So maybe things hadn’t worked out the way Kibum had hoped immediately after he graduated. As Jinki reminded him, that didn’t mean it was the end of the world. It just meant he had a fair bit more work to do in the meantime. At least he could still work at The Stars Aligned. His flight job at the university had only lasted the one semester and they hadn’t been willing to hire him on after since he was going freelance instead of signing on with one of the associated shipping companies.

                It made sense but it was still unfortunate to him. At least he got to spend more time with Passeri and Jackson. Though both of them were still very much in the process of stepping out of the limelight. Senna and Alexander had been filling in for more shows and there were a couple new faces on deck that Kibum only worked with from time to time. Jinki came by when he could, but their work schedules weren’t friendly for meeting purposes. Though that did change a bit when they moved in together.

                In order to save money after he graduated, Kibum returned to his apartment on the outskirts of town as opposed to renting one in the city. Jinki objected to the move initially, but it became acceptable when Kibum asked him if he wanted to live with him. Personally, he didn’t want to stay in that place by himself. He was better, but that didn’t mean the memories were gone. And Jinki knew that, which was probably part of the reason why he accepted. It didn’t hurt that he was likely getting a bit old to be still living with his parents… They hadn’t said anything but there was a feeling sometimes.

                All in all, it was a good thing. Sure, the commute was longer, but for both Jinki and Kibum, it was cheaper. Mostly. They still had to pay for energy and communal building maintenance costs, but it beat paying rent. And there was Sunny as well. She finally stopped calling Kibum Mr. Kim, much to his relief. In addition, she provided entertaining banter from the coms unit when only one person was there. And with Jinki living in the same space, the apartment finally felt like a home again, which was something Kibum hadn’t even considered possible not that long ago. If he had to live there, it was preferable to fill it with new and positive memories, at the very least.

                Life could have been worse, all things considered. Kibum had a place to stay, a person he loved and enjoyed spending time with, friends to rely on, and a job that supported him. That didn’t make the slow trek towards making his dream come true any less arduous though.

                During the daytime hours when he wasn’t working, and especially when Jinki was gone, he spent many hours in the city center, visiting the Hub and checking in with Crawven who had a better view of the comings and goings of anyone of importance. Of course they could just check on their personal coms for ship parts and leasing or selling companies, but it was usually best to go in person and the Hub was the best place for such information and reconnaissance. He’d learned that much at least from his own internship. And because of it, he was at least a known entity with connections to Ercite and… if he was really feeling desperate, Psitassi. That latter one he was careful about who he mentioned that to though. Friends in higher places also meant foes of a similar caliber…

                For a full year and a half, nothing much changed in their group beyond saving up funds, gaining expertise, and searching for a way to make some magic happen. Kibum did have to take a couple extra steps especially so he could get his Captain and commercial license. Frustratingly, he needed at least two backers to vouch for him in order to complete that process. The only person he could really go to for it, considering he didn’t have parents anymore and he had no other person that could vouch for his character from a period of five years or more – was his foster father, Eric. Surprisingly, the Varium was quite willing to provide his support. He didn’t even ask that many questions. The second person he leaned on was Garum who was more than happy to be a character reference.

                “Do I need to really make you glow?” he asked, a frighteningly large smile on his face.

                Kibum waved his hand in mild negation and laughed. “No. Just… tell it like it is. Given my… performer’s profession, a glow up is not likely to help from a potential Captain’s perspective,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his head in amusement.

                “Ah well. I can do facts,” Garum confirmed with a disappointed shrug. “I’ll let you know when it’s ready.”

                With their backing, Kibum successfully obtained his captain and commercial licenses, not that they guaranteed him any work, especially since he was lacking a ship; Larad completed his medical certification so he could officially care for Varium and other species effectively – a boon for their crew; and Jinki upped his engineering prowess by specializing in small craft mechanics specifically. If he needed to change it later, he could but their first ship would very likely be… small.

                Approximately six months later though, Ercite made a breakthrough. I found one!

                Kibum jerked when the message arrived, confused for a moment because he didn’t know what Ercite was talking about at first. Then it clicked and he audibly gasped. You did?! Who?!

