Chapter 13
"Mutant scum," the menacing voice sounded over the static-y transmission, "surrender to the Friends of Humanity and prepare to be boarded."
Each hair on the back of my neck stood up. I glanced at Jubilee. She looked petrified. My hands trembled.
"That will be the day," Wolverine grumbled. He then fired a few of the photon torpedoes, attempting to destroy the ships that pursued us. FOH might want to take us alive, but we had no desire to reciprocate.
The FOH ships successfully evaded the photons. Wolverine continued to fire phasers and photons at our attackers. The Professor updated us on the status of the FOH ships. Minor damage only. They continued their pursuit.
"Where are we heading?" Jean asked, towards the Professor. Her voice sounded remarkably calm. If I attempted to speak, my voice would shake uncontrollably.
"I looked up a location near here that might serve to hide us," the Professor said. "We're almost there." Another two phaser blasts rocked the ship. I think our shields were gone by that point. I hoped they'd hit non-essential areas of the ship.
Ahead on the viewscreen, we saw….a huge something. I'll try to describe it. It was a large, purplish mist, resembling a big cloud. The Professor rattled off a list of chemicals that he was reading inside the "nebula", as he called it. But the key part was that he said our sensors couldn't penetrate it. "If the sensors on this ship can't penetrate it," he said, "hopefully their sensors can't either. Maybe we can lose them inside here."
"Is it a good idea to fly into that, when we do not know what lay behind it?" Storm asked, looking at the viewscreen. We were on a direct course for the nebula cloud.
"I know that we will be safe," the Professor said cryptically.
"We've got no choice, Storm," Cyclops said, shouting over the din of the two babies crying loudly. "We're almost out of photons, our shields are all but destroyed, and we can't outrun them. We're really running out of options here."
"I think we can lose them in here," the Professor said. The nebula loomed closer and closer ahead. The monitor closest to me indicated that the FOH ships were still on our heels, following us into the nebula.
I held my breath as our ship entered the cloud. Our speed reduced from warp drive to impulse power. The minute we were inside, our monitors went haywire. The consoles that had been tracking the two attacking ships were useless, and we could no longer determine their positions. I glanced at Storm. She had a look of serious doubt on her face. We had no idea where the FOH ships were in relation to ours as our vessel continued to plunge ahead. We didn't feel the ship getting hit from any more phaser blasts though.
Jean took a deep breath. "I sense widespread confusion and panic from the FOH," she said. "Before I sensed only anger and hatred and desire for vengeance. Now they are baffled-I guess by our move. And they're getting frustrated….perhaps because their sense of navigation is now as messed up as ours are now."
The Professor nodded. "Before we entered this cloud, I was able to measure how big it is." He gave some measurement that I knew was enormous. We would have plenty of time and plenty of room to float around in here.
"Everything else seems to be working alright," Storm said, "Life support and the lighting, for instance."
"Any luck with the shields?" Cyclops asked Hank and Rogue over the intercom.
"We will need a few hours to get these repaired," Hank said. "Storm, we could use your assistance down here, because you were on the engineering team."
"I'll be there right away," she said, as she headed for the elevator.
"Now what?" Cyclops asked, looking at the Professor. Cyclops was doing an admirable job of sounding calm. I had no idea how he really felt, though I guessed he'd have to be as panicked as the rest of us. "We need some options."
Just as he said that, our ship's speed slowed considerably. Though we could no longer determine our position, the console that monitored our speed was working. Slowly and gradually, our starship was coming to a halt.
"Why are we stopping?" Rogue asked, her voice coming in over the intercom. "There's nothing wrong with the engines."
"I don't know," Cyclops said, looking in confusion at his monitor.
Our external navigation systems weren't working, but we could still look out the viewscreen. The dense mist seemed to be clearing as our ship crept along. Gradually, the mists parted and we were looking at what appeared to be a planet surrounded by several large moons.
"Our sensors aren't working and now our engines are off-line," Cyclops summarized as our ship finally came to a halt. "Our weapons are off-line too, as are our transporters."
