FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

CHAPTER 5

Associates

As Aidan walked through Zero Point's long, dim, and overcrowded corridors, she forced herself to focus on the mission. She moved steadily toward the last place she had seen Tymi a few years ago when she and about two dozen humans had come to the station to purchase large quantities of resources for their sector. Keeping her head low, she didn't stop for even a second, making sure to blend into the dense crowd as much as possible.

Given the gargantuan size of the station, it took about fifteen minutes to get to the main docker district, a section labeled “D-3." This was where long-term employees, responsible for loading passing ships year-round, both lived and found their entertainment. If Tymi was still at Zero Point, someone here would know, and Aidan already had an idea of where to start.

In the middle of one of the vast corridors, lined with dormitories, bars, and shops, she spotted a narrow passage she remembered well. At its very end stood a small bar, its door closed but marked with a sign indicating it was in fact open.

Aidan stepped inside. A few heads turned toward her, most didn't. She approached the counter where a brown-haired, small, plump man was pouring a beer for one of the locals. After he handed the drink over, he made he's way to Aidan.

“What will it be?"

"Remember me? You, me, and a small Rizu named Tymi got ridiculously drunk a few years ago playing cards, right after that Rizu bought half of the special 'cargo' you had in the back."

The man's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, his expression shifting toward irritation at the strange request, but before he could react, recognition flickered in his eyes.

“Oh!" He exclaimed, “Yeah I remember that! You had shorter hair at the time."

“That's right! It's me. I need a favor, do you know where I could find Tymi? If he is still here at Zero Point?"

“Well, he came back a few times after that night to drink a few pints after work. He was living south of here, if I remember correctly. I have no idea if he's still here or even still at Zero Point though. I think he told me he stayed at the Orange Tree back then. Can't miss it, it has a weird fruit tree with orange foliage painted on the front. What happened? You lost your friend?"

“Thanks for the tip, yeah I lost his contact a while ago and I have a debt to pay. Trying to do some good." Lied Aidan, getting ready to leave.

“Don't want anything before you go?" Asked the bartender, now feeling like he just wasted his time.

“No, if I find him, we'll come back to get a drink! Hell, we could even play some cards like the good old times, booze will be on me."

“Sounds good! Hope you find the guy."

Aidan had obviously no interest in coming back, the quicker she could find Tymi, the better. She picked up the pace even more, hoping that she would find the small white mouse at the Orange Tree. Time was ticking and she would need enough time to go back to the Alliance.

The bartender didn't lie, the establishment was highly recognisable with the tag on its front facade and Aidan wasted no time entering, walking right up to the front desk where a frail Hargen was sitting, seemingly sleeping.

“Anything I can do for you?" He asked without even opening his eyes.

“Yes, I'm looking for a friend, I think he might still live here."

“Not giving any info on any client unless they told me they expected visitors, sorry."

“Come on man, his sister… she died. I'm here to give him the bad news. He isn't expecting me, if he's even still here."

The Hargen seemed to hesitate for a moment.

“That sucks, I wouldn't want to be in your place. Alright, what's your friend's name?"

“Tymi. Rizu, white fur, a dent in his right ear, incredibly crass. Rings any bell?"

“Oh yeah, of course, he is three months late on rent. I'm about to throw that asshole out if he can't pay this month, I swear. Third floor, room thirty six. Tell him his sister died and then tell him he has to cough up the credits or he's a goner, alright?"

“I will, thanks."

Aidan walked towards the staircase door and proceeded to climb to the third floor. The room she was looking for was the first one on the left. She rang the doorbell and waited. The door opened, Tymi standing on a stool, the door handle still in hand.

“Aidan?! Damn, what are you doing here? It's been years! Finally coming back to get a piece of me, uh?" said the small, white-furred mouse, spreading his arms, a big toothy grin on display

“Hey Tymi, no I'm not. I kinda missed you but I'd rather get shot in the face, thank you very much." Aidan answered, a small amused smirk appearing on her face, shaking her hand slowly. “I need you though. Job's paying like nothing you've ever seen before."

