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"I'm so sorry, Robyn." With a heavier burden in her paws than just wood and string, Ilaria placed the halves of her bow to either side of Robyn's ashes on the captain's mantle and carefully draped the drawstring connecting them behind the urn. "I swear I'll never forget you... never stop loving you."

"My caretaker at the orphanage I grew up in... Well, he used to say it's not what you own that defines you, but how you went about obtaining it." Rhyme rubbed her lover's back for lack of reaching her shoulders. "I'm sure that applies here, loosely. The item may be gone, but the memories attached to it are still in your head and heart."

"But I can see her whining and complaining about it clear as day. Then she'd come up with a way to get me another, as a surprise that everyone actually knew about." Ari sat down in her captain's chair and pulled Rhyme into her lap for a rearward hug. "It makes me miss her even more when I think about stuff like that."

"You... really still love her a lot, don't you?"

"As much as I ever did."

"Oh..." Rhy melted into Ari's lap, her confidence obviously waning. "I guess she'll always be your true love. She was your wife."

"Rhy..."

"I mean, we have a good thing going..."

"Rhyme."

"We do have kids though, and I'm happy for that--"

"Rhyme, shut up for a second." Ari forced the tanuki's head to look up into her eyes. "You're not replacing her."

"But... I didn't think we..."

"I love you just as much as her. She just isn't here anymore, bless her soul." Ari shifted her hips a bit and guided Rhy's paw down to the outline of her hardening manhood. "But I have more than enough love for you alone. I'm pretty sure Pillow would like you too is she was still here, maybe even make it kinky."

Rhy peered around the dimly lit bridge, sighing when she determined the night shift safely quiet. "You're just saying that. You're always like this around me."

"Yeah? And why is that?" Ari hunched forward and gave Rhy a tender kiss. "I can't stand being apart from you, and neither can this little guy either apparently."

"But..."

"Shh... We don't have to go any further if you're really not in the mood. Just... answer me one question?" Ari waited for a hint of a nod, gave her love a deeper kiss, and smiled as she choked on her words a bit. "Will... Will you marry me? For real this time?"

"You mean..." Rhyme started tearing up at the idea. "The real deal? Like, tomorrow?"

"Unless you'd like to plan something out first. I'm sure you'd just ~rock~ a wedding dress."

"I could never! I'd be too embarrassed to--" Rhy perked up as she got a hold of her emotions and saw the truth. "You're not serious?"

"Totally kidding about the dress." Ari smooched her love on the temple and grinned brightly for her. "I do mean the whole wedding thing though. If it's too sudden, we can plan something more... civilized."

"I just... It's just too embarrassing. Can't we like, sign papers or something?"

"Nope. I'd at least need family to watch. Tribe rules." Ari took a deep breath as she actually started to sweat the details, then perked up with a new plan. "If you're just too embarrassed, why not make it a real family deal? I have it on good authority my brother's wanting to marry Zoë into the ranks as well. And by good authority I mean... maybe our girls may have been told to make some rings..."

"Wait! I wouldn't have a ring for you!"

Ari clutched the bundle of rings dangling from her necklace and gave them a firm squeeze. "I've got enough rings already. Besides, we use bracelets in my family that... uh, vaporized... but not that I couldn't have another ring made for you while they're at it."

"I..."

Ari sighed as she watched her love bauble about the topic, unable to reach a conclusive answer. "There's no rush. You can give me an answer whenever you like, or never if... you'd rather not..."

"I..." Rhyme looked deep into her love's honest, caring eyes and found her solution in her mate. "I do."

"You... So you'll... We'll...?"

"Definitely. You mean too much for me to say no, Ari. I love you." Rhy rested her head back on her fiancée and closed her eyes, at peace with both the night and herself. "Might want to wait until we're in the black again though. You know, reduce the chance of alien wedding crashers."

"I can agree to that. Fleet's almost done refueling anyway." A clatter from the hallway regretfully caused Rhy to reel her paw from Ari's groin, but at the same time the lack of verbal announcement brought a smirk to the otter's muzzle. <Girls, I know you're watching somehow. No need to hide.>

A portal opened up ahead of the couple and out pounced the twins, immediately seeking hugs. <Sorry, mom. We just didn't want to disturb ~that~.>

<Thank you, girls. You're definitely acting more mature these days, and I appreciate it. You're becoming wonderful young ladies.>

Michelle bashfully hid her head, but Mikhaila showed some slight divergence for once and kissed her mothers one at a time. <We're happy for you. You've been... not sad, but... something.>

