CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
A path unveiled
"When asked for my thoughts and feelings towards Paul Coleiro, I reflect on the years I have known this particular human. I have been proud to have known and served with him through the many difficult years and trials we had to face. Only a few beings know of the difficult choices and personal sacrifices he had to make for the greater good of all the species that make up the Alliance. What most are eager to ask about is our first meeting together aboard the Arcadia. This question shows their lack of understanding and knowledge about the Flower of Life and the power of the Shapings. This lack of understanding prevents them from realizing the possibility that 'we' may have communicated with each other much earlier than that first shipboard meeting. It was that he just was not aware of it…"
— Tashe of the Invid
oOoOo
Paul was standing on the observation deck of the SDF-1. It was the same spot he'd stood on when he was a child and watched the Zentreadi fire on the Earth. It was no different… there were ships, floating in space all around him… waiting.
The scene suddenly changed, and now he was in the ruins of a city… with fighting raging everywhere. He took a moment to realize he was in New Macross… on that fateful day. Old style Veritechs tearing across the sky caught his attention. He watched as the RDF fighters engaged Khyron's forces. He stood rooted in his spot, trying to spot his father's fighter in the unfolding melee.
If I can find a fighter… I can save him!
Something made Paul turn, and he saw a woman running carrying a small child. His heart froze as he recognized who they were. He wanted to scream at his mother to stop and turn back, but he had no voice to scream a warning. He closed his eyes not wanting to watch his mother and sister die again.
A sound caught his attention, and he forced his eyes open… to find himself now on that Invid-occupied planet. In the distance he could see the twisted, burning wreckage of Sonia's Alpha. He ran towards it, but no matter how hard he ran, he couldn't reach the wreckage… reach her.
Despair and frustration gripped Paul as he dropped to his knees. Hate and anger fueled him as he pounded the ground with his fists, screaming for this nightmare to end. He could feel all the hate and anger he'd carried his whole life well up, threatening to consume him. In that moment, an epiphany struck him, showing he had a choice… to let the hate and pain consume him or choose a different path.
"No… I want something more!" he shouted, looking up at the sky with clenched his fists.
A vision of a planet suddenly appeared before him. It wasn't Earth, but he thought he'd recognized it. As the vision grew more intense, he saw Faith's smiling face mix with the planet. A sense of peace and joy he couldn't describe, filled him seeing her right now in this place.
He jerked with a start as a huge column of pure blinding energy erupted from the planet, erasing her face. The column of energy rose, climbing higher and higher into space. At its apex, it suddenly transformed, becoming a huge bird… a phoenix of pure energy. As the phoenix extended its wings, a cry erupted from the bird that reverberated deep in his bones and soul.
He watched, still on his knees, at the sight of this most wondrous and beautiful vision as the phoenix continued to soar higher and deeper into space, leaving him behind. Tears flowed down his face as his soul called out to the phoenix to come back and take him with her. A sudden realization hit him.
I'm dead… I've died, he thought, recalling the last few moments before the bombs detonated.
A woman's gentle voice spoke, startling him, "No, my child… you are not dead."
Paul looked around for the person speaking to him, but the voice seemed to come from all around him. There was no fear in him as he slowly stood up. The voice sounded calm and soothing, but he detected a tinge of ageless sadness in her voice.
"If I'm not dead, then where am I?"
"You are in the realm between the light and shadow… it is here that I can reach out and touch your mind. I have seen your thoughts… I have seen your life."
Paul's eyes widen at this revelation, "W-Who are you? What do you want?"
"I am the Regess of the Invid… and I need your help. We… the Invid need your help."
A flash of hate and anger filled Paul upon hearing he was talking to the Regess. She responded, sensing his raging emotions.
"I… we are not the Invid from your universe. I have seen the Invid in the other universe, what caused their hate, and the path of destruction they took to achieve their goal. What they seek to achieve is the same one we seek, but we need your help."
Paul tried to grasp what was happening to him, "How is this even possible? How can you even be talking to me? Is this even real? Am I still alive?"
