#oldarva

[nyotasaimiri]

Arc Two 121

Nyota knew her crew well: less than fifteen minutes after she set a fresh muffin tray near the vents to let the smell waft through the ship, her entire crew had gathered in the kitchen, lured in as surely as bobfae to a sugarcane. Gizzie trailed uncertainly after Oldarva; she must have collected them on her way down. Mihre and Marcy arrived a little while after, their relieved expressions telling Nyota they must have gotten lost on the way.

“Did you sleep well?” Nyota asked, smiling at Marcy.

“Yeah.” Marcy interrupted herself halfway through with a huge yawn. “Maybe too well. I wanted to keep sleeping. But that smell is so good.”

“Isn’t it?” Hadley’s voice made Nyota jump; she hadn’t noticed her coming into the room. “Nyota makes the best breakfasts.”

“Good to see you out of bed again,” Nyota said, hiding her startle under a smooth smile. “I can’t claim this one, though. Lumen did all the work. I just told him the recipe.”

“Really? Could’ve fooled me.” She shrugged and snagged a muffin, biting into it with enthusiasm. “Say, we haven’t met, right? I’m Hadley.”

Mihre looked her up and down. “Yess,” they said carefully, “you certainly are.”

Hadley glared at them. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means this Floran knows much about the name Hadley.” They raised their hands to show lack of ill intent. “Not a professional interest these days.”

“Mihre is Namina’s older sibling,” Nyota explained, shifting slightly so she could get between them if things came to blows.

“Huh.” That seemed to be all Hadley needed to hear. “Another shady one, then? Nice to meet you. And you are…?”

“Marcy Reese. It’s a pleasure,” Marcy said, her smile only a little nervous. She’d been practicing, apparently. “I was one of Nyota’s classmates.”

“And a dear friend who supported me during my years on Earth,” Nyota added, putting a soothing hand on Marcy’s shoulder. “I lived with her and her family for a long while.”

Hadley considered this, stopping halfway to taking another bite of her muffin. “You said apex don’t really learn to cook most of the time, right? So you learned with her family?”

“Ye-es?” That wasn’t what Nyota had expected.

Hadley’s face lit up and she clapped her free hand on Marcy’s other shoulder. “You did us all a service. Great to have you aboard.”

Arjun almost choked on his coffee.

“Why are you acting like you’re in charge here, exactly?” Nyota could barely keep her voice steady; laughter tickled hard at her throat and threatened to rumble out if she relaxed her control at all. “And what do you mean, a service?”

Marcy’s eyes glittered with mischief. “Did you tell her about the plaster pancakes?”

“Ah. …so I did.”

“Then you have only yourself to blame.” Marcy patted Nyota’s hand with such acted pity that the laugh burst free. It was a solid minute before she could stop to catch her breath, lungs aching and tears tickling the corner of her eyes, her crew staring at her like she’d gone crazy and Marcy grinning right along with her. Like they were back on Earth, with no weight or grief between them. And this time, the feeling stayed. No cynical present bit into it.

What we had isn’t gone, Nyota realized, the thought sneaking in under her warm joy as she shook the last giggles out and drew a few careful breaths in. It’s just different: deeper, richer, stained but not broken. Not ruined. It’s still us. Still ours.

Hadley’s eyes were dancing. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you laugh like that. Hey Lumen, you’ve been here longest. Is that a new trick?”

Lumen chuckled, his glow warm and bright as a hearth. “Sure is. Ain’t that music to my ears? I ain’t got ears, but ya get the point.”

“It’s not new to me,” Marcy said quietly, and her gentle, shy, hopeful smile told Nyota all she needed to know: she wasn’t wrong in her feelings. Wasn’t alone. Marcy had been afraid too. And now she wasn’t. “I didn’t think I would hear it again.”

“You’ll have to pardon the rust,” Nyota said, finally taking Marcy’s hand in hers. “But I think I will be knocking all of that loose, before long. First, though, we have muffins, and they will go cold if we keep gossiping.”

“If we keep harassing you, you mean?” Marcy grinned and elbowed her. “Ouch, geez. Your muscles are like armor.”

Hadley nodded with mock sadness. “Another victim of the Captain’s abs.”

Nyota’s retort got lost under her crew’s laughter, and the sound of Arjun actually inhaling his coffee this time.  

[nyotasaimiri]

Arc Two 117

Nyota had just finished whisking the meringue when something thumped upstairs and made the ladder rungs rattle. The egg white peaks jiggled ever so slightly.

“What was that?” Marcy looked up in alarm.

Nyota glared at the ceiling. “SAIL would be panicking right now if we were under attack, so I would wager that Namina got bored. If he spoils my pie…” She let the threat hang in the air as she started spreading the meringue over the oculemon filling. “Marcy, please turn on the intercom. It’s the large round button there, then the yellow icon on the right.”

Marcy looked unsure, but she did as asked.

“Oldarva,” Nyota said as she caught the telltale electric hum, not taking her eyes off her delicate work, “may I guess that you had a surprise Floran from above?”

Eldie’s laughter bubbled through the speaker. “That is a very good guess, ma’am.”

“I am somewhat familiar with his habits.” Nyota caught a glimpse of a grin from Marcy and a small smile creased her own cheeks through the heavy concentration. “I hope he did not scare you too badly.”

“It wasn’t terrible,” Eldie said.

In the background, Nyota caught Gizzie’s timid, barely-familiar voice. “Are… are you okay, ma’am? You’re very fluffy.”

“I see.” Nyota spared a glance to the intercom. “Do I need to have a word with him?”

“No, it’s quite alright. I already asked him to play more gently. He had a small scuffle with Mihre, but it is fine now.” There was a smile in Eldie’s voice, and quiet hiss-chittering of two Florans gossiping nearby.

The intercom’s voice-to-text screen helpfully translated the commentary as Marcy stifled a laugh.

“By the bark, what a grip! Sprout has good taste.”

“Bessst. Hugs. Ever.”

Nyota carefully composed herself as she slid the pie into the oven. “Well done. Carry on, then. But ask them to play gently. I am making a pie.”

“I will, Nyota.”

Marcy barely managed to turn the intercom off before she burst out laughing. “Gosh, what did she do to them?”

Nyota smiled serenely. “Nothing serious, I am sure. Oldarva isn’t as bad as I am. But the details are between her and them. Did you want to check on them, or help me with the main course while our dessert bakes?”  

Marcy hesitated again and glanced up, then shook her head. “If you say Oldarva has it under control, it’s probably fine,” she said. “So, what’s for dinner?”

Nyota considered her options. “With this many tastes, we may as well make samplers. There should be fresh meat for our two floran in the fridge, if you don’t mind grabbing that for me. I will start with the fruit.”

They slid so easily back into the old routine that it was almost like they had never left, like Earth still thrived around them and it might be just moments before one of their dorm-mates or Mr. Jonty popped in to find the source of the good smell. But there were new notes to the routine. Marcy didn’t need Nyota’s guidance to begin slicing and seasoning the meat. Nyota savored the now-familiar scent of fruits she had never heard of on Earth. The scents were different, sweet and no longer strange. They had both changed so much in the time they had been apart. But they still knew the steps, the song.

Nyota smiled with pride as she inspected the stir-fry. “And you said you would never rival your father’s cooking.”

Marcy smacked her arm and did no harm to anything but her own hand. “You stop that,” she said, shaking out her fingers. “He’s leagues above what I can do.”

“So you think.” Nyota savored the aroma and fervently wished she could smell as well as the floran could. “I think you may catch up one day soon.” She quelled further argument with a finger on the tip of Marcy’s nose. “Apex know our food, little as we have. Believe me in this.”

Marcy grinned and conceded. “If you say so, then I’ll have to work hard to earn it. Dad might like that. I know Mom will, she loves trying new cooking. She tried getting Dad to pick up some of your recipes after you visited, you know. So you might get hauled into the kitchen next time.”

Her words brought back so many sweet, strong memories. Nyota had been too embarrassed by her first tries to ask Mr. Jonty for help at first, but he still caught on to what she was up to and joined her anyway. She could still almost hear his patient advice every time she tried a new recipe, delivered as stories about his own kitchen disasters and how he learned to fix them.

“I will enjoy that. Now, just toss in a little more oil and it’s perfect.”

The grin widened. “Yes, ma’am.”

[nyotasaimiri]

Arc Two 114

“First things first,” Marcy said as Gizzie let go, “we have got to get you new clothes. We’ll both get mobbed if you’re caught wandering around in Occasus gear.”

“O-oh. Right.” Gizzie shivered a little. “But I don’t have anything else.”

“I can help with that,” Oldarva offered. She lent Gizzie a hand to get up. “I worked as a seamstress before this. Though I don’t know much about human fashion…”

Marcy stood up to join them. “Leave that to me. Things have changed a bit on Patchwork, anyway.”

Nyota stayed seated as the three of them left, musing. Marcy’s floran friend—Mihre—had also stayed. They were watching her now, studying her. It was almost refreshing, how they didn’t try to hide it.

“You want something,” she said.

Mihre shrugged. “No, not really. Just amused. This was a test too, right?”

Nyota drained the last of her tea and kept her fingers laced around the mug, looking at them over the rim with a wry smile. “Will you give me the luxury of playing dumb?”

