Imperium

I've been drifting in the Polaris alone for a month. Arcantha and I had put the wedding off due to the incident with the twins, so I put everybody on leave and had Ravi disable everybody's mobi for contracts outside of medical should they want them.

But otherwise as it sits now, we're homeless.

Arcantha went to see her parents, as did Veridian while Stone and Ravi stayed glued at the hip working on new software for the team.

Calling it now, it's a thruple.

Deacon and Grendel went off for a proper honeymoon while Kat left to try to patch things up with Kreyla before deciding to just move on. Helene Memorial had been finished and became a nonstop stream of patients, but more importantly, recruits. I ended up having to take on a recruiter and training staff to keep up with it all, and while the station operated out of pocket the donations had been overwhelming.

Motherly Interstellar Lifesaving Federation had become known far and wide as an org full of people who would happily go out of their way to save your life or take another, and we always did it with pride.

I won't lie to you though. I've killed hundreds upon thousands of people, blown up ships with me in them, created a sun on the surface of Microtech and gotten my arm obliterated. But standing in front of hundreds of new recruits scared the hell out of me! All the eyes, undivided attention and weird admiration was something I didn't expect to see in my lifetime.

As for the gangs in the system, they kinda just fell into smaller groups, all of them avoided us because we dropped a quasar on their boss who overtook what we once called home. Speaking of criminals, Eva left us. Found a girlfriend who had all the shared interests she had and took off without a second guess. Wherever she is, we hope she's doing better.

As for me, I can't find a new home for us. The Terra home was seized in the trade and Microtech deserves better.

Speaking of a new home...

Dad and Moira took off. He kept a close eye on her as she went to therapy, and there was a LOT to unpack. She had been living in the medical system that carries my name to change herself as she was so drastically changed by the trauma of being condemned to die that she felt she should look like something that represented herself better.

Black hair, blue eyes and fair skin. Out of all of us she stood out as much as everybody did. Her face different from mine, mannerisms, she was her own person.

And I loved her. Biologically me, but we treated each other like twin sisters. She still had trust issues with me but not to the point of bugging out or losing it, she hated that I negotiated her freedom instead of destruction, but only because the UEE dropped her off at a random place to die. Thankful for letting her live but on shaky ground because I didn't specify WHERE.

Dad checks in more, makes sure the team and I are good while bringing Moira around. She pretty much never leaves his side and honestly I wouldn't either.

<R: Callie, Grendel needs to talk to you. Says it's important?>

<C: Here on the holo or in-person?>

<R: In-person, details on location attached>

<C: Thanks, honey!>

Location is a condo sitting halfway up a tower in Prime, Terra. Didn't expect them to take time off there, but it is what it is I guess. Piloting the Polaris solo feels overwheling and terrifying, yet claming because it's home to me. Even more terrifying though is navigating a jump point in this thing but ships seem to handle better in them so it's not all bad! Drop from the tail end of the gate and make my way over before entering atmo and setting down at the spaceport.

I haven't ridden a train since the day of the Idris Incident so this is almost new to me with how long it's been.

The city streets, buildings, trees and oceans off in the distance, this place really is beautiful.

It always stays an option for HQ, but given our history we shouldn't bring that kind of trouble to a massive city. Maybe set up a few clinics?

Shuttle stops, and I'm getting off at the ground level of this absolutely MASSIVE building. I step inside to see clean walls, windows, people everywhere and activity is booming.

I step over to the front desk and ask for directions.

"Hello, I'm here to see Fareeah Deacon?" I ask and the counter clerk tells me she's up on the twenty-third floor. Taking the elevator in such a civilian location kept to the highest standards of clean makes me feel...weirdly dirty. People in the elevator car are on their mobis looking at news, weather, current events, everything in a normal civilian life. Then my worst fear comes true...

"Wait, aren't you The Spacemom?" A woman asks me and EVERYBODY turns around to look.

"I uh...uh...no?"

"No, that's defientely her! Holy moly what's she doing here?!" A guy in front of the door chimes in.

"I'm uh...I'm just here to see a uh...a friend."