The phoenix rising from the planet returned, confusing a stunned Paul. He tried opening his mind to new possibilities, and his hate and prejudices melted away in the face of this unprecedented beauty and wonder.
"The Flower of Life has touched you… and because now you hover between life and death you are able to hear my mind and thoughts. The Shapings and the powers have chosen you."
"C-Chosen me? Chosen me for what? You said you needed my help. Help for what?"
"To save us…"
oOoOo
Tashe struggled to keep her ship alive. The carrier had been trailing the rest of the Invid ships engaging the human fighters. Once realizing there were so few of the attacking enemy, she held off deploying her fighters, saving them for attacks on the larger human warship.
There were no worries or concerns as the final few human fighters were being eliminated. It wouldn't be long before the fleet could continue its pursuit.
That all changed as the space ahead of her carrier—containing all the other Invid carriers and fighters—erupted in huge multi-megaton explosions. Tashe belatedly realized the human fighters were nothing but bait to lead the fleet into a trap. There was a moment of disbelief, she didn't think the humans would sacrifice their own people like this… that was something the Invid would do, not humans.
She only had seconds to shake-off her disbelief before the blast wave hit her ship, tossing it around like a toy. As the blast wave battered the hull, alarms blared through the ship while control panels exploded in showers of sparks. It was only by a minor miracle there was no hull breach. The blast wave caused damage to her ship's engines, taking them offline, but there was still enough power for life support while she made repairs.
A sense of despair gripped her as she directed her crew to make emergency repairs to bring the engines and other primary systems back up. Tashe realized, from the limited sensor data available and her inability to communicate with the other ship commanders, her ship was the only one to survive the human trap.
Also adding to her struggles was the continuing inability to communicate to the Regess and the need to keep her mecha pilots calm. The shadow of failure hung over Tashe… she feared failing her Regess and brethren if they couldn't repair the ship and they died here.
All this weighed on her thoughts as she once again tried to pierce the wall surrounding the Regess. At first she couldn't penetrate the noise, but that suddenly changed as she shot up as if something had shocked her. It took Tashe a moment to realize it was the Regess straining to break through the wall of noise to communicate to her. She strained to hear what the Regess was saying, and it shocked her when the image of a human flashed in her thoughts.
Fear and confusion weighed on Tashe as she tried to understand the message and what meaning and role this human played. She again felt the Regess straining to communicate with her. Tashe pushed herself, brushing aside her fear and confusion, realizing this human must be of some importance, for the Regess to strain herself like this. For a brief second, the noise fell away and two words flashed in Tashe's mind causing her eyes to widen in surprise.
Save him…
oOoOo
Shock and confusion gripped Paul as he struggled with what the Regess had told him, "S-Save you… Why? How?"
"By saving us from the Children of the Shadows, you will allow us to achieve our destiny… and save yourselves from them."
"Shadows? Who are these Shadows?"
"You have faced them in your own universe."
"You're Invid… you could fight them yourself!"
"We are Invid, but unlike the Invid from your universe our destinies took a different path. The one called Zor came to our planet. I revealed the secrets of the flower, but he never returned with the ones you called the Robotech Masters and Zentreadi to take it. The Shadows came instead… as they had before, but this time they occupied our planet. They have found a way to prevent me from communicating to my children. I can hear their cries, but I cannot talk to them."
Paul could easily hear a mother's pain and anguish in the Regess's voice, "What can I do?" he said.
"You have what the Shadows fear. You have knowledge of the Flower and Protoculture, and what it can do… the power it contains."
The shock of what was being asked of him bordered on the insane, "You want me to lead a war?! One ship against…? That's crazy!"
Before he could say anymore, a wave of dizziness struck him. It got worse as his legs suddenly became weak and he had difficulty standing, "What's wrong with me?" he muttered, trying to focus and keep his balance.
"You are leaving this realm and returning to your world. I will no longer be able to talk to you. Know this… even if you choose to not follow the path, they will find you! The Awareness will find you, but you are not alone… there are others out there that will help you."
