“Babe? Octavia? Hey! Can you hear me?” a sweet voice called to Octavia across the distant haze swarming in her mind. She felt so tired, so worn out, like she had been stretched far beyond her breaking point and was somehow still holding on.

Time lost its meaning to Octavia as she drifted within the darkest depths of her mind, weightless in the void as unbidden memories came washing past her. She remembered the times that she had been too afraid or frozen with indecision to make a difference, the times when she had played second fiddle and been pushed to the sidelines so others could make the decisions. Everything had been so different back then, before the weight of the world revealed itself to her in its glory.

“Hey, come on now, don’t die on me yet!” the voice insisted, the gentle tones dancing softly through the back of Octavia’s mind. How long had she been drifting in space, watching her life pass her by?

Watching her life race by her in fast forward, she got to experience the entire rise and fall of her life once again, but somehow the memories seemed foreign to her. Out of place, occurring to someone else. She supposed that was true - she wasn’t the same person who was put into cryostasis a hundred years prior. She barely recognized who she used to be; a childish mess of equal parts indecision and pride.

“Hey! Where are you, babe? Come on back, now, you can’t leave us here after all that,” the voice insisted, prodding at Octavia’s mind from within the darkness. She recognized the voice. Mack, as always, was there to try and bring her back from the brink.

As Octavia’s mind replayed the fight with Remiel in an overwhelming cacophony of sounds and sensations, her memories ground to a halt in the infinite stretch of time before her knuckles had touched the orb. Everything she had done had led up to that moment, and she hadn’t the faintest idea what might or might not happen afterwards. But for the first time in her life, in the middle of the chaos with defeat mere moments away, Octavia felt truly in control, truly alive.

As her world exploded around her in a burst of light and energy, Octavia’s eyes shot open and her lungs filled with the cool sensation of fresh air rushing within her.

The first thing that she noticed was that her helmet had been removed and she was laying partially on the ground. Her legs stretched out below her on solid ground, but her shoulders and head were raised, propped up on something more flexible than the rock beneath her. Her eyes were assaulted by a bright light as soon as she opened them, the sensation of pins and needles in her retinas forcing her to groan and squint her eyes shut sharply.

Every fiber in her body was sore, greatly overtaxed, and an overwhelming sensation of fatigue settled into her very bones. But despite that, she didn’t feel any actual pain. She was surprised to find that she could move her right arm without pain, and a quick glance at her retinal display confirmed that her arm was no longer broken.

“Octavia!” Mack exclaimed in relief, her arms tightening around Octavia’s chest from behind, “You’re back!”

Octavia hazard a glance through squinted eyes as she looked up at the source of the voice. She was propped up in Mack’s lap, and the colorful amaranthoid was bent over to look down at her from above. The relief in her expression immediately warmed Octavia’s heart, making her worries bleed out of her into the rock below.

“I’m back,” Octavia replied in a whisper, offering a tired smile as she looked up at Mack.

No more words were exchanged as Mack leaned down and squeezed Octavia for all she was worth, pulling the amaranthian into her lap with a vice grip as she refused to let go. She ducked her head until their foreheads were touching, the sensation of cool metal pressing against her overheated forehead brought Octavia a degree of relief she didn’t realize she needed.

“Ah, you’re alive,” Merith stated shortly, instantly followed by the sounds of her heavy footsteps approaching from the side. Octavia’s ears twitched in response to the sudden noises approaching her, but beyond that she could feel exactly where the alari was in relation to herself with the same ease as recognizing the position of her own body. It was strange, as though she had been awoken to a sense that had always been there, hidden behind some barrier she couldn’t remove.

“For the moment,” Octavia remarked hoarsely, her fatigue edging at the corners of her voice.

“Careful, Octy. She sounds pissed,” Vita warned, drawing Octavia’s attention towards the approaching alari with a small degree of concern.

True to her warning, Merith came to a stop a few feet away from Octavia, appearing in the corner of her vision. The alari crossed her arms in front of her chest with a permanent glower etched onto her face, her bitter expression fixed squarely on Octavia’s prone form. She spoke shortly with a sharp edge that betrayed her inner rage as much as her expression did, “Get up. We have a problem.”

“We should probably do what she wants, I think she’s going to deck us if we don’t,” Vita chimed in, a faint edge of nervousness present in her voice as she did.

