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Part 3 - Mother

Chapter 13

One week had passed, and Meriah was already sick of the inside of the hospital room. They'd made a great deal of progress on programming the software that controlled her new leg, and she was up and able to walk around with only a little difficulty. There were still times that it didn't quite respond the way that she wanted it to. They'd taught her a quick sequence of muscle movements that would mark any errors in the software so they could review them each time they hooked her back up to the machines.

Night Star opened his eyes and she smiled at him from where she paced through the sunlight coming through the window. She'd felt him coming to wakefulness, and she could also tell that Stargazer was merely resting. His mind was bright and alert in her mind, though calm and peaceful.

"Do you ever sleep, Stargazer," Night Star asked, propping himself up on one arm. His mind glowed with amusement.

Over the past week, the three of them had been working on the strength of the links as well as the strength of Strong Soul's new leg. She didn't even need to think about them any more, and the two other minds had slowly melded with hers to the point that she sometimes had to stop and focus to figure out who a particular emotion or thought belonged to. Stargazer and Night Star managed to figure out a way to sense each other as well, using Strong Soul as a conduit.

"Yes, but not nearly as deeply as you," Stargazer answered in his usual calm voice, not bothering to open his eyes.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Night Star asked.

"Just that you snore more than Steven."

Night Star pelted him with a pillow and rolled off the bed just in time for Stargazer's well-aimed throw to send it soaring back over his head.

"It's like living with a couple of kits sometimes," Strong Soul muttered, grinning at the two of them.

"Only reason you're not getting into it is because we have to take care of the injured," Night Star said with an evil grin.

"I'm starting running today," Strong Soul said, "so you should watch out. I may be participating sooner than you think."

"We look forward to it," Stargazer said, laying back down on the bed.

"Doc says that if everything looks good this afternoon after your running lesson, then you're going to be okay to leave," Night Star said. "And that's good, since we're a week behind schedule. Thankfully there's nothing that's going to rot in the hold."

"I actually miss the Pride," Strong Soul admitted, looking out the window at the city. "I'm ready to get back to her."

"You and me both, love," Night Star said. "It'll be good to be back in space. So many places to go and you don't even have to worry about gravity if you don't want to."

A knock on the door interrupted their banter and Strong Soul turned to look when she felt Morning Dawn's presence. She frowned, noticing something dark behind it, fear and frustration.

"Come in," she called, noticing Stargazer sitting up and at the ready, having felt the emotion through Strong Soul.

Morning Dawn was alone, and she closed the door tightly behind her. Her face was taut and she moved more stiffly than she had the night they'd had dinner together.

"Welcome, Morning Dawn. It's good to see you again," Strong Soul greeted.

"And you, Strong Soul. I'm afraid I haven't come for a social call."

Strong Soul's face tightened and she canted her head to the side at the tightly controlled anxiety that made itself apparent in her link with Morning Dawn.

"What's wrong?" she asked, turning to fully face the administrator. She gestured to one of the seats in the room, and walked carefully towards the other while Night Star and Stargazer sat up on the bed.

Morning Dawn pulled a small recorder from her pocket and handed it to Strong Soul. "It appears that we were a little careless," she said.

Strong Soul gave her a curious look and took the recorder. She turned it on and static sounded from the small speaker. After a moment, she heard a male voice.

"I'm telling you that you missed one," the voice said, his agitation clear.

"That's impossible," said another male voice, this one sounding much calmer and more official. "We swept Rawsss'a'Mrr'sarr three times and all the trackers said it's clear."

"You didn't feel what I did last night," the first voice said, scoffing.

"You're retired, Jackson," the official man said. "And for good reason. If we'd have listened to you, then there wouldn't be any of your kind left to investigate. You're seeing Mothers around every corner and in every single female you meet. Well, those that wouldn't sleep with you at any rate."

"You need to listen to me," Jackson said. "I've felt the links before, but this was something completely different. It's like I was only feeling the edge of it, and even that was stronger than I've ever felt. If you don't come look at this, then you're going to have a lot of problems down the road."

