Mass Effect Andromeda - New Horizons

by IAmElvie

This story is Andromeda based, though it starts off in the Milky Way. Fem Ryder is the main protagonist, it includes Andromeda characters as well as characters from my other stories. Yes, Shepard and crew do make appearances in the Milky Way portion. It does not follow cannon, though the same main events occur. I'm not an editor, it was written for fun. Offshoot of Tu-Fira story.

2. New Horizons Ch2 - The Arrival

New Horizons

The Awakening

Chapter Two

A ship had passed the second gateway. Scouts reported it as the Natanus. He released a ragged breath. Not the ship he was looking for. He could only wait until someone reported a sighting of it. While he waited he'd approached the Elders seeking an end to the purge of the Andromeda galaxy, but they would not even consider seeing if the purge could be stopped without him giving them data that proved the purge was no longer needed. That, of course, he couldn't do, he'd never been to this galaxy before. He was in the process of trying to hunt down the Kin that gave the purge order, but it came to a halt when the Hyperion was spotted in the Delangu quadrant, nearing gateway three. "Take her. Gently. You can release her once I'm aboard."

He gathered a bag of nutripaste and hydrogel, flashed to the portal and programmed in the coordinates of the gateway. He stepped into the portal; by the time he stepped all the way through he was at the portal of the destination gateway. Teleportation was instant. He paced until he spotted the ship in the distance. A beam shot out and enveloped the ship, putting it in stasis.

With a nod of thanks he left the airlock and proceeded into a domed room. He stepped onto a small platform and an air-filled membrane encapsulated him. When it closed over his head he was propelled forward along the beam, passing through the dome's membrane on the path to the ship. Upon reaching the ship he phased through the hull and the hum of the ship resumed. He was surprised that the ship was recycling air. Did that mean someone was awake onboard or did his presence trigger the air to begin recycling? The ship, itself, was dim, running only emergency lighting. He was unsure if that too had been triggered by his presence. No way to know for sure and he wasn't leaving. He just needed to figure out where the cryopods were being kept.

He located a map near what appeared to be an inactive tram. Cryobay. Perfect. He stepped onto the tram track and followed it to a large door labeled 'Cryogenics'. He phased through the door and phased through another door on the left. It did not look promising. He stepped out and phased through another door directly across from the tram entrance and looked around at what could only be a medbay. This was a possibility. Likely those coming out of cryo-stasis would need care.

At the far right of the medbay he found what he'd been looking for, row upon row of cryopods. He flipped on a nearby console and searched through the names. Each name was assigned a cryopod number. His heart flipped when he caught sight of her name. He touched the console and a hum filled the room. The pods were moving until one came to a stop and then slowly lowered. His wife's name and pod number could clearly be seen. He peered through the glass, but could see nothing. He looked back down at the console and touched the Release button.

It wasn't until afterwards that he realized he should have continued to lower the pod until it lay on the floor. As it was, she was going to fall out of it face first when the door opened. He stepped closer to the pod, hardly able to believe he'd finally found her…after all the agonizing years he'd had to wait. When the hum stopped there was a hiss. The door opened and she tumbled forward into his arms, her body trembling. Her nearly naked body. Her teeth began to chatter and he melted away his shirt so that she could use his body heat. He scooped her up in his arms and carried her from the cryobay and into the medbay. This was not going to be good enough. He needed to find a small area they could heat, because the temperature was too low for her body to sustain viability.

"You should not be awake yet, Star. What has happened? Your life signs have become erratic." Sam did not like being in the dark. But many of its sensors had been powered down. It only had access to Star, Sol and Alec due to their specialized implants.

"I have released my wife. Her body cannot handle the cold, I need to take her somewhere small enough to be warmed but not drain the ship," Kael replied to the voice.

"That was unwise. She will not survive the journey. You can take her to the Pathfinder's Quarters. I will raise the temperature in that room," Sam replied.

"If you give me the exact coordinates I will take her there immediately."

Sam gave him the coordinates and then began to explain the fastest way to reach them. It stopped in mid-sentence at the near instant arrival of the pair. "You are not human." It stated when it activated it's sensors in the chambers.

Kael noticed the bed. His wife needed blankets …and body heat. With a wave of wrist the blankets pulled down. "You are not either," he said as he lowered her onto the bed and settled in next to her. He melted his pants away, drew her up against him and settled a thigh over her legs as he pulled the blankets over them. It was the best he could do to warm her body until the room temperature raised enough to sustain her.

"I am called Sam, an AI construct built to interact with the human Pathfinder and to an extent, the rest of his family. Why have you chosen to release Star? The trip will likely take another 600 years; she will not survive the journey to Andromeda."

"She will survive. I am her husband, Kael. You are right, I am not human, I am Kin. She is of the Gods and me, she will not die."

"What are Kin and what do you mean she is of the gods and you?" Kin were not a species he had in his databanks.

"Kin were the first species. We were created from dark matter. All life was seeded from us. I do not yet know how she fits in with the Gods, only that she does. As for me, we are bound as lifemates and she carries my blood in her veins, as such she cannot die from mere age."

"Then you are considered immortal. You are the first species I've heard of that are immortal. Little is in my databanks about dark matter, let alone how it can create life. I also have no reference of lifemates in my databanks."

Kael sighed. AI's were far too curious. "My body is not the same as bodies built of matter. The particles that make up my body can be altered, rearranged, not necessarily a solid, liquid or gaseous state that matter takes up." He was not a scientist, he did not have the words to adequately describe what the Kin were, nor would he care to do that even had he known. He then went on to explain lifemates and their bond to each other. His words came to a stop when his wife snuggled against him.

She was drawn to the warmth, craved it…needed it. As her body began to warm her senses started coming to life slowly.

"Even were she to survive the years, there is a lack of resources to sustain your bodies for that length of time."

"I have brought enough to sustain us for awhile. I have more supplies coming."

"She is awakening, Kael."

"I know."

"Your heart rate has increased and your temperature is rising."

"I know." He sighed. Some things he would rather the AI not be aware of. "I haven't seen her in 2000 years."

There was a buzzing of noise in her ears. Talking. People talking. "Are we there yet?" she murmured as she flattened herself against the warmth and tried to ignore the pounding of her heart.

He released a ragged breath when her body melted against his. "No, I have released you early," he said thickly.

She blinked and her vision cleared. She was pressed up a large, thickly muscled chest. Why? She pulled her head back enough to look up at his face. Inappropriate or not, her body was not ready to give up the warmth, not only that, but it was ripening in need and that was concerning. She blinked again. Why did he seem familiar to her? "Why have I been released? Is there an emergency?"

He groaned when she bumped his arousal trying to get closer to his heat. "The emergency was ours, I had not seen you for 2000 years, wife. I was unwilling to wait another six hundred." Was she not happy to see him? That didn't make sense. Maybe she wasn't Kin, but being separated from a lifemate was incredibly painful, regardless of the species.

"Wife? What are you…I – we're not married." Why was he saying such things? Why would he revive her just to play games with her? It made no sense.

The pain of her words sliced through his heart. He had been in anguish since they parted and she didn't even remember him? "You could not have forgotten me…our bond." He cupped her chin and gazed into her eyes, seeking the answers hidden within. A growl slipped from his lips when he saw the locked memories. "You will not keep her from me, Themis. She's my wife," he snarled as he released the binds that held her memories.

She gave a soft cry as memories kaleidoscoped through her mind. Their first meeting, the flight through the roof, the exchange of blood. Their second meeting..the bed…making love…the strengthening of the bond. Lifemate. But how? Other memories trickled through…not bound memories, but memories that returned due to the direction of her thoughts. People talking..Her – Cas, imperfect..flawed. Her soul…not bound to Cas, but bound to Kael. That was why she did not die with Cas. Despite the turmoil of her brain processing the memories and the pain it brought with it, her body and feelings roared to life with the rush of the lifemate bond.

Her hand rose to his face and her fingertips drew along his eyebrows and down his cheeks. Her gaze lowered to his perfect, chiseled lips. "Husband.." she murmured. Her body and soul had known what her brain had not. Her body was aching for him. He had been denied to her for years.

The scent of her desire whipped through him, with a growl his lips claimed hers with the pent up need of 2000 years.

-BREAK ONE-

She learned many things in the coming months, there was little they could do besides talk or make love. The rest of the ship was far too cold for her to spend much time in. One such thing she learned was that she was becoming Kin. There was no denying the white flecked, butter colored wings that were filling in down her back like a magical tattoo. Her husband had no answer as to why or how it could happen. But then no Kin had ever bonded to a God or a being carrying God blood before. They were treading new waters. She'd also learned that the nutripaste and hydrogel created little to no waste. Her body was able to absorb all the nutrients.

She also learned that she truly was immortal. Neither Gods nor Kin could die of old age or illness. Not that she couldn't die, but that it would be damned hard to kill her..or at least for her to stay dead. Kael had also told her about his first wife. That she had been killed along with their babe at the start of the war with the Gods. He discovered many years later that the babe's DNA had been altered and used to create an army of winged soldiers by a young Godling. The young God was taken by the Kin to suffer for eternity for his crimes against the Kin. The Kin chose to leave the winged soldiers in the care of the God's son, a demi-god, with a warning that they reserved the right to purge the abominations if the need arose.

He explained to her how the Kin tended the garden of galaxies to try to ensure beautiful, viable blooms. Of course, he'd not used those terms, but that was what her brain equated it with. It had been a shock to discover the galaxy they'd chosen to explore was the latest galaxy slated to be purged. The tendrils of dark energy had been released to grow until the galaxy was cleansed so they could eventually reseed it. But to do so the dark energy would destroy everything that had gone wrong within the galaxy in the process. It was a slow progress, by mortal years, but for the Kin to even attempt to halt the purge; he had to provide them with enough data that would prove the purge was not needed. No pressure there, considering this was a one way trip.

She'd told him about the pending Reaper invasion in the Milky Way that would potentially destroy the galaxy they had fled from. He told her he'd left a friend of his behind to observe the galaxy for a possible purge. But that his friend would do what he could to try to save it from any threat.

Her mind whirled with all that she had learned about the Kin and that peeked her need to discover more. There was no older or more advanced race than them. She knew her husband held some things back, but he was as forthcoming as he could be.

She got to meet Diamonte when he showed up with more supplies for them. He had rich, raven wings to match his thick, black hair. He would be the middle man between Kael and Blasius. Spending time in both places, as the travel was quick due his access to the gateways. When she'd asked about her family, he'd told her how Lyrica had been drawn back through the eye above the planet they called Earth. Her lifemate had gone with her and another Reed had taken his place on Earth. He found his lifemate not long after his arrival. She was torn by that. Lyrica had built a life there, she meant a lot to her family. She meant a lot to her. The only light was that she would finally be reunited with her twin brother, Liam.

He also told her how a joint effort between the Gods, his friends and the united races had destroyed the Reapers and they were no longer a threat to the Milky Way. However, there was still a threat from the Leviathan, those responsible for the creation of the Reapers and still a threat from the Kin. A lot would hinge on how united the races continued to be, if they continued to walk in relative peace, the Kin would be content.

That had been a huge weight off her shoulders. Hard to believe so much could happen in so little time. It also relieved her to know her family would not die and with the threat of the Reapers behind them, Tayln could work on some way to establish viable contact between the galaxies. If anyone could do it, he could.

-BREAK TWO-

The centuries passed, far faster than she ever could have imagined. Diamonte often came and stayed years at a time before departing to catch up with Blasius. Eventually he brought news that the Kin were done with the current observation and the Milky Way would be safe for now. As for the Leviathan, little had been heard, though it is suspected that in the darkest, deepest areas, their numbers were growing.

On the outskirts of Andromeda, Star released Lori and Lach, who began to prepare for the first wave to be released. She had been concerned for Lach, because for him, it would have been minutes since he was put under and that meant to him they were still together. If he was hurt, he kept his pain shuttered away and did not treat her any differently. That made her love him and respect him all the more. She was just glad he had a lot to keep him busy getting the systems up and running. Key crew and staff were released along with her father. His team, including her brother and Rosie were released a few weeks later.

She and Kael were visiting the med bay waiting for Sol and Rosie to be awakened when the ship lurched and groaned, systems going haywire. She yelped as gravity shut down and she was lifted off her feet. She tried to swim through the air, but got nowhere fast. With nothing to grab onto, she imagined she looked ridiculous, like a fish out of water. Luckily. She wasn't the only one looking ridiculous. She was stunned when her husband's wings emerged in front of everyone, as if he didn't care that they knew or what the crew thought of him. The wings did give him more leverage, allowing him to cut through the air to reach her side. She wrapped her arms around his neck when he pulled her up against him, using his wings to stabilize them.

Talking came to a stop as stunned eyes latched onto them; bodies twisted and turned trying to keep them in sight. One medic kicked off a wall in their direction.

Denna thudded into a wall when she was caught off guard by the flecked golden brown wings that sprung out of nowhere. What the hell was he? She had assumed he was human and a VIP at that, since he had been awakened before the main group. "Shit!" she said rubbing her shoulder. She turned her body, placed her feet against the wall and shoved off in the direction of the pair that was using their powers to keep control of the stasis pods. "Are you from the Heleus cluster? Or somewhere else in Andromeda?" she asked as she overshot the pair. Her arms pin-wheeled to turn herself around, but she had no way to stop her momentum.

Kael released his anchor hold on his wife, knowing she had one arm firmly around his neck, and shot his hand out to grab the woman's ankle to keep her from slamming into the wall behind them. Her movement stilled and he released her, his gaze going back to the pod he held with his power. "No," he said briskly. "I'm from much farther away and I will speak no more of it."

Denna blinked. Not from Andromeda and certainly not from the Milky Way. She could tell by the tone of his voice that he wouldn't budge about where he was from. "Fascinating." Her eyes traveled from the gorgeous man to the equally stunning Star Ryder, the woman he had a tight hold on. She'd heard whispers that they were a couple. "If you are not from either galaxy, where did you meet Ryder?"

Star rolled her eyes. "He met me on Earth and it's Star, I'm not in the military. Do you really think this is the best time for this?"

Denna laughed. "Not much else I can do ass up in the air." She let out a small shriek when her ass hit the deck hard. She stood up on shaky legs and rubbed her sore cheek.

"Gravity works," Star said with a grin. Now that her husband had let the cat out of the bag that he wasn't human, she knew he'd garner attention. The Kin were observers that tended to keep out of sight, so few knew of their existence and fewer still had ever met one.

Lieutenant Cora Harper was able to get to the controls to reboot the gravitational system. Kael lowered them to the deck and they settled the cryopods back on the floor after the gravity kicked in.

Lori glanced up from the two pods she was monitoring. No doubt Kael would be the talk of the ship...he was a new species and that always garnered attention. They'd already talked to her and Lach and she had been stunned to learn about the Kin and what they were. It had seemed inconceivable. And even she had been caught off guard seeing his wings pop out. But now was not the time for that. "Denna, I need ye t'help Dr. Carlyle. There are people and pods that need attendin'. Get to it."

Denna blinked when she saw his wings disappear like they'd never been there. "Where –" Her words were stilled by Dr. Steging. "Yes, ma'am," she grumbled and turned away from the intriguing man.

Star laced her fingers with her husband's as she headed towards her friend. Sol's pod door was already opened.

But Rosie's pod had been damaged. When their father told them to suit up, Sol refused. He would not leave his lifemate.

Alec understood far more than he could say. He couldn't even allow death to have its dance with Ellen. He hadn't told the kids yet that he'd put her in cryo and had her placed aboard the Hyperion under a false name. There would be time enough for that when he'd found a cure. He didn't want them to get their hopes up or go through losing their mother a second time.

Alec had been stunned to find out that his daughter had a new lifemate and had spent the last six hundred years living in his pathfinders quarters. He couldn't even wrap his head around it. It wasn't possible, but nor was Sam capable of lying to him. He would have to talk to her about that later, right now his main concern was Habitat 7. It was nothing like what the scans would have it to be. Humanities' golden world. Apparently, a lot had changed in over six hundred years.

The doors slid open to see crew members frantic on the bridge. A man darted past them. "Help control! Report!" The sound of panic could be heard in his voice.

"We're drifting!" Another man said as he moved quickly to another array of consoles. "Flight controls aren't responding!"

Captain Dunn gripped the railing as she stared out the large front window. "First priority is stopping these outages!"

"Mainline power's been knocked out! We're on reserves, Captain! They won't last!" A man shouted as his fingers flew over the screen.

While the bridge crew scrambled to set the ship to rights, she and Kael stood next to Cora and her father to watch their approach to Habitat 7.

"That's Habitat 7," Alec stated. "New Earth, if we're lucky." He strode down to a holo map. "All of our long-range scans told us it was in the green zone. Perfect for human settlement." He touched a small holo image of the planet, pulled it out and released it back to the holo map where it enlarged even more.

Cora compared the holo to the actual planet. It doesn't even look the same," she said stunned. "Are you sure about the scans?"

Alec turned his head to look at Cora. "A lot could change. It's been over 600 years." His gaze returned to the window. "SAM?"

"The energy from the phenomenon is dampening our sensors. Planetary conditions are unknown," Sam admitted.

Alec stared out the window for a moment. There was no choice, they had to proceed. "We're marooned.20,000 souls adrift at sea. And when the power runs out and stays out…we need to know if that's safe harbor," he said, pointing out the window.

"And if it's not?" Captain Dunn cut in.

"As pathfinder, it will be my job to find an alternative. It's what we trained for. But if this goes well, we're already home."

There was no way this could be a golden world and she was direct with her father about it. He'd frowned at her, but basically said they'd know more when they got down there. For him to be able to look at that place and think it could be habitable then he either had a few gears loose or he knew or suspected something she was unaware of.

They had learned that their ship had brushed up against the tendril cloud of energy, which was what had caused the ship's systems to go haywire. Star looked at her husband and his grim nod was all she needed to see. The dark energy purge released by the Kin. "I don't suppose you can do anything to help the ship?" she whispered.

His golden brown brows drew together as he frowned. He, like everyone else, was dependant on this ship holding together. He could survive almost any extreme or atmosphere, but not the complete absence of all air. He could flash a few of them to the nearest gateway, but he knew that would pose as much threat to them as the decline of the ship. Despite his rank, even he might be attacked by his own for bringing seedlings to one of their gateways. He shook his head. "I could restore a hole in the hull, but I could not repair damaged electrical equipment. I'm not a technician, wife. I'm a warrior."

Kael stepped forward, raised his hand and froze the deck crew. He looked down at the man that was his new father. "What you see out there," he said as he pointed out the window. "What you call a cloud of energy…it is dark energy. It was released by the Kin to cleanse a galaxy that had gone awry. It would allow for reseeding."

Alec just blinked at the frozen people all around him and caught his daughter's nod. He knew that her lifemate was Kin, but the implications of what his son had just told him…what they had travelled into…did not bode well for any of them. His gaze hardened on the larger man. "By cleanse you mean purge…destroy all life. What gives anyone the right – No, we will have that discussion later, I imagine it will take some time." He ran a hand down his face. "I wish you'd found my daughter sooner, we would have chosen a different galaxy."

Kael had little doubt they would discuss the matter later. But there was little he could say to the man to help him comprehend the Kin. Since he met his wife and learned about the Reapers, a tiny part of him began to wonder if the Kin were wrong in what they did. How did they differ from the Reapers? They both destroyed worlds; the difference was the reasons behind the cleansing. The dark energy destroyed on contact, no pain, no turning people in to monsters to fight their own. But the end effect was the same a new canvas on which to grow life. "So do I," he said quietly. "I searched for her for 2000 years."

