Angel: This is definitely one of my favorite episodes of season 3, and with the way it's going, there will definitely be more favorites. I definitely like the tone better than in season 2. But still...I hate the opening. I wish they'd change it...
I saw the new episode and you know what? If the fact that the creator already admitted that Little Cato and Ash weren't gonna be a couple didn't already further confirm that they're not canon, then Forgiveness definitely makes it a definite fact. And at least I don't have to give Ash a love interest because the show already gave me one! No one died in the episode, but it still played with my emotions like when Fox died, oh my god...Forgiveness might be my most favorite episode in the whole season.
Uhh...Nova asking to sleep with Little Cato isn't...too out there for her character...but I had thought about doing that for them. And it's just not the right time for them as of right now. In the episode The Other Side, when they clearly had sex, that was different because they were older and it was all in their heads. But right now, he's still 14. Yeah, it's space, and Nova probably wouldn't care since she's a drinker at 15. But even with the M rating and everything going on in the timeline, there's not a right time for it.
But they did have sex when they were stuck in the time shard for 60 years outside of their hallucinations, so they've had sex before, just offscreen. I implied it in the Arachnitects episode, but I never confirmed anything. So yes, that is canon now! At this point, they have had sex and it counts since they remember everything from the time shard XD Whether or not I'll do anything with that information is completely up to me later on in the season.
The Lord Commander was sitting in a throne, eyes narrowed as his eyes glowed yellow. A snarl hit his face as he remembered how he died and came in contact with Invictus itself.
Nightfall threw her spear at him and it struck him. Then he was taken away by Invictus...
"Our work isn't done, child. It's only just...begun..."
Once he was brought over to the final destination, he found himself actually standing, with his injuries still on his face and head. He looked over himself as he saw that he was still alive. "Where am I?" He then looked up. "And what are you?"
"I am the one who pulled you from the abyss of death," Invictus started off. "I chose you for a special purpose and to give you what you desire."
He gasped in realization. "You're going...to make me...a Titan?" He smiled eagerly at the proposition.
"Yes," Invictus then created a portal, where things were being sucked up into it. "And you will do something for me." Purple energy lifted up the alien and brought him towards the portal, sucking him in.
"Aah! Where are you taking me?"
"To show you who I really am," The Lord Commander landed in the prison of Invictus, looking up and seeing what looked like a huge eye with a pitch black pupil. "I am Invictus. And this is my prison. You, my child, will help me escape."
"How?" The Lord Commander asked curiously.
"Find Mooncake and the daughter of Titan Bolo...Nova Ostarilla."
"Ah! You've gotta be kidding me. Wait...Nova...was born from a TITAN?!" He growled angrily upon learning this. "She could have given me my desires this entire time! UGH!" He kicked away a rock and it fell off of the platform he was standing on.
"The more energy I absorb, the more power I'll have to break free of these chains and consume life across every dimension."
"Agh! Bleh!" The Lord Commander choked up some blood from the effects of Mooncake's laser. "One small problem...kinda dying here."
"I can restore you."
"Then do it already!" The alien snapped at Invictus. Some purple energy reached out to him and it surrounded his body. He glowed as he was lifted off of his feet, and then his injuries disappeared as his body restored himself back to normal. "I feel so...good!"
"Find Mooncake and Nova. Through her, you will have what you desire, my child."
He smiled wickedly at the thought.
He groaned a little as he rubbed a temple, walking out of the room. "Eh. I'm doing it already..."
He looked to his captives as all five of them were hanging upside down in a room. He slowly stepped forward to them, his eyes glowing yellow in a menacing way from the shadows. "Which one of you is going to tell me where Mooncake and Nova are?" He asked as he revealed himself to them, gritting his teeth.
None of them answered, because no matter how many times he asked, they had the same answer: they didn't know. Last time they saw Mooncake, was when they got separated, same thing with Nova. And none of them had been in contact with either of them since then. Though Little Cato wished he could get into contact with her, he hadn't talked to her in what felt so long...
"How about you, Avocato?" He stepped up to the Ventrexian, who simply responded by spitting onto his eye. He growled as he wiped off his face. "Ah, that's fun. This is also fun." He grinned evilly as he reached out and began choking Little Cato by squeezing his neck.
"Aah!" He yelped in pain.
"Ahh..."
"Leave my son alone!" Avocato growled out at this.
The Lord Commander turned to him. "I can't believe you still give so much for someone so little," He tightened his grip on the younger Ventrexian. "And yet you continued to do the same for the same young lady that you put into a holding cell for me..."
"Let him go! And I was a different person then!" Avocato argued back.
"Where...are Mooncake and Nova?!" The Lord Commander demanded again. Avocato just glared at him instead of answering. Even if they did know, they still wouldn't tell him. If Nova was here, she'd tell him to fuck off. "Nothing? Then how about a little small talk to loosen you up?" He thankfully let go of Little Cato. He then laughed evilly, clasping his hands together. "I know! Avocato, why don't you tell your boy how we first met?" Avocato's eyes widened at that suggestion. There were some things behind that backstory that he had yet to tell anyone, much less his own son. "He's gonna love that one."