<Anxious? Scared? This war's doing enough to freak any fur out, but then I worry about the new kids, and Rhyme, and...> Ari gave both her girls playful noogies. <You two used to scare me the most with those portals. I thought you'd lose an arm or tail or something if you couldn't control them. But after you saved Buck the other day... Well, thank you for proving my gut wrong. And ~definitely~ thank you for giving Buck a new lease on life.>

<Our pleasure. The crew's sort of become our family now, and we can't let anything bad happen to family. You taught us that. That's why we love you, mom.>

Ari fought and failed to hold back a few tears at that statement of truth. <I love you too, my whelps.>

"Um... Sorry, but I can't do all that." Rhy wiped her soon-toBe wife's eyes with her thumb and gave her a kiss on the chin. "What's the matter? Something happen? Gods--don't tell me it's Buck."

"No, not at all. I'm just..." Ilaria roped her family into a group hug and refused to let go. "I'm the happiest I could ever be right now."

The twins promptly gained their best 'mission accomplished' faces and shot each other a high-five.

---

"Fi~bre~..." Iolvin slumped forward over a desk as he stared at his sons' closed door. "You're ~old and wise~. What do you do when your kids hate you?"

"I'm what now?" The hybrid groaned as he glanced in Yoyo's direction, only to have his head pulled back as Zoë yanked his braid. "I honestly don't know, Yoyo. I don't have kids. Besides, Eve's usually the wise one."

"Don't pawn that off on me, Carbon." Evelyn rematerialized herself sitting off the edge of the desk so she could rub Yoyo's back. "It'll work out. Phoebe's just upset because that was his first time watching his brother get hurt. I'd imagine that weighs a lot more on you when you're twins."

"I fear either Lulu or I will croak and leave the other alone way too often. It's almost a curse, though it does bring us together." Yoyo sighed and relaxed as his stiff shoulders started getting a little love. "At least they're fine. A minor concussion isn't too bad."

"It would have been worse if they couldn't do that reverting thing, though." Carbon again found his gaze reset as Zoë tugged his head around. "I'm not sure how it works, but if it saved their lives I won't complain."

"Themis was mumbling something about time control earlier? I don't know."

"Molecular memory states over time." Eve shrugged her shoulders when everyone gave her a ponderous look. "What? I listen. It's what I'm best at."

Yoyo dropped his forehead onto the cool surface of his desk. "And does that get us any closer to understanding any of that?"

"Well I can't experience it myself, but their explanation isn't too bad. It looks like their veile has to borrow some of their mental umph just to keep their molecular state intact. It's not too far fetched to assume they're memorizing their molecular state over a short span of time." Again those looks came, this time even more confused. "They can morph themselves into any state they want, and they remembered what and where they were a few seconds before. They reverted to their past selves, if only physically."

"So my pups can rewind time? Doesn't need to be that complex."

"Uh... more than that. Apparently they've found themselves predicting the future and sped up time on accident. Then there's the way they bump energy states--they, uh, let light pass through them." Eve stood and headed for the bed to lay on her back. "I have to manage some of that myself, and I can tell you it isn't easy for one person. Though maybe that's why they were born sharing a veile, to split the load evenly?"

Yoyo finally sat up in his chair, glancing at the boys' door before putting his full attention on Eve. "Is it dangerous?"

"Plenty, if they ever lose enough focus or overexert themselves. They might screw something up if they stray too far out of memory though and forget where molecules are supposed to go." Eve shook her head, realizing she was talking about living beings and not science theory. "They have a grip on things though, and I'm sure they can test their limits safely."

"Good. That's what we'll do then." Yoyo pulled up a hologram and began researching via the ship's various stored texts. "They hate war, right? They're pacifists? Then I'll teach them how to use their little ability to stay out of battle and safe."

"I like that strategy. If you can't beat them, join them... well, close enough." Zoë gave another tug and finally set Carbon off. "Hey, watch it. I do feel pain now that Eve's not a part of me, you know."

"Sorry, Fibre." Zoë huffed in frustration as she finally combed out the last of Carbon's frizzy, water-damaged hair. "If you're going to swim around, you should at least use a looser braid. Maybe even just let your hair down."

"But I like it the way it is." Carbon peered into a mirror across the room and sighed at the mess he saw. "I guess you do have a point though. My hair isn't as silky and straight as yours."

"Well... I think you'd look good if you changed things up some. Something more feminine might suit you better."

"Feminine? I try not to look one way or the other, honestly. Where'd that come from?"

Zoë hesitated to say anything, then quickly--and more visibly than she'd wanted--cupped her hands around the front of Carbon's budding chest as she grabbed some dangling hair. "I just... have a feeling it'd suit you right now. I'm sure Sydney would like that too."

