Golden Future

"This...sucks." I say, struggling to get a full breath in.

"Yeah, I can dope myself up just fine for the pain but...your chest is Tier 1, borderline zeroed." Callie says as she leans against a wall on the floor in this bunker with me.

We've been running around and bonding through the only way we know works. Murder of criminal assets. We're both incapped, and there's only so far her arm can take us before we overdose but thankfully one of our new recruits is on the way to help us.

New girl, goes by Emmy and bringing a friend running the callsign Kontrol. Kontrol was out of the citizen game for a while while Emmy was a friend she made during her return, recruited when Callie made a joke in global chat about "a certain type of girl responds to the rattling of pink Pips cans".

Emmy was new, and barely knew about how medical worked but neither did Kon. They were told to bring a paramed for me, even though Callie could easily do it herself.

"Callie, carry your baby sister to the ship, we got this." I say with a half smile she can't see under the helmet.

"Girl my legs are shredded and my fleshy arm is paralyzed." Callie says as she removes her helmet. "Unless you're gonna climb on my back and I drag us outta here on the mangler we're gonna need a pickup."

She leans over and grabs me with her synthetic arm and pulls me close before wrapping it around my shoulder.

"We're getting outta here, worst case scenario Arcantha can get us." She says and leans her head on my shoulder.

I'm not used to this. Dad has been staying close, hugs me and tells me he's happy to have another daughter, but this is...comfortable? Never knew my family, all I ever had was the kids I grew up with and following whatever order Ivar gave us, and the UEE showing the video Ivar himself recorded that broke me, I thought I'd be alone in life.

Especially when the fucking cryptids shoved me into a corner while waiting for me to die.

I feel a shake on my shoulder, and I do my best to look at Cal.

"No bad thoughts, you're here now, you're alive and you have a family. Bad thoughts aren't allowed." She says with a wheeze and a smile.

Good ol' family-issued Morozov. Goon walks around the corner and she caps him with a Coda quick-draw as I fucking cry my eyes out in a helmet.

//CONTRACT COMPLETE//

"Moira, never forget that you survived that shit for a reason." She says in an extremely motherly tone. "Dad loves you, Arcantha, Ravi, Verdi, Stone, Grendel and Deacon even though they left. You're the happiest mistake in my life."

She catches the sniffle and hugs me as best as she can and then we hear footsteps.

"White-suits" We say synchronized

"I think our girls are here..." I groan and I swear to fuck I can breathe through bullet holes.

Two women in white Odyssey suits come around and stare at us.

"Tractor us out, what did you fly here?" Callie says and they let us know they came in with Auroras.

"Okay...Get us to the Cutty Red outside and..." I nearly cough up a lung. "Get us in the beds. After that we might be able...to get out of here just fine."

They both look at each other confused and shrug before our bodies become weightless.

I know it's a utility tool but holy hell all the weight and strain is gone...most of it.

They cart us through the site and over to the elevator, before setting us down gently.

<V: Hey, I'm here with the Galaxy. Caught word on what's going on so I rushed over here as fast as I could!>

<E: So...What do we do?>

<V: Bring them up, there's a small hangar at the back of the ship and I'll help you unload them>

<E: What about the Cutty?>

<V: Once they're recovered up here, take Callie down and she can recover it>

<M: I can do it, take sis home>

<V: You sure?>

<C: Both of us can fit in an Aurora with a pilot, I wanna fly back with Moira>

Why does she love me so fucking much?

"Hey, no bad thoughts!" She shouts across the elevator to me and I hate her for only a second.

The elevator reaches the top, and we stop by the Cutlass to get HEAVILY medicated. Never been drunk in my life but this has to be what it's like. We stumble out to the Auroras and take off then make contact with the Galaxy where Veridian is waiting. Never seen her in civvies but I see why Ravi is obsessed with her. Muscles, cute haircut, friendly...

Dear gods Ravi has a german sheppard!

"Hey you two, you look worse for wear!" Verdi says as she picks me up effortlessly and Callie barely shambles under her own power.

"Y-yeah, apparently today was shotgun day with the 'Tails. If I see another BR-2 this week I'll fucking scream." Callie says holding her arm.

I don't remember what happened after but things went dark before I woke up in the T1 bed and Verdi looked nervous.

"You okay there, little shadow? thought we lost you for a minute!" She says as she strokes my forehead. Not sure if affection or checking my temp.

"Where's Callie?" I ask as I sit up and look around. I see her across the way in a T2 bed and sleeping. I hope sleeping. Not forever sleeping. That's BAD.

"She's just resting, insisted you get the bed first because you passed out and it gave me enough time to get a fuckload of pellets out of your body."

I slowly rotate my legs off the side of the bed and carefully get up. "Where are the newbies?"

"They wanted to go loot when they heard Cal say 'shotgun day'. An Aurora is still in the hangar but Kon is getting the Cutty back to the fleet." Verdi says as she helps me stand up.

This is going to take a LONG time to get used to.

"Go ahead and rest in the captain's cabin, I'll tend to mom okay?" Verdi says as she tussles my hair. I hate that I love this.

A quick nod and I make my way to the elevator and up to the top deck. I dreamed of owning one of these in medical school and the fact that I technically do now is wild to me. I look at the dent in the captain's door and wince, I wasn't there for it but I heard enough to know how hard that day was. Callie really grew into an amazing person after my imprint was made, so much changed in 8 years and I feel like this split in life paths will give me a chance to pursue a different life.

And I have to adapt to the fact that I'm a spacemom now...

But why don't I feel like I belong here? Why is it every time I wake up I feel like the world hates me and wants me dead? Dad said the death sentence wasn't my fault or Calliope's. Therapist says it's a traumatic response and FUCK WHY DOES EVERYTHING FEEL WRONG WHEN IT'S ALL RIGHT?!

//STAFFING CHANGE//

VERIDIAN > ATHENA

ARMORY > CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER/ACTING COMMANDER

<V: Wait, commander?! Callie are you leaving?!>

<C: What? No. If I'm gone or unavailable she's the boss>

<???: Hey, Marshal and I got this message. Congrats but can we be removed from the group chat?>

<V: It says you're not in the chat tho?>

/RECIPIENT NOT FOUND/

<S: Gotta be quicker than that, babe>

I take off my mobi and lay on the bed and listen to the odd rattling underneat it. It's Cal's, I don't need to know what's under there-

"Hey boogerbutt." Callie says as the door slides open to her and her arm missing.

"Where's the mangler? Damaged?" I ask and she shakes her head as she lays on the bed next to me.

"Bad thoughts? I told you to cut that out, honey. You're in a better place and I get that it's gonna take time to adjust but we're always here for you."

I roll away but she nudges my back with her leg. "It's rude to ignore people, Minerva."

What.

"Minerva is just Roman Athena, and we have one of those." I say with a raised eyebrow after rolling over.

"Moira is nice, but do you really wanna put your name out there?"

"I mean, you are."

"Well yeah but I'm weirdly proud of it."

"I get that. But being the bastard child of Leonard Casse isn't glorious either."

"which is why I stuck with Calliope, I hated the name I was given but it fits you more."

"I mean I hate it as much as you do, but I didn't know my name when we were found on Tanga so people called us Calliope because that fucking name is ALL OVER the 'verse."

We both laugh and she lays on her back.

"So...Minerva is what you're giving me for a callsign, huh?" I ask.

"Yup! Unless you want something else it's yours now." Callie says warmly.

"My big sis gave it to me, so I'm going to keep it."

She rolls over and hugs me tightly and again for just a fleeting moment the world feels right.

"Love you, sis."

"Same here, ya lovely goober."