{Ishkur | Teeth’s Iona}

“I’ll bet two hundred credits that General Korac is already awake and getting ready.”

Bones loved it when Para laughed at his jokes.

As she snuggled closer in bed, she said, “Surely not. It’s hours away.”

He chuckled. “And I’ll raise you another one hundred credits that he’s already gotten Pehton out of bed.”

The swat from the tiny Valkyrie’s pillow was hard and uncalled for. Not to mention all the static cling shocked him as Para pulled it away.

“Foul,” Bones called before retaliating with his much bigger, firmer pillow.

They played. Kissed. And took part in play of another nature.

This was peace, and they’d earned it.

Bones loved his job, overseeing the migration of Iona’s planets to Ishkur. It meant he was away for work a lot, so he cherished these moments with Para. She lived with Karter and Chris, but on Bones’ home rotations, she always made time for him. Every night in each other’s arms, preceded by poker with the crew.

Game Night was a security nightmare. Colton griped incessantly about it while prepping a cheesecake for each event. Iuo, King Elect of Reipon, came up on breaks from sorting the fictional and accurate histories between all the races. During Bones’ last trip home, Iuo hooked him up with a film session as a surprise for Para. Bones still owed the virgin Porn Baron a bag of Cheetos for that one. Twenty-One was head of rehabilitation services as a living example of his own methods. Caedes, gruff as ever with his new responsibilities in treatise, thought he was smooth, leaving every game night for Pehton’s place.

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As if.

Move in already.

The crew hesitated to let Smith return at first, but his perpetually smiling face was too familiar to reject. And what a wicked poker face. Lamassau let no one call him King Elect. He accepted nothing less than Chef Royale.

Kyle and Andrew were harder to sync schedules with, but they made it to every game.

During the last few games, King Elect, Jack, had joined them. He took to his duties admirably, but was only just coming out of his shell. It must be hard when every girl in the galaxy templated their face and hair to look like Jack’s sister. May she rest in Eternity. It startled Bones whenever he went somewhere for a migration to see thousands of blue-eyed, black-haired, pale-skinned girls with similar noses and chins to Rayne. Nothing was ever quite perfect on them, but it continued to make Bones’ skin crawl.

Iona Pax paid tribute to its dead.

But today was about life and coupling. Once Para and Bones finished with their own, he took himself drunk with love to the shower. It was too early to get ready, but the exhilaration was infectious.

A proper joining of Earth and Cinder, Generals Sagan and Korac represented everything right about the war they’d survived.

Plus, Bones couldn’t wait for Korac to open Kyle’s wedding gift. It would serve the Iona General right for turning down a bachelor party. It was enough to make Bones chuckle into the shower spray.

Fed and happy.

Sexed up and appreciated.

Never lonely. Never bored.

There wasn’t much more Bones could ask for out of his idea of paradise. Without the constant threat of Imminent looming over them, the galaxy finally knew peace. And if something ever threatened that peace, may Elden show them mercy.

Because the Shadow sure wouldn’t.

“Bones, Caedes is here!” Para called.

He grinned while drying his hair, saying, “I told you Korac grabbed Pehton already!”

His woman laughed. “You did. You did! What do I owe you?” There was a purr to Para’s voice at the last.

“Don’t worry, little Valkyrie. I’ll think of something.”

And it wouldn’t be cheesecake and Cheetos. Although, those might be involved.