There were so many more questions he wanted to ask, but everything became blurry and began fading as his vision dimmed. As blackness filled his vision, an overwhelming pain engulfed his body…
Paul's body screamed in pain as he struggled to open his eyes. With great effort he opened his right eye, but an intense piercing pain stabbed his left eye and he couldn't open it. He noticed a warm wetness across his face as he tried to focus his good eye.
Where am I? The last thing I remember I was trying to say something to Faith… then there was a huge bright light…
As his vision somewhat cleared, he first noticed his cracked helmet visor. It made seeing through it hard, adding to his vision problems, but at least helmet integrity was still intact. As he became more aware of his surroundings, he noticed the flashing warning lights and alarms filling his cockpit and saw dark splotches spattered across his flight control panel. To get a better sense of his injuries and the status of his ship, he tried moving his head.
That proved to be a mistake as an excruciating pain flared in his head, causing his vision to gray out. Fighting through pain, he used his hands to check his body for injuries. The blood covering his hands told him he had bigger troubles than just a head injury.
He tried to focus on what he needed to do, but the pain was disorienting him, making it harder to concentrate. Dream-like flashes filled his head, adding to his disorientation. It was getting harder for him to know what was real and what wasn't.
What he did know didn't bode well… his badly damaged fighter was drifting on minimal power and he'd suffered serious injuries. He struggled to keep his good eye open, but the pain in his head was getting worse, making it harder to stay conscious. The temptation to give in and close his eye was getting stronger, yet he managed to still hold on. His disorientation grew worse as the dream-like flashes continued, and a part of him prayed for the darkness to take him.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught movement in space, and for a moment thought he was hallucinating. Paul swore he saw the huge shape of an Invid Mollusk-class Carrier, making an approach run to come up underneath his fighter. Pain wracked his body, growing more intense, but he focused on the approaching Invid ship even as he felt himself slipping away. Fear should have filled him or at least a sense of resignation towards his fate, but he had none of those feelings.
As the carrier closed on him, his hand shot out—as if with a mind of its own—reaching for his communication console. Even as darkness filled the edges of his vision, he strained his body, making several attempts before activating his ship's emergency locator beacon.
The flashing beacon indicator on his console filled his darkening vision. With a sigh, Paul let the darkness take him.
oOoOo
"You want me to turn around and go back?" Aaron said, not hiding his surprise or the incredulous expression on his face with Faith, Xander and Lieutenant Evans arrayed in front of his command station.
Faith struck a defiant look. She wasn't going to give up now, "Yes… we need to go back and find Paul! He's still alive!"
Aaron studied Faith, trying to figure out if she was having a breakdown from her grief, "We're scheduled to meet up with the Dolphin and her group. We can't turn around now. I would like to believe that the Captain is still alive, but…"
Faith closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as she tried to keep her composure. She opened her eyes and with great control of her emotions spoke, "He's alive… I know he's alive and every second we spend arguing puts him in danger."
A part of Aaron wanted to buy in to her delusion, but he now had greater responsibilities weighing on him and wanted to dismiss her ravings. Yet, that part of him that wanted to believe… to hope… exerted itself, wanting to know more, "Okay let's say you're right. How do you know he's alive?"
Hope dangled in front of Faith, "He didn't appear to me…! He couldn't become him," she babbled, trying to get everything out all at once.
Doubts again surfaced as Aaron eyed Faith as she babbled, again wondering if she was grief stricken crazy or not, "Who? What are you talking about?" he said, shaking his head in confusion.
Faith paused, realizing she was babbling and probably looking a little looney. She took a deep to get herself under some control, "The First Evil… it came to taunt me and rub my face in my pain. I asked it to appear as Paul…" she saw the looks of shock before adding, "It couldn't!"
Aaron considered brushing her off, but his curiosity and growing hope were stronger. Yet, he had to be sure before he started disobeying orders, "So what? What does that mean?" he said, eyeing her skeptically.
