Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Kishikata no Eos ❯ Rescue ( Chapter 11 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Kishikata no Eos

Chapter Eleven -- Rescue

"Any sign of them?" The Princess hovered over a poor ensign who was trying to hack a communication channel that bore a common smuggler signature. The young woman couldn't have been more than seventeen which most likely made this impromptu mission on the SLS _Hermes_ her first non-training assignment. Having the Princess not less than a foot away didn't seem to be making things any easier.

"Ma'am, you might want to take a look at this." Kis called across the bridge, She tapped a panel for emphasis. While the first officer was certain the Her Highness had the best intentions in mind, she probably didn't realize that she was making the decryption go ten times more slowly just by standing there.

After a final glance at the decryption attempts, Rini stood beside the tall athletic blonde. "What's this?"

"Remnants of an escape pod. Looks like the fuel cartridge ruptured just after takeoff," Kis mused quietly. "No DNA scans corresponding to either of our two, but that pod is common on merc shipping vessels." She drummed her fingers lightly on the console, a relatively calm reaction compared to the Princess' audible humming and pacing.

"Ma'am?" Both the Princess and Kis turned at the formal address, prompting the ensign to tremble. Attention definitely made the poor thing jumpy. "There's an odd signature coming from the Ieraz belt. The encryption seems to be based on a Lunar algorithm, but the frequency is definitely one that's used on a merc ship." She swallowed hard, trembling as Kis approached her.

"Baby girl, no one is going to bite your head off," she began gently, ruffling the young woman's blue curls. "If you're saying that it's in the Ieraz belt, then that's close enough to warrant a more specific scan." She reached down and transferred the data from the newly-found wreckage to the ensign's post. "Run me an analysis on that, and get me a theta-correlation plot between that, the frequency you just found, and a standard Lunar distress frequency." The ensign nodded, breathing a quick sigh of relief as she began to run the algorithms.

Kis ducked out, offering the Princess a brief nod and salute as she left the bridge. She took the lift a few levels down, striding into the galley with a no-nonsense air. She stopped briefly at one of the panels, ordering herself a large glass of fruit juice before continuing to the back of the room. Captain London sat with a morose expression on his face, a small and highly illegal device in his hands as he nursed a cup of something that smelled strongly of Jack Daniels laced with a minute amount of coffee.

"So, found anything else about that ship that Ili described?" She'd handed London the specs she'd gotten from her interrogation, sacrificing one of her uniforms in the process. The energy signature had been programmed into the ship's computer prior to leaving the spaceport, but she'd taken wicked delight in throwing a slightly sweaty tank top of hers at London and declaring that there was his data for the search and rescue.

"Go away... ma'am," he added gruffly, the title tacked on as an afterthought. "I'm busy." He fiddled with the knobs, tapping at the crystalline screen as he tried to get the scanner to pick up the signal.

Kis ignored him and perched on the edge of the table. "You know you aren't supposed to have one of those," she noted with an air of amusement. "Portable hailing devices don't belong on Lunar Navy ships."

"It's not a portable hailing device," he sneered as the display jumped to life. "It's a grave robber."

One of Kis' blonde eyebrows shot skyward at the name. "Excuse me?"

"A grave robber," he repeated, keying in the current coordinates of the _Hermes_ and her standard signatures. Grubby fingers were surprisingly deft and accurate, and the smell of whiskey belied unusually adept motions. "Smugglers use it to find abandoned ships and crash sites to raid. By the time the ships emit enough of a radiation signal for this to pick up the signal, they're usually-"

The first officer cut him off sharply. "Right. Well, you're the one whose ass is going to get hauled out to the Thillacrin belt if we don't find them in a satisfactory amount of time," she threatened. "So call your toy another name and keep looking." With a swift, fluid motion, she snatched up his coffee. "And if I catch you drinking on this ship, I'm gonna keelhaul you in deep space. Got it?" She received a grunt in reply, which was satisfactory considering London's personality. She'd kept calm throughout the entire search and rescue mission, refusing to call it a 'recovery' and opening admonishing anyone who referred to the mission as such. London had received his fair share of wrath from the Princess, but Kis had yet to give him an earful of how she felt about his inability to keep a watch on the Guardian. She scowled back at him, visibly upset. Breandon was her friend, not simply an escort for an important member of the extended Lunar family, and she had made it known within hours of departure that she held him personally responsible for bringing them back alive.

