The Outrider settled back into the dock, Markath and Amanda waiting there to greet it. As soon as the docking ramp lowered, Hannah bounded down it, her enthusiasm carrying her into Amanda with an energetic bound that nearly took both of them off their feet. Markath laughed, catching and steadying the two of them.

“Careful, Captain,” he said as they caught themselves.

“Sorry,” Hannah said, “sometimes I still forget about the gravity here.”

She stood back from her sister, and Amanda grinned as they looked at each other. Hannah had settled into the role of captain easily, picking up the remains of the scavenger company and making it her own. It suited her, and the repaired Outrider was now one of the more profitable scavenging operations run out of Marsport. The ship, confiscated as part of Dieter’s punishment, had been a gift from the emperor. Verikan had wanted to thank Hannah for her help dealing with Captain Rivers and his crew of thieves, and letting her loose in a ship of her own served both of them well.

Not that he’d forgotten Amanda’s contribution. Verikan had sent Mr. Dieter back home to Earth at his employer’s insistence. The RyaTech were paying for his return with funding for the clinic, which meant Amanda could at last afford to hire more doctors. She wasn’t sure that was an ideal punishment after all the harm Dieter had caused, but she put that out of her mind. He was on another planet now, and she wasn’t likely to ever see him again. Would having him in prison somewhere really be that much better?

And as Markath had pointed out to her, Dieter had embarrassed his corporate masters. They weren’t known for being forgiving, so his future was hardly rosy. That would have to do as a punishment.

But between that, and the prize money they’d each gotten for their part in discovering Kagurash’s Monument, the Cain sisters were doing well for themselves. The clinic was funded for years in advance, and Hannah had the capital to invest in making her salvage operations one of the best-equipped on the planet.

The only problem, from Amanda’s point of view, was that she still didn’t get to spend much time with her sister. The Outrider spent months at a time away from Marsport, making her sister’s visits short and scattered events.

But Hannah had cut her latest venture short when she heard Amanda’s big news, hurrying home with the hold only half full. Her eyes wide, Hannah grinned ever more broadly and looked at Amanda’s belly. The pregnancy was far enough along to be clearly visible, and Hannah’s eyes went wide with delight.

“Congratulations, both of you,” she said, and Amanda threw her arms around her sister. “I never thought I’d see you settle down, sis.”

Amanda looked up at Markath, who watched over her with a protective pride. “It took meeting the right man, I guess. Come on, I need to sit down, and you need to tell us all about your adventures.”

Markath stepped forward and, without any sign of effort, swung her off her feet to carry her away. He still bore scars from their adventures, but otherwise he was fully recovered — and he’d refused to consider having the scars removed. They were a constant reminder of how he had won his mate, he’d told Amanda when she suggested it, and he would wear them with pride for the rest of his days. Unless she preferred not to see them, he’d added, which had made her laugh. He looked even more ruggedly handsome with them.

“Put me down, I can walk just fine,” she protested as he carried her away from the dock and towards their home.

“You said you needed to sit down,” he said, grinning. “And I’ll not have you overdoing things now. Not while you’re carrying my son.”

“Overprotective idiot,” she said, putting her arm around his neck and hugging him close with a happy smile. “Everyone’s looking at us.”

“Let them stare,” Markath said, laughing. “I’ve no intention of hiding how much I love my mate.”

Hannah laughed too and followed the pair of them off the dock. Behind them, her crew set about securing the ship as the port bustled around them. Amanda looked around at Marsport, holding onto her mate as he carried her home, and realized for the first time that it really was home she was going to. Finally, she had a family, a home, and a place she’d be happy to raise children.

And in turn, her children would have a chance to see the stars.