(Four hours later...)

"Holy shit..." Boreas hissed as we limped off the Ravager, "Next time we find ourselves embroiled in a full-blown conflict, remind me to not be on board your ship."

"I'll keep that in mind," I muttered, watching as a small white and golden shuttle landed beside my vessel. A few moments later, Baroness Vlahos, Jackson, Ralph, and Emily disembarked the ship.

"Well, I'll be damned," Jack began as he approached and embraced me, "We survived."

"Indeed we did," I replied, "And we didn't experience crippling losses, right?"

"From the rough estimates so far, thirty pilots lost their lives today," Andromeda answered, "This number takes into consideration both the Guildmaster's pilots along with my own, so it could have been worse."

"Indeed it could have been," Vik replied, manifesting beside me, "If it were not for your drone carriers providing an adequate distraction, I doubt anyone would have been able to deal any significant damage to the Federation flagships."

"Well, I am glad they  served their purpose," she began, a small smile adorning her features as we made our way out of the hanger, "I believe the main saving grace were the two God-Breakers."

"I meant to launch one, but my partner Boreas bumped into me when my ship was shot by an enemy vessel," I explained.

"Why were you up in the first place?" Andromeda prompted the sheepish hacker.

"Erm–well, I was trying to see if there was an alternative to using a dangerous explosive on our target," he managed to get out, "It wasn't the brightest idea to walk around my partner's ship while we were in the middle of a firefight, but oh well. We survived, and that's what matters!"

"Yeah!" Alex chirped, causing everyone to chuckle in kind.

Once we left the small hanger, we went to the Waypoint gate my crew and I had originally gone through and appeared back in the Baroness' throne room.

"Well, I must say this whole operation went better than intended," she began, meandering over to her throne as she spoke.

"Well, I hope my lot and I didn't disappoint," I replied, taking my helmet, "I'm just relieved we weren't reduced to space rubble."

"I concur," Andromeda said as she took a seat. She looked at Vik and continued, "I take it you helped your host survive?"

"You truly are daft," Vi'karac shot back, "You must've lost your husband if you believe I merely think of Cylus as my 'host.' We have fought side-by-side countless times before, and he has proven his might as a warrior. For your information, everything Cylus did was of his own volition. He is not my puppet."

As expected, Andromeda was deeply thrown off by Vi'karac's hostility.

"You...cretin," she hissed, slowly rising to her feet, "You dare bring my husband into this matter? He died protecting his home–his people!"

"And yet his passing haunts your every waking moment," Vik pointed out, "To my people, we celebrate the deaths of our brothers and sisters not to glorify death itself, but to honor their deeds. When one is so thoroughly disarrayed from the death of a loved one, it destroys them. Honor your husband, Andro'medara. Do not curse those who wronged you–it will only lead to more pain and suffering."

"What would you understand about this? Hmm?"

A sad light entered his flawless eyes. "I tell you this because I am still being torn apart myself. The person I lost was named Ki'aras, and she was felled by my hand. The Twilight King ordered me to stab her when he learned of our affair, and that day has stuck with me since then. Even now, I wish nothing but the worst for Sal'Kahnak, and I will see to it personally that he pays for his transgressions against the Darka'ash. Do not wind up like me, Baroness–do not be consumed by your hatred and bitterness. Would your husband wish for you to be like this?"

"No..." she breathed, a guttered light entering her gaze.

At this point, Vik had appeared before the sovereign. "Forgive me for my contempt, Baroness. I...grow irate with people who do not understand how bonds between Darka'ash and another being work. We do not control our host, nor does our host control us. It is a mutual agreement between both parties, and we help each other in the long run."

"I...see.  Forgive me for my insolence," Andromeda murmured, hanging her head in shame, "I have not been the best–not only to you, but to the rest of your crew. I do genuinely appreciate your help, and you can count on my people and I to back you up in your fight against the Federation."

Vik nodded and faded away. A few moments later, he appeared back at my side and shot me a sly wink.

I rolled my eyes and tried to slug the Darka'ash. Unfortunately, my fist went straight through him.

Andromeda's laughter could be heard, and I turned to regard her.

"My, you certainly are unorthodox, Vi'karac."

A deep chuckle rumbled in his chest. "I am not like the rest of my people. All I can hope to do is free them from their bonds."

An unreadable expression lingered on the sovereign's face. "Their bonds?"

"To the Twilight King, his subjects are little more than assets to him when they are anything but. The Darka'ash may have been subjugated since the beginning of our existence, but I wish to show them that they do not have to blindly follow their ruler."

"That certainly is an admirable goal," she murmured, "Maybe then, our people wouldn't be at each others throats."

"One can hope," Vik mused, slowly disappearing, "For now, let us act."

Once he disappeared, I cleared my throat, "Unless there is anything else you need us to do, my group and I will be heading back to our base on Sylkiir V."

"Before you leave, I would like to send three squadrons of my fighters with you," Andromeda said, "They will help defend your base, and my fellow Ae'siiri will get used to co-existing with other beings."

"I take it they're not used to being around other species?" Alannah inquired.

"While Terrans and other species have resided on Ivoralis, my people typically keep to themselves. There are Ae'siirian healers who go out and help the less fortunate, but the greater majority of them do not interact with other beings."

"Well, this is a win-win for the both of us then!" Boreas chirped.

