Hello readers. I am here to say hello. Yes, it is true, we are nearing the end of this story. I am so glad you people have been liking it so far. Even though this story is nearing it's end, I have more plans for these characters. I'll elaborate about them in the last chapter. For now, I must warn of an explicit sexual scene, again. I only did it because it felt like the right time to fit another in without it feeling, uh, without purpose, though that is a stretch. Any who, credit will go where credit is due.

The Quackster once again helped out and did a lot of the writing for the smut. There isn't much to begin with, but as I've said before, it's gotta be quality! Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

Being led through purple alien halls, McArthy pulled himself slightly closer to Mim, who at least found the ship somewhat familiar. She nipped his helmet with a chuckle, then wrapped her arm around him and said, "Do not worry, mommy Mim will keep you safe."

"I hope so. I mean, some of these jackals are… tall when they straighten themselves."

Turning to the pair with a small hiss, Sil placed a finger in front of her beak and said, "I wouldn't call them jackals here. They don't exactly like it, and they like it less so coming from a human."

McArthy nodded his head with a nervous chuckle, then turned his head to watch the pirates gaze at them as they passed. Sil soon led them to a less crowded hall, the only jackals in sight being some kind of loose pairs of patrols.

Gesturing to the long hall, Sil said, "These are the 'special' quarters. Close to the bridge, close to my room, close to me. I don't let my crew sleep in these rooms, they're only used for special guests, such as yourself."

She walked up to one of the doors, letting it open and reveal a modest room, large enough to be a master. Walking in, Sil motioned for them to enter. Once they walked in, the door slid shut behind them. The room, strangely enough, wasn't very alien. The walls were painted grey and the furniture was strangely human, which confused them both.

Sil spun around to face the pair, then McArthy gestured to the furniture and asked, "What's up with the furniture. It doesn't seem very… alien."

Scoffing, Sil moved over to the bed and said, "You know, calling me alien probably isn't the best idea. You're on my ship, a ship full of kig-yar. You're the alien, my good sir."

Grunting, McArthy pulled his helmet off and said, "No need to get technical."

Rolling her eyes, Sil gestured to the furniture and said, "It is the way it is so I can accompany many species. I do deal with humans, not as frequently as others, but I do. And on the rare occasion one is on my ship, this would be where I house them. Trust me, a few of the other rooms look far more… alien… than this one."

Gesturing for them to sit on the bed, Sil said, "It's time we catch up. It's been years since I've seen you, Mim. How did you end up on that planet, end up as a heretic, and end up fucking a human?"

Chuckling as she sat down next to Sil, McArthy sitting to her right, Mim said, "It is a long story. But to put it simply, after basic training I was given the role of technician."

Cackling, Sil rubbed Mim's smooth beak and said, "Ah, that's why you haven't carved into your beak, huh? Not a warrior."

Brushing Sil's hand off her beak with a chuckle, Mim explained, "I was not a warrior for long. I apparently treated humans too well, and after killing my higher up in blind rage, I was painted a heretic and ran away."

Sil hung her head back with a squawking laugh and said, "Oh, that's good! He probably deserved it, huh? Anyway, so you were on the run on a snow planet, and he…?"

Leaning into McArthy with a croon, Mim said, "He fell from the sky, narrowly escaping from a ship that exploded trying to escape. I had been alone for a month before he arrived, and I knew he was my only chance at some kind of ally."

Licking her chops with a snicker, Sil turned to McArthy and said, "Well, aren't you helljumpers popular."

Tilting his head, McArhty asked, "What does that mean?"

Sil shook her head with a chuckle, "Nothing, nothing. Anyway, so you two were trapped on a planet together trying to survive for…"

"We were together for a month." answered Mim, still leaning into McArthy.

Scratching the underside of her beak, Sil nodded and said, "Uhuh, more than enough time, eh? So, your time in the Covenant military since the last time I saw you was quite boring, huh?"