And here he was, spiking his coffee and using prohibited equipment to scan the region for wreckage. Emptying the contents of the cup in a nearby plant, Kis was on her way out just as a low-pitched hum resonated from the corner of the galley.

"Still gonna keelhaul me?" London shot a cocky grin from where he sat, the display flickering vivid blue and yellow. "There's a decaying signal that's coming from an asteroid cluster within range of a shuttle." He paused before sliding his boots off the table and standing up. "I've got one fuelled and waiting, if you'd like to join me."

Kis barked a laugh before swiping the device out of his hand. "I think I'll go solo. Besides," she noted with a wink. "You're drunk. I'll take care of the recon personally."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Breandon led Dawn out of the airlock, bouncing slowly across the deserted surface of the asteroid. Linked to the crew of the _Basilikya_ by EVA cord, the group made their way to the cutter. The trip up to the spaceship was brief, a slight jolt of engines to break free of the low gravity, then gentle manoeuvring to dock. A whoosh accompanied the opening of the airlock to the interior of the ship. Slowly, Rivka, Zehra, Valère, and Athenée filed out. Breandon paused at the opening. "Permission to come aboard, ma'am?"

Rivka also paused, about to leave the hangar. She gazed at the pair for a long moment. "Permission granted. Welcome to the _Basilikya_. Valère, please help them get settled."

The medic gave a slight nod and motioned for them to follow. The ship was decidedly better lit and better maintained than their previous home. Aesthetic, functional, clean... Dawn passed a gentle hand over the walls of the compartment as they walked. Valère finally turned, the corner of her mouth raised in what might have been amusement.

"I gather you've never seen a ship of this calibre?" Amusement tinged her words as the other woman nodded enthusiastically.

"She's lovely," Dawn breathed, currently enamoured with a series of engraved panels. Her fingers traced over what might have been an inscription.

Valère came over and ran her fingers over the panel. "She's only the fourth one commissioned of her type. She's an experimental ship, but we've never had any problems with her." She turned back down the passageway, motioning them to follow. "Your room is this way. I'm actually the science officer, so we're putting you in the rooms that would belong to our medic if we had one."

Dawn hurried up, slipping her hand into Breandon's. "Rooms? More than one?"

Valère laughed a little. "I misspoke; it's a bedroom and a bathroom. On a ship this size we can't really have anything more. Both rooms are pretty large, though. /Suncross /class ships are supposed to have a crew of six, but we only have five, and Paladin. Four, now." Her face fell. "So, like I said, you'll be in the medic's quarters." She waved a hand in front of a gold panel set about shoulder height, and a door slid open. "Here."

Dawn's eyes widened as the open door revealed a modest compartment overshadowed by a large window that took up nearly three-fourths of the wall. A trio of moons hung in the sky as the current focal point of the mural, the infinite expanse beyond making the room appear far larger than it was. "Holy shit," she breathed, not able to take a step forward. "This is amazing. I-wow. Wow. This, this is just... wow."

Breandon pushed Dawn into the room. "Thank you, Valère." He turned and took the science officer's hands. "For everything."

Valère smiled. "I'll leave you two to settle in."

Hands pressed against the glass, Dawn marvelled at the display outside the ship. She'd have to think of a really nice thank-you later, since she doubted one could send flowers or thank you cards to mercenaries. "Bren?" Her breath condensed against the glass as she spoke. "Is there anything more we're supposed to do? Something that wouldn't offend them, of course. I just think we should do more than just trade life debts or whatnot." She finally pried herself away from the scenery. "Not that it's trite, but... am I making any sense?"

