A month after Johnson's death and the destruction of the Vault, the remaining Hyperion troops scattered across the desert world, building small camps and strongholds in an attempt to gain equal footing with the Vault Hunters. This proved to be a futile effort as the Slabs led by Brick and aided by Krieg hunted down the remaining troops and leveled what little command structure they had left. Forced with no alternative, the remaining troops either died, joined bandit clans like the Lance before them, or boarded ships offworld to the safety of the civilized planets. Pandora was finally liberated and with Jack, Blake, and the other Hyperion leaders deceased, the Hyperion threat had come to a close. After the war, the Vault Hunters decided to hang around Sanctuary for a while longer to rebuild the city before heading to Themis to deal with the Dahl Military. They used parts from the Pegasus to rebuild the shield and upgrade the city's defenses. While the city was under construction, Erick was preparing for a challenge so great that it dwarfed anything he had ever faced before, meeting Gaige's parents.
"Take that Zero!" yelled Erick, playing a fighting game against The Assassin. The rest of the Vault Hunters were in the lobby watching, with the exception of Murphy and Lilith.
"Go for the super!" Gaige advised, cheering Erick on.
"You've proven more difficult than anticipated" Zero commended Erick on his videogame skills.
"You're not facing your average gamer pal. Back on Earth, I was the master of console gaming. I remain undefeated to this day" Erick bragged as he pressed the buttons frantically "And now for the big finish…" Zero countered his super move with one of his own, landing the decisive blow on the arrogant Brother.
"Player 2 wins!" the game announcer bellowed through the T.V speaker's.
"A master on Earth/But we're not on earth, Erick/This is Pandora" Zero placed his remote on the controller and sat back, reveling in his victory.
"Nice try champ" Ari comforted her disappointed older brother, standing behind him and patting him on the shoulder.
"But I…how did…" Erick stammered as he stared at the screen in disbelief.
"Trade secret" Zero answered.
"He cheated" Axton joked.
"You accuse me of cheating? Preposterous" Zero said defensively.
"One thing I've learned is ninjas always cheat" Axton said.
"Cowards cheat, Axton/A true warrior fights fair/ I am the latter" Zero retorted.
"Monty, is he lying?" Erick wondered.
"You're asking the wrong girl. I couldn't say even if I wanted to" Montayva admitted, unable to get a clear read from her mysterious ally. She was sitting with Mordecai and carrying her baby in her arms. Junior was perched behind there seat, watching the activities of today with his master.
"Figures" Erick sulked, rotating his left shoulder clockwise "Must have been my new arm. My movements are way too sluggish. I told you we should have gone with a lighter alloy, Gaige."
"Excuses, excuses" Gaige giggled, placed her arms on her hips and shook her head "Face it, you suck."
"Thanks for the sympathy" Erick grumbled.
"Monty, have you picked a name for our little Vault Hunter?" Maya turned toward the happy couple, trying the change to subject on something other than games.
"We have. Mordecai and I have been thinking really hard on it and we've decided on Miria" Montayva looked at her baby and smiled. Miria laughed as she took a liking to her name.
"Little Asskicker would have been a better one for her" Axton insisted they call her by that name.
"My god! Again with that horrid name?" Maya rubbed her eyes in frustration as Axton's childish antics began giving her a headache.
"There ain't no way in hell I'm naming my firstborn Little Asskicker!" Mordecai exclaimed and gave Axton an annoyed look while downing a bottle of soda he had recently opened.
"Come on, it's an awesome name. Am I right Brick? Salvador?" Axton turned toward the two bulky men and hoped for them to have his back.
"Amigo, that is by far the stupidest name you could have come up with" Salvador chuckled.
"I could think of at least a thousand names better than that one" Brick agreed with Salvador.
"I thought you guys were cool but it turns out you're just as dull as the rest of these mooks" Axton sulked.