                He was definitely not the only one to respond, but Ercite figured they should probably meet in person to discuss the contract before they agreed. So they all managed to find time – or take time – to meet up at a diner near the Hub. Ercite pulled up the contract and they all leaned forward to pore over it in quiet excitement.

                “Total Space?” Kibum wondered aloud, frowning at the company name.

                Ercite waved it off reassuringly. “They’re a relatively new company. Someone with a lesser amount of business savviness opted for the name which leads many people to overlook them.”

                “It does sound generic,” Jinki murmured in hesitant agreement, though his eyes never strayed from the text on the page.

                “I wouldn’t have mentioned them if I didn’t think it was a good deal,” Ercite exhaled them. “And I’ll remind you that I’ve spent dozens of hours doing background checks, reading reviews, tracking down current users, and combing over this bloody text with a fine-toothed comb.”

                “No one’s doubting your effort,” Jinki soothed immediately, finally looking up to offer a broad smile. “I think we’re all just nervous this might be it,” he admitted with a breathy laugh.

                “That’s a lot of credits…” Crawven whistled when he got to that part, blinking several times to make sure he was seeing it right.

                “Ships are quite expensive but…” Ercite stated, scrolling through the text and pointing to one of the subsections. “They’re willing to give a discount on the interior tech if outside sources are utilized.”

                “All the parts we’ve been gathering,” Jinki grinned, filling in the blanks immediately.

                “Exactly! We can’t skimp on the hull. That has to be full cost,” they explained, sliding through to find that particular clause. “No surprise there. It’s one of the most important parts of the ship after all. Similarly, the engine and basic necessities like life support, coms, and the medical center are all full price. But we’ve been scavenging for a while, so we should be able to get a hefty discount. Their initial overhead cost is so high because they’re also trying to be waste friendly. Even if the salvage we bring isn’t suitable for our ship, it can be sold or repurposed for other ships,” they explained simply.

                “I guess no one really wants to put in the effort to find salvage to lower the cost if they’re not really that well known,” Kibum suggested, scratching his head but not put off yet.

                “Or they already have the money,” Crawven chimed in with a quick shrug. “Based on the contracts I’ve seen in the Hub, this one looks pretty decent. Large payment amount but that repayment rate and interest are definitely doable. And that mandatory insurance fee is quite friendly,” he added with wide eyes.

                “It’s a little small though, isn’t it?” Kibum asked, chewing on his bottom lip.

                “Well, it’s not like we have all that much capital to begin with. And the larger the ship is, the more unlikely we are to actually repay it,” Ercite shrugged logically. “Besides, if we make this work and pay everything off, we’ll be able to save up and trade it in for something better in the future,” they grinned, thoroughly pleased with themself.

                “So are we doing this then?” Larad asked, looking down at Ercite first before he looked at the rest of the group.

                “I’m in,” Kibum answered without hesitation. It all looked alright to him, and as long as they had a ship, they could start making magic happen. And honestly, if Ercite was backing it, he had even fewer doubts.

                “Me too,” Jinki piped up almost immediately.

                “You’ve got my vote,” Crawven shrugged, beaked mouth pulling up into a satisfied smile at the edges.

                “Okay then,” Ercite grinned, their craggy mouth pulled out wide and happy. “Just add your digital signature here and I’ll go turn the contract in.”

                As soon as Kibum did, he whooped. “We’ve got a ship!”

                “Almost,” Jinki tempered his response, signing off on the contract and then drawing close to hug him tightly.

                “We’ll have a ship soon!” Larad promised, pumping his fist into the air and then smiling down at Ercite who was scrolling through the text one more time.

                “Yes we will,” they confirmed eventually before nodding once and then looking at the group at large. “It’ll still take a little while for construction, but get ready!”

                “Yeah!” they cheered together, b with the excitement of what the future might hold.