Xander jumped in to support Faith. He knew where Faith was going with her reasoning, "Don't you see… The First can only appear of those that have died. It does it so it can play twister with your mind and emotions. If it couldn't appear as the Captain…"
The implications immediately struck home with Aaron. If there was even a chance they had to try. There was no hesitation as he barked orders, "Helm! Bring us about! Begin a sensor scan of the battle area… I want all eyes and ears on that area! Alert the hanger bay… I want a rescue shuttle on standby to launch as soon as we find anything!"
An excited urgency gripped the bridge as the crew jumped to carry out Aaron's orders. Faith watched, letting out a deep sigh of relief as Xander moved up beside her and leaned in.
"You sure about this?" he whispered, so as not to cast any doubts with the bridge crew.
Faith nodded vigorously unable to trust herself to speak, trying not to let any doubts cast their shadows over her glimmer of hope.
The minutes seemed like hours as the ship turned around and made its way back towards the site of the battle. Faith struggled to keep nervousness and impatience in check, but still got worried looks from Xander and Cassie as she paced back-and-forth.
Damn, I need a smoke, Faith thought, trying to keep her fidgeting and pacing at a seemingly less crazy tone, picking up on the worried glances she was drawing.
A voice, ringing across the bridge, changed everything in a flash, "SIR! I'm picking up an emergency locator beacon! I-It's coming from the Captain's fighter!"
Faith didn't know whether to yell or faint as disbelief and hope gripped her. A panicky voice quickly added itself to the growing excitement, "CONTACT! I have a hard sensor contact! Computer IDs it as a Mollusk Carrier… it's under power and on an approach vector!"
Everything turned sideways at this news. Aaron wasn't going to hesitate against this threat, "WEAPONS! Get a lock on that target and prepare to fire on my command!" he ordered.
"Sir! The beacon is coming from the same location as the Mollusk!"
Indecision and hesitation reared its ugly head at this news, "Jesus…" Aaron muttered, "Get me a visual!" he ordered. There was still the temptation to fire on the Invid ship, but he realized if the Captain was still alive he would get caught in the crossfire.
A confused Faith struggled to find out what was happening as a frenzied energy gripped the bridge. As she was about to ask Cassie to explain what was going on, the main display brought up an image that froze her heart.
"My God…" she whispered, staring at the unfolding scene on the display.
A stunned silence gripped the bridge as everyone watched the main display screen as the Invid ship approached the Arcadia. What was most alarming to everyone was the heavily damaged fighter—in Battloid mode—lying across the top hull of the carrier. Remnants of the Beta module hung from the back of the fighter, most of it gone… torn off by the explosions. Also gone was the Battloid's right arm, torn off up to the shoulder, and the left leg. The left arm wasn't much better with the hand and forearm torn away. The only parts of the Battloid that looked more or less intact were the head, torso and right leg.
Cassie's gasp, shook Faith out of her shock. She noticed the bridge crew still frozen, mesmerized by the scene, "DO SOMETHING!" she shouted, trying to get everyone to snap out of their shock.
Faith's shouts got Aaron to focus. It was hard because he'd never seen or heard of the Invid doing anything like this before. He realized he was dealing with something completely new and out of the ordinary. He struggled with how to react or what to do next because his first instinct was to fire on the enemy.
"Sensors, status of Invid ship?" he said, keeping his 'shoot first' instincts in check… for now.
"Uh… picking up minimal power readings. Just enough to keep life support and engines going, sir."
Aaron arched an eyebrow in disbelief, "Status of Invid fighters?" he said.
"Minimal power readings… no signs they're readying to launch."
Another crewman quickly added, "Sir, the Mollusk is slowing down… its holding position."
An air of unreality hung over the bridge as Aaron studied the unfolding scene. Faith's questioning shouts interrupted him, "Why aren't you doing something?"
Aaron shook his head, his confusion plain as day as he looked at her, "What do you want me to do? This has never happened before!" he said, trying to figure out what was going on, and more importantly what to do next.
Faith wanted to pull her hair out in frustration, "Call them… talk to them!" she pleaded.
"It's not that easy… the Invid don't use radio communications like we do," Aaron said, shaking his head as he glanced back at the main display screen.
Faith stared at Aaron in disbelief, struggling against the urge to scream in frustration. A crewman's voice drew her attention back to the display screen.