Nodding, Mim sighed and said, "Incredibly. But, at least it made me smart. From fixing simple weapons, communication stations, all the way to repairing banshees and phantoms. Still, it was irritating to sit and watch people fight for years without getting to fight myself."

Standing up and stretching her arms, Sil yawned and said, "Well, I bet the Covenant just didn't want to throw such a cute short stack out into the battlefield, huh? How many boyfriends did you make before this guy? Any at all?"

Mim shook her head, then Sil chuckled and said, "Good. Kig-yar males are not worth the trouble, let me tell you."

Suddenly, McArthy stood up and asked, "Wait, you've dealt with humans before?"

Slowly turning to the human, she nodded, "Uh, yeah, I said that. Why?"

Shoving his hand into his armor for a second, he yanked out three dog tags and said, "Is there any way you could get these back to their families?"

Mim immediately recognized the tags as those of his teammates, then watched Sil take them, eyeing the words on them. Shuffling them in her hand, Sil put her free hand on her hip and said, "Uh, may take some time, but I probably could. But, on one condition."

Nodding, McArthy asked, "What do you need?"

Pointing at Mim, Sil grinned and said, "Tell me I'm hotter than her."

With zero hesitation, McArthy swiped the tags back and said, "You know what, we could just put these up on a mantle…"

Sil quickly stole them back with unworldly speed, then cackled as she moved to the door and said, "Don't worry, I was just joking… wait, what the hell is your name?"

Sighing, he turned back to her and said, "It's McArthy."

Drumming her fingers against the armor on her waist, Sil tilted her head and said, "Oh, that's it? Okay, McArthy."

Opening the door, Sil pointed at Mim and said, "I'm gonna let you guys get some rest before we talk about important stuff, you seem a bit banged up. Some basic rules, do not leave or wander without my company, alright? This ship is full of male, ruuhitian pirates. A human and a female t'vaoan walking around alone is a recipe for disaster."

Pointing across the room at a door, Sil said, "Bathroom for cleaning up your filthy bodies. I mean, you guys were stranded for a long time, you must smell like corpses under that armor and clothes. I do not want that kind of stench walking around my ship. If you need me, this little panel by the door has a direct line to my helmet, so you can send me a message whenever. Alright? Alright. Our arrival to this place woke me up from my beauty sleep, so I'm gonna go get the rest of my shut eye. See you whenever I wake up."

With that, she disappeared out the door, it shutting behind her. Grunting, McArthy removed the armor on his forearms and said, "I don't know what to think of your friend."

Mim moved her hand to her belt, grabbing onto a small chain, then said, "I… have something I need to give back."

McArthy paused taking his armor off, then turned back to Mim and asked, "What is it?"

Pulling the dog tag out of her belt, she held it out to McArthy, letting him see it. He stared at it for a moment, then chuckled and said, "So, that's how you knew that name."

Nodding, Mim held it out further and said, "I should not have taken it. Here."

McArthy stared at the dog tag in her hand for a few seconds, then chuckled. Wrapping his hands around hers, he shut her grasp on it and said, "You hold onto it for me. Where we're going, I probably won't need it anyway."

Moving his hands away, Mim dangled the tag in front of her, looking at it, then asked, "You are sure?"

Chuckling, McArthy nodded his head, "Of course. Now, let's take care of this armor, I want to get comfortable. Don't you?"

Mim nodded with a chirp, grabbing her chest plate and prying it free. She felt her back plate fall off and onto the bed, then grabbed it and put it down on the ground. Once she had removed all of her armor and laid it on the ground, she leaped onto the bed and landed on her stomach, squirming in it for a moment. It had been too long since she last slept in a proper nest.

Warning: Explicit Sexual Scene Incoming. Feel Free To Skip.

She turned her body to McArthy, watching as he finally finished removing his armor too. He let out a grunt as he touched the burn on his left shoulder, one that had burned through his clothing. The hit itself seemed only to be a flesh wound, but it most likely still hurt a bit.