                When all was said and done, Jinki was able to get the cost of the ship down at least thirty percent due to the parts he’d found and salvaged in the interim. None of them were really in working condition for a ship like theirs, but they could be calibrated and acceptably modified to offset the initial cost or given to the company and sold as compensation towards their overall costs. As predicted, they had to pay full price for the hull, as well as the AI for navigation and analysis purposes, and any additional weapons they wanted beyond the bare minimum. Surprisingly, Crawven was mysteriously able to help with that side of things…

                No one pressed him very hard on it, since they had troubles enough of their own. But in the end, they were finally able to stand in front of their ship together in the shipping yard, staring at the vessel that would be their home when they left the planet for the stars. By all counts, it wasn’t all that much to look at. Approximately thirty meters in length and just over half that in height, she had a fairly boxy shape and limited maneuverability due to short wings and small booster rotation modules. The bridge and cockpit area did extend a bit further beyond the body well above the ground, and the tail did have some individuality overall. Again, not the most awe-inspiring of vessels, but she was their ship.

                “Isn’t she beautiful?” Kibum asked, a wonderous grin on his face as he sought Jinki’s hand to hold tight.

                “She’s technically a boxy bucket of bolts is what she is,” Crawven snorted, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked over the small transport and occasional shipping class vessel.

                “But according to the inspector, she’ll fly true,” Ercite reminded them, one hand resting on top of Larad’s head as they sat on his shoulder.

                “See?” Kibum beamed, obviously barely able to contain his excitement.

                “I would be more excited, except I know how much debt we have for this,” Larad chuckled, reaching up to pat Ercite’s back carefully.

                Kibum scoffed and waved a dismissive hand. “A few successful runs and we’ll pay it off in no time,” he assured them bravely.

                Jinki’s snort was self-explanatory. Obviously he had reservations about that thought but was fine with holding his tongue to keep the peace… and his boyfriend’s happiness. “Now all we need to do is name her,” he murmured, giving Kibum’s hand a little squeeze. “Any ideas?” he asked, looking at Kibum first and then extending his gaze towards the rest of the group.

                “Guns and Roses,” Crawven grinned, patting his bicep like it was supposed to mean something.

                “Lady Luck,” Larad smiled, nodding once as if that should decide it.

                “That one’s already taken,” Ercite reminded him, tapping him on the head lightly.

                “The Shine,” Kibum murmured, stars in his eyes as he looked at the ship.

                “Eh?” the group questioned, clearly unsure.

                “Because that’s what we’ll do when we’re out there. Shine!” Kibum beamed, a veritable personification of the name.

                “Oh, that’s so cheesy,” Crawven complained with a laughing groan.

                “I like it,” Jinki said as he sided with Kibum.

                “See?” Kibum asked, pointing at his boyfriend. He knew it was cheesy and he knew his boyfriend knew it was cheesy, but wasn’t that very much a Terran quality?

                “So we’ve got The Shine and Guns and Roses,” Ercite summed up for them.

                “But-”

                “No,” Ercite interrupted Larad with a finger pointing in his face. “That one’s taken.”

                “Fine,” he grumbled, visibly pouting for all of half a second. “So. All in favor of Guns and Roses?” he asked, raising his hand as Crawven’s shot up. No one else did though and he reluctantly lowered his hand as Ercite looked at him questionably. “The Shine?” he asked, watching while three hands rose up around him.

                “Ugh…” Crawven groaned with an audible face palm.

                “It could just be Shine for short,” Kibum smiled, turning to look at Jinki with a mesmerizing grin.

                “Yeah. That it could,” Jinki smiled back, holding Kibum’s hand tighter as they looked over their very own ship together.

It almost didn’t seem real. Several years in the making, hundreds of hours spent, and hundreds of thousands of credits to their name, but here she was. Their very own ship. The Shine. “Let’s do this,” Kibum urged, stepping closer to Jinki so he could hug him tight.

                “To the Shine!” Jinki cheered, raising his fist up in victory.

                He was echoed by a chorus of four other voices. “The Shine!”

 

                Okay. So maybe they finally had a ship, but that also meant that they then had to officially find and accept missions of some kind. Well, they could just go off willy-nilly into space without a goal in mind but that had very little chance of bringing them any income. There were already ships that did that and they were better equipped and better funded than they were. In order for them to keep their ship, guaranteed income was something they had to have right now.

