Entering the cafeteria, Meia kept a stern demeanor as she walked over to the coffee maker and grabbed a cup of coffee before sitting at the table next across from Misty.

Taking a sip from her coffee Meia looked over her shoulder at Dita who had moved to the side to let Chase through.

After getting by Dita, Chase turned around to make a quick survey over everyone who seemed to be acting really unusual, almost crazy.

"Somethin' ain't right here" he muttered before sitting next to Misty across from Meia. "Is it me" he began "Or did everyone become a raving lunatic overnight?"

"Yeah what is going on with them?" Misty asked.

"Tomorrow" Meia started "Happens to be my birthday".

"Really?" Chase asked in unison with Misty.

"Oh wait I remember now" Chase said planting the underside of his fist in his hand "I read your file my first week here" Chase lowered his head "I can't believe it's already been that long since this all started".

"You think it's a surprise party?" Misty asked them.

"I hope not" Chase muttered "If it is their going to want to drag me into it".

"You two don't seem all that excited about it" Misty noted seeing the annoyed expressions on their faces.

"I don't care for things like that" Meia told her "Especially when I'm the one it's for. It's nothing, but a nuisance".

"I'm with Meia" Chase said "I don't like surprises".

"Well when's your birthday Chase?" Misty asked the cowboy "That way I'll know not to plan anything".

"Tomorrow" Chase told her, surprising both her and Meia.

"Whoa are you for real?" Misty asked him.

"Real as the table in front of us" Chase muttered taking a sip of the coffee he had.

"If it's your birthday as well then maybe they should do the party for you and not me" Meia said in her usual stoic tone.

"No thanks" Chase replied "I'd hate to have to shoot one of them".

Misty immediately had an infatuated expression on her face "Wow. You know your stoicism is the best thing about the two of you, you both look so wonderful when you're annoyed by this stuff".

"Misty" Meia said in an embarrassed tone just as Chase got up.

"That's my queue to leave. See ya around ladies" he said tipping his hat to them.

After Chase left the cafeteria he ducked around the doorway and looked down at Dita, Paiway and Hibiki who were huddled close together. "She already knows you're all up to something so whatever you're planning; just make sure it doesn't involve me".

"Who said we were up to anything?" Hibiki asked him defensively.

"Whatever" Chase sighed "I'm going back to my room, just leave me out of all this".

Returning to his room Chase closed the door behind him and quickly fell onto his bed lying face down into his pillow.

"This'll be my first birthday in three years that I won't be alone" he muttered to himself before Barnette's image appeared in his mind "Then again" he said aloud "She's the only reason I'm still here, if it wasn't for her then I would've…" Chase felt a twinge of pain in his temple and quickly closed his right eye.

Moving his hand over his right eye where a fragment of the peksis crystal imbedded itself in his skull. "That day you allowed me to stay longer" he said in his head as if he was speaking to the peksis "When this is all over…will I still be here?"

After a short silence Chase shook his head "Yeah. Because a damn crystal is going to decide my life for me" he said before bolting up from the bed "No offense peksis, but when it comes down to it I'm the one who decides how my life goes. You're a great friend and all, but I control my future".

Unbeknownst to Chase however, when he spoke those words, Nighthawk activated itself in the hangar platform.

Back in the ship's cafeteria Barnette was making the last touches of the cake she was making, humming the same western tune Chase would occasionally whistle while he worked on Nighthawk.

"There that should do it" Barnette said in a very pleased with herself manner before taking the cake and placing it in the refrigerator to keep it cool "Now all we have to do is find a way to keep Meia from leaving the ship".

"Barnette" a familiar voice called out to her.

The green-haired Dread pilot gasped and spun around on her heels "Nighthawk?" she asked under her breath.

Not waiting a second Barnette went to the storage room in the cafeteria and changed back into her daily clothes before rushing to the hangar platform.

Arriving in the hangar Barnette looked over to Nighthawk and frantically asked "What is it?"

"This is an important day for Chase" the sentient machine said to her "This will be the first ordeal before the end comes. He will need you to help him through it, even though he hides it well. On the inside he is still alone; he hasn't fully accepted the Nirvana's crew into his heart. You are the only one that can open his heart to those around him".

