"I promise you that the same stuff galaxies are made of, you are. The same energy that swings planets around stars makes electrons dance in your heart. It is in you, outside you, you are it. It is beautiful."

― Kamal Ravikant, Live Your Truth

– S C O R P I O N –

We had watched the sun hit the side of the earth and bathe us in light. It illuminated the water below in a bright and stunning blue. I didn't recall falling asleep with Makayla tucked in my arms, but I did remember waking...

My body floated aimlessly in the small cabin with no anchor to hold me down. She was still in my arms, her blonde hair was in loose golden waves and brushed against my skin. I moved us silently downward by pressing against the ceiling metal. When I carefully strapped her into the pilot chair I moved for a set of cabinets below a small cushioned bench set into the hull.

It was all a stark white. It slid open without a sound and I drew out various items. Thermal gloves, thick rubber boots with insulation, an oxygen pack, a shining silver helmet and visor that reminded me of Imperials–then I saw relatively normal items of clothing.

I pulled out a simple white t-shirt with a small crest of a Silver Sun and a rocket cutting through it. I smirked as I threw it over my head and carefully pulled my arms through. Makayla had worn my colours after all... it was time I showed the same ironic allegiance. I pulled out a simple pair of black cargo trousers and slipped on a versatile pair of running shoes from the bottom of the draw.

I stared down at the discarded, torn and burnt pencil skirt and debated sending it through the airlock.

Instead I left it in the cabinet and took out the same outfit for Makayla. They seemed to have a week's worth of spare. Perhaps staff normally boarded the shuttle. She had said two hours until we docked... I glanced at my wrist holo that still gave me Merridian standard time.

Best guess was that we'd been out for an hour minimum.

I moved over to where she dozed. Her head was cast to the side and she looked utterly peaceful as she slept. I brushed floating strands from her face and moved to crouch before her face. She stirred slightly before her blue eyes met mine.

Her answering smile made me want to hold onto her for the rest of the flight.

"We fell asleep." I told her softly. "But if you'll appreciate my new allegiance and job title of Silver Sun Station staff I'd be grateful."

She took me in a bit more closely before a giggle left her and her eyes stayed on the crest on my chest. "It suits you, Scorpion."

"Doesn't everything?"

She gave me a mocking look. Which I returned before dragging my eyes down her torn and bloodied dress. "Not that you still aren't a vision in red... I think you could do with these." I offered her the fresh set of clothes and she nodded.

"It was already too revealing but now it's hardly appropriate in front of staff." She uttered with a knowing look.

I tried my best innocent look and she turned her back to me.

"Unzip me?" She asked, pulling her hair to one side.

Adorable.

Instead of answering, I moved a hand in front of her until my fingers hit the knife sheath. I pulled it free swiftly and cut a line effortlessly up her back. It was entirely an accident that her bra was also a fatality.

"Alex!" She hissed as her dress fell away in rivers of red silk, which she now clutched to her chest. I grinned at her exposed back.

"Are those new?" I drawled, eyeing the very black, laced underwear and her perfect curves–

I felt a slap this time on my good shoulder. "What part of unzip did you miss?"

"I may have gotten carried away." I allowed as I moved closer to her in the small space. I heard her sigh and caught the edge of a smile.

"You know you are starting to owe me a lot of clothing." She murmured as I moved behind her and wrapped my arms around her stomach. She leant her head back against my shoulder as I watched her.

"Anything you want, you will have as soon as we touch the ground." I stated simply, burning my eyes into hers.

She arched an eyebrow, "What if I want to stay here for a while..." she whispered as she took one hand off the red silks held to her chest and placed it on my cheek. It electrified under her touch and I drew in closer letting one of my hands trail dangerously around her stomach.

"I can agree to that." I murmured onto her mouth inches from her lips.

She took her other hand off her dress and let it drag through my hair. I almost lost my mind when the red silk carelessly floated away from her perfect skin. She brought my face down to hers and kissed me deeply. I responded by turning her around and pressing her back against the console screen.

"Identity confirmed, Xavier, Makayla." A robotic voice sang.

"I don't think it's seen this much of Makayla Xavier before." I grinned as I kissed her again. She laughed breathlessly and I moved more fully on top of her. Her chest pressed flush into me and I felt our skin burn every time it met.

"My ass could launch this ship and it wouldn't even accept your face–" I bit down on her lip and she squealed laughing.

"It would be mad not to accept any part of you–especially your as–" She shut me up when her tongue glided along my lower lip and I met hers with mine. Our legs tangled together and our tongues grazed and lips met until we pulled away to briefly get air.

"What is that shirt still doing on you?" She asked with a dark look that made me want to have no clothes between us at all.