"No!" The Ventrexian denied immediately.
"Oh, yes!"
"You can't tell me anything I don't already know," Little Cato spoke up defiantly.
"Are you sure you know everything?" The Lord Commander faced him. "Because I wouldn't be so sure, boy," He had a knowing smile on his face, chuckling. "Ah, screw it! Let's make your father tell us the story." He held out a hand to Avocato, getting him out of his bonds. He then turned the Ventrexian around so that he was facing in the proper direction. He squeezed his hand and Avocato's mind felt like it was being violated.
"No...no! Ugh, no."
He opened his eyes, looking up. "On Ventrexia, wars never end. I hated war. The problem was..."
A Tryvuulian looked up and pointed his hand cannon at him. "There was no one better at it than me." Avocato jumped out of hiding, wearing war paint as he snarled. The Tryvuulian fired, and in one flash, everything around them was destroyed. Avocato stood in all of the destruction as one of his soldiers walked up to him.
"Sir, we should fall back. We're advancing too far." The other soldiers surrounded him behind Avocato.
"We push forward," He ordered his men, but then the soldier who warned him got shot at. He looked to his left and saw Tryvuulians coming in out of nowhere, aiming their cannons at them.
"Look out!"
"It's a trap!"
"Ambush!"
Dozens of Tryvuulians and their ships appeared, surrounding their enemy. "We were surrounded. And then in a flash, they were vaporized."
A yellow beam washed over a Tryvuulian. Avocato looked away as he heard a scream. The beam moved over the other Tryvuulian, killing all of them with ease. "And that's when I saw you...for the first time." The Lord Commander floated down from his ship that had just killed all of the Tryvuulians.
"Bow to me!" He ordered and the army of Ventrexians did so. Avocato did not as the alien landed in front of him. He looked up at the shup, debating. All of the ships up there looked heavily armed, with weapons that could kill him instantly. This was his war, not theirs, and he found himself the best suited to handle this war. But...they did help them...he gave the Lord Commander one last look before bowing to him, pleasing the sadistic little alien.
"Approaching Mooncake's location in T minus 84," HUE reported to the group inside the Galaxy Two. They were somewhere else in Final Space, where they could see a planet nearby that looked like it had been cut in half.
"Gary, Nova, I'm really worried about the others," Quinn confessed to the duo as they walked down the hall together.
"Me too. But the good news is look, we—we know where Mooncake is," Gary added to them.
"Yeah, but what about everybody else?" She asked him.
"If I find Little Cato hurt in any way, I will raise hell," Nova narrowed her eyes angrily. Then her eyes softened as she looked towards outside. "I...I hope that he's still alive..."
"Someone sounds worried," Gary teased her and the girl pinched her nose.
"You know what, I'm not even gonna comment on that one," She sighed a bit as she was too busy thinking about Little Cato to punch or slap Gary right now. His absence just made her feel like something was missing in her life constantly...to the point where she wanted to ask him if they were officially exclusive. That part was still bugging her, and it was coming up in her mind more and more frequently.
"We are totally gonna find them, now that we have this awesome ship! The Dragon Hawk 5," He narrowed his eyes in delight as a shadow loomed around his eyes. "God, it just rolls off the tongue, doesn't it?"
Quinn sighed a bit as Nova shook her head. "Still shopping that, huh?"
"Oh, we're at the checkout," He told the woman. "And it's entering the brown bag right now." He used his hand to unlock the door in front of them.
"Eh, I still find the Galaxy 2 a better name. Save your name for an actual Hawk," Nova replied with her arms crossed.
"Whatever," He chuckled as he stepped into what looked like a five-star room in a hotel. There was a giant bed, a sofa, a bathroom, two closets, a jacuzzi, a flat screen TV, and lounge chairs. He gestured around the room. "Look what we have here! It's our super-deluxe nest."
"Actually, I think separate rooms is a better idea," Quinn suggested to him whole holding her arm. Nova winced at this, not sure if she wanted to continue watching this or if she should leave so that she didn't have to witness it. Just hearing it made her feel awkward...
"Oh. Oh yeah, totally," Gary turned to her with a wide smile.
"Did I make things awkward between us?" Quinn rubbed her arm nervously. "Because it feels like I just did."
Gary laughed awkwardly and Nova facepalmed at him. "What? No way. No way! I love the idea of never sleeping, napping, or canoodling together ever," He maneuvered around the two, walking out the door. "Don't even...sweat it. Don't sweat it!"
Nova facepalmed at him in disbelief. "I did. I know I did," Quinn spoke up with an awkward smile.
"I'll find a room down the hall," He jerked a thumb behind him as the girl walked out of the room. "I'll get a...shower in or something."
The door closed in front of Quinn and she threw off her gloves and jacket. As she walked past the chair, yellow veins were running up her right arm. She sighed as she put down something on the table. "It's getting worse," She sighed in despair, looking at herself in the mirror. "And the person I most want to tell in the world...I can't."