                While everyone officially settled in to tie up loose ends with their jobs, Kibum went to the business and trade district to ask through the Hub about any contracts they could pick up through one of the various freelancing companies in the area. There were quite a few in existence, but one of the only ones that were accessible to Kibum and his crew was MTV+. They were a general freelance agency most well known for working almost exclusively with Moladhi, Terran, and Varium workers and clients, but as the title indicated, others were possible as well. For the right price anyway. Like any number of other general contract groups, they accepted requests for anything as simple as a personal courier run to things as dangerous but lucrative as retrieving questionable samples or people from neutral or even potentially hostile territories.

                Since they were just starting, Kibum did not have dibs on anything that sounded worthwhile. And honestly, after the first couple days, he was simply happy when they snagged their first contract: a shipping run to one of the moons orbiting Star Seeker’s Rest. The pay was crap and it was probably going to be a cakewalk, but if nothing else, he figured it would be a good opportunity to see how they all worked together.

                After a day of finalizing their preparations, they were ready to go and Kibum felt a peculiar thrill of excitement shoot through him as he settled into the pilot’s seat with his hands hovering over the controls.

                Awaiting clearance to undock from the landing pad. Please wait until we have been confirmed for flight approval, the AI instructed over the intercom.

                Kibum wrinkled his nose and sighed. “You ready for this?” he asked, looking over at his first mate in the seat beside him.

                Jinki grinned and nodded once. “Absolutely, Captain.”

                Delighted by the title again, Kibum couldn’t hide his mirth and he waved at Jinki almost bashfully. Then he tapped the coms and spoke to the ship at large. “How we doing, crew?”

                “All systems clear,” Ercite chimed in almost immediately, safely sequestered in their cubbyhole where they could observe and analyze the inner workings of the ship and handle any incoming transfers as needed.

                “The medbay and engineering are good to go,” Larad followed up. “Though I believe Jinki should be down here next time,” he added with a snort.

                “I know,” Kibum scoffed with a reassuring wave at Jinki. “He will be. I just wanted him up here today.”

                “Weapons and self-defense protocols in the clear,” Crawven finished up the sound off. “Not that it matters this time. I don’t think we’ll be running into anything that needs them this close to the planet.”

                Clearance granted.

                “Don’t jinx us!” Jinki warned over the intercom at almost the same time the AI announced their permission to fly.

                “Let’s do this!” Kibum beamed. “Computer. Take us out of docking!”

                Aye, Captain, the standard monotone male voice responded. When they got some money to start paying down their debt and had some left over, that was one of the first things Kibum wanted to fix.

                And he was quite right about the run being a cakewalk. The whole trip took all of two days. It was simply a matter of ferrying the package from the surface to the moon and dropping it off at the processing station once it had been appropriately signed off. The return trip was just as uneventful. But Kibum was still filled with glee when he could walk through the interior of his ship – their ship, and see everything it had.

                It had two levels and a number of rooms present. The bridge in the front sat high off the ground and led to a connecting hall with the dining area straight ahead and crew quarter access ladders on either side: four rooms in total, though Kibum and Jinki shared, as did Larad and Ercite. The dining hall was small but large enough to eat and lounge in together if they wanted. There was a small corner for entertainment if they wanted, and the food processor was stocked with whatever they could afford. As of right now, it was nothing more than the bare essentials…

                Connected to the dining hall were offshoots heading towards engineering in the rear of the ship and two ladders that would take them into the small cargo bay area. Their ship was small and everything about it was a bit cramped, including the storage space, but that was fine for now. At the bottom tail end of the ship was the infirmary and the access to their escape and cryo pods. In the front part of the ship and under the bridge was where the airlock was located.

                All in all, it really was boxier than Kibum would have preferred. He longed to have one of those sleek flyers with extended wings and sublime handling he’d seen on the purchasing site, but they were significantly more expensive… For now, he was just happy to have a ship, as clunky and basic as it was.

                After he checked in with MTV+ to confirm the successful closure of their contract, he encouraged everyone to get ready to celebrate. Back in Yonichi after their first completed run, they headed to The Stars Align for drinks and conversation.

                “I would say drinks are on me, but even with that run, our pockets are a bit empty,” Kibum laughed in mild embarrassment.

