“...Ahem.”

Maggie’s head snapped up at the unexpected sound. The image of a young man with white hair stared back at her from the monitor. “Sorry to disturb you, but I wanted to talk in private, without the others listening in.”

Her eyes narrowed. “And who might you be?”

“You can call me Al,” he smiled. “Avatar Clan. Your newest recruit.”

“Oh…” She looked at him curiously, as Diggs appeared at her side. “You ain’t what I expected.”

“And what were you expecting?” he chuckled.

“Somethin’ less human lookin’, for starters,” she shrugged. “All the Avatars I met had some weird-lookin’ image on the screen. And then there’s the name. Seems like you all have a pun for a moniker. ‘Al’ just seems so...so...”

“Prosaic?” he suggested.

“Yeah...sure, let’s go with that,” she agreed after a moment.

“Well, as much as I hate giving credence to stereotypes…” the young man smirked...as a pair of massive feathered wings appeared behind him. Diggs’ jaw dropped, staring at the image in awe.

“An angel?” she said.

“...there’s more than one kind of angel,” he chuckled. “As for the name, Maggie Al-Hajjah nee Rademacher, Al is just the diminutive I use to simplify communication. If it’s my full name you’re asking for, it’s Alphad Aemon.”

“Alphad…?” she began, running the name through her head a few times before sighing. “Yeah, that’s more like it. With the wings. Cute.”

Al grinned back at her. “It’s always a pleasure to meet someone I don’t have to explain it to.”

She folded her arms across her chest. “You said you wanted to talk. So talk.”

The Avatar nodded. “To business then. After reading about your first mission, I’ve been doing some digging. It seems we Terrans aren’t the only ones interested in this mystery planet of yours.”

Maggie groaned. “The Admiral was right. The Troika are involved.”

“So it would seem. How, why, and to what extent, I don’t know.”

“Great...cause there wasn’t enough trouble on our plate already,” she groused. “Think they’ll try to stop us?”

“I think it would be foolish to believe they won’t,” he replied. “How they plan on doing that, I can’t say. Yet.”

“...Yet?”

“Gathering information is my specialty,” he smiled. “In fact, you might say I was built for it.” It was enough to make her chuckle, at least for a moment. “I’ll keep looking into it, and let you know what I find. I can tell you this much, however...whatever the Troika is up to, they don’t appear to be acting in concert.”

“Meaning?” she asked.

“Meaning don’t expect them to all come at you at once,” he explained. “They’ll make their moves separately, at times and using methods of their own choosing.”

“So, three attacks, instead of just one. Isn’t that just ducky?” she said.

“I’m afraid it’s even worse than that. Even if you fend them off, I rather doubt they’ll just fold their tents and go home. They’ll try again, and again, and again.”

“God damn it!” she snarled, punching the wall in frustration. “Why? What the hell is so damn important about this fucking planet?”

“I have no idea,” he said by way of an apology. “But something has them riled up.”

“Right,” she said. “Maybe we should just walk away from this. We can’t stop the Troika.”

“I don’t think the Clan leaders will agree to that,” he pointed out. “They see this as a golden opportunity.”

“Well...fuck me sideways,” she groaned. “We’re expendable.”

“Which means we’ll just have to be clever,” Al shrugged, his wings flaring out behind him. “I have no intentions of ending up like my predecessor.”

“Fair enough,” Maggie agreed. “When are you transferring over to Gyrfalcon?” she asked, switching gears.

“Just before we depart. I have a few things I want to check out first.”

“Keep me in the loop if you find anythin’,” she pressed.

“Count on it,” he told her, before blanking the screen.

“...so what’s this pirate like?” Blye asked Maggie, leading the small caravan of new crew members to where Gyrfalcon was docked.

“You ever heard of a guy named Jekyll?” she answered. “He’s all jokes and smiles on the outside...but he’ll turn on you like that,” she growled, snapping her fingers. “Don’t trust him, and don’t turn your back on him.”

