eyes open, angling her head just slightly and looking down the bed at their bodies making almost every possible point of contact. They must have gravitated toward each other in the night, but she couldn’t say she felt the least bit uncomfortable. If anything, she’d slept better than she had for the better part of a century. Sleep was finally more than just a respite from the horrors of her wakeful hours; it was relaxing and rejuvenating and safe.

Harrison had a peaceful night's sleep. It was actually the most peaceful sleep he's had, ever. The dream he had brought him so much joy and peace. He was in college, but it wasn't his college. He realized he wasn't himself and the college he was attending wasn't on Earth. He was on X'hondria. He was Kir. He was experiencing her time there. He was walking in her footsteps, experiencing her experiences. She was so happy. He realized that she was studying to be a Historian and wanted to preserve her people's heritage and artifacts. It was amazing. It really did feel like he was re-experiencing his own life, but it was hers. He hadn't imagined they had this much in common. It made sense why they were able to connect instantly, X'honnar aside.

He awoke with a smile, but also a sombering sadness. This was the life Kir lived before she was taken by the Empire. He turned his body to look at her, giving her the warmest smile he had. “Good morning. You look like you slept well.” He was going to give her and this galaxy their lives back.

Kir brought her gaze and her smile back up as he spoke. This would be a memory she kept close to her heart - the peace, the warmth, the sleep-rough sound of his voice. She liked him more than she had been initially willing to admit, but the question that lingered in her mind when she thought of it dragged her back to her time as little more than an imperial concubine, and further still to the man she had once promised to share her life with before they were separated during the invasion. What if he was still alive? She was hardly the same person she had been a century ago. It seemed almost impossible to think about rekindling that relationship even if she did manage to find and free him. And Harrison? It seemed impossible to think of separating from him. She’d never even performed a X’honnar with her intended life partner, but she had with a human she’d just met. To sever a connection like that, if it could even be done, would be nothing short of devastating, but she would feel obligated to if they decided to go their separate ways. Could she even bring herself to let him go with grace? She’d never even thought to ask him if there was someone he loved back on earth. She reached up to scrub her face, trying to clear the swirling thoughts with it. Wakefulness brought nothing but a flurry of doubts.

“Yeah,” she finally answered, nodding a bit against the pillow. “I…don’t think I’ve slept like that since before the invasion. I think I might have invaded your space in the night. Sorry… I guess you make a pretty good teddy bear. How about you? You seemed pretty sound asleep.”

Harrison just realized their comforter was on the floor. There was nothing separating them but their clothes and even that failed as a barrier as their minds touched through the night. He noticed the crinkle in her forehead that she tended to have when she was deep in thought before she tried to wash it away. The sight elicited a small chuckle from him only because he could tell whatever she was thinking of wasn't bad. He listened to her and blushed at her teddy bear compliment. He composed himself before answering. “Yeah, I did. You actually invaded my space in more ways than one last night. I was back at the University, but on X'hondria. I was you. You were so happy and it made me happy seein—experiencing you in that way and realizing how much we have in common. Studying society and history. But also… I want you to have that again. That joy, that peace, and doing what you love.”

Kir’s eyes widened a bit, her expression lighting up again, and she rattled off an explanation almost immediately, “X’hondrian culture has a long, rich history that goes beyond even the split that separated the Serennian and X’hondrian tribes. It takes decades to learn all of it, and the mastery of both modern and archaic dialects from X’hondria, Serenfolia, and our mother world. I wanted to become a Sage - I think the closest thing Earth has is a tenured professor - but they get to dedicate their lives to research and are considered foremost experts in their field of study. While I had finished my initial coursework, I still needed a few decades of study under a Sage before I could even begin to head up my own research and hopefully earn my own title as a Sage. It was like…a very, very long internship assisting with research led by a mentoring Sage. I spent a lot of time doing tedious archival work, honestly, but I didn’t mind. Fieldwork was always exciting, but the archives held quite a few interesting artefacts. You would love the archives. It’s just building after building chock full of boxed up history.”

She got him so well. He loved boxes of history. The way she lit up speaking about her world and field of study warmed his heart. He couldn't help but smile the whole time she was talking. “My father and I were professors as well, though I never made it to tenure. Spent too much time in the field than in the classroom. I always felt like I learned more and could teach them more if I was out there in the field learning new things.”

“Well, perhaps when all this rebelling is over you and I can go back to doing what we love,” Kir suggested. “X’hondria will have to be rebuilt, and I have no idea how much of our culture remains preserved in the archives or in the minds of the surviving X’hondrians. Perhaps, if you don’t have anything immediately demanding your attention back on Earth, I can convince you to stick around out here a bit longer and help me with the resettlement and restoration effort.”

It seemed silly to propose such a thing so soon. He knew next to nothing about her people or their world, but she wanted to give him a reason to stay. It was selfishly motivated; she knew she was appealing to the adventurer in him purely to get what she wanted, and maybe also trying to get a feel for what he might have left behind. If nothing else, it was an invitation meant to express her interest in staying together for as long as he wanted to. While he might be able to return to Earth, she doubted that was a possibility for her and so whatever time they did have together after the rebellion would have to be spent somewhere else. Besides, she couldn’t just disappear to Earth to be with him. She had a responsibility to use the knowledge and expertise she had to help the X’hondrians recover their identity as they forged a new path forward.

Harrison was gifted with a treasure beyond what Kir could imagine with what she asked him. She really trusted him to help her with the resettlement and restoration effort of X'hondria. More than that she wanted him to stay with her. He hoped he wasn't reading too much into that. “I would love that.” Harrison finally said. “I didn't have anything going for me back home besides the hero gig. I honestly wasn't expecting to go back.”

Harrison could imagine it now. He now had something to look forward to after the whole rebellion was over. Spending time with Kir on X'hondria and exploring the galaxy, discovering civilizations and finding treasure. His heart beat faster and louder than it's ever done. Even in one of his fights on Earth. “I don't know if I'm excited or having a heart attack, but thank you. I haven't looked forward to something this much in so long.”

She didn’t know whether she should feel elated or sorry for him that there was nothing back on Earth beckoning him home. If she could just return to X’hondria and resume her life, she would without a second thought. Then again, she recognised the limitations of her understanding of Earth. All she knew of it was from the books they allowed her, and the steady diet of media that included everything from movies to music. She’d never experienced it herself, never had the chance to really study it and know it as she did X’hondria. The selfish part of her was glad he had nothing to return to, though. If he had decided to go back to Earth, she didn’t think she’d be able to stay away from the planet for long; she’d simply miss him too much.

A soft laugh bubbled up as he claimed his heart was racing, though he wasn’t sure whether it was cause for concern or celebration. Reaching up, Kir pressed a hand over his heart, eyes widening in surprise at the fast-paced thumping under the skin. “It’s always amazed me that your bodies function with only one heart… How do you not just drop dead from overworking it? Even right now, just one heart beating this fast seems like it should be a death sentence, and yet there you lie, clearly happy.”

Kir turned her head slightly, a sly grin peeling across her face. She dropped her head back onto the pillow, whispering, “Close your eyes. I think we’re about to be infiltrated by a spy.” Following her own orders, she closed her eyes and relaxed her expression as if still asleep, her hand still resting over his chest as they waited.

Harrison closed his eyes and tried to regain control over the rhythm of his heart, but the fact that Lyris was peeking into their room made it kind of difficult. She thankfully didn't stay long and he released his held laughter, but kept his hand over his mouth. He dropped his hands once the last laugh took its bow. He smiled at Kir before continuing their conversation. “I guess the secret's out. I meant what I said last night. You can sleep here with me every night. As you can see from my actions since we met, we humans lead with our heart rather than our brains. That's why it's our strongest muscle.”

It was lucky Lyris only took a peek. Harrison nearly shook with his stifled laughter, and Kir was almost unable to contain her own. As soon as the curious head ducked back out and the sound of footsteps began to recede, Kir quickly clapped a hand over her own mouth to laugh with him. She curled in a little tighter as the joy spilled out of her openly until she managed to find her own composure again moments after Harrison did his.

“I thought humans led with their stomachs. What’s the saying? The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach?” She teased as she pushed herself to sit up.

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “You got it all wrong. Our stomachs are the ways to our heart. See, it always leads there.”

Noticing the comforter on the floor beside the bed, Kir leaned over Harrison slightly and, with some effort, lifted it with her mind to bring it back up over them. She frowned briefly, realising just how out of practice she was. It wouldn’t be like learning to control her powers from scratch again, but it took more effort to call upon them than it should have at her age.

”How much longer do you think we can drag this out before they come in and make us get up?” Kir asked, stretching back out beside Harrison. She just couldn’t find it in her to get up yet. She was happy right there where the problems of the day seemed so far away they were unreachable. It was like a perfect little bubble of heaven.

“Probably not long,” Harrison admitted. “We should probably start captaining.” As if the galaxy itself heard him, alarms started to blare throughout the ship. “What does that mean?” He asked nervously. He wanted adventure but he didn't want to blow up on the second day, at least not before he got to tell Kir how he felt.

Kir didn’t even get a chance to open her mouth and explain before the speaker chimed with the ship’s automated announcement: “Landing protocols initiated.” She cursed, throwing the comforter off again and springing out of the bed.

“It means we’re landing way earlier than we should be,” she explained. “So either someone on this ship double-crossed us, or something is wrong.”

She didn’t wait for Harrison as she bolted for the cockpit. It was something of a relief to see Zev frantically trying to control the situation. At the very least it meant he likely wasn’t the culprit of any plot against them. Kir stood in the doorway, trying to read the control screen from afar as he worked, “Zev…? Why are we landing?!”

Lyris joined soon after speeding back out of her room. She didn't have time to concern herself with the fact that Kir was finally awake. As if Kir needed an echo she asked, “We're in the middle of nowhere. Where are we landing?”

Zev continued mashing buttons frantically on the console as he tried to change the trajectory of the ship, “I would also like to know this.”