Before I could oblige her that damn robot had to speak again. "Proximity alert. Please prepare for dock sequence." It said happily as I cursed loudly and Makayla laughed.

"We can't have it all." She muttered as she carefully extracted our limbs and kissed my forehead as she moved for the spare shirt that floated around the cockpit. She dragged it over her and pulled herself into the same black cargo pants until we matched.

I pulled her collar lightly forward until I could steal her lips once more making her groan. I shook my head and shared her disappointment as we strapped ourselves into the angled pilot chairs and saw the impressive space station come into view as the shuttle aligned itself for docking.

"You said it was empty right?"

"Nothing but more overly invasive robots." She confirmed and winked.

"Stop flirting with your staff. Such a tease..." I uttered.

"You'd be so lucky." She muttered.

"I would." I told her honestly, giving her a much darker look that said this was far from over. The heat that rose to her cheeks only made me smirk as the robot counted us down to arrival.

– M A K A Y L A –

We watched through the wide glass visor as the ship soundlessly locked into position with the space station. If my previous education served me right on its speed–we were hurtling around orbit at close to 17,000 miles per hour. The closer the station is to the pull of the earth, the faster you needed to orbit in order to stay out of gravity's pull.

"What a spectacular waste of money." Alex muttered, eyeing the metal fortress.

I gave her a side look with an eyebrow raised. "What makes you say that?" To me it was an utter feat of human ingenuity and design–

"You said this was an emergency station. Tell me, Makayla, how many times have you had said emergency?"

I pondered this. "Well, none." I admitted.

"And your father?" She quipped.

"I think he visited once to check it was to standard–"

She was already shaking her head. "This is why we were always steps ahead of him... he stretched his resources too far and too wide."

I crossed my arms and stared out ahead. "My father was many things. But I think it was about more than practically. It is more a symbol of what can be achieved–what Merridian can look up to. Much like Verde in a place you never would have thought it would exist... yet it does." I finished shrugging.

I could feel her eyes on me but I couldn't quite meet them. I detached myself from the pilot chair swiftly and carefully propelled myself towards the lock hatch.

"Identity verification required." A robotic male announced.

I pressed a hand to the side panel and then set my face before it. It flashed a quick red before he spoke overhead again.

"Confirmed. Welcome back Makayla Xavier. I am the artificial auto pilot, Paul." He informed me joyfully.

I heard a snort behind me.

"I wasn't here a first time, Paul." I muttered as the air lock made a series of mechanical sounds on the other side.

"Please prepare for artificial gravity transition now."

"What–"

I fell from the air suddenly and was headed face first for the metal floor before a hand yanked my t-shirt back and secured an arm around my shoulders. Alex pulled me to a stand and I could see her fighting a smirk the entire time. Of course she was still light on her feet despite every injury.

"Don't even say it." I spoke flatly.

"Nothing needs saying. Paul isn't screwing around." She uttered dryly as she checked the open hatch to the white walled station beyond. "Shall we?" She asked, gesturing a hand out.

I pulled my t-shirt down that had risen up my stomach and cleared my throat. We stepped through the lock hatch and it closed once we passed the threshold giving the abandoned station a sudden eerie, haunted house feel.

Alex kept her hands free and shoulders loose, entirely unconcerned with the alien environment.

"I don't suppose this place has a hot shower available?" She said at normal volume and I flinched. It didn't go unnoticed.

"This place is very empty." I said by way of answer.

"That concerns you?" She asked me seriously.

"I just–I'm always near personnel–people... it makes me uneasy." I said casting a look down the identical white hallways splitting down the end of our walk. "Not seeing a single one."

Alex was quiet for a moment, watching me more closely as we took a left down the empty hall. Then she stopped my walk with a hand on my shoulder. I paused staring ahead of us. Emotionless. A perfect white hallway of blank, cold, unmoving–

"Makayla." She spoke softly.

I chewed my lower lip as I continued to watch the walls. She made no more move to touch me, in fact I felt her hand disappear from my shoulder and her golden irises appeared before my line of sight. We watched each other in silence before she nodded briefly to herself then turned her back and walked ahead down the hall.

I stared after her before following silently. Unsure of what she saw on my face but having nothing to say either. We ventured further until we met a pair of clouded glass doors. They opened on proximity.

A modern living space sprawled out before us. The ceiling entirely exposed to the stars above. I was sure this was the centre of the floating hub.

Its luxury was evident. The emperor's taste of cool marble and fine leather was evident in the chairs and table tops. Bookshelves lined a wall near a warmly lit bar with a mahogany finish. The bottles were stacked neatly in shelves that were each lit in a sunset glow.

