“What if I don’t want you to go?” Júlio said with a leering grin, before nuzzling her neck, kissing and nibbling his way down.

“Stop that!” Maggie giggled, pushing him away...albeit reluctantly. “It’ll only be for a few months. I’ll be back before you know it.”

He sighed, leaning against the bulkhead and taking her hand in his. “Mags...I’m worried for you,” he admitted. “What if something happens?”

“I’ll be just fine,” she promised him. “I’ll be with Master Schnoebelen, after all. He’ll look out for me.”

“He’s not exactly a kid anymore,” Júlio pointed out.

“We’re going with a full crew,” Maggie reminded him, “Valkyries, Corsairs, Knights...even Proteans and an Avatar. I’m confident we can handle whatever comes our way,” she said with pride.

He shook his head, as every trace of levity disappeared. “Mags...we’re talking about Earth,” he said quietly. “What if the Yīqún are still there, just waiting for us?”

“If it wasn’t safe, they never would have agreed to the mission,” she countered. “And because it is Earth is why I want to go. Just imagine...our homeworld,” Maggie sighed, her eyes glittering. “Haven’t you ever dreamed of seeing it? I have. No human has been there in over a hundred and fifty years...it’s literally a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!”

“An opportunity to get yourself killed, you mean,” Júlio grimaced. He reached out and gripped her shoulders. “Mags...stay here, with me. Let someone else do this.”

“I made a promise,” she said softly.

“You made me a promise, too,” he answered.

Maggie stepped forward, into his arms. “I swear, I’m coming back to you,” she vowed. “And...what if it’s safe again? What if we could go back? Just imagine...no more living like animals, packed into these old ships like sardines, waiting for the O2 to fail. No more constantly having to be on the move, because some damn alien doesn’t like the way we look.” She looked into his eyes, filled with desperate hope. “...we could raise our children on Earth, like we were meant to.”

He closed his eyes, pressing his forehead against hers. “I’m not going to talk you out of this, am I?”

Instead of answering,she kissed him...deeply, passionately, savoring each precious moment. When they broke apart, she caressed his face. “Promise you’ll wait for me,” she whispered.

“You know I will,” he pledged, “and when you get back...we’ll have the biggest damn ceremony the Tinkers have ever seen.”

Maggie laughed, her head thrown back as they held each other close. “A big wedding...and lots of kids,” she grinned, kissing him once more.

----------------------------------------

The Tinker groaned, shifting in her seat as the engines throttled back, rubbing at her eyes. Feeling something pressed against her she spied Diggs still dozing, snuggled under her arm. She smiled, stroking his bushy hair, not wishing to wake him. Little bugger had been through so much, and never once complained. Just...dealt with it, as best he could.

There was a lesson in there somewhere, she was sure of it.

“You’re awake.”

Blye smiled at her, the four of them wedged into a broom closet laughingly called a berthing compartment. Prash was still sleeping as well, his arm carefully cradled by the other, protecting it. The Knight cocked her head, regarding her. “You were mumbling in your sleep. Bad dreams?”

“...not anymore,” she muttered. “Must be arriving at the transport.”

“Sergeant Kai checked in a while ago and said we’d be docking soon,” she concurred.

“He mention the ship’s name, by any chance?”

“He did,” the Chevalier nodded, as Maggie dug out her minicomp. “He said it was the Fiddler’s Green. Why...is that important?”

“I’ll tell you in a minute.” It didn’t take long to find the specs - the Valkyrie Clan Ship Fiddler’s Green was an old Glevack freighter, purchased in some salvage yard before they cut it up for scrap, reconditioned and recommissioned as a troop transport. She perused the numbers, and nodded. By Terran standards it was serviceable enough...which meant by anyone else’s it was a flying deathtrap.

But then beggars can’t afford to be choosy.

“It’s okay,” she said, putting away the minicomp. “Should get us to Freya in one piece.”

“You’re the expert,” Blye shrugged, as Diggs began stirring awake. He yawned, stretching like a cat, then looked up at Maggie and smiled, before pointing to his stomach and rubbing it.

“Don't worry, I’m sure they’ll feed us after we dock,” she promised him. Mollified for the moment he slithered out of her grasp, exploring the small space, bouncing around them as he swam in Zero-g. She’d been worried how he’d adapt to microgravity, as she’d seen no signs he was shipborn, but after the first shock when your belly flip-flops, he’d adapted amazingly well. Must have spent time in space when he was little, she mused, as he careened off another bulkhead.

