Winds of Change Book II: Distant Thunder
Chapter 1: Finding Your Wings Once More.
AN: Welcome to the first chapter of the second volume in the Winds of Change saga. I have decided to break the story up into 3 books total to prevent it from getting a monster sized scroll bar in the chapter select box. Now, this book will pick up right where the last one left off and will cover a span of approximately five weeks, so it will be a bit larger than the previous one. Now, if you haven't read book I, this story will make no sense to you at all, so go back and read it first. With that out of the way, sit back, relax, and get ready to enjoy what I hope will be a good story. Oh and if anyone's interested, my current avatar is the model I used for the teams freighter. It shows the hidden weapons active.
Disclaimer: I do not own Storm Hawks, and never will, also I do not own anything related to Legend of the Dragoon or Legend of Zelda. They are the property of Asaph "Ace" Fipke and made by Nerd Corps Entertainment, Sony Entertainment and Nintendo, however I DO own Kai, Rose, the Shadow crystal, and this story.
Shadow and Griffy are the property of ShadowQueen25
Tigger belongs to Narrator01
Marina is Star Wars Nut's
Rondana was made by and owned by MissDedodakes
The ship barreled down the hanger and shot out like a bullet. As soon as it cleared the hanger, the ships lights cut off and the cockpit was illuminated only by the instruments red glow.
"Don't worry, that's normal." Kai reassured the passengers as he steered around the massive column's of crystal that rose from the depths of terra Deep.
"Piper? Where to?" Kai asked the bluenette that currently looked like she was having a sugar rush.
The younger teen turned to look at him, and it took a moment for her to figure out what he meant. "That's right, I'm the navigator, douy!" Taking a second to calm down her breathing, she pulled out her notebook.
"The first port that the ship recorded reaching was located in what they called The Phoenix Den. Its coordinates are pretty close to terra Amazonia, but I think it's in the wastelands." She said looking up from her notes.
Marina's breath hitched. "The dream….was it a vision of what's going to happen? If it is, then why was I alone? Where were the others?" She thought with a slight shiver.
She was still trying to get rid of the lingering feel of cold metal around her throat. Whoever it was that she saw in her dream, they were wearing some kind of armor under their robe, and they didn't seem bothered by the heat at all.
"Are…is there any chance of us coming across some..thing down there." Marina asked. She had almost slipped and said some-one, but caught herself just in time.
Kai was silent for a moment before answering. "Normally, no. Very few creatures can survive in the wastelands, and those that can usually prefer to stay away from terras. But since this is a possible city, fortress, or at the very least, port of the Ancients, I would say yes." Kai replied focusing on piloting the ship out of terra Deep.
Marina gulped and tried to focus on other things to keep calm. Part of her wanted to tell the others about her dreams, but she just couldn't. Something was holding her back.
"What if by my telling them…I make those events occur?"
This was her current dilemma. On the one hand, she could prevent something from happening by warning the others. On the other hand, she might cause those events by changing what would have happened in the first place.
Several hours past, and the initial excitement of the flight faded away. Shadow and Tigger had decided to go back to the cabin area to chat and Rondana, having nothing better to do followed, leaving the others to their selves.
Marina was still a bit tired due to her dream, so she quickly drifted off in her seat, which, just as Kai had said earlier, was rather comfortable.
Piper, since she was the navigator for the mission had no choice but to remain alert and at attention. They had no idea where it was they were actually going, they only knew the general area, so her attention was being divided between the viewports and her translated book.
Kai of course was focused on flying. They had long since left terra Deep, but that didn't make things any safer. In fact, it actually made things harder. In terra Deep there were plenty of places to hid or ambush someone if you knew the area, but in the open sky's there was no place to really hid except in the clouds. This of course was the first thing taught in every flight school on Atmos, never, for any reason fly into a cloud.
Ever.
Because of this, Kai had to not only keep the ship in the air, but had to keep a lookout for any other vessels. He was after all flying an unregistered freighter, an enemy of Cyclonia, and, as far as the Sky Council was concerned, a wanted fugitive.