"What do you mean?" Barnette asked the mecha in a confused tone "What are you trying to say?"

"He's changing, because of you he's slowly been crawling out of the darkness that he allowed to consume him, but that darkness has taken a new form and will take him entirely if you let it".

Completely lost as to what any of that was supposed to mean Barnette tried to wrap her mind around it, but all of it seemed too hard to believe. By the time she decided to ask Nighthawk to explain what it meant, the machine had gone silent.

"Tell me what to do!" Barnette cried at the machine "Whatever's happening to him I want to help!"

Nighthawk remained silent, which only added to Barnette's distress. "Don't just tell me something important like that and then say nothing when I ask what I need to do!" she yelled at the mecha.

Still, the mech remained silent, no answer, not even a slight call to the pilot, it just stood there as lifeless as it was once believed to be.

A series of mixed emotions ran through the Dread pilot as she turned away from the mecha and left the hangar, feeling mostly frustration and despair.

"Tomorrow is his birthday" Nighthawk whispered in her mind "He's trying to act like he doesn't care, but he wants to spend it with you".

Lowering her head as she reached the hangar door, Barnette felt her heart twinge at Nighthawk's words. She still didn't know what to do, but for now she had a pretty good idea on how to start.

In the hall leading to the bridge, Meia and Chase had stepped off the elevator, both of them stopped once they spotted Hibiki and Dita leaning against the wall with Paiway. Whatever they were up to they were really bad at hiding it.

Sighing in a fake troubled way Dita tried to force Meia's hand, which didn't take much effort.

"What is it?" Meia asked her sub-ordinate.

The red head looked up to her commander "Oh Meia, it's all so troubling we just don't know what to do anymore".

"What do you mean?" Meia asked her.

"Not falling for it" Chase thought to himself.

"Well we were going to take care of Kaluah, but there's so much work to do and everyone else is so busy that we just don't know what to do" Dita explained.

"Leaving!" Chase said in a comic annoyed voice just as Dita jumped forward and Hibiki handed Ezra's baby to her.

"Hey Meia why don't you take her for a while? That way everyone can have time to finish their work".

"Now hold on!" Meia protested "There are a lot of people here a lot better trained than I am at this sort of thing".

"Oh I see" Hibiki gloated "Someone who's always saying she can handle anything at anytime whimpering at the thought of caring for a baby".

"I am not whimpering!" Meia barked, startling the baby in her arms and making her cry.

While Meia was distracted by the baby's crying, Hibiki, Dita and Paiway took their chance and ran away adding to Meia's situation by calling out their thanks as they ran.

Meia sighed in annoyance "They really got me this time" she admitted as the baby continued crying.

"Yeeeeeeeeeea…" Chase said before looking in the direction the others had fled "You're on your own Meia" he said before walking off at a brisk pace leaving Meia alone in the hall.

Not long after walking away from Meia, Chase stopped in mid step and slightly lowered his head with a small smirk on his face. "I can't just leave her alone" he sighed "Someone has to keep an eye on her while she watches the baby".

Turning back around Chase bumped into Barnette just as she came out of a storage closet almost knocking her over.

"Hey, what's the rush?" he asked her in a teasing tone as he grabbed her hand to keep her steady.

Realizing who she bumped into Barnette quickly bowed her head "Sorry Chase, but I've got a lot to do right now" she said before running off down the hall.

Watching Barnette run around the corner Chase tilted his head to the side unsure of what to make of what just happened. "That was definitely odd, but she did sound like she was in a hurry so it'd probably be best not to bother her".

Turning back around Chase headed back to the corridor he left Meia in only to find that she had already left with the baby. "I need to stop having a change of heart over everything" he sighed as he rubbed the back of his head.

Sliding his hands into his pockets the cowboy stepped back onto the elevator and headed for the women's quarters of the ship.

Stepping off the elevator, Chase walked down the hall toward Meia's room. After arriving at Meia's door, the cowboy reached up to knock, but the second his hand made contact with the steel door it slid open.

"That was impeccable timing" the cowboy said with a slightly amused smile as Meia stood in front of him holding Kaluah in her arms.