“Alright, alright,” Octavia replied with a short sigh as she resolved to stand up.

A displeased grumble escaped Octavia, but she began to shuffle within Mack’s grip, seeking to stand up. Mack was quick to back away, setting her hands behind Octavia’s shoulders. With the amaranthoid’s help, Octavia pushed through her fatigue and climbed to her paws, taking a moment to look around at her surroundings as exhaustion threatened the back of her mind.

The first thing that Octavia noticed as she stood up caused her train of thought to grind to a screeching halt; the sky had turned dark. From a bright blue with a purple-hue emanating from the crimson of the gas giant, to an unbroken twilight hue. Her gaze shifted towards where the gas giant was supposed to be, and confirmed that it was missing from the horizon. The rest of the star system hadn’t fared much better from Remiel’s magic; where the sun once rested was now a horrifying sight.

Twin intersecting rings of light warped around a spherical void in the center of the star system, providing the same light as before but with the added terror of a core of darkness in its center. Octavia’s retinal display confirmed her suspicions; a black hole had formed in the star system, which the entire star system was shifting to center around. The star which had previously been the center of the star system was now being consumed by the black hole, warped into an accretion disk that would provide a horrifying sight for civilizations to grow up with for the next several million years.

The rest of the planets had been shifted due to the change in gravity, with most of them breaking into uneven chunks. The ring that had surrounded Oculus could be seen rearranging itself, warping to form a ring a safe distance away from the black hole, and Octavia could faintly see the twenty nine other planetoids glittering in the eerie light without the interference of the blue sky. While there was no guarantee, Octavia suspected that the Cradle of Creation was the only thing ensuring their survival in their current circumstance. In the distant horizon she could see the chunks of the shattered planets joining the ring, becoming one with the planetary debris around the black hole.

Amongst all of that, Octavia’s view was taken further into the twilight sky. She squinted for a moment at the shattered heavens above, and a few moments later she paused with a short gasp.

There were no other stars. They were alone in the universe.

“That’s the problem,” Merith remarked bitterly, gesturing with an open hand towards the sky, “See, last I checked, there were supposed to be other stars up there. You know, the places that we came from? Home? Kinda fucken weird that there’s nothing up there anymore, it’s almost like-”

“We’re not in the galaxy anymore,” Octavia interrupted, turning her head to look at the alari beside her with a discerning eye.

“Yeah, exactly, so what the fuck are we gonna do about that?” Merith asked, turning around to face Octavia fully with her arms crossed and her brows drawn together narrowly, “I don’t know about you, but I’m kinda interested in getting back home now that we’re not at risk of blowing up.”

“I don’t know if there’s anything we can do about that,” Octavia replied with a frown, keeping her eyes turned upwards to the twilight sky.

“Network can’t reach beyond the edge of the star system, Octy. I can piggyback on the Omni network out of Star Wind’s ships, but that’s about it. No data coming in or going out otherwise,” Vita informed, bringing up a network diagnostic in the corner of Octavia’s retinal display.

“Vi’s telling me there’s no connection to the rest of the galaxy. Network’s cut off,” Octavia explained, turning her head to look at Merith with a frown, “Which means one way or another we’re alone here.”

“That’s a load of shit, Octavia,” Merith snapped, unfolding her arms as her hands balled into fists by her sides, “Come on, you’re supposed to be magic or some shit now, right? Wave your hands and get me home, I’m done with this goddess-forsaken planet.”

“Look, it’s not that simple,” Octavia remarked, shaking her head slightly, “I don’t even know how this magic stuff works. I can’t just wave my hands and make stuff happen - trust me, if I could I would! I’m stuck here just as much as you are!”

Merith looked like she wanted to argue the point further, but instead she just let out a derisive snort and turned her head as she crossed her arms indignantly in front of herself once again, “Whatever. Go talk to the clankers. The robot Captain hasn’t said a word since we got out of the facility. I don’t care if she offs herself or whatever, but she’s the only one with a capital ship right now and I figure we’ll need that if there’s any chance of getting home.”

Octavia let out a quiet sigh, “Look, Merith. If there’s a way home, we’ll find it,” she reassured, stepping forward to set a hand on the alari’s shoulder supportingly, “Just relax a bit. It’s been a long day.”