Rolling across the bed, Mim reached over and grabbed his waist with her arms, pulling him towards the bed. Caught off guard by her grab, he stumbled onto the edge of the bed, then she pulled him onto it with her and snuggled herself closely to him.

Sighing, McArthy wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer, Mim pressing her beak against his neck, her throat vibrating. Softly rubbing her back, listening to her light chirps, McArthy pressed his cheek against her head and said, "This is what I want."

Mim pulled her head back with a light chuckle, then licked his cheek and said, "Then it's what you are going to get, McArthy."

She nuzzled the side of his face with a soft croon, gently licking his ear. McArthy moved his hand through her feathers and behind her head, gently holding her as he kissed the side of her beak.

As her fingers slowly massaged his body, Mim spoke in a whisper, "We are free from that planet. And it is just us, us alone."

Holding her hip with his free hand, softly massaging her body, McArthy broke away from his kissing and said, "Alone on a ship full of horny pirate jackals."

With a small chuckle, Mim nipped his cheek and said, "Kig-yar are always horny, pirate or not."

Moving his hand down her hip and giving her rear a light squeeze, he lightly laughed and said, "They aren't the only ones."

Mim trilled and nipped his ear again, her throat vibrating, "How interesting. Perhaps we should expand on that."

Her hand suddenly travelled south, pressing into his crotch as her throat vibrated more. McArthy sputtered silently for a moment, then composed himself and looked into his lover's eyes.

Mim looked at McArthy, love and lust the only thing he could see when he peered into her fiery amber eyes. Mim leaned forward, closing the distance between the two until there were scant inches between the two. The two sat there, soul searching for a few moments as they both considered what was going to happen- well, McArthy considered it, Mim was just waiting.

"Aw, fuck it," McArthy muttered before lunging forward, yanking Mim up as she let out a squawk of surprise only to be muffled as McArthy locked lips with her, turning it into an undignified mewl.

A full, furious thirty seconds of kissing later, the two broke apart.

"Or rather, fuck you," McArthy said with a grin, making Mim trill in excitement and lust as she rubbed her beak down against her mate's chest.

"Take it off, take it all off, I want to see you, I want to feel you~"

The t'vaoan reached towards the bottom of his shirt, pulling it over his head and off to the side. Watching his heaving chest, she leaned forward and licked the center, causing electricity to flow up his spine with a shiver. Mim reached for her zipper, slowly moving it down and exposing her flat torso before McArthy dived in and began to pull it off her shoulders.

The t'vaoan used her feet to push down his pants along with his underwear before allowing McArthy to remove her skin suit. Once all was said and done, they stared at eachother's naked bodies before slowly rolling their eyes up to meet one another again.

McArthy leaned over, touching his forehead against hers, "Well, let's start another chapter of our lives with a bang. Pun intended."

Mim chuckled and nibbled on his nose before whispering into his ear, "Do what you want with me~"

McArthy hooked his arms under her legs, lifting her waist up to account for her awkwardly angled slit, all too normal now for him. Mim reached up above her, grasping onto the sheets as she anticipated her lovemaking with elation.

Without a second thought, he pressed himself against her, penetrating and releasing a pleasured gasp from the t'vaoan. Her tongue flopped out as she wrapped her powerful legs around his backside, pulling him deeper within her.

"Ah… M-McArthy… you are… ah…" she moaned, her hands tightening their grip on the sheets and slightly tearing them.

Not wanting to cause anymore damage to the bed, McArthy removed his hands only to lean forward and hold onto both of hers, their fingers interlocking. Apparently the action surprised her, as Mim blushed slightly with a coy crawt. Chuckling, he pressed his lips against her beak before pulling out slightly and thrusting back in.