2000 years. Another 600 aboard the Hyperion…His daughter awake for 600 years and not looking a day older. There was much he needed to learn about his new son's species and how that seemed to affect his daughter, when time allowed. "Unfreeze them." The frozen crew made him uncomfortable.

Kael raised his hand and returned to his wife.

"All right, make it quick," Captain Dunn stated.

"Harper, the rest of the team should be awake by now. Have them spin up two shuttles. Planetfall in thirty," Alec said as he left the bridge.

"Yes, sir," Cora replied, following him out.

Star slipped her arms around her husband. "I have a bad feeling about this," she said as she laid her cheek against the cool of his armor and wished for the warmth of his chest. She was going to miss their privacy the most. Spending the day naked in his arms.

"Star…" he groaned, his arms tightening around her as her pheromones played havoc with his control.

She flushed and looked up at him. "I'm sorry. I can't – I can't help…"

He pulled her up his body and claimed her lips.

Dunn was stunned to see the kiss on her bridge and when she saw Star's legs begin to rise to wrap around his waist she cleared her throat loudly. "Planetfall in thirty, so get off my bridge."

Heat stung Star's cheeks as she was lowered back to her feet. "Sorry, Captain. It's not something lifemates have much control over."

Her dark eyes narrowed. "Not on my bridge," she said sternly.

"No promises," Star said as she took her husband's hand and led him out the door.

Dunn grinned at their departing backs. She couldn't help but envy what they had. She'd never once seen the love that shined in their eyes dim…the constant, soft, reassuring touches, the heated embraces…embraces that had become scuttlebutt. The love and passion they felt for each other was a tangible presence, almost like a warmth that radiated off of them. She sighed and returned her attention to getting her ship in order. "Status report Michaels! I need an ETA on our sensor reports, we're blind out here."

Star led him to the locker room. "I need to grab my armor," she said as she opened her locker. The armor had been designed by Tayln to work with her bracelet OT and new physiology. Well, post Cas, pre Kael physiology, drastically cutting down on the God power/tech conflict. And that made her wonder if Aria ever discovered what she was. She clamped down on the direction her mind was taking, before it spun too far into all the questions she still wanted answers for. She'd have to have a serious sit down with Diamonte when he returned.

Kael had watched the wing pattern grow down her back and legs. The wings were fully formed, had been for hundreds of years, but she'd been unable to trigger them. Regardless, she was Kin now. She had no need to put on armor…at least not in the way she was used to doing. He took her arm. "Wife, you are Kin now, just picture the armor forming on your body."

She grinned. "As I've said many times before, I'll concede I'm Kin when I can fly."

"You are stubborn." He raised his hand and armor encased her body.

She blinked and looked down at her armor. It was armor similar to his, nothing like what she used to wear. It was light and she could move easily in it. But she wasn't ready for something so alien. The planet looked a mess and she needed something she felt secure in. She would test his armor out in a more controlled environment. "Husband, I love you. I trust you completely. But I am not comfortable testing new armor out when I'm going into a possibly deadly environment.

Stubborn. With a wave of his hand the armor was gone and he helped her snap on the armor she wanted to wear.

"I wish Rosie and Sol were coming." She sighed. "As soon as they get her out of stasis, I will see if I can heal her."

"You won't be able to, at least not in your usual manner. Wife, despite your protestations, you are Kin, you are not biotic anymore, nor do you have your God powers. Kin power is not pulled in the same manner. Damn it, I should have trained you!" He raked a hand through his hair. Despite the time they had alone together, much of it had been spent in bed. That bed had proven far too big of a distraction.

Star raised her hand and pulled on her power, waiting for the gold washed blue field to envelop it. She blinked. Nothing. The color drained from her face. "Fuck me. I'm screwed." She'd been biotic all her life; she didn't know to fight without it – it had been hard enough to use the God power she'd gotten from Cas. She was a superb sniper and good with hand to hand, but they were back up defenses not her primary fighting style.

"Later, wife, when we don't have an audience," he said with a deep, sensual rumble.

She blinked as heat pooled into her core. Damn his voice. Her gaze rose to meet his. The heat that simmered in his eyes no doubt mirrored her own.

He took a step towards her and forced himself to stop. He released a harsh breath and cleared his throat, thankful the armor trapped in most of her pheromones. "Now do you understand?" he asked, trying to focus on what they had been discussing. "Kin power is similar to God power in its most basic function. Picture something happening and it will. You can gather your power for stronger results, but it is more like a flexing of a muscle…or will become similar with enough practice. The power is all through you, so you need to start wide and then condense it down into a small area and push it out." He growled. "I'm sorry, I'm not a teacher, I don't know how to explain the feeling properly."

She grinned and placed a hand on his arm. "I think I understand. Your power fills you on the inside like cotton candy or maybe fluffy snow, if I was a guy I'd probably use a spit ball analogy…regardless you compact it into a small projectile and throw it."

"I think so?" he asked with a bit of uncertainty. "I don't know what cotton candy is and I certainly don't care to know what a spitball is…but I do know what snow is, though uncertain the purpose of compacting it…" Her words were confusing. "However, compacting it into a small projectile and throwing it is fair enough."

She laughed. Her husband didn't even know what a snow ball was. "Much to learn you still have, my young padawan," she teased. "And before you ask, that was an old vid quote. That too you will understand in time," she said with a wink as she held up her hand again. She had no intension of throwing around power inside the confines of the ship, but the basic function, which was how she dropped her fangs, would be an acceptable test. She pictured power flowing into her hand. Small gold slicks swam around her hand. She looked up in confusion.

That he had not expected. She was using God power and Kin power. "The Kin have no seeable field of power. It is there, but it is felt, not seen. Biotics have a bluish field and Gods have a golden field. You appear to wielding both powers. I do not know the effect it will have on your powers ultimately or how long you will retain the God power you still have some use of."

She watched the globs of gold stretch and thin, somewhat like living ameba crawling over her hand. She hoped the gold faded with time, because it was incredibly weird looking. She pictured the power subsiding and lowered her hand. "I suppose, at some point, I'll have a chance for a field test." At least now she had a way to reach her power. She was just glad she didn't discover that she couldn't use her bioitics in the middle of a battle. Not that a battle was expected….but this was a new planet, a new system..hell, a new galaxy and they may not be a welcome addition to it. It was entirely possible that they would be viewed as invaders and have to fight for their right to remain here, though she hoped diplomacy would smooth the way when they did finally meet whoever lived here.

She then turned her attention to the others in the room. She talked briefly to them and then plucked up her helmet off the shelf. She smiled at Cora. "I can't wait for the drop. This planet doesn't look viable, but I'm eager to see it!"

Cora slapped on her final piece of armor and shook her head, a smile playing on her lips. "Are all Ryder's adrenaline junkies?"

"It's in our blood," she teased…though she wasn't quite sure just how much Ryder was actually left in her blood.

"The Pathfinder is requiring that you all have side arms." Sam stated.

Star rolled her eyes. She hadn't intended to go anywhere without it. She didn't use them much, but they were nice to fall back on if her biotics - er powers drained her too much. She returned to her locker and pulled out her modified Viper. She ran a diagnostic on it and then snapped it to her back. She did the same with her Wraith and laser-sighted Phalanx. She looked over at her husband. "Can you create a magbelt for yourself?"

"Magbelt?" he asked curiously.

"A magnetic belt," she explained. She watched as a belt appeared around his waist. She nodded and pushed her Phalanx into his hands. "Good."

He looked down at the weapon. "Star…I don't need this, nor do I know how to use it."

"Humor me, husband. I feel better knowing you have a backup weapon on you." She showed him how to work the settings on the pistol. "As far as shooting it goes, it has aim enhanced and penetration modifications. Plus there is a laser sighting, so you know exactly where the projectile will hit. All you have to do is line up the laser with the target and fire. It is a foolproof gun, which is why I upgrade the mods rather than upgrade to the newest Phalanx, which no longer has the laser." She snapped it to his hip. "Now practice drawing it and aiming."

He released a breath. If it made her feel better, he'd carry it, though he doubted it would get much if any use. He practiced drawing the weapon. It felt awkward in his hand, but he had to admit the laser's pin-point sighting was nice. "Is this a beginner's weapon?" he asked as he continued drawing and aiming.

"Absolutely not, it is too advanced for a beginner's weapon…but it was designed as more of a last stand weapon; it is often a choice piece for biotics. If we – they use too much of their power, it drains their bodies, leaving them weaker, it allows for them to protect themselves even if they are too exhausted to move much. This particular gun has a bit of a recoil after each shot, because of the modifications I have on it – it hits far harder than originally intended. But...you might be strong enough to handle it," she teased. He was a mountain of a man…a mountain she very much liked climbing.

"Might be…" his grin slowly slipped from his lips as his body responded to hers. "Wife…" the word came out in a breathy whisper.

"Sorry!" She stilled as she felt a wave of something powerful…passionate…filled with need hit her. She stumbled backwards and fell to a knee, her breath coming in pants as she tried to control the raw, naked hunger that had hit her like a tidal wave. "How do you control this?" she asked, her voice lined with desperation.

He was concerned when she dropped to the deck, but the heat in her eyes took his breath away. He closed his eyes and clenched his jaw, trying to push back his need for her and lock it away. They were feeding off of and fueling each other now. Prior to this, it had been one way. He was affected by her hormones, but she was not by his. It made coping easier. But now…she was responding to his pheromones as well; things were going to become a lot more complicated. He wanted to comfort her but him getting that close right now was the last thing either one of them needed. "It's not easy," he admitted. "And it's about to become a lot harder."

Her gaze lowered to the area of his armor that covered his arousal. The armor had a noticeable bulge, as it expanded with his body. She closed her eyes, cutting off the sight that only intensified what she was going through.

Kael's chest rumbled. "Picture the sensation of an icy cold shower." His eyes opened wide. "No – wait!" But she was already gone. Oh fuck, she was going to kill him. For a moment he had forgotten she was Kin now. He flashed to the bathroom in their quarters in time to hear her yelp. He raised his hand and she stood in front of him, now dry.

She snapped her gaping mouth shut as she stared up at her husband. "That was horrible of you!"

He laughed, he couldn't help it. "I'm sorry. No I'm not. Yes I am. For a moment I forgot you were Kin now. But it helped, right?" He laughed some more. "For the future, just think about other memories that can counteract what you are feeling. Doesn't work as well as a cold shower, but might take the edge off."

"Payback's a bitch, mister…" she said sternly as she fought to hold back a giggle. She pictured the locker room and then blinked when she found herself there. Oh, this was going to be fun. Her husband joined her.

"Just don't try flashing to someplace you've never been…the consequences could be unpleasant…or worse," he warned.

"How the hell did you do that?" Cora asked in surprise.

"Space magic?" Star said with a grin. "Look, for now all I will say is that I'm not exactly human anymore. And I'm only saying that much because you saw what happened. Though I don't imagine it will remain a secret for much longer."

Not human anymore. How does one become not human? It was obvious Star wasn't ready to talk about it, so she bit back the questions for now and simple nodded her head.

"It's time to get to the shuttles," Sam reminded them.

Star glanced around and realized they were the last ones left in the locker room. Oops. They hopped the tram to the shuttle bay. Lori and Lach were talking with Dr. Carlyle when they entered.

"I'm going," Lori stated, her eyes narrowing on the older doctor. "I need ye to stay here and look after the wounded and t'keep an eye on Rosie. There are just too many for Lexi t'handle alone. Besides, we dunna know what's down there and I've been trained by an N7. I can fight, recon and doctor." She did not point out that she was also younger. There was little need to state the obvious.

He gave her a steady look. He knew she was right. They didn't know what they were facing down there and if it were too extreme, the team would be better suited to having her along than him. He nodded. "I will keep you updated on Rosie."

Star waved at Carlyle and then turned concerned eyes on her friend. "You are leaving Rosie to another doctor?"

"It's not like that. She willna be coming out of her stasis pod anytime soon. When she's ready ta be released, I will be there for her. Right now, my talents are better suited on the ground."

"Alright, team, button it up. We'll be heading out in five." Alec stated.

"Sir, anything we should know about?" Cora asked Alec.

"We'll be short handed without Sol and Rosie," Alec said with a frown.

"No, we won't. Lach and Kael are coming. We will have full teams," she told her father.

Alec nodded at his daughter and approached her. "I heard what happened. I know how much you care about Rosie. She's a strong woman, she'll make it. And she has Sol looking out for her. He's not about to let anything happen to his wife." Just as he refused to let anything happen to Ellen. He knew what his son was going through. Maybe not the lifemate part, but he knew well the fear of losing a wife.

He returned to the shuttle and then turned to face his team. "Okay, team, listen up. I chose each of you for the Pathfinder team, not just because you're talented and passionate. But because you're dreamers like me. We dream of exploring the unknown…" His gaze fell on his new son. He wasn't sure how well the man would fit into his team, but he also knew Kael and his daughter were a package deal, same with Sol and Rosie. "Of finding the edge of the map – and then discovering what lies beyond. When people look back on this – and they will – They'll remember we didn't give up. We kept dreaming. That our first, few faltering steps in Andromeda were the beginning of everything they know. We only get one chance to be first. So let's make history." He turned his back on his team and went to talk to his pilot.

"I've waited 600 years for this," Liam stated.

Star watched as Lori and Lach joined her father. She caught Lach's stare and smiled sadly. "I'm sorry," she mouthed and turned away. She boarded the second shuttle with Liam and her husband.

Lachlan watched her go until the shuttle doors closed. He felt his sister's hand on his arm. "I'm fine." He wasn't, but he knew he would be in time. It had been a shock to awaken only to discover his Star was with another…a lifemate..a husband…forever out of his reach now. But he had promised her he'd gone into their relationship with his eyes open and that he could handle it. And every day he put one foot in front of the other, forcing himself to go on like it didn't bother him. He'd made a promise to her and he was doing what he could to keep it. If only the nights were easier to get through.

-BREAK THREE-

Star heard her father over the com.

"Ark Hyperion, this is shuttle one, switching to manual guidance."

"Shuttle two, taking your lead," Kirkland replied.

As the shuttles rose they peered out the window to get a closer look at the dark energy cloud of filaments.

"Wow, will you get a look at that," Liam said in awe.

"It is fascinating. Looks alive…and it was able to stop the Ark in its tracks. I wish I could study it more," Star said wistfully.

"Wife, the dark energy is dangerous. Do not get too close to it," Kael reminded her.

"I know, but still. I've never seen anything like it before."

"Correct," Sam stated. "It does appear to be an unstable mass of dark energy."

"If you two say so," Liam said.

"Do not come into contact with it, a shuttle would be overwhelmed and destroyed," Kael told the pilot.

"Steer clear of it," Alec said over com. "How much do you know about it…son?" Alec asked, feeling a bit awkward about the last word. His son was older than many civilizations.

Kael's lips twitched. "Enough to know exactly what it is capable of…dad." Calling a seedling dad…Life certainly took some interesting turns. But his lifemate was worth it. He just had to find a way to reverse the purge. That would be a far easier mountain to climb than talking the Kin into allowing the seedlings to use their gateways to reach another galaxy.

"Getting some chop here," Fisher said as the ship began to shake.

"Gravity anomalies detected," Sam informed them.

"I'll see if I can even it out," Kirkland replied.

Kael placed a hand on his wife's shoulder and squeezed it on his way to the front of the shuttle. He would give the pilot any assistance he could.

Greer grimaced. "My stomach would appreciate that."

Kirkland sighed in relief. "We're clear. Accelerating to cruising speed."

Liam looked at the woman standing next to him. "Ryder, we didn't get a chance to meet back in the Milky Way. Name's Liam Kosta, security and response specialist."

"It's Star, Liam, I'm civilian, not military…and good meeting you."

"Right, hard to remember that, when I heard of so much that you did for the Alliance." The woman before him was practically a legend. Pretty damn inspiring for a civilian. "You helped the Shepards' save the Citadel and brought the protheans back to life. Amazing stuff, that." He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry about your husband."

Kael didn't have a helmet on, so he wasn't patched into their frequency, but his hearing was acute. She'd married another while he was agonizing over finding her. He knew her memories of him had been locked away, it wasn't her fault, but the pain sliced through him regardless.

She blushed. It was one thing discussing what she'd done with the media, that was a more clinical, abstract conversation…but talk about it in a casual way…not the mention the pain it still brought to her to think about her dead husband, Cas. "He died so that we could survive," she said quietly. She looked over at her husband and saw him staring back at her in shock, pain etched around his eyes. She hadn't told him about Cas. Didn't want to hurt him. Cas had been her lifemate too, despite something going wrong with the bind. He was dead and a galaxy away, she hadn't thought there would be the need to stir up that kind of pain. Apparently, she'd miscalculated.

Liam felt uncomfortable; he'd heard the pain in her voice. He looked out the window. "Hard to believe we are finally doing this."

"Yes," she said as she turned her head to look at Liam again. "This galaxy may not be what we'd expected, but we have a lot to do here and I can't wait to get it done." Somehow, we had to convince a guardian race that this galaxy was worth saving. She suspected that would probably be the hardest thing they faced in Andromeda. But they had to succeed, because if they failed, then they'd left everything they loved behind and travelled to Andromeda to die. That was not an acceptable outcome to her.

"Beginning our deceleration, planet's dead ahead," Fisher informed them.

Star stared out the window, absently watching them enter the atmosphere.

Liam grinned. "Here we go."

The systems went haywire and Fisher swallowed hard. "Flight guidance is scrambled!"

"Calm down, it will pass," Kirkland assured him.

No, no, no… "The controls are fighting me!" Fisher said, struggling to keep the shuttle on course.

Kael opened his mouth…but Sam was already speaking.

"Adjust approach vector three degrees to starboard."

"We're through," Kirkland said in relief.

"Shuttle two, are you seeing this?" Cora asked once they'd passed through the atmosphere.

"We are," Star replied. "Doesn't look like a golden world from here."

Kirkland read the scanners. "Ionization levels are rising…"

"Stay on course to the landing zone," Alec said with irritation. Their chatter was rubbing him the wrong way. He was feeling the weight of Habitat 7. He'd brought them out here to this….and this world did not look habitable.

"Oxygen levels are below human requirements," Sam warned them.

Fisher groaned. "Is this the right planet? I thought we had it all worked out-"

"Keep it tight, shuttle two," Alec said, not wanting to hear all the negative talk. He was Pathfinder. He had to make this world work. There were no other worlds. Too much, everything, was riding on this.

Huge chunks of rock were suspended outside the window.

Okay, that was weird. "Uh…mountains are floating," Liam said in shock.

"Look, port side!" Fisher said when he noticed the strange constructions.

"That has to be advanced engineering," Cora said in awe.

Alec grunted. "Hyperion, this is the Pathfinder. We've got evidence of an alien civilization." Which meant everything just got a hell of a lot more difficult. If the indigenous species didn't accept them, they'd have to fight to stay. This was to be humanities' homeworld…somehow.

"What if they're not friendly?" Liam asked.

"We stick to contact protocol. No use of deadly force unless hostile intent is clear," Alec warned them. They didn't need to start something if a peace could be reached.

The shuttle jerked. "Shit! Ionization just spiked!" Fisher said, fighting to keep the panic down. There was a loud snap sound and the shuttle jerked again. "Lightening strike!" Alarms blared on the shuttle.

Kael held out his arms and threw a shield around the shuttle, but the lightening hit hard and it was requiring a lot of strength to keep it up. He caught sight of his wife raising her arms to help when the door burst outward and Liam was sucked out.

