This is one of the unique stories in this collection, because Gibson's is the only story where he's not interacting with Antauri. I did my best to make this as Gibson-esque as possible, but I think it worked out pretty well.

This takes place somewhere between 'I, Chiro' and 'The Savage Lands'. Enjoy!


The deep pain that is felt at the death of every friendly soul arises from the feeling that there is in every individual something which is inexpressible, peculiar to him alone, and is, therefore, absolutely and irretrievably lost. ~Arthur Schopenhauer

Gibson grumbled a little as he tugged at the loose wires, carefully untangling them before reconnecting them to the computer consol. Reaching up, he pressed one of the buttons on the keyboard and looked expectantly at the dark screen. When nothing happened, he sighed and crawled back under the consol.

The previous encounter with Skeleton King certainly left sufficient damage to the Super Robot. Even though some of the basic functions were still in working order, there was too much work to do if they hoped to get the Robot running at full capacity.

Normally the others were around and helping him fix the machinder. However, considering how late it was, they were all probably asleep.

He stifled a yawn, shaking his head before connecting another wire to the consol. He was expecting another sleepless night when he would spend the entire time working. He never meant to stay up so long, and he knew he would probably perform more efficiently if he allowed himself to rest. But whereas working permitted him to stay busy – to distract himself – sleeping would only let him think…and remember…

Remember just why they were fixing the Robot in the first place.

Because it was when Antauri briefly controlled the Super Robot…after he…

Gibson shut his eyes tightly, forcing the memory out of his mind. He would not think about that now. There was too much work to do, and he did not want to spend too much time grieving. They all had accepted the fact that Antauri was gone, and they knew that their second-in-command would want them to concentrate on finding Chiro. To do that, they had to fix the damaged machinder as soon as possible. There was simply no time for anything else.

Even so, it was difficult to forget the pain when he could clearly see the black helmet hovering in the black-lined tube.

The scientist sighed, well aware now that he would never focus at this rate. Perhaps a small break would benefit him, and then he could return to work.

He must have been more exhausted than he realized. Though he pulled himself out from under the consol, he still managed to hit his head on it as he sat up.

"Monkey doodle!" he cursed, rubbing the painful spot on his forehead. He must have been especially tired to make a stupid mistake like that.

A gentle electric hum caught his attention, and he looked up to see a flicker of light between Antauri and his orb chairs. Curious, he watched as the light grew and flattened at the top, decorated by small blue and pink pieces.

Finally realizing what it was, Gibson sighed and shook his head. "Of all the things to work around here," he mumbled, rising to his feet.

The game of chess was a pastime exclusively shared between him and Antauri. Nova was never really interested in it, Sprx and Otto never really learned how to play, and Chiro still had some trouble figuring out how to strategize his moves. But the blue monkey didn't mind so much that no one else would play against him; chess was one of the ways he and Antauri interacted best. During a game when they tested their minds against each other, they also engaged in deep conversations about whatever topic they so chose.

With a frown, he looked away from the chess table. Just one more thing he would miss…

Reaching out, Gibson prepared to delete the chess game. After all, what good was it now? But he still hesitated, glancing back at the game. When was the last time they had played?

He was reminded of a time about a week ago, shortly before Antauri left for Koroladol. It was one of the rare moments of genuine free time that they had, so the two of them had decided to play a game. They finished a previously saved game (he had won that one, he recalled) and started a new one. Unfortunately, they were called to duty yet again, and they were forced to put the game on hold and save it into the computer's data base for another time.

Of course now it didn't really matter, but Gibson was curious enough to wonder just how far they had gotten in that particular match. Before he could stop himself, he slowly approached the chess table to get a better look.

The blue chess pieces were lit, indicating that the next move belonged to Antauri. Ebony eyes quickly glanced over the game as he attempted to refresh his memory. If he remembered correctly, he had just captured one of Antauri's knights, which was actually the perfect set up for his next move. He recalled feeling rather confident that he would secure another win.

But looking at the board now, Gibson felt tears fill his eyes as he finally realized Antauri's true intentions. The move was both appropriately fitting and eerily symbolic of recent events.

With a trembling hand, he carefully moved the blue rook across the board until it rested in the same row as the pink king. The move successfully trapped the king, but it could only have taken place with the right sacrifice.

"Checkmate," Gibson said with a shaky sigh. "You won, Antauri…"

To defeat the King, the Knight had to be relinquished so that the Rook could finish the job.

It was too uncanny to be a simple coincidence. But…had Antauri known? Even before all the events fell into place, did he realize what eventually had to be done? Did these simple holographic chess pieces foretell what would come to pass? It seemed silly…too illogical. Perhaps he was simply thinking too much about it…but as he stared at the pieces, he couldn't help but question…

"Was it worth it?" he suddenly asked in a harsh whisper. Looking up, he approached the black tube, staring hard at the helmet of his friend. "Was it really worth it, Antauri? Was winning…was succeeding so important that it required such sacrifice?!"

He knew that the black monkey would say so. He knew that Antauri would answer that it was worth it, and that it had to be done.

But he also knew that the rest of them, the ones that were left behind, could never be as certain as that. And he knew that, out there somewhere, there was a boy who would say that nothing is ever worth that.

Quickly Gibson turned away from the memorial, but it wasn't enough to stop the tears that slid down his cheeks. Yet he didn't brush them away…he couldn't. His grief could no longer be held down.

Heading back to the computer consol, the blue monkey abruptly shut off the chess game. He did not delete it, however, because he felt that it was unfair that the chess pieces would all return to their rightful places, and yet they could never do the same.

He had played chess with Antauri for years. They both understood that sacrifice was sometimes the only way to win. He knew that…but it didn't stop the unexpected feeling of hate he now held for this once favored game. He knew he could never look at chess the same way again.

Because the King was finally defeated, and they had won the match. But their victory could never be celebrated…for the price they paid had been too much.

The End