McArthy pulled away momentarily, resting his head on the pillow beside her as he continued pressing into her, "I- I love you so much Mim- ah…"

She nibbled on his ear, trilling as she squeezed his hands a little tighter, "McArthy… mate… mate, my mate… rest of my life…"

"I… would be glad to- be that…" he said, leaning back again and kissing her once more.

The feeling of her jiggling thighs pressured him to intensify, pushing harder into her and causing her to very audibly squawk into his mouth. He swore he heard her say something along the lines of 'faster', as he let go of her hand and moved them down to her lower cheeks, squeezing them as a base to accelerate his thrusting.

Mim wrapped her arms around his midsection, reaching up to the middle of his shoulder blades and holding him tightly. Her talons scratched his skin enough to draw blood, but McArthy didn't mind, he was too focused on making her feel good. That mess could be cleaned up later.

However, his intense thrusting was suddenly interrupted as he was flipped over onto bed, still connected with her as she looked at him with smug eyes, "My turn."

McArthy laid wide eyed with surprise before Mim slammed her backside down, feeling his testicles slap against her bodacious cheeks. He gripped her sides as she bounced atop his lap, leaning back to rest her hands against his knees.

Her tongue bobbed as Mim bounced up and down, releasing a moan every time she slammed into his waist. She lowered her blurred gaze to see McArthy softly grunting, his gaze equally uneven, like he was lost in the bliss. She gave her hips a sway with every bounce, feeling him press into her walls and making her moan louder.

He escatsized over the feeling of her velvety plump thighs on his lap and in his hands, her sweet person beautifully mixing with her all but attractive figure. The fact that she was his sent flashes of endorphins to his brain.

His kig-yar.

Her human.

McArthy felt it coming, holding her tighter as he began to buck back, "Shit- Mim- I'm cumming-"

Mim was too lost in her own bliss to even form coherent thoughts, much less words. As a result, the only response she gave was a series of passionate chirps.

She pressed herself down on him one final time down, cooing as McArthy bucked into her, his hot seed flooding her womb and dripping out over his lap. She fell forward into his chest, out of breath and sweaty as she weakly wrapped her arms around his neck. He hugged her back, taking the moment to catch his breath and assessing the damage done.

"Sil's going to be furious once she has to clean the sheets," McArthy said, feeling the burning sensation of his bleeding back upon the bedsheets.

Mim chuckled, nuzzling his chest, "I'm sorry about that, but Sil will just have to deal with it. The old woman is probably still a virgin."

"Hehe, a milf."

Mim frowned, "A what?"

"Nothing," McArthy answered, rubbing the back of her head as he stared at the ceiling.

End Of Explicit Scene

#

Mim pressed the panel beside the door multiple times, hoping what she was doing was barraging Sil with as many messages as possible. She looked behind her as she kept pressing to see McArthy putting his shirt on, his mouth wide open in a yawn from just waking up.

Once the shirt was on, he turned to see Mim aggressively pressing on the panel, making him chuckle and approach her. Putting his hands on his hips with a snicker, he nodded at the panel and asked, "You really wanna annoy her, huh?"

Nodding her head with a cackle, Mim continued pressing the button. Suddenly, the door slid wide open, revealing Sil, wearing nothing but her skin suit and the silver helmet on her head. Slowly removing the helmet from her head, McArthy could've sworn he saw one of her eyes twitch.

Turning her head to Mim, Sil asked, "What is it? What do you want?"

Mim stared at Sil, giving the panel one last press, an audible beep coming from Sil's helmet, then she retracted her hand with a chuckle and said, "Uh, there is no clothing here for me… or him."

Crossing her arms, drumming her fingers against herself for a few seconds, Sil grunted and said, "Alright then. I'll be right back. You two stay put. And don't press the panel!"

She then slipped away, the door shutting in front of them. Chuckling, McArthy walked up behind Mim, giving her neck a kiss, then asked, "Was it worth getting her annoyed?"

