*Sorry about the delay guys! I made the mistake of watching an episode of Game of Thrones and well I don't actually watch that much TV because I feel like it interferes with my own stories. I also had to get a new lap top which took some time, the screen is cracked on my old one. Those of you who have stuck with me so far! Thanks so much! I appreciate it! I'm going to try and get back into updating once a week on this. I have four other stories demanding my attention as well! If you have gotten this far but haven't read those, I would suggest giving it a shot!

How are Red and Ember doing? Thoughts?

~BrightStar

"You've never been defenseless." Her words rattled around in his head as Ember took the ship into a full dive. He finally understood why they usually piloted alone or with one really brave individual who monitored them. He hoped Dag was good, he could care less about the New Caledonians right now. In the back of his mind amusement welled up. There would be a lot of vomit to clean up if Ember kept this up.

The channel opened immediately from the other ship. Red stared at the screen even as Ember responded. They were really going to have to work on the Captain/pilot relationship they had.

She was still circling the smaller ship like a predator. Red wondered if the other pilot knew they weren't armed. Despite what Ember might claim they were still sitting ducks.

"Red. This guy claims to be from New Elysium." Her voice surrounded him. They were going to have to work on that too.

"Glad to let me in on the conversation." He was annoyed. He wondered if Ember saw herself as in charge or the Captain. If she wanted the job, he'd let her have it. But not if she was just going to point to him as she had on New Caledonia. Something had to give.

"Sorry." Ember had the grace to sound sheepish. "I was a little worked up..."

"I got that." He shifted in the seat. "On screen." His voice took a commanding tone, which he'd done purposefully.

There was a moment of silence from Ember and Red knew he'd gotten on her nerves. Good, he thought. Maybe that would lead to a discussion...if she wanted him to act as a captain when they were in trouble, she couldn't just turn that off when she trying to get a rise out of a potential enemy. It was a team effort. At least that's what Red told himself.

Suddenly the other ship's pilot was in front of him. "Thank you." He said out loud. Wouldn't do to push her too far. The other pilot was clean cut, shaven, and fit the profile of a military guy to the point that when he spotted Red he wasn't sure how to address him. Red wondered how he looked to the guy. Besides his military augs there was the out of place mohawk, and earrings no serious officer would be caught dead in.

"I was looking for the Captain, sir."

"I am the Captain." The man looked doubtful. Red shifted in his seat. "Look you've been tailing us for a few hours now. Do you mind telling me what you're doing?"

"Assessing the threat, sir."

"And?"

"You're a non-threat. I've received orders to communicate with the captain of the ship to arrange the most expedient travel to New Elysium."

"Weren't we going there already?"

The pilot's voice betrayed his amusement. "No sir, we give coordinates and wait to see who shows up. We can't just put our location out, every Neo-Tokyan battle ship would be heading our way."

It made sense, Red was relieved. That satellite had been broadcasting back at Helion, sooner or later the coordinates would be picked up.

"Are there ships following us?"

"There is a command under the authority of a Senator heading this way."

"How do you know that?"

"We have our sources, and our spies." The pilot waved. "I'm transferring a new set of directions. These will take you away from here. Good luck."

"Wait, you're not coming?" Ember's voice suddenly broke in.

"'Fraid not," the young man smiled at Red through the console. "This is my post. Got to make sure the way stays clear, and no one knows about it."

"Good luck." Red saluted. It was once automatic. But he felt stiff and awkward performing it now. The pilot nodded before the screen went dark. The new coordinates flowed onto the screen.

"Ember, get us going in that direction. How are you doing energy wise?"

"I'll need to refuel at some point."

"Ok, well hit the furthest star you can get to, and then we get these New Caledonians off our ship."

He felt the shudder as Ember changed course. She had done it on purpose. "Be nice," he said. "Everyone else has to come out of their seatbelts at some point. Ember, we need to talk."

"Fine." She grumbled. He heard the doors open behind his head and knew she was physically coming into his room. She was still wired in the back and stared at the floor as she floated down to it. They pulled her shirt up exposing her bare waist. She looked perfectly normal in every other aspect until she turned around and he could see the cables protruding from her back. "Course set." She muttered.

"Ember." He stood, suddenly at a loss. He wanted to throttle her and pull her to him at the same time. "Look, if you're going to call me Captain, can't we at least play by those rules?"

"My ship." She muttered still looking down.

"Fine," he said. "But when we get there, you can do whatever you want." He threw up his hands. "What's with you? You're cranky... I mean I don't know. I trust you to get me through, but you countermand me..."

"I'm not sure what happens when we get there." She said it so quietly, he wasn't sure what she meant.

"When we get there?"

"Well yeah, we drop the NCs off. We won't have them breathing down our necks...Dag will have his family. And you'll have whoever you are waiting for. And..." 

He waited, arms crossed. "I thought you wanted to take off into the black?"

"I did...I do." Her face flamed and she continued to stare at the floor. 

"Ember, I mean you can argue with me all you want to but I don't have anyone on New Elysium. Not like Dag anyway. I wanted to get T to New Elysium because they aren't throwing away 30 millennia worth of technology on a political fad. They have the technology to ensure that he'll grow up normal. That's all I've got there."