“Duly noted,” Prash confirmed, lugging the bulk of their gear on a dolly behind them, as Diggs tagged along.

“Then you should bunk with someone who can protect you,” Sergeant Kai suggested.

Maggie glanced over her shoulder. “You ain’t my type.”

“...what? No...that’s not what I meant,” he sputtered. “And I was going to suggest Rúna for the job.”

She shot the redhead a look. “You ain’t my type either. I can take care of myself.”

“Sarge has a point,” the corporal replied. “One of us should watch your back.”

“You said we’d be doubling up,” Blye pointed out.

“You ain’t gonna let this go, are you?” she muttered, rolling her eyes.

“Maggie...while you may be a savant with machinery, you’re no warrior,” the Chevalier shrugged. “One of us will bunk with you, to keep you safe. End of discussion.” The Tinker started to object, but Blye cut her off. “You can pick which one of us you want for a roommate, but it will happen, so get used to it.” She glared at her, daring her to disagree.

“I’m already regrettin’ askin’,” she glowered. “If I’d been thinkin’ straight, I wouldn’t have done it. Besides, it shouldn’t be you, what with you havin’ a bun in the oven.”

“Then pick one of the others,” Blye answered. “But we’re not backing off on this.”

“Fine...Rúna then,” she decided. “I reckon we’ll get on well enough.”

The corporal nodded as Sergeant Kai tapped her on the shoulder. “You know the drill. Close protection detail. Block the hatch, escort her as needed, and keep your weapon within arm’s reach at all times.”

“Copy that Sarge,” she answered, as the group arrived at the dock. A beefy man with a ruddy complexion stood in Gyrfalcon’s hatchway, waiting for them.

“You must be our passengers,” he said. “I’m Isi. Chief Mate, Supply officer, Purser, Cook, and all-around Gofer.” Inclining his head, he pointed them inside. “I’ll show you where you’ll bunk. Follow me.” Waving them forward, he led the gang inside, following a corridor until they came to a hatch.

“You can store your gear here,” he informed them, jerking his thumb at the portal. “Cabins are around the corner.” Prash parked the dolly he’d been maneuvering through the ship, following their guide as he led them to their sleeping berths. “Cabins four through seven are yours, along with whoever else is tagging along. How you want to arrange it is up to you.”

“We got at least two more comin’, not countin’ the Avatar,” Maggie informed him. “Don’t know for sure cause I ain’t seen ‘em yet.”

“Two?” Kai asked.

“We still ain’t seen a Protean or a Dharmist,” she explained. “No way their clans are stayin’ out of this.”

“Good point,” Blye agreed, before turning to their guide. “How many crew are on this ship?” she asked.

“Five, counting me,” he told her. “The captain, pilot, engineer, and gunner.”

“Five? Seems a little lean,” Kai observed.

“We get by,” Isi replied. “I make two meals a day, at 1000 and 1700. You want any more than that, you’re on your own. Standard encoding for the door locks, and if you have any special needs, come see me. We’ll see what we can do.”

“Do you have an Infirmary?” Prash asked.

“Not like you’re thinking,” the Corsair replied. “We keep our gear in the Galley and use the mess table for surgery if need be.” He cocked his head. “If you want to move your medical supplies there, we’ll make room.” The Knights nodded, already planning what to transfer over.

“Where’s the captain, and the rest of the crew?” Maggie inquired.

“Mairead’s scrounging for parts and fuel, Xiulan is recovering from Liberty call, Slavko is working to get the ammo bunkers topped off, and the captain...well, him I’ve learned not to ask.” Isi scratched his head. “But don’t worry, he’ll be by soon enough.”

Maggie grimaced at that, but before she could say anything in reply, a chime sounded from her tablet. She pulled up the message, her jaw clenching as she read the note, then read it again to be certain. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath before putting it back away.

“Look, there’s somethin’ I need to take care of,” she told the others. “Go get settled in, and I’ll join you when I can.”

“Something wrong?” Blye asked.

