Screw the final frontier.

[Daniel Uriel]

Daniel was sitting in a viewport in an infrequently used corridor of the Relentless. All in all, he reflected, this didn't have to be bad. Yeah, everyone thought they were dead, but getting a message back to Earth was, evidently, possible, so that could be fixed. And they were rescued by people who were apparently competent and respected, so they were in good shape for getting home eventually. All in all, this was looking like a pretty epic adventure, except for one little point: They'd also watched a bunch of their friends get blown up. He'd watched Kyra get blown up. And then a little bit later, they'd made Mira get blown up.

So all in all, as Daniel stared out the viewport, he was pretty freaking miserable.

[Melody Martens]

"Here we are again," Melody sighed as she sat down next to her traveling companion.

"Have we found alien booze yet to make being stuck on the other side of the galaxy suck less?"

[Daniel Uriel]

Daniel sighed. "Yeah, I wish. THese guys don't seem to be big drinkers." He put his arm around her absently. "Y'know what sucks? This one might be fun, if things had happened differently."

[Melody Martens]

"Yeah..." she said quietly.

"I just can't believe...we...lost people for real."

[Daniel Uriel]

"Yeah," Daniel said, his voice catching as he looked away from her a little more. "Me either..."

[Melody Martens]

Melody bit her lip, silently cursing for bringing it up... Kyra had been on that ship... She gave him a reassuring squeeze.

"At least we've got each other, Daniel. If I didn't have you here, I don't know what I'd do."

[Daniel Uriel]

Daniel nodded, giving her a little squeeze. "We'll get through it, babe," he said. "We always do, right?"

[Melody Martens]

"were a good team, for sure," she sighed, sounding unconvinced and looking out the port.

[Daniel Uriel]

"Hey," he said, giving her another squeeze. "None of that weird 'finding our way home' crap this time. We're not in the future. We're not in another dimension. We're in space. And we're on a spaceship. And that means it's just a matter of waiting and then we'll be home. It's okay."

[Melody Martens]

"Yeah," she smiled weakly. "I guess you're right. Should probably try to take advantage of it while we're here no?"

Melody's stomach rumbled loudly.

"Ugh. The food on this ship is so damn weird," she groaned, rubbing her stomach uncomfortably. "Not helping things. When's our shore leave on some beautiful planet with three suns and amazing beaches with hot aliens serving us drinks and reasonable food?"

[Daniel Uriel]

"Guess you can ask that green guy that punched me through a wall. He might be able to get us off on some resort planet or something."

[Melody Martens]

"So long as they don't leave us there," she smirked, still staing out the window.

"The stars look so different up here..."

[Daniel Uriel]

"I keep wondering which one is ours, but I can't keep things straight enough with what one's what to figure it out," Daniel said.

[Melody Martens]

"Me neither...I barely know the stars at home honestly...but these still just feel wrong."

Melody sighed and just leaned on Daniel, "At least we've got each other. We'll keep each other sane. That's something I'll swear to."

[Daniel Uriel]

He nodded. "I..." He took a deep breath, leaning back against the wall. "I dont know I don't know what to think right now. It's... I don't know. Nothing seems real right now. I don't want anything to be real right now."

[Melody Martens]

"I know what you mean..." she said. "I've barely slept since we got on board. It's like my mind is just moving faster than this ship. I'm kind of just existing...wish I'd come to find my travel buddy earlier...just being here talking with you helps."

[Daniel Uriel]

Daniel forced a little bit of a smile. "Sorry if I'm not returning any compliments. I'm just... I don't know." He sighed. "Maybe they'll let me stay on and stay in space."

[Melody Martens]

"The hell you will," she said quietly. "I go home and then get sucked into another shitty mission and not have you around? I don't think so."

[Daniel Uriel]

He sighed and nodded. "Yeah... I guess it'd make me kind of weak if I just give up and don't go back because something happened to her. She wouldn't like that, would she."

[Melody Martens]

"No, she'd probably help me beat the shit out of you for saying something like that," she smirked.

[Daniel Uriel]

He nodded. "All right. Better just get on with things, then," he sighed. Which was, he knew, much easier said than done. Or in this case, much easier lied about than done.

[Melody Martens]

"You lie like a fucking rug, but I'll give you a pass this time," she smiled weakly. "We can pull through this together. That's what friends are for."

Friends. Nothing more. He doesn't need that more shit on his plate right now.

Melody sat more upright and gave him a friendly squeeze. "You're my best friend, Daniel. I think we get each other pretty well, and I need someone like that in my life."

[Daniel Uriel]

Daniel... just couldn't feel anything right now. He wanted, somewhat, to be able to latch onto something and use it to haul himself out of that suffocating emptiness he was feeling, but... as much as someone might hope it would work, Melody's plea just didn't. But, on the other hand, he never gave up when he was needed. And, it seemed, he was needed. "And you've got it, Freckles," he reassured her, still staring out the viewport, although he did give her a little squeeze again as he did.

[Melody Martens]

"And you've got me, for whatever it's worth," she said quietly after a long pause, she too, seemingly lost in staring out the window.

[Daniel Uriel]

Daniel forced a little smile, leaning a little more toward her. "Don't mind me," he sighed. "I'm... just... yeah."

[Melody Martens]

"I know, and you've every right to be," she smiled reassuringly.

[Daniel Uriel]

He wasn't heartless. He did have to offer something. "I wish you didn't have to get stuck out here, too... but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't glad you were here," he said. Not warmly or anything... but he did say it.

[Melody Martens]

Melody just gave him a little squeeze, not moving away from him as they sat there near the window.

Just wish there was something I could do for him...

After another long pause, filled with gazing at the stars, she broke the silence again. "Getting along with your bunk mates at least?"

[Daniel Uriel]

He shrugged. "Dunno. Haven't found a bunk. Haven't slept."

[Melody Martens]

"Yeah...I haven't really either," she said quietly. "You should get some though. Being sleep deprived on top of all of this other shit isn't going to do you any good."

[Daniel Uriel]

"Not tired," he said. "You should sleep, though. I'll be okay."

[Melody Martens]

"Not sleeping till you do," she smirked lightly.

[Daniel Uriel]

"You'll have to sometime," Daniel remarked. "Tell me where you're bunking so I can at least carry you there when you pass out."

[Melody Martens]

"I would if I knew. This ship isn't this huge but I still get lost really damn regularly."

[Daniel Uriel]

Daniel forced a chuckled. "We'll find somewhere, then, I guess. What are they going to do, tell us to sleep in a hall?"

[Melody Martens]

"I've slept more uncomfortable places. At least the ship seems somewhat clean enough to keep alien cockroaches from nesting in my hair or something."