The captain turned his back to all of them, picking up the nullifier and tucking it under his arm before walking purposefully toward the Icarus, refusing to look back.

Leo watched as Boo pulled Kat aside, the two of them sharing a whispered farewell. She put her hand—the soft one—on his cheek. The Queleti’s fur rippled in response. Leo didn’t think she would cry, and he was right, but it looked like a fight she barely won.

At last Boo turned to Leo.

“You know you’re going to miss out on some things. I’m pretty sure the Orin have never even heard of gyurt.” It was Leo’s last-ditch effort to get him to change his mind.

“I will miss some things,” Boo agreed. “I will find others. I do regret that I won’t be there with you the moment that House Fender is restored. Seeing you with your brother gives me hope that you will all be together soon.”

Leo bit his lip, looked down at his boots.

“You will find him,” Boo insisted. “You will find your father and you will save him. And not just because you have courage, but because you have earned it. The universe keeps track, Leo. When you go astray, it sets a path to steer you back. And when you do what is noble and good, it finds a way to reward you.”

Boo shot a look at Baz, who was still standing at the bottom of the ramp next to Kat, handing her what looked to be a data file, much like the one Leo’s father had given him. Baz said something and Kat gave him a finger and a smile both.

“So what is this, then? Staying here?” Leo wondered. “Is it your path, or your reward?”

“Perhaps it is both,” Boo said. “Goodbye, Leo Fender. It has been my honor.”

Leo placed one hand over Boo’s enormous heart, tracking its bold, beautiful rhythm. He felt all four hairy arms engulf him and promised not to forget how safe it felt to be wrapped in a Queleti’s hug. “Goodbye, Boo,” he whispered.

Baz’s voice echoed through the hangar: “All right you freebooters, let’s get these ships starborne. We’ve got a planet to save and two entire alien empires to piss off.”

Gareth and Kat were already carrying an unconscious Crayt onto the Aykari transport. Baz’s ex-girlfriend had her precious rifle in hand and was boarding the ramp to her fighter. Leo felt a surge—the tingling excitement mixed with all too familiar stomach-churning dread. Worry over his father mixed with relief at having Gareth by his side. The longing to see his home again. The heartbreak of leaving a friend behind. It all formed a tangled knot inside. He looked back to see Boo standing in the center of the hangar, surrounded by all three ships. He had more than enough hands to wave to each of them.

Baz hesitated halfway up the Icarus’s ramp. He hung his head, then turned around. “Do they know about the snoring?” he called out. “The Orin, I mean? If you really do intend to live with them, they should at least know what they are getting into.”