David was disappointed in Eirik. Not only was he so oblivious to the surroundings that David had managed to get within earshot of him and the woman, but also because of Eirik's choice of dining experience. "A fast-food burger chain. Really, Eirik?" He thought to himself as he watched his usually stoic and competent friend and Captain, stumble over himself in his conversation with this strange woman.

Sure, she was attractive, but there seemed to be ancient history there, and the woman was dangerous. She was good at hiding it, but the boot knife, the hidden throwing knives in the shoulder pauldrons of her armor, the concealed shoulder holster under her jacket, most likely old fashioned Terran tech for the size. Conventional pre-FTL firearm, small caliber.

Who was she to make the Captain act like a complete idiot? He lowered his hood further over his head and strained to listen to them.

_________________________

"What took you so long, Freja?" After a good 20 minutes of meaningless back and forth about this and that, as she picked out their meal and they sat down, Eirik finally asked the question that had bothered him.

"What is it that has taken me a long time to do?" She smiled as she sipped her drink, a playful glint in her eyes. "Gods, I don't have the mental surplus for those games right now," He thought to himself. Out loud, he replied, "You know what I'm talking about, Freja." Eirik said in a tired voice. "Why wait so long to contact me again?"

"Well, why didn't you seek me out if you were so concerned with me?" She crossed her arms after putting down her drink, resigning to Eirik being blunt but determined to make him suffer every step of the way.

"Because the last time we spoke you said, and I quote *If you ever come near me again, I will cut off your ballsack and force it so far up your ass you can taste the shit on my knuckles!*. I figured you needed some time and space after that. So what changed, Freja? You are clearly still angry and upset-" He had to duck out of the way of the handful of french fries that were thrown at him.

"You're damn right I'm upset, you absolute ass! They locked me up for four years!! Four years of my life I spent in jail because YOU didn't intervene on my behalf!" When he didn't react she threw another handful of fries at him. "Say something, damn it!"

"What can I say, Freja? No words can forgive my actions. The only thing I can do is tell you I have grown since then, and ask for a chance to prove it to you." Eirik slumped at the table. He had laid everything on the table and could only hope that it was enough. Perhaps the memories they both had, worked in his favor as well.

A long silence reigned over the table. Freja was the first to break it. "How can I be sure you have grown, Eirik? How can I know anything you tell me is true? And what would be your plan for us? Roam the galaxy, Bonnie and Clyde style, until an inevitable but beautiful death??"

"I have the same plans for us as I did before!!" Eirik snapped up his head as he spoke with a harsh tone. " I still plan to settle down with you somewhere, start a family, and leave the violence behind! My oath to you did not die with your departure!!"

"And this personal war of yours?" Freja waved her hand around angrily to indicate something greater. "How is this planning for a future?"

"Were you, or were you not an active part of my life when that happened?" Eirik had jumped to his feet and was staring intensely at Freja, who was completely unbothered with his rising anger. But she could not find a reply to that statement.

"I was not" She finally admitted through gritted teeth. Her clenched fists were shaking and she was about to say more when she snapped her mouth shut.

"So, why did you come back? Why now?" Eirik demanded. He knew it was a bad idea to force Freja into a corner, but she was most honest when she was angry.

She slammed both her hands down on the table and hissed in a low voice, "Because this war might be seeing the death of you. And there are things between us that need clearing up." She breathed heavily and continued in a softer tone of voice, "I do not wish for our last memories of each other to be of anger and conflict, Eirik."

Eirik relented. She was right in that regard. He didn't want to taint any further memories of her. They had met shortly after turning 18. He had just enrolled in the armed forces and had passed basic training and she had been at the party for those graduating. She was young, wild, and beautiful, and Eirik had been the lucky one to take her home. Despite what the other thought happened, they spent the night walking around, talking. at one point Eirik made a fire and gathered some stumps for them to sit on, and they spent the rest of the night at that spot.

She was from Iceland, so she was used to outdoor life and knew of the old gods, though she remained a healthy skeptic. The child of military parents herself, she had chosen the bounty hunter life, unable to thrive under the strict regulations of army life. She and Eirik had been a permanent thing after that night. She would get him into trouble on more than one occasion and her would get her out of trouble just as often.

