The morning after the mission on the island was executed, Dan found himself sitting at a table in the Skyline. Due to the number of people and guards at the shore, he had been keeping watch at the bridge even though it wasn't his shift. Not that he would have been able to stay away anyway, he found himself waking up earlier than usual, making his way to the bridge at 4 am. He only had time to go to the Skyline for breakfast at 7 am when Rose came to the bridge.

  As he sipped on his coffee, his mind couldn't help but go to the people on shore. He wondered how they were doing and if everything was going well. He would have loved to join them there, but he wasn't allowed to for the moment, only after they were sure that it was safe and that none of the guards were still out there would he be able to go there again. Before all that, he could only wish them good luck.

  At least, Voyager was keeping an eye on the island, and she hadn't noticed anything off yet. Everything seemed to be going well and no suspicious people were seen at all.

  For the matter of fast communication between the cruise ship and the island, they were using a tender docked at the midpoint as a relay. Not for the first time, Dan wished the Voyager had stronger walkie-talkies on board, the ones they had were some of the worst he had seen.

  Dan sat there, his mind moving from one subject to another, but always returning to what he was hoping to stay away from, his worry about the people on the island. He just couldn't hold his worries at all, especially with how Marcus had ended up, he couldn't calm his churning thoughts. Would the people on the island also end up like him if they were attacked by a guard they had missed? Or rather, with him already injured, would they be in an even more serious situation?

  Dan's eyes moved around as his thoughts put him in an even deeper state of stress and anxiety, just to find himself meeting eyes with the gentle smiling grandmotherly face of Mrs Raily. Finding himself unconsciously returning the smile, Dan could feel his stress level lower and his beating heart calming down.

  Nodding at her, Dan couldn't help but note how much she seemed to like staying at the Skyline. Most of the time she would be found there, either by herself with a book and a cup of coffee or tea, or with her friends or whoever she managed to catch that day.

  Dan was about to go and sit down with the old lady when he saw who he had been waiting for to arrive, William.

  "Sorry for keeping you waiting," William said as he stood next to him, "I was held up by Francis at the workshop."

  "It's alright." Dan stood up to join him. "So we go?"

  "Let's go." William nodded. "I would have taken something for him, but I don't know what Fleta would allow and what she would throw at our faces."

  "Tell me about it." Dan chuckled.

  As they walked to the med-bay, Dan and William chatted casually about different things. They were going to see Marcus, Dan had already contacted Fleta that morning and she told him that he was awake, so he and William decided to go and visit him.

  Once they made it to the med-bay, Dan and William headed to the room where Marcus was kept, greeting the chief security officer and the medical officer. Even though he already knew that the man was awake, seeing him sitting there on the medical bed with his own eyes finally calmed Dan's heart.

  "How are you doing?" Dan asked in concern.

  "I'm doing well," Marcus answered in the same tone as always. You would never have thought that less than half a day ago, his heart got stabbed and had a gaping hole through it. "It could have been worse."

  "It is because of you that it isn't," Dan said, "Thank you again, without your help Leonard would have been dead for sure."

  "I just did what I had to do." Marcus shook his head, it really seemed as if he didn't care much about the matter. "How did things go after that? Fleta didn't want to tell me anything other than it went well."

  "Isn't that enough?" Dan said as he raised an eyebrow, "You should only focus on your health now, on getting better."

  Dan only meant the best for his friend, but the flat glance that the man gave him made him feel as if he had cursed him. Sighing, Dan updated the man on what had happened and what they had decided to do about the Deepdark and how to deal with it.

  "You did well," Marcus said after hearing the updates, "You should prepare thoroughly for the coming fight though."

  "We understand," Dan answered seriously.

  If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  "How are you going to go after the Deepdark?" Marcus asked after a bit of silence.

  "Well, destroying it?" Dan said in mild confusion.

  "I mean, is there a way to deal with the people on it without destroying it beyond repair?" Marcus said as he glanced at William, "I'm sure that many of our people are going to be quite interested in it. Plus, Deepdarks are both expensive and rare."

  "I know that." Dan nodded with a frown. "But you must know it just as well as I do, taking the ship without wrecking it would mean that we have to take things slow. Unfortunately, that's not how we have been dealing with our fights, destroying them fast and not giving them the time to use their skills is the right way to go about it. And doing it that way means that the ship would most likely be left nothing but a wreck."

