Lyris smiled, enjoying watching Kir get flustered over her and Harrison's obvious feelings towards each other. Compared to X'hondrians and humans, Serenians didn't typically believe in the idea of soulmates. They initially all mated for life, but they also felt that everyone's souls were connected to everyone's. Not just on Serenfolia or in the galaxy, but in the entire universe. But if soulmates were real, it was very clear that those two were. She had a knack for reading people and it went beyond even their physical expressions.

Her smile turned upside down when Kir mentioned disengaging Harrison's enforcer bracelet. She understood their concern about him being controlled, she had it as well. But she knew removing it would be even worse. "I don't think you should get his hopes up. The Emperor made them that way because he didn't want them having their freedom. I get your concern, I really do, but honestly he might be better off with it out here. Humans are as rare as they are fragile. He'll need it to survive out here."

Once the ship took off Lyris felt her heart skip a beat. She had been on that station for a while, having stowed away on a cargo ship on one of her many walkabouts around the galaxy. She didn't think she'd ever get off it, but in one day she met two people she never thought she'd meet. Two people that gave her a sense of hope that she was starting to lose.

Lyris was pulled from her happy thoughts once Kir asked about Serenfolia. She dropped her head solemnly. She gathered herself before looking up again. "I haven't been home in a while. But... They're wellish. The Empire treads softly on our world. They destroy our history so they can destroy us without physically doing so, but they've failed to destroy it all. Our spirits are strong and we're still hopeful that the prophecy will come true and that the galaxy will know peace once again." Her last sentence was a bit of a test. She hoped Kir or at least her parents knew of the prophecy and that's why they gave her, her name. If she did, her journey may not have been for nought after all.

Meanwhile Harrison was changing his clothes. He thought about immediately getting into the casual clothes that Kir got him, but instead decided on getting into his loungewear. He needed to sleep once they all got situated. He wore a basic t-shirt and some woolish pajama pants. He took the rest of his clothes to the Captain's Quarters of the ship and placed them in a chair for now. He'd still have to get rid of the original Captain's clothes. He then returned to the kitchen to wait for Kir so he could give her, her surprise.

Kir tried not to show her disappointment when Lyris confirmed the very thing she had tried not to think about. The impossibility of freeing enforcers from the control of their armour had been one of the very things that had stymied any previous attempts at rebellion. The empire was too vast and well-armed to stand up to easily, and enforcers were the first line of defence that had, at least previously, been the truest barrier to any sort of coup. If they really did plan to take on the empire, they’d have to destroy it from the inside instead of chipping away from the outside. The unsettling realisation took hold that it was possible their only path to success might involve using a central killswitch to disable - and likely kill - all of the enforcers. X’hondrians were pacifists; to take a life without due cause was an abhorrent to them as anything could be. Sure, they were carnivorous, but there was a vast difference between killing to meet one’s bodily survival needs and war. And yet…wouldn’t killing the enforcers be just as much a necessity to the long-term survival of any number of oppressed species under the empire’s control? Then again, didn’t enforcers deserve release from imperial control? How many, if any, had actually volunteered? Better still, how many had volunteered while truly informed, fully understanding the autonomy they were sacrificing? The moral dilemma raged on as an internal debate so loud she almost didn’t hear Lyris continue.

She decided to table that particular problem for the moment. They still needed to get their bearings first. Kir didn’t want to be dishonest with Harrison, but perhaps telling him she probably couldn’t keep her promise seemed like something that should be done privately at the right time. With all the excitement of the day, she didn’t want to dash his hopes. He’d given up everything to free her on the vague promise to help him get the bracelet off, and now she was going to have to likely rip the rug out from under him while he was likely grappling with the notion he might never see his home again.

Lyris mentioned the prophecy, and Kir almost wondered if it was a false hope to cling onto those words. The prophecy was old. Quite a bit older than she was, and she couldn’t recall anymore if it was from before the divergence of the tribes. On X’hondria, it had been written into the poetry of song, and it was one of the first recitations any young child learned. It was so thoroughly drilled into the collective consciousness from a young age there was no hope any X’hondrian born before the empire had decimated their world would forget. But much of X'hondrian culture had been outright outlawed. To be caught signing the songs or speaking their language or wearing any piece of their traditional clothing was a punishable offence. To know they had done much the same to Serenfolia, and that they continued to do so, made her shudder. How much had they lost? How much of it would even be recoverable? The elders and keepers of the culture would begin to die out if they hadn’t been executed by the empire, and their knowledge would go with them.

