The details of the surrender were finalized when Sasha was marched into the shuttle bay.

Her face still stung a bit, but with so many injured people around the ship, medical supplies were in short supply. Mr. Xan had to be carted around in a stretcher, the panda covered in so many bandages he looked like an undead mummy. Mr. Erin was significantly less injured, but he still had to get his torso wrapped to speed up the healing.

“Back it up. Back it up. Don’t think I won’t still push it.”

Sasha looked over to see the commander and her men entering from across the chamber. Saturn was waving a remote through the air, both she and her men edging their way towards them. The entourage of pirates that followed seemed more annoyed by the threats than concerned.

One of Saturn’s eyes shifted over to them. Sasha gave her a small nod. Though she was against the idea of rejoining the AIC, she at least knew to show some appreciation for the woman’s efforts. If she hadn’t made her announcement…Sasha counted herself lucky the Madame had seen reason.

“Alright, everybody aboard,” Saturn said, edging backward into their temporary ship.

Mr. Erin rolled the stretcher forward, Sasha moving to follow when one of the pirates grabbed her by the shoulder. She turned to find a human woman extending a card her way.

“A parting gift,” she said. “Courtesy of the Madame.”

Sasha looked down at it slightly confused. An assortment of symbols were scrawled over the paper. She opened her mouth to ask the pirates, only to see one of them waving a commpad and pointing to it. A code? Sasha pulled out her old commpad, Gabriella’s having been long since returned.

The machine scanned over the lettering before spitting out a projection in front of Sasha’s face. Her jaw fell.

“Don’t expect any more freebies, Panther,” one of the pirates said.

Sasha looked back at them, her heart lifting tenfold.

“Sasha?” Mr. Erin called.

“Yeah. Coming.”

She quickly slipped into the shuttle, the doors sliding shut behind her.

The place was a lot more cramped than she expected what with some ten or so people stuffed into the flying cockpit that was to be their ship. Mr. Xan’s stretcher was pressed awkwardly against the wall while Saturn and her men gathered around the controls. Even as she felt the ship lifting off, the bomb-happy commander kept a weary gaze on her remote.

The doors of the shuttle bay rose, the darkness of space expanding in front of their windows. Mr. Erin gave Sasha a nudge.

“So, Ms. Panther,” he said. “I believe there are a few words you owe us.”

Sasha winced. She hadn’t forgotten her words in the garden, but she still dreaded needing to have the conversation. She looked to Mr. Erin, who was waiting patiently. Even Mr. Xan lifted his head to hear them better. Sasha shifted.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “For getting you guys all captured.”

“And?” Erin asked.

“And for assuming you were my enemies. That was…That was really stupid. I really don’t think I would have gotten this far without you guys.”

“That’s pretty much a given, panther,” Xan said. “Because you were stupid, I got to experience the joys of being killed twelve times in a row.”

“Xan.”

“No, he’s right,” Sasha said. “Mr. Xan. I know nothing I say can really make up for what happened, but-”

“Let me stop you right there, kid.”

Sasha winced. She’d expected there’d be pushback, but she’d hoped against hope it was only from Mr. Erin. Mr. Xan had never been one for lectures. But she knew as well as everyone else on the ship the panda wasn’t just giving her some lecture.

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“Sasha, you’re about the biggest mush head in the galaxy as far as I’m concerned,” the panda said. “I don’t care how much that spider’s dug into your head. Me, you, and Erin. That’s how this thing works out. I don’t give a crap what the AIC or anyone else says. I didn’t just take on the friggin’ Spider Queen for you to still think we’re just a bunch of puppet masters or something.”

Mr. Xan was sitting up, one arm still tending to his wounds despite the fire in his eyes. His voice rose into a roar.

“You’re not a tool to us, mush head! Don’t you ever friggin’ forget that!”

