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"Docking complete," Micah intoned in his usual pleasant voice, accompanying the gentle thump that announced the connection between the Pride and the Hayes.

Strong Soul stood silently from her usual place on the bridge, the right hand seat feeling more and more like home, some place she didn't want to leave, though she knew she had to. The links were still dim in her mind, staying that way so that she didn't leak her own thoughts to her people. It wouldn't do to know how much the Frr'a'tan'lass'i'ah wanted to sit back down in that seat, take Night Star and the Pride and sail off into the endless reaches of the stars.

She shook her head softly as she turned to the hatch. She could think that way, but she could never let it show, nor could she ever act on it. And she knew what Stargazer would say should he have felt what she was feeling.

He'd tell you that this is something that you're going to have to get used to, love, Night Star said in her head.

She turned to look at her mate standing beside her as the hatch opened. It was the first time she fully allowed herself to use that word when she described him, even to herself. It was his calm presence in her mind that kept her from breaking down with her own sorrow and emotion. But it wasn't simply him who she considered a mate. The other's mindglow was there in the back of her mind as well, as tightly controlled as she could make it, because it was easier to hear the words in Night Star's loving, gentle voice than Stargazer's cold and pragmatic tone.

I know, she replied simply. I can't escape what I've made. All I can do is hope to minimize it.

"Ever the bleeding heart, love," Night Star said with a chuckle, surrounding her with the deep silence about her mind, further dimming the Mrr'ouwffi, at least for the moment, until she'd regained control of her own feelings.

"I can't do what they wish of me," she said softly, walking by his side towards the airlock. "Taking lives lessens the strength of our cause."

"You know the humans aren't going to see it that way, love. They're going to take all the life they can."

"And that's what separates us from them," she replied simply. "We aren't savages. We're nothing that they portray us as."

"That doesn't matter in the minds of the people, love," Night Star said softly, "You know that they're spinning every single human death as the act of barbaric furballs."

"I just hope that the humans didn't manage to get any security images off the ship before we took it. It's going to add fuel to the fire if they did."

"There's nothing you can do about it if that's the case, love. You're just going to have to take it as it comes."

"I never liked doing that, love. I prefer to have a plan."

"As much as you might want that, life seldom cooperates, especially in this situation. But I know that you have the next moves planned," he said with a tap to his head and a smile.

"I do, but I need to finish this before I can think about that."

"Then let's get on it, love," Night Star said, tapping the release button for the airlock.

She half expected there to be scorch marks on the bulkheads from the moment that she stepped into the other ship, but the area around this airlock at least was pristine, as if it had never been touched. As always Steel Heart and Wind Blade were waiting for her at the hatch, their fur ruffled and unkempt, the mismatched pieces of blast armor that were strapped to Steel Heart's body showed that he hadn't made it through entirely unscathed and she breathed a silent prayer as she took in the melted plasteel plate that covered his chest.

"Just a glancing blow," he answered her unspoken question with his deep and calming baritone as she stepped forward and ran her hand along the divot.

"And he took it like a champ!" Wind Blade said through a laugh next to him.

Strong Soul didn't know whether to laugh with her or cry with the fear of how close another of her Mrr'tani had come to not being here to greet her. Could she tell him to stay with her on the Pride? Would he obey her if she told him that? Would any of them?

She knew the answer, of course. She could taste the loyalty in their mindglows, the unwavering love and devotion they held for her, something that they had for no other. Where Stargazer and Night Star's devotion were tainted by a romantic love of a mate, these were pure and simple. They were hers, and they would do what she commanded, no matter what it was. They would stay with her safe and sound on the Pride during an assault, but they would also stare death in the face and smile if they knew that it was what she wanted.

The thought brought a tremor to her paw and she let her arm fall away from the armor before anyone could see or could guess the reason or the depth behind it.

"I'm glad you're okay, Steel Heart," she said simply, trying to pass as much as she could across the link so he could taste what she was feeling.

Her two Guardians smiled back at her and turned as she walked through, taking up their places just behind and to either side of her and Night Star. She'd never brought him along when she surveyed the capture of a ship, but this was different. He was there with her while it was happening. He was her lifeline and the one that kept her from losing herself when the plan had gone awry. If anyone deserved to be at her side, it was him.

Micah, she called in her mind, touching the AI's cool, logical link, let the others know that it's safe to come across.