“Aren’t you the one flying the ship?” Kir asked sarcastically, but her voice was dripping with concern.

“Something is overriding the controls and forcing us to land, but to the best of my knowledge there’s not even a planet in this sector,” Zev shot back.

“Well, run a scan. There must be something out there.”

“I’m completely locked out, Kir,” he said in a serious monotone, finally turning to look at her. “We should prepare for the worst.”

Turning slightly, she announced, “Strap in! We’ve got trouble!”

Harrison finally stepped out of the Captain's Quarters and joined the others. “What's going on? The Empire found us already?”

“Dunno yet,” Zev explained. “But someone or something is pulling us in for an unwelcome landing.”

Kir added, “Let’s assume they’re hostile until proven otherwise. We should still be outside the empire, but it’s not like their borders have stopped them before.”

Harrison reached for Kir's hand without thinking. If the Empire found them already he wasn't going to let go of her. He was going to make sure they stayed free. They all prepared for the worst as they were pulled to an uncertain future.

The ship breached something that shimmered as they passed through. A planet materialized into view replacing the dark vastness of space that they were flying through. The planet was lush and full of life. At first glance Lyris confused it for Serenfolia, but it was different. For Harrison it reminded him of one of the National Parks of Earth or the planet itself in the past before it was disturbed by civilization.

The ship was pulled to a patch of land that operated as an open-field hangar and runway. They were forced to land and drop the cargo ramp. Their ship was surrounded and a large shadow appeared at the bottom of the ramp. A projected voice spoke to them in Genspeak from outside. “Your ship is surrounded. We detected an Enforcer and X'hondrian on board your vessel. Release the X'hondrian hostage and then step out with your hands out. If you don't come out we will come in. If you resist we are prepared to wipe out imperial scum. The only reason you weren't blasted out of the sky is because we want to free your X'hondrian. You have ten seconds.”

Harrison didn't need ten seconds. He honestly wasn't thinking. “I'm not leaving her!” He yelled out. “I'm not an enforcer! We're trying to bring down the Empire!” All he got was that they wanted Kir safe like he did and they were against the empire. Whoever these people are, they had common ground and had the resources and technology to hack their ship's systems from the planet. If they believed him they were one step closer to becoming a legitimate rebellion.

“Like we're supposed to believe that. We detect enforcer armor on the ship. Your ten seconds are over.” The voice said before walking up the ramp. She revealed herself to be a gray-skinned woman with red hair and blue patterned tattoos all over her body. She was five feet exactly, but carried herself like a giant. She had a belt around her waist that carried a thousand different things including a dagger, but right now she held in her hand a rather sizable energy cannon and it was aimed directly at Harrison. Then she got a good look at him and her eyes widened with a look of recognition. “Hold on. You're a human?”

Harrison was puzzled by this question. “What gave it away?”

Everything happened so fast it didn’t give Kir even a moment to react. One moment she was marvelling at the lush planet ahead of them, and the next the ship was being forced open and they were given an ultimatum. Even as she opened her mouth, Harrison beat her to it, refusing to leave her as they announced their only interest was freeing her. Had they not noticed Zev and Lyris aboard? Or did they simply not care because Aenids and Serennians weren’t enslaved? Either way, Kir didn’t like that - what if Harrison was an enforcer and had coerced them into assisting him? Would they just ignore their plight? Frowning, she watched the exchange play out between the two, but she wasn’t totally sure if she liked the new direction it could take now that they knew Harrison was human.

Kir squeezed Harrison’s hand gently to give him a small reassurance as she stepped forward and put herself between him and the woman who had boarded, “Stand down. Please. I assure you he’s not an enforcer. His armour is broken and has been since he had the misfortune of finding it. Although his misfortune has been to my benefit. I’m not a slave, and this man is the only reason I’m currently free after I was held against my will on Earth.” She held up her hands and turned her wrists, “I wear no slave bands. Every word he speaks is true; we really are on a mission to overthrow the empire.”

While Harrison and Kir were busy standing off with their would-be captors, Zev turned to lock down the cockpit with a command code he’d installed when he overhauled the computers after they stole the ship. He had a feeling the lockout sequence would come in handy, but he hadn’t expected it to be so soon. As soon as he was done, he turned around to find a woman had boarded their ship with an energy canon pointed straight at Harrison. Zev’s eye widened, and he quickly stepped forward to tug Lyris away from him. The armour would probably protect Harrison, but that didn’t mean the rest of them were safe if it beam reflected within the tight quarters of the ship. Zev was one of many Aenids, and even if he died, his mind and energy would simply return to the mycelium network. Even death for an Aenid wasn’t the end, but Lyris was Serennian. Kir would be devastated if something happened to her, and despite their disagreement on his motives he didn’t want anything to happen to her either. Just as he’d done with Kir when Harrison first stepped aboard, he made sure he was between Lyris and danger.

Lyris was rarely ever surprised by anything, but Zev grabbing her and pulling her away from Harrison genuinely shocked her. Even if they didn't have their conversation earlier she didn't think he'd care about her to grab her before she had the time to fully process everything that was going on and that was saying a lot.

The woman took her time looking everyone over. They didn't seem to be evil or lying. They seemed more confused and worried than anything. Hell, the enforcer and X'hondrian were even holding hands. Though if the rumots of the human male were true she couldn't blame her for falling Stockholm for her slaver. “Broken enforcer armor? Let me see.” She dragged the energy cannon on the floor as she made her way towards Harrison. She analyzed his bracelet and sure enough it was broken. “Hmm. So a human, a X'hondrian, an Aenid, and a Serenian want to overthrow the Empire? With what? This junk of a ship, some broken armor, and a radiation depleted X'hondrian? You'd be dead in a day. But we can discuss that later. For now, welcome to Niðavellir. I'm Astri.”

“I'm Harrison. Wait, Niðavellir? Like from Norse Mythology?” Harrison asked, though it was starting to come to him. It was never another realm. It was another planet.

“Oh, you know the Vikings?” Astri asked, though she already knew the answer.

“Well, of them. They don't exist anymore as a culture at least, but their descendants still do.” Harrison couldn't believe it. Kir wasn't the first alien to land on Earth. He started to wonder how many landed on Earth and started thinking of all the theories about aliens helping with the building of certain civilizations.

Kir had stepped back to give Astri space, but she stayed close beside Harrison. She knew of the Vikings from the history books she’d been provided while on Earth, but there had been no mention of alien intervention. In fact, as far as public knowledge of history was concerned, aliens had never interacted with Earth at all. She knew the likelihood of that being true was probably slim, but she didn’t know when or where it might have happened aside from her own unpleasant introduction to the planet and its people. She wasn’t even familiar with this planet or its people, so she never could have anticipated their influence on Earth’s history and, by extension, its present. Norse mythology was well known and even still respected through religious practices by modern pagans and depicted numerous times in media of all forms.

”You’ll forgive me if I’m hesitant to just accept that your planet is a champion for good, seeking to free X’hondrians. You dragged our ship down by force without so much as a warning, or any attempt at contact for that matter, and demanded they give me up or you’d storm in,” Kir frowned, wrapping one hand around Harrison’s arm to ground herself. “Not to mention Earth has long been touted as a nightmare planet inhabited by a monstrous species - something I have firsthand experience with - and I take it your people had some influence over them in the past, which doesn’t exactly fill me with confidence. My people made the mistake of trusting the empire. I made the mistake of trusting humans. I’m not keen to make another, not when other people now rely on me.”

Zev didn’t relax. If Kir wasn’t sold, then neither was he. He didn’t know exactly how old she was, but he knew she was a lot older than he was and at least as experienced and worldly. She was bound to have good instincts, and he trusted that. Looking down at Lyris, he asked in a low voice, “I don’t suppose you know anything about Niðavellir?”

Lyris looked up at Zev and gave him a slight nod before whispering back to him. “Legends on Serenfolia say they were a highly intelligent and space-faring species. They had a very deep understanding and connection with the stars. They were friends with our mother species but disappeared once the Empire became oppressive. No one's seen or heard from them since.”

Astri sighed before tapping her cannon. “They'd be dead and you'd be with us if we had evil intentions. Though we're not champions for good, we're isolationists now but we do have an ally for good. A pirate that goes around freeing X'hondrians. Considering you're free perhaps you've had a run-in with him. He's another human. Lastly, if I suspected he was truly an enforcer, why would we expose our hidden planet to communicate?”

Zev nodded along as Lyris explained, though his head was turned to watch Astri talk to Kir and Harrison. “Okay, so they were friends back then, but now they keep to themselves and just stay out of what’s going on out there? Can’t decide if I envy them or think they’re selfish.”

Kir’s eyes narrowed a bit at the mention of a pirate. While she hadn’t been directly freed, that chaos of a pirate attack had allowed her to steal a shuttle and escape the ship she was on. If it was true they were allied with pirates, there was a possibility they were one and the same. Still, there were plenty of crews out there and no one had actually sought her out to free her, but then again no one had chased after her either, so she couldn’t really say either way.

“If he was an enforcer, do you really think he’d be flying in this old junker?” Kir pressed. “Better yet, I’d like to know how you can do an isolated scan to pick out an enforcer. They didn’t have that before I escaped, and I doubt the emperor would allow just anyone to get their hands on that kind of technology.”

Zev could see Kir puffing up. She was spooked, and he couldn’t blame her, but Astri was right. She was the one holding an energy canon, so if they wanted any one of them dead, they would be. The stakes were high, and stress was probably starting to uncover the feelings she’d clearly bottled up and ignored for however long.

“Look,” Zev said, stepping forward and placing a hand on Kir’s shoulder so she felt she was protected on both sides, “I appreciate what you’re saying, Astri, but I don’t think you’re making the point you want to make to her. Maybe we can take this conversation somewhere you don’t have us cornered at the end of a deadly weapon? K’s been through enough and you’ve spooked her something fierce. She’s not going to back down until she feels safe, and you’ve already threatened to kill the only person on this ship capable of doing that at the moment. So, either let us be on our way, or let us get ourselves ready and we’ll join you on the ground where we can talk without weapons. That sound reasonable?”

