Chapter 17 - The Most Unlikely Redemption

Later-

The Valkyrie was on a direct course for New Earth. They were trying to reach it before the Drej would. Akima was nearing her ninth month. She became heavy with child and Cale was still not back. She often times worried that he would not be there to see her being born.

Akima sat in her room. Now, all alone, she had nobody but her unborn daughter. She sat by the window and watched the stars pass by, waiting for Cale to return. After a few weeks, she still kept looking, but almost lost hope. She was in great despair and spent many sleepless nights thinking about Cale. Akima stroked her bulging, pregnant belly, as if she could touch her child.

"Akima," a raspy and manly voice called. It was Korso. He opened the large, metallic door to Cale and Akima's room and peeked his head in. "Look," he began with a low tone, "I know you miss Cale." He paused, letting her think to herself. "What if I told you that Stith has picked up a small blip on our radar screens. Configuration looks Drej."

Akima's face raised and her eyes widened as she took in what Korso had told her. Could Cale really be on his way to her? "Where is it?" Akima asked, standing up from the bed and waddling toward the door where Korso was.

"A few keks away. We'll know soon enough if it's Cale or not." Korso said. Akima, with her large, green maternity shirt, was wearing her black vest. She figured it made her appear not as big as she really was.

"I want to see it." Akima said as she hurried toward Korso.

"No, Akima, you need your rest. You're gonna have-"

"Listen, I've been sitting around waiting for Cale and this is a possibility I can't pass up, so get out of my way!" Akima expounded, getting slightly agitated.

"All right, all right," Korso quickly said, "Come with me. We'll go check it out." He stepped in the room beside the door and held it open. He courteously allowed her to pass with ease through the door. When she was through, Korso stepped back out into the hallway and closed the door behind him. He walked behind her all the way to the bridge.

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Gune stood at the radar screen watching the small, green blip approach the center of the screen, showing that the craft was getting closer to them. Stith was at the laser controls ready to blast the fighter in case it was hostile. Korso followed Akima in as she stepped up the stairs that went off to the sides. She held onto the rail for support as she cautiously set her foot on each step until she was at the top.

"Is it a Drej ship?" Akima asked no sooner than reaching the top of the stairs.

"Yeah," Stith said as she grabbed the blaster controls and looked at the screen, "heading right for us."

Korso pointed back at Gune and sat down in his captain's chair, "Gune, hail it. Ask for his registration number." Korso looked forward out of the cockpit window and grabbed the controls. He stopped the Valkyrie and turned it around to face the small, blue Drej fighter, zinging toward them.

"Hailing, Captain." Gune replied. Gune punched in several numbers to send to the fighter. Shortly after, a number came back to the radar screen that matched Cale's identification number. "It's Cale!" Gune screeched.

"Cale!" Akima said to herself, as if she were calling out to him.

Just then, a voice came in on the communications system, "I have not come to fight. Just open the hanger." Cale said.

"Captain," Stith addressed, "should we open the hanger? He could prove to be dangerous."

"Why have you come back, Cale?" Korso asked. There was a short pause over the line in which some dead air was heard.

"To take back that which is mine." the multitudinous voice returned. Korso looked back at Stith with an uncertain expression on his face. He stood up from his chair and faced the rest of the crew.

"Don't open the door." Korso stated. Akima shot up in front of him.

"No, open the door, please!" she pleaded.

"Akima, we can't risk it. I don't want anything to happen to you or the crew I have left. We're not gonna open the door." Korso restated. The blue Drej fighter slowed and stopped just outside their cockpit window. Everybody gazed on it.

"I don't care anymore, I just want to see Cale." Akima said to Korso's face as she turned her head from the fighter to him. Korso gave a usurping sigh and slowly turned to Stith.

"Stith, open the cargo bay." he ordered and turned to the window again. The Drej fighter disappeared from view as it flew beneath the Valkyrie. Akima rushed as fast as she could down the stairwell and out of the cockpit. Korso stayed on the bridge platform with his eyes shut. He was mulling over what he just had allowed to happen. Could Cale really be trusted? He finally turned around and opened his eyes as he whipped his pistol from his holster. Korso ran down the steps after Akima. Stith and Gune followed, but they weren't in a rush like the other two.

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Akima hastily walked down the hallway toward the cargo bay door. As she grew near to it, a blue glow could be seen coming in through the door's window. She reached for the handle to open the passage when it flung open by itself. Cale stood in the doorway. Akima stopped in her tracks as the room became dark and was illuminated by Cale himself. "Hello, Akima." Cale's many voices said as he stepped in through the door.

