-1Chapter 4- Old friends

"AVRIANA!!" yelled Eureka as she ran up to her. "Avriana wake up!!"

"Eureka what's wrong?" asked Hilda worryingly as she rushed up to them after hearing Eureka yell.

"It's Avriana! She passed out again! Her fever is back again too!"

"AGAIN?! Alright, hang tight with her! I'll be right back with Nadia!"

"Please hurry!"

"Alright I will!"

"Come on sweetie, hang on tight for me ok?" said Eureka quietly as she waited for help.

"NADIA! Where are you?!" yelled Hilda as she looked for her.

"What's wrong Hilda?" she asked as she walked out of the dining room. "I'm trying to eat dinner here."

"It's Avriana! She's sick again!"

"What? Where is she?"

"Over by Eureka's room collapsed in the hallway!"

"Hap! Come on!"

"Already ahead of you Nadia! Let's go!"

"Come on Avriana. Wake up sweetie." said Eureka gently as she held Avriana's head in her lap. "I'm right here with you."

"Eureka!" yelled Hap. "How is she?"

"Still out. Her fever seems to have stabilized but that's it. I can't get her to respond to me."

"Ok. Let's get her to bed then." said Nadia.

"I'm staying with her."

"That's fine. Thanks Eureka."

"Sure Nadia."

"Mom, is she ok?" asked Maurice later on after he heard what happened.

"She seems to be Maurice. She's still sleeping right now. Her fever has finally gone down but she's still warm."

"Where's Nadia?"

"In the medical room trying to figure out what's going on. I told her I'd stay here with her for the time being."

"I wonder what's causing this?"

"I wish I knew Maurice."

"Eureka?" said Avriana groggily as she finally woke up.

"Avriana?"

"Where am I?"

"In your room sweetie."

"What happened?"

"You passed out and your fever came back again."

"Why do I feel so warm?"

"You still have a slight fever dear. I've been with you the entire time."

"Where's mom?"

"In the medical room trying to figure out what to do for you."

"Ok. Hi Maurice."

"Hey Avriana."

"Have you been here the entire time too?"

"No. I just got here a few minutes ago after I heard what happened."

"Oh, ok."

"Go back to sleep now hon." said Eureka. "I'll stay here with you ok?"

"Ok Eureka. Thank you." Avriana then closed her eyes, got comfortable, and fell back into a peaceful slumber.

"Maurice, get on the video phone and get Nadia for me will you?"

"Sure mom. Give me a sec." and with the push of a few buttons, a screen to the medical room popped up. "Nadia here."

"Hey Nadia, it's Eureka."

"Hey Eureka. How is she doing?"

"Still warm. She just woke up for a couple of minutes and talked to us."

"Ok. Is she still awake?"

"No, I told her to go back to sleep and get some rest."

"Alright. Thanks Eureka."

"Sure. Have you found anything?"

"Nothing yet. I've gone through everything I could find and just don't know what's going on. I'll keep searching though."

"Alright. I'll keep staying here with her."

"Ok. Is Maurice there?"

"Yes he is. He's right next to me."

"Can I talk to him for a second?"

"Sure. Here he is."

"Hey Nadia." said Maurice.

"Hi Maurice. I need you to do me a favor."

"Sure, anything you want Nadia."

"I want you to help keep an eye on her. I know the others have jobs they have to take care of so I can't keep asking everyone to watch her. Can you do that for me?"

"Sure Nadia. I'll stick around as often as I can."

"Thanks Maurice. Eureka, I'll check in again later."

"Ok Nadia, I'll be here."

"Alright. Thanks."

"You're welcome." she replied and the screen went blank. "Maurice, now make sure you keep that promise. She's counting on you."

"I know mom. I will." he replied as he looked at Avriana.

"Leader, long range communication from the Izumo!" said Gidget.

"Jurgens eh? Put it through."

"Ok."

"GekkoState, this is the Izumo. Do you copy?"

"Izumo, this is the Gekko. Go ahead."

"How is the new ship handling?"

"It's doing fine thanks. So what's up?"

"Well, I just wanted to check and see how the ship was doing."

