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Xilya's deep red eyes narrowed at her. "I thought it rather ironic. As soft and small as you are, to not be so completely afraid."

Aly didn't know what to say. She swallowed hard as her throat turned dry. She should come out with it but was suddenly afraid the vrisha might not believe her and be upset. She didn't know why she thought that, but it made her hesitate all the same.

Still, though, Xilya's eyes did not move from hers. "Maybe I should do an experiment sometime and see how the other humans react," she said thoughtfully. " See if it is a species trait, to not feel fear of something that looks like it would prey on them...or maybe it is just you?"

Aly had to look away then, knowing she couldn't keep it a secret, especially if Xilya was being serious. She stayed quiet a moment longer before saying, "I...we know about you."

"You...know about me?"

Aly looked back at her and nodded grimly. Xilya tilted her head. "And what, exactly, do you know?"

"My kind and yours have met before."

From what little expression Aly could gather, this confession did surprise her. Xilya blinked once then turned her body completely toward her, making Aly do the same.

"How?" she said.

Aly let out a deep breath and brushed her fingers through her hair, wondering where to even begin. She thought maybe first she should start with a question of her own, to gauge how much to tell Xilya. "How long have you been on Lethe Maws?"

Xilya was taken aback by the question but thought it over and said, "If I can remember...about five years by Lethe's cycle, give or take. I arrived a year after Nihl Ryziel."

This time, it was Aly's turn to be taken aback. She had never thought to ask how long Ryziel had been on Lethe, and she wondered for a brief second how long it had taken them to find the ship and how long they had been trying to rebuild it. She was curious to know now that they were so close to finishing but instead asked, "And how long have you been away from home since coming here?"

Xilya thought it over again then said, "Three years."

So, she'd arrived on Lethe a little after everything had occurred. Or ended, as it were. Aly thought over her words then told Xilya what she knew. "One of your own got captured by my kind."

Xilya's eyes widened at her in what Aly could only assume was a dumbstruck expression, then she burst out laughing. A chittering, hissing laughter.

"It's true!" Aly said. "But he did it on purpose."

Xilya fell silent and frowned, scratching at the scales underneath the collar of her suit. "What was his name?"

"Xerus."

She went still. When she said nothing, Aly took the moment to explain. She told Xilya everything she could remember, everything that she heard from the news sources that had kept up with what had happened on the Lazris base, and the eyewitnesses who had survived to tell their tale. By the time she was finished, they were at the bottom, heading toward the lair.

She waited for Xilya to say something as they walked, Aly holding onto the woman's belt like she would with Ryziel. Xilya was very quiet for most of the walk until she finally said, "So it is over, then. The war."

"Yes," Aly said, though it hadn't been a question.

"And this woman, this Dr. Hart, she was taken to Tryth?"

"That is what they claim," Aly said. She didn't tell her that Dr. Hart had left all her records saved in a cloud file for them to find, information about the vrisha and their planet. But not its location.

Xilya was quiet a moment longer until she whispered, "ThankVeradisandRikasha...it was not all lost, though I had failed my mission." She let out a deep sigh. "Now more than ever, I must return."

Aly nodded. "After all that had happened, there were a lot of changes with military control. A new program was started, the Grayhart project, a mission to find other civilizations for non-violent and scientific purposes." She looked up at Xilya, at the outline of her in the vast dark. "We had hoped to find Tryth and re-establish contact."

Xilya slowed and twisted her head down to look at her. "I wager you hadn't expected to 're-establish contact' here of all places. My, what a small universe."

Aly smiled up at her. "Yeah, I guess it is." They kept walking, and Aly felt a sense of accomplishment. She let out a little laugh. "If you see Dr. Hart when you go home, tell her we said hey."

***

The doors to the lair opened, and Xilya stepped inside with Aly right behind her. Nar was at the console, looking up at the screen, but he swiveled around to greet them. Aly smiled and waved hello, and Nar grunted in response. He seemed paler to her, wearier. It was only him she saw at first in the chamber. She looked around, over the ship and along the cave sides to the packs sitting by the grated table, searching, her heart thumping a little faster in her chest.

"Everything is ready to go," Nar said flatly. "The packs, anyway. I can't say the same for myself."