“What’s our status Captain?” Vanser asked Bass as he sat on the other side of the desk in the captain’s office, with Rixie seated in the chair next to him. 

“We’re on course to arrive at Sol Narena in just over a standard day.” Bass reported, leaning back in his chair and folding his hands in his lap. “I’ve sent messages ahead to Narena to have them compile any relevant data for us that might give you a lead on the whereabouts of you targets, imperators.” 

Rixie nodded, a distracted look on her face.

“Is there anything else you would like my crew to do before we reach our destination, Imperator Tam?” 

“What?” Rixie blinked, jolted out of her reverie. “Oh… no. No Captain, you and your crew have performed exemplarily on this mission.” 

Bass’s eyebrow arched, but he chose not to comment. Mostly because Rixie outranked him. 

“Well then. I suppose we’ll get out of your hair until our arrival then.” Vanser pulled himself to his feet and he and Rixie exited the Captain’s room. 

“You okay Rix?” Vanser asked as the door hissed shut behind them. 

“Yeah, why?” 

Vanser shook his head. “You just seem really distracted today.” 

“No, I’m fine. I just want to get this mission completed. That’s all.” 

Vanser’s eyes narrowed as he scrutinized her and Rixie did her best to keep her expression as neutral as possible. 

Finally, after a few seconds of silence, Vanser nodded. “All right then. Go get some rest yeah? While you still can?” 

Rixie forced a smile on her face. “Yeah. Yeah okay.” 

“Good, I’m going to hit the mess hall then.”

Vanser bid her goodbye and headed down the corridor while Rixie turned and walked in the opposite direction. 

As she walked she tried to tame her thoughts into some kind of order. She wanted desperately to be able to focus on her mission but her mind kept heading down the familiar path that inevitably lead to Alex. 

She’d seen the way he and Izzy had interacted. They weren’t in love with each other, she could tell that much. Not even humans moved that fast, after all; but they could be someday. Maybe. And even if it wasn’t with Izzy, Alex deserved to love someone he could be with on an equal level. As much as she tried, Rixie could never give him that. Even if, for some strange reason, he did return her affections… it would never work, could never work between them. How could she ask him to live in a world where he was treated like an animal?

And children… They wouldn’t be able to have children together. That maybe wasn’t important to him now, but it might be someday. 

Every logical part of Rixie’s brain told her that this was a bad path to go down. Her brain screamed at her to let him go, and do it soon before either of them got in too deep (if it wasn’t too late for that already.) The math just didn’t work out. 

And yet… 

She entered her quarters and the lights flicked on automatically at her presence. 

“BANZAI!” 

Before Rixie had gotten a half step into the room, she heard the shout from above her and felt a small impact on the top of her head. The next thing she knew, a tiny form was sliding down her forehead, barely avoiding falling to the floor by catching ahold of one of her braids. 

Rixie’s eyes widened in shock as Alex hung there in front of her face. 

“Hi Rixie!” Alex enthused. “How was your meeting?” 

“Alex what…? Where did you come from?” 

“Up there, obviously.” Alex gestured with his chin towards the door. “I’ve been sitting on the lintel up there for a while now, waiting for you to come back.” 

“So you could jump on my head?”

“Well… when you say it like that it sounds stupid.” 

Rixie’s eyes narrowed. 

And then, much to Alex’s surprise, she laughed. Her hand appeared behind where he clung to her braid and gently pushed him until he was pressed into her lips, which puckered around him. She held him there, pressed against her mouth for a full five seconds before releasing the pressure and letting him swing back away from her face. 

“Don’t ever change, Alex.” Rixie told him with a smirk, before walking towards the bed- the small man still clinging to her hair. 

“Whoa hey! Careful!” Alex yelled indignantly as he wrapped his legs tighter around her braid. 

“It’s not my fault you’re up there. You did that all by yourself, so now you deal with the consequences. Hope your grip is good and tight.” Rixie told him with a smirk as she sat down on the edge of the bed. 

