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After Launch

Chapter 3: Partners

Chapter Text

And here we are already at  the final chapter in the story! I'd like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who has read it and encouraged me with kind reviews.

This fic rapidly became very near and dear to my heart, and I'm grateful that it touched some of you as well!

I hope you enjoy the final installment.

Cheers friends!


"And so the prodigal daughter returns from her travels. I wondered if perhaps you had decided to fly the coop, but I am grateful to learn... that I was mistaken."

Cee took in the scene before her with confusion. Ezra was sitting shirtless on his cot surrounded by the medkit and several rolls of bandages, blood seeping out of the wrappings he was unsuccessfully trying to unbind.

"What happened?"

"I was attempting to... test my strength by means of physical exertion, but I fear I may have overestimated my abilities, and have begun to bleed anew."

It was then that she noticed the missing seats and the beginnings of a metal frame propped up against the wall.

A secondary cot.

At the apparent strain on his face, she hurriedly set down her things. "Let me help you."

"Thank you kindly," He panted, relinquishing control of the situation with a sigh of relief.

She removed the wrappings and set about wiping up the carnage. She was no medical expert, but while the skin around the wound was bruised and bloody, it at least seemed free of infection.

"I see you put your time alone to good use," He said at last, when the silence had lengthened between them. "Did you give any more thought to what you are planning to do with all that gem you've acquired?"

She smothered a sigh.

In truth she hadn't the faintest idea.

The only thing she knew for certain was that she had enough money to pay off her father's debt, and if she was careful she could spend many years living off the rest. Though that didn't solve the problem of a concrete, long term plan, it was a start. All that was left for her to do was decide what kind of a life she wanted to live, now that she was no longer restrained by the limitations of her father.

But after spending almost half an hour in her alcove brainstorming with no ideas forthcoming, she'd wandered back to the pod. Which is when she'd walked in on Ezra in his state of disrepair.

When it was clear he was still waiting for an answer, she feigned an indifferent shrug. "I'm not sure yet."

"Well, there's still plenty of time to decide. The BG-Line will take at least a fortnight to get back to Central. Which reminds me, while we're on the subject..."

He gasped when she splashed a cap full of alcohol on the wound. It took him a few moments of hard breathing before he could recover his train of thought.

"While I was out on a... solitary ramble of my own, I ran into the conductor of this train and struck up a friendly conversation. He seemed to be under the impression that I am Damon, and that you are my daughter. Having ascertained that he is a God fearing man, I did not believe it would be wise to disillusion him. Therefore, for your safety as well as my own, I'm afraid we must stick together for the duration of the ride."

She never thought she'd be grateful to learn that no one recognized, let alone cared, that her father had been swapped out for another man. Yet in this instance at least, humanity's apathy was working out in her favor.

She covered her satisfaction with a nod. Two more weeks with Ezra was better than nothing.

He released a dry chuckle. "You really are a rare breed. I do not believe anything short of a truly horrifying disaster could rattle your nerves. If I might offer up an unsolicited opinion, I believe you would make an excellent field nurse. Though your bedside manner is somewhat lacking in vibrancy, as an invalid, I can attest that you have a very calm demeanor."

"I don't think I'd like it very much. I think I'd prefer something a little less dirty, maybe... maybe something where I don't have to meet too many people like you."

He threw his head back as he barked out a laugh. The sound warmed her cheeks and spread a comforting heat throughout her chest.

"You are even smarter than I gave you credit for. In that case, I suppose you might like to find your way to the Bowsun Conservatory. Return to the society of people your age, make memorable friendships like Clo and Reive. Find a story of your own."

Her hands froze in the middle of their task as she stared at him, wide-eyed. "You remembered."

"One must have the mind of a steel trap in order to survive in this universe, and so I've made it my business to fortify it. And it's a good thing too, for now it seems I may be forced to rely further upon my brains than my hands from this time forward."

Her eyes skirted the stump of his arm. It wasn't until she'd applied more cream and began to re-wrap his torso that the words building up inside demanded to be let out. "What are you going to do now? When we get back to Central I mean."

"I don't rightly know for sure. My ego would tell me that I can do my job just as well with one arm, but the other, more sensible self would counter that I need to take some time to reevaluate my situation. Learn what it's like to live with only one half my trusted tools at my disposal."

He gazed at his stump as if it were an interesting puzzle to be solved, rather than a serious set back in his plans.

She tried to keep her tone casual. "So... What about your family? I'm sure they'd be able to help you out, if you asked them."

"If I had one, I'm sure they would. Yet I do not. You and I are in the same boat, Little Bird. Alone in the universe. No job, purpose, or partner."

He said this with a rueful smile, but the words hung heavily in the air between them.

Her fingers fumbled a little, but with a final twist the bandage was tied.

After a cursory inspection he tugged his shirt down over the top of it and eyed her gravely. She met his gaze with what she hoped was a sufficient degree of confidence, though acid churned in her stomach.

"Why don't you sit down next to me for a moment. I believe you and I need to have a serious conversation about what our next steps are going to be."

The cot barely moved as she sat beside him, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. 

He sighed and ran a hand over his face.

"I'm not sure I can rightly put myself in your shoes, but one thing I do know is how strange this must be for you, holing up in a foreign pod with a man who is practically a stranger. And while I want to respect your rights to privacy and independence as much as possible, I'm afraid I cannot in good conscience part ways with you without knowing that you will be adequately prepared for whatever lies ahead.

"Far be it from me to suggest you are incapable of surviving on your own, but I will say that from what I've gathered, your father has failed to impart to you any amount of proper life training. And I do not believe that two weeks on a freighter will provide you the opportunity to gain the requisite skill sets."

Something like hope bubbled up inside her, but she tried her best to tamp it down.

"Now I must be honest with you. The aurelac I have retained from this venture will not keep me in cash for long, especially if I continue to seek medical attention for my wounds, and I do not know when I might have opportunity to work with a crew again. All these things considered, I firmly believe that together, our chances of survival are far greater. Therefore it is my hope that we can strike another deal."

"What kind of a deal?"

His grin was immediate. "Well now I'm glad you asked. You see, by right of piracy this pod is ours, but rather than sell it and split the proceeds, I propose that we sell her and go in on a real ship, as partners. We have already proven to be an effective team, and I will be happy to teach you and impart as much of my wisdom as I can spare. All I ask for in return is your assistance on whatever jobs we may find, and your medical expertise."

As he finished speaking, an enormous weight seemed to lift off her shoulders. Everything she'd hoped for was suddenly coming true, her future much less uncertain than it had seemed before.

The same giddy smile she'd worn during launch was trying to work it's way back onto her face, and she had to curb the mad impulse to reach out and hug him.

He apparently misread her conflicted expression, because he put up his hand in a placating gesture.

"This will be an equal partnership, you understand. We'll make an even split of all all our earnings. You will be your own master, free to come and go on the ship as you please, until you feel that you no longer have need of my services. And I promise to make every effort to steer clear of any jobs where you might come in contact with any more of my kind."

She bit her lip and smiled, unable to contain it any longer.

"We can even go so far as to form a written contract and have it signed and witnessed while still in Central, if you so desire. Feel free to draw up a list of demands regarding what you come to expect from our partnership, and I will do the same, so as to eliminate any potential confusion. For example, an important issue that I would like to address is that you would reconsider holding a thrower to my back whenever you are afraid I'm going to go back on my word."

She stifled a giggle as he winked, then extended his hand. "Do we have a deal partner?"

For her, there was no need to consider. 

Cee took his hand without hesitation. "Partner."