A long sigh escaped the spaceman's lips as he walked the dimly lit corridor. It seems the repair crew hasn't yet found the time to fix the installation in this part of the station. And who would blame them, the last few weeks were chaotic, to say the least. From the difficult repairs on the engines, to the liftoff from the crater, and now what seemed to be turning into a full on civil war, their minds must have been preoccupied with other things.

Stopping in front of a door, he paused. Even in the dim light he could still make out the clean trace that a keycard left on an otherwise dusty control panel. He hasn't had the time to take a rest in his room in months, and he was high enough on the chain of command that his room couldn't be entered by just anybody. He was here. Behind this door was the man that started this whole thing. The most hated and wanted man on the station. His closest friend.

Shuffling through his pockets, he found his keycard, and after taking a deep breath and collecting himself pressed it against the panel. With a whoosh the sliding door opened to reveal a room in total darkness, save for the moonlight passing through the panoramic window on the far end. It illuminated a figure sitting on the leather sofa facing away from him, with a cloud of cigarette smoke lingering around it. As the door closed behind him he instincively flicked on the light switch, to no reaction. "Guess that is busted as well," he thought to himself before taking a few steps to a cabinet at one of the walls. Opening it revealed an impressive collection of bottles, all of which seemed untouched. He smiled in relief. It seems that investing into a top notch storage for his precious alcohol was worth it, with not a single crack from the rough crash on any of the bottles. He grabbed two glasses and opened a bottle without a label. It didn't yet have a name, as the station only recently acquired it on the previous planet they visited, but it was definitely the best, and the strongest, he had. And that was what both he and his guest needed right now.

"Nice view, huh?" He asked as he put a few ice cubes into each glass. "Got you to thank for that, usually that's just a wall when the station is folded up."

No response. "So it's that kind of a mood, huh?" He thought to himself as he poured the golden liquid in the first glass.

With them now delightfuly full, he turned to join his guest on the sofa, when his entire body froze up. He didn't notice before, but now that his eyes adjusted, he finally realized they were not alone. To the left of the sofa was a smaller leather chair, just barely hidden from the moonlight spilling into the room. And sitting in it was a small female figure. Her features, while hidden behind a veil of darkness, still made his brain fog up. He could feel her staring at him, her gaze both burning and chilling at the same time. After what seemed like eternity, he broke out of the spell that her eyes cast on him, and made his way to the sofa, passing a glass to Alexander before taking a seat. Reaching into his pocket, he fished out a box of cigarettes and a lighter. Lighting one, he took a deep breath of the quality tobacco before leaning back.

"I managed to get out 32 D0G-GO units and as many baterries as they could carry after you made the announcement. They are on their way to the outpost right now along with my guys. Depending on how active they will be, we have about a month or two before they run out of power. After that, it will be up to your brother to catch any tech smugglers. But are you sure this is necessary? I seriously doubt anybody would attempt to break the Directive like that."

"I hope that it never happens, but we must be prepared if it does. The station is in a panic, and will be for quite some time. An environment like that may make some act irrationally. And if they do, we must get to them before Jonathan. He is too caught up in the Directive, his first thought will be to kill anybody they catch," Alex said, taking a small sip from his glass. Now that he took a closer look, the man before him was a far cry from the Principal he knew. Usually clean shaved, he now sported a messy stubble, and his hair was a mess. His eyes seemed even more tired than usually, and the light that seemed to always be present withing them was gone.The most alarming detail, however, was multiple blood stains on his otherwise clean suit.

"Well, Putting that aside for now, I see you've been through quite a bit. I take it I have our friend there to thank you are still with us?" He said, pointing at the woman. "Who is she, by the way?"

"An element of this story even i did not account for. A welcome one though. We struck a deal, and she agreed to help me get out of the station in return for our help." The woman didn't move, but her stare still eerily chilled the spaceman as he looked at her. "I see. Well, the more allies we have right now the better. Speaking of getting out, you decided where you going yet? I have a few diplomatic contacts in Republic Owl. They can keep you hidden until the people here start thinking with their own heads and you can return."

Alex took a deep whiff of his cigarette before answering. "I think i will go to the outpost for now. The Republic would be too far for me to react to changes here. It would also not be good for our future prospects if our stealth units were found in our neighbours territory."

He looked at him with a worried expression. "You don't think that's a bit too close? The outpost is only about 20 kilometers away from here."

Alex looked at him, a small, tired smile forming on his lips. "When have we not taken risks, Mika? This entire thing was dangerous from the start. Besides, it just wouldn't feel right for me to be safe and sound in another country when all of you would still be here, fighting." The smile fading, he once again turned to look at the night scenery in front of them. The two men stayed silent for a while, each just sipping on their drinks and puffing smokes in the air. Mikael knew that Alex needed a moment of silence and calm like this, and as his friend, he was more than happy to oblige. They also had a lot to admire, as the night was exceptionally clear, with the moon and distant stars shining brilliantly. Unnamed constellations smiling down on them with an occasional shooting star whizzing across. The tranquillity of the moment combined with all the suffering they experienced in the last eight months as well as the slight buzz from the alcohol pushed Mika over the edge, and a stream of tears flowed down his face. The image of the strong leader those under him could rely on he so often put up was completely stripped away as he quietly sobbed into his hands. But it was okay. Alexander would never judge him for breaking like this. He was always there, the one pillar that Mika could lean on when at his lowest.

After the initial wave of tears subsided and he could finally speak again, Mika straightened up and looked at his Principal. Wiping the tears from his face, he asked, "So what do we do now? Getting you out shouldn't be a problem, but where do we go from there? What if this plan backfires and they just affirm their faith in the Directive? What if our story just ends here, snuffed out by those that would prefer stagnation? Please, Alex...please tell me...
Tell me you have a plan... Tell me that you can pull something out your ass like you always do..."

Alex took a deep swig from his glass, emptying it completely. He held the glass in his hands, gripping it tightly, knuckles turning white around the clear glass. Then he suddenly relaxed with a long exhale, his shoulders slumping down. "I...I don't. Not now. I don't have the answers you want. Right now, this is my entire hand. If this fails.... it might really be the end."

Collecting himself, Alexander looked straight ahead, the fire, previously gone, once again burning in his eyes. "But hell will freeze over first before i just turn over and let them end me. If i have no more cards to play, i will just change the game. And if that doesn't work, i will flip the fucking table if i have to. The only way they are getting rid of me is if the Starfleet comes and takes them back to the stars." He put a hand on Mika's shoulder. "And i must apologise for putting you, Jane and everyone else through this just because of my selfish desire. And i fear that I will have to put you through so much more..."

Mustering a weak smile, Mikael replied. His words were no longer shaky. "Oh please, It's not like you forced us or anything. We follow you because we believe in the future you presented us. And at least for me, that is not gonna change any time soon."

"Thank you, Mika. Really. I couldn't have asked for a better friend than you. This helped clear my head a little. But it's getting late, and i should get going before the security sniffs me out again." Motioning to the woman, they both stood up and headed for the door. "wait!" Mika exclaimed. "Look! Outside!"
And indeed, what was moments before a clear and still sky was now full of dozens upon dozens of shooting stars, to the point where one could barely notice a still star behind them. "She's crying for our struggle as well." A warm smile was now spead on his face, the spectable reminding him of the Goddess's comforting embrace.

"Yes," Alexander said quietly, before turning and walking through the open door. "Let us hope they are tears of pride, and not of sadness."