“Whatever the legend says, we’ll start with freeing Serenfolia,” Kir stated. She knew she shouldn’t make unilateral decisions for Harrison or Zev, but if she couldn’t save X’hondria, then she would save her sister world. “I doubt Harrison will hesitate to agree, and Zev… I’ll talk to him and offer him an out if he doesn’t want to be involved in this, but I have a hunch he’s a bit more than just a ceaseless flirt.”

The “how” remained to be seen. At best, there were four of them in a cargo freighter that lacked the armour, manoeuvrability, and combat capabilities to even take on a single dogfight…taking on freeing an entire planet was more than just a little daunting. They had no money, no resources, and no connections. They’d be better equipped to have a go at the empire with sticks and rocks than their current outfit.

“I put my things in the crew bunk. You could take the other bed in there if you want,” Kir suggested. “At the very least, you should probably get some rest. Who knows what’s coming next?”

Parting ways with Lyris, Kir returned to the kitchen to find Harrison. Her clothes had already been stashed in the shared two-person crew bunk. As much as she might have preferred the privacy of the captain’s quarters or even the first officer’s, Zev needed far more space than she did, and Harrison was a stranger in a strange land and might need the privacy as he began to process everything. She figured she would be the one most comfortable with a shared space, and knowing now that it would be shared likely with Lyris, she was perfectly at ease with it. It would be like the thing on Earth they called a “slumber party”. It always seemed so fun in the movies, after all.

“Looks like I haven’t totally lost my touch,” she smiled at Harrison as she rounded the corner, glad to see at least the pyjamas seemed to fit him well. “I feel like we need to have a whole debrief after the day we’ve had, and I have something I’d like to run by you, but I think maybe that can all wait until morning. What was it that was on your mind, though?”

Lyris’ eyes widened and ears raised with an excited twitch when she heard Kir's proclamation. She had just met her today and at the mention of the prophecy said they'd start with the freeing of Serenfolia. She hadn't even asked her to do so. She took it upon herself with no hesitation. Lyris held back the tears starting to form in her ducts. She could finally go home. Her people could finally be free.

Lyris was glad when the conversation transitioned to the sleeping arrangement. She wasn't sure how long she could contain the emotions that were boiling to the surface. She gave Kir a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you, sister.” Was all she said before disappearing from her side in a blur making a dash to the crew bunk. Once inside, she closed the door behind her and began to pray.

Kir barely had a moment to process before Lyris was gone from sight. That did at least clear up the question she’d forgotten to ask about her gift from Serenfolia. So, she was a speedster and a thief. That might just come in handy in the future, if she chose to stay on for the real rebellion beyond liberating her home planet. Though, all things considered, Kir wouldn’t have blamed her if she chose to stay on Serenfolia and help rebuild once the empire’s grip on the planet was gone.

Prophecy aside, liberating Serenfolia was a somewhat selfish endeavour. As X’hondria’s sister planet, she hoped the Serennians might be willing to provide sanctuary to any X’hondrians their rebellion managed to free. Even if they ultimately failed to overthrow the empire, freeing even a handful of X’hondrians would still be worth whatever came of their failure. It would be a chance to rebuild, and perhaps offer the kind of hope that would spark courage in those still shackled. If they knew there was somewhere safe they could go, maybe they would jump at the chance to escape just as she had. That would be enough.

---

“I don't think you ever could.” Harrison said instinctively to Kir's remark about not losing her touch. He turned away nervously before looking back when she asked him what was on his mind. “We can do the debrief before we all call it a night. If it even is night right now. Anyway, we still need to tell them what our plan is so they could sleep on their options. Both literally and figuratively. But that's not what I called you back here to talk about. I wanted to give you this.”

Even if they hadn’t been bonded, Kir could have felt the nervousness rolling off him in waves. Still, she sensed nothing negative from him. If anything, he seemed almost joyful under it. Or maybe that was excitement? He was quickly learning to mask his thoughts, and while she could still read his emotional state quite easily, she would have had to press harder to get any more than that. Given the open connection between them, she tried her best not to pry and invade his mental space.