This left Starling alone with her thoughts, a situation that she was finding to be very common as of late.
"Why is it that every time I'm in a group I'm still by myself?" She thought half amused, half sourly. "I feel like a third wheel on this mission. I can't speak or read ancient like Piper. I'm not as strong as Marina, or anywhere close to being as good as Tigger or Rondana in their fields. Even Shadow can at least keep things from getting to serious and gloomy."
This was a first for Starling. For the first time she felt completely and utterly useless. She knew that wasn't true, but with the way things were going lately; she was having a hard time seeing anything positive.
"First I get back from a mission and find that my base has been invaded. Then I get attacked by Arygyn and chase him for three days across half of Atmos, then end up on a mission with Kai for the first time in over a year, only to find out he's been doing my missions behind my back all the while running from the Sky Council and playing treasure hunter for Arygyn." This of course led to a second train of thought, one that was more than just a little confusing.
"I still don't understand why Kai kept this all to himself. I can understand why he wouldn't make this public, but I can't believe that he wouldn't at least tell me. We've known each other for almost fourteen years! He must have told someone other than the Rock Hearts." Starling narrowed her eyes in concentration. "Think Starling, think. Kai would never let any harm come to his friends if he could do anything about it, and I taught him to always have a plan B. He must have had some form of backup for if he ever failed, or if something happened to him."
Then it clicked.
In the past year, she had received several, offers.
Offers that she hadn't thought much of at the time since she had become accustomed to them, but when combined with what she now knew, were seen in a different light.
"After Kai visited the Condor, Aerrow started asking me to join the Storm Hawks again, more than he ever did before, and Suzi, she's offered me the position of Beta twice in the last few months. Even Tigger stopped attacking Aladd when he tried to convince me to join the Rock Hearts." If she hadn't been sitting at the moment, she was sure that she would have fallen flat on her rear at this revelation.
"Did Kai tell them what was happening? No…no I don't think he told anyone, he made that clear as day. He must have just asked them if they would mind asking me every now and then if I wanted to join them." This made her feel a bit better, but now she was left wondering at just how many little things Kai had done over the last year to try and help her, and what had simply been random chance.
Shaking her head, Starling slowly rose from her seat and went to the cabin area to rest her eyes.
"I still don't get why he needed us. He seems to have everything under control already, and he told us that he's been doing this for a while. Why would he suddenly want a team to help him when he's been fine so far going solo?" Shadow asked the rooms other two occupants.
"Why are you asking me? I'm a doctor, not a psychic." Rondana replied looking up from a book she had been trying to read.
Key word. Trying.
"Maybe something's different this time?" Tigger said tapping her chin.
Shadow, who was sitting on the bunk above her, dipped her top half over the side so that she was now hanging upside down like a bat.
"What would make this one different from the others? It's just some old ship." She said, unaware that she was slowly sliding forward.
"Maybe that's what it is. It would be hard to get a ship up and running by himself. I mean, yeah we got this thing up and running in one day, but it took all seven of us to do it." Tigger guessed.
"Ok, but if that's the case, why are we going to this, Phoenix Den, and not straight to where the ship is? If we're using its log book, couldn't we just go the where the last entry is, find the ship and be done with this whole mess?" Rondana asked.
Shadow laughed, but at the same time finally slid too far over the bed and fell off the side onto the ground.
"Owie!" Shadow shouted rubbing her head.
"What was so funny that it made you fall off the bunk?" Tigger asked, slightly confused.
It took Shadow a minute to stop rubbing the goose egg forming on her head, but when she did she gave a beaming smile. "I know why we're taking the long way." She replied confidently.
"Oh? And just what might that be?" Rondana asked turning a page.
Shadow smiled. "Because we'll get stronger, and we might even meet some people that will help us on our way!" She replied cheerfully.
Rondana and Tigger face planted.
"Shadow, this is real life, not some RPG game or novel." Tigger said as she picked herself up off the floor.
"Oh come on! It's not that bad of an idea!" Shadow exclaimed.
