Doctors met them as they landed in a massive docking bay, and began checking out Keisha and Fiolas. Keisha felt the artificial gravity kick in and felt heavier than she did on the planet. The captain and a young woman met them also. "We have already warned away all the other ships. We tried to warn you as well but we were too late. We would have been here sooner, but this ship was not meant for speed."

"This man isn't dead!" The doctor for Fiolas interrupted. "He's been badly injured and probably paralyzed, but I believe I can save him." The captain gave a nod and soon Fiolas and a team raced away towards what Keisha could only assume was the medical bay. He's alive. Tears of relief rolled down her cheeks as the captain continued her speech.

"I am captain Anna Katopodis and this is my starship the Pytheas. We are a research vessel, outfitted for a long-term mission. My crew will see you to the medical bay to get you checked out. We will talk after you have rested." She gave a curt nod with a sharp glance and left. The young woman with her, Andromeda, stepped forward and held out a hand. Keisha took it and allowed herself to be led towards what she hoped was the medical bay.

As they walked down the hallway Keisha couldn't believe how big the hallways were. Everything was shiny white and small lights on various panels lit up comfortably. The hum of the generators was almost nonexistent. Instead of the hum of generators, Keisha could hear the hum of people talking and going about their day. After feeling so isolated, it was slightly uncomfortable seeing so many people just walking around.

Occasionally they would pass others and they were all dressed in white clean jumpsuits with different colors on them. Keisha felt dirtier than ever as she saw these clean people pass her by. None of them seemed to mind how Keisha was leaving dirt marks down the corridors.

"Andromeda, why aren't you in a jumpsuit?" Keisha asked.

"I'm not a crewmember technically," Andromeda said simply.

"If you're not a crewmember, what are you doing here? Why have I never heard of the Starship Pytheas? I've been in the air force for over a decade training and I've never heard even a whisper of this ship."

"Those are all excellent questions, Pilot Brakas, and I assure you I will answer them in time. However, we currently need to get you some medical attention. You are malnourished and dehydrated. You also have some minor burns that need attending to on your face." Andromeda gave her a warm smile that felt more genuine than Keisha had ever seen before. "I am very glad we picked you up, I have a feeling you are just the catalyst this mission needed."

"Catalyst?" Keisha asked.

"Don't worry about it now. After we fix you and Lieutenant Fiolas up we'll get you all sorted."

They reached the med bay and Keisha could see a team of doctors working in a sterile room on Fiolas. Andromeda let her watch through the window for a few moments before leading her gently away. A doctor began an IV drip on Keisha and worked in silence as she began patching up Keisha with equipment she had never seen before. She appeared to be quite adept at what she was doing so Keisha let her work and kept her eyes on Fiolas. I'm never letting him out of my sight again. He's in there fighting for his life because I was a coward.

Keisha found herself crying in Andromeda's arms. She didn't push her away, she just let her cry then gently led her to a shower. Keisha felt like a child being tenderly cared for. It made her miss her parents more than she had ever missed them before. After the shower, she was given clean clothes, not the white jumpsuits like she had seen, but a black suit like she had seen the other pilot wearing. "Why don't you rest here in the med bay, you can be here as soon as they are done working on him." Andromeda set her up in a bed with warm blankets, dimmed the lights, and left her alone to watch them working on him.

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Keisha wasn't sure how long she had been asleep when Andromeda woke her. The room Fiolas had been in was empty, "Where did they take him? Is he ok?" Her voice started cracking.

"He's going to be alright," Andromeda said. "He is resting now, would you like to see him?" Keisha nodded and followed her to a small side room that was clearly to give patients a bit more privacy. Fiolas was sleeping but his color had returned to a healthy glow. His breathing seemed easy and even, as though he was having a good dream.

"He never would have made it without you getting him to us. Apparently, the creatures you encountered administered a heavy dose of a paralytic, our doctors were able to give him an antidote for it, however, his spine was broken in the process of being wrapped up. He will never walk again. This will not be a problem in the outer ring of the ship where the artificial gravity is non-existent. For the inner rings, he will require a wheelchair." Keisha pulled a chair up to his bed and held his hand. He felt warm and alive. He began to stir. "I will give you a moment. The Captain is on her way, she wishes to speak to you both privately." With that, she walked out and closed the door.

"Keish?" Fiolas rasped.

"I'm here." Keisha held his hand. "It's ok, we're safe. We're on some sort of research vessel, I'm so sorry I left you Fiolas." Keisha cried.

"It's ok, it's ok." He wiped her tears away. "We're alive. We made it. Did any other colony ships land?"

"No, they warned them away. Ours was the only one." Keisha paused. "Have the doctors talked to you yet?"

"No, yours is the first face I've seen." He smiled as he said it.

"Fiolas," She started, "James,"

"Oh no, you're breaking out the full name." He laughed. "That can't be good."

"Fiolas. That creature, when it took you, I thought you were dead. Instead of fighting him off, I hid and that thing..." She had to choke it out, "It broke your spine. The doctors saved your life. But they weren't able to fix your spine. They say you'll never be able to walk again." This time it was Fiolas' turn to cry. "I'm so sorry."

"You saved my life Keish. There is nothing to be sorry for." He cleared his throat and took a big breath. "So tell me, what is this place?" The doors to his room opened at that moment and Captain Katopodis walked in as if on cue.

"Perhaps I can answer that." The captain was a tall woman with hard lines. She had her hair pulled into a tight bun and her uniform was a slate grey. Nothing was out of place on her. "You have been rescued by my ship, the Starship Pytheas. We are a research vessel headed towards Dark Space. Our mission is highly classified and will most likely span our natural lifespan. You are welcome to join us on this journey or we can drop you off on the nearest planet with the medical means to help your friend."

She paused for just a moment, "If you choose to join us, you will be reported as Killed In Action on the planet Klokos II to your remaining family and friends and you will join the crew in your respective fields. I have reviewed your files and believe you have skills that will prove to be useful. In exchange for your lives, I can promise you that you will see and experience things that no other person in the galaxy will. You will need to answer me before I leave this room. We are under a tight schedule."

Fiolas and Keisha were speechless. After an uncomfortable silence, the Captain turned and started for the door, "I will assume your silence is negative. Thank you for your time and I hope you enjoy your life on the next outpost."

"Wait!" Fiolas yelled. "You can't just drop a bomb and then expect an answer so quickly. I would like at least five minutes to discuss this with my commanding officer here."

"Granted, though I will give you three minutes. My time is precious." She gave a curt nod and left the room.

"Wow, she's a piece of work." Fiolas struggled to sit up in his bed. "What do you think Commanding Officer?" his laughter broke the tension.

"She could be rough to deal with, but her daughter is kind. I'm not altogether sure we can trust them though." Keisha furrowed her brow.

"Well, whatever you decide is what I'm doing. I have no one to go back to. No one to be sad about my passing. Your instincts saved my life multiple times and I think I'm going to trust them for this decision too." Fiolas said. "One problem at a time right?"

"One problem at a time." Keisha agreed. "I think we should stay. They have medical equipment I have never even seen before or heard of. They brought you back from death Fiolas. Also, there's something Andromeda said, she said something about us being a catalyst for good here and while I don't know what that means, my gut says we should see this through."

Fiolas nodded, "Let's do it then."

The Captain entered again, "Have you made your decision then?"

"We'll stay, we'll join your crew," Keisha said.

"Welcome aboard." Their new Captain left the room and Keisha and Fiolas were left in the med bay wondering where this new chapter would take them.