Chapter 20 - The Aftermath

The wave grew nearer to the Valkyrie. It sped up as the wave crept up on the engines of the craft. The wave swept over the Valkyrie, sending it violently forward. The back of the Valkyrie was thrown over the front. Inside, all electrical systems flashed off. Everybody inside was thrown forward from the blast. Akima came off of the table, Cale flew into the wall, Stith slid on the floor, but Gune held on with Ruth around his shoulder.

Porter screamed as he flew out of his seat and crashed into the cockpit window upside-down. Once the glass had stopped him, he fell to the floor. His head was the first to hit the floor, but under the weight of his body, it snapped to the side and his neck broke. His body toppled over onto the floor beneath the pilot's bridge. Porter immediately died.

The Valkyrie sped forward toward the earth. The thrust the Valkyrie had before the wave was still affecting it. It space, there's no air to slow it down. Soon, it entered the atmosphere. A flame began to accumulate under the hull of the ship. It rumbled and shook as the wind ripped violently over the craft.

Akima jumped up off of the medical floor. "No one's driving this crate!" she exclaimed. She stood and tried to gain balance from the wall beside her. Her hands followed the wall out of the medical room. She limped as blood ran a stream out of her injured leg.

"Wait! Akima! You- you're in no shape to fly this thing." Cale ordered. He chased her out of the room. She continued down the hall, heading toward the bridge. "We still need to stop some of your bleeding."

"Someone needs to fly it or we'll all be torn to bits!" Akima waved him off. Cale continued to follow her as she limped toward the bridge. "You said it yourself, Cale, 'I'm a pilot' and right now, I'm needed." she argued.

They reached the bridge. Cale ended up beating her to it. He ran up to Gune and held his arms out. "Give me Ruth." Cale said. Gune squeaked and pulled the strap over his head. He handed her to Cale by holding the strap. Cale grabbed her around the back and put the strap over his head. "Hey, Ruth. How's it going?" Cale whispered to her. She still had a small smile on her face as if she didn't realize what was going on. Cale held her snugly to prevent her from being hurt.

Akima finally reached the pilot's seat. She sat down and began pulling back on the flight controls. It seemed to have no effect. "Nothing's happening!" Akima yelled. "The controls must've been fried when the wave came." Cale looked from Ruth to Akima. She pulled back on the controls with all of her might. "There's nothing I can do... I'm sorry."

Flames came over the cockpit window as they plummeted through the atmosphere. The ship rumbled and shook with various components in the ship bursting and coming apart. Akima held tightly on to the seat as the swivel chair quaked beneath her. Cale put both arms around Ruth and he ran up and sat in a chair. It rumbled and thundered about as the atmosphere tore over the helpless craft.

The atmosphere went away and they received a clear view of the landscape rushing toward them. The terrain was flat and rocky with a mountain on the right and an ocean to the left. "Oh no." Akima muttered to herself as she saw the ground quickly approaching them. Cale beheld the sight and held Ruth even tighter.

"Hang on to something!" Cale yelled. Gune jumped and hugged the base of the disabled radar system and shut his eyes in hope. Cale sat up in his seat, bracing for the inevitable impact. The ship careened through the skies. Various people pointed as they looked up into the air to see the Valkyrie speeding over them. The entire drifter colony stood outside and watched its descent.

The Valkyrie came crashing to the ground with a mighty boom. It bounced off of the earth and came shuttering down again. It slid on its side, breaking off the front left wing and bending the back two. Akima, Cale, and Gune fell to the left side of the bridge as it tipped over. Sparks and explosions erupted from inside as the jagged rocks tore the ship apart.

The large ship hit a large rock, grinding it underneath itself and tearing the entire rear part of the ship off. The entire engine half toppled and eventually exploded into flames as it hit another, large rock. The Valkyrie continued to tremble on the earth, but it was beginning to slow down. It slid toward the small mountainous cliff that was beside the ocean and crashed into it terribly. A chunk of the rock was broken off as it bounced off and slid toward the ocean. It still rumbled, but continued to slow as it went into the shore. The nose of the ship sunk in the water and stopped. The waves had halted its crash.

