Aphelia looked up to the sky. The night was calm and quiet and the stars twinkled as best they could. She looked down, to see Elisa running up at her, worried.

Ah, she thought, I'm dreaming this again. Except, not a dream - a memory.

She looked back up to the sky. The stars were twinkling brightly - too bright. The power had gone out in the city. Aphelia looked back to Elisa, still hurrying along, and back to the sky. The stars were moving now - there were so many little lights. Some were shooting down - were they... firing at us? They were, I could smell the ozone in the air, and the sky was once again dimmed by the bright light of the fire raging on in the cities. She could make out two distinct types of ships - and they were both firing at us and at each other. Aphelia scrambled led up, panicked, and Elisa collided with her.

"Aphelia! I was so worried about you - Are you alright?" Elisa's voice, usually so soft and kind, was harsh and nervous.

Aphelia held her at her shoulders. "Yes, I'm okay - and you?"

"Yeah, I barely made it out - oh, my parents, my family - " she broke down crying.

Aphelia held her tight, shivering, the full weight of what was happening finally sinking in. "It's okay - it's - i-it's -" She found her voice trembling as well. "I'm going to - I'm gonna go back to my house, it's not far from here." She hoped her parents were okay...

"Yeah, let's go..."

But before they could get up, a ship whooshed overhead. It was sleek and sharp in design, with a solar sail spanning over the front of the ship. It almost crashed right in front of them. Two figures climbed out - they appeared lizard like, with scales over their heads and pale brown skin. They had weapons akin to those you would see in science fiction movies - big and bulky and dangerous. Aphelia shrunk back, cautious, Elisa right at her side. The lizard like aliens growled and aimed their guns at them. Before they could shoot, however, their ship exploded behind them.

Aphelia gasped and sat up straight. She groaned. Not this again. She buried her face in her hands and fell back on the bed. A'turaca had been able to make do on her promise and got a proper motel without the space equivalent of bedbugs. The beds were pretty big, enough to accommodate the E'sagittau's stature, but they wouldn't be able to fit Dolovans. Maybe they had special beds in different rooms, or maybe they didn't even like beds. As she wondered idly, Elisa stirred in the bed next to her. She watched her sleep peacefully for a bit, and she wondered - did she have nightmares of that day, too?

⁂

Breakfast at the motel was a modest affair. There was a buffet, but it only contained some basics - local Derii-bread and butter and cheese, some native fruits that somewhat resembled oranges but were actually much sweeter, and a small assortment of drinks. Nevertheless, the trio ate their fill with gusto. When A'turaca was halfway through her derii-bread, her communicator started to beep. This communicator was used for interplanetary calls; Aphelia wasn't sure how it worked, but it looked a bit like an Earth flip phone. Instead of a screen, however, when you flip it open, it shows a little hologram.

"Hang on, I gotta take this." A'turaca got up. "Don't eat my breakfast while I'm gone." She walked over to a quiet corner and started conversing with the hologram in question. Aphelia couldn't see who she was talking to, so she decided to focus on her breakfast instead. Elisa was sitting next to her, nibbling on some Derii cheese.

They both smiled slightly.

"How, uh, how is your breakfast?" Aphelia started, awkwardly.

Elisa chuckled. "Pretty good. I really like the cheese, I daresay it's better than the cheese they have at home."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, it's got more flavor to it, and the aftertaste is pretty salty. Works great with the bread."

Aphelia smiled. "Yeah..." She trailed off, thinking about the bread on Earth. She missed it.

"Oh! Do you remember that one time where we tried out that one Indian place?" Elisa said with a grin.

"Wait! When was that?"

"Just before finals. You were so tired of studying and wanted a break-"

"Oh yeah! I suggested we'd go to the same pizza place we'd always go to, but you wanted to try something new."

"Right!" Elisa giggled. "I picked something that sounded nice, but you had the audacity to pick the spiciest thing on the menu."