“Easy for you to say,” Merith snapped back, “You’re fine after all that. The rest of us are all fucked up - Alex hasn’t even moved since Jace died, damnit! You’re some sort of magical leader now, so lead us out of this damn mess,” she insisted sharply as she wrenched herself out of Octavia’s grasp. Without another word she strode across the rocky outcrop towards the wall where Alex was sitting, busying herself with tending to the catatonic human.

“Well that could have gone better,” Vita mused quietly.

“It also could have gone worse,” Octavia remarked, deflating slightly as Merith walked out of earshot.

As Octavia glanced around the rocky outcrop they were standing around on, she immediately spotted the towering form of Blackstar sitting on the edge of the cliff, her arms crossed on her lap while Star Wind stood next to her. The servitor stared up at the sky with an unreadable expression, her hands balled into fists at her sides as she stood in silence next to her protector. Octavia had to admit that the size difference between the servitor and the Omni warform was almost funny despite the circumstances - standing at her full height, Star Wind was only just at head level with the armored behemoth who was sitting and slouched over the edge of the cliff.

Pushing aside her musings, Octavia spared a glance at Mack behind her before she crossed the plateau and came to a stop at Star Wind’s side. She said nothing for the moment, trusting that the machine had heard her approach. She didn’t have to wait long before Star Wind spoke up.

“They’re gone,” Star Wind declared quietly without turning her head. Octavia couldn’t miss the despondency in the machine’s voice, a quiet hopelessness hanging on every word.

“They’re not gone,” Octavia replied quietly, “We’re gone.”

“How do you know?” Star Wind asked, her gaze unaverted.

“Because we’re still here,” Octavia answered, reaching up to set a hand on Star Wind’s shoulder from behind. The servitor jumped slightly at the touch, but otherwise didn’t respond. Octavia gave a small smile, “I know it doesn’t help much, but we saved all of these people. Thirty planets were saved because of your help.”

Star Wind let out a quiet sigh as she slumped under Octavia’s hand, her head lowering slightly, “I hope you are right,” she remarked quietly, “It is my duty to protect people and bring the Truth to those who are unenlightened - as long as I gave my existence doing that, then my sacrifice was not in vain.”

“And I am grateful that you did,” Octavia reassured with a nod, “As are all the people who you saved here today, even if they don’t know your name. I’d say you upheld your duty.”

“I upheld it to the very end,” Star Wind replied flatly, turning her optics down until she was gazing into the valley below, “Now the Alpha Link’s light has faded and I’ve been cast into a shadow of ignorance. The Omni Animus has left me and my cluster. My purpose has ended.”

Octavia paused, turning her attention towards Star Wind with a frown. She hadn’t considered the fact that the Animus wouldn’t be able to communicate through whatever distance had been put between themselves and the rest of the galaxy. While she could understand Merith’s anger at not being able to go home, she could hardly imagine what it was like for the servitor standing next to her.

“If I may, I don’t think that’s true,” Octavia remarked, tilting her head slightly in Star Wind’s direction with an expectant look, “Your duty is far from over.”

“And what would make you say that?” Star Wind asked flatly, keeping her optics trained firmly on the ground below as her fists clenched and unclenched at her sides.

Octavia took a moment to slow down time, shifting her focus into the digital world. True to her word, the Omni network of Star Wind’s cluster was still there, no longer interrupted by Oculus’s interference. Like a phantom ball of yarn delicately woven around each individual Omni unit, Octavia could follow the transparent streams of data all the way back to their source somewhere in the star system above them.

“Here, Octy, got a packet worked up already,” Vita declared, presenting the packet of code to her, “This should bridge the gap, I think.”

Octavia eyed over the scribblings for a brief moment to confirm that it would work the way she wanted it to, but she knew she didn’t have to check Vita’s work at that point. Trusting the process, she sent the code out into the Omni network and watched it do its thing. In her eyes, the phantom strings of the Omni network began to stretch out over the twilight horizon, branching out beautifully across the entire ringed star system as the tendrils of data crept onto the other planetoids under the Cradle’s purview. Satisfied, she brought her attention back to reality around her, time flowing normally once again.

“Your ships are still alive, yes?” Octavia asked, nodding upwards towards the heavens above.