Cale was sitting on the floor. He held Ruth in his arms still and checked her over to see if she was all right. There were small fires on the inside of the ship that were barely enough to cause any harm. Cale's face was dirty with black dust all over it from the various explosions. He looked around for Akima. She was laying on the floor with her arms and legs all sprawled out. "Akima?" Cale asked.

She groaned as she sat up. Her hair went from two bangs to about ten; the wreck had messed it up. She had dirt on her face as well. "Where's Ruth?" she asked, standing up from the floor. She wiped off some of the soot from her jacket.

"She's right here. She's fine." Cale announced. Ruth was crying and Cale did everything he could to get her to calm down. Akima came up to Cale and helped him with Ruth. Akima ended up taking Ruth as Cale told her he was going to check if Stith survived or not. Gune squeaked as he stood up from the torn floor which was actually a wall turned sideways.

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Cale forced the docking door on the right side of the craft open. The bright sunlight pierced through it and greatly magnified its intensity. Cale pulled himself out of the Valkyrie with a groan. He sat on the side of the door as Ruth was handed up to him. He held her with one hand and helped Akima out with the other. Once Akima was on the hull of the ship, Cale handed Ruth back to her.

Cale stuck his hand down and helped Stith climb out of the wreckage. Stith gave a groan as she stepped up on the ship. The outside of the Valkyrie was mostly black, dented, and scratched. There were gaping holes where the mechanics of it were clearly seen. Cale helped Gune out as well. Gune held onto Cale's arm with both hands and used his short, stubby legs to climb out.

Cale stood back up and turned to his wife, but she was looking at something different. "Akima? What is it, love?" Cale asked. He followed her eyes out onto the ground. There was a massive crowd of people from the drifter colony watching them climb out of the Valkyrie. "We won!" could be heard and, "They did it!" came from the mass of people.

The crowd cheered with a loud roar. They jumped around and waved their arms in the air. Cale and Akima stood together, Ruth hanging around Akima's shoulder. Ruth became quiet as she watched the funny people cheer. Cale smiled and grew nearer to Akima. "They know we were a part of the battle." Cale said to her.

"Cale," Akima said, "We did it! We saved humanity again." She turned to him and he held her around the waist. Cale smiled at her and she gave another smile back. Stith and Gune waved back at the crowd and cheered along with them. Gune jumped around on the Valkyrie and Stith laughed at his craziness.

"No, Akima, we saved ourselves." Cale whispered. Their dirty faces grew closer together. The crowd roared even louder when Cale embraced Akima in a kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck like she always did and tilted her head. With their eyes closed, they were lost in this deep kiss. The crowd's noise drowned out just like the rain did on their first kiss.

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That night, Cale and Akima were returned to their home, the Phoenix. It took them awhile since they'd crashed on a completely different continent. Before they left, they were cleaned and medically attended to. Cale and Akima were flown in an aircraft like heroes to their hometown of Houston.

Cale opened the door to the Phoenix. It seemed dark inside, it hadn't been touched in about half a year. Cale stepped in and allowed Akima to enter with Ruth. He shut the heavy, metal door behind him and turned on a lamp near the wall by turning the switch. Akima walked across the room and set Ruth on the bed. Ruth was asleep from the long ride and it'd been a rough day.

Cale prepared a small box and put several towels and clothes in it. He stood by it as Akima walked over to the box and set Ruth down in it. Akima gently slipped the sling out from underneath her and placed it on a small table not too far away. She returned and stood next to Cale. She held his right arm as they both watched Ruth sleep. "She's a quiet baby." Cale whispered.

"Yeah, I noticed she likes to sleep a lot." Akima replied. Cale walked away toward his own bed and ripped off his shirt.

"C'mon, let's get ready for bed." Cale suggested. Night was creeping in their window. The light from the stars outside created a surreal glow. Akima slid out of her jacket and dropped it at the foot of the bed. Cale slipped each of his shoes off and carefully set them off to the side so as not to make noise for the sake of Ruth. Akima sat on the bed next to Cale and unbuckled the three buckles on each long boot and flipped them off of her feet. She unzipped her black and green pants and shimmied them off of her legs. She had on only a green shirt with uneven sleeves and thin black underwear which was an aphrodisiac for Cale. She, then, slipped off her shirt and threw it on the floor.

