Even with her earplugs firmly jammed in, the noise was nearly deafening. Libby gave her head a quick shake and stared at the gun in her hands for just a moment before glancing across the main chamber at her target. She sighed as she saw the bullet hole resting on the steel wall of the ship, a full foot from the edge of the paper target.
"That was…nearly a bull's eye!" Sheen happily shouted louder than normal. He quickly rubbed his sore ears. The earplugs were uncomfortable, but Nick had been insistent on everyone wearing them. Apparently shooting hundreds of rounds in an enclosed ship could burst his eardrums.
Libby scowled and stared at her boyfriend with clear annoyance. "It didn't even hit the target!"
Sheen rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, you could try…doing it right," he quietly whispered while looking away.
"What?" Libby snapped.
"It's just, well…" Sheen let his voice trail off before sighing in resolve. "You're doing it wrong."
Libby stared at the pistol in her hands before looking back up to Sheen. "What's wrong about the way I shoot?"
"Everything," Sheen simply summed up.
"Let's see you do better," she huffed while shoving the pistol against Sheen's chest.
Sheen's eyes bugged out in response and he immediately grabbed the gun and pointed it at the ground. "That! That was wrong!"
"What?" Libby sighed.
"You didn't even turn on the safety!" Sheen shouted while pointing at the small button beside the trigger. "You shoved it against my chest. You could have shot me!"
Hearing the seriousness in Sheen's tone caused Libby to take a step backward. "You're…you're joking, right?"
Sheen shook his head and took a deep breath. "Watch me, Libbalicious," he said while carefully gripping the pistol. He put his left leg forward and raised the pistol to stare down the sights. Grasping the gun as tightly as he possibly could without letting his hands shake, he aimed the barrel of the gun at the center of the bull's eye. He slowly exhaled and pulled the trigger right after the last of the air had left his lungs. Libby's jaw dropped slightly as he hit the dead center of the target.
"See?" Sheen asked with an easy smile. He handed the pistol back to Libby, who hesitated for a few seconds before taking it. "Just stand the way I did, grab it tight, and shoot after breathing."
Libby stared at Sheen uncertainly, but followed his instructions. She raised the gun up to her eyes and aimed the sights properly. She flexed her fingers around the gun's grip and then squeezed it tightly. She took in a deep breath and slowly let it out, gently pulling the trigger once finished. She looked at the target across from her to find that her bullet hole was now in between the bull's eye and bottom right hand corner of the paper. She allowed herself a tiny smile. "Guess it's an improvement."
A trio of much louder gunshots rang out from beside her, and three bullet holes appeared along the outer ring of her target's bull's eye. Libby glanced angrily at her left to see Ike holding a rifle over his shoulder. "Don't sweat it, Libby. We can't all have eagle eyes," Ike cockily said.
"Shoot at your own targets," Nick angrily told Ike while strolling behind him. "Do you want to accidentally hit someone?"
"Sir, no sir," Ike said with a half smile while ejecting his nearly empty magazine and slamming in another.
Nick strolled over to the ship's exit hatch and leaned against it while crossing his arms. Once again, he felt a twinge of pride at his work. He hadn't had nearly as much space to work with as he had on Little Boy, but he had still managed to create a training center.
In front of Nick sat Barak's research interface, effectively cutting the ship's largest room into two portions. On the right hand side stood Ike, then Sheen and Libby, then Miranda, and finally Jimmy. Each had a paper target attached to the silver wall directly ahead of them at the opposite end of the room. Nick wished they had a longer distance in between their targets, but the fifteen yards they had would have to do.
On the left hand side of the room, Cindy was trying to whip Carl into physical shape. The overweight kid was currently running laps around the small area with Cindy jogging beside him and shouting into his ear. Betty emerged from the cockpit and narrowly avoiding being bowled over by Carl while strolling towards Nick.
"Finally joining us?" Nick asked with a small smile.
