Impenetrable night enveloped them as their ship raged through space, cutting through it piece by piece. A small, bright dot quickly grew from the size of an orange to slowly fill the whole space horizon. Pax sat in silent awe in her cabin. She left most of the lights off, leaving Argos busy with guiding the ship through for the most part. She saw the sun cut through the arch of the planet, accounting for the end of the night as the auroras finished their spectacular dance. Dawn arrived somewhere, painting the cloud cover in the most brilliant colours of gold, amber, and all shades of blue.

"I almost forgot how beautiful it is." Thalia's quiet voice startled her badly; she must have been sharing this view with her for quite a while now. For Pax, it took a moment to calm her breath not to show as she was hidden in the shadow, with one hand clenched into a fist.

"Yes, it's quite remarkable." Finally, the words slipped out of her lips. It was an odd moment, surreal. They shared it in silence; she allowed for it, without the interruptions of the real world.

"Listen..." Thalia started, interrupting the silence again. Pax gently turned around in her seat; her hand moved a virtual slider on a console that turned the light back on, not too much, just enough. She could see her pupils changing. "I just wanted to say thank you for saving our lives back there. You had no obligation to do it, and I'm grateful you did."

She took a while studying the woman's face, thinking a lot.

"You are welcome." She sighed heavily, biting her lip. A metal knock of footsteps interrupted them as Caelius entered the corridor and stopped just next to Thalia. Argos, who lay on the floor the whole time, got up curious or maybe unsettled for a moment. The man looked tired, close to complete exhaustion. His once handsome face was covered with many wrinkles, as age didn't spare him any beating. His dark black hair showed signs of greying on the parietal ridge, but there were still signs of lighter brown strands playfully stuck on the front just above the deep ridges of his forehead. Caelius awkwardly scratched his patchy salt and pepper beard, unsure what to say with both of the women looking at him expectantly.

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"I should apologise to you, Captain, for what I said earlier." His voice was much weaker, strained.

"It's fine," Pax cut in quickly.

"No, it's not." The man pressed on. "I'm not very good with this... open communication. I... I'm not very good at this."

"You are doing well, so far." Thalia giggled, putting her hand on his shoulder as reassurance.

"You saved our lives, I'm grateful."

"Well... this is progress. I never hold a grudge, but I appreciate you telling me this." Before now she felt indifferent about both of them and slightly guilty about Jason, but now it felt like she could start liking them, even if a little.

"Good." He smiled at her ever so slightly.

"Good." She smiled back. Silence fell for a few minutes as they all looked back at the planet beyond the glass. It was a lighter moment. When no more words are needed.

"How are you settling in? You didn't mention any wounds, but I need to make sure." Pax turned back to the pair.

"We all found a bed, something to do. She seems to like you." Caelius answered in a low grumble, nodding at Thalia, who tilted her head in amusement.

"Oh? What do you base that on?"

"You like everyone." Caelius shrugged with a smug half-smile.

"I'll trust you on that."

Thalia took a second to add to the conversation. "He doesn't seem to like anyone beyond myse