Listening to Drake's explanation while tied to his chair, Scott could only feel disbelief. "So you see, this was all just a misunderstanding! Cooper went way beyond my instructions to the man. I don't know if jealousy or stupidity led him to act as he did, but I never meant to involve you or your sister in this way. If my daughter hadn't already dealt with him in such a permanent fashion, I would have likely given him a similar punishment."

Scott closed his eyes and took a deep breath before looking at the man calling himself grandfather. "You can't be serious! This was all a misunderstanding? So what? Should I forgive you for hunting my family and me across the galaxy? The fact that I thought my mom was dead? The fact the man I once thought of as my father turned out to be a mass murdering psychopath who was hunting for us under your orders? The fact that my little sister was brutalized and barely survived and will never be the same? Just sweep it under the rug as 'just a misunderstanding?'"

Glaring at the man before him, Scott added, "There were a thousand ways you could have gone about reconnecting with your family, yet you chose this path. Every single thing that happened is on your head. You don't see us as family. You're just a possessive asshole who doesn't know how to let go and let people live their lives."

The man who called himself Captain Drake sighed. "Well, I'm sorry you feel that way, but I really do have your best interests at heart. Perhaps, in time, we can put this unfortunate business behind us and begin again. You've got so much potential in you, boy. Hell, when faced with impossible odds, you prepared to go to war and even charged into the enemy's stronghold. Do you know how many people in this galaxy would have the drive and determination to pull such a thing? Not one in a billion! And I should know. I'm something of an expert when it comes to understanding how people will react in the face of the threat of violence."

The older man reached out and patted Scott's knee before standing up, making Scott wish he could slap the hand away as his grandfather shared a few parting words. "Well, I'll have some of the best doctors in the galaxy give you a quick once over, and then you can join your mother and me for dinner. Maybe seeing everyone is alright and getting some food in your stomach will help your demeanor. Or not, I suppose it's up to you."

All Scott could do was get out a quick, "I wouldn't get your hopes up." as the man exited the room.

-

John was pinching the bridge of his nose, trying to process half of what he was being told and put it into words. "Okay, so Cleo, it was Cleo, right?" The girl nodded, and he continued. "So Cleo was a pirate Scott rescued and or captured, and she became friends with or manipulated Scott into liking her, and she either helped or tricked Scott into coming here with her. I get that part. But will someone please tell me what's going on with the talking spider?"

It was the spider itself that answered, though John couldn't see from where the voice was coming. John wasn't sure if it was more or less disturbing that way. "My name is Charlotte, and I found Scott and Alice on the forest planet while you and Lacy, who also goes by Lucy, were both in captivity. What started as an uneasy truce as we studied one another eventually became a full alliance as we depended on each other for survival. Everything came to a head when Cooper laid siege to my home with a small army of pirates, and together, Scott, Lacy, and I fought him off. Now, in many ways, Scott and Alice see me as a member of their family, and I them. So when Scott came here to rescue you and Lacy, I came with him."

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John felt an involuntary shudder at the mention of the man who'd tortured him and instead focused on the more absurd part of the explanation. "So, you're a friendly talking spider named Charlotte? Isn't that a bit on the nose?"

The spider tilted itself so that, for all the world, it resembled a dog seeking to understand human speech. "Well, you would have to ask Scott if my name is too, 'on the nose.' as he was the one who gave me that name."

That only confused John further as he fought against the sheer absurdity of speaking with a giant talking spider. "So what, you didn't have a name before that?"

The spider, Charlotte apparently, bobbed in a way that looked almost like a nod. "Well, yes and no, but if I were to translate the concept into your vibration-based language, it would take more than an hour to verbalize."

This time, Lacy interrupted. "Listen, I know it's all very confusing, but the short explanation is, Charlotte is a member of an intelligent space-faring alien species, each member of which consists of their own hive mind, which communicates via telepathy. I know it's a lot to grasp and believe me, you haven't seen anything yet, but the important part is that aside from you and Scott, Charlotte is the only other person on this ship I'd trust with my life."

Both Charlotte and Cleo spoke up simultaneously, with the former saying, "Thank you, Lacy." while the latter spit out, "Evidently!"

Finally, Cleo spoke up again, still holding her hands in the air. "Listen, you don't trust me, that's fine, but you just said you trust Charlotte, and she's telling you the same thing I am. Scott's got this. All you need to do is not mess everything up. The only reason he's here in person is to ensure that you both are safe during the transition, so he brought Charlotte here along as your bodyguard because once the shit hits the fan, people are probably gonna panic. So go to your dinner tonight, bring Charlotte, and just watch the show, okay?"

Lacy shook her head. "I still don't trust you, and Charlotte can be fooled. This sounds like just another of my father's games..."

Finally having enough, Cleo finally lowered her hands and raised her voice. "Oh my god! You are just like Drake!"

Lucy didn't like that one bit. "How dare you! Listen here!"

However, Cleo cut her off again. "No! You listen here! Scott isn't some helpless kid! Left alone on a world with nothing but a freaking pocket knife, he kept himself and his sister alive for months! While you were off playing games with your father, he led an attack that wiped out my crew and saved a freighter crew! And while you were getting yourself captured, he negotiated the foundation of what could become the very first interspecies treaty with an entire alien civilization! Maybe, just maybe, it's time to stop 'protecting' him, stop trying to decide his future for him, and start trusting him!"

Then, the girl looked at Lacy with annoyance. "And seriously, put the gun down already. I didn't risk my neck and come all the way out here just to be disrespected like this! I'm the only one not related to Captain Drake or functionally immortal. You'd think I'd get a little more credit."

Not really understanding everything that was going on but starting to grasp the broad strokes, John reached up and put a hand on Lacy's arm. "Listen, I might not be in on everything, but I don't think she's trying to deceive us."

After another moment of hesitation, Lacy lowered the gun. "Fine. You said he's gonna do whatever he was planning to do tonight, right? I suppose I can wait at least that long."

Cleo heaved a sigh of relief, but Charlotte spoke up, addressing Cleo this time. "You are correct; you deserve more credit. I deem you an acceptable potential mate to bear Scott's offspring."

Cleo, who now looked mortified, started to turn around and reach for the door while almost shouting, "You're all insane!" Only to hesitate at the door and turn back, looking at Lacy. "Ummm... I don't suppose I could hide out here while you all go to dinner, could I?"