"I was just testing how fast I could make this thing go if I gave the engines some power from the barrack's lighting systems," Betty answered. Nick turned to Betty with a somewhat bewildered look. "What?" Betty angrily asked.
Nick let out a small chuckle. "Guess I didn't realize how serious you were about the whole becoming a pilot thing."
Betty scowled. "Well that was one of our problems, wasn't it? You not listening?"
Nick felt a twinge of guilt at Betty's jab, but kept the amused smirk on his face. "Sorry I didn't want to be married at thirteen," he sarcastically answered.
Betty stared at Nick's playful face and gave a small smile back. "No hard feelings, right?"
Nick nodded. "That's what we agreed."
They stared at their five friends shooting. "Think they'll make it?" she asked while staring at Jimmy. Nick followed her gaze, and then she quickly motioned her head towards Cindy.
Nick drummed his fingers against his crossed arms and thought for a few seconds. "Jimmy loves her." He turned to Betty with a serious look on his face. "More than I thought someone our age could love anyone." Nick then gave Cindy a curious glance as she scowled down at Carl, who was lying down and panting heavily. "And you can't tell right now, but it's softened her."
Betty was about to protest this, but thought of how Cindy had apologized to her less than an hour ago. "Guess so. She loves him too."
Betty and Nick looked into each other's eyes and shared a smile. "I think they'll make it," Betty quietly said.
Nick nodded in agreement. "I just wish they'd shut up once in a while and make out instead of argue."
Betty laughed. "Same here." She glanced over at Libby and Sheen, and Nick followed her gaze. "Those two, though? I have no idea what she sees in him. She could do way better."
Nick leaned his head back against the hatch behind him while watching Sheen teach Libby the proper way of reloading a pistol. "I think he might be insane," he softly told Betty. "Literally," he said while meeting Betty's eyes once more.
Betty chuckled once more and said, "I wasn't going to fight you on that."
Nick stared back at Sheen and felt his lips curl up slightly on their own. "He may be stupid and crazy, but he's brave. And…" Nick hesitated while thinking back to the time he had spent training with Sheen on Little Boy. "He's got a good heart," he finally finished.
Betty watched as Libby dropped her gun's magazine. As soon as it hit the floor, he practically threw himself onto the ground and scooped it up. He gently handed it to her, looked around wildly, and gave her a quick kiss before smiling widely. Betty smiled and turned back to Nick. "Can you believe you're friends with those weirdos?"
Nick laughed and gave his head a slow shake. "Two years ago I thought they were all nuts. There's the black belt with anger issues, the girl who goes into withdrawal if the battery on her iPod dies, the twitchy idiot obsessed with dolls, the llama lover who has serious issues with older women, and…" Nick hesitated as he watched Jimmy carefully line up a shot with his pistol. "The genius."
Betty followed Nick's gaze and smiled gently. "Going soft on James, huh?"
Nick felt his smile twitch. "Remember what the Yolkian…"
"Barak," Betty immediately corrected.
Nick hesitated before continuing. "Remember what Barak said when Miranda nearly killed him? That if he dies, our planet dies." Nick pondered this for a few seconds before turning back to Betty. "He was right."
Betty and Nick stood in silence for several moments. Betty finally pushed herself off of the wall and flashed Nick a smile. "Well, better start shooting some stuff." She went to go grab a gun from the array of firearms on the research table, but then raised an eyebrow in amusement. "I haven't seen you fire a shot yet. Aren't you worried about getting rusty?"
Nick gave a tiny smile back. "Stop shooting!" he shouted as loud as he could. Ike, Miranda, Jimmy, Libby, and Sheen immediately lowered their weapons and turned to Nick. "Back up against the wall," he instructed them. They slowly did as they were told, and Nick whipped his father's pistol out from behind his back. He took a deep breath, raised his weapon, and rapidly fired one shot at each of the four targets. Three of them hit the bull's eyes, and the last barely missed. He turned back to Betty and smiled. "I think I've got it covered."
