“Well, now what do we do?”

Vanser looked up from where he was falsifying a report to Titan Station about losing the trail of the mysterious shoplifter sometime after landing on Azatlia. “What do you mean?”

Lenya shrugged. “We’ve been chasing after each other trying to make sure everybody was safe, and now Molly and Charlotte both are and we know that they both are… Not to mention that the tournament’s over, and has been for days now. So now what?”

Vanser stopped typing for a moment. “Well, I guess that’s up to them, isn’t it?”

Across the room, on the desktop and hidden from view of the two Titans, Molly and Charlotte were having a conversation with a similar theme.

“Molly… You can talk to me, are you okay?”

Molly shuddered as she drew in a breath. “I don’t… I don’t know, Charlotte. I mean, Caetyr and Ourellia never injured me, but… at the same time… They locked me in a little box, and they treated me like an animal. I- Even Ourellia never really saw me as a person I don’t think. Not in the same way that they are, anyway.”

“I know,” Charlotte squeezed Molly’s shoulders gently. “But Vanser and Lenya are different, you know that. You know that they see us the same as they are.”

“I do… I do know that.” Molly agreed. “But they’re… everything here is so big. I just want to go home. I want to be able to sit in a chair. To sleep in a bed, live in a house, live a life where everything is the right size for me.”

“I do too.” Charlotte admitted. “But we can’t go home. You know Vanser and Lenya would have found a way if it were possible.”

Molly leaned against Charlotte and groaned in frustration. Try as she might, Molly couldn’t seem to get the image of the way Caetyr and Ourellia’s faces distorted as they peered at her through the wall of her glass cage out of her mind. And if she moved in the wrong way, she could easily feel the tracking chip in her back. It was a grim reminder that outside of the atmosphere of her home planet, she was legally not a person.

“Molly, you’re tired. Go lay down for a bit and get some rest.” Charlotte whispered. “You’ll feel better.”

“Okay.” The red haired woman murmured. “I hope you’re right.”

*.*.*.*.*

“So that’s where her head is at.” Charlotte told the two Titans sitting in front of her. “It’s not that Molly is afraid of you, or anything, but she’s being constantly reminded of what happened to her. That the world around her isn’t built for… people like us.”

Lenya and Vanser glanced at each other.

“What she needs is to be near to other humans.” Lenya said.

“And somewhere where there’s not a lot of Titans around.” Vanser agreed, nodding.

“Somewhere she can feel normal.” Lenya continued.

“I know someplace like that.” They both finished.

Both looked at each other in confusion when they realized they’d spoken simultaneously.

“You do?” Lenya asked incredulously.

“Well yeah.” Vanser replied. “Avalon. The Moon owned by Pryvani Tarsuss.”

Lenya rolled her eyes. “Oh yeah, that sounds great, let’s just put her in the petting zoo of some tabloid airhead.”

Vanser bit his lip to keep from laughing. “That’s… well, that’s not quite what Avalon is.” He explained to the two women what Avalon was really like.

“I mean, I’ve never been there.” Vanser finished. “But it’s a civilization of humans. It sounds about perfect.”

“I suppose…” Charlotte said skeptically. “But from what you’re saying it sounds like there’s a bit of… upheaval at the moment. Not exactly the peaceful place I was hoping for.”

“That’s a fair point.” Vanser admitted, turning to Lenya. “So what’s your idea?”

“Well… There’s this farm I know…” Lenya didn’t tell them the whole story about how she discovered the tribe on Maris farms, she suspected they’d overheard her talking to Ourellia about it earlier and if they hadn’t… well, it wasn’t really that important anyway.

“…Now, I don’t really know whether the owners of that farm have any contact with that tribe of humans, but something tells me they do. I can’t imagine they just decided to ignore each other after what happened. If nothing else, those girls will know how to get in touch with them. They’ll take you in.”

“A farm huh?” Charlotte said her voice deadpan. “That… that should be fine… for us…”

“I think it sounds great.” Molly’s sleepy voice interrupted as she stepped into view from the quiet spot she’d been napping in.