The small Rizu appeared confused for a second.

“Oh, well I'm doing great, thank you. I have a job already, as you know. It pays very well, so… thank you but not interested."

Aidan leaned against the wall, crossing her arms.

“The guy downstairs told me he would kick you out because you are way too late on rent, so let's cut the bullshit, shall we? You'll get paid two hundred credits a day, that's a lot more than your docker gig, Tymi. And we need you, your navigation skills, it's… dire."

The small mouse appeared even more confused.

“Wait, what? As a navigator? For that much fucking money? You gotta be shitting me, right?"

“No, I'm not, and I don't have much time, Tymi. Your debt problem probably didn't get any better in the last few years, I assume and trust me, the offer is serious. Only downside is we probably won't come back to Earth any time soon…"

The mouse's mouth dropped a little.

“Wait and we're leaving this shithole of a planet too?! Aidan, you absolute beauty! You're right, the debt problem is getting problematic. 'About thirty people looking to kill me and use my fur as a rug' kind of problematic. I need to get the fuck out of here but I don't have any credits to spare. And here you are, appearing with the offer of a lifetime! You sexy beast, come here, I'll kiss you!"

“Absolutely not." Cringed Aidan, taking a step back. “I'm glad you're still here and I'm amazed it didn't take more convincing but once again, we don't have much time. Gather what you need and let's move."

“Bah, whatever. No kiss, no fucking then. I'll gather my stuff and I'll be right out, wait a minute."

The small Rizu closed the door, leaving Aidan to wait outside, emerging a few minutes later with a bag on his shoulders and wearing a long hooded travel coat.

“Alright, let's leave this hell behind. Get me to your rich friends!"

Aidan nodded before leading the way, both of them slipping past the Hargen downstairs who was not snoring loudly and exiting the Orange Tree, now on their way back to the dock the Alliance stopped at.

“Alright, I'm not totally stupid, tell me what happened for you to come get a guy like me so that I can lead us away from this fucked up planet forever? That sounds like a lot, you know that right?" Asked the small Rizu, slightly curious about the opportunity, but not enough to not gladly seize the lifeline.

“It's a long story, we shouldn't even be here, could get us killed. I'll tell you all about it later"

“Oh shit, it's that bad, uh? Well, you know me, you know the stuff I've done, I'm not afraid of the Empire. I'm just curious, it's been what, three years? Four? I never thought I'd see you again but I know an opportunity when I see one. I'm fine not knowing."

“Trust me, there's a reason why the pay is so good."

“Oh, I'm sure, can't wait to hear more. What's the ship like?"

“Better than any civilian ship I've ever seen."

The mouse appeared intrigued.

“Care to tell me more?"

“You'll be on deck soon enough. Shut up and keep walking."

Followed closely by Tymi, Aidan stepped onto the Alliance's boarding ramp leading into the hold, passing by the last of the dockers loading the cargo, an expression of complete awe bolted on the mouse's face all throughout. Crossing the large area, they reached the elevator connecting it to the deck.

“Damn, Aidan, I don't know who your friends are but this ship? You were right, I've never seen one quite like it."

“I told you, me neither. I'm glad this is the one that will take us wherever they decide we should go, couldn't wish for anything better."

The elevator doors opened, revealing the long corridor leading to the cockpit and in a few seconds, they arrived at Ayra's side, standing up, arms crossed as she was following the shipment getting loaded.

“Tymi, this is lady Ayra. Ayra, this is Tymi, the navigator I told you about."

The Karys turned around before looking the small Rizu up and down.

“I knew you could do it Aidan, right on time too. Good job." she said, giving Aidan a slight approving nod before turning to the new acquaintance. “Welcome aboard the Alliance, navigator. I assume Aidan detailed most of the job offer and that your presence here means you agreed to it, am I mistaken?"

