ThatDeercat

Home Is Where The Starship Is

“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.”

Home Is Where The Starship Is

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.”

Home Is Where The Starship Is

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.

Home Is Where The Starship Is

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.”

Splintered / Reflections: Near Future sci-fi with human, anthro, and other species characters and mecha.

Thanks, @Rhona W! Take your time!

Splintered / Reflections: Near Future sci-fi with human, anthro, and other species characters and mecha.

I’m definitely interested! I prefer small groups like this, and the concept is a really original take on the alien empire invasion genre. I’ll have to read more about the species you’ve listed later (I’m about to hop on a long flight, sorry!) but I’ve already got a character turning in my head from a TTRPG campaign I got booted from before it started. :)

Home Is Where The Starship Is

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!?”

Home Is Where The Starship Is

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.

Home Is Where The Starship Is

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?”

Home Is Where The Starship Is

Kir smiled, puffing up a bit at the affectionate praise for the clothes she picked. Compared to Zevrath’s disingenuous-but-playful flirtations, Harrison’s did seem far more heartfelt and meaningful.

“I’ll be there in a minute,” she nodded. “I hope you like them. I might have taken a bit of inspiration from the adventure movie franchises I remember you like,” she added, referring to his love for Indiana Jones and Star Wars.

Left alone with Lyris, she was relieved to see their sisterhood hadn’t been lost to time or crushed under the oppressive bootheel of the empire. Her posture softened as their greetings passed. Lyris was a special name, but without the rest of her epithet it lacked the whole meaning. If she wasn’t giving it, Kir assumed there was a reason. All of them probably had their own secrets, things they kept to themselves for safety or whatever other reasons they might have. If they stayed together long, perhaps the trust built would lead to revelations, but for now she decided to leave it be. It wouldn’t benefit either of them if she were to pressure Lyris to reveal more than she was ready to.

“May Ka’illit’s eye watch over you,” she finished their formalities when Lyris introduced herself.

They had so much to talk about. Kir still hadn’t had a chance to catch up on what had changed in the past five decades. How much had the empire spread? How was X’hondria? And the X’hondrians - how did they fare? And Serenfolia, for that matter? She had so many questions, and she hated feeling so deeply uninformed about the whole galaxy, not to mention her own home, her own people, and the people of her sister tribe. Of course, Lyris didn’t start there. Then again, Lyris had no idea how out of the loop she really was.

“Oh- Oh, no, you have it all wrong!” Kir spluttered. “We’re not- It’s nothing like- I mean, he just helped me escape imprisonment on Earth!”

Smooth. Real smooth, Kir, she thought to herself.

“It’s just that after he rescued me, he would have been a fugitive no matter where on Earth he went,” she clarified, as if further explanation made it any less obvious she was flustered by the very mention of them sharing any romantic feelings. Blue tinged her cheeks deeper as she spoke, “And I promised him I’d help him find a way to disengage the enforcer bracelet. It’s broken, but it’s still fused to him. The galaxy is a big place; surely someone has figured out how to remove them without killing the host by now?”

Around them, the ship whirred to life. The cargo ramp lifted and closed, sealing them in as the ship lifted off. Zev’s voice came over the speakers throughout the ship, “We’ve got clearance for take-off. I think we’ve dodged suspicion, but I’m gonna punch it as soon as we’re clear of the station. Hang tight. Next stop Villo.”

Another relief. Still, their luck had been too good up to that point. Something had to go wrong somewhere, and although Kir didn’t want to borrow trouble, she worried about being too complacent. She frowned but turned her attention back to Lyris and opted to change the subject away from her affections toward Harrison.

“Tell me about Serenfolia. How does she fare? And your people?” Kir asked, her tone heavy with concern.