He perched on the edge of the huge bed and looked thoughtful. "Well, I'm sure Queen Serenity will want to thank them personally. You're a pretty important person, you know. It's possible you could ask her for some trade concessions or something for them.

"Or you could just ask them how you can help."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Breandon lounged back in the galley chair, one hand curled around the cup of white coffee. "So you were only looking for Valère and Zorya? Lucky for us it was Fehri who kidnapped us." He cocked an eyebrow at Athenée, who looked slightly abashed.

"She wasn't after you," Valère put in, curled up against Zehra's chair and clinging to the dark woman's hand as if she still couldn't believe her good fortune.

Breandon commented, "I remember her saying that. Fehri was only after Dawn?"

Tapping a fingernail against the table, Athenée nodded. "After Kali and Ili flubbed the contract on you, the bounty on Dawn was doubled. But, again after what happened with the _Coqui Malo_, nobody but Fehri was crazy enough to take a contract on a Guardian Senshi. I would have expected you guys to blow her sky high, actually. Remarkable restraint."

Stars slid by the viewport in rainbow streaks as Breandon contemplated that. "You didn't mean that as an insult, I hope."

Athenée's hazel eyes slid away. "Senshi don't have a good rep in our part of space."

Breandon let it pass, intent on other things. "If you don't mind telling me, how did Valère and Zorya end up on the _CopperHawk_, anyway?"

Zehra's hand came down to rest on Valère's hair, and the tiny blonde hid her face in the other woman's thigh. "Zorya was her lover," Valère responded, her voice muffled.

"I gathered that." Breandon was patient.

Zehra took over the tale. "Zorya liked to meet Fehri on Cluster Station. It was on our route anyway, regular stop every four weeks. I don't know how Fehri explained it to her ragtag of a crew. They would meet at a bar in there and go off on their own for hours at a time. Valère ... followed them, one night, and Fehri caught her."

"They were more than just lovers," Valère interrupted, her voice ragged. "They were smuggling Batanai firedrops. Fehri would pick them up on Batana and pass them on to Zorya, who distributed them along our usual route."

Breandon felt his face going pale. Batanai firedrops were deadly jewellery, expensive crystal teardrops filled with a powerful explosive. They couldn't be manufactured, only grown, and only on Batana. Even harvesting them could be deadly. High-class assassins would sometimes coat the crystals with a contact poison or skin irritant, using them against high society targets. Their export was closely regulated throughout civilized space. Queen Serenity had outlawed them within the Moon Kingdom.

Valère caught his gaze and nodded. "Chavi Rivka has a rule, on the _Basilikya_. Nothing dangerous. We don't do anything that would harm people. Zorya ... "

"Zorya didn't care." Zehra's voice was very quiet. "She cared when Valère confronted her with it, though. She holed one of our solar sails and fled to the _CopperHawk_, taking Valère as her hostage. By the time we got the sail replaced, they had a three day advantage on us. We've been tracking them ever since."

"We caught up to them once," Athenée said. "Fehri told us if we tried to board her, she'd shoot Valère. So we had to back down."

A line of tears left a shimmering path on Valère's face. "I tried to run away. After that, she locked me in the infirmary whenever the /Hawk/ made port."

Breandon gazed distantly at the galley wall, unable to look their pain in the face any more. After a few moments, he cleared his throat. "Is ... if there's anything I can do, please ask."

Zehra shook her head. "That's up to Rivka." Her hand moved ceaselessly on Valère's curly hair, back and forth, back and forth.