“Oh you bet I did!" Answered Tymi, barely able to contain his excitement at this point. “I'll get you and this beauty wherever you wanna go in the galaxy, I can promise you that!"

“Fantastic. You're free to roam my ship and get familiar with it's inner workings if you need to. Your command post will be this one over there." Said the feline, pointing at one of the empty chairs in the room placed in front of a large command panel in charge of the ship's navigation system. “We'll be leaving very soon, I'll have Albus show you your cabin as well. We can't waste any time, so I suggest you get to it."

The mouse acquiesced, turning around to see Albus rounding the corner and stopping by the entrance.

“Tymi, I assume." He said in his usual calm tone, “Follow me please, this way."

The Rizu followed the Hargen away from the control room.

“Are we still good? What's the situation like?" Asked the human.

“We are, I don't know for how long but your plan worked. A contingent of Imperials searched the ship while you were gone. Oma is still hidden somewhere in a technical tunnel on the reactor level. No scanner can penetrate the kind of plating surrounding the area so they insisted on searching it themselves. I don't know how she did it but they found nothing down there. No need to tell you I was quite tense while they did. Everybody played their part well regardless and we're ready for departure once the new crew member is."

“So that means they still have no idea who to look for. This is good."

“Indeed." Answered the feline, her tone betraying that she was still, in fact, very tense and ready for anything to happen at any moment. “The thing with the Empire is that it is both incredibly powerful yet almost totally inefficient. From what we could gather while you were gone, they're seriously considering we all died in the explosion at the estate while also paying no attention to the fact that me, Albus and the Alliance are currently right here, docked in the biggest transit station on the continent. It boggles the mind how it's the mightiest government in the galaxy, truly."

Aidan let out a small chuckle.

“Well, I won't complain. Too big to fail but still a failure, very much sounds like the Empire in a nutshell."

“How did you convince the Rizu to join? That almost looked too easy."

“Oh, I was never worried about getting him on board. A big debt, the promise of pay, and the fact that ever since I met him, he hasn't shut up about wanting to leave Earth? Yeah, I knew he'd say yes. I was just afraid he'd already be gone. But no, still stuck here, different dormitory, same shift as a few years ago. Now, Jok and Joyneen? That's what I'm worried about. They'll be a much harder sell."

“I can raise the pay substantially if that's the issue."

“Oh no, that's not what I meant by that, money's not the problem. They've been together for over twenty years. You know how love is, if one of them won't go, the other won't either."

“Yes, that might be a problem." Ayra sighed.

“We'll see once we're on Aeiros."

Suddenly, a loud bip alongside a blinking light from one of the control panels in the room cut the conversation short.

“Accept." Said Ayra, stepping back towards her central seat before the central display switched to the comms interface.

“Alliance, we're done on our end, you're good to go. Releasing docking."

“Understood, starting the procedure, thanks Zero Point." Answered Ayra before cutting the comms.

The engines of the Alliance were already roaring, ready for departure, when both Albus and Tymi came back to control room, the Rizu darting straight for his new post, the navigator's, strapping himself to the seat right away.

“Alright, where are we going, boss?"

“To Aeiros station, I left the navigation to you. We'll get to the hardest part once we're done with our next stop." Answered Ayra as the ship started to shake a little as it left the ground.

“Sure thing, Aeiros it is then! Just a question, are we going to get some more people on board? As much as I'd love to think I'm unique and lovely enough to be the only one you guys decided to bring on for the trip to the other side of the galaxy, we're gonna need more people, no doubt about it." Asked the white mouse, a smirk on his face as he entered the data that would lead them to the orbital station in the system.

Aidan settled into an empty seat, fastening herself in securely. She let out a short, sharp sigh, her tension unmistakable. This was her first trip to orbit, but more than that, Oma still wasn't here. That meant she wouldn't be strapped in when the ship launched full force to break free from Earth's gravity. Aidan stayed silent, her unease growing by the second.