Harrison reached into his pocket and pulled out the obsidian diamond bracelet that Lyris had snatched for him earlier. “I saw this and thought of you. I wanted you to have jewelry that represented your freedom and complemented how beautiful you are.”

And even with the bond, he still surprised her. It was, in a way, part of the upside of not pushing further into his mind than what was on the surface. He was genuine enough that she could trust what floated to the top without thinking too hard about what he might be masking.

Kir smiled softly, colour rising in her cheeks as she ducked her head for a moment in embarrassment. She took the bracelet gently, holding it up and turning it to see all sides of it in the light. It was beautiful, to say the least. Possibly more beautiful than anything she’d ever worn before, though perhaps that was more a fact that it came with no weight of oppression. This was a gift given with genuine affection and seemingly no expectations. In the palace, a gift was never just a gift; there was always a caveat to any favouritism.

“This is… I don’t even know what word to use,” Kir chuckled to herself at her loss for words. “Beautiful doesn’t seem to encapsulate it. Yes, it is gorgeous, but it’s…meaningful, too. There’s not a word for that in Genspeak or English. There’s a word in my mother tongue, but it doesn’t translate very well; it’s too nuanced. You know my history, and you already keep finding ways to try to undo the damage. I don’t know what our future holds, but I hope one day I get to repay that favour because it hardly feels like enough to just say ‘thank you’.”

Harrison was hit with a wave of relief. He was worried she wouldn't like it or that it might remind her of her time with the empire. But instead she loved it in ways she couldn't completely express. He wasn't sure himself if there was more to it than a gesture of friendship and freedom. He couldn't deny that he was mesmerized by her the moment their eyes met. And their connection was already something greater and more profound than he had experienced on Earth. But Kir didn't owe him anything. Not her love and certainly not a thank you. Even if she hadn't promised to help him remove this armor he would've freed her regardless. Everyone deserved to have their own free will and autonomy and he'd never take either from her.

“You don't owe me anything.” He finally said, approaching her to help her put the bracelet on. “You've already opened my eyes to a whole galaxy I wouldn't have gotten to know without you. I'm living mine and every archeologist and explorer's dream. You've already given me the gift of a lifetime.”

Kir’s heart fluttered as he wrapped the bracelet around her wrist. The care with which he handled the bracelet as he gently steadied her wrist while he clasped it. Whatever this feeling was, she wasn’t ready to name it, but she did trust him with it. He’d done nothing but treat her with kindness and respect, and had given no indication that it was disingenuous.

Holding her wrist to her chest, she looked at him affectionately, “Well then, at the very least I want to make the galaxy safely traversable for you to explore to your heart’s delight.”

No. Harrison was wrong. Her words confirmed it. He had deep romantic feelings for her. It wasn't even the X'honnar that did it. It was just who she was as a person. Their connection went deeper than their minds. The moment those words crossed her lips all he could think about was exploring the galaxy with her. But for now he'd hold those feelings within. He refused to force his own feelings onto her.

She glanced around, but the others were both busy with their own things. Lyris was, presumably, still in her room and Zev was still in the cockpit probably going over the navigation chart before he handed the guidance off to the ship’s autopilot for the night. A timekeeper on the wall in the kitchen showed it was getting late by the standard of universal time.

“We should talk to the others,” Kir suggested. “It’s late, and you and I have already had a long enough day. We both need a chance to process…well, everything. I’ll get Zev if you get Lyris.”

Harrison nodded and left the kitchen with a smile. He was walking on air, almost literally. He made his way to the crew bunk and knocked on the door to get Lyris’ attention.

Lyris had just finished her prayer when Harrison knocked on the door. “Coming!” She called before standing up from her kneeling position. “Thank you.” she whispered to herself before walking to the door and opening it.

“I was starting to get worried. It took you a while to open the door.” Harrison teased.

“Ha ha.” Lyris laughed sarcastically. “I don't run all the time. But you needed something, Captain?”

Captain. Yes, he had taken the Captain's Quarters but it never really set in that he might be looked at by the others as the captain. The only place he's been a leader in was the classroom and people did try to look at him as one when he became a hero on Earth, but he was really just helping when people needed him. But he had to accept the fact that he was about to be a leader of a rebellion that he decided he wanted. “Yeah, Kir and I want to talk to you and Zev about something before we all rest for the night.”

Lyris looked down to see that Harrison was already comfortable and ready for bed. “Well, let's not keep your sleep waiting.” she said, following him to the meeting area.

