The small four-seater craft touched down in the middle of the town, right outside the bar. Its sleek and polished exterior stood in stark contrast to the rugged, dust-covered surroundings, drawing immediate attention.

A crowd quickly began to gather, townsfolk and miners alike stopping in their tracks to gawk at the rare and luxurious vehicle. Murmurs rippled through the group as people speculated about its origin.

“Who could afford something like that around here?” one miner whispered, his face streaked with dirt from a long day underground.

“Must be some off-worlders,” another said, eyeing the craft warily.

Kai stepped out first, his boots crunching softly against the ground as he adjusted his sunglasses. Eliana followed, her striking presence and practical yet stylish attire adding to the air of mystery surrounding them.

The murmurs grew louder, but Kai ignored them, his focus solely on the bar. He could feel the weight of curious stares as he and Eliana approached the entrance, but he didn’t have time to stop and explain.

The sooner Kai found Lily, the sooner he could learn what had happened to Roy. He pushed open the bar’s creaky door and stepped inside. The place was quiet, as it often was at this time of day.

Kai’s eyes scanned the room. There were only a few tables occupied by miners, their dust-covered clothes a clear indication they had just come off a shift.

“Kai?” Lily’s voice called from behind the bar.

Kai turned, spotting her immediately. She looked just as he remembered, and her familiar presence eased some of his nervousness. If anyone could give him answers, it was Lily—she always seemed to know everything happening in town.

But Kai’s attention quickly shifted to the man sitting at the bar, his back turned toward him. The man was visibly drunk, clutching a glass in one hand while the other, wrapped in a white cloth stained faint pink, wrestled weakly with Lily for the drink.

Lily met Kai’s gaze, her eyes pleading silently for help.

Kai wasted no time. He stepped up to the bar, setting aside his own questions for the moment. Standing beside the man, he placed a gentle yet firm hand over the glass. The drink was a cheap brew, an imitation to the real thing.

He gave Lily an assuring nod before prying the glass from the man’s grip. The drunk, lost in his stupor, barely noticed Kai’s presence until the glass was gone. Slowly, he raised his head, his accusatory gaze locking onto Kai.

Kai froze. To his shock, the man was none other than Ray.

Ray was a mess. His eyes were bloodshot, and sorrow etched deep lines across his face. His clothes were disheveled and dirty, his entire demeanor one of utter defeat. That's why Kai had not recognized Ray earlier, in his memories the man was always so upbeat and optimistic, this was Kai's first time seeing him like this.

“What happened, Ray?” Kai asked, his voice careful.

Ray’s lips trembled as he tried to form words, but his drunken state made it nearly impossible. “The ship… the stabilizer… she’s too old,” he mumbled before slumping forward. Resting his head on his arms, Ray let out a soft snore and promptly passed out.

Realizing he wasn’t going to get anything else from Ray, Kai turned his gaze toward Lily.

Lily took the cup from the bar and poured its contents down the drain with a disapproving shake of her head. “Ray’s ship suffered damage to its stabilizer again,” she explained. “It’s an old ship, Kai. I guess it was just bound to happen sooner or later. He lost control while trying to land and crashed in the desert. Luckily, there weren’t any passengers on board, and Ray only suffered minor injuries.”

Kai nodded, his mind flashing back to the ship’s condition. The stabilizer failure didn’t surprise him too much. Ray’s dropship was an older model of the federation’s current fleet, and many of its parts had long been discontinued in the market. It was only Ray’s meticulous care and love for the ship that had kept it flying for so long.

“All that matters is that he’s okay,” Kai said with a sigh of relief.

“Yeah,” Lily replied, her tone softening as she glanced at Ray. “But he’s pretty shaken up about it. That ship was everything to him, you know.”

Kai gave her a nod in understanding. “Thank you, Lily. Thank you for helping Ray. I know the ship meant the world to him."

Seeing Ray’s depressed state saddened Kai. As a starship enthusiast, he could almost feel the pain that Ray must have been experiencing. Ray had lost not a ship, but a companion that he bonded with in the past few decades.

Kai wanted to help, to find some way to ease Ray’s anguish, and his mind spun with ideas.

“Kai,” Lily said softly, pulling his attention back to her. She was smiling, her cheeks slightly flushed.

“It’s nice to see you again,” she continued, her voice carrying a subtle emotional edge. “I was worried sick after the attack on the mine. Someone said they saw you there. I thought you might have been injured. You know how much...how much I care...”

The creak of the bar’s door interrupted her mid-sentence. Both she and Kai turned to look.

It was Eliana. Her striking beauty immediately drew the attention of the few people in the bar, their conversations halting momentarily.