Alex’s eyes narrowed. “Okay then.” He rappelled off the side of her head and swung around to the front of her face. Carefully he climbed down the slight incline of her forehead until he found himself straddling her nose. Rixie smirked in amusement as she crossed her eyes to see him. 

“Now what are you gonna do?” She asked wryly. 

Alex grinned and glanced over his shoulder at the drop below. “Dunno. You think I can make it?” 

Rixie’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Make it whe- Alex!” She yelped in panic as the little human suddenly fell backwards. Reflexively, Rixie leaned back and brought her hands up to catch him, pressing him between her palm and her chest instinctively. 

“What did you think you were doing?” She growled. 

“I made it, didn’t I?” Alex responded smugly, leaning up against her bust. 

Rixie chuckled and leaned back against the headboard of the bed. 

“I suppose you did.” 

Alex glanced up at the smiling face above him contemplatively. Over the weeks (or months, depending on your point of view) that Alex had been with Rixie, he’d gotten fairly adept at reading her moods. At the moment she seemed happy enough but Alex’s instincts were telling him something was… off about Rixie lately. She seemed like something was troubling her. 

But he couldn’t seem to put his finger on what it could be. 

Alex supposed it could be stress from her mission. That certainly seemed plausible. She needed to find some way to relax or she wasn’t going to be any good to anybody, which in her line of work, might get someone killed.

Not for the first time, Alex cursed the differences in their scale. Normally the “size issue” didn’t bother him too much, there were a number of interesting advantages to it after all- but there were some times, like right then, that he wished he was up to the task of doing “normal” things. 

Because at that moment, Rixie really seemed like she could do with a back rub. Unfortunately, Alex didn’t see how that was possible at his current scale.

Absentmindedly, Rixie’s hand pressed him tighter against her chest. He could hear the steady drumbeat of her heart, smell the faint scent of soap on her skin and feel the warmth of her body heat through her clothes. 

He heard a small sigh rumbled in her chest behind him and he looked up at the Titaness. She was using the fingers of free hand to rub her temples. 

“You okay, Rix?” 

“Hmm?” The giantess’s eyes opened and she looked down at the human in her hand. She smiled and nodded. “Oh yeah, just have a small headache coming on. Not a big deal.” 

Alex’s eyes narrowed in thought. 

“Lie back.” He finally said to her, after a few seconds of silence.

Rixie blinked. “What?” 

“Lie back.” Alex repeated. “Please? I want to try something.” 

The Titaness’s brow knit in confusion for a second, then she shrugged. “Okay.” 

Rixie leaned back against the headboard of the bed, leaving her body at roughly a thirty degree angle. 

Alex extricated himself From Rixie’s grip and began to climb up the length of her body. He pulled himself up onto her chin and in front of her smirking lips, which then puckered expectantly. 

Alex chuckled and pressed his lips to hers for a moment, before continuing to ascend her face. 

“Hey!” Rixie exclaimed in mock indignation at having her invitation rebuffed. 

“Relax; there’ll be plenty of time for that later.” Alex laughed as he climbed up the bridge of her nose, between her eyes which crossed comically to watch him. 

“Where are you going then?” Rixie asked in genuine curiosity.

“You’ll see. I have an idea; I want to see if it’ll work.” Alex knelt on her upturned forehead and leaned down to press the heels of his hands against the spot between her eyebrows. He applied a bit of pressure and began to knead her skin like bread dough, running his hand along her supraorbital notch. 

“Oh…” Rixie moaned. “That… wow…” 

Alex grinned. “How’s that headache now?” He asked. 

Rixie sighed contentedly. “It’s getting much better, but please don’t stop.” 

There was a momentary shift in gravity as Rixie adjusted herself against the headboard, and Alex hung on to keep from tumbling down the side of her head. Eventually though, she settled down again and Alex resumed his work, moving along the ridge of her forehead until he began to massage first one temple and then the other. 

“Alex, you really are amazing.” Rixie murmured contentedly. “Every time I think I have you figured out, you go and surprise me.” 

Alex grinned. He wanted to reply with a snappy comeback, but he suddenly felt his throat choke up a little. 