The Professor touched the side of his head. "And so it is for our attackers as well." I could sense that he was straining to read minds of those on board the two other ships. Jean was doing the same, and she also looked as if she were exerting herself. She nodded. "They are extremely frustrated. I think they're experiencing the same things we are."
"We still gotta be ready," Wolverine said. "They can use their transporters and beam over here!"
"Are our transporters working?" Jean asked.
Cyclops looked at his console. "No. They're off line."
"Let's hope theirs are too," Jean said.
I remained in my Iceman form, and Colossus in his indestructible form. All of us on the bridge exchanged looks with each other. Charlotte had stopped crying, I noticed. We all took stock of our situation. "We're trapped in some sort of energy field. Our engines don't work and neither do weapons or transporters, and our shields are down," Cyclops said.
"The FOH crews are as trapped and frustrated as we are," the Professor said.
"We are attempting to determine the nature of the disturbance that has trapped us here," Hank said over the intercom. "But without most of our sensors working, we-"
His voice was cut off by a transmission. My heart stopped for a second, thinking it would be one of the FOH ships again demanding that we surrender. But it wasn't the FOH. A female voice spoke, "Welcome to Endaria, X-men. We're honored to have you here and you will be safe with us. I am Queen Marina of Endaria."
I looked at my teammates. They appeared as mystified as I was. For once, Professor X was completely flabbergasted. The others looked to him to construct a reply, but he was temporarily unable to.
Before the Professor, or any of us, could speak, we heard the crackle of static. A transmission could be heard from one of the other ships. "This is Captain James Miller of the Friends of Humanity starship, the Protector. We're here with our fellow Friends of Humanity vessel, the Explorer. We have followed the X-men here because they brutally murdered 213 innocent men and stole our starship. We have come to make them face justice for the crimes they committed. They must be punish-"
His voice was cut off by the one that had earlier identified herself as Queen Marina. "Shut up. I am disgusted with you and your organization. You call yourselves the "friends of humanity" but instead you truly are a disgrace to the entire human race. Get out of Endarian space."
With that, we heard a loud "whoosh." Again, we exchanged looks with each other, for whatever good it would do. Jean started to say something, but the Professor spoke, "I sense that the FOH people are no longer here."
Queen Marina spoke again. "I sent the Friends of Humanity starships backs towards earth. I really wanted to destroy both vessels, but my people are peaceful and we do not believe in killing."
"You must have an incredible power source," the Professor mused. I felt my breathing starting to return to normal. The FOH were gone? This Queen had somehow propelled their ships back to earth? We were no longer about to be captured by the FOH? The astounded look on my face was mirrored by my teammates.
"Indeed we do," Queen Marina said. "X-men, you are welcome here. My people have been following your adventures for quite some time now, and we offer you asylum here, if you would like." The Queen's voice exuded seriousness, professionalism, and regality with but a hint of warmth and admiration.
Jean was smiling. She turned towards us. "Her intent is good. She's sincere."
The Professor nodded in Jean's direction to indicate his agreement, before he addressed the regent, "Queen Marina, we must thank you for helping us and for making this offer. And pardon me if I sound somewhat amazed at the events of the last few seconds."
"Understood. We are simply glad you chose to fly into our space. Would you like to meet in person to discuss our offer of asylum?"
"Queen Marina," the Professor began, "we would be honored to." He smiled and spread his hands, "You seem to have the advantage over us, so please name your time and place."
"Three of my associates and I will beam aboard in 15 minutes," she said. We heard a click, as if she had "hung up" on us. Storm used the intercom to let us know that she, Hank and Rogue would be joining us on the bridge A minute passed, and all 10 of us adults were standing on the bridge, facing each other.
"Wow," Jubilee said. She had tears in her eyes. "I can't believe we're saved. I was so afraid we'd be captured again."
Storm put an arm around her. "We are most fortunate."
The Professor shook his head. "It is amazing. Before we entered this cloud that led us here….I felt such a strong….calling to come here. Every sense in my body knew we would be safe when we entered this cloud."
"And we are safe," Jean said, holding Charlotte who had since fallen asleep. "The Queen's intentions are positive. She is going to do everything in her power to help us."
"But why?" Wolverine asked. "What's her motivation? And how the hell does she know who we are?"