"I didn't know!" Aphelia said, mock-mortified. "They're the crazy ones for putting a ghost pepper in the curry."

Elisa was laughing. "I still remember your face when you tried it."

Aphelia grimaced. "I can still taste that damn curry, even now."

They both chuckled, and sat in silence for a while.

"You know..." Elisa played with her food tentatively.

"Yeah?"

"I was thinking, uh, maybe, once we're back in Derii-Nos, we could maybe, like, do something together..."

Aphelia nodded, curious. "Uh, alright, what did you have in mind?"

"Well, maybe we could check out that classical Derii place A'turaca keeps going on about... It's supposed to have some Derii delicacies that I want to try out."

Aphelia nodded. "Sure, sounds fun." She chuckled softly. "Don't pick anything too spicy. I won't be able to eat it." They both chuckled again.

Then, a thought hit her and she blushed. "Wait, you mean like, like a -"

A'turaca chose just that moment to return. With one wing, she just about slammed her communicator on the table. Oblivious to the way the humans are blushing, she grinned and softly spoke. "So I have some good news - this trip wasn't a waste after all." She sat down in front of them and leaned forward. "I just got word from a contact of mine - they say we might have a passenger to Derii-Nos."

Elisa frowned. "Oh? Why us?"

"Well, she has some acquired cargo, if you catch my drift. I'll tell you the details later, but it's nothing dangerous or anything. Besides, she's already done the hard part, we're just here to help her on the last leg of her journey."

Elisa relaxed somewhat. "Alright then, if you say so."

"Best thing? She's willing to pay!" A'turaca chuckled. "This is gonna be a breeze."

⁂

The trio waited in front of the Freefeather for their guest. A'turaca was pacing back and forth, muttering to herself, playing with the communicator. After a while, a woman emerged from the crowd and was headed straight towards them. She was carrying a large satchel and a large frame packed in paper. Aphelia could only assume it was a painting; it was large and square and seemed quite heavy. The woman, however, had no trouble carrying her luggage; she was tall, and she had pale skin like marble. She had deep violet eyes and dark grey sclera, and her black hair had an equally violet sheen. Her most curious feature, however, were her two sets of arms. One set carried the frame with both arms, and the second set held her satchel with one arm. The other arm was waving at A'turaca, making specific gestures that alerted A'turaca of who she was. Aphelia also noticed her finger were long and bony and slightly webbed, and she had a great and powerful tail that ended with a fin.

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A'turaca approached her with a grin. "Ah, Bathypelia! How are you!"

"I'm good, A'turaca, old friend! May the sea of stars be fortuitous!"

"And may the stars of the sea shine deep!" A'turaca slapped a wing on her shoulder and guided her onto the ship. Once Bathypelia was inside, A'turaca turned to the humans.

Elisa looked mostly confused. "Are you really-"

"No, that was just a standard greeting - a passphrase, if you will." A'turaca said, hushed. "Now, let's go." The two entered the ship behind A'turaca.

Bathypelia had already found her way to the main cabin. She had put the large frame down to give the lower set of arms some rest. They were folded in front of her lower chest. "So! Where can I put my things?"

Elisa slid past Bathypelia to get to the cockpit. Their eyes locked for only a moment, but the look Bathypelia gave her was intense. She would've stood there like a deer in the headlights if it wasn't for Aphelia, who gently pushed her to the cockpit. They each took their seats and pretended to be busy.

"Right over here - be careful," she stopped Bathypelia from taking another step. She quickly darted to a specific panel on the wall. Behind it was a hidden control panel. After typing a few numbers, the floor slid open. "Cargo may go in there, and it won't be detected."

"Cool." Bathypelia picked up the frame and placed it carefully on its back, and she put the satchel next to it. "Ah, that's better." She flexed and stretched both sets of arms and folded them both in front of her chest.