“Yes, if Aidan is right, we have two very valuable people living up there most of the time to convince to join us. She successfully got us a navigator, so I'm sure that's who we'll find on Aeiros." Said Albus as he strapped down to one of the crew seats.

The Alliance surged to life, engines rumbling as it pushed forward through the massive open bay doors, immediately setting course to orbit. After a sharp yet smooth curve upwards,the ship lurched forward, and the shaking grew far more intense than Aidan had expected. The sheer force of liftoff pressed her down into her seat, filling her with an uncontrollable, almost primal fear. She squeezed her eyes shut, silently repeating to herself “Everything will be fine."

“Vessel past escape velocity. Reaching orbit in six minutes." announced the Alliance.

To Aidan, it felt like hours. Each passing second eroded her concern for herself, until only one thought remained, Oma. Worry for her swallowed everything else. Her heart sank, her teeth clenched, her eyes remained shut as if keeping them closed could block out the dread creeping in.

“If anything happened to her…" The thought was unbearable. She couldn't take it. She couldn't live with it. And she sure as hell wouldn't have the strength to face the vast, empty galaxy without her.

“Alright, you've all been given stickboots, as you know." Said Ayra over the crew communications, her voice amplified and projected through the room's sound system, “Once we're in zero G and out of your seats, just tap them together and they'll do the rest. Mostly saying this for Aidan. You're alright over there?"

Aidan raised a thumb in the air without even opening her eyes. She knew what she'd do the second this all stopped.

"Exiting atmosphere. Orbital trajectory updated. Engaging inertial dampeners and stabilizing interior."

The change felt instantaneous and Aidan didn't lose a second, she tapped both her feet together and planted both her feet on the ground, unbuckling her seatbelt in one smooth motion before getting up.

“Aidan! Don't, you need to stay here!" Yelled Ayra as the human took off running towards the innards of the ship.

“No use, madam. She's already gone." Said Albus still just as calmly as before.

“Fuck! She better not get hurt…"

“Uh… Is she ok?" Asked Tymi, clearly confused and concerned about what just happened.

“She will be alright. You will understand soon enough." answered Ayra.

Aidan rounded a corner, sprinting as fast as the floor's winding layout allowed. She was on the reactor level now, her breath ragged and uncontrollable. She tore past the reactor core's enclosure, panic clawing at her chest.

“Where the fuck are you? Please, for the love of the gods, please!" she muttered under her breath, her voice trembling.

She took one more sharp turn and felt the impact, her nose hitting something hard, falling backwards on her back heavily.

“What the hell are you doing?!" grunted Oma, still on her feet but solely because she was grabbing the corridor's side railing tightly with one hand, both stickbbots planted firmly on the floor the moment Aidan rammed into her.

Aidan's eyes widened, and before Oma could say another word, she lunged forward, pulling her into a tight embrace. Tears spilled down her face instantly, as if all the fear and tension had been wrung from her in a single moment.

“You're alive! I thought you'd be dead after what happened when we took off, I was so scared."

Oma froze for a moment, caught off guard by Aidan's reaction. But the weight of it—of everything Aidan had been holding in, cut straight through her armor. She wrapped an arm around the human, lowering her head to nuzzle the top of her hair.

“I'm okay, don't worry." she murmured. “This is nowhere near my first trip to orbit. Hell, it's not even the first time I've gone through it without being strapped in." A hint of amusement colored her voice, as if trying to ease the tension.

Slowly, Aidan lifted her head, locking eyes with Oma. A single drop of blood slipped from her right nostril, drifting weightlessly in the zero gravity around them. They stared at each other in silence for a moment before letting go.

“I'm sorry I ran into you. Did I hurt you?" Aidan asked, her voice laced with concern.

“Not at all," Oma replied with a reassuring grin. “Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm taller, bigger, and definitely a lot sturdier. I could fall into a ravine and walk it off like it's nothing."