"And I thought I was the one who needed to grow up" Erick smirked. He glanced around the room and noticed Murphy and Lilith weren't there "Where's Murph? Our ship's ready to take off."
"He's upstairs in his room with Lilith" Angel informed.
"I know what they're up to" Axton took a pot shot at Lilith and Murphy who had forged a relationship over the past three months.
"You're just jealous. You wish you could score with a smokin' hot babe" Gaige teased.
"You mean a bossy bitch like her? Not in a million years" Axton shrugged off Gaige's insult. Montayva and Maya glanced at each other knowingly. In the months that had passed, the two knew how both Murphy and Lilith had changed for the better.
"Lilith, have you seen my hat? I gotta take off soon" Murphy asked as he scrounged around his room, looking for the hat Salvador gave him. He was digging through the closet while Lilith was looking in the locker.
"Found it!" Lilith answered as she pulled it off the side door. She walked over and placed the hat on his head. Over the past month, Murphy's pale complexion was gone, replaced with a natural tan. The glowing veins on his face were now completely unnoticeable. He appeared almost human but the cybernetic blue eyes were the only thing that threw off the facade.
"Thanks" Murphy adjusted the hat slightly "How do I look?" Murphy asked. He was dressed in the clothes Lilith gave him with the duster Salvador gave him in the beginning of his journey over them.
"You look like you belong in a western" Lilith laughed but Murphy did not take it as an insult "But I'll admit, it does look good on you Jason" she answered earnestly.
"It's actually grown on me" Murphy said, remembering the first time he wore it.
"So how long are you staying in Eden-5?"
"A week, maximum. We have a lot of work cut out for us on Themis. You'll need my help in dealing with the Dahl military. Besides, I'd go crazy without you" Murphy wrapped his arm around Lilith's waist and pulled her in for a kiss.
"Jason, I made this for you. I wanted to give it to you before heading out" Lilith pulled out a metal necklace from her pocket and wrapped it around his neck "I know she meant a lot to you. I made this so she could always be close to your heart and to remind you I'm always here for you" Murphy grabbed onto the small computer chip hanging off the end of the necklace. The chip was A.N.N's, his deceased AI and the only family he had for the past 7 years.
"Thank you" he said gratefully "To think, you pointed a gun to my head the first time we met. Now look at us."
"Mom always said love worked in mysterious ways" Lilith shrugged and gave him a quick kiss "We'd better head down or you'll miss the flight."
"Don't want to keep Ace and Gaige waiting" Murphy picked up his duffle bag containing his armor and left the room with Lilith following.
"Sure took your sweet time" Axton said teasingly as Murphy and Lilith entered the lobby.
"I don't want to hear any sass from you today. Unless you want to get on my bad side" Lilith warned, wagging her finger in Axton's face.
"Is it your time of the month again?" Axton asked sarcastically.
"Too late" Maya shook her head at the Commando.
"I'll let that one slide" Lilith said, shaking off his cruel remark.
"You've never been this generous Lil. Usually you'd knock his teeth in for saying something stupid. What changed?" Brick raised his eyebrow in curiosity.
"Nothing major. I've been in a good mood lately" she answered in a cheery tone.
"Bout time you loosened up a little" Mordecai said to his oldest friend.
"Don't get comfy, I'm still gonna run a tight ship around here" Lilith said, returning to her rather though exterior.
"Wouldn't have it any other way" Maya smirked as she turned to her fellow Siren.
"Ready to head out, Ace?" Murphy asked Erick as he stood next to him.
"Well, Murph… I don't think we should go" Erick said hesitantly "I mean, with Themis, Dahl, rebuilding Sanctuary, and the Atlas informant locked away in the interrogation room, we have a lot on our plate. Maybe we should stay here and help the others. It isn't exactly a great time to be on vacation."
"The others can handle Sanctuary and Dahl and Atlas can wait. You're just trying to weasel your way out of your promise" Gaige pointed out.