Meanwhile, Bolo and Mooncake were flying together through Final Space. They soared through some clouds, approaching what looked to be a giant castle. "The fortress of the Titan Oreskis."
"Chookity?"
"Yes!" Bolo answered him. "It's time for revenge," He glared angrily as they flew towards the throne. "This dick bag stole my first love, Jill. And for that, we murder him!" He had his sword pointed towards the throne. "Oreskis, show yourself! I know you know the sound of my voice."
A few seconds later, the same Titan who Sheryl spoke to revealed himself out of thin air. "Bolo," He floated towards his enemy. "I see your Dimensional Keys did the trick of freeing you, old friend."
"Old friend?! You left me to rot within that prison for eons!" Bolo argued back.
"You betrayed your kind," Oreskis growled out.
"You've been blinded by Invictus!"
"No, old friend," Oreskis shook his head. "My eyes are clear. You just failed to be inspired."
Bolo pointed his sword at him. "You know why I've come."
"Is this about Jill?" He mocked Bolo as they floated towards the air.
"Hell, yeah, it's about Jill! But not only her, my child. I missed out on my daughter's childhood because of you! Has Jill mentioned me?"
"Maybe she has, maybe she hasn't. By the way...I can't wait to meet your daughter. Is she as much of a traitor as you? I wouldn't be inspired if she inherited your stupidity. Because of your betrayal, you didn't deserve to see her first steps, her first birthday, or anything else..."
Rage fueled the Titan at the answer. "You die now! And when I'm done, I will kill Invictus. You shall never even speak of my daughter, much less think about her."
Instead of answering him, he looked further and saw Mooncake by Bolo's shoulder. "You must be the Mooncake."
"Pok!" Mooncake confirmed defiantly.
"We've heard so much about you. You're very, very special..."
Mooncake whimpered in fear. "Enough! Let the fight begin!" Bolo lunged forward. Oreskis pulled out his own sword to clash it with Bolo's. They clashed a second time, glaring at each other.
The Galaxy 2 was approaching their location. "Gary, we will be at Mooncake's location in t-minus 63. And you are almost out of cold water."
Gary was in the shower of his room, ignoring the AI as the cold water was running down his back. "Why did I push, you know? I did...Quinn hates when I pushed. I should have flowed."
KVN jumped on his head and began scrubbing his hair. "Oh, if only you'd flowed, Gary. You'd be nestled in her arms right now in the privacy of your very own Garden of Eden. Scrubby scrubby! Lemme get in there." He washed further down Gary's body.
"I'm gonna count to three, KVN. Three," He started firing rapidly at the robot, who flew out of the bathroom. He lowered his gun, sagging his shoulders. "I hate myself for this, but I must admit it. I'm desperate," He hugged himself.
Once he was dry and dressed, he walked into the mess hall and reached the cookie machine. "Shhh, don't talk," He pressed a hand against the glass, putting on the handsome face. "I've longed to nibble on your oblong body, but an impenetrable barrier blocks me from you. Unlock your throbbing gates," He tried to open it, but it was tightly locked. It almost reminded him of his sentence, where he couldn't have a cookie. He punched it with his right arm, but that did nothing. "Ah! Son of a cookie wife! That hurt!"
He tried his head, his hands, KVN, even ramming the machine, and firing at it with his weapons, but it was no use.
As Nova walked in, she and Gary watched as the cookie machine came to life on its own and grew arms and legs. Then it just walked off and she blinked in surprise. She didn't even know that the cookie machine could do that...
"I can't break through to anything!" He complained before seeing Nova. "Oh, hey Nov."
"Still desiring for some intimate Quinn time, huh?" She guessed correctly and he sighed in response.
"I just...why won't she talk to me?! Is it because of me? Did I rub her off the wrong way somehow? It's just...how did Little Cato do it with you?"
"Hm?" Nova blinked in confusion, rubbing her chin. "I guess...he just knew how to get me to talk to him by actually showing me that he cared about me. I mean, it's not every day that a guy will take care of you for 60 whole years without even asking for anything. Or even sacrificing his life for you to one of the most evil beings on the planet," She smiled weakly at him. "Maybe if I had just made more of an effort to confront him about the whole girlfriend thing, we'd find him faster..."
"That's not true. Even if you had talked to him about that, he'd always find a way back to you."
"Thanks. Look, I'm probably not the best person to talk about relationships," Nova leaned across a table, crossing her arms. "But I'm gonna try to give you some sound advice. Gary, I know you're happy to be back with Quinn, but sharing a room together is probably walking a fine line. I mean, Cato and I shared separate rooms in the Crimson Light before and after we became a thing."
"Yeah, but...didn't you want him to just...hold you and squeeze you in your sleep?" He hugged himself with a pout. "Or even just feel him in general?!"
