Once Hilda stepped into the docking port, Rainbow eyed her for a moment. The Human strutted into the room, a smirk on her face. Acting like the fact her ship was surrounded by angry planet busters, was no big deal.

The Misfits held back. They respected Scootaloo a good deal. It's the reason Rainbow brought her. Child or not, Scootaloo was their former Captain. The Misfits still tended to default to her authority... time to see how far that went.

Dash had used Scootaloo's contacts, to summon the Misfits. As only a TARDIS had powerful enough sensors, to track Hilda's ship, from it's unknown location in the Galaxy.

The Uzumaki TARDIS, was designed to teleport anywhere in the Galaxy. Meaning it's sensors had to touch every spot in the Galaxy at once. Sure, there were defenses against such teleportation pods... but they were expensive, and therefore rare.

Dash wanted to go directly to the XGP, but it wasn't registered. So the Misfits had no way of pinpointing it. They could, however, find Hilda's original ship.

So here Dash was. She couldn't arrest the woman, not in this free state, and truthfully not at all. The Outlaw technically committed no crimes against an alliance citizen, nor in their territory. Still, Dash could question her.

Provided the Misfits kept their tempers in check. They held a soft spot for children with classes. With the Children of the Doctor, signing treaties to let the Misfits Caravan act as their private enforcers.

The Misfits could dispense justice as they saw fit, and while they were usually merciful, they felt a special hatred for those that hurt children... particularly children with classes.

•

Dash stood, in her human form, finding many humanoids respond better to her, in this state. She still had blue skin, and multi coloured hair, but there were a few humanoid species with pastel skin colors. They just accepted her better, when she looked like them.

Walking over to Hilda, with the Misfits right behind, Dash held herself with dignity before the, currently taller, woman. Dash glared up at her.

"Admiral Dash," She held up her starfleet badge.

Meanwhile, Scootaloo and the supposedly kidnapped human boy (who kept insisting he hadn't been kidnapped), sat off to the side. Watching the exchange.

It was a bit early for Stockholm Syndrome to kick in... but the boy could just be scared to turn against his Captor.

The Smart Mouth duplicates were looking after the children. While the newly recruited crew, of Hot Ice Hilda, was standing around wearily... obviously not sure what to do with themselves

"I have questions for you," Dash glared at the outlaw... as the crew the human recruited, was watched closely by the Misfits.

"I can't imagine what for," Hilda continued to smile.

"It's in regards to the Stolen space forces ship. The kidnapping of their Bio Android. As well as the Kidnapping of a child, and attempted murder of his guardian." Dash glared.

Hilda shrugged, not even denying it, "All of which is outside your jurisdiction. I have committed no crimes against the Alien Alliance."

The Sodaroo, Sunny Dilbert, suddenly grabbed at Hilda. His massive claw squeezing her head, as she struggled.

All of Hilda's new crew acted immediately. They pulled out their weapons, but the Misfits seemed unphased.

The Haunted Child just smiled, his skeleton grin. "We let you keep your weapons, because they are hardly a threat to us."

"But I am," Dash's fingers crackled with lightning. All of them pointed at Sunny Dilbert. "Let her go." she ordered.

By the way the Roo was looking at her. It was obvious he was debating killing her to.

"Stand down!" Scootaloo, still in her pony form, stood as tall as her puppy sized body would allow.

Dilbert just raised an eyebrow.

"You heard me D." Scoot glared. "We're here to talk. So Let. Her. Talk!" Thank Celestia Dash brought Scootaloo.

Dilbert growled, but released Hilda. The Outlaw fell to the ground, clutching her head, and coughing.

The Asari knelt down next to her, "Please, forgive Sunny. He's got a temper on the best of days. And after you went after one of the children, under our protection. Well, I'm sad to say, your life is forfeit." she smiled pleasantly. "and I don't exactly need your cooperation, to read your mind."

The Asari reached out her fingers, only to freeze. Meta felt a barrel pressing against her skull... but it wasn't a gun. It was something far worse then a gun.

"Get away from her," a ginger human demanded, holding a caster to the base of her skull.

Meta just eyed him. Not like death really mattered to her, but it was inconvenient... and painful.

"Gene!" The boy stood up, looking panicked.

"You're Starwind," Meta realized. "The boy's guardian... why would you care? This woman tried to kill you. Tried to kidnap your ward."