                Garum overhead the comment and leaned over the counter to wave it away dismissively. “Enough of that. At least this once, the first round is on me. Consider it a welcome back gift, Almighty Key,” he added with a wink, gesturing at his Terran bartending assistant to help take care of the drinks.

                “Oh! Thank you!” Kibum grinned, flashing a perfect smile at the much larger Varium.

                It was not an evening in which Passeri or Jackson were present, for a wonder, and Kibum looked around to see who was performing. Not surprisingly, Alexander and Senna were there, as was one other relative newbie that Garum had hired. Kibum had worked with them a bit before, but the androgynous Varium was a bit aloof sometimes. Rather eccentrically, they had chosen a Terran and Moladhi basis for their form. Shorter than a typical Moladhi, more feathers than a Terran, too long fingers and a slightly beaked mouth, they evidenced characteristics of both and no obvious gender. They were much like Ercite in that respect. Garum did like the oddities though. They were often attractive draws to the establishment after all.

                He thought he might try to get on stage again, for the nostalgia if nothing else, but then Henry arrived and the idea flew out the window. “Jinki!” the other man beamed, throwing himself at his best friend with reckless abandon. Amusement paired with a tiny twinge of jealousy sang in Kibum before he hurriedly pushed the latter away.

                “Hi, Henry,” Jinki laughed, prying his friend off so he could look at him at arm’s length. “I’ve only been gone a couple days,” he reminded the other man.

                “I know, but I missed you,” he whined, staying close until a small cough distracted him. “Oops! You guys remember Lorielle,” he beamed, retrieving his girlfriend from the outskirts of the circle.

                “Hello,” she waved politely, hovering close to Henry with a slight air of uncertainty.

                “Hey Lorielle. Welcome to the celebration,” Jinki smiled, gesturing for her to come closer.

                Ever one to hold a bit of a grudge, Kibum didn’t not like her, but he had his reservations, namely from when he had front row seats to Jinki’s insecurity. Still, when decorum demanded it, he could play nice. Personally, he was just a little surprised Henry and her were still together.

                Crawven noticed him hanging out at the edge of the conversation and sidled over. “Psitassi should be coming soon. Thought you might like to know,” he added with his arms crossed over his chest.

                “That’s good. Would be nice to see her,” he smiled politely, the expression turning into a speculative grin. “For you too, I’d imagine.”

                The Moladhi snorted and clacked his beak once. “I can still look,” he admitted in a roundabout way.

                The group exchanged pleasantries for a bit, explaining how the voyage had gone and what, if anything was new or unexpected in their lives. But after the initial burst of curiosity wore thin, Ercite bowed out to go speak with Ixo the music master and Larad divested himself to engage in a more direct conversation with Garum at the bar. Then Psitassi arrived and the conversation amidst the Terrans ramped up again with Crawven hovering in the outskirts looking like he wanted to participate but not sure how. He wasn’t the greatest of small talk conversationalists.

                Not surprisingly, the evening ran long and everyone more or less departed when it was closing time. Jinki and Kibum made their way back to their apartment after saying their farewells and crashed almost immediately. The next day, they had to visit Jinki’s family to let them know how it went and see if they couldn’t holo call Hajoon to bring her up to speed too.

                And for the first few months of actually being employed as a captain and crew, that was the general pattern of their runs. Kibum tried to find them new tasks, but word on the streets was that newbies like them often got stuck with the menial jobs until they’d been around long enough or happened to stumble across something special. Since the latter didn’t happen, they just kept plugging away at it, cashing in where they could and trying to pay down their sizable debt in the meantime. MTV+ did let them know they’d keep an ear out for something that was the next step up for them, but there was no luck yet.

                Really, the only truly interesting thing that happened while they waited for something better to come along was seeing Passeri and Jackson again. Passeri called to see if he was available to meet up in the city center sometime in the near future and Kibum was so there. “Passeri!” he shouted upon seeing the elegant Moladhi waiting beside Jackson in an alcove a little out of the way of the general pedestrian traffic.