Liam screamed and held tight to the side of the torn hatchway.

Star gripped the wall and reached out a hand towards Liam. "Liam!"

Kael ignored Liam's scream and focused on the shuttle. The needs of the many outweighed the needs of the one…at least until he saw his wife edging closer to Liam. He dropped the shield. "Star…no!" Lighting struck again and an explosion sucked his wife from the shuttle. He darted for the opening and dove out, his wings opening up then folding in as he dove towards her. He ignored the ache in his lungs, relaxing to allow them to process the new air.

He could hear her yelling at Sam to fix her jump jet.

"Then fix it, Sam! Not sure I'd survive being turned into blood soup on the rocks below!" Pain seared down her back and legs, her body contorted and a scream ripped from her lips. It felt like her whole backside was on fire.

Her pain tore through him and he poured more energy into the dive until he was able to pull her into his arms. He has to struggle to keep holding her; she was flailing with the pain. "Where are you hurting?"

"Back..legs…fire.." she gasped.

And then he realized what was happening. Her fall, the fear it instilled had triggered her wings to respond…they were opening to save her, but had nowhere to go inside the tight armor…and while she was falling, she could not retract them, even if she knew how. He held her tighter with one arm and waved his hand, replacing her armor with the armor he'd put on her earlier. He synced her helmet to the new armor as her buttery colored wings spread out behind her. He knew she wasn't ready to adjust to the new air. She would fight it until she got used to being Kin.

Star shuddered when the pain receded. As her brain cleared and she realized they were still falling, controlled or otherwise, she sprang up and wrapped her arms around her husband's neck. "You caught me!"

"I would fail as a husband if I didn't," he teased. "I will always catch you. Even if you no longer need me to."

"What do you…" she felt something weird move along the muscles of her back and turned her head. Wings…she had wings…she blinked, her wide eyes met her husband's. When his mouth lowered to capture hers, she gave into the kiss, trusting him to see them safely to the ground.

All too soon, her feet settled on solid ground. She pulled back enough to look into his eyes. "I love you, Kael."

He grinned. "Then I am forgiven for the unintentional cold shower?"

"Fine, I forgive you," she said as she took as step back and tested her wings. She was surprised when they could lift her off the ground. "I would think the muscles would be weak, since they've never been used."

He chuckled. "Wing musculature is based on body musculature. The wing muscles do not atrophy unless your body does."

Her attention was caught by the scenery and she dropped to the ground. "How do I put them away? We've got to see if the others survived."

"There are partially covered slots running down the back of your armor. You can pull them in through those. When pulled in they automatically form on your back."

She grinned and then pulled them in. "That is a relief. Can't imagine sitting on them." She allowed her attention to go back to their current situation. She flipped on her OT…"Sam! Hyperion! Dad! Is anyone there?"

Liam sighed in relief when he heard her voice. He ran to her and caught sight of her giant husband with her. "Thank god you two are okay. But save your breath, Sam's offline…the com link is trashed. I'm surprised we aren't too," he admitted as he bent over to catch his breath. Then he blinked. "Your armor…"

"I – uhh…had a little help. My jump jet malfunctioned. My husband caught me before I could become stone stew." Ahh..the armor…that was much harder to explain. Guess it was too much to hope for that it'd go unnoticed. "Come on, Liam….I'm a lady…you don't expect me to run around in soiled armor, do you? It would be undignified."

Liam choked on a laugh, "What?"

"Later, Liam. We need to find out if anyone else survived landing on this hellscape." She began scanning everything she passed to examine the data later. They were here for a reason and she couldn't lose sight of that.

Liam fell into step with the other two. "How are you breathing this air, Kael?"

He looked over at the smaller man. "I'm not human, I'm Kin. My body adjusts."

Fair enough. "I knew you weren't human, I saw your wings in the medbay, but I didn't realize you could breathe in toxic air."

He grinned as they picked up speed to skirt through an ionization field. "It's not toxic to me."

Liam shook his head. "Fair enough." He yelped when a tiny bolt of lightening struck nearby. "What the hell is wrong with this place?"

"You aren't embracing our new home?" Star teased.

"Not bloody likely," Liam scoffed.

They darted into the shelter of an open cave and then out the other side. A noise drew her attention to the sky. Sweet mother. "Take a look at the space whales! Let there be dragons."

Liam groaned. "Hope they don't eat humans….wait – space whales?"

Kael laughed. "They do look like they are swimming through the air."

"By the size of them, I'd say they probably never come to ground to roost. Probably have something to keep them afloat while they sleep…Their bodies are so massive, they would probably be crushed under their own weight on the ground," she said in awe. It was unfortunate they were beyond her scanner's reach.

"Nerd! Overanalyze much, Star?" Liam teased.

She blushed. She did tend to overanalyze things. "Sorry," she said as she resumed her jog.

"Don't insult my wife, Liam," Kael growled. "Her overanalyzing may just save our lives."

Whoa. He had no intension of putting himself on the giant's radar. "That's not what I meant, I was only teasing. You know, playing around? Joking? I appreciate brains and by the looks of things, we'll need them out here."

Kael nodded and sped up to catch up to his wife.

"Be careful of the ledge, hell of a step down," she warned.

"I'd rather fall than get hit by lightening," Liam said with a shudder.

She chuckled. "Give it a minute – we can probably do both."

"Always a ray of sunshine," Liam quipped dryly.

She grinned. "I was named Star for a reason."

"I can see why," he said softly.

She laughed. "Why Liam – are you flirting with me?"

Color drained from his face and his eyes darted to the giant. "No…er no. I wouldn't-" But had he? He might have. She was comfortable to be around, easy to let his guard down. She was funny, quick witted and if he was honest with himself, he was attracted to her. But if he had flirted with her, it was only a natural reflex, nothing had been meant by it. He certainly didn't intend to get himself pulverized by her over-sized husband.

"Relax, I was just teasing you. Figured you deserved some payback."

"Nice, Star. Just try to keep in mind that calling you a nerd would not end with you getting pulverized by a giant. But you calling me out on flirting, on the other hand, would not end so well for me. So – not the same."

"Smart man," he said with a hard gaze at Liam. He had to clench his jaw to keep from smiling. It was amusing, but also good that the man knew where things stood and what he would tolerate.

"Point taken, Liam." She looked up at the ledge…a ledge she couldn't reach without biotics or her jump jet. Damn it…well, she was not one to let herself be carted around by her husband.

Liam froze when he saw pale yellow wings propel Star up a steep incline. "What the hell.."

Star blinked as her husband appeared beside her. She looked at Liam and then her husband. "Damn me, I should have thought of that." They took Liam's hands and boosted him up since they were standing in his way. "Liam…I'm not exactly human anymore…"

"No shit, but how – never mind, I probably don't want to know," he admitted and it was the least of his concerns right now.

She nodded and continued down the path that wasn't really a path. "How did my dad find you?"

"I was a cop…in crisis response…tell you over a beer sometime."

"Sounds good." When she noticed the pathway they were on dropped away and started again at the foot of a ledge she grinned. She pictured herself at the top of the ledge and then blinked. Yes! She'd done it.

Kael appeared at her side and dropped a kiss on her helmet. "Much better."

"Whoa…that's some freaky shit, you two. You wouldn't mind giving me some of that juice, would you," Liam said with a grin.

Kael reached out and yanked his hand back.

With a yelp, Liam flew through the air and landed at their side. "Good enough."

After three more ledges they finally reached the top only to see a large, alien tower emitting some kind of blue, smoke like substance. The noise it made reverberated through her head.

"What the hell is that?" Liam asked with concern.

"One more thing to find answers for. Kael, do you have a clue?" she asked her husband.

"Not a one. I was not assigned to this sector. I had intended to hunt down the Kin that passed judgment, but then I heard your ship was nearing one of our gateways and I ran out of time. I would be interested to know why this galaxy was chosen for reseeding. Something very wrong happened here."

"Maybe it will become obvious as we explore more of it. We are stuck here now and have to find a way to set things right."

Judgement, gateways, reseeding? What the hell did all of that mean. "You two make no sense. You know that, right?" As he approached the edge he caught sight of their shuttle..or part of it. "Star…look it's Fisher."

Something prickled at her. Something wasn't right. She grabbed the armor of the two men and pulled down as she lowered herself to the ground. "He's not alone."

"Not a species I've seen before," Kael admitted as he studied the creatures.

Liam could feel his adrenaline kick in. "Holy, shit. This doesn't look good, Star."

"No, it doesn't, but I won't break protocol unless I have to. Not on this. Do not attack unless they attack us first. It bites, but we are the invaders here and I'd rather give peace a chance…if at all possible."

Liam's brows drew together. "If you say so." The worry in her voice was obvious. She didn't think this was going to end well either.

She rose and raised her hands as she approached the aliens.

Damn it all. Kael did not like her putting herself at a disadvantage or in danger. With long, swift strides he was at her side. He knew she could feel the shield he'd put around her, but at least it could not be seen as an aggressive defensive measure.

She couldn't understand a word the alien shouted at her…her unease rose. This was not going in a good direction, though she hadn't really expected it to. "We are not here to hurt you or challenge you. We are explorers and I only want to check to see if my teammate is injured."

More shouting she did not understand. But the bullet coming at her and the alien that kicked Fisher, she understood that all too well. She felt a force of power buffet her and watched the alien get thrown, disintegrating into so much dust before he reached the ground. She needed to learn how to do that. Only problem with that was there were no second chances. "Impressive," she said as she pictured herself slamming into the alien that had kicked Fisher. The alien was propelled into the shuttle with a jarring crunch.

"And you have me around, why?" Liam asked. He hadn't even been able to get a shot off.

Kael sighed. She was getting the hang of it faster than he'd like. But she was still using the power like a biotic. There was no reason for her to charge in and risk herself. Not that he could blame her; he hadn't thought to train her until it was too late. She was using what she knew. He flashed to her side.

"It's okay, you're safe now," she said quietly as she crouched down next to man leaning against the broken shuttle.

"Fisher, you okay, man?" Liam asked as he caught up to the pair.

"I'll live," Fisher said, "but I thought I was a goner."

"I knew he wasn't the friendly sort," Liam grumbled.

"I know," she said quietly. "But we had to try. If all you see are enemies, that is all you'll get."

Liam just looked at her for a moment. For such a simple statement it was far more profound than it had a right to be. There were all kinds of sides to Star. He wondered what else he would learn. He felt the weight of a heavy hand settle on his shoulder and blinked. Right. Note to self….don't moon over the man's wife in front of him. Not that he was mooning…he wasn't, was he? But she was fascinating. He lowered himself in front of Fisher..not that he was trying to get away from the warning hand on his shoulder or anything.

Fisher leaned his head back against the shuttle wreckage. "I'm glad you showed up when you did. You saved my life. It'd be a hell of a thing to survive the crash just to get shot by aliens."

"Not letting that happen. For anyone," Liam stated as he held up his arm to scan Fisher.

Fisher sighed. "We still don't even know what they wanted."

"Nothing good, the way they were armed," Liam bit out.

"Keep in mind that we are the aliens here. Armed aliens at that. How would you have responded if armed aliens arrived on Earth? Would you shoot first or invite them to tea?" she asked Liam.

Liam's lips twitched. "I see your point." He turned to Fisher. "Where are the others?"

"Gone. Kirkland and Greer went looking for help. I couldn't go…feels like my leg's busted," Fisher admitted. "You guys push on and look for the others."

"Will you be okay here?" Star asked in concern as she rose. She scanned the alien's body and picked up his weapon and handed it to Fisher. She was not about to leave him both injured and unarmed.

"Sure...just find us a ride out of here." He took the gun from her and settled it in his lap. "Thanks. And take a few more of them out while you're at it."

Liam looked over at her. He hadn't even thought of making sure fisher was armed adequately. Just because they killed these two, doesn't mean more won't show up. And if more showed up, Fisher would be making a last stand all by himself. He looked from Star to Kael and back to Star. "Do you need me? Because if you don't I'll stay with Fisher, in case more of those aliens show up. I'm sure those won't be the only unfriendlies drawn to the wreckage."

"That's a sound idea, Liam." She hesitated. She knew she could heal him, she learned how from Aria and Cas, but to do so, she'd take on his injuries and the time it took to heal herself might be the difference in someone else's life.

"Don't even think about it,' Kael growled at her. He hadn't fought Gods for as long as he did and not witness how they healed. But they didn't have time for that. He could heal the man. But he wouldn't. It wasn't just that he was indifferent to the seedling, but if word got out that he could heal like he did, the demands on his time…and the feeling s of resentment when he didn't heal everyone they wanted him to…he just didn't need that kind of pressure. He had enough that he had to do. "We need to go."

"Before you go, do you know what these things are, Star?" Liam asked as he dragged the body away from the shuttle.

"From the scans I took earlier their armor is made up of some sort of bone and they are DNA based…but they seem to have bits and pieces of varying DNA code. It's perplexing….like a riddle that needs solved. Er – when I have more time."

She nodded. "Stay safe, you two."

"Of course…and Kael? Keep her safe."

His eyes narrowed on the seedling. "She's my wife," he bit out.

"I know," Liam said quietly. "But I'm thinking she's not going to make your job too easy," he said with a grin and pointed behind Kael.

Kael looked behind him and groaned. She was already quite a ways ahead. With a brief wave of his hand he flashed to her side.

-BREAK FOUR-

"How did you do that? I mean disintegrate him like that?" she asked when he appeared at her side.

He grunted and pulled in his step to match her shorter stride. "He tried to hurt you. I wanted him dead. He died."

A smile tugged at her lips. "I meant the disintegration part. I've never seen a power that could do that."

"Kin are different…we are different. We have a different power base than a biotic or even one of your Gods. If Kin were created from dark matter, what kind of power do you suppose we wield?" he asked.

"Oh, sweet mother, of course! Dark energy based. And now that I am becoming Kin…"

"Are Kin," he corrected.

"Boneheads ahead!...and Kirkland." She charged, but the bonehead moved. As she flew by him, her arm shot out and encircled his neck. She turned her body to the left, allowed momentum to carry her. His neck snapped under the pressure, but she'd already spun around far enough to wrap her legs around the second alien's neck. She jerked her legs and twisted her body as she fell, landing on her hands and knees. But the satisfying snap told its own story.

Kael took out the third …bonehead with a blast to oblivion. He turned to help his wife but she was already in mid swing. He held his hand out to her and helped her to her feet.

As soon as she was up she darted over to the downed man. "Kirkland was surrendering. They didn't have to kill him! Soulless fuckers!" She scanned him, but there were no signs of life. "Damn it all!"

With a hand to her back, he guided her onward. "We still need to locate Greer and the others."

"I know," she said with a sigh. "We'll send someone back here for his body later," she said as she marked the navpoint in her OT and picked up her pace, heading to the left. She slowed when he heard what sounded a bit like a loud cat's roar. She took a step back into the thick wall of her husband's chest as she scanned the area with her eyes. Something was stalking them…she felt it..something. …there…it was like it blended in with the surroundings. She took a step forward, yanked the shotgun off her back and pulled the trigger, just as she saw her husband's arm come up.

The beast dropped in front of her in mid leap. She scanned it. "Organic, no tech….yet it has chameleon or cloaking like capabilities. Fascinating." More data she could study later. It wasn't long before they found more debris. She scanned the area, surprised to find one of the pieces of equipment was still in a functional state. "The atmospheric analyzer…maybe the Hyperion can get a least a few readings from it," she said as she activated it. "At least it feels like I'm doing something."

When he kissed the top of her helmet, she put her arms around his waist. "I can't even imagine what going through this would be like if you hadn't found me."

That was not something he wanted to think about the memory of her loss was too agonizing. "But I did find you."

She released a breath and pulled back. "You're right…you did and I shouldn't be thinking of what ifs." She squared her shoulders and continued the search. They came across the other half of their shuttle, more boneheads and a flight recorder. Not much, but she downloaded the information to her OT anyway.

Not too far from the wreckage they spotted an alien building and searched it hoping to find someone taking shelter there, but they only thing they found was a pissed off bot that resented their presence and recordings in the bonehead's language that they couldn't decipher. As they exited the building boneheads were waiting.

Kael rose into the air from the force of his power alone as he built up his power. He flung his arms out and a massive wave of power burst forth, sweeping everything in its path, leaving nothing more than wispy dust behind. He fell to one knee, breathing hard.

She was stunned and she was pissed. "Don't you ever do that again!" She gave his shoulders a shove and he toppled over onto his back. She straddled his belly and poked his muscled chest. "I'd rather fight them then risk you being too weak and getting hurt. And I know damned well you'd be on my case if I had done something like that." She caught movement out of the corner of her eye, grabbed her shot gun from her back and fired without taking her eyes from her husband. "You missed one." She snapped the gun to her back.

At first he was stunned by her reaction, but the fire that leapt into her eyes and her anger that stemmed from love took his body in another direction. He cupped the back of her head and drew her down against him, touching her helmeted head to his. "Do you know how badly I want to make love to you?"

She moaned. "That was devious, husband." She pushed off of him and gave him a hand up.

"That doesn't make it any less true," he admitted. "Flares," he said pointing behind her.

"Hopefully, it's the rest of our team." She hurried through the lightening field, with her armor getting singed only once. She moved down the path to the right and past some alien tech that bridged out over the tops of their heads. She came to a stop and held up her fist. "I heard something. It's coming from the com…a clicking.." when it happened again she knew it wasn't a coincidence. "A pattern…"

As they got closer, the clicking grew louder. "I think it's coming from that cave," Kael said, pointing towards the receded opening in the cliff wall.

She grinned. "Good eyes." They mopped up two boneheads and found Greer.

"You two are a sight for sore eyes. I was hoping someone would hear my com signal. Have to admit, I damn near messed myself when I heard those aliens talking," he admitted.

"Kael, will you please grab one of the guns off the boneheads?"

"Boneheads. I like that," Greer said with a grin. "Did you find Kirkland?"

"I'm sorry; we didn't get to him in time. The boneheads killed him; they didn't live long after that. But we located Fisher, he was injured, Greer. Liam stayed with him to protect him, but they could use the assist. I'm sending you their navpoint. You should have a pretty clear trail back to them," she said as her husband handed him the gun. "My husband and I will push on and try to locate any other survivors."

"Sounds good, but it's a damned shame about Kirkland, I'm just glad those bastards paid for what they did," Greer said sigh. "I'll gather up some supplies and head out. Stay safe."

"You too." She inclined her head and departed the cave. While they walked, Kael admitted that he'd healed Greer…or mostly healed him before he left. "If you could heal him, why didn't you heal him all the way? They could have come with us. Oh…that makes sense."

He cocked a brow. "I don't believe I answered your question yet, what makes sense?"

She grinned. "I meant I answered my own question. If you had healed him, word would have spread that you could heal and then you would be expected to heal everyone and that is the least of our concerns."

He chuckled. "That's my girl. I knew I married you for a reason."

"Because ancient dogma forced you to?" she teased.

Pain washed over him. He took her hand and pulled her to a stop. "Don't ever say that, Star." His hand cupped the side of her helmet. "I regret nothing…well, I regret losing you for 2000 years, but I do not regret being your lifemate. Ancient dogma forced nothing, our souls were meant to be together. Do you realize how rare that is? Two people, in all the galaxies, able to find each other…the odds of that happening.."

"Go up significantly around Aria," she said with a smile.

"Aria?"

Her smile softened. "Aria is Angel…my sister…the woman who told you where I'd gone…the woman I was with when we first met….Everyone she cares about has found their lifemate."