Dawn had remained asleep for a while longer after Breandon had left, completely oblivious to the beginnings of the conversation in the galley. Sleep had been thankfully dreamless, leaving the Guardian fairly well-rested. Warm, rested, fairly safe, all of the basic needs had been satisfied. Unfortunately, the haphazard hairstyle from a few days past had become a fierce tangle of knots within the course of the nap. Her fingers managed some of the largest snarls, but even after several minutes of such attentions, the unruliness remained. A quest to the bathroom resulted in the find of a wide toothed comb that did wonders, taming the mess into a manageable curtain of auburn. Idly, she combed the waves over her shoulders as she sat at the window.

'How far have we gone?' she mused silently. 'Across a system? Across a galaxy?' For the Guardian, distance meant little. Flying from Tokyo to San Diego had seemed to take forever; with this technology, it might have taken minutes, even seconds. Even if they'd told her how far they were from New Crystal Tokyo, would it really mean anything more than just 'really far away?'

Dawn sighed and put the comb down. Alone time was clearly not good at the moment, and she was feeling just the slightest bit hungry. Tentatively, she walked out of the room and into the hallway, wondering where she'd find people on this ship.

The conversation grew louder as she turned a corner, the scent of coffee reaching her nose. Dawn's pace doubled in her attempts to discover where she might be able to find a mug of it herself. So intent on her beverage-tracking, she didn't see the person come out of another room until it was too late, bumping into her ungraciously.

The other person tumbled to the floor in a heap of bright red hair. "Ack!"

In an instant, Dawn was on the floor and apologizing profusely. "Oh my gosh, I am /so/ incredibly sorry. That was just rude, I mean..." She sat back on her heels and offered a hand. "Great coffee smells or no, I should watch where I'm going."

Rivka smiled and patted Dawn's hand before grasping it to lever herself up. "You, too? I was just thinking I needed a break."

"Well, if you wouldn't mind me following you to your crew and their coffee, I'd be really grateful. Not as if I'm not already," she added quickly. "That coffee just smelled really good from the medic's area."

Rivka pushed the panel to the galley door, waving cheerfully at the four gathered there. "This is where you all are! I wondered. Paladin, you have the conn."

A warm tenor voice filled the small room. "Aye, Chavi. I have the conn."

Breandon swallowed sharply, and rested his arm on the back of his chair, trying to look nonchalant. "You have an AI that sophisticated on this ship?"

"It's part of the experimental design of the ship," Zehra replied.

"You mean, it's not supposed to be able to do that?" Dawn glanced over the captain's shoulder at Breandon. "I thought it was a standard sort of thing for the AI to be able to pilot the ship and whatnot."

"Pilot it, yes," Zehra began.

The tenor voice interjected, "Any stupid computer can pilot a ship. I, however, am far more sophisticated than that."

Breandon could see Rivka's lips twitch. "Clearly I don't give you enough to humble you, Paladin," she said.

Dawn chuckled from her spot in the doorway. "It's spunky," she noted. "What else can he do, besides pilot and provide grief for the captain?"

Zehra shrugged. "Basically, anything a sentient species can do that doesn't involve limbs, and some things that do involve limbs. In a sense, Paladin is a person in a box, though he hates that description with a passion." A disgruntled sound came from the hidden speakers, and Zehra chuckled slightly. "My shower will probably be cold tonight."

"But he can hate something," Dawn pointed out, the tone of her voice belying her awe that such a creation existed. "That's amazing. The fact that he can actually think about revenge, well..." She grinned. "He might as well be a ghost rather than just something in a box. Was he the one who made the coffee?"

The four crew members of the _Basilikya_ exchanged glances, then as one looked up at a corner of the room. First Athenée, then Valère began to giggle. Rivka and Zehra followed suit, while Breandon looked at them in amazement. "What's so funny about that?"

Through giggles, Athenée replied, "We let Paladin make coffee once. Once. He's okay with general follow-the-instructions cooking, but since he has no sense of taste, coffee is ... well, let's just say that letting Paladin make something that's so individual is a bad idea."

"Point taken," she noted dryly. Coffee was one of those things that could be ruined far too easily by a novice or worse, someone who didn't have an interest in drinking it. "So, who do I get to thank profusely for that heavenly aroma?