Sasha looked up to the panda, any words she’d wanted to say dying in her throat. She'd never seen Mr. Xan so angry. Or heard him say something so brazenly. Like it was the most normal thing in the universe. Though he didn’t say a word, Mr. Erin echoed the panda’s thoughts with a nod.

She could only nod back, the panther making a mental note to burn the message into her mind if necessary.

Saturn and her men were already pulling the ship back into warp space, their tiny core only capable of a few short jumps before it would need a replacement, according to what Madame Dyre had explained.

“Well then,” Saturn said. “Everyone up for a routine trip to AIC command?”

Saturn’s men gave less than enthused “yeah” responses, the silence quickly returning.

Sasha looked at her commpad, the projection reappearing when she clicked the button. A world covered in islands, the place surrounded by three moons and a few orbital drones. At the tip of the planet was a blinking red icon. A name hovering in clear Islander.

“You can just drop us off, Saturn.”

Sasha blinked.

Mr. Erin smiled, both looking to the panda who’d spoken up. Though he still held an angry scowl, his gaze lingered over Sasha’s commpad.

“That what I think it is?” he asked.

Sasha gave a small nod.

“Then yeah. Drop us off and we’ll find our own way from there. That cool with you, weasel?”

Mr. Erin shrugged. “I don’t see why not. If push comes to shove, we could always build a ship. After you’re a bit more healed, of course. Wouldn’t want you to pull a muscle.”

“Bite me, twig.”

Sasha stared at both her liaisons. Me, you, and Erin. That’s how this works out. Sasha smiled. Guess I really am a dumb panther. She wiped her eyes, moving to Saturn to show her the card with the world’s coordinates. Though she was slow to take it, she caved at Mr. Xan’s grunt, handing the card over to the shuttle pilot.

***

Warp space fell away as their ship dropped into the expansive water-based world hovering over Sasha’s commpad. She squeezed her chest, sticking close to both her liaisons as they made the slow descent planet-side. A million thoughts ran through her head.

What if it was another fake? What if she found a corpse? What if so much time had passed she’d been forgotten? They all had her quaking in her boots, a point of which Xan was quick to point out. Mr. Erin gave her a supportive nudge. It didn’t keep the thoughts out, but it helped.

“Dropping into Rutune now,” the pilot said. “Doesn’t look like we’re exactly welcome, though.”

Sasha looked out the window, seeing several people pointing and screaming as their ship descended. They looked like giant birds, but their wings were replaced with scaly fingers that pointed up at them. Most were carrying blasters.

The minute their ship landed, a squad of the aliens had encircled them.

“You’re on your own from here,” Saturn said, pushing for the shuttle doors to open. Though there were few helmets on board, the air wasn't toxic. Sasha took in a breath for strength before hopping to her feet, Mr. Erin wheeling the stretcher behind them.

A few of the bird people hissed, though their blasters didn’t fire immediately. As her ears twitched at all the noise, Sasha felt a jolt run through her chest.

“Hey! Who the heck’s messin’ with my planet?”

Her eyes grew, the panther freezing in her tracks at the voice she heard above everyone else in the crowd.

The bird people parted. Or rather, they were being parted, by a single person shoving her way to the front of the crowd. The rings glowed on her fingers, her bushy red tail dragging against the ground.

“Not on my watch! You wanna fight you-”

She stopped the moment she reached the three of them.

Sasha felt her voice waver, any words she’d wanted to say replaced by the uncontrollable urge rising in her chest. The fox girl across from her stared back as if she were seeing a ghost. Her tail started to beat against the ground.

“Sasha?”

The panther smiled, brushing aside her blue and black hair that mirrored the girl in front of her.

“Cici.”

Her cheeks grew wet. Sasha finally couldn't hold herself back, rushing forward. The fox did the same. Both collided in the center of everyone, Sasha squeezing her friend tighter than she’d ever squeezed her before. Cici nuzzled her cheek.

"It's you, Sasha. It's really you."

The panther purred.

“I thought I'd never see you again, Cici. I finally found you.”