Lily leaned back against his chest, managing only a weak groan.
“I’m so damn tired. Fuck Vegrun.”
It had become their favorite connective phrase lately, used just as freely when checking in on each other through the helper drones. Khar rested his chin on the crown of her head.
“Same. Fuck Vegrun.”
He bent and lifted her. Lily started to protest out of habit, then gave up entirely and slumped against him.
Khar carried her to the crew quarters she used when traveling under Vegrun’s command. She could have slept aboard Helios, but even the short walk between ships meant time stolen from rest.
Lily touched her VoidBrace to the door sensor. The door slid open, and Khar carefully set her down on the threshold.
“Thank you, Khar.”
“Sleep well, Lily.”
He was about to leave when her fingers closed around his wrist. She looked up at him, hesitant.
“Don’t you want to sleep together?”
For a heartbeat, Khar felt like he could fight through any exhaustion the galaxy had to offer. Instead, he shook his head gently and brushed her cheek.
“I do. Just not tonight. These beds are too small for us to rest properly, and I want you to actually sleep.”
She did not seem offended, though it was hard to tell if she was even fully aware of what she had asked. Khar guided her to the bed and pulled the blanket over her.
“Sleep well,” he repeated.
She was already drifting.
Khar felt a quiet satisfaction settle in his chest. Taking care of her felt right.
His good mood lasted into the next chrono-cycle, when they waited in front of Vitro for Vegrun and the object of his devotion.
Vegrun hovered anxiously around Silomarila, who kept him on a surprisingly short leash. At least she appreciated the new paint job, for which Vegrun rewarded them with a grateful glance.
Khar and Lily watched with shared satisfaction as the billionaire made a spectacle of himself.
When Vegrun finally coaxed the Mokra star into his private suite, Khar cast Lily a knowing look.
“I like Madame Turtle.”
Lily nodded.
“I hope we see a lot more of her.”
Vegrun spared no expense to impress his lover, keeping Vitro in near-constant motion. Dinner beside the Khgorg asteroid cloud,which, if one squinted, could be interpreted as the shape of two Algors mating, so Khar deeply disapproved of that decision. Breakfast already on Rach, and an evening concert orbiting Silomarila’s favorite world, Augum-3.
Khar and Lily alternated shifts because a schedule like this demanded continuous oversight. During the most dangerous intervals, such as when they had to shoot down incoming asteroids to protect Vitro’s hull, they worked together. Outside those moments, they had precious little time for each other.
At last, on the evening of the second chrono-cycle, Lily went ahead to rest. Khar set Vitro into a stable autopilot loop around a nearby star, and for the first time in cycles, an opening appeared.
He had just returned to his own crew cabin when Lily stepped into the corridor beside him.
“What’s going on?” she asked, hope edging her voice.
“They locked themselves into the private suite.”