“Great!” Lenya grinned. “I guess we’re heading back to Archavia.”

“Hooray.” Charlotte sighed.

*.*.*.*.*

Not long after making the decision to head back to the Capital world, the four of them found themselves on the transport shuttle Tatsugo. Lenya and Vanser, reluctantly, had to stow the two humans in a carrier until they were safely aboard the transport. The two humans had endured the humiliation with more grace than either of the Titans would have in their place.

“Charlotte… Can I talk to you?”

Charlotte looked up at Vanser. “Of course. What do you need?”

“Not here.” Vanser glanced over at where Lenya was asleep and Molly was watching a holovid on his datapad. He then lowered a hand down to where Charlotte sat. “I’d like to have a word in private.”

“Sure.” Charlotte quickly climbed into the center of his palm.

Vanser carried her over to a quiet corner of their cabin where they wouldn’t be overheard.

Once there, he set her down on a small table and then sat on the ground in front of it. He cleared his throat and fidgeted slightly.

“Waiting on you, big guy.” Charlotte chuckled.

Vanser let out a breath and smiled. “Sorry. I just… Charlotte I was wondering if… if you wanted to stay with me.”

“With you?” Charlotte repeated, eyes widening in surprise. “Van… I… I don’t know if that would be a good idea.”

“Okay.” Vanser chuckled mirthlessly. “I just thought… I mean, that kiss… I thought you felt what I did.”

“No, Van,” Charlotte interrupted. “It’s not like that. I… I did. I did feel… It’s just… Molly, you know? Poor kid needs someone to look after her and… I… I can’t…”

Vanser nodded. “I understand. I should have figured that you’d want to stick with Molly.”

“Van…”

“No, really it’s okay.” Vanser smiled and Charlotte could tell he really meant what he said. “I admire your loyalty.”

“Okay. As long as you’re okay.”

“I am. Really.”

“Good.”

*.*.*.*

“All right.” Lenya sighed as Vanser parked the shuttle they’d rented. They were in Korafia, a few kilounits outside of Medzina, and just beyond the borders of the Maris family’s land. “Let me go in first. Hopefully they let me explain why I’m here.”

Vanser was about to object, but one look at Lenya’s face told him there wouldn’t be any point in it. Lenya climbed out of the shuttle and began the walk down the path that led from the road to the farmhouse.

After a few minutes of walking, the house was in sight. Lenya took a deep breath to try and calm her nerves.

BANG!

Lenya yelped and jumped back as a small explosion ripped apart the dirt at her feet.

“That was a warning!” A voice shouted from the house. “Next one’s aimed higher!”

Lenya’s eyes widened as she peered at the farmhouse and the tall blonde girl standing on the farmhouse porch holding a hunting gun with a smoking barrel.

“Hold on a minute!” Lenya yelled raising her arms up, with her wrists crossed and palms out in a signal for “surrender”

“You got ten seconds!” The girl shouted.

“I just want to talk!” Lenya shouted desperately. “I need your help!”

“Oh for frak’s sake Aezhay!” The door slammed open and a shorter titan with red hair stormed out and snatched the gun from the younger woman’s hand. “You know full well you aren’t going to be shooting someone!”

“She’s trespassing, Lezah.” Aezhay said, crossing her arms over her chest. “I’d be well within my rights. Especially when it’s her.”

“Get back in the house and let me handle this!” Lezah snapped.

Aezhay shrugged and retreated into the house, grumbling darkly.

“Thank you.” Lenya sighed, gasping for air and trying to stop her heart from hammering in her chest.

Lezah’s eyes blazed and her face twisted into a scowl. “I didn’t do it for you, Lenyalana Dagaramonto. Now hurry up and speak your piece or I’ll call her back.”

Lenya stiffened indignantly, and then deflated with a sigh. “Look, I deserve that. You have no reason to trust me, and that’s fair.”