"What do you want?" Meia asked him in an annoyed tone.

"Well" Chase began, rubbing the back of his neck "I just didn't feel right leaving you to do all of this on your own" pausing to look at the floor for a second Chase scoffed at himself "I guess I'm saying I'll help you take care of her".

Meia shot her head to the side and began walking away "I can handle this myself" she said in an unintended hostile tone.

Chase followed after her "Well I'm going to help you anyway".

Following Meia down the hall and through the ship Chase watched her as she frantically rocked Kaluah in her arms trying to calm her.

After entering the small corridor where the escape pods were docked Meia stepped over the ledge of the doorway before looking over her shoulder "Stop following me" she said to Chase "I told you I can handle this myself".

"And I told you" Chase replied also stepping through the doorway "That I don't feel right leaving you to this yourself".

Before either of them could get another word out the ship's alarm went off announcing yet another enemy fleet.

Chase moaned "Why in tar nation can't they just leave us alone?"

Immediately turning around to leave the docking bay for the escape pods Meia tried to slip by Chase, but the hall was too narrow.

"Chase move" she said.

"Hang on, just hang on" the cowboy told her backing away so he could turn around.

After setting himself against the wall Chase held his arm out to the side "Happy now?" he asked Meia just as she slipped by him.

"Thank you Chase" Chase said in a sarcastic tone as he followed Meia "You're quite welcome Meia, no problem at all".

"Quit whining and come on" Meia yelled to him before the ship rocked and sent her stumbling into the activation switch for one of the escape pods.

"You two ok?" Chase asked making sure Meia was uninjured and the baby was still safe in her arms.

"We're fine let's just get to the bridge and give her back to Ezra" Meia told him before the ship rocked again and sent both of them rolling into the open escape pod which immediately launched into space.

"No No NO!" Chase yelled slamming his fist against the side of the pod's view window.

"This can't be happening" Meia said under her breath as she watched the Nirvana shrink in the distance as they drifted further and further from their ship.

"Jura here, I can't find Meia anywhere on the ship"

"What?" Ezra gasped.

"There's no time to keep looking for her, I'll just assume command for now" the blonde pilot declared as she launched into battle.

From the Helmsman portal Bart activated the Nirvana's main weapons and cried to the Dread formations "Just leave the first wave to me".

Firing the main batteries from the Nirvana Bart shot down the entire first wave before the enemy's lead unit appeared on the scene.

"What is that thing a ghost?" Bart cried "Appear and then disappear make up your mind will ya!"

The enemy's lead unit appeared to be some kind of squid with wings by the looks of it. A large target should've been an easy one, but this one somehow continued to vanish from plain sight everytime anyone would target it and then reappear behind them.

"Commander!" Celtic cried from her operator terminal "Scans of the ship show that Chase isn't on board".

"What?" BC asked "Aramone!"

The dark skinned bridge bunny immediately checked the hangar camera feed, "Nighthawk is still in the hangar, no life signs detected inside".

"One of the escape pods is missing!" Celtic added "You don't think?"

BC immediately spun around "Ezra go to the radar room and locate that pod, take Pyoro with you".

"Right" Ezra muttered fearfully.

"I'll go with you" Misty told her before jumping out of the terminal she was sitting at.

Inside the missing escape pod Chase was leaned against the wall staring blankly at Kaluah while Meia tried to get the controls to the escape pod working.

"What's up?" Chase asked the baby who continued to stare back at him just as blankly as he was.

Meia gritted her teeth "It's no good. The beacons aren't working and the controls aren't responding at all. Of all the things that could've happened we had to get stuck in an obsolete escape pod".

"Let's just be patient, I'm sure they'll find us eventually" Chase told her before he slid down the wall into a sitting position and continued to stare at Kaluah who continued to return the stare.

Back in front of the Nirvana, the battle was still going hot. Vandread Dita had flown off to fight the enemy's lead unit alone while the rest of the pilots fought the remaining enemies.

"That's most of them" Barnette sighed after she shot down a cube-type from her delivery ship "Dita how are you doing on your end?"

Hearing Dita scream, Barnette quickly turned her ship around and looked on as the enemy squid continued to evade each of the Vandread's attacks before circling around and firing on them.