Tigger raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, a game where some group of random people flies around the world searching through ancient ruins would be a greatest hit." She said sarcastically.
"Yeah! It would be! There would be the cool thief from a village of thieves, who turns out to be royalty, and an ultra tuff girl that would be like, a champion fighter!" Shadow said doing her impression of a boxer throwing a few punches into the air.
Rondana, bored, decided to humor the girl. "Yeah, then throw in some guy that's all gloomy and emo that can transform into creatures, and a blond mechanic that never fights, just constantly complains about things."
Tigger narrowed her eyes and fired back. "Oh, and you cant forget about the medic that always wears long dresses into combat no matter where they are who goes on and on about trying to make things better in the world."
Shadow then jumped in. "And don't forget the animals! They would have two; both could talk and would always be the comic relief! OH! And one could like, ride on the others back like a horse!"
Tigger and Rondana traded disbelieving looks and were about to reply when the doors opened to reveal Starling, who walked right by them and went to one of the bunks to lie down.
Wanting to put an end to the silence, Rondana spoke up.
"So, eh…Starling. Do you know why Kai's taking us all over Atmos instead of straight to where the ship is by any chance?"
Starling blinked before turning her attention to the others.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Did you say something?" She asked.
"Yeah, she asked if you knew why we weren't just going to the ship. What's with the detours?" Shadow asked dusting herself off.
Starling was quiet for a moment before answering.
"Honestly, I don't know. I haven't really given it much thought." She said now sitting up.
"Welllll, it's not like you haven't had a lot on your mind." Tigger said pushing her glasses up.
Seeing Starlings face fall slightly she decided to steer the conversation in a different direction.
"I mean, when's the last time you and Kai have been around each other this much?" She asked.
The rooms three other occupants shot her strange looks, meaning they were confused.
"Smooth save Tigger. Now you just have to come up with a reason." It only took the girl a few seconds, but she did just that.
"He said that you grew up together, and were best friends. Then you go your separate ways and hardly see each other for over a year, then suddenly your roommates again. It's bound to mess with your head." She said, hoping the others would buy her bluff.
Shadow looked confused, and Starling seemed to be unsure, Rondana however, actually backed her up.
"She's right actually."
Everyone turned to stare at the young doctor.
"Well, when two people spend a lot of time around each other, their biological clocks synchronize, and the two's body's become used to the others presence. If the two then go for a prolonged period of time without being near the other, their clocks reset. When the two meet up again, their mind says 'recognized' but their bodies don't. It becomes mind verses body and makes both people feel uncomfortable with the others presence until they resynchronize." Rondana explained.
Tigger and Shadow starred in confusion while Starling ran the information over a few times.
"I guess that makes sense. It could be why I always feel ok around the Storm Hawks, since I stay with them every month or so." Starling said looking mildly more comfortable.
Tigger mentally breathed a sigh of relief at the save, but quickly noticed the look on Rondana's face. "What is that? It's like she's expecting something to happen…or…"
Before she could finish the thought, Starling spoke. "Is there any way to speed up the resynchronization? So it doesn't interfere with the mission?" She asked.
Tigger would later swear that for a brief second, Rondana had been replaced by Ashelle.
Rondana looked up at the ships ceiling for a moment before speaking. "Weeelllll, spending more time with the person would speed it up. So would thinking about previous interactions with said person, so long as they are good memories, would also help."
Starling seemed to be giving the matter serious thought, but was brought to a dead stop by a single unexpected question.
"I don't mean to change the subject, but do you have any idea why Kai had a bunch of pictures of Harrier in his weapons training room?" Shadow asked sitting down on a trunk across from the older woman.
Tigger caught the scathing look that Rondana sent Shadow's way. It only lasted for a brief second, but she saw it plain as day. "That's the same look Sara gives me when I drag Aladd away from her. What's Rondana up to?" She thought.
Starling seemed a bit stunned for a second, but that was quickly replaced by a small chuckle. A small chuckle that grew in power until the woman covered her mouth with one hand.