"Sometimes, but space was just what we needed. I'm not saying that you and Quinn have to be like us, but from my perspective, you guys have only been back together for a little over a month. I mean, I don't know why you feel like you have to rush anything, but...Just give her some time, okay? Don't forget she's probably still going through some stuff."
His eyes softened a bit as he remembered that Quinn still hadn't confided in him about her time in Final Space. It was probably hard to talk about, for one. And two, they technically hadn't been together for very long.
"Yeah...I-I get it," He agreed with the girl, rubbing the back of his neck. "But...do you wish that you had become a thing with Little Cato sooner?"
"And I'm done talking to you about this," She deadpanned as she stood up and left the room.
"Crap! Why can't I break throoooough?!" He hollered, earning an eye roll from the girl, but he didn't see it.
Gary joined Quinn and Nova at the bridge once he calmed down. He glanced at Quinn, his eyes going wide. Nova looked between the two of them and then she turned away quietly as she focused on her own controls.
He stepped into the room without a word, remembering what Nova said.
"Hey," Quinn greeted him once he reached the pilot's seat.
"Hey," He replied back. "We'll...be at Mooncake's location soon."
"You wanna talk about the...separate rooms thing?" Quinn stood up, crossing her arms.
"There's not...there's nothing to talk about because I love...I love being in the separate rooms thing. It's...well, who knew?" He reached her and smiled a bit.
"Interesting," HUE spoke up. "I was monitoring your heart rate, Gary, and you are lying."
Nova snickered a bit from her spot, covering her mouth. "That's a lie!" The man pointed up at his friend angrily. "I love it. No human contact is awesomely incredible."
"No. That's a lie, Gary," HUE explained again.
"Stop monitoring me, HUE!" Gary hissed quietly.
"i have also monitored Nova. Your heart rate has increased. Could it perhaps be because of Little Cato?"
"Okay, suddenly I don't find it funny anymore," She mumbled to herself as Gary smirked a bit.
"Unauthorized life form detected on board," HUE sounded an alarm and Nova stood up, pulling out her guns.
"Shouldn't you have picked that up sooner, HUE?" Gary wondered in slight irritation. He would've preferred that than being embarrassed.
"What's the danger level, HUE?" Quinn questioned as the two adults pulled out their own weapons.
"Unknown."
"Whoever it is, they're gonna regret sneaking into our ship!" Nova narrowed her eyes. They heard laughter and the girl glanced at the two. They looked towards the floor, where one of the panels opened up to reveal Biskit.
"That guy?!" Gary exclaimed in disbelief as the alarm turned off. "Come on!" He put away his gun into his jacket.
"You wouldn't shoot a tiger tiger, would you?" The small cat smiled nervously as he crawled out. "I can't hide on this ship any longer! It's killing me!" He held Gary's shoulders and then turned to Quinn. "Why aren't you two sleeping together?"
"Oh wooooow," Nova chuckled, a hand on her forehead at his question. Then Biskit turned to her.
"And you've been killing me too! Why haven't you and Little Cato reunited yet?"
She glared down at him, slightly irritated. "If I knew where he WAS, he would already be here, now wouldn't he?"
Nova only had a psychic connection with Bolo because of their history, and that was already severed. She did not have a psychic connection with anyone else, not even her sister Ash and they had similar powers. It wasn't like she could track Little Cato, he could be anywhere...
"What are you even doing here?" The blond demanded to him.
"I stowed away." Biskit laughed, snuggling Gary a bit as his eyes shined. "Ha ha ha rawrrawwrar! Oh, boy, it's fun! It's fun! We're having fun! Is it just you three? Where's everybody else?" He paced as he looked around. "Where's the furry fantasy dad guy? Where's he at?"
"He's probably partying," Gary answered with narrowed eyes, Nova rolling hers at him.
"No!" Biskit turned around in awe.
"And snacking."
"Snacking? No way!"
"Yeah. He's a lucky, partying, snacking guy," Gary explained, Quinn glancing at Nova skeptically.
"You sure we're talking about the same Avocato?" Nova raised a brow. Avocato didn't exactly strike her as a party type, if anything that was Gary and probably Little Cato. Avocato was more of a grouch at best...
Avocato was screaming while the Lord Commander was continuing to torture him. Little Cato struggled a little while the Lord Commander was smiling. "Stop! You're hurting my dad!" He pleaded, but of course, the little alien didn't listen.
"This can all stop when you tell me where Mooncake and your girlfriend are," The Lord Commander demanded while keeping his eyes on Avocato.
"We don't know where they are!" Little Cato insisted to him.
"Shame. I don't believe you. So let's continue our story," He raised his hand.
Avocato was forced to speak by the Lord Commander. "After the battle, you summoned me. I should have been grateful to you."
He walked up to the Lord Commander's base that he had built. "But instead, I just hated you more." He walked inside and saw the little alien sitting in his throne up ahead.
"Tell me, Avocato," The Lord Commander spoke up. "Do you...have a family?"
"I used to," He looked away once he reached the throne. "A boy."
"Is that what you fight for?" The Lord Commander asked curiously.