“More than fair.” Lezah snapped. “If you’re just trying to distract me so your TETH buddies can-”

“I’m not with TETH anymore!” Lenya shouted. “You were right. We were stupid and foolish and I’d apologize to every human living on this land if I could.”

Lezah blinked. The sudden admission seemed to have caught her off guard and her frown softened into a look that was more quizzical than antagonistic.

“So why are you here?”

Lenya groaned in frustration. “Look… After… after the incident I did a little soul searching. I resigned from TETH and tried to figure out a way I could help humans. Really help humans.”

“Can we keep this short?” Lezah sighed. “I got a soup on the stove I’d rather not boil over.”

Despite the tension, Lenya chuckled. “All right. Long story short, I heard rumors of Earth-born humans for sale at Titan Station.”

Lenya saw Lezah’s eyes widen, though she tried to hide it. “That’s illegal.” Lezah muttered, shifting her weight evasively.

There’s a story there. Lenya thought, filing the tidbit away. “Supposed to be.” She said instead. “But there they were. Anyway, I decided I was going to free the ones that were there.”

“And… were there any?” Lezah asked quietly.

“Two, yeah.” Lenya answered. “Two women.”

Lezah sighed. “And now you’re hoping the tribe will take them in, right?”

Lenya shrugged. “One of them, Molly, is a farm girl.”

“And the other?” Lezah asked.

“Charlotte… isn’t.” Lenya smiled ruefully. “But she and Molly are like sisters.”

“Well, at least you learned their names this time.” Lezah rubbed her forehead. “Look, I don’t have any authority over who the tribe takes in. But the least I can do is let them make the decision. Where are the humans?”

“With a friend of mine.” Lenya said tentatively. “Can… Can I call him?”

“Yeah. Bring him over.” Lezah sighed. “You can stay for lunch too, if you like.”

*.*.*.*

It would be an understatement to call the wait for representatives of the tribe “awkward.” Lenya, Vanser, Molly and Charlotte sat around the Marises’ kitchen table eating portions of the soup that Lezah made while the youngest Maris sister glared at them from across the room like a prison guard.

At least the soup was good.

Finally, Lezah returned to the farmhouse, bringing with her two human men. She set them on the table close to where Molly and Charlotte sat. Cautiously, Charlotte pulled herself to her feet and then helped Molly up. The two men were opposite each other in many ways. One was old, with a beard long since gone grey. His eyes were deep and brown, yet full of wisdom. His skin was dark and there were more than a few scars that marred his otherwise pleasant features.

The other was considerably younger. His face almost boyish despite the modest beard. His skin was pale and almost blemish free.

“These are the women I was telling you about.” Lezah said as she sat in an empty seat at the table. “This is Molly and Charlotte.”

“You can relax.” The young man said in perfect English. “My name’s Luke. I was taken from Earth and put up for sale in Titan Station, same as you were.”

Charlotte heard Molly gasp. “You were abducted too?”

Luke nodded. “I was. I woke up on Titan Station and lived there until… until a friend brought me here.”

“This is Drugar.” The young man said, switching back to Archavian and gesturing to the older man beside him. “He leads the tribe. It is for him to decide whether your place is with us.”

Drugar chuckled and shook his head. “You make it sound so grave, Luke of Earth. It is not in our nature to turn away those who are seeking shelter. If these young women wish to live among us, they will be gladly welcomed.”

“Th-thank you.” Molly mumbled softly, grabbing Charlotte’s hand. “I… I think it would be best for me to live among humans. At least for a little while.”

“So be it, Molly of Earth.”Drugar nodded. “We will leave you to say your farewells, and guide you to our home when you are ready. Lezah, Aezhay? A word, if you would?”

Lezah nodded and lowered her hand to the two men. Once they were situated, she took them from the room, her sister reluctantly following after.

“Well, I guess this is it.” Lenya sighed, putting her elbows on the table and leaning forward. “You guys are safe, and back together just like we promised.”

