Booty Hunter (Harem Station 1)

Everyone is silent as we descend. No one says a word. The loss of ALCOR runs deep in this place. Every person on this station has had a personal conversation with the AI dozens of times. That was his job. To take care of us. And he did that to the very end.

When we reach the bottom we step off the lift and stand, facing outward, on the platform, then begin the long ride up in silence.

It’s sad. And I’m crying before we even lift a few meters up from the floor. But Serpint squeezes one hand, while Xyla squeezes the other, and I squeeze them both back.

Nyleena isn’t here and neither is Corla. We still haven’t woken them up. Corla is still active and while we were returning home Crux erected a special beacon to house her far out in space, just in case the Cygnians find her detonator, Princess Veila, and try to blow us up. He visits her a lot.

But Nyleena will be woken up soon and we will be reunited. I know that technically all the princesses here on Harem are my sisters, but they are far, far removed and I don’t know them.

Nyleena is my family. The only real family I have left. So I’m looking forward to being with her again.

When we finally reach the top the Prime Navy officers are waiting. They are all in their dress uniforms, hats over hearts, eyes downcast the way they do when they honor their own dead.

And in the middle of the platform stands a new crystal obelisk with a brand-new copy of ALCOR and a token belonging to Beauty inside.

It’s just a symbol. Because there is nothing left of them. But we need that symbol.

And when the roof opens, and the obelisk shoots out, then explodes when the station security AIs shoot it with a SEAR cannon, the station copy ALCOR says, “We will all be with you and you will never be alone.”

Not quite the right words. A little bit off-script. But who cares. He’s trying his best.

We’re all just a bunch of fucked-up people here on Harem—thieves and bounty hunters, mercenaries and outlaws, runaway princesses and fugitive Akeelians—out here in the middle of the galaxy, just doing our best to be there for each other.

We are a family of millions of unwanted people, drawn together under the banner of Harem Station—the only place in the galaxy we have to unite.

And when the final cheer erupts after the explosion, we only know one thing for certain.

We wouldn’t have it any other way.

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE – SERPINT

Six months have gone by.

Six whole months with no real ALCOR. Six whole months with no Beauty. Six whole months with no Draden or Ceres.

We’re OK. Mostly.

New ALCOR is doing fine. Not great, but fine. He’s finally gotten to the point where he can listen to everyone on the station at once and meet most, if not all, demands on his attention instantaneously.

I guess we really took ALCOR for granted and that kinda makes me sad. I should’ve said thank you more. I should’ve asked him how he was doing. I should’ve showed him I cared.

But I didn’t. I don’t think I was thankful, I don’t think I gave a crap about how he was doing, and I don’t think I really cared.

Sucks, really. That it took him going on a suicide mission to save us for me to realize what an asshole I’ve been.

And Lyra. She’s changed me too and all of those changes are good ones. I make a point now to ask people how they are. To give a crap. To care.

And maybe some people think I’m going soft, but I will blow you away if you fuck with me. Make no mistake about that.

Luck is back out on his ship doing salvage jobs, but Valor stayed behind. Losing Beauty really hit him hard. Luck found another bot to help him out, and he even invested in one of Xyla’s sex-bot-turned-mercenary friends to join them, but Valor didn’t like it, so… I guess he figured he’d do something else for a while.

He works with Tray now. Doing what? I have no clue. Tray has never been social and he spends most of his time in the Pleasure Prison dealing with… well, whatever the fuck people do in there, I guess. And Valor does shit outside the virtual. Things Tray used to do, but has no time for now.

Big Dicker is back online. In fact, Jimmy just took her out for their first mission since the whole shit show at Bull Station happened. Some diplomatic meeting with some reps from Angel Station. Which is sort of ironic because Valor told me he was training to be a diplomat before we all left the Akeelian System. I guess none of us can really escape our fate.