Meanwhile, Kir had lingered behind just to take in the moment for a little longer. She looked down at her wrist, the dark stone of the bracelet standing out in such stark contrast to her pale skin. She still couldn’t quite wrap her mind around it, around him. With a sigh, she dropped her arm again and went to find Zev in the cockpit. Pausing in the open doorway, she knocked lightly on the wall just inside.

”Hey. Got a sec?” Kir asked.

”Yeah, of course. What’s up?” Zev turned away from the console to give her his full attention.

“Harrison and I are gathering everyone in the kitchen. Just wanna run some stuff by you before we all call it a night,” she explained.

“Well, the autopilot’s set, so there’s nothing keeping me here.”

The two of them made their way back into the kitchen, the only real communal communal space on the ship. Kir looked to Harrison, nodding as Zev got settled.

“Do you want to do this or do you want me?” She asked, offering to take the lead if he didn’t want it. So far, they’d done everything together, and she wasn’t going to immediately dump the leadership position solely on his shoulders.

“I'll take it.” Harrison said, stepping forward and clearing his throat. “First, we want to thank you for jumping on a stolen ship with a couple of strangers and trusting me, especially, with this armor. Second, before we met you two Kir and I decided on starting a rebellion and bringing down the Empire. Honestly, the moment I learned about what's going on out here I knew I needed to do something to stop it. I know it’s risky and probably a suicide mission from Hell, that's the Earth's final destination for bad people, but we're doing it and we're giving you the option of joining us or parting ways with us once we finish the drop. You don't have to answer now. Sleep on it if you need to.”

Harrison stepped back and almost reached for Kir's hand for comfort, but stopped himself. He was nervous, but he reminded himself that he couldn't just touch her whenever he wanted. He tried to watch the expressions on their faces to get an idea of what they were going to decide.

Lyris couldn't believe her ears. First Kir offered to liberate Serenfolia and now Harrison, the human, was saying the words she never expected to hear in her lifetime. A rebellion. The fall of the empire. The prophecy. The galaxy would know peace again. So many thoughts were running through her mind and hearts. She fell to her knees in tears of joy and gratitude. Her prayers were answered quicker than she imagined. “The Galaxy will know Peace again.” But instead of saying it Genspeak she said it in the language of the old tribe, in the language of the prophecy.

Zev was wholly unsurprised. He wasn’t expecting it to come out five minutes after they took off, but a free X’hondrian toting around a broken enforcer from Earth was just too weird. He knew they were trouble, but then again he liked trouble. He’d told Kir flat out he didn’t like easy women. Still, his self-preservation instinct was screaming to cut his losses and run. No one just decided to go toe-to-toe with the empire, and those two had barely been off Earth for five minutes. Neither of them had any idea what things were like in the empire. But, he had a growing fondness for the X’hondrian, and if she believed in the human who freed her, what was stopping him? It’s not like he had much sense of direction before. He was just trying to make ends meet and stay off the empire’s radar.

Kir stepped away from Harrison immediately, drawn not only by Lyris’ outburst, but also the sound of words in a language that should have been long dead given the empire’s quest for complete control. Either Lyris was older than she thought, or she was exactly as important as Kir thought she was. The only reason Kir herself knew it was because she’d been tracking to be a historian of cultures and languages, and one of her specialties was the origins of their two tribes. X’hondrian history was long, though, and it took decades to become an expert. She never finished her education track before the empire invaded…

Turning quickly to look at Harrison apologetically and then back to Zev as she admitted, “I may have also unilaterally decided we would start with liberating Serenfolia when Lyris and I talked. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about, Harrison.”

She dropped down to her knees in front of Lyris, gently gathering her into her arms to just hold her through it. Kir had to imagine there was so much unexpressed grief pent up, and the dam had finally broken to let it all come flooding out. She just sat there on the floor with her, rocking gently.

“Well, that might be the most normal thing that has happened today,” Zev shrugged, watching Kir and Lyris. “Look, I’m just a pilot. I go where the money is and the empire isn’t. Trying to overthrow a well-established empire wasn’t exactly on my to-do list. That said… Who knows? Maybe you two are the thing that’s been missing from every other attempt. You’re either cleverer than you look, or you dumber than a drunk Nosfarian. Maybe a little of both. Either way, I’m curious.”