"What's so funny?" Shadow asked.
Starling gave in and started into full blown laughter, to the point of pain and was clutching her sides.
"Um Rondana, did I break her?" Shadow asked fearfully peaking from her spot behind Tigger.
Starling managed to regain her self control a bit and held out one hand. "No, no, it's just that." Not able to get any more out, she started laughing again for a few seconds before completely gaining control.
"Thank you Shadow, I needed that." Starling said with a sincere smile.
"You still didn't answer the question." Rondana said pointedly.
"Shadow, you might have just given me the foothold I needed." She thought with a grin.
Starling looked at the other three, and it took a second, but she realized that they wanted her to explain what was so funny.
"Well, errrr Kai and Harrier….have never been able to….see eye to eye." She quickly explained.
"Ptttpth. Harrier couldn't see eye to eye with a cactus." Shadow said crossing her arms.
Even though they didn't say it, the other three mentally agreed.
"Why don't they get along? I mean, Kai did a good job hiding his…errr…current status, so its not like Harrier could know how many rules he's broken." Rondana said setting up to face the Sky Knight.
Starling became slightly flustered, but managed to push it down to respond.
"They just got off to a…bad start, that's all."
" Bingo! Just what I needed. Now I just need to figure out how to use this without incurring the wrath of emo-Kai." Rondana thought with a shudder.
Several months back, she attempted to use guilt in trying to find out what Kai was doing to get so messed up. The result was him slipping into a mild depression and becoming a moody, sour, and most disappointingly, silent mass of blaa. She could have sworn that there was actually a little rain cloud over his head for that entire week. Needless to say, she never tried her hand at the guilt card again.
"Come on Star! Tell us a story!" Shadow said dropping down on her stomach holding her head up with both arms. Looking every bit the part of a five year old watching Saturday morning cartoons.
"Err emm, maybe another time." Starling said hopping up and quickly exiting the room.
Rondana balled her hand into a fist and narrowed her eyes. "Fiddlesticks! I was soo close!" She thought.
"Uh Rondana, you ok?" Shadow asked poking her arm.
Rondana's disposition quickly changed to one of peace and tranquility, and with a serene smile, she answered. "Oh yes, everything is just fine."
Starling entered the cockpit and was not too surprised to see that things were no different than they had been a few minutes ago. Kai was still focused on flying, Piper was focused on her notes, and Marina…
Marina was focused on the inside of her eyelids.
Taking one of the open seats, Starling bit her lip for a moment, trying to figure out what to say to her one time ward.
"Kai, I was wondering…" She started.
"Hm?"
Since he was 'busy' at the moment with flying the ship, he couldn't turn around, but he did acknowledge her.
"I was just trying to figure out why you decided to bring a team with you on this mission. Since you have apparently been doing this sort of thing by yourself for a while now?" She asked.
Kai stiffened before answering.
"If it were up to me, I would be doing this mission solo. But I need Piper since I can't read the blasted log book." Kai answered.
For some reason, that comment tweaked Starling. She wasn't quite sure why, but him specifically pointing out that he needed Piper for the mission….bothered her.
"What about the rest of us?" She asked, ignoring the slight tweak.
"That's a bit more complicated." Kai answered.
"Humor me." Starling shot back.
Kai raised an eyebrow at that. "Since when did Star get snippy?" Shrugging, he decided to answer the question, even though it was a bit of a blow to his pride.
"It's because I'm not strong enough to do this by myself." He answered.
That one caught both Piper and Starling's attention.
"Not strong enough? Kai, you nearly destroyed terra Gerudo's arena. What on Atmos are you expecting us to come across out here?" Piper asked, now very worried.
"What? No! Not like that. Look, we know that Domiwick made a copy of the book, so it's a safe bet that Cyclonia knows everything that we do. That, combined with their resources, means that they will probably be going after all the locations mentioned in the log book." Kai answered.
"So we're going to stop them from getting anything right?" Piper asked.
Kai nodded his head, yes.