"Can I take a picture with you?" The first woman says, and the second I nod EVERYBODY is posing to take a picture with me.

Kill me please. Kill me now...

The car dings, it's my floor, and I push past people to make my escape and one notices my arm.

I normally keep a t-shirt on with a long sleve sewn on and wearing a glove but somebody notices the metal through a gap in the sleeve and said glove.

"Hey! What's that on your arm? New tech?"

I pull the sleeve down and sprint at unarmored spacemom speed down the hall and take a random left turn to lose them.

<R: You're clear, none of them followed you. Room 404 by the way>

<C: Why is there a room in the four-hundreds on the 23rd floor?>

<R: Plot reasons, and it's an easy joke>

<C: Makes sense>

I navigate the hallway and have trouble finding the room. I wander around for a solid ten minutes trying to find this apartment that doesn't exist until I see Deacon in the hallway and he waves to me.

"Hey Callie! We're over here!" He says and I correct course.

As I walk over to him he's clearly giddy, his arms are fidgety and legs are a bit restless.

Or the big smile, unsure.

"Hey Marshie, how's the Mrs.?" I ask and he shakes my hand.

"Oh yeah, she's hella good. How's the trip?" He says making small talk.

"Honestly piloting the Polaris isn't too bad, it's weirdly smooth."

"Yeah but it's also a capital ship, so it's just a chunky boy."

I enter the room and see Grendel wearing a lovely sun dress and there's a strange glow about her...Oh...OH!

"Hey Callie, how are you?! We missed you!" Grendel says and I fight the urge to run and hug her.

"I'm good! I missed you so much! How's Marshal and the kid doing?"

She freezes solid and jaw drops, Marshal drops my bag at the door and gasps.

"Look, motherfuckers, I'm a doctor. A Medic. And I've got a freaking medical lens implanted in my eye now."

She looks like she's about to happy cry.

"Grendel, I-" Comes out of my mouth and she puts up a hand to silence me.

"Fareeah is fine. I uh...well now I'm just gonna cut to the point here."

"Take time off for the baby, I'm already ahead of you." I say and she smiles with tears welling up.

"No, Callie. Marshal and I are leaving. We have a baby on the way and we're calling it quits. Call it retirement, but the baby is our future now."

I look at Marshal and then back at Fareeah. I notice his daughter's helmet on a book case behind him and encased in a glass box.

Can't help but smile.

<R: Do the thing?>

<C: Yeah. make sure there's six zeroes in it.>

<R: Can do!>

<C: Actually, make it seven zeroes>

<R: Aye aye, boss lady!>

I watch as Fareeah pulls up her mobi and her heartrate spikes super hard.

"Take it easy, don't stress the baby!" I say and Marshal runs up to hug me from behind tightly.

"Callie, we can never repay you for this!" He says and lets go.

"You're not paying me back." I say warmly. "She has saved my dumb ass so many times, you saved her, found each other, saved Verdi and all the people during the Terran gateway recovery. If anything I owe you both so much more than this!"

"You're not mad we're retiring?" Fareeha says as she walks over to me. "If you need anything we're right here for you." and she softly wraps her arms around me while hugging tightly, Marshal joining in.

Everybody lets go, and I ask the question I never thought I'd ask anybody in my line of work.

"Name?"

Fareeah smiles and she nods to Marshal who is giddy as all hell.

"Brenda, after Marshal's mother."

I could actually fucking cry. No, yeah...I am.

"She's going to meet her big sister one day, and her grandma and grandpa!" Marshal sounds like a kid himself with how happy he is.

I wipe away tears and feel like I did something right in my life for once.

"I love you both, always did." I say through sniffles. "I'll bring the crew around to visit from time-to-time but I swear you both better write back to the others!"

The tv in the room kicks on by itself and it's the team group call with everybody we started this with. Ivy, Brianna, Ravja, Katherine, Stone and dad with Moira in the background.

Exchanges of love, congratulations and excitement for the first baby of Spacemoms to be born.

And Moira smiles, my sister is so fucking pretty.