The ship quickly entered warp speed and left Sinensis far behind, much to the relief of its pilot. Kayleer lay on the ship's deck, preferring to remain there for a time to catch his breath and calm his racing pulse.

When he finally decided to stand, he felt a sharp pain pierce his back and fell facedown, back to the floor. His whole body became wracked in a seizure as he felt his limbs become entirely immobile. Panic flared once more as he struggled to move but found he could not; he was paralyzed.

Samus punched in a command on her arm cannon, prompting the turret to cease its attack. The beam of paralyzing golden light retracted as the turret withdrew into the ship's hull.

"Sorry; automated defense drone. Reacts to pirate presence," she informed him dully, taking her place in the cockpit.

Kayleer tried to catch his breath once more, sick of the constant assaults he seemed to be receiving from every party. "Can I move now?" he asked, humiliated as his voice rang muffled from its forced proximity to the floor.

She nodded. Kayleer rose to his feet, wiping a bit of drool that had collected on his mandibles during his short-lived paralysis. Despite his annoyance at having been attacked by the ship, he knew he owed the Hunter a debt of gratitude.

"Thank you for saving me," he said quietly, hand against his chest and head bowed.

The Hunter merely raised her hand dismissively.

"Samus, AU 242 wants to speak to you two," the Admiral informed her.

The Hunter raised her arm and activated a small terminal above her. She punched in a sequence of letters on a keypad that Kayleer did not recognize as human symbols. Curiosity welled within him as he second-guessed his own assumption that the Hunter was human.

The ship darkened as the holographic form of the AU illuminated before the Hunter. Carefully, Kayleer neared the cockpit, knowing the message was meant for him as well.

"Samus, thank you for seeing to our infiltrator's safe passage," it began. "The data he retrieved may be our only hope of fighting back. As you saw, phazon has given the pirates unprecedented firepower, one that may outmatch even your own."

The Hunter's hand clenched in frustration. She had come so close to defeat - and from mere pirate grunts, no less. What should have been an easy victory had turned into a desperately narrow escape. She may not have terminated the scum she had chased down to Sinensis, but her assistance seemed to have rendered the Federation victorious in one aspect.

"With this data, we can hopefully replicate the weapons you saw; this will even the playing field," the AU continued. "Please return Kayleer to the G.F.S. Olympus. And Kayleer - we apologize for any injuries you may have received while exposed to phazon. Had you been wearing your regular armor, they might not have been as severe."

Kayleer let out a quiet, frustrated snort. He hoped he would never again have to contact the vile substance. He'd much rather be on the front lines against the pirates' strongest forces than go through this again.

"We are happy that you are safe, and we will offer you full medical assistance upon your return," the AU finished. Its script was friendly, almost cheery, yet the illusion was ruined by its monotonous, robotic tone.

The lights brightened once more as the AU disappeared. Samus keyed in a new command to her ship on the panel directly before her, and Kayleer felt them begin to shift direction. The ship entered warp speed once again, throwing the fantastic array of stars and nebulae around them into a chaotic blur.

Kayleer reclined, resting his back against the sleek orange wall of the ship and sliding downwards. He took a deep, grateful breath of clean air and reflected on all he had seen. He wondered briefly what the conversation was between the Federation and the pirate that had saved him. He had seemed so uncharacteristically friendly, and it seemed strange to him that pirates were capable of treating one another in such a way. He hadn't seen a very detailed view of 217's life, and from what he remembered during his brief time as a slave, pirates treated each other with nearly the same aggressive demeanor with which they treated humans; albeit less hostile.

Yet that pirate had saved him. Was it truly a show of compassion? Pity, even? Or perhaps another motive that Kayleer could not see. Samus had also saved him- and twice. Was he really so utterly helpless? Kayleer shook his head in frustration. He couldn't wait to reclaim his marine armor and return to the battlefield, where he could feel somewhat competent again.

He turned his attention back to the bounty hunter sitting silently in the cockpit, and revisited his pondering of her species. Her armor and ship were unlike anything he had ever seen. Her strength and courage were beyond that of any human - or Luminoth - that he knew. Kayleer couldn't help but feel a bit envious.

He remembered again the uncanny resemblance her armor had to the monument back home, and his curiosity began to get the better of him.

"Have you ever been to the planet Aether?" he asked shyly.

Put off by the idea of small talk, she ignored his question, and did not answer. Kayleer decided to try again.

"The Luminoth sing stories of a noble Hero. One who came to Aether in her time of need and purged the darkness in her heart, who single-handedly ended the Great War."

The Hunter turned her head briefly, not even enough to look fully behind her, before turning her visor back to the haze of stars.

"They erected a monument to this warrior. It stands vigil atop the Great Temple, watching over all of Aether. I was wondering if-"

"I don't normally carry passengers. There's a reason why," the Hunter cut him off.

Taken aback, Kayleer stopped. Unsurprisingly, the Hunter was not fond of talking, and he quickly realized any questions he had for her would likely go unanswered. He sighed, realizing his words were wasted. The Hero of Aether was said to be the most modest and silent of warriors, so perhaps it was a fool's errand to extract an actual conversation, even if she was the same person.

Kayleer shut his eyes complacently and entered a state of meditation, letting the longs hours of flight melt away into space.