Several weeks later


    Rexia Xeena of the Cycle of Outstretched Hands made her way along the restored hallways of Fifth Spoke, the time for departure rapidly approaching. It had been a hard time for everyone involved – the Cambiar had experienced their first taste of real conflict on a scale beyond their imagination and many innocent crew members had been killed in the fighting. With the intervention of the rest of the Out-Han fleet, the majority of the assaulting forces had been captured or put down, with the exception of the newly retitled Dawn’s Fang. Retreating to the hanger, the small company of soldiers had boarded the Hammer of Victory and left with the surviving Ten-Tri envoys into the depths of space.


    Considerations for pursuit had been made, but it was decided to focus on the recovery of those effected by the conflict above all else. Even after weeks had passed, work was still being done on the hallways and corridors of Fifth Spoke. Wiring and plating were replaced, and human workers were still scratching their heads at some of the more complex bio-components. Nonetheless, progress was going smoothly. With casualties kept to a minimum thanks to the quick reorganization of militias across the infiltrated vessels, many injured in the attack were already up and walking already. It was due to this speedy recovery that the fleet had quickly prepared enough to begin their first wormhole opening since their arrival at New Horizons.


    Passing through the hallway, a trio of Cambiar huddled to the side, cooing over a comm-device. Xeena rarely saw Cambiar that had not yet picked up at least some human features from among the Out-Han ships she had visited, and based on rough estimates it seemed like most took on female forms. Perhaps some reference to their original reproductive method being able to produce offspring? That, or maybe they were simply attracted towards the majority male Expedition Fleet crew. As a result of putting their adaptive powers to use, many had seen some ‘action’ with the men of the ex-H&H crew, though some Delkar had reportedly been a bit too aggressive for the target of their affections.


    As she passed down the passage, the excitable Cambiar of the group stepped towards her.


    “Rexia Xeena! Rexia Xeena!” one said. “Sorry to bother you, but we have an issue we request your personal judgement on. Could you please help us? It’ll take just for a second?”


    They looked up at her with a desperate need for answers and Xeena couldn’t help but assist. Since becoming a Rexia, she had gained a bit of height that placed her above most Uvolo, and helped increase her image as a leader to the still adapting Cambiar. Already she had seen her fair share of people coming to her for advice, both professional and personal, following the spreading of tales about her climactic battle with Zafar Ironskin.


    Xeena was still coming to terms with said new position as a Rexia. A newly put together full ‘coronation’ procedure was the first of its type among her people, a rather human affair, which resulted with her being given a full title and command over part of the Out-Han 62^nd Outer Fleet. In a manner previously unseen in Cambiar celebration, there had been much festivity and partying, far different from the stilted matter of her Reward of Five Digits. It had mostly been a lot of standing around and complementing her new cranial spires. In her mind, the only person who truly needed to like the new look was Sal, and he had been very fond of them. Though she had yet to see a hoverbike in person, the term ‘handlebars’ was very apt the first night she showed them off to him. Aside from the crown, the additional vocal organ and increased gleam of her skin hadn’t been too bad either, but the crown still felt the most special part about her new appearance.


    Absentmindedly feeling the tips of her indigo projections, she saw the three Cambiar ladies flip through a comm-device, a close replication of the H&H standard model, and turn it around to display a casual man, leaning against a wall some distance from the camera as he looked at something offscreen.


    “Miss Xeena, this is a… close friend of ours. He’s been good to us so far, but we are unsure of our next steps in our… friendship. Based on his look, in your personal appearance, do you think that this man… well… does…” The shortest of them trailed off, tapping their claws together.


    “What she means to ask, Lord Rexia, is whether you think this man looks like she would instigate the ‘human handshake’ with us?” The most assertive of the group smirked.  “The ‘need-to-know-archive’ with a certain Cambiar trio? If you’ll pardon my language, Rexia Xeena - I think he looks like he fucks alien women. Just has the look, one you may have picked up on from your personal experience.” The Cambiar grinned wide; Xeena had a feeling most of those who came to her with relationship advice knew exactly what sort of things the Rexia got up to with her consort.


    A modest part of Xeena wanted to admonish the group, to tell them to just ask him plainly. The stronger, horny part of her that had desired after Sal from the very start had a better idea.


    “Agreed!” she huskily said, rolling her ‘R’s in a sultry tone and she returned a wide smile.


