It was the last day before Red had to return to the Silkway Moon III temple. They hadn't been seriously injured in the fight with Lady Luck, instead spending their time ensuring that she had left the planet. The past four days had been spent with Carlyle in relative serenity. Her attack on Lady Luck had invigorated her confidence, and it was clear that she would not be in danger again.

"So, when do you leave tomorrow?" Carlyle asked, idly fiddling with a scrap of cloth.

Red scratched their head. "I dunno. Whenever the captain says, I suppose. But I'll probably stow myself onto the ship as quick as possible. Think the people here have had enough of me for one lifetime."

"You really are a troublemaker, Red. But it's been fun to have you around."

"I don't think anyone else feels the same way."

"Of course they don't! But they don't know you at all, except maybe the nurses in the hospital."

They both laughed.

The two of them spent the evening drinking and dancing. Red stumbled to their room in the inn just before sunrise and saw the Shining Thunder approach the port. They groaned and went right to bed.

Red woke up in the middle of the afternoon to a knock on their door. Captain Orin had come to collect them. "You ready to go?" she asked.

"Yeah. I guess. Let me get my stuff together. I'll meet you at the port."

Captain Orin nodded and left. Red closed the door and sighed, looking at their bag. It was already packed. They had been ready to leave for days, but they were still dreading getting on the ship and actually going. They almost started to like it on Caseeveem. They had forgotten what it was like to have roots, to have a bed, to have somewhere to call home.

And to have real friends.

Red freshened up after realizing that their breath still reeked of alcohol. With one final scan of their room to make sure they didn't forget anything, they closed the door and left. Red nodded to the woman at the desk and exited the inn.

They walked slowly towards the port. They didn't want to leave. So, one step at a time, they found something worth catching their attention. A flower there. A bug here. An interesting cloud formation above them. But nothing of particular interest stood out enough to keep them occupied more than a couple seconds.

Until they heard Carlyle's voice calling after them.

They turned around to see Carlyle sprinting down the street, waving at them. Red waved back and stopped. They watched Carlyle run all the way up to them and then double-over, completely out of breath.

"I got you something!" she said.

"What is it?" Red asked.

Carlyle held up a necklace with a sphere of liquid green encased in crystal hanging from it. The chain was silver and a spiral pattern held the crystal sphere. "One of the first exports of Musgrave!" Carlyle beamed.

Red took it from her and inspected the sphere closely. "It's really beautiful. I don't know if I'll be able to wear it, but I'll keep it with me forever."

"I know this place sucked, but it was fun to help you out. And I do forgive you, despite the fact that you're still an idiot." Carlyle smirked at them.

"You can say that again. If I ever have an excuse to come back here, I will." Red admitted, putting the necklace on.

"If it's to see me, don't bother! I have enough money for school now. I leave next month. I'll let you know where I end up."

Red started to cry, but did their best to stifle the tears. "I'm gonna miss you, Carlyle."

"I'm gonna miss you, Red!" Carlyle leapt at them, wrapping her arms around their neck and crushing Red just a bit.

"I'll stay in touch. You know my info, I know your info. I'll keep you updated on where Lady Luck ends up!" Red said.

"I can't wait till I never have to worry about her again," Carlyle said.

She let go of Red and slid her hands down Red's arms, holding them tightly as she stepped back. Carlyle looked into Red's eyes and smiled and pulled them close to her and kissed them.

Red was stunned. "For a warrior-monk, you're very easily awestruck, Red," Carlyle teased.

"I... Yeah..." Red could barely speak.

Carlyle wrapped her arms around Red and kissed them deeper. They leaned into it this time, holding her body tightly against their own. They wanted to leave even less this time.

"I wish you could come with me," Red admitted.

"But I can't. I wouldn't fit in there, you know that. Your world isn't right for me. But, if fate permits, we'll see each other again. I'm sure of it!" Carlyle comforted them.

"There you go again with your magical thinking. It's no wonder Lady Luck showed up here," Red joked.

"Hey! It's gotten me this far."

Captain Orin walked out of the cargo bay and waved at Red. "Let's go! We're all done here!"

"Don't be a stranger!" Carlyle instructed, patting Red's shoulder.

"I won't. Stay safe out there, Carlyle." Red said.

"I make no promises!" Carlyle beamed again.

Red followed the captain into the Shining Thunder. They turned around to get one last look at Carlyle and saw her walking away. Red let the tears flow this time. "So you made friends even in a shithole like this, huh?" Captain Orin asked.

"I guess so."

Red tried to get comfortable on the ship. They imagined a window and looked out of it at the nature. They wanted to see Carlyle's face again.