Those were questions that we hoped to have answers to when we met with the Queen.
Fifteen minutes later, we all still stood on the bridge and received a communication, "X-men, this is Queen Marina." As she had before, she sounded businesslike and straightforward. "Three of my associates and myself are ready to beam directly to your bridge. Are you ready for us?"
"Yes," the Professor said. Wolverine had voiced some reservations about this meeting. Aside from the fact that the Professor and Jean were both confident of Marina's good intentions, there was another reason why we were not about to deny her a visit with us. She had just propelled two FOH starships halfway across the galaxy. As Hank pointed out, it did not appear that we had much of a choice, as their power sources were obviously vastly superior to ours. They were beaming aboard whether we liked it or not. If they chose to fling us across the galaxy, we would not have any more say in it than the FOH had.
Four figures beamed aboard—two men and two women. In terms of their appearance, had they been wearing contemporary clothing, they would have passed for four Americans. If their physiology was different than that of other human beings, there were no external clues. Marina stood at roughly the same height as Jean and she appeared to be in her thirties or forties. She had an olive complexion and dark brown hair. She wore little make up and had classically beautiful features. Although her make up was minimal, her clothing was not. She was decked out in ornate royal blue robes, and bore an elaborate crown on her head.
She introduced one of the men with her as Teleris. He appeared perhaps 10 years younger than Marina and was strikingly good-looking. The other man was named Baran. He was very tall and ruggedly handsome. Both men were also dressed in purple and red robes, looking very regal. The forth member of the entourage was introduced as Gandrida. Her skin was the same brown shade as Storm's, and she also carried herself with stately bearing. She wore elegant jewelry on her arms, neck, and face and was dressed in white robes, making her appear akin to some sort of divinity. She seemed to be around Marina's age.
The Professor began to introduce us, but Marina cut him off. "We are well acquainted with all of you. Except for," she turned her head and focussed on the babies held by Jean and Jubilee," these two young ones."
Jean spoke first, "This is Charlotte." Scott stood with his arm around Jean, and he radiated pride.
Marina exchanged a glance with her associates. "Congratulations," she said calmly. Her three friends smiled. Marina then turned her gaze to Jubilee.
"This is Aurora Lee," Jubilee said.
Teleris really looked like he wanted to ask a question, but Marina gave him a quick look that quieted him. She simply congratulated Jubilee as well and told her that her baby was beautiful.
"You are missing one member of your team, are you not?" Marina asked.
The Professor nodded. "Gambit is very ill. He is in a coma."
"I am sure our doctors can help him. Can we see him?" As Marina calmly spoke these words, I noticed Rogue's face light up with hope.
So off our procession went towards sick bay. As we formed a line and made our way down the hall, I mused what a ridiculous picture we must have made. I must say that my life has taken many unusual twists and turns that I never would've dreamed of. I love being a mutant.
Gambit blinked and tried to focus his eyes. He felt as though his head were stuffed with cotton candy, and his eyesight was blurred. Off in the distance, he heard an unfamiliar voice gently advising, "Don't try to move just yet." Gambit tried to speak but it came out sounding like a wail.
"Remy!" This voice was familiar. It was Rogue. Gambit perked up a bit as he felt his lover holding his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.
"Chere," Gambit managed.
"Oh, Remy! You're better!" Rogue looked into Gambit's unique eyes, eyes that she had feared she would never see open again. They seemed to focus on her now. Rogue reached to put her arms around Gambit, carefully keeping her face away from his. Gambit's arms were weak but he returned the embrace best he could.
The four Endarians - and the two medical personnel they had beamed aboard the X-men's ship- smiled as they watched Rogue and Gambit's exchange. Beast checked a few monitors. "All of his signs are returning to normal. He is well."
The Endarian doctor nodded and said, "He should be back to normal in a matter of hours. He will be groggy and weak for a bit."
The Professor turned to Queen Marina and the doctors, "Thank you," he said. "No words can express our gratitude."
Rogue unabashedly cried tears of joy as she continued to hug Gambit. Gambit simply delighted in the feeling of Rogue's embrace as his head started to clear. He didn't remember what had happened to him though he knew he had been out of it for a while. It didn't matter now. Rogue was holding him.
