Lucian watched her expression move from surprise, to shock, to concern with her large, luminous, shimmering, eyes. Before he could respond, the woman held her hand up to her head, doubling over as if she had been struck by something hard to her gut. 

“You need to lie down, or you’ll risk tearing your wounds again!” Lucian urged, carefully placing his hands on her shoulder and back to lay her on the cot. “What crew are you talking about?” He asked, needing context for her questions. 

“My people-“ She winced from the pain. “We were on a ship…flotilla. Came under attack while returning home to— “ She paused, allowing her lungs to steady, before her face displayed a look of horror with her brows furrowed and eyes widened, followed by a reservation of contemplation. “What happened to Nov’Ratan?”

Lucian knew the name of her homeworld, from press reports and rumors that circulated both the Federation channels and bar talk. The resulting images were never released, the same for those who hardly knew of the world’s once celestial beauty; given their homeworld’s isolation. 

“It’s there, but—.” Lucian swallowed hard, unsure of the reaction she might have for knowing the truth. “I don’t know the details, rumors spread, but some say the Hive launched an asteroid at it, or some other stupid gossip. Whatever it was, the resulting damage was cataclysmic. That’s what your Elders say.”

Lucian felt a twist in his stomach, having to deliver such news to someone whose mind had been possibly clouded and suppressed for some time. He had never seen a Vul’Katahn this close; only a couple of times in passing while carrying their stoic grace, displaying little emotion. Yet her lucra, which grew from the tips of her head and tail, shifted left and right in a hard pattern that appeared heavy, angry even. The same was for the woman’s face while staring at the deck plating with an intense focus, radiating an anger that lasted for but a second before both sides of her lucra relaxed and regained a softer expression. 

Her eyes lifted up to Lucian, catching his amber eyes that appeared dull in color, but held much intelligence and empathy. He held her gaze. It was enough to recall a memory with a similar expression, which she pushed away immediately. 

She then looked down, wincing at a new pain she didn’t realize was there. Her eyes and fingers took notice of the faded lining and patches running up her right side and over a portion of her abdomen, then her hand reached to grasp the device that was no longer present at the back of her neck. She knew the pain was there, but her cluttered mind had just managed to somehow register it fully while trying to make sense of so much more. Her eyes widened in shock as the dots connected, allowing an upward pull at the corner of her lips to form a hesitant smile. 

“This is real, then.” She spoke, voice shaking once she jumped to her feet that could hardly hold her weight so suddenly. 

Lucian reached out to grab her by her arm and waist, refusing to let her hit the deck. “H-hey, I said easy!” He couldn’t help but smile alongside her, sharing her joy. “That behavioral chip’s removal had a likely chance of a numbing effect on your nervous system, which explains your shaky legs. So, I really need you to rest and try not to tear anything. It’s still fresh,” he advised as he placed her back onto the cot. He was grateful that her stitches didn’t tear. 

The woman, still holding a silly smile on her face, continued to rub the back of her neck, reaffirming for a full minute that the device was truly gone. “You did this?” She asked softly, sounding impressed, her nostrils flaring for a moment with a sharp and near imperceptible inhalation. 

“I did,” Lucian responded subconsciously in the same tone. 

“What do you want from me in return?” She asked, a subtle shake in her voice, a serious look in her eyes, as if expecting something harsh, humiliating, demeaning.  

“Nothing.” 

Her eyebrows rose, her bright irises locking onto his. “You freed me and repaired my body for nothing?” The question felt alien to her lips. “You, a Terran… want nothing from me?” she breathed. 

Lucian shook his head carefully, raising his hands with his palms outward to present himself with no ill intent. “I mean it. You were in trouble, dying in a landfill. I doubt you had anything valuable with you.” He shrugged, simply okay with giving her a new lease on life simply out of good faith. “What is your name?” He finally asked with interest. 

The woman stared at him for a moment before closing her eyes, those thick eyebrows furrowing as she pondered over her past: the war, the pain of her family, the unknown circumstances of an enslavement she could not recall, but recognized to an extent. The loneliness that now surrounded her except for the soul that stood before her, whose scent seemed to make her lucra twitch eagerly as they draped over her shoulders and breasts. They gave off a warm and gentle aura that appeared to soothe her own heart most strangely. She made a decision. 