"I fight for Ventrexia!" Avocato argued back, narrowing his eyes.
"Tell me...what is so special about Ventrexia?" He floated off his throne as his eyes glowed yellow. "It sends its people to fight a thousand-year war for what?!"
"I don't know anymore," Avocato admitted as he watched the alien float over to him. In actuality, anyone who could answer that question for him was long dead. And there had been no documents accounting for the actual reason. He could assume the same thing for the Tryvuulians, but it wasn't like any of them was just going to go up to one and ask the reason.
"So then...they have you kill for no reason?"
"I kill because I-"
"You kill because you're good at it," The Lord Commander interrupted him with a snarl, his eyes glowing again. Avocato squeezed his eyes shut. He was the best warrior for Ventrexia on the war, so over time, he did master his skills...
"You're right," He admitted after a few seconds.
"I know I'm right! And now, I'm gonna give you the greatest gift anyone has ever given you. I am gonna change you from the butcher you are into a master." Avocato backed away a little bit from the expression that the Lord Commander was giving him. "By giving you a cause. What if, together, we could create a universe where death could no longer be found?"
"Does that even exist?" Avocato asked in disbelief.
"With your help, it can." He looked away at that answer. He did want it to stop, but what cost? The Lord Commander floated from the ground, stretching out his arms. "I've heard the cries of this galaxy. They yearn for a savior. And with you as my number two, I will finally reveal myself to them! There will be those who'll resist, which is why I need you." Avocato stared at a stained glass window that depicted the war. "Ventrexians are the fiercest warriors in the galaxy. And you, Avocato, are the fiercest of them all." Blood dripped down from the window, painting Avocato's face...
He thought about the offer, looking up at the alien. "Where do we begin?" He responded to him.
"Give me Ventrexia," The Lord Commander ordered him. "I want the bodies of the king and queen!"
Avocato narrowed his eyes, took his gun, and left the throne room. He set off to complete his task...
Bolo let out a grunt as he was punched in the face by Oreskis, sent flying backwards. He touched the floor and skid to a stop. Mooncake flew over to him. "Mooncake, now!" The little green alien floated over to the Titan.
"Chookity...POK!" He fired his laser, sending Oreskis flying back through three planets. He eventually landed on a bigger one.
Bolo held out his fist to Mooncake. "Tight!" Mooncake hit himself against Bolo's fist, smiling up at him. But then that smile dropped as Oreskis got back up. He breathed fire at them and the two ducked out of the way. Oreskis flew over and clashed swords with his enemy.
"How did you become Invictus' lapdog?" Bolo asked with disdain. He pushed Oreskis away and they clashed once more.
"Invictus liberated us from our bonds," He clashed with Bolo again and sent him flying backwards. "We built all of this by our backs. We laid dimension after dimension. For what?"
"So life could thrive! And if it wasn't for that, I gave a fateful child power that she can use for good!"
Bolo flew towards him, but was pushed back by Oreskis. They both landed on another planet, with Bolo face-down into it. Oreskis flew over to him, gripping his sword. "The Arachnittects were enslaving us! WAKE UP!" He then stabbed Bolo in the left shoulder. "Why can't you see what Invictus has done for us? Your daughter proves nothing if she is not faithful to it!"
Bolo gritted his teeth as he looked up at his enemy. "All you've done is traded one master for another," He growled up at him.
"It seems there is no convincing you," He plunged the sword in deeper, further hurting Bolo. He screamed in pain as Oreskis loomed over him. "Then through death you will join us, as will your precious daughter," He pulled out the sword and Bolo headbutted him. He growled as he floated off the planet, gripping his own sword.
The Galaxy 2 was almost at their location. "I am detecting massive energy spikes from Mooncake's location. If I had to guess, Mooncake and Bolo are fighting a Titan," HUE informed everyone.
"Did you say a Titan?!" Gary exclaimed as Quinn and Nova joined his side. "What the hell has gotten into Mooncake's head?!"
"Whatever it is, they might need our help," Nova looked down at him. The map started fizzling out, but that was because Biskit was playing with it. Gary facepalmed as they stared at him.
Quinn turned to him. "Gary, I haven't told you everything I've wanted to..."
"Please!" Gary pleaded with her. "I've been so afraid to push, but I can't take it anymore!" Nova slapped the back of his head. "Ow! I-I mean..." He rubbed his arm as he remembered what Nova told him. "That is, if you want me to push..."
Before Quinn could answer, Biskit popped up between them. "Hey Gary! I got a question. Are you content with the amount of non-sexual affection in your relationship? Like hugs, hand hugs, fist bumps, and whatnot?"
"...You're not all up there, are you?" Gary asked in disbelief.
"Raawwwwwrr! You two oughta take notes from Little Cato and Nova! There is ALL kinds of sexual affection that you guys should be doing!"
"Can we not?" Nova rubbed a temple, it only reminded her that she technically wasn't having that with Little Cato since they still hadn't found him. This guy was starting to annoy her, though thankfully not as much as KVN did on a regular basis.
