Weeks grew into two and a half months that passed in transit. Lycra and Jenna took on the bulk of the piloting - and whatever work was actually taking place in Lycra's myriad of laboratories. Win had her suite's main area clear, but one of the bedrooms was turned into what Reid might expect from some kind of old detective story with papers and notes scribbled all over some sort of stand in front of one wall. Bazdamirt - the goldfish-worm individual - was decent company, and a fairly good cook. The man was no Norton, certainly, but his use of the fresh ingredients gave Reid something to look forward to when he was up and about. Unfortunately, Reid didn't feel like he'd gotten any closer to the man during the trip. He was guarded and defensive in a way that reminded Reid much of himself - someone trying to keep their secrets close so the large organization that cared about him didn't get wind of things too early.
He did get the chance to spend more time with Win, Lycra, and Jenna though. Lycra's girlfriend was strong-willed and highly competitive in some areas, but seemed to soften around his yellow-eyed friend. The most important thing Reid took away from their many breakfasts, dinners - or whatever faire they ate at the ungodly hours all of them actually stopped obsessing over their personal projects - was that the woman made Lycra beam. His vampiric teeth were on full display, and he laughed and even hummed happily just being near her. It made Reid happy to know his friend had found someone that did that for him - and it also made his heart ache for home.
Whatever home he was coming back to.
Reid found himself quite stressed as the solar systems and sectors passed them by and they drew closer to Earth. He still didn't know if he was strong enough. He wasn't certain what strong enough would actually mean. But he was getting what he actually wanted, and the reality of that not living up to his dreams was a worry he did his best to ignore. That - ignoring things - was easy when you had so much to do. Reid filled his time waiting for Nyx to wake back up, and realizing the gains he'd made in his most recent bunch-o-levels that seemed to come with every evolution. Maxing himself out within his core, at level 99, had saved him from evolving before his perfect evolution was ready, and aside from the stats themselves, Reid wanted to ensure he could keep getting those achievements and the additional stats per level that came with them. And the time was well spent.
Constitution: 2130 -> 3330Dexterity: 2130 -> 3330Intelligence: 2130 -> 3330Perception: 2130 -> 3330Power: 2130 -> 3330Control: 3330
Each of his metaspaces had grown - and Reid himself was even wider and taller than when he'd first stepped foot on Kinstrel. He taught himself with Dexterity how to better move and handle himself in tight conditions, and worked through a myriad of Vuxarinan information in his mind that let him better close out that chapter of his journey.
Through the hours, he learned each surface of his suite and the language of the ship itself. When you had spent a long time in a place, the natural sounds it made stopped registering in your mind. But, when it was new, everything was a noise to be evaluated. The light noise from the craft when it adjusted course or Lycra gave it a kick of speed. The low sound of moving air when the recyclers kicked on, accompanied by the barest hint of a more mechanical whir. The muffled noise of Lycra's custom arc welder thing in the golem workshop, or the muffled explosions he assured everyone were 'normal'. The faint creaking in the springs of his mattress when he got into it - and the feel of the floor through his dreamroll when he inevitably shifted from the bed to a harder undersurface. The grinding noise from the coffee maker when he indulged in freshly-ground coffee. The clunk of the ship's security bulkheads auto-engaging when the closeness of other vessels in space triggered defensive measures. The echo of his footfalls as he took sleepless walks through the cafeteria and the hold. The ring of the ship's hard metal when he tapped a rhythmic beat on it with a knuckle.
Kinstrel really had become something of a home. That was true for each of them, Lycra and Jenna more than the others.
Which is why it was initially a shock when Win had them slow down and orbit around a 'rest station' a few day's travel outside of Earth's solar system. She sat everyone down at the small table, and Baz put down healthy portions of breakfast food, with some freshly baked muffins in a bowl at the center of the table. Win gave him an appreciative nod as she ignored the various meats on her plate to grab three of the slightly-orange baked goods. Baz had gotten good at meeting the tastebuds of their group - and in knowing which conversations were ones where he was better giving them the room. He excused himself after quickly scarfing down his own meal.
