### *Tobias: The Truth Comes Out*
**Unspoken Truths**
Tobias sat in the common area of the ship, staring at his hands. The silence around him was thick, only the low hum of the engine filling the space. Martha, Bruno, and Luna sat around him, their expressions a mix of concern and impatience. They had rescued him from the station, but the weight of his silence still hung heavy in the air.
Martha broke the silence first, her voice gentle. “Tobias, we need to know what happened. Why didn’t you reach out? Why didn’t you come back with us?”
Tobias looked up at her, his eyes distant. “I didn’t want to be a burden. I thought... I thought you’d be better off without me.” His voice cracked slightly, and he quickly looked away.
Bruno leaned forward, his brow furrowed. “What are you talking about? You’re family to us. We never meant for you to feel like you were a burden.”
Tobias sighed deeply, as though the weight of everything was too much to carry alone. “It wasn’t just about leaving. It was about everything that happened back at the station—everything I did to screw up my career. I couldn’t just come back like everything was fine. I didn’t deserve to be with you guys.”
Luna stood up and walked over to him, her voice soft but firm. “You don’t get to decide that for us, Tobias. We’re a team. We’ve been through so much together. We don’t leave people behind.”
Tobias swallowed hard, his eyes filled with a mixture of regret and shame. “I didn’t want you to see me like this. I didn’t want you to know how much I messed up.”
There was a long pause before Martha spoke again, her voice steady. “We’ve all messed up. You’re not alone in that.”
---
### *Felicity's Return*
The ship’s alert system buzzed, interrupting the quiet moment. Luna quickly checked the console, her eyes widening in surprise. “Uh, guys... we’ve got a situation.”
Martha stood up, her heart suddenly racing. “What is it?”
“It’s a distress signal... from the Edge of the sector,” Luna said, scanning the message. “It’s Felicity.”
Tobias's heart skipped a beat. “Felicity? How... how did she send this?”
Luna raised an eyebrow. “It’s coming from a small shuttle she was supposed to be on, but it looks like she ran away. The signal’s coming from an abandoned colony just past the nebula.”
Bruno cursed under his breath. “That girl never listens. We need to get there fast.”
---
### *Confronting the Past*
The shuttle ride to the abandoned colony was a tense one. Martha couldn’t shake the feeling of dread that settled in her chest. Felicity had always been the free spirit, the one who acted before thinking, but this was different. This wasn’t just a childish escape. Something was wrong.
When they arrived, the colony appeared as abandoned as the distress signal had suggested. Empty streets and silent buildings loomed in the distance. Felicity’s shuttle was parked off to the side, its hatch open, but no sign of her.
Martha, Bruno, Luna, and Tobias stepped cautiously into the colony, scanning their surroundings.
“Felicity?” Martha called, her voice carrying through the empty streets. “Felicity, where are you?”
There was no response, just the eerie silence of the deserted place. They moved forward, checking buildings one by one. When they finally found Felicity, she was sitting alone in a small, dimly lit room, her knees drawn up to her chest. Her face was streaked with tears, and her eyes were wide with fear when she saw them.
“What are you doing here?” Felicity demanded, her voice shaky. “I told you not to come after me.”
Martha rushed to her side, kneeling down. “Felicity, what happened? Why did you run away?”
Felicity’s hands trembled as she wiped at her eyes. “I... I couldn’t stay there anymore. I felt trapped. Everyone kept telling me what to do, and I couldn’t... I couldn’t take it. So I left.”
Bruno frowned. “But you didn’t have to go this far. You could’ve talked to us. You could’ve asked for help.”
Felicity shook her head fiercely. “I didn’t want anyone to tell me what to do! I just... I wanted to be free.”
Luna knelt beside her, her voice soft but insistent. “Running away doesn’t make you free, Felicity. It just leaves you stuck somewhere else. You don’t have to go through this alone. We’re here for you.”
Felicity looked at them, her walls slowly coming down. “I didn’t want to hurt anyone... I just felt like everyone was moving on without me. Like no one really needed me anymore.”
Tobias, who had been silent up until now, stepped forward. His voice was quiet but full of understanding. “I get it. I’ve felt that way before. Like I didn’t belong. Like I was a failure. But running away doesn’t solve anything. You have to face what’s bothering you head-on.”
Felicity looked at Tobias, her eyes narrowing slightly. “You? You’re the one who ran away. You didn’t even come back to us until... now.”
Tobias winced at her words but nodded. “I know. I messed up. But I came back. And you can, too.”
Felicity stared at him, uncertainty flashing in her eyes. Slowly, she took a deep breath and stood up, wiping the last of her tears away. “I don’t know if I can fix everything. But I’ll try. For you guys.”
Martha smiled softly, standing up as well. “That’s all we can ask for.”
---
### *The Return Home*
The ride back to the ship was quieter, but the air felt lighter. Felicity had agreed to return with them, though she still carried the weight of her uncertainty. Tobias, too, was still carrying his own burdens, but there was a shift in him—a sense of resolution.
As the ship entered the atmosphere, Martha glanced over at him, her voice soft. “I know things aren’t perfect, Tobias. But we’re in this together. You don’t have to face everything on your own.”
Tobias nodded, offering a small, grateful smile. “Thanks... for coming back for me.”
“Always,” Luna replied, her voice steady.
They knew there were still many things left unresolved, many conversations that needed to be had, but for now, they were together. And that was enough.