Astri sighed with a nod. She whistled a command to one of her friends. They came in unarmed and grabbed her cannon for her before scurrying back out. “For such an untrusting bunch I'm surprised you all ended up together. But yes, that's reasonable. And to answer the lady's question, my dumbass ancestor made the damn thing. You didn't think the Emperor was actually capable of making it himself, did you?” She left them with that little nugget before turning around and heading down the ramp. She assumed they'd follow. She actually hoped they would.

Lyris wasn't sure how much she could take today. From Zev changing her perception of him in like five minutes and the bomb being dropped that the Dvergar were responsible for the Empire's Enforcer Armors. Now it all made sense. From their technology to them disappearing. They didn't want to risk anymore of their technology or weapons getting in the Empire's hands.

Kir deflated immediately once Astri was out of sight, “I want to go back to bed.”

”Not really an option, KK,” Zev sighed. “Let’s get dressed and get down there before they get any more suspicious of us.”

“Wait-“ Kir paused as she was about to turn back to the room she shared with Lyris. Finally processing what Astri said, she looked back at Harrison, “She said the armour was of Dvergr origin. Maybe that means they know how to remove it… Harr, that would change everything if we knew how to disable and remove it. We could start with taking out the enforcers. Without his army of puppets, the emperor would be a sitting duck. Everyone, get dressed. We’re about to go get some answers.”

Fuelled by a new determination, Kir disappeared into her shared room and pulled out a fresh set of clothes before shoving the rest of her things in the trunk she’d cleared out at the end of her bunk. She hadn’t totally decided what to do about her things if she did start sleeping in Harrison’s room regularly. It made more sense to keep her stuff in there, but then again that wasn’t settled and she’d have to talk to him about it later. At the moment, she was much more interested in establishing why their ship had been pulled out of the sky. Surely they weren’t the only ship to have ever passed through carrying an X’hondrian. So, were there others on Niðavellir? Not only that, she wanted to know everything they knew about the enforcer armour. If they couldn’t remove it, at least knowing something about the weaknesses would be worthwhile.

Lyris disappeared into the shared room with Kir. A lot was happening at once, but she couldn't get her mind off of what happened that morning. “After we get all of this sorted out you and I are gonna discuss you and Harrison's sleepover.” She said as she walked over to some of Kir's newly bought outfits. “Do you mind if I borrow something? I didn't really bring anything with me.”
Kir tried to ignore the comment about being discovered in Harrison’s bed. She thought about shooting back with a retort about it being rude to spy, but she didn’t want to sound snippy about it. She turned a little further away from Lyris to hide whatever flush might have crept up, and offered, “Take whatever you think might fit. The crew’s stuff is still here, too, so you could try rifling through to see if you can find anything serviceable.”
Harrison entered the Captain's Quarters to change into his clothes. Everything was really starting to feel so real now. What were the odds this would be their first unintentional stop on their grand tour of the galaxy? A race of brilliant people connected both to Earth and the enforcer armor. Just what exactly was this little trinket attached to his wrist? He didn't know how he was going to tell Kir that he didn't want to remove it. He did initially when it first bonded to him, but now it just feels like a natural part of him. He understood her fears and honestly was a bit worried about the empire controlling him, himself. But maybe the Dvergr could prevent that. But there was more to it than that. The trauma that the armor and the enforcers inside them brought her and the people of the galaxy. Yeah, a rebel enforcer sounded good in theory, but what if it was actually a nightmare in practice?

Zev was the first to appear in the crew lounge to wait for the others. He hadn’t needed to change much to be ready to go. Once he checked that the ship was locked down still, he’d returned to the kitchen while he waited to eat what was left of the wilted greens he’d been munching the night before. Kir followed shortly after in a new getup that was so blatantly X’hondrian he almost laughed. It might not have been traditional, but the colours were certainly pretty close and so was the silhouette. She’d stick out like a sore thumb if she kept dressing like that. Then again, maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing. Such direct defiance of the emperor was bound to instill some hope and rebellious sentiments. A free X’hondrian was going to stir the pot, and if she dressed like one that would only strengthen the appearance of her resistance.

”You okay?” He asked her gently.

”Honestly? No, but I don’t have the luxury of a breakdown right now,” she admitted.

“Well, you’re gonna have to unbottle all of that eventually. You can’t keep it in forever. It rots from the inside,” Zev pointed out.

”I’ll cry when the rebellion is over,” Kir stated, ending the conversation there as she turned her back to him to start corralling her hair into a braid.

Zev shook his head slightly, muttering under his breath, “I don’t think it will wait that long.”

Lyris stepped out in an outfit similar to Kir's. On first glance people would probably mistake them for sisters. “So we're all freaking out, right?”

”Yeah,” Zev nodded in agreement. “Can’t say I’m thrilled to have been dragged down without any communication whatsoever.”

”I’m trying not to think about it too hard. I’m just focusing on the answers they might have for us. If the Dvergr invented the armour, surely they can help us stop the enforcers,” Kir said confidently.

Harrison came out of his room with an outfit that looked like he walked off the set of Star Wars. He was wearing an outfit similar to Han Solo's with a gray shirt instead of white. He had his knife in between his belt and his pants. “I am. This is my first time stepping on a planet other than Earth and its people have already been on my planet. Who knows what they think of me.”

“Careful opening that can of worms,” Zev mused, crossing his arms over his chest.

”While I can’t speak for the Dvergr, most of the galaxy thinks Earth is, well, akin to hell and humans may as well be demons,” Kir stated sheepishly. “I’m starting to believe that was the emperor’s doing, and although my time on Earth was no resort vacation, I don’t think it’s deserving of the horror stories we were all told. Given Astri’s reaction to Harrison, I think there might be a reason. There’s something deeper to it, but I couldn’t say what. It might behoove us to sneak onto X’hondria and scour whatever remains of the archives. They span at last as far back as The Cataclysm that separated the tribes, but it’s the sections that were off limits to all but the Sages that I think might have the information we need.”

“Let’s table that discussion for when we actually get off this planet. We already have enough to deal with being grounded on a planet none of us knew existed before today. I’d like to go on record as saying maybe the Dvergr went into hiding because they can’t do anything about the enforcers,” Zev pointed out.

”Do you always have to play devil’s advocate?” Kir sighed.

”No,” he confirmed unapologetically. “But shame would be a good reason to retreat from everything the empire has wrought on the galaxy, and I don’t want us putting too much stock in their help.”

”They don’t strike me as cowards,” Kir frowned. “Not after the way they greeted us. I don’t trust them by any stretch of the imagination, but I also don’t think we should underestimate the knowledge they might possess that could help us get a leg up on the empire. The odds aren’t stacked in our favour, so we’re going to need all the help we can get.”

“Well, we're not going to find anything out standing around and discussing it.” Harrison finally said. “Let’s get going, but keep your eyes peeled for anything suspicious. We're going in blind here. They haven't attacked us yet, but they're still in control here.” He walked over to Kir and reached his hand out for her to grab. No matter what awaited them on this planet he wasn't leaving her side. He meant that.

Kir didn’t hesitate as Harrison reached for her, gravitating back to his side and slipping her hand into his. It was a curious sensation. The average human body temperature was nearly ten degrees lower than hers, and the skin of his hand felt cool to the touch. Nodding quickly to Harrison, she glanced over at Lyris to make sure she was ready to go, too.

Lyris nodded and started down the ramp first. If an ambush awaited them on the other side she'd at least be able to let the others know and set up some kind of defense.

“The sooner we get down there, the sooner we get off this planet and I’ll feel a lot better once we’re outside the atmosphere,” Zev agreed, abandoning his snack to join Harrison on the way out.

Turning back to look at Harrison as they walked down toward the cargo ramp to exit the ship, she frowned for a moment before speaking in his mind, ”You’re right to be cautious. We aren’t in control here, and they clearly seem to subscribe to the ‘shoot first, ask questions later’ philosophy. We need to be careful about you speaking for me. They’re clearly not going to trust you as easily as I did, and they might see that as an exertion of control over me rather than understanding how our minds are linked now. In fact, it might be best if I create a link between the four of us - not as deep as you and I, but enough to give us a way to communicate without the Dvergr hearing, especially if this goes badly and we somehow end up separated.”

Harrison wasn't even aware Kir could create multiple mind links with multiple people. She impressed him more and more by the minute. “You're right, to both. Though, I think you should warn the others first.”

It had been a long time since Kir last flexed her powers, but she could already feel the subtle extrasensory feeling of her mental abilities getting stronger. As shielded as most ships were from the radiation in space, there was still enough that leaked through for her to absorb and begin her recovery. She was certain she could link up easily with Lyris, but Zev would be a challenge. Aenids had a unique mind because they were so interconnected with a network of every other Aenid mind. She didn’t know much about it, but she was aware they were one of very few species who could resist X’hondrian telepathy naturally without any specialised training.

”Zev,” she called out before hitting the bottom of the ramp. When he turned to look at her curiously, she tapped her temple and nodded toward him. Understanding what she meant, he nodded back in affirmation. With Lyris already gone speeding off to scout ahead, Kir didn’t have a chance to ask her properly, but she trusted the Serenian would let her in without considering it much of an intrusion.

Pressing her mind out, she reached out for Lyris first and entered her mind before linking it to hers and Harrison’s. Zev had already opened up his mind to her by the time she tried to connect with him, making the final link much easier.

”Everyone should be mentally linked now,” Kir announced to them all.

“I hear you loud and clear!” Lyris projected into the link chat as she stepped onto the ground. She ran forward to see the Dvergr lined up in two columns, one on each side of the ramp. Astri was all the way at the end of the presented pathway. No one seemed to be presenting any malice. It was almost as if they were honoring them.