“Thank you both.” Molly smiled sadly. “For everything.”

“Yeah.” Charlotte agreed. “Neither of you had to go traipsing from star to star looking for us, but we’re glad you did.”

“Of course we did.” Vanser said shaking his head. “Right, Lenya?”

“Right.”

“You… you’ll visit us, won’t you?” Molly asked.

“If we can.” Lenya said with a shrug. “You saw the warm reception I get around here. But I’m sure the Marises can get a message to one of us if you need them to.”

“Okay.”

Lezah reappeared in the doorway. “Luke and Drugar are ready to lead you back to where the Tribe lives.” She stepped over to the table and lowered her hand.

Charlotte sighed and climbed into the giant woman’s hand. Molly followed soon after. They were raised into the air

“Would you two stick around?” Lezah asked the other two Titans. “I have a feeling there’s a story I’d really like to hear.”

*.*.*.*

Charlotte hung to the back of the group as Drugar and Luke led them along the (now well worn) forest path that would eventually reach the Great Tree that the tribe called home. Molly turned around to look at her, before stopping to let the older girl catch up.

“Are you going to stop being stupid soon?” The redhead girl asked her best friend. “You know, before it’s too late?”

“What are you talking about?” Charlotte snapped.

“You don’t want to be here.” Molly told her matter-of-factly. “Living in a farm, or whatever this is, is probably close to the last thing you want to do. Maybe just ahead of being Ourellia and Caetyr’s pet human.”

Charlotte snorted derisively. “And where exactly do I want to be?”

“With Vanser.”

Charlotte’s mouth dropped open and she stopped walking. Molly got a few steps ahead before turning around to face her friend with a knowing, and sad smile.

“What? You didn’t think no one else noticed the way you stayed as near to him as possible these past few days? Lenya told me about the flimsy excuses you came up with to sleep in his room instead of hers. ‘He’s got clothes for me’ Are you kidding?”

“W-we never… I mean he was…”

“A perfect gentleman, I’m sure.” Molly shrugged. “But, fine, leaving your obvious feelings for him aside, are you honestly telling me you’d rather be here when you could be exploring the galaxy?”

“What…what about you?” Charlotte mumbled weakly.

Molly rolled her eyes. “Charlotte, I’m a big girl. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, but I don’t want you to be miserable because of me.”

“But…”

“Go.” Molly wiped her eyes. “Go before it’s too late. I’ll be fine. Besides, it’s not like you can’t come visit me.”

“Hey… are you two coming?” Luke asked, as he turned and walked back up the trail.

“No.” Charlotte cleared her throat and wiped her eyes. “Luke, can… can you take me back to the house?”

Luke shrugged. “Sure.”

Charlotte wiped her eyes and then threw her arms around Molly. “I’ll stay in touch.” She said hoarsely. “I promise.”

“I know you will.” Molly smiled through her own tears. “Now go. Quickly!”

*.*.*.*

Lenya and Vanser were just finishing telling Lezah everything that had happened since they’d both left Titan Station. There were parts of the story that they hadn’t gotten around to telling each other, even.

“I can’t believe you broke into the pet food factory.” Vanser muttered incredulously.

“Are you going to arrest me?” Lenya asked wryly.

“Nah. As far as I know they haven’t pressed charges. Actually, I’m not even sure they’ve realized what happened yet.”

Lenya chuckled. “Anyway, Lezah, I think we’ve taken up enough of your time. Molly and Charlotte are safe and it’s time we were off.”

“Yeah.” Vanser stood. “Thanks for all your help with the tribe Lezah.”

“Oh it’s no trouble.” Lezah smiled. “Feel free to come visit your friends anytime. Both of you.”

Vanser took a step away from the table…

…and suddenly found himself on the floor.

“Vanser!” Lenya gasped. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah…” Vanser mumbled, looking at the tiny figure that stood in front of his face. “I’m just fine.”

“Hiya handsome.” Charlotte chuckled.