A'turaca gave another command and the floor slid closed back up. "So, Pelia - can I call you Pelia?" A'turaca gently guided her to the back of the Freefeather. She silently gave Elisa the sign to start to take off. "You were headed for Derii-Nos, right? Any specific address to drop you off?"

The door closed behind them and they were out of earshot.

"Huh. So that's a Berellian." Aphelia mused out loud.

Elisa nodded. "Yeah. What did 'Tur say about their planet again?"

"Uh - water planet, if I recall correctly. A bit like Atlantis, but bigger. It's in the - " She checked the charts. "It's part of the E'sagittau alliance, but it's a bit further back in space than most 0f the planets in the alliance."

"I wonder what she got in her luggage." She shivered a bit.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm just not really getting a great vibe from her."

Aphelia shrugged. "I'm sure it'll be fine. It's not even a day to Derii-Nos, so it's not like she'll be in our hair for long. Besides, we do need the money. And, as for whatever those packages are - I'm sure it won't be anything dangerous. I trust A'turaca not to screw us over, and I hope A'turaca's contact is equally trustworthy."

Elisa sighed. "True." She turned her attention to the controls. "Are we still tethered? Did you clear with the docking master?"

"No ma'am, and yes ma'am! We're free as a bird."

Elisa chuckled softly at the pun. "Right, let's get ready to go, then." She pressed a series of controls and the ship hissed. The Freefeather started to ascend, and then leaned forward to slowly moved out of the dock.

Aphelia admired her piloting. Even without the cheating chip, she was a natural. She smiled softly and kept an eye on the readings as they came, to make sure Elisa hadn't missed anything. Elisa maneuvered the ship out of the station, past the barrier, and back into space.

Bathypelia and A'turaca returned from their private chat. A'turaca pulled out a retractable bench from the walls and invited Bathypelia to sit. She did so gracefully.

Bathypelia looked at Elisa with curiosity. "So, you got humans on board." she said, stating the obvious.

"Yeah, they're my friends." While A'turaca's body language was still open and jovial, her tone had just a bit of ice on it.

"Oh? Friends?" Pelia looked intrigued.

"Yeah, friends."

Pelia looked genuinely surprised. "I didn't take you for the friendship type. How on earth did you get two humans on board?"

"It's not that interesting." A'turaca said, dismissively.

"A story is nice to pas the time." Pelia smiled sweetly.

A'turaca looked at the humans. Elisa looked doubtful, but Aphelia just shrugged. It wasn't as if it was a secret.

A'turaca sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "Fine." She then smirked slightly. "I stole them off a Sagittau ship, if you can believe it."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. They were on their way to a human 'shelter', but my client was paying me good money to get one. Instead, I got two."

"You didn't deliver them?"

"The trouble wasn't worth the money."

Aphelia giggled. "She had a change of heart."

Pelia chuckled with her. "Ooh? A soft spot for these humans?"

A'turaca huffed. "They've stuck with me ever since."

Pelia hummed. "What did happen to the shelter?"

"It got attacked by Xetarian spies and Sagittau rebels who weren't happy with it. They all got arrested, but... most of the humans, they weren't able to escape. Those who did were scattered over galaxies."

"Galaxies, huh..." Pelia looked thoughtful.

"Yeah. No idea what happened to them, but in a way, it's a good thing I stole them off that ship."

Pelia chuckled. "Yes, indeed..."

It was silent for a while, but a comfortable silence. The Freefeather rumbled quietly under them, and the stars went by smoothly.

A'turaca smiled. "So, if I may ask - what are you carrying with you?"

"Ah, some heirlooms." Pelia smiled. "Funny story. Back in the war, the Xetarians had raided my family estate and stolen some valuable works of art. I took the liberty to take it back."

"Ah, good for you."

"You know, there is one thing I hadn't managed to get back, but that's only because the Xetarians lost it before I could get to it." Pelia looked miffed. "The buffoons couldn't even keep it safe."

"What was it?"