Their grin widened into a genuinely sly smile. “You don’t use it.”

Nyota turned to set her mug down, deliberately taking her eyes off them as she did so. To some, it would have been an insult. She could tell Mihre knew it was a compliment, letting them have her trust enough to let her guard down, just a bit. “I am injured, and tired. I have little energy to spare on my own petty amusements right now. And I am very tired of hiding.”

The slyness faded. Was that respect she heard in their voice? “So Marcy was right without knowing. So. What were you testing?”

Nyota made eye contact again. “If Gizzie was ready to be rehabilitated.”

“And?”

Nyota’s lips quirked up in amusement at their pushy question. “They exceeded my expectations. If they had defended the Occasus, if they had insisted they somehow deserved a second chance, that would be proof they were not ready. I would handle that myself. Marcy has enough to deal with. She does not need an entitled villain in her house.”

Mihre was quiet and thoughtful. “You tested both of them.”

“Sharp Floran.” Nyota sighed softly. “I wanted to know if Marcy could move past something like this.” She sat back again, eyes drifting toward the ceiling. “Before I answer more questions about my own past. You told her, didn’t you? What the Miniknog has done. What I might have done.”

“You can tell she knows,” Mihre said. It wasn’t quite a question, and it was not an answer, not yet.

“I did not tell her myself,” Nyota replied, “but it’s in her nature to find the answers anyway. An unfair test on my part, maybe, or one last attempt to run from my truth.”

She sighed, and took a sip of her coffee. It soothed her throat even if it couldn’t quiet her heart. “Mr. Jonty and Mrs. Mei would not know. I doubt any of the library regulars could be persuaded to share.” She made eye contact; aggressive, to a floran, perhaps unwise. But she had learned well from working with Namina. “Your little brother speaks highly of your wisdom.”

That earned her a hard stare and a small smile. “Old trick, a threat mixed with a compliment. But a reliable one, yes? I did tell. No speculation, only truths I know for myself.”

Nyota let her stare relax and watched the floran relax slightly as well. She folded her hands in her lap. “Tell me, Mihre. What do you see in me?”

Mihre gave her a quirky grin. “Not looking for flattery, I hope? Only honest truth?” They mirrored her pose. “Ask another floran for pretty lies.”

“I would not ask if I wanted lies.”

“Good, good.” They studied her openly, dark eyes taking in everything about her. No doubt they could read with more than just sight, as well. Nyota had seen as much from Namina, from time to time, and Mihre was older and far more experienced. Their face betrayed nothing of what they saw.

They nodded twice after several minutes. “Floran would shoot on sight, probably, in a less-safe nest. Dangerous, very dangerous. But I would regret shooting fast, yes. More to you than the danger. Marcy trusts you. She does not trust as easy as you think.”

Nyota took their assessment in stride, at first. It was as she expected. But the second part… “Even after all I have told her? All I hid from her? She does trust easily.”

Mihre snorted. “You have good Floran-like eyes, but they do not see as well as proper Floran eyes should. She sees you as you say, but also as you do. Less wallowing in the past. More walking on.”

Wallowing, hm? Well, she could not quite deny that. Nyota smiled and bowed her head slightly in thanks for their assessment. “I see. Well, Mihre. Should we join them? Oldarva may need a spare hand or three.”  

[nyotasaimiri]

Arc Two 112

“The library is the best place for this,” Nyota said, keeping close to Marcy and Mihre. “Oldarva, may I—? Ah, thank you.” She leaned lightly on the offered shoulder for balance as she followed her smaller guests.

“You know you shouldn’t be up and about, but Lumen can’t complain too hard if I’m supervising,” Oldarva said quietly, her little grin at once scolding, teasing, and sharing a conspiracy. “Will you be alright on the ladder?”

“Yes, it’s fine. And he’s just looking after me, in the end.” Nyota checked her grip strength against the lower rungs before letting it take her weight. The weak tremor was nearly gone now, a testament to Lumen’s skill. “I owe him a plate of my best flapjacks after putting up with me so well.”

“You know he will hold you to that,” Oldarva said, helping her up the last set of rungs.

Nyota patted her shoulder briefly in thanks for the help. “Of course. I’m counting on it.”

Marcy was waiting in the library with a small, nostalgic smile. “You made some good friends out here, Nyota.”

Nyota echoed the smile. “They found me when we needed each other.” She took Marcy’s hand and guided her over to the sofa. “A little like you did.”

It didn’t take long for Oldarva to return, Gizzie following close behind. They kept their hands clasped in front of them, clearly visible, though Oldarva hadn’t restrained them. Their hood was still up. Nyota could see stray curls in faded shades of blue and brown.

She also saw Marcy stiffen slightly at the sight of the tattered purple robes and cursed internally. Oldarva hadn’t had time to make them new clothes; she had forgotten what effect it might have on Marcy, seeing that here.  

“Marcy, this is Gizzie,” Nyota said as her prisoner hesitated. “Oldarva captured them outside of the Vault.”

Mihre perked up, impressed. “You caught a prisoner by yourssself? Not bad! Sprout has good taste, yes?”

Oldarva started to reply, but their comment stole her words and left her blushing as red as her hair. “I just did my best.”

“And then some.” Mihre grinned. “Well, well.”

Nyota coughed, stifled a second one, and hoped it would only come across as trying to get attention. Her throat burned. “Gizzie, this is Mihre, Namina’s older sibling, and my best friend, Marcy. She is also a member of the Protectorate.”

Gizzie looked up sharply at the mention of the Protectorate; Nyota could see the awe in their shadowed face, though they swallowed it and just managed “Nice to meet you.”  

Marcy nodded, though she didn’t say anything in return.

“You can sit down,” Nyota told them. She indicated the open chair.

Gizzie immediately tucked themself into it, legs drawn up and hands in lap. They stayed like that for just a moment before remembering to keep their hands visible. “Sorry, sorry…”

“You can relax a little.” Nyota offered a small smile, aware of the irony in reassuring one of the Occasus. “If you wanted to hurt us, I think you would have tried that a while ago. Your cell door wasn’t locked.”

Gizzie turned the awed look on her. “It wasn’t?”

“You didn’t try the handle?” Sheer surprise would have raised Nyota’s eyebrows if she had any. The idea of being put in a room and not trying to find a way out… no, she couldn’t say it was foreign to her. She had been like that once, many years ago. When the Miniknog said stay, you stayed.

Gizzie just shook their head, and Nyota decided to spare them the knowledge of Namina lurking in the hall.

She noticed that Marcy was listening more intently now, though she tried to make it seem like her attention was on her hands, on the floor, anywhere but Gizzie’s face. That was good. Very good. Nyota studied her guests, then took the plunge.

“I have a favor to ask,” she said, and felt Marcy go stiff beside her again. “You can guess what it is, I think. I know you well enough that I won’t force it on you. I have other options. You are just the best choice I have. May I tell you more?”

Marcy was on the verge of refusing. It was clear enough to see in the thin set of her lips. “Occasus aren’t welcome in Patchwork,” she said quietly. “They cause so much trouble, and stir up more between the ruling council and the Floran community. They’re dangerous. And every one of them that pops up makes it harder for the rest of us to prove we should be allowed to stay.”

She looked up and directly at Gizzie for the first time. “We have nowhere else to go. A little trouble could cost us everything, and we have everything to lose.”

Gizzie couldn’t shrink any further in on themself.

“I understand.” Nyota held her cards in silence, still. Marcy wasn’t done.

And Marcy looked away from Gizzie, up to meet Nyota’s eyes. “But… I know you well enough, Nyota. You wouldn’t ask if you didn’t have a good reason.” She caught her sleeve and twisted it between her fingers, staring hard at the fabric like it could solve all her problems if she just crushed it hard enough. “Go ahead. Convince me.”

[nyotasaimiri]

Arc Two 116

Their conversation seemed peaceful. Nyota was reluctant to interrupt it, and reluctant to admit her own surprise. It was reasonable, if cynical. But she did not like her cynical self, not when it meant doubting her friend. Yes, once it was only reasonable, only safe to doubt everyone. Not now. Never again.

“Marcy, would you like to stay for dinner?” she asked over her own thoughts, stepping into the room as she caught a gap in the conversation. “It is hardly fair for me to beg favors of you and then send you away hungry.”

Marcy looked up with a smile that knocked the weight of half a decade off Nyota’s back. “I was hoping you would ask. I missed your cooking.”

Nyota returned the smile without a trace of rust; she saw surprise widen Oldarva’s eyes and share an echo of the smile with her as well. “Mihre, you are also welcome. Do you cook? You can join us in the kitchen.”

Mihre chuckled. Nyota was still learning to read Floran faces, but she had seen Namina twitch his nictating membranes like that before when he was feeling sheepish, or embarrassed. “I am not ssafe in kitchens. Best to stay here, maybe.” A bit of mischief sparked in their eyes. “And Namina is being sussspiciously quiet. Should humor him, yes?”

Nyota remembered the paintball incident and decided to leave well enough alone.

“They are going to get silly, you know,” Marcy said as she followed Nyota down to the kitchen.

“I know.” Nyota stopped at the bottom of the second ladder and held out her arms, indulging in a bit of her own silly. Marcy grinned and dropped down into them. The unhesitating trust caught in Nyota’s throat.