"Fine. We'll send a tracker. But you know the deal, Jackson. We're not paying for information unless it pans out. We find a Mother there, then you'll get your usual fee."

"Yes, yes. You're going to be giving me much more when you realize what's here, Faylen."

"You better hope that there actually is something there, Jackson. Otherwise I may just see if the council wants to dissect a paranoid Mrr'tani."

The recording ended with the click of a disconnected comm. Strong Soul looked at the device in her hand for a long moment, thoughts racing. When she looked up, she could see the same thoughts running across Stargazer and Night Star's faces.

"This is actually a little bit of good news," Morning Dawn said. "They said they're going to have to send trackers. That means there aren't any here in Rawsss'a'Mrr'sarr at the moment, except for this 'Jackson.'"

"Who is he?" Strong Soul asked.

"We haven't been able to answer that question yet. Rest assured that if we do, then we'll make sure that he doesn't send any more messages to anyone."

"Where's the nearest they could be sending a tracker from?" Night Star asked.

"That's the problem. There's a Allied ship just one system over. We didn't get wind of this recording until last night. It took time for our analysts to get through the traffic that we monitor, and this wasn't something that flagged a high priority. Usually we let Frr'a'narr'ahn deal with their own issues and stay out of it."

"Thank you for letting us know," Stargazer said. "It seems we were right to trust you, even more than we thought."

"I'll help as much as I can, Stargazer. But this was sent the day after our dinner, and if they sent a tracker out on the first available boat, then he probably arrived on the courier boat that just docked at the station," Morning Dawn said. The thread of thought ran fast across the link and Strong Soul knew she was running some kind of plan in her head.

"We know he is here, that gives us an advantage," Night Star said. "If we just sit here, then we're going to have problems. I say we get moving as soon as we can."

"What about Strong Soul's training?" Stargazer asked. "She is unable to run. Can we get her to the ship and out of the system in the condition she is in?"

"Looks like we're going to have to try," Strong Soul said.

"I've already spoken to the doctors," Morning Dawn said. "They gave me a copy of your training program and I also had one of them deliver the necessary equipment to the Mrr'tani Pride to make any necessary adjustments to the software. You shouldn't need much more than basic fine tuning now, from what they say, so if you follow their instructions, you'll be able to run in no time."

She handed a small chip to Night Star and then stood.

"This is how we're going to do it," she said finally. "We are all going to be taking a trip to the station. You'll ride with me in my own boat."

"How does that help?" Strong Soul asked. "Won't they be searching people coming and going in the station?"

"The Azani Winter has diplomatic immunity from the Avalon government. I can come and go as I please, and they don't bother me. They like to keep the free Mrr'tani happy here, at least as much as they can."

"In that case," Night Star said, "let's get going. Don't want to be stuck on the fifth floor of a hospital if the tracker shows up."

Between the four of them, they were able to get Strong Soul out of the hospital and loaded into Morning Dawn's car. Bright Heart was already waiting in the back seat, and the window was up between the driver and the rear compartment.

"Hello again, Strong Soul," he said with a nod when she slid inside.

She was still marveling at her leg doing mostly what she wanted it to, something that she would have never thought of prior to the last week.

"It's good to see you again, Bright Heart," she said, scooting over to make room for the others. "Are you coming with us, then?"

"Sadly, no," he replied. "My duties keep me here for now."

"I'm not giving up my best chief of staff for anyone," Morning Dawn said with a grin and a flicker of her whiskers. "Don't go trying to steal him like you stole Stargazer."

"I didn't-" Strong Soul started and then she blushed. "I didn't mean to offend."

"Nonsense, Strong Soul. I'm joking with you."

She shook her head, saying nothing, but a smile formed on her face.

"Leave my first officer alone, Morning Dawn," Night Star chided, closing the door behind him as he and Stargazer got themselves settled.

"It's good she has protectors," Morning Dawn said. "She's going to need you two eventually."