"Sir! The carrier is pulling away!"
Again stunned silence filled the bridge as the Invid ship dropped away from the damaged fighter and pulled back slowly. Faith gasped in disbelief, staring at Paul's fighter now drifting in space. Aaron debated with the decision to open fire, but he realized the Captain's fighter was still too close and would get caught in the crossfire.
The universe seemed to hang on what he would do next, Aaron decided to take a chance, "Order the rescue shuttle to launch! Keep weapons lock on that carrier… if it so much as twitches… open fire!"
Aaron turned to Cassie, "Lieutenant Evans, grab whatever pilots you can and get out there to cover that shuttle! I want you to keep an eye on the Invid. Something is going on here and I want to know what!"
"Yes, sir!" Cassie said, quickly coming to attention before turning to sprint for the bridge elevator to head for the hanger deck.
As Cassie, with Xander in tow, rushed from the bridge, Aaron turned back to study the unfolding scene on the display screen. All he could do is shake his head in amazement at what was happening. He tried to put himself in Commodore Lau's and Captain Coleiro's shoes and what they would do in this situation. This was unheard of, the Invid just attacked and kept attacking until you were dead or they were all dead.
What the hell is going on? What are they up to?
The Invid carrier hanging there in space presented an unheard of opportunity. Aaron decided on his next move, "Ensign Connors… I want you to put together a boarding party. I want you to take a shuttle over to that carrier and board her. You will take any Invid you find prisoner."
The nervousness and confusion was obvious in the young Ensign's voice as she gulped, "Sir?"
"Your rules of engagement are that you do not fire unless fired upon first. I want to talk to those Invid and find out what they want and what's going on."
oOoOo
Chief Larson tried to put on an air of calm control while waiting for the SAR shuttle to return. She was all too familiar with—and hated—these moments. The cool and composed manner she was trying to maintain was in stark contrast to the nervous back-and-forth pacing Faith was doing. Larson was about to tell her to give it a rest when an announcement came over the PA system.
"Rescue shuttle on approach… they have the fighter in tow."
Larson shelved her worry and concern as her focus turned to her job. She signaled her deck crew to ready up and get into position for the rescue shuttle's arrival.
Faith was the opposite as the announcement edged her nervousness even higher. Out of instinct, she started to rush forward, but only got a couple of steps before stopping as Chief Larson signaled her to hold back. Her eyes locked on the far end of the hanger deck in nervous anticipation. She didn't have to wait long as the shuttle came in for a landing.
A shimmering light blue light emanated from the rear of the shuttle, surrounding the wrecked fighter as it towed it in. At seeing the damage up close, Faith's heart froze, fearful not knowing if Paul was alive or dead. Her self-control strained to its limits as she watched Chief Larson and her deck crew race towards the wreckage. Minutes seemed liked hours as the crew pried at the fuselage to get at the canopy inside the Battloid's torso. Faith stood rooted to the deck, watching as the deck crew worked, wondering how much longer it would take. A shout suddenly rang out across the hanger deck…
"MEDIC!"
The med-techs, standing by, wasted no time rushing in. As time crawled, Faith's feet started moving on their own… pulling her towards the wreck. Her feet picked up speed only to stop dead in their tracks as the med-techs pulled a limp body from the wreckage and placed it on a stretcher.
Everything seemed to move in slow motion as the med-techs came racing towards her, carrying the stretcher. As she got her first close up look of Paul, she almost lost it at seeing his helmet visor cracked and his flight suit covered in blood. The thought Paul was dead screamed in her head, but she caught snippets of the med-techs's hurried conversations as they rushed past her.
"Pulse thready…"
"Head trauma… left eye has severe trauma… I'm getting no pupil response in the right one…"
"Get pressure on those wounds!"
Faith was reliving the engine room again, this time there was no demon for her to vent off on as the pain and helplessness took hold of her. She stood there helplessly as the med-techs rushed from the hanger deck heading to Medical. Her mind raced, finding herself filled with a myriad of thoughts and emotions unable to decide what to do next. A hand grabbing her shoulder snapped her out of it, she turned to see Chief Larson's worried face.
