It took three more days to reach the Gomori station star system. The ship came out of jump, and Yulia began turning to the coordinates for Gomori station. Valorie reached out, enjoying the busy sensation of a system full of life.

Then, she received a hail – ten hours old. It wasn’t from one of her sisters – this one came through the normal channels. The message originated on the trajectory of the third planet. She reached out, searching for the ship. Most of the system’s activity centered around the second planet where Gomori orbited. She did sense one large cluster. It was too far to gain much intel, but she could sense it was a very large ship by the size of its crew.

“We are being hailed by the FC Chimera. The message was sent out at 0200. It’s a large Union ship, currently located at the fourth moon of the third planet.” Valorie said. She looked over her shoulder at Gareth.

“Go ahead,” Gareth said

“FL Helianthus. We’ve been looking for you. We require your assistance. Please respond.” She said and turned back to him, “No video or audio attached.”

“Respond in the same manner. We are interested in their proposal. We will meet with them to discuss the details.” Gareth said.

“What do they need now?” Yulia asked, slowing the ship down to prepare for a change in direction.

“Probably need help finding their missing Guild representative and her wise assistant,” Leon said.

“Oh, that’s easy. We have them on-” Yulia paused as realization dawned on her face. She stuck out her tongue at Leon.

“I’m sending you the coordinates for the moon. Wait for the exact coordinates before final approach.” Leon said. He glanced over at Valorie as he continued. “It might freak them out if we arrive before they tell us where they are.” It wasn’t said with malice, more curiosity. There was a reason Imperial ships were so hard to ambush.

“Got it.” Yulia was only half listening as she focused on the console in front of her.

When they were close enough for real-time communications, Valorie received the exact coordinates. She relayed them to the rest while she waited for the Chimera comms to finish. He had been talking excitedly to someone off-screen and laughing. It had been sometime before he finally turned to face Valorie again.

“Sorry for the delay,” He said in reflex, “The Commander’s ready now. Standing by for confirmation.” He continued, his tone growing more professional. Valorie muted the connection and informed her Captain.

“Good. Put me through.” Gareth said, straightening his collar and cuffs. Valorie waited a moment and put the connection through. It opened as a large display at the front of the bridge. On-screen was an older man with thinning hair, but a strong build. By the way he moved, she could tell he was bouncing on his heels.

“Good Morning, Captain Hughes! Good to see you well! I am Commander Novak of the 17th and Captain of the FC Chimera.” His professional tone broke into a grin, “I’m told you have a troublesome duo for me.”

“That is not entirely true,” Gareth said. He seemed uncomfortable at first with the laid-back nature of Union command. “One handled herself with grace.” Gareth said. Novak’s eyebrow went up, and then he chuckled.

“Patience of a saint, that one. The Imperial comms we intercepted implied you had a rough journey.” Novak said.

“It went from a fairly simple task to a life-altering choice very quickly,” Gareth said and the commander laughed. It sounded genuine to Valorie’s ears, but there was no way to make sure through a screen.

“I’m sure it did. Now, let’s get’em off your hands.” The discussion turned to the logistics of their meeting. Novak’s inflection and energy reminded Valorie of Yulia. Her eyes drifted towards the pilot’s seat and caught on the growing marble ahead. At first, it grew very quickly, but as Yulia adjusted her speed the growth slowed. What started as a speck in the distance became so large Valorie couldn’t comprehend it. A soft blue hue circled by a thin ring filled the window above. At a speed that felt like a crawl, they bypassed it, and the window opened up to empty space again.

The moon came into view next. There was a black splotch silhouetted in its reflected light. The FC Chimera was a Union capital ship. It was even larger than Valorie imagined. Nearly the same size as the Anderson, the Chimera had none of the sleek design. Instead, it looked like it had come out of a beating stronger. Mottled with repairs, upgrades, and additions. It showed the worn love every Union ship developed. Nothing was wasted. Yulia came up alongside it as she followed their instructions for docking.

“You can rest easy with us, Hughes. You did an important job. Thank you for bringing our people to safety.” Novak saluted Gareth with a hand over his heart.

“I’m glad we could be of assistance,” Gareth said. Valorie sensed that the salute bothered him, but he didn’t show it. At least, Valorie didn’t think so.

“Don’t worry, Captain. I think you will be happy with your reward.”

“I wasn’t -” He began, but Novak laughed. Gareth regained his composure as Novak smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

“I said, don’t worry. Come aboard. We’ll celebrate your good work.” He said. Gareth nodded, warmth creeping back into his voice.

“That will be a welcome change. I look forward to our meeting in person.”

Once the exchange was complete, the bridge got together one more time to finish the journey. Gomori had a lengthy docking, mooring, and customs procedure. Each task was another step closer to a successful mission. Throughout the process, the mood on the bridge was relief. With the Helianthus locked into port, Gareth released the crew for shore leave.

Valorie took the chance to visit the Gardens again. She relaxed, sitting cross-legged at the foot of the tree in the Gardens, eyes closed. There was an artificial breeze that refreshed the air and challenged the plant life. It felt cool on her skin and filled her ears with the rustling of leaves. Freshly grown quick moss tickled the underside of her legs, and the moist air tasted of dirt. The feeling was euphoric. It would be difficult to leave when her duties demanded her attention.

She opened her eyes and looked to the white flower pinned to her shirt. A gift from Yulia to symbolize Valorie’s loss. She unpinned the flower and cradled it in her hands. It showed signs of wilting, soft petals turning tough as they wrinkled. Running her fingers along the petals, she thought of the true Valorie.

“Would you be proud of me?” She asked. Her chest ached. She had made steps forward. She was away from the Empire, actively gaining experience outside their influence. This was her best chance to find a way to help her sisters. “I will live. I will find a way to free my sisters. I will not waste this gift.” She bowed her head, closing her eyes. “Thank you, Valorie.”

A light entered the gardens. She held still as she reached out to see who it was. Leon was meandering through the Garden. He would see her before long. Her peace evaporated. She kept her eyes closed, and tried to focus on the air tickling her skin. It was a losing battle trying to ignore him as he drew closer.

“What’re you thinking about?” He asked. She smiled, opening her eyes as she looked at him. He was taken aback. “What? Didn’t I scare you at all?” He asked. She was slow to realize her mistake.

“Maybe a little. I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?” He sat down on the mossy ground next to her, shrugging his shoulders to keep his jacket from getting caught underneath him. “That’s not right. You gotta challenge people.” He looked into her eyes and grinned. “Tell’em: Nah, you didn’t scare me. Not even a little bit.”

She laughed at the thought, playing with the flower in her hands.

“I’m serious.” He said. She looked him dead in the eye.

“You didn’t scare me. Not even -” She began, but she couldn’t hold the serious tone and stopped. It was difficult when he stared right back at her.

“Come on.”

“A little bit?”

“Yeah, well. I’ll get you next time.” He had a wry smile as he turned away. He rested his arm on his knee and looked across the Gardens. She pursed her lips and looked down at the flower in her hands. There was no way he would ever sneak up on her.