Nick resumed leaning against the wall and watched for several more minutes. Once Betty had secured a weapon, Ike allowed her to take his spot so that he could use the bathroom and take a smoke break. Not long after that, Cindy strolled over to Nick, leaving Carl huddled in the corner downing a bottle of water. Nick became concerned as she saw Cindy stumble and nearly lose her footing.
"Are you okay?" He worriedly asked as she leaned against the wall next to him.
Cindy gritted her teeth and clutched her waist while taking a deep breath. "Fine," she mumbled while slowly exhaling. A few seconds passed, and she let her arm fall back to her side. "Yeah, I'm fine."
Nick stared at her, concern etched across his face. "Are you sure you're okay?"
Cindy nodded. "Just the gunshot." She turned away from Nick and lifted her shirt up slightly to see the large scar on her stomach. "The doctor said I was supposed to wait before doing karate again."
Nick frowned. "Should you be doing this with us?"
Now it was Cindy's turn to frown as she dropped her shirt back down and met Nick's gaze. "I'm fine. It barely lasted a second."
Nick's worries slowly faded as Cindy's pain seemed to vanish. "Just don't overdo it, okay?"
"Yes sir," Cindy said sarcastically.
A few seconds passed, and then Nick glanced over at Carl. "How is he doing?"
Cindy exhaled deeply and thought for a second. "He's trying harder than I thought he would. I have to admit that."
"Guess those books are helping," Nick joked.
Cindy shook her head. "I can only do so much in three days. He'll never be able to hold his own against a Yolkian soldier. At best, I can get him to run from cover to cover without collapsing." Cindy watched Libby for a moment and smiled as her best friend finally got a bull's eye. "His best hope is to learn how to shoot."
"I'll teach him myself once he gets back on his feet," Nick offered.
Cindy sighed and took a few sips from her own water bottle. "I still don't think he should come. He'll just end up…" Cindy hesitated and let her voice trail off as she approached the end of her sentence. Nick saw a hint of sadness dance across her eyes and stared at her curiously.
"You care about him?" Nick asked, genuinely wondering what her answer would be.
Cindy scowled and glared at Nick. "I don't want any of us to die."
Nick smiled slightly as the all-too familiar fire sparked to life in Cindy's eyes. "Just asking. You didn't argue nearly as much as I thought you would when Jimmy asked you to train him."
Cindy rolled her eyes and stared at Carl in disgust. "He's almost as weird as Sheen. He's obsessed with llamas, he can't spell to save his life, his medical chart's thicker than a phone book…" Cindy listed all the reasons she found Carl annoying which counting them off on her fingers. At last, she gave a tiny sigh and crossed her arms. "But we've been through a lot. And he's nice, I have to give him that. Plus Jimmy loves him like a brother. I guess all of that makes us friends."
"That's cute, Cindy," Nick sardonically muttered while letting out a small laugh.
Cindy spun around and stared daggers at Nick once more. "I will still kick your ass at any time, Nick."
"Things sure have changed since you swooned after my every move, huh?" Nick joked. He saw Cindy's hands tremble slightly as she took a sip from her water bottle.
"Don't flatter yourself, Nick," she sternly said while screwing the cap back onto the bottle.
"Don't feel bad. I've always had a way with the ladies," he said while casually inspecting the fingernails on his right hand. "Not your fault you couldn't resist."
Cindy scowled up at Nick. "I did resist. If I'd really wanted you, I'd have had you," she said confidently while giving a frightening half smile. "Incase you haven't noticed, I've got charm myself."
"Yeah, didn't take long for you to get Jimmy," Nick shot back. "Only two years."
Cindy wasn't sure what to say to that, so she stared straight ahead. Nick laughed lightly. "Lighten up, Vortex. We're just screwing around."
A few seconds passed as Cindy's sour mood slowly dissipated. Eventually she turned her gaze towards Miranda, and Nick followed suit. Cindy looked at the target across from her and let a smile pass over her lips. "She's not a good shot, is she?" Cindy merrily asked, a little too loudly. The vast majority of the girl's rounds had hit the outer circles of the target. Only a small handful had come close to hitting the center.