His brows drew together in thought. "I – that doesn't seem possible…but something pulled me to that location...to you…my soul guided me to yours. I don't see how that makes her responsible,"

"She was the reason my brother and I were there. She'd drawn us into her dream and when Themis came to get her, she took us all back into her past at a time when the Kin were not attacking. You weren't there in her past. You weren't one of the echoes...you should never have shown up, but you did."

The odds just grew exponentially. "So Angel was the reason we met…but she was not there the second time…"

The smile slipped from her lips. "Yes…well, that is a story I will tell you when we are back on the ship. It is too complicated for right now." And too painful. "Wreckage ahead," she said pointing to the right.

She scanned everything she could. It was a wrecked alien ship. "It appears to be a new crash site, not ancient…it hasn't been here long. This ship design, it is different from the structures we've seen...The only aliens we've seen are the boneheads. I can extrapolate that they arrived not long before us…they are intruders here too; it is not their world either. It does make me wonder why they were so aggressive now that I know they weren't just defending their home from invaders."

He had to admit his wife was impressive. She would be a valued addition to the Kin, if he could get them to accept her. "They were certainly defending something…the technology here, perhaps?"

"That is what I'm thinking. That is probably why they came here to begin with…we were an unaccounted threat and they wanted to keep us away from it…and that makes me wonder just how valuable that tech is. It obviously means a lot to them, we just need to figure out why."

"You will," he said. "Now, I don't suppose you want to go explore that cave over there" he said, pointing back in the direction they'd just come.

Her eyes sparkled with excitement. "You know me so well."

He chuckled. He loved seeing her eyes dance with excitement..almost as much as he loved to watch them burn with hungry need..almost, but…No…not even close. Excitement came second to hunger. What could he say, he was an insatiable man. "I've spent the last 600 years with you, I'm bound to pick up a thing or two." He smiled at her retreating back. She certainly kept him on his toes.

The cave was unexpected. A lush, tiny garden world. "Sweet mother, this is beautiful. This must have been what the whole planet looked like when we got our original scans. How could so much have changed in only 600 years? I wonder if that tech was here when the world was still lush or if whomever built it was responsible for the world's decline. Or was it the dark energy clouds that caused the death of the planet? So many unanswered questions." She froze. "I feel…"

"Dark energy does not destroy the planets like this; something else happened….or something interfered in what was supposed to happen." He felt something prickling at him for awhile; as the feeling grew stronger he realized what it was. "Diamonte, Blasius…to me!"

"Well, I didn't expect this," Diamonte said with a whistle as he popped in. "After what I saw of this place.."

"Monte!" Star grinned and hugged him. "You are a sight for sore eyes! I missed you!"

"Then I'm not doing my job right," Kael grumbled.

"Do you know how hard you are to find?" Blasius exclaimed. "We were able to locate the Hyperion, but they weren't too impressed with our arrival. A human by the name of Denna was willing to tell us you came planetside after she found out we were with you." He caught sight of the woman next to Diamonte. She was more stunning than he'd remembered.

"Blaze!" She hadn't seen the beautiful dark, auburn haired Kin since Kael flew off with her the first time they'd met. But he stayed behind to help her galaxy and that endeared him to her forever. She threw her arms around him and held him tight.

He grunted with the impact, hugged her back and grinned. "You too?" he teased. "Blaze is what Angel calls me. What they all call me now. You are more stunning than I remembered," he admitted.

"Blasius!" Kael growled.

She laughed softly and raised her lips to his ears. "And you are still hot as sin."

"I heard that," Kael growled again.

She laughed and stepped away. "Don't you dare leave until we've had the chance to talk….And thank you…for everything. But – I'll thank you more later when we have more time."

Diamonte snickered. "You're going to get him killed if you don't shut up, Star."

She blinked and then blushed.

Diamonte laughed. "I don't know who's blushing more…you or Blaze."

"Not that way! Kael knows…" she stilled when she saw the cold anger directed at Blaze. She hurried to his side and reached up to grasp his neck to pull him down to her, but he remained wooden. Bloody hell. She placed her hand on his shoulders and jumped, locking her legs around his waist. She wrapped her arms around his neck and brought her mouth to his ear. "I love you," she murmured as her teeth grazed his lobe. She felt his body shudder and his hands slid up her thighs to cup her ass and hold her against him. But other than that, he did not move. Her tongue trailed down his neck and she nipped as close to her bondmark that the armor allowed. Fangs lowered and she bit down. His body began to tremble as a deep rumble built up in his chest. She withdrew her teeth and ran her tongue over the closing wound. She looked up into his burning eyes and shivered. Their mouths met in hot, desperate hunger.

Diamonte chuckled. "She did find a way to get his attention off you."

Blasius nodded. "That she did, though I wouldn't have chosen that particular method at this time. I understood his anger, she's going into heat, so I tried not to let his anger get to me. Though I have to admit I didn't like seeing that look in his eyes."

"No doubt, better you than me." He grinned at the sour look Blasius shot at him and then sighed. "How do you suppose we should go about separating them? Well, without getting killed in the process."

"That – wait! Angel told me how Tayln was able to calm the heat…this isn't exactly the same, but close enough. Cold. Freeze their armor. I'll do her, you do him."

Diamonte grinned. "I hope you don't mean that the way it sounds."

"I think you know how I meant it," Blasius said with a frown, despite the heat in his cheeks. "Just freeze his armor."

An icy cold crept into his bones and he shivered. When he noticed she was shivering too, he lowered her to the ground and waved his hand to warm their armor. "That was hardly necessary," he said through chattering teeth.

"Not true, Kael. I could start to see skin through the armor. No doubt in my mind if we'd waited even a fraction of a moment longer, the armor would have been gone and you'd have been giving us quite the show." Diamonte said with a grin. "I wouldn't have minded, but I think you would have…after the fact."

Kael scowled at him.

"With your wife going into heat, we don't really have a lot of time to play with. Is there something we are supposed to be doing on this hellscape?" Blasius asked.

'Yes, yes of course. I'm sorry," she said with a blush. "I need to scan this cave. This is what the world used to look like. So much has changed in so little time. Something, besides the cleansing, has taken place here and I need to find out what." She turned on her scanner and began to scan the plants hidden within the cave. "Would you look at that! A trap of some kind. Not sure if the bug –thing got trapped in it or if it was supposed to be bait. Can't even get a read on the age of the trap. I wonder how long it's been here? Sorry…rhetorical question."

She made her way to the other side of the cave and flashed to the top of the ledge. She looked out over landscape. No that was heading back to where Kirkland was shot. Not the direction they needed to be going. She flashed down to the ground and headed back towards where they'd entered the cave.

"Kael, do you want to tell us something about Star?" Blasius asked. He'd watched her flash, but there was no tell-tale golden glow of the Gods.

"She's Kin," he said as he followed his wife.

"That's not possible," Diamonte stated.

She flashed up to the ledge, miscalculated, and ended up on the edge, her footing slipped and her wings popped out, flapping her back onto the ledge and then tucked away.

Kael grinned as he followed her up onto the ledge, leaving his gaping friends behind.

"Okay, so it's possible, but how?" Diamonte asked as he caught up to Kael.

"I don't know, maybe because of her God blood. Maybe because she's my lifemate. Maybe because of both. There's not exactly a manual written about it. Feel free to try to turn a God if they will let you," he teased, his eyes not leaving his wife. She was going into heat, his need to protect her and mate with her was only going to intensify. They had to get off this planet soon or they would have to return to the seclusion of the cave for a few days.

"No thanks," Diamonte said, waving his hands in negation. "Though maybe Blasius will oblige."

"He will not," Blasius retorted with a scowl.

Kael left them behind and joined his wife. He followed her up another ledge on the right and then ducked down when he caught sight of the shielded base.

She dropped low and scanned the area. "I don't see any working generators on this side of the shield. Guess that would have been too easy. I have to find a way past that shield. I need to find out if they brought any of us here."

"My love, you need only walk through it. Relax; let your body do what needs to be done. A shield cannot keep us out."

Diamonte and Blasius joined them. "What's the plan?" Blasius asked.

"The base splits off. You two hit the left side," Kael said, pointing to the far side, "We'll hit the right. Search any rooms you see for human survivors and we'll meet up in the back."

"Will do, boss. Keep her safe," Diamonte said with a wink.

"What the hell, she's my wife!" he said in exasperation. Why did everyone keep telling him that?

"I know," he said with a grin and pointed behind Kael.

Kael closed his eyes and sighed. Then he flashed to his wife's side and pulled her down low. "Do not take off without me in dangerous situations," he growled.

She was surprised by the anger in his voice, but the heat of it in his eyes made her shiver. "You are sexy when you're angry." Her voice was more sultry than she'd intended.

He just blinked. "Star…," he said in warning.

"Will you agree to the same terms?" she asked, wondering if this was macho male chest pounding.

His eyes narrowed. "I will agree to abide by the same terms, but I'm not the one that keeps running off," he pointed out.

"Fair enough," she said. "Then let's get to it, husband, before they have the place cleaned out without us." She nodded towards the right. "Boneheads." She withdrew the sniper from her back and it sprang open. She pulled the trigger. There was a hissing thhkk sound and his head exploded. A second bonehead ducked behind cover, the tip of his head could be seen over the top. "Your turn…try it, husband…just so you can say you did it once."

He frowned and pulled the pistol from his side. He lined the laser up with the exposed part of the target's head and pulled the trigger. He grinned when its head exploded. He'd always looked down on the use of guns; they were messy and not needed. But there was something carnally satisfying in watching your enemy die in such a way. "Most of the guns I've heard are a lot louder than these."

"All of mine have silencer mods. I'd rather not give my position away." When they cleared out the rest of the boneheads they approached the shield. She touched the shield and drew back quickly at the uncomfortable buzz that shot through her. "I'm supposed to walk through that?"

He slid his hand through the shield. "Remember what I told you, relax your body, it will adjust." He grinned. "Close your eyes. Right now they are limiting you." When she did he took her hand and pulled her through the field.

The course, guttural shouting of the boneheads caused her eyes to snap open. "Thanks," she said and took off up the ramp, her hand still in his. She caught sight of one above them and charged, his bone caved in and eyes went sightless. She spun her arm around and shot a condensed ball of power from her palm. The bonehead's body spun on impact and disintegrated.

Kael nodded his approval and then his eyes narrowed. He shoved her behind him, brought his hands together and ripped them apart. He watched in satisfaction as its body flew in two separate directions. As they moved through the enemy they developed pattern that evolved into teamwork, allowing them to tear through the enemy at a faster rate.

Blasius and Diamonte joined them for the final push, until the base was cleared. "Did you find anyone?" she asked.

Blasius shook his head. "There were no humans here."

"That leaves only this door and whatever is beyond it." She approached the door, placed her palm against it, closed her eyes and relaxed. She stepped through, opened her eyes and stared at the oddest piece of tech she'd seen so far. It was triangular in shape with a glowing center. Electrical or liquid in movement. She scanned it, but couldn't make heads or tails of the readout. But outside of whatever that was, the room was empty. She shook her head and walked back through the door.

Once outside Diamonte placed a hand on her shoulder but quickly backpedaled when he saw the look in Kael's eyes. "I'm sorry, Star."

Her gaze rose to meet his. "I'm not done yet. Dad, Lori, Lach, the others…I won't let this place have them!" She looked away. "To the ledge." She took her husband's hand, so he wouldn't accuse her of running off, and flashed them to the ledge.

Just knowing where she was headed was enough, but he appreciated that she had given him more. "Thank you," he said quietly.

She nodded and headed to the right. She picked up the pace and started to jog. Fear and uncertainty was starting to settle in and she needed to outrun them…her friends and family were still alive – they had to be. She fought to keep the darker thoughts at bay.

-BREAK FIVE-

*Static* "OS on frequency 154.3, anyone there?"

For the first time hope filled her. "Cora! Where are you?"

"Shuttle repairs are on the way, but we're surrounded," Cora told them.

"Again, Cora – where are you?"

"Right, sorry. Sending you the navpoint."

"We're on our way!" She looked at her husband. "I'm going up. I know I'll be a target, but I need to get there, they are surrounded and I-"

"I understand, come on." His golden brown wings spread out and he rose into the air. "Take a moment to get used to the balance. It will still be a lot faster than running."

Once airborne she realized just how hard it was to keep her body straight when parallel to the ground. She took a moment to do a few practice turns, banking to the left and right and then angled back over to him when she was ready. She watched how the men held their bodies and copied their technique. She was literally learning on the fly. At least her helmet was keeping debris from her eyes, she wasn't sure how they could stand it. The air alone should dry out their eyes to the point of pain.

Kael caught sight of the enemy first. He pointed out their location, waved to her to follow, pulled his wings in and dove. She tightened her wings like he did and dove. She cut through the air at an exhilarating speed. Her eyes sharpened to make up for the blur and she headed straight for one of the boneheads. She spun around, her wings stretched out behind her and slammed into him feet first with her knees locked. The force of the blow sent him shooting off the backside of the mountain. She tucked her wings in and dropped to the ground.

"Holy shit! Did you see that? The birdmen of Alcatraz to the rescue," Liam said while his gun blazed.

"How did you get here, Liam?" She shot a ball of power from her palm, disintegrating her next target.

"Wahoo! He didn't see that coming! Turns out Fisher didn't have a broken leg after all, just bruised. Greer gave him some medigel and wrapped it and here we are."

"We're clear," Kael said.

"You arrived just in time," Cora said, "and I wouldn't have believed that entrance if I hadn't of seen it myself. I – I don't even know what to say."

"Say it's freaking awesome!" Liam cut in.

She flashed over to Cora's side. "I imagine I'll have a lot of explaining to do, when time allows." She searched the small camp. "Lori! Lach!" she ran over to them and hugged Lori, then Lach.

"It seems far more had changed than I realized. You looked good out there," he said softly.

"Step away from my wife," Kael growled.

Lachlan closed his eyes and released a breath before letting her go. "I ken where her heart lies and I have accepted that."

"You're in love with my wife," It was an accusation as much as statement.

"I willna deny that. But she is also my closest friend and I willna let ye stand in the way of that," Lachlan said, straightening his shoulders.

"Lach! Not now," Lori said, worry lacing her words. There was obviously something more going on with Kael.

Star stepped in front of her husband. "I'm sorry, I'm - er…going into heat and pulling him into it. I shouldn't have hugged you right now, I wasn't thinking…I was just so happy to see you both alive. Forgive me; things will be back to normal in a few days. Come on, I need to find out about my dad."

She took his hand and led him back to Cora. "Where's my dad?"

"He scouted ahead while Lach worked on the shuttle," Cora informed her.

"Blaze, Monte – sorry, Blasius, Diamonte, I want you to meet everyone. She introduced them to the team.

Blasius felt the heat of a stare and turned, his bright blue eyes locking onto vivid green. He tilted his head as his gaze travel from her face down to her feet and back up. He saw her skin flush and felt an uncomfortable heat flare in his own cheeks. He had not meant to look her over like that or at least not so baldly, right in front of her. His cheeks stung when she returned the look he'd given her and by the time her gaze reached his shaft it was already thickening, his armor expanding to make room.

Lori couldn't seem to take her eyes off the dark mahogany haired Kin. When his gaze devoured her, she had to lock her knees to keep them from buckling. But no way was she going let that challenge go unanswered. She slowly looked from his chiseled face and bright blue eyes to his broad, muscled chest, down an abdomen that rippled to the growing bulge in his armor. Her mouth went dry, but she couldn't seem to look away as it grew under her steady gaze. The clearing of a throat brought her to her senses and she jerked her head up to find his gaze burning to hers. She brought her hands to her cheeks to try to cool them; no doubt she looked like a tomato. What must he think of her to be so brazen? That wasn't even like her. No – he looked first, this wasn't on her.

Lach caught the look between his sister and the giant and cleared his throat. That at least brought her gaze up to a more suitable location, but she still seemed oblivious to anything else. He held the datapad up in front of her face, blocking her view of the giant. He gave it a little wave when it appeared that she was going to try to look around it. "Lor, yer results of the blood splatter on Fisher's armor is ready. Bonehead blood." He waved the datapad again.

Lori blinked when she noticed what had been waving in front of her face. Bonehead blood, right. She took the pad from her brother and moved to the shuttle to take a seat. The DNA was all over the place, the strands like a quilt made of rags, like some barely edible stew made from throwing random leftovers in a pot and hoping for the best. How was it even viable? That the boneheads were alive proved it was, but it didn't seem possible that they could reproduce, not from the mess she was seeing. Fascinating and disgusting.

"Hate to break this party up, but shuttle coming in!" Liam shouted.

Star knew her husband had some anger to work out. "Go get them, tiger." He nodded and flashed over to where the shuttle was unloading.

"Is no one going to help him?" Liam asked stunned. He was surprised when Kael's friends shook their heads.

Blasius cleared his throat and shook his head. 'He needs to work out his anger, they provide him the best opportunity to do so," He tried to focus on watching Kael tear into them, but his gaze kept returning to the woman that had caught his attention.

Star pulled her sniper and fired it.

"You missed!" Liam said, nearly choking over the words.

She chuckled. "I'm not aiming at the boneheads; I'm distracting them so they don't fill my husband full of holes. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I doubt you want to be stuck in a small shuttle with a pissed off giant."

"I see your point, just don't tell anyone I missed," Liam said with a grin.

"I see your point too. Operation Distraction, let's give those..boneheads something else to focus on," Cora said and took aim with her gun. "Second shuttle coming in!" Cora said.

"With the kind of power he's wielding, why doesn't he just blow up the shuttle or something?" Liam ask curiously.

"That would be over too quickly and he'd still have pent up anger. Trust me when I tell you he's taking his time on purpose."

There was a round of applause when the last one fell. Kael ignored it and flashed to his wife. He drew her up is body and hugged her tight.

When Lach saw Star's legs wrap around the other man's waist he stepped into the shuttle with his sister.

Lori couldn't help but feel bad for her brother. "I'm sorry, Lach."

He took her hand and squeezed it. "I'm not. The time-"

"Open channel," Cora warned. "Doc! We need you out here. Hayes is down."

"Oh, shit!" She hurried from the shuttle to go attend to Hayes. Blasius and Diamonte popped in right in front of her, each supporting Hayes. They lowered her to the ground and she got to work. They had lost Kirkland and she was not about to let anyone else die on her watch. She forced herself to ignore the heat of the gaze that burned into her.

Rocks began to rise from the ground. You could feel the hum of energy building. Oh shit! Cora threw up a biotic shield to protect the doctor and Hayes.

Star threw out her arms picturing a protective bubble. She couldn't see it, except for a bit of gold swimming about it, but she could feel it cutting off the electrical charge. "Everyone get to one of us or Cora. Our shields can't be seen, but they are there. Get to cover!"

Blasius' bubble bisected Cora's. He wasn't sure why he wanted to protect Lori, but nor did he question the need, he just did so.

Lightening pounded down around them, sparking as it struck the shields. When the rocks settled peacefully back to the ground they released the bubbles. Lori helped Hayes into a sitting position.

"The comms…I – I got them up," Hayes said weakly.

"You're a life saver, now take it easy," Cora said to the woman.

Star flipped on her OT. "Sam, are you with us?

"QEC link established. Affirmative, Star. The Pathfinder…your father wishes to speak with you."

She sighed in relief when she saw her father's face on the screen.

"Good to see you in one piece. What's our status?"

"We lost Kirkland, but everyone else has been found, plus a couple of other friends. Lach fixed the shuttle and Hayes fixed the comms. We are ready to pull out," she told him.