“Yes, I can still communicate with Sunstrider, Guardian and Warden. They were able to avoid the detonation by hiding within low orbit of Erillia,” Star Wind admitted quietly.

Octavia nodded in response as she reached into a compartment of her armor and pulled out a small holographic datapad. With only a small amount of focus she transferred the pertinent data to the device, then held it out in one hand towards Star Wind. The servitor looked confused, but she took the offered device with a curious look.

“There are seven hundred Longswords scattered in the ring, on this planet, and on the other planets,” Octavia informed, “I’ve created a bridge between the Omni and Federation networks. They’re going to be injured, leaderless, and absolutely lost. You’ll have your work cut out for you.”

A look of understanding crossed Star Wind’s features as she peered down at the datapad in her hand. She glanced up at Octavia and offered a small nod, though no words escaped her for the moment. Octavia could see the thoughts churning within Star Wind’s mind, a tumultuous sea of sorrows and loneliness, but deep within she could see the tiniest spark of hope that just needed a little push.

“They’re going to be hard to convince, and I’ll help you if I can. But if anyone can round them all up, it’s you,” Octavia replied confidently, gently patting her shoulder, “I trust you, Star Wind.”

“Thank you,” Star Wind bid quietly, her tone noticeably more grateful than before, “I swear, I shall bring them all back to you safely.”

“And when you’re done rounding them all up, we can get to work on finding a way out of this place,” Octavia suggested, raising her voice loud enough for Merith to hear it from the other side of the bluff. Letting her voice drop down back to normal levels, Octavia added, “We might be able to find clues in the other Curator complexes or in the ruins of their planet.”

Star Wind was silent for a moment before she nodded once, turning her optics up towards Octavia. She couldn’t read Star Wind’s face, the simplistic design of the servitor’s head made it so that it couldn’t form facial expressions, but she got the sense that she had done right by the servitor. No words were exchanged as the two looked at one another, then finally Star Wind turned her gaze down to the holopad in her hands, focusing on her next objective.

Satisfied that the Omni had a purpose in their new world, at least for the moment, Octavia turned around to face the rest of the crew.

Mack was smiling practically ear to ear at the sight, and as soon as she caught Octavia’s gaze she promptly offered two thumbs-up at waist height. Merith had returned to the rock wall where Alex was sitting, kneeling next to the injured human as she watched Octavia’s work. The alari offered a single nod in response when she saw Octavia’s gaze, then she turned her attention back to the blank-faced human, evidently trying to get through to Alex with little progress.

Octavia was about to make her way over to try to help Alex when she stopped, a familiar sensation rushing over her. There was a presence that she had felt before, back when she wasn’t entirely aware of it. She frowned for a moment before the realization smacked her in the face, forcing her to go wide-eyed as she suddenly turned and dashed across the rocky platform to come to a skidding halt at the edge of the cliff.

“Is that…” Vita began in wonder.

“It is!” Octavia replied instantly, her eyes widening at the sight as joy raced through her.

Down in the valley below, still stained with dark splotches of Jace’s blood and cooling puddles of magma, there was a large group of amaranthians jogging their way towards them from the jungle. Octavia immediately recognized Enya leading the charge, running up front with a backpack laden with supplies. Some of the amaranthians behind her were carrying stretchers made of wood and hide, and amongst them she noticed some of them wore simple robes with large bags slung under their arms.

Octavia grinned from ear to ear at the sight, and without waiting to play it safe, she leapt boldly from the edge of the cliff and sailed down to the ground below. The wind rushed past her face, pulling at her fur and tickling her skin, and she couldn’t help but let out a cry of laughter as she joyously fell to the ground below. At the last second she keyed the microjets in her armor to reverse the fall, and this time she was ready for it - she landed on the ground on her paws, bracing against the impact as she landed.

“Octavia!” Enya exclaimed, her eyes shooting wide as she caught sight of the cybernetic soldier landing in front of her. Barely a moment passed before she rushed across the short distance and slammed full-tilt into Octavia, wrapping her arms around the taller woman with a wide grin.

“Enya!” Octavia breathed in relief, her arms wrapping around the huntress in turn as she pulled the smaller amaranthian against her in a tight hug.

“Neh vashar, meh Enya vasharnya taval!” the huntress exclaimed as she pulled away from Octavia, pointing at the cluster of amaranthians behind her.