Harrison wasn't expecting either of their reactions, especially Lyris’. This was not the same woman he met on the station. So confident and strong, but now looking at her like this had him realizing how much she and everyone else in the galaxy were holding inside. Just the smallest glimmer of hope was enough for it all to come out. He watched as Kir went to comfort her and turned his attention to Zev. “I'm glad to have your curiosity and we don't really have the need for credits unless we're buying something for the crew so you can have what we get from the drop. I can't guarantee a rebellion would line your pockets, but back on Earth war is the most profitable business. As it grows, who knows what we'll be paid to do.” He decided not to let Zev know just how much money he and Kir had on them yet. With money being his primary motive he could easily rob them and leave them on their mission of doom.

Zev scoffed, muttering to himself, “Well, money isn’t the only thing of value in the universe.”

Friendship didn’t pay the bills, and certainly being part of the core team behind a rebellion wasn’t going to make the empire any easier to traverse, but the value of the people right there on that ship was beyond quantifiable. Any one of them alone was worth more money than he could ever hope to make in a lifetime, but together? Working and collaborating and functioning as a team, there was safety in that. Harrison and Kir had made it through the station entirely under the guise of being an enforcer and an accompanying slave with little information to accurately base their farce upon - impressive to say the least, so who knew what they might be capable of once they got their legs under them? And Lyris? A Serennian? That went without saying. Maybe he was usually in it for the money, but this little endeavour might well just prove itself worth more than all the coin in an imperial vault. A free galaxy meant he was free to do as he pleased again without constantly looking over his shoulder. And maybe he’d make it out the other side with a proper ship he could call his own, and that was worth a bit of risk. He’d sleep on it before he gave a final answer, but he was leaning toward sticking around. He could always bail if things got too hairy.

Harrison then knelt down next to Kir and Lyris. “You helped me put a smile on Kir's face today, Lyris. We'll definitely save your home first.”

Lyris lifted her head to look at both of them. She couldn't believe the blessing she received today. Just when she was ready to give up on a search many believed was foolish, they came to her. She wiped her tears with her shirt and stood up to give them her official answer. “Thank you, Harrison and Kir. I'm with you til the end.”

Kir picked herself up off the floor again, looking at Zev, “I hope you’ll stick around for more than the money.”

”Well, if you’re the one asking, how can I say no?” Zev flashed her a playful smirk. “I’ll give you a real answer in the morning. I’m gonna sleep on it, and if that little crying jag is any evidence I think we all need some shut eye.”

”Agreed,” Kir nodded. “I’m bunking up with Lyris. I left you the first officer’s quarters, Zev. Figured you’d be more comfortable with a little extra space to move around.”

”Pretty and thoughtful. You’re a keeper, KK,” Zev said as he stood and departed.

“I’m going to take that as my cue. Good night, Harrison,” Kir said. She hesitated a moment before pulling him into a hug, relaxing into it and whispering just to him, “Thank you for everything today.”

Out of all of the unexpected things to happen to him today, Kir hugging him was the most unexpected and most welcomed. It was the perfect end to a perfect day. He gained three new friends and possibly family. A hastily assembled crew of Galaxy Liberators. Harrison finally responded to her thank you with a whispered, “You're welcome and thank you for the adventure.”

Harrison pulled back from the hug and headed to the Captain's Quarters to get adjusted to his new room.

Lyris stood there as a third wheel as Kir and Harrison hugged each other. Once Harrison left she locked her arm into Kir's and gave her a smile. “You ready?”

”Yeah,” Kir nodded, returning her smile.

Whatever notions Kir had about having a slumber party with Lyris were quickly dashed. The Serennian was out like a light the moment her head hit the pillow in her bunk. She wondered if that was a function of a wild day, or more of a common occurrence given the energy she must expend every time she used her abilities. It didn’t bother her, though. She was glad at least one of them could sleep. Kir, on the other hand, laid awake for what felt like an eternity. It wasn’t the bunk - the bed was fine, perhaps even more comfortable than the bed she’d had on Earth which was really quite serviceable - but something more intangible that she couldn’t shake. With Harrison around all day, she’d felt comfortable. Safe, even. It wasn’t that she felt unsafe with Lyris, quite the opposite, but it wasn’t the same safety. Kir wouldn’t have said she was drawn to power, but Harrison did have the power to stand up and offer protection that she couldn’t necessarily manage on her own. Sure, X’hondrians had some extraordinary abilities, but at the end of the day they were still quite vulnerable especially in sleep. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a good, solid night of sound sleep, but if she had to guess it was before the empire invaded her homeworld.

