A/N: Alright, I convinced myself to post this chapter, despite not having finished Chapter 30 yet on my end. I finished 29 two days ago and I'm 1/3 done with 30. Fortunately, I have a few days off from work while I'm in between projects, but I have not yet gotten an ISP. I should have time to get a lot of writing done, but I won't be able to post whenever I want =o)
Anyway, here's the next chapter. Enjoy! (06/09/10)
It was still a bit early in the morning when Cal was roaming the halls, busily reading the last of his training module from the tablet in his hand. The cup of hot coffee in his other hand emitted a constant strand of steam that flowed behind him while he walked the halls. He was too immersed into his reading to notice the upcoming hall intersection; and the danger of running into someone if you're not paying attention.
Sure enough, the coincidental happened, and he plowed into an innocent shipmate who happened to be on a path that crossed his. Several papers and folders went in every direction, but Cal was more focused on keeping the scalding hot coffee from getting onto sensitive skin and clean uniform. Using the dexterity and precision required of a pilot, he managed to catch the little bit of coffee that had splashed up and out of the cup by delicately whipping the container around in just the right motion. "Ohh! Did you see that?" he exclaimed as he pointed at his cup and looked for a reaction from the unfortunate individual who now sat on the ground. His heart jumped as he realized who he had just knocked down due to his carelessness.
"Jen! I'm so sorry about that! Are you okay?" he asked as he reached his hand down to help her get back up. "I bet your toast lands jelly-side up too, doesn't it?" she sarcastically asked. Her casual statement referenced the enormous amount of luck it required to catch all of that coffee without spilling much more than a couple of drops. Cal laughed as he pulled her back up to her feet, "Yeah, that was pretty lucky, huh? Again, I'm sorry about that. I was just busy reading. I should have been more careful." They both began to bend over to pick up all of the papers that Jen had dropped. Cal's tablet had bounced a few feet away from where he stood.
"Well, I guess I did come around that corner too fast. It's partially my fault, too," Jen admitted with a bit of a blush. "No, no... All my fault," Cal continued to confess. Jen started to cradle the collection of papers with both of her arms. They both stood back up at the same time and Cal began to stuff his share of papers on top of the set that Jen was holding. She was a little coy that Cal was so quick to take the blame for their little mishap. She turned a bit more red in the cheeks as Cal looked straight into her eyes with a smile. A moment of silence hung in the air between them while they searched for something to say to each other. They'd kind of ignored each other for the last few days, since they were so busy with their own things.
Cal reached behind his head to scratch his scalp in a gesture that indicated his discomfort and embarrassment over the collision between the two. "So, um... how are things? Have you started your training yet?" Jen replied by shaking the papers cradled in her arms and speaking, "Yep! There certainly is a lot to have to get through to go to the next rank. What were you reading, anyways?" Cal laughed at the coincidence of the situation. "Uh... heh heh... It's a training module. Commander Lee wants me to be ready to take my own team if the need should arise." Even though it was mostly Klan who was pushing him to promote, he didn't want to mention her to Jen. As a guy, it's usually a good idea to not talk about other women when you're talking to someone who has feelings for you. Yes, it's petty jealousy that frequently comes out in response, but it's just best to avoid stirring up any trouble, if at all possible.
Jen's reaction was filled with excitement, "That's just wonderful! See, I told you that you would make so much more out of yourself. You're on your way to big things, I can tell!" "Um, I guess... Thanks." Cal said as he tried to figure out a way to accept her compliment with poise. He walked over to finally pick up his tablet, which was still lying on the ground a few feet away. Jen began to think about how she's been so distracted, that she hasn't been wondering when he was going to get back to her with his answer. She was concerned that her new-found commitment to the advancement of her career was going to prevent her from pursuing his attention much further. Perhaps it was time to make a decision on their relationship while there was still time to change one's mind about things. "I can't believe we haven't even talked in a few days. We just can't allow this to go on!" she jovially said.
For a moment, Cal thought she was being literal about their relationship, but he realized that she was just being as cheery as she always is. He smiled as he responded, "Well, I have a few things to take care of today, but I can text you later to see when it's a good time to grab a bite to eat together or something. Cool?" Jen was glad that she didn't have to press Cal for some of his time. At least this time, he was willing to make an effort to arrange a meeting between them. Jen nodded with enthusiasm at his proposal. They bid each other goodbye and went about their business.