"It's just… what if your dad hates me? He might try shooting me with a Jakob's Striker shotgun" Erick rubbed his chin nervously.
"You're over exaggerating. Dad's gonna love you. And FYI, daddy owns a slag Deliverance" Gaige said, only feeding Erick's fear further.
"That's comforting" Erick slumped over the couch as he imagined her dad shooting him in the chest.
"Trust me Ace, you've faced a hell of a lot worse than her dad. This should be a cake walk" Murphy said encouragingly.
"And he cannot be worse than my father" Angel added.
"Yeah, but this is one problem I can't just zap with a flick of my wrist" Erick said with shakiness in his voice.
"You could still zap him" Salvador suggested and Gaige shot him a venomous glare strong enough to bore through even his thick skull "What? It's true!"
"I want to meet the man not kill him. Although he might try killing me" Erick spoke with a little less shakiness in his voice.
"Please, for me" Gaige pouted and gave Erick the puppy eyes look in order to sway his decision in her favor.
"Damn it!" How can I say no to a face like that? Okay, you've convinced me" Erick caved.
"Alright, let's go. The shuttle's just outside waiting for us" Murphy instructed.
"Bon voyage, kid. Your chariot to hell awaits" Axton teased as he waved his arm toward the door.
"We'll remember to come to your funeral" Mordecai joined in.
"May heaven have mercy on your soul" Zero projected an evil smiley emote over his faceplate as he too took another jab at Erick.
"Not funny!" Erick yelled.
"Don't listen to those knuckleheads. They're just messing with you. You'll do great Erick, I know it" Ari supported her brother when the others tried to bring him down.
"Remember, fear is your worst enemy, not Gaige's father" Montayva advised.
"Adios muchachos. Come back soon" Salvador walked over and patted Erick on the back.
"Take care slabs" Brick walked over and gave Murphy and Erick huge bear hugs and Gaige stood and laughed as Brick squeezed the air out of their lungs.
"See ya later Brick but please let us go" Murphy asked nicely in a hoarse voice. Brick released his grip and the two men caught their breath.
"Bring a souvenir while you're up there" Maya said, wishing them a good trip.
"Have a pleasant journey" Angel said happily. Krieg lumbered over and towered over the three leaving Vault Hunters.
"Say goodbye" Krieg's inner voice ordered nicely.
"I powdered my cockatiel for the ribcage slaughter!" Krieg growled like an animal and smacked himself in the head with his signature buzzaxe.
"I don't know why I bother" his inner voice grumbled.
"He means farewell" Montayva clarified.
"Goodbye" Lilith walked over and wrapped her arms around his neck, knowing she wouldn't see him for a while "Come back safe. And remember where your true home really is."
"I will" Murphy assured. He walked away from her and began walking outside the HQ with Gaige and Erick. The three stood in front of the shuttle parked next to Zed's clinic. Gaige looked at the ship with great anticipation.
"I'm finally going home. I can't believe this is happening. It's like a dream come true" Gaige squealed enthusiastically.
"Me neither" Erick chuckled nervously "You have my back, right Murph? Murph!" Murphy ignored the question and just laughed.
"You're on your own with that one Ace" Murphy said, almost enjoying Erick's misery.
"I hate you so much right now" Erick glared at Murphy.
"Relax. I'll keep you safe" Gaige leaned over and kissed Erick.
"See Ace, you're in good hands" Murphy nodded toward the two younger Vault Hunters.
"LAST CALL FOR ANY BADASSES HEADING TO MOTHERF***ING EDEN-5! the ships speakers boomed, informing the three of its upcoming departure. They walked up the ramp and entered the ship, prepared for the journey ahead "ALL ABOARD! LET'S BURN SOME RUBBER! NEXT STOP, EDEN-5!" the shuttle doors closed and the engines lit aflame as fuel burned through the thrusters. The ship took off and disappeared into the Pandoran sky.