Cale lay on the outside of the bed while Akima lay to the left of him, toward the wall. As she snuggled in under the covers, Cale lay on his side next to her. "Ahh!" Akima yawned, "Long day." Cale stroked her arm and she snuggled in closer to him. Cale put his arm around her back and propped himself over her.

"You know, my life is workin' out. Got a beautiful wife," Cale said as he stroked her cheek and a purple bang. Akima slightly giggled, "I have a daughter. A house of my own..." Akima put her arms over his shoulder and rested them on his back. She continued to giggle. "What?" Cale asked, with a sense of confusion in his voice.

"Shut up and kiss me already. I know your moves." Akima told with a smile.

"Oh, if you want it that way..." Cale jokingly replied. He pressed his lips against hers and she gave a small, 'mmm'. Cale breathed heavily as the kiss became more intense. Akima began pulling her toward him. Then, he pulled away, "Care for another?" he whispered.

"Another what?" Akima asked.

"Kid." he finished. She gave a smile and leaned her head forward next to his ear.

"I wouldn't mind." she whispered. With that, she laid her head back against the pillow. Cale smiled and she shot a smile back. He leaned down to kiss her again. They leaned their heads this way and that, that they might enjoy the kiss fully. Akima rubbed his back. He pulled away again.

"I wouldn't mind either." he replied.

- THE TUCKERS WILL RETURN -

Author's Comments

I saw the movie Titan A.E. when I was fourteen on July the fourth of the year 2000 (I collect my movie tickets). When I saw it in theaters, I left saying, "Well that was fun." I grew up with "The Land Before Time", it was one of my favorite movies when I was young. Bluth could not have timed this film better for me since I was already a fan of his. When I saw the original Titan A.E. trailer (the one with Creed's "Higher" in it) I was determined to see the film. I even heard somebody behind me say, "Wow," when the trailer was finished. It wasn't until I began reading about Titan A.E. that I really became interested. The universe Bluth had created was large enough to rival that of "Star Wars". I became lost in the characters as I read deeper into their backgrounds. Each one seemed to have some intriguing story, some more than others.

Below is what I was thinking about each character, place, time, relationship, and whatever. Consider it like a behind-the-scenes look in to the making of this story. I also have a soundtrack to this fic which you can attain by e-mailing me at: pktc@mindspring.com In your e-mail tell me your e-mail address and I will send the files of songs to you.

The Storyline - I was reading about the history of Titan A.E. when I came across a part that was focused chiefly on the Drej. As mysterious as they were in the movie, I learned a great deal. I had wanted to write a sequel worthy of being an addition to the movie, but I couldn't find out where to start. It was until I read about the Orb in which I finally jumped out of my seat (figuratively) and yelled, "That's it! That's how the Drej can survive!" Then for the next month or so, I went to my room every night and pulled out my notebook and began jotting down notes for a storyline. Then, I got a new idea, almost completely separate from the Orb idea was for the New Technology in which things could be controlled by the Drej communicating energy within things. And then, this just seemed perfect to fit right in with Akima's pregnancy; one thing sort of led to another. Eventually, I trimmed it down and here's what's left.

The Characters -

Cale - I tried to make the reader see a different side of Cale that was shown throughout most of the film. If you notice the point where Cale's character changes from a reluctant, people-hating person to a brave young man who'd sacrifice himself for humanity at the drop of a hat, it is on New Bangkok. He sees just how much this New Earth thing means and he eventually forgets his bitterness. This story, I continued Cale's character that we see near the end of the movie. He is loving and kind (note at the end of the movie the way he acts with Akima). I decided to turn this around just a little for a self revelation for Cale when he is overcome by the Drej.

Akima - She's always been the same. We know from her little anecdote on the Drej fighter that she is extremely humane. I wanted her past to come alive in this story because she had the hardest time growing up out of all of the characters. That was the intent when going to Ishaq and reminiscing about her grandmother. That is where most of her character comes from. She's also pregnant from chapter four (did you catch the hint?) to chapter seventeen which means that she couldn't see too much action for an expectant mother. That's why she hid a lot of times during action sequences. The arrival of Ruth also throws her into despair with Cale's possession by the Drej. All in all, I'd say Akima's character was the easiest to master.