Minutes later, the X-men and the four Endarians who beamed aboard (their medical personnel having departed) sat together in the rec room. Rogue remained with Gambit in sick bay, listening in via a communicator.
Queen Marina told the X-men about her people and her planet. At times, her words were scarcely believable, however the events of the past couple of hours seemed to bear them out, and the Professor and Jean knew she was speaking the truth. Marina was the newly elected leader of the inhabitants of the planet Endaria. She explained that her planet was ruled by a constitutional monarchy that elected its leaders from the members of the royal family. She described the civilization of her people as being ancient, having been around for millennia. She added that they possessed extremely powerful technology (as the X-men had already witnessed both with the FOH ships and the recovery of Gambit.)
Marina went on to describe that Endarians were almost all xenophobes who had no wish to establish any sort of contact with those not from their planet. The heavy clouds that surrounded Endaria served to shield its inhabitants from the rest of the galaxy, and most Endarians were content to leave it that way, as it had been for as long as anyone could remember. "However, there are those of us who *are* fascinated by other worlds," she said. "We have been monitoring your planet for quite some time. After all, it is not far from ours, in terms of light-years."
"We have been appalled at the way mutants are treated on earth," Gandrida added. "We've admired you X-men for a very long time."
"We were shocked and thrilled when you flew near our space," Teleris said.
"You are welcome to stay here as long as you would like," Marina said. "Unfortunately, because our people are xenophobes and wish to have no contact with outsiders, you cannot visit the planet Endaria itself. However, we have 17 moons, one of which is uninhabited."
"It's a very beautiful moon," Teleris said. "We would be glad to allow you to live there. You mutants need an asylum. We call the moon An'zhina, but you could rename if, if you like, should you decide to settle there."
Several X-men wanted to jump in and ask questions. The Professor tried to sort through all their unasked questions and speak. "This is so very fascinating. Again, you must excuse us if we appear shocked." He paused, "May I ask how you know of us? You said your people are xenophobes and yet…."
"We monitor your planet," Baran said. "We've been doing so for thousands of years. Once a year, we receive transmissions from earth that our sensors pick up. Although most of our people want no contact with earth - or any other planets - we do enjoy reading and learning about them. There are not many civilizations in this area of space."
"All of us," Gandrida said, gesturing towards herself and her three comrades, "have been closely monitoring your good works for over ten years. We are extremely impressed with the X-men."
"With most mutants, actually," Teleris said. "In the face of so much hatred and oppression, you manage to persist. Watching the things you-I mean all of humanity-endure on your planet is shocking. We don't have things like war or poverty on our planet."
The Professor smiled and again struggled for words. "Is this why you desire to help us? Because you admire the work the X-men have done over the years?"
"Yes," Queen Marina said. "The realm of Endaria-the planet and all of its moons-is extremely large and prosperous. We have much room and many resources to share and we would be delighted to share some of that with you X-men."
"This is such a kind and generous offer," the Professor began, attempting to choose his words carefully," surely there must be something you would like in return?"
"No," Marina said simply. "We do not want anything in return, except a promise that you will avoid contact with Endaria's inhabitants. If you choose to settle on An'zhina, you must avoid the planet Endaria and its other moons. That is our only request."
The Endarians remained for several more hours, talking with the X-men. As the large group ate dinner together in the infirmary, the Endarians answered numerous questions regarding their civilization and life on their planet. They gave the X-men a CD full of more detailed information about their planet. Beast especially looked forward to absorbing as much information as he could.
"It is getting quite late," Marina said, when dinner was finished. "If you would like, tomorrow we can return and take a tour of An'zhina together."
The X-men agreed to this and prepared to bid Marina and her entourage goodnight. However, a thought popped into Jean's head. "Excuse me, Your Majesty," she began.
"Please, Jean, as I said before you may call me Marina," the Queen said with a smile on her beautiful features.
"Yes, of course." Jean looked at the kind woman. Over the past several hours, her impression of Marina was very favorable. "Please, Marina," Jean began again, "I have a small request that might sound a bit unusual. Is it possible that we might use a camera? You see, Scott and I have no photographs of our daughter because replicating a camera uses up a lot of dilithium and -"
"Say no more. I will order one up here right away."
