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Like a balloon animal escaping its twisted prison, a deep sigh of relief escaped Pykes lips as the empire ship thundered into the sky. I could feel the tension, thick like beef butter melting away, dripping through times fingers and into the lap of elation. We had survived, again, and what's more, we had the bounty money to show for it.
As the drone of the ship disappeared over the planet, I let myself unclench my jaw. In the corner of my eye, I saw Dandy and Chuckles celebrating, slices of pie in hand, Leboosh loosening his gauntlets, Rett obsessively checking on the funds, and Kavir sinking to the ground, a smile on his face and a scream of joy and gutteral release in his throat.
I stepped over, one hurried foot in front of the other, wind whipping the sand into my eyes and with utter glee and exasperation I flung myself towards Pyke, closing the gap between us in seconds. Surprised, Pyke reached out to stop us toppling over and I landed square in his arms, a victorious laugh in my lungs. He must have sensed the terror as much as the rest of us, because right then, with the opportunity to celebrate, he cracked a genuine smile, and with a whoop, he hoisted me off the ground and into the air with a shout:
"Coffee and pizza for days baby! We're going to have enough fuel to get us anywhere we want to go! Anywhere you want, the galaxy is ours to explore! The stars are ours, you did it!"