Mim nodded as her throat vibrated, pressing the panel once more with her foot in jest, "Absolutely."

"What kind of clothes does she even have? Obviously something for you, but I really don't want to try and wear whatever her crew has on," McArthy said, taking a moment to look at himself.

Waving her hand with a chuckle, Mim said, "Given how much work she put into making this room human, I doubt she doesn't have some kind of spare human clothing."

The two didn't have to wait very long before the door slid open once again. Now with her armor all on, Sil chucked a pile of folded clothing at Mim, making her squawk with surprise and try to catch the clothes, only half succeeding.

Pointing at her, Sil said, "Unfortunately, I don't have any extra clothing for a kig-yar, but luckily that isn't too much of a problem. Human clothes should fit you fine, and don't ask how I got human clothes. It's a complicated story that's probably still pissing ONI off to this day."

Sil then walked into the room, the door shutting behind her, then she walked over to the bed and said, "Get changed in the bathroom, I wanna take you guys to get something to eat and talk about important stuff. I have a few more…"

The t'vaoan trailed off as she looked at the bed, giving the sheet a sudden tug, revealing more of it. McArthy let out a nervous chuckle, then Sil said, "I can smell sex that happened recently. You two are quite rough, huh? Seeing as there are blood stains along with the expected ones. Getting to it that quickly?"

Mim turned to her with a hiss and said, "It's none of your concern."

Sil laughed, then shook her head and said, "You're on my ship, everything is my concern. It's not like I care, either."

Suddenly, she lifted her hand, pointing to the corner of the ceiling, and said, "Let's just hope the security room was empty when you two did it."

Following her pointed finger, Mim and McArthy's mouth gaped a little as they noticed a low profile camera inside the wall, the only indication of it being there being a small reflective screen compared to the grey walls.

Cracking her knuckles, Sil chuckled and said, "I'll go get the footage deleted later… and turn this camera off until you guys are gone. I just wasn't expecting you two to get to it that quickly."

Before either of them could complain, Sil shook her head and said, "My ship, my rules. Just… go get changed. We can discuss stuff once we got some food in front of us."

McArthy dipped low and picked up the clothes Mim couldn't catch, then the two walked into the bathroom, leaving Sil alone in the room.

Once the door was shut, McArthy planted the clothes on the sink counter and said, "I'm pissed, but I don't think I'm allowed to be."

Shaking her head, Mim said with a small snarl, "No, I am too. She should have told us about the camera before."

"And you're friends with her?"

Mim nodded as she began unzipping her skinsuit, "We are very close. She is rough around the edges, especially for new people, but she is a good person. Trust me."

Sighing, McArthy pulled the dirty shirt off, discarding it, and said, "You know I trust you. This 'Sil' is the one I don't trust. She seems… Dubious..."

Lowering her skinsuit to her legs, promptly kicking it off, her body shuddered for a moment before she peered at the clothes and said, "We can talk about you not trusting her later. Right now, I need to figure out what to wear. I… have never seen human clothes before. At least, none so casual."

McArthy picked up a shirt, unfolding it and holding it out. He shrugged his shoulders, then slipped it over his body and said, "Let me just get dressed, then I can help you. I'm just wondering how you're gonna wear pants…"

Mim watched closely as McArthy quickly pulled his pants and underwear off, swapping them for a new pair that he hasn't been stuck in for a month. The way he discarded them with his old shirt made it appear he didn't plan on touching them again, though she couldn't blame him.

Once he had the clothes on, he curiously sorted through the pile, looking through the rainbow of different pants and jackets. Mim quickly picked out some kind of jacket. It was grey with red trim, and had a fluffy collar that looked like it could be a hood. While a hood seemed uncomfortable for her, given her feathers, at the very least she knew it would fit.

With a grin, McArthy said, "Oh, a nice parka. It matches too."

Moving her hand up to smooth her red tipped feathers, she lowered her head a little and said, "A simple coincidence."