Win watched him leave, and turned to the group. "I'm transferring to another craft in two hours. You're all good to continue on to Earth, but this is where we part ways again."
Reid nodded, and Lycra poked at a green and orange, sausage-like link on his plate.
"At least this time, we aren't underground and surrounded by danger." Reid offered.
"And we're not naked." Lycra added.
Jenna gave him a questioning look, but he was still focused on his plate. She turned to Win.
"Showers. We all needed them, and it was a place no one would listen in. I'm surprised it didn't come up in any of our other chats."
Reid blinked and internalized that. He'd spent much of the trip in his room, so he realized he'd missed bits of other members of his group getting to know one another better. Jenna raised her cup of juice off the table.
"To a goodbye outside of a prison, where no one is naked, then."
Win let out a chuckle and clinked her cup against Jenna's as she spoke. "You're a good one, hotshot. To staying out of trouble, unless you're causing it."
Reid joined in the gesture. "To growth, and journeys, and helping each other when we meet again again."
They all looked to Lycra, who was still looking down at his plate. He grabbed his own cup after a few moments of silence.
"To Kinstrel, and us. Home, and family."
The toast was good - and Lycra made sure they followed it up with a long, still-somewhat awkward group hug.
##
The docking hatch was down in the hold, and Lycra and Jenna were headed back to the cockpit while Reid saw Win's exit. She turned to him, her face obscured by a shadowed veil that seemed to eat light and return a vague outline of a bovine visage. She was very good at disguises.
"When you get home, Reid, I hope it's everything you're hoping it will be. I really do. But don't be discouraged if it isn't. People rarely get everything they want. All-god knows you deserve a happy reunion, but they might not be the same kind of people you left. Time changes things, and people. Don't cling so hard to their memories that you can't meet them where they are now."
"That's good advice. Firsthand?"
She shook her head. "I've had a long time to think about how much I've changed since people I'm about to reach out to have last seen me, and how much they've probably changed, too. I think people need time, and a little bit of grace, you know? People coming back from the dead is a big shock."
She pulled Reid into a final hug, then stepped backwards into the airlock.
"Bye, Win."
She smiled. "Not goodbye. See you soon."
###
Reid was in his room, shoving mana into the next glyph in his gamestore metaspace in hopes of unlocking one more Sara message before he saw her again. The information from James was only skin-deep, after all. He wanted his daughter's own words to better understand how her years had gone. Jenna's voice came over the ship's intercom.
"Hey, Serroc, you're going to want to come up here."
He pulled himself out of the metaspace and keyed the microphone on the wall. "I told you to just call me Reid while we're on the ship. Secret's out, at least of all of us. I'm on my way."
The trek from his room to the cockpit had become one he could make in his sleep. He'd climbed the stairs and the ramp hundreds of times, always amazed at just how bright the pinpricks of light in the black of space always were.
That sight was not what greeted him.
Ahead of the ship, Reid saw Earth's moon crisscrossed by a series of buildings and massive linear structures that intersected with one another. On the side shaded from the light of the sun, points sparkled with artificial light. They'd made moon bases. Really, sure, of course they made moon bases if they had magic and advanced technology, but - MOON BASES. It was just freaking cool. Jenna had her own eye trained on the lunar body, and she kept focusing on it while Reid's attention was drawn beyond, to the more impressive sight.
Earth was... large. He'd only ever seen awakened Earth's size through the idea of how much distance was added between points and with the maps they'd made or taken back in Sanctuary. It was still a blue marble - vast oceans covered massive amounts of the surface, and it took him a few moments to orient his concept of where exactly he was looking. The landmass directly in front of them was England, but upside down from how it usually showed up on maps. There were also way, way too many small islands dotting the space between England and the rest of Europe. Greenland was entirely white, and Iceland had one massive volcano that was actively, continuously spewing a cloud of ash into the air. In what he could see of Africa, there were green lines extending into the deserts. Kinstrel banked as they closed in, and he was treated to the sight of the great lakes, each large enough to rival the pre-system gulf. Their view was partially obscured as Kinstrel joined a train of other spacecraft that came down from orbit, and angled down towards New York. Or - he was pretty sure it was still new York. There was a massive open waterspace where the lower and upper bays should have been, and an artificial island in the middle of that water where each ship was landing. Jenna was communicating with someone over their 'radio', Baz giving her tips to sound like a more seasoned spacefairing pilot.