"Not so fast, the lightning storms could tear apart the shuttle," he reminded her.

"Hayes and Fisher are injured. Hayes is critical; we need to get them out of here. We're no better than lightning rods on the ground."

"Then maybe we need to turn the lightning off."

"Dad…it's weather."

"I have an idea about that. Come see me. Sending you the navpoint now."

The com shut down. "Love you too, dad," she whispered. She felt her husband's arm tighten around her and she leaned into him for a moment before straightening. "Blaze, Liam, Cora…stay here. If the boneheads come back the crew needs protecting. Kael, Monte and I will find dad."

"She likes me better," Diamonte said smugly, ribbing his friend.

"Monte…Blaze has a lot more human experience than you. He's a better man for the job. Plus, he doesn't call them seedlings anymore."

"Ouch…burn!" Liam said with a laugh.

Blasius grinned. "I'll keep them safe." His gaze returned to the woman thoughtfully. What was it
Angel had said to him before he left? 'You must burn in emerald flames to know what it means to live.' She could not tell him what she meant by that, nor by the message she'd given to him for Diamonte. 'Release the lock to find the key.' How does one release a lock without a key? That made no sense. But the words she spoke to him…made him wonder if maybe she'd been talking about Lori. The woman's eyes were so green they looked like emeralds and the way his body had responded to her gaze made him wonder if Angel was playing matchmaker again. And from the time he'd spent with her he knew she was never wrong. Every pairing she predicted ended as lifemates. That more than anything piqued his curiosity.

Star smiled at him. "I know you will. Now, let's go find dad." Her wings flared out and she took to the sky.

Liam watched them take flight. "I'll never get tired of seeing that."

She flew low to the ground and as soon as she crossed a break in the cliff she landed and tucked in her wings "Lightning ahead – my wings are too pretty to fry," she said with a grin. "They look like buttercream frosting," she said with a grin.

"I don't know what that is, but it sounds good enough to eat." Diamonte licked his lips.

"Enough!" Kael roared, spinning around to face his friend. "No one is eating my wife but me!"

Diamonte knew he should be alarmed but it was just so ridiculous he burst out laughing and Star put her hand over her faceplate trying to cover her burning cheeks. "Nice, husband. Promises…promises."

Kael blinked as it dawned on him what he'd said. His cheeks flared with color. Diamonte laughed harder. "Shut up before I lay you out," he grumbled. "Just wait until your mate goes into heat. I will be merciless."

"Your wings?" Alec asked in surprise. He shook his head, he had to have heard wrong. But there was no mistaking the rest of what he'd heard. If only it could be unheard. Regardless of her being married, she was his baby girl. "Never mind, tell me later. Now, if you are through alerting every enemy in the vicinity to your exact location, then get your asses up here and join me…just stay low."

Oh sweet stars, how much had her father heard? If he'd heard the laughter then he had to have heard Kael's shout.

He looked over in surprise when they joined him. "You are not the asses I expected to see."

"Oooh, dad did a funny," she teased.

"Hush, baby," he said quietly.

Her mouth dropped open. "Did you just call me baby?"

Alec flushed. "Sorry, I was remembering – never mind. Who's with you?"

"This is Diamonte he and Blasius arrived today. Blasius is back at camp protecting the team. They are Kin like Kael; the team couldn't be in safer hands."

"If their fighting skill is equal to their size, then I'll agree," Alec said looking from one to the other.

"We can hold our own," Diamonte said with a grin.

"Good. Because you'll need to." He turned to face the base. "I expected the base to be better guarded, but they might be holed up inside to avoid the lightning. Either way, what we need is inside that base."

"We cleared the base not long ago; there shouldn't be any more boneheads. They appear to be extremely interested in the alien tech and they protect it ferociously, but I don't think they have many left on the ground. But we should probably lift off before they send down reinforcements. I've collected a lot of data that may shed some light on why they are here. I'll analyze it when we get back…or Sam will now." When her father just stared at her she fidgeted in discomfort. "What?"

"You've done your old man proud. Exploring, investigating, gathering and interpreting data. I couldn't have done better myself." His turned back to the base. "You cleared out the base too," he said softly. "It would explain the lack of activity. And it makes our jobs a hell of a lot easier. But how did you get past the shields? Is there a switch?"

"Er- not exactly. The way we got through is not an option for you," she admitted.

"Why not? Never mind. Probably more than I care to know right now. Tell me later. I had a backup plan if there was no way to turn the shield off."

"We could fly you over," Diamonte suggested as he stretched out his wings to show the man what he meant, before tucking them back in.

Alec stared for a moment, speechless. "Thank you. I will umm keep that in mind if my way doesn't work." Men with wings. I'll be damned. He'd heard the talk about what had happened in the med bay, but he'd chalked it up to hysteria.

"You said something about stopping the lightning. How?" she asked.

He turned to look at her. "It's the dark energy cloud the Hyperion hit. It's affecting the whole planet, interfering with that," he said pointing to the large tower with blue energy surrounding it.

"The tower is caught in a feedback loop with the cloud," Sam informed them. "Together they are disrupting the entire climate with undirected energy."

"Which suggests if we can get in there and shut it down…"

"The lightning disperses," she said with a grin, cutting off her dad.

"And the shuttle will be able to get us out of here. Safely….In theory," Alec finished.

"We did find something odd…a piece of advanced tech of some kind. It's at the back of the base behind a large door that is locked tight. It's triangular in shape with a center filled with something that moved and writhed...almost like it was alive," she said in wonder.

"That sounds like what we are looking for, Alec," Sam explained.

"Yes, it does. How did you get past the locked door? Did you find an interface?"

"We phased through it," Diamonte said with a grin.

Alec grunted. "Yes, well…I'd get a broken nose if I tried. We'll have to find another way in."

She placed a hand on her father's arm. "There was some kind of console not far from it, maybe that is the key."

He rubbed the top of her helmet. "Sounds like the just key we need." He flipped on his OT and detonated the explosives. They didn't have long to wait for lightning to strike the transformers and bring down the shield. "Plan worked."

When he rose, she put her arm around his waist. "Join us," she told the men and flashed him to the rear of the base. "Sorry, dad…we didn't get this far to risk being taken out by lightning."

He took a step back and shook his head to clear the vertigo. "Warn your old man next time."

"Star was right Alec; there was an 85% chance you'd have been struck by lightning going past the transformers."

"Good to know, Sam." He moved to the console. "Sam needs time to decipher the language."

"Pathfinder, we have an emergency situation aboard the Hyperion! Are systems are shutting down..I – if we can't fix this…" Dunn's voice trailed off. "Reroute the power! Shut down all non critical systems!" she yelled.

"What happened did you hit the cloud again?" Alec demanded.

"No. One of the pods opened. Let me repeat, no one opened it – I don't care, do it anyway! She's screaming in pain, no one can understand her…sparks coming off of her, she *static*.."

"I'll go," Diamonte said and flashed to the bridge. The ship swayed and he spread his feet to maintain his balance.

"I don't care where you get the power – just get it before we fall like a stone!" Dunn felt a presence. "What do you….want," her voice trailed off as she spun around and saw the giant. "If you're here to help then get your ass off my bridge and follow the screams. Help her or kill her, before she kills us all!"

His eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched. "I am not your subordinate," he said coldly.

A shiver raced down Dunn's spine. "I'm sorry…just help any way you can.." she turned away. "Someone shut those damned alarms off!"

And so he was dismissed. It rankled, but in all fairness the woman was at her wits end trying to keep the sputtering ship and her people alive. He spun around and left the bridge. He followed the screams; they were raw and full of anguish. They bothered him and he wasn't sure why. He picked up speed until he came to an atrium, the screams bounced off the walls, coming from every direction. He closed his eyes and opened his senses. He could feel the pull of her power and followed it.

"I have directed her to the Pathfinder;'s quarters," Sam informed him.

"Why?" Dimaonte asked curiously.

"I wanted her someplace safe where I could monitor her and keep others away," Sam stated.

He flashed to the familiar cabin and caught sight of her curled up in a corner, her hands to her head, her golden hair soaked with sweat, blood seeping from her nose and ears. Golden tendrils, like electrical currents shot from her skin and eyes.

She heard footsteps approaching and rose, her back pressed to the corner, her arms gripping the walls to either side. "I don't want to hurt you….stay back." Her head slammed back against the wall when her body contorted in pain.

His heart thundered in his chest as he approached her. "You cannot hurt me, but I can help you," he assured her. His thrumming body belied the calm of his voice.

Her head thrashed back and forth. "Only a God can help me and they are dead." A raw scream tore from her throat as her body spasmed.

He could take no more; he rushed to her and pulled her into his arms, her body contorting in seizures. Fresh blood poured from her nose and ears. He ignored the stabs of her power that bit into him. His armor melted and he pulled her against the warmth of his chest. "Look at me," he said the moment her body relaxed from the wave of pain.

Her eyes opened, gold tendrils writhed from her eyes. "I can't see you."

"But I can see you. Keep your eyes open, let me in. I need to find the source of your pain," he said softly.

She gritted her teeth. "Then unbind me if you have any mercy…or kill me…just make it stop!"

"I could never kill you, little one…" he said gently as he ran his fingers rhythmically though her hair, trying to calm her. "Just let me find…" he narrowed his gaze to search deeper into her mind. Then he saw it, the binding….tight…thick…never to be freed, but then the Gods hadn't counted on him releasing her. When his power didn't immediately release her, he frowned. Soft, ancient words fell from his lips. He repeated the mantra until the last of the bindings fell free and she slumped against him. He tightened his arms around her and stroked the soft skin of her back.

-BREAK SIX-

Relief swept through her and she snuggled into his protective warmth, shaken by her own weakness. Never had she been weak, not even after she was bound. She wanted to push away, be the strong God she'd always been, but for once in her life she felt content…content to be protected. Her fingers absently stroked the thick muscles of his chest. "I never thought I'd be free."

"What happened, why were you bound?" he asked softly, unable to keep his body from responding to her caresses.

"I was a traitor. I refused to fight in that stupid war. There was no reason for it. Arrogant, arrogant stupidity!"

He stilled. "What war?"

"The war with the Kin. I tried to get them to see the war wasn't needed, but they didn't listen. They were blind! My father thought he knew everything, but he knew nothing and that killed us. I was called a traitor when I renounced him, when I tried to reason with the others. I fought when they tried to capture me, killed some of his army, but my twin betrayed me…I thought he agreed with me…that we would stop the insanity together, but instead, he led me to my capture. My father, my siblings bound me and exiled me to live as a human." Her fingernail grazed his flat nipple; she heard his moan and saw it tighten in response. Her heart turned over, its beat quickening. "I - I don't know if he can feel me from here, but if he does, he will come for me."

He let out a harsh breath, her body was beginning to respond to him, but he wasn't even sure if she was aware of it yet and he had no intention of pushing her after what she just went through. "Who is your father?" He voice was deeper than intended, but there was nothing he could do about that.

She shivered and released a breath. "Zeus."

"And who are you?" he asked, grazing his lips over her soft hair.

"Arti - Elvie," she corrected quickly. She left that life behind almost 2000 years ago, she was Elvie now.

His lips twitched. "Arti-Elvie, that is an interesting name you have. I'm Diamonte."

She flicked his nipple with her finger and grinned when he gasped. He deserved it. She stilled when her core clenched and ached, not certain what was happening. A small pant slipped from her lips. "I'm Elvie now; I left that life behind a very long time ago, Monte."

He shuddered when he felt her pheromones; the hand that stroked her back began to caress it instead. "Does no one like Diamonte anymore?" he asked with a shaky grin. "Will you tell me who you were before?" he murmured, his voice thick and husky with desire.

Heat coiled through her and she moaned softly. "Artemis, daughter of Zeus and Leto…but she died a lon– a long time ago." Why was she so hot? She wiped the sweat from her brow.

"Artemis will always be a part of you, Elvie…she made you who you are. You need her as much as I need you," he said silkily as his fingers flicked the fastening of her bra. Fire flowed through his veins, the scent of her desire and pheromones igniting him as nothing else could. Angel had been right. Release the lock to find the key. He had released her and she was the key….the key to his heart...to his soul…his lifemate.

She keened when his hand slid under her loose bra and his thumb grazed her nipple. She grew wet and the odd ache inside of her became intense. "What are you doing to me?"

His body trembled as he rolled her nipple between his fingers and tilted her head back with his other hand. Not for a minute did he want her to stop feeling what he was doing to her. "Look at me, Elvie."

Her breath caught in her throat when she saw the burning heat in his baby blue eyes. "I'm loving you. We are one, Elvie. We were always meant to be one." His breath feathered across her lips, trying to distract her from what he was doing. He untied the bows that held her panties together and slid a finger between her drenched folds to find the swollen nub within.

Pleasure shot through her, her core clenched and she cried out arching against him. His mouth slanted over hers, his tongue coaxing and wooing until she responded with a hunger that matched his own.

He picked her up, cradled her against his chest and lowered her down onto the bed. Their clothing melted away as he settled between her legs. His hot mouth captured her breasts, teasing and suckling her tight peaks before trailing slowly down ribs and flat belly with a gentle scrape of teeth and tongue. Her soft cries were music to his ears, her body writhing beneath him in desperate need. His tongue slid over her soft, pink folds and he growled at the taste of her nectar. His thumbs slid apart the soft skin, opening her petals to his hungry gaze. "Mine," he murmured against her and took her into the heat of his mouth.

She was a live wire, her body on fire; all she could do was feel. No man had ever touched her…kissed her. She was a virgin Goddess and she was beyond caring, beyond thought. At the first touch of his tongue, a hoarse cry tore from her lips as unimaginable pleasure assailed her over and over with each move of his lips and tongue; a coil building so tight she thought she'd burst. She rose on her elbows to see what he was doing to her and his hot gaze captured hers. Her breath was coming in fast pants on the edge of something that was frightening. "Monty…"

His thumb took the place of his mouth. "Relax and let go…I'll always catch you.." he murmured against her as he slid a finger into her hot sheath and suckled the swollen nub. He felt her body stiffen a moment before she shattered against him with a hoarse cry. He would never forget the look on her face when she discovered what pleasure truly was.

He trailed hot kisses back up her body. He captured her mouth as he rubbed his thick shaft against her, coating himself to ease entry. His body shook with the need to bury himself in his wife, but he clenched his jaw and forced himself to go slow, sliding a bit deeper with each thrust, giving her time to acclimate to his size. When he felt the thin membrane he froze. His eyes locking onto hers. She was as old if not older than him, although she seemed like a virgin, he couldn't believe she actually was. "I don't want to hurt you," he murmured against her lips. "Do you want me to breach it slow or fast?"

Her body was aching….from the invasion…from need…but she was also oddly frightened of the pain and that didn't sit well with her. Surely it couldn't compare to what she'd just gone through. She wasn't afraid of pain, but she felt weak and feverish and she wasn't thinking clearly. "Slow," she whispered.

He gently pushed against the tiny barrier until her cry and the sting of her nails that dug into his shoulders caused him to go still.

"Fast!" she amended quickly, as she tried to wriggle a bit to ease the discomfort. She should have killed him, or so her pantheon decreed, but in her innocence, she hadn't realized what was happening until it was far too late. She had never desired anyone before. She'd loved Orion, or thought she had, but she'd never felt the need to let him touch her, so she didn't understand the signs in time. Artemis, the virgin goddess would be claimed by a man…her lifemate…a virgin no longer. Artemis, forever gone to her, nothing but a memento of the past…and then he was kissing her and all thought fled.

He made love to her with his mouth, their tongues mating while he continued the slow, shallow thrusts until her body relaxed. His shaft thickened as he drove into her, tearing through the small barrier to hilt himself in her quivering heat with a growl. He swallowed her cry of pain and lowered a hand between them to massage the hidden nub, not wanting the pain to blot out the pleasure.

When she moved against him in need he propelled them over the precipice in an explosion of ecstasy, their cries unheeded as pleasure ripped through them. Hot seed bathed her until his shaft locked him tight and her muscles finished what his hips could not. He dropped his forehead to hers, his breath coming in harsh pants. "My heart, my soul and my body will never know another, in any lifetime." He leaned down and sank his fangs into the top of her shoulder near her neck. Her pledge and answering bite caused his chest to rumble.

She held him tight. He'd opened her eyes, eyes she hadn't even known were closed and showed her what love could be. She'd never understood it, hadn't needed it…until now. "The last of her is gone now," she said quietly. "The virgin Goddess lost when I – we…"

He kissed her cooling brow. "No, wife. You are still Artemis. You may have allowed virginity to define you; but it was what you were, not who you were. No more so than a fisherman is a fish." The corner of his lips twitched at the ridiculous analogy. "You were a virgin only because you did not find a love that could ignite you. Notice, I'm not complaining." Though unfair, there was something primal knowing he was the only man who would ever touch her. The smile slipped from his lips. "If I could go back…give you the gift you have given me…" He shook his head. "That is why I pledged those words. If we have another lifetime…I will remain untouched until we find each other again."

The sincerity of his words caused her heart to flutter. She wanted to believe the words he spoke. Not the pledge, a pledge on a soul was eternal; no truer words could be spoken. But about whom she was. Through his eyes she now understood. Her virginity had become a sense of pride… a shield, but that was all it was, all it had ever been. And pride had always been the downfall of her kind. She drew her fingertips over his dark brows and cupped his cheek. "In you my eyes have been opened. In you I have finally found myself. I was blinded by pride for so long I failed to see what it did to me. I believed I was above pride, and I judged my pantheon for falling prey to the very thing that weakened them. It was pride that killed my family, not the Kin. What I could so easily see in others I failed to see in myself. I took deer from the forest because I adored them. I could communicate with them; they came to love me too, so I granted them the honor of pulling my chariot. But it was my pride, not theirs. They did it out of love, not desire and I took it as my due. Every woman and child I saved from abuse, every child I brought into the world…it became a source of pride. I took their offerings and patted their heads. I was so blind to the monster I was..I don't ever want to be that again." Silent tears slipped down the sides of her face and into her hair.

His heart clenched tight at her words. She was far harsher on herself than she needed to be. "Elvie, do not discount everything you have done or accomplished. Pride, if gluttoned upon, can become a demon, but it can also become a source of strength. Even if you don't think you did something for the right reasons, it was still right choice. That you saw what your pantheon could not speaks a lot about the person you were. The Kin came only to observe, at that point they were no threat to your kind. You saw that. You tried to help. You tried to get your family to see the truth and you were punished for standing up for your beliefs. That took courage and heart. Those women and children you saved? If you hadn't been there, who they were would have been destroyed or they could have been killed. You stood up for them when no one else would. There was heart in that, even if you got a pat on the back for it."

He gently brushed away the tears that glistened like amber on her golden hair. "Maybe you have done things in your life out of pride or anger, things you are not proud of, who of us hasn't? But you also accomplished a lot of good during a difficult time period. Don't discount courage and heart in the face of pride. Tell me, wife…how did you choose to live as a human?"

"I – I had no home, I moved from place to place, never staying more than a few years. I didn't want them to notice that I did not age," she admitted.

"Fair enough, but what did you do when you were there? Did you find work? Did you rule?" he said, pushing her to say what she needed to hear.

She squirmed under him, uncomfortable with what he was asking. She moaned when he thrust into her. "No…I taught them how to survive…"

"And?" he slowly slid into her again.

She moved against him, trying to quicken the torturous pace, but his large hands stilled her movements. "I schooled them and…"

"And?" He thrust slowing into her.

