Max's POV

Okay, so maybe I went a little overboard being so defensive... I can't help it if I don't like being babied...

"Hey, Max... how's it going?" Aerrow waltzed over, trying not to sound too concerned.

"I'm alright... trying to stay awake... haven't slept well the last few nights..." My eyelids felt like lead weights; I'd had insomnia before, but not for a long time.

"If you feel like you're gonna conk out, let us know... can't risk sending in a Close Air Support Specialist who can't stay awake..." He smiled slyly. I couldn't help but laugh.

"I guess you've got a point... that would be rather foolish, wouldn't it?" I nervously scratched the back of my neck, not really sure what to say next. I've never been very good with small talk...

"Hey, Stork... how're you doing this fine morning?" Aerrow chimed to the Merb as he lazily walked onto the bridge. He said nothing as he came over to take the helm controls from me. I stood aside slowly, trying to get him to ask before he just took over like that. It didn't work. So, I decided I'd try to fix that.

"Left your manners in your other uniform, did you?" I said slyly. When he didn't answer, I frowned a bit, walking over to see what the problem was.

"Stork, what's wrong with you?" I grunted a bit when he elbowed me in the stomach, hard. When he took a swing at me, my reaction was pure instinct; I grabbed his arm and flipped him onto his stomach, leaning in as I twisted his arm to subdue him, standing on his shoulder as I held his arm behind him, pinning him to the floor.

"What the hell was that for, you maniac!?" I leaned on his shoulder with my full body weight, which made him yell in pain, until I decided to finally release him, satisfied that he was back with us in reality. He stood up slowly, trying to get his bearings back

"I didn't sleep well last night, and I don't know why! I've been trying to find a reason, but nothing I've tested for came back positive!" He ranted as he massaged his now aching shoulder and arm. I raised an eyebrow as he stood there, coddling his sore spots.

"What does that have to do with you being rude!?" I retorted, not sure how that explained his behavior. He shrugged his shoulders, and simply mumbled something I couldn't quite make out.

"What?" I queried. He just stared at me for a few moments, and then looked down at the floor sadly.

"I... wasn't thinking..." He finally said, looking back up at me slowly.

"Stork, if you weren't feeling well, why didn't you just say something?" Aerrow joined in; I'd almost forgotten he was here, as quiet as he was.

"Like I said, I wasn't thinking..." He shrugged his shoulders, turned around to face the helm, and grabbed on as he took the ship off autopilot. I slowly walked closer, not sure what to expect.

"Stork, are you... are you in heat?" I finally said, perhaps the most awkward thing I've ever said in my entire life. He stared at me with huge eyes, and Aerrow cleared his throat from behind me.

"Um, Max... that's... that's a bit personal, don't ya think?" He said hesitantly. I shook my head.

"We need to know what's going on with every crewmember. Otherwise, it's an unwarranted risk." I stepped even closer. He growled a little as I did, which confirmed it for me; he was in heat. Awww, my baby brother's all grown up and experiencing mood swings, violent territoriality, and unpredictable behavior... how cute...

"That's what I thought, Stork... we need to get you to the medical bay... you need a booster shot to suppress those urges until you can find a mate..." He shook his head.

"I already have a mate... that's why I didn't sleep well..." I was taken aback; he wasn't usually a very good liar.

"Really? Anyone we know?" I persisted.

"Piper..." He whispered softly. I raised an eyebrow. Wow... Never thought he'd move that fast...

"Oh... wow..." Aerrow said behind me. I rolled my eyes.

"Ignore him, Stork... he doesn't understand the way I do..." I rested my hand on his shoulder, trying not to put any pressure on it, in case it was still sore.

"It's not that, Max... it's just... I-I don't know what to do now..." He replied. I raised my eyebrow again.

"You mean, you want more than just a sexual relationship with her, right?" He nodded softly.

"I see... well, did she know you were in heat when she... mated with you?" I asked hesitantly.

"I haven't told her..."

"You need to..."

"I-I can't do that to her-"

"Don't be selfish, Stork... she needs to know about it... especially if you want more than just sex from her ..."

"Is that why you told Starling?" He looked up into my eyes pleadingly. I sighed softly, not sure how to answer.

"Starling kind of figured it out on her own... but, yes, I did tell her... and no, it's not why we went steady..." I replied, trying to calm his fears of rejection. It seemed to work.

"I guess you're right, Max... I just... I don't know what to say..."

"Tell her the truth; don't try to sugarcoat it..." I told him honestly. Lying only makes it worse for both of you...

"Look, Stork, it's not going to be easy, but you have to tell her... if you respect her at all, you can't lie..." I said, my voice softening.

"I... understand, Max..." He finally said. I patted his back and walked back over to the meeting table. Aerrow finally spoke up from next to me.

"So... is everything okay now?" He asked, scratching the back of his head confusedly. I nodded softly.

"Yep..." I said confidently. I could never have predicted what happened next. Suddenly, a loud crash was heard, followed by the flickering then fading of the lights and a few girly screams from the crew quarters, along with a loud screech from Radarr.

"What was that!?" Stork yelled, his yellow eyes darting around in panic as the emergency lights kicked in.

"How should I know!? What am I, psychic?" I retorted as I turned to run down the hallway. I never made it.

"Hello, Storm Hawks... mind if we cut in?" A familiar voice rang out through the speakers, and the sound of a saw cutting through the bridge sidewall caught my attention. As I turned to see what was going on, a bright flash and the sound of blaster fire against metal filled my eyes and ears. As my attention returned to the wall, I saw a procession of Cyclonians leap in through the hole.

"We're being invaded! Everyone, fight them off!" Aerrow barked from besides me, and as a Cyclonian soldier lunged forward, I sidestepped, threw him a left hook right to the face, and knocked him back through the hole.

"Who else wants some!?" I yelled, a bit too dramatically. The other Cyclonians hesitated, and then ran forward, staves lowered to attack. I pulled the kamas from my waist, and as their blades began to glow a dim black, I held them out in front of me menacingly, only to be caught off guard by the Dark Ace, who jumped through the hole and delivered a solid kick to the side of my head, knocking me back a few feet.

I growled in anger and lunged forward, countering every move he made as he swung his sword relentlessly. He wildly chopped the air in front of me as I dodged his moves, making sure I gave myself plenty of room to pull moves of my own. I swept his feet out from under him, at which he sneered indignantly from his prone position on the floor. He rolled out of the way as I tried to remove his head, and jumped clear as Aerrow came in from the side to strike his exposed back.

I don't know why, but I held back for some reason. Maybe I didn't want to hurt Aerrow or Stork. Maybe I wanted to challenge myself. For whatever reason, I pulled blows as I tried to slice through him, moves which he dodged too easily. As my anger rose, so did my speed. Eventually, he simply couldn't keep pace, and I managed to knock the sword out of his hand, nicking the ends of 3 fingers in the process. He yelped in pain and fell down onto the floor as I stood over him, ready to deliver the coup-de-grace that would end the fight.

Something... stopped me. As I held the blades near his throat, I hesitated, simply unable to kill him. I tried with all my strength to push the blades into his neck, but I just couldn't bring myself to finish him off. He took advantage of my reluctance to knock me to the floor and regain his weapon. I staggered back to my feet, recovering from another kick to the head, and watched as the Cyclonians retreated. The Dark Ace smiled and nodded to me, and then turned his Switchblade to jet away. I stood, dumbstruck; why couldn't I kill him?

To Be Continued...