“Kazia’Taeia.” She spoke, opening her eyes, as she lifted herself to her feet, if only for a moment, before she allowed her legs to give out. She intentionally came upon her knees, to Lucian’s eye level. Kazia’s hands grabbed him by the head, holding him still, her face inches from his. 

Those blooming azure eyes stared into his with an intensity Lucian felt to be boring into his mind. He didn’t speak, not wanting to interrupt whatever this was, but took the time to catalogue the shape of her nose. It didn’t extend far from her face, but was striking, with its hook shape and the prominent bridge. Her lips were full, pillowy, and succulent in their shape, making Lucian curious about how they felt. Then he moved to her well-defined eyebrows that contrasted with her dark mane, providing a striking and fierce set of features.

She was beautiful. Lucian had seen many women during his line of work, Terrans and others, finding exotic features that often caught his eye at a glance, even the odd sharpness of her teeth; it was unusual for Vul’Katahni people, this woman was something else entirely. And the physical contact between them put a warmth in his chest he didn’t realize was growing, in a tight pressure he was certain wasn’t heart palpitations. 

“I believe you.” Kazia finally spoke, her right hand caressing the side of Lucian’s face. “You’re different. Young, with so much intelligence behind those dull eyes. You look tired.”

“What are you doing?” Lucian asked, his voice laying out an uncomfortable, yet confused tone to the situation. “And why won’t you stay on the cot?” 

“Just studying you, Doctor,” Kazia’Taeia stated with a tinge of uncertainty. “You’ve held my life in your hands, and where anyone would dispose of me, you, a Terran of all things, risked the chance to let me live again.” She questioned it, if only for but a moment before she took to challenging his claim. 

Lucian took her by her wrists, pulling her hands down but not releasing them. He stared at her, realizing the result of his own actions: that she breathed again, her body no longer a gaping wreck, respiratory system functional, eyes no longer bloodshot. She was alive. 

“Look, you’re free to go when you’ve recovered enough to do so.” Lucian dropped her hands, his eyes breaking contact, and stood. “You don’t have to repay me for anything and I rather not hold you down from any—”

Kazia’Taeia took his hand, snatching him back to her as she held his with both trembling hands. “Please.” Her voice came out shaken and dry, but determined. “I’m not doing this out of reluctant obligation or for some debt.” She looked up at him with a noticeable panic in her eyes. “I’m alone, scared, I think. I-I feel something about you that’s familiar or comforting, I don’t know, but please.”

Lucian felt a pull of empathy, making him kneel before her to bring comfort when he placed a hand on her shoulder. He wanted to help, his gut said to help, realizing her plea was desperate and ran deep with something she wanted to get away from. And then she spoke again. 

“My planet is gone, my crew betrayed me. I remember enough!” Kazia’taeia raised her voice with a hint of seething rage between her teeth, her hand gripping Lucian’s. “I was abandoned, thrown away, and then—” Her shoulders shuddered. “And then you found me. There was nothing but this void all around me. And now here you are!” She exclaimed with a delight that appeared desperate. “You saved my life; you are a Terran, Imperial, telling me I’m free to do what I want, but I don’t know right now. You are a sanctuary and I need that right now. At least until I can figure out what to do.” She shrugged, unsure of the possibility of those last words. 

“So please.” She begged, bringing his hand to her forehead as she bowed again. “Please let me stay. Don’t leave. I don’t want to be alone again.”

Lucian took a breath, glancing down at the woman who kneeled before him, begging for help that he hadn’t thought she would have needed. Yet he couldn’t pull away. Gathering himself, he brought this lonely woman into his arms, gently and loosely. Without concern for her lurching against him, he felt that same warmth that was within him, feeling her skin radiating a closeness that felt oddly intoxicating. 

“As long as you stay on this cot,” Lucian spoke firmly, passive-aggressively guiding Kazia’taeia to sit and lie down onto the old piece of furniture. “Rest, and recover, then yes, you can stay.”

The sensation was soothing to Kazia’taeia, prompting her to reach up with her hand to hold onto his arm, her thumb caressing against his dark skin. The moment lasted for a short while before she laid back to rest. 

The moment was gone, but her thoughts of him during the next few hours proved to be all she could imagine as that dreaded feeling of loneliness started to wash away, even as he left the cargo bay, after she drifted into a sleep that brought peace to her for the first time in what felt like decades.