Morning Dawn reached up and tapped on the divider and the car started moving. Strong Soul watched out the window as they went, letting her mind wander from the current stress.

What would her life be like, if she was just another of the free Mrr'tani here, going about her business. She wouldn't have to worry about trackers or gifts or any of this. But it wouldn't have been that way, anyway. She'd still be on Silverwell, none the wiser about her people.

And you wouldn't have met me, Night Star said in her mind with a pulse of amusement and love.

She reached beside her and squeezed his hand and held it through the trip to the spaceport.

Uniformed Mrr'tani cleared the way for the car when it arrived and the driver pulled expertly up to the door, close enough that with the rear door open, there was only a couple centimeters distance between the vehicle door and the automatic door leading into the building.

One uniformed and lightly armored Mrr'tanou opened the door and then stood back, turning to scan the area to the front of the car while a tall and thick Mrr'tanah in the same uniform and armor watched to the rear, their bodies forming a corridor between the vehicle and the spaceport entrance.

Morning Dawn was the first out of the car and Night Star nudged Strong Soul to follow her. She stepped out close on Morning Dawn's heels and Stargazer slid out close behind her. With his hand on her shoulder, he followed the two Mrr'tanahn through the corridor made by the administrator's security personnel. Bright Heart and Night Star brought up the rear with Night Star's practiced eyes watching the whole group.

Strong Soul could feel the tension through all of them and it pressed at the back of her head. She shrugged her shoulders and tried to release a little of the tension, but with all of them radiating it through their minds and their action, she couldn't stop the fur from rising on the back of her neck, nor could she quell the feeling that someone was watching her.

Slowly, though, the feeling started to dim, along with all the others and once again, she started to numb to the feelings around her. It was almost unnoticeable until she tried to nudge Stargazer through the link. When she did, the response was muffled and then non-existent.

She turned to look at Night Star and when she did, she realized that her link with him was still just as bright as always.

How are you so bright? she thought at him.

Our Mrr'ouwff is on a different level than the others, he replied. I couldn't dampen it if I wanted to. You're stuck with me, love.

Strong Soul clung to the one remaining link and kept walking, trying to pretend that everything was fine and that she wasn't suddenly deaf and blind to a world that she'd gotten used to.

Ahead of them a sharply-dressed Mrr'tanou with a spotted brown and grey fur approached Morning Dawn.

"Administrator," he said, nodding respectfully, "Your stationside detail has been activated and they'll meet you in the docking bay. The Azani Winter is prepping now, and she'll be ready to fly in an hour. Would you and your guests care to wait in the lounge?"

"Please, Stone Catcher," Morning Dawn said. "My usual table will be fine."

"This way, please," he said, turning towards the spaceport lounge.

Strong Soul noticed that as he turned, his eyes scanned the rest of them, lingering for a moment on Night Star and her. She wanted nothing more in that moment than to be able to feel what he was, to tell if she needed to worry.

This is maddening, she thought to Night Star. It's like I'm missing more than just my leg.

Right now, the only people I trust were in the car. Sorry, love but I've got to keep it shut down. You don't have enough control yet, and we can't afford to be found out.

I know, Strong Soul replied, it doesn't make it any more pleasant.

Night Star laughed and pulled her hand back into his, smiling down at her. She turned her head and grinned back, trying to look like nothing more than his mate and lover.

The lounge was quieter than she would have expected, though it was busier than the one she'd visited with Marcus on Silverwell. Two more large, armored Mrr'tani stood guard at a table near the rear entrance, the table the group eventually arrived and sat around.

"You're guests of the colony tonight, so eat what you like," Morning Dawn said. "After all, you'll be stuck on that rusty old ship for a while, and who knows what you'll have to eat?"

"You should come and try Strong Soul's cooking," Night Star said, grinning at her. "She can even make ration packs taste like good old home cooking."

"Maybe next time," she said, then turned her attention to Strong Soul. "I did have some things sent up while you were in the hospital, Strong Soul. I think you'll enjoy them."