”That was smart. I didn’t know you could do that, Zev commented as he stepped onto the ground finally.

”There’s a lot of things X’hondrians don’t broadcast about their powers, and for good reason,” Kir responded, stepping down with Harrison just behind Zev.

Harrison walked out to see the two groups lined up. He felt like he was being led into a palace or Hollywood premiere. All that was missing was the red carpet. This was completely different from the vibe they were getting from Astri earlier.

Even Zev hesitated at the change in their welcome. He cast a glance back at Kir and Harrison as they caught up with him, ”It’s not just me, right?”

Kir glanced over at Harrison and then Zev with a look of confusion, ”No, we can both see it, too. They’ve completely changed their tune. Not sure how I feel about that, but it looks like the only way is through so let’s not give them any more reason to get suspicious again. They seem just this side of trigger-happy.”

As they continued down toward Astri at the end of the walkway, Zev stayed close to Kir and Harrison. If nothing else, they’d be harder to separate if they stuck together. Between the three of them, they could probably hold their own well enough to get back to their own ship or steal another. At the very least, they’d be a thorn in the Dvergr’s side, but he was hoping it wouldn’t come to that.

Astri saw the last of them exit the ship. She took particular notice of Harrison and Kir still holding hands. Those two really were attached at the hip. She propped a stick of candy in her mouth that was a mix between a cigar and a tiny branch of wood. She nibbled on it before yelling out to the group with the candy strangely never leaving her mouth, “Took you long enough! Well, you coming or what!?”

Astri led the group down the path until they reached the entrance of a cavern. There was a long hall-like path that had lanterns hanging from the ceiling. The Dvergr all followed them inside, but kept their distance so that they wouldn't spook their guests. Astri decided to ask some questions to break the awkward silence as they walked. "So, how'd the four of you end up traveling the stars together? And what are your names? Only Harrison introduced himself while we were still aboard the ship."

Harrison spoke up first since the journey started with he and Kir. "I was an archaeologist turned superhero after discovering the Enforcer bracelet in a dig on Earth. My country's government asked for my help with Kir, but instead I helped her escape after realizing they've been keeping her prisoner. We escaped using her old ship, but they did a number on it so we needed a new one. We went to the nearest outpost. We split up after selling the ship. Kir went to find us a ship and ended up finding our pilot as well, but I'll let them explain more about how that went down. Then----"

Lyris cut Harrison off as he was getting to how they met. "Then I saw this guy and thought he was an easy mark and a fake Enforcer. I'm Lyris by the way. He was selling Kir's slave bands and wanted to buy her the most beautiful bracelet I've ever seen to replace them. I knew that he wouldn't be able to without blowing his cover so I stole them for him."

"While also trying to steal my money," Harrison added.

"I wasn't really going to steal his money." Lyris corrected. "It was all part of my plan to join him and Kir. We met up with them at the ship that you forced us to land and the rest is history."

Astri nodded as she listened to them all. They were freshly drawn together, but still this close and dedicated to each other. They were definitely outgunned and unprepared, but they had the makings of a force that wouldn't be broken or separated by anyone or anything. Not even the Empire. "An interesting bunch indeed." She said, still chewing on her candy cigar.

Harrison had a question himself. "You said the pirate that you work with is a human. Who are they and how'd they get up here?"

Astri stopped for a second and turned around to face them. "As much as I'd love to tell you, I can't. It's not my story to tell. But I'm sure you'll meet him soon enough."

Harrison started to do the math in his head. "Wait. He's still alive?"

"Oh, yeah. Not even time can kill that cockroach." She answered before turning around and continuing down the path.

There was light up ahead showing that their destination was close. Astri stopped when she reached an edge that revealed an entire civilization within the main chamber of the cavern. It was as large and as intricate as a metropolitan city. Buildings hung upside down like stalactites. There were Dvergr walking on air with anti-gravity boots. There was a river at the bottom that spread throughout the chamber's floor with buildings, trees, and other flora all around it. "Welcome to the real Niðavellir." She said with a smile before pressing her fingers against the tunnel's wall in a certain pattern. Stairs of stone protruded from the wall beneath them giving them a way to walk down to the base of the chamber.

Nerves gave way to vigilance; a hyper-awareness of not just the movements of the Dvergr closing ranks as they descended toward the cave, but the emotional energy around them. There was tension, but not animosity. There was no sense of ill-intent to them, and yet Kir still felt uneasy. Perhaps it was stubborn tug of X’hondrian ethics - their long neutral, pacifistic culture had bred a sort of revulsion to modern weapons, and here she was surrounded by the sort of thing that could likely turn a living being into little more than a pile of ash. She tried not to make a face at the thought; it wouldn’t help to offend the Dvergr right off the bat with her own distaste. The little voice in the back of her head that liked to play devil’s advocate reminded her that she might have to learn to swallow violence with a straight face if she wanted to facilitate a rebellion.

Kir shook the thought away for the time being and tuned back into the conversation as they followed Astri, delving into the darkness of the cave. She blinked as her eyes adjusted to to low light. She had almost forgotten that X’hondrians were adapted to live in near-total darkness. Of course, their eyes could adjust to light - a necessity when much of their time was spent in amongst the other species of the galaxy. The military base they’d built to hold her back on Earth had almost never provided the right environment for her - harsh fluorescents eventually gave way to even harsher LED lights, and she had long given up trying to convince them to adjust the conditions of her containment after years of complaints falling on deaf ears. It was perhaps as much an experiment as it was a form of torture to gauge her response. Yet another reminder of just how young and naive humanity was still.

The lanterns that hung along the passage spilled over with cascades of bioluminescent plants that scattered the shadows into darker corners. Others grew along the walls, their glowing roots curling carefully through carvings in the wall to depict intricate, sprawling designs. It was obvious the Dvergr intentionally married form and function into a thing of clever beauty.

Kir’s eyes traced the designs on the way, only barely listening to the conversation again as she was reminded of her home. The darkness of the planet had almost necessitated the evolution of natural luminescence. Plants and animals both sported their own versions. Even the X’hondrian’s themselves were dappled with patterns that were unique to the individual - even in total darkness, an X’hondrian could recognise their loved ones by the dapples of light on their skin.

Though the designs were unfamiliar and the plants wholly unknown to her, the similarities to her home were unmistakable. A sense of ease worked its way through her, relaxing her anxieties far more than anything else had since their ship was forced to land. Mentally cataloguing each carving they passed as they walked, she compared them to X’hondiran designs. She was first and foremost a historian; she couldn’t help herself as she sought meaning in everything she saw.

Zev watched her for a while; she looked more in her element than he’d seen her since they met. Lyris was busy holding most of the attention as she introduced her story which Zev took as his cue to quietly nudge Harrison. He nodded toward Kir as she scrutinised one of the root systems growing along the wall.

For a moment longer, he watched her before calling her back to reality, “S’pose we all came together in our own way, but I think Kir is the really the glue that holds us together.”

Hearing her name, Kir turned her focus and realised she hadn’t been listening. She was grateful for the low light hoping it hid the way her cheeks flushed blue with embarrassment.

“Sorry, I was busy admiring the craftsmanship of these carvings,” she admitted sheepishly. “It reminds me of home. What were you saying, Zev?"

“Nothing important. I bet the view gets better,” Zev teased lightly as they seemed to approach the end of the passage.

The cavern walls opened abruptly to a much larger chamber where their real artistry showed itself. Technology designed to work with nature in facilitating an advanced, cave-dwelling civilisation. It was a marvel of engineering. Kir’s eyes widened as she took in the buildings that had been built down from the cave ceiling. Walkways passed between the hanging structures and even across to the structures carved into the walls.

“This is incredible,” Zev commented, sounding genuinely impressed. “Talk about an impressive defence system.”

Kir was stunned silent. She wished she had an archival core and a recorder tablet. She wanted to document everything and send it home to the X’hondrian archives. What an addition it would be! But…the archives were likely either gone or catastrophically damaged. She tried not to think about that loss of thousands of years of history and documentation, instead focusing on the stairs that began to slide out of the wall to provide a path down to the bottom of the cavern.

Normally, she wouldn’t need stairs. Even with the limitations imposed by the metal in the slave bands, levitation was still possible even if full-fledged flight wasn’t. She could have floated down, but Earth had starved her so completely of the radiation her body needed to function properly, she doubted she could even manage to slow her descent if she stepped off the edge. Kir peeked over, pressing her lips together in a thin line as she considered it. It would be a taste of freedom she hadn’t had in so long, but it wasn’t worth the risk. Space was full of radiation, but even what she’d been able to absorb during their short time away from Earth likely wasn’t enough. Stepping back, she sighed and resigned herself to walking down the stairs with the rest of them.

“You okay?” Zev leaned over to ask.

“Of course, yeah,” Kir lied with a smile. “Just admiring the view.”

Zev didn’t believe her, but didn’t press further. It had been a long day already and it was only getting started. Instead, he asked Astri, “So, Kir obviously isn’t the first X’hondrian you’ve helped. What happens to those you’ve freed before? They can’t exactly wander around the empire freely.”

Harrison turned to Zev when he nudged him and then to Kir to see a version of her that he had yet to see, except only in their shared dream. She was mesmerized and felt more in her element than she's been in the past century. He couldn't help but smile at the thought of her beginning to feel happy and at peace again. The Dvergr may have not been the best at first impressions, but they knew how to make a lasting impression. He turned his attention to the real Niðavellir, as Astri had called it, and couldn't believe his eyes. He had never seen anything like it. Well, that wasn't technically true. He had only seen it in a cartoon series that he watched growing up. In the show there was a group named the air nomads who lived in temples just like this. Considering that the Dvergr used to be space nomads the similarities between their cultures were glaring.

Harrison agreed with Zev though. He couldn't imagine that they would've ended up together without Kir. She was the one who found Zev when stealing them a ride and Lyris was only interested in him when she saw the slave bands he was selling and the bracelet he was eyeing for Kir. Honestly, with the galaxy hating humans the way they do he wasn't sure if he would've made it out of the space station if he had come out here without her. Especially not with her knowledge and help to understand how everything worked out here. He hoped she understood just how important and special she is.