Akima's face sank and she began to tremble in fear again. Cale seemed to have more Drej energy in him than ever before. His eyes were a bright bluish-white and appeared to stare straight through you. He had a pulsating blue aura about him that gave off its own light. His face didn't seem blank anymore, but as if he'd been an enemy all along.

"Cale," Akima said with a shaky voice and a quivering lip, "What did they do to you?" She forgot all of her fear and ran up to him. He stood still as she embraced him and held him close to her. Cale's arms didn't wrap around her, but instead he grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her away. She tripped and fell on the floor.

"I did not come to apologize, or to mend fences. I came to capture our daughter, Akima." he said as he slowly approached her. Akima turned over and defenselessly sat with her hands on the floor, holding her up. Cale pulled the same kind of weapon Molalah used on him at the Gianni outpost. He held it up and pointed the barrel at her. "You see, this is what made me what I am today." he said.

"Nobody move!" Korso yelled with his pistol pointed at Cale. He had just arrived and was standing in the doorway. "Akima, get up." he said with the pistol still pointed at Cale. "I knew you were gonna pull somethin' like this!" Korso said as he stepped out into the hallway.

"I came to retrieve my daughter. The Queen wishes that when she is grown, she rule for the human division of the Drej empire." Cale's voices told. Akima stood up and backed away. "Please put away your firearm." Cale told Korso, now each had their guns pointed at each other.

"Sorry, kid." Korso said. Cale smirked and shot the gun. Korso became startled and moved as the weapon was surrounded with Drej energy. It seemed in tact, so he pointed it directly at Cale again. Cale held up his free hand and opened it. The gun in Korso's hand jerked out of his hands and flew into Cale's. Cale threw Korso's firearm away in the opposite direction of them.

"Sorry." Cale's evilness chuckled. He pointed his large, Drej weapon back at Akima. "And now, I take you with me." He gave an evil half smile as he held out the weapon with one hand.

Akima threw herself on the wall. She felt sharp pains coming from her abdomen. Her face became surprised when she realized she was having contractions. Labor pains came onto her and she tried to keep herself from falling. Cale's face changed and his eyes stopped glow for a second. "Akima!" Cale's human voice called out. The Cale they knew was reaching out for he didn't want the Drej to take his daughter. Seeing Akima having contractions caused him to take action. Hearing Cale's voice, she tried to run to him, but fell on her knees from labor halfway.

"Cale!" she called back, "fight the Drej!" Cale held his head and screamed. He stretched out his hand to reach for her, but the Drej pulled him back.

"NO!" the Drej voices yelled. Energy shot out of Cale's hand and struck Akima, sending her to the floor. The energy shocked her as she let out a small shriek. The strike seemed to induce her labor further for each contraction was stronger and closer together. Cale flew back on the floor and shook as energy surged out of him and into nearby walls.

"Come on," Korso yelled as he knelt down and picked the weak and in pain Akima up, "We need to get you out of here!" She groaned as he drug her up to himself.

"Stith," Akima moaned, "get Stith." Korso put his arm around her and held her up. He walked her out of the room and rushed her down the hallway. They met Stith halfway in the hallway. She had a puzzled expression on her face as she saw Akima holding her belly and hunching over as Korso led her down the hallway.

"What's going on?!" Stith asked with a sense of emergency.

"Akima's gone into labor! We need to get her to medical!" Korso stated as he rushed her down the hallway with one of her arms over his shoulder.

"All right! I'll take care of her, just get her to medical, I'll met you there. Okay?

Cale lay on the hallway floor battling for dominion in his mind. He screamed and had extreme convulsions. Energy ripped out from his body and into the walls. He violently shook and tossed and turned as he fought. It was Cale versus all of the Drej energy within him. He sent his head forward and thrust it back with each surge of energy that was tearing from him. It streamed out of his eyes that didn't glow, but shone like high-beams on a twentieth century car. His throat became hoarse due to his immense pain in screaming. Then, he sharply stopped and lay unconscious.

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All throughout the Valkyrie, Akima's yells of pain could be heard. Korso and Gune were outside the medical room to allow her to have her feminine privacy with Stith. It had been a while since Cale had fallen unconscious and Akima began labor. Stith's voice could also be heard encouraging Akima, but was hardly audible over Akima's loud groaning.