"Right. We should get ready," Quinn walked away, holding her arm.
"Wait, Quinn. Wait, Quinn! Quinn, wait!" Gary called out, reaching out his hand, but she left. "Dang it! Way to go, little dude. I was this close to breaking through to Quinn."
"Dude, if she hasn't broken through to you and it's been over a month, she is not ready to do that!" Nova pointed out. "That is something that you need to understand."
He watched as the cookie machine came back instead of responding to her. "Don't start with me. Don't start!"
"Okay, I'm gonna get my back-up guns. Something tells me I'm gonna need 'em to break through your thick skull," Nova rolled her eyes as she left the bridge.
Avocato continued screaming as the Lord Commander bent down to him. "You know, Avocato, this can all end before your boy finds out. Just tell me what I want. Yes?" He lifted up the Ventrexian's head, only to earn saliva on his face. Avocato smirked at him. "Ahh! Will you quit spitting in my face?!"
The others laughed at this. The Lord Commander gritted his teeth as he wiped it off. "Avocato did you dirty there," Fox commented teasingly.
"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" He then directed his current anger and impatience at Avocato. "I gave you an out, but now it's time to finish the story."
He lifted Avocato from the ground, starting to twist his limbs. He let out a painful scream.
The palace of Ventrexia was under attack as the place was on fire. The ship that the king and queen of Ventrexia were going to escape from opened in front of them. "Are you scared?" The queen asked her husband as she was holding a baby blanket.
"Trust. We're going to make it," He assured her as they stepped up to the ship.
"Hurry! Let's go!"
"How can you be sure?" The queen asked skeptically as they entered the ship.
"Because Avocato fights with us."
The ship started and took off from the ground, an explosion occurring nearby. From the flames stepped out Avocato, holding the launcher on his shoulder. He opened his eyes and the two royals looked down to see him.
"Look, there's Avocato now."
He aimed the launcher at the ship, locked the target, and fired. The missile hit the ship, and it exploded, seemingly killing everyone on board.
"Dad...you killed them?" Little Cato asked in shock, staring at his father.
"It wasn't your fault," Ash defended him. "That hose bag mind freaked you!"
"I know," Avocato growled out, closing his eyes. "But I pulled the trigger."
"How could you?" Little Cato wondered with sad eyes. He knew that Avocato killed others, but taking out the king and queen of their own home was another level...
"I'm sorry," Avocato looked away. "I'll never forgive myself. And you shouldn't either. But I promise you...I've tried to right that wrong in ways you'll never understand."
The Lord Commander narrowed his eyes in realization. "...You really don't know where Mooncake and Nova are, do you?" He growled in irritation and released Avocato. Little Cato gave a look of relief towards his father. Even if they did know, they still wouldn't tell the little psychopath. He'd rather face death than give away a close friend and someone he loved.
The Lord Commander gritted his teeth as he walked away from Avocato. Sheryl then glanced outside. "What in the bloody hellscape is this...?"
He stopped and grinned evilly to himself. "This...is our destination for your rendezvous with Invictus." They were approaching its location...
On the Galaxy 2, Gary, Quinn, and Nova were in the locker room of the ship, so that they could find Mooncake. Meanwhile, Nova was just gathering her guns since she didn't need a suit or a helmet to go out there.
"Gary?" Quinn spoke up. "You know when Biskit brought up sleeping together and it got super awkward?"
"I do remember that vividly, which is why Biskit must go ASAPP," Gary declared, narrowing his eyes.
"Even if you could, he'll probably find a way to sneak back onto the ship. Not saying it's impossible, but...that guy has his ways," Nova commented nearby, looking over her shoulder.
"Crap. Didn't think about that."
"I just want you to know, it's not that I don't see a life together," Quinn turned away. "It's just..." She didn't finish as she looked towards her arm.
She pulled away her glove to reveal her illness growing from her left arm.
She opened her closed eyes, Nova staring at her curiously. "What if...one of us dies before that ever happens?"
"Hey," He placed a hand on her shoulder. "We made it this far...so I think we're good."
"I don't mean us," She placed her hand on top of his. "I mean...me," She stood up to face him.
"What are you saying?" Gary asked in concern.
"I don't know," She sighed a bit. "Maybe I'm just worrying too much."
"You worry? I worry all the time! And I never tell you because I'm too busy worrying. What I'm saying is that I'm here for you if you need me. But you must verbally let me know, because I am terrible, terrible at signals!"
Quinn and Nova both chuckled at him. "Oh, I know," Quinn agreed with the man.
"Maybe if you did, like, a 'caw-caaaawww'!" The two continued to laugh at him. "Or, like, the sound of a butterfly playing an angelic harp, you know?"
Quinn laughed again at just the thought of it. "What does that sound like?"
"Screeee-scrooooh-oooooo! It's k-kinda like that."
Nova giggled a bit and then she smiled weakly at the two.
"Wow. That's beautiful," Quinn smiled up at him.