A truly massive, mesmerizing metropolis stretched from Connecticut down to Jersey, imposingly tall buildings dwarfing pre-awakening skyscrapers. Many were plain, but some reminded him of concept art and fantasy stories with their sleek and unnatural lines. They soon found themselves directed off to a less-used landing pad, and Reid readied himself for his reunion. He was wearing clothing that Baz had somehow stocked, in a myriad of sizes, from the few days he'd had to supply Kinstrel. While Reid had designed his Ivory Regalia armor to be functional for official events, he wanted the first time he saw his daughter again to be a relaxed reunion.
The hold opened and ramp lowered, letting in a salt-tinged harbor smell, mixed with oils and worked metal. He blinked at the light as he descended the ramp with Jenna and Lycra in tow, then frowned.
There was a large group set out to greet them. Soldiers at the outer edges were dressed in advanced looking power armor, and there were another set of pairs of armored soldiers in each corner of their landing site - as well as three more towards the smaller transport craft that was likely set to bring them to their next destination. No less than six dignified, well-dressed diplomats made up the core crowd ahead, billowing shiny robes obscuring all but their hands and faces. Two of the diplomats weren't human - with one odd light grey aquatic individual, and another that appeared to be an avian with colorful plumage under their robes. A seventh person, whose garb was more official uniform than robe, stepped up to Reid.
"Your highness, representative Serroc Vux and leader of the Osteal Empire, it is our pleasure to welcome you to Earth, the Central Power of this sector, A high-court recognized culturally designated planetary body, and of course, home of the Pathfinder, Her Majesty, Empress Sara Calderwall. I am Katharine Mast, and while my title may be Planetary Secretary, please feel free to be informal with me. Katharine or Kathy is fine - though if you do wish to use it, Secretary Mast or Madam Mast are the colloquial official designations."
Reid nodded and extended a hand. Kathy looked a shade impressed as she took it. "Nice to meet you, Kathy. I just go by Serroc. And with me are Lycra and Jenna. I consider them both to be family. So, this is a big group - but I don't see Sara... When do we meet her?"
Katharine held out a hand and beckoned some of the other robe-wearing diplomats to go introduce themselves to Lycra and Jenna. Then she smiled warmly at Reid.
"I understand that your visit to a new planet may be overwhelming, so we have a very mild first day lined up for you. We will bring you to the temporary residences where you shall reside during this CCE-sponsored shadowship, and a set of guides and guards will accompany you, as well as your compatriots, if you choose to explore. Food will be provided to your rooms, so you can better rest. Tomorrow, you and I shall have a breakfast where we can better understand Vuxarina's needs during this period."
Reid cleared his throat. "Right - but, when do we meet with Sara?"
The woman's smile didn't falter. "My apologies. Her Empress the Pathfinder is unavailable at the moment, for confidential purposes. I'm certain you understand. The Grand Marshal, Marlene Benson, will be the representative you meet later this week, once she has returned from the treaty signing on Luna. I have the honor of remaining your primary point of contact while you are on Earth, both before and after your meeting with the Grand Marshal. Now - if you would please follow me, we will board the transports, and I will give you a summary of the planetary capital where you'll be staying, New Sanctuary. It is a relatively short flight."
Reid frowned all the way over to the luxurious outcraft, while he sat on the magically comfortable seats, and as they rose back up over the magnificent interplanetary travel hub that New York had become on awakened Earth. This was bullshit. Sara was unavailable? And Marlene was on the goddamn moon?
When the fuck was he going to see his daughter?