According to the Key-Holders, there’s something coming from outside the galaxy. Some great threat that they can’t describe. They’ve been saying this for years, but this is the first time we have any indication that they may be right. Our ships have detected something in the void between galaxies, something large that moves just at the edge of our sensor field. Whatever it is, it disappeared almost as soon as we detected it. The techs almost wrote it off as a glitch in the system, but we’ve detected it multiple times now. There’s something out there.

-Norvil Gavrinik, Chief of the Allied Security Forces

Maggie wasn’t happy with being told to go to bed, but she fell asleep quickly anyways. This time she didn’t dream, sleeping straight through whatever counted as night on this ship. She woke feeling better, more rested and much less sore. The room was flooded with artificial sunlight again, and Robin was perched at the edge of the bed, a wry smile on his face. “Good morning Maggie.”

“Robin!” Muscles she hadn’t realized were tense relaxed, and she sagged a little in the bed, relief flooding over her. A familiar face among these strangers, even if they were related to her, was very much a welcome sight. “Are you alright? They said your tablet was broken.”

“I’m fine, but how are you feeling?” Robin looked down to her stomach, his smile disappearing. “The last time I saw you, you were really bad off. I thought that- I thought you weren’t going to make it.”

Maggie paused, thinking back to her dreams, to Te’chik who had said that most people that died stayed dead. The burning pain like molten lead that followed the shot to her back. The way the world seemed to close in on her. She took in a deep, shuddering breath, glad at least that it didn’t feel like knives in her chest anymore. “I’m not sure I did.”

Robin rested a hand on hers, his forehead creasing as he frowned. “Well, you’re here now. So you can’t have died that much.”

A snort of laughter escaped before Maggie could stop it. “Can’t have died that much? Robin, what the hell?”

He smiled and shrugged. “There are degrees of death apparently. I died more than you, obviously.”

“Obviously.” Maggie rolled her eyes, and made another attempt at sitting up. The last couple times hadn’t gone so well, but she had at least been able to sit up the last time. Her stomach didn’t hurt nearly as bad, but it still felt like she had done a hundred crunches in a row. Robin glanced towards the closed door, hesitating only a moment before curling an arm behind her back, helping her sit up.

“I don’t know how much they can tell is happening, how much they’re recording. I can tell there’s spyware on my tablet but I haven’t been able to deactivate it yet.” Robin spoke in a rushed whisper, his touch cool and tingly against her bare skin.

Wait.

She looked down at herself, seeing the bandages of course, those hadn’t changed. But there was precious little else on her. “Why am I naked?” She said with forced calm. She grabbed the sheet that had covered her, pulling it up to cover herself as her face turned red. And how long had she been naked?

“They put you in a regeneration chamber. It was the only hope you had of surviving. But that stuff is nasty to try and get out of clothes, not to mention you don’t want the nanobots to decide the clothes are part of you. Don’t worry, I didn’t even look!” Robin said.

“Sure you didn’t.” Maggie tucked the sheet around herself like a toga. She had successfully sat up, now it was time to stand.

She shifted awkwardly on the bed, sliding her feet off the edge of the bed. Luckily the bed wasn’t very high, so she could touch the floor easily. But standing seemed daunting. “Only a peek! Be careful Maggie, you’re still recovering. You’ve been in and out of consciousness for days, and before that you were out for nearly a week!”

“A week?” Maggie squeaked, looking up at Robin. What had happened while she was out? How were people doing back home? They must have stopped looking for her by now.

Robin watched her anxiously, holding a hand out in case she needed the support. “Nearly, yes. Maggie, you nearly died! Or maybe you did die for a little bit. Either way you still need rest!”

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“I need to- I need to....” What did she need to do? She couldn’t go home, she couldn’t go back to Galaux Station, and she had no idea what situation they were stuck in now.

“You need to rest.” Robin said gently, crouching down until he was eye-to-eye with her. “We can’t even try to escape until you’re fully healed.”

“I’ve been in a hospital bed for too long already. First on Galaux Station after that so-called minor heart attack, and then however long here? I need to do something.” Maggie stared down at her feet, her hair a cloud of red around her face. She took a deep, slow breath, and stood up.

Tried to stand up anyways.

Her legs didn’t want to support her. They gave out the moment she put any weight on them, and she would have fallen if Robin hadn’t been there to catch her. Whatever was letting him touch her apparently wasn’t connected to the tablet he had been in. A quiet alarm started to go off above her bed. “Shit! Maggie, are you alright?”