    Leaving the now feverishly eager group to their own illicit motivations, she continued on her way towards the party. Through the window, she saw the new ships that had decided to follow the Out-Han to their next destination. Though H&H had fled with their tail between their legs, Marshstrider marking the last of their ships seen since the surprise attack, many of their competitors had stepped in to make their own attempt at first contact. In the days following the assault, Galant Corporation, Tripwire Services, Dark Sun Enterprises and many others had arrived, each expressing their intentions of free trade and information exchange between the aliens and the CCH. Word had quickly spread throughout human space about the presence of a new alien faction, open to human contact. With a small convoy on their tails, Rexia Zeentach had been preparing for days in order to please the greater human galaxy with a wonderous showing. What better way to mark the first steps of the Out-Han on the galactic stage by showing off their form of faster than light travel?


    Straightening her dress and nervously feeling at her crown’s tips, Xeena swung open the doors to the main ballroom, constructed towards the fore end of the ship. The wave of sound from partygoers dancing and cheering hit her like a shockwave, the walls and doors of the room being soundproofed for the sake of the non-attending crew. Hundreds had been packed into the room, the entire far side covered with a colossal window to give an awe-inspiring view in the fleet for the event. Decked out in livery and glimmering metals, the ballroom had made use of the best architects and builders of the fleet to nail the ancient style of the dance halls of the pre-industrial era of human history.


    Though long out of fashion in human space, no one seemed to mind, music filling the air as waiters of both species darted about to serve the guests. With H&H officially giving up on the remains of Lighthouse and Ruby Eye and the CCH collectively gifting Starheart away as a ‘commercial trading gift’, the Cambiar had finally obtained access to a large stockpile of human food and crops, providing them better service for their new citizens beyond hyizka patties. Initially the Rexia had all considered offering Starheart back, confused as to why H&H would leave such a valuable asset behind. When news came that Henry and Huell were falling apart by the second back in CCH space, it was clear they had larger issues than a single colony ship. Apparently, their dealings with Doctrine to obtain both goreskins and large amounts of rival corporation merchandize from under their noses had turned the rest of the conglomerates against them. Combined with poor finances from before the whole fiasco, one of the seven founding conglomerates of the CCH was on the way to being decommissioned.


    That wasn’t an issue for the Out-Han to worry about for now – it was time to return home. The trip back to their capital planet, Kalscar Prime, would take some time and numerous wormholes, and Xeena had one special spot in particular to show Sal on the way. Stepping into the hall, she was met by a distinct duo. Titus and Elijah stood, desperately trying to wave off a particularly enthusiastic waiter repeatedly offering them bite-sized hyizka pieces topped with tomatoes. Seeing an opportunity to evade the overly generous alien, they made their excuses and approached Xeena.


    “Ah, there she is, the star of the party,” Elijah said. “How’s it feel, being queen and all? Ready to lead our people into the unknown future?”


    The former deck manager grunted, hands on his hips. Xeena had been surprised to see him sticking around. Though he had frequently expressed annoyance with the Cambiar, it was undeniable that he had shown where his loyalties had laid in the end. He had made his choice to stay and work with the aliens, such was the attachment he had to his crew. He had even developed a small following of apprentice Cambiar engineers attempting to learn all they could from the old coot, much to his grouchiness.


    “Now, now, Mr Meyer. Miss Xeena is barely a few weeks into her new role, and I’m not sure how the Cambiar would feel about the idea of royalty quite yet.” Titus had been repaired since his battle with Zafar, new synthetic skin covering his extremities and face once more. A newly made pair of gold rimmed glasses mounted his nose as he gave a proud smile towards Xeena. “Still, whatever role you’ll find, I am sure you will do superb. Have you seen the Torchers yet? Everyone’s preparing for the countdown, and I am sure they don’t want you to miss it.”


    “I haven’t found them yet, Titus,” Xeena looked around. “Do you know where they are?”


    Xeena couldn’t see them from their current corner, and was beginning to worry she would miss meeting with Salvador in time. After all the preparation and effort she had made in adjusting the next leg of the journey, the last thing she wanted was to the miss sharing the moment.


    “Worry not, Miss Xeena. I just saw them by the window over there, beyond that pillar. We’ll come over once we’ve had enough hyizka, right Mr Meyer?” Titus nodded to Xeena as he called a waiter over and pointed to the old deck manager. “Over here waiter, he hasn’t had his fill yet!”


    “Oh, I’ll show you a filling you metal gonk. Come here!”