"I know it's beautiful!" He smiled too and then she kissed his cheek.
"How about we make a deal? You stop worrying, and I'll do my best too. Let's get Mooncake," She placed her helmet over her head and he did the same. Nova still kept her weak smile towards them. They reminded her of Little Cato...she, on the other hand, was worried for him because she had not spoken to him in so long. The last time she heard his voice felt so long ago...
"Invictus!" Bolo shouted as Oreskis had landed on a planet, creating a hole. Mooncake floated nearby. "Prepare to have one less ally!"
Oreskis spat out some green blood, getting onto his feet. "Bring it," He pointed his sword at Bolo. Bolo swung his weapon above his head as he jumped. He clashed with Oreskis and then he swung. More blood came from Oreskis as his opponent raised his sword again. Then he cut right into Oreskis' neck, watching as the blood flew away. "Goodbye, old friend." Oreskis was now dead as he floated away, his weapon cut in half. "Mooncake, do it."
Mooncake floated in front of Bolo. "Chookity...pok!" He then blasted Oreskis' head off and it exploded. His body flew further away, never to be seen again...
Then the Galaxy 2 lightfolded in front of them. The door opened, revealing the trio. Mooncake stopped and looked at his friends with wide eyes. "Gar? Nov?"
"Mooncake!" The two exclaimed happily upon seeing him.
"Gar! Nov! Gar! Nov!" He immediately zipped over to them, giving Gary a hug first. The girl's face lit up in relief to see Bolo.
"Dad!" Nova zipped over to him, planting her face into his chest in relief. Bolo wrapped a giant arm around her.
"Yeah, it's good to see you, little buddy," Gary held him up and then he zipped over to Nova, hugging her too. She smiled and turned around, patting him on the head.
"Glad you're okay. But why have you been fighting a Titan with my dad?" She couldn't help but ask.
"Chookity pok!" He explained to the both of them.
"What?" Gary turned to Bolo as Nova gasped. "Dude! You told Mooncake we were dead?! The hell, yo?!"
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" The girl demanded to him, floating backwards to face her father. "Why the hell would you say that your own daughter is dead to someone she took care of for three years?!"
"My revenge blinded me. It was the only way I knew Mooncake would leave your side. We want the same thing Gary, my child. To defeat Invictus!" Bolo insisted to the two.
"So you lied to his face while you knew we were alive just for some vendetta?!" Nova gritted her teeth. It wasn't the fact that he had the vendetta pissed her off; it was the fact that he lied to Mooncake just to fulfill it.
"No, we don't!" Gary denied to Bolo. "We wanna get out of Final Space. So you know what? Stay the hell away from us."
"Gary," Quinn looked at him in disbelief while Nova crossed her arms.
"Dude," She warned him.
"Oooooh," Mooncake commented and he glanced at the little alien.
"Did I go too far? Crap. I went too far, didn't I?"
"Gary, that's her dad, you can't make that kind of decision for her," Quinn explained to him, gesturing to Nova.
"Yes, you did, Gary," Bolo added in. "I'm trying here. Really trying! I've been in...I've been in a cube for, uh...I don't know how long. But long. I don't know how to be a dad, Nova's a teenager! I didn't see her grow up. And I'm-"
"I get it, I got heated," Gary interrupted him. "I mean, maybe we just take some time to cool off, huh? How 'bout that, bud man?"
"Don't you quit on me," Bolo warned, pointing a sword at the man.
"You do you, and we're gonna go find Avocato and the others," Gary waved a hand as Quinn went back towards the ship.
"And Bolo, your first rule as a parent: Stop withholding things from us to get what you want! That's fucked up, and it does not give you a good look," Nova pointed up at him, pissed off for the lie. "You don't get to say I'm dead unless it's someone coming after me. Then you can tell them that I got stabbed or shot into space again or whatever."
"I understand..." Bolo sagged his shoulders.
"And apologize to Mooncake for lying to him!" She gestured to Mooncake angrily.
"I'm sorry, Mooncake. I just want Invictus to pay for what he did. Because of him, I never got to see Nova's first...everything. I'll never lie to you again."
"Chookity!" Mooncake smiled up at him, forgiving the Titan.
"And now, I'm just gonna go. Good luck with your objective or whatever," Nova turned around, about to fly off towards the ship.
"Are we cool?" Bolo asked hopefully. She looked at him and saw the sadness in his eyes. She sighed at this, looking away. She didn't want to fight with him over this, he was still her father at the end of the day...and she couldn't forget that he was the reason that she was still alive when he saved her from dying...
"Yeah, we're cool, but the next time you lie to us or him, you can piss off..." She replied in defeat.
"Can I get a hug?"
She floated over to him and hugged him. He closed his eyes and hugged her back. Gary, Mooncake, and Quinn smiled at the family moment in front of them.
"I'll go...uh, continue weakening Invictus' army," Bolo looked at the sword in his hands. "He will not win this."