"That's a bunch of bull Jurgens. We checked the information bureaus database and there is no Oratorio or Ageha that we can see out there. We did notice that the NRA is active, but they pose no threat. What's going on here? I'm not about to send all of us on a wild goose chase."

"I see. Well, to tell you the truth, I don't know what's going on myself. I was just told to tell you what I said by Admiral Benson. He wouldn't say why. Just to have you go to Tresor and then Hacienda."

"I see. What's the purpose of this ship then?"

"I wish I knew. But I guess I could tell you of a few other things that ship has now that you're getting curious about it."

"Ok then."

"Alright. Transfer me over to Ken-goh."

"Gidget, do it."

"Right."

"Alright, I've got him." said Ken-goh.

"Good. Now, go into your main weapons menu."

"Alright. I'm there."

"Go to 'Options' and click 'other'."

"Ok, I'm in there, but I don't see anything but a blank screen."

"I know. That's what you should see. Now, I want you to type in three separate codes."

"Ok, shoot."

"Alright. Now, type in Anemone1"

"Anemone1?"

"Don't ask, just do it."

"Well, alright. Ok, it's in."

"Ok, now, you're going to notice a small pattern here. Now type in Eureka12."

"Ok, I get it. I enter that and then Avriana123."

"You got it. When that happens, you'll notice a new screen pop up."

"I see it. What is all this?"

"That's all your shields, long range missiles, and machine guns. I know you have lasers but we went one step further with this ship. If you ever get into battle out there that ship will be almost invincible."

"But why all this?"

"I'm not sure Ken-goh. But now that you've entered those codes, those options will be on your screen full time from now on. They can' t be disabled or shut off. Only the safety locks can be used on them."

"Roger that. Well that definitely adds a little more difficulty to the weapons system."

"It'll be easy as you figure it out, so don't worry. I don't know anything else from here. Benson will have to fill you in from there."

"One more thing Jurgens." said Holland.

"What?"

"Avriana keeps getting sick on the ship here. Did the federation put something in this ship that she's allergic to or something?"

"Why would we do that? That bird was built to the specs you see now. I was around for it's entire construction, so you have my word there's nothing like that in the ship."

"Ok then. I'll take your word for it. See you later."

"Right. Izumo out."

"Gekko out."

"Well that was weird." said Ken-goh. "Why would we need things like this on this ship?"

"I'm not sure Ken-goh. I wish I could tell you. Woz, I want you to do a complete systems overview of this ship. Let's make sure there's nothing else hidden on this thing."

"Roger that leader."

"Good. I'm going to go check on Avriana. I'll be back in a few. You're in charge Ken-goh."

"Alright." he replied.

"Maurice?" said Avriana quietly a little bit later.

"He's not here dear. He went to go get lunch."

"Oh, hey Eureka."

"How are you feeling?"

"Tired yet. What's wrong with me?"

"I wish I knew. We'll take care of you so don't worry."

"Eureka?" said Holland as he walked into the room.

"Oh, hey dad."

"How is she doing?"

"Why don't you ask her?"

"Is she awake?"

"Hi Holland."

"Hey Avriana. How are you doing?"

"I'm ok for the moment."

"That's good. Eureka, how is her fever?"

"Still warm but she's cooling down little by little."

"Good to hear. Are you still tired Avriana?"

"A little bit. Why am I like this?"

"We're trying to figure that out. So just relax while we do ok?"

"Ok Holland."

"Eureka, have you eaten yet?"

"No not yet. I've been with Avriana the entire time."

"I see. Why don't you go eat and check on your kids then. I'll watch her for a bit."

"Are you sure dad?"

"Go ahead Eureka." said Avriana quietly. "It's okay. Holland can stay if he wants."

"Alright. I'll be back later to check on you ok?"

"Ok Eureka. Thanks." Eureka just looked at her with a warm smile and caring eyes before leaving the room for lunch. "You don't have to stay Holland if you don't want to."

"I want to. I'm a parent also but that doesn't mean I can't watch over the rest of you kids. Just rest now. I'll stick around until Eureka comes back."

"I guess I am loved around here aren't I?"