Aidan relaxed a little hearing this and shook her head lightly, a smile on her face.

“Did you convince that guy to come with us?" Oma asked.

“Yeah, he's upstairs with the others. Didn't take much convincing."

“Great job, Aidan. I'm proud of you. I just hope our luck doesn't run out."

Aidan felt her cheeks heat up slightly.

“I hope so too. We'll be on Aeiros soon. I'll take care of things there as well. You're gonna stay hidden until then, right?"

“Yeah, it's safer that way," Oma agreed. “I'm a bit nervous about what these people will say once we're on our way to the system's gate. I just hope everything goes smoothly."

“That's why Ayra is paying them," Aidan replied. “If they want the money, they'll have to be okay with you being there. It's no different than any other job."

“I don't know if I agree with that," Oma said, her voice tinged with doubt. “I'm still concerned about putting anyone in danger. They should know everything about the situation before they agree to all of this. I know we need them, and that they'd never agree if they knew, but starting off with a massive lie... it just doesn't sit right with me."

“Me neither, trust me," Aidan said, her voice quiet but firm. “And yet, here we are, doing what we need to do. This is survival now. We're not doing this for any random reason, we have to. We won't survive the journey without people like them. Hell, I doubt it would even be possible in the first place."

“I know. I just had time to think down here. I'll be alright, don't worry. There's no going back now. You should go back upstairs soon, you shouldn't even be there this early in the maneuver, if anything goes wrong you could get seriously hurt, or worse."

“I know, I needed to see you, to know you were fine."

Oma stayed silent for a moment, wondering if she should say what she wanted to say or not.

“Aidan, I'm sorry for how I acted earlier, for dumping all my feelings onto you, for putting what I feel onto your shoulders. It's not your fault, I hope you know that."

Aidan shook her head gently.

“You don't need to apologize. We're in this together. Whatever you're carrying, you don't have to carry it alone." She said, getting ready to walk back. “And… none of it changed how I feel about you."

Aidan held eye contact for a brief moment before breaking it, turning around, and walking away. Her steps were steady and calm now, backtracking all the way to the elevator she took to get to the reactor floor.

When she emerged back into the control room, the Alliance was already getting close to Aeiros, the thew other crew members still in their seats.

“Aidan!" exclaimed Tymi as he saw her arrive, “Glad you're not dead, what was all that for?"

“Finally, we're going to enter Aeiros in about ten minutes. We sent a request and got clearance already. Everything's ok down there?" said Ayra as she turned to face Aidan who was sitting back down, the seat belt already in her hands.

“Understood, yes everything's fine. I thought I forgot to put some of my stuff in a container in my room and was afraid something might have been broken, but no, everything's perfectly fine."

“Good to know." the Karys replied, before turning back to the central display, which now showed the feed from the front cameras.

Aidan couldn't shake the thoughts of Oma. She knew there was still plenty of stress ahead she should be preparing for, but all she could focus on was that overwhelming fear when she thought the young Hargen might be in danger. Her mind kept circling back to it, the worry replaying over and over until the Alliance announced their approach to the station.

“Arriving at Aeiros station. Remain seated until the end of the docking maneuver."

Aidan walked down the ramp, knowing Ayra and the rest of the crew were likely already in talks with the station's dock supervisors. She made her way toward the security checks, walking with her head down and mouth shut, ignoring the few spacers who tried to engage her along the way. She passed through security with nothing but a quick scan since she wasn't carrying anything, and soon enough, she stepped into the massive arrivals hall.

Then something caught her eye, and her heart immediately sank. On a large wall screen, a wanted order blared across the hall for everyone to see. It was Oma's. Her face. Her name. Her age. Her full-body depiction. And at the bottom, a number followed by three terrifying words:

Two hundred thousand credits, dead or alive.