"Go! You're not doing any good here!" Larson said, noting the helpless, scared expression on Faith's face.
Faith needed no further urging as she found her focus and sprinted from the hanger deck to catch up with the med-techs and Paul.
oOoOo
Aaron thought he'd seen everything, but this was reaching bizarre new levels as he sat across a table from an Invid. He suppressed a shudder as he tried to read the alien's dark purple eyes, trying to get a sense of the creature he now faced.
Ensign Connors and her boarding team had boarded the Invid carrier with no resistance. In fact, the ship's commander had greeted them at the ship's airlock, requesting to meet and speak to the human commander. After much back-and-forth discussion, Aaron agreed to bringing over the Invid commander to 'meet'.
As he sat there across the table from the Invid commander, a small part of Aaron longed for the days when he was just a very junior bridge officer. He realized those days were over as he found himself being thrown into the deep end with the sharks. It was now sink or swim time as he tried to keep his growing doubts and anxieties in check.
To be honest, he'd briefly considered delaying this meeting until the Dolphin and her group rejoined the Arcadia so he could let Lt. Commander Wright deal with it. Yet, despite struggling with the sense of being in over his head, Aaron sensed that something crucial was happening and didn't want to waste any time.
As he met those dark alien eyes again, Aaron's thoughts drifted to the last medical update he'd received on the Captain's condition. Medical had the Captain on life support which stabilized him for now, but the prognosis wasn't good.
Aaron took a deep breath to get rid of the bitter taste of anger and hate welling up in him. He knew he couldn't let any personal feelings impede this crucial meeting. There was too much at stake… there were questions they needed answers to.
"You understand me?" Aaron said, starting off the meeting.
The Invid twitched its head, studying him for a moment and then nodded slowly, "Yes… We have knowledge of your language. The Regess has instructed us so we understand you better to engage you in combat."
Aaron blinked, taken by surprise by the Invid's statement. For a second he could have sworn he saw the hint of a smile as he studied the alien's face. He dismissed the thought as he continued on, "You realize that you, your ship and crew are prisoners of the Robotech Expeditionary Forces…"
The Invid nodded, "Yes… we no longer want to fight you."
Aaron's eyes widen in surprise. This was the last thing he expected, but then this whole meeting was unexpected, "Y-You no longer want to fight?" he said, trying to maintain his composure.
"Yes…"
"Why?" Aaron said, studying the alien closely as it took a moment to respond… as if it was collecting its thoughts.
The Invid locked eyes with Aaron, "This universe is different… we cannot communicate with the Regess. She tries to speak, but it is not getting through. Even if I could speak to her, this Regess is not the same as mine… She does not want to fight or engage in war with you."
Aaron tried not to fall back in his chair at this bombshell of a statement. This Invid seemed to have confirmed that the Invid existed in this universe, but yet they were different. On top of this, the Invid commander immediately realized and grasped they were in a different universe.
The surprises just keep coming! Aaron thought, finding his preconceptions of the Invid changing by the second.
A skeptical Aaron tried to detect for any deception from the alien, but couldn't read the creature. He wasn't quite ready to buy this story as old prejudices still pulled on him, "You would listen to this Regess… even if she doesn't want to fight?"
The alien nodded, "She is the Regess… it does not matter what universe or dimension we are in. We are Invid and we listen and obey. We just want one thing now…"
Aaron tried to keep from shouting "Aha!" as he figured this was where the Invid would try to screw them over. He was a little hesitant, but he knew he had to ask, "Okay, what is it you and the other Invid want now?"
The Invid commander didn't bat an eye, "We want to go home… back to Optera."
oOoOo
The level of medical technology still amazed and astounded Giles as he walked through Medical. In fact, all the technology aboard the Arcadia astounded him. He found it hard to admit he was a little jealous, knowing how their little group—especially Buffy—could have benefited from only a small fraction of what was available.