Marcy flicked Nyota’s sidelocks. “You’re not concerned?”

Nyota just shrugged, swallowing the sweet sting of trust for later. “We are pretty used to the Floran flavor of silly around here. Oldarva can handle them. She is tougher than most expect. Now, I do need both hands for this.”

Marcy accepted her fate and got down, heading toward the cabinets Nyota indicated to collect their tools. “Than most expect. Including you?”

Perceptive as ever. Memory and pride creased Nyota’s eyes. “Including me. It was her who captured Gizzie.”

“Wait, really?” Marcy stopped fetching bowls for a second to stare up at Nyota. “I thought that was you. Oh, you did say… I wasn’t really focused then, was I? But she did?”

It was Nyota’s turn to chuckle now. “As I said…”

“No kidding.” Marcy finished getting their cookware. “There you are. Sugar next, right?”

That earned her another laugh. “A good guess. I do like making sweets. Ah, thank you.” Nyota accepted the jar with a bit of suspicion. “That was fast. Where did you find it?”

“On the counter here.” Marcy pointed, and confirmed Nyota’s suspicions. Namina hadn’t hidden it again—he was up to something. “So, what are we making?”

“Occulemon meringue.”

Marcy went still and quiet, still holding the jar. “That… that was his favorite.”

Nyota paused. She could feel the pain rise in herself, but it was duller now, soothed by something else she could not name. She tried anyway, words stinging gently at her throat like pulling something sore away. “I like to make it sometimes. I think he would be happy to know that I enjoy it still.”

Marcy touched her elbow. The old gesture drew up a heavy, good, deep smile as Nyota raised her arm slightly, giving permission for Marcy to hug her. A quiet purr rumbled through her as Marcy pressed her face into Nyota’s side.

“You’re right.” Marcy let go after a moment and went to the fridge to find those occulemons. “And he would get on my case for moping. He never had any time for that. Grab life by the horns, he’d say.”

Nyota’s soft chuckle was richer now, full of weight and love. “That he would. And he would like that we share this with others, I think. Love isn’t meant for holding and keeping hidden.” The part of her brain that always rebelled at emotion fixed on the smoothness of the eggs in her hands and marveled at their perfect, delicate shells, at how her strong, heavy fingers could work with them without making them shatter at a touch.

Marcy found the fruit and started getting the rind off. “Yeah. Yeah, he would.” Nyota couldn’t hear the grief in her voice anymore. “Let’s get on with it, then. He was always pretty impatient.”

The chuckle turned into a rumbling purr. “Only with the little things.” The eggs cracked. Nyota relished the feeling of soft-smooth-round between her fingers as she caught the yolks. Warm, familiar yellow.

Marcy nodded, smiling again and thoughtful. “That’s right. Only with the little things.”  

[nyotasaimiri]

Arc Two 115

Marcy wasn’t quite ready for what she saw when Gizzie finally took off their Occasus rags. She had expected someone who radiated ignorance and malice, or a wretched little villain. But were bigger than she expected under the ill-fitting robe, with broad shoulders and loose skin folds left by lost fat and muscle, and tangled curls that they looked so nervous about letting Marcy comb, but they let her do it anyway.

“You look like you were into sports,” Marcy said, desperate for a little small-talk to fill the silence. “You have a good build for that. But I guess that’s been harder to do, since…” She trailed off as Gizzie sat in silence, biting her lip to keep from cursing herself out loud. Stupid, stupid, trying to make friends with Occasus. Even if she had agreed…  

“I liked rock climbing,” Gizzie said quietly, turning their hands so they could see their creased, tough palms. “I would go out early in the morning with a few buddies, every weekend. We liked catching the sunrise together.”

Marcy saw old, strong calluses on their hands. The nails were immaculate. One finger was a little crooked from being broken a long time ago.

They both went silent again, leaving Oldarva’s sewing machine as the only sound in the room. Marcy finished carefully working through one patch of knots and started on the next. They clearly hadn’t brushed in a long time, but thankfully it wasn’t matted yet.

“You have really pretty hair.” Marcy couldn’t quite resist running her fingers through a tuft. It was thin and soft like her mother’s hair, but fair auburn instead of raven black, and as curly as hers and her dad’s.

“Thanks.” They relaxed, just a little bit.

Gizzie reminded Marcy of Nyota, back when they first met, so timid and fragile under the outer shell. The thought tasted sour in her throat. Marcy swallowed the sourness and focused on not letting it roughen her hands. They didn’t deserve to have their curls yanked right now.

“Hey, um…” Gizzie stopped when Marcy stopped combing their hair, but started again, speaking quickly so the words couldn’t sneak away again. “This city, where we’re going, is—” They glanced at her. “Is the sky blue?”

“The sky?” Marcy realized she hadn’t really thought about it too hard before. She’d been avoiding that, honestly. It hurt to think too hard about things that were like but not like home.

“Yeah.” Gizzie reached up to fidget with a newly-detangled curl. They were smiling. It didn’t look like a familiar expression, but it wasn’t a bad one. “I liked watching the sky.”

“It is blue, I think.” She had to think hard to be sure. “It isn’t as deep as Earth’s sky, but we get some of the most spectacular sunsets. They aren’t quite like Earth’s, but you get all the fire colors, mostly gold, and sometimes green.”

“Green!” Gizzie’s eyes went wide. “You’re joking?”

“No, really.” Marcy looked them in the eye and they were too surprised to look away. “I’m not sure what it is in the atmosphere that makes it green. I couldn’t translate the Hylotl word for it very well. But the sun sets green. And we get the most beautiful purples at dawn.”

Gizzie went really quiet, not just with their words but with their whole body. “You mean that? I mean, you don’t really have anything to gain with lying to me… Probably.” They shook their head. “Sorry, I’m just really surprised.”

“Why is that?” Marcy asked. She heard a little whisper of movement and managed to get the comb clear of Gizzie’s head before the startle jerked her arm. “Gah! Hi, Oldarva. Geez, you move almost as quiet as Nyota does.”

Oldarva smiled proudly. “Thank you. She gave me a few pointers. Here, Gizzie, you can try this on.”

“Thanks.” Gizzie gave Oldarva a shy smile that wanted to be scared, but couldn’t manage in the face of Oldarva’s kind eyes. They took the hoodie from her and slipped it on. It fit perfectly, the soft blue fabric they had chosen going surprisingly well with their pale coppery hair.

“Very good.” Oldarva helped them get it off and stuck a few safety pins in on the front. “I’ll just get the pockets added.”

Gizzie nodded, still smiling. They waited until the gentle apex started working at her sewing machine before looking back at Marcy again. “Thanks. I mean… You didn’t have to take me in, or tell me anything. It’s not like you owe me anything.”

Marcy gave them a funny look. That didn’t sound like the Occasus she’d met. “Not going to tell me I owe it to you since we’re both humans?”

That got a bitter, bitter laugh. “Yeah, no. If anything…” Gizzie glanced at Oldarva—no, at their hoodie. At the blue. “I think I owe you something? If this place is like you said, I owe you. I really didn’t expect anywhere else to be as beautiful as Earth, because it isn’t Earth.”

Marcy thought about this and nodded slowly. “It isn’t like Earth, but I think it’s good in its own way.”

Gizzie smiled again, looking down at their hands. “I think I’m not scared to see it.”  

[nyotasaimiri]

Arc Two 105

Oldarva hummed quietly to herself as she almost drifted through the kitchen. It was hard to move quickly when she felt so calm. She probably should not have felt calm, she realized. Nyota and Hadley were both in the med-bay again, she had gone hand to hand with actual Occasus, and they had a prisoner locked in the storage room turned brig. A few months ago, she would have been nothing but afraid.

“But a few months ago, I was still living under Big Ape’s eye,” she whispered to herself as she took the mixing bowl off the shelf. “I would have never reached the stars.”

She stopped, laughed at herself, and shook her head. She would never have talked to herself like this, either. Too dangerous. But she had stopped being afraid at some point, here. Started to really trust.

A hand knocked on the doorframe. “Someone’s feelin’ poetic,” Lumen said, stepping into the room. “Reachin’ the stars, huh? Now that’s a right purdy way to put it.”

Oldarva laughed and started looking for the flour. “It is better than how Namina would phrase it.”

Lumen hummed and crackled like a chuckling stormcloud. “Don’t ya get me started on him. Yeet at sssky, my boot. The hey’s a yeet? A yet ya stretched too long? Bloomin’ golly. And now he’s got Sonny sayin’ it.”

“Pass the eggs, please,” Oldarva said, trying to mirror that smooth way Nyota had of avoiding arguments in her kitchen. And then, because she was Oldarva and not Nyota, she added, “Does it really bother you?”

“Eh, not really.” Lumen ducked down to get a better look through the fridge. “Just does me some good to fuss ‘bout somethin’ when we got a whole lot of somethin’ I can’t do much about, y’see.” He straightened up and passed her the eggs with a thin hiss. “Hoo-ee, that half smarts, gettin’ the cold air on my brand.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t even think about that…” Oldarva paused in her work with a nervous, apologetic smile.

Lumen waved it off. “Don’t ya worry none, neither did I. I always forget about that. So, whatcha makin’? Don’t think I’ve seen ya use the oven before.”

Eldie looked down at her hands, blushing. “I thought I’d try muffins… SAIL had some useful kitchen safety tutorials, so I thought I might be able to do it by myself.”

