Yulia was still sleeping when Alexander rolled her wheelchair into the apartment. It wasn’t much. There was a main room with a small kitchen, a single bedroom, and a small bathroom. But it was more than enough for the little girl’s needs. And it was clean since Alexander had spent the last day scrubbing the place from top to bottom. It hadn’t been nearly as filthy as his shop when he first moved in, but he still wanted to ensure a clean safe environment for the girl.

Alexander gently scooped Yulia up and carried her into the bedroom before laying the covers over her. Since he didn’t know anything about raising a child, he had purchased a few books on the subject. After reading the books he was surprised that children needed so much consideration. Somehow he pictured taking care of them like taking care of a pet. He imagined if he told another parent that thought, they would laugh themselves silly.

Being a robot, he couldn’t apply everything he had learned in the books, but he did try his best. Most of that effort went into the bedroom, which is why the small space was decked out in a pink floral pattern, including the sheets, blanket, and even a nightlight.

He also left the door slightly open as he moved back into the main room. The main room consisted of a couch and a holo-projector on one side with the kitchen having only a small fridge and single-element cooktop on the other. Since Alexander didn’t need to eat, this was all they needed.

He didn’t want to leave Yulia alone while she was sleeping, so he sat on the floor in front of the holo and continued his lessons in rocket propulsion, keeping the sound to the barest whisper.

After a few hours, he heard a chime. Confused for a moment, he looked around until he spotted the other item he had purchased recently. The comm sat on the counter in the kitchen because the strap didn’t fit around Alexander’s wrist and he hadn’t gotten around to making one that would yet.

He stood up and walked over to the piece of tech that connected to the Q-Comm relay built into the station. It was a message from Captain Daniel.

Alexander, I got your message. It was vague, so I hope you are alright. I meant what I said to you back then, so if you need something let me know. The Zephyr will remain in range of our local Q-Comm until I get your reply.

He began typing out a response, not sure when it would reach the Captain. His conversation with Violet had seemed instantaneous if a bit low quality. Then again, he had never seen anyone else using a comm watch to have a real-time face-to-face conversation. Everyone always seemed to use the text mode. He didn’t know if that was because their planet had a better Q-Comm or if there was something else that limited the communication devices.

I’m fine, Jasper, thanks for asking. The Council on Petrov has decided I am no longer welcome here. They have given me sixty days to vacate. Fifty-Nine as I write this. I am currently in the process of acquiring a new residence off-station. Do you happen to know anyone willing to transport me… and my daughter?

It took less than an hour to get a response. Alexander was pretty sure the Captain didn’t wait an hour to respond, so there was certainly some delay there.

…A daughter… I think that is something better discussed in person instead of over the comms, I’m sure it’s a long story. As for transport, I don’t know anyone in that area.

Alexander deflated at that before he continued to read.

But that’s not a problem. The Zephyr can be there within thirty days to transport you and anything you need to take with you. And before you respond and tell me that that’s too much, and not necessary, because that does seem like something you would say, this is a friend doing another friend a favor. So as long as you still see me as your friend, you will accept my offer.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

It was indeed what he had been thinking. Alexander smiled internally. At least not everyone in this messed-up future was a jerk. Captain Daniels really did seem like one of the good ones. If it wasn’t for him, he was sure Omni would have come in and simply stolen his advancements without offering a cent in return. He supposed he could put Captain Na in that column as well, even though he was partly to blame for the way the station handled his issues. If Mingyu hadn’t spoken with the Headmaster, and given the hospital a heads-up, Yulia might be sitting in some cell somewhere, waiting for the STO to decide her fate.

Thank you, Jasper, I owe you one. And yes, it’s a long story. I can tell you when you and the Zephyr arrive.

A weight lifted off Alexander’s shoulders knowing he had independent transport off the station. Considering how hostile Zhang had come off, he wouldn’t put it past the man to try something to prevent him from leaving. He could reach out to Na to see if he could prevent that, but he didn’t want to rely on the other Council Captain. There was also the fact that Na had been the only Council member to speak with him so far, to suddenly change it to Zhang spoke of internal changes in the Council. And Alexander had stirred up that hornet's nest enough. He just wanted to be off this station and away from people deciding his fate for him.

Yulia woke up a few hours later. He only knew because she poked her head through the crack in the door. It was almost like the little girl was afraid to believe what she experienced the night before. Tentatively, she pushed the door open and stepped out into the living room.

“Morning, Yulia,” Alexander spoke as he rose from near the couch. “Are you hungry?”

The girl nodded quietly and walked over to the counter before climbing up on her stool. Alexander had fixed it after it was destroyed in the attack and moved it from his shop. It was a little shorter now to match the counter height in the apartment though.

The girl never took her eyes off him as he cooked up a breakfast. When he set the plate of food in front of her, she looked down at it and tears started to form in her eyes.

Before Alexander could ask what was wrong, the girl hopped off her stool and ran around the counter to hug him. “It wasn’t a dream?”

“No, sweetie, it wasn’t a dream. I’m your dad now.”

He hugged her back as best he could and she stood there and cried like that for a bit before wiping the snot and tears from her face with her sleeve and walking back around to eat her food.

After she ate, she cleaned up and got dressed in a new outfit. It was essentially a duplicate of her old outfit, but the girl didn’t seem to mind.

“Where are we going?” Yulia asked as she held Alexander’s hand while they walked.

“To my shop. I need to start cleaning it out so we can leave.”

“Leave?” the little girl asked in confusion.

“We have to leave Petrov Station.”

The girl stopped and let go of Alexander’s hand. “But what about my friends?”

He knew this conversation was going to come up, he just wished it could have waited. He kneeled down in front of the girl. “You’ll get to see them before we leave. And I’ll get you a comm so you can keep in touch.”

The girl's eyes turned red, but she swallowed back her tears and nodded. He stood and they continued their slow walk to his shop. After purchasing a personal comm for himself, he now understood why very few people bothered with the things. They were horrifically expensive for what they did, and each message cost money to send through the Q-Comm.

That was a small price to pay to see the girl happy though. Besides, even after he purchased a property, he would still be a multi-millionaire. He had received his portion of the damages from the attack. It galled him that Yulia wasn’t eligible for compensation because of her status as a ward during the incident though.

They really did the bare minimum to see orphans as anything other than a burden.

Yulia started to hesitate as they approached his shop. He stopped. “Is there something wrong?”

“I- I’m scared.”

He was being an idiot, he should have thought about this. Of course, a little kid would be afraid of going back to the place where they got hurt.

“Do you want to go back to the apartment?”

The girl thought for a minute before shaking her head. “You’ll protect me?”

“I’ll never let anyone hurt you ever again.” And he meant it.

That seemed to mollify the girl. She was still a little hesitant, but they took it slow. Eventually, they arrived outside his shop. There were no signs an attack had ever taken place there. Along with cleaning the apartment, Alexander had repaired everything that was damaged or destroyed in the tiny space he worked out of. The old printer was a loss, but he bought a newer better model.

Seeing no signs of bad men, Yulia ran over and took her customary spot on a new seat. This one was much nicer and had actual padding to it. From there they fell into their old comfortable rhythm as he worked on completing the jobs he had lined up. He didn’t plan on taking on any more work, but he wasn’t about to abandon the work he already had.