Alex turned briefly on her feet taking it all in as I lost interest quickly and moved to the bar.

"I know it's not the emptiness of this place that has you like this." Alex said loudly as I froze mid-step. "I've seen that look before." She continued simply as I heard her step closer behind me.

She stepped behind the bar and set down a crystal tumbler before me. I watched it fill with an inch of amber liquid. She pushed it forward. I looked up at her and her eyes were already looking intently into my own.

"It's not that simple."

"It never usually is when I'm involved. Drink." She ordered.

I sighed and moved to pluck it off the wood and threw it back. The burn ran down my throat and warmed all the way down. I didn't bother to wince. She filled it another inch before picking it up and drinking it herself.

"What do you expect me to say, Alex?" I asked her, setting my elbows on the bar.

"I don't expect you to say anything. I expect you to drink." She retorted plainly.

I met her eyes with a frown. "This is the part where you tell me whatever pep talk you have got planned."

She let out a short laugh. Then she refilled it and pushed it back to me. "I thought you knew me so much better than that, Miss Xavier..." She drawled with humour dancing in her eyes.

"I know when you're concerned. When you're concerned it usually ends up with–"

"Half a bottle of whiskey, fifteen year old if I'm choosing." She said dryly as she mirrored my position and set her elbows on the bar. Before I could argue again she spoke. "I'm sorry to disappoint you but this is not the part when I ask how you're feeling, what's in your mind or how you're coping because to be perfectly honest Makayla, those words would do nothing. I have just killed the man that has been with you all your life. Regardless of him being a good or bad man I have taken that from you and this fact is starting to settle." She said slowly as she stared me down, not like an assassin or a criminal leader–like one who knew loss better than anyone.

"I don't want you to tell me anything. You don't even have to feel anything. But I will sit with you here, as long as it takes and go through as much of this–" she gestured to the bar behind her, "–as you want, to come back to yourself again." She finished, setting down a second glass and pressing both hands calmly onto the wood.

I stared at her. She stared back.

"I love you." I said simply. Then I picked up the glass and took the bitter liquid down in one swallow. She watched me like I would vanish at any moment. So I took a seat calmly and pushed the glass back. She filled it.

"You know death and loss more than anyone in that city." I said flatly, watching the whiskey catch in the light like liquid fire. "You've taken more lives than I care to think closely about. You align yourself with the darkest parts of Merridian. The most lethal people. I have no guarantee I'll live to the next day every second I'm with you." I said casually, picking up the bottle and filling both glasses as I spoke. Alex watched my face.

"That doesn't bother me. It never has." I finished as I picked up the glass and swirled it. "So why do I feel a hole. An emptiness for someone that has done nothing but control me and try to dispose of me when I became inconvenient?" I asked, refusing to tear my gaze off the glass.

"Because you're not a monster." She said quietly.

I met her eyes at this.

"Would you feel the same?"

"I can't answer that. We didn't have the same experiences to grow up with." She told me as she circled a finger around the rim of her crystal glass.

"That's not an answer." I said firmly, feeling a fire grow in me.

"It is Makayla. You can never fully understand a person's decisions unless you've lived their life. I am thankful beyond measure that you haven't had to live mine." She murmured, cutting her eyes away and down to her glass.

"If it would make me feel at ease with his death I would." I said coldly.

She was silent at this. Considering me for a moment as she traced a hand along the glass.

"Do you know why I went after your father last night?" She asked me quietly. I looked up and focused on her features, watched her fingers move smoothly on the tumbler. "No matter what form it takes, death is finality." She said carefully. "It doesn't leave room to negotiate, to reconsider choices–it just ends. If we went around in these circles again. Two powers clashing against each other, there would be collateral damage eventually. That is the way your father saw it–he bet on it. You were that damage Makayla, and I was not going to let it go on. I made the choice to end it no matter the cost."

I released a breath I didn't notice I was holding as she continued.

"All I know is that when we touch the ground again that man will not be plotting the next threat on your life. Anything that comes as consequence of that is worth paying."

This time I took her hand and it stilled on the glass. Our eyes met and held. A woman from Sector 52 and a woman from Sector 1. There was no real difference in us now. She was colour that bled into my world of black and white. I could never go back to what I was, nor could she exist down the path of endless blood without me by her side to whatever end. We were changed and rewritten.

"Stay with me and finish this." I told her, dropping my eyes to the bottle. "To hell with the consequences tonight." She knew I spoke of more than the alcohol.

She tipped me the smallest of nods and raised my hand that held hers, to her lips. They grazed my knuckles in a whisper of a kiss before she lower it and filled our glasses half full. We raised them slowly and clinked them.

"To whatever end." She said, watching me the whole time.