"Dammit will you just hold still" Hibiki growled after another failed attack.

Turning the Vandread around to fire again, Hibiki and Dita's eyes widened when they saw the enemy appear right in front of them and prepare a charged shot at close range.

"Oh no!" Dita gasped before the Vandread shook lightly.

Quickly looking back to the harvest squid, the two pilots saw a small damaged spot on its armor before another shot impacted on the side of it before it vanished from sight again.

"What was that?" Hibiki asked before the radar picked up a friendly signal closing in on their position.

Looking behind them the two pilots saw Nighthawk flying right at them with both of its giant revolvers drawn, it's menacing green eyes flared as it stopped alongside the Vandread.

"Where have you been?" Hibiki yelled at the mech, but there was no answer.

"Hey are you even listening to me?" the young pilot yelled.

"There are no life signs coming from Nighthawk" BC told him from the bridge.

"What?" Hibiki asked.

"For whatever reason Nighthawk is piloting itself, Chase isn't inside it or anywhere on the ship" the sub-commander told him.

Hibiki's expression became confused "Can anything else strange happen today?" he asked before the enemy shot the Vandread in the back before making a pass at Nighthawk, which easily evaded the attack with a side thrust.

Once the enemy passed by it, Nighthawk took aim with its double revolvers and began firing rapidly at the fast moving enemy missing each shot.

"Dammit!" Hibiki yelled after the enemy scored another hit on the Vandread "You're really starting to piss me off" he growled before letting go of the controls and folding his arms together.

Once Hibiki released the controls to the Vandread, the machine's arms fell stiffly to its sides, without both pilots working together the machine wouldn't move.

Flying above them Barnette watched as the enemy attacked them over and over as Nighthawk continued to miss shot after shot.

"Hey you guys what are you doing down there?" she asked in a worried tone as the enemy continued to damage the Vandread.

The last shot knocked Dita forward and the red haired pilot turned around to look at Hibiki "Mr. Alien!" she cried in a panicked voice.

Hibiki only sat there with his eyes closed and his arms crossed.

In the escape pod, Meia was dreaming, she was standing on a large hill surrounded by a greenish crystal like light. All she saw was a figure standing at the top of the hill, her mother.

In her dream she saw many images of her past, she could hear both of her mothers telling her all of the important things they told her before, more specifically how important she was to them and that no matter where she was they would always watch over her.

"We have a problem time to wake up" Chase's voice echoed, bringing Meia out of her dream.

"Sorry, but nap time is over" the cowboy said from the console of the pod.

"What is it?" Meia asked him before seeing Kaluah asleep inside her flight suit.

"The pod's oxygen system just died out, between the three of us we've barely got ten minutes worth of air" Chase told her after backing away from the console. "I can't fix it either, they have to find us real soon or that's it for us".

Meia looked at the console and then down to Kaluah as she slept and panic arose in her mind.

Turning around Meia ripped open the pod's locker and grabbed a single space suit and placed Kaluah inside before locking the suit's helmet in place. "Don't worry" she said quietly as she held the space suit protecting the baby "I will never let you die".

Chase slowly sat himself down against the wall and tried to slow his breathing "We have to use as little air as possible" he said to Meia as she placed Kaluah in a corner and sat down next to her "Just try to slow your breathing and focus on that alone, its an old meditation trick from Melanos, it'll let you breath slower and keep you going".

"Easy for you to say" Meia said to him "Either way if they don't get here soon we're both going to suffocate".

"They'll be here" Chase told her as he closed his eyes.

Far away from them, the battle continued. The enemy's lead unit continued to batter the Vandread and Nighthawk as it made its hit and run attacks.

"What are you doing!" Jura yelled at them "Are you trying to get killed!"

"That's easy for you to say" Dita cried at her as Hibiki continued to sit behind her, doing nothing.

With the Vandread's damage now at critical levels the enemy's lead unit made one final pass, ready to finish off the Vandread.

Flying head on toward the Vandread, the enemy extended its wings, which turned to be its undoing.

Once the enemy's wings extended Nighthawk swopped in and slammed its palms against both wings before the hidden knives in each of its hands shot out impaling the enemy squid.