Grabbing a black tank top, he held it out and said, "I think we should take that with us when we eventually leave. I doubt she got it legally, anyway."

Taking the tank top, Mim held it out and gazed at it momenty, then let out a small chirp of approval and pulled it over her feathers and onto her body. She slipped the jacket on, looking down at herself for a moment. The jacket had strange metal pieces along it, then McArthy chuckled and took a hold of the metal pieces. He pulled the jacket together, closing the front over her body, then pulled a zipper up and clipped the metal pieces on. Now with it shut, it was actually quite cozy on her, holding more closely to her body than she expected the human clothing to. She quite liked it.

McArthy grunted as he raised a pair of pants, then said, "Are we gonna have to cut the legs or… oh, I'm stupid."

He then picked up another pair of pants, though the legs on these ones were much shorter. Chuckling, McArthy held out the black pants and said, "You can just wear shorts."

Mim's eyes sunk a little at the simplistic human term, letting out a huff of amusement, "Shorts?"

McArthy chuckled with the nod of his head, then handed them to her and said, "Yeah, don't judge humans for finding easy names for things."

Taking the shorts and carefully moving her digitigrade legs through the pant legs, she finally fit them over her lower regions. Mim looked up at McArthy, who chuckled a little as he looked at her. Suddenly coy from the staring, she shifted her legs inward a little, lowering her head, and asked, "Do I look ridiculous?"

Her mate shook his head with a chuckle, then pulled her into a hug and said, "No, you look adorable. If you like wearing human clothes, I'm gonna have to ask you to wear them more often."

Releasing chirps of amusement, Mim raised her head, nipped his ear, and said, "And I thought you liked my tight skinsuit the most."

She could see his cheeks redden a little, then he said with a short stutter, "Y-yeah, I really like that too. You just look good in everything, what can I say?"

Suddenly, there was a bang on the door, then Sil yelled from the bedroom, "You two better not be fucking again! I put off lunch for this! Let's move it!"

McArthy groaned, but Mim simply chuckled and tugged on him to follow. Stepping to the bathroom door, it slid open, revealing Sil tapping her foot next to the bed. The t'vaoan's head turned to look at the pair standing in the bathroom doorway, then she began chuckling.

Pointing at Mim, Sil placed a hand on her hip, shifting her stance, then said, "You look cute."

Her point turned to a weak gesture at McArthy, then she said, "And you look like you're homeless."

McArthy was about to say something back, then bit his tongue and thought about her words. He lowered his head a little, slowly getting lost in thought. Mim noticed his expression, not liking it, then placed her hand on his chest and said in defense, "Most of your crew were homeless. You are in no place to judge."

They watched the pirate's head bob, then she waved them on and said, "Whatever. Anyway, let's go get something to eat, finally."

The door leading out slid open, then she stepped out and gestured for them to follow. McArthy let Mim move in front of him, then followed her out the door. Once it shut behind them, Sil began walking and said, "With me around, none of my crew will dare to touch either of you unless they want a needle in their brain. Still, keep close, some are ballsier than others."

Moving closer to the two t'vaoans, McArthy said, "You talk about them as if their animals."

Sil laughed at his statement, then said, "They're pirates, so they basically are animals. You don't know many kig-yar, huh?"

Moving next to Mim, he hooked his arm around her waist and said, "She's the only one."

With a scoff, Sil turned forward and said, "So I don't count? How rude."

Mim leaned into McArthy hold, leaning her head against his as they followed Sil through the purple halls. They passed by many jackals, all wearing an assortment of armor and clothing, but they all gave the group equal stares. Some even followed them from a distance, some whispering to each other. Mim was particularly put off by the looks so many were giving her. They seemed so hungry, and not in a good way.

She had been on this ship before, when she was much younger. Maybe that's why the looks were so different. Back then she was still basically a chick, and now, she was much older. Most of them didn't even recognize her, if they were even the same kig-yar she remembered the last time she was around.