"Yes you are. Now rest. I'll be here watching you." Avriana just gave him a gentle smile before she once again gently fell asleep.

Later on in the day, the GekkoState finally landed at Tresor. After they had docked, two familiar and friendly faces greeted them at the end of their loading dock.

"Morita, long time no see." Holland chuckled.

"You too Holland. You're looking well. How's the new ship?"

"Very interesting to say the least. Sonia, how have you been?"

"Keeping busy as always. How are you and Talho doing?"

"With two kids you tell me."

"I don't even have to guess." Sonia chuckled. "How is Eureka doing?"

"She's doing well. She's inside tending to the kids right now."

"I see. She and Renton only have the four right?"

"Nope. Five now. They have a six month old son."

"Oh really?"

"Yep. Timothy Michael Thurston."

"I'll have to congratulate her when I see them. How is Avriana doing?"

"Not well at the moment."

"Why not?" asked Morita.

"We're not sure. She keeps getting sick on and off all of a sudden. She's in bed sleeping right now."

"Can we see her?"

"Maybe in a bit after she wakes up. We do have a job for you though."

"What's that?"

"The Newhope. It got really battered after our last battle. We need you to work on it."

"No problem. Just have Maurice drive it into the shop."

"Can do. Hey, is Mischa around?"

"Nope. Her and Greg are out doing archetype recovery as always."

"They're still finding them?"

"They're few and far between but yes. We're working on one right now as we speak."

"I see. Well, let's get to work. If you can, try to contact Mischa for us. It'd be good to see her again."

"My little cub!!" said an upbeat Dr.Egan.

"Greg, how many times have I told you to stop calling me that stupid name?"

"Err, yeah, sorry. Anyways, there's a phone call for you in the office."

"For me? What does Morita want this time?"

"It's not Morita."

"Sonia?"

"Just go pick it up. I think you'll be nicely surprised."

"Mischa here." she said after she picked up the phone.

"Long time no hear stranger."

"Holland?"

"Yeah, it's me."

"Well, I wasn't expecting to ever hear from you. How have you been?"

"Keeping busy as always. Got two kids now. Just had a baby girl not too long ago."

"That's good to hear. How are Renton and Eureka?"

"They're doing fine. They've got another one also."

"They do eh? What'd they have this time?"

"Baby boy. Timothy Michael Thurston."

"Wow. Everybody is growing up. Too bad I can't be there in Bellforest with you guys."

"We aren't in Bellforest. We're all at Tresor."

"How'd you all get there? By the Military?"

"Nope. With the Gekko."

"WHAT?! I thought it was destroyed."

"Well, the military built a new version of it, so we're back together again."

"I see."

"Hey, how about you two take a break and come say hi to some old friends?"

"I think we can do that. We'll be back tomorrow morning."

"Sounds good. See you then."

"Avriana dear. We have visitors." said Nadia. "Can you wake up for me?"

"Hi mom." she said groggily. "Where are we?"

"At Tresor getting the Newhope fixed."

"He's going to get better?"

"Yes dear. But don't worry about that now. I have two people who want to say hi to you."

"Who?"

"Come on in you two!"

"Morita, Sonia." said Avriana quietly.

"Hey there kid. We heard you weren't feeling well so we thought we'd stop by and see you."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Don't worry, we'll have your friend fixed in no time. The work you, Renton, and Maurice did will help speed that up a bit."

"That's good. Thank you for helping him."

"Don't mention it." said Sonia. "You just continue resting. Nadia, we'll have our medical team look at her charts and see what they can figure out. Hopefully there's something here that can help her."

"Thank you guys. I'll owe you one."

"Don't worry about it. Now get some rest Avriana. We'll see you tomorrow."

"Ok. Goodnight."

"Goodnight Avriana."

The next morning, Mischa and Greg finally arrived back at Tresor after an early morning start. As they arrived, Mischa could see the sight of an old friend sitting in front of one of the hangars.

"Now that's an old memory. It'll be good to see them all again."

"I agree. Looks like one of them is standing outside enjoying the sunshine."

"That's Eureka. And it looks like she's got the two little ones."

"MISCHA!" yelled Eureka as they pulled in front of the Gekko. "It's good to see you again!"

