"Alright, that seems to be the last of it!" Neirdith heard Jessie holler to her from the other side of The Shining Knight's cargo bay. They had received a shipment of machine parts and spare equipment to transport back to The End of the Line. As The End of the Line was only about sixteen light years from New Dundas, it was only a quick twenty-eight-hour warp. It would give everyone time to settle in before they started on the much longer two hundred plus light year jump to Highland Station. That was going to take several weeks and at least one refueling stop.

Skorr walked into her line of sight and rumbled "The last of the crates have been loaded, Neirdith."

Smiling up at the large cyborg she said "Thank you Skorr. I take it you had a chance to meet Grendel last night?"

Skorr's molten mechanical eyes seemed to brighten momentarily as they replied "Yes, quite the fascinating individual. I believe they may end up staying longer than planned." Neirdith raised her eyebrows at that. Skorr had the uncanny ability to read people to such a degree it was as if he could see the future.

Neirdith walked past him and towards the main hall. She was met by Samantha and Jessie at the entrance. "Gloom is closing the bay door. Are we finally heading out?" Smantha asked her.

"Yes. Grendel has received his supplies and we have the parts shipment for Hurk. We are going to be heading out in just a few minutes. Got to clear it with the port authorities first, but then we will be heading out." Neirdith answered. She saw Jessie smile and nod at her mention of leaving.

"I guess I had better be heading to the bridge then, I have to pilot this bird free after all. Don't worry, it's not my first time flying a ship of this size, just my first time doing it legally." Jessie added as he saw the look on Neirdith's face.

She said "Well that's good. Because if you wreck him I'm going to space you." Jessie smiled and started off to the bridge, Samantha waved to her and followed him. As they walked off she heard them making conversation, about what she couldn't make out, but it seemed polite.

She smiled at that, she had been unsure if those two would get along as they both had a mutual interest in Creesh. One as a friend and the other, well as more than that. Beginning to walk into the ship she noticed the thud of approaching footsteps and turned to see Skorr walking up beside her.

As they fell in beside her, she put a hand on Skorr's armor and immediately felt the warmth and strength flow through their bond. She was always grateful that they had chanced on one another, none of this would have happened if Skorr had not been exactly who they were.

"It's good to feel like we are doing something, you know what I mean?" Neirdith remarked.

Skorr kept up their slow measured pace and replied in their deep voice "Yes, I was stuck and unable to influence the world around me for so long, it is still quite a marvel to me to be here. Especially with one who understands." He rumbled affectionately.

Neirdith patted his side and said "You know that I will be here for you if you ever needed any support. Sorry I have been a little distant lately, but when Seth got hurt, It was too soon and I was so unsure. I should have trusted you to understand." She said, shaking her head.

Skorr patted her back with a tenderness that was at odds with their enormous size and said "I trusted that you would come round on your own. I respect your individuality and strength, it is born not of knowing of your own invincibility, but of knowing your own mortality. That is a very respectable quality." Neirdith hung her head as a thought crossed her mind.

Looking sadly at Skorr she said "Skorr, you are going to be here even when I am gone. Is my friendship really worth the pain of that?" Skorr stopped in their tracks and locked eyes with her.

"Neirdith, I would live a billion years in exile just to have the chance to know you. You are the first person I can recall in all my memory that has treated me as a friend. It was worth a thousand lifetimes of sorrow to find you. Never think otherwise." Neirdith felt a tear leave her eye as she nodded and they continued walking to the bridge in companionable silence.

As she entered the bridge, Skorr took up their normal vigil outside the entrance. Jessie was sitting in the navigational seat preparing to pilot the ship out of New Dundas, and Creesh was sitting in a nearby station checking various systems. Samantha was sitting on one of the wall stations deep in a series of readouts and logs as she watched for the slightest sign of any potential problems.

Grendel was most likely in his quarters as he had expressed his fatigue and stated his intention to get some rest. Neirdith sat in her command throne and pulled up a series of readouts on the ship and his status, everything seemed to be well into the green as she leaned back and said "We have permission from hangar control to launch, Jessie, take us out."

Jessie smiled widely and replied "Aye aye captain, taking her out real slow."

Creesh paused her reading to watch him as he expertly guided the ship up and out of the cavernous hanger into the main tunnel that ships entered the station through. They passed through the thin gravity field that held the atmosphere in with a slight lurch, but then they were free. As soon as they passed the invisible field Jessie gave it the gas and the oversized engines of The Shining Knight spat long spears of plasma as it accelerated under the force of six burning suns.

"Whoooo!" Jessie exclaimed as everyone was pressed back into their seats slightly before the inertial dampeners compensated.

Creesh chirped and said "You sure know how to fly. In my culture that quality is considered incredibly attractive." She said while giving him a lascivious look.

"Damn." Neirdith heard Jessie mutter to himself, but it didn't seem to be a disapproving statement, rather an exclamation of surprise.

"Alright, at this velocity we should be clear to warp in another fifteen minutes. Take a second to relax." Neirdith said as she leaned back into her padded chair and wrapped her tail around the back through a hole in the seat.