"But isn't that your job? I mean, Arygyn made it pretty clear that you've been doing a good job so far. Why the sudden change?" Piper asked.
"Because, like I said, I'm not strong enough to do all this by myself. I can, and have gone through Cyclonian bases and Ancient fortresses on my own. But then I need some time to heal up and recuperate. Rondana will vouch for that." Kai replied.
"So…it's because of the number of locations that you need assistance?" Starling asked.
"Yes. Like I said, one, I could do on my own. But not this many, not by a long shot. And, as I said before, I still need Piper to translate." Kai replied checking his instruments.
Again, there was that slight bristle.
"So, how long till we reach the Den?" She asked, trying to change the subject.
"According to my estimates, we should be able to reach it by tomorrow morning, as long as we don't have any surprises along the way." Piper answered.
"Great, more down time." Starling thought dryly.
Again there was the uncomfortable silence setting in. Piper had her log book, Kai was flying, and Marina was still sleeping. Starling meanwhile felt like she was sitting on pins.
"Why didn't I at least bring something to read? A technical manual, dictionary, heck, I'd take one of those dumb Glamour magazines right now." She thought. "Wait a minute. Rondana was reading a book back in the quarters, I wonder if she had any others." Getting up she left the cockpit and returned to the quarters.
Starling entered the quarters and was surprised to find it silent. Not quiet, not peaceful, but dead silent. Looking around, she figured out why fairly quickly.
"Where are Shadow and Tigger?" She asked.
"Kitchen. Said something about lunch." Rondana answered without looking up.
"Ah yes. Lunch..." Starling replied awkwardly.
Rondana sighed and put her book down. "Ok, what do you need?" She asked looking up at her 'guest' slightly irritated.
Starling glanced down at the book and back to the teen. "I was wondering if you…err…had any other books with you? I not used to spending this much time in such a small ship." She added.
Rondana raised an eyebrow. "I don't think you'd find my books particularly interesting. She replied holding it up so Starling could see the cover.
Starling, now a bit closer was able to see the cover, and agreed.
"Ok Starling, there has got to be something to do on this ship other than read…Romance Novels." She thought with a shudder.
Rondana, noticing the reaction spoke up. "Oh come on, their not that bad." She said laughing.
Starling shot her a dry look.
"Ok, so maybe they are kinda…trashy. But there is nothing wrong with a girl dreaming is there?" She asked with a grin.
Starling shook her head and was about to leave when the young teen grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back.
"Ok look, just, tell me, what's on you mind?" She asked seriously.
Looking at the younger girl, Starling though for a minute before sitting down beside her. She remembered hearing that Rondana seemed to have this air about her, one that just let people open up and talk. "I guess being a ruler and a doctor has given her something close to empathic abilities, I guess….I guess there's no harm."
"I just…I feel like a third wheel here." She said suddenly, surprising the young medic.
"What? Why would you think that? Starling, you're a Sky Knight, you've done things that other people only dream about doing, why would you of all people feel like a third wheel?"
Starling looked at her in surprise. "What could I possibly add to this team? You and Tigger are specialist, Piper can." Before she could continue Rondana cut her off.
"Ok, ok, now calm down. First you need to stop feeling sorry for yourself and get over this mess with the Council." Before Starling could cut her off, she continued. "I know your hurt, and I know that you feel betrayed, but the sooner you move on, the better off you'll be. Trust me, I know."
Starling took a deep breath, and then spoke. "What comes after that?" She asked.
Rondana surprised her by not even batting an eye before answering.
"Find something that you can contribute to the team in part or as a whole." She replied.
Starling rolled her eyes. "That was the problem to begin with." She said tiredly.
Instead of snapping at her, as Starling had expected, Rondana answered her calmly, like someone would with a young child.
"You just need to find your nitch to fit in. Like you were going to say back in your little pity fest, we've got a good solid team, but that doesn't mean your not needed. In fact, I think you might be one of the most important people on this team." She said confidently.
Starling still didn't believe her, and was about to say as much when the doctor continued.