“Th…thanks.” Was the only thing he managed to get out.

*.*.*.*.*.*

Dorok was regretting his life choices. 

He’d gone off with Greno, to Narena Colony, one of the outer territories of the Empire. He hadn’t exactly wanted to, of course, but in his own way Greno could be …persuasive. 

Still, Dorok had proven himself useful and had assisted on the technology end with a number of jobs that Greno and a rotating crew of thugs were running. If nothing else, it beat being on a penal colony. 

Nevertheless, he knew he had to tread carefully. He had to remain an asset, because he knew the second he became a liability… 

Well, he would just have to remain an asset. 

“Hey kid?” A gravelly voice cut through his thoughts. “You ready to go yet?” 

Dorok nodded and his hands flew across the keyboard in front of him. He barely managed to bite back a sigh of frustration. This system they’d given him was woefully out of date… but it was the best they could scrounge out in a backwater system like Narena. 

“Just give me a few more seconds and I’ll have the access code for you.” 

“Better make it fast yeah?” Greno growled. “This is… what’s the phrase… time sensitive.” 

Dorok gulped and nodded again. 

“Almost got it for you.” 

“Good.” Greno cracked his knuckles absently. “because we only got one shot at this and if we stumble it, we might as well just go right back to the colony. We’d be better off.”

“I’m going, okay?” Dorok shot back testily. 

Greno snorted and lumbered off, Dorok hastily turned back to his computer and continued to work. 

He really needed to find a way to extricate himself from this situation. And fast. 

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Lysis paced in front of the fountain in the town square of Wander’s Bay, trying to work off the frustration she felt. She felt like she’d hit a dead end ever since their arrival in the town. 

The two injured young girls who had wandered into town were recovering nicely, but their tale filled Lysis with dread. The sheer brutality the Khalin had displayed in the decimation of their town, it sent chills up Lysis’ spine.

But the two girls were recovering. They would be okay, though the younger may walk with a limp for the rest of her life. They were alive though, that was something.

Lysis took a deep breath then turned towards the home of the village mayor. She stalked up the walk, her face set in an emotionless mask. She needed to get this over with while she was still sufficiently mad about it. 

The door opened as she neared it, which surprised her. The portly image of the town mayor filled the door frame. 

“Captain Xanthopoulous .” The mayor blinked in surprise at seeing her, practically knocking her over as he made to leave his home. “What can I do for you?” 

“I’m just here to check on those girls.” 

The mayor hesitated for a moment, then sighed wearily and rubbed his face with the palm of his hand. “They are both fine. Physically anyway, but now that they’re out of immediate danger the emotional weight of what they witnessed… Well, it’s taking its toll on them.” 

Lysis nodded, her mouth set in a grim line. “Do you see now what I’ve been trying to tell you, Mayor?” She said in a calm but dangerous voice. “Khalin will not stop unless we stop him. He will not hesitate to run over this village and any others, just because it would amuse him. He’s insane, and he’s dangerous.” 

The mayor shook his head stubbornly. “I don’t like the idea of sending my people off to fight, Lysis.” 

“The fight is coming for YOU!” Lysis shouted emphatically, jabbing her finger into his midsection. “I defy you to go and look into the faces of those girls and tell them that you will not lift a finger to avenge their families. That you will not act to ensure that others don’t suffer the same fate! Do you dare, Mayor?” 

“I…” 

“DO YOU?!” 

There was a tense moment as Lysis stared the man down, finally he sighed and seemed to deflate. “No. I won’t. You win Lysis, the members of our watch are yours to command.”

Lysis nodded and smiled triumphantly. 

“Good. We leave first thing in the morning.”

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

The light that filtered in through the tiny cracks in the dungeon walls were barely enough for Sulphur to see by, so it was no surprise that he flinched away from the onslaught of bright light that appeared when his cell door was opened. 

When his vision cleared, he beheld Dahntnee, High Priest of Atlantis, glaring down at him. 

“Well…” Sulphur coughed, choking on the dust kicked up by the priest’s entrance. “Come to gloat have you?” 

