Aisell sat at a table in the canteen. She had a healthy but not overly substantial breakfast of mixed fruits and yoghurt. She would have killed for something greasy and unhealthy but she couldn’t afford it. She always felt hungry these days and had lost a bit of weight during her stay on Titan Station. She never looked a healthy size even when she stayed at home. She ate and ate and ate normally, her mother said she had hollow legs as she never seemed to put on any weight.

She had slipped a berry into her pocket for Luke. He’d perked up rightly and seemed a lot happier after their shower. It had been awkward at first but once the two had gotten comfortable with each other it was a lot easier. Aisell was pleased he had behaved himself, she would have hated having to tell Luke off or give him the cold shoulder when he was the only person she had. She would have loved to have had him sitting with her on the table but it wouldn’t have gone down well with the other diners.

“Ahhh this is the life…” Luke said wiping berry juice from his mouth with his sleeve and instantly regretting it. Aisell had made him some new clothes from some cloth and he didn’t want to muss them up so soon. He cleaned his arm down off the inside of the large pocket and then felt his face with his hand. For the first time in a long time it was smooth. He couldn’t feel any hair against his hand at all.

His host had used some sort of device on him which had removed his facial topiary and left no trace of his beard in a matter of seconds. She had then adjusted it and cut his shaggy shoulder length hair down so it was just above his ears. Well groomed, well fed and well looked after Luke was starting to feel a lot like his old self again despite his brush with death only the day before. Or was it? Luke still hadn’t quite wrapped his head round the measurement of time here.

“Time to go Luke…” Aisell said tapping her pocket gently signalling she was about to get up. She slid her hand into her pocket and cupped Luke in it. She liked the feel of having him there but it was mostly to make sure he was protected from any potential bumps.

She was feeling slightly nervous as she walked. Following her night of guilt and relatively enjoyable morning with Luke she had decided she had to tell Luke the truth as soon as she could. She owed him that much. He wasn’t a pet to be controlled or manipulated to suit her whims but a thinking, feeling sentient being like she was. She had thought of a place she thought was best. It was quiet, secluded, open and would be something he hadn’t seen before. She left the market and walked for several minutes down dimly lit corridors before climbing a high, steel ladder that led to a small platform with a large window overlooking the outside of the station and the eerie, yellow surface of the moon.

Luke was quite happy sitting in Aisell’s hand, enjoying the nice rocking sensation as she walked. With the low light in her pocket, the warm soft embrace and the gentle rocking he was pretty much ready to doze off. That was until his cradle began to shift, taking him out of the soft darkness and into a nasty yellow glow. Luke covered his eyes as they adjusted. The cold, stale air of the station nipped at his skin. This clearly wasn’t a place that was well frequented and the attention it got from the stations life support systems matched that. The walls rose up as Aisell dropped to her knees and placed him on the floor and then joined him, lying on her front with her head just behind him.

“Nasty looking place isn’t it?” Aisell said gesturing to the sulphur yellow landscape outside.

Luke’s jaw dropped. He didn’t know where he’d been living for the last few months of his life. He’d thought it was in space somewhere but outside there was clearly ground. It looked harsh, barren and unforgiving. A brown desert with rugged terrain turned yellow by the glow of the thick, cloudy sky.

“Nasty…but beautiful…” Luke gasped approaching the window.

Aisell watched the little Human press himself against the cold glass, seemingly not caring. She’d never found this moon particularly nice and she didn’t really understand why Luke was fascinated by a desolate wasteland.

“Is it? Go out there and you’ll be dead in a second. Titan or Human that atmosphere will kill you. There’s no life out there at all. It’s just a dead rock!”

“Yeah but look at it! The sky is so different from home! And look at that lake! It’s bright yellow!” Luke said still drinking in his surroundings.

Aisell smiled at Luke’s simple wonder at dead moon. Maybe he wasn’t as advanced as she thought. “It’s liquid methane, you couldn’t swim in that silly!”

“Well duh! I’m not a simpleton…where are we anyway? What planet is this?” He said turning away from the view briefly to frown at Aisell’s comment.

“We’re on the moon Titan, orbiting the sixth planet of your solar system, I can’t remember its name.” Aisell said leaning forward a bit and turning her attention to a large set of doors on the outside of the bronze coloured station, facing diagonally away from the window.

“Saturn…”

“Sorry?” Aisell said.

“The sixth planet, it’s called Saturn.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that.” She said extending a finger towards the doors. “Watch the doors!”

Luke turned his attention to the enormous set of doors. They must have easily been two thousand feet tall and Luke could make out interlocking teeth where they met. He glanced back at the blonde Titaness behind him who was watching them expectantly.

“Any second now…” she said.

The hanger doors jolted to life and light shone out through the crack, getting brighter and brighter as the doors got further apart. Luke could make out an object inside. It appeared to be big, very big, with a rounded front and faded white exterior. It had a large window at the front, curving with the hull and appeared to have smaller windows along the side. It was a ship. And a big one at that. Maybe not massive for Aisell, but far bigger than anything Humanity had ever built.

Luke watched in awe as the leviathan glided effortlessly out of the hanger and raised up above the station before jetting off into the yellow sky.

“Wow…” Luke muttered.

“There it goes…” Aisell said ignoring Luke.

Luke turned to face the large, pale face behind him. “Where what goes?”