Aidan fought to keep her composure, the weight of the situation pressing down on her as the fear of something going wrong while she was away began to take root in her mind again. She picked up the pace, knowing she had to find Jok and Joyneen and find them fast.

She headed straight for the workers' central desk, where a Hargen clerk sat. Without hesitation, Aidan asked if she could help her locate the couple. The clerk glanced at her screen, then met Aidan's gaze, her expression neutral.

“Who's looking for them, and why?"

Aidan quickly fabricated a lie. She gave a fake name, hoping the clerk wouldn't ask for any form of ID, and claimed she had a payment chip to deliver to the couple on behalf of her boss.

The clerk seemed to accept it without hesitation, not probing further. She pointed toward the twenty-third floor.

“Jok and Joyneen are off work right now. According to their tags, they're in a bar up there. The Hideout. Twenty-third floor."

Aidan thanked the clerk before turning on her heel and heading straight for the row of massive elevators at the far end of the hall. A dense crowd had gathered, waiting for a ride, forcing her to weave her way through as best she could. An uncomfortably long ride up later, she stepped out onto Aeiros' twenty-third floor.

The next ten minutes were spent pacing through the floor, moving just slow enough to scan every sign and storefront. Aidan's eyes darted over neon-lit names and holographic displays, searching for the Hideout. Just as frustration started creeping in, making her wonder if she had somehow missed it, she finally spotted it, a bright red sign glowing against the dim lighting of the corridor. The bar's front was open, revealing the warm, low-lit interior beyond. She made her way through the crowd and entered the establishment looking around the room carefully and at a table near the back of the room, drinking and talking with someone Aidan didn't recognize, was Joyneen. She didn't waste a second and walked right up to their table.

“Hey, it's been a while."

The Karys' head snapped toward her, golden eyes widening in shock. Her long, fluffy ears flicked forward, standing tall in alert surprise.

“Aidan?!" Her voice carried over the background noise of the bar, disbelief clear in her tone. “Gods almighty, what the hell are you doing here?!"

"I'm actually here to talk to you. Is Jok around?"

"Yeah, he's in the restroom. He'll be back in a minute. Wait, you came all the way from Earth just to talk to me? Why?"

"Kind of. It's complicated." Aidan glanced at the stranger, then back at Joyneen. "Mind if I sit? I don't want to interrupt anything."

"Yeah, of course!" Joyneen shifted to the side, making room for Aidan on the large bar couch.

Aidan sit down, the small Hargen sitting in front of Joyneen turning towards her.

"I have to go. I'll leave you two to catch up, it looks like it's been a while. See you at work tomorrow?"

"I'm actually off tomorrow!" Joyneen replied, turning to her friend. "I'll see you in two days. And thanks for taking the time to talk things through with us. Sorry it didn't work out, no hard feelings, though."

"None at all. See you in two days, then." the stranger said as he stood up to leave.

As he walked away, Aidan felt a knot tighten in her stomach. This might be even harder than she had thought. She wasn't sure where to even begin.

“Aidan. Ok, I can't believe you came to Aeiros, you told us so many times you'd never live Earth, even if your life depended on it. What are you doing here?"

Aidan remained silent, staring down at the table.

“Well… that's the thing. It does depend on it."

Joyneen's cheerful expression, the one she had worn since the moment she spotted Aidan, vanished in seconds. Concern took its place.

“What? What do you mean it depends on it? Aidan, I don't understand, are you okay?"

The door on their left flung opened, a distracted Jok stepped out of the restroom, eyes fixed on a datapad. When he finally glanced up, he froze mid-step, his jaw slackening as his piercing green, lizard-like eyes locked onto Aidan.

“Holy shit, Aidan! What a surprise, what are you doing here?"

“Jok, sit down. Something's wrong." said Joyneen.

The Zare didn't say a word, his usual lighthearted energy vanishing. He moved to the table and took a seat beside Joyneen, exchanging a concerned glance with her as Aidan lowered her head into her hands. The weight of the situation was finally crashing down on her.

