The pounding in Sal’s head had subsided as he made his way over to a viewing lounge on the port side of Fifth Spoke. His mind still reeling from his conversation with Titus, Sal was looking forward to something a bit lighter with his best friend. Facing the window into space sat Abel, shirt open to reveal his chest, and smiling without a care in the world. Upon seeing his friend, he stood up as they bumped fists together.

  “So, man, how was the boss?” Abel grinned at Sal’s cringing upon reflection of the meeting.

  “Well, it was certainly something. A whole lot to chew on, that’s for sure.”

  “Ah well, I wish everything in life could be as simple as an arcade cabinet or an episode of ‘Chrome Mecha’, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles, eh?”

  Sal hummed in agreement. Staring out into the void, the blaring orange star took up most of the view. Across its surface great streams of plasma whipped around, the surface pulsing and writhing like some dying snake. Initially, after seeing the star from closer up after settling in, Sal had entertained the idea that the star was worryingly close to supernova, and that no colony would ever be viable in the system. Now though, Sal speculated that the Cambiar were already using its power to charge whatever wormhole technology they had.

  “Well, how is Xeena doing?” Abel said, raising and eyebrow.

  “Good, good. She’s been getting me to pick out clothes from the archives to see what different styles she likes. Got a bit disappointed when most shorts she got back from the workshops still only had two leg holes, and no space for her tail to stick through.”

  “Ha! Pippa felt the same way, but after she got her fifth pair of messed up jeans, she’s sticking with skirts.”

  “Heh, fair enough.” Sal paused. “Wait, Pippa? Is that your partnered Cambiar? The little one?”

  “Y-yeah! We’ve been getting on really well!”

  Pippa, Pippa, Pippa… Abel had said that name sometime in the past but when? Abel saw Sal’s deep concentration and awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.

  “Look, why don’t I grab us some drinks. I’ll be back in-“

  “Wait, you ass. I remember. Pippa… you said back in the Recon Fleet, after that first mission we had together that you had a whole bunch of names planned out for the future. Names for when you got the family you always wanted. Now, you said a whole lot of names that day, and most of them I forgot… but Pippa?”

  Sal locked eyes with the huge man, who shook from his friend’s icy glare.

  “Pippa was the name you wanted to give your firstborn daughter. That I remember clear as day. Abel, tell me now, and be careful – we’re part of a first contact mission, so things are delicate. Did you, or did you not, name your goddamn alien partner after your planned daughter?” Sal’s voice was bordering on yelling.

  “L-look man! Don’t get pissy! Let me explain.”

  “Oh, you better explain it well.” Sal clicked his tongue and involuntarily cracked his knuckles. “After all the shit we gave Stannock, at least his alien’s just copying the prick. And maybe sleeping with him. Not sure on that. But you… what is your game? Is she some stupid joke to you?”

  Abel sighed, as if hoping it would relieve some of Sal’s tension as well as his own. “Ok, here’s the deal. So, Pippa, you’ve seen she’s a bit small? Well, turns out, she lied about her age when applying to the Partner Program. Didn’t even know Cambiar could lie. She’s technically still a juvenile, only ten months old. However, she said she really wanted to meet a human, and that if she waited too long, she was worried she’d miss out, ok?”

  “And the name?”

  “Well, we talked for a while, and she couldn’t come up with anything. We chatted, I brought it up, kind of as a joke, and she liked it. I did mention where I was planning to use it, but she seemed fine with it.”

  “Ok.” Sal’s simmering began to cool. “Ok, fine. But she’s still a kid, right? So, what exactly is your deal with her?”

  “Ok, so she never got a chance to meet her parent, or whatever their equivalent is, so I said I’d do my best to teach her all the family stuff that Cambiar don’t know about. I… wouldn’t exactly say she sees me as a father figure, but I hope I can help her out, y’know? To teach her what I think are good values and the like. Nothing weird, not like that. Trust me, it’s not some joke, Sal. I seriously want what’s best for her.”

  Sal tapped his foot. He was simultaneously annoyed at Abel’s apparent overt influence on the xeno and also finding himself accepting what he was saying. He thought for sure that his friend would see teaching an alien child as some sort of joke, but Abel’s words rang true. Deceit was the last thing on Sal could find those gentle eyes of his. Eventually, Sal raised his hands in defeat.

  “Fine, fine. Alright then. You’ve convinced me. You can’t blame my reaction though, you know that?”

  “Sal! How could you say that. I thought we were buddies! What did you think I would do during this once in a lifetime event, just lie and make fun of my new friend?”

  “I mean, you did try to change Dusty’s name on the paperwork to ‘Puppy’ after Stannock first called him that. It was only because Xin saw it that he’s actually still Dustin Clarklin.”

  “Ok, fair play, but that was ages ago. I’ve learnt from my ways; I’m a changed man! Cross my heart!”