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Cale's eyes opened and ,for the first time in a while, there wasn't any glow from them. He sat up and rubbed his head. He'd hit it a few times with his convulsing. He stood up, still a little dazed. His vision was slightly blurry, but it was coming around quickly. He saw a blur of a man in a black shirt standing in front of him. "Cale," he said, "looks like you're coming around." Cale's vision sharpened quickly to see Korso there. "You all right?" he asked.

"I guess so. Just a little dizzy, that's all." Cale answered, standing baffled. "How long was I out?" Cale asked. Korso brought up his wrist and looked at his chronometer.

"About... sixteen hours." Korso said. "You've got a lot to be proud of." Cale looked at him with a perplexed expression while scratching the back of his head.

"Huh?" he said.

"Come take a look." Korso suggested as he led Cale down the hallway and to medical quarters. Cale stood off to the side as Korso held the handle. He turned it and ,with a clang, it opened. Korso leaned in and Cale could make out him saying, "Somebody's here to see you." Then, Korso stood to the side and allowed Cale to step in the doorway.

As he looked in the room, he first noticed Stith's large figure standing over a bed. Further looking around he noticed Akima lying on the bed with a large, felt blanket covering her and a bright light over the bed. He stepped in and slowly walked across the darkly-lit room over the bed. "Cale," Akima said as Stith stepped away to let Cale close. He crept closer to the bedside and knelt down beside it.

Akima had her arms cradled with a towel wrapped around something. Cale looked in the towel to see a small, round face. The eyes were closed and squinty while the hair was thin and black. Her right arm was out and grabbing a hold of the side of the towel. "Isn't she cute?" Akima said to Cale as he looked in awe upon the small body wrapped in a white towel. Akima had a warm, motherly smile on her face.

"Do you want to hold her?" Akima asked as she held Ruth out to Cale.

"I- I don't know how." Cale said, pulling slightly away.

"That's okay, dear, neither did I." Akima reassured with a small giggle. Cale held out his arms and let Akima put his daughter in them. When she had set her in his hands, she flipped up a corner of the towel that fell out. "Just make sure you support her head." Akima cautioned. Cale obeyed by repositioning his hands to hold her neck.

Cale looked into his daughter's eyes and smiled at the face she made. It was a face that looked spaced out. "Hi, Ruth," Cale whispered as he held her close to his chest and hung his head over to look at her, "so you're the one that kept Akima up all those nights she couldn't sleep." He chuckled a little and began bouncing her up and down. Cale looked up at Akima with tears welling up in his eyes, "I'm a father," he said to her, "I'm a father!" he said again with a laugh.

Korso and Gune stepped in the room and walked up behind Cale. Gune hung on one of Cale's elbows to look at the small child. Gune smiled upon it and said, "It's a little human!" Korso stood beside Cale and folded his arms as he looked over his shoulder.

"I don't know. She looks a little more like Akima to me." Korso joked. Cale laughed quietly at this and returned to looking at his daughter.

"Akima, about before," Cale said with sorrowful eyes as he looked up at his wife who lie there in bed, "I just want you to know that I couldn't stand to let the Drej hold me back as you went into labor. Enough strength grew inside me because I wanted to be here for this." he said as he held up Ruth.

"But why were you willing to give it up all so fast?" Akima asked.

"My love for you can never be stopped. Nothing can keep me away from my love for you, not even the Drej." Cale said. Akima began to cry tears of joy. She reached out of the bed and hugged Cale around the neck.

"Oh, Cale!" she whispered. She pulled her head away and pressed her lips on his. He leaned his head in the opposite direction as they both closed their eyes in this deep kiss. It had been the first in a while. Ruth reached up and grabbed on of Akima's long, purple bangs and tugged slightly on it. Akima drew away from the locking kiss and sat back in the bed. "You really are back aren't you?" she said.

"I needed that." Cale said with a chuckle.

"There's more where that came from." she returned with a giggle.

"I guess I'll have to do you in now, won't I?" he playfully replied.

"She'll need her rest before she's ready for you again." Stith joked. Akima smiled at that remark and looked up at Stith. Korso looked at the three: Cale, his wife, and their daughter together. He was glad everything turned out all right and cracked a smile he'd been hiding the whole time.

"Stith, Gune," Korso addressed, "I think we'd better give these two their privacy." Stith smiled at what he said and immediately headed toward the door. Gune followed Korso as he began after Stith. Cale used one arm, holding Ruth in the other, to pull up a nearby chair and set it next to the bed. He sat down next to Akima and they each adored their little bundle of joy together.