When they first emerge to the sight of another ship waiting, there’s even a moment when Soren is convinced it’s the Kree, come to finally wipe out what of their race didn’t literally disintegrate on their own. But then she recognizes it from the description they only dared transmit to her an hour ago, and she’s quick to allay everyone else’s fears with a, “That’s them.”
“Really? Other people like us?” asked the older of her two grandsons. The two of them, the only family she has left now, have maybe been the most excited people on board about this. The others who survived generally went through a lot more than Soren and her late daughter, before Carol found them and directed them to this ship or even brought them to it. They’re maybe hopeful, but they’ve felt their losses even more keenly than the three of them did. Everyone agrees that their race now has to gather all their survivors together to keep existing, but so many still don’t like the risk they’ve taken.
One of them, Tasui, has been hovering over the comm channel they’ve only newly installed. His voice is trembling as he says, “We’re getting a signal,” and switches it on.
The voice that greets them, which she believes belongs to a Skrull named Onger, is deep and regal, and it feels so good just to hear it. “Welcome, my fellow lost friends. You are Soren’s group?”
Soren guesses that’s what they are now. “Yes,” she replies. “There are currently nine of us. We also recently made contact with a group of three more Skrulls; they’re headed this way and eager to join us.”
“We’ve got fourteen here now, and contact with more, although I fear some of them in the end won’t be willing to come to us, or tell us exactly where they are. Until we received this second decimation, I don’t think any of us dared move about.”
“We didn’t,” Soren acknowledges. “I don’t think any of us have even been off this ship for years.” That’s one thing she’s even looking forward to changing, especially if she gets the chance to stand on a planetary surface again.
“Well, you, at least, should set foot on ours. We’ve got a good shuttle with us.”
“Sir?” Her younger grandson piped up. “Do you have any children? With you, I mean?”
Soren wonders if that’s a little rude of him, but Onger sounded pleased as he said, “Yes, we do. We have a little girl here, and I think she’ll be happy to have some new friends. You can bring them over, if you like.”
The two boys actually cheer. Soren feels the joy of it herself. She even exchanges a little smile with Tasui. Back when she made the decision and sent out the signals four months ago, she wondered when she’d first feel this to be worth the danger. This moment might be it.