Her body shuddered and she whimpered his name…"Monteee…."

"And?" he shivered, her need making it hard to control his own.

"I taught them defense, how to make what they needed to survive or to sell…"

"Does that sound like a woman full of pride?" he asked, sliding slowly into her clinging sheath.

She growled. "I did it to spite the Gods!"

"No!" he said, slamming into her. "You did it to help them, despite the Gods!"

She cried out in pleasure before her golden eyes popped open in surprise. Could what he said be true? "How can you see me like that?"

"How can you not?" he asked, capturing her lips in hungry need as he drove them over the edge into the abyss.

He rolled them onto their sides to wait out the tie. "Your sister told me I would find you. She is an oracle and tends to speak in riddles, but she said 'Release the lock to find the key'. She is a renowned matchmaker and everyone she matches discovers they are lifemates. When I released your binds, you held the key to my heart." He grinned. "Silly perhaps, but accurate."

She shook her head. "Sorry, husband. My sisters are all dead and I have none like that…maybe Aphrodite, but even she was not that good when she lived."

"You have never gotten the chance to know Castaria, or Angel as most call her. She was born of Zeus and Themis. She is the new Goddess of Love and Safety."

Her golden brows arched up. "Themis…a titan..she must be powerful. I hope she does not fall to pride, the world does not need another titan." At least the mortals would have a god of love again. Her lips twitched. Aphrodite would be turning over in her grave if she knew.

He grinned. "She is not like that at all. She has a generous, loving heart. I think her world is stronger for having her in it…but I also see a lot of her in you. I hope someday you will get the chance to know her. As far as your father goes, you won't have to worry about him coming for you. When her powers were unbound he awakened and we, Blasius, Kael and I, along with a Seeker by the name of V'Atre, joined with her to bind him permanently to his stone prison. You are both safe from him.

"Thank the Gods.." One worry lifted from her shoulders…her mind backpedaled. How did her husband know so much? He did not look like a God…and the power that emanated from him…she'd only felt it once before…." Her eyes opened wide in shock. A stab of fear seared through her, before she could hide it. "Kin…"

When she saw a tear slip down his cheek, she knew how badly she'd hurt him. She drew her arms around his neck and held him tight. "I'm so sorry…I know you wouldn't hurt me. Regardless the reasons, Kin are known as God killers…it was just a brief moment of shock. My family…they deserved what - what happened, I know that. Even after what they did to me…I loved them once…it still hurts…please understand."

"I do," he said quietly, holding her close. "I'm sorry for any pain I caused you. Kael refused to lift a hand against your pantheon after he met his lifemate, Star..she was a daughter of Themis, so he ordered us to move on to another pantheon a couple of hundred years before the war ended."

Her body shuddered with emotion. "Thank you for telling me. It is…a small comfort." She pulled back to look at him. "So there is another God here?"

"No," he said with a shake of his head. He looked away for a moment and then his troubled eyes returned to her. "She has become Kin. There is still a bit of gold left in her field, but that is the only sign left of God blood."

Again she was stunned."She is Kin? How?" She ran her fingers over the bond mark on his shoulder. "Is it the blood?"

"I don't know wife. If it is, it's the first time it has happened. We cannot replicate ourselves in that manner..at least we never have before. But…before Kael and I, the bloods have never mingled, except in battle and that is not the same."

"So…"

"Yes," he said softly."I believe you too will become Kin. If it happens…will you be okay with that?" he couldn't bear it if she resented him for something he had no control over.

She bowed her head a moment and then shook her head and raised her eyes back to his. "The irony of it…to be exiled by my pantheon only to become the thing they fear the most. I would have loved to have seen the look on their faces." She cupped his cheek and caressed it with her thumb. "My pantheon does not exist here and few, if any, are left alive back home. So, I do not think it matters what I am or what I become. What matters is that I have you and together we will deal with anything else that happens."

His heart turned over in his chest. They were lifemates, but words of caring still moved him. He needed them like he needed her. "You are everything to me," he said brushing his lips over hers. "There is one thing you need to know. This galaxy…something went wrong here and a purge was ordered so that it could be reseeded. The Elders said that if we could find reason enough to prove the cleansing was no longer needed they would see if they could recall it. That has never been done before, wife. We are facing the unknown. But this was a one way trip for a lot of people and we will do what we can to stop the purge."

She frowned. "And another bit of irony. We flee one system only to walk into the death of another, with no way back. The joke is on us."

"If we have to retreat…if we cannot save this system, if you become Kin, you will be allowed through our gateway…whether you would be accepted among us, I do not know. But we would have our choice of gateways if they chose to exile us." He held a finger to her lips. "That would be a worst case scenario. "

What could she say to that? They were bound. She couldn't martyr herself, stay behind and die while he went home. He'd never leave her and their lifeforces were bound. But to have him lose all he knew because of her. It was a guilt that weighed heavy on her. "Then I hope it never comes to that," she said in a strangled voice. "I could not bear to be the reason you lost everything."

He dropped a lingering kiss on her lips. "You are everything…so long as I have you, then I have lost nothing."

"There has been a development. Activating the device triggered a blowback. Alec, Star and Kael have been injured. The rest of the team is on their way." Sam stated.

Diamonte was out of the bed in a blink. He conjured armor onto them and held out his hand to his wife. When she took it he flashed them to Kael's side. With a shudder he phased out of the large rock they 'd landed in.

-BREAK SEVEN-

"Sam! What the hell's going on?" Alec shouted.

"The Hyperion is facing catastrophic systems failure."

Alec growled. "I know that! Why?"

"It would appear a passenger is releasing a vast amount of power that is interfering with the ships systems. I have led her t-" *static*

His fist slammed down on the side of the console. They could not have come all this way to get stranded here. "Goddamn it! Sam!...Sam! What's happening?"

*static* *silence* "Main systems are back online."

Alec let out a harsh breath. "And the woman?"

"She has been neutralized."

Star choked. "What?"

"Diamonte is with her now. She appears to no longer be a threat. Decryption is complete."

Star closed her eye and released a slow breath. "Sam, please do not use 'neutralized' when talking about someone unless they are dead."

"Understood, Star."

With the threat abated, Alec ceased to think about it. Now only Habitat 7 was his concern. "Security over ride complete. I'll try to open the door from here." The door began to open and stalled. "Damn it – jammed! " There appeared to be no release. He grasped the upper door and pulled up; it creaked but fell back into place.

Kael joined his wife and Alec and the door and lent his strength to open it.

"How do you plan on using that technology?" she asked curiously.

"Sam had decoded some of the language. Now we'll see if I can have a conversation with it."

She just blinked. "So it's some kind of AI?"

Alec looked over at her and grinned. "That is the theory."

"Dad – just be careful. We don't know anything about it."

Her concern warmed his heart. "Worried about your old man?"

"Always," she said quietly.

Alec released a slow breath. Why did this kind of thing always make him feel so awkward? He put an arm around her and pulled her in for a brief one-armed hug. He rubbed the top of her helmet with his other hand and released her to step towards the suspended device. He looked back at his daughter, who appeared to be frozen where she stood. His lips twitched. "Come on. These are the moments that make it all worthwhile."

He approached the device. He didn't know what he was doing, but he damned well didn't want anyone else to know that. He had to be strong…confident. "Sam, begin the translation."

"Indexing…Translation complete."

"Let's do this," he said as he held his hand up to the device. The device lit up and began to hum as he communicated with it. A loud blast could be heard in the background as the tower charged up and shot a blue beam of energy into the atmosphere.

Drawn by the noise, Star turned around to see the sky beginning to clear. She took her husband's hand and walked out to a new, blue sky with a hope that someday this planet might become more of what it used to be. "You did it, dad." Star said in amazement.

Alec reached out to give her arm a squeeze. "There's hope at least."

Star grinned. "That's all anyone needs. This may not be our golden world, but perhaps someday it will be habitable again. We -"

A rumble spun them around, too late to avoid a massive energy blowback. They were swept from the platform, a large chunk of stone slammed into the side of Kael's head, propelling him into stony ridge. Blood, so dark it was nearly black, webbed across his face, dripping silently onto his armor and rolling down the grooves to wet the thirsty ground.

In a state of shock, Star's head turned to try to locate her husband and her father. The corner of a box slammed into her faceplate, hurtling her to the ground below. Air whooshed from her lungs on impact. When she tried to take a breath in a searing pain in her lungs forced her eyes open. Her faceplate was shattered beyond repair. She rolled over onto her hand and knees and tried to force herself into a stand, but a coughing fit brought her back down to the ground. If only she could make it to…to where? Her vision began to blur as her lungs fought to breathe. A light…was that a light? Was she supposed to go into the light? She raised her hand towards the light until harsh coughing nearly toppled her. No, not the light…her dad. What was he saying? Comprehension sank through the fog of her mind when she saw him remove his helmet. She tried to pull back, but he wouldn't let her. The dark rushed in, its tendrils filling her mouth, her lungs, forcing itself deeper until nothing was left but a pin point of light that winked out. No Cas, no Kael…just the cold and empty dark that sought to devour her.

Diamonte knelt down beside Kael, waving a hand to heal his friend; he had to dodge back when Kael shot to his feet with his wife's name on his lips. He felt her pull and flashed to her side. She was so still…he could barely feel the life in her. He saw her father lying next to her, his helmet gone. He ripped the helmet from her head and tossed it to Diamonte when he arrived. "Put it back on Alec." Why hadn't he forced her to learn how to breathe the air? He sent out a healing wave. Nothing. Why wasn't she healing?

Diamonte slipped the helmet back on the human and sent out a burst of healing energy. The man remained still. With a growl he slammed a fist down on the man's chest.

Elvie focused her senses and saw the black aura that surrounded the man. There was no life left in him to bring back. She laid a hand on her husband's arm to stop his ministrations. "It is too late, Monte. He's gone. His aura is black."

Monte released a breath and put a stasis field around him. Perhaps a doctor could do what he could not. Either way, it would not be his call to make.

"Something is wrong," Kael cried out. "Her heart's beat is erratic and breathing faint. She's alive but she's not healing."

Before the shuttle landed, Lori jumped from the open door and landed hard on her feet. She ignored the pain that shot up her back and ran to Star's side. She dropped to the ground and scanned her. "Damn it! She's going into cardiac arrest! Tell the Ark to prep med-bay! Greer, see to Alec! "

"He's gone," Diamonte said, casting a worried look to his friend. "I couldn't heal him, but I put him in stasis..in case…" his words trailed off.

"Then get me his helmet, she needs air!" Lori said in desperation.

"No!" Kael growled. "She not human, she's breathing the air. Her body doesn't need oxygen."

Lori eyes narrowed on Kael. "We are losin' her!

"Lori, she is not responding to my healing, something else is going on. Something else is interfering and it's not the air!" He scooped his wife up in his arms. "I know you love her, but so do I. She's my lifemate, I'd never risk her life." He carried her into the shuttle and sat down with his wife cradled in his arms. He brushed his lips over hers and then rested his forehead against hers. "I love you, wife. Come back to me."

Lori bowed her head and clenched her fists. Tears slid down her cheeks. Impotence left a foul taste in her mouth. She rose. One way or another she was going to find out what happened. She saw the tears on her brother's face as he helped load Alec into the shuttle.

"Alec transferred me to her before he died. Something happened during the transfer. I didn't comprehend there was a problem until the transfer was nearly complete. I've been fighting to keep her stable, but I do not have to power I need to complete the transfer here," Sam informed them.

"Then get out of her head so I can heal my wife!" Kael growled.

"I'm afraid I cannot, Kael. It is too late for that. I am already embedded in her neural pathways. Were I removed the damage would not be reparable, even by you. The transfer must be completed. I suggest a hardwire connection."

A cry of anguish tore from his soul and he clutched his wife tighter.

"Then we need t'get her t'Sam node!" Lori exclaimed.

Lach slammed his fist on the side of the shuttle. "Either fly this bucket faster or I'll do it for you!"

"Sam node? The room next to the Pathfinder's cabin?" Kael asked quietly.

"Yes th-" she blinked when they were gone. Her eyes flew to Diamonte. "Take me with you! She appointed me her personal doctor, I need to be there. I promised…"

Diamonte nodded. "You love her; that is reason enough." He took his wife's hand and held his other out to Lori.

Blasius pushed his hand away a bit more forcefully than he'd intended. "I'll take her. You two grab Alec and take him to the med-bay."

Diamonte blinked, looked from Blasius to Lori and bit back a grin. Even he knew now was not the time. He drew Alec over his shoulder and took his wife's hand.

Lori watched the trio disappear and placed her hand in Blasius'. "Thank you," she cleared her throat. "That was thoughtful of you."

"No," Blasius said honestly. "It was selfish."

She blinked when her brain realized she was standing outside of Sam node. She squeezed his hand when he didn't immediately release her and rushed through the door. She caught sight of Star in Kael's arms. She looked around. There was no place to put Star. She turned to Blasius. "Can you get t'Monte in the med-bay? I need a bed brought in."

"Of course." He flashed to Diamonte's side and backpedaled away from a human he'd nearly appeared inside of. He shivered at the thought. Blind flashes were never recommended, though sometimes needed. He grabbed onto an empty bed, flashed back into the hall and pushed the bed into the room when the door swished open.

She directed him on where to place the bed and then turned to Kael. "Place her on her side on the bed; I'll hook her up to Sam. "

His eyes did not leave his wife. As soon as the doctor was finished he slid into the bed behind her and put his arm around her, trying his best to ignore the tether at the base of her skull. "How long?" he asked.

"I do not know yet, Kael. I must assess the damage and repair it before I can complete the transfer." Sam informed him.

He knew his wife would eventually heal herself, but if the machine could heal her faster, he was willing to accept it.

Lach left, he didn't want to, but he knew if he stayed, he'd do or say something he'd regret. It was better to keep busy. Better for everyone.

Liam paced for a bit, until he started to drive even himself nuts. With it obvious that the doctor and Blasius were not leaving and with the arrival of Diamonte and whomever the woman with him was it was starting to feel a little crowded in Sam node. "Let me know when she awakens," he said as he slipped out the door. He needed to find something to keep him busy.

With Alec safely in stasis and under Carlyle's care, she refused to leave her best friend's side. "Wish Sam node was a bit more comfortable," she said as she backed up against the wall and started to slide down it to sit on the floor.

Blasius grinned. "It can be." He waved his hand and two small, soft, stuffed sofas appeared. He blushed softly when Diamonte chuckled. The sofas were obviously meant to hold no more than two each. As he held his hand out to Lori, he saw the golden eyed woman curl up next to his friend. There was obviously a story he had yet to hear.

Lori slipped her hand into much larger one, her cheeks warming at the contact as he pulled her up from her half-lowered position against the wall. They heated even more when he kept hold of her hand and pulled her down next to him on the sofa. Her heart flipped over in her chest and began to pound against her ribs.

"Relax," he said, softly."I won't bite unless you want me to." He ignored Diamonte's snort.

She lowered her head to try to hide the burning in her cheeks. She wanted to relax, but his close proximity was playing havoc with her senses.

"Is that," Blasius cleared the roughness from his voice, "your key?"

Diamonte grinned. "She is. Her name is Arti-Elvie." He grunted from the impact of her elbow to his ribs and chuckled. "Sorry, inside joke. Elvie is my wife. Elvie, this is Blasius, one of my closest friends."

It was more than obvious the dark mahogany haired giant was Kin. Here she was in a room full of her kind's avowed enemy and she was okay with it. "Good to meet you. I imagine we will come to know each other quite well."

"Not that well," Diamonte grumbled, rubbing his ribs when he got another elbow driven into them. "Have you found your emerald fire?" he asked when he noticed the color of the doctor's eyes.

Blasius looked down at Lori. "I think so. I've never felt this way before."

"You are a stronger man than I. Not sure how you can sit there doing nothing," Diamonte admitted.

Lori frowned. The conversation was definitely going over her head. "There's nothin' we can do right now and ifn ye'll notice, yer sittin there doin' nothin too," she pointed out. "What'r ye expectin' Blaze t' be doin'?"

"He expects me to kiss you," Blasius admitted.

"What?" she squeaked, her free hand flying up to cover her heart. She wasn't all too sure it wouldn't pound right out of her chest and plop on the floor. "Wh – why would ye want t'do that?" she asked breathlessly.

"Because you are beautiful, sensual woman that has awakened me," he said as he brought her hand to his chest, so she could feel the harsh pounding of his heart.

Her breath caught in her throat and she rubbed her thighs together when her core clenched in need. Oh damn. How had he made her want him so badly with words that should have had only the slightest effect on her, if any, depending on who spoke them. Her body had never responded so acutely with so little reason in the past.

Blasius groaned and closed his eyes, his breath coming in small pants, her pheromones thick around him.

"I wouldn't do that," Diamonte warned…but the warning came too late, his friend had already inhaled her pheromones, which were now shooting directly into his blood stream.

With a strangled cry Blasius shot from the sofa and placed his forehead against the cool metal wall of the room, his back to her, his fists clenched as tightly as his jaw.

"What?" she asked, her voice thick with sexual desire, confusion and pain. If he liked her then why had he just walked away from her? Or ran, to be more precise, as if he couldn't get away fast enough?

"He's fighting to control himself, the need to make love to you is too strong," he said, his heart aching for his friend.

"I'm – a kiss is one thin', but I'm not that kind of girl." She wasn't a virgin, but nor was she into casual relationships.

Diamonte shook his head. "Nor is he that kind of man, which is why he suffers."

"Suffers.." she said slowly. "Yer quite the wing man. A lot of men say they are hurtin' t'guilt a woman into bed."

Diamonte cringed when he saw his friend shudder in pain from her words. He released a harsh breath. "Your words are careless and hurtful. I doubt you intend them to be, but they are. This is not –"

"Diamonte," Blasius warned hoarsely.

He eyed his friend's back. "She needs to understand. You might be willing to suffer for her, but she needs to understand what's happening. It is unfair for you to keep it from her; it is her decision as much as yours." In as much as there was any decision at all. In truth, it was out of their hands, time was the only factor. How much of it they had before the heat took them.

She could hear the pain in Blaze's voice and it clawed at her in a way she couldn't understand. She raked a hand through her long auburn hair and hissed in pain when her fingers got tangled in the ends.

Blasius spun around at the sound of her hiss and saw confusion, desire and pain in her eyes. He moved quickly to her and dropped to his knees in front of her.

The raw hunger and pain in his gaze made her shiver. She felt her body ripen under his gaze. Oh lord, did she want him something fierce. She raised a hand towards him, her fingertips skimmed down his cheek, before falling back onto her thigh, her fist clenched. No. She was not that kind of girl. It would be unfair to lead him on no matter how much she wanted him.

His hands slid up the outsides of her thighs. He felt her tremble, or was it him? He grazed his lips against her fist. When she cupped his cheek he turned his head to kiss her palm. He gave into the need to taste her, his tongue swept across her skin. Her soft cry of need and the scent of her desire were too much for him to bear.

"Blasius, take care of the problem," Kael growled.

Blasius rose and held his hand out to her. "We need to talk."

Talk as in leave? Be alone with him? She swallowed hard. She was barely hanging onto her resolve here She looked at her best friend. "I canna leave her. She may need me," her voice was as unsteady as her body.

"You may detach the umbilicus, the transfer is complete. But she will need sleep to regain her strength. She will not awaken for awhile," Sam informed her.

Blasius saw her hesitation. "You are safe with me. I would never hurt you," he said quietly.