Even though she had shown a lot of anticipation for their next meeting, Jen still worried about the impending outcome of their conversation that was to take place then. From her current point of view, everything in front of her involved a major decision to have to make. Any wrong turns could lead to her reaching a dead-end of sorts, or endlessly traveling in circles. She somewhat envied Cal's situation, which to her, seemed like a straight path. She was unaware of any of the complications that haunted his mind every time he wasn't focused on the task at hand. He just did a good job of not showing it, and he also had to do a little bit of truth-bending to keep her or anyone else he's talking to from finding out about his deepest concerns. No matter how hard he tried, though, he couldn't help but acknowledge that Nene was right about him. His main concern was whether or not his relationship with Klan would change when she returned to the ship in a few days.
…
"So, I heard through the grapevine that you're going to be getting your own squadron soon. Are you excited?" Klan's mother sat on a stool at one end of the island countertop in the middle of the kitchen, with a cup of tea in her hand. It seems that she kept at least a few of her old habits from her career in the NUNS, as it was the unwritten law for ship commanders to have a fond love of hot tea. Klan sat on the other end of the countertop with a cup of her own. She cradled it with both of her hands as it sat on the counter and almost had the same posture as Cal did when Nene was giving him a talking-to some millions of miles away.
"I am looking forward to the opportunity, but it's such a big change. I've spent my entire piloting career in Skull Squadron, both as an SMS employee and an NUNS pilot. If I take my own squadron, that means I'll be leaving everything I care for behind and will be entering an unfamiliar environment," she replied. Her mother tilted her head slightly to the side, wondering how her daughter had somehow formed so many close relationships with mere miclones. She suddenly remembered that she had heard about the passing of Klan's dear childhood friend, Michael. In order to not spoil the moment, she decided not to mention it in their conversation.
"You can't let your relationships hold you back too much, dear. Your best friends will always stay in contact with you, no matter where you go. They'll support you in whatever decision you make for yourself; especially when you both understand that it's for the best," she said. A look of admiration found its way onto her face as she continued, "I'm so proud of your success in the NUNS. You're going to be a squadron commander very soon and you're still so young. It took me a lot longer to reach that rank when I was your age..." Klan's mother began to look towards the ceiling as she reminisced about her younger days.
Klan had begun to blush a little bit at her mother's doting. "Mom! I'm just doing my job the best that I can. It's really nothing to be that proud of." "Try not to be so modest, dear. You really have accomplished a lot in your life so far and you've got so much time left to fulfill your dreams. Once you get to where you want to be in your career, then you can slow things down a bit and focus on other important issues in your life," her mother said as she panned her eyes around the room, indicating that she was referring to family life.
The subject of family life caused Klan to switch subjects in her mind. There was a question that had been boring a hole through her skull all day. "Mom, what did you ever see in my father?" she asked, quite bluntly. Her mother was taken aback at the suddenness of Klan's question. "Wh- Why do you ask that?" Klan looked away with a sense of nonchalance. "I ran into him at the Folmo Mall today. He was just as aggravating as ever, but he seemed to show a benevolent interest in re-entering my life, for some reason. I really don't know why I should even give him a chance after so much disappointment in the past."
Klan's mother took a long sip of her tea to give herself time to think out an answer and to process what could possibly be going through her daughter's and her former lover's mind right now. "Well, he seemed to be everything that I wanted at the time. We had a lot in common and he seemed like he'd make a great father. However, we sometimes have a poor sense of judgment in our youth. After your birth, it was if he freaked out at the notion of being a father. He tried very hard for a few years, but he began to spend less time with us and more time at the local watering hole. Once I realized that having him in your life was more damaging than helpful, I told him to stay away from us until he could understand what it means to be a father. After seeing how much he kept hurting your feelings and being such a disappointment as a father, I couldn't stand by and let it continue. I made the decision because I couldn't stand watching you get hurt over and over again."
Her mother's explanation was everything that Klan had expected it to be. Even though there was no new information to glean from it, Klan wanted to hear the words come from her mother's mouth to reassure her that she was in the right when it came to how she treated the "relationship" with her father. "Hmm... Well, he seemed offended that I didn't want to have anything to do with him. We argued for a moment, but he quickly gave up and left me with this," Klan said as she reached into one of the pockets in her SMS jacket and placed the picture on the table in front of her mother. The disparity between Klan's appearance in front of her in the kitchen and the one in the picture was enough to send her mother's thoughts reeling into the past.