Cindy's words were spoken a little too loudly just as a brief lull between gunshots overtook the ship. No one paid much attention to her words, save for Miranda, whose back stiffened and brows furrowed in response. Cindy watched as Miranda shoved her gun into the holster on her side and stormed off to the barracks.
"I think you hurt her feelings," Nick chastised Cindy.
"Oh, I'm so sorry," Cindy said without a hint of sincerity. "Next time I'll act nicer to the girl who shoves knives against our throats."
Miranda quickly exited the barracks with her backpack slung over one shoulder. Nearly everyone in the main chamber watched as she immediately went into the supply room and came out holding an apple. She immediately walked over to Cindy and stopped a foot in front of her.
"Take it," Miranda ordered. Her normally neutral expression was tainted with fury.
"What?" Cindy asked while staring at the piece of fruit in her hand.
"If you are going to mock me, at least have the courage to stand behind your words," Miranda angrily muttered through gritted teeth. "Take the apple and stand over there," Miranda growled while pointing across the main chamber.
Cindy stared at Miranda for a few seconds before sighing. "Fine," she muttered while snatching the apple from Miranda's hand. Everyone watched as Cindy walked over to where the nearest target stood.
"Toss it towards the cockpit when I say," Miranda calmly instructed while dropping her backpack to the ground and unzipping the front pocket. Everyone recoiled in shock as they saw it was filled with knives.
Miranda pulled out the smallest knife in her arsenal and fluidly twisted around each of her fingers. She finally grabbed its hilt and cocked her arm back. "Throw it now."
Cindy sighed. "What for? You'll never hit it."
"Throw it," Miranda flatly repeated.
"Fine," Cindy muttered while cocking her arm back and tossing the apple towards the cockpit.
Everyone watched as the last traces of emotion vanished from Miranda's face. Her mind shut down as she took in its speed and trajectory in an instant. Her wrist then lunged forward, sending the knife spiraling through the air. Everyone's jaws dropped in disbelief as the apple was thrown backwards against the wall. It bounced off and fell to the ground with the blade firmly stuck inside of it.
No one spoke for a full minute as Miranda studied the fruit. "Get out of the way," Miranda calmly uttered while pulling four more throwing knives from her backpack. Cindy didn't move, and Miranda spoke once more. "You're in front of the target," Miranda calmly said.
Cindy realized Miranda's intention and took several large steps to the left. Miranda took the first knife in her right hand and threw it across the room. It landed in the center of the first target's bull's eye before bouncing off of the wall and clattering to the floor. The next three knives all hit their targets.
Everyone watched in stunned silence as Miranda closed her backpack and slung it over her right shoulder. She strolled across the ship and ripped her knife out from the apple. She then went to the first three targets, inspected the holes her knives had made, and picked her weapons up off of the floor. She paused in front of the last target and cocked her head slightly in annoyance.
The hole from her blade didn't rest in the bull's eye like the others. Instead, it punctured the ring surrounding the red circle. She angrily scooped the knife off of the ground and turned to face Jimmy. "I won't miss again," she furiously promised while strolling back into the barracks.
Everyone stared after her for a few seconds. Ike finally broke the silence after giving his head a bewildered shake and bringing another cigarette to his lips. "Anyone else in love with this girl?"
The rest of the afternoon was spent training. In order to conserve ammunition, Nick had everyone practice reloading, holstering, and drawing their weapons until everyone could do them all in an instant. He explained the differences between the different guns at their disposal and helped Carl learn to shoot. By the time evening rolled around, everyone was starving. Ike helped Carl heat up several cans of beef stew and Sheen grilled some pieces of bread for everyone to have with it. Everyone ate together, except Miranda, who once again took her meal to the supply chamber.