"You always read me way too well, Zoë."

The human smirked as she combed out Carbon's locks. "Like how I know you don't need me to do your hair for you?"

"Zoë, that's not--"

"It's true." Zoë fluffed the hybrid's hair and then smoothed it out with her fingers. "I've seen you raking out your braids outside my home more than enough times. You realize you don't need an excuse to spend time with me, right?"

"...Yeah, I suppose I don't."

"Good, because as sweet as that was I'd rather you just be honest." Zoë parted Carbon's hair and pulled it behind his head so it all pooled over one shoulder. "For instance, how do you actually want you hair?"

Carbon slumped forward as he accepted the new terms of friendship. "I really do like it tied up. The rope braid sounds fun."

"Then that's what you'll get, Fibre." A huge grin flushed over Zoë's mouth as she started coiling two strands. "And believe it or not, I do think this is fun. I'm always happy to tie your hair, Fibre. Just... stop by for a talk every now and then as well?"

"Y-Yeah. Sorry for the deceit, Zoë."

"I'll always be your friend, dummy. Don't worry about it."

"Well good for you two. Nice to see something going right these days." A message popped up on Yoyo's screen, prompting a huge smile from the otter. "Ha! It's my lucky day!"

"Hm? What's up?"

"Oh, ~nothing~. Just Lulu's ~getting married~ again." Yoyo smirked as he scooted his seat next to Zoë and roped an arm around her waist. "Oh, and she wonders if we'd like a group discount. You want to marry me and Adri, kiddo?"

Zoë froze stiff and started trembling, concerning the otter until he spotted tears. "Y-Yes!"

"I like the enthusiasm." Yoyo gave his fiancée a kiss and then headed for the main bedroom. "I've gotta tell Adri about this. He seems like he could use a pick-meUp after the boys fought with him last night."

"Ah, wait." Rose poked her head out out of the boys' room, making sure to cover her bare chest due to her human-centric upbringing. "Could you hold up a bit? They're being... cuter than normal."

"Cute?" Yoyo leaned enough to peek on the boys as they snuggled around their crying father. "Yeah, I guess so. But before I start filling in the blanks for you... Why are you naked?"

"Eh..." Rose backed away from the door and found a blanket to wrap around herself. "I was... cheering up Emmi."

"I'm guessing Adri isn't as dense as I am and was alright with that? Yeah?" Yoyo yanked the Yangurra from the room and roped her into a hug. "I'm happy if Themis is happy, even if he's pretty young for all that."

"Actually... it's not just Emmi I like."

"Both? That's... fine, I guess. Huh." The otter pat his large paw on Rose's head and sighed as he watched his boys slip beneath the covers of his bed. "They seem to have been figuring things out for themselves lately. Now I think I know why. Thanks, Leafy."

"I have a nickname now too? Goddess."

Yoyo turned to look Rose right in the eyes with a huge grin. "Well you can't be a part of the family without one, can you?"

"I guess... not?"

Zoë caught her patron slipping his eyes and paw down to the fold of the blanket and grumbled loudly. "Watch the paws, master. Not everyone is as open as you are."

"I'm just curious. She was covering it, but she's tit-less isn't she?"

"We're rounder than males where it still counts." Rose adjusted her cover and walked over to Zoë for a masked kiss to the cheek. "Glad to know us girls have each other's backs."

"Hey, I wouldn't cross any lines. It's ~scientific~ fascination, I swear." Yoyo checked on his boys again, finding them cuddling their smaller father tightly while one of them playfully wore his eye patch. "I don't want to betray my sons. You don't have anything to worry about from me, Rose."

"I wasn't thinking so seriously, but thanks."

Zoë suddenly bopped Carbon's head. "Not you too! Don't any men have control over ~that~?"

"Hm?" Rose followed two sets of eyes down to Carbon's tented crotch and immediately shot her gaze skyward. "Oh! S-Sorry for that."

"I'm... We're similar enough for your, uh... pheromones and all to..."

"Oh, wait. So I can...?" Rose sat on the side of the bed with renewed concern. "Are you like me where... if you don't fix it, it just gets worse?"

"More or less. It's fine, though." Carbon shifted so his problem was mostly hidden. "We'll get back to orbit and I'll nab Cid. That's easy enough to fix."

"Wait, you dropped her off when we delivered that last load of fuel?" Now Rose really showed her worry for the hybrid. "We've got another twenty hours to go with processing alone. Shit... Maybe I could give you a handjob or something to hold you over? I'm sure the boys will be fine if it's to help."