"You were such a beautiful child then... and now you've grown up into a beautiful woman. I know you've been busy with your career, but I'll bet you've been getting a lot of attention from the boys, huh? Have you found anyone you like yet?" her mother asked. It was the typical mushy nosiness that many mothers feel compelled to use when it comes to matters of love. Klan's mind immediately rushed to the memory of Michael. She had never told anyone of her feelings for him until that fateful day on Island-1. With a heavy heart, she sighed as she answered, "Well, I had fallen in love with Michael after he joined SMS... but I waited too long to tell him. He was killed a few months ago during a Vajra attack right after I told him how I felt. His last words were how he loved me too." Klan's throat tightened up a bit in preparation to cry, but the tears didn't quite come. For some reason, it didn't hurt so much to talk about it this time.
Her mother was completely surprised and emotionally touched at the same time. Her face resembled a patchwork of emotion as her mind tried to output the proper reaction to the different feelings brewing within herself upon hearing her daughter's announcement. "Oh my God, Klan... I'm so sorry! I heard that he had been killed, but I had no idea..." she stopped talking because she was losing control of her voice. She got up to hold Klan and console her, but Klan didn't seem to need the attention. "I know, Mom. It was such a terrible shock to my emotions. It's taken months to get back to normal, but I think I'm going to be okay now," she said with confidence.
Her mother still had to hold her daughter close to her body. A soothing kiss on her blue-haired head was the doctor's prescription to take away the pain. Klan quickly hugged her mother and gently brushed her away, taking care to be as respectful as possible while doing it. "Thanks, Mom. I'll be okay, I promise." Klan's mother went and sat back down in her chair, still feeling a bit of sympathy for her daughter's plight. She was rather uncomfortably sitting on the stool as she prepared to ask a bit of a controversial question.
"Michael was a good kid, but... falling in love with a miclone? Are you sure that's what you want? There's lots of good Zentraedi men out there who I'm sure would be deserving of your love. I know you serve on a ship of miclones, but that doesn't mean you have to restrict your field to them," she asked. Klan was somewhat surprised at the question, but her mother has always been extremely proud of their pure Zentraedi heritage. She sat up in a posture that spoke of an impending talking-to. "Mom! I know you served on a miclone ship throughout your career. You mean to tell me that you didn't think that any of them were worth your time?" "Well, Humans are a noble race of people, but I just felt that it was my duty to carry on our pure Zentraedi heritage. I never considered it, to be honest."
Klan wanted to shake her head at her mother's closed-mindedness, but she realized that at least her mother had a halfway-decent reason for her choice. "Honestly, Mom, I don't feel the same way that you do. We're all one race, if you ask me. We were forged from the same genesis, even though our races had traveled such diverging paths. I'm proud of my Zentraedi heritage, but I will treat Humans as my own brothers and sisters." She leaned forward and put on a look of seriousness. "If you ask me, there is a certain strength of spirit that Humans carry within them that I can't help but respect. The same strength of spirit that enabled them to turn our ancestors' hearts away from war and towards a desire to live in peace alongside Humans. I see that very same strength every day in some of the miclones I work with... and I can't help but feel attracted to it."
Klan's mother fully understood her daughter's motives, but she just couldn't help to shake the notion of maintaining that racial purity. "Well, at least there's Nene to carry on the bloodline..." Klan tried not to react the the thoughtlessness of her mother's words. She was sure that she meant nothing by it, but it was still a bit insensitive. Klan shook it off and looked up at the ceiling to indicate her nonchalance before answering her mother's statement, "Yeah, about Nene..."
…
Cal sat in his bird in the hangar of the Quarter while he waited for his operations window to arrive. He casually watched the interactions between Nene and Will on the other side of the hangar. Will stood on one of the catwalks near Nene's Queadluun while she comfortably leaned against the wall to speak with him. The disparity between their sizes didn't seem to stop them from enjoying each others company. Cal couldn't help but envy Will, even if it was just a little bit. For Cal, it's been what seems like a long time since he's been loved by another whom he calls his own, but he wondered if that might change sometime soon. Subconsciously, he projected his loneliness towards Will and Nene, hoping that they'd make an effort to include him in some of their activities together. It was a selfish endeavor, though. He remembered that there was at least one other person currently on the ship who'd gladly keep him company if he asked them to.