Lumen nodded in approval. “That’s mighty wise of ya. And I’m sure the captain won’t mind ya givin’ her a break in here when she’s gotta rest. Saves some worryin’.”

“Yes, that’s what I hoped.” The blush got hotter, but she didn’t mind it too much. “But I can’t seem to find the sugar. Have you seen it?”

Lumen whistled curiously. “It ain’t in the usual place?” When she shook her head, he sighed. “Well, I can guess. Just hang on half a tick, I got ya.”  

He did not even bother looking for the sugar. Instead, he walked over to the wall, wrestled the grate off the air vent, and banged on the metal. “Hey, Ferny! I know you’re in there. Where’d ya hide it this time?”

A raspy chuckle drifted out of the vent and made Oldarva’s fur stand on end. Stars but he sounded spooky like that. Eldie took a reflexive step back and bumped into the counter as she heard something shuffling in the vents.

Namina popped his head out with a sheepish grin. “Lightss-friend has gotten clever,” he said. “Heard Floran in the air pipess?”

Lumen flicked his nose. “Didn’t need to hear ya this time,” he said, making a strange thin noise like a radio being tuned. “I hear ya scuffin’ ‘round in there all the time when I’m mindin’ the medbay. And we all know ya hide the sugar to play a joke on the Captain.”

Eldie had not actually known that, but decided that now was not the time to speak up.

The floran’s grin widened and he pulled himself out of the vent properly. “Is hidden in freezer today. She does not look in freezer much. Don’t tell. Fun can wait until Captain is done sssleeping, yes?”

“Sure, sure. Oh hold on now, don’t ya dare shake off in here,” Lumen warned as he caught Namina shifting in place. He pulled in the floran’s elbow, with absolutely no effect. “C’mon, get outta the kitchen before ya do that.”

“Floran is not dusty!” Namina protested. “Sparkss-friend cleaned those vents lassst week. Floran is curiousss.”

“Sparks? Is that what ya call Sonny now?” Lumen let go of Namina’s arm and ran his fingers through his corona, thoughtful. “It suits her. But what’s up, then?”

Namina ruffled Lumen’s corona and ducked away, chuckling, as the novakid crackled and tried to swat him. “Floran helps, yes?” he said, sidling up to Oldarva. “Floran gives sssugar, helps with the cooking.”

“Oh—” Oldarva nearly dropped her mixing bowl. He moved very fast. “Well, if you like. It’s just muffins, though. But I can always make extras if I have helpers.”

“Yay! More ssnack!” Namina pulled the sugar out of the freezer and scrambled up onto the counter to retrieve the extra flour from wherever he had hidden it.

Lumen fizzed and shook his head. “Boy howdy but I guess I better help ya too, at least to keep an eye on him. Well, not an eye… ya know what I mean.” He pulled a spare apron off the cabinet door and put it on. “We better make more’n usual anyhow. Captain said we’re visitin’ the rebels soon. They always like a good meal.”

Oldarva smiled and nodded. “They do. They more than deserve it. Let’s see… banana and nut, I think. Oh, but Commander Blake dislikes bananas. Chocolate, then?”

The novakid laughed, then sparked and jumped back. “Blazin—whoa!”

Eldie turned around just in time to catch Namina as he fell off the counter. “My goodness! Namina, you must be more careful. Don’t squish Lumen, please.”

Namina grinned and bonked his nose against hers. She blushed and dropped him in shock. He caught himself easily and presented the cocoa powder with a flourish. “Chocolate, yess! Floran helps.” He spotted the blush and his grin widened even further. “Floran keeps this up and we bake muffins on Eldie’s face, yes?”

Lumen swatted his arm. “Give the poor gal a break and go find the muffin tins.”  

[nyotasaimiri]

Arc Two (redux) 98

((yeah my editor might fuss at me for all this viewpoint swapping but I like it))

Oldarva listened as Lumen relayed their captain’s orders; it was such a relief to know she was alright, at least. “Can you walk like that?” she asked her prisoner. Gizzie, that was they called themself. They had been pretty surprised when she asked for their name.

Gizzie looked doubtfully at the simple but effective shackles that Namina had locked around their wrists and ankles. “I can try. I’ll probably slow you down.”

Eldie frowned, thinking. She didn’t really want them to have too much trouble in there. Namina said it was cold, full of snow and ice. Could that thin purple fabric even keep them warm? But she was very reluctant to release them. Even if they didn’t seem inclined to fight, they were an enemy, right?

Namina didn’t bother with such internal debates. He just shrugged and scooped Gizzie up. Gizzie screamed in shock, stopped abruptly as they realized what happened, and looked sulky and embarrassed as Namina grinned at them. “Can do thisss too,” he said cheerfully. “Nice and ssimple, yes?”

Gizzie glared at him. “Easy for you to s-say.”

Namina grinned. “Almosst. Keep practicing hisss, will be proper Floran yet.”

Eldie couldn’t help but laugh a little. Namina was always good at raising her spirits. “It’s alright,” she reassured Gizzie, “he won’t hurt you unless you try to hurt us.”

They did relax a little—maybe they trusted her, at least. Oldarva smiled in encouragement, and patted their arm. It was a good sign. It meant they didn’t plan to attack anytime soon. “Here. Give them to me, Namina. You will have your hands full enough keeping us safe. I think they might get cold with you, too. My fur can keep us both warm.” 

Namina actually hesitated for once. So he did recognize the potential threat, even in a bound Occasus. It was always a little hard to tell under his friendly, cocky self. Oldarva gave him another of her special encouraging smiles and he relented, passing their prisoner over to her. Gizzie was lighter than she expected, and felt almost loose under the robes. Like their body had been made for someone bigger, and no one cared enough to resize them. The robes felt similar, loose and ill-fitting. It was more like holding a sack or a child in a blanket than a fully grown adult. Oldarva shifted carefully. Nyota had showed her once how to hold someone smaller than her in a way that they couldn’t wiggle free or try to hit her. Funny how all those lessons came in handy so fast…

“Hold breath in door,” Namina told them as he led the way back toward the gate. His talons left little gouges in the thin asteroid dust. 

“Is it dangerous to breathe in it?” Oldarva asked. Up close, the portal flared to life and made her short fur bristle with nervousness. It was like looking through a window, except she could see the reaches of space on the far side, stars whirling too fast to imagine. Terribly disorienting. She swallowed the sour taste that rose in her mouth.

Namina shrugged. “Dangerous, no. Tasstes bad.” 

“Oh.” Oldarva shifted her burden. “Hold onto me, Gizzie.” 

Gizzie’s voice was muffled as they curled a little tighter in Eldie’s grip. “I’m ready.” 

Oldarva braced herself as she stepped through the portal. She expected it to be awful and dizzying, like the teleporters. It wasn’t. It rushed against her like a sleeve, pressing down on all sides, bitterly cold but never quite pressing under her skin like the wind did. Gizzie stiffened in her grasp and pressed themself against her.

Then they were out, and Oldarva blinked in wonder at the strange hall. Her breath fogged in front of her and she fluffed up on instinct to trap heat better. She had never seen anything like this place before, all smooth carved stone and eerie blue light. It was too dimly lit to resemble the stories she had heard of the Miniknog labs; Oldarva was grateful for that. She did not want to be afraid. She had used so much courage already today. But still, it was strange, and strange made her fur bristle in ways she did not like.

“Thiss way,” Namina said, putting a hand on Eldie’s arm to guide her. “Sstick close.”

She didn’t need to ask why when she saw the next room. A huge scorched circle marred the tiles in the entrance, littered with metallic debris and darkened splotches that might have been oil, might have been worse. The smell was awful. Tattered scraps of purple fabric splashed color across the snow here and there. Deep gouges carved through the thick snow and ice and exposed the tile beneath. But there were no other signs of the battle that had been fought here. Oldarva wasn’t sure if that was better or worse. She pushed back at her imagination. She would make it better. She shifted Gizzie in her arms and tugged their hood up a little higher, to make sure they wouldn’t see the signs of battle. Gizzie didn’t resist.

Little floating snow-creatures watched them silently as they entered the room. Namina bared his teeth at the bolder ones. “No trouble, wisssps.”

The wisps agreed, apparently. They kept their distance and all but lost interest in their guests.  

Gizzie shivered. “It’s so cold…”

“I know.” Oldarva gripped them tighter. “It’s okay. We will move fast.”

[nyotasaimiri]

Arc Two 118

Dinner went smoothly, to Nyota’s quiet gratitude, though Lumen gave her a stern word for being up and about so much.

“Ya took a real beatin’ in there, ma’am. It ain’t good to be wanderin’ around so much until ya rest up more.” He kept his voice low and leaned close as he spoke, his natural warmth tickling her fur.

“Sorry, Lumen.” Nyota gave him a small, apologetic smile. “I was carried away, I think.” Once, she might have argued that she was fine, if only to keep up the illusion of strength. But she could feel fatigue setting in hard, and knew that he was right. It would only shatter the illusion harder if she worked herself past breaking.

He accepted this, and patted her shoulder. “I kinda expected it, with yer old friend visitin’. Just mind ya don’t stay up late, and let the kids handle the dishes tonight.”

“Kids.” That earned him an amused look. “Lumen, you do realize I am not that old myself, yes?”