Astri turned around to face the group to answer Kir's question. She was happy to see that they were becoming more comfortable with her and her people. "Some have become pirates to rescue other X'hondrians, but most have made themselves at home here. Come, I'll introduce you." She turned and continued down the steps and saw a blur whiz past her, noting Lyris's excitement. When they made their way to the cavern floor the group would find their own anti-gravity boots prepared for them, each of them having a pair that would fit the size of their feet. Astri had requested the sizes a head of time after meeting them and waiting for them to exit their ship. Astri already had hers on.

This was the first time since they landed that Harrison let go of Kir's hand. He continued to marvel at the scenery around them as he put on his anti-gravity boots. He knew that he shouldn't still be shocked by the technology of the galaxy, especially after finding out that the suit he was wearing was ancient alien technology, but anti-gravity boots was an incredible find for him to the point where he forgot that he didn't even need them. He could already fly. Astri laughed at this fact before reminding him. He tried to recover from this embarrassment and act like he didn't forget at all. "I just really like how they look with my new outfit."

Lyris ran around the base of the cavern city trying to find a home or building that housed X'hondrians, but couldn't find anything on the floor. Then it hit her. She remembered their ability to fly and figured they likely would live in one of the buildings on the ceiling. She looked up and saw one that simply gave X'hondrian. She sped back over to the group and grabbed Kir's arm and pointed in the air at the building she spotted. "Look Kir! They're really here!"

The promise of meeting other freed X’hondrians was more than Kir could have hoped for when they left Earth. Part of her had hoped, of course, but she was cautious not to get ahead of herself. Even now, she worried what she might actually find. She doubted it would be a trick or a trap at this point, but her mind conjured imagined scenarios that spiraled into worse and worse fictitious nightmares.



Lyris zipping past with a rush of wind trailing behind her helped Kir bring her focus back to what was right in front of her, what was real and in her control. She almost complained as they got to the bottom of the stairs when Harrison took his hand back. Kir swallowed it, though. It was ridiculous for her to cling to him like a security blanket. If she wanted to, she could have rendered the mind of anyone who threatened them permanently incapacitated. She didn’t need protection.



Looking at the boots laid out for them, she watched for a moment as the others strapped themselves into theirs. They were clunky things – effective, quite likely even efficient. The blocky look was perhaps more a culturally relevant design choice rather than a matter of the technology lagging behind sleeker, more modern devices, but it didn’t stop her from having to carefully set her face into a placid expression to avoid curling her lips with displeasure. It wasn’t that she didn’t like them or found them abhorrent in any real, tangible way, but more that the idea of needing such a device made her feel distant from herself. It felt like a failure, a personal betrayal of her own body. Kir hesitated for a moment before shaking herself out her head again. She couldn’t seem to stay present since arriving. Too many things were happening all at once: the terror of the forced landing, the confrontation with the Dvergr, being forced the face the toll captivity and slavery had taken on her physical body, the possibility of meet other X’hondrians who could have been in either worse or better condition and she couldn’t decide which outcome she preferred because of how she would compare it to her own.



Harrison jumped right in, of course. It was funny to watch him forget his own abilities. The armor could fly, but his attempted recovery made it all the more endearing. He was so excited for the experience it didn’t matter that he could fly already. He wanted to experience Dvergr anti-gravity boots for himself. It was admirable - or maybe a better word was inspiring – the way everything in the wider galaxy was new and exciting to him. He was like a child experiencing the world for the first time, learning and growing, though perhaps not quite so infantile and worrisome. If anything, she felt like the child grasping at the barest shred of security.



As Lyris finally rejoined them, her futile search finally reminding her of X’hondrians’ capabilities, Kir found herself tipping her own head back to look up at one of the structures build into the ceiling of the cavern. It was similar to the others, but there was a clear architectural influence that was obviously not Dvergr. There was that and the pinpricks of alabaster against the dark stones like stars or angels moving around, ducking in and out of the openings.



That was just the motivation Kir needed.



Finally, hesitation became action. With a stubborn scowl, she inhaled slowly. It took concentration and far more effort than it should have, squeezing her fingers into her palm until her nails dug in painfully before her feet lifted just off the ground. Exhaling, she smiled triumphantly. It would be difficult, and she doubted she could maintain the levitation for very long, but it was something.



“I’m fine without the boots,” Kir announced as she swayed unsteadily above the ground.



If she’d considered it much longer, she would have done the polite thing and stayed with the others, but she’d waited too long already. Her wellspring of patience had finally run dry, and she darted upward. It was an unsteady flight like a child taking their first steps – thrice he nearly lost control and started to lose altitude before catching herself and sweeping back into an upward arc. As she neared the top, she caught her lip between her teeth and whistled a four-note greeting.



Much like Kulning, a whistle carried much farther and louder than a shout or telepathy. While X’hondrian’s had excellent night vision, even it had limits. A whistle could tell others where you were, who you were, if you were injured, or simply call children home from play. Families has a melody that was passed down generation to generation that formed a foundational part of their connection to identity from a young age.



The sound bounced and echoed off the cavern walls, amplifying and dissipating as the building above seemed to spit out a few dozen X’hondrians. Shouts echoed down unintelligibly, but a few whistled responses rang out as Kir tried to close the final distance between them. She could feel the last of her energy draining, but she thought she had enough to get there.



She didn’t, and as she started to lose altitude, she realized she couldn’t slow her descent, either. She began to panic as she felt several pairs of hands lift her back up – several of the X’hondrians having dived in to save her.



“You’re okay. We’ve got you,” an older woman assured as they brought her up to the edge of the building and gently planted her feet on solid ground again before the others began to crowd around to get a look at the newest X’hondrian refugee among them.

The echo of repeated greetings and welcomes was almost overwhelmed as she looked through the crowd for any familiar faces. There were enough X’hondrians when the empire invaded that it was impossible to know everyone, but know? Who knew how many still survived? It pained her to find nothing but strangers, even though no X’hondrian was truly a stranger - just a distant friend you didn’t know well. It was a way of thinking that led to greater empathy and solidarity, but also greater collective trauma and grief. Looking past the overwhelming mass of bodies now, she searched for the familiarity of Zev, Lyris, and Harrison.

Harrison's eyes followed Lyris's hand as she pointed up at one of the buildings on the ceiling. He noticed the differences between it and the others. Was it truly possible for other X'hondrians to be here and for Kir to meet them again after so long. A thought of concern and fear crept into his mind. What if she met them and didn't want to leave here ever again? He wouldn't blame her. Despite the cold welcome they received from the Dvergr this planet felt like paradise and now she didn't have to scour the galaxy to find her people. They were already here. Not all of them, but who knows how many the Dvergr and their pirate friend had rescued all this time? And if Kir wanted she could join them on their endeavors in freeing other enslaved X'hondrians and have a home base that was hidden from the rest of the galaxy. They could finally live in peace and not risk her life or theirs by taking on the Empire directly. Harrison was starting to convince himself that this was the best choice for Kir and was starting to drown in the fear of his thoughts.

No... That wasn't right. Even if this is what Kir wanted, it would be her choice and from what he knew of her already she wouldn't be the type to just give up when she already made her mind to put an end to the Empire's reign of terror.

Harrison watched as Kir began to levitate for the first time in who knows how long. In that moment all of his fears washed away and were replaced by joy for her to experience this again even if it was a difficult adjustment from the lack of radiation that powered her abilities. He smiled at her and asked Astri how to activate his anti-gravity boots. She showed him how and once he activated them he followed Kir into the air. He listened intently to the tune she whistled and could feel her glee from here. She was ready to reconnect with her people so he gave her her space. That was until he saw her start to fall. His eyes widened before he muttered to himself, "Forget these boots."

He called on his ability to fly and jetted into the air after her, but stopped when he saw a group of X'hondrians come out of the building and help her. They really were here and didn't hesitate at all to help one of their own. He couldn't believe his eyes. He recalled the dream that he had the night before and a tear fell from his right eye. Kir wasn't home yet, but this moment made it feel like she was.

Harrison continued his flight path when they brought Kir to the edge of the building. He hovered above the assembled group when he arrived and searched for a place to safely land. Once he did he gave them a warm smile and said, "Thank you for helping Kir'ion. It's an honor to meet all of you."

Lyris watched the whole thing and knew that Kir was going to be okay. There was no way Harrison would let her fall anywhere but into his arms. She put on the clunky anti-gravity boots before running up the wall of the cavern until she reached the ceiling and sped across it until she reached the X'hondrian building. She dropped from the sky in a somersault, activating her boots on the way down so she could gracefully float down onto the platform. The Serenian had to make sure that she gave her species' cousins a great first impression after not seeing each other for so long. She couldn't believe she was meeting this many free X'hondrians in just two days. If she had any doubts about the prophecy being true they were all gone now.

Zev watched the way Kir lit up with every step further into the Dvergr caverns. It was beautiful to see her lost in the moment and totally unaware of what was happening around her - a moment of freedom from vigilance and anxiety - but it was also tragic. It would be short-lived; he had no doubt she wouldn’t choose to stay here even if the Dvergr’s home offered her safety and stability. It wouldn’t be enough to satisfy her, and if there really were other freed X’hondrians there, he had a feeling it would only strengthen her resolve to do whatever it took to bring down the empire.

He slowed down to stay a few steps behind the others partly just to watch Kir’s reactions, and partly to have some privacy as he dragged his fingers over the mycelial roots that clung to the stone walls. Zev - and every other Aenid pilot - had no idea this planet existed because it didn’t connect to the Universal Sclerotium Root Matrix. Something about this planet or perhaps some Dvergr technology had severed its connection, and in a way that was good. It was untraceable; as far as the Aenid were concerned, it simply didn’t exist. He had a feeling they’d be back, though, and they needed to be able to find it next time. As his fingers made contact with the root systems he passed, he could feel the connections like a neural network that wrapped around the planet. Comparing the shape to a void in the Root Matrix to find it fit perfectly like a puzzle piece.