She passed the time by taking a moment to rest her eyes and listened to the Casual banter between Creesh, Samantha and Jessie. They seemed to be getting along much better as they had gotten to know one another.

After what felt like only moments, the proximity alert flashed to clear and the ship began to spool up its drives for warp. A low inaudible hum permeated the ship as the drives built a charge and with a familiar twisting lurch, they were off.

Neirdith sat for a couple of minutes and kept an eye on the ships systems, when she was sure there were no surprises waiting for them she stood. "Alright, I am heading off to bed, Don't stay up too late, remember, Gloom is always on watch so you don't need to run yourselves ragged over something as routine as a warp jump."

Neirdith jumped a little as Gloom's disembodied voice emanated from the wall speakers "Yes, I have the bridge covered as well as the rest of the ship. Please don't hesitate to rest, I will alert you to any potential dangers."

Smoothing her hair, Neirdith said to the air "Thank you Gloom, point made." With that she gave the other's a tired wave and glided off to her room to get some much-needed sleep.

**********

Creesh watched Neirdith tiredly leave the bridge and blinked, she wasn't tired at all, in fact she felt quite alert. Swiveling her head towards Jessie she watched him intently, he was fiddling with the console he was sitting at. His head twitched as his Human sixth sense seemed to detect her watching him and he turned his head abruptly. Seeing her staring he gave her a wide smile with his strange flat teeth. She opened her beak slightly in a similar way showing her twin rows of small crushing molars.

Samantha took this time to inject herself into the mood by saying "I can't tell which one of you is the hunter and which is the prey. It seems to switch around all the time." Hearing her comment Jessie turned a slight shade of pink and turned around again.

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Creesh whistled softly and turned to her friend saying "Way to ruin the moment you big fur ball. I was about to make my move." Samantha chuckled and looked towards Jessie.

"I thought you were insectivorous, but here you are stalking prey like a true moon hunter. I love to watch you when you are in this mood." As the large woman finished it was now Creesh's turn to become embarrassed as she tried to think of an appropriate response.

"Well you know what it is, you see something that you want you have to do what you can to get it." Bobbing her head she lowered her voice so that only the Yeown female's sensitive ears could hear her words. "And I really want him, he is everything I could hope for. Kind, smart, strong, and he has so much in common with me." Leaning back and raising her voice to a normal level so Jessie could hear she said "Did I tell you that he referred to me as his girlfriend?"

She cooed in amusement as she heard him splutter behind her and say "Hey! I never said that!"

Samantha jabbed "Oooo, sounds like he doesn't want you as his girlfriend. I guess you will have to find another young man to hunt."

Creesh nodded solemnly and said "That's really too bad, I really liked this one, but you're right. If he doesn't want anything to do with me I guess I'll have to find another. Maybe I will go ask Gloom, they seem very nice." She spun in her seat to see Jessie staring at her with a surprised look before jumping in alarm as a voice echoed through the room.

"As much as I respect the consideration, I do not believe that we are compatible Creesh. It seems as though you will have to stick to the one you have already trained to follow you." Gloom said over the intercom.

"I forgot he is always listening, sorry Gloom." Creesh muttered.

Samantha laughed and said "That was unexpected but hilarious. Looks like you're stuck with her for now Jessie, but be careful. She is a handful." Jessie took a second to laugh before sobering.

"I didn't mean anything by my comment, I just. I didn't want to move into anything faster than you wanted too. And I didn't want to come between you and Samantha, you guys are best friends. I didn't want to break that up." Jessie let out in quick succession.

Samantha waved her furred arm at him and said "Me and Creesh are friends yeah, good enough friends to not have to be together ALL the time. I'm not going to get jealous anymore because she found someone she likes to spend time with that isn't me." Creesh gave a flutter of her mane as she tried to settle her emotions down before replying.

"I am glad that I can still be with both of you, for different but similarly strong reasons." Hopping from her chair she walked over to Jessie who looked at her curiously. He gave a startled noise as she jumped up onto his lap and rested against his chest.

Wrapping her wings around him she cooed "You are mine if you want to be." Jessie looked into her gold eyes with his stormy gray orbs.

"Of course I want to be with you. You are the only one I have ever wanted to spend my life with." Creesh giggled at his fumbling remark and rested her head on his shoulder, sighing, she settled down more comfortably as he began to brush her feathers with one of his five fingered hands. Before she knew it she drifted off into a comfortable sleep, feeling more safe than she had in years.

**********

Neirdith was excited and worried, The Shining Knight had just exited warp in The End of the Line system, they were currently on their way to Hurk's station.

"Coming up on the station, sending the hail now. End of the Line this is The IAS Shining Knight, requesting permission to dock." Jessie called out.

The line fizzed for a moment before a tired voice responded "IAS Shining Knight? You were those crazy sons of guns that took out Hungaro right?" The voice asked.

"Uh, indeed, we are." Jessie said awkwardly as he was technically not personally responsible for that feat.

"Cool, you are always welcome here, Hurk gave us orders to refuel your ship at no cost and to dock you on arm one." The line stated matter-of-factly.