Whenever he had his chance, he was off with her on a new bounty, enjoying the wild life of fast money, drugs, and being locked with the woman of his dreams in a ship for weeks at a time. They went through everything together, from depression over lost loved ones to the nastiest and bloodiest fighting both of them had ever seen.

She had become his one reason to continue believing in good. All he was good at in life, was causing death and destruction. But she saw something more. She dared look past his violence. She was his anchor to sanity, his chance at a regular life. He would burn the galaxy to the ground if it meant ensuring her safety.

"Come," Eirik said and held out a hand to Freja. She took it and looked at him with an expectant look. "Where are we going?"

"On our own little adventure. Just, one thing first." Eirik picked up his half-eaten burger and took aim, "Hey David, think fast" He shouted and threw the burger. David's head shot up at the mention of his name and he threw himself to the ground, barely avoiding the meaty missile.

"I still have my eyes, David. Cut it out!" Eirik said before turning around, leaving an embarrassed David on the ground.

Eirik stopped at a kiosk to buy a bottle of vodka and 2 large sodas, which made Freja laugh. "Just like when we were young"

"Not quite, You got more beautiful with time" Eirik replied as they continued their walk.

"Smooth talker" She shoved him lightly, but it was also clear she agreed with him.

They headed towards the dock area. There was always plenty of places you could sit down and talk at the docks.

After finding a secluded area, they sat down and cracked open their sodas, drinking a bit to make room for the vodka, and Freja opened up the conversation again

"I meant it when I said that the war was the reason I sought you out. I'm happy to see you Eirik, I really am, but you hurt me. You betrayed me!"

"We both know there was nothing I could do. Too many people knew who you were AND that you were leading that smuggling crew! If anything, you betrayed me, you ran weapons for the people trying to kill us!" Eirik was frustrated, it was the same arguments over and over.

"Profit is profit and they were willing to pay more. You know me Eirik! You would not love me if I was not the person I am!" Freja was getting worked up again and Eirik tried to cut it off.

"Freja, what do you want me to say? That I'm sorry? There is not a day since then I have not regretted not doing more. Do you want to know how I feel like this?? I started a bloody war with an entire species, and then proceeded to give the government an ex-Machina out of the whole ordeal!! My life is going to shit without you, Freja. Those 10 years we had together were the single best period of time in my life and I am not willing to give that up now!

What is it gonna take for you to move past what happened?" This side of Eirik was rarely, if ever, shown. His vulnerable side and Freja were not ignorant of this.

"That was a good start. But æet's forget all that, enjoy each other's company, and see where the night goes." She finally said, leaning up against Eirik.

They spent several hours there, talking and drinking. The inevitable happened and they stumbled drunkenly into a hotel room at the end of the night.

_________________________

Eirik woke up with a strange feeling in his stomach. Something was wrong. That's when he felt a knife blade against his throat. He swallowed hard and looked over to Freja's side of the bed.

Empty.

He realized who was holding the knife and his mind froze up for a second.

Finally, he spoke. "Always the bounty hunter. How much is she offering?"

"Half a million credits, the biggest payday in years": She whispered in his ear.

"So why am I not dead yet?" He asked calmly.

His relaxed tone perplexed her and she pressed the knife closer to his throat, expecting him to tense up, but he didn't. "How can you be so calm, Eirik. What tricks are you planning?" She asked suspiciously.

"No tricks. I am merely sanguine. If I am to die at this moment, I die a happy man." Eirik slowly turned around as he spoke and laid his hands behind his head as he looked into Freja's eyes.

"How can you be at peace when death is staring you in the eyes?" Freja asked, never taking her eyes, or the knife, off of him.

"Because I know you still love me. I am whole again, and as such, I am at peace with the skein of my life once more." Eirik said with a certainty that shocked and annoyed Freja. The Idiot manchild was right, of course, but she would never admit to it.

"So why am I not dead yet, Freja?"

"To be honest, I Don't know, Eirik. I never failed a job before. Can you pay more?"