Focusing back on Sil, Mim asked, "By the way, is my father here?"

Shaking her head, Sil kept her head facing forward and said, "He's basically retired at this point. Last I checked, he's living with your mother on T'vao, them living off of my last payment, which was quite large. Speaking of where he lives, what I'm most curious about… is where are you two going to live?"

With that question, she led them through a large doorway. On the other side of the purple doorway was a massive alien mess room. Many jackals were scattered around the multiple large circular tables, eating away at trays of what looked like a mess of flesh. McArthy could even see bones poking out of some of the meals.

Suddenly, he felt Sil's hand rest on his shoulder, making him turn and slightly raise his head to meet her eyes. With a snicker, the pirate pointed at the eating jackals and said, "Don't you worry, little human. I got food you can stomach. I just don't let my crew know it exists or else they'd eat it all behind my back. Well, all except for one…"

She lifted her hand, waving someone from across the mess hall over. McArthy and Mim both turned their heads and watched as a kig-yar leapt over the counter where food was served, quickly jogging towards them. The jackal was strangely… large. Standing at almost six foot eight, with weirdly broad shoulders, thicker arms, and a white apron on their body.

Giving the group a nod, the ruuhitian grinned with their beak and asked with a deep and smooth voice, "What will you have today, ma'am."

Gesturing to the two next to her, Sil said, "Prepare us something human, hunk. And make it extra… juicy."

The ruuhitian nodded with a dipped head, then turned around and made his way back to the kitchen. Leading the two to an empty table, Sil moved herself onto a seat and said, "Hey, my crew gets eye candy, I deserve some too."

McArthy and Mim took a seat next to each other, Mim leaning into McArthy's shoulder. They turned their heads back a bit to see the small grouping of jackals that had followed them gathered at the entrance, staring. Sil waved them away with her hand, a few dispersing, others simply walking in and heading towards the food counter, still eyeing them.

With a growl, Sil turned back to them and said, "Sometimes, I am sick of this shit. But, being a pirate queen has its benefits, I just gotta deal with morons to get rich."

Shifting her body back to face the two, she leaned forward on the table and said, "So, let's get to the important part of… this."

Turning specifically to Mim, Sil said, "I know you hate ships, so I know you won't accept my offer to just live here. But, I would gladly house you two. It's just an option."

Shaking her head, Mim grabbed one of McArthy's arms and said, "I… we want a home. A normal one, safe and cozy. Away from the craziness in this universe."

The two watched Sil scratch the bottom of her beak, then she said, "That's a difficult request to fulfill. It seemed nowhere habitable could escape the touch of humanity or the Covenant, or the war between them. Nowhere where you two could live happily together… at least, that's how it seemed.

"Fortunately, I found a place. To be specific, three planets, all orbiting the same sun. Very, very, very far from literally anything. Far out of the Covenant's reach. I won't get in depth, but basically these planets are home to a bunch of kig-yar, sangheili, and san'shyuum who ran from the Covenant. Heretics, basically. About… 1000 years ago is when they left, and now they have themselves a beautiful, peaceful set up far away from all of the death and destruction."

Leaning forward, McArthy asked, "But… how does that change anything? I doubt they'd be accepting of a human anyway."

Chuckling, Sil shook her head and said, "1000 years separated from the Covenant and purposely stripping yourself of their influence tends to change your culture. To be blunt, the sangheili there aren't warriors, the kig-yar aren't bastards, and the san'shyuum… well to be honest they're still assholes, but at least they're diplomatic! No class hierarchy, no theocracy, an actual ideal society that I only wish the Covenant could've been. "

Tilting her head, Mim scooted closer to McArthy and asked, "And… we won't be bothered?"

Smiling, Sil shrugged and said, "It is literally the only place in the galaxy that would let you two exist together. But I've travelled there plenty of times. I'm friends with their… president, I guess. I would call them more of an elected dictator with limitations to their power."