Bingo. Next time they wouldn’t be stumbling across the Dvergr on accident.

He caught up to the others at the bottom of the stairs, finding the perfect line of anti-grav boots somewhat amusing. Zev watched Astri help Harrison with his, and mirrored that on his own boots. He looked up just in time to see Kir shakily rocket off, concern rising in his chest. Harrison was off first, trailing after her to give her space, and Zev and Lyris weren’t far behind. He caught up to Harrison quickly, ready to jump in if Kir couldn’t make it on her own. There might have been a small competitive streak in him as he hovered alongside Harrison.

He saw her fall one last time, and before either he or Harrison could act, the X’hondrians had swooped in to save her. It was a relief, but he would never admit he was a little disappointed to be robbed of the opportunity to save her himself. Maybe next time.

As they all touched back down in the X’hondrian building - Harrison with a bit more grace then he did, and Lyris with far more style than either of them - the excitement around them was palpable. Every X’hondrian was rushing to the entrance to see the newest arrival, all clamouring no doubt with hopes that it was someone they knew. He could only imagine the joy of those reunions.

While Harrison was busy ingratiating himself with Kir’s people, and Lyris was reconnecting with those of her sister tribe, Zev felt a little out of place. Still, he waded in with a smile and started greeting.

Kir, on the other hand, was a little overwhelmed. Finally, the elder X’hondrian that had pulled Kir from peril stepped in, “Ka’illit have mercy… Give them some air!” Turning to Kir, she smiled with soft warmth, and took her hands, “I’m La’ala a Par. And you are…?”

“Kir’ion a Ka’ilit.”

La’ala beamed, looking both surprised and joyous at the name, “Welcome daughter of Ka’ilit. It’s not home, but it is safe.”

“Thank you,” Kir said tearfully, her voice little more than a strained whisper. “How many of us are there?”

“Including you, just shy of four dozen here. Another dozen or so that spend months away trying to free others,” she said proudly.

“Are there others out there?”

“Ours is the only colony of freed X’hondrians that we’re aware of, but it’s not impossible,” La’ala sighed.

“It’s better than nothing,” Kir nodded, understanding. La’ala nodded in return, understanding the disappointment. It clearly wasn’t the first time she’d seen it.

Kir hesitated, but La’ala was patient like she knew the question she was afraid to ask. She looked back at her companions all mingling with X’hondrians on their own, her eyes lingering a little too long on Harrison, and a small smile curling the edges of her lips as she watched the Serenian practically bouncing off the walls with excitement.

“…My family?” Kir finally asked, her voice coming out smaller than she had intended.

With a sigh, La’ala shook her head sadly, “None of your clan have made it yet. I’m sorry.”

“It was a long shot,” Kir accepted, trying not to deflate.

“Why don’t you rejoin your friends?” La’ala suggested. “We’re long overdue for a celebration, and I think we have just the been given the perfect opportunity. A daughter of Ka’ilit has been returned to us safely, after all.”

Kir laughed a softly under her breath and nodded. She tipped her forehead against La’ala’s in a customary parting gesture before slipping away to rejoin the group.

Reappearing between Zev and Harrison, she tugged them both closer to announce, “I hope you’re okay with sticking around for a bit because you guys are in for a real treat. They’re throwing an X’hondrian party.”

Harrison felt surprisingly welcomed among the X'hondrian colony. He was glad that a human managed to come out here before him and give the rest of humanity a good name compared to the nightmares told to children throughout the galaxy. But it also seemed deeper than that. It felt like they were looking at him with a look of recognition. Like they had seen him before or someone who looked like him. He shook the thought out of his head as nothing more than just him overthinking. Maybe they were just fascinated by the idea of seeing another human after so long. It still amazed him that one was able to come out here so many years ago and became a freedom pirate. With Earth's history, and especially America's that was the biggest surprise to him.

He wanted to ask about their liberator, but they came to him with questions instead. "You did a X'honnar, didn't you?" An elder male X'hondrian asked him as the others gathered around to listen. "In all my years I've never seen it done with another species and a human no less. You must have an extraordinary mind."

Harrison felt like he was being examined like one of his artifacts or a skeleton at a museum. "I don't know about that. I was a historian, archaeologist, and professor back on Earth, but I learned most of what I knew from my dad."

"It seems that you're a X'hondrian in all but name, my friend." The Elder said with a smile. "Tell me, what was it like to experience a X'honnar as a human?"

"It was like nothing I've ever experienced before. It was like traveling back in time and through space to be part of someone's history. I felt connected to Kir in a way that made it feel like we were the same person. I felt her joy, her pain, her everything. I felt her. Beyond that, it's phenomenally indescribable."

While Harrison was discussing the X'honnar with the elder, Lyris was conversing with her sister tribe and showing off her special ability. They then went off to a corner where Lyris revealed who she was to them and the prophecy she was following and praying to fulfill. Their pale cheeks lit up upon hearing the prophecy as if the fire of hope was lit inside them. After they discussed that Lyris asked them about their time here and what it was like to live with the Dvergr.

Harrison couldn't help but smile once Kir returned and announced to he and Zev that they were staying for a X'hondrian party. "I love a good party." He answered with a smile.

“What’s that phrase…?” Kir paused thoughtfully, “It’ll be a hoot and a holler?”

She felt a tap to get her attention and pulled back from Zev and Harrison to find a couple of X’hondrians with Astri. They gave her a long look up and down, their expressions tight with masked concern, “We’d like to see to your health first.”

Kir looked down at herself for a moment, but there was no way for her to see what they were seeing without a mirror. She’d barely glanced in one since Harrison helped her escape, but maybe it was time to stop avoiding the reality of the situation. She wasn’t near death, but she certainly wasn’t in full health, either. She could barely fly a few hundred feet - there was no question she was radiation-starved. She looked back at Zev an Harrison hesitantly.

“Go on,” Zev nudged her. “It can’t hurt to get checked out by someone who knows what they’re doing.”

Kir hesitated uncertainly for another moment before turning to follow the three as they took her away from the X’hondrian settlement and deeper into the cavern’s structure. Her anxiety rose as they got further and further away from the others, but eased some when they explained that their sun didn’t produce enough radiation to properly sustain the X’hondrians in the city, but deep below the surface they had discovered an ancient geologic formation that although it decayed over time, produced more than enough to heal malnutrition. Small pieces of the deposits had been turned into jewellery for the X’hondrian refugees - it was virtually harmless in such small amounts, but the larger deposits used to healing acute radiation deficiency was too dangerous to be moved, so instead they moved the health facilities for the X’hondrians to that lower level.

———

By the time they emerged from the depths a few hours later, Kir felt like a whole new person. She felt more alive than she had since her homeworld was invaded. The bioluminescent spots that dappled her skin like a galaxy of scars and unique like a fingerprint in humans had lit up again. Another bracelet hung on her wrist next to the one Harrison gave her with a small gem of the glowing ore faceted in the centre.

As the ascended through the halls and passages back up to the main cavern, the beat of drums vibrated through the rock. Cresting the edge of the last passage into the main cavern, X’hondrian music echoed from a central plaza that seemed built for just these types of celebrations. Dvergr and X’hondrian alike had gathered to enjoy music and food and dancing.

As Kir moved through the crowd, she could see costumes at the centre - dancers dressed in the best approximation of traditional clothing that could be assembled without the use of the customary materials endemic to her home. Still, the stars in her cheeks glowed brighter with excitement.

Nearing the centre of the festivities, he felt herself suddenly yanked out of the crowd. She almost shouted until she turned to find La’ala looking pleased to see her.

“I’ve been waiting for you to turn up,” she explained with a wide smile. “Quickly, come with me. Let’s get you dressed before you go out there.”

“Dressed?”

La’ala looked her up and down, “I think you’ll fit in some of my old la’at.”

“Old? You mean you have original…? How?!”

“I was living off-world and advising on fine textile production at the time of the invasion. I gathered up every piece of cultural importance I could carry, and fled further from imperial reach. I moved around a lot, but I preserved our heritage by doing so,” La’ala explained.

———

Kir finally joined the party late, but looking like a true X’hondrian. Though the clothes were old, they weren’t outdated - X’hondrian fashion was one rooted too heavily in tradition to make drastic changes even across centuries and millennia. The fabric was nearly sheer, but the volume of gathers provided coverage. The hemline was weighted with silvery embroidery dappled with pinpoints of glass beading that looked like the flow of foamy ocean waves lapping at her ankles. A hooded mantle clasped at her neck and and trimmed with fur helped complete the look. La’ala had helped her gather her hair into two thick braids adorned with ribbon that looked like the light of the Aurora Borealis was woven into them. She jingled softly with the metallic ring of stone-beset bracelets and anklets clashing together with every movement. She looked like a princess - the only thing missing was a tiara.

Every footfall was featherlight, like she was walking on nothing. She couldn’t stop smiling now that she had full control of her levitation back.

La’ala guided her back to her friends, but paused before leaving, “I’ll let the other elders know you’ve made it. They want to announce your freedom and honour your arrival.”

Kir nodded understandingly before turning to Zev, Harrison, and Lyris.

“Wow,” Zev sighed with wide-eyed admiration, “You’re glowing. Literally. Feeling better?”

Kir smiled shyly, “Better than I have in a long time.”

“You look fantastic,” Zev added.

“It’s a traditional ceremonial dress. La’ala let me borrow hers,” Kir spun to give them the full 360-degree view. “I haven’t worn one in so long. It feels…good. It feels like home, even if this isn’t X’hondria.”