The clock in his cockpit chimed when it reached the time for them to deploy. Nene and Will hurried into their vehicles while Cal put his helmet on and closed the canopy before he began to taxi towards the elevator. Jen's voice chattered over the comm line as she issued their deployment authorizations and flight trajectories out of the Quarter's aerospace. Cal reminded himself that she was the person who would drop everything for him if he needed her, but right now was the beginning of another mission. He worked to focus his mind on the job at hand as his RVF taxied to the hangar elevator for a launch.
Their assignment for this sortie was to attach to a squadron from another ship and help them eradicate a particularly nasty Vajra nest that had successfully defended itself from several attacks. Each pilot in Pixie Team was thrilled at the opportunity that lay in front of them to score up some valuable kills. Will was particularly psyched to try out some of the tips that he had gleaned from the sniper pilot that was in Rabbit Team. For Cal, though, he was more concerned about his lack of a partner to pair up with, since Klan was millions of miles away at the moment.
Nene opened up a channel to her team before they were due to arrive at the rendezvous point, "Guys, I know we're still short by one pilot, but let's make sure we do our best to cover each others backs out there. We're not supposed to engage the Vajra head-on here, but we've been asked to give supporting fire to Triton Squadron while they do their business. I'll stay out in front while you protect Will, Cal. He'll probably be doing most of the shooting, unless we get ambushed, so keep an eye on him for me, okay?" There was no way Cal was going to let his good friend out of his sight, especially since Nene depended on him to keep her beloved alive. "Yes'm!" he replied. The trio of pilots boosted off towards their destination while in formation.
…
Klan's mother was still in disbelief that her daughters had both given their hearts to miclones. She sighed as she struggled to convey her thoughts, "Well, before you go off making any more hasty decisions, maybe you should spend time serving on one of the new Zentraedi ships. I'm sure there are some decent Zentrans out there who are deserving of your attention." Klan was not really in the mood to tolerate her mother's meddling in her affairs.
During the pregnant pause between them, they could hear the latch on the front door unlocking. Klan's heart skipped a beat from anticipation because she knew it could only be one person. Several moments passed by as they listened to the commotion in the next room over. The sound of shuffling feet began to creep closer until Klan's mother announced her current position, "I'm in here, Korstan!"
He emerged from behind the wall that separated the kitchen from the entryway. His stature was a bit on the short side and his clothes were well-worn from a hard day's work. Several spots of grease stained his slightly leathery skin. Age was not too kind to his physical appearance, but like his wife, he still shone with youthful exuberance. It was a surprise to see two blue-haired Meltrans sitting in the kitchen. One Meltran he called his darling "wife" and the other was his estranged step-daughter, whom he had raised as his own for nearly fifteen years.
He snapped out of his momentary stupor at the sight of both Meltrans and reacted to seeing Klan for the first time in almost three years. "Klan! I'm so glad to see you! How have you been, kiddo?" He rushed over and hugged her with one arm. Even though she was still sitting on the kitchen stool, his head did not reach much higher than hers. "I've been doing much better lately. I returned to Aimo for a few days and I figured I'd drop in for a visit. The new house is fantastic!" she said as she briefly looked around herself at her surroundings. He puffed his chest out with pride when he responded, "Yep! Marjel and I are very happy with our life here on Aimo. We just wish you'd visit more often!" He walked around the counter to put his arm around his wife.
He spent a few moments taking in the joy that permeated the room before he spoke again, "Well, I hate to make my appearance short, but I am filthy as hell. I'm going to head upstairs and take a shower." He leaned forward and kissed his wife on the cheek before he left the room. Klan and her mother smiled as they watched him leave the room, a bit awed at the charisma that practically bled from his pores.
Yet another semi-personal question came to Klan's mind, inspired by the interactions that just took place. "Mom, why did you choose to marry Korstan?" Again, Marjel was surprised at the boldness of the question. "My, Klan... you sure are asking a lot of serious questions. Are you sure you're okay?" Klan nodded in response, but waited for her mother to continue. Seeing that she was not going to get anything more than that nod, Marjel began to answer her daughter's question. "It's hard to explain, really... I was always attracted to a different kind of man, but something about him kept me curious. We first met in the service, but I was a commander and he was just one of the grease monkeys who worked in the hangar."