A thought crossed Octavia’s mind at the foreign language - there had to be a better way to communicate with her friend. The phantom muscle she had flexed before during her fight with Remiel stretched once again, and somewhere in the forefront of her mind she searched for understanding. It felt eerily similar to using her neurolink to connect to networks and devices, except she didn’t push the thought through her neurolink, the thought escaped her through the phantom limb.

Octavia lowered her hand until she had Enya’s hand held in her own. Trusting the Cradle, Octavia spoke, “You brought healers for us?”

Enya’s eyes shot wide and a gasp rang out as she turned her attention back towards Octavia, whipping around as fast as she could, “I understood that!”

Octavia grinned widely at the response - she could still hear the foreign language escaping from Enya’s mouth, but somehow the words were understandable to her. She couldn’t help the laugh of joy that escaped her, “Yeah! And I understood that too!”

“This is incredible! I didn’t know you could use magic!” Enya exclaimed excitedly, practically bouncing on the tips of her paws as she did.

“Neither did I,” Octavia replied in amusement, “But things have changed.”

“Tell me about it! Do you have something to do with what happened to the heavens?” Enya asked, pointing up at the shattered twilight sky with a vague edge of concern.

“I do. But that’s a long story, and we have someone who’s hurt very badly,” Octavia remarked, “Can your people help her?”

“Of course!” Enya exclaimed, nodding so fast Octavia briefly worried that she’d give herself whiplash, “I brought our best healers - and my father, the tribe chief, has given you permission to stay with us as long as you need!”

“I’m glad to hear it, Enya,” Octavia replied gratefully with a nod, “But there are a lot more of us out there,” she added, nodding to the skies above, “They’ll be injured, and none of us have any way home after this.”

“Say no more!” Enya replied hastily before Octavia could say another word, “You and your people can stay with us as long as you need. If you need to stay forever, then you stay forever! Easy, peasy!”

Octavia laughed at Enya’s infectious energy, shaking her head in amusement for a moment. Finally she relented and gave a nod, “Alright, Enya. We appreciate it. And whoever’s able to help out around your home will be more than happy to contribute.”

“Then it’s settled! Mind leading us up to your friend?” Enya asked, her head tilting slightly to the side as a wide beaming grin settled onto her features.

“Of course! Just don’t hurt anyone up there - there are only friends on the cliff,” Octavia warned as she let go of Enya’s hands and turned to lead the way up the steep incline.

“You’re the boss!” Enya exclaimed sharply. She fell behind to speak briefly with the friends and family she had brought along, but shortly after Octavia was climbing up to the ridge where she had left her friends minutes ago.

Octavia was the first one to crest the ridge, standing on the edge of the incline in front of the assembled crew. She called out quickly, “Everyone, this is Enya. She brought her tribe’s best healers, they’re going to help Alex as best as they can,” she explained, gesturing to her side as Enya stepped up onto the flat rock beside her.

“Hello, everyone! Don’t mind me, just your local huntress here to save the day,” Enya proclaimed playfully with an energetic wave of her hand.

Much to Octavia’s expectations, Enya’s words were met with confused looks and a general air of misunderstanding. She couldn’t help but roll her eyes, briefly forgetting that no one else understood Enya’s language. Octavia made a mental note to figure out how to cross the language barrier for everyone else, but that would be a problem for another day.

“I’ll get started on a basic dictionary for everyone else - for now, let’s just get everyone some food and shelter,” Vita insisted as a small process appeared in the back of Octavia’s mind, compiling the words that they knew from Enya’s language.

“Good call,” Octavia agreed quietly, turning her attention elsewhere while Vita worked.

The rest of the unmodified amaranthians began cresting the ledge, spreading out on the cliff as they made their way to each of the people there. They even boldly approached Star Wind and Darkstar, looking over them for damage and injuries. To her surprise, one of the robed figures began to wave his hands over Darkstar’s back and the damage beneath his hands began to slowly repair itself, the damaged alloy regaining its glistening white sheen after mere moments.

As the amaranthians picked up Alex and set her carefully in one of their stretchers, Octavia couldn’t help but smile at the sight. Even though they had lost so much, in the end they had won. She had bridged the gap between magic and technology, and had created a union between the two that was playing out before her beautifully.

