"All's well that ends well, I guess." Liam Kendricks leaned against the railing next to Heather Slater. She stood gazing over the bay in the direction overlooking her ship. The destroyer was nuzzled into the flank of Atlantica, power lines physically linking the ships.

Beyond, the scene was peaceful, picturesque, the bustle of a busy bay not quite dispelling its natural beauty. And further inland, a distant lone peak dominated the skyline.

The last few weeks may have been back-breakingly hard as they created a community on this Earth, on which humans had been ten million years absent. But it had been peaceful after that tumultuous first month. And for that, Kendricks was very grateful. His shoulder still ached from the bullet wound he'd sustained in the battle against the pirates. Something Doctor Emodi, the ship's physician, informed him was likely for life.

"It's not quite over yet," Slater responded. "I still want my helicopter back."

"They seem to be cooperating." Kendricks looked at her. The set of her jaw was firm as she looked out. "So far. I'm sure they are as eager to keep the peace as we are."

"Quite." Slater pushed herself off the railing with a sigh. Sensing she wanted to pace, Kendricks fell in next to her as they slowly walked along next to the railing of Atlantica's upper deck.

Since they'd arrived, a change had certainly impacted Kendricks's ship, turning her from a simple cruise ship to the nucleus of a colony. Four of her five swimming pools had been filled in with soil, turning them into plant nurseries where people were hard at work cultivating what they could of the ship's remaining fruit and vegetables. They had managed to extract some viable seed stock from their food stores. It was delicate work, trying to coax species which were long dead in this world back to life.