Klan began to make herself more comfortable. Somehow, the words of her mother's story seemed to strike a chord within her mind, as if she could relate. Marjel continued with her explanation, "At first, his advances were a bit repulsive to me. I always saw myself attracted to a tall, handsome Zentran. I mean, Korstan isn't that bad-looking, but whenever I'd see him, he was always covered in grease and had cuts and calloused hands. Plus, he was a lot shorter than me; I inherited my father's height and I had always pictured myself being with someone like my father. I guess that's why I was attracted to tall men."
Already, Klan was formulating a rebuttal to her mother's concerns over her choice to associate with miclones. Each word her mother spoke was another piece to fit into the puzzle. "I kept turning him down every time he would ask me out, but he just kept on coming back for more. He was determined to prove his worth to me, no matter how much I denied him. Eventually, I just caved in and gave him that chance..." She shrugged as she finished her story, "And here we are, still together after so long. We've successfully raised two daughters and we are enjoying life. I'm retired, but he still works because he loves to fix things. When I left the service, he also quit the NUNS and got a job working in the shipyards. I wish he'd retire too, but when I see how happy he is when he comes home from work, it fills me with so much joy."
Klan began to chuckle as an amusing thought entered her mind for a moment. "What's so funny?" her mother asked. "I just think that it's funny how even though he's the shortest of us, his own daughter is the tallest. How did that work out in the genetics?" Marjel rolled her eyes and smiled sheepishly before she took a sip of her tea. Klan quickly reverted back to the subject at hand, "You still didn't answer my question, though, Mom." "Oh... yeah, I guess I missed that part, huh? Well, I said that it's hard to explain, but... there's something about that stubbornness, the unwavering determination to get what he wants that really intrigued me."
Immediately, Klan was reminded of Cal and how he was so obstinate when it came to keeping himself close to her. When she sees how happy her mother and step-father are together, it kind of made her curious as to whether or not this was possible. Klan was very much like her mother; Cal resembled her step-father, including the fact that Cal is a lot smaller than she is. "No way... it's just mere coincidence," she thought to herself. Even though she tried to write it off, something inside of her still nagged her about the truth.
"I couldn't help but find his confidence and resolve attractive to me. That's why I married him and we couldn't be happier," Marjel said. Klan realized that this was the icing on the cake when it came to her rebuttal. "See, Mom? Then you understand why I chose to love Michael. Just because he was a miclone, it didn't mean that I didn't see past his physical appearance just like you did with Korstan." Something clicked in Marjel's head upon hearing her daughter's statement. She tried to deny any correlation between the two instances, "But that's not the same thing, sweetie!" "Yes it is, Mom! You were able to look past the fact that he didn't physically match your picture of an ideal man and saw what kind of person he is on the inside," Klan snapped.
She had made her point, and regardless of what her mother said from this point wouldn't really matter. Klan felt a little bad that she had to put her foot down on her mother's stance on the issue, so she sought to change the subject a bit. "Well, I'm glad you married him, Mom," she said with a sincere smile. Marjel immediately shook the look of frustration away from her face and glanced back at her daughter with a look of gratification for the words of approval. Klan looked back down into her cup as she tried hard to admit something that's been bothering her for some time.
"Honestly, I feel so terrible about how I treated Korstan while he tried to exercise such patience with me when I was growing up. It looks like he needed every ounce of his conviction and determination to not lose his cool. I want to tell him how much I appreciate everything he's done for me, despite not being my biological father. However, I am too mortified to say anything to him about it," she said. Marjel reached across the counter and placed her hand on Klan's. "He loved you like you were his own daughter right from the start. When he first met you when you were a baby, he grew attached to you so quickly. It was a big reason why we didn't wait very long to conceive Nene. He wanted the chance to start from the beginning with one of his own while continuing to raise you in the best way he knew how."
Even though Klan's father had failed her so many times in the past, she never took the time to appreciate the efforts of her step-father to step in as the patriarchal figure for her. Because of her real father, she had held resentment towards other adult males and that feeling still remained throughout her adult life... until now. She had forgotten that there was a man who was there for her when she needed him while growing up, and he was upstairs getting cleaned up at that very moment. She had spent her childhood resenting Korstan just because he was the same gender as her own father.