Eirik started laughing. It was a slow chuckle that started deep in his stomach and erupted into boisterous roaring laughter that filled the hotel room. "Pay more?" He wheezed between breaths with tears rolling down his cheeks,

"My love, the ship I hauled in is gonna earn me an 8 figure paycheck. I'm good for tens of millions already. Stay with me, I will make you a queen if you so desire. I will gladly pay you 2 million credits to give me information on Tai'Tanu, money is the least of my worries. You were obviously there to get briefed, so anything you can tell me would be of value." He smiled at her surprised face. The next thing he knew the knife was gone from his throat and Freja was snuggling back into his grasp. This was going to be a long night. Not that it bothered him in the slightest.

___________________________

The next morning Eirik woke her up with freshly made coffee and took in the sight of her unruly hair sitting around her head and face like a haystack. He knew from his meeting with the hairbrush that they had been overly active last night. He did not envy her when the time came to brush out her long hair.

"Thank you," She said as she accepted the cup. "She fears you, you know. Tai'Tanu, that is. She fears the symbol you are becoming. She sees a united Terran front gathering behind you and she seeks to kill you by any means, sooner rather than later. Tell me, did you mean what you said last night? That you could die a happy man, knowing that I still loved you?" Freja had dropped her guard, allowing her feeling of uncertainty to shine through. As she was the only person Eirik truly opened up to, he was the same for her.

"I meant every word, Freja. Life is a long and painful walk towards death. But a man can experience many joys along the way. You are a source of such joy, and the one that holds the dearest of places in my heart." Eirik was smoking a cigarette while relaxing in a chair. He looked peaceful and at home. He always looked peaceful in her company.

"Did you also mean the part about making me a queen?" Her eyes had taken on a gleaming twinkle of playfulness once more, but Eirik plowed straight through the notion of playing around.

"In 6 months I will have enough soldiers to take and hold a planet. A year from that I will be able to expand, and 3 years from that I can create a small empire with the potential for enormous economic growth and expansion if governed correctly. I want you at my side when I secede from the Terran Government and create my own kingdom. I want you as my queen"

Having finally revealed his plan to someone felt good. Eirik was happy it was Freja, she would never tell a living soul. Freja was sitting with her cup of coffee to her lips, frozen in shocked realization. "By the old gods, you are serious, aren't you?" She finally asked.

"I am, Freja. My brother is in charge of training the soldiers as we speak. in 3 months the first 2000 troops will be finished and 3 months from that another 13000. with 15000 men I can take a small planet on the fringes and expand from there." Eirik's eyes were shining with the light of a dream and Freja felt drawn into them. This was the man she had fallen in love with so long ago. His passion was still there. It just needed to be reawakened.

"Okay, Eirik." She smiled at him and beckoned him over with a flirtatious motion. "Come over here and claim your queen then!"

__________________________

Many hours later Eirik's communicator was ringing and he fumbled through his strewn-out clothes to find it. When he finally answered he could hear David on the other end. "Where the fuck are you Eirik. The crew is getting annoyed and unruly. You need to solve this!!"

"Shit, I forgot to issue pay and leave duty yesterday," Eirik thought to himself. "Give me 2 minutes, then I'll call you back!" Eirik hung up and called his brother. "Lasse!" He said when his older brother picked up, "I need 6 of the trainees on guard duty in front of my ship. none but the crew and I enter! I'll explain later, okay?"

"No need to, I understand." Lasse chuckled as Freja, with even more messy hair, popped up in the background of Eirik's screen.

Eirik then dug around for his datapad and made a 15 million credit transfer to David before he asked Freja for her bank details. 30 seconds later he asked her to check the account again.

"Shit, you weren't lying Eirik. How did you get all this money?" Freja kept updating her bank info, expecting the numbers the disappear.

"War profiteering," Eirik said and left it at that. He called David back. "I transferred Crew pay to you. Give them a week off and split out the credits fairly. I'm transferring the command squad pay later today. When I have sold the Kloxna ship to the government, a bonus will be paid out, as usual. Talk to you later, David!"

Eirik hung up and walked over to the window of the hotel room. He stared at the busy street outside and took a deep breath. as he exhaled it seemed as if a massive weight was lifted from him and he stood straighter. Freja crawled out of bed and walked over to embrace him from behind. "Penny for your thoughts," She said over his shoulder.

"I am thinking about how infinitely little the rest of the universe means to me at this current moment, except for you and I" Eirik leaned into the embrace and they stood there, just enjoying being near each other again.