"You too. My Felicity, you've gotten big."

"I'm a big girl!!" she said proudly.

"Yes you are." Mischa giggled. "Having two kids hasn't changed you one bit Eureka. You look as good as ever."

"Thanks Mischa. I always seem to recover like nothing ever happened."

"Another strange thing about you Eureka." Mischa chuckled. "So how is everything on the ship?"

"Good except for one thing."

"What's that?"

"Avriana is sick and we can't figure out why."

"Where is she?"

"In her and Maeters room in bed resting while we get the Newhope fixed."

"I see. Is Nadia with her?"

"Yes she is."

"I guess I had better go in and say hi to everyone."

"I'll show you in. A lot of things about this ship are different compared to the last one."

"MISCHA!" said Maeter and Linck as they were wandering the hallways.

"Hey kids. My, all of you have grown up. How old are you now Maeter?"

"Twelve. Linck is 11."

"Geez. They grow up so fast."

"Yes they do Mischa." Eureka giggled. "But come on. I know of three other people who would want to see you."

"Thanks for breakfast mom." said Avriana as she ate.

"You're welcome. How are you feeling today?"

"A little better. How is the Newhope doing?"

"I'm not sure dear. We'll find out later."

"Ok."

"Knock knock." said a familiar female voice.

"Mischa! Long time no see." said Nadia as she got up and shook her hand.

"You too Nadia. How is the marriage to Hap going?"

"Going well, other than our daughter here of course."

"Yeah I heard. Hi Avriana dear."

"Hi Mischa."

"How are you doing?"

"I've been better."

"So I hear. Nadia, do you have her medical charts?"

"Yeah. They're in my office."

"Ok. I'll take a look at them later. I may as well help since I'm here."

"Thanks Mischa."

"When did all of this start?"

"When we took off two days ago. We just can't figure out what it is. We've checked everything."

"I see. I'll look into some more then. How are things otherwise?"

"Well, she's dating Maurice now."

"Is that so? Is this true Eureka?"

"Yes it is Mischa. They're about as inseparable as me and Renton."

"Wow. You must really care for each other Avriana."

"Yes we do Mischa."

"You should've seen their first kiss." Nadia giggled. "It was so sweet."

"MOM!!!"

"Oh really?"

"Yep. We accidentally stumbled on it while testing the ships surveillance system."

"MOM!!"

"Sorry dear!!"

"Typical teenagers." Mischa chuckled. "Anyways, where are the others?"

"In the dining room having breakfast."

"Did Renton cook again?"

"You know it."

"Good because I'm hungry and I've always loved his food."

"Renton, you outdid yourself again as always." said Hap. "You've got to quit doing that."

"If I did that then your wife might get mad at me."

"That's true Hap." said Hilda. "You don't want Renton to get hurt for starving you."

"Yeah yeah." everyone just laughed at the comment. It had been a while since they were able to joke around like that, and it felt good to them. Just then a familiar old face walked in the door. "Geez, doesn't anyone know how to work around here?"

"MISCHA!!" everyone yelled.

"Hi everyone. Hey Renton, still cooking I see."

"Yep, as always." he chuckled.

"Well I hope there's still some food left. I'm hungry."

"Dig in and help yourself. There's plenty here."

"Thanks Renton."

"So how's it going Mischa?" asked Talho.

"Oh it's going. The archetype research and restoration has been slow since they've been hard to find, but it's been a nice change of pace."

"How's your marriage to Greg going?"

"It's going well."

"He still calling you his little cub?"

"Ugh, don't remind me. I'm on his case about that all the time."

"So Mischa, care to join us once again?" asked Hilda.

"I'm sorry but no. I love what I'm doing now. Besides, Nadia is doing a wonderful job with you guys. But I will be helping with Avriana while you guys are here trying to figure out what's wrong with her."

"I guess that's acceptable. You always have to follow your own path, no matter where it leads you."

"That's correct Hilda. I don't know when this path will end, but if it ever does, you'll be the first ones I look up."

"That's all I need to hear. At least you're happy where you're at."

"Yes I am. So, what else has changed around here?"