He chuckled. “All ya organic folks’re kids to me.”

“Ha. As you say, old man.” She flicked his corona and got up to serve the pie. As she sat down again, she caught Marcy smiling at her, and returned it. She knew why; it had taken a very long time for Nyota to be comfortable enough with Marcy and Isobu to show physical affection with them. It must have been strange, but maybe good she hoped, to see Nyota warm up so fast with someone new. Perhaps it had been quicker with Lumen because he didn’t butt heads with her like Isobu often did, or because Isobu and Marcy had loosened up the cracks.

A spoon bounced off Lumen’s head and made him whistle like an out-of-tune radio.

“No ssticking Captain in bed, Lightss-friend,” Namina said through a mouthful of pie. “Can’t make sssweet treats from bed.”

“She can’t make them if ya run her ragged for yer darn sweet-fang, Ferny,” Lumen grumbled, shaking the spoon at him. “Captain, if ya start wheezin’ from that guffawin’, yer on yer own. I gotta knock some brains into this fella here.”

Mihre bounced their spoon off Lumen’s head too. “No flirting at the table, we have young listeners.”

Lumen whistled like a small train. “What’s with all these dang spoons?”

“Bewildered. How is that flirting?” Arrowmail asked, turning a bright stare from floran to novakid and back. “It sounds like threats to me.”

“No, it’s quite traditional floran flirting,” Nyota said. She hid her laughter under a carefully studious face. “Very by-the-book, but with a nice flair to it.”

Sonny whistled. “C’mon, Captain, you can’t be serious. Wait, Lumen, why’re you glowin’ like that?”

Lumen ducked to hide his fire-bright glow, hand over his brand. “Hush, lil’ Glowbug. By-the-book, my boot. I rusted the bottom clean outta the bucket…”

Eldie chuckled and put a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. “I think you did fine.”

Lumen glowed brighter. Nyota let her grin slip free just a little bit. It was rather poetic, after how he’d teased her about Lana, but she’d spare him this once. Perhaps. Now she knew why floran pick-up lines had been in SAIL’s search history. She slid Lumen an extra slice of pie as a consolation prize.

Gizzie watched the proceedings with absolute bewilderment written all over their face. Nyota caught their eye with a small smile. “Not what you expected from a band of hardened wanderers?”

Gizzie shook their head, wide-eyed. “Not at all, no.”

“I appreciate your honesty.” Nyota slid a plate toward them. “Go on. You are allowed to have dessert too. I made plenty.”

They accepted the plate and started eating. About two seconds after the first bite, their face puckered. “It’s sour. But sweet…”

Nyota laughed. “Oculemon. It’s sharper and richer than Earth lemons, but very good once you get used to it.”

Gizzie seemed to agree; they were already reaching for another bite.

Nyota smiled and sat back to watch her odd little crew—her odd little family—settle into their routine. Sonny collected everyone’s dishes as they finished and joined Arjun to wash them. Arrowmail followed Oldarva upstairs to the library, Marcy close behind. After hesitating for a few moments, Gizzie tagged along. Mihre headlocked Namina and ended up as an impromptu scarf again as Namina just stood up and wandered off for his evening routine without reacting in the slightest. Lumen stayed behind, watching Nyota.

“Afraid I’ll keel over?” she teased with a small smile.

“Kinda, but ya seem alright.” Lumen got up and stretched with a quavering, happy hum. “It sure is a nice night. C’mon, let’s get ya back to bed. I’ll give ya somethin’ to keep the stiff at bay.”

[nyotasaimiri]

Arc Two 103

It felt like singing, but without sound, like it was pulling a strange harmony out from deep in her bones. Nyota half-closed her eyes as the beautiful warmth surged up and through her and eased the bruises and cold away. They did not heal, but the pain faded until she could pretend it was gone. The ancient energy coalesced around her hands and dripped down to coat the staff, purple light mingling with red.

“Goll-ee,” Sonny murmured. “That’s the nicest thing I’ve ever seen.”

“You think so?” Hadley asked. “Looks spooky to me.”

“Well sure, it’s spooky.” There was a strangely wistful tone in the novakid’s voice. “But it sure feels right.”

Lumen hummed and leaned against her. “Well ain’t that odd. We feel the same way… So what’s it doin’, Arjun?”

Arjun shook his head. “Just wait and see.”

Nyota laughed softly. “That means he doesn’t know.” The staff was almost hot in her grip. Soothing and unnerving at the same time.

Lana stepped closer. Nyota could feel her strength even through the simple touch. “Lean on me. You’re shaking,” she said quietly.  

Nyota leaned back against her, and the note changed. Like it was in answer. The staff shifted—she gasped as the metal flowed under her hand. It should have burned. It didn’t. The disconnect froze her hand in place even as instinct screamed at her to pull back. Steam hissed up from the red crystals at the staff’s crown, droplets chipping away and leaking back down the shaft.

“What the hey—Pull your hand back,” Tarvei hissed, eyes wide. His hand locked on her wrist, Lana’s on her shoulders, but Nyota couldn’t have let go if she wanted to. And she did not want to.

“Not yet.” She tilted her head up to catch their wide, urgent eyes, trying to push her own calm in through just the force of her stare. “It’s alright. It isn’t hurting me. I know—it looks bad.”

“That is an understatement.” Lana’s grip tightened.

Nyota pressed her head against Lana’s shoulder. “Lana. Trust me.”

The grip did not relax, but Lana did not pull. “After all you have endured today, is this worth the risk?”

Something clicked in the surge of power, and the resonance surged through her throat to bare her fangs in a breathless grin. “It is.”

The red began to glow brighter, stronger than the purple ancient energy. Something was missing. Nyota tried to focus harder, somehow push the ancient energy into it. She had no energy left to give.

Lana reached forward with her free hand to support Nyota’s hand. “Then this once, Captain, I allow it. And you will take my aid.”

Other hands joined Lana, against Nyota’s shoulders and back. Arrowmail, Oldarva, Namina. Tarvei and Sonny helped Hadley step forward to join them. Hadley just grinned at Nyota’s surprise. “What? If we’re having an all for one moment again, we gotta do it right.” She stretched up to tap Nyota’s nose before joining the others. “And we’re not letting you do something stupid on your own again.”

“Dang right, that.” Lumen patted Nyota’s shoulder as he tucked in beside her; Nyota could feel Lana’s quiet, rumbling, purr-like laugh. “If ya gotta do somethin’ crazy then I say ya get a chaperone for it. At least two. Doctor’s orders.”

And as his hand touched Nyota’s arm, the violet light vanished. The sudden void left Nyota reeling. Only the strong arms around her kept her upright.

Arrowmail whistled. “Anxious. Did we break it?”

“No.” Nyota lifted the staff off the anvil and watched the red sparks cascade down. They burst as they hit the floor, four droplets each, like blooming flowers. She lifted the staff higher to let it catch the light. A new crystal had formed at the base and black ribbon formed a firm, soft grip along the shaft. The wing-shaped crystals at the tip glowed brighter than before, and there was more in their depths now than just red. She let go of it. It stayed there in the air as if waiting for her hand again.

With your desire to protect, the echo inside her whispered. And theirs to protect you.

Arjun’s grin returned as he realized they succeeded. “Not bad,” he said, the kind of understatement that came when the full excitement hadn’t quite hit yet. “Looks sharp now. How’s the weight?”

“Well-balanced.” Nyota spun it slowly in one hand, watching the light swirl and dance within the crystals. There was something different, warmer, about the energy inside it now. “We will have to test it later. …much later,” she said as she felt the weariness sink into her bones again. “Tarvei, may I ask…?”

She broke off with a little hoot of surprise as Lana scooped her up again.

“Sorry, sis,” Tarvei said, grinning as Nyota’s ears turned crimson. “She outranks me.”

“I only needed support,” Nyota protested. “Is this entirely necessary, Commander? It is hardly dignified.”

“You may complain of dignity when you are not practically falling on me,” Lana told her, following the laughing crew toward the portal back to the asteroid. “Now get some sleep, and let your second handle the rest.”

[nyotasaimiri]

Arc Two (redux) 100

Arjun sidled over to Nyota, mug of coffee held close in both hands. “Nyota,” he muttered, leaning close, “why are you being so nice to that Occasus? Their lot tried to kill us. What’s going on in that head of yours?”

Nyota laced her fingers around her own mug, just watching Gizzie. “Look.”

Cursing the opaque moods of apex in general, Arjun did.

The rations were plain fare, but Gizzie ate them slowly, savoring every bite, watching the crew as if waiting for the other shoe to land. They flinched when Oldarva reached for them, then relaxed in slow wonder as they realized she was just offering seconds. It took them a moment to accept; they had to scrub at their face first, giving Arjun a glimpse of a shaky but genuine smile under the dark hood. And the glint of tears.

Gizzie was crying.

They looked up at Nyota instead of biting into the second roll. “Why?” they echoed, as if they had heard Arjun. “Why are you so kind?”

 Nyota met their stare with a strange, distant calm. “I know what hunger is,” she said.

Gizzie broke, tears falling freely, shoulders shaking with quiet sobs. They didn’t protest as a concerned Oldarva gently pulled them into a hug, just held the bread like it was their last lifeline.