"You have something that none of us do. Something that makes you uniquely important, particularly to Kai." Rondana said, shifting from supportive to gravely serious.
"And what might that be?" Starling asked, not seeing where this is going.
Rondana opened her mouth to speak, but stopped for a moment before answering.
"Starling, Kai is going to need help, help only you can provide." Taking a deep breath, she continued. "You are a former flight lead, and squad captain. Even though it has been a while since you led a team, at least you have led a team. Kai hasn't. Just think of this as another training lesson if that helps." She said smiling at the end.
Starling thought it over for a second before nodding in agreement. "I can see your point, but I don't think I would be suited to lead this mission."
Rondana wanted to bang her head on the wall behind her.
"I didn't say to take the mission over. Just give Kai a hand, help him out you know? I'm pretty sure that he would take anything you said into consideration, and he would always at least listen to your opinion. Kai's stubborn, not stupid." She said.
Starling chuckled. "On that matter, I will not argue in the least." She said shaking her head.
"Great, now that you're feeling better can I get back to my book, or do I need to start my hourly rates with you?" Rondana asked picking up her book and settling back down to read.
Starling gave a slight smile before getting up. "I'm going to make sure Shadow and Tigger stay out of trouble, and perhaps get a bite to eat." She said leaving the room.
Rondana, now by herself, was grinning like the cat that ate the canary. "Perfect. Stage one is a success." Then looking back at her book, she sighed. "Why oh why Lance? Just because she's your dead wife's reincarnated half sister cant you see that she's just using you?" She said to herself.
Starling entered the kitchen and was surprised to find both Shadow and Tigger sitting at the one table clutching their stomachs, along with a very hungry looking Radarr and Griffy at their feet.
"Is something wrong?" Starling asked slightly surprised to find the two so quiet.
"I think we forgot the food back at terra Deep." Tigger said banging her head on the table.
Starling's eyes widened.
"Yeah, all there is are these weird foil wrapper thingies." Shadow said tossing one to Starling.
Starling shook her head. "This is food. Just not the type you're used to." She said tearing open the packet.
"What are you talking about? All that's in these things is soap." Tigger said holding up what did indeed look like a bar of soap.
"Its tofu, of course it looks like soap." Starling said shaking her head. "Not to mention it tastes about the same." She thought with a shudder.
"Tofu? Ugh you mean that nasty bean stuff. Yarg!" Shadow said pointing at her throat.
"Well, did you look to see if there was anything else?" Starling asked.
"We checked the entire kitchen and the storage junk. We've got about five hundred pounds of those packets and about fifty gallons of water." Tigger replied sourly.
Opening a few cabinets, Starling found that they were right, in that there were enough packets to feed an army, but were wrong about them all being the same.
"Did you bother to check the labels?" She asked dangling one from hand with a grin.
"What do you mean?" Shadow asked, to hungry to even think of thinking clearly at the moment.
"These are MRE's and they actually have quite a few different types. If your interested, this one is beef stew." She said.
Fttph
Now holding nothing.
"What the?" Looking down she found Radarr tearing open the foil wrapper and now holding what looked like a red and brown brick.
Crack
ARRRGGUU!
Radarr threw the 'brick' at the wall where it made a dent, and was hoping around clutching his jaw in pain.
Starling rolled her eyes. "You have to cook it first. Their dehydrated."
Radarr grabbed something from his mouth and held it up to get a better look.
And promptly fainted when he recognized it as one of his teeth.
At this time Marina stumbled into the kitchen and was clutching her stomach. "Where's the food?" She asked, half tired half irritated.
Starling held up a few more packets, at which Marina groaned. "Oh you have got to be kidding me. That stuff's almost as bad as Whatever Stew." She fumed.
"Whatever?" Tiger began.
"Stew?" Shadow finished.
Marina waved them off. I'll tell you about it another time." She then turned to Starling. "You cook?" She asked bluntly.
Starling hung her head slightly. "Not really, no." She answered recalling her last 'attempt' at cooking a few days ago back in terra Deep.