"I'm not sure... I mean, if they--"

"No. Don't do it." Evelyn shot herself up beside Rose like she'd woken from a nightmare and held the Yangurra's hand. "I just... Rose, what's your mother's name?"

"Huh? Where's that coming from, Eve?"

"What's her name?"

"...Certa. Certa Ors. Why?"

Eve shook her head in confusion. "You sure that's her name? Her real name? I mean, I was sure..."

Rose quirked her head at the distraught phantom. "Her veile goes by Niima though, and they're usually called the same thing. Maybe she changed her name?"

"That's it." Eve pulled Rose's hands into hers and lifted them up protectively. "Rose, you don't want to mess around with Carbon. Trust me."

Carbon joked, "Well I wouldn't mind."

Rose let the former veile manipulate her hands limply as she gave into her odd behavior. "Fine, but don't complain when he's whining in a few hours. But out of curiosity, why shouldn't I do what my parents taught me and relieve a fellow Yangurra?"

"Because Carbon isn't just any Yangurra." Eve gave each a nod of truthfulness. "He's... well, she's your younger sister."

"Uh... Come again?" Carbon's jaw dropped quite literally, breaking the seal of his gas mask until Eve corrected it. "Th-Thanks..."

"Wait, you're serious?" Rose nearly joined the hybrid except that her mask was far more flexible to accommodate her split jaws. "We can't be related. How...?"

"I've sort of been keeping some secrets, ones I wanted to watch pan out before I decided anything. Remember how I mentioned the ætir back on Yomi?"

Carbon adjusted his new rope braid and reseated his mask. "Yeah, you said you pulled some data from it or something."

"Well it was more than data. I didn't know what I was experiencing at first, but Carbon... your father had used that ætir pretty extensively at some point." Eve fluttered her eyes and drooped forward like she was drowsy. "I've been going through his memories. They just... feel so important and planned, like he left them there on purpose..."

"You've been tired lately. Screw the memories. What's wrong, Eve?"

"I'm missing pieces. There's large gaps, like your father tried to scramble things up into a puzzle. I've been putting them back together, but I've run out of pieces and if I let the puzzle slip into deep memory I might not be able to solve it again."

Carbon pulled Eve's head into his lap and softly rubbed a paw through her leafy hair. "And it's that important? Then let me share the burden. Please, don't... don't let me lose you again."

"You couldn't hold even one percent of this in active memory. I'm a damned walking black hole and even I'm having trouble."

Rose rested her own head on Eve's chest in an attempt to comfort her. "Then let me help too. We can all help. Just explain it all and maybe we'll find your answers."

"I wish it was that easy." Eve groaned as she rubbed Rose's head. "No, you deserve to know. Your father... he isn't who any of us thought..."

---

"what do we do now?" Chleek Ors stared out into the cold of space through a sapphire viewing window, barely able to make out the distant speck of Yangurraar. "We have no home. Where will we go?"

"That is ultimately your choice, Chleek." Enthol stood in the doorway leading out of the leader's personal chamber, more holding the plant inside than the reverse his title Elite Guard normally demanded. "We do require a destination, however. Choose, Chleek."

"I have lost everything dear to me in this last cycle. Excuse me if I'm not prompt enough for you, bastard." Chleek hissed as he returned to his stargazing, though now feeling his guard's eyes burning into his back. "That's it. They want to take everything from us, to fight us into oblivion. No, but we can't follow suit."

"Does this babbling lead us to a destination sometime before I wilt, Chleek?"

"Not exactly. It's just an ideal--a goal. We'll let Xor guide us to a better version of home." Chleek turned around and sat on the warm dirt of near the large window. "To do this, we'll need more information and... more power, of sorts. I happen to know where we might find both."

Enthol rolled his neck around in frustrated boredom. "Yes, yes... Could you just spit out the damned location, already?"

"Vauxhall. There we will start a path leading to Terra."

"Terra? The forbidden planet?" Enthol took a few paces as he considered the request, then nodded at a partial agreement. "Perhaps you can chase fairy tales, but Vauxhall... We could take control of this trade city. With it would come supplies, soldiers... everything we'd need. Yes, Vauxhall it is."

"Oh. Am I interrupting business?" Niima tried to enter, but had to negotiate Enthol's departure as she did so. "Is everything alright, poor brother?"

"Not everything, no. I won't complain though."

"It doesn't suit you anyway." Niima latched onto her brother and refused to let go. "But if you change your mind, I'll be here to listen. I'll always be here for you."