Once it had hold of its target Nighthawk retracted its left hand and grabbed the short beam saber that was attached to the mecha's back before stabbing it through the center of the enemy's armor and ripping it to the side just as the Vandread grabbed hold of it from the tip.

"If you can't push" Hibiki began as the Vandread's cannons turned over the machine's shoulders aimed right at the enemy in front of it "You pull!" he roared before the cannons fired destroying the enemy's last unit.

On the Nirvana's bridge the captain sighed heavily with a smile "Only a man would've come up with a plan like that".

"Radar room here!" Misty's voice cried "We've detected another enemy formation in the area, but they're not heading for us they're flying to different coordinates".

"Its must be the escapes pod with Meia and the baby" the captain gasped "BC!"

The sub-commander nodded "All Dreads head to those coordinates at once!"

Inside the escape pod, Chase was doing all he could to keep his breathing regulated, but between him and Meia the remaining oxygen was being used to quickly, the chances of either of them getting surviving this ordeal was slim at best, but both of them surviving wasn't going to happen, to give Meia and Kaluah a better chance at survival there was really only one thing he could do.

Hearing a faint snapping sound, Meia looked up to see Chase undoing the fasten around his revolver. "What are you doing?" she asked him.

"Saving oxygen for you and the baby" he said using his thumb to pull back the hammer on the back of his revolver before turning it around in his hand and aiming it at himself.

Seeing what Chase was doing Meia froze, she couldn't believe it he was really planning on killing himself to give her and Kaluah a better chance to survive.

"What are you doing?" Chase panted after Meia grabbed hold of his arm.

Meia didn't even realize it, she had bolted up from her corner and pushed Chase's arm up against the wall. Under normal circumstances Chase could've easily overpowered her, but with the lack of oxygen neither of them had the strength to sit upright, let alone arm wrestle.

"Don't even think for a minute" Meia panted "That I'm going to let you take the coward's way out".

Chase stared down at Meia who had small tears in her eyes. He couldn't tell if it was from the lack of air in the pod or if she was really scared of what he was planning, but either way it struck something in his heart to see her that way.

"If you don't let go we'll both die" Chase told her "If I pull this trigger at least you and Kaluah will have a better chance".

"And what if we don't?" she asked him "You would've died for nothing".

"And if I don't do it we're going to die anyway" Chase argued.

"Stop being so self-righteous" Meia demanded weakly before fainting in Chase's arms.

Slowly lowering his arm and letting go of his gun Chase grabbed Meia's shoulder and lifted her up before sitting her against the wall and getting to his feet just as the pod shook.

Stepping over to the pod's window Chase looked out to see a small harvest formation surrounding them and one of them had hold of the pod.

"So this is how its going to end huh?" he asked himself before looking down at Meia and then Kaluah who was gently tapping her palms against the space suit's Plexiglas face plate. "Don't worry" he told her "They'll come after me not you".

Slamming his elbow against the glass case around the pod's emergency door release Chase looked back to Meia and closed his eyes "I'm sorry Meia, looks like we're both at the end of the road".

Drawing his second revolver from his jacket Chase inhaled deeply and held his breath before pulling the release lever for the door with his gun ready.

The door locks popped and the door flew off and Chase lunged forward keeping his hand on the door's release lever so he could swing around the side of the pod. Opening his eyes Chase took aim at a laser barrier that cut off the void of space from the inside of the delivery ship that saved him.

"What?" he wondered seeing where he was before letting go of the inside of the ship and falling down against the wall.

"My baby!" Ezra cried running into the ship and grabbing Kaluah from the space suit.

After Ezra ran off the escape pod with Kaluah held tightly in her arms, Meia weakly stepped down from the pod and looked over to Chase.

"I'm sorry Meia" he said to her as she handed him the revolver he dropped in the escape pod.

After placing both guns back in their holsters Chase looked at the floor and felt a heavy weight on his heart when he thought about what he planned to do, he was really about to take the coward's way out.

Hearing Kaluah start crying, both Chase and Meia looked over to Ezra who was trying to keep Pyoro away from Kaluah which seemed to really upset the baby.