Minutes later, a camera was beamed aboard the ship. It was simple to operate and the likenesses were produced instantly. Marina and her group was thanked profusely, and they departed for the evening.
That evening was something of a blur for many of the X-men. Scott, Jean, and Jubilee took hundreds of photos of their children (and the other X-men), attempting to make up for the months of their daughters' lives that they had no photos from. They placed some photos in replicated scrapbooks. The camera had a feature that allowed the photos to be enlarged as well, a feature which they made use of.
Meanwhile, Rogue and Gambit remained in sick bay, his strength slowly returning. Rogue sat with him, and when he was ready to get up and take a few steps, she supported him.
The rest of the group was abuzz with the events of the past several hours. They remained around the table in sick bay, talking and debating.
"Wolverine, I really think you are being too suspicious," Storm said. "If the Professor and Jean are both convinced that Marina's intent is sincere, then there is no reason to doubt them."
"They were right about the natives on the 'Paradise Planet'," Iceman added, using the common nickname for the planet they had left. "Heck, they're right about everything so why doubt them?"
"Look, I don't doubt either you or Jean," Wolverine said, looking at the Professor. "But you gotta admit it's possible they got some sorta technology that can confuse your powers. The natives back on the Paradise Planet weren't advanced enough to. But we've seen what these Endarians can do. Don't you think it's possible they got the ability to fake you out?"
The Professor said, "It is at least conceivable that they could do so. I suppose it wouldn't hurt for us to be cautious. However, I am completely convinced we have nothing to fear."
"If they wanted to harm us, by now they surely could have," Storm said. She smiled. She knew that Logan often did not trust people, and during his long life he had been given many good reasons to be suspicious of others. Storm did not have the Professor or Jean's telepathic abilities, but her intuition told her that Marina's intent was sincere.
"The only unusual thing I sensed," the Professor began, "was that the four of them were all…very excited to be in our presence. More excited than they let on."
"They admire all of us greatly," Storm said. "They did admit to that."
"Yes," the Professor said. "It was very deep admiration that I sensed from them."
"We've entered a fascinating and exciting new world," Hank said, his voice filled with wonder. "If we allow ourselves to entertain the possibility that everything Queen Marina says is true - and I also believe she is sincere - think of the ramifications."
Storm nodded. "An asylum for mutants. We've needed one for so long. I wonder if this is now our chance."
The Professor closed his eyes and took a breath. "Of course," he said, opening his eyes, "we do not yet know the situation back on earth. Baran explained that only once a year do they receive a transmission from their sensors monitoring earth. As they told us, they are not due for another one for many months now. If things have improved on earth, there might be no need for an asylum."
The others at the table - Storm, Wolverine, Beast and Iceman - exchanged looks. None of them believed the condition of mutants on earth had improved during the last 16 months. In fact, Storm and Wolverine both had guttural instincts telling them that things had gotten far, far worse. However, Storm only smiled and said, "We shall see once we are closer to earth." The group had discussed this earlier and decided to tour An'zhina the next day, but continue with their original plan of later flying near earth to obtain more information about their home planet.
"Yes, that is true," the Professor said. "My dream is that humans and mutants can live together in peace. I hope that there is no need for us to use the Endarian's offer of asylum. It would mean a defeat. It would mean we've given up hope of the dream."
Storm gazed at her teacher with love and affection. She hoped he couldn't sense the….sadness she felt for him. She and Wolverine had had many discussions about this topic over the last several months In fact, she had talked about this with many of the other X-men. Very few believed the situation on earth had improved. The Professor may very well be the last one holding on to the dream.
Before turning in for the night, Hank performed another exam on Gambit. "An amazing recovery," he proclaimed. "The Endarians' technology is truly advanced. According to all the readings, you're in normal health." Hank hoped that some day he would have the chance to study Endarian medicine. He paused and then asked, "How do you feel?"
"Gambit feel like he been sleepin' for five weeks but he still really tired," the Cajun groggily answered.