"You shouldn't. I've decided to start a journey, one to escape the tyranny of our confused brethren. It's a journey too dangerous for you to make." Chleek slid onto his side, his vines burrowing into the last patch of Yangurraar soil he could truly call his own. "I care too much for you. You're the only precious treasure left in my life."

"And that's why I refuse to leave your side. You think I don't care about you just as much?" Niima joined her brother, nestling herself in his curled front and wrapping her vines around his. "I love you, Niishal. I... We..."

"You never hesitate to speak your mind. Why now? Are you afraid you'll harm me after my losses?"

"No..."

"I lost a mate. I lost a child. Please, don't let me lose the trust of my own sister."

"Niishal... I'm with child."

Chleek stiffened himself at the notion, then smiled as he cuddled his sister from behind. "I knew something was off with you recently. This is... Well, it's good to hear great news after what has transpired. Who is the father? Oh... He's still alive, isn't he? You're smart enough to avoid the guards, right?"

"He's not a guard, brother. He's..." Niima covered her face with an arm and mumbled her next words. "He's you. You're the father."

"I'm...?" Chleek propped himself upright to get a better view of his sister's face, finding nothing but honesty in her expression. "I am the father. But when? We haven't had sex recently, and you've been either out of season or taking your ice blossom."

"I lied." Niima rolled her face down into the soil to further hide away. "Nobody had eyes for me, not even from other families. Then you and Sheena were set for one, and... I wanted to have a child like yours too, so if you could help without knowing... I stopped taking my blossoms..."

"All you had to do was ask, Niima."

"But direct family is taboo. The chances of gene rot are--"

"No, not for us. I'd find a way to fix it." Chleek laid down behind his sister and rubbed her smooth stomach. "Everything will be alright. We'll bring our child into a better universe, one filled with our love for him."

"Her."

"So is that where your recent instincts have come from? You are certain?"

"Honestly, no. I have a feeling though." The Yangurra reached her hand down to play with her brother's, but soon slid it further down. "When I think of how she was conceived, my veile sparks visions of a little girl when I reach ecstasy."

"Oh really? Shall we confirm her sex then?" Chleek grinned at the invitation, yanking his pants free so his growing manhood pressed against his sister's dewed petals. "What ever should we name this wonderful seedling of ours?"

"Ah..." Niima hissed in delight as her brother entered her fully in one determined stroke. "With these events... I was thinking we should name her after the first alien flower we see on our new home. She should take the name of an exotic, colorful flower like the one that borne her."

"I like this plan." Chleek pressed forward until his tip nudged against his sister's womb, then rapidly jerked his hips until she could no longer stifle her screams of pleasure. "A perfect flower deserves to be claimed..."

"You... flatter me..." Niima jerked forward as her hormonal body bloomed in orgasm. "Ah! Niishal!"

"P-Perfect... flower..." Niishal forgot his duties, his worries, and his plans all in favor of presenting all his love to his new family from within his sister's tight confines. "I love you, Niima."

"Niishal... Great Spirits, you... I love you, too..."

"Spirits, plural..."

"Niishal?"

The young leader and father basked in his first true moment of clarity as he emptied his worries into his new love. "Both Spirits are destined to work together, plural. I think... I might have a backup plan for us."

"One that lets us wilt away happily in our old age, I hope."

"Perhaps. You're my muse, Niima. You're my muse, and our daughter is our canvas."

"Silly. You always get poetic after you've seeded me too much. And too quickly, I might note."

"Of this, you are absolutely correct. Your charms are quite enough for five plants, let alone my lucky self." Niishal wrapped his arms around his sister, refusing to budge an inch as he shut his eyes. "Come, let's sleep. We have a long hibernation until our plans may unfold, dear sister."

"It'll be a long trip, but any journey with you is worth taking." Niima scooted her rump back to ensure her brother would remain inside her for the extremely long duration of the trip. "I'll follow you anywhere, my lovely brother."

---

"That does it. We're done filling up." Ilaria leaned back in her captain's chair and crossed her legs atop a nearby safety railing. "When we leave, there's no coming back. Anything we're forgetting? Dee?"

Adrian perked up in the science station, filling in for Buck. "Oh, um... No, I think we're good. We're sure all of the fleet's been topped off, right?"

"Yeah. I've got their fuel levels on my screen. So, uh, do you." Ari panned around the Bridge but found no objections. "Silence is golden, eh? Well I'm looking forward to some rest, even if the next trip's a bit short."

"Not so fast, Ari." Carbon barged into the Bridge from the starboard doorway, the hybrid's mask fogging up with heavy breaths from his quickened pace. "I need to chat with those Yangurraa. They know something I can't afford to ignore."