  “Sure, I’ll see that the day you finally tell the truth about that tooth. Or toss it.”

  “Oof, Sal. Bro, that’s too far. No way I can kill the magic behind this tooth. Not when I have like six more non-human friends who need to know about it.” Abel laughed. “So, Sal, how are you doing, for real man. Not some stupid jokey, pushing your buttons way. You ok?”

  Sal sighed. “I… I’m alright. I think. A lot has happened. Thomas told me some secret stuff that’s pretty heavy, so there’s that. The whole investigation and traitor thing is scary, not knowing how many people could be on our side. And, well, right now I just want to get back to Starheart. Not that I miss the engineering deck, far from it. I want some sort of touchstone to make sure I’m not dreaming or something.”

  Sal’s thoughts were still absorbed on the one keepsake from his father, still in the trunk under his bed. Everything else on the ship could go to hell, not that Sal would let such a failure of maintenance go under his watch, but that one trunk needed to still be safe. Moreover, it was the idea of what would happen after securing Starheart. What was going to happen next? H&H were taking their sweet time to what should have been the most important event for the company since leaving Earth.

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  “Abel, what do you want to do?” Sal asked.

  “Hmm?”

  “What do you want to do? In the long term, I mean. What was your plan after the expedition either found a planet to colonize or if we went back home in failure?”

  “Sal, I think you’re missing the bigger picture. Either that, or you’re still stuck on the old one. I’ve forgotten the details of whatever crap hole I wanted to work out back on Titanlock, or where my next pay is coming. Brother, we’ve met alien life. Alien life! The stuff you only see in books and movies. Completely out of this world. The expedition? H&H? Sal, there’s much more at hand here, man. You know what I want to do?”

  Sal looked up, listening close.

  “I want to stay with them, the Cambiar. I want to see their worlds, their lives. And not just because of all the nice stuff they’ve handed to us on a platter; I seriously want to see what change I can create when I put my mind to it. Like little Pippa. I want to see her learn and grow from everything humanity has done, for better or worse. And I wanna help that.”

  “Huh. I see. That sounds grand.” Sal did his best to hide the hollowness of his words. In truth, hearing his best friend say it tore his split heart apart. Staying with the Cambiar was easily the most obvious choice, the rational part of him had come to that realization weeks before. He would live in effective luxury compared to back in human space, likely have most of his closest allies with him, and have a whole new galaxy spread before him to experience. And yet, deep down, in a part that knotted and latched his guts down, spreading from scars across his chest and back, was the craving he was old friends with. The part that saw any help, anything that even resembled assistance or a cheap way out and spat it down. The part of him that never left Tartarus Nine.

  “Come on Sal, don’t look so worried. Look on the bright side – H&H aren’t here yet, so there’s nothing you can do. Just… relax for a bit, ok?”

  “Yeah. That’s fair. Can’t do shit about a bunch of stuffy board directors getting lost here. I imagine they’re probably asking directions from a similarly lost Lighthouse. ‘Which way to…’ huh. Hey Abel, what was the name of this system again?”

  “I’ve got no idea man. I spoke to some of the other guys from Starheart and they’ve been tossing around a real name, like ‘New Horizon’.”

  “Eh, sounds a bit tacky. Besides, space doesn’t have horizons. There’s no edges to anything. Unless you count the planets. Or the stars. Or the big asteroids. Hell, the ships are big enough they look like they’ve got horizons at times. Actually, never mind, it’s a fine name.”

  “New Horizons it is then! So, Sal, how do you think human space will react to them, the Cambiar? Not just plant stuff like shuckabrush or that mould found on that one moon. Actual, walking, talking life.”

  “Pretty hard to say for sure.” Sal rested a head on a chin, letting the orange rays of the star move across his face as the ship drifted through the void. “The CCH will probably orgasm at just having another trading partner. I think most of the conglomerates will see them as a free source of money. I mean, their scale and massive manufacturing power will completely turn the market on its head, but it gives each of the corporations room to compete each other using a new, non-hostile faction. You saw how much hell H&H went through to try and find one more planet for agriculture or mining - dozens of colony ships being sent out like it was going out of style. If the Cambiar really do number in the trillions, then I reckon the CCH will luck out. That is, if we don’t mess up this whole situation.”

  “Come on now, brother. What could we do at this point to mess things up? We’re practically guests of honour to most of them, and I think a couple of them are already getting feisty with the crew.”

  “Ew. Too much information.”

  “You asked, not me. As far as they’re concerned, any hole’s a goal. Anyways, what about Paradise and Doctrine? I, for one, hope the Cambiar just makes them stop killing each other.”

  Sal wasn’t so sure. Xeena had been a bit confused by the motivation behind their Eternal War, or lack thereof. If anything, Sal thought they would stay out of the conflict as much as possible and explained his point of view to Abel.