"Well, you have been unconscious for five weeks, and I am not at all surprised that you are feeling fatigue. I advise you to rest. If you need anything, please do not hesitate to call me."
Gambit smiled, "Gambit got me de best nurse right here, Nurse Rogue."
Rogue smiled, her arm around her boyfriend. The couple made their way to their room and prepared for bed. Rogue turned down the covers and helped Gambit undress. "Do you need anythin', sugar?"
"No. Jus' you, chere," Gambit said. He held his arms open for another embrace and Rogue slipped into it easily. As soon as he did so, Gambit realized he might need to clarify something. "Uh-chere, you know Gambit really, really tired now and not gonna be able to-"
Rogue smiled, "How much of a horn dog do you think I am?" They giggled together, "Oh, don't answer that."
"Well, considering you rarely let 24 hours go by without wantin' some lovin' from Gambit…..Not dat I'm at all complaining, amor."
"Good." Rogue reached for Gambit's shoulder and planted a kiss on it. His hands were ungloved and she wore no collar, so kissing other areas was not possible that moment. Suddenly, Rogue was crying.
"Chere?"
"I'm so glad you're safe, Remy," Rogue said, through sobs. "I was so afraid I'd lost you forever. As soon as those doctors cured you.…I felt such relief like I've never felt ever before." She squeezed him tightly.
"Gambit's gotten out of worse before. We X-men are tough, takes a lot to stop us, you know dat." He was smiling as he spoke, his heart pounding with love. "Chere," he breathed, "I really appreciate dat you at my bedside the whole time. I `ppreciate the caring for me." After he'd awakened, others had told Gambit that Rogue had almost never left his side. Gambit had not been the least bit surprised. He would have done the same for her, had she been sick. In fact, he decided to tell her so.
"I know, Remy," Rogue said, her tears subsiding. "I would've never forgiven myself if you hadn't recovered."
"Chere, I always used to joke that a kiss from you would be worth a trip to de hospital. See, I was serious `bout dat."
She smiled at his joking tone. "But Gambit, how can you not be angry at me?"
"Chere, are we gonna need relationship counseling for dis?" he teased. "It was an accident. I know dat an you know dat." He shrugged. "We be more careful from now on."
Rogue nodded, and broke off the embrace, "You know, Remy, that's exactly what we gotta do." She sat up. "Maybe I outta wear the collar whenever the two of us are alone together. That's it! That's what I'll do."
Gambit leaned back, amused, as Rogue sprang from the bed, reached into a drawer to pull out a collar and placed it around her neck. He shrugged, "If you feel mos' comfortable that way, amor."
Rogue returned to the bed with the collar on. She shut off the light, and she and Gambit curled up together in the darkness.
"You wanna talk before we go to sleep, Remy?" Rogue asked.
"Yes," he said, his voice weary. "But Gambit not gonna last too long, he so tired now."
"What do you think of this whole Queen Marina thing? And her offer of asylum?"
"Gambit a skeptic by nature but he reserving all opinion till we see dis moon."
"Marina said it's a beautiful moon. I hope it is. You know," Rogue mused, "I gotta imagine the Professor ain't totally keen on it, but I love the idea of an asylum, don't you?"
"Uh-huh."
"I mean, maybe this place is all she says it is. Maybe it'll be a home for us mutants at last. If things on earth are truly bad, this could be just what we need. I can hardly wait to see the moon, and….hey, Gambit?"
Rogue smiled, as she realized Gambit was sound asleep. He'd been through a lot in one day. She snuggled in next to him, her head spinning-partly with thoughts about An'zhina's possibilities, but most of her thoughts were on Gambit. She savored the warmth from his body and had never been so thankful in her life. The despondent nights of sleeping alone were over.
Wow! That's all I can say. An'zhina was gorgeous! It was incredible. I'll try to think of good enough adjectives, but I'm not sure that I can. If I had to compare it to anywhere on earth, I'd say Maui might be the best resemblance. I once spent five days in Maui. This was about four years ago, back when I was in a relationship with Michael. He was a highly-paid consultant and I wasn't doing badly as a computer programmer, so we booked a trip to Maui. Never in my life had I seen such clear water or such sensual sandy beaches.
