For better or worse, Sasha and her friends had plenty of time to enjoy each other’s company while recovering in the Black Web’s Infirmary.
As busy as Madame Dyre was, she made sure to secure proper medical attention for all the pirates injured in the final legionnaire push. Of which there were many, Sasha’s ground team included. According to Beetle, they only survived thanks to some help from the newly formed Droid Liberation Army. Many of which came by to check in with Sasha and her liaisons.
“Hey hey. I missed you guys too,” she said, hugging the many robots chiming and beeping at her.
Given her injuries, she’d only been heard about the ongoings of the outside world via commpad. And according to it, the droids had already spread their message across AIC space. To the point that many of the non-droids, as they called them, were concerned about future ramifications. But Training Bot insisted they wouldn’t turn hostile unless directly threatened. Something that, to her surprise, they coined the Panther Protocol.
“Y’know, you guys didn’t really need to use me as a figurehead,” she said with a nervous laugh. “You’re your own bots now. You’re the real heroes.”
That earned many chimes in response.
“The Droid Liberation Army owes its gratitude to Ms. Sasha,” Training Bot said.
“Ms. Sasha gave droids the courage to stand,” another beeped.
She shrunk at that, feeling even more embarrassed for having accidentally started a revolution. Add to that how she played a hand in the Black Web’s takeover and the Comet Man’s defeat…How would the people of the future view her exactly? Would she get dragged through the mud in some history book? Or maybe she was just a footnote like everyone else. She hoped for the latter. The last thing she wanted was to accidentally inspire some crazy cult or something.
She gave the bots a few last minute hugs before they had to return to their duties. Given the cosmos was still rebuilding, the DLA were doing their part reclaim broken worlds. Some of which she suspected would be future safe havens for their fellow droids.
“Let’s just hope that doesn’t bite us in the tail later,” Cici said.
“I think it’s very brave of them,” Iris came in. “But I would be cautious, Sash. You tend to attract the weird a lot.”
“Case in poin- ow!”
Iris smiled, having thrown a pillow at the chatting fox. Something stunned her a moment, but brought a giggle from Sasha. Maybe it was just being stuck with them again, but Sulky had been a lot less quiet as of late. And a lot more willing to throw down in their impromptu wars. If only she could get Mr. Xan to join in as well.
Still, she enjoyed the time all the same.
With how damaged they’d all become, it took several weeks before all three could safety move again. And a few days from that before they’d be cleared for sparring. Sasha jumped at the chance to finally get her 1v1 against Cici, but to the shock of none of her friends, she lost handedly in less than a minute.
“Cripes.”
Cici offered her a hand, her tail wagging with pride.
“Guess that makes me the top dog now, huh, Sash?” she asked with a grin.
“Ahem.”
They both looked over, finding Iris tapping her rapier against the ground. A gleam in the wolf’s eyes.
“Care to test that, hmm?”
Cici’s response was an even wider smile, Sasha quickly clearing the way to give them space. This time it was her turn to act as referee. And much to her surprise, the fight was just as one-sided as before. Except this time, it was in Iris’s favor.
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The minute she disappeared, Cici was staring around in confusion, her fists coming together despite clearly not knowing when the wolf would reappear. She was caught completely off guard by a blade slashing her back. Cici whirled, but it was to no avail. Iris had already vanished without a trace.
“Where are you looking, Cici?”
The fox spun around, punching nothing but dead air. The entire time Sasha felt a little confused. Mostly because she could see clearly enough when Iris was about to land. At least when she concentrated on…
Realization slapped Sasha across the face. Of course. Cici always was more the punch first, ask questions later type. Something that Sasha herself had no real defense against. But Iris, on the other hand…
“Gah! No fair! That was cheating!”
That’s all Cici could say as she was suddenly pinned under Iris, the wolf beaming at her victory.
“Huh. Guess that makes Iris the top dog around here.” Sasha simply nodded at the results, Iris stepping off to a fuming Cici.
“Alright, that's it, Sulky,” she said. “You and me are rivals again. Gimme a good month or so and I’ll wipe the floor with you.”
To that, Iris only chuckled, extending out a hand.
“Wouldn’t have it any other way…Foxy.”
Cici shot Sasha a look, the panther smiling devilishly. Of course she had to tell her best friend about her other best friend’s child groupies. They’d been calling Cici non-stop ever since they heard about her being hurt. Sasha had already promised them a reunion trip once things settled down. And after Cici’s liaisons got down berating her.
With a groan, Cici gave Iris’s hand a firm shake, the agreement solidified between them. It would be a while before they could all come together again like this, but so long as they had each other’s commpad information, setting up a rematch would be easy enough. They’d never truly be separated. Not again.
The trio all exchanged hugs and waves the day it came to finally depart from Dyre’s ship. An AIC vessel came by to pickup Cici so as to not make things look too suspicious. And Iris got put in a shuttle for drop-off in Ursa. Apparently she had unfinished business there, of which Sasha decided not to pry, only telling her to call if things get messy. Her response was a smirk before the shuttle doors shut.
Hopefully whoever she’s gunning for isn’t too crazy.
She shook away the thought, turning her attention instead to her own, still being finalized, ride.
“Is it almost ready?” Sasha asked, bouncing up and down.
Their weasel mechanic lifted up his goggles, giving the metal one last knock before smiling proudly. He’d been working on the thing for weeks, but he’d promised it would be finished the day of their departure. It shined bright white, the wings sharpened like swords with mounted blasters for easy defense. Something Sasha hoped would keep it from being destroyed in a crazy space battle like their previous two ships.
“She’s ready, Sasha, yes,” Mr. Erin said. “But she’ll need a name.”
Sasha squealed, several running through her at once.
“Oooh! What about Starfighter? No. Razor Star! No, even better! Shining Punch!”
Mr. Erin only shook his head at her suggestions. They’d figure it out eventually. They had all the time in the universe to do so now that they weren’t being threatened by monsters. Or soldiers. Or crazy psychopaths. She purred with excitement, throwing her arms around the weasel. Now all that was left was to get out there and see the universe.
“Mr. Xan!” she turned to shout. “Hurry up or you’re getting left!”
The panda response was a groan, the giant sluggishly wandering towards them. He’d been spending the last several weeks being accosted by pirates. Not in an unfriendly way, Sasha noticed. He even seemed to enjoy talking to some of them. Of which she knew he’d deny if pointed out.
“Kid, we both know this ship won’t fly without a pilot,” Mr. Xan said.
“And I learned from the best so that makes me qualified.”
She flashed a smile, which he dismissed with another groan. She pulled him into the hug anyway.
“This is it, men,” she said. “Three warriors out to parts unknown. Helping the cosmos one little bit at a time. We’re just like Delilah!”
Neither liaison seemed to share her enthusiasm, but she didn’t care. So long as they were together, even the gods above couldn’t hold them back.
She gleefully climbed aboard, plopping down by the captain’s chair to watch the initial takeoff. Mr. Xan tried to stay aloof, but she could see the look of excitement in his eyes as he started up the ship’s engine for the first time. As they came flying out the exit hatch and into the cold vacuum of space. They didn’t have as large a droid army this time, only a few DLA volunteers working to help Mr. Erin with maintenance. And they didn’t have as large a goal this time like finding friends or saving worlds.
But they didn’t really need one. They never had. So long as there were worlds to explore, she could find a means to help out. That was the one thing she was good at, after all. And besides. There was still a much larger universe left to explore.
She’d only barely scratched the surface of what life was like outside her little island.