  Continuing afterwards, Sal said, “At worst, each side might piss off the Cambiar and probably get wiped out by their superior numbers. Or maybe not. I’m not sure about their military yet. I think it’s more likely they’ll stay out of the way, maybe do deals with both sides, and stay clean of the whole thing.”

  “That would be fine I suppose. Gods, can you imagine if Paradise somehow got one of the wackier Cambiar factions on their side? That would make this whole stupid war go from bad to just insane.”

  As much as Sal hated most of the Doctrine for how they had influenced his family, Paradise was still the greater, if less personal, evil in his mind. It was one evil to plant yourself as a god emperor over hundreds of smaller groups, all fighting and tearing anyone apart to stay on top. It was another category of immorality when there wasn’t even a goal for the nation, with no real leaders or purpose behind their actions, and the raw idea of empathy and freedom had been torn out of the population generations ago.

  “Thankfully, I think that’s unlikely.”

  “Hmm, yeah. That’s true. What I don’t think is unlikely is what will happen with Xeena and you, brother.” Abel smirked at him.

  “Xeena? What do you mean?”

  “I’ve seen how chummy the two of you are getting. Don’t think I haven’t seen you two going for little lunches out by those weird sculpture art pieces, or going to the swimming pool together?”

  “Yeah? So what? She owes me a few meals after she kept betting that she wouldn’t get scared after watching some proto-wave films.” Abel studied his friends face, pushing him on. “We watched ‘The Thing’. Almost an immediate loss on her part once the dog’s head split open. I honestly thought she would do better, considering the Cambiar remind me of a very slow ‘thing’ in a way.”

  “I don’t care what movies you’re watching man!” Abel’s exasperation was almost childish. “What I mean is are you two just getting friendly, or well…. ‘friendly’?

  “Jesus Abel, no. It’s not like that.”

  “Are you sure? Because you might not have seen the way she was looking at you when you came back from that weird gravity room, but I definitely saw those googly eyes.”

  “Look, one, it’s a relaxation chamber, nothing weird about it.” Sal lied. It was a definitely weird room, but he wouldn’t let Abel know that. “Two, she’d just come up with a name for herself, pretty big stuff.”

  “Yeah, and I’m certain she wants to see some more ‘pretty big stuff’ from you. You’ve seen her spending time with Xin, god knows what she’s filling the poor little alien’s head with. Hell, I’m pretty sure Xin’s talking up Ace herself, wouldn’t put it past her to try and corrupt little Xeen’.”

  Shit, he was right. Sal wanted to chalk up their ‘girl talks’, as they so called them when he intruded, to friendly chatter. Xeena’s increasing amount of subtle delicate touches or brushes of Sal’s skin, and clear exposure of skin around what would be considered racy on a human told him otherwise. And with Xin, christ, the sky was the limit. Thank god there was no evidence of his and Xin’s one-night fling to show the alien. That would be utterly disastrous.

  “Fine, fine, I’ll get a clear answer from her. Once we get back to Starheart.”

  “Sal…”

  “I said I would show her around. I don’t want to make it awkward if it turns out she’s just being friendly with me. Nothing weirder than ‘sorry I tried to hit on you, but we should spend the day together’ looking at some rusty old rooms.”

  If he had hoped to snuff Abel’s flame on the topic, he had spectacularly failed. “Ah ha! So, it’s not that she’s an alien that’s an issue – its whether she likes you or not. So that’s why you’re playing dumb, you’re still a xenophile!”

  “The fuck man?! Don’t say that shit out loud!” Sal looked around to see if anyone was listening in.

  Goddamnit Abel. Sal very well knew that Xeena had some particular thoughts about him. Her forceful shirt lifting and pectoral groping had made that clear, and no ‘alien curiosity’ could fully squash her likely motivation behind that move, even if she didn’t understand it at the time. Part of Sal was indeed afraid of getting too close. Ever since he was a young man, after Tartarus, he could count on his hand total number of months he had spent in active relationships with previous women; his longing for an ongoing relationship was always suffocated by his refusal to allow himself to rely on anyone else, physically or emotionally. Sal had little issues one-night stands back on Titanlock or wherever the Recon Fleet docked, but to open himself up to someone in the long-term? He felt sick at the idea.

  And yet, Xeena had been different. Maybe it was her nature as something not-human that guided her past Salvador’s defences, or maybe the wounds along his soul were sealing after so long. And perhaps Xeena could be the stitches he needed to close fully that gash.

  Looking back at Abel, Sal glared as his friend continued. “So, what is it you like about the Cambiar? Is it the four legs? The claws? Oh, is it the mouth tentacle? I bet it’s the mouth tentacle!”

  “Fuck you.” Sal said, laughing. “Let’s get something to drink.”

  With that the duo made their way back to the lounge. Sal could at least wait until Starheart was open for visitation before he processed the thrashing thoughts that Abel had brought closer to the surface. In some ways, it would be better if Starheart was never cleared for access.