“Care… about…” Lily’s voice trailed off as her gaze shifted back to Kai. She could tell, just from the way his eyes lit up when he saw Eliana, that there was something significant between the two of them.

Kai grinned, his tone teasing. “Too busy fending off the paparazzis?”

Eliana chuckled as she approached. “No, just explaining to the town guards why you decided to land smack in the middle of town.”

“And how did it go?” Kai asked, genuinely curioused.

“I told them your friend had a crash and you were trying to find him. They seemed pretty understanding once I mentioned your name.”

“Ah, yes,” Lily chimed in, crossing her arms. “Kai’s pretty popular around here after the mine was sealed off. There are rumors you discovered a vein so valuable that Draco wants to bring in heavy equipment for the first time.”

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Kai and Eliana exchanged a quick glance, knowing the buried ship was the real discovery. The company must have spun an excuse to cover it up.

“It was… something like that,” Eliana said cautiously, her eyes flicking to Lily. She decided to trust Kai, but something about the way Lily had looked at him earlier triggered her instincts. “I’m Eliana, by the way—Kai’s girlfriend.”

Kai nodded eagerly, trying to keep the moment light. “Yes! Let me introduce you. This is Eliana, my girlfriend and crewmate. Eliana, meet Lily, a friend of mine who helped me out a lot when I first got here.”

Eliana’s posture relaxed at Kai’s confident introduction. The tension in her shoulders eased as her smile became more natural.

Lily chuckled softly, accepting the situation with grace. Even if she had feelings for Kai, they evaporated the moment she saw the happiness the two shared. That was all that mattered to her.

“Nice to meet you, Eliana. You two look so cute together. Congratulations, Kai, on finding your first girlfriend.”

“Hey! You weren’t supposed to say that!” Kai exclaimed, his face flushing red.

Eliana arched an eyebrow, holding back a laugh. “First, huh?”

All three burst out laughing. Kai’s face was bright red with embarrassment, but he couldn’t help enjoying the moment. Eliana and Lily exchanged a brief glance—a silent understanding passing between them, a connection that could fill a whole chapter if put into a book. The tension had dissolved, leaving only mutual respect.

In the midst of their laughter, Ray stirred awake. His bleary eyes blinked at the scene before him, his expression a mix of confusion and grogginess. His face was still flushed from the alcohol, and his hair stuck out in every direction.

Kai looked down at his friend with a tentative gaze. “Hey, Ray.”

“Kai!” Ray’s eyes lit up as he recognized him. “Where the hell have you been? And did you get a girlfriend while you were away? Kid, you really are full of surprises.”

His enthusiasm faded quickly, though, his expression darkening as if the weight of his loss suddenly came crashing back down. “Oh, I’m sorry, Kai. I lost my ship… Otherwise, I would’ve come to pick you up.”

Kai saw the tears Ray was holding back, and it struck him how rare it was to see such vulnerability in someone as steady as Ray. He wasn’t the tallest or the strongest man, but as a pilot, his emotional stability had always been his defining trait. Seeing him like this stirred something deeply empathetic in Kai.

Placing a hand on Ray’s shoulder, Kai offered silent comfort, knowing that no words could truly ease the pain of losing something so cherished. Only time could heal this wound.

Sensing the mood was about to take another sorrowful turn, Lily stepped in, gesturing for Kai and Eliana to sit. “Alright, since you’re here anyway, let’s get you something to eat. On me, of course!”

Kai’s eyes lit up at the mention of food. He realized he hadn’t eaten anything since the morning and had been so distracted by seeing Ray’s crashed ship that he’d completely forgotten his hunger.

He and Eliana both ordered the house-special burger. Kai knew it wouldn’t be anything fancy like the meals they might have in the city, but he also knew Lily could work magic in the kitchen.

Eliana took her first bite, and her eyes widened in amazement. “Oh wow, this is really, really delicious! And you made it all by yourself?” she asked, still clutching the burger tightly. Juices dripped down her fingers, but she didn’t care—any semblance of manners was gone as she devoured the burger eagerly.

“I’m glad you like it,” Lily said with a smile. She always loved seeing people’s reactions to her cooking; it gave her a deep sense of accomplishment. She waited patiently for Kai and Eliana to finish before asking, “So, Kai said earlier that you two are crewmates? What ship are you on?”

“We’re both on the Black Swan, an expedition vessel used by Draco Mining for personal transport,” Kai replied, leaning back in his chair.

“And deep space expeditions too,” Eliana added with a grin.

“Yeah,” Kai said, nodding enthusiastically. “Honestly, there’s nothing that ship can’t do.”

“Deep space expeditions, that's sounds very interesting.” Lily said.