“Be careful of Prash’s arm,” Blye cautioned him as he flew past. He gave her a grin and a nod, having too much fun to worry much about her warning. She chuckled, enjoying the sight, before shaking her head. “I can’t recall the last time I enjoyed weightlessness that much,” she sighed.

“Comes with gettin’ older,” Maggie nodded. “You hit a certain point, it’s just another work environment.”

“I suppose,” the medic agreed. “It seems a shame though.”

“Growin’ up always is,” the Tinker snorted, as she felt the craft dock.

----------------------------------------

She wouldn’t have said they were under guard exactly, but Sergeant Kai and his people were sticking close and making their presence known. Diggs hadn’t warmed up to them one bit, but at least he wasn’t trying to grab anything pointy again. Maggie was sure the Valkyrie NCO wouldn’t intentionally harm the boy...but she was equally certain he’d protect his own at all costs. She and the Knights kept him close as they swam over to Fiddler’s Green, with her and Blye each taking a hand as they crossed the threshold and their weight returned, landing on the deck with a practiced touchdown. Diggs eyes went wide as Zero-g disappeared, a scowl coming across his face as if he’d just been robbed.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“Sorry kid...playtime’s over,” she chuckled, as they followed the squad deeper into the ship.

“Good to see the Grav plating still works,” Prash observed. “Toilets in Zero-g are something I’m happy to avoid.”

“Same here, but that’s not why I’m smilin’,” Maggie smirked. “Grav plating is one of the first things to go when a ship’s run its course. After that?” She shook her head. “You really wanna be someplace else.”

“...I’ll be sure to remember that,” Blye said, her eyes darting about the corridor as if she were checking for leaks.

Entering the troopship, it was obvious Fiddler’s Green was just as cramped as the transport they’d taken from the planet surface. No strangers to ship life, Maggie and the others automatically hugged the starboardside bulkhead as they moved towards the bow while sternward traffic stayed portside, an ancient convention that predated the Diaspora. Keeping a firm grip on Diggs’ shoulders as they were shuffled to their next destination, Maggie couldn’t help but notice the looks they were getting from the other Valkyries. Not hostile, exactly...but definitely aware.

The aging troopship was a frontal assault on the senses, as a host of sights and sounds and scents swooped in from every angle. The most powerful odor was unwashed human, but her practiced nose picked up traces of grease and coolant, as well as the remnants of the previous meal...both before entering the digestive system, and after...as well as the odd exotics that were harder to pin down.

The bulkheads and overheads were a riot of color, layer upon layer of art and graffiti. Some were quite impressive, and those were generally left unmolested, while others were often crude and pornographic. She picked up snippets of dozens of conversations as they passed, along with a cacophony of music of every description; old classics from Earth, slam-metal, syntho-pop, haunting alien melodies from across the Perseus Arm, blending together to create a wall of noise. It was a sensation she remembered well, though Diggs was twisting and turning this way and that, trying to see everything all at once. The boy was on edge, and Maggie tightened her grip to keep him from bolting.

After several more minutes of working their way through the congested passageways, Kai ushered them into another tiny space, little bigger than the one they’d left. “We had to do some swapping around, but you’ll be bunking here with myself and Corporal Aukes,” nodding towards a muscular redhead sporting a cropped mohawk who was busy stringing up extra hammocks.

The corporal looked over her shoulder. “...Rúna,” she said by way of introduction. They’d seen her on the planet, of course, but hadn’t been formally introduced.

“A pleasure,” Blye replied, eyeing the crowded space. “Been awhile since I was shipside,” she admitted. “Guess I got used to planetside ideas of space.”

“Better get unused to it,” Kai advised, “since we’re packed to the gills. Fiddler wasn’t built for living cargo before the refit, and it hasn’t got much better since,” he shrugged.

Diggs glared at the sergeant yet again as Maggie sighed. “It’s okay, little man,” she told him, getting down on one knee. “I know we got off to a crappy start, but we’re safe here, I promise.” She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tight, before pulling away and gazing into his eyes. His expression could best be described as suspicious, but he nodded at last. “That’s a good lad,” she smiled, bopping his nose, making him smile for a moment.