“Quite a sight, isn’t it?” Mack’s voice called out from beside her, causing Octavia’s head to turn upwards to face the amaranthoid.

“Not something I expected to see when I left Amaranthia,” Octavia admitted with a short scoff.

Mack came to a stop next to Octavia, the machine towering tall over Octavia’s fleshy form. The two were silent for a moment as they watched the amaranthians help both Federation and Omni alike, setting to work on healing the damage that had been done. Though much of what they had lost could never be returned, Octavia knew that the events of the day would fade into scars eventually.

Octavia was shaken from her thoughts as Mack’s metallic hand embraced her own, and without pause the amaranthoid began to walk forward past the congregation towards the edge of the cliff. Octavia swiftly followed, keeping Mack’s hand tightly held in her own as they approached the edge. They both came to a stop, peering out over the valley below them with fresh eyes, the light of twilight casting the planet into a dreamlike shade.

“It’s beautiful when we’re not running for our lives,” Mack commented curiously, her mechanical ears rotating forward as her full attention was turned to the valley.

“It really is,” Octavia admitted with a quiet sigh, “I could get used to it.”

“So could I,” Mack agreed quietly, nodding idly as her glowing lavender eyes scanned the horizon.

There was silence between them as they gazed out into the magical paradise they had landed on. Every crest and valley told a story, the perfect expression of life and death as orchestrated by the Cradle. With fresh eyes, Octavia could see her hand in everything; the way the tall grasses swayed in the wind, the way the jungle canopy in the distance hung low with its enormous leaves, the crags and cracks within the mountainous landscape around them. After everything that had happened, being able to breathe and take it all in left her stunned into a comfortable silence.

“Octavia, I need to say something,” Mack spoke quietly, breaking the silence with a heavy tone.

“I know,” Octavia replied softly, keeping her gaze focused on the twilight horizon, “I won’t take it badly, I promise.”

“It’s nothing bad,” Mack assured quickly, her head turning downwards so she could look at Octavia, “But it’s something that needs to be said.”

Octavia turned her attention towards Mack, looking up at the amaranthoid in admiration. She had to admit that she found Mack’s new form beautiful beyond compare, a perfect body for a perfect person. She swore she could see the silhouette of Mackenzie overlaying the tender smile on Mack’s face, but even then she could see just how different they were. She loved Mackenzie, and she missed the human dearly, but she knew that Mack wasn’t her. Octavia stayed silent as she mulled on her thoughts, allowing Mack to continue.

“I’m trying to figure out who I am, if I’m not Mackenzie. We can’t keep pretending that I am,” Mack continued, “Mackenzie died on Destiny, and I’m not her anymore. I never was.”

Octavia nodded in understanding, her heart heavy in her chest. She lowered her gaze, focusing on the colorful pattern painted on Mack’s chest as she forced the prickling sensation from the corners of her eyes. She promised herself that she wouldn’t cry.

“I love you,” Mack proclaimed, making Octavia’s heart skip a beat. Her eyes instantly shot up to Mack’s face in disbelief.

“I l-” Octavia began, only to be interrupted.

“No, no,” Mack interjected quickly, shaking her head, “Let me finish, this is hard.”

Octavia nodded once, keeping her mouth shut as she waited for Mack to continue.

“I love you. And I don’t know how much of that is me and how much of it is Mackenzie. All I know is that I look at you under this beautiful twilight sky and I want to wrap you up in my arms and shower you in kisses,” Mack exclaimed, her grin returning to her despite the nervous expression remaining on her face.

“And I think that it doesn’t matter how much of it is Mackenzie and how much of it is me. In this moment, the me who is experiencing this, the amaranthoid standing in front of you… I can confidently say that I love you. And I want to be with you,” she proclaimed sharply, nodding as though to enforce the thought.

Octavia wanted to interrupt, to shower the amaranthoid with reassurances, but she knew better. She kept her mouth shut as a small smile crawled onto her lips, her hand tightening around Mack’s reassuringly. No words were said for a moment as Mack contemplated her next words.

“I know that I love you. But I don’t know who I am yet,” Mack declared, looking down at Octavia with a sigh, “I just know that I’m not Mackenzie, and I never will be.”

“I know you’re not Mackenzie,” Octavia replied softly, her smile turning remorseful on her lips, “And I’m sorry that I tried to use you as a replacement for her. It was wrong, and I shouldn’t have. I just couldn’t let go.”