Little was seen of Barak. He spent most of the afternoon in the barracks resting. While the humans ate dinner, he sat quietly in the cockpit. Though Jimmy and Sheen invited him to eat with them, he explained that he did not wish to leave the autopilot on longer than was necessary. He said that he preferred to pilot the ship himself.
Dinner passed quickly, and by eight o'clock everyone was changing into their pajamas and retiring to the barracks for the night. Jimmy was more than happy to allow everyone a few hours to relax before they went to bed. They had made huge progress in their training, and Jimmy knew it was important to keep morale up among his friends. As Cindy exited the makeshift bedroom to use the bathroom and change into her pajamas, Jimmy looked around and closely examined his friends.
Carl lay on his sleeping bag, fervently reading one of his self-help books. Betty and Nick were playing checkers. He then turned to Sheen and Libby, who were lying together on top of their sleeping bag.
"So we'll watch the new Boys Pretending to be Men concert, and then we'll watch an episode of Ultralord," she happily said while turning on her iPod.
Sheen frowned in annoyance. "Why don't we watch Ultralord first to get the adrenalin flowing, and then we watch Boys Pretending to Have Talent after to cool us down before bed?"
"Or maybe we don't watch Ultralord and Libby keeps her iPod for herself!" Libby snapped back.
Jimmy smiled as he saw Sheen immediately changed tactics and apologize to his girlfriend. He caught Libby's eye and mouthed "Go easy on him." Libby rolled her eyes before settling back onto the sleeping bag.
Jimmy then turned to face Miranda, who was sitting silently on her sleeping bag while sharpening her kukri. Ike sat on his bag next to her while reading his bible, but it wasn't hard to notice that he was slowly scooting towards her.
"So, how did you learn to throw knives like that?" Ike asked while finally looking up from his holy tome.
Miranda kept her eyes glued to the blade in her hands. "Time," she slowly answered.
"Do you think you could teach me?"
Miranda glanced up from her weapon and stared at Ike. Jimmy noticed how empty her eyes were. The only time he had truly seen her emote was when she had held the knife to his throat and introduced herself on his lawn. Even after Cindy had insulted her, only the vaguest flicker of feeling had shown on her face. "No," she quietly answered with a hint of annoyance.
"Okay," Ike slowly agreed. He stared at the five shark teeth hanging around her neck and asked, "What's with the necklace?"
Miranda narrowed her eyes slightly and said, "I take one from each shark I kill."
Ike laughed, but his smile slowly faded as Miranda's deadly serious expression didn't falter. "Well, um, if you want to sit with us at breakfast tomorrow…"
"Leave me alone," she warned him. "Now."
Ike flinched a little and began to scoot away. "Okay," he sadly whispered while moving towards Carl.
"Hey," Cindy said while coming back inside the barracks and sitting besides Jimmy. Jimmy smiled as he saw that she had let her ponytail down.
"Hi Cindy," he happily told her. He stared at the long plaid pajama pants and pink tank top she had changed into. "You look really…you know…pretty," he offered.
Cindy felt herself smile as her cheeks began to feel warm. "Thanks," she mumbled while glancing down at her hand. Jimmy immediately took the hint and slowly grabbed it.
"She let her hair down," Betty said with a small smile while glancing towards Cindy. She then looked back down at the checkerboard in front of her before jumping over one of Nick's pieces. "King me."
Nick kept his gaze glued to the board. "Literally or figuratively?"
"Literally," Betty said while rolling her eyes.
"Hm," Nick said while moving one of his few remaining checkers. "Think they'll actually kiss or do something normal for once?"
"She's pulling a chessboard out of her backpack," Betty sighed in response.
"Want to superglue their lips together while they're sleeping?" Nick offered without a trace of humor in his tone.
Betty smiled as she saw Jimmy and Cindy begin to argue lightheartedly. "They'd probably just blame each other and argue about it on paper."
Nick chuckled at that. "You're probably right." He moved a piece towards Betty's side of the board and smiled a little wider. "King me."
"All I was asking," Jimmy said while letting a playful smile take hold of his face, "is if we're going to have a repeat of the last day of school last year."