"A stellar chart. It wasn't particularly old or anything, but it was beautifully hand-crafted by my uncle."

"Oh? What was your uncle's name?"

"Hmm, Anguineus. He was a strange fellow, very withdrawn, but he had a wonderful hand in art. While the map itself isn't valuable, my mother would give anything to have it back. He died in the wars."

"Ah, my condolences."

They kept on making smalltalk for a while, talking about art stolen from other families.

Aphelia saw Elisa tense. "What's wrong?" she whispered.

Elisa shushed her. "The map I found in the trash, the one scribbled over with-"

"That's hers?"

Elisa shushed her again, more urgently. "It has Anguineus written on it, I didn't know - it certainly didn't feel handcrafted -"

Aphelia leaned closer to talk. "She should know! It's her family's map!"

"Yes, but we'd lose a valuable asset to find the humans! Humans must have written on the map while they were captured by Xetarians - but how did it get in the trash?"

"Maybe it's not her map, maybe it's a copy?"

"Maybe." Elisa looked doubtful, though. "Either way, I don't think we can trust her."

"Sure, but we should at least tell 'Tur."

Elisa thought and nodded. "Fine. I'll tell her."

They were silent for a while, but the atmosphere was tense. Bathypelia seemed to notice, but didn't react or respond. She had one set of arms crossed in front of her lower chest, and her upper set of arms supported her while sitting back. She slumped lazily over the seat. "You know, I need to use the little ladies' room. If I may...?"

"'Course, it's over there." She pointed to the bathroom. "It's a little small, but it does the job."

"Thanks." She stood up and walked over.

Once the door closed, Elisa stood up and grabbed the map from her bunk. She hastily looked it over and sat down next to A'turaca. "Do you think this is the map she was talking about?" she said in a hushed tone.

"Woah, woah," A'turaca leaned back. "What's going on?"

"Here, look - it's got -"

"No, wait, just hangon for a moment, what's going on?"

Elisa told her what she thought.

"Alright, fine." A'turaca grabbed the map and looked it over. She looked closely at the print. "The original map is not hand=drawn, and although it's got the uncle's name on it, I'm sure it's just a copy or something. Either way... she doesn't need to know."

Elisa nodded and hid the map away in her bunk. She was still standing near the bunk when Bathypelia came out of the restroom.

"What's going on?"

"Eh, nothing important." A'turaca leaned back again.

"Well, alright then." She shrugged.

At that moment, alarms went off. Elisa nearly jumped out of her seat and looked at the displays to see what was going on. "Dolovan pirates incoming - it's the Sandscraper!"

"Tau's feathers!" A'turaca swore. "Not now!"

With practiced precision, Elisa started to enter the commands to raise their shields. "There's an incoming transmission from them."

A'turaca clicked her beak in annoyance. "Fine, let's see what they want."

Their viewscreen flickered to life with a transmission from the Sandscraper. Their Xetarian captain, Igneos, was sneering at them. He looked humanoid, but he most definitely wasn't human. His skin was an icy, pale blue. Instead of hair, he had slightly darker, scaled ridges on his forehead, leading over his skull in an intricate pattern. His eyes were a sandy amber, and his sneer uncovered some of his mean, sharp teeth. "Ah, hello! Fancy meeting you here again."

A'turaca gritted her beak. She balled a fist, but she soon released. "Igneos." she said icily.

"Ah, a warm welcome, as always."

Elisa nervously looked over the sensors. "Their shields are up and their weapons are aimed at us, but not powered up." she whispered to A'turaca.

A'turaca nodded slightly to her in response. "Let's just get this over with." She turned back to the viewscreen. "What do you want?"

"Well, we've heard talk of a guest on board." Igneos smirked. "There's a lady called Bathypelia, I assume you've met, she's got something that belongs to my client."

Aphelia looked up. "They're charging weapons!" she warned.

Igneos looked almost proud. "So, chop-chop."