"Geez, where should we start?" said Talho. "Well, I guess I could introduce you to Angel here. She's me and Holland's newest addition to our family."

"Very cute. And who are those two Anemone?"

"These are Sara Jo and Lisa Marie Sorrel. They're both three. Girls, this is Mischa. They're friends of Me and your fathers."

"HI MISCHA!!" they both yelled cheerfully.

"Nice to meet you girls." Mischa giggled. "And I guess that's Gidgets girl over there?"

"Yes it is Mischa." said Gidget. "This is Jessica Mae. She's about two and half."

"Very cute. How do you guys keep track of all these kids?"

"It's not easy believe me." Talho giggled. "But we love it. We wouldn't trade them in for the world."

"I believe it. Well, thanks for breakfast everyone. I had better get to work and find out what's going on with Avriana. I'll be around until you guys leave."

"Nice seeing you again Mischa. We'll be seeing you."

"Of course. I'll be here on the ship most of the time so you'll know where I'm at."

"Good to hear. See you later!"

"Hey Morita!"

"Renton! Good to see you again!"

"You too. So, how's the work on the Newhope going?"

"Slow. Seems like he took quite a hit in that last battle. How did those two manage to pull it off?"

"I'm not sure Morita. All I know is that they must've had the biggest seventh swell effect I've ever seen."

"They pulled it off on their own?"

"Yeah, and it wasn't any normal one either."

"It wasn't?"

"No. It seemed like instead of spreading around them like a normal one does, they were able to take all that energy and throw it into one giant blast right back up at Oratorio while it was firing on them."

"Amazing. Didn't you have that same effect when you went up against Anemone and the type Zero The enD?"

"Yeah we did except we were head to head with her."

"There are so many things that we can't explain. I wish you guys could."

"Believe me, I would if I could. I'm about as confused as you are."

"That's alright."

"So how long do you think it'll take to get him fixed?"

"About two weeks, maybe longer. He's in rough shape."

"I see. Alright, I'll let Holland and the others know. Thanks Morita."

"No problem Renton. It was good seeing you again."

"You too Morita."

"Hey Avriana."

"Hey Maeter. How's it going?"

"I was going to ask you. How are you feeling?"

"Better day by day I guess."

"You still look a little flustered."

"I do?"

"Yeah. Have you eaten yet today?"

"No, not yet. I'm kind of afraid to."

"You have to eat Avriana. You can't get better if you don't."

"Yeah, that's true. Can you get me something?"

"Sure. If I don't, your boyfriend might kill me."

"Oh Maeter." Avriana giggled. "Thanks."

"Sure. Be back in a few minutes."

"Alright."

"Where is she off to?" asked Nadia as she walked into the room.

"Hey mom. She's going to go get me some breakfast."

"That's good. How are you feeling today?"

"Better I think."

"That's good. You're looking better. Any problems as of today?"

"Nothing yet."

"Good. Have you seen Maurice yet today?"

"No. he's been busy watching Linck, Felicity, and Timothy since Eureka has been busy with Sonia and Morita working with the Newhope."

"Why would she be busy with that?"

"She's trying to help since I can't really do anything."

"I see. Well that's nice of her."

"Yes it is."

"Well, you're still a little warm yet but you are better. Just continue to stay in bed. We'll keep checking on you as we go along today."

"Ok. Thanks mom."

"No problem sweetie. See you later."

"Bye mom." Nadia then gave her a quick kiss on the forehead before going back to work for the day.

As the days went on, progress on the Newhope got better and better. Research into what happened on the final battle of the last war finally produced a video from that fateful day. And Renton wasn't lying. The power that the Newhope produced was greater than anything that the Nirvash or Venturion had ever done before in their lives. Morita and Sonia just looked at it in awe as they looked at while it was being repaired. They finally knew that there was something special about this LFO, and they were going to go over every detail that there was about it.

Avriana progressed well during those days. Mischa finally did a mental evaluation of Avriana while the Newhope was being repaired, and the results were almost like she had seen with Eureka before hand. It seemed like the farther Tresor got on repairing it, the better Avriana got. It almost looked like when the Newhope was hurt, Avriana got sick with it. The better it got, the better she was. Why was yet to be determined, but at least they knew what was finally going on with her. This relieved Nadia and Hap. No longer did they have to worry about their daughter. They could finally relax again and be a family. Of course, they weren't the only relieved ones.