A chime sounded and shortly after one of the guards' comms beeped. He pulled it off his belt and spoke into it, then turned to Morning Dawn.

"The one you asked about is on the shuttle that is unloading now, administrator."

"Very well, do as I asked," she said. Strong Soul couldn't feel her emotion, but she didn't need to with the tightening of Morning Dawn's face.

The guard nodded and then motioned to another and they marched out of the room.

"Dare I ask?" Night Star said, the amusement just as clear on his face as it was across the joining.

"Just a customs problem," Morning Dawn said with a wicked grin. "Nothing to be concerned about. Can't have people smuggling things into Rawss, now can we?"

"You know that's going to cause all kinds of trouble with the AP, right?"

"I'll deal with it. By the time he can make his protests to the right people, you three will be far gone. And we've had a problem with someone smuggling in Taka leaf, anyway. It's well documented."

Strong Soul's ear rose a bit when Morning Dawn gave Night Star a pointed look.

"Couldn't imagine who would do something like that," Night Star said with a sarcastic smile as he settled back in the chair and raised his glass to his lips.

"Whoever it is should be happy that the customs agents have yet to turn up any evidence of it," Morning Dawn said. "However, whoever it is will owe the station commander another batch, seeing as how his small stash has ended up on a certain tracker."

"They don't give you enough credit for your network, Morning Dawn," Night Star laughed. "I'm sure that the dastardly deviant will ensure that Steve gets what he needs."

"I'm sure," Morning Dawn muttered.

Through the whole exchange, Strong Soul leaned against Stargazer and listened. It was the banter of old friends, and nothing was amiss. Hope started to rise in her chest, replacing the stress and fear that had made itself resident there since she heard the recording in her room.

Food and drink arrived shortly after and they dug in with only a moment's hesitation. The food was simple, things that Rose used to cook when she was feeling in the mood for an easy day, but they were tasty and filling. From the way that the others were eating, Strong Soul figured they didn't have time to sit around and really enjoy the meal.

A comm beeped in one guard's pocket and he listened in for a moment.

"The Azani Winter is prepped and ready, Administrator," he said, sliding it back into his pocket.

"In that case," Morning Dawn said, standing, "it's time we got you all to your ship. We've been lollygagging about for long enough here."

"Couldn't agree more," Night Star said.

Strong Soul stood with the rest of them and followed Night Star out of the lounge with Stargazer beside her. Even though she couldn't feel the minds of the others with her, she felt secure next to him. There was a sense about him, even without the link that told her she was safe.

The Azani Winter was bigger than the shuttle they'd come down on, and when Strong Soul got a good look at her, it looked like she was well cared for. A human man in the uniform of the Stellar Traffic Control service was speaking amiably with a short, compact Mrr'tanou by the ramp that led into the craft. The Mrr'tanou wore the same uniform as the administrator's guards, but without all the armor that bulked them up. As they approached, he looked up and bowed slightly.

"Administrator," he said, "we can leave whenever you like."

"Then let's go," Morning Dawn answered. "I have things that need doing on the station."

The pilot gestured to the ramp and bowed again as Morning Dawn took the invitation and made her way up the ramp. Looking around, Strong Soul couldn't help but feel that their party was just a little too big for what was going on, and the knowledge that while the administrator needed security, the detail was mostly for her protection, made her feel more presumptuous than anything else.

Night Star chuckled from ahead of her and then stood aside in the doorway as she passed.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it. At least once we're back on the Pride, you'll only have to deal with me and Stargazer."

"I know," Strong Soul admitted, shaking her head with a grin. "I'm just having trouble getting used to all the trouble people put themselves to for me."

"Might as well accept that you're special, love," Night Star said, putting a hand on her shoulder and guiding her to a seat. "At least for now, you're not going to be able to get away from it unless you get away from every Mrr'tani in the galaxy."

Strong Soul sat and fastened the harness that was hanging from the seat.

