Unity Station

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Just outside of Imperium space, a small but well equiped research station.

Unity is a joint venture between multiple worlds, hence the name. Xenobiology, anthropology and astronomy are some of the things researched here.
There's a small school, a few shops, one or two tiny restaurants and a coffee shop but generally speaking, the majority of the inhabitants are either researchers or family of researchers.

The chief of medicine is an insectoid woman named Yessalia.
Chief of security is a man named Tias.

Asher waved to Lana, then headed off to the Pegasus.

He'd start by writing a message to Kay, because he was relaying for Danika and that made it easier. [Hey Kay, welcome home.
Danika wants me to tell you that she misses you and hopes you'll be here soon. I pretty much want to tell you the same thing.
Contact me when you have some time? I know you're probably really busy right now.]

He'd also respond to the messages from Shane's tablet.

Moone got up after a while and went to find a tablet. She wanted to send a message to her sister, who was now the younger sister. That was too odd to think on though.

Asher forced himself to write a note to Lark telling her that James was back, then slumped back in the shuttle seat wearily. Well, at least all that was done.

He sat for a while, thinking about Kay, and Matt, and his poor messed up family that was still trying to pull themselves together from the crappy childhoods they'd had.

Finally he yanked himself out of his thoughts. He should check on his current family. His regrets were always going to be there, but his family needed him now.

He decided to check on Moone first, he couldn't imagine how weird this all must be for her.

Moone had sent her message and was waiting on a reply from Skye, hoping she wasn't one of the injured. She looked to Asher when he came to find her. "Hi"

"Hey Moone," Asher said. He smiled at her, although it looked a little sad. "You're writing to Skye?" he asked, noticing her tablet.

Moone nodded then looked to the tablet again "Trying to, I sent a message, now I'm waiting on a reply. I hope she wasn't hurt in the battle."

"Nobody mentioned her being hurt, so hopefully that's a good sign," Asher said, hoping to be reassuring. "Maybe nobody's told her there's wi-fi yet. Nobody remembered to tell Kay about it, so that's definitely possible."

Moone couldn't help but to smile at that, sad as it was. She nodded though, accepting the reason as she looked back to her tablet. "It's weird to think that I am technically older than her now."

Asher smiled sadly, moving to sit down. "I can't imagine what that's like for you guys. I suppose it'll take some time to adjust to." He shook his head. At least his younger brother was still younger than him, and he was kind of grateful for that.
"Are you going to be the bossy older sister now? Because I know James would absolutely try to be the bossy older brother if he was suddenly older than me." He smiled softly.

Moone chuckled softly and shook her head "I don't know. The age thing is only part of the weirdness, I...I am used to being without her now. I am used to her not being here. How can we reconcile our ten years with their day?"

Asher looked more serious at that question. "I've been wondering that too," he admitted. "They disappeared for so long, and they've returned exactly the way we remember them. But, like you said, we're different now even if they aren't." He shook his head, "We still have the memories we shared with them, and we still love them, we know that. But I think we're going to have to do a lot of figuring things out for a while."
With the younger kids, Asher probably would have chosen a more optimistic thing to say, but Moone was an adult and she was nothing if not sensible. He figured she'd appreciate a little more honesty.

Moone nodded and sighed "I was hoping there was something more encouraging, but I appreciate that you are honest." She did prefer honesty, it was easier to face what was thrown at them that way.

Asher ducked his head. "It's hard to know what to say," he said apologetically. "If it makes you feel better though, I didn't see my sister in person for thirteen years, but.. we worked out our differences and now we get along well again. If Lark and I were able to figure things out, then I think you and Skye probably can too."

Moone nodded and reached over to touch his hand lightly "I'm glad you spoke true to me. I am sure we can get together again, it's just strange."

Asher smiled softly. "Yes, I think it'll work out. Even if it is difficult at first." He added, "It's going to be nice to be on Vestia again though. She always was such a good home."

Moone nodded and smiled again "Yeah, We could all just be ourselves there, no hiding." She replied softly.

"Yeah. I think it was a good place for all of us." Asher knew that Vestia had been dangerous, a huge magnet for trouble, but somehow he'd still felt safer on her decks. "It's a good feeling, traveling with a sentient ship who wants to protect you."

Moone nodded "As well as with a group that won't judge you for being different." She said agreeably. Her tablet would eventually chime with an incoming message from Skye

Asher nodded. "It's nice to not be judged for who you are." He looked to the tablet when it chimed, "Is it Skye?"

Moone nodded again "Yeah, she replied." She said happily enough, reading over the message quickly.

Asher was glad that Skye had replied, he hoped that whatever she had told Moone was good news. "Is she well?" he asked. "I can go if you'd like some privacy," he added, realizing that Moone might want to be alone while writing to her sister for the first time in ten years.

Moone nodded at his first question. "She said she got hurt in the fighting, but they all got to get rooms in first class and that she just woke up." She said with a smile as she read over the paragraph Skye had written to her. So many questions in it.

Asher decided to stay for the moment. He could always leave if she seemed like she wanted to be alone later, after all. "Well I'm glad she's pretty much okay."
He frowned a little at the news about First Class, "Wait, what happened to Deck 3?" he asked. If the crew had made a mass exodus to First Class, then something must have happened to Floor 3, he figured. They wouldn't all just pick up and leave without something bad happening there.

"Um, I'll ask" Moone said, typing then sending the question. When a reply came, she read it off. "Deck 3 was rapidly decompressed in the battle, some doors didn't hold so we lost stuff, we are waiting for that to be repaired so we can check out the damage and what was lost." Oh boy, that had been some battle, hadn't it?

Asher winced a little at that news. Both he and Moone had spent a good portion of their lives in space now, they knew the sort of damage decompression could cause. "The crew are all pretty much okay though, right?" he asked. He'd been too distracted to ask Kay, and nobody had specifically mentioned anyone being badly injured or killed. But that didn't mean everyone was fine.

Moone asked for him then nodded "Some dragons died and Sawna disappeared but the rest only have injuries or got through without any. They used that decompression to stop the slavers."

Asher sighed. "I'm sorry they didn't all make it." He wondered what might have happened to make Sawna disappear, but he didn't want to have to ask a ton of questions on his behalf. He could always ask someone else later. "I'm glad they figured out ways to get rid of the slavers."
They must have been so desperate to resort to decompressing a whole level, he thought to himself grimly.