"Hey Avriana, I've got something for you." said Maurice one day as he walked into her room.

"Oh really? What'd you get me?" she asked curiously. Maurice then pulled out a teddy bear and a dozen red carnations from in behind him. "I thought you'd like a little get well present."

"Maurice, they're beautiful. Thank you. Where'd you get the money for these?"

"I saved my allowance money for these."

"You didn't have to but thank you. I love them."

"You're welcome. I even bought a vase that you could keep them in."

"How'd you become so thoughtful and caring Maurice?"

"I learned from my dad Avriana."

"Well I owe him my thanks. They raised you wonderfully."

"Hey, they try. Anyways I had better get back to work. My little brothers and sisters can't watch themselves."

"Ok. Thank you again Maurice."

"You're welcome." Maurice then gave her a quick gentle kiss before leaving her room. After he left, Avriana went and filled her vase with water before gently placing the flowers in it and setting them on their vanity. She then laid back down in bed while holding the bear close to her heart. And with a loving smile on her face, gently fell into a peaceful sleep.

"Well will you look at that." said Nadia as she and Hap went by her room a little later on. "Looks like someone gave Avriana a present."

"I'd have to say so. I wonder who did?"

"I don't know. I see a card on her flowers. Let's go read it."

"But I don't want to wake her up."

"We'll be quiet then." she whispered as they walked into the room. "Aww, how cute. They even gave her a teddy bear. Look at her. She looks so happy."

"Yeah she does. She's our little angel. Well well, I know who our romeo is."

"Let me guess? Maurice?"

"You got it."

"Her first present from her boyfriend. He did well."

"Yes he did. Look at her card." when Nadia opened the card, the note inside said "Get well soon Avriana. I love you. Love your boyfriend, Maurice."

"Oh how sweet." she said with tears in her eyes. "I'm never letting those two separate even if my life depends on it. They were made for each other."

"Yes they were hon. Come on now, lets let her sleep."

"Ok." and as the two quietly left the room, they had to smile themselves when they noticed Avriana still had a gentle, happy smile on her face as she slept.

The next day was good news for everyone on the GekkoState. The Newhope was finally done. And that wasn't the only thing. Avriana was finally back to her old self once again. Nadia and Hap had praised Maurice for the gift he gave her yesterday. In fact everyone did when they heard of what he did, especially Avriana, who just clung to him the entire day. He didn't mind at all though. He was just glad to see her healthy and happy once again.

"Well, here you are you two." said Morita as the Newhope was pulled outside. "He's good as new and totally updated from the inside out."

"Thank you Morita." said Avriana. "He looks great."

"You're welcome Avriana. I'm glad we could help. We checked out the rest of the LFO's too and they were fine. Just a few minor tune ups was all they needed."

"Thanks for your time Morita." said Holland. "We owe you one as always."

"You don't owe us a thing. It's the least we can do for these two after what they did. So, where are you guys heading next?"

"FAC51."

"Hacienda."

"Yes. Something isn't right with the NFA. It seems like they've got us on another wild goose chase. So before they give us our orders, we've got some questions we need to ask them."

"I see. They've been asking us for some of the new KLF units and they're asking for them faster than we can make them. So I have no idea what's going on."

"That's strange, but alright. I'll check into it. I'll let you know if I find anything out."

"You do that Holland. Good luck out there."

"Thanks. Ok, everyone load up! We're going to Hacienda! Maurice, Avriana, get the Newhope on the ship."

"Can we take him out first?" asked Avriana.

"Well, sure, why not. Anemone, I want you to follow them in the Venturion. We'll follow behind in the Gekko."

"Roger that. Eureka, can you watch the girls for us?"

"Sure sis. We've got it."

"Thanks. Let's go Dominic."

"Right. Load up kids. Lets see what you can do."

"OK! Come on Maurice!"

"Alright! See you guys in the skies!"