"Me," Breandon said quietly. He held an arm out to her.

Dawn positively beamed at him in adoration and approval as she walked over to him. "More hidden talents," she mused softly. "You're just full of surprises, aren't you?"

He snuggled his arm around her waist. "You have no idea."

The ship-humming silence was interrupted by Rivka clearing her throat. "Is there anything else you'd like to know about the _Basilikya_, while you're here? A tour, perhaps?"

"You'll probably have to put up with half a million questions about propulsion and core structure," Dawn warned her with a smile. Her fingers absently stroked the fabric of Breandon's shirt as she spoke. "If that's allowed, ma'am."

Rivka tapped a ring she was wearing on the door frame with a faint metallic clink. "I'll be honest with you, Lady Dawn. You're clearly an intelligent woman, and if I show you our ship, you may be able to persuade the Lunar Kingdom into buying from us." She flashed a swift smile. "Besides, it's always a pleasure to show off to someone who understands."

The title caught her off guard, but the offer didn't. She flashed an equally quick and honest smile, moving away from Breandon for a moment. "That sounds rather fair, although I'd have certainly spoken with someone once I returned about an appropriate thank-you for keeping us safe. Now I'm just going to have to think of something else." She extended a hand towards the captain, meeting the woman's gaze. "And please, anyone who knows me will tell you that I'm anything from ladylike. Just call me Dawn."

Breandon grasped Dawn's other wrist as Rivka shook Dawn's outstretched hand. Her grip was firm, the motion almost perfunctory. Standing up, Breandon came up beside Dawn. "Do you think your tour could wait a bit, my precious moonbeam?" he asked, glancing at both women. His gaze lingered on Rivka for a brief moment.

She offered Rivka an apologetic grin. "I guess I can wait, if that's all right with the Captain." By the way he'd reacted to her impromptu agreement with the captain, she wondered if once again she'd breached some unknown but drastically important piece of protocol.

"It's Rivka," the other redhead corrected. "Chavi, if you're feeling formal. I don't mind at all."

Paladin interrupted. "Chavi, it's just as well; we're being hailed and the Morimaruse is coming up as well."

Zehra immediately got up. "Shunt the hail to my station, Paladin." She and Valère left the galley, mugs magnetised to the table.

Rivka gave a rueful shrug. "As you see. Tomorrow, when we're safely on the other side of the Morimaruse, then." Without waiting for an answer, she turned and was gone.

Dawn didn't think to ask what a Morimaruse was, but she figured it must have been relatively important if the all-powerful AI couldn't handle it. "So, do I have time for coffee, or does the reason that the tour had to wait start now?"

Breandon opened his mouth, then glanced over his shoulder. Athenée still sat in the corner, but got up, smiling a secret kind of smile, as soon as their eyes met.

As soon as the two of them were alone in the small room, he wrapped both arms around Dawn and hugged her tightly. "Hold me, Dawn. Hold me tight."

She was caught off guard for a brief moment, unsure of what had prompted such a display. Tenderly, she wrapped both arms about him, one hand gently massaging the back of his neck. Being a few inches shorter was slightly inconvenient, but it did make it convenient for her to press her cheek against his forehead. "I think I can manage that," she whispered after a moment.

Something hot and wet landed on her collarbone, and she heard a sniffle. His arms tightened convulsively around her. Dawn froze. Crying? Was he... "Bren? Aw, geez. What's wrong, honey?" Carefully, she turned around to take his seat, pulling him into her lap. One hand stroked his head as the other kept him close, her voice low and calm the entire time. "Doll, please don't cry. I'll keep holding you as long as you want."

His voice was only slightly choked. "We have to help these people, Dawn." He looked up at her, wiping away a last drop. "What they've endured ... we have to help them."

She searched his face for some explanation, but decided against asking. "Oh... okay. Of course we can help them. I mean, that's the least we can do, all things considered. Why... no, wait." Dawn tucked a few errant strands away from his face. "I don't need a full-out explanation. You say they need help, I'll help you help them."

