Hello again. Good to see you. I hope you enjoy this chapter. It is where our two worlds collide. And we meet the Hunter.
All non-canon characters are mine.
They held the discussion around the dinner table, where all the best discussions were held. In Claire's mind it was one against four; her parents, grandfather, and uncle. Liza immediately ran off to tell their brothers that Claire was going away forever.
Kaden shrugged. "She's a real Lombax, Polaris was never big enough for us. That's one of the reasons we started interdimensional travel in the first place." He thought for a moment. "That and someone had the idea but I don't remember who anymore." Montay agreed but Ratchet and Kori still unconvinced.
Claire liked her odds. "Plus I wouldn't be alone." She smiled at her parents. "I'd have Uncle Montay, Uncle Rolin, Great Aunt Talia, Grandma, Aunt Astrid, and all my cousins."
Montay nodded at Ratchet and Kori, "Mom has been dying to officially meet Claire since she was born." He placed his hand on Kori's shoulder. "I don't know how many pictures are going to hold her off."
Claire cheered silently to herself. "I've wanted to meet Grandma for so long," she played off her uncle. "And I'd get to spend time with everyone in my family. Aunt Talia would flip if she found out I was coming."
Kaden thought for a moment before nodding. "That she would."
Ratchet rubbed his brow. "I just can't imagine sending our eldest to another dimension."
Kori rested her hand on Ratchet's. "Honey, Claire and I had a discussion earlier." Kori recounted how Claire wanted to go to the Solana Galaxy for hoverboarding. "It's either the Solana Galaxy alone or she could go and be with her family."
Montay chimed in. "And if she has any trouble I could bring her right back, quicker than traveling to and from Solana."
Claire gave her father her best smile, folding her hands. "Please, Daddy!"
Ratchet looked at his daughter, she hadn't called him Daddy in years. Years ago he almost lost his wife to the Lombax Dimension, what if Claire chose to stay there like Kori had chosen to stay in Polaris. What if she met someone. He sighed and looked at Claire, he had noticed long ago that she was almost literally half him and half Kori. Half Polaris and Half the Lombax Dimension. "On one condition," he had to stop Claire from cheering, "you have to remember you always have a home here on Fastoon."
Claire ran to her parents and hugged them. "As if I could ever not call this place home." She smiled big and especially hugged her mother. "Plus with me not around you can get ready for the new baby."
"New baby?" Montay asked while Kori shrugged.
Claire evaded the scene, "Gotta pack, don't leave without me Uncle Montay!" Claire ran to her room, making sure she didn't use her hoverboots inside to keep her father from changing his mind. She didn't know what to pack, what would she need? Clothes, definitely. Tools, suspected yes. Liza, no.
Liza?
Claire noticed her little sister standing in her room doorway. Liza's ears were drooped and she gave Claire her saddest face. "Why do you have to leave, Claire?"
Claire smiled and hugged her little sister. "It's not forever, Liza. I just need to get out of this galaxy, and meet our family." She pulled her sister into her room and sat with her on her bed. "Dad pretty much made me promise I'd come back anyway."
Liza sighed and smiled again. "As long you don't leave me here with Idiots 1 and 2."
"I didn't know Cronk and Zephyr were coming to visit," Claire smirked. Liza pushed her and laughed.
"You know what idiots I mean." Liza tried to mess up her sister's hair. The girls laughed together for a bit before Montay called for Claire. Liza sighed and hugged her sister again. "I'll miss you. Fastoon won't be the same without you."
Claire hugged her sister back tight. "You're making this hard, Liza."
"Good," Liza rubbed her face on her sister's shoulder. "Next time you'll think twice."
"Last call!" Montay's voice carried. "I need a Claire front and center."
Claire and Liza shoved some final things in the bag Claire packed, it only took Liza sitting on it to make the bag close. An accomplishment if one was ever seen. The girls rushed down the stairs and out the door to meet Uncle Montay where he usually opened the portal.
"I'm here." Claire could hardly wait, she nearly bounced with excitement.
Ratchet and Kori pulled Liza toward them and held her close. Ratchet stating that losing one daughter was hard enough. Kori wrapped her arms around Liza and put her chin on the little girl's head.
Montay smiled at Claire. "One more goodbye, your mother needs it."
Claire put down her bag and rushed to her parents and sister. She stopped short noticing her brothers and grandfather weren't there. "Where is crust brain, techno Tommy, and bigger Liza?"
Ratchet smiled sadly. "Your grandpa isn't fond of goodbyes and we couldn't find your brothers."
Claire sighed and hugged her dad again. "Pass that onto them, and I'll be back." She kissed her parents each on the cheek, and almost squeezed the life out of Liza. "Don't miss me too much, and don't mess with my stuff."
Liza smiled and nodded her head. "Now that you mention it, I do like the hoverboarding trophy you got last year."