“Gloat?” Dahntnee’s eyes narrowed and he pinned Sulphur to the wall with his gaze. “Do you think this is some game between us Sulphur?” 

Sulphur chuckled, but his amusement was cut short rather abruptly when the priest struck him across the face. 

“People out there are dead because of YOU!” Dahntnee roared, and then struck Sulphur again, just for good measure. 

“This isn’t some board game where you can set the pieces back up once it’s all over, Sulphur. Those are real people with real lives that you’ve destroyed through your actions.” 

“I? I have done nothing…” Sulphur smiled through a rapidly swelling lip. “I defy you to prove that I was the one who set that fire.” 

Dahntnee chuckled darkly and shook his head. “No. That’s true, you didn’t. You merely planted the idea, right? Because that’s what people like you do. You get others to do your dirty work and then wait until the dust settles.” 

Sulphur merely shrugged, a beatific smile on his face. “If you say so, High Priest.” 

Dahntnee bit back a curse. He wanted nothing more than to scrape that smug smile off the other man’s face, preferably with a brick. 

Instead he took a deep, calming breath and shook his head. “It doesn’t matter Sulphur, I daresay you’re not long for this world.” 

Sulphur snorted derisively. “Are you going to murder me, Dahntnee?” 

The high priest shook his head. “No.” Without warning the priest suddenly spat directly into Sulphur’s face. 

“Your own ‘sin’ is.”

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

The sun was just beginning to set as Khalin entered the boundaries of his captured village, followed by most of the men he’d left there with. He’d decided that a skeleton force, along with Hadrin- of course, should remain with the Death Goddess to tend to her needs. 

In the meantime, Khalin himself would return to their stronghold to prepare the next target as they made their way towards their ultimate goal- Atlantis itself. 

The journey back from the Goddess’s sacred place had been wearying and Khalin was looking forward to bed and sleep. 

He burst into what had been the Mayor’s house to find Cara seated at a table with a half dozen men, their backs were arched and they were having a whispered conversation in the dim light of a single lamp.

Cara sat up when she saw Khalin enter. 

“My love! You have returned!” She had a bright smile on her pale face, but Khalin thought he noticed a slight strain in her eyes. 

“Yes, I have.” He muttered warily as he entered the room. “What is going on here?” 

“We were just going about the business of keeping everything running smoothly in your absence my love.” 

“I see…” Khalin’s eyes narrowed as he looked from face to face, certain that he could see guilt written on the face of every man seated at that table. “Were my directives not sufficient?” 

“Of course they were.” One man spoke up. “Still, we didn’t know when you’d be returning, so we felt it best to make contingency plans in your absence.” 

“Well, I’m sorry then that you have wasted your time. I have returned and we will be doing things as I direct them, is that clear?” 

Silence. 

“I said IS THAT CLEAR?” Khalin yelled, banging his fist against the table, his teeth bared in an insane grimace. 

“Of course Lord Khalin!” The man who’d spoken previously flinched away. 

“Excellent. All of you will then leave immediately as your presence is no longer required.” 

The chair legs scraped on the floor as the men rose from their seats and filed out of the room, leaving only Khalin and Cara remaining. 

Cara stared at the blank expression on her lover’s face and suddenly felt her heart rate increase. 

“I… I am glad to see you returned safely…” Hesitatingly, she stepped towards him and reached out to place her hands on his shoulders. 

Before she could, he struck her across the jaw. 

The young woman crumpled to the floor in a heap at his feet. 

“Who told you that you could command my followers in my absence?” His tone was as cold and hard as a frozen lake. 

“N-No one Khalin. I just thought-”

“Be quiet!” Khalin snapped. “You think you can replace me, is that it? I’m sure you were hoping I’d suffer some accident on my journey.” 

“Khalin… No!” Cara whimpered, nursing her bleeding lip. 

Suddenly the wave of rage that he’d felt ebbed away and Khalin was left only with a coldness in his heart.

He silently glared down at Cara’s crumpled form on the floor at his feet for a moment before wordlessly sweeping off into a different room, leaving her to pick herself up and clean her wounds. 

