Sakir was different than most private mega yachts. In looks she had no equal. An elegantly flared bow, amber eyes and long lashes made for a lovely face. And she had the etiquette befitting of the choice yacht of the Emir. It was in her attitude that she set herself apart from her piers. Unlike most rich yachts she was neither snooty nor lazy. She enjoyed hard work and wasn't shy about getting her hull dirty. This was most evident in her choice of bonded. Oregon had been an interesting choice for a bodyguard when they'd first met. But she had more than proven herself to the task. Soon Sakir called upon her anytime she left her home waters and in the intervening years she had fallen in love with the freighter. She closed her eyes for a moment, feeling the thrum of life within her soul. Their bond. Oregon was close by and Sakir smiled at the thought of seeing her beloved again. She'd been disappointed when Oregon was playing around in the Arctic and had been unable to join her at the start of the voyage. She was on her way now though, in time to sail to Bermuda together. Sakir was looking forward to that. Oh the things they would share in the shadow of the Hamilton skyline.
Her attention was diverted when she spotted another ship, passing close by. She was making good time too, traveling at least 15 knots. Shipping was common in this part of the world and Sakir wouldn't have given her a second glance if not for the malevolence she was giving off. Oregon had taught Sakir not only how to fight but also how to recognize a potential opponent. She eyed the other ship more closely and grimaced. "That has to be the ugliest ship I've ever seen." She said to herself. No sooner had she said that than all hell broke loose.
The ugly ship was surrounded in an ethereal blue glow. She simply vanished from Sakir's sight although the yacht could see a wake persisting, marking her path. The flash of energy generated a wave dozens of feet high that raced towards her. Sakir reversed one engine and put her rudder hard over, bringing her fore and aft thrusters to bear. All her tricks weren't enough. She hit mostly broadside at about a 75 degree angle. The wave curled as it curled up against her hull. It crested, smashing windows and flooding rooms, causing massive internal damage. Sakir had no time to scream. She couldn't even if she did. She was too frightened for that. All she could do was cry out to the one ship she wanted, no needed to see the most. "Oregon, help me!"
Oregon was just as frightened as Sakir but for different reasons. She had heard the yacht's cry for help. That coupled with Kenin's warning was more than enough to spur her into action. The corrupt Russian Admiral's taunts still tang loud in her ears. She wouldn't be surprised if the bastard was laughing right now. Once she had rescued her bonded she would put a missile so far up that man's ass he would taste the explosive! By the time she reached the site there was no sign of Sakir and Oregon's increasingly desperate calls went unanswered. The freighter spotted a red shape in the water and made for it. Sakir had turned completely upside down, held up only by the air she kept in her lungs. Air that was bleeding out as the water rushed in. Oregon lowered her massive head, got her jaws around the front of Sakir's keel and pulled. Sakir now broke clear of the water, her entire hull shuddering as she coughed up a storm. Once through she leaned back, settling against Oregon's hull as the freighter held her. She looked up at her with eyes barely open. "I knew you'd come for me." She rasped. "I will always come for you." Oregon replied in the gentlest tone she could manage. Underneath her soft exterior she was a boiling seething cauldron of anger. "I will destroy Kenin for this!" "He was behind your man's arrest in the Artic wasn't he?" Sakir asked and it took Oregon a moment to realize she had cursed his name out loud. "Yes. I know now that Kenin is making something with one of Tesla's ineventions." "Like a vanishing ship." Sakir suggested. "Exactly. Sakir I'm sorry I didn't want you caught up in this." "Like I wouldn't have anyways." Laughing was painful and Sakir was forced to cut her chuckled short. "Don't strain yourself." Oregon said, moving to support her more. "Won't-gah wont make any difference." Sakir gasped as Oregon lifted her more. "What do you mean?" There was an edge in Oregon's voice. An edge that was her last attempt to deny reality. "Oregon, my love." Sakir spoke through the bond now. Here her voice was as strong and unimpeded as she needed it to be. "Sakir..." Oregon's voice was full of such desperation it broke Sakir's heart to leave her like this. She tilted her head, muzzle brushing her cheek. "I will, always... be watching... over you..." She coughed. Shifting her muzzle slightly to the left, she pressed their lips together. Oregon put as much passion into the kiss as she dared without causing Sakir anymore pain. Sakir, being a bit more precocious than her partner, pressed her advantage as far as she could. "I love you." She whispered against Oregon's mouth. "Not nearly as much as I love you." Oregon nearly sobbed. Sakir pressed for one last kiss before her strength failed her. The yacht went limp, her bow dropping and her muzzle impacting against Oregon's shoulder. She took one last shuddering breath that revealed lungs filled with blood and water. The last thing she heard was Oregon's pain filled scream.
"NO! SAKIR NO! ANCIENTS NO! NO! NO!" Oregon wailed to the heavens. She felt it when the bond broke and it filled her with a pain unlike anything she had ever experienced. She'd take being shot at with ADCAPS over this! The void was worse than any submarine. She sat there, holding the ship she loved more than anyone else. She wanted to be angry. She wanted to feel cold, closed off to the world. But she couldn't find the strength to even feel a slight annoyance at the fact that the Coast Guard would be showing up soon and taking Sakir away from her. Cutting her body up into razor blades. All she could feel was a deep bone crushing sadness.
Slowly, as though she physically struggled with the action, she managed to pull a small box from one of her cargo holds. She's spent days rehearsing what she was going to say and years working up the courage just to say it. Now, there was not but a dead audience to speak to. From the box she removed a gold band. Ever so gently, she placed it on Sakir's port front wire and kissed the appendage lightly. "My heart will always belong to you." She whispered, placing a long gentle kiss on Sakir's forehead.
There would be others who Oregon would come to care for. And a fellow freighter who would capture her heart like Sakir had done once so many years ago. But Oregon would never bond again. Not in the way she had done with Sakir for such a bond can only be made once. For it is the bond of souls, and Oregon's now resides within the stars. Off limits to the mortal realm.