Lana hummed in almost-approval. “More efficient than any ‘Knog torturer,” she said, the quiet rumble of Apex well-hidden under Oldarva’s comforting murmurs. “Under five minutes.”

“Hush,” Nyota told her; Arjun was glad he knew their native language well enough to follow. “I mean what I said.” She took a slow sip of her coffee. “I know what hunger is. I know what it can drive you to do. I know what monsters like the Occasus, like the Miniknog, will force people to do for a mouthful of food.”

She took another sip, longer and slower, and exhaled a cloud of steam into the cool vault air. “And I know what a blessing it is, to be given food.”

 “It is quite a luxury to be able to feed your enemy.” Lana’s tone was neutral, though it was easy to imagine them as more accusatory.

Nyota caught the implied challenge and replied with a faint smirk. “You say that like you haven’t pulled the same trick to win people over to your side,” she said, and tossed a biscuit at her.

Lana caught it with a small smile and a nod. “Good answer.” She bit into the treat, flash of white fang under the blue lights making Gizzie jump. “You have a theory, Nyota.”

“Hm. I do.” Nyota sat forward, and switched back to Galactic Common. “Gizzie, you do not have to answer any of this. But I am going to tell you what I think has happened to bring you here today.” She closed her eyes, breathing deep and organizing her thoughts. “The Earth was destroyed. Whether you sided with the Occasus or not before then is irrelevant. Though, I think not, given that you yielded to Oldarva so politely. They haven’t taught you the right slurs just yet.”

“Ouch.” Hadley grimaced. “Way to aim for it, Captain.”

Nyota shrugged and opened one eye to look at her. “You know what the Occasus is like. Shall I continue?”

“Okay, point.” Hadley sat back. “Go on, this is quite the show.”

Nyota nodded and closed her eyes again. “Thank you. Gizzie, I do not know how you escaped. How anyone else did, really. It was all I could do to get out of there, myself. But you found yourself lost and homeless in a vast and terrifying new reality. Maybe you lost friends and family. You struggled to cope with the realization that everything you knew was gone. You struggled to even survive. And then the Occasus approached you.”

Gizzie was watching her as she spoke, wonder plain even with their face still hidden. Their hands trembled. Arjun realized then just how frightening it must be to be read so easily.

Nyota opened her eyes and swirled the remaining coffee in her mug. It was a small mercy, letting Gizzie avoid her hard, eerie stare. “They gave you a little food at first, enough to keep you dependent on them. And then they had you do small tasks, earn your keep. Until you did enough to end up here, and they left you behind. Am I right on any of this?”

Gizzie nodded, almost too shaken to speak. “Close enough, ma’am—Captain—Nyota.”

The apex sighed, unhappy with her own guesses. “Despicable, but... not unheard of. That is what cults do.” One hand gestured loosely as if trying to capture the idea or shake away the ill-feeling it brought. “They go after the weak, the ones who have nothing. Who can't fight back.” She chuckled bitterly as a small irony struck her. “...the Resistance works in a similar way.”

“Hey, what’s that mean?” Tarvei showed his long canines in an expression that wasn’t quite offended, but definitely wasn’t a smile.

Gizzie looked up, startled. “Are you saying the Occasus and the Resistance are similar?”

Nyota did not raise her voice, but her stare made them flinch all the same. “I did not say that.” She drained her mug and set it down on the tiles with a quiet click. “That is where the similarity ends. The Occasus takes the weak and breaks them further, because they are easy prey, until they have nothing left but what the cult feeds them. The Resistance takes you and teaches you to rebuild yourself. It reminds you who you are.”

Gizzie took a deep breath, nodded a few times, and looked down at the biscuit in their hands. “Just… how did you guess?” they asked softly.

Nyota gave them a thin, wry smile. “You didn’t try to take my head on sight. Old-guard Occasus would have, after what I did to Asra Nox. As for the rest…” She gestured vaguely again, and Oldarva nodded, just a little. “I borrowed clever eyes and kind advice. It is your choice to make that advice correct.”

Gizzie looked around at the crew again, then finished eating their bread. Their voice was very small, very shy. “I don’t think I want it to be wrong.”

[nyotasaimiri]

Arc Two (redux) 99

“They’re almost here, Captain.”

Nyota woke from her doze at the sound of Lumen’s voice. There was something warm pressing on her shoulder. She opened her eyes. Brunette mane, familiar flash of red. Warm—beloved—scent of summer and steel. She smiled.

“Wake up, Lana. Oldarva and Namina have arrived.”

Lana’s face stiffened in a near-snarl for a moment, then relaxed as she recognized the voice and opened her eyes. “You have a comfortable shoulder,” she murmured, voice thick with sleep. Her tone was almost reproachful.

Nyota smiled. “Good morning to you too.”

“Mm. Is it morning?” Lana grimaced and stifled a yawn. “No coffee.”

That earned a laugh. “A woman after my own heart.”

Lana glanced at her sideways and flicked her nose. “I thought we established that.” She sat up and rolled her shoulders in a restrained stretch. “Time to behave. And comb your mane. Can’t interrogate a prisoner that faints from shock.”

“Bah…” Nyota held still as Lana smoothed down the worst of the wild tufts, watching her crew wake up from their own naps. She could feel the quiet tension in them, the anticipation, and felt it fade as the crew watched her receive such gentle affection. So Lana’s antics weren’t just for play. Clever Lana.

A finger ran along her ear and Nyota suppressed a shiver, shooting Lana a dirty look. Lana met her stare, and Nyota caught just the slightest glint of defiance and humor in her eyes. Alright, so some of them were just play after all.

The far door slid open. Lana sat back to watch, hand dropping subtly to the long knife she kept at her hip. Just in case.

As soon as Nyota saw Oldarva and Namina, she knew the knife wasn’t needed. Oldarva carried the small, shivering person, barely protected from the bitter cold by cheap purple fabric. They leaned deeper into the ginger apex as the little group drew near.

Oldarva caught Nyota’s eye with an apologetic smile. “No frostbite yet, Captain, but even the environmental protection pack did not help much out there. We might need a few minutes to warm up.”

Nyota nodded and gestured at the empty space near the small heater they had set up. “Take as long as you need.”

Oldarva sat down, but didn’t let go of her prisoner just yet. This close, Nyota could clearly see the shivering and felt something in her twist with a mix of scorn and pity. Lumen might have called it sympathy. Left alone with nothing but thin rags in this bitter-cold place. She knew all too well what that was like.

Namina squatted beside them and leaned on Oldarva with a quiet unhappy hiss.

Nyota gave him a sympathetic smile. “Too cold for you too, Namina?”

The floran bared his teeth. “Nassty cold,” he agreed, and waved at Lumen. “Lightss-friend, come warm Floran?”

Sonny chimed like a string of bells as Lumen flushed bright and muttered something about shameless ferns. But he got up anyway, and let Namina sling an arm around his shoulders. “Don’t ya get used to this,” he warned, with absolutely no bite to the threat.

Oldarva laughed and leaned against them both, careful not to drop the Occasus prisoner.

As the person looked up at the sound of so many voices, Nyota made eye contact; they didn’t flinch, perhaps too cold to do so. “Are you able to answer a few questions?”

Their voice was very quiet. “I have a choice?”

That earned a small, strange twist to her smile. “I will always give you a choice,” Nyota told them. “This may be different from what the Occasus has told you.”

They stared at her in undisguised wonder. “I think,” they said slowly, the words coming from somewhere very well-buried, “that many things are different from what the Occasus told me.”

Nyota let her smile warm. “Then there is hope for you yet. I am Captain Nyota Saimiri. What is your name?”

Was that a blush? They broke eye contact and looked at Oldarva’s elbow. “I don’t like my name…”

“Then what should I call you?” It wasn’t an unfamiliar sentiment to hear. Rebel apex changed their names all the time, trying to hide their identities or just find one that fit.

The Occasus looked up at Oldarva as if trying to find support—another unexpected gesture. “Gizzie is okay. A lot of people call me Gizzie.”

“Gizzie, then.” Nyota leaned forward and folded her hands in her lap. “I am not yet sure what to do with you, Gizzie. We do not normally take prisoners. We rarely have the opportunity. Most Occasus, in my experience, do not stick around to be captured.”

Gizzie looked around at the crew: four apex, a floran, a pair of novakid, a glitch, and two humans, all sitting comfortably, some eating breakfast together, all watching them. “I think,” they said slowly, “that I am not very much like most Occasus right now. …Ma’am.”

“Just Nyota is fine.” Nyota reached into her bag of supplies and pulled out some dried fruit to offer them. “You may join us for breakfast.”

[nyotasaimiri]

Arc Two (redux) 97

Nyota settled back comfortably and accepted a bottle of water from Tarvei. “Thank you. Is there anything else I should know at the moment?”

“Not sure there’s much more to tell,” Lumen told her. He pulled a pocket-watch out of his vest pocket and checked it, then shut it with a sharp little click. “We got most of them Occasus, think a few ran for it. Arjun’s been chattin’ with Esther, and Esther’s botherin’ them folks at the Outpost, to figure how they hide their little meteor there. We oughta be able to tuck this place away. It’ll be right safe soon enough.”

“Making contact with the Outpost has been a boon for our camps as well,” Lana said. “The technique is reliable for evading Miniknog sensors.”