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

She wasn’t getting any better. 

Taron stared through the glass of the enclosure at the frail form of the tan woman ensconced within. Sophia was laying on the small bed they’d fixed up for her. Her breathing was shallow and there were tubes coming out of her in several places. Even he could see the sheen of sweat on her face as her body struggled to fight the disease. 

A battle she seemed to be losing. 

Her lucid moments were becoming fewer and further between. When she wasn’t unconscious she was hallucinating. Nick, who was currently passed out from exhaustion in his own protective environment, reported that her eyes were becoming glassy and Brinn and Selil were extremely worried about what that might mean. 

There was a gentle knock on the door and Taron started at the sound, shaking him out of his rather morbid train of thought. 

He turned and saw Zara standing there, a small smile on her face which didn’t reach her eyes. She looked dead on her feet. It was clear this entire ordeal had done a number on her. 

She looked rather like he did, to be perfectly honest. 

“Hey…” She whispered, padding into the lab to stand beside him. 

“Hey.” He muttered in reply, taking her hand in his and squeezing it reassuringly. They both stood in silence for a moment, gazing down at Sophia. 

“Sophia’s going to be okay.” Zara said, breaking the silence that had stretched between them. “She has to.” 

Taron nodded, fighting back the niggling sense of pessimism that threatened to break his composure. He had to be strong, for all of them. 

“Pryvani tells me you volunteered to test the vaccine that Dr. Selil and Brinn have developed.” Zara’s voice was flat, giving Taron no clue as to her own feelings on the matter. 
“Yup.” Of course, he gave away about as much. “Are you going to try and talk me out of it like she did?” 

Zara sighed. “No. I came to tell you that I also volunteered.” 

Taron’s back stiffened and he bit back the objection that had almost escaped his mouth. She had outmaneuvered him, as he couldn’t protest without looking like a hypocrite. 

So he tried a different tack. “I don’t see why they need more than one volunteer.” He kept his voice calm and reasonable, a verbal shrug of indifference. 

Zara’s brow quirked and Taron knew she could see right through his façade, but played along anyway. “Because as a female I might have a reaction to the treatment that you wouldn’t, or vice versa. And, since the majority of the people who would be using this treatment are women, it only makes sense.” 

That was a fairly reasonable argument, much to Taron’s dismay. 

“Well, I think you both are being incredibly foolish.” Taron looked over his shoulder at the young woman who had just entered the lab, purple and blue dyed hair streaming behind her. 

“Hello Pryvani.” Taron muttered, a wry smirk on his face. 

“Good morning.” Pryvani’s tone hushed as she neared the small enclosure. She didn’t want to accidentally disturb Sophia, after all. 

“Don’t bother, Pryvani.” Zara said, turning her gaze back to Sophia. “Our minds are made up and while we appreciate your willingness to submit yourself to the test…”

“It’s not my place.” Pryvani finished with a sigh. “Yes, you’re right of course. As much as I’d love to point out the logical reason for you not to be the test subjects… I’m afraid I don’t really have one. At least not one that doesn’t apply as equally to myself.” 

“If not moreso.” Zara replied with a sad laugh. 

“Right.” Pryvani shook her head. “I’m sorry, I came in to see how she was doing and I’m afraid I’ve intruded.” 

“No, you haven’t.” Taron shook his head, never taking his gaze off of Sophia.

Pryvani peered intently at the young man. “Taron, you’ve nothing to feel guilty about, you know that right?” 

“I do.” 

“No, I don’t think you do, not really.” Pryvani shook her head. “If anybody should be apologizing, it’s me. This whole mess was a bullet aimed for me, after all. I’m just sorry you all got caught in the crossfire.”

“Pryvani, there’s no possible way you could have known this was going to happen.” Taron said, then fell silent as he realized what he’d just said. 

He’d been outmaneuvered again. The amused glint in Pryvani’s eyes all but confirmed it.

Taron shook his head with a sigh. “All right, I see your point.” 

“I knew you would.” Pryvani said smugly, “Eventually.”