“Is this place safe? Can anybody hear us? The tags?"

The couple looked down at the worker tags they were wearing around their necks.

“Those are just location tags, Aidan. There's no microphones anywhere here. What's going on? You're scaring the shit out of me right now."

Aidan lifted her head, meeting their eyes before exhaling a long, steady breath.

Then, she told them everything.

The day she almost died in the ravine, the hospital, how she saved Oma's life, the trip to Zero Point and her arrival on Aeiros, every detail spilling from her in a rush, as if holding it in any longer would crush her. The couple remained silent, looking shocked the entire time Aidan poured her heart out, letting silence linger once she was done.

“Aidan…" Jok breathed, his voice low, still processing everything.

Aidan pressed on. “Ayra will pay you both two hundred credits a day, probably more if you push for it. But I need you. We need you. If we don't get you onboard, we can't leave and with how tense everything is, the Empire will find us at some point." She swallowed hard. “If that happens… it's over. There's no alternative. No way out. I'll get executed, no trial."

“Aidan, we can't…"

“Jok. We have to do it," Joyneen said firmly.

Jok's face twisted with disbelief, his expression faltering completely. “What? What do you mean we have to do it?"

Joyneen didn't let him finish. “Jok, Aidan saved both our lives. She was willing to get thrown out of her sector for us. She slept outside for three months, three whole months, just to help us recover and make enough money to fly back to Aeiros."

“Love, this isn't about any of that," Jok replied, frustration creeping into his voice. “This is about leaving for the rest of our fucking lives, going gods know where, and becoming fugitives of the Empire! For fuck's sake, think about what that implies."

“Jok, remind me how much we both make a day working our asses off on this station? Remind me how many times we've gotten high and dreamed of doing literally anything else with our lives? How many times have you said you'd love to see what's beyond the stars, all these places you'd never get to see?"

Jok stumbled over his thoughts, glancing back and forth between his girlfriend and Aidan, the words failing to form.

Joyneen looked at Aidan dead in the eyes.

“I'm in. He'll follow, he always does. But your friend will have to double the pay. We're talking about the most dangerous job I've ever heard about."

“She will." Simply answered Aidan.

“Deal."

“What?!" exclaimed Jok, clearly thrown off by the sudden shift in the conversation. “Joy, please, can we at least talk about it some more or something? What about ours jobs, our friends?"

“Four hundred credits a day, that's a hundred and fifty thousand credits a year you idiot. Fuck our jobs with a pay like that, and I'll miss our friends but I can't possibly let them be the reason we don't get crazy rich, the reason we don't see the galaxy and… you know, the reason we let Aidan die. Like come on Jok!"

The Zare froze, completely stunned.

“Where do we sign up, Aidan?"

“You gather your stuff and you follow me to the Alliance. Ayra and Albus will take care of the rest."

“Well fuck me, I guess." Groaned Jok after downing the rest of his drink left on the table. “I'll pay the tab and meet you both outside."

The couple led Aidan back to their place to gather their things. Once they both emerged from their small apartment's door with two bags each and a lack of worker tags around their necks, the human led them back to the dock, all going through security and reaching the Alliance and climbing aboard barely two hours after Aidan left to look for them. Just like before at Zero Point, Aidan led the new arrivals all the way to the control room where the rest of the crew, excluding Oma, was waiting for them, Albus already conversing with the station to plan their departure from Aeiros.

“Well, here we are," said Aidan as she stepped into the vast room, Jok and Joyneen following close behind. “The crew's all gathered. Job's done."

Ayra turned around, looking at the two new crew members rather than at Aidan, Tymi jumping off his seat to face them too.

“Well, I thought this would take a lot longer given how stressed you were, Aidan. What happened?" She turned towards Jok and Joyneen once again. “Nice to meet you both. I assume Aidan made everything clear already?"

“Yes she did." Answered Joyneen, dropping her bags on the ground. “She also said you'd be willing to double the pay with how badly you need us here."