“My ride home…back to Archavia…” Aisell sighed and glanced down to Luke. She thought he looked rather cute now he was clean shaven and had a neat haircut. “I like to come up here and watch the ships leave and think about home…”

Luke walked a few steps towards the large hand nearby and placed his hand on top of her finger and rubbed the soft skin. “You’ll be there soon, you know exactly when and how you’ll get home. I still have no idea how I’m getting home.”

“Luke…about that…” Aisell sighed and shifted uncomfortable with the conversation to come. “…I didn’t tell you the whole truth…”

Luke quickly snapped to attention. “What do you mean?”

“You were tired and sick…I didn’t want you to get upset…”

“Aisell! What are you trying to tell me?!” Luke was starting to get worry and it was evident on his face.

“Luke…there’s no ship that goes to Earth. It’s out of bounds, protected by the military. The one that took you was a rarity. That’s why I didn’t even consider you could be from Earth when we met.” Aisell skirted around the edge of her point.

“W…w…what are you saying Aisell?” Luke stammered.

Aisell sighed deeply and stroked some loose hair behind her ear, trying to buy herself just a few more seconds before she flat out told Luke the truth. “Luke…I’m sorry but…you can’t ever go home…”

“No! That’s a lie!” Luke shouted backing away from her hand towards the window.

“I swear it isn’t! If I could get you back to Earth I would, but I can’t!”

“No! You’re just trying to take me! All this is a lie to get me! ” Luke continued to back up.

“Luke I swear to you it isn’t. I just want you to get better. You’re a person like me not a pet!” Aisell pleaded trying to stay calm for Luke’s sake.

“Go away! Now!” Luke said backing against the cold glass, panic starting to grip him.

Aisell backed up sensing the finger sized man’s fear. She was perfectly capable of snatching him up and stowing him away in her pocket but that would ruin what trust he had in her.

“Luke! Look at me…” Aisell said gently but Luke just slumped down against the cold glass. “Luke! Look at me!” She repeated firmly getting his attention this time. “You know I could take you and you couldn’t stop me right?”

Luke shifted uncomfortably and nodded.

“I’m telling you, swearing to you I won’t. What happens to you is entirely up to you. I’ll help you in whatever way I can while I’m here and if you want to try to make a new home with me, you can. But if you want to stay here…I’ll respect that.” Aisell paused for a few seconds to give Luke some time to think. “Now can we still be friends?”

Luke nodded meekly and huddled up into himself against the cold glass. Aisell watched him carefully, unwilling to disturb him or do anything that could upset it. It was an enormous revelation. If someone told her she had to spend the rest of her life trapped in this station, staring at the same four walls day after endless day, it would drive her to insanity.

She waited for a few minutes before slumping forward and resting her chin on top of a curled hand. Her neck was sore from holding her head up for so long. She kept watching Luke. He wasn’t crying or shouting. He wasn’t doing anything. He’d just gone very pale and was sitting motionless. It didn’t even look like he was moving his eyes beyond blinking occasionally. The pale, gaunt figure made Aisell feel slightly ill. Her stomach felt like it had a solid ball of lead rolling around inside of it.

“I’m cold…” Luke said quietly after a few more minutes surprising Aisell. Her mind had wandered to thoughts of home, triggered by Luke’s plight.

The blonde Titaness lifted her head and eased her hand slowly forward and cupped it near Luke offering him her warmth but not forcing it on him. She was pleased when he pushed himself sideways with his hands and leaned over into her palm. He really did feel cold. She could feel the chill from the cold window in his skin. She cupped her hand round him and sat up and pulled him into her to let him share in her warmth.

“You guys really do get cold quickly…” Aisell said trying to move the subject off of Earth and onto something she could help with. “Do you want to come back to my quarters?”

She looked down to see Luke nod. He was lying on his side curled up in a ball and looked beyond miserable.

“Ok well I’ll put you in my pocket, I have to go pay the vet for your treatment and then we’ll head back. Can I get you anything?” Aisell said gently.

She waited for a response but it didn’t come. She lowered him into her pocket and cupped her hand around him for protection and comfort. Both for Luke and herself. All this talk of home was making her particularly home sick and she felt awful for Luke. She climbed down the rungs of the ladder and went back down the dark corridors towards the market.

Aisell endured a rather difficult conversation with a vet. The rather old and decrepit vet was less than impressed with Aisell handling his equipment. He went on a particularly lengthy tirade about the Security Officer who, as far as he knew, had let Aisell into his clinic and allowed her to use his equipment. Aisell paid as quickly as she could and got out of there while the vet was still angrily yelling about how he was friends with the Station Commander and this was not the end of the matter. Aisell didn’t care too much. She was already at the bottom rung on the station and she would be leaving in five days anyway.

Aisell walked down a rather dark and lonely corridor towards her quarters and quickly lifted Luke out to check on him. He was sound asleep and had a bit more colour about him.

“Poor Luke…I wish there was some way I could get you home…rig a probe or something to take you home but I have no idea how to go about doing it…” She stroked his back and Luke stretched out and smiled. “Damn you’re cute…if only you were Titan…I’d be all over you…”

Aisell got back to her drab quarters and settled down on the bed with Luke asleep on her stomach. She grabbed her pad and tried to read but her mind kept wandering. There had to be something she could do to get Luke home.

“Could the Security Officer help me…find some way to send him back to Earth…there has to be a way!” Aisell thought but she had no ideas. “Research…that’s what I need to do.” She said reaching for her pad.

“Imperial blockade of Earth” she typed into her pad.