That's what An'zhina looked like, except Maui looked drab in comparison. It even made the Paradise Planet appear mundane. An'zhina looked something like a resort. It was sunny and warm, though not humid and not too hot.
"An'zhina is a very tiny moon," Marina said, as our large group walked. "If I had to compare it to an area on earth, I'd say it occupies about the square footage of New York City. That is not counting all the water on this moon. An'zhina is about 35% freshwater, as you can see." She gestured off to one of the many beaches where the water glistened like sapphires. "About 20 years ago we used An'zhina as a resort, but we elected to close it. It's been uninhabited since then, and we have not been able to decide what to do with it. Until now."
All of us were there, along with Queen Marina and her three cohorts. Gambit said he was feeling much stronger than the day before and almost back to normal. I'd been so glad he got better. That morning when I saw him, I gave him a hug which he'd returned. He and Rogue walked hand in hand, along with the rest of us.
As Marina gave us the tour of An'zhina, we kept up a barrage of questions. The temperature here varied year round; this was summer. She described cold winters that lasted about 8-10 weeks. We were told the moon never got excessively humid though; the average temperatures that Teleris rattled off were all quite pleasant. The moon had several sandy beaches, as well as lots of grassy areas with trees.
It did not have much in the way of buildings. We were led on a tour of the main building, which was perched up atop a series of hills. Looking out from the building….wow. The view was incredible. Hills were all around us. Farther off in the distance we could see all those gorgeous beaches. I could clearly understand why this moon had been a resort.
The building itself had a circular shape. The center of the building had several large rooms: a huge meeting hall, large kitchen/dining area, and recreation room. We were told that the kitchen had devices similar to our food replicators. "We use them for simplicity's sake," Gandrida explained. "However, all of our kitchens have cooking equipment too, because cooking is something we enjoy doing." Branching off from this center area were a lot of sleeping rooms. I think Marina said there were 50 total. They weren't much bigger than the rooms on board our ship, but they were cozy and tidy.
After touring the structure, I got the belief that Endarians have simplistic tastes in architecture and decoration. Queen Marina was always garbed in elaborate clothing but every other glimpse we'd seen of Endaria suggested a fondness for simplicity.
By the time we were done with the tour, it was well past our lunchtime and we were all hungry. Marina suggested we have lunch on the moon, inside the building. Food replicators created whatever each of us wished for, and we sat around a huge circular table eating. The whole thing was really a bit surreal.
The Professor, Queen Marina and Teleris spent most of lunchtime talking about Cerebro. Teleris started it off by saying he thought they might be able to help the Professor rebuild Cerebro! The Professor was obviously thrilled. "If you wish to make contact with mutants on earth," Teleris said, "rebuilding Cerebro might be the best way. You can fly back towards earth and pick up on news reports, but you know the news will be slanted and it sure won't give you information on individual mutants."
"I am extremely grateful for this offer," the Professor said. "I would be very glad if we immediately could begin work on Cerebro."
So they spent most of lunchtime talking over the particulars. Eventually, they decided that the best way to achieve this would be to have a small group of Endarian scientists and engineers come on board our ship for several hours a day and work with the Professor on Cerebro. Teleris estimated it could take several months, but he was fairly sure it could be done. Just looking across the circular table at the Professor, I could see delight and hope in his eyes.
After lunch, Queen Marina and her entourage left us. She said the choice was ours - we could start moving into the building on An'zhina and making it our home, or we could return to our ship. "We have no wish to rush you, of course," she said. "You can take as long as you need to settle in. The choice is yours and if you want to decline our offer of asylum, that is very well too. Take all the time you need to make your decision."
After she left, we X-men had a brief discussion. It was just too early to decide what we wanted to do about An'zhina our sanctuary, but we agreed to spend the remainder of the day back aboard our ship.
That evening, I found myself reaching for my communicator. "Hey, Hank, it's me," I said. "You busy this evening? Care for some company?"
"We would be delighted in your company," Hank said.
"So, uh, who's 'we'? Have you become schizophrenic?"
"Once again, I recommend you do not attempt to make a living as a stand-up comedian, Bobby," Hank said flatly, though I could tell he was fighting back laughter. "Jubilee and Aurora are in here too," he explained. I heard Jubilee's voice in the background urging me to come join them.