Maybe they'd give up chasing Lady Luck and retire, follow Carlyle to school and be free of all of the bullshit of their life. Certainly wherever Carlyle went would have a Jhikae Order temple, right? Damn. Red had never felt this way before.

They thought they were going insane. To try to stave off their pain, they began meditating. Their trance kept it away long enough for them to be able to fall asleep.

The journey between Silkway and Caseeveem was utterly uneventful. Red spent it rethinking their entire life and considering other options for their lifestyle. However, as the Shining Thunder pulled into port, Red put all that aside to get back to work.

Red was immediately sent to Master Gris for debriefing. They explained the entirety of the situation, including the injuries they sustained during the mission as well as their feelings for Carlyle. Master Gris took diligent notes, ensuring that she captured the entirety of the situation. Once they were done, Master Gris smiled. "You've done great work here, Red. However, at this time we have no information on the whereabouts of Lady Luck. If we find anything, you'll be the first to know, but at this point I don't think we should expect much to come of it."

"Do you have any ideas on where she might have ran off to? The faster that we can catch up to her, the sooner we can put her down for good, before she hurts someone else or destabilizes more planets," Red asked.

Master Gris shrugged. "I couldn't even begin to guess. Between pleasure yachts, extraction operations, and other risky ventures, there may be as many as four hundred possible targets within the nearby fifty systems. Not to mention if she decided to just target young lovers. Any search efforts would inevitably fail unless they were extremely lucky, and since we're against a luck god here, I doubt luck would be on our side."

"Do we have any other options? Could I summon her here or something like that?" Red wondered.

"Absolutely not. It's far too dangerous to open up a Jhikae Order temple to something like that. Sure, you might manage to defeat her, but what about if other things come through as well? We still aren't entirely sure how those techniques function. You could end up with a portal leading directly into our operations."

"Is there somewhere else I could go to take that risk?" Red suggested.

"Hm. Perhaps. I understand that you won't give up until you have accomplished your duty, and I respect that. But, Red, you have accept that your mission was successful. Caseeveem is free of whatever occulted menaces were pulling the strings. You may not always be able to completely remove an enemy, but you can still make them ineffectual. That's what you've done here. For all we know, she may have returned to the place beyond the mindscape, where she'll have to wait until someone else calls out to her."

"And that could be on the other side of the galaxy."

"Exactly! It wouldn't make sense for you to continue the search, in that case. We would assign another wanderer, or perhaps a squadron, depending."

Red sighed. They wanted real closure. "What if I could find somewhere to summon her safely?"

"I suppose if you contracted a vessel for the matter, it would be suitable. If it's done in space, it may be safe enough, and sensitive matters of the Jhikae Order are not allowed to be conducted on spacecraft. If a ship comes through and the captain agrees, I will let you know. In the meantime, consider this matter concluded."

"Thank you, Master Gris. What is my next assignment?"

"Your work on this mission has earned you two weeks of leave while our doctors ensure that you've healed from your wounds properly. The quarters that you stayed in during your last visit are still empty, you're welcome to them. If we can find a vessel for the summoning before then, you'll be able to conduct it. Otherwise, we have reports of something brewing in the galactic core."

"What is it?" Red asked.

"At this time, that information is N2K. However, given your recent success, I think you'll be an ideal candidate for our first reconnaissance mission. You're dismissed, Wanderer."

Red bowed to Master Gris and left. They let out a deep sigh and rubbed their temples. They wished Carlyle had been able to come with them. They suddenly felt like they didn't fit in at the temple and all they wanted was to be anywhere else.

Red went to their quarters. They massaged their shoulder and got excited about doing laundry until they saw the necklace Carlyle gave them in their bag. They missed her already. They held the necklace close to their heart and took out their qComm, typing up a message to Carlyle.

R: Hey. Got back to Silkway fine. Hope you're doing all right.

C: Hey! I'm fine. Did they give you shit for your work or did you get the accolades that you deserve?

R: A little of both. Wish you could have seen it.

C: Maybe one day, I will!

Red threw the device across the room and laid down on the bed, burying their face in the pillow. Someone knocked on their door.

"Come in!" Red instructed.

The monk from their last visit entered. "Hello Red. Master Gris instructed me to inform you that the captain of the Jhikae order Vessel Furious Monkey has agreed to allow you to summon Lady Luck aboard. He will be docked here in three days. Until then, she's given you full access to the archives so that you may do proper research on the matter."

Red gave a thumbs-up. "Thank you! I'll be ready!"

Red shot up from the bed and focused on getting their chores done so that they could get to work.