"Besides," Night Star said, "you've already had solid proof that people want to kill you. Just humor us, okay?"

She nodded. "Alright, Night Star. Just promise me that you're not going to treat me any different on the Pride."

"Wouldn't dream of it. You're my first officer, after all, and there's still a lot for you to learn."

Strong Soul nodded and looked to her other side as Stargazer buckled himself in. It made her mildly claustrophobic to have the two Mrr'tanoun so close to either side, but she understood and took some calming breaths. She tried to remind herself that this was a different shuttle than the one that had crashed.

"The Azani Winter was built as a transport for heads of state, Strong Soul," Stargazer explained. "There is much more armor and more redundant systems on her than in a standard cargo shuttle. There is nothing to worry about."

Strong Soul raised an eyebrow and her good ear at him, straining against Night Star's dampening effect to touch his mind. With a strenuous effort, she was able to pierce the blanket for a moment and send a spike of gratitude before the veil of the void slipped back over her mind. She was rewarded with a gentle smile.

The ramp slid into its housing and the door closed, sealing them away from the outside. Soon afterward, a voice came over the intercom.

"Welcome aboard the Azani Winter, administrator and guests. I'm Wind Glider and I will be ferrying you to Avalon station. We will boost in five minutes and our flight time to the station is twenty minutes. Please ensure your harnesses are fastened for the boost."

Strong Soul gave Night Star a look of annoyance when he reached over and double checked her harness and she was rewarded with a chuckle. "Relax, love. Just making sure that you're safe is all. We've already had one shuttle drop out from underneath us."

Strong Soul shook her head and then laid back against the headrest, remembering the gravity that was generated with the Pride took off from Silverwell. With her head tilted to the side, she could see the bare stone lanes of the spaceport and at the very edge, she could see the forest they'd trekked through to get to Rawsss'a'Mrr'sarr. Somewhere out there lay two dead humans and a Mrr'tani traitor. Her eyes blurred a bit when she realized that she'd killed two men so far, both of them hunting for her and a very immediate danger to her and her friends and family. The knowledge that she was defending herself was a slight comfort, but both of them weighed heavily on her.

"Are you well, Strong Soul?" Stargazer asked, noticing the look on her face.

She shook herself and forced her thoughts back to where they came from in the back of her mind. "Yes, Stargazer, I'm fine. Just wondering if this is what it's going to be like from now on."

"You'll be safe on the Pride, Strong Soul," he said, quite sure of himself.

"I'm not meant to be on a ship all my life, Stargazer. I grew up in the forest, and I just don't feel whole without at least a little bit of sky above my head. I've got to come off the ship sometime."

"When you do, you will have Night Star and myself by your side."

Strong Soul nodded and then settled in to her seat with a murmured "thank you," wanting to talk further, but she didn't want to have a discussion about such things in front of outsiders. Morning Dawn and Bright Heart might be linked to her and they might be helping her, but she didn't consider them family as she did Night Star and Stargazer. There wasn't quite the same depth to the links.

The liftoff wasn't as bad as the one that took her off Silverwell, something that she figured was owing to the craft being much smaller. There was less of a feeling of weight as well, though the weight on her heart seemed to increase as they lifted from the planet. Night Star squeezed her hand and looked down at her.

"It's not your fault, love," he said. "Life deals us a hand and we have to play it. You just got dealt a hand of wild cards."

"What happens when you don't know how to play the game?" she asked.

"Well, that's what you have friends for, to teach you the rules and the strategy." He flashed her his most winning grin, and despite her feelings over the deaths at her hands and the deep set fear that somehow they'd screw up and everything would come unraveled, she felt a warmth inside her. When she realized that the warmth had little to do with the events of the day and far more to do with the Frr'a'narr'ou sitting next to her, it traveled outwards and she felt it coloring her cheeks.

"Old Stargazer and I have been playing this game for a while now, and if you listen to us and let us help you, I think you've got a real chance of winning with that oddball hand of yours."