He put away those thoughts as he reached the door of one of the private patient rooms and knocked gently on the door. As he waited for a response, his brows furrowed with concern as no response came. With growing worry, Giles quietly pushed the door open and carefully edged into the room, pausing just inside the door.
The only light in the room was being cast by floor level lights that bathed the hospital room in a low soft light. The only other lights in the room were coming off the machines and monitors set up next to the Captain's bed. Giles recognized the ones monitoring vitals. What concerned him was seeing the Captain hooked up to a ventilator to help him breath. Giles could barely make out the Captain's face with most of his head and face wrapped up in bandages. Even to a non-medical professional it was obvious the Captain's injuries were life-threatening, and it didn't look good.
Giles's gaze shifted to the high-back chair pulled up next to the bed. Even in the low light he could make out Faith, curled up in the chair with legs pulled up, tucked tightly into her. Her eyes were closed, and it appeared like she was sleeping with her head leaning at an uncomfortable angle against the side of the chair.
A lump formed in his throat as he watched her. Even in this 'resting state' her face looked full of concern, worry and fear. This only confirmed his worries, supporting his decision to come down to Medical to check on Faith. He made a move to step further into the room…
"What is it Giles?" Faith said.
Her soft voice—barely above the background noise of the medical equipment—startled the Watcher. He recovered quickly though, "I came down to check on the Captain and you. Has there been any change in his condition?"
Faith sighed as she opened her eyes, directing her gaze towards Giles as he moved closer. Even in the low light, Giles could make out her red-rimmed, bloodshot eyes.
The sadness was obvious in her voice, "No… He's still in a coma. They said that the pressure on his brain from the swelling is building. If they can't relieve the pressure, he'll suffer permanent brain damage or…" Faith trailed off, unable to finish.
"Isn't there anything they can do?"
"No… unless you're a neurosurgeon or if Willow can conjure one out of thin air. There's nothing they can do aboard ship," she said, turning her attention back to Paul.
Giles nodded absently, grasping the situation. He knew the Arcadia was short-handed due to losing most of its crew during the transition that had brought the ship to this universe. Among those that had died included most of the senior medical staff, including all the surgeons. Only a handful of the ship's medical staff had survived… a mix of nurses, orderlies and med-techs. Until now, the surviving medical staff and the automated medical equipment had been able to deal with all the medical needs and requirements. The Captain's wounds, especially his head injuries, presented a completely different situation even beyond the ability of the automated equipment to treat and repair.
It still amazed Giles that the Captain had survived and was still alive. Before coming to Medical, Giles had stopped by the hanger deck and viewed the remains of the Captain's battered fighter. He'd seen the blood-spattered cockpit and knowing the Captain had survived the battle and ensuing nuclear firestorm was nothing less than miraculous. Yet, now the Captain was hanging on by a thread and despite all efforts it didn't look like he would make it.
What worried Giles the most and had brought him here was Faith. It was painfully obvious how much she cared for the Captain. That she could care so deeply for someone caught Giles by surprise. He now worried how she would react if the Captain died. The memory of her meltdown on the bridge kept replaying in his head, adding to his worry.
Her time in prison, with Angel, and her romantic involvement with the Captain seemed to have given Faith a newfound level of maturity. She still carried a lot of baggage and history, and even for being a Slayer, Faith lived on a precipice edge always seeming to run wild and losing control. She'd crossed lines and done things that made Giles keep a wary eye on her. It would take a long time—if ever—before he would trust her again.
Yet, despite all her problems and her past behavior all Giles saw right now was a young woman in pain as she watched someone she loved suffering. He saw that she needed support, "Maybe you should go back to your cabin… get some rest. You might—" he started to say.
Faith cut him off. The hard, determined tone in her voice was clear as she spoke, "No… I'm staying."
Giles sighed at seeing her determination and stubbornness, "You should get some proper rest," he said, trying again.
She shook her head firmly, "I'm not leaving him."
Giles decided not to push the matter any further… for now, "Is there anything I can get you?" he said.
"No…" Faith mumbled.
Giles stood there for a few minutes studying Faith before deciding to leave. As he turned to leave, Faith spoke in a soft voice, cracking with emotion, "Thanks Giles… I-I…" she trailed off not able to finish.