By way of a reply, he kissed her.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

For all intents and purposes, the third watch on the bridge had been rather quiet for the past few nights. Granted, the large scout ship bearing the Lunar insignia on her hull wasn't the sort of ship that would be bothered by the occasional freighters and light transports that passed. At the same time, Kis refused to take such luck for granted. She sipped at her hot chocolate and idly glanced at the panel in front of her. No signals on the asteroid, but someone had spoken to the computer, and someone had tried to resolder the connections to the distress signal.

Akiko had told her that it looked recent, and she'd reminded Kis that Dawn knew enough to manage that much. The blonde Senshi hoped that the petite engineer was right. Bringing home bodies certainly didn't appeal to her, and she felt pretty certain that the Princess sleeping in the Captain's quarters felt the same way.

"Lieutenant Commander, ship of unknown origin approaching. Permission to open a hailing channel?" The bass tone of the AI resonated on the bridge.

Kis waved a hand, forgetting that the ship's AI couldn't pick up on noiseless hand gestures and occasional grunts. Swallowing a mouthful of cocoa, she tried again. "Go ahead, Leroy. Identify and state our presence. Ready defences, but do not raise shields yet."

"Aye."

Kis took another sip and managed to look up at the ship that Leroy was preparing to hail. A funny noise in her throat preceded a great deal of choking and spluttering, and Kis took a moment to squint at the image in front of her. Were those sails on that ship?

"Unknown vessel, this is the SLS _Hermes_. Please identify." Leroy muted the channel for a moment. "Ready to begin scans on your command."

Athenée jerked upright from where she'd been dozing to an audiobook Paladin was reading to her. Paladin had interrupted himself, amusingly, to pass the hail from the Lunar ship, and three screens had flicked on to show the outside view. She flicked the conn on and returned a reply: "_Basilikya_, here. What's your business with us?"

"Mind if I just stare for a bit? By the Crystal, that is a sexy ship," Kis drawled, refusing to hide the awe in her voice. Solar sails, a sleek exterior design, and the drawings that Leroy was displaying on her panels showed some extremely well-designed engineering and innovative defence mechanisms. "Oh, right. Lieutenant Commander Kissuiko En'youno, Lunar Navy," she added. "We're on a search and rescue."

Athenée bit her tongue for a moment. Leaving the conn off, she told Paladin to summon the rest of the crew, who came barrelling onto the bridge in short order. Rivka quickly gestured Athenée out of the chair and turned on visuals. Surrounded by her crew, she spoke. "Greetings in peace, Lt. Comm. I am Chavi Rivka, captain of the _Basilikya_. Who are these refugees you seek?"

Kis jabbed the panel in front of her, transmitting two images. "One is a Senshi, the personal guardian of our Princess Serenity. The other is a renowned clothing designer and a personal friend of mine. We believe that both were kidnapped a few days ago, possibly on a merc bounty." Again, she eyed the ship on one of the panels, noting the design of the cargo areas. "Considering the fire-power of your ship, ma'am, I'm certainly not about to suspect you of kidnapping." Kis' easygoing grin smacked of not-so-innocent flirtation. "If you've seen anything that would help us find the pair alive, her Highness would be most appreciative."

Rivka nodded, once, and flipped her hand at Valère below the level of the screen. Valère departed swiftly, and Rivka gave Kis her best smile. "How appreciative, exactly?"

"Ma'am, I can be extremely appreciative when the situation warrants, but I think your crew might feel left out," she chuckled. "I'm personally authorized to award up to two hundred thousand credits for any credible information leading to their safe return."

"What about the safe return itself?" Rivka asked, seeing Valère return with Breandon and Dawn in tow. They were still out of sight of the screen, though, and she motioned for them to stay put.

"Up to her Highness. We /are/ talking about a Senshi, so she's not exactly going to be stingy."