“Yes!” Kai said, leaning forward with enthusiasm. “Actually, that’s why we’re here. We’re about to embark on a very long journey. It’s going to take months to complete.”

Ray straightened in his seat, his drunkenness seeming to fade away with the seriousness of Kai’s tone. “What’s the purpose of the expedition?” he asked.

“To stop the war,” Kai replied.

Lily, who had been quietly pouring a glass of water for Ray, looked up sharply at the mention of war. She handed the glass to Ray but kept her gaze on Kai.

“So the rumors are true, then,” she said softly, her voice carrying a weight of concern.

Ray downed the water in one gulp, setting the glass down firmly. His expression had changed, the weary drunkenness replaced by something sharper, more focused. Running a hand through his hair, he combed it backçs. The mention of war seemed to have stirred something deep within him—a part of his past he had long tried to bury.

Kai observed him carefully, and the realization hit him. Ray’s exceptional flying skills and calm demeanor weren’t just the result of talent; they were forged through years of experience in the military. His beloved dropship was likely a remnant of that time, a symbol of a past he had kept hidden.

It was then that Kai knew exactly how to help him.

“Ray,” Kai said, smiling warmly, “what do you say to being the pilot for the Black Swan?”

Eliana, catching on, smiled as well. She gave Kai a nod of approval before adding, “It might not be the same as your old ship, but I promise you—after the upgrades we’re planning, the Black Swan is going to be a beast to fly.”

Ray looked between the two of them, his expression unreadable as he weighed the offer. Behind the bar, Lily polished a glass, her movements smooth and methodical, though her attention was fully on Ray.

After a long moment of silence, Ray’s lips curled into a faint smile, a newfound light glistening in his eyes. “You know what?” he said, his voice steady. “That just might be what I need—to get away from all this and start something new.”

“Then it’s decided,” Kai said, grinning broadly as he extended a hand. “Welcome to the crew, Ray!”

Ray clasped Kai’s hand firmly, a spark of hope and purpose reignited in his demeanor. Lily watched then turned to Eliana, her eyes also glensing with interest.

“Can I be part of the team too?” Lily asked, her eyes lighting up with excitement. “I’ve always wanted to see what’s out there in space.”

Kai turned to her, puzzled. “What about the bar? Who’s going to run it if you’re not here?”

Lily hesitated for a moment before smiling. “I’ll let my brother take care of it. Believe it or not, he’s actually better at bartending than I am.”

“You have a brother?” Kai asked, genuinely surprised.

“Yeah,” Lily replied with a nod. “He works at a bar in the city and only comes back here on weekends. I’m sure he’ll be able to handle it.”

Eliana leaned forward with an encouraging smile. “What would you like to do on the ship, Lily? Let’s see if we can find you a role.”

“Well,” Lily began, her tone playful, “I can learn whatever’s needed. Plus, I can always keep making burgers for you.”

“Deal!” Eliana said excitedly, laughing. “I’m sure you’ll do just fine on the Black Swan.”

Kai grinned, realizing how well the day had turned out. Although he had initially come to say goodbye to his friends, it seemed fate had something better in store. Instead of leaving them behind, his friends would be joining him on the expedition.

He watched as Eliana laughed and chatted with Ray and Lily, the three of them already discussing who would claim the remaining guest room on the Black Swan until the upgrades were complete. The camaraderie between them was infectious, and Kai couldn’t help but feel that they were going to become close friends faster than he’d anticipated.

Kai gently lifted the four-seater off the ground, the craft rising smoothly from the center of the town without kicking up much dust. He and Eliana sat at the front, while Ray and Lily occupied the seats in the back. The craft hummed quietly, drawing the attention of the townsfolk below.

Some gazes were directed at Ray, but most were on Lily. It seemed word of her decision to leave had spread quickly, likely overheard by customers in the bar and passed around like wildfire. As the craft ascended, Lily waved out the window, smiling warmly at the familiar faces she had known for years.

Kai circled the craft around the town, giving them all a final view. Eventually, he brought it to a hover above Ray’s old dropship.

Ray stared down at the wreckage—a vessel that had been his home and his family in many ways. Now it lay still, half-buried in the desert sand.

“If you want,” Eliana said softly, breaking the silence, “I can ask Draco Mining to retrieve the ship for you. It’d only take them a few hours.”

Ray shook his head, his expression resolute. “No. Leave it for the townspeople. They’ll be able to make some good money selling the military-grade materials.”

Kai glanced back at Ray and saw the determination in his eyes. He had already made his decision to let go of his past, and he was ready to move forward.

With a slight nudge of the controls, Kai leaned the left stick forward. The craft accelerated smoothly toward the north, leaving the town, and the past behind.