Tossing and turning did nothing, and after a while she worried she’d do something to wake up Lyris. Sighing, she conceded and admitted her defeat. Sleep would not take her, at least not in her bunk. She turned, peering over at Lyris’ peaceful form in the dark, listening to the steady sound of her breathing. Perhaps, if she was lucky, Harrison was equally as sleepless. She probed ever so gently across to his mind, testing for wakefulness before she tried to speak to him. She opened the door of her mind to let him reach out if he was awake enough to feel her mind close to his.

Harrison was staring up at the ceiling, thinking of the day he had. He honestly still couldn't believe he left Earth. The only planet he had known his entire life. Now he was planning to free many. He didn't know what he was thinking. He didn't have a real plan and he was now dragging three people into a rebellion. He didn't know anything about the galaxy or the empire. And if his enforcer armor was broken how strong was a real enforcer's armor? He had only been using the armor for a year. These enforcers had real experience. He couldn't help but think he was just leading them all to their deaths. Why did they trust him so much with their lives?

Harrison's thoughts were interrupted by the presence of Kir's mental touch. He recognized it already. It was a strange, but fascinating feeling. “You couldn't sleep either, huh?” He thought in his mind, projecting it back to her through the ship's walls.

Kir settled into a new sense of security reconnecting her mind to Harrison’s. It was odd and unfamiliar, but it wasn’t bad. If anything, it was just what she needed to feel a little more relaxed. The thought of simply slipping through the walls and into his room was tempting, but too invasive to just do without asking. That space was his, and he deserved his privacy, too.

”No… Too many racing thoughts and too much-“ Kir finally started before she cut herself off, searching for a palatable word that didn’t involve ‘safety’. She settled on adding, ”Too much uncertainty. Lyris is asleep, though, so I’ve only had myself to go in circles with. I get the feeling you’re having the same problem. Maybe the solution is talking in circles together. Maybe then we can find a way to get some traction. Putting our heads together hasn’t failed us yet.”

Admittedly, a small part of her was a little excited to perhaps still have her slumber party, but instead with Harrison. If nothing else, maybe airing out both of their thoughts instead of ruminating alone would help them sleep better. Kir was in well over her head with trying to spark a rebellion, but she was a quick study. Harrison, she figured, was equally drowning in the responsibility he had suggested taking on. He had expressed he was new to the armour and to serving as a hero on Earth, and as far as she was aware there had been no uprisings led by him in the past year.

Harrison felt reassured that Kir was feeling the same way that he was. That they were plagued by the same heavy thoughts that threatened to crush them. He thought about hiding his doubts from her, but was glad that he didn't have to. “You want to come over?” He finally asked. “As much as I love the sound of your voice in my mind, I think this conversation would be better vocal.” When Harrison realized she was coming over he scrambled to put a shirt back on so she wouldn't be uncomfortable around him or thinking he wanted anything from her.

Kir didn’t need to be asked twice. Smiling to herself, glad for the invitation, she concentrated for a moment before rolling over to phase through the wall into the main passageway that ran through the center of the ship. Touching her feet lightly back down on the floor, she padded a few steps up the hall to Harrison’s door. It took more concentration than it used to just to shift her body enough to phase through the door, but she was fifty years out of practice. She knew she’d pick it up easily enough once she’d had some practice. For an X’hondrian, manipulating their bodies was as easy as breathing, but for her it was like she’d just surfaced after a long dive, still gasping for breath.

As she rematerialised on the other side of the door in Harrison’s room, she glanced around for a moment. It clearly still had all the previous captain’s things, but they weren’t planning to keep the ship so it seemed reasonable to leave it intact in case it was returned to the original owners.

”I agree, this is much better,” Kir nodded as she turned toward Harrison, still standing. In her pyjamas near the door.

Harrison stared at Kir for a moment, taking in her pale appearance in the Captain's dark cabin. There was a window that showed the galaxy around them, the planets and moons that they passed reflecting light into the room. He thought she looked amazing in her casual clothes. He didn't even think that she'd also be wearing pajamas.