Harrison couldn't help but endearingly laugh at Kir's use of Earth phrases even if no one really used those words in that context anymore. He was looking forward to seeing what a X'hondrian party would be like and loved the excitement that it brought her. Before they could continue the conversation any further they were interrupted by Astri and a couple of X'hondrians. When he saw her with them talking about her health it finally hit him how differently she looked from the others due to her lack of radiation. The contrast was fairly noticeable, but he didn't realize how drained she was until he was able to compare her to the others.

Harrison nodded after Zev urged her to go through with it. "It's been so long since you've been somewhere that knew how to properly care for you."

He watched as she left and looked around awkwardly, unsure of what to do. The party wouldn't start for a while and who knew how long it'd take Kir with the others. He decided he was going to explore the rest of the cavern city himself. He turned to Zev. "I'm going to do some exploring. It's not every day you get to sightsee in Niðavellir."

---

Harrison flew around the buildings hanging from the cavern's ceiling. It amazed him how much they were able to build down here. He couldn't believe he was able to witness this as a human. Norse mythology was just that, mythology, but there was some truth to it. What people believed to be gods and other supernatural beings were aliens who existed in our very own galaxy. If he were able to return to Earth after defeating the Empire he wanted to be able to bridge the gap between humanity and the stars, but he didn't trust the governments back home after how they treated and essentially enslaved Kir. If they knew there was technology and civilizations like this in outer space there was no doubt in his mind that they'd try and become a second Empire and probably would be worse. The thought saddened him. Humanity could rarely agree on anything, if at all, but he knew they'd agree if they perceived the people out here as their enemies. Before he revealed any of these civilizations the Earth would need reformation. But that was a whiles away and he rather focus on one problem at a time.

He was hoping to catch a glimpse of the human freedom fighter but he was nowhere to be found. Maybe he was off-world freeing more refugees. Harrison was disappointed but accepted that the pirate's work was more important than having a conversation and telling his history. The stars were aligning already so he was sure they'd cross paths soon enough. Maybe even while trying to free the same vessel. The thought of that excited him, but was careful not to get his hopes too high.

When Harrison heard music playing in the distance he took it as his cue to make his way back to the party.

---

Harrison joined the party but was a bit saddened to see that Kir hadn't shown up yet. He hadn't expected them to take this long and started to wonder about what they were doing to her. He didn't think that it was anything nefarious. Everyone here felt genuinely happy and full of life. Two different people were living in harmony on a planet hidden from the eyes of the stars. Their start here was a bit rocky, but he could tell that this place was genuine. It made him believe that it was possible for the galaxy to share in this joy and harmony one day.

Kir's arrival left Harrison speechless. He thought she was beautiful before, but she was truly stunning. He finally mustered up words. "Y--you're stunning." He stuttered barely able to get the words out. "I've never seen a dress or a woman so beautiful." He said, recovering from his embarrassment. "After they honor you would you like to dance a X'hondrian dance with me? I should be able to keep up thanks to our X'honnar."

Kir felt more beautiful than she had in a long, long time. She felt comfortable in traditional X’hondrain clothing. It felt right, like that belonged on her her. She had missed the finely woven cloth that made la’at move like waves over the body, the way the weighted hem provided just the right drape to obscure the body beneath despite the thin layers of nearly-sheer fabric. She missed the heavy, hard wearing everyday garments decorated with fur and beads and embroidery and woven trims - the shades of blue and silver and white that made up the core of X’hondrian colourways. And, perhaps, she was just vain enough to bask in Zev and Harrison’s fawning. She didn’t quite feel wholly herself again - in truth, she wasn’t sure who that was now - but she could feel herself on that path of discovery, taking small steps toward a new understanding of herself in the wake of all she’d experienced.

She was a little surprised at Harrison’s suggestion of a dance, but she wasn’t going to turn down the offer. When was the last time she’d danced as a pair? It must have been before the invasion with-

Clenching a fist into the fabric of the dress, Kir willed the thought away. She nodded to Harrison, keeping her smile warm and happy, “I would love that.”

The crowds around them swirled and swelled with excitement - everyone loved a good party, and what better reason to celebrate than the liberation of another X’hondrian? The sudden reconnection with her culture and her home almost made Kir want to stay, to settle and never leave, to just forget the rest of the galaxy and grab ahold of the peace that existed there.

Almost.

Seeing her people also fanned the flame of determination in her chest. They deserved more than this. The drums they beat sounded foreign to her ears, the instruments to warm and woody. Where were the flutes made of Garrok bone? The drums made of hide stretched over metal with their tinny thump? The resonance of Ka’ara ribs strung with gut string perfectly bowed in time with the beat? The Dvergr instruments could play the songs of the X’hondrians, but they sounded wrong. It was’t bad, per se, it was just not right. It was different. It lacked the right tone to express the depth and emotion of traditional X’hondrian music. It did spur a curiosity to hear Dvergr music as it was likely better suited to the instruments, but what it truly did was remind her that someone had to liberate all of X’hondria and restore her people to their rightful home world.

As if hearing her thoughts, one of the elders stepped up above the crowd at the centre of the plaza and raised his hand in a gesture that beckoned silence. The X’hondrian’s fell quiet in respectful obedience and whole area became hushed.

“Friends, neighbours, liberators,” he started, voice loud and resonant, “The freedom of each and every X’hondrian here is worth celebrating. We are ever grateful for the hospitality and protection the Dvergr have provided, but these things are not why we celebrate today. Today, a daughter of Ka’illit is returned to us!” A cheer went up in the crowd of X’hondrians.

While not every family line stemmed from a member of the Venerated, those who did were granted a sort of respect that was unique. However, with that status came a level of responsibility and expectation that others didn’t carry. Perhaps it was her family legacy that pushed her to take on the empire herself, or perhaps that was just who she was, but either way Kir intended to follow through with it or die trying.

“Rise, Kir a Ka’illit, and be honoured as the first free child of our Venerated forebears,” he called out. Kir took her cue to levitate just high enough for her shoulders to rise above the rest of the crowd, and the people parted to allow her a clear path to the centre. When she joined the elders, the speaker took her face in his hands and bowed her head to press their foreheads together. “Welcome home, child.”

Kir blinked back teary eyes as they stood together, waving to the crowd as they cheered excitedly.

“Let us honour the Light Bearer of Hope!” The elder called out, and the beat of a new song filled the cavern. It told the somewhat mythologised story of X’hondrian origins and the Venerated Light Bearer, Ka’illit, from whom Kir was descended.

Instead of returning to Harrison, she stepped down amongst the dancers to join them while reaching out for him mentally, ”Come join me!”

This was a dance she knew well - nothing could wipe the way it was ingrained in muscle memory. It was one of the first she learned as a child, and although she performed it rather clumsily in her youth, decades of practice had given her time to perfect the light step. Normally, these dances were performed over a shallow pool of water, and the aim was to step so lightly you didn’t disturb the water, but without that it was more about not disturbing that filled the cracks and crevices of the stone streets. As she waited for Harrison to join her, she performed solo, her arms moving with the grace of water as she swayed gently into a spin that made her la’at fan out in a circle around her calves to expose her decorated ankles. It was bliss to dance again of her own volition - not as a slave performing, but as a free woman choosing her own path forward.

Harrison loved watching everyone dance and celebrate. The dance and the music reminded him of home. Of the different cultures he learned about and experienced in his travels who all had their own ways of celebrating and playing music. The drums especially reminded him of the ngoma drums of Uganda and the djembe of the Madinka people. If he were to be honest watching all of this was starting to make him homesick and he felt sick at the thought. Kir had been away from her home and her people for one hundred and fifty years and was just now able to celebrate finding a small population of them and here he was having lingering thoughts of home only a couple of days into their trip.

He shook his head. It was okay to miss home. It wasn't like he was planning to return anytime soon. He didn't really have anything to return home to. He felt... No, he knew that he had a much bigger purpose out here in the stars. Earth didn't need him. He could help them more by learning everything he could about outer space and making it a safer place for them to travel to when the time came. He also didn't want to leave Kir's side. He wondered if it was the ritual that made him feel that way or was love at first sight? He never believed in it. He thought that it was only a thing in books or movies, but when he saw her in that government facility he knew that he would do anything for her.

Harrison beamed with joy as they honored and welcomed her before everyone returned to dancing. He felt her touch in his mind before he heard her voice and nodded as he approached the dance floor. He awkwardly positioned himself next to her and began following the steps. He had never done this type of dance before, but as he moved it was like he knew every step he should take. He danced awkwardly at first, but it didn't take long for him to gain his rhythm and flow with the others. He loved this. He loved feeling part of a community and this moment of freedom. He wanted this moment to last for as long as it could because he knew that soon they'd have fewer and fewer moments like this as they fought against the Empire.

Lyris approached Zev and watched the two dance with the others. She looked up at him before turning her attention back to the celebration. "You know, this is almost a marriage ceremony in X'hondrian culture. They could tell they were connected by X'honnar and wanted to honor that for them. You should still join in on the celebration and have some fun while we're here." She waited for his response before gliding across the floor to join in on the dance. She may not have been able to float, but her steps were so light and graceful that for a moment it seemed like she could.

It was beautiful. For the first time in over a century, Kir actually felt free. Truly free. Despite the best efforts of the empire, X’hondria lived on in her people. Though they hid in the shadows for now, they hadn’t forgotten their home or their traditions. She felt alive again. It was a joyful experience she hadn’t expected to ever have again.

She could feel the quiet sadness roll off of Harrison as he watched the crowd. It was understandable, and although she didn’t let it dampen her mood, she also didn’t dismiss it. He was so far from home in territory yet uncharted by human beings. She understood it was overwhelming to both miss the place you came from and all the memories, and also look to the stars with all the new opportunities they offered in wonder and excitement.

The melancholy seemed to lift from him when Kir beckoned him to join her. It hadn’t yet dawned on her that he would know all the same dances she did; she had expected to guide him through it with laughter and stepped-on toes. She had given him every experience, every shred of knowledge she had from her long life, and he had become X’hondrian in everything but birthright. He stumbled at first, of course, because although the muscle memory was there, it wasn’t hit and it took a moment to integrate. Kir made simpler, more deliberate movements to ease him in until his body caught up to his mind.

