As the Storm Hawks sat and listened to Jabiru's story, they couldn't help but feel sorry for her. After having been abandoned at birth by her parents, she was taken in by a Atmosian who'd seen her crying in an alley moments after being dropped off. Unable to simply leave the child there to die, the kind woman took her as her own, caring for her as her wealth allowed. The woman was a nomad, having no home and no real family, except the other performers in her group. She was a singer, a wandering minstrel who traveled from terra to terra bartering room and board in exchange for a performance of their acclaimed music.

One day, when she was still very young, Jabiru asked her mother why she was so different. The young woman, who Jabiru refused to name, simply told her she'd been adopted by humans shortly after birth; it was the truth, but only part of it. Being young, and not knowing any better, she accepted her mother's wisdom. Years later, she was finally told the truth.

After hearing her mother's story, she packed up what she owned, hitched a ride to Terra Merb, and tracked down her parents, not really expecting to find them. But when she came to the home where she was born, and she laid eyes on her birth mother, she knew. She just knew.

"Jabiru!?" She cried out as her daughter came closer. At first, there was a lot of awkward silence between them, accentuated by hugs and joyful sobs, but soon enough, they couldn't stop arguing.

"You are the most ungrateful child I've ever met! You've obviously had a good life so far, why ruin it by coming home and tormenting us!?" Her father yelled angrily.

The Storm Hawks never heard the rest of that story.

"Guys, we've got trouble! Cyclonians, everywhere!" Stork yelled over the blaring alarms. Seeing how she no longer seemed to be a threat, Aerrow allowed her to be released. By the time she got free, and made her way to the end of the flight deck, the Cyclonians had starting flying off. She yelled to them, they yelled back, and the Talon's squadron leader got close enough for her to jump aboard. And as she flew off, the Storm Hawks couldn't help feeling betrayed. The hardest hit, however, was Stork.

"Hey, buddy... how you doin'? Finn asked hesitantly, eyeing the weeping Merb. He'd stayed in his room for nearly a week, refusing to come out. When he finally did, he continued his duties, but they noticed a change; he cried a lot. It alternated from loud, piecing screams of sadness, to quiet sobbing they could only see.

"Okay, I guess..." He sighed sadly, his eyes still red from all the crying. He'd thought he'd found someone he could befriend; someone who truly understood him.

One day, feeling so horribly for the poor, heartbroken pilot, Piper couldn't stand it anymore, and decided to see what she could do to help. She had no idea how much she'd end up doing, and how much better they'd both feel for doing it...

Author's Note: Another shorty... and a cliffhanger, I know...

You'll thank me... (dodges arrows launched from angry StorkxPiper fans)