“Hey, kid,” Rúna spoke up, as he turned to face her, “bet you ain’t seen this before.” In her hands she held several items...a dagger, an ammo magazine, a handheld communicator, and a polished stone. With a flick of her wrists they were airborne as she began juggling them with a grin...no minor feat, considering the confined space.

Diggs stared at her in amazement, utterly mesmerized, while she tossed the objects around with finesse. “I don’t get to show off much,” the corporal explained, “cause they’ve all seen it already.” Even the Knights were clearly impressed as she changed up her routine, tossing them behind her back or grabbing one mid air and shoving it into Diggs’ face before throwing it in with the others. Maggie herself was beaming as Rúna went through her routine, ending with a big finish as she caught the objects one by one, saving the dagger for last, grabbing it by the blade and hurling it into a target pinned up on the bulkhead, quivering as it sunk deep into the wood.

“Bravo!” Blye laughed, clapping at her performance as the young corporal took a bow, while the others joined in, though with his broken arm Prash had to settle for a loud whistle. Diggs was confused at first, but he quickly grasped the essentials and joined in the applause, smacking his hands together with a wide grin across his face.

“Thank you, thank you,” she chuckled, yanking the knife from the board, “I do so love an appreciative audience.” The corporal knelt down until she was eye level with the boy. “Especially little cuties like you,” she grinned, poking his chest before she commenced tickling him. Diggs started wriggling and writhing in a feeble attempt to escape the onslaught but his giggles betrayed his true feelings on the subject, as the others looked on in wonder.

“...that’s the first time I've heard him laugh,” Maggie said softly, as the pair in question froze, before looking up at her.

“Really?” Rúna said, surprised.

The Tinker nodded. “It’s a long story. I’ll fill you in later.”

“I look forward to hearing it,” she answered, before looking back at the boy. “So, you picked out something yet for Remembrance Day?” she asked him.

Diggs stared at her in confusion, before turning to Maggie. “I don't think he’s been to Rendezvous before,” she said after a moment, as she pulled out her minicomp, accessing a file as she handed it to him. “You pick something you want to remember from all these pictures,” she explained, scrolling through the images, “and then we'll add it to this big wall with all the other pics folks have chosen.” She showed him how to sift through the photos, and within minutes he was having the time of his life, sitting beside Rúna and staring wide-eyed at one snapshot of old Earth after another.

With the boy now occupied she crooked her finger to Sergeant Kai, motioning him outside. He raised an eyebrow but followed her out into the corridor, closing the hatch behind them. Maggie made certain they were out of earshot, before speaking up. “You and her, are you…?” The Tinker left the question dangling.

“No,” he replied, shaking his head. “We've bumped uglies before, but not since she made corporal and got transferred to my squad. You don’t screw family.”

“...colorful,” she snorted, “but I get it. Look, when we get back inside, you might wanna invest some time in making peace with Diggs...or you’re likely to get shanked in your sleep.”

“Duly noted, but if he comes at me with a weapon, kid's gonna get hurt."

Maggie’s demeanor turned dark and cold. "Now listen to me, that kid has seen more shit than you have. So how about you give him some space?"

"In case you hadn't noticed, space is in short supply around here," Kai fired back. "This is a Valkyrie ship, so he needs to adapt to us, not the other way around."

"Damn it, he's just a boy!" she shouted. "I found him dyin' in an alley, and it was a fuckin' miracle Blye saved his life." Maggie stepped in close, nose to nose, jabbing her finger into his chest. "I'm tellin' you now…back off, or I swear by all that's holy I will end you." A hard look came across her face. "I can take anything apart...including you."

He cocked his head for a moment. “You know, I believe you.” Kai ran his hand across his scalp, and shrugged. “I realize he’s pissed we gave you a hard time when we met. I don’t hold that against him, and I’ll try to meet the kid halfway, but the rest is up to him.”

“It took less than five minutes for Rúna to make friends with him,” she snapped. “You tellin’ me you can’t do the same?”

“...I don’t juggle.”

“For fuck’s sake…think of somethin’,” Maggie snarled, exasperated. “Try using that head of yours for somethin’ other than keepin’ your ears apart." She glared at him, hands on her hips. “You can start with getting us some chow...and no damn field rations! Real food.”

Kai rolled his eyes. “I can see this is gonna be a fun trip,” he muttered, as he tromped off towards the Mess Deck.