"Calm down, Carbon. The engines aren't even hot yet." Ari dropped her legs and sat upright to give the hybrid her full attention. "What's this info we need? I don't look forward to chatting with those guys after we destroyed their defenses... and, you know, they almost killed a few of us."

"Trust me here. If this all pans out, we might find what we need to close that black hole. Your girls haven't come up with a solution yet, have they? They..." Carbon looked around for the twins, spotting something else missing with them. "Oh, I see. They're fixing your bow? That's nice of them."

"My... bow?" Ari spun around and snapped her eyes upon Robyn's remains, then furiously pulled up a messaging console when she noticed her bow staves were missing. <Michelle. Mikhaila. COME SEE ME RIGHT NOW.>

"Everything... alright?"

"No. They took it without asking." Ari waited for an inevitable portal to open up nearby, then reached inside and yanked a surprisingly nude and oozing Mik through by her arm. "Where is your sister, young lady? And what did you do with that bow?"

"You're scaring the shit out of her. She can't lipread you without her sister, right?" Carbon eased the otter through the portal and shielded her dripping loins with his smaller body. "Uh... Maybe if I mouth it out for you..."

"Nope. You're wearing a mask, dear, and you need to calm down, Ari. I've got this." Evelyn appeared on the far side of the portal and chuckled when she found Michelle, putting the pieces together as the otter vivaciously straddled a member of the engineering crew. "~Maybe~ we'll just let her finish." Eve stepped over the mysterious threshold and calmly tended to the available twin. <Mik, can you listen on your own? I'm sure your sister would like to... keep her privacy.>

<I... Yes, I can.> The portal slowly shut itself and Mik ducked behind Carbon a bit more securely. <Why is mom angry?>

<She found out you took her bow and she's upset. I'd guess she wanted to put it to rest.>

<No! Mom spent months picking it out for her! We can't let it stay like that!>

Eve groaned as her mental burden announced itself. <So you did try to fix it. But what if... What if you mother wanted it to stay the same as when she received it? Some tape and glue won't make it the same as she got it, and I'm pretty sure this has nothing to do with wanting to actually use it. Do you understand?>

<But we were just going to...> Mik drooped her head and opened a small portal by herself, producing the broken bow with a few pulls of her paws. <I guess if we bonded at the molecular scale it would still just be glued. I don't want to ruin it if it means that much to both of them. I remember how happy it made them, and I just wanted to see mom smile again.>

<Both of us?> Ari accepted the returned weapon parts with a clearer head, but gave them back after thinking more about it. <You mean you actually remember Robyn? It's not just something vague?>

Mik nodded, still apologetic. <We remember a lot from before we were born.>

"It's true." Eve pulled off Ari's lower sirat drapes and wove them around her daughter's hips for a modicum of modesty, leaving the mother to rely on some backup spat shorts. "I remember a lot about Carbon's mother and father, and to some extent the whole of his family. It's shared memories, so it's more like I've experienced bits of their lives myself. The same should hold true for Mik and her veile."

<Mik? Do you and Io actually remember when I got this as a present from your other mother?>

<Yes.>

Ari let her paws go free so her daughter could retain control of the gifted weapon. <Then I'll take it you're channeling her will here. If you want to fix this, you have my and her blessing. Just... ask before taking things that aren't yours in the future. I raised you better than that.>

<We didn't mean to steal it! We just wanted to surprise you with this like mom did...>

Ari drooped her head, then lifted it to stare at Robyn's urn. <I'm not mad, Mik. Go clean yourself up and get your sister when she's, uh... done. We could use a few portals to meet with the local Yangurraa. If you two help us it'll keep Pillow's ship safe, too.>

Mik squirmed as an unnamed crew mate's essence dripped down her thigh. <Sure, mom. We'll help once Chelle's done with her daily treat.> The young otter held the bow staves tightly and sneaked out the Bridge, unsure how to handle herself without her sister. <I'll use your shower. Okay?>

<Just try not to drip on everything on the way, honey. And mind your siblings, please.> Ari watched her daughter jog down the hallway, each swish of her tail throwing the sirat drapes generously to the side to reveal not only her triplicate pussies, but the matching cocks that freely swayed beneath as well. "Please tell me I haven't been showing off that much when I wear that thing."

"No," chuckled Carbon, "you normally show even more."

"~And~ now Carbon's ready to pounce anything tight and wet." Eve gave Ari a slap to the back before she retired to the ether. "Best keep wearing those shorts, hon."

---

"I think it's Joey's." A zebra took a moment to check his rifle's breach was clear before lining up. "The guy looks like a babe, but he's got the manliest guns out of all of us if you'd believe it."