He caught himself staring and got out of the bed so neither of them would be comfortable from their opposite positions. “Do you want to sit?” He asked, extending his hand to offer her the chair or the bed.

”Only if you sit with me,” Kir said as she picked her way around the edge of the bed to sit there. She patted the spot next to her to encourage him back over. “I have a feeling we’ve been agonising over some of the same things, and also some completely different things. Tell me what’s on your mind?”

It was obvious he’d been holding back. She’d hardly heard his thoughts since he went back to have a word with the scrapper before they left. One the one hand, she was impressed he was adapting so quickly to having the constant mental link between them, but on the other she didn’t like the idea that he felt he couldn’t be totally open and honest with her. Every step they took going forward relied on them being able to trust each other. If they were the roots from which the rebellion grew, they had to be firm and stable, and that meant there could be no holding back from each other.

Harrison sat down next to her. It was strange yet welcoming to him that she seemed to be able to read and understand him even without their psychic link being open. He decided not to hold back what was on his mind. A heavy sigh escaped his lips before he lifted his head to look at her. “I'm afraid I'm just leading you all to get killed. I don't know anything about war, liberation, or leading a rebellion. Yet you all seem willing and ready to follow me into the fire. Part of me wants to say screw it and just find a way for us to have a life together in this mess. The other part of me, the louder part of me keeps saying no. People deserve to be free. Your people deserve to be free and I gave my word to Lyris that we'd free her world. Even if I wanted to I couldn't just stop there.”

Harrison finally breathed after letting all of that out. He wasn't expecting to say all of that, but it just flowed out of him. He still felt wrong though. He had a year with this power and thought to do nothing like this on Earth. So many oppressed and enslaved people even today. And that was one planet with different countries. How was he supposed to change and free a whole galaxy if he couldn't even do that?

”I think we’d be hard pressed to find anyone with the experience. Anyone who might has either already tried and failed, or the empire took them out before they had the chance. Maybe that’s our greatest strength - we’ll never be expected, and we might bring a fresh perspective no one else has. You and I both have incredibly unique lived experiences,” Kir assured him. “I wish we had access to the X’hondrian archives. We were like what you call monks; we were keepers of knowledge and history. There’s so much we could learn from the archives to prepare us, but there’s no telling what happened after the empire took control. My access to information about X’hondria was restricted after I was taken. Though… I suppose there’s a chance, however slim, they were able to hide copies of the archival records…”

Kir shook her head, looking back at Harrison, “Although you originated the idea, you’re not leading this movement alone. You gave me the hope to stand up to the empire with you, and I will be by your side to support you the whole way. We are doing this together, so we either rise together or we fall together. It is a far greater sin to never try at all than to try and fail.”

She didn’t know where that grounded belief came from. Just moments ago she’d been agonising over the decision, over whether she was right to agree to this with him, and whether they were right to invite others into this movement so early. They had no plan, barely any direction, almost no money, and definitely no ship. What chance did they stand? The empire could crush them without breaking a sweat. And yet, the moment Harrison expressed any sort of doubt in himself, she jumped to assure him he was capable of more than he gave himself credit for. She couldn’t help herself, or her belief in his abilities. In just a single day, he’d proven more than once his ability to rise to the occasion when he was called upon, and she doubted that would change any time soon.

She was right. Of course she was right. These were the words he needed to hear to shake loose Harrison's doubts. And if she was fine with putting her life on the line than who was he to stop her? He already lived a long life of adventure. If it ended trying to free a galaxy he would've died knowing he lived a life worth living. And even if they did fail all it took was a spark of hope. Someone out there willing to go against the odds to fight for what was right. As of right now their numbers were three and one maybe going up against an entire galactic empire. If that wasn't a story that'd inspire planets to rise up together then he didn't know what would.

He stood with a newfound look of determination and unbreakable will on his face. “Look out Emperor! Your reign of terror has lasted too long. It's time for your empire to collapse!!” He exclaimed triumphantly. It was a battle cry more for himself than anything. It settled his mind and heart on this goal. He laughed to himself, hoping his outburst didn't wake the others. Harrison sat back down next to Kir and smiled. “Thank you.” He said softly before reaching out to hug her. He paused for a moment, before recalling that she hugged him earlier and continued with the hug. “I really needed to hear that. I'm ready now.”