“I know,” Mack replied with a small nod, “And I don’t blame you for that. But what I’m trying to say is…” Mack trailed off with a groan, shaking her head.

“Emotions are hard?” Octavia asked playfully, squeezing Mack’s hand for emphasis.

“Very hard,” Mack replied with a short bark of laughter, “But shut up, this is supposed to be an emotional speech.”

“Not a word,” Octavia replied, making a show of drawing her free hand across her own lips like she was drawing a zipper.

“What I’m trying to say is that I would very much like it if you could help me figure out who I am,” Mack declared in a rush, turning her head to look down at Octavia as her tail tucked shyly between her own legs, “And, if you’ll have me, I’d like to have the opportunity to give you back your amarkai on my own terms - when I’m ready, and when I know who I am.”

Octavia was silent for a moment as she gazed up at Mack with watering eyes, holding the tears at bay for the moment. She knew that every word Mack said was true; she could feel Mack’s love for her just as much as she could see it on the machine’s face. Despite the fact that Mack and Mackenzie were two entirely different people, Mackenzie’s love had transcended death itself and had manifested in Mack. As much as Octavia wanted to leap for joy and agree on the spot, she forced herself to stop for a moment.

“I loved Mackenzie,” Octavia declared, taking a deep breath to steady herself before continuing, “And when I look at you, I still see her. The way you carry yourself, the words you say, the way you’re always trying to comfort me. Everything you do reminds me of her. And I want to tell you that I love you more than life itself…” a shaking sigh escaped Octavia as she deflated slightly in front of Mack, “But I don’t know if that’s true. I don’t know if it’s you I love, or if I’m still obsessing over Mackenzie.”

“Maybe a little of both?” Mack asked with a small, lopsided smile, “And it might be the same for both of us. I might love you because Mackenzie loved you. You might love me because you loved Mackenzie,” she suggested, trailing off for the briefest moment before she continued, “But does it matter?”

Octavia raised a brow, looking up at Mack in confusion, “What do you mean?” she asked worriedly.

“Well, everything’s kinda fucked up, in case you haven’t noticed,” Mack began, gesturing with her free hand towards the shattered heavens and the broken group behind them, “I’m a DI copy of a dead chick, and I guess you’re magic now or something? We have no way home, and who even knows what’ll happen to us if we stay here.”

Octavia winced slightly at the response, but nodded slightly. Mack was right, of course. They were stuck in some pocket dimension around a broken star. She felt a degree of sadness that she would never see any of her friends or family again, that she would never be able to embrace digitecture with Vita again, but the sadness was muted behind the high she was riding from the Cradle. And more importantly, the sadness hurt less when she was with Mack.

“Maybe I’m actually in an Omni simulation to keep me complacent, or maybe this is some magic purgatory, there’s any number of things that could be. But one thing that I know is real is that I’m not afraid of what’s going to happen next because I know you’ll be by my side. What does it matter if it’s my love or Mackenzie’s, if you love me for me or if you love me for your memories of her?” Mack asked with a small shrug, her lopsided smile refusing to fall away, “I want you. You want me. So let’s work together and relearn everything about each other in this new world. What do you say?”

Octavia’s heart burst within her, filling her with a million emotions and sensations all at once that she couldn’t even begin to describe. Tears welled up in her eyes despite herself and a choked laugh escaped her as the first of her tears began to flow down her cheeks. Octavia suddenly jerked forward and wrapped her arms tightly around Mack’s torso in a crushing hug, burying her face firmly against Mack’s metallic chest.

“Yes,” Octavia declared, her voice cracking as the emotions overwhelmed her, “Yes, yes, absolutely!” she exclaimed in a rush.

Mack let out her own shaky bark of emotional laughter as her arms wrapped around Octavia, pulling her tight against herself. She let out a decompressing shudder of a sigh as she exclaimed, “Fuck, I love you.”

Through blurry eyes, Octavia stared off at the twilight horizon, an unsteady grin plastered across her face as she embraced Mack as tightly as she could. She wasn’t sure how long they stood there, embracing one another as they dealt with their overwhelming storms of emotion. But at some point Octavia realized that there was nowhere in the universe she’d rather be.

“I can’t wait to figure out who you are… together.”