His acknowledgment came immediately, allowing her to focus her attention on another Guardian standing near the airlock. This one was dressed in a more uniform batch of armor plating, most of it a drab slate gray, some of it ill fitting, but it at least served the purpose of protecting him. He was a very tall, very think Mrr'tanou, his ears nearly brushing the light fixtures when he stood straight. She knew how much the effort of doing so was costing him, trying to appear proper and military in her presence. She searched her mind for his name and smiled as it came to her, along with the imagery that brought it about.

"Broken Staff, the Frr'a'narr'ahn will be joining me. Please take Tree Climber and anyone else that you require to keep them safe. I will meet them on the bridge in fifteen minutes."

"As you command, Keeper," Broken Staff said, bowing slightly.

She turned away as he was looking at his companion, trusting beyond a doubt that the Mothers would be kept safe. As for her, she had her own protectors, and there was little to fear.

"Micah and Mary were quite adept at getting through to the other AI, love," Night Star said as they walked, "especially after the crew blew the section. Apparently, that pushed her over the edge to giving them access."

"I thought that AI's weren't supposed to have feelings or emotions," Strong Soul said. "They're just machines, logical to a fault."

"You know that's not true," he responded. "You couldn't say otherwise after linking with Micah. We've both felt it, and You know that he feels as much as you do, he just shows it very differently."

"I thought that was something I did."

"It may have been, love. But I think that it was always there. Your link with him only gave him a reference to name it and truly utilize it. And now that he's talking with other AI's, they're starting to find the names for it, too."

There was a significance in the way that Night Star intoned the word 'names,' and Strong Soul smiled. There was so much in a name, and she couldn't help remembering the pride and the fear that she'd felt when she was named on Avalon with her true name. She'd not even thought of her human name since that day.

Stargazer was waiting for them around the bend in the corridor, his older frame a bit more bent from the weariness of battle. Looking at him, she could see for the first time his true age. He'd always carried himself as a younger Mrr'tanou, hardly looking a day older than the youngsters he was teaching. This time, the thought that she would command him to stay on the Pride was more forceful and she silently vowed that this was his last battle. He didn't need to be here to command, not linked as he was to her, and he could serve just as well from the safety of the Pride with the Mothers, being their fists if they needed protection.

"There is still one final section that has not yet been cleared, Keeper," he said, straightening formally. "Though there are only a dozen humans that have not been accounted for. I suspect most of those were lost in the blast. During the chaos, it was difficult for the humans to keep track. We will know more when the AI comes back online and runs the footage."

"Eve is online," Strong Soul said as Stargazer fell into step beside them, "she'll have the roster of the missing for us when we get to the bridge."

Strong Soul turned and managed a small smile at Stargazer, her mentor and her other mate.

"You did well today," she said simply, knowing that it was what he needed to hear. With Night Star or really any of the others, especially her Guardians, they would take her praise well, but Stargazer did not enjoy nor did he need anything more than a simple acknowledgment of his duty.

"Thank you, Keeper," he replied, just as simply.

She couldn't help the smile spreading a little more over her face as she reached out and took one of his paws in hers. The contact, as always, brought a sudden spike of discomfort and self-consciousness from his link, but it settled immediately. She didn't need to watch his eyes to know that he was watching the other two Guardians carefully, alert to any change in their behavior at the display of affection. Steel Heart and Wind Blade were far too wise to make any show that they had even seen the touch. They were so studious, in fact, that even Stargazer chuckled, both in amusement at them and at himself for the reaction.

We've touched more than this, my warrior, Strong Soul thought in his mind, my touch still bothers you.

It is still not something I'm used to. It does not seem proper to be so familiar in front of the others.

You think they'll think less of you if they see you showing affection?

They may question my judgment if they see how much I care for you.

You know they would follow you to the nearest sun without an enviro suit, don't you?

That doesn't mean that they can't lose that faith, Keeper.

She shook her head and just sighed. He wasn't one that she would ever expect to let her fully in outside of their private time, but even this touch was enough. It was something she was coming to understand about herself, but something she was still struggling to accept. Before she had awakened, she never found the touch of another comforting. In fact, she rarely ever sought it out, for she found it uncomfortable and distressing. But now that she could feel all the minds about her and they were all speaking in her head, the act of touching another brought with it a powerful emotion and connection that she'd not felt before. She didn't want it to end, and so she simply held Stargazer's paw in hers as they walked, feeling his discomfort ease a bit at the insistence. If it was she who was insisting, he could tolerate it.

Night Star's pleased glow radiated from behind her, and it set her even more at ease. She'd been worried at how the Mrr'tanou would take the closeness between her and Stargazer, but he had never once given her any cause to believe that he was anything other than happy for everyone involved. The love that he held for Stargazer was, while very different than what he held for her, just as strong and loyal.