"If I held a grudge, I wouldn't have gone with her." Gene gave a shrug. A smile, of all things, on his lips. While the Misfits looked on in confusion... Oddly not concerned by the Caster, at their friends' head. Not even the Asari looked troubled by it.

"She would have enslaved the boy," Musky gaped at Gene. "Killed you and enslaved your charge."

The ginger rolled his eyes, "Oi, I'm the one that got shot." he glared, "What business is it of yours!?"

The Kobold spoke up. "Do you even know why she wanted him?"

Gene glared right back, though his eyes never left the Asari. "I can think of a lot of reasons, an Outlaw would want control of a Technomancer. But if I had to guess, I'd say it's to keep the Android, she stole, in repair." Gene's eyes lingered on Malfina, as said android peeked out from behind a crate.

"A Cleric, with a Technomancy Archetype, has the magicks needed to keep both her organic parts, and cybernetics, in working order." Gene reasoned.

"The Android is obviously vital to her plans, but she's still promised her a good cut, and is treating her kindly. She might only be staying with us, because she has no where else to go, but Hilda has made it clear, she does have a choice.

"Then, with the people she recruited," His eyes turning to the crew. "All that sappy family talk. I know. She might have been willing to kill me, when she saw me as an obstacle... but she would never have hurt Jim, much less slave him out. She isn't even willing to do that to an Android. The only reason she even brought me onboard, was so Jim would be more comfortable. I'm not exactly much use on a boat, due to some past traumas."

Hilda had stopped coughing, and was just staring at Gene. An unfamiliar look in her eyes, at least, to herself. It was a mix of surprise... and gratitude. Gene, the man she had tried to kill, was speaking on her behalf.

"Past trauma," The Skeletal creature grinned. "I imagine that's one way of describing being lost in the black for a month, after watching your father die in a pirate attack. Quite the experience for a barely pubescent child to go through."

Hilda's eyes widened more, as she learned just why Gene seemed to have such severe space sickness. Being lost in the black, for weeks, would traumatize anyone... but as a child, immediately after losing his dad... it was a wonder he was able to come out here, at all.

Hilda might be a tad stunted, in the empathy department, but even she could feel pity for that.

Unfortunately, the cruel memories, made Gene give into a careless mistake. He was young, after all. He started moving his caster towards the skeleton, but in that split second between his targets, the Asari snapped her hand. She made a grab for his weapon, while slamming her palm against Gene's chest.

Gene was lifted off his feet, and flew a good 10 feet back, before crashing into the ground.

"GENE!!!" Jim screamed, with the worry only a child could have, when their guardian was hurt.

"That's enough," Scootaloo demanded.

"Relax Scoot," Smart Mouth looked at all his counterparts, as they thought at each other. Before coming to a consensus.

Meta tossed Gene's Caster back at the man. Who wore a confused expression when he caught it. But Hilda got the message, the Misfits would let them live. Their telepaths must have picked up redeeming thoughts, during that chaotic interrogation.

Hilda was fully aware, they were being interrogated. Anything the Misfits said was meant to trigger emotional responses, and incriminating memories. Seems no one else realized it, not even the Starfleet Admiral.

The Misfits weren't exactly known for executing people, without giving them a trial first... which this was their version of.

"Hot Ice Hilda," Metagamer smiled, though now spoke with more Authority. "Given all the evidence, and testimony. We'll let you off with a warning."

The Asari wagged his finger, "Don't fuck with our children. And be sure to give both Jim, and his guardian, a fair cut."

Kole, the Kobold / True Dragon hybrid, wrung his hands together. With A good deal of glee in his eyes. "We'll be confiscating the XGP. Don't expect to find it at your safe house." Meta and Musky were able to pick up the coordinates, from Hilda's head.

Hilda glared, standing up, "You know why I need to find the Galactic Layline."

Smart Mouth waved off, "It can't help you. The Galactic Layline is a machine, not even techno magic. It doesn't even alter physics. Rather it uses science to cause chemical and biological changes... it can't resurrect the dead."

Hilda's fist tightened, "I see."

"They are gone Hilda," Smart Mouth sighed. "Even I can't feel them. If you DID resurrect them back, you would be literally murdering the children they had been reincarnated as. They have moved on to the next life. Not even I can help you recover them..."

Hilda nodded, her fist even tighter.

Meta sighed, "You need to let yourself move on. You have a new crew, a new life. Let us worry about the Galactic Layline."

Author's Note

I'm sad to say, I'm cancelling this fic, and doing yet another rewrite. Yet this time, I'm leaving this up, and just publishing a new fic.