“Oh, of course. It's just a formality." Said Ayra, turning towards Tymi. “And if it applies to both of them, it should apply to you as well."

Tymi's face lit up instantly.

“Wait, four hundred a day?! Really? Holy shit, you already had me on board, dear, this is just a flex at this point and I sure as fuck won't complain about it!" Said the small Rizu, turning his head towards Joyneen with a big grin bolted on his face. “And you're bringing even more hotties on board too? This is really the job of my dreams!"

Jok groaned, crossing his arms and flexing his bulging muscles.

“Hey, little guy, you're gonna calm the fuck down right now. She's mine, alright?"

“Love, you're the one who needs to calm down," Joyneen said, placing a hand on the Zare's left arm in an attempt to soothe him. “This guy is not a threat, alright? No need to play macho man."

“Sure, just wanna make things clear if we're gonna live together from now on."

“Everything's alright, I made sure you two receive a room for two and nobody's here is gonna cross anyone else's boundaries, ok?" Ayra said, glancing at Tymi.

“Yeah, yeah, of course! I'm just joking, guys," the Rizu answered with a chuckle. “My humor isn't for everybody, I guess, no offense intended."

“Good," Ayra said, her tone firm. “Albus is on the line making sure we can leave soon. I'll show you both to your room." She stepped toward the exit, signaling for the Karys and the Zare to follow her.

As the Alliance rose above the ground of Aeiros' vast hangar, every person in the room strapped in tightly.

“Leaving Aeiros station, awaiting coordinates."

“Alright boss, where are we going now?" Asked Tymi.

“Sol's Seraph Gate. We'll have to wait a day before we can pass through as per protocol, but once we're in, it's up to…"

“Oma to decide?" Answered Tymi, Aidan's head snapping instantly towards the small mouse sitting in his chair then quickly moving back and forth between him and Ayra.

“Wait, you told him?!"

“Yes, we did, while you were gone. I would have done the same with both of our new friends here but you got to it first. Very dangerous to do that inside the station rather than somewhere we could be sure nobody's listening but it doesn't matter now." Said Ayra calmly, focused on watching the Alliance leaving through the hangar pressure shield.

“Don't worry kid, if all she did to warrant the Empire's wrath is to save your ass, she's fine with me. Ayra told me about her dad and all the bullshit. Doesn't sound like she'd be the one to turn on us. I'm not too worried." Answered Tymi, now focused on entering the new navigation coordinates in the console in front of him.

“Well, I am. The price on her head is so massive we could have every bounty hunter in the galaxy on our asses if they learn she's here." Groaned Jok, arms crossed and visibly not enthralled by the whole situation. “And that's without the fact the entire Empire now probably knows she's wanted. Don't get me wrong, the Empire can suck my dick but if we could all keep our head on our shoulders, that would be great."

“Then we don't let them get us, ever."

Every head in the room turned back towards the entrance.

“Here she is." Said Tymi as Oma was slowly walking towards one of the empty seats in the room.

“I don't want anybody here to pay for what I've done. The reason we needed a crew capable of getting us to the galaxy's edge is that I want to make absolutely sure I'm strong enough to never let that happen."

Aidan stared at Oma as she secured herself to her seat, unable to look away.

“At some point, we're gonna need a lot more explicit info than that, you know?" Ayra said, arms crossed.

“Coordinates saved, en route to local gate."

Oma let the booming robotic voice finish before she responded. “I know. Now that everyone's here and I don't have to keep hiding, I'll explain everything. Let's get to the gate first."

The ship's stabilizers ceased their adjustments after successfully flipping it around. Then, the main drive kicked in, sending a deep rumble through the entire vessel. For a while, the Alliance accelerated, gathering as much momentum as possible to reach cruise speed. Once it did, the thrusters powered down, leaving the ship gliding silently toward the gate, somewhere in orbit around the Sun.