That's the way it went all week. Kara was brought along on all the tasks I did and Isabella was her shadow to make sure she didn't misbehave. I took breaks and cooked the meals, made black barrier machines and used up tens of thousands of high quality focusing crystals a day, and tended to the food growing area. In the evenings, I spent a small amount of time with Lashina in her room, mainly because she kept tearing her pants when she moved excitedly.

I knew she was doing it intentionally, just to show me that making her wear pants was restricting her movements too much, which was why I restricted her to her room unless she wore pants. She didn't realize that each time she did it, I spent less and less time with her in her room. If she kept doing it, by the end of the month I would be saying hello to her and then leaving again.

The first ship back was Simone, because she had only had a short mission to go on and had dropped Monica off at the station two weeks before. The warship Thea was reloaded and I intentionally had them delay their departure. I had them stay and we all waited for everyone to come back.

It was during this time that I received a call from the medical professional that had helped me regrow Simone's arms. I had thought Amanda had forgotten our deal or just couldn't find anyone that needed a full restoration spell with healing and was saving it for herself. I couldn't have been more wrong. The reason it took so long for her to get back to me was because she had spread the word around about both Hailey and Simone, keeping their names and identities secret thankfully, then auctioned it off for a ridiculous amount of credits.

Of course, I had to keep up my end of the bargain and went to Udelis and the safe, took out the bag of holding I had the last few restoration sets in, and removed one. I only had four sets left, which meant I needed to be a little more careful about everything. I would also have to let the others know that my supply was too low to give everyone a single use like I had intended. I had lost the rest when Hailey had died.

Just before I closed the safe, my eyes caught sight of my mother's locket and my father's laser pistol. On a whim, I hooked the laser pistol to my belt and then hung the locket over my neck. When it touched my skin, I felt a calmness that I hadn't felt before. I put my hand over it and closed my eyes.

Mother, I miss you. Even after all this time, I still regret that I didn't know you for very long.

The feeling passed and the locket sunk into the black bodysuit and disappeared. I nodded to it and activated the medical bot Herbie, then left the ship and walked across the docking ring to enter Adona.

“Hen.” I said as I entered the medical bay.

“False Tiercel.” Hen said and turned to look at me. She was impeccably groomed and her feathers almost shone in the light.

“I see he's keeping up with his duties.” I said with a smile.

Hen blushed and it matched her feathers. “I can't thank you enough for allowing him to come here.”

“I can't believe you don't want him to meet anyone else.” I said with a grin and she warbled a laugh.

“He is what you would call a stickler for tradition. He won't leave the nest or our eggs alone.”

“Neither will you.” I said.

Hen chirped and nodded her head. “I only leave just long enough to work when it's necessary.”

I laughed. “You don't have to keep coming here to maintain the equipment. Adona can monitor everything and let you know if anything's wrong.”

“I would be lax in my duties to you and the people of your family if I allowed even a small thing to delay any treatment.” Hen said and gave me a look. “Are you sure you don't need me to assist with today's procedure?”

“I honestly wanted you to perform it, except that the client specifically said that they don't want anyone to observe.” I said. “I thought that was a little odd, until the medical professional told me what the man looked like.”

Hen nodded several times. “Yes, it's understandable. I will leave you and Herbie to it.”

“Thank you, Hen.” I said and made Presence Claws on my hands.

Hen warbled a laugh and stopped in front of me. I gave her head a quick grooming and didn't find even a single bit of fluffy down under her brown feathers.

“You know you don't have to keep checking if he's doing his duty.” Hen said and smiled up at me.

“Maybe I just like grooming someone so cute.” I said with a matching smile.

Hen chirped and tweeted at me, with disbelief and half a promise to take me up on the implied offer some day, then she walked away. “I think he would let me, too.” She whispered and I knew that she meant her Tiercel and not me.

“I'll be right back, Herbie. Go ahead and prep the full body scanner. Amanda and her patient will be here soon.”

Herbie waved an appendage at me and I left to go down to the shuttle bay. I took out a datapad and checked the itinerary she had sent and then I felt a shuttle enter my two mile range. I 'looked' into it and saw the pilot, Amanda, and what looked like a twisted and grizzled older man. I had just enough time to give him a once over look and then the shuttle entered the bay.

“By the Goddess!” The pilot exclaimed at the racks of shuttles mounted to the walls.

I laughed at his reaction, because I had easily adapted the same trick we had used in Adona's shuttle bay to hold the shuttles on the walls. Those sections didn't have any gravity and the shuttles were hung there by their normal landing gear. We would never be able to use so many shuttles; but, it looked really cool to fly in and out of the shuttle bay with them on the walls. He turned the shuttle sideways and landed in the designated spot, then the side hatch opened.

“Hunter, it's been a long time.” Amanda said as she stepped out of the shuttle. She was just as pretentious as she always was and she also had a genuine smile on her face.

“Yes, Herbie is in the med bay prepping the scanner.” I said.

“You remembered!” Amanda laughed and reached back into the shuttle. “Let me give you a hand, Mr. Landing.”

The older man harrumphed at her and ignored the hand, then hobbled by her and stepped out onto the ramp with a clank of metal. Then another and another. He was only five and a half feet tall, thanks to his metal limbs, and what I thought was a cane helped him along and kept his balance. With the passengers safely delivered, the shuttle lifted off and turned towards the bay doors and left.

I glanced at the datapad as his medical file appeared on it, since Amanda wouldn't release it until I saw him in person. “Should I ask how much you're paying her for this?”

“It was a silent auction.” Mr. Landing said. “Telling you would defeat the purpose.”

I immediately got the total from his mind and looked at Amanda with wide eyes.