A large bear shrugged his shoulders at his two compatriots. "I guess. Wait, was Jo even on that mission?"

"Yeah, on lander guard duty. And I've seen that pistol before... so yeah, try Joey first." James took up the rear with a light machine gun at the ready. "Just break his balls a bit for losing it."

"I'm actually pretty sure he'd like that, sir."

"Yeah, he's--"

"Attention on deck!" James ducked his long giraffe head down to give a salute as Ilaria and Carbon joined the party. "Commander."

"Thanks James, but what have I said about formalities on my ship?"

"It helps keep the men in line for missions, ma'am. Old habits."

Ari smirked and quickly returned the salute. "I guess we're leaving the ship anyway. Your men, your rules." She walked to the front of the line and rubbed each of her daughters on the back. <We ready to try this? It isn't too much for you, is it?>

Michelle relaxed a little and shook her head. <No, mom. I think we've got this.>

<Good. I'll prepare the others.> Ari raised a paw and slapped the ceiling of the hallway a few times. "Alright, guys. Get ready to jump into hell. Try not to fire unless fired upon, and even then aim to disable rather than kill. The opposing force may be armed civilians, not military."

"You heard the woman. Safeties off, but no kill shots."

"Yes, sir!"

"You'll land on your boots here in a second. Be ready to fall a few meters, and drop your weapons if it'll get you hurt." Ari pulled Mjolnir from it's holster and primed the first round. <It's all you, my little ladies. Whenever you're ready.>

<See you in a minute, mom.> Mikhaila walked to the rear of the group and placed her tendrils close to the floor, her twin soon following suit. With a nod they opened a large, long portal between them that dropped the away team through the floor and onto a Yangurrar ship. <Ten minutes and we come too, like we agreed.>

Ari collected herself first thanks to her large height and her suit's thrusters. <Ten minutes. Now close this before you get-->

A Yangurra discharged a toroid of plasma into the floor out of surprise as he rounded the corner, prompting Carbon to yank the weapon free with a tendril of his own. "I got him. Hold your fire."

"<Alar--!>"

James didn't need to speak plant to understand that call. He jammed his weapon's stock into the alien's helmet and knocked him unconscious. "I hope nobody heard that."

"You've got a hell of an arm there for a giraffe--well, leverage maybe. Good work." Ari checked her corner as well and then nodded to Carbon. "That control room was this way. Eve, you want to take point?"

The phantom held her forehead even though her body was still condensed into it's crystal form. «I shouldn't...»

"She's too weak right now. I'll carry her a bit further."

"Be my guest." Ari checked the corner again, then made room for the hybrid to pass. "Drag that guy out of clear sight and hold the flanks, boys."

A female shark raised her submachine gun in mock protest. "Ahem."

"And girl. Represent, sister." Ari smiled as she followed Carbon to the next junction. "It's a right here. Remember?"

Carbon chuckled as he blindly followed the directions. "Been lost in a lot of corridor mazes before, I take it?"

"Nope, just been to enough machine shops and factories. The natural gas plant in town is a mess of unmarked pipes for miles. I actually got lost overnight there before."

"Yeah, well I normally have Eve keeping tabs on directions for me. I do remember getting lost in a certain nuclear power station though." Carbon came across the control center and paused upon spotting not only Meita and Moigal from before, but a higher ranking crewman as well if fancy suits were a valid measure. "Hold it. Our friends from before are here with someone. Want me to knock the guy out?"

Ari peeked half her head into the room briefly. "No. Let's try talking to him. We outnumber them, and he doesn't look armed anyway."

"Officers carry pretty nasty pistols. I'll pin his arms if he goes for it." Evelyn formed her body slowly, then walked into the open with her arms quite conspicuously outstretched. "<Good day, friends. Please don't act rashly.>"

Meita ecstatically walked toward the singularity. "<Reclaimer! You return!>"

"<So this is your Reclaimer.>" The officer held out his vines to block the engineer. "<If she is so powerful, why does she sulk in the shadows?>"

"<I did not come alone, but we also didn't want to make a scene and start any unnecessary fighting. We come in peace, though we will defend ourselves.>" Eve lowered her arms and nudged her head to signal Carbon should follow her. "<We have a request. A deal, really. Will you listen to it?>"

"<So you work in words rather than magic. Good. Our people prefer real solutions to blind faith.>"

"<Good. Good.>" Eve kept beckoning, Ari and a few others bleeding out from around the doorway. "<We simply desire information--coordinates, actually. In return we would like to offer medical attention for those wounded in our last unfortunate battle, and additionally a few secrets to this world that would help your efforts greatly.>"