Michael was the only exception to her default behavior, because of their lifelong friendship. However, Klan never fully trusted other males around her and she took out her "daddy issues" on them. This default behavior is what has kept her from opening herself up to anyone else and is also the reason she has alienated Korstan, and treated Cal the way she did before their final reconciliation on the Zentraedi medical frigate. It's strange to her, how the significant people in her life seem to intersect each other in some way or another. She wouldn't be at her mother's house, seeking to reconcile the relationship with her step-father, if it wasn't for Cal. Even when he's not even trying to, he's been teaching her the lessons she never voluntarily grasped for herself.
To a lesser extent, Ozma has very much been her mentor and even though she respects him, she would sometimes take out her frustrations on him. His inner strength allowed him to take anything she could throw at him and summarily put her back into her place with little more than a flinch. She admired his panache, his charisma, and his ability to teach her the lessons she needs to become a squadron commander some day. That day was surely to come soon.
…
The fury of the Vajra hive was deserving of the complement of NUNS fighters currently engaged with it. An entire squadron, plus Pixie Team, had their hands full in trying to sanitize the area of this dangerous menace. Even though they were supposed to only be providing supporting fire, Nene had taken it upon herself to engage the defending swarm personally. She had left Will behind, entrusting Cal to keep him safe for her. Triton Squadron's commander was not terribly keen to the idea that a mere first lieutenant was not quite following orders.
"Pixie Team, I thought that you were only supposed to be supporting us, not engaging in the fight!" he barked. "I'm begging your pardon, Sir, but these bugs are no laughing matter. I left my sniper and RVF back to provide the long-range cover while I am taking advantage of my strengths as a close-range attacker. I felt that this was the best way to deploy the strengths of my team," Nene replied. As if to put an exclamation point onto her statement, two sniper rounds passed nearby the commander's battroid and each hit a separate Vajra drone that had been closing in to his position.
Realizing that Nene's decision was plausible, perhaps an even better decision than his, he clicked his tongue in disapproval while he transformed to fighter mode and sped away towards another target. Without a word in response, he left Nene to do whatever she wished. A gratified smile found its way onto her face as she re-engaged in the fight. "Your timing couldn't have been better, Will," she thought to herself. Another drone fell to her dog-fighting prowess as she turned her gaze towards Will and Cal several kilometers away.
Cal's battroid used one hand to run its combat knife through a fighter-drone, while he was being grappled by a mecha-drone. Before the mecha-drone could grab his RVF with its other claw, Cal used his knife to dismember the restraining claw and free himself from its grip. He pushed off of the drone with the battroid's legs while its claw still tightly held onto him, despite being severed from the rest of its body. The drone seemed to react in what could best be described as "pain", and it was enough of a distraction for Cal to draw his RVF's gunpod and place several rounds through its protective husk.
The explosions produced from the drones' deaths did little to phase Cal's concentration as he casually removed the Vajra appendage that was still stuck to him. "You're all clear, Will. I even got a souvenir for ya!" he said, tossing the dismembered claw towards Will's position. Will brushed the claw away from him so it wouldn't affect his next shot, "No thanks, I'm busy..." He was scanning the battle area for his next sure target when he came upon the nest's position.
"There it is!" he exclaimed. He used the 25G's enhanced optical zoom features to get a good look inside of the cavern where the nest was located. In it, he could see that there were some uninvited guests awaiting the first unfortunate NUNS pilot who strayed too close, just like what had happened to Cal several days before. "I see you, asshole...!" he casually remarked. Will zeroed in on his target and pulled the trigger. The sniper round barreled through the expansive distance at a remarkable speed. Inside of the VF-27's cockpit, the pilot was alerted to an incoming projectile by their computer, but could not react in time to avoid getting hit. The sniper round punched a gaping hole right through the battroid's chest, instantly killing the pilot and completely destroying the Valkyrie.
"Got him!" Will exclaimed. "You're shitting me! No way you just killed a 27!" Cal yelled with a hint of jealousy in his voice. Will confidently replayed the video of his kill through the comm lines to Cal's cockpit. "I have to admit, you're the real deal," Cal said. The two pilots fist-bumped each other with their battroid's hands. Cal was a little concerned that Will was beginning to outshine him as an effective VF pilot, but he realized that maybe it was only because his "partner" wasn't with them at the time. At least he was finding something to kill every sortie they flew without Klan. It should be enough to keep him preoccupied until she returns.