“Good.” Nyota nodded. “You handled that well.” It was reassuring to know she could leave everything in Lumen’s hands if she had to. He was proving ever more capable as her second in command.

“Okay, but you gotta hear all about how the scuffle went, Captain,” Sonny said, jumping in with a bright gleam. “See, they had this big robot thing, like the one that went for Hadley. And somebody shot my arm. That wasn’t nice. But then all them wispers woke right up, and froze the robot stiff as a fencepost! Then Namina popped in and smacked the ol’ thing to pieces!”

Nyota sat up a little straighter. “Namina is here?”

“Sure is. Brought him and Eldie with me,” Lumen told her. He checked his pocket-watch again. “Now, I know yer gonna tell me she ain’t a fighter, but it was her idea.”

“No, I trust your judgment, and hers,” Nyota told him. The thought still sent a sour coil of anxiety through her stomach. Oldarva had learned well, but she was still untried in actual combat… “Were they hurt?”

“Nah, they’re both right as rain,” Lumen told her. He hummed, warm orange glow growing murky. “But I told them to catch up with us when they could. Shoulda been here by now.” He tapped the microphone on his collar. “Hey Ferny, where are ya?”

Namina’s voice crackled through, too quiet for Nyota to pick out the words from where she was sitting. Lumen listened and nodded along. Stopped. Whistled.

The microphone crackled again, and Sonny giggled. “Dang, that’s a good swear.”

“Sorry, sorry,” Lumen muttered. “Forgot the mic picks that up so hard. But whatcha mean she caught a prisoner?”

Nyota sat up. Her back twinged; she ignored it. “She what?”

Lumen held up a hand to stall questions as he listened intently to Namina’s voice, humming in quiet surprise as Namina told him the gist. “Well how ‘bout that. Thank ya kindly, y’all just stay there then.”

Nyota waited as Lumen gathered his thoughts, trying to at least seem patient while she burned with questions.

Hadley asked one for her. “What’s this about a prisoner? Occasus don’t surrender.”

Lumen shrugged. “This one did. Eldie said that Fern-fangs already searched them, so we ain’t got a sneak attack or sneak-spy to worry about, no weapons or wireless or nothin’. I dunno what’s up, but I trust Oldarva.” He looked right at Nyota. “She sure knows when a person oughta be spared.”

The words sent a shiver through Nyota and made her fur rise with something that had no relation to cold or fear. “Yes. You’re right.” It felt right. Lumen didn’t know—he couldn’t know what had happened between them so many months ago. But she felt that he did have a guess, somehow.

She closed her eyes and shut out as many distractions as she could, searching her mind for options. “I do not want to leave our crewmates alone out there, though. Or send them both back to our ship with a potentially volatile element.”

Tarvei raised a hand. “I’ll go look after them, sis. It’s not a bad run to get there, and we should get Hadley back to the ship soon anyway.”

“Now hold on,” Hadley cut in, half-rising in indignation before Tarvei’s hand caught her shoulder and gently pushed her back down. It said much of her condition that she did not protest, but fierce resistance still burned in her mauve eyes. “I’m not going anywhere just yet. I want to see what’s back there. Has to be something good after the fight that rock put up.”

“Ya oughta rest,” Lumen told her, and she turned her fiery glare on him. “C’mon, lil’ Firebrand. Ya know I ain’t gonna order ya, it’s no good to push so hard.”

Nyota cleared her throat; Hadley looked down. “We stay together,” she said, quiet but firm, and Hadley looked up again with a mix of confusion and hope. “Lumen, please ask Oldarva to bring her prisoner here. SAIL can keep our ship safe on its own, and I can think of no more secure place right now than the Vault, in either case.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Lumen was thoughtful, she could see that in the bubbling under his shell. But not upset—he was intrigued. “What’s the plan, then?”

Nyota gestured at their makeshift camp. “I’ll warm some rations for us. We will rest here until they arrive, and I will question this captive myself.  I want to see why Oldarva thought them worth saving.”

[nyotasaimiri]

Arc Two (redux) 90

Fear and doubt pushed hard at her, but Oldarva took a deep breath and pushed back. She had no time for them, not today. Her supplies were neatly bundled. She closed her eyes and set the last of her fear aside and focused on the thick cloth in her fingers as she carefully wrapped her hands.

A warm hand settled on her shoulder—Lumen. Oldarva took a small breath and waited for him to tell her that it was okay to stay behind, that she didn’t need to put herself at risk.

But he just leaned on her back, arms draped loose over her shoulders, and murmured in her ear, “I’m real proud of ya. Took courage to speak up like ya did.”

A smile graced her lips and Oldarva put one hand over his. “Thank you. I… don’t have much courage.”

Lumen’s free hand tapped the wrap protecting her knuckles. “Takes courage to do this, Eldie.”

“I know.” She squeezed his hand. “Our Nyota—and you—you lent me your courage. I’m just… borrowing that. Until I can give it back.”

He hummed, deep down, with a note to it that she had never heard from him before, and he laid his hand over the back of hers, gently, almost tenderly. Then he stood up and headed for the communications console again. “I’m gonna give them a heads up.” He paused, glanced back. “Dunno if I’ll have time to say it out there. Be safe.”

Oldarva reached up and touched the warm patch on her ear where Lumen had turned and rubbed his cheek against it. “I will,” she said, and closed her hands.

Lumen clicked the microphone on again. “Hey Arjun,” he said. “Hope the lot of ya are still kickin’ down there. I dunno what ya did, but ya sure rattled their beehive.” He checked the scans again to make sure. “They cleared out at the front of the place. Hold on tight, alright?”

Oldarva didn’t hear what Arjun said next, except that it made Lumen chuckle and pale with grim determination, an expression she had seen from him only a few times before.

He switched off the console and set SAIL to autopilot. “Right.” He clapped once and flared like a bonfire. “Pack up and run, folks. We’re goin’ in.”

Oldarva had just a moment after the teleporter flashed under her feet to marvel at just how well Lumen’s new motion sickness concoction worked—she didn’t feel the shift at all. Then instinct flared the fur along her back and dropped her flat before her brain even caught up. Occasus bullets hissed through the thin atmosphere above her. Something hissed—Lumen. His revolver came up before anyone could blink, no time to think, just move like he knew how.

Eldie didn’t see much—saw too much, didn’t know it. Nyota had told her about this. She knew better than to try to understand. Blurs of purple, flashing light, sound so muffled. Impact, press of heavy cloth—this is cheap stuff, tears so easy, what are they thinking��and warm body pressed beneath her. Something stopped in her before she did more. There was a deep, stiff pain in her arm. Green blurred beside her, that’d be Namina heading through the gate to help the others. Orange light stopping at her side. Time resumed, her mind switched back on. Lumen.

“Go on,” Eldie panted. “I’m fine here, honestly.” She couldn’t take her eyes off the back of the hood in front of her. The owner wasn’t even trying to struggle. Too surprised.

Lumen touched her shoulder. “We’re a step away.” Then he vanished into the gate too.

Oldarva shifted her grip on the person’s arm so they couldn’t wriggle free and wondered what to do next.

“Are you just going to sit there?” her captive asked. “You’re heavy.”

“Sorry,” Oldarva said. She put a little more weight on her own legs instead of their back. Humans were fragile.

The Occasus was silent for a moment. “Huh. I… didn’t expect you to actually move.”

Eldie smiled, a little nervous. “I’m new at this.”

Her captive was silent again. “Me too,” they said at last. They tried to turn to look at her, hissed at the twinge in their shoulder from the lock-grip Oldarva kept on them, and gave up. “So… are you going to kill me?”

Eldie could tell that they were trying very hard to keep their voice from shaking.

She looked around the asteroid. There were dark splotches on the stone, but no bodies, except the living one beneath her knee. Nyota had mentioned that once. Some kind of escape switch, experimental and dangerous. She hadn’t said more than that.

“I hadn’t planned to,” she said out loud.

The Occasus snorted. “Don’t give me that.”

“I do mean it.” Oldarva shifted again and felt them pull in a deep breath as her weight stopped crushing down on their lungs.

They tried to move again and managed to turn enough that Eldie could see half their face through the hood’s heavy shadow. Eldie had expected to see hate in their eyes. But it wasn’t there. Just surprise. “You’re an apex, right? You’re… not like they said you would be.”

Oldarva remembered what she had heard about these cultists. “You expected a monster?”

Surprise became shame. They looked away. “…yeah.”

Nyota had tried to explain to Oldarva once, during her second lesson, how easy it was to hurt something. Eldie didn't understand it at first. The idea of making someone else feel pain, she didn't like it. But Nyota had just gently put Oldarva's hands on her neck and Oldarva remembered her anger when she realized what Nyota was, the feeling of Nyota's pulse under her hands back then. Nyota had held her after and stroked her hair until the realization stopped ripping shame-filled tears from her eyes.

Eldie slid her knee off their back and helped them sit up, closing their hands in hers in a gesture at once restraining and something else. “It’s… not hard to be a monster,” she said, and felt a very Nyota-like smile flicker at her lips. “But I’m just a person.”

Their voice was very quiet. “You are.”