She looked up and stared at him.

"I haven't planned on leaving this ship." Or you...

"But..."

He stepped closer, feeling pretty certain that the urge to pull her close to him was winning over the urge to strangle her. "So, if you want to vent me, can it wait till we get Dag and the boys at least to New Elysium?" He was directly in front her now. Her eyes were opened wide.

"Vent you?"

"Yeah you know," Red smiled down at her. "When we get to argue over who's ship this is?" He put a hand on her shoulder and pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her. Ember stiffened for a moment in his arms and then relaxed into his embrace. Dag chose that moment to enter into the room.

The door popped open and they sprang apart. "Am I interrupting something?" Dag started to back out again.

"No," Ember said at the same time that Red said, "Yes."

He looked from one to the other for a moment as Ember lifted an eyebrow at Red. "Captain, I think he has something that needs your attention." She said, her own eyes widening. She had been entirely focused on Red and not paying attention to what was going on. 

Red sighed. The moment, if they had had one was over. If he wasn't going to catch a break here, maybe it was a sign.

"Look, you need to come talk the New Caledonians down again. They don't know what's going on...and I didn't know what was going on...but I know you guys aren't going to just toss everyone so...."

"Don't tempt me." Ember muttered darkly.

"You come too." Red eyed Ember daring her to argue. She bit her lip and nodded. It would be the first time she'd mingled with the New Caledonians since they'd taken off.

Red studied the three of them again. Still in their prison uniforms. At least they had the privacy of their own rooms to clean them. But Red couldn't wait to shed them, at the earliest he planned on setting the damned things on fire.

He felt a pang of empathy for Ember as he thought about her words. She didn't want them to go. It was the most he could get out of it. The three of them plus the two boys they'd brought with them made a strange family. Had they really only known each other for a few weeks? Maybe it was a month by now? He knew that when the time came for them to part it was going to feel much more like a loss than it should have.

He moved down the corridor with Dag and Ember behind him. He suddenly felt more sure of himself. More sure of the direction they were taking. More sure of how close he wanted to be with Ember. If she was nervous or afraid, well he could wait. He surprised himself, even with how much they'd argued over the past day or two, he still wanted to pull her close. Even just to see...

He put those thoughts aside. Dag had come to find him for a reason.

They showed up in a room full of frightened people. It wasn't the mob that wanted to hang Ember on New Caledonia. Not this time.

"What happened?" A voice rang out.

Andrea moved forward. "Red, I tried explaining that you wouldn't just vent us..."

"Quiet!" Dag's voice resonated around the room. Everyone turned to look at them.

"Look," Red found his voice carrying far more authority than he felt. Just go with it. "We've met with someone from New Elysium and we're heading there now. We've got new coordinates...and well, we'll refuel at a safe distance."

"Safe distance?" Andrea lifted an eyebrow. Red might have been captain of this ship. But she was still the leader of her people. He decided to be honest.

"Senator Dawson has a fleet that might be after us." It was met with dead silence. "Which is why," Red continued. "We've been given new coordinates, the real ones."

"How long?" Another voice rang out. Red couldn't pin point the speakers but then he hadn't concerned himself with getting to know these people. He was far more interested in getting them off his ship than knowing their names.

"A few days. Just everyone, try to be calm as much as possible."

Behind him, Ember stiffened. "Red. That ship we encountered is flying after us, in a panic."

"How can you tell?"

"It's an S.O.S."

"To us?"

"Me specifically."

"Why?"

She didn't respond for a moment. "It seems I'm not the only surviving Vesper after all. I'm just a rogue one." Her eyes lifted to his, fear on her face. "What do we do?"

"Strap in," Red started back. "Everyone strap in now! Ember go! See what kind of cover we can provide. Dag, pilot's office. The rest of you, crash couches, whatever. Move!" They dispersed and Red, Dag, and Ember fled back to the pilot's chambers.

"How long do we have till intercept?" Ember didn't respond. She looked dazed for a moment. "Ember!" Red yelled. He grabbed her shoulders and stared into her face. Anger rippled across her pale features as her eyes focused on his face.

"He's gone."

"Can you get us away?"

Click.

Click.

Click.

Click.

The cables snapped into place. "Oh, I'm going to do more than that." She flew up into her own rooms as Dag buckled in. Red strapped himself into the main chair.

"Ember on screen, and don't argue this time. I need to see what's going on."

She didn't respond for a moment. Not now, Ember, he thought. But suddenly there it was. Space, the whites of Stars zipping by as Ember kicked up the hyperdrive. "Can't fight them right now." Her voice floated around them. "Do we head straight there?"

"How are they that close?"

"I don't know," Ember closed her eyes and focused on space.

"Son of a bitch. I'm really starting to hate that guy." Red's voice filtered into her ears as she stared out into the black. His words made her smile even as she remembered what her father was like. Relentless, that was the best way to describe him. Oh, Red, if you only knew how ruthless he could be, you'd be terrified, she thought.