"Chookity pok pok!" Mooncake told him in encouragement before floating towards the ship, Nova following after him. Bolo then looked to a wound on his shoulder from the stabbing he got from Oreskis.
"Hmm...it's glowing," He noticed that the wound was purple. "Crap! I don't have long."
And with that, the Galaxy 2 lightfolded away from his location.
With Avocato and the others, they arrived at a field where...alien bodies were imprisoned above their heads. They could hear screaming everywhere. The Lord Commander was leading the five down a path, to Invictus.
"We're not like you," Little Cato spoke up bravely. "We'll never betray each other."
The Lord Commander glanced over his shoulder with an evil smile. "Really?" He let out a laugh at this and then snorted, hands behind his back. "What makes you say that?"
Little Cato stood in front of his father. "I don't have to know the answer to be right," He then looked up at Avocato, who had his eyes closed with a frown on his face. This was because he was holding back something... "My father survived you. Nova has survived you. And as long as they're still alive, I know I will be too."
"So you don't care that your precious girlfriend lied to you? And that she has killed too? Imagine all the secrets she's been keeping from you."
"You don't know anything because she didn't lie," Little Cato narrowed his eyes. "I knew she was Bolo's daughter the same day she found out for herself. And I don't care that she had to kill because you and her crappy parents forced her into that lifestyle," He growled out, pissed off that the Lord Commander was attempting to drive a wedge between him and Nova. "Yeah, there are a lot of things that she did that she may or may not be proud of. I don't know. But the day I met her, I realized that nothing could change how I feel about her."
"Now that's love," Fox sniffled a bit as Ash smiled a little.
Avocato kept his head down, which no one noticed. The reason why was because there was a part of the story that he left out on purpose. And a part that he was relived that the Lord Commander didn't make him say.
A crown stained in blood laid down on the ground. "What have I done?" Avocato picked it up as everything around him was in flames. He let this happen...he killed the royal family of his own home planet...they trusted him, and he had murdered them. He clutched the crown close to his chest and walked off...but then he froze.
His eyes widened as he heard a baby cry, looking down at a baby blanket. He picked it up and looked at the infant. "They...they had a child," He murmured in shock...as he was looking at a sunburst orange baby Ventrexian with a small mohawk. As soon as he saw Avocato, he stopped crying and held out his little baby arms. "You...you remind me of a son I used to have..."
Avocato held out a finger to him. "I swear...even if I have to give up my own life to protect you..." The baby started sucking on his finger. "I'm gonna keep you safe."
The Lord Commander floated down to him and saw the bundle in Avocato's arms. "What you got there? Is that...their child?"
"No," Avocato denied to him; if he revealed the truth, then the Lord Commander would order him to kill the baby too. And the baby deserved to live as a memory of his now-deceased parents. He would not let the child die. "He's...he's my son."
The baby smiled up at him.
"Are you sure you want that little thing to come between us?" The Lord Commander growled out.
"I gave you Ventrexia. This is my payment," Avocato narrowed his eyes at him.
"That boy...will be the death of you," The Lord Commander snarled and the baby blinked up at the Ventrexian.
Avocato opened his eyes, bending down a bit. After that conversation, he had named the baby Little Cato...
"Dad, look, I-I hate that you killed them, but...at least now everything is out in the open."
"Yeah," Avocato stood up bravely, glaring at the Lord Commander who was grinning at him knowingly. "Now you know everything." Ever since that day, he vowed to himself never to let Little Cato know the truth. It would mess him up mentally, and he would never forgive Avocato for it. He knew that, and he didn't want to lose his son...
The group kept walking forward, Avocato looking away with a glare. They'd get out of here and then the truth would never come out...
Nova walked down the hall with a knowing look on her face. She looked at Quinn's door and it opened. Quinn yelped a bit as she was just about to remove her jacket. Thankfully Nova couldn't see her growing illness...
"Oh. Nova, hey. Something wrong?" She asked nervously as she tugged at her jacket.
Nova paused as she examined the woman, thinking about her conversation that she heard with Gary in the locker room. "...Nova?"
"...Quinn," She finally spoke up. "I know Final Space has changed you. All of us have been here longer than we would like. I've said it to Gary before and I'll say it to you again. I'm not an expert on relationships. But I do know that relationships require communication."
"W-What does that have to do with me and Gary?" Quinn stammered nervously, as she was unable to tell where Nova was going with this.
"Because if you keep hiding something...something big that you're prolonging on and that you're purposefully dragging out...it'll catch up to you. And it'll catch up to you fast until there's no way around it. So my advice to you is: tell Gary what you're hiding...before you bite it. It might not save you, but it'll at least give him some relief."
Quinn opened her mouth in shock as she stared at Nova leaving the room. She had no idea how she found out about the poisoning, but unfortunately...she wasn't wrong. She looked at her arm, wondering when she was going to tell him...and how long the girl would keep it a secret...She squeezed her eyes shut as she tried not to cry of the unavoidable death coming her way unless she found a way to fix it...
But there wasn't a cure that she knew of...