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There were so many goodbyes that had to be said before they could finally depart Mss'ranaw, and Strong Soul sat in her now-familiar right hand seat in the bridge of the Mrr'tani Pride, reflecting on just how many friends she'd made in the short time they'd been aboard. She stared at the monitor in front of her, the view from the rearmost visual sensor feeding the image on the screen, and she watched the collection of hulks, ships, rocks and small craft drift away slowly until it was nothing but a speck. She couldn't help the stab of loneliness that she felt, even though the entirety of the fleet was still linked in her mind. The distance had an effect on the links, but it wasn't nearly as much as it had been before. Every Mrr'tani that she linked with seemed to strengthen the rest of the links as well, even those that were to other beings. Being surrounded by Micah once again made his link stand out just as strong as the others around her, and she could feel him just as well as any of the Mrr'tani. His logical and ordered thoughts had become a comfort to her, something she could retreat into when she was feeling overwhelmed.

"We'll be back soon, love," Night Star said, looking over her shoulder at the screen. The feelings she felt from him mirrored her own. There was the tinge of sadness at having to leave Mss'ranaw but it warred with the feeling of relief at finally being back out among the stars, someplace Night Star always believed he belonged, and after being with him for as long as she had, Strong Soul was beginning to feel the same way. Still, the thoughts of happiness at having the ship only to herself and her closest companions brought a touch of shame to her heart.

Here she was, the savior of her kind, at least as the legends told it, and some days the only thing she wanted was to get away from all of them and find a place in a tree to watch the meadow rats frolic in the sunshine.

"I know. It's still hard, leaving. I got used to helping out around there, and I feel like we're leaving them short-handed."

"I feel the same," First Spark said from behind her. "I barely had time to help them get their infirmary up and running almost as good as New Mecca's. Hope they can keep it up."

"I'm sure they'll manage, First Spark," Strong Soul said, turning in her seat to look at the young Mrr'tanah. "You're a good teacher."

"It helped that you were around. I didn't really have to teach, I just had to think with them and they learned."

"That was mostly you, First Spark," Strong Soul admitted with a smile. "You're starting to learn what you can do, and I think we're going to have an interesting time figuring out what we can do together."

"Just let me know if you're going to be doing anything that'll break the ship," Night Star said, grinning. "I know how close you and Micah are nowadays, so don't go dragging him into things."

"I would never allow the safety of the Pride to be jeopardized," Micah intoned through the speakers.

"I know, Micah, and I trust you completely," Night Star replied, then he turned to Strong Soul.

"Just don't go overpowering him. There's a lot more to your mind than you know, love."

Strong Soul nodded and reached up to turn off the monitor, switching it back to the various readouts that showed the ships overall health. All of the numbers were well in the green, and her practiced hands touched the panels quickly and efficiently, bringing up all of the readouts that she wanted to see.

Night Star watched her movements with a proud smile on her face.

"It wasn't too long ago that you didn't have any idea what any of this did. I have to admit that I lucked out getting you as my right hand girl."

"I'm a quick study," Strong Soul said, chuckling. "Are you ready to get going?"

"No time like the present," Night Star said.

Strong Soul sent a pulse of summons through her link to Stargazer and it was returned. Shortly after, he appeared at the door to the bridge, taking his navigator's seat with a tray of food that he rested on the panel between Night Star and Strong Soul.

"Learning to cook, old friend?" Night Star asked.

"Master Marcus taught me long ago," Stargazer replied. Strong Soul smiled at the feeling of good natured teasing along with the words. "If you would have listened to him when he and Mistress Susan tried to teach you, then you'd eat better than the year old ration packs that I found gathering dust in the cupboard."

"Hey, those ration packs served me perfectly well until this one here," he waved his hand at Strong Soul, "came aboard and started spoiling me with all her delicious recipes. Why do you think they're all dusty?"

Stargazer just shook his head with a chuckle and settled himself into his seat, fastening the straps around his body. The others went about doing the same. For Night Star and Strong Soul it was an easy and practiced thing, and Stargazer lent a hand to First Spark.

"Ready, love?" Night Star asked, holding his hand across the center console.

Strong Soul took it and gave a squeeze, laying her head back against the headrest. From the corner of her eyes, she saw First Spark doing the same.

"We're ready," she answered.

Strong Soul dropped the shields around her mind that she'd learned to erect so as to keep the others on Mss'ranaw from feeling too deeply inside her before she was ready. With them down, she felt Night Star's familiar presence enfolding her and First Spark like a warm blanket. As he covered her, the links began to silence, one by one going out until the only ones she could feel were the ones inside the ship. Those grew stronger and stronger until they began to merge into one strong presence, shared between the five of them.

She opened her eyes, not surprised by the multitude of pictures that appeared when she did.

I think I'm getting the hang of this, Night Star thought.

Come, Strong Soul thought to First Spark.

In her mind, she took the girl's hand and led her along the pathways, touching briefly to Stargazer's mind and then Night Star's. She could feel the wonder in First Spark at the depth of the link, something that she'd only experienced in situations that didn't give her a chance to really explore it. They were all open to each other and there was no need or want to hide anything from any of the others. They all knew each other better than any other would ever know them, so it was safe to float on the thoughts that passed between them.

It wasn't until Strong Soul led First Spark along the link to Micah that there was a sense of complete astonishment. The girl had never felt anything like the mind of the AI, and it was completely foreign to her. Though as Strong Soul guided her down the pathways that Micah sent them down, Strong Soul began to feel a sense of understanding from the girl.

This is why you're so calm, she thought, finally. There's no feeling here, just intelligence.

No, Strong Soul answered, there's plenty of feeling, you just have to know how to feel it.