The bridge came up even quicker than she would have expected and she chuckled inwardly at how deeply she'd lost herself in the thoughts of the past and the present. She'd spared not a single thought for the future, and standing outside the door to the bridge, she stopped suddenly. This was a larger victory than any that had come before, and she realized that she had no idea how to be who she needed to be in this moment. She wasn't a leader, she was just a hunter from Airgidbaille. A small Mrr'tanah, not imposing, not inspiring, not what she considered to be someone anyone would follow.

But you're already what you think, love, Night Star's comforting voice said in the back of her mind. Everyone can see that except for you. Just be you, because you are who they are following.

She turned around to look at him, regarding his soft smile and the look of pride on his face, the same look that met her gaze when it shifted to Stargazer. Both of them seemed to tower over her, each a head or more taller than she, and though she still felt small and unimposing, the feelings coming through the both of them built up her confidence even more and she turned to the hatch to palm it open, bringing to mind the image of a successful hunt.

The hatch to the bridge slid aside and Strong Soul took in the damage and the carnage. There was no time to clean up the mess that had been made when Melissa had taken her revenge, and the captain's body still lay upon the floor. Melissa, though, stood quickly when she felt the touch of Strong Souls mind and heard the door open, turning to face the hatch, the look on her face one of defiance, daring Strong Soul to say something about what had happened.

It was a challenge, and one that she couldn't back down from. If she chose that route, then it would be far more difficult to contain her Mrr'tani in the future, and that was something that she had to do, she couldn't let their emotions run through the links unchecked, at least not yet. Too many years of being subjugated to the humans had left all of them raw and ripe for the anger and rage to take them far beyond what was necessary for the fight.

Strong Soul paused in the doorway and looked over the bridge, taking in the other Mrr'tani at the stations, ensuring that the ship functioned even through the battle and the aftermath. Every one of them, though, was turned to regard her, including her guardians. Every one of them could feel the tension in the air and over the links, and they all waited to see her response.

She strode onto the bridge, her steps more confident than she felt herself, an image projected for the good of the others, though she kept the part of her mind that felt the doubt and the fear walled off from the others. All they saw and all they sensed was the sated hunger and pleased accomplishment of the huntress. This was the old Meriah, the one who took simple pleasure in the successful hunt, savoring the calm after the fight.

She didn't stop until she stood in front of Melissa, close enough to touch, muzzle tilted up to meet the girl's eyes, a sad, protective smile on her face.

"I'm so sorry, Melissa," she said, stretching out her paw to lay it against the side of Melissa's face. Her fingers light and tender, she stroked the girl's muzzle, a loving and motherly gesture. "Had I known, I would never have put you in that position."

"You did what was necessary, Keeper, and so did I."

The sheer conviction in Melissa's voice told her all she needed to know, and she nodded slowly in response. Behind the words, there was the absolute sureness of her thoughts, but there was something else, something dark and festering, something that Strong Soul couldn't afford to delve into until things were more settled.

"Perhaps there are some who deserve their fate," she said. "I don't know what he did, but for you to muster that much will to take control, it must have been something that warranted your action."

"One day, Keeper, I will tell you. But not today. Tomorrow we will remember the past. Today, we should celebrate. You have freed us, a dream that none thought would ever come true."

"From now on," Strong Soul said, nodding her agreement as she turned to the rest of the Mrr'tani on the bridge, "your fate is your own to make. I will make the same request of you that I did of every one of the Mrr'tani who fought for your freedom today. Join me in rescuing our brothers and sisters."

She padded softly across the bridge, stopping in front of another Mrr'tanou, this one's black fur shimmering against the brown spots of the Plains clan. She reached out a paw and laid it on the side of his face, just as she'd done with Melissa.

"The fight will be hard, and there is no shame in retreat. There are some who will choose to simply live their lives in freedom."

She continued her walk around the bridge, stopping on front of each and every one of the Mrr'tani present to touch and make that contact, with each stroke of fur, she felt something inside her satisfied and filled.

"Even that will not be easy, but no matter what happens, from here on out, what you do and what you choose will be your choice and yours alone. You are free, and I will die a thousand deaths before I allow any of my Mrr'tani to be taken again."

The attention was still on her as she finished her round, rapt and unbroken, but when she was finished, there was no trace of defiance, no taste of fear or trepidation. There was only the warm glow of pride and loyalty, mingled with the sharp spice of anticipation and excitement.

Her guardians had taken the ship, and now it was her victory, for she'd won the hearts of her new Mrr'tani.