Strong Soul ducked her head and tried to stammer out a reply, not exactly sure what it was that she was going to say. Thankfully, she was interrupted by Stargazer.

"Look, Strong Soul," he said quietly, pointing out the window.

She leaned over his lap and looked through the window. They were high enough now that she couldn't see the trees, only the forest as a blanket of green. A long way out, the multi-shaded green canopy of the forest was broken by a long, burnt scar and at the end of the scar she could just barely make out the atmospheric control fin of their shuttle.

"No one has recovered it?" she asked.

"No. The forest will reclaim it more than likely," Stargazer said. "It will provide a home for some of the creatures."

"Will they at least find the pilot?"

"Yes, he has been taken to Elysium. The humans have their own rituals, much different than ours. He will be mourned by his own kind."

"Good," Strong Soul said, pulling her eyes away from the sight of the wreck that almost killed her. She lay her hands in her lap and clasped them tightly against the shaking that the sight had started in them. Yet another memory that she didn't want.

"You were very lucky," Bright Heart said, turning away from his window as well. "Not many could have landed that as he did."

"We had two very good pilots," Strong Soul said, looking up with a smile at Night Star. "I just wish that both of them would have been able to come with us."

She let her eyes wander back to the seat in front of her and her mind drift. The remainder of the trip was quiet, with only hushed conversations between them. None of it was important to Strong Soul, though. It was all superficial chit chat and small talk, and none of it had any bearing on what was going on. She wanted to pull Morning Dawn aside and ask all the questions that she had, or perhaps just scream and let loose of Night Star's tight hold on her mind, but she knew that to do that would be the worst thing she could do. There was no guarantee that the Azani Winter was free of listening devices, and the tracker they were trying to avoid would notice a massive surge like the one she'd let loose at Morning Dawn's home.

All she could really do was to sit there quietly and listen to the conversations going on around her, something she wasn't used to doing at all. The others seemed content to let her have her quiet, though, and after a few minutes, all the noise faded into the background. She laid her head back on the headrest and let her eyes close, drifting in what used to be her preferred state, her mind quiet and observing.

She felt Night Star's easy mental caress just seconds before the pilot made the announcement of their docking at the station. She opened her eyes and made ready and when they were finally landed, she left again behind Morning Dawn, this time with Bright Heart and Stargazer between her and two hulking Mrr'tanou in armor. Night Star, as always, stood by her side.

A human with his own armed escort stood by the hatch between the docking bay and the station, and Strong Soul stiffened when she saw how intently he watched them.

Something's wrong, she thought to Night Star.

Customs, he replied, looking supremely unconcerned. She could tell, though, that he was far from unworried.

Morning Dawn, however, seemed less concerned than any of them and without breaking her stride in the slightest, she led the group straight to the door, only stopping when the two armed humans turned and stiffened and the third blocked their way.

The lead human, a larger male with a darker skin color than Strong Soul was used to seeing, straightened as well. He stood a few centimeters shorter than Morning Dawn, though he didn't seem to be bothered. He glared at Morning Dawn defiantly and Strong Soul noticed the other men fingering their weapons.

"I'm here on business," Morning Dawn said. "The station commander is expecting me."

"Everyone gets searched, kitty," the man said, glaring.

Strong Soul wasn't the only one who drew a shocked breath at the term. No one she'd met had ever been as forthright with their feelings.

Morning Dawn squared her shoulders and raised her head, looking even more official and regal than she had.

"Step aside, sergeant," she said, voice full of command. "This group is with me and has diplomatic immunity on board this station."

"Don't think so, missy," the sergeant replied, his voice still dripping with disdain. "That only works with the softies that run this place. I ain't no Avalonian."

The man put more animosity into the last word than he had even when he was talking to the Mrr'tani. Strong Soul didn't need her other senses to tell what he thought of the other humans on this world.

"The Allied Planets recognizes the non-aggression treaty with Avalon, and as such must accord the same respect to every head of state on this world. Are you prepared to start a war, sergeant?" Bright Heart interjected, giving time for Morning Dawn to calm down.