  "I understand," Marcus said, "But at least try to get the ship's cannons and its Cornerstone. Maybe even some of the wood? We could probably use it for something else even if we can't have the whole ship."

  "Okay, we will plan around that," Dan agreed.

  "Okay, that's all for now," Fleta suddenly said, "He needs to rest, his heart isn't fully healed yet."

  Dan saw on Marcus's face that he didn't think so, but the man wisely didn't say anything to Fleta. Getting a nod from him after they wished him a speedy recovery, they left the room.

  Outside, Dan turned to Fleta who joined them as he asked:

  "How are they doing? Both Marcus and Graham?"

  "They just need time to rest and for their bodies to heal themselves," Fleta said, "You don't need to worry about them really."

  "That's good to hear." Dan sighed in relief. He then remembered something so he added, "Some of the Kidnappees might require urgent help, if we find any that the healing potions aren't enough for, you might need to go to the shore."

  "It's alright, just call me when needed." Fleta didn't seem to care.

  "Okay, be careful out there."

  "Will do." With that, Fleta turned around and entered the med-bay again.

  ***

  Mrs Raily sighed as she watched Captain Dan and William leave the Skyline. It was hard on him, the stress and anxiety he was under was nothing to envy, and it wasn't just him, many on the Voyager were like that, even her husband.

  Mrs Raily liked the Skyline, everyone went through it, from the early risers there for their breakfast to those only coming way later for a light snack. It was a place that didn't need her to go around looking for anyone, they would come to her themselves.

  Her eyes moved as she felt her skill, Empath, stir as it detected the emotional turmoil coming from a nearby table. Looking over, it was who she expected to see, Linda.

  Frowning, she considered what to do. The Master Alchemist had been in a weird state for days, something was weighing heavily on her mind and it seemed to only grow worse after they were told about the island's situation and the slaves on it. She was fighting something deeply inside.

  Sighing at the pressure someone as young and pure as her was going through, Mrs Raily activated another of her skills as she targeted the young chemist.

  Unlike Empath which was more of a detection-type skill geared towards emotions more than anything else, her second skill was an active skill that affected other people. Placate was a skill that calmed people down and had them be more in control over their emotions. She knew that Captain Dan had a skill like that, but that one worked by suppressing the target's worries and fears, forcefully calming them down.

  Placate was different though, it had the target's well-being as its priority, calming their churning emotions and giving them a few moments of peace to understand their feelings and emotions. It gave them the perfect environment to grow if they ever wanted to.

  Watching as the girl's emotions calmed down, her anxiety and apprehension leaving her as she finally had the time to enjoy her food, Mrs Raily smiled as she watched her for a few moments.

  Suddenly, she saw five people entering together, the two young girls and their parents. If Mrs Raily was asked about the people she worried about the most on Voyager, she would answer the two young girls without any hesitation. Even her husband wasn't as much of a priority as the two were.

  Her husband needed her help, she understood that more than anyone else, but she also knew how strong he was and how different the current situation was from before, he was better than he had ever been on earth.

  She did have to use her third skill, the one she only decided to use in the most serious of situations, after he had used Brothers in Arms and fell into a light episode of depression. She had steered things so he had someone to talk to, someone he trusted and respected to listen to him, and he was way better after that, his resolve stronger than ever.

  It hurt her a bit that no matter how she tried to steer it that way, she couldn't be the one who he needed to open his heart to, it had to be someone else. She understood it really, he didn't want her to see him at his lowest, so he chose to suffer silently. Fortunately, she managed to arrange for him and Dan to meet, giving him the perfect chance to open his heart and drop the heavy pressure that had been weighing him down.

  That had been the only time she had used her third skill, and she hoped there wouldn't be any more, it was a skill that required her to be extremely responsible, and she was going to be up to the task.

  Watching Dex, Annie and their Daughter Tracy sit at a table, Jackie and his daughter Tiffany joining them as they had their breakfast, she felt her heart turn complicated. The two girls were the people she focused the most effort on, doing her best to make sure that nothing was wrong with them, that their current situation wouldn't leave them with any lasting damage. It was hard, but seeing them sitting there, laughing and chatting with their parents she couldn't help but feel a sense of fulfilment.

  She was a Healer of the Broken, that was her Class, but she wasn't going to wait for any of those she cared about to break, she would break before letting something like that happen to them.