To her credit, the fire had been limited to the kitchen.
That time.
Marina groaned again. "Stuck on a cramped little freighter with a bunch or girls that cant cook and a captain that fly's like a mad man." She grumbled before moving Starling out of the way, and pulled out a large pot and grabbed several random packets.
"What are you making?" Shadow asked looking at the large pot.
"Meh, whatever stew I guess." She said tearing open the little packets without even bothering to check the labels.
The rest of the day, surprisingly passed without much incident.
The whatever stew turned out….edible. With the only problem being the single packet of tofu that was in the mix. Tigger and Shadow went to the hanger to catch up a bit more and check on the skimmers, while Marina and Piper retired for the evening.
All that was left was Rondana, Starling, and a single bowl of whatever stew.
"Rondana, would you mind taking this to Kai?" Starling asked handing over the before mentioned bowl.
"What? Why me?" Rondana asked, silently wanting to get back to her book. "I still haven't finished the flaming sword dual yet! Wondecamo had Lance hanging on the ropes of the bridge and was about to."
"Rondana? Is everything ok?" Starling asked; slightly worried about the far out distant look in the medics eyes.
"Huh? Oh, uh, yea, I guess. What are you doing?" She asked.
Starling rolled up her sleeves and went over to the table picking up the bowls. "I might not be able to cook, but I can still clean up. Besides, I need to do something or I'll lose what little mind I've left. I'm not used to all this down time." She said carrying the dishes over to the kitchens sink.
"The great Starling, Sky Knight supreme, and trainer of the great and mighty Kai washing dishes. I never thought I'd see the day." Piper teased.
Starling shot the girl a knowing look, as if to say, if you want, we can trade.
"I just needed to get something, don't mind me." She said grinning nervously as she went to the table and reached under it. "Come on Radarr, time for bed." She said slinging the now plumb sky monkey over her shoulder (who belched) and walking out of the room.
Griffy, equally stuffed, wobbled out from under the table and followed to the best of his abilities.
Rondana shook her head and picked up the bowl before heading to the ships cockpit.
"Delivery fo the cap'an." Rondana said in her best 'old seaman's tongue' impression.
Kai chuckled and got up to open the door.
Not too long ago, they had reached terra Amazonia, and Kai had landed the ship in the dense forest, not wanting to risk landing in a port and being spotted.
"Why did you stay up here all day? Doesn't this ship have a park gear?" She asked with a small chuckle.
Kai laughed. "Yes, it does. But I wanted to make sure we reached the terra as quickly as possible." Kai replied.
"So? Why didn't you come up to eat after we landed?" She asked handing him the somehow still steaming hot bowl.
Kai groaned as he took the bowl.
"I forgot to recharge the cloaking crystals before we left terra Deep. So I had to swap them out after we landed." Kai said between mouthfuls of the whatever stew.
"This stuffs pretty good. Who made it?" Kai asked suddenly.
"Huh? Oh, Marina made it. She called it whatever stew. Wait a minute, did you say cloaking crystals?" Rondana asked.
"Yes, cloaking crystals. This ship is pretty much entirely powered by, and runs off of crystal power. It makes repairs quick and easy. Not to mention saves me a ton on fuel." Kai replied grinning as he slurped the last of the bowls contents.
Rondana couldn't help but laugh at the little joke. "How do you make a ship run entirely on crystals and not have to refuel? Wouldn't that make the ship need more than normal?" She asked.
Now, Rondana was, first and foremost a doctor, and even though she knew little about anything mechanical, she could detect when a person was most comfortable. Seeing an open window, she decided to go for it.
"Well, yeah, normally it would. But I put a bunch of Solaris and Lunar crystals on the top, so they charge it up as long as the sky's clear." Kai replied, genuinely surprised at the doctors sudden interest.
"Hmm that's pretty smart, who taught you to do that?" She asked.
"Nobody, it just sort of…made sense to me. I was surprised that nobody else thought of it actually." Kai said, unsure what was going on.