She let Micah's insatiable curiosity wash over the two of them and smiled to herself. The AI was far from being an emotional being, but while he didn't feel emotion in such a way that any organic being would, it was still there. She could feel his own relief at being away from the fleet and back where he knew he was meant to be. There was the fulfillment of having his crew back aboard, the familiar beings that gave him purpose, and there was something that Strong Soul had felt before from all of the others in the ship as well. It was a feeling of caring, not just for the physical well-being of Strong Soul and the others, but an actual sense of love for the four of them. It was strongest towards Night Star, but nearly as strong for Strong Soul as well. She knew that given enough time, he would feel the same for Stargazer and First Spark, she could feel it in his mind.

She reached out with her mind and drew Night Star into the circle with her and First Spark, then Stargazer. The four of them floated in the calm and logical mindspace for what felt like hours, but they all knew was mere seconds with Micah's impeccable time sense.

Slowly, she let Stargazer and First Spark drift to the back of her mind and together, Micah, Night Star and Strong Soul let their minds each open fully to the other. Figures and equations flashed between their thoughts, trajectories and orbits that would come later, calculations for hyper wave trajectories, asteroid drift patterns, all the readings from the sensors aboard the Pride. It was too fast to consciously interpret, but she wasn't there to figure it all out. Micah was the one that was working the calculations, and they gave him more resources to do it.

She watched her hands reach out to the monitor in front of her and start tapping in commands. Night Star's were doing the same on his side of the bridge. While she plotted the jump point, he piloted the ship to reach it at a precise angle and speed so as to emerge into hyper just seconds before a wave formed that would take them almost all the way to their next destination. The ship moved as a single entity, all the parts joined and working as they should, and when they crossed the wall into hyper, there was hardly a moment that they could tell one space from another.

It wasn't like any other crossing or wave catching that Strong Soul had experienced. Everything before was simply a matter of procedure, of pulling the right levers at the right time and pushing the right buttons, catching the wave so that they didn't tear the ship apart. This, though, was something different. They crossed the wall into hyper and through one of her visions, Strong Soul saw the formation of the wave in the window in front of her just as they spun the ship to the right heading. She could feel the excitement that she always did before a hunt, the tension in her mind and her body that happened before drawing back her bow, and the thought that this was it, the moment of life and death and everything was hanging on a thread smaller than a hair's breadth.

The moment seemed to go on forever before Night Star and Strong Soul both tapped a command into their consoles. Interpreted by Micah almost immediately, the sails fixed themselves quicker than they ever had and when it was over, the ship rode the very crest of the wave, perfectly balanced to ride wherever they needed, without the loss of momentum that otherwise would have dropped them from it eventually.

I have never felt the crossing like that, Micah thought to her. Thank you.

You're welcome, Micah, she responded. I haven't either.

Efficiency increased over two hundred percent with the joining in place.

Without her link to him, she would have missed the sense of accomplishment that he felt, and the sheer rush that the fact brought him.

I'm glad I could help, she said with a smile.

Back to reality, love, Night Star said in her mind.

She nodded to him, both physically and mentally, and gradually the shade of his blanket was lifted from her mind and the five of them separated into their own bodies once again. It felt almost too small for her to fit back in, and when she was back in her seat and with her mind hers again, she gasped from the feeling that she was far too large for her skin. It was claustrophobic.

She could tell that the others were simply happy to be themselves again, and not have the others in their heads and she felt an instant of envy for the lot of them, that they felt more at home in their own bodies while she felt almost lost without the joining and the links.

Hyper wasn't nearly as quiet as it once was. She'd made too many connections along the way for it to be completely silent. She could feel the minds of some of the slave Mrr'tani aboard Allied cruisers and other ships traveling in the same space as they were. With the control she'd learned, she was able to keep them at a distance, to feel them but not let them know she was there. There was little she could gather from the links, such as where they were, but it was enough to know that they were out there. If she wanted them to feel her and know she was here, she could gather more information, but for now, she was content to merely let the links reside in her head. Though they weren't necessarily friendly, it was good to not be nearly as alone as she used to be.

"I think that crossing needs a celebration," Night Star said, his voice more cheerful than normal. "I don't think that's ever been done, crossing the wall within twenty seconds of a hyper wave forming."

"I hope it's a sign that we'll get more lucky through this," Strong Soul said. "I could do with a bit of luck."

"Luck is merely the result of one taking advantage of opportunities that may not be perceived," Stargazer said.

Strong Soul turned and looked at him, but his face was inscrutable. Then it broke and he winked quickly at her.

She smiled and shook her head, turning back around to her console.

"If we can hold this speed, we'll be and Damrok in five days. Maybe I can teach you more with the bow," she teased.

"Only if Stargazer gets to be the one that finds the arrows," Night Star said, grinning at his friend.

"I almost wish it could be longer," First Spark said.

"I think we all feel that way now," Strong Soul said. "But we're not going to do anyone any good just floating out here. We've got cargo and the more Mrr'tani we can meet, the more good we can do when the time is right."

"When the time is right? When's that, love?" Night Star asked.

"I don't know yet, but I have a feeling Catcher of Souls won't let it go by without telling me."

She turned to the plate of food that was resting between them.

"For now, though, I plan on enjoying the company and the food."

"Now that sounds like a wonderful plan," Night Star said as they started their afternoon meal together, each content and happy to be with the others, and in the back of her mind, Strong Soul felt Micah's agreement. She opened her link to him wider, enough that he could perceive her senses, letting him join in the meal through her, tasting the food and feeling the love of all of them while they rode the crest of an energy wave away from Mss'ranaw and safety towards the unknown, something that both intrigued and frightened her.