    Titus fled from a now enraged Elijah and platter wielding waiter as Xeena made her way through the crowd. Before she could make a move to find her friends, another pair stood out, waving. Cesare and Fae stood, halting their intricate dance for just a moment to give their cheers to her. The lanky Jherl looked almost comical next to the portly man, but their skill and precision at their tango was second to none others on the dance floor. Xeena did not miss the way the Cambiar pressed a breast into the man’s cheek as they paused. Curtseying, Xeena gave her best wishes to the pair and departed further into the crowd. Just as the overhead timers were reaching their last digits, she came through a swaying mass of people to find a clearing bordered by familiar faces.


    “Hey, she made it!” Abel shouted. “Over here, sister!” He waved her over and Pippa, awkwardly riding his shoulders, did the same. Frankly, she was getting a bit too old to keep riding the man, closer resembling some giant parasitic spider than the tiny extraterrestrial she had once been at the start of the Parter Program.


    “Well, better late than never, I guess?” Xin said. “Come on over, there’s still time! Stannock wants some photos.”


    Xeena, striding with newfound relief, joined the group of well-dressed Torchers, bar one special member. Xin and Ace stood, arms around one another in a gentle rocking motion. The ex-pilot’s leg had taken to the newly regenerated tissue well, barely noticeable from where it had previously been scarred. Following some pats to the back and cheers as Stannock snapped a few pictures for his new photo album, the huddle parted to reveal the man she had been waiting for with hands in his pockets, leaning against the magnificent window and facing the endless void beyond.


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Slowly turning, he smiled and met her eyes. Though he had made an effort with most of his attire, the same tatty old jacket still clung to him. In some ways, it was the perfect way to describe Sal – battered and bruised but still holding on. The same couldn’t be said for his face. The only signs of his injuries from the great battle he had endured were a thin line from the edge of his lips to his newly reformed ear and a small scar over an eyebrow. Even at a closer look, it would be hard to tell if there had been any real injuries from his confrontations with the Paradisians or the Rexia.


    More striking than any physical wound, the calm smile he gave expressed the resolved conflict within his heart. Raising a hand from his pocket, he gestured her closer, and Xeena acquiesced, wrapping herself in his arms. His jacket, now stitched to oblivion and back, was still as comfy as it had been before. Swathed over the both of them, it kept the two of them close. Eyes locked with one another, they kissed.


    <hr>


    Sal held Xeena close some time before releasing their connection. Beautiful black marbles staring at him, she tilted her head and brushed his hand. The hemmed dress she wore outlined her figure perfectly. When he had first seen the new spires atop her head they had been a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one. Standing eye to eye with him, he found her natural grace only enhanced by the additional height she had gained recently.


    “So, did you like the cold, silent type-pose? Looking out the window all mysteriously?” Sal asked, his overly stoic fa?ade cracking.


    “Well, it did feel very… you, in a way, but I take it you got the idea from a certain someone?” Xeena gave him a look before directing her gaze towards the group.


    “What? No! I mean, who would tell him to do something like that?” Abel looked around in mock nervousness.


    The group chuckled as they turned to face the stars together. In the distance a cluster of small but brightly glowing craft completed an engine burn away from the star they had not long before visited the surface of. The wormholes produced by the Cambiar required the direct storage of vast amounts of energy from nearby stars, acquired by positioning incredibly heat-resistant ships near the surface of the solar bodies and extending thermal batteries into the sea of plasma.


    Now, those ships were ready. There were barely a few minutes to go as they arranged in a circular formation some distance ahead of the fleet, hulls glowing with power.


    Stannock said, “We’ve all come a long way. Never thought I would be standing side by side with some of the best men and women in the galaxy. I’m so proud of you all, even if you all still need some more makeup tips.” Trying to hide the quivering emotion in his voice, he let out a fake cough. Sal was quick to notice the glistening at the corners of his eyes but kept quiet. He wouldn’t want Stannock to smudge his mascara by wiping them hastily.


    “It wasn’t easy, and I think I can say for us all when we all learnt a bit more about ourselves than we expected on this journey. Despite everything it took to get to this point, I wouldn’t give up this for anything.” Marcus gestured to the environment around them with the word, his blonde hair tied in a bun to reveal the look of determination in his gaze. Standing straight, as had become normal for him after the attack, the man stood a fair bit taller than Sal.


    “Yeah, I’m really glad to have met you all. Especially Abel, but only if he keeps giving me piggyback rides,” Pippa said. “Do you guys know what will happen next? What will we do once we get back home?”


    “Hmm, well I’m sure I can find something for our dear slob over here to help out with back on Kalscar Prime. Rubbish lady?” Ace laughed and received a love tap to the ribs from Xin as she scowled before giving him a smoke-filled kiss. Coughing away the vapour, Ace continued. “Still, what of the CCH?”