Korso 2 - Not the original Korso. I think people got confused with this one. Korso did not die twice. The first Korso died once and the construct from Korso died once. They are not the same person. This one mirrors his decisiveness that he had before the Drej came. I gave him some memory so he could legitimately talk to people the first Korso knew (There is a theory that memories are inherited through DNA). The real reason I decided to bring him into this again was I needed somebody to hold the nuke and to still have a happy ending.

Stith - One thing I noticed about Stith from the movie, she has feelings too. People mistake her to be some large, lumbering thing that just points and shoots. That's not the Stith I saw in the movie: the only time she hurt things was when she was cranky or was physically threatened by something. Notice the way she treats Gune in the movie; this alone proves that she isn't some big meanie. Besides Preed said so himself, "normally, she's very good natured." I bet people didn't know this, but Akima and Stith knew each other before being on the Valkyrie. They were like two friends and I tried to show this special womanly bond between the two. Notice in my story how Akima keeps referring to Stith at times.

Gune - He's just some silly ... thing. He does have character and I think it pretty much shows for itself. He was almost too simple to impersonate in the story.

The Drej - That's one of the major differences between my story and the movie: the story has a few villains you can actually hate, or like, depending on how you favor villains. I tried to give the Drej in this story character; I was in an essence putting a Darth Vader where there were only Stormtroopers. I didn't make up any of the Drej characters either. All three Tigaj, Lehedihir and, Molalah were from the books. Tigaj was the militaristic savvy who enjoyed seeing the torture of others under proper standards. Lehedihir was sort of the power-hungry, raving lunatic you'd just want to slap across the face at times. Molalah was the dark conspiring type. He hardly mentioned anything and kept mostly to himself. Hexajava (Lehedihir) even has some intelligent royalty-feel to her.

Cale and Akima - The main focus of the storyline is the love that they share for one another. It goes through its trials and eventually endures. The real spotlight should be on the love even though the Orb is just something that was happening to test it. I wanted them to be married right off of the bat; this is implied by Bluth when Korso throws Cale away from the circuit breaker on the Titan and Akima calls in saying, "Cale, where are you?" followed by Korso's final words, "Go. It's better this way." I wanted them to legitimately have sex for the rest of the story. Ruth is the end result of their love.

The Settings -

Kronos - mentioned briefly in one of the books. It was where professor Tucker originally proposed the Titan project. I used it in the story as basically a head start.

Qu'ut Minor - Both Cale and Akima spent some time there, but they never met. Akima is distressed at seeing Ishaq again, someone she left during her teens. Cale went there and received inspiration. I didn't know exactly what Qu'ut Minor looked like. All I have is, "an underground city," I didn't know if this meant an ant-like sort of society with tunnels and shafts for the city or like some domed thing. I chose the dome idea because I though it fit the description. Po from the film (the big green squid that bullied Cale) might have been from Qu'ut Minor because he fit the description, but I decided not to take the liberty of giving a character with no named species a species.

D'amara - I got this vision from watching Batman Beyond. I wanted the planet to have large, black steel buildings. I had to take a leap of faith on this because I saw a picture of what I believe to be Commander Bencal who was D'amaran. It was a human person so then, I arrived at the conclusion that the D'amarans were humanoid (If you look in Star Trek, you'll notice just how many aliens are humans!). I wanted D'amara to be what a futuristic, non-apocalyptic earth might have been like. Watch Batman Beyond and you'll see Gotham fits the description given in my story!

The Gehenna - The new Drej mothership that was built even before they had a Queen. It looks precisely like it's predecessor, the Alahenena (the ship in the film), and is mainly there to hold the Queen. If you can envision the ship from the film, you'll be just fine.

All in all, I thought Titan A.E. was rated fairly, but that Bluth left a lot out of the film. He could have given the Drej character and told us what exactly they were meaning to do (the fact that the Drej were afraid of the technology the humans were developing was only mentioned once by Akima). It turns out though, that Korso was the real villain in the movie (for about twenty minutes). I am happy to release this story as what might have happened. It will stay with me as what did happen.