Claire messed up her sister's hair. "Seriously. No messing with my stuff." She pulled away from Liza and faced her Uncle Montay. Claire took a deep breath, made sure she had her bag and grinned up at her uncle. "Okay. Ready."
Montay nodded at Claire. "Let's get going then." He activated his device, opened the portal in front of them, and took Claire's arm. "So you don't get lost." Montay gently pulled Claire through the portal to the other side, closing the portal behind them.
Claire found herself in Montay's lab, clean as she would expect it, stills of her cousins hanging on the walls. "Huh." She remarked. "I figured the Lombax Dimension would be...bigger."
Montay smirked and took Claire's bag. "This is just my lab, this is where the portal always lets out." He set down her bag next to his desk. "I promise, there is much more to the Lombax Dimension than just my little lab." He made her a clearance pass as his guest and gave it to her, with the name Claire Azimuth, instead of Claire Olympic.
Claire looked at her uncle for clarification but he offered none, only to say they were going to go see someone special. It wasn't until they got to the office of Commander in Chief Olympic that she knew who they were seeing. Montay told her to stay outside, and he knocked on the door.
"Come in." An older female voice answered from inside. Claire had to fight herself not to try and peek inside. Montay slipped inside and was greeted with, "Ah, Montay. Anything new?"
The door closed and Claire was left alone in the hallway. Something new to her, or at least abnormal for her. The last time she had been left in a hallway was when her mother was in labor with her sister Liza, she had to watch her brothers with her grandfather. Back when her grandfather's eyes were starting to go bad, but she was a good girl and waited patiently in the hallway for Montay to come back.
Soon enough Montay opened the door again and beckoned Claire inside. "Your nephew allowed me to bring this," Montay smiled as Claire walked in. She met eyes with green eyes she knew. Her Great Aunt Talia seemed frozen for a moment before she smiled.
"Claire, I assume." Talia mused, crossing the room to meet the younger female lombax. "Look at you." Claire hadn't made any assumptions on what her great-aunt would look like, except green eyes.
Claire smiled. "Um...Hi?"
Talia laughed. "Hi." She gently put her hand on Claire's face. "Quite interesting colorings you've got. Heterochromia and two different sets of markings split almost perfectly down your center." When she received a look from Claire Talia smiled. "Heterochromia, eyes of two different colors. Then the half that has green eyes has your father's coloring, while the blue eye half has your mother's."
Claire nodded. "Grandpa Kaden mentioned you were a researcher."
Montay walked up to them. "Not just that, she's in charge of the entire Facility. Has been that way since before you were born."
Talia sighed and gently touched Claire's face. "Enough of that. How long are you staying, Claire?"
Claire smiled. "Hopefully the whole year, but Uncle Montay said that if I ever need to go home early he'd take me." She shrugged. "It was one of the selling factors that my parents agreed to."
Talia nodded and hugged Claire. "We're happy to have you." She smiled at Claire for a moment before releasing her and turning to Montay. "That brother of mine gives me one letter a year, he should remember to write it. Speaking of which, Montay, don't you have to go to dinner at your mother's?"
Montay looked at his wristwatch. "That is right, the kids are already there." He touched Claire's arm. "Come on, we'll pick up your bag and you're going to meet your grandmother."
Claire turned halfway before remembering her Aunt Talia, she quickly hugged her goodbye before following her uncle back to his lab.
It was when they got outside that made Claire stop. Buildings as far as the eye could see, tall enough she had to lean back to see the tops. She had gotten used to the broken shells of buildings on Fastoon. Montay let her take in the scenery. The young female lombax did look quite strange to the onlookers, most of them were used to the scenery but...Claire stuck out.
"Whoa…" She marveled, taking a step back too far. She fell back on someone, causing them and herself to fall. She heard them groan underneath her so she immediately got off. "I'm so sorry." The boy underneath her rubbed his head. "Let me just…" Claire thought around for a moment before she offered her hand to him.
The boy peeked one eye open and took her hand. "Thanks," he muttered. When he was back on his feet he opened his eyes and looked into Claire's eyes. "Whoa…" He smiled and rubbed his hands against his pants.
Claire dropped her eyes and instantly grabbed her loose hair. "What?" She looked at his arms and saw he had cream colored fur with orange stripes, that was new to her but then again everything in the Lombax Dimension was new to her. Plus the only males she really knew were her family members.
"Your eyes." He breathed. "Have they always been like that?" Claire opened her mouth to answer but she stopped when she heard her uncle calling her.
Uncle Montay called. "Come on Claire, we're going to be late!"
"That's my uncle." Claire looked at the boy again, his eyes were a light brown, backing away. "Sorry about running into you." She waved as she turned and ran to catch up with her uncle. "Gotta go. Bye."
The boy smiled. "Bye...Claire." He called out after her. "Hey, Claire! My name is Orion!" Claire smiled back for a moment before getting into Montay's ship and taking off for her grandmother's house.
Thanks for reading! Please leave a review, tell me what you think. See you next chapter!