"So, a president?"

Snapping at the air, Sil hissed, "Shut it. Anyway, you two will be fine. If these sangheili are able to see a ruuhitian as an equal, they will no doubt be fine with you."

Suddenly, three large trays were pushed in front of the three. Sil looked up at her hunky chef with a smile, then said, "Thank you, and make sure you lock up the food."

The kig-yar nodded, "Of course, ma'am. Enjoy the food, I made it special."

As the chef left the three, McArthy looked down at the dish in front of him, Surely enough, the food was human. A juicy slice of medium rare steak sat in front of him, giving him more questions.

Poking the food with a fork on the tray, McArthy looked up at Sil and asked, "How did you get… steak?"

Chuckling, Sil crossed her arms and said, "I have my ways. I actually have a very stable trade situation with certain humans. They give me all kinds of things, and I always get a surplus of human cuisine, most of which goes to waste."

Cutting the steak and raising a small piece at the end of his fork, examining it, McArthy said, "Weird. You know I'm a bit of a cook myself."

An idea began nagging at the back of his mind, but McArthy pushed it back for the moment. The idea of a new and normal life was giving him a lot of ideas, but first they had to actually get to this new place.

Chopping down on some of her steak, Mim swallowed half of it in one go and asked, "Wait, so when will we get to these planets?"

Sil paused before she could eat into her own food, then turned to them and said, "Well, given you actually want to go there, it would be a week's journey. It is quite far, and I have a few pit stops to make on the way. So, is that where you want to go?"

Turning to McArthy, taking his hand, she crooned and asked, "Is it?"

McArthy stared into her amber eyes, then turned his hand around and squeezed back. He nodded his head and said, "It seems like the only real option, because I am not living on a pirate ship."

Chuckling, Mim nodded and pressed the end of her snout against his nose and said, "Me neither."

They both turned to Sil with a nod, then the pirate grunted and put her hand to her helmet, "Hey, yeah, I got new coordinates. Take us to paradise, they want- what? No, what the fu… no, I mean codename paradise! Are you fucking stupid? Who gave you control of the- oh, you're getting thrown out of the hangar. Just get us on the way, and try to keep your beak shut!"

Taking the helmet off her head with a hiss, she tossed it onto the table and said, "Fucking smartmouthed dipshits. Alright, we are on our way! Enjoy the food, I got a few other things I want to talk about."

McArthy took a bite of the steak, finding it surprisingly good, but before he could ask, Sil leaned forward and said, "You know, if you want to spice things up on the way there, I got some interesting human… 'tools' I could lend you two for-"

McArthy whipped his arm out, grabbing onto her beak and forcing it shut, making Sil let out a muffled squawk and gripped at his hands, trying to paw them away like some distressed puppy.

Staring into her eyes, McArthy asked, "Anything that's not stupid?"

They stared at each other for a few seconds, then he removed his hand from her beak. SIl rubbed her beak for a moment, then looked back at them silently. Sighing, she rested her head on her hand and asked, "You two have any idea what the Covenant took from that planet?"

The couple stared at her for a moment, then turned to each other, then looked back at Sil and simultaneously shrugged their shoulders.

Letting out a grunt, Sil took a bite of her steak and said, "Always on the lookout for some 'godly' tech. Anyway, uh, McArthy, let's talk about you. Why are you so ready to leave humanity? Don't you got family?"

McArthy froze up for a moment, his grip on Mim's hand tightening. Crooning, Mim nuzzled his neck, then turned to Sil and said, "No, no he doesn't. I'm all he has."

Sil could notice the sudden tension her question brought up, then huffed and said, "I'm sorry. I wouldn't have brought it up if I knew it was… complicated. How about a more basic question."

The three sat silently for a few seconds, McArthy and Mim looking at Sil, waiting for her question.

"What's your favorite position?"

"Oh my God…"