Cindy rolled her eyes in disgust. "Neutron, everyone knows I had that last game in the bag. You're just lucky the bell rang before I got my knight in position."
"Oh yeah, I was sure beat alright," Jimmy huffed. "The final tally was only five games to zero. You were just about to pass me."
"Well let's see how well you do this time," Cindy threateningly said while moving her first pawn forward.
The game took all of seven moves to complete. Jimmy did his best to avoid sounding cocky while saying, "Hey, give yourself credit for countering my Blitzkrieg. Sheen and Carl never notice it when I try that move."
"That's because they're idiots, Jimmy," she said with a sigh of disgust while setting the board up once more.
Jimmy's smile slowly faded as a thought raced through his mind. "Cindy, do you mind if we wait a little while before the next game? I want to go talk to Barak."
Cindy looked up from the board in slight concern. "Something I should know?"
Jimmy shook his head. "I just didn't get a chance to talk with him today. He seemed…pretty sad yesterday."
"I'll watch the concert with Libby," she offered. "Unless you want me to come."
"I'll be fine. I'll be back soon," he said while beginning to get to his feet. He hesitated and then stared down at Cindy, fully realizing how beautiful she looked in the soft lighting of the barracks. He smiled at her, and she smiled back as they let their lips connect for a few precious seconds. "Love you," he whispered, surprised at how easy the words came out. Guess the third time's the charm.
"You too," Cindy whispered while trying to keep from blushing. She watched Jimmy exit the room before strolling over towards Libby.
Jimmy slowly walked into the cockpit holding a can of Purple Flurp in one hand and a bottle of nutrient paste in the other. "Hey Barak," he said while stopping behind the Yolkian.
Barak spun around in his chair and smiled warmly at Jimmy. "Neutron, I was not expecting your presence." A worried expression took over his mechanical mouth as he asked, "Has a problem appeared?"
Jimmy shook his head. "Everything's fine. I just wanted to talk. Is that okay?"
Barak blinked each eye slowly before nodding. "Of course, Neutron. Please join me," he said while motioning at the co-pilot's seat beside him.
Jimmy hopped onto the chair and nodded while holding out the bottle of nutrient paste. "I haven't seen you eat today. Do you want one?"
Barak smiled warmly at the gesture. "I thank you, Neutron," he said while grabbing the bottle. "I was going to gather one from the supply chamber shortly." Barak quickly turned the autopilot on before opening the bottle.
Jimmy stared straight ahead out the cockpit's observation window, and Barak did the same. "Do you ever get tired of it?" Jimmy slowly asked. "Seeing space?"
Barak slowly shook his shell while taking a sip from his glass bottle. "Even after all this time, so much of it is unexplored," Barak said in wonder. "By the time we are both dead, the state of knowledge will be the same, for space is infinite." Barak pondered that last word before looking at Jimmy. "Does that frighten you as it does me?"
"I get chills every time I look at a star," Jimmy agreed. He and Barak exchanged a smile before staring out the window once more. "Barak, can I ask you something?"
"You always may," Barak answered.
"How old are you?" Jimmy curiously asked. He saw Barak turn back towards him and met the Yolkian's gaze. "I have no idea what your species' life span is; your rate of maturity."
Barak gave a small smile at the question. "I am approaching my forty-seventh cycle."
It only took a second for Jimmy to do the math. "So you're twenty-three years old? Is that old or young for a Yolkian?"
Barak took another sip of his nutrient paste as Jimmy drank from his soda. "We live slightly longer than your people. The average is approximately two hundred cycles."
"So you're an adult, then?" Jimmy asked.
Barak nodded. "I only finished my schooling recently. I was incredibly lucky to secure a position on the ARC so quickly." His smile faded as he added, "Although there are not many Yolkians interested in xenological studies. I had little competition."
Jimmy thought back to his friends in the barracks. "You don't mind hanging out with a bunch of kids like us?" he playfully asked.
