Departures: One of several

"You look sad," I heard Sabrina say from the passenger seat just behind me. "I'm not, love. Not really. It's just this'll be the last time we do this," I replied softly, going through the preflight for Wave Equation's burn from Hale's Moon across the Black to Ariel. It was the last time most of the people here would ever see us and the last time we would see any of them. In less than a year, Sabrina, Belize, and I, would be in cold sleep on our way to Earth that Was. By the time we came back, if we came back, the 'Verse would be a very different place. The folks here would be another generation's honored ancestors, and the three of us would be footnotes in a history book.

"Hale's control, this is Wave Equation, requesting departure clearance." I said calmly, keeping the layers of emotion out of my voice. Looking out through my long suffering Matagi's ports, I could see a couple dozen people scattered around the ramps and on nearby rooftops. Over on top of the Sheriff's office, I could see a crew of three, a bit too far away to identify, holding a banner - "God's Speed, Children of Hale's!"

Children of Hale's? A pun on the big sled's name, but somehow appropriate. I'd come to Hale's Moon a damaged woman, with emotional scars hidden behind a calm, confident, veneer. This little slice of Heaven had changed me. This world and the people here had taught me I could love again, and could be loved. Taught me that Humanity wasn't restricted by form, that the shell didn't matter to the ghost within. Taught me that right and wrong were more important than legal or not. Taught me that I couldn't fix everything that was wrong in the 'Verse. That sometimes good people died and bad people lived, no matter what we had to say about it. It'd given me a family. And now? Now it was time to say good bye.

"Wave Equation, you are cleared for immediate departure. Safe journey, Miss Seana," came the reply. Krenshar's smooth artificial voice from the tower. It might have been imagination. Hard to say. But I thought I could hear emotion in his tone. A machine with the soul of a man. The one person who might actually live long enough to see us return.

"Thanks, Krenshar. You take good care of Lily, ok?" I said, loading the departure clearance into Wave EQ's nav system.

"Always, Miss Seana. Always."

I rotated the lateral drives and hit the throttles, launching us skyward, the colony we'd called home for over five years shrinking rabidly as I kicked the nose up and lit the main drivers. Wave Equation clawed sky as she had hundreds of times before, burning for orbit before turning towards Xuan Wu to take advantage of its gravity for the run in to Bei Hu and Ariel. At maximum burn, Ariel was barely a day away: the advantage of a Matagi's impressive performance. But somehow, I didn't want to make this trip short. While I knew we'd made the right decision to go, it didn't make it any easier to leave our friends behind. Going max thrust would feel like we were running from them, rather than going to embrace a new future.

Sabrina, and Belize lounging in the main cabin, left me with my thoughts for the few minutes it took to climb to orbit and swing around to burn clear of Hale's Moon's gravity well, before 'Brina drew my attention to the transponder. Two ships, with Alliance military idents, vectoring in on an intercept course.

Given things had been Shiny 'twixt us and the Alliance for months, I was a little confused. Then the comms lit up. "Wave Equation, this is Delta Two Niner. General Silvermane asked us to provide you an escort to the edge of the Kalidasa sector. You don't mind if we form up, do you?" said a voice I hadn't heard in nearly six months. Lieutenant. No. Lieutenant Commander now, Otsuka.

I could still remember the day we'd met the man and he'd taken up arms on our behalf, standing shoulder to shoulder with our militia to take on a nest of Reavers. He'd made a genuine effort to live up to the 'spirit of cooperation' then Colonel Silvermane had set for her compliment on the Sun Tzu. We'd done our part too. Treating fair with the Alliance soldiers as long as they treated fair with us. It was probably what saved us major pain during the Second Independence War, if you could really all it a war. We'd found a way to live peaceably with the Alliance forces on the Rim, but it took willing folk on both sides to make it work.

"Sidle on up, Commander. We're glad of the company."

"Thank you, Ma'am. The General sends her regards. Wishes you and yours luck."

For the next couple hours we talked to the Commander and his mates, holding our thrust back so the Alliance patrol boats could keep up. But eventually, it was time to go. Bidding farewell to our Alliance escort and, ultimately, everyone we held dear in the Black Tortoise system, I throttled up to vector for Ariel.

"This really is it," Belize said softly as the drive flares from the two Alliance escorts faded into the Black behind us. I just nodded, watching Sabrina give Bel a hug in the reflection from my console.

Behind us, lost in the actinic glare of Wave Equation's drives, Hale's Moon faded into the Black.

But never from memory.