“Just...some unfinished business,” she mumbled. “Come on, Diggs,” she told the boy, tugging on his arm. He smiled up at her, pausing for just a moment to wave goodbye to the others...especially Rúna and Blye...before the pair left the ship and began making their way through Freya’s corridors.

The wrench given to him by the engineers of Fiddler’s Green still hung around his neck, and he held his cut-down quarterstaff clenched tight in his other hand. If she’d let him, the boy would sleep with both of them, but she’d put her foot down after the second night. He looked up at her, confused by her sudden silence, but Maggie stared straight ahead as she navigated her way to their destination.

It was almost twenty minutes later when they arrived at the Admiral’s office. Once again the Yeoman rose, saying, “Just a moment, I’ll see if he’s ready for you.” Maggie nodded, not trusting her voice, as the young woman knocked on the hatch and entered the office, reappearing a moment later to usher them both inside. The Admiral stood waiting for them, along with another man. He had a fringe of white hair surrounding a bald pate, and he barely gave Maggie a second glance.

Diggs, however, had his full attention.

“Thank you for coming so quickly,” he told her, before turning to his companion. “Maggie Al-Hajjah, may I introduce Quintino Yu. He was Operations officer aboard the Asgard, until his retirement.”

“The Admiral filled me in,” Yu explained. “My Clan owes you a debt.”

“You don’t owe me nothin’,” she told him. “So tell me what the hell happened.”

The man sighed. “My son...he and I clashed, growing up, and it only grew worse after his mother died. He was only sixteen when he took passage on a tramp freighter, and...that was the last I saw or heard of him.” He turned his focus back to Diggs, who moved behind Maggie for protection.

“It took us awhile to dig through the databases,” the Admiral apologized, “and some sequences were difficult to trace, but I promised I’d find Diggs’ family.” Hearing his name, the boy peeked out from behind the Tinker as the Admiral smiled at him. “Diggs...meet your grandfather.”

He stared at the men in confusion, before looking up to Maggie to explain. Clamping down hard on her emotions, she knelt down and took his shoulders in her hands. “It’s true,” she told him, “he’s your kin. Your people.”

His eyes grew wide as he started shaking his head, clutching at Maggie. “You have a family, boy...a real one. You don’t wanna be bouncin’ around with a dried-up old bat like me anyway...especially where I’m goin’. It ain’t safe.” Her eyes misted as she fought back the tears. “You belong here...with him.”

Yu stepped forward and knelt down as well. “Hello Diggs,” he said gently. “My boy was your father, so that makes me your grandfather. We’ll be looking after you now.” He reached out to take his hand only to have the boy pull away, his head whipping back and forth in frantic denial.

“Diggs, please,” Maggie begged him, trying to drag him back to his grandfather. “I know it’s hard, but…”

The kid bolted, racing for the hatch, trying to put as much distance between them and him as he could, only to discover they had locked it, thwarting his escape. Diggs pounded on the bare metal, his cries a keening wail of agony as the others caught up to him. Yu wrapped his arms around him and pried him away from the portal as he started to shriek.

“...Diggs…” she barely got out, as a sob broke free at last.

“I think I’d better take him home,” Yu told them, eyeing Maggie. “Thank you for bringing him back to us.” The Admiral pressed a button and unlocked the hatch as the Corsair carried the boy from the office.

“No! No! No! No! No! No!” he screamed, his fists pounding on the man’s shoulder as he took him away. Maggie stumbled after them, tears streaming down her face, only to be brought up short by the Admiral himself.

“...let him go,” he whispered. “It’s for the best.”

The Tinker pushed his hand away as she ran after them, gasping and wheezing as she struggled to keep up...only to see them disappear behind the hatch as a lift took them both away. Their eyes had locked for a moment before it slid shut...and she knew the look of utter betrayal she’d seen in Diggs’ eyes would haunt her forever.

Maggie wept bitter tears, sliding down the bulkhead until she collapsed on the deck, hugging her knees and sobbing like a child as those around her stared in awkward silence.