Rivka could not keep the true smile off her face any longer. "Never mind rewards, Lt. Commander. Here are your lost folk." Valère pushed Breandon and Dawn forward.

Kis whooped loudly enough to cause two ensigns to hurry to the bridge. "Ma'am, I would be more than happy to transport and retrieve them personally, but I believe that would be the Princess' place, as would be the negotiation of a reward. Permission to come aboard?"

Dawn wobbled, one hand going to Breandon's arm for immediate support. There, on the screen not more than ten feet away, stood Kis in her familiar sassy glory, chatting it up with Rivka as it if was the most natural thing in the world. Her stomach had commenced to doing funny flipflops the more she watched the blonde figure, and their frequency doubled at the immediate request to come on board.

Breandon put an arm around Dawn's waist. He, too, felt weak with relief at the sight of the Lunar ship, and the sound of Kis' sharp tongue.

Rivka considered Kis for a long, quiet moment, still smiling. Then: "Permission granted," she announced. "I will meet you below."

"Excellent." The screen blinked out as the transmission ended, with Kis striding confidently to the transport bay. "Your Highness, if you'll excuse me, I believe I need to go and pick up your Guardian." She winked at the stunned Princess, who sank into the Captain's chair as the door whooshed shut.

Back on the bridge, Dawn had commenced both laughing and crying as she held onto Breandon's arm.

Breandon patted her arm gently, leading her to a seat. "Shhh, Dawn. Shhh." Rivka bestowed a hurried smile on the pair, strands of red hair flickering through the closing door. She and the rest of the crew of the _Basilikya_ formed up in the open landing bay, a semicircle of women. The Lunar craft slid in and settled to the deck.

A half-minute passed as the engines powered down and the hatch opened with a rush of cool air. A rather tall Senshi emerged, her skin perpetually sun-kissed and lips twisted in a grin of amusement and appreciation. "Sailor Ryujin, or Kissuiko En'youno. I'd prefer Kis, as it's just such a more, well, pleasant thing to say." She winked at the captain as she gave a low bow.

The women facing her gave a peculiar gesture, fingertips to forehead, to lips, to heart. Rivka extended a hand to Kis. "The ones you seek are on the bridge. Will you come with me?"

"It'd be an honour, Ma'am." Taking Rivka's hand in her own, she stayed half a step behind while being led inside.

Purposefully, Rivka led Kis on a circuitous route, while the others slipped back to the bridge by a more direct path. Valère winked at Breandon, who arched a brow at her.

"Where is she?" he hissed.

"Chavi is showing her the ship. Patience."

Wrapping his arms more tightly around Dawn, he frowned and waited.

"We're going to go home," she whispered, more for her own satisfaction than anyone else's. "Home. Finally."

After what seemed like forever, Kis' voice could finally be heard in the corridor. "Absolutely stunning, Chavi. Beautiful, refined, elegant... a remarkable pairing of craft and commander, if you don't mind my saying."

Rivka's cool voice could also be heard, coming through the doorway. "Thank you very much, my lady." She gestured Kis through the opening, then stepped back.

Setting Dawn aside gently, Breandon stood up, looking at Kis. Familiar, smartmouthed Kis. He put his hands out and grasped her shoulders, still looking, before he seemed to crumple slowly into her shoulder. "Oh, gods," he said, muffled. "Thank god."

Kis appeared genuinely startled for a few seconds before awkwardly placing both arms around the designer's smaller body. Consoling girls was one thing, but men... "I'm not divine, but thanks for the compliment," she finally offered, patting him on the back. "What, you thought I'd just let you get away with running off after that pink shirt incident? Nah, never. I gotta get you back."

"It's the fact that you're here at all, Kis." His hands squeezed her shoulders once more, then let go, and he stepped back, reaching for Dawn's hand.

Rivka crossed her arms, leaning against the wall. "So what are you offering for these two? I'd be glad to keep them myself. They make a nice, matched set." She winked, and Zehra laughed.