[nyotasaimiri]

Arc Two (redux) 66

She dreamed about the stars now, every night. Not the quiet fiery orbs her ship orbited, those were her every-day. She dreamed of the myriad, of the stars in every color, of the great hand curled around her. However the dream started, whatever nightmare or memory first caught her mind, it always ended in the stars. They never formed quite the same pattern twice. Nyota had the feeling that they were changing in time like steps in an unseen dance. It wasn’t done yet. 

“Not yet,” she murmured, stretching out a hand. “These aren’t my stars.” 

The motion woke her, and the stars faded. That was the other odd part: they never vanished like normal dreams. They just faded away, back to wherever they had been. Nyota sighed, still full of that strange sad longing, and checked the time. A little less than an hour before her normal waking. A second sigh turned into a yawn as she stretched and sat up. Close enough. She might be able to take her morning routine a little slower today.

Nyota was surprised to find that the training room was already occupied when she got there. “Oldarva? You’re up early.”

Eldie squeaked in surprise but turned the flinch into a feint and an impressively accurate kick against the training dummy. “Sorry, Captain, I… Well…”

“It’s alright.” Nyota picked the dummy up and straightened its joints. “You have been practicing a lot, I see. Your form looks good. Shift your weight back just a little more as you finish, so you don’t overbalance and fall over if you find yourself fighting on uneven ground.”

“Thank you, ma’am.” Oldarva relaxed and smiled, soft and gentle.

Nyota offered her a water bottle. “Have you been coming up here every morning?”

Eldie nodded. “Nearly, yes. I didn’t want to get out of practice, but I didn’t want to bother you…” She shivered a little as Nyota started detangling her coppery fur a little. “Oh! That feels good…”

Nyota chuckled and took a moment to rub deeper against Eldie’s shoulder and ease some post-workout knots out of the muscle. “You’re getting muscular.”

Oldarva gasped, blushed, realized Nyota did that to get a rise out of her, and almost pouted. “Play fair, ma’am.”

Nyota laughed again. “I am. I do mean it.” The laugh turned into a quiet purr. “I can tell you have been working hard for this.”

The blush returned, as did Oldarva’s smile. “Thank you.”

“If you have enough energy for it, I would enjoy seeing how far you’ve come for myself.” Nyota took a ready stance, just a little mischief rising into her smile again. Mischief and excitement. The brief bout with Aly had reminded her just how much she missed sparring.

Oldarva hesitated, as Nyota expected, but then she mirrored Nyota’s stance. “I’m ready.”

Nyota’s smile widened with pure pride.

*

Arjun shuffled sleepily down into the kitchen, scarf slung haphazardly around his shoulders and hat on his head only by virtue of not being off. He yawned, then stopped as he spotted the two apex cooking. “…’m I intruding?” he mumbled as both looked up at him.

“No, you’re welcome. Come sit down,” Nyota offered. She turned her attention back to the pancakes—no, not pancakes? They were too thin to be the proper sort.  

Oldarva shuffled over and started shyly fixing Arjun’s scarf and hat. Her hands smelled like fruit. “Did you sleep alright? Your hair is a mess...”

“Slept fine,” he grunted, “just waking up’s the hard part.” He didn’t mind the fussing too much. From what he saw, no one minded Eldie, really, for anything. Even their dangerous captain never hurt her—Something warm was pressed into his hands. He inhaled. “Coffee. Bless you.”

Eldie smiled at him as if somehow aware of what he’d been thinking. But he knew that wasn’t possible. Apex didn’t read minds, at least the ones out of the Knog didn’t. “Breakfast will be ready soon if you can wait a little while,” she said, and ducked back over to help Nyota again.

Arjun sniffed the coffee again and shrugged. “I got time.”

It was an odd kind of dance, watching them, and Eldie’s steps were bolder than he remembered. She didn’t flinch or shy away or apologize at all as she sliced fruits and blended thick cream to fill the thin pastries Nyota was making. It smelled great.

Brought back some really odd old memories. Hadn’t seen two women working in the kitchen together in decades. No time for that at the smelter or mines. Just a bunch of hot, sweaty workers scrounging for coffee and reheated beans. No room for being women there, or being men. Just workers, spat out by the dirt and too tough to melt.  

He sipped his coffee and focused on the hot bitterness. Back to the present, Arjun. He was old enough to be their captain’s grandfather. The people in those memories were long gone. No point plodding through the past. Too much to worry about in the present. Like their captain… he had not forgotten that “wager” Lumen gave him. He wondered if she knew about it.

A plate settled in front of him, grey-furred hand offering him his choice of cream or berry crepes. So she didn’t know, or was a better actress than she seemed these days. Arjun shrugged and accepted one of each flavor. Those questions could wait until after breakfast.

[nyotasaimiri]

Arc Two (redux) 52

The quiet chirp of her motion alarm roused Nyota from her thoughts. “Thank you for humoring me,” she said.

Lana stood patiently at the end of the hall. The warm lights here suited her far better than the cold blues of the Cultivator’s holograms, in Nyota’s eyes. “You placed them in plain sight,” she replied, acknowledging the reason without saying it aloud. They both knew how easily she could have just slipped by.

Nyota smiled. Lana’s straightforward speech was a relief against her own tangled thoughts. Her smile faded as she saw how careful, how stiff Lana held herself. “You’re injured.”

“It has already been treated,” Lana told her with a small half-smile. “I handled a raid last night.”

“Did it go well?” Raid could mean two things. Both options caught in Nyota’s throat.

“Better than expected.” Lana’s smile turned fierce, a bit of fang showing under her lip. “Only three wounded, none dead, and a shipment of food and medicine for the border settlements.”

Nyota’s eyes softened with pride. “Good. Those towns are so often neglected… But you don’t need my word for that.” She shook away a memory of foraging in the snow, armor heavy and hunger heavier as she scrounged for tubers and willed her stomach not to grow. Her eyes fell on Lana and the present again, and softened further. “How bad is it?”

Lana touched her left side, smile growing a little rueful. “Nothing serious.” The dismissive phrase turned reassuring under her voice. “It was more bad luck than anything. A glancing blow, but right in my side.”

Nyota hissed softly; her eyes widened. “That was nearly five months ago—has it still not healed?”

“It has, as much as it will.” Lana bent down, picked up the still-singing sensor, and switched it off. “Some scars never fade.”

Nyota took the sensor from Lana’s outstretched hand. “But we can still ease them, or work around them until they don’t hurt us anymore. Oldarva may be able to help you with that? She made a brace for my back a while ago. It’s subtle, easy to hide under your clothes. The pressure helps when the old burns flare up.”

Lana looked surprised, then satisfied. “That sounds like just what I need. Can she make it reinforced, or—I can discuss this with her directly later. You called me here for a reason.”

Nyota nodded. “You have your reading glasses? I can tell you, but you might want the written proof after.”

“Tell me first.” Lana took the offered note but kept her eyes on Nyota’s face.

Nyota repeated what she had read in the letter, about the strange apex meeting with unsavory bandits, the rumors of hiring. “Neither of us have patience for talking around matters,” Nyota said, meeting Lana’s eyes. “Are you or yours thinking of bringing in outside muscle?”

“Not muscle like this.” Lana took the offered letter at last and skimmed it, frown tightening each time her eyes flicked across a line. “I will check with the other camp leaders. This will only endanger us if they are trying. A location can be sold as easily as help can be bought.”

“Exactly,” Nyota said. “But I had one more fear… How far have you cornered the Miniknog?”

Lana looked up sharply.

Nyota tapped the page. “The Miniknog does not like bargaining with outside sources,” she explained slowly. “But they have done so before, for their own ends.”

Lana needed no further explanation. She nodded grimly. “Their grip is weaker now than it has ever been, in the Rebellion’s knowledge. We thought they would get desperate soon. Perhaps we were right.” She turned the paper slowly, as if looking for hidden words. “I do not know much about human bandits, Nyota. They were never a concern before now. I understand you have one of Clan Hadley in your crew?”

“We do,” Nyota confirmed. “Alice Hadley has been with us for a few months now. It was a rocky recruitment, but I trust her.”

“The heiress?” Lana’s eyes went wide.

Nyota stopped mid-word. “What do you mean?”

Lana blinked, then ran a hand down her face, one fang pressing into her lower lip. “So I know more about human bandits than you do. Ironic… Clan Hadley is traditionally female-led. Their current Queen has four children. Your crewmate is the only girl. Do you follow?”

Realization dawned and Nyota wanted to kick herself for not seeing it sooner. “So that penguin calling her Princess wasn’t just a joke. It’s hard to tell with her… You want to suggest something, Lana. What is it?”

“Go meet with Clan Hadley,” Lana said. She gestured straight and sharp in the direction of Nyota’s ship. “You have their heiress’s favor. That will keep you safe as long as you mind your actions with their Queen.” She turned back to Nyota, green eyes sharp and intense like copper-salt flames. “You can act with more freedom than we can here, Nyota. Make sure the Miniknog does not claim her, one way or the other. They will try, and try by blood if she refuses them.”

Grim reality bit in hard, mixed with a quiet, absurd longing that she and Lana could meet some day without the fate of their people at stake. “You will warn your own camps?”

“Of course.” Lana looked up at the star-strewn sky and let her eyes soften. “Nyota, Captain Saimiri…” She looked down as a Lana that Nyota had not seen before. “I have never believed our fight will end in my lifetime. But it may end in yours. Have you… thought about what you will do then?