Barak's eyes lit up at Jimmy's question. "Far from it, Neutron. Every one of your compatriots is fascinating, as of course you are as well." Barak paused and quickly glanced at the main chamber behind him. "It was amazing to watch you all train today. You are all highly skilled despite your ages."
Jimmy chuckled a little. "Well, we had no choice but to learn last time. And Nick's a great teacher."
A few moments passed as Jimmy and Barak turned their attention back to the viewport in front of them. Finally, Jimmy asked, "What are you going to do if we succeed?"
Barak placed his empty glass bottle delicately on the floor beside him. "What exactly do you mean?"
Jimmy sighed slightly as he finished his soda. "It's just…I know you're betraying your species. It wouldn't be safe for you to stay on Yolkus, would it?"
Barak's eyes saddened. "I shall stay and do all I can to keep peace between our worlds."
"You could come back with us," Jimmy offered.
Barak's mood seemed to worsen at the suggestion. "I appreciate your generous offer, Neutron," Barak slowly began, "but Earth is not my home. I shall be safe on Yolkus. You need not worry about me."
Jimmy hesitated. "Do you have family there?"
For a second, Jimmy could swear he saw a dark blue tear welling up in the Yolkian's eye. Barak quickly blinked, and it immediately disappeared. "I had a brother once."
The implication was clear to Jimmy. "I'm sorry," Jimmy quietly said while looking down.
Barak turned towards Jimmy. "He has not passed on, Neutron," Barak slowly explained.
Jimmy looked up at Barak, confused by his words. "What do you mean?"
Barak sighed heavily. "Karab is a highly decorated member of the Yolkian guard. My interest in alien life always caused a rift between us." Barak blinked slowly and kept his gaze straight ahead. "During an argument I revealed to him how I believed humanity was worthy of mercy and deserving of peace. He severed ties with me on the spot."
Jimmy stared sadly at Barak before repeating his brother's name in his mind. Karab. "Are all Yolkian siblings named like that?"
Barak let a small smile spread across his mouth. "I should have realized that you would notice. Only twins are given identical names."
Jimmy's heart fell. "He was your twin and he just abandoned you? Because you thought it was wrong to sacrifice our parents?"
Barak nodded. "He told me the only reason he did not turn me in for heresy was because of how I saved his life." Barak saw Jimmy's curious stare out of the corner of his eye. "When we were younger, his shell malfunctioned while hovering over a body of water. I heard his screams and saved him just before he would have drowned."
Jimmy wasn't sure what to say. Barak sat in silence for a moment before saying, "He changed his name to officially sever our fraternal bond." He stared sadly at Jimmy and added, "So I no longer have a brother."
"You've…" Jimmy paused and tried to think of the right words to use, "You've sacrificed a lot to help all of us."
Barak stared back at the stars in front of him. "Humanity must be saved," he steadily said. "Your species does not deserve annihilation." He cast Jimmy a quick glance and added, "If I am the only Yolkian who can see that, then it is my duty to help."
Jimmy smiled and gave a reassuring nod. "We're all grateful, Barak," Jimmy said. "I've had trouble trusting people before, but…" Jimmy hesitated and tried to think of exactly what to say. "I'm glad we listened to you."
Barak slowly nodded. "As am I, Neutron. I only wish this mission were not so dangerous for you and your allies."
Jimmy gave a reassuring smile. "I know it's dangerous, but I actually have a good feeling about this mission. When we went after Eustace, I spent the whole time worrying. This time, I really feel like we'll succeed. This king doesn't know we're coming, and we have you to help us reach him." Jimmy looked into Barak's eyes and said, "I think we're going to be okay."
Barak hesitated before matching Jimmy's smile. "I shall try to share in your optimism, and I promise I shall do all I can to preserve humanity."
Jimmy nodded and slowly got to his feet. "I should get back to Cindy. I'll see you tomorrow, Barak."
Barak watched Jimmy leave and quietly added, "Rest well, Neutron."