“You’re a better dancer than I expected,” Kir teased with a playful smile.

Meanwhile, Zev looked on in both pride and disappointment. Lyris joined him, voicing the very sentiment that echoed in his mind. It was all a beautiful display, but Kir and Harrison at the centre of it was as clear a sign as any. There was no separating those two; they were bonded for life.

“Yeah, I gathered as much,” Zev replied, trying not to sound dejected. He’d helped get her here, back to her people and to a place that could help her heal from years of neglect. This was all good - he knew that - but it was still hard to let the most impressive, ethereal being he’d ever had the pleasure to know slip through his fingers. “As long as she’s happy and safe, it doesn't really matter who she loves. She’s too special to mope about. I still get to be her pilot, and that’s something no one else in this burgeoning revolution gets to say.”

If nothing else, Zev took pride in his work, and if it meant he got to be a part of dismantling the worst empire the galaxy had ever seen, then that was something truly special. The thought was already rolling around in his head: what next? Kir had promised to free Serenfolia first, but how were four grossly under-equipped outlaws supposed to free an entire planet? They hadn’t exactly talked about it, and there was no way they could just bust down the doors and demand freedom. The empire would just cut them down and go back to business as usual.

His spiralling mind was interrupted by Harrison and Kir rejoining them from the dance floor. The song had ended, and they had stepped away to greet their friends.

Kir was practically beaming. A wide, happy smile curled from ear to ear, “It almost feels like home. Ka’ilit willing, we’ll dance under the black sun again soon. Tomorrow the real work begins, but let’s just enjoy tonight first. There will be many long, difficult days ahead, I think.”

Zev let out a chuckle in disbelief. She always seemed to know just what to say, and when she snuck him a little wink he knew it was because she’d felt his anxiety rise. It wasn’t invasive, it was just the empathy of a good leader, maybe even a great one. The fact that he’d doubted her for even a moment now seemed silly.

A new drumbeat started, one that was older than X’hondria itself, from before the sister tribes had been split escaping their dying homeworld. Kir seemed to light up even brighter and dropped Harrison’s hand to grab Lyris’ arm.

“Let’s show the boys how it’s really done!” She gleefully exclaimed as she dragged Lyris to the dance floor.

Lyris was glad that Zev was able to find comfort in the situation. She'd be lying if she said she didn't understand how he felt. She was just better at hiding it. She saw the same thing in Harrison when they first met, but from the bracelet he wanted to get Kir and the prophecy about the two of them she knew she'd be fighting a battle that she was doomed to lose. She tried to convince herself that she didn't want to be in a relationship and when she left home that was true, but she had missed being connected to others in her solitude. But right now she had other priorities. She needed to help them fulfill the prophecy that her family had held onto for generations and save the galaxy that she called home. A relationship could wait. She didn't need anyone or anything distracting her.

There was no resistance from Lyris when Kir dragged her to the dance floor. As the two connected with each other through the rhythm of the drums the thoughts that the earlier conversation conjured washed away. Right now she was at peace while also feeling a little homesick. She loved being part of this X'hondrian moment. It reminded her of how their two worlds were once connected. She wished they had been able to stand up against the Empire after they began to enslave X'hondria, but the Empire had their foots on their necks before they could even try. They knew they couldn't fully conquer the planet, but they could intimidate them with fear and try and destroy their past. But what they couldn't destroy was hope.

The party continued throughout the night and into the early morning. It only ended so that their guests could get some rest from their journey. Astri provided a place for the quartet to stay while she went above ground to work on their ship. She added the same camouflage technology that hid her planet as well as putting the planet's coordinates into the navigation system so that they could always return there if ever need be.

Harrison didn't get much sleep and instead wandered around the cavern. He kept thinking about the human who had been helping them. There was someone from Earth who had been out here for at least fifty years. It honestly didn't make sense to him. They didn't have the technology on Earth that long ago and how could someone that old still be leading the charge against slavers of X'hondrians. He was really disappointed that he wasn't able to meet him at the party, but maybe they'd cross paths one day in the stars. He wanted to hear all of his stories.

Astri returned to the cavern to see Harrison up and walking about. "Couldn't sleep, huh?" She asked, chewing on a new stick of candy.

Harrison nodded. "After the night we had, how could I? It helped put in perspective what we're fighting for."

"You all really do insist on taking on the Empire with just the four of you?"

"Yeah. Well, at the start. Rebellions start small before they grow. They're built on hope and that's what we plan on giving to the galaxy. Even if it costs us our lives."

"You're mad, you know that? But I like that. You're going to need weapons on your mission. You're going to need me."

Harrison was shocked by her proposal. "Wait. Really? You want to join us?"

"Why not? I have nothing better to do. But you're going to need a new ship. I may be small, but so's your ship. Now it feels like I just did those upgrades for nothing. Though it could always be part of your fleet."

"A fleet? Wait. What upgrades?"

"Just camouflage and the coordinates for the planet in the nav system. Come with me. I'll show you something."

Harrison followed Astri up to the surface where next to their ship was a much larger vessel. He was surprised to see a ship of this magnitude, but didn't want to voice it.

Astri knew what he was thinking though and clarified things for him. "This is the ship our ancestors came to Earth in. We keep maintenance up on it just in case we ever have to have another mass exodus, but with you four planning to overthrow the Empire we felt like it'd be put to better use with you. You can fit your ship inside and use it as a shuttle. What do you think?"

"Zev's going to drop spores when he sees this." Harrison said with a laugh. "We'll take it."

The party raged on as the music continued to echo through the cavern well into the wee small hours of the morning. X’hondrian parties were like that; they required much less sleep, which meant their parties could functionally last for days. That said, not everyone could party like an X’hondrian, so they decided to wind things down with enough time for the various residents and their new guests to get some sleep before a new day dawned.

Kir and Harrison didn’t even make an effort to sleep in their own rooms despite being offered. The group said their good nights, making loose plans to to start their mission in earnest come sunrise before Zev and Lyris disappeared into their own quarters, and Kir and Harrison eenie-meenie-miny-moed to decided which one they’d sleep in together.

It took a while to actually wind down from the party. The thick stone walls provided ample sound dampening to allow a normal conversation without disturbing their crewmates, and well placed textiles and art helped prevent the sound from echoing within the room. For a while, they just talked, debriefing about their journey so far and Kir shed some light on the dances and traditions on display at the party. Kir felt at peace again. Her body was finally healthy once more, and being able to immerse herself in her people freely had relit the spark in her. She was reminded why she’d taken a path of study focused on the history and culture of X’hondria, and the pre-colonial people they had come from. Eventually, though, the excitement waned and the exhaustion of a hundred years settled over her once more. They decided to call it a night and curled themselves into each other in the bed carved into the wall and lined with so much plush cushioning, you’d never know the bed was stone.

Kir slept like the dead that night. Exhausted and more at peace than she had been in a century, she actually slept restfully. Even with Harrison’s restless turning and eventual exit from the bed altogether, she didn’t stir. Without the extra warmth of his body beside her, she merely burrowed deeper into the blankets until she was fully cocooned in soft warmth.

When the lights did finally rise outside the window to herald the new day, she was slow to rouse. They were already a couple of hours into daylight and the cavernous city was once again alive by the time she blinked into bleary wakefulness and began to put herself together again. She was glad she’d mostly abstained from drinking or she feared she might have had the mother of all headaches to try and work through.

She found a fresh set of clothes - something reminiscent of X’hondria with the sensibilities of the Dvergr’s artful utilitarianism. Wearing blue again felt freeing in itself. Blue being such an important part of X’hondrian cultural iconography, it had been virtually banned from their wardrobes after the invasion. If you can’t kill the people, you kill their spirits, their culture. It felt defiant, a first act of the true rebellion to wear it now.

Outside, the X’hondrian sanctuary was bustling with life. Everyone seemed busy with their own goings on, but not to busy to stop and greet each other in passing. Not to busy to notice her standing awkwardly in the passage and give her a kind acknowledgement.

La’ana appeared as if summoned, beaming once again, “I take it you are well rested. Kir nodded a sheepish response. “Your friends are already on the surface inspecting a new ship, I believe.”

That sparked a new wave of excitement in Kir, and she immediately lifted off the ground and zipped through the cavern, past the well-worn flights of stairs and up to the surface. The sun was shining; it was a beautiful day, almost as if the whole of creation was blessing their endeavour with good fortune. She smiled, touching down lightly into a perfect stride as she followed the call of Harrison’s mind toward a truly massive ship.

Looking up at it, she was awestruck. It was practically large enough to serve as a colony seed ship. As with everything the Dvergr seemed to make, it was as beautiful as it was functional. Sprawling knot work of dragons and serpents and birds accentuated the lines of the ship. It shone like polished silver in the sunlight. If she didn’t know better, she could have imagined this as the ship for an imperial noble who spent most of their time away from home either on the core imperial planet or going between worlds to conduct business. Either way, it was palatial. She could feel the others were inside, and made her way past the ship they’d come in on and into the main hold of the larger ship. Her head was on a swivel as she picked her way around cargo being loaded up and a few engineers seemingly performing final maintenance checks as if it were about to take off soon. As she finally managed to find the others up on the bridge - a dome-shaped space with 360-degree views - it finally started to sink in. This was about to be their ship.

Zev noticed her first, teasing her with a playful look “There she is! Sleeping in like a little princess.”

“You try getting rest in the turmoil of captivity. I think I deserve to sleep in before we embark on this undertaking” she quipped back, but there was no bite to her words.

“Well, you’re not gonna believe this: we’re getting a new ship,” Zev was almost vibrating with excitement.

“It can’t possibly be this one,” she replied, crossing her arms, “It’s massive! Way more than the four of us need.” Kir looked at Astri curiously, hoping to be caught up to speed on what she’d missed.