"Thank you End of the Line, we will proceed to arm one. See you in five, IASSK out." Jessie said before the link was severed.

Neirdith said "Good work, when we board I'm going to the medical wing to meet Tahj. Jessie and Creesh you will be responsible for unloading the cargo, don't worry, Skorr will be there to help you." Skorr grumbled from the door behind her at the mention of their name. "Samantha, I want you to oversee the refueling and check for any problems, Gloom will assist you. Grendel messaged me that he was going to check for any interesting ingredients but I'm not sure what he expects to find here." She finished.

After a few minutes of terse waiting, the sound of the docking clamps mating with the ship could be heard. Neirdith stood and announced "Okay, you all know your duties, don't dally, we will be leaving as soon as possible. I won't sugar coat it, it's going to be a long trip. We won't be able to make it there in one jump, so we will be stopping at a refueling colony somewhere along the way." She said.

Walking off the bridge quickly she made a quick stop by her room to grab her beamer and then continued on to the station itself. As she passed through the airlock and docking arm onto the station itself she smiled as she saw a familiar stocky figure waiting for her.

“Good to see you once again Captain, the ship and crew doing okay?” He asked while giving her a clap on the shoulder and motioning for her to walk with him.

“With the exception of Seth we are all fine, I have actually acquired a new crew member in the time I have been gone, he is young but is a talented person. They will do well in this kind of work as they have a reason to hate pirates as much as I do.” Neirdith said with gusto.

He sounds rough, maybe I will get a chance to meet him?” Hurk said hopefully.

“It's not likely, sadly.” She said at his comment. “We are only here for a quick layover and to pick up Seth. We have your machine parts as well, my crew is unloading it now.”

Hurk huffed and said “That's a shame to hear you won't be staying. And I thank you for the shipment, that will help us get back on our feet here. I have named that Skorp ship The Knight’s Shield in honor of your own deeds. I hope you don't mind.” He watched her face expectantly for her reaction.

In response she just smiled and gave him a pat on the back before saying “I think it fits perfectly. How is that ship holding up?” She asked him curiously.

As they passed out of the worn halls and into the more polished medical wing he answered “It is holding up really well, say what you will about pirates, but they do keep a fine ship. We haven't had any problems here, and I am sure that The Knight’s Shield can handle any smaller threats on its own. Oh, here we are.” Hurk interjected as he motioned to a large figure making its way in their direction.

Neirdith saw the figure of Tahj walking to them and nodded as he got closer. Tahj fell in beside them and began “I have very good news for you Neirdith. Seth’s condition has stabilized enough for us to be able to transfer him without any fear of worsening his condition, he is still in a medical coma at the moment, but is no longer in any real danger.”

Neirdith let out a large breath of relief at his words saying “You have no idea how happy that makes me to hear that. I have decided that New Dundas doesn't have the correct facilities to help him, so we will be making a journey to Highland Station.”

“Highland Station is a good choice, I have some work experience there and know you will be able to get him the correct treatment without any trouble. It will be expensive though, I hope you understand.” Tahj said cautiously.

“I don't care about the price, I’ll pay it whatever it is.” Neirdith said passionately.

Hurk agreed “I agree, when you have someone as valuable as Seth, the price is no object. I just hope you won't have to do anything too drastic to raise the proper funds, though with what I'm paying you for this shipment, I hope you don't have to worry.” As he finished speaking Neirdith gave him an appreciative nod and looked at Tahj.

Tahj motioned to a door that was coming up on their right and stated “He is in there, his physical wounds are pretty much healed, though his right eye was unrecoverable with the technology I had available. He will need a cybernetic replacement. Please, after you.” He opened the door for her and she entered graciously.

Seth was still lying in the hospital bed looking asleep, as she approached him she could see the faint scars covering the right side of his face and the bandage over his missing eye. He looked so peaceful and she couldn't keep herself from sitting on the edge of the bed next to him and running her long fingers through his curly hair. She felt the emotional dam she had built inside her threaten to burst but held it back through sheer force of will. Now was not the time to break down, there would be plenty of time for that on the fourteen day warp to Highland Station.

“I miss you Seth, but it's going to be okay. I'm going to make you well again, and I’ll get you a really badass looking eye too, you’ll love it I promise.” She sat like that for a few minutes before she finally stood slowly. She turned to Tahj and said “Thank you Tahj for taking care of him.”

Tahj smiled and said “The medical facilities here seem to be up to code now, I believe I am now able to leave without consequence. I find myself in need of a ship to take me to Highland Station though, do you know of any that I could accompany?” Neirdith looked at the large male in shock for a moment before she threw her head back and laughed.

“Oh I think I know the perfect ship to take you there. It's got nice quarters and one hell of a crew. Are you up for a ride on the Knight?” She asked him humorously.

Giving her a very wide Gre’vahn smile, he answered “Of course I am. I'll go get my things and then transfer Seth over immediately.” Neirdith gave him another smile as he walked from the room, his clawed feet clicking on the floor. She turned back to Seth and once more brushed his hair. It wouldn't be much longer till they were together again.