"<This seems more in our favor, supposing your own information is good.>" The officer took his hand off his holster once he realized just how overpowered he was. "<Excuse my disbelief. You have the upper hand. Why take my ship only to make a bad bargain?>"

"<We want to end the war between the Sect of Xor and the homeworld. In doing so, I will solve a fatal problem of my own. It is greatly to our own benefit, as well as the whole galaxy's wellbeing.>" Eve cringed and fell to her knees, dissolving her arms to buy some more time in her current state. "<Help us and we will certainly help you.>"

"<Hm, intriguing... This does sound like the Reclaimer's calling after all, Meita.>" The captain took a deep breath and then allowed Meita to pass as he waved toward a console. "<Moigal, help our wounded Reclaimer.>"

"<Yes, Puru.>" Moigal connected a queo tendril to the console and polled the ship's data banks. "<For what location are you searching, Reclaimer?>"

"<Vauxhall. We don't have it on our maps but we know it's nearby.>"

"<Ah, the Eternal Fields of Glass. We sneak in some trade there when we can, though our latest ship is quizzically overdue.>" Puru nodded a few times in thought, loosening his stance as the various soldiers lowered their weapons. "<We can surely show you the way, but what of our own reward?>"

"<Did you know there is a whole species living deep inside this planet?>" Eve wobbled to her feet with Meita's help and made her way to the console. "<If you are willing to listen to them and work beside them, perhaps they can help you mine this vast ocean.>"

"<You mean that monster my crew speaks of in fear?>"

"<The Versa are not monsters. They're quite intelligent, and if you're willing they all can speak with you with some effort.>" Eve touched her hand to the interface crystals and let Moigal guide her to the proper information. "<The deeper you go, the more æti there is in this water. The heavy radiation is toxic to you, but not to the Versa. They want you to stop harming their land and waters, so if you work out a deal you could have a great source of power that they mine in addition to your clean water operations.>"

"<I see. To think, there are more than just these Terrans and us in the universe. And what's more, we'd meet on such a precious world.>" Puru took a moment to consider his new options. "<We appreciate this gift, Reclaimer. Thank you. The medical aid is likewise generous of you. Now I understand why there were no fatalities in our last event. Oh, gods... we didn't maim or kill any of yours, did we?>"

"<One of us was critically wounded, but appears to be recovering. He... won't be the same though.>"

"<That is... unfortunate. You have my sympathies. May Gaia's light shine upon this man's soul, and may Xor's will change him for the better.>"

"Uh... guys?" Ilaria stepped forward and touched Evelyn's back softly. "Are we good here? We have that information you needed?"

"Yeah... I have it." Eve struggled to turn around, her frame and legs cracking from the stress. "I hope you're up for a detour. We've got a new location to check out."

"On the way to Xor or not? I have to remind you we can't increase our radius from the black hole."

"We'll have to see how well we can keep away then. If we could run a straight line this would be quick, but since we have to arc around the long way..." Eve's left leg shattered and faded away. "Damn. Okay, the calculations say we can barely pull this off, but it'll be a month if we can't think of another route. Is that alright?"

"You're disintegrating. Anything's alright if it'll help you."

"Perfect." Eve used the last of her energy to give Ari a kiss on the cheek. "We'll finally find some answers when we reach the place."

Ari nearly fell forward as Eve's body fizzled away and reformed around Carbon's neck. "This place have a name? A person we're seeing? What?"

"It's called Vauxhall," huffed Carbon as he clutched the black crystal near his chest, "and it's the first step to figuring out what kind of mess my and Rose's father left behind."

Ari nodded and started heading back to their entry point, but froze when those words actually came together fully. "Wait, you're ~related~?"

"<We'll bring our ship nearby so our doctor can help your wounded. Thank you.>" Carbon nodded to Puru and then took his leave as well. "She's my big sister, believe it or not. I'm just as surprised as you are."

"But... she's younger than you, isn't she?"

Carbon shrugged his shoulders for lack of an easy way to explain things. "We don't know the whole story, but she was conceived first on Yangurraar apparently."

Ilaria pulled Carbon in close and gave him a sideways bear hug. "Well congratulations on finding out, Carbon. It's always good to have family close during hard times."

"Y-Yeah... It is." The hybrid pulled back into the hug briefly. "But with you guys... I already had a family of sorts, baby Lulu."

"And now it's only getting larger."

James raised up a finger as he led the way out. "So if Rose is your sister, what's that make that evil twin of hers then?"

Ari and Carbon stared at each other as they thought about it, then failed to answer clearly in favor of ceaseless snickering.