He paused and then moved back over to Faith. Standing beside her chair, he leaned in and placed his hand gently on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze to let her know he was there for her. She looked up at him, meeting his eyes with her sad red eyes. Before he could react, she was out of the chair, gripping him in a tight hug, burying her face in his chest. Giles stood there awkwardly, surprised, but he finally recovered and wrapped his arms around her, holding her in a tight embrace… like a father trying to console a daughter. Her body heaved as she sobbed quietly into his chest.
oOoOo
Giles got Faith settled back down before leaving Medical. He wandered the ship's corridors, with no particular destination in mind, lost in his thoughts. Chance reared its head as he came across Buffy—with Spike in tow—just exiting one of the ship's lounges. Giles greeted Buffy, barely acknowledging Spike's presence.
"How's the Captain doing?" Buffy said.
The obvious concern Buffy showed for the Captain, shifted Giles's thoughts to the stories going around the ship he'd heard about Buffy and the Captain. He wasn't the only one thinking along those same lines, noticing the disdain and jealousy flash across Spike's face, but Giles didn't care about Spike's feelings. His concern was on Buffy's involvement with the Captain and how that could get complicated.
The last thing anyone on this ship needs is to have Faith and Buffy pursuing the same man. Someone will end up hurt… or dead, he thought.
He'd been through his fair share of similar entangled situations, and the one common result was that they never ended well for anyone. For now, he marked that topic as a future private conversation to have with Buffy. There were more immediate concerns to worry about as his thoughts shifted back to Faith and the Captain's condition. Giles updated Buffy on the Captain's medical status and the grim prognosis.
"How's Faith doing?" Buffy said. She was genuinely worried about Faith despite any lingering feelings and desire for Paul.
Giles shook his head sadly, replaying the hospital room scene over again in his head, "Not well… she's trying to manage. I tried to get her to take a break, but she refuses to leave his side," he said.
Guilt filled Buffy as she kept replaying the hanger deck scene over-and-over again in head, wishing she'd stopped Paul from going on his suicide mission. She tried pushing away her guilt, realizing she would have to live with her decision, "And there's nothing they can do to help him?" she said.
"Unless the swelling in his brain goes down by itself, the outlook isn't good. If they had a doctor aboard that could operate to relieve the swelling then he might have a chance," Giles replied.
"Hello… Has everyone taken leave of their bloody senses?" Spike said, injecting himself into the conversation.
"Do you mind Spike… this is serious," Giles said, exhaling an exasperated sigh while rolling his eyes skyward.
Spike replied with a derisive snort, "Of course it is."
Buffy wasn't in the mood for Spike's comments and attitude, "Please Spike, can you keep a lid on it?" she said, adding her own exasperated sigh.
Spike rolled his eyes, shaking his head at their inability to see the obvious solution, "Are you all bloody blind?" he said.
Giles was too tired and emotionally drained to deal with Spike's antics. He decided to take the path of least resistance to end this painful dance, "What is it Spike?" he said, not hiding his annoyance with the vampire.
"Do you not see the wee blue and white planet out there?" he said, turning and holding his hand towards the nearby observation window where Earth hung in space.
Buffy and Giles stared at him as if he was demented. She finally found her voice, "What are you going on about?" Buffy said, not hiding her confusion.
Spike let out his own exasperated sigh at having to explain the bloody obvious to everyone, "The planet…! You know the one… full of demons, vampires, Hellmouths and over six billion namby-pamby mouth breathers skittering across it."
Giles's annoyance and confusion were obvious, but he was also curious to know where Spike was going with this. He just hoped he wouldn't regret asking, "What about the planet?"
The thought of forever holding this over Giles gave Spike a warm fuzzy feeling, knowing how annoyed the Watcher would be. A triumphant smirk filled the vampire's face, "Don't you think there's at least one doc on the planet that could help the Captain?"
Giles and Buffy stood there, blinking with their mouths hanging open as their eyes shifted back-and-forth between the vampire and Earth…