    “Ah, I think they’ll be just fine. I imagine the Jade Emperor’s quaking in his boots over this whole thing. Bet he didn’t expect to walk away not just empty handed but down a couple clan armies and someone bad mouthing him in front of the whole galaxy!” Abel said as he played with his necklace, flicking the tooth between his fingers.


    Seeing the action, Sal saw Xeena reactively dig into her dress’s inner pocket. Carefully, she raised her hand and interlocked her fingers with Sal’s.


    “You know, I think I prefer the new fingers. Old ones were getting a bit too used.” Sal couldn’t resist grinning wide.


    Another thin, almost invisible line marked the divide between his original fingers and the newly regrown ones, perfect and unblemished. Truly, Cambiar medical science was almost magic. A mixture of DNA and XNA adjustment and recombination allowed them to develop human tissues in hours that would have taken days or weeks back in the CCH and would have cost an arm and a leg to get, well, an arm or a leg. What was more unusual than the miracle of alien science was the small shape he felt in his palm.


    Opening his hand, he found a small tooth mounted on a string that Xeena had placed there. The shape of the fang was distinct – Xeena flashed a smile full of hundreds of the same teeth.


    “Is this one of yours?” Sal considered the offering before sliding it around his neck. The sharp tooth was thin and less than a finger in length, but it was still larger than Abel’s.


    “Yeah well… there’s more I want to give you as a gift, but for now it will have to do. Do you think it’s good? I can take it back if you don’t…” She trailed off.


    “Xeen’, I love it! It’s much better than a certain somebody’s little fish tooth.” Settling it on his chest, he turned to see Abel standing right next to him.


    “I knew you would get one soon, brother. I just knew it!” He bellowed with laugher as he shook Sal by the shoulders. “Though yours may come from an alien, mine came from a megalodon! Don’t you forget it.”


    The team groaned. Even with Sal knowing the truth behind Abel’s trinket, it had done little to hinder the giant’s tall tales. Footfalls alerted Sal to a new arrival. Looking over his shoulder, he saw a simultaneously unfamiliar and familiar face. Green eyes looked over the group, a knowing smile affixed to his lips.


    “Is that you… Thomas?” Sal cocked an eyebrow.


    The slim man decked in curly red hair and soft features bowed to the group.


    “Hello, everyone. It’s good to see you in the flesh, as it were, for the first time.”


    Sal had heard that Thomas and the Keeper friend that had stayed with the Out-Han had been discussing some sort of full body growing procedure to restore them to regular biology once more. When Thomas’ information had been sent out amongst the millions of messages regarding the Cambiar, knowledge of the Keeper experiments and free-will restrictions had been made public. Whilst it was a great step towards their freedom, Sal wondered if alternative means for space-travel would become necessary without the forced usage of Keepers in the future. Another issue for another day for another group. The Out-Han had few worries like that for the moment.


    “Though the process isn’t completed, as I am still filled with augmentations under all of this, I am now able to breath for the first time in many years. Isn’t the feeling of air just… sweet?” Thomas inhaled and spread his arms wide in nirvana.


    “Uh sure? Breathing is much better than… not breathing, I guess.” Dusty shrugged but nevertheless still beamed at the Keeper’s transformation from awkward automaton to an expressive man loving the world. Shame he still lacked a soul, being ginger and all, but what could you do?


    Releasing his breath, Thomas looked back at the group. “Indeed. I wanted to thank you, each and every one of you. Had it not been for all of your combined efforts, things would have gone a lot worse. I am sure had one of us not played our part, we would all be halfway across the galaxy with a few less mental faculties. Still, all’s well that ends well.” He seemed to prepare to leave but stopped himself. Locking eyes with Sal once more, leant in and whispered, “Salvador, I’m still working on the S-Drive data. It’s all very strange, but I think it has to do with that vision you had. See me when this is all done, drinks are on me.”


    With a wink, the newly organic man left them to party, seemingly eyeing up a particularly curvy Cambiar woman wearing nothing but an apron by the drinks bar. Opening his shirt to adjust his necklace, Sal felt Xeena stroke his chest, fingers lightly glancing over the smooth patch of skin going down from shoulder to hip. Sal had taken some time to consider his options, but decided he wanted to move on from the man still stuck on Tartarus Nine. His other scrapes and scratches had been reduced to small white marks along his skin, but the large scar, the reminder of his failed dogma of self-reliance at all costs, had been wiped clean. Truthfully, the decision hadn’t been easy, but neither was moving on. Sal had somehow managed to do that as well.