"Eh, we sort of need them. Her Highness is fond of the woman, and she's fond of this pain, so they sort of come back together," Kis quipped dryly. "Her Majesty set the reward at half a million credits, but..."

"Something better than that," Dawn interrupted, her voice hoarse. "They deserve better than just a reward and a wave goodbye." She eyed Breandon; he'd said they needed help, and by the powers, she was going to help them.

Athenée's eyes had popped at the size of the reward already, but Rivka pursed her lips, and Valère looked thoughtful. "Start with permission to send a trade delegation to Neo Crystal Tokyo."

Kis nodded slowly. "I think we could handle that." Absently, she rubbed at her elbow. "If you'd like, you're welcome to follow the _Hermes_ back to the spaceport and dock there for a few days while we iron everything out."

"What else?" Dawn whispered, her lips at Breandon's ear.

"Public acknowledgement on arrival," Breandon said, abruptly.

Kis chuckled. "Just give me the titles, and we'll have it all worked out." She continued to rub at her arm, finally turning it over to see what was giving her grief. A circle of yellow sores was rapidly spreading up to her shoulder and itching madly. "Son of a... Rainault, what horrible disease did you pass on to me?" she demanded, horrified.

Athenée came over and grabbed her wrist. "Phosphera," she pronounced, letting go hastily. "Where have you been? Do you Lunars not know elementary precautions when working with that stuff?"

"I've been on a ship for the past three days, dealing with a neurotic princess," Kis shot back, annoyed. "Yesterday, we stopped at a site that had a distress beacon, but that's the only time we were offship."

Dawn frowned at the still-scratching Senshi. "That beacon was still working? It was only supposed to be good for twelve hours at best. What's phosphera used for again?"

"It's a fuel catalyst," snapped the Senshi. "Makes things more effi..."

"That rock has phosphera?" Breandon burst out, simultaneously with Valère. They looked at each other, quickly.

Rivka said, rapidly, "Give us the trade rights to it. The Lunars will get favoured status."

Dawn pursed her lips for a moment. "You need miners, don't you? Patrols to ensure that piracy doesn't happen, that sort of thing? Just giving you trade rights would mean that you'd wind up wasting any reward money on mercenaries to do the work for you."

Breandon held up a hand. "We can't do that, anyway. But I can mention it to the Queen." He put the hand on Dawn's shoulder. "This changes a lot of things."

Silence fell for a moment. Athenée straightened her shoulders and grasped Kis' other wrist. "To sickbay with you. That needs treating."

"Just a moment," Zorya interrupted. "She needs to send a message back to the -- _Hermes_? -- telling them she's safe, and that we're all going back to Neo Crystal Tokyo together. Then we can be moving while she's being treated."

"I am ready to record, madam," Paladin said.

"Ah, that's the AI. Very nice," she noted. "Kissuiko En'youno, First Officer of the SLS _Hermes_, requesting permission for Chavi Rivka and her crew to accompany the scout ship back to the spaceport. Preparations will be made for one week's minimum accommodation for all aboard, as well as negotiations for a suitable reward for the safe return of the Guardian and her escort." She paused, eyeing Rivka again. "And also let them know that I'll need dinner reservations at the officer's club tomorrow night for two, nineteen hundred hours. If that's all right with you, Chavi," she added with a wink.

Rivka smiled slightly. "I accept."

"Okay, message, let's go before that shit spreads." Athenée yanked.

Breandon exchanged a glance with Dawn. "Which ship do we go back on?"

She blinked as she regarded the group of women, a half-smile on her face. "I... I think we should go back with them. More glory for them, really. Now that I know we're going to be home, I don't mind staying here another day." Dawn glanced to Kis, who seemed rather proud of herself now that her dinner invitation had been accepted. "That's okay?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. Baby girl, whatever you wanna do," she answered absently.

"NOW." Athenée's pull this time did not allow for resistance, and the two disappeared down the passage.