…
Marjel had left Klan alone in the kitchen while she went upstairs to "check on something". The vagueness of her excuse betrayed the ulterior motive hidden within, but Klan had come to expect this kind of behavior from her mother. She patiently waited for whatever it was that her mother was up to. The wait was a good opportunity for her to rehash the events that had occurred around her during the course of the day. However, there was still one place that she wanted to go before the day was through. Now, if only she could slither her way out of her mother's house before someone goes and makes her stay for dinner...
Korstan hastily entered the kitchen from around the corner, stumbling as if he had been pushed into the room. The innocent look on his face made it seem like he was being manipulated by an outside force. He noticed Klan watching his behavior and quickly changed his demeanor to a more casual one. He walked up to the countertop that Klan was sitting at, took a seat, and dropped an aging cardboard box on the surface. Klan had seen that box many times before in the past, but she couldn't remember the significance of it at the moment.
"Your mother and I have been wanting to give this to you, since you haven't been visiting much lately. Luckily, she had the foresight to have most of our valuables stored on Island-1 before our home on Island-3 was destroyed by that dimension-eater bomb," he said. He removed the top of the box to reveal the contents inside. There were scores of old photographs from Klan's childhood, and many of them included members of their family with her in various poses. Seeing as how their old house and belongings had been swallowed up by a super-dimensional rift, this box had exponentially grown in sentimental value.
Klan and Korstan enjoyed some time together going over their old memories as they flipped through several old photographs. Marjel spied on them from the other room and found the image of the two of them leaning inwards towards each other while they looked at pictures to be emotionally touching. Her oldest daughter seemed so different than the last time she laid eyes on her. "She's grown up so much in three years. My little girl is now a woman," she thought to herself with a sentimental smile.
After several minutes of walking down "Memory Lane", Klan looked back up at Korstan to say something that's been on her mind the entire time she's been visiting. "Korstan, I just want to apologize," she simply said. He was a little confused as to why those words came out of her mouth. "For what?" "I never appreciated you for everything you did for me while I was growing up. Instead, I took out my anger on you because of my own father. You didn't deserve the way I treated you and I feel so terrible for the grief I caused you all those years," Klan said with sincerity in her eyes. Korstan didn't want to admit that it was quite stressful to him, but he had to acknowledge her apology. "Oh, you weren't that bad, kiddo. I knew what I was getting into when I married your mother, so I never thought negatively of you because of any unfair treatment I got out of you."
Klan knew he was playing it off as nothing. "Oh, come on. I was nothing but a nightmare to you and I know that sometimes you wanted to just throw your hands up and give up on me. I'm glad that you didn't, though. As I've recently come to realize, you're one of the few men in my life who really were good to me. I've never actually sat down and admitted it to myself or to them until now." Korstan knew that his bluff had been called, but he was more overwhelmed by the sincerity of Klan's apology. "Sweetie, you don't have to do this, but thanks anyways," he said as he leaned over to hug her.
It appears that Klan is making progress in dealing with her inner demons. With each step made in the right direction, she sees herself returning to a more normal state of mind. Perhaps now, she won't be so hasty to judge people and quickly alienate them like she's been doing for so long now. Only time will tell how her personality will change. It will probably get better, but there's always the outside chance of a relapse. Such a result will depend on the manner of which her environment treats her. For now, she only has to look forward to a big meeting tomorrow with someone who could potentially become her new commanding officer.
Among the planetoids in the Kihnes Asteroid Belt, the rest of Pixie Team seems to be doing well without their commanding officer. However, it seems that Cal is showing signs of returning back to his old ways; his ego is starting to get the best of him because of Will's success as a pilot. Seeing Will's flying skills flourish to the point where Cal feels a bit threatened, and seeing Will and Nene becoming so close is starting to stoke a bit of jealousy within him. While Klan is eliminating her vices one by one, Cal seems to be restoring his. Will and Nene are simply being themselves and it seems to be rubbing Cal the wrong way. If he's not careful, he could put some friendships in jeopardy with his old conceited ways.