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A few months had passed, and Hel touched her swollen belly and was ready for the baby to come. She and Flander had moved to another set of quarters, and she felt more at home there. That had the other bedroom decorated and set up for the baby. It was beautiful and convenient for working parents. She worked with Kasey often and knew her sister appreciated the help. It was still hard to understand why she didn't have more than one person assigned to her.

Kasey had mentioned that if she found some of her former assistants, she would get Ranni to hire them. Hel hoped they were found soon, and she was working on it, too. Everything else seemed to be going well. Her relationship with Flander was perfect and much like the one her sister and Ranni had. She had wondered if they would ever achieve that and was pleased that they had so soon. Their relationship helped her deal with the loss of working with her squad.

Two more weeks have passed, and now they are on the surface of Purgatory. Peace had come, but it hadn't come easily. The gangs were disbanded and dealt with. Citizens could safely walk the streets, and rebuilding had begun. Could an attack like that happen again? Anything was possible, but it wouldn't be the grabbers because they had been banned from the empire, and if they were found within their boundaries, their ships would be destroyed. Rumor was that they had found a new planet and decided to try to settle there. That planet had no indigenous people, and some feared the survival of the animals there. Several of them had been removed and taken by scientists to a place where they could be protected.

She exchanged a look with her sister. Their dream was well on its way. Rebuilding was being spearheaded by the Majuri, as promised. It seemed all warriors were trained in construction at an early age. It was obvious that they were good at it as the rebuilding was proceeding quickly. Flander took her hand and squeezed it. She looked up at him, and he smiled. Hel had to admit that he and Ranni had a large part in the progress that they had made and that it had taken a toll on both of them.

Hel understood because some of those choices had also taken a toll on her. Maybe now that they were seeing the results of their actions, the guilt would ease. Someday, she could see their family living in a house near this very location. The area would thrive, with residents, stores, restaurants, and many other businesses. It would be much like before, and she loved it there then. Maybe the progress would wipe out the bad memories of the attack and what had happened afterward. So many had died, and while they could reclaim the buildings and other items, the lives would be lost forever.

This was a time of new growth and rebuilding. Others would come, and Purgatory would rise from the ashes of the old and shine with the new.