"Ain't my concern, tom," the soldier said, looking the professionally-dressed Bright Heart up and then back down like a curiosity in a museum. "Got a missing tracker and last we heard he went down to check out a shuttle crash."

Strong Soul stiffened and Night Star let go of her hand, freeing it and giving her an easy path to her weapon.

"Seems a few of your kittens there fell out of the basket."

"I don't care who you are or who you represent, sergeant," Morning Dawn said through lips drawn back over bared fangs, "but you will address this group with the proper respect due a retinue of a head of state."

"I ain't gotta do nothin', kitty," the sergeant said.

The guards behind him raised their weapons and trained them on Bright Heart and Night Star. Strong Soul bared her fangs and her hand started to wrap around her blade until she felt Stargazer's hand on her shoulder.

She turned to look at him and saw him focused on something else behind the guards. When she turned to look, she saw Steven hurrying down the corridor with a squad of station marines in tow.

"Sergeant Martinez!" he bellowed. "What in the four hells do you think you're doing to my guests?"

Martinez's eyes widened and he spun around to face the irate station commander.

"You stay the hell out of this, furlover," he said. The two guards with him turned to face the hall, weapons still at the ready.

The marines stopped and raised their rifles as well, confronted with the threat and time seemed to slow for Strong Soul as she watched the two groups facing each other.

Steven's eyes narrowed and he stepped forward until his rotund belly touched the fit and trim Martinez. "This is my damn station, and if you're going to disregard my orders, my marines are going to blast your men full of holes and then stuff you all out an airlock."

Martinez puffed his chest up and his face turned a beet red beneath the dark brown skin. "You have no authority-" he started.

"I have every authority!" Steven shouted over him. "Interstellar charter section four thirteen clearly defines a space station as being under the exclusive and entire control of the commanding officer. In case you didn't know, Martinez, that's me."

"You're Avalonian, not AP, Kasswell."

"Regardless," Steven said, smirking, "I have marines. You will allow these Mrr'tani to go about their business according to the treaty or I'll lock you in the brig until I can send you packing with an official letter of protest. Your choice."

Martinez stood and looked to be considering his options, but finally he tapped the other two on the shoulder. "Stand down. We'll let the Colonel handle it."

Strong Soul breathed a sigh of relief when the two soldiers complied and lowered their weapons. The marines did the same and the tension in the air ratcheted down.

"Stand aside, Sergeant," Steven said as he beckoned Morning Dawn through.

She noticed the longer than average look Martinez gave her as she followed Morning Dawn between the armed humans. She'd seen the look more than once since she found out who she was, and she knew that she couldn't slip up at all with the scrutiny she knew she was under.

She put on her best nonchalant face and followed behind Bright Heart with Night Star at her side, not even daring to look at the guards or Martinez again. It wasn't until the group was safely around the bend that she allowed herself to look up to Night Star.

She felt his relief mixed with concern for his friend, and when he felt her increased attention, he reached out and took her hand again to give it a squeeze.

"I think we're leaving just in time," he said quietly.

"Almost left it until too late," Morning Dawn agreed.

Strong Soul's eyes lit up and even the confrontation in the corridor couldn't keep the happy feeling away when the docking bay door opened and she saw the Mrr'tani Pride sitting there waiting for them.

"I still don't know how you haven't died flying around in that rust bucket," Morning Dawn said to Night Star with a grin.

"I think she's beautiful," Strong Soul said, smiling. She laughed at the look on Night Star's face and his wave of approval glowed in her mind as she passed Morning Dawn and led the way to the lowered ramp.

"Welcome home, Meriah," Micah's deep voice said when she waved her hand over the entry scanner.

"Thank you, Micah," she said, smiling even wider at the welcome.

She paused just inside the hatch and looked around her. "I'm afraid Meriah died in a shuttle crash, though," she said. "I'm Strong Soul."

"I see," Micah said. "In that case, welcome home Night Star and welcome home Strong Soul."