Andromeda chuckled. "Indeed it is, Boreas Octavius. Indeed it is."

. . .

(Seven hours later...)

"Sweet mother of god, I never thought I'd say I missed this frozen popsicle of a planet," Boreas mused after we landed back at our base on Sylkiir V.

I chuckled and patted my friend on the back after I rose from my seat. "I don't blame you, man. For as inhospitable as this planet can seem, it's still home."

"Home," he echoed while he, Alannah, and I walked back into the cargo hold, "What a strange feeling, eh? It's been a few months since we've hung out on a planet for more than a couple days."

"No kidding," Alannah replied, huffing to herself, "Some days, I miss my little store...I hope I can open up another shop someday soon."

I wrapped an arm around my wife's torso and held her close, "After we're done with the Federation, we can open a store."

Ali grinned like a little kid, and I ruffled her hair while we walked off my ship.

The various workers who tended to the airfield we just landed in gawked at the flawless gold and white ships as well as the equally-flawless pilots who climbed out of their vessels.

"I see you got back, Jack," Tyr commented as he ambled over to us, "Who are your friends?"

"They're allies, Tyr," Jackson replied, "I'll explain later. For now, let's help them settle down."

As one would expect, the Ae'siiri pilots were confused and more than a little flustered when they noticed all of the people staring at them.

"Wh-What are they looking at?" one of them inquired.

"They are looking at you and your comrades," Vi'karac answered, manifesting beside me, "Worry not, they will adapt to you soon enough. For now, follow Cylus and Jackson. They will show you to your rooms."

A few of the Ae'siiri appeared to be uneasy, but they all nodded regardless.

An hour later, our guests were properly settled down. When we were sure they needed nothing else, my crew migrated to the mess hall for some much-needed grub.

"Here's hoping we don't find ourselves in another full-blown space battle in the foreseeable future..." Alex grumbled once everyone had sat down with their trays of food.

"You know, I can't help but agree with that sentiment," I chimed in, shaking my head as I took my helmet off and set it beside my food, "I probably got a few gray hairs in my beard dealing with Silva's fleet."

Alannah leaned toward me and studied my facial hair closely. A few moments later, she sat up straight and rolled her eyes. "Still black as night. No need to worry, silly."

I snorted. "Hey, gotta be careful. I'm not my spry and energetic twenty year old self. As our lovable son loves to point out, I'm an old man."

"Please, you're not that old," she countered.

I could only offer a helpless shrug. "I dunno what to tell you, mijn sintel. It's just a miracle you haven't broken me yet."

"You are welcome," Vik chimed in while my wife giggled to herself.

"Okaaay, too much information, you two," Boreas drawled, cringing in response.

"I'm just glad I don't share a room with my parents," Alex grumbled, "I'd probably suffocate myself with my pillow if I had to deal with their bedroom antics."

Alannah and I exchanged a worried glance while Boreas sighed. "I tried, man. I really tried to keep him innocent. However, you and Ali fuck way too much. It's a bloody miracle she isn't pregnant yet. It's hard to keep the kid in the dark when you both are frequently absent."

"Okay, I could've lived my whole life without hearing that," Jackson said, rising from his seat, "I'm going to go lay in bed and rethink my life's decisions. If anyone hears muffled screaming, don't worry about it. All you need to know is that I'm not killing anyone."

With that, he walked off.

"Is...he going to be okay?" Emily inquired in a small voice. She had been listening to the conversation up to this point, and I couldn't fault her for being more than a little flustered.

"Yeah, Jack will be fine," I assured her, "My crew has the tendency to overwhelm him with our sheer stupidity."

"At least I'm somewhat sane," Ralph murmured, only to look up and smile when Damien stood beside him.

"Compared to your elder brother, you are perfectly sane," Alannah replied, "Boreas is the definite of a functioning maniac."

"You're not wrong there," Ralph replied, rising from his seat, "Well, I'm going to go walk around for a bit. See you guys later."

After he left, I relaxed with the rest of my crew. To my surprise, Vik actually made himself visible and joined in on the conversation.

"Huh, and here I thought I couldn't be surprised by your antics, Vi'karac," Alannah mused, propping her head up with one arm and leaning forward ever so slightly.

"I aim to impress," he answered, mirroring her gesture with a twinkle in his eyes.

"You've taught him too much, Cylus," she breathed, shaking her head in disbelief, "He's mimicking the phrases you say on a daily basis."

"Hmm, how did that saying go..." Ah yes: monkey see, monkey do," Vik replied, loosing a wispy laugh in response, "I have had to learn how to interact with Terrans, and Cylus has been my primary example since I'm bonded to him. It might be unintentional, but yes, I sometimes mimic him on occasion." 

"...I guess I can't argue with that," Alannah finally managed to say, "Is it me, or did you actually bond a little with Baroness Vlahos?"

Vik rolled his eyes. "I know how your romantic-oriented brain works, Alannah Haze. Do not get the wrong idea: I have a mutual respect for the Baroness, but I doubt I can feel anything more than that."

A giggle escaped my wife. "Yeah, and Jackson doesn't have a thing for blondes."

"What is your point in this line of reasoning?"

"Never say die, my dear Vik," was all she said in response with a smug grin on her face.

While the poor Darka'ash continued to voice his confusion, I leaned back and watched the madness unfold.

Never a dull moment passes by when I'm with this group of nuts...

-End of Act II-