"Oh well, I better call it a night. If I'm going to be of any help to you tomorrow I'll need my beauty sleep." She said leaving the confused male alone.
"Ok, that was weird." Kai said heading to the kitchen to drop off his bowl.
Rondana smirked to herself as she got ready for bed. "It shouldn't be too much longer before I get him to start talking. I just need to make sure that he knows I'll listen to anything he wants to talk about, and that I won't criticize him or anything." She thought before drifting off to sleep, and softly muttering "Lance"
Kai was surprised to see Starling of all people washing the dishes. For a second he thought about getting a Kodak crystal, but decided against it. "What are you doing?" He asked, thoroughly amused at the sight before him.
Starling held up a pair of soapy, rubber gloved hands and gave him a wiry grin. "What does it look like I'm doing?"
"I know what you are doing; I was just curious why you were doing it, that's all. No reason to get offended." He said holding up his hands in defense.
Grabbing the bowl from his hand, she went back to work on the dishes. "Someone had to do it. Besides it's not like I've done much since joining up with you." She said narrowing her eyes at one little speck that didn't seem to want to come off of the porcelain bowl.
"You mean aside from nearly burn down my base?" Kai teased before making a mad dash for the exit.
"What?! I told you that was an acci! GRR!" Starling clinched her fists and went back to finishing what she was doing.
Kai, now in the safety of the cockpit, let a grin spread across his face as he let the back down and pulled up a blanket from under the seat. "Not as nice as a bed, but it'll have to do." He said before dozing off.
Starling, now finished with the dishes returned to the 'girls quarters' as Shadow and Tigger had dubbed it, and looked around with a sharp eye.
"I don't know the others all that well, and Kai is out of the question. I still can't believe I'm actually going to do this." Starling felt a tiny bit of dread fill her stomach as she crept her way over to Piper's bed and gently tapped her shoulder a few times.
Then poked.
Then prodded.
And eventually gave in and simply shook the girl awake.
"Huh wha goning on?" The bluenette asked looking around groggily.
Radarr took this opportunity to get away since in her confusion Piper had released her 'hug of doom' on the poor monkey.
"She's stronger asleep than Junko is awake." He thought as he gasped for breath.
"Piper, I'm sorry to wake you, but...." Starling bit her lip. "Could I ask you a small favor?"
Piper was still half way in la la land, so she was running on auto pilot.
"Hmm? Wha iz it?" She asked yawning, barely staying awake.
"I was….I was wondering if….you wouldn't mind….teaching me…how to cook." Starling said hanging her head down in shame at the last part.
"M'k,." Piper said turning over to go back asleep.
Starling smiled brightly. "Thank you Piper, thank you very much."
Her only reply was a half snore, but it was all the same to her. Climbing up to the bunk above Piper's, she quickly went to sleep, still smiling.
Up in the cockpit, Kai felt a cold shiver run down his spine and sat up to look around. "Why did I suddenly feel like I was going to see something very important for the last time in my life?" He asked nobody before shaking his head and going back to sleep.
"Meh, must have been the stew."
End Chapter 1
AN: Ok, I know some of this might have seemed a bit…random. But I didn't want this entire story to be gloomy and serious. I'm a major RPG gamer, and I know for a fact that there are always a few tidbits of funny in them. It helps to keep the balance of the story from getting to serious or emo. It also helps people to identify with the characters by showing a different side of them you would otherwise never see. Now, not every chapter is going to be this light hearted. In fact, some will be rather dark, but there will be a chapter like this, or even more light hearted every so often.
Now, for some bonus points to my readers.
Special prize for the first person to correctly guess the RPG I made fun of with Shadow Tigger and Rondana. Also, extra if you can guess who the characters they were describing were.
SUPER MEGA BONUS! For whoever can identify where the content (meaning names and events) of Rondana's book came from. (No I do NOT read Romance Novels, I, like every other male am deathly allergic to those things.) *Shudders*
That's all for now, but tune in next time for
Chapter 2: Ancient Flames! Present Banes!