                “Chicklet!” she crooned back, the full vocal range of her voice evoking joy and happiness automatically. “Careful, love,” she cautioned when Kibum tried to hug her as he usually would.

                Kibum gasped and looked at Jackson for confirmation. “Yep,” the other Terran grinned, looking slightly odd in a fully clothed and makeup-less state. He even had a shock of dark hair starting to grow in again. “We’re nesting,” he confirmed, sliding his arm around Passeri’s waist and looking up at her.

                “Oh! I’m so happy for you!” Kibum grinned, reaching back to grab Jinki’s hand and pull him closer in his excitement. “Looks like you’re gestating too,” he added, eyeing her abdomen knowingly.

                Passeri grinned and nodded. Looking down at Jackson, she explained, “We agreed upon a donor and then spliced the genes. These two,” she explained, much to Kibum’s delight upon hearing the number, “will probably look a little more Terran than a full Moladhi, but I don’t consider that a negative.”

                “I kept telling her it would be better if they took more after her, but she wouldn’t have it,” Jackson snorted with a shrug.

                He flinched and laughed when Passeri swatted at him ineffectively. “There is no better Terran for them to take after,” she reasoned seriously, nodding her head once to affirm her statement.

                “Congratulations,” Jinki smiled, reaching his hand out to shake Jackson’s. “Have you thought of names yet?” he wondered, glancing at Kibum quickly and then focusing on the other two.

                “Not yet,” Passeri answered with a shake of her head.

                Her answer sort of faded into the background as Kibum listened but turned more of his attention towards Jinki in that moment. Did he want kids? He was so attentive and good about asking questions right now. They’d never really talked about it. Kibum was certain he’d make a good dad though. That being said, did he himself want kids. He hadn’t really thought about it. Oh, he was very excited for Passeri and Jackson. They’d probably have absolutely beautiful children. But they’d also been together for a while and were quite committed to each other with very stable jobs. Well, previously anyway. Now… it looked like they were getting ready to become full-time parents. Huh.

                “Kibum?”

                “Huh?” he blinked in distracted confusion, focusing on the group at large again. “Yeah?”

                Jackson laughed and nudged Jinki knowingly. “We were asking when your next run was. Once the chicks are hatched, you’re welcome to come by and see them if it fits your schedule.”

                “Right,” Kibum laughed breathily. “Um,” he murmured, his lips with a quick glance at Jinki. When was their next run?

                “We haven’t settled on our new contract yet,” Jinki filled in for him, giving him a reassuring hand squeeze. “We were kind of hoping for something that might at least take us to the next planet in the solar system,” he admitted with a shrug.

                “I guess you’re still dealing with small fry stuff then?” Jackson wondered, casting a sad smile in Kibum’s direction.

                “For now. But that’s how it goes, you know?” he waved off, putting on a brave front. He couldn’t admit he was worried they’d be stuck doing this forever himself. He knew it was unlikely but it felt like it could happen since they’d been in a similar pattern for a few months now.

                “Just keep doing what you always do, chicklet,” Passeri encouraged, reaching out to smooth his hair down with her free hand. “Shine. Like your ship,” she chirped, chittering in personal delight at her word play. The sound was infectious. Likely unintentionally so, but Kibum and the others laughed along with her. “Sorry,” she apologized immediately when she realized what had happened. “My control is not what it should be lately,” she added with a downward look at her slightly swollen belly.

                “It’s fine, dear,” Jackson promised her, one hand moving to rub said belly lovingly.

                Their visit with Passeri and Jackson was a bit short, but it left Kibum with plenty on his mind. Oh, nothing he needed to figure out immediately, but there were a fair few things he would have to think about at some point. But the first one was making money enough to pay off their ship…

 

(a/n: Oof. This one has been finished for a bit but life has certainly been sending me some curveballs lately. I'm hoping I'll have the time and energy to get the next update out before too long - it is not finished yet... so wish me luck! But as always, thank you for reading! I hope you've enjoyed and that you're looking forward to the next update. ^_^

PS - I freaking love my Jackson and Passeri here. <3 Plus, I imagine Jackson would be the kind of guy that wouldn't be intimidated by a woman who was taller than him. XD But that's just me. heh)