Maggie held onto him as he gently lowered her to the soft floor, tears of frustration pricking at her eyes, panic gnawing at her chest. Had she gotten whatever her Mom had? Was she going to be wheelchair bound? Or what passed for wheelchairs in outer space? “I’m fine. I just need to- to exercise the muscles.”

The door to the room slid open silently, and a Silvarian bounded in on all fours, followed by an Uxlik whose head barely cleared the door. Robin moved away from Maggie quickly, his form flickering as the Silvarian bounded right through it. “Captain’s daughter should not be moving yet! Medical Officer Zo’naf, please get her back into bed.”

“Yes Si’l Vala.” The large Uxlik said, his tusks making the words sound almost like a growl. He moved through Robin as if the hologram weren’t there, kneeling down to scoop Maggie up and deposit her back in the bed.

“Why did you try to get up? You’re not ready to get up! Spinal cord was completely severed, multiple organs needed to be completely regrown, and you try to get out of bed!” The Silvarian stood on its hind legs, it’s snout wrinkled in a way that showed sharp little teeth. It fussed to straighten out Maggie’s sheet, pulling it from around her as it chittered away in agitation.

Medical Officer Zo’naf helped in a more gentle manner, lifting Maggie so that the Silvarian could pull the sheet from beneath her. Gently setting her back down onto the soft bed.

“What do you mean my spinal cord was severed? Am- am I going to be able to walk again?” Maggie blushed as she was exposed again. The Uxlik spread the sheet over her, then pulled the blanket up, offering Maggie the gentlest smile he could with those giant tusks of his.

“Of course you’ll walk again, but not today! Need therapy, need to let the nerves regrow, relearn how to send the signals. The Key will help with that but even then such severe injuries take time to heal.” The Silvarian snapped. It pulled up a screen next to Maggie’s bed, glaring at the readings as if they had personally offended it. “You are lucky the key had been almost fully absorbed. Otherwise walking would have been the least of your worries.”

Maggie slumped in the bed as relief flooded through her. Lucky. She was lucky the Key had been almost fully absorbed. Well, she supposed she could accept that. It was a bright point in what had been a horrible thing. Apparently because of the Key, she would walk again. “When can I get out of bed?”

“Tomorrow. Maybe. Tomorrow Medical Officer Zo’naf will help you start building up your muscles again. Tonight you will stay. In. Bed.” The little Silvarian turned to look at her, swirling eyes stern in an adorably furry face. “Play with your tablet-friend, read, watch something, that’s why it’s here. But do not move out of that bed. We will bring you food in one hour. Do not make me have you restrained.”

Well that seemed extreme. Maggie scowled at the Silvarian and let out a growl of her own. “I’ll kick your furry ass if you try.”

Robin put a hand to his face, letting out a groan. “Maggie....”

“Do as you are told!” The Silvarian snapped it’s teeth at her, and grinned to show all of them. “I have permission to restrain you, sedate you, whatever is necessary to keep you from harming yourself.”

“Si’l Vala Do’sai, I am reminded that children often take after their parents in personality and stubbornness. Perhaps threats are not the best route to take with the Captain’s daughter?” Zo’naf said gently, resting a large hand on Si’l Vala Do’sai’s shoulder.

The Silvarian looked like it wanted to say something else, but held it’s tongue, narrowing it’s eyes at Maggie. Finally it nodded. “You are right. Let Ambassador Ux’thu and the Captain know she is awake again. You, girl, will stay in this bed. Medical Officer Zo’naf, you will make sure she does. Food will be sent in.”

Somehow the furry little bastard looked smug, a smirk showing more teeth on one side. “Patients that do not cooperate do not get privacy.” It added, and turned to waddle out of the room.

Medical Officer Zo’naf waited until it was gone, before letting out a deep sigh. “Si’l Vala Do’sai is not a patient woman. Do you know how to play Euchre?”

Robin sat down on the edge of Maggie’s bed with a chuckle. “My Father taught me to play it, but it’s played with teams of two , do you have another player up your sleeve?”

“I’ve never played it. Is this another alien game?” Maggie tried to scoot up in bed so she could sit up. Zo’naf pressed a button on the side of the bed, the whole thing slowly folding into a chair.

“An alien game?” He laughed, pulling out a deck of cards. “No, it’s from Earth. I learned it from some of the humans on board. You’ve never heard of it?”

“Not at all. I’ve heard of poker, blackjack, checkers, chess, all sorts of board games. But not Euchre.” Maggie shifted in the bed-turned-chair, trying to get comfortable and not lose the cover of her sheet.

“Then I will teach you, you two can be on a team, I will play alone. But first, let us get you a gown.” Zo’naf smiled sheepishly, a blush making his green skin darker.