Lori Ann, you are such a coward. He was just a man. Maybe a dangerously hot and enticing man, but still just a man. She allowed him to help her up and went to attend her friend. When Star was tucked back into Kael's arms, she took a deep breath and turned to face Blasius. She straightened her shoulders and took the hand he offered. In less than a blink she was in the Pathfinder's quarters and they were no longer armored.

She looked down to see a dress that matched her eyes. The material hugged her from her breasts down to her waist, a low neckline showing a fair amount of skin. The short skirt flared from her waist to just about mid-thigh. She felt decidedly bare underneath, she wasn't wearing panties, but she supposed she couldn't expect him to think of everything. He was wearing black slacks and a white shirt unbuttoned to the waist. Now, that was probably on purpose.

"You are more stunning than I ever could have imagined," he said as he pulled her into his arms.

Her free hand came up to put some distance between them, but it had the opposite effect she'd intended when it splayed over the hot, damp, rippling muscles of his upper abs. Her fingers explored the hills and valleys of his sharply defined muscles that danced under her touch. His groan snapped her head up. The raw hunger of his gaze caused her body to writhe against him. A moan slipped from her lips when her belly brushed against his hard length. "I-uhh-talk," she said stumbling over her words. It was like she was trying to think through a hot, thick fog.

One hand skimmed up her back to cup the back of her neck and tilt her head back, the other slid down to grip her ass to bring her flush to his body. He rocked against her; their combined pheromones causing his control to slip. "Lifemate," he forced out. "Wife.." he lowered his head to claim her lips.

Her hands slid up his sweat-slicked chest, greedy to feel more of him. They trailed over the curve of his shoulders, his shirt slid down, hung up at the bend of his elbows, unable to fall to the floor. They slid back down his chest and slowly over each hard muscle of his abdomen. She skimmed past the waist of his pants to run her hand over his arousal. His chest rumbled and her hand wrapped around him when their clothing vanished.

He growled when he felt her hand sliding along his length, his chest rumbling as she slid down his body and took him into the heat of her mouth. He cried out and he sank his fingers into her thick auburn hair, caressing her gently as he thickened in the liquid heat of her mouth. Never had the act brought him so much pleasure, it was like experiencing it for the first time all over again. The slide of her hand and the erotic movements of her tongue in the loving heat of her mouth brought him to the precipice. "Lor," he groaned in warning when he felt his testicles tighten. Instead of pulling back, he felt a hard suction that catapulted him over the edge with a harsh bellow. Hot seed erupted, bathing the back of her throat. Watching her swallow everything he had to give her filled his heart with warmth. For her to be so giving, to accept him...all of him...humbled him.

He bent low, scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the bed. He slid between her legs. He kissed her knee and his tongue slid slowly down her thigh as he rolled her nipples between his fingers. His hands trailed down her flat belly, his thumbs grazing over her slick folds and swollen nub before they gently spread her thighs to give him more room. He laced his fingers through hers as his tongue slid between her dewy petals to find the hidden bud.

She gripped his hands and cried out in pleasure, her greedy hips rocking against him in desperate need. His talented mouth knew exactly how to love her…he built her up slowly, switched movements and built her up again until she became a quivering live wire. She gripped his head and yelled out his name in warning. She felt his chuckle against her sensitive flesh and then he showed her no mercy. She stiffened a moment before she was hurtled off the edge with a guttural cry of release.

He slowly brought her down until her hands slipped from his head and fell limp to the bed. He crawled up her body he thrust against her core to coat himself and then captured her lips when he drove into tight sheath. His hips stilled the moment he realized he'd hurt her. Her muscles quivered in protest. His mouth dropped down to her breasts, teasing and suckling the tight buds while his hand slid down her flat belly to massage her and remind of the pleasure he could give her.

When she cried out and her hips bucked he rocked into her with a groan. His hard, powerful thrusts catapulted them over the edge. When she clamped own around him he arched back, slamming into her until he roared out with the force of his release. He lowered himself onto his forearms, his sweat slicked body slid along hers until his shaft locked them tight. He pledged himself to her and sank his fangs into the top of her shoulder. Her blood raced up his teeth and into his veins. He bit the tip of his tongue to use his blood to close the puncture wounds. He looked down into her dazed eyes. "Bite me, Lor…you need to complete the bind."

"I dunna have fangs." Her voice was unsteady, her body still thrummed with a pleasure she didn't know was possible.

He cupped the side of her face, his thumb caressing her temple. "Your bite will not hurt me, wife…the lack of one will." His chest rumbled when he heard her pledge and felt the sting of her bite. He cradled her head to him. "Drink…" he murmured.

His blood was nothing like she'd expected. It was almost like a warm dessert. She didn't pull back until the wound healed. "Everythin' about ye tastes like heaven," she admitted, her cheeks blossoming in color.

He groaned and captured her lips. There was no denying he enjoyed what her mouth could do to him, but there was something primal about being hilted deep within her, being one with her. "Your nectar is ambrosia to me and I intend to feast upon you as often as I can," he warned.

She slid her hands up his chest and around his neck, her fingers slipping through his thick hair. "I'll make arrangements with t'captain so we can get a cabin in the family quarters – just try t'keep me off ye."

He chuckled. "I wouldn't dream of it. Anytime, anywhere, anything."

"Promises, promises," she teased.

"Try me," he growled and thrust into her.

"Blasius..she awakens." He blinked at the words in his head and dropped his forehead to hers. "Star is awakening." He withdrew from her with a groan, materialized their clothing and flashed them to Sam node.

-BREAK SIX-

"Welcome back, Star." Sam said.

"Sam! Where's dad?"

"I'm sorry, Star, he did not survive Habitat 7. He sacrificed himself so that you could live," Sam informed her.

"What? No! Why would he do that?" No. No. No. This couldn't be happening.

"Because he loved you more than he could show," Sol's voice was somber. "You were talking to Sam? I didn't hear him."

"I have a private channel with both of you," Sam informed them both. "When I use it, no one but you can hear me."

Sol ran a hand through his hair. "That'll come in handy." He eyed his sister hard. "I don't care if you are immortal, please quit dying."

She blinked and looked over at her husband who sat next to her on the small bed. "I died?"

"For twenty –two seconds," Sam said out loud.

Lori scanned her and performed a few irrelevant tests, more so just to feel useful. She knew full well her friend could heal from just about everything. "Just do me a favor, Star. Learn how to breathe the air. I don't want to think you will suffer if you blow another helmet, if there is no need."

Kael released a breath. "I intend to work with her on that on the next inhospitable planet, before we do anything else."

Star brought her palm to her forehead and cried out in pain. "I killed my father. I- I…"

Kael pulled her back against him and wrapped his arms around her. "Wife, you didn't kill him."

"I did!" she said raising her voice. "If I only allowed myself to breath the air, I wouldn't have panicked and dad would still be alive!" Her jaw clenched. "I killed him."

"Don't be ridiculous, Star. If you'd have breathed that air, you would be dead, not dad!" Sol said in exasperation.

Her gaze rose to meet her brother. "Sol. I'm Kin now – wings and all. I should have been able to breathe that air."

Kael shook his head. "Being able to breathe different compositions of air isn't an automatic response, you saw that. It is a trained and practiced response. Something we didn't have time for down there."

"Wait," Sol said, rubbing his forehead. "You're Kin? How is that even possible? Is it their blood?"

She shook her head. "Not exactly. Kin blood alone won't change you into Kin. We can't know for sure why I changed, but we think it has to do with the way God blood interacts with Kin blood."

"God blood," he repeated. This was all becoming surreal.

She looked at the black haired Kin. "Monte, can you please unlock Sol's memory?"

'Of course," Diamonte said as he rose from the sofa. He stood in front of Sol. "Give me just a moment." He looked into the other man's eyes searching for what was bound. Ah..there you are. He raised his hand, obliterated the bind. "Remember.." He squeezed Sol's arm before he stepped away and returned to his wife.

Sol closed his eyes as the memory hit him as if it were happening for the first time. "Fuck me…" he whispered.

"Sorry, Sol. I'm already taken," Diamonte said with a grin. He rubbed his ribs after his wife's elbow jab. "What?" He held up his hands. "Okay. Okay."

Sol frowned at Diamonte and then looked at his sister. "I remember everything….the dream… Themis… That Greek temple…" his eyes widened then narrowed on Kael. "You stole my sister!"

"I did," Kael said matter of fact.

"I thought..I thought I would never see her again… that you would kill her and she would be lost to me," he admitted. Even now the memory was painful.

Kael was not sorry he took her. "I apologize if my actions hurt you, that wasn't my intension. Although my brain was unaware, my soul had found its lifemate. I was surrounded by enemy that wanted me dead, enemy I could not lift a finger against because I could not bear to hurt her. I was at a disadvantage and I couldn't let her walk out of my life…not after I just found her….Not ever," he amended.

Star stared at the new woman. There was something about her. Something somewhat familiar in her face, but she couldn't quite place it. She reminded her of Aria, but it was more than that. "My name is Star and this is my husband Kael. Are you…" Her eyes opened wide. How was it even possible? There was an ancient statue she saw once that looked just like the woman…the power you could feel coming off of her, her eyes were a dead giveaway…her coloring – Aria's and Cas' coloring…"Artemis…Daughter of Zeus and Leto. Half sister to Castaria, Castiel and Lyrica. And, I assume the cause of the systems malfunctions. I am stunned. The history books implied you died."

Elvie wasn't quite sure what she felt. She'd intended to leave her past behind her. Yet it followed her still. But how did she know? "That is very insightful of you," she said carefully.

Sol folded his arms over his chest. "My sister has always been good at figuring things out."

"So it would seem," Elvie said looking at the light blonde man. Twins . Interesting. Hopefully, he will never stab his sister in the back. Her attention was drawn to the door when it slid open. A red haired man hurried in. Her gaze flew from the red haired woman to the red haired man. More twins. But she also noticed the red haired man only had eyes for one person. That didn't bode well.

Lach saw her sitting on the bed. He ignored the man sitting next to her and pulled her in for a hug. "Dunna ever do that again! I love ye. I couldna bear anthing' happenin' t'ye."

Kael's hand shot out, slamming into Lachlan's shoulder. "Back away from my wife," he growled as the man stumbled backward.

Lachlan caught himself and squared his shoulders. "I willna allow ye t'Interfere with our friendship!"

"You're in love with her, " Kael snarled. "It's not friendship you want from her!" He felt the soft touch of her hand on his forearm, but his attention was focused entirely on the man that was in love with his wife.

Lachlan balled his hands into fists. "It doesna matter! I tol' ye I ken where her heart lies and I've accepted that. We are friends and I willna let ye come between us!"

Blasius grabbed Lori's arm to get her attention. "She's in heat; he will not tolerate anyone unbound or unrelated around her." He sighed and moved to position his body between the two men. "Now is not the time, Lach, he's volatile. Thought he would kill me in the cave. Give it a few weeks; everything will be back to normal." He saw Lach's head lower and turned to find the bed empty. He released a breath of relief. No doubt they were in the pathfinder's cabin. Since he hadn't had time to grab sustenance, he wouldn't have taken her far.

"A few weeks?" Lachlan asked bewildered. "She tol' me a few days planetside."

Blasius frowned. "She still has a hard time seeing herself as Kin. Our females go into heat about once a year, but it lasts about four weeks long."

Lori blinked. That was fascinating and for a species that needed to be sequestered away, a lot better than a monthly cycle. "They've been together for hundreds of years. How is it they haven't had children?" She knew that was personal, but the doctor in her could not be silenced.

Blasius looked at his wife and smiled softly. "Heat and conceiving are very different. The cycle gives them the ability to have a child; it is up to them whether they will allow themselves to produce one. With the problems facing Andromeda, they will likely choose to wait until the future is more stable."

It was unfortunate that other species had not inherited that trait from them. It would have solved a lot of problems on a vast number of worlds. She frowned as a realization dawned on her. "Blaze…" Her eyes lifted to his. "I'm human. What effect will yer blood have on me?"

"I don't know," he said with a shrug. "You won't become Kin, but other than that, I just don't know. No Kin has mated with a human before. Are you concerned about something in particular?" When she began to pace he pulled her to a stop. "What's wrong?"

She sighed and looked away from him. "Before we went into cryosleep we were all given chemical blockers to prevent pregnancy until the colonies were viable. In theory t'would last until an antidote was administered or until enough time had passed to negate its effects. The cryosleep would have had no effect on it, since our bodies were frozen. Of course there is no way t'know fer sure what the effects of long term exposure will have on the reproductive system. What I do know is that it has no effect on hormone production. In women the eggs fails to implant and in men the lubrication envelopin' the sperm is incompletely formed, not allowing it to survive the acidic environment of the womb. Women still cycle once a month, Blaze. And since the heat is based on hormones then we would be indisposed for a week out of every month."

Diamonte whistled. "Bites to be you, brother."

Blasius scowled at him. "We'll manage…somehow."

Elvie rose and approached the pair. There was something she could offer the pair and she didn't do it lightly. Indeed, they may well refuse, as it would permanently bind her and the human to each other. But she could only make such an offering now, since she wasn't sure how long it would take her husband's blood to mutate her. At least her pantheon would not die with her - that had been a relief to find out. "There may be something I can do for you, but it is a choice you must both make together." She squared her shoulders. "My blood would give her the ability to become Kin, if Star is any indication," she said to him before turning to look at Lori. "But it will also bind us together. We would be able to feel each other…draw power from each other…" her voice trailed off. She wasn't the woman she once was, but the pair deserved the truth. "You would be bound to me as my warrior; however, I would never use that bind. I'm not the Goddess I used to be. But you deserved to know the whole truth before deciding what you intend to do. You must also be aware that there is a time restriction on this offer. I do not know when Kin blood will override God blood. Once that happens I will not longer be able to help and you will remain human."

Blasius was torn. He did not care for her to be bound to the Goddess in any way. He didn't know her to trust her, but he did trust in her lifemate bond with his friend and knew she would never willingly hurt anyone Diamonte cared for. Regardless, the protective instinct in him balked at the idea. But there was also no way of knowing what, if any, effect Kin blood would have on her, she could die – they both could die in a few, scant years – or today if anything were to happen. Humans were fragile. He knew Angel could help, but he also knew that he never wanted his wife to meet her. He could not risk anyone finding out that Castiel survived and thought Star was dead. The main family in the Milky Way knew the truth…except, of course, Cas. They had agreed it was best neither never found out. It was their guilty burden to bear; he would not have that weigh on his wife's soul. Nor would he ask her to do this. If she wanted to live out her life as a human then he would support her choice. "The choice is yours, Lor. I will support your decision."

Lori leaned back against her husband and felt his comforting arms slip around her waist. Why did she have to choose between her twin and her husband? She could not bear to watch Lach wither and die. Her gaze rose to meet golden eyes. "My brother…" she whispered through her tight throat. "Could you…" The words faded. What right did she have to ask the Goddess of anything? And her brother, if the Goddess conceded…would she be giving him a life of torment? Immortal and loving a woman he could never have? Or would he have more time to find someone of his own? So many ramifications hinged on this choice. Her husband would be forced to watch her grow old and feeble and rob him of the life he should have had. Silent tears slipped down her cheeks. This was not some fairy tale and there were no happily ever afters..at least not for her. She would lose either way.

Elvie began to pace. What the woman asked of her…it went against everything she'd ever stood for. "I'm a savior of women…not men," she grumbled.

"I'll be fine, Lor. As long as yer safe, I am content," Lachlan said quietly. He wasn't even sure he wanted immortality. Could he spend what amounted to eternity seeing the woman he loved in another man's arms? But if Lor became Kin and had children, would he want to miss out on watching the only family he had left grow?

Elvie came to a stop in front of Lachlan. She glanced over at her husband, but she could read nothing in his expression except the light of warmth. So be it, he would not try to sway her. Her gaze rose to Lachlan's. Golden eyes clashed with green. "Show me who you are. If you are worthy, I will grant her wish." In no way would she ever give an abuser of women immortality.

Lachlan could see the war that raged in her and he wanted to tell her to forget it if she was having such a problem with it. "This bond…would it make me yer thrall? Make me love ye?" he asked cautiously. He certainly didn't need to love two women he could never have.

Elvie laughed, she couldn't help it. "Love? I am not the Goddess of love. Your heart is your own. As for thralls, the bond has that capability, but I have no need of thralls, nor do I want them. The most you might feel is a need to protect me if I'm threatened. But it would be your choice as to whether you would act upon it or not. Whether or not that is something you can live with is up to you," she said with a shrug.

He doubted he could keep her waiting long, Gods weren't known for their patience. He'd heard bargain with Gods was akin to bargaining with demons. Nothing was ever as it seemed and it never ended well. But he'd also spent time with Castaria…Angel, when she'd taken command of the Manticore, and she was nothing like what he'd imagined a God to be, not with her generous and loving heart. Of course, he hadn't known she was a God then…He could only hope this God and her sister had more in common than just looks. "How do I show ye who I am?"

She looked at him intently. "Your memories will show me who you are."

He could hear the challenge in her voice as if she expected him to refuse. It was true he had memories that were deeply personal that he did not wish her to see, but he also had nothing to hide. Everything he'd done in his life he done with a clear conscience. He wasn't a perfect man by any means, but he considered himself a good man. "So be it," he said in answer to her challenge.

She inclined her head to him and raised her hand to his temple. In truth, she didn't care about all his memories, just how he treated women and children. She closed her eyes as she rifled through his memoires to find those she needed to see. By the time her hand lowered, she'd learned what she needed about him. "I am used to dealing with the worst of men. Sometimes I forget not all men are alike," she said honestly. She turned away from him to rejoin Blaze and Lori. "I will grant your wish and turn your brother, if he is willing to accept what the blood entails."

She was stunned that the Goddess would do this for her. She stepped forward, breaking her husband's embrace, to hug the woman. "Thank you," she said quietly. "Let me know how I can repay your generosity."

Elvie accepted the hug. Once she would have accepted those words as her due, but now she did not want them. "I do not do this for thanks and you owe me nothing. We are family now." She pulled back. "If you choose to accept my offer, know that I must take your blood in return. Take what time you need, but have a care with it," she said and then turned to join her husband.

Lori glanced at her brother. His nod was all she needed. "Artemis, wait!" she flushed. "I'm sorry…Elvie. We do not wish to risk delay. We will accept your kind offer."

She glanced at the brother who nodded to her and then turned back to face the woman. Thanks to her husband's insights and her father being neutralized, she no longer felt the need to hide who she was. "While I prefer Elvie, Artemis is fine; I no longer have the need to hide who I am," she conceded. "I will attend to your brother first, because you will require a transfusion of my blood… I cannot know what will happen if the Kin blood takes root before my own."

Diamonte was startled. He had not expected that. He understood what she was saying, but he didn't like it one bit. He rose quickly from the sofa to join his wife. "I was not going to interfere, but a transfusion is more than I expected to happen."

She took his hand and squeezed it. "It is needed, Monty, or I would not subject her to it. There is no risk, my blood would not let her die and lack of blood cannot kill me. We just need a doctor to perform it. Can you not mindfuck one of the doctors onboard and then make them forget?"

He studied her intently for a moment, determination burned bright in her eyes. Not for a moment did he think he could dissuade her. He released a harsh breath. "Of course I can."

"Good," she said with a firm nod. "Then let us begin now. The less time we give Blaze's blood to establish the better."

Sol came forward. Now that he understood everything he knew he could help. Elvie was Lyrica's sister; it was the least he could do. "I will donate my blood to Elvie. Our blood is familial, so her recovery should be quicker."