    She smiled approvingly and continued to stroke his chest for beyond what could be considered a quick look. Realizing she was still in public, Xeena stopped and looked away, flustered, as she redid his shirt back up. The countdown timer was growing close to the deadline, and Sal excitedly tapped his foot. The music playing was some neo-wave jam, but Sal wasn’t fully feeling it. It was too slow for the dancing that Sal was itching to do with Xeena.


    “Abel, you know the DJ right?” Sal looked over to see Abel trying to convince a surprisingly flustered Titan to ride on his back.


    Breaking from his flurry of excuses as to why piggybacks were good for Cambiar health, he nodded at Sal. “Sure do, brother. You want something in particular?”


    “Nah, just something a tad quicker. Maybe something proto-wave?”


    A thumbs up confirmed his suggestion and Sal focused back on Xeena. Sal hadn’t initially been sure what to think of the whole ‘Rexia’ deal, but Xeena had calmed his worries. The Out-Han hadn’t even started working out what sort of government they wanted to develop now that human values were expected to spread out across Cambiar space. Zeentach had once started an announcement about his wild plans for over a million seats in a new senate but was cut off the air halfway through by another Rexia when the pair realized that the rest of the Out-Han didn’t even know humanity existed yet. That would probably take slightly more priority in the short term.


    On a personal level, the new grace that Xeena exuded with every motion filled something warm in Sal’s heart. He could picture her in a field of flowers, the kind that used to grow all over Earth, as the sun shined down on them. It also didn’t hurt having the new title of Rexia-consort, which sounded to him like some sort of royal lord. Sal wasn’t one for titles or prestige, but he couldn’t deny that the idea was flattering.


    Pictures of him in finery being painted by courtiers put on hold, an announcement chimed to life, “Dear all passengers and citizens of the Cycle of Outstretched Hands – we would like to inform you that the space-time fragmentation process will begin shortly. For now, we will be moving to system IZN72198 – name is currently pending reassessment. To all human members, the date is September 29^th, 2257. Today marks a new step in the bright future we share between both our species. We hope you enjoy you first experience of Cambiar inter-system travel. Thank you, and enjoy the music!”


    Finally, the time had come. As a new song burst to life around the room, a rocky song that felt 20^th century-ish, the wormhole fleet finalized their formation. A number of squid-like tendrils extended from the ends of the ships, their lengths ringed with pulsing orange, and began to make elaborate movements in the vacuum. Once the tips of their extensions met one another, they rotated them in a vast circle, splitting the circle of dark space ahead of them. A thin ring of light followed their movements, that of light gold and pale fire, where upon the fabric of reality was sliced open and restitched together.


    From beyond a portal, rimmed by the shimmering veil of blackness, the shape of a verdant planet, green cast across the surface, became clear. A swath of sunset was spread across the surface of the planet as if it were a watercolour painting, sweeping motions of golden light shining down across the rolling fields of jade. Sal was excited at the prospect of not only going through FTL without needing to be drowned in green goo, but also at the fact he might be getting a chance to go planet bound for the first time in his life. Looking closer at the planet, a twinge of realization stuck him.


    “Xeena, you never said exactly where we were going. I mean, you said we’d go to the capital of the Out-Han eventually, but that we’d take some pit stops on the way there. Is this…” Sal trailed off.


    She scratched the back of her head, tendrils moving nervously. “Well, I had to give you a reward for all your hard work. And I was able to make some adjustments to our course, as per my newfound role as Rexia. Salvador Vigino, How do you fancy seeing Yuel 721 a little early?”


    Sal reached around her waist and gave her a spin in the air, Xeena squealing with joy all the while. The other Torchers looked over and hollered at the sight. As the wormhole grew, almost stretching to beyond the window’s view, Sal put Xeena down.


    “I think that would make me the happiest man alive. Xeena, thank you. For everything. I love you.”


    “And I must thank you Sal, for showing me what it means to live. What it means to love. And, after everything we’ve gone through, I think it’s fair to say - I love you too, Sal.”


    Their lips met once again as the song burst into chorus.


    “?Mommy''s all right


    Daddy''s all right


    They just seem a little weird


    Surrender


    Surrender


    But don''t give yourself away?”


    The pair looked out to the future, Yuel 721 awaiting them in hues of green and gold.


    “So, what is this song?” Xeena leaned into his chest, feeling his heart thumping.


    “I’ve got no idea.” Sal flashed a smile and looked down at her. “But I’m looking forward to finding out.”