Kir couldn’t help a laugh at his energy. All it took was a nudge in the right direction - toward confidence - and he perked right up. It’s what she was hoping for. His confidence and joy were contagious, at least for her. If he believed, she believed, and if she believed, then he believed. It was a circle of positivity that fed itself. Fate always had plans, and one could rarely predict them. She wondered if X’hondria had never fallen, if the empire had never expanded that far, would she still have met Harrison? Was that preordained by Fate? Or did everything have to happen just right to put them in place to meet? If things hadn’t happened just as they had, would her life be totally different? Would she find herself looking at some other person with such affection and admiration? Kir supposed it didn’t matter “what if”; she was here now on this ship with these people staying up far too late with this man, and that was all that really mattered. She’d been going in circles about it ever since she went to bed, turning it over and over in her head all the infinite possibilities that it could have been different, but it wasn’t and there was nothing more futile than questioning what reality might have been.

“I think I’m ready, too,” she nodded firmly as she pulled away from the hug. She hadn’t realised how starved she was for touch, and the warmth of contact nearly made her refuse to pull away at all. “I think I was still stuck on the consequences, but something about being in your presence reminds me the consequences of not acting are far greater. I let myself lose hope when I was trapped on Earth, and I don’t want to be that person anymore. I want to be someone who does something. Tomorrow, come what may, we’ll figure out next steps. Together.”

Her words hit him once again. If he wasn't sure already that he wanted to do this, her talking of losing hope before they escaped together would have certainly done the trick. What if people in the galaxy were losing hope and they needed them to open the doors of their invisible cells? “Let’s make sure no one else in the galaxy loses hope ever again.” He paused for a moment to think. “Is there anything else on your mind or do you think you're good to sleep now?”

Kir hesitated for a moment. They were still so new to each other, but her racing thoughts hadn’t been the only thing keeping her awake. She wasn’t sure how to tell him, or rather ask him, not to leave her alone. She could go back to her room with Lyris - it’s not like the Serennian was going to hurt her - but she didn’t know her the way she knew Harrison.

Frowning as she tried to find the right words, she fidgeted with the bracelet she still wore around her wrist, “I don’t know how to express it in the right way, but I’ll try. I know the culture on Earth, especially in America, is vastly different to where I’m from, so this might be too much to ask, but… I’m hyper aware of my own vulnerability when I sleep, so I don’t sleep very well anymore. I feel safe with you, like I can finally relax. Can I stay with you tonight?” She looked up at him, trying to read his expression without reading his mind.

Harrison's eyes widened just slightly at the request. He wasn't against it. He just wasn't expecting it. He gave her a nod. “You can sleep with me tonight and every night until you feel comfortable to sleep with Lyris, Co-Captain.” He added the last bit with a smile and a wink to make her more comfortable as he knew it probably took a lot for her to ask that. Though for all intents and purposes she was the Co-Captain of the ship and crew. They started this journey together. They were on this journey together. And if he were to be honest it would probably be good for him to have the company as well.

Co-captain had a nice sort of ring to it. Not one leading the other, not just one giving orders to the other, but a partnership. Together, as they both had agreed. She smiled softly, once again reassured by his easy, warm agreement and the playfulness of his wink. It would surprise her if the rest of the galaxy didn’t fall in love with him instantly. He had all the charm and charisma, and he was certainly doing an excellent job of drawing her in, though she felt no sense of falsity to his persona. That was just simply who he was, and she liked it. She liked it a lot, and she was trying very hard not to think about that.

”Let’s call it a night, then,” she suggested, moving over to give him space to join her as she laid down. “I have a feeling we have a lot more long days ahead of us.”

Harrison grabbed one of the pillows and laid it along the space between them, causing Kir to look at him with confusion.

“I don’t really think we need that, unless it would make you feel more comfortable?” Kir stated.

He looked at her as he started to settle in, surprised, but moved it all the same, “I was doing it to make you feel comfortable.”

”I’m fine, Harr,” she assured as she snuggled down under the blankets with him. “I don’t think you have even the slightest hint of a malicious thought in your head about me.”

Just like Lyris, she was out like a light. She was safe and warm and cared for. For a moment, she could forget anything that had happened in the last century of her life. In her half-asleep haze, she was just a child on X’hondria again and nothing bad had ever happened to her. At some point in the night, she gravitated toward Harrison’s warm, cuddling closer and curling into him as she sought it out without a pillow to serve as the barrier to stop her.