"Ok Maeter, now remember what we told you." said Talho. "Take her up easy now. You've only had two weeks of lessons, so don't think you're a master pilot yet."

"I know grandma."

"Please don't call me that. It makes me feel old."

"Ok Talho." she giggled. "Lighting boosters now! GekkoState taking off!!"

"How's it handling you two?" asked Anemone as they circled around Tresor waiting for the Gekko.

"Venturion, this is Newhope. Everything is normal." said Avriana. "It feels great to be back in the air."

"Roger that. How are you feeling?"

"Great, and in love." she giggled.

"I know, isn't it great?"

"Yes it is. It feels great knowing I have Maurice with me at my side."

"Ok, enough with the emotional chatter you guys." said Maeter.

"Maeter? Is that you flying?" asked Anemone.

"Yes it is." she replied as she showed up on their video screens. "I have Talho and Doggie right behind me supervising."

"Ok, roger that. Gekko, all systems on the Newhope are normal. I'm going to take them out for a few battle scenarios to see how they handle them."

"Roger that." Gidget replied. "Just be careful out there."

"We will. Ok Newhope, let's go."

"Ok." Maurice replied as the four jetted ahead into the morning skies. "Alright Avriana, let's show my aunt what we can do."

"Right! Come on Anemone! Try to keep up!"

"Oh, challenging me now are you? Bad mistake on your part." she laughed. "I've got experience on my side, you don't."

"We'll see about that!" she replied. "Maurice, hold my hand."

"Your hand? We should keep our hands on the controls."

"Just trust me Maurice."

"Alright." Maurice then took her hand as they flew along.

"Now, believe in me with all of your heart that I love you Maurice. I believe in you."

"I believe in you Avriana, with all my heart." What happened next caught everyone off guard, even everyone at Tresor. A sudden burst of purple light similar to the seventh swell appeared, engulfing the Newhope in a brilliant light as it's eyes glowed a bright green.

"Woz, what's going on?!" yelled Talho.

"I don't know! I can't explain it!"

"Is it a seventh swell?"

"Well, yes and no!"

"What?"

"Look at this." he said as he pointed to his screen. "It has all the properties of a seventh swell. The trapar readings, the trapar polarity, the swell, everything points to it. But the strange thing is, all those readings are off the charts! They're almost beyond anything we can keep track of."

"Are they in any danger?"

"No. In fact, they're safer than ever. Even the Nirvash can't hit power levels this high."

"Amazing. Venturion, this is the Gekko. How are things on your end?"

"Gekko, this is Venturion. Everything is normal. Can you see those readings? They're amazing!"

"I know. We've got them on screen. Can you reach them on the radio?"

"Negative. Trapar readings are too strong. We can't get through."

"Ok. We'll have to wait for them to level down. Standby."

"Roger that." A few minutes later, everything finally settled down and went back to normal. Immediately afterwards the Gekko got the Newhope on the radio.

"Newhope, this is the Gekko, do you copy?"

"Gekko, this is Newhope. Go ahead."

"Are you two alright?"

"We're fine. Everything's normal."

"Avriana, how are you feeling?"

"Just fine Talho."

"Good. Head on home then. We've got things to do."

"Roger that. Heading home now."

"Well, that was interesting. Now I wish Mischa had come along to help explain all these things."

"Talho, we're getting a page from Tresor!" said Gidget.

"Put it through Gidget."

"Ok." a few seconds later, Mischa popped up on Gidgets console. "Gekko, this is Tresor. What's going on?"

"I wish I knew Mischa."

"Ok, now I know I said I was going to be staying here, but I'm getting on a high speed craft and coming aboard. I can't miss all of this research. There's room for me right?"

"Yes there is Mischa. Since they had all of our records from the last ship, they made a room just for you with your name on it, so you're all set."

"Good. I'll be there in a bit."

"Roger that. Welcome back."

"Thanks. Tresor out."

"Gekko out. Gidget, page Holland and let him know what's going on. Hap, open the hatch and recover the Venturion and Newhope. Maeter, Doggie, hold our course until Mischa gets here. After that, change our headings and head to FAC51."

"Roger that." they all replied.