Diamonte was surprised but grateful. "Thank you, Sol."

"I will donate too," Blasius said.

Diamonte looked at his friend and nodded. "As will I." He turned to Lori. "That will be enough, I presume?"

Lori was in shock that everyone was so quick to help her. "Yes," she said, though the word was barely audible. She cleared her throat. "I do not want her t'give more than three pints, so yes, three donations will cover what she lost." She wasn't thrilled about mind controlling any of the doctors, but she understood the necessity. "I would suggest Harry Carlyle. I would let him know what is required and have him bring the equipment here to Sam node."

"I'll do it," Sol said. "No one would bat and eye if I talked to him. The Kin would get too much attention. How do I – er…control him?" He did not like the idea at all, but he would do what needed to be done.

Elvie arched a golden brow. The man had God blood but did not know how to use it. Interesting. "Force your will on him. Hmmm...picture your will as a - a blanket covering him. Tell him what is required of him and that he will remember nothing when it is done."

Sol nodded. "I'll be back soon." It would give him the chance to check in on his wife as well.

Lori turned around and slipped her arms around Blasius' waist. She propped her chin on his chest when she looked up at him. "Are you sure you are okay with all of this?"

He looked down at his wife and his arms tightened around her. "I meant it when I said I would support your decision," he said in a voice thick with emotion. "Though I am glad we will have more than a few short years together." He would never be pleased about the God bond, but the lifemate bond superseded any other and there was no risk he would lose her to it. He was just feeling possessive and had an instinctual need to protect her.

They all looked over as the door slid open and a dazed Dr. Carlyse pushed a bed topped with equipment through the door followed by Sol. The Doctor said nothing as he started setting up the equipment. It was as if he did not even realize others were in the room with him.

Once everything was set up and ready Harry turned to Sol. "Where is the patient? I am ready to begin the transfusion."

Lori blinked at the monotone voice that held no emotion. A shiver ran down her back. Mind control was a nasty business. He heart went out to Harry, he was a good man. He deserved to be treated better than how they were treating him, but there was no other choice. She kissed Blaisus, took off her shirt and handed it to him. A new shirt materialized over her bra but left her arms bare. She looked up at her husband and caught his smile. Guess he didn't much care for the idea of her running around in her bra.

She climbed up onto the bed that Angel used before and laid down. There was no sign of recognition as Harry placed the mask over her face. She was already asleep by the time the IVs were placed.

-BREAK SEVEN-

Star blinked when she found herself naked under the covers on the bed in the Pathfinder's cabin. She knew why he did it. He didn't want to hurt Lach and knew he would if he stayed. "Thank you," she said as she snuggled against the warmth of his body.

He closed his eyes fighting back the need to breed. But he needed for them to talk before the heat took him over completely. "We need to talk," he said hoarsely.

She winced. While she knew he wasn't breaking up with her, seldom did anything good come from those words. "What about?" she asked carefully.

He released a painful breath. "Tell me what happened after we became lifemates and you disappeared."

She shivered as ice flooded her veins. "Kael, some truths are better left buried. Nothing but pain will be found digging that up. Please have faith in that and let it go…for both our sakes," she pleaded softly.

As much as he didn't want to cause her pain, he did not want any secrets between them. "I don't want secrets between us, no good will come of that. You heard what Liam said. The truth will come out in time, regardless whether you wish it to or not. I would rather hear it from you, not to have others bear witness to our pain."

She closed her eyes and shuddered. She did not want to face it again. A ragged breath escaped her lips. "Sol and I were at Apollo's on the Citadel having lunch when a friend commed him and told him Castiel Shepard-"her throat tightened in pain, "was approaching the docking pad. He was so excited, he'd always wanted to see the Manticore, Shepard's ship, and both Shepards were heroes to him. He dragged me over to watch the Manticore berth. That's when he found out both of the Shepard twins were meeting up. Castaria's Phoenix was berthing as well."

A small smile tugged at her lips. "Sol fancied himself in love with her and when he first caught sight of her I had to whack him on the back just to get him to breathe again. With her husband and another drell in tow she came right over to us and just sort of steamrolled us into coming with them to her family reunion. I didn't realize it at the time but she did so because she was playing matchmaker. She was an oracle that knew things, but even she didn't realize she was a God at the time."

The small smile slipped from her lips. "That's when I met Castiel. We got married, he died and I came to Andromeda," she said in a rush of breath.

He closed his eyes and tightened his jaw as pain whipped through him. Regardless of the pain, he needed to hear it all…and he knew there was much more to tell. "Star," he warned.

"Damn it, Kael…please let it go," she pleaded.

"I can't," he said dry and full of pain.

Her hand curled into a fist over his heart. "We – we were drawn to each other the moment we saw each other. My world tilted and all I could see was him. Sol stepped between us to protect my innocence when he got too close to me. Cas had a reputation for being a lady's man and my brother sought to protect me. But all I wanted to do was blast him out of the way. I wasn't thinking clearly. All I knew was that something was keeping me from what I needed most." She heard her husband's harsh intake of breath. "Can I stop now?"

"No," he growled.

"Castaria – Cas called her Aria, but most called her Angel, anyway saw what was happening and talked my brother down. I think she feared for his safety. But once we saw each other, there was no turning back…no stopping what was going to happen. I knew about his reputation, but my heart and body didn't care. After we introduced ourselves I recited a poem I liked and then asked him if the poem was true, if nothing gold could stay. I expected him to tell me he had to leave soon, because he was in the military and I needed to hear that to help me throw up a wall between us. But he told me he would stay for as long as I would have him. I wanted to throw myself at him and not let go and that frightened me all the more. So I teased him about never letting him go…about marriage..kids…something that would send a lady's man running for the hills. But he didn't run. He – he kissed me. Everything faded; there was nothing but him and the flames the kiss had fanned. I was hot, sweaty, achy…we would have - but Tayln stopped us by using an icy whip on Cas. That's when we realize we were lifemates." She felt her husband stiffen and heard his cry of pain. "Please, let me stop."

It felt like claws were ripping through him, shredding his soul. Only Gods have two souls...two lifemates. But if he dies, she would have too as would he, since he too was bound to her. Did that mean this Cas was also alive? He had to hear it all. "Finish it", he said through clenched teeth.

She tucked her head down to try to hide the tears. "We also discovered that day that Sol and Rosie were lifemates. My parents showed up. Things got…unpleasant, but they eventually came to understand. We flew from the docks to the Royal suite were Sol and I were both married to our lifemates. After a few days Cas took me to Manticore where Aria gave me a transfusion of his blood. I found out later that he'd had her drain nearly all my blood; she'd had to put his blood directly into my heart to keep it going. When I opened my eyes it was to a new world. I was saturated to the point of bursting with Origin blood. That's what they called it because they didn't realize they were Gods at the time."

So she had been human. But the depth of her transfusion would explain why she resonated like a God. There was little trace humanity left in her. But that would not change the number of souls she had. She still only had the one, so something was very wrong. He waited for her to continue.

"It wasn't long after that when Aria pulled us into her dream. It was a world created from a painting she associated with a man she loved before she became lifemates with Thane. Nic died before their lifemate bond could be realized. But it was also where I met my new mother, Themis. She took us all to her temple in the past where she was stronger. When you captured me I was shocked that my body would betray my lifemate. It shouldn't have been possible. Everything was happening so fast. I felt your power and I was terrified for Cas. So when you took my blood, I had to take yours…I had to know if you were near. To protect him. But the act cost me dearly. I was shocked to feel you inside me…When I felt the pull of time I knew I didn't want to go. There was a moment of searing pain before everything went dark. I remembered nothing. That's when I heard you call out to me through the portal. I sensed I should know who you were, but I also felt a great fear. I just didn't know why."

"Because you knew I would kill him. We were bound that day. You were my bride...my lifemate and you had vanished on me. If I had known I'd found you I'd have come through the portal. He would have fought for you as I would have…to the death." He felt her shudder and his arms tightened around her.

"In between his missions for the Alliance he trained me on how to use my new powers so that I could join him on his missions. I knew he didn't like it, but there was no way in hell I was staying behind. I'm not that kind of woman. But the downtime also allowed me to further my studies as an archeologist. I worked with some of the best. We'd stop off at dig sites between missions. I met Lor and Lach at one of those sites. They later came to join us on the ship after the Alliance gave him a crew to work with. They needed a doctor and an engineer is never a bad thing to have on a ship. They were eager to join us; it gave them more access to dig sites."

"I doubt engineering was the only thing on Lach's mind," he grumbled.

She sighed. "I can stop now.."

"Continue," he said tersely.

Not long after we stopped the Reaper invasion Aria asked us take over the Normandy so that she and Thane could fly back to Mindoir for the birth of a friend's baby. It was during that time that Themis came to visit Aria, but instead she found Cas and I in the cabin. She put Cas into a deeper sleep and took me back to her temple. She couldn't risk bringing Cas, she had to protect him from his father. But she knew I could tell her about him and I did. I don't know if she was a good woman, but I know she was a loving mother and our talk brought us closer together. That is when you returned. And this time I knew what you were and what that meant to my family and my husband. When you told me we were married I nearly shouted how impossible that was because I already had a lifemate. But I didn't. I knew what that would mean for Cas and I had to protect him from you. There was no one there to protect me from me… from what I felt when I was around you. You became the center of everything and all else faded away. There was only you…only us and that's all I wanted. This time when I was torn away I knew what I had lost…at least for a moment – before I forgot everything."

She took as gasping breath for the pain she had just felt and the pain she was about to feel. "Not long after that the Normandy was attacked by a more advanced Collector ship - though we didn't know who the attackers were at the time. We got as many as we could to the escape pods. The pilot, Joker, was the last to go. I had just gotten him strapped into an escape pod when the ship shuddered again. I tried to make it back to Cas, but he was blown away from me by the blast of an energy beam. It didn't matter; my place was at his side. Nothing would keep me from him…or so I believed. But he used his power to fling me back into the escape pod. He – he threw up a shield my power could not break down." She took gasping breaths as her throat tightened. "I was so filled with rage and pain that he would do that to me. Take my choice from me. He brought his fist to his chest and slapped the escape pod's release. The door slammed shut and all I could do was watch through a tiny view hole as he was blown out into space…his body contorting until - until.." She could go no further.

Tears blinded him. All he could do was hold his wife. Her raw pain and harsh sobs tore at him as much as his own pain. Eventually her cries lessened until her body shuddered with exhaustion.

She clung to him…a lifeline in the maelstrom that threatened to suck her under. She could feel the pull of the dark, its tendrils reaching out for her with its promise to take the pain away.

"Kael-"

"Not now, Sam. She'll be fine," he growled.

"Her life signs are growing erratic. I'm doing what I can – shocking her system, but she's not responding."

"Go away, Sam – I'll take care of my wife." He raised his hands to her head to tilt it up and pulled open her eyelids. He looked through her vacant expression to what lie beneath. Her screams echoed in his head. He couldn't reach her. It was like she was sealed away – couldn't hear him…couldn't feel him. He needed to engage her…bring her back to him. He pushed down on her chin to open her mouth and settled it against curve of his neck and then he sank his fangs into her. At first there was no response but then he felt her body shudder followed by the sting of her fangs as they pierced his skin. Once she began to draw his blood he released her head and skimmed his hand down her body, his fingers slipping through short, soft curls to bring her body to life.

He felt her soft moans against his skin, felt her body grow warmer and her heart begin to thunder against him. When he heard her keen of frustration he pulled her thigh up over his hips and slid into her tight, silky heat. He withdrew his fangs and rolled them onto her back. He raised himself to his elbows and looked down to see her light blue eyes, dazed but no longer vacant staring back at him. "I love you," he said before he claimed her lips; each thrust harder and faster than the one before, pushing them to reach the pinnacle in a furious burst of life. Their cries of release were muffled by the kiss. He didn't release her lips until his shaft locked them together. She was asleep before his shaft released them.

He held her for a while longer and then rose from the bed. He materialized pants and asked Sam to have Sol come to the cabin. He pulled up the blanket that covered her and then paced until he door slid open.

"What happened?" Sol asked as he stared at Kael intently. "I felt her distress."

"She told me about Castiel. I didn't want secrets between us," he admitted.

A blinding fury erupted in him, his fist shot out to connect with the larger man's jaw. When he swung again this fist was captured by a much larger hand.

"I allowed the first strike because I deserved it. I won't allow a second," Kael warned.

He dropped his fist and stared at his new brother. "Bastard! It wasn't a secret it was her health at stake! You cannot understand what we went through just to keep her alive! He should have remained buried!" he hissed to keep his voice down.

Kael rubbed his sore jaw. The young man was stronger than he looked. Then again, he wasn't human anymore. "I realize that now, but I had no way of knowing because no one bothered to say anything." He waved to a chair and pulled out a bottle and two glasses. "I need you to tell me what happened after the Normandy blew up."

Sol sat down hard in the chair and just glared for a moment. The man did have a point. No one had told him anything. He couldn't know what would happen. He ran a hand through his short, thick, light blonde crop of hair. "I can only tell you what I've been told. I wasn't there for most of it. The escape pods were picked up by an Alliance ship. They spent days looking for Cas' body and couldn't find it. There was just a recording he'd managed to send off before - before he died. It was believed his body burned up entering the atmosphere of a planet. He was promoted to Captain posthumously. According to Joker, who shared the escape pod with her, Star stopped responding to anything after her screams fell silent. He said it was like being entombed with a corpse. At some point she must have come to long enough to call for V'Atre. He is a drell, a Seeker for the Goddess of the Underworld. She'd called him to release her from life."

His body shuddered and tears coursed silently down his cheeks. "V'Atre put her to sleep and brought her to the Royal Estate on Mindoir. That is when I got the call to come while there was still time. When I arrived, there was nothing left of her…nothing but bones and dry, pale, paper-thin skin. Her eyes were sunk in and there was no spark of life left in them. I am her twin and I couldn't reach her. Angel's husband, Thane believed she fell into what drell call solipsism. She chose to live in her memories rather than face her loss. They had begun to force feed her by the time I had to leave. They commed me some time later to tell me she was gaining weight and getting her color back. She would do simple tasks simply by being told to do them. That was an improvement, but none of us knew if she would ever come back to us."

He downed the glass Kael had filled. "Eventually, it was decided that she needed to have her mind challenged. She was brought to the Manticore and put into Lor's and Lach's care. They were working with Dr. T'Soni and had located some prothean ruins. If anything could bring her back to us it would be that. I don't know everything that happened from there, just pieces of it. If you want to know more you'll need to talk to Lach. I think he was instrumental in her recovery. All I know is there was an attack and she came back in time to save their lives. That is where they discovered a prothean pod that was still functional. Not too long after that dad was dishonorably discharged and she decided to leave the Milky Way and all its reminders behind."

"If he took advantage of her…"

Sol's hand flew up in a halting gesture. "Stop, Kael. He didn't. If anything, it was the other way around. But you need to try to understand what she was going through and the line she walked between sanity and madness. Falling back into the…solipsism was a very real danger and I wouldn't have cared if she'd fucked the entire Alliance military if it kept her from sinking into Hell again! A Hell she might not have been able to come back from this time. Can you imagine surviving the death of your lifemate?"

No, he couldn't, that is why their life forces were made one. "I'm her lifemate. She's not a God, she can only have one!" The words felt wrong even as they left his lips. The screams that had echoed in his head were not from any normal grief of loss.

"But Cas was a God and she was his lifemate. They went through the heat. They went through everything and felt everything lifemates feel. His bondmark is still there. I do not know what went wrong, why their life forces did not merge, but I'm thankful they didn't or I'd have lost my sister a long time ago. Talk to Lach, he more than anyone knows what she went through - he went through it with her." He saw the man's fisted knuckles turn white. He understood what Kael was going through in as much as he could. Rosie knew no other man but him, but had she known another before him the need to kill would have been strong, especially during a heat cycle. "It would tear her apart if you hurt him. He is one of her best friends and she loves him."

"I know," he growled. It was the only thing that stopped him from ripping Lach's head from his shoulders. The thought that the man might have saved her was little comfort right now.

Sol rose. "I'll talk to him; see what I can find out. Give me a few minutes."

When his brother left, he closed his eyes. All the pieces had been there, but he'd been unable to put them together. Blasius had sent Diamonte to him before he'd found his wife. That's when he found out for certain that Angel had been a bound God but the bindings had fallen away and she was in danger. He, Blasius and Diamonte had helped Angel and Themis bind Zues to his stone prison so that she could fulfill what she and her brother were born to do, stop the war that threatened to destroy her galaxy. With her brother's death it had fallen to her alone to unite the remaining Gods and other races. He was glad the Blasius and Diamonte were able to help. They were his wife's people, her galaxy. But nothing could pull him from his search for her.

He'd seen the bite mark on her other shoulder, but hadn't known it for what it was. He thought it a simple scar and paid it no mind. He hadn't wanted to even think it could mean anything else. But now its meaning was clear. Cas had not known he was a bound God, so his bondmark was that of a human, but that still didn't explain why her soul hadn't bound to the man. No, it didn't matter. Whatever prevented the full binding left her soul free to find his. It didn't even matter if Cas was reborn or if he found her again, she was lost to the other man forever. Her soul might be stained or scarred by the God, but it was bound to his and even death could not change that. All he could do was help her through the pain and try to make sure Cas stayed buried this time.

He released a slow, calming breath. He considered taking the memory from her to ease her suffering, but the thought fled almost before it formulated completely. There was much he would do to protect her, but protecting her with lies was not one of them. A tremor went through his body. Her hormones were ripening. His breaths came in small pants as he fought the need to wake his wife. Soon the heat would consume them completely; nothing would matter but the fire in their veins and the need to breed. He looked up when he heard the door slide open.

"You look like hell," Sol said uncertain if he should come any closer.

He scowled at his brother. "Sit down; I'm hardly going to bite you."

"Funny. I don't envy you," he said as he sank down in the chair. Humans did not have the same sensitivity and response to hormones that Kin or drell or other more sensitive species had, they might become a bit more moody and protective, but they didn't need to sequester themselves away. No, he didn't envy Kael one bit. He took a deep breath. "Lach was willing to talk." His gaze shifted to his sister. "When she first came back to them, they nearly lost her again as soon as the threat was over. She described it to him as the dark. The dark filled her, took away her pain and gave her husband back to her. He would talk to her, comfort her; tell her not to give up on him. She would rather live in the dark with his spirit than go on without him." He closed his eyes. "I'm sorry, Kael, I didn't say that to hurt you, but that was where her mind was at."

He looked at his sister again. Still hurt that he could not reach her when she needed him most. "She knew if she fell back into the dark that she might not return. She feared it as much as she longed for it. During the days she could keep busy, but during the night…she needed something to cling to, a lifeline to keep her anchored. I couldn't stay and be that for her, no matter how much I wished I could. Lach kept her grounded at night. I might not approve, but I am thankful." He rose from the chair. "Cas was a legend and to some extent, so was she. There is no way to protect her from everyone, people are bound to talk, but maybe someday when they see her they won't think about him and her, they'll think about you and her. Just keep her safe until then."

"Always," he said in a voice rough with emotion. "And Sol – thank you. Keep us posted on Rosie."

Sol closed his eyes briefly as pain washed through him. "I will," he said tightly as he left the room. It was time to return to his vigil at her side.

Kael watched as the door slid shut behind his brother. He rose and his pants vanished before he reached the bed. He settled next to his wife and pulled her against him. They were going to be in for a hard, grueling, exhausting and pleasurable next few weeks and right now he needed that as much as she did.