Walking over to them Meia gently took Kaluah from Ezra's arms and began rocking her "There you go everything is ok now right?" she asked Kaluah gently.

After realizing that Meia was holding her, Kaluah reached her arms up toward her face and began laughing.

"Oh I see" Meia said to her "You like me now do you?"

After the delivery ship returned safely to the Nirvana, Chase had left for his room in silence. That short hour inside the delivery pod had shaken him greatly and when he thought about his plan to save oxygen for Meia he fell to his knees at the edge of his bed.

"What was I thinking?" he asked himself in a scared tone "I was really about to take the easy way out? Have I really become that weak?"

"Chase?" a small voice came from his doorway "Can I come in?"

Immediately recognizing the voice, Chase got back to his feet and opened the door. Once the door opened he threw his arms around Barnette's shoulders holding her tightly to him as he struggled against the tears that began forming in his eyes.

Surprised by Chase's sudden change Barnette gently placed her arms around him and rested them on the center of his back "I'm glad you made it".

"I was scared Barnette" Chase cried silently as he began losing his struggle against his own tears "I really thought that was it for me".

Barnette tightened her grip around him "Its ok, it's over now" she whispered to him.

Chase slowly released Barnette from his embrace and let his hands rest on her shoulders before he turned around after she let go of him. "For a minute" he began in a shaky voice "I was about to take the easy way out" he admitted "I was so scared I was going to shoot myself to save myself the pain of suffocating, and in my fear of dying I fooled myself into thinking that I was doing it to save more oxygen for Meia and the baby".

Chase clenched his eyes and his fists "How did I become this weak?" he growled at himself.

Barnette reached her arms around him again "You're not weak" she told him in a loving tone "You were scared; to be afraid of death. Its human nature isn't it?"

Chase gently and slowly opened his eyes as his fists relaxed and unballed themselves "I'm sorry Barnette" he gasped through his tears "I was so scared that I was going to die that time".

"I'm glad you made it" Barnette said tightening her embrace before letting him go and sliding her hands down his arm. "I have something for you" she told him "Follow me".

Leading Chase back to her room, Barnette stopped at the door and told Chase to close his eyes.

Silently doing what she told him to, Chase closed his eyes and listened as Barnette opened her door before gently pulling him along with her as she went inside.

"Ok open them" she told him in a gently, happy tone.

Opening his eyes, Chase saw a small cake sitting on a table in the center of Barnette's room. It was a chocolate cake with white frosting frilling all around it and the words happy birthday Chase written on it with red icing.

"How did you?" Chase began before Barnette cut him off.

"Nighthawk told me" she admitted "He said that you're still trapped in your past, that you haven't fully accepted the crew into your heart".

"That sounds like something he'd say" Chase nodded while pursing his lips.

"Chase" Barnette muttered shyly "If there's anything bothering you, you can tell me, I want to do whatever I can to help you, you're not alone here even if you won't let anyone else know, you can always count on me".

Chase lowered his head to the side and stared at the cake Barnette made, gently stepping around the table Chase gently threw his arms around her and stared into her deep violet eyes "Thank you Barnette" he said before he kissed her.

For an entire minute the two of them kissed each other before backing away, while they kissed everything around them ceased to exist, it was just the two of them in that room.

The two of them finally sat down at the small card table Barnette had in her room and ate the cake she made, over the rest of the night the two of them stayed together not wanting to leave the other's side.

Well into the night Barnette had led Chase to her bed and the two of them laid on it staring at the ceiling of the darkened room.

"Chase" Barnette muttered as the two pilots lay next to each other.

"Yeah?"

"You're not…going to disappear are you?" she asked him "When this is all over, you'll still be here right?"

Chase remained silent for a moment, Barnette's question scared him for a second. Turning his head to look at her Chase asked "Why do you ask?"

Barnette also remained silent for a brief moment while she thought about what she was going to say. "Its just...the way Nighthawk was talking...he made it sound like you were going to leave when all of this ends".

Pushing himself up, Chase leaned over her. "I'm not going anywhere" he said as he gently ran his hand down the side of her face.

"You promise?" she asked him.

Chase nodded to her "I promise" he said before leaning closer to her.