*Phoenix base*
Orlando looked around in disgust. A group of five troops had shown up soon after the others had left, and their blood was slowly spreading around the bodies, staining the floor crimson. Even though he was an air pirate, he disliked the sight of blood.
Running footsteps caused him to look up, as well as Terrance and Elijah. All three members of Gilder's crew readied their pistols in preparation. The person who came around the corner easily dodged the bullets by sliding underneath them. He stood up and dusted himself off, then walked into the light.
"Captain!"
Gilder smiled, and then said, "The idiots that we faced won't bother us anymore." His crew sighed in relief, and he continued, "How is Hans doing?"

Gilder looked over to see Ilchymis bandaging the engineer's chest. The chemist's back was to him, so he couldn't see his expression.
"Ilchymis?"
"He's going to be all right, though it will take him several weeks before he is fully recovered."
A collective sigh of relief was heard just down the corridor, and everyone else (except Clara) walked into view. Just then, another voice was heard, and Clara was seen running down a different corridor from the others. "Gilder! Come here and give your soulmate a kiss!"
"HELL no!" Gilder took off down the hallway, looking like he was escaping from eternal torture. The others weren't very surprised, because they knew that for Gilder, Clara was the same as eternal torture. Vyse and Orlando carefully picked up Hans, and the rest of the group started walking back to the Delphinus, though at a much more leisurely pace than the first two.

*Crescent Island, three weeks later*
Hans had woken up four days after receiving the slash on his chest, but he was remained confined to bed, still too weak to stand. Brabham and Izmael had come two weeks ago, and together with Kirala, the rebuilt the Claudia for their fun-loving friend. Clara had left only a day after rescuing everybody, and no one had heard any news of her since.
Now that the Claudia was finished, she was pulling out of the Crescent isle harbor, with Elijah steering and the other three saying goodbye.
"Be sure to come visit once in a while, otherwise Aika will strangle me with her hair for not making you!"
Gilder laughed at his friend's comment. "Now THAT is something that I'll have to see! Take care, Vyse!"
"You too!"
Gilder watched as Crescent island faded into the distance, then went to the bridge to speak to Elijah.
"Captain, where do you want to go?"
"Back to the base. I just need some time to think without worrying about interruptions."
Elijah nodded and set the ship's course. Gilder went back to his quarters, ready to get some well-deserved sleep.

-

Well, that's it for the story. There are only a few more things to take care of.
First, I'd like to thank everyone who took time to review this story. I honestly didn't think that my first story would get so many reviews.
Second, I'll give a brief answer to Lady Lanet's question. Clara was talking about Gilder, viewing the two that he killed as examples. Gilder didn't have a very good life, but one event in particular started a change in him. I won't go into the event or the change, because they will be revealed in my next story.