Amanda blushed and assumed that I knew it was a ridiculous price if the client wouldn't admit it. “I need a lot of funds to continue my research and a silent auction was the best solution.” She said. “That way, no one embarrassed themselves by bidding openly what they thought having a normal body would cost.”

“Is it contingent on if it actually works?” I asked.

“Of course.” Mr. Landing said.

“You may be in a much worse condition if it doesn't.” I warned him.

“I am fully aware of the risks, Mr. Hunter.”

“It's just Hunter.” I said and held a hand out for him to shake. There was a metallic click and he lifted his hand from his cane and took my hand. “Top of the line metallic prosthetic.”

“The best money could buy, and it still feels like my stump is wrapped in shrapnel and the fingers don't respond well to very fine motor control with my nerve damage.”

“I'm not going to ask what happened.” I said and let his hand go, and he put it back onto his cane and it locked into place.

“You don't want to hear the pleasant lies I keep telling myself?” Mr. Landing asked and I laughed.

“It's all immaterial at this point. The only thing that matters is if I can get the procedure to work on you.” I said. “That might take a few hours of examination.”

“I've spent years being examined before surgeries, so a few hours is nothing.”

I nodded. “Then step onto my transport and we'll get you right up into the medical bay.”

Mr. Landing gave me a skeptical look. “I don't see a transport anywhere.”

I chuckled and pointed down. He was just on the edge of a slightly different color floor section with clear marking for forward, left, right, and back. He took three more hobble steps and I held a hand out to Amanda. She took it and gave me a disbelieving look.

“I really should tell you to trust me; but, I won't.” I grinned at her, then the five foot square section lifted up a foot out of the floor and a barrier appeared around us. “Opina, take us to your mother.”

“You got it, Grandpa!” Opina said happily and the platform took off at a running speed out of the shuttle bay and went up the ramp.

“What is this thing?!?” Amanda asked and clung tightly to me. Mr. Landon on the other hand, stood firm and had a smile on his face.

“It's just something I've modified from what I built in prison.” I said and both of them looked at me with wide eyes. “What? Did you think I stayed out of the public eye for no reason?”

“What were you in prison for?” Mr. Landing asked, because he just couldn't submit to me on the operating table without knowing.

“I was sent there to help The Order clean up the internal criminals that have been abusing their powers and abilities, then I found out that they didn't appreciate my sacrifice.” I said. “So, I escaped and pardoned myself.”

“You escaped... from an Order prison.” Amanda looked into my eyes and I felt her unease.

“Prison planet, actually.” I said and they both stared at me. “It's a great story, actually. Really exciting.”

“It really is.” Simone said as we came to a stop beside the main hatch to enter Adona. She had been waiting there for us. “Gleas is about to dock and she has some important news for you.” She didn't message you because it's too important to not say in person.

I understand. I thought back to her. “Amanda, Mr. Landing, go on in and get the full medical scan started. I have some business to take care of.”

“We won't need you for quite some time, so you don't have to rush back.” Amanda said and she took her patient into Adona.

Simone and I walked around the docking ring to where Gleas would be docking Cora. The hatch opened and Gleas stepped out. Her face was white and she looked terrified.

I stepped forward and took her into my arms. “You found another brown dwarf star.”

Gleas nodded. “It was only supposed to be a quick shot in and out. A single temple on the planet and no real population to speak of.”

“I told you to keep taking Isabella with you.” I admonished her.

“She had nothing to do but stare at the plot readout and then push the button to fire where Cora calculated the shots.” Gleas said with a smile, then she let out a shaky laugh. “I should have taken her with me.”

“Cora, how damaged are you?”

“You reinforced me well, Grandpa.” Cora said. “I only lost the weapons on my left side and the main projectile launcher on my head.”

“Any significant structural damage?” I asked. “I don't want you out of commission for too long.”

“Mom says a couple of weeks in the mobile ship repair yard and I'll be good as new.” Cora said.

“Opina, get Sheph to make the appointment right away.” I said and led Gleas over to the lift. “Simone.”

“I'll have the medical professional notify you when you're needed.” Simone said and went back across the docking ring and into Adona.

“Hunter, what are you doing?” Gleas asked.

“I am going to take you upstairs... make that have taken you upstairs.” I said when the lift doors opened. “I'm going to spend some quality time with you.”

“Wh-what?” Gleas looked around to see if anyone saw or heard me.

“I've used stealth, so it's okay.” I said and led her over to her room. “You suffered a shock and flew back here in a damaged ship, all alone, and I'm so sorry.”

“It's not... your...”

I chuckled. “Yeah, good luck telling me it's not my fault.” I said and her door closed behind us.

“Hunter, I...”

I reached up and hooked my thumbs into the neck hole of her flight suit and peeled it all the way down to her feet. Gleas just stood there with her mouth open at me revealing her so easily, then as I stood up again, I kissed and licked my way up to her mouth.

“H-Hunter.” Gleas whispered.

“We can shower first if you want.” I said and she shook her head. She didn't want to wait anymore, so I took her to bed and made love to her. I slowly helped her deal with the trauma she had suffered and made her feel very good at the same time. She started to feel guilty that I was doing that, and I stopped kissing her to look into her eyes.

“You deserve just as much attention as Simone does.” I said to her and kept moving my hips.

“But... you love her and... and I...”

“I told you before, we're friends and I love you.”

“That's not... the same.” Gleas said, without even convincing herself.

“Would you want it to be?” I asked. “Would you want me to treat you like I treat her, as if you were the same?”

Gleas let out a sigh and a moan at the same time. “No.”

I started kissing her again and she put her arms around my neck. She finally dropped the walls in her mind that she hid her passion and desire behind and I gave her my passion and desire for her in return.

“I really do... love your ass.” I said between kisses.

“I love that... you love it.” Gleas panted and kissed me back.