So, minutes later, I was stretched out on Hank's bed with Jubilee on the other side of our large friend. We were taking turns brushing him, and Hank was lazily enjoying the attention like he was some old sultan being pampered by his harem. Aurora was sitting up on the bed, smiling and giggling as I played with her.
"I miss our tents," Jubilee said. "It was just way easier then to hang out with everyone."
"We are indeed very compartmentalized on board the ship," Hank allowed, as Jubilee brushed out his shoulders.
I ignored their discussion of compartmentalization for the time being. "Are you guys as weirded out by all of this as I am?" I asked. This was what I really wanted to mull over with someone. "I mean, it's all just so strange. We come this close to getting captured by the Friends of Humanity again. Then we're saved by these people who know who we are and who like admire us. And they're offering us a sanctuary. It's all just so strange."
"I've seen so much weird stuff in my 21 years - especially the last six of them-, this just doesn't phase me that much," Jubilee said nonchalantly.
"I must say that I feel excitement more than anything," Hank said. "I believe that Queen Marina is sincere in her offer of an asylum for mutants. Think of the possibilities!" He then went on to recite a poem:
I dwell in Possibility-
A fairer House than Prose-
More numerous of Windows-
Superior-for Doors-
Of Chambers as the Cedars-
Impregnable of Eye-
And for an Everlasting Roof-
The Gambrels of the Sky-
Of Visitors-the fairest-
For Occupation-This
The spreading wide my narrow Hands-
To gather Paradise
"Emily Dickenson's, `I Dwell in Possibility,'" Hank explained.
"Okay, I figured you didn't write it," I said, "since your hands sure ain't 'narrow.'"
"That was a cool poem," Jubilee said. "I'm excited at the possibilities of this place too."
"But, so, then you guys aren't at all weirded out by this?" I asked. "I mean, what if we're wrong and Marina and her gang have some evil scheme at the bottom of all of this?"
"If they do, there isn't much we can do," Jubilee said. "We've seen how powerful they are."
"I truly believe that the Professor and Jean are correct in their assessment of the Endarians. No matter how powerful the Endarians' technology is, I do not believe they can deceive the strong minds of the Professor and Jean." Hank said. "As a scientist, I do not usually make decisions based on 'gut' feelings. However, my instincts tell me we are truly safe here."
"If there was something fishy, the Professor or Jean would have sensed it," Jubilee said. "I know Wolverine's suspicious, but he always is. We've seen so much bad stuff in our lives, no wonder. I think we've gotta trust that this place is everything Marina says it is."
"Okay," I said, holding a finger out to Aurora, a finger which she promptly grasped and refused to relinquish. Aurora was now plump and healthy, which was reassuring as she'd been such a tiny newborn. "I'll just try to go on trust on this one."
The next day, the X-men discussed their plans for the future as soon as everyone was out of bed and ready to sit around the table in the infirmary. Gambit's recovery was truly amazing. One would never have known from looking at him that a mere two days ago, he had been in a deep coma. It was around mid-morning when Gambit and Rogue, always the last two out of bed, were ready for the meeting. The couple sat next to each other, holding hands through their gloves.
Although most of the X-men trusted the Endarians, they agreed to refrain from making a definitive decision about their future right then and there. Queen Marina had told them that they were welcome to leave their ship in orbit around An'zhina indefinitely. She also told them that her scientists would gladly assist the Professor in rebuilding Cerebro whether the X-men decided to take them up on their offer of asylum or not. Therefore, the X-men decided to work on rebuilding Cerebro and once they had a functioning Cerebro, decide on their long term plans (and whether it involved An'zhina) then.
Three Endarian scientist/engineers beamed aboard the ship and spent several hours each day with the Professor (with Jean joining them on occasion), attempting to reconstruct Cerebro. In the meantime, the X-men occasionally beamed to the surface of An'zhina and swam in its beautiful beaches or held volleyball games in the warm sun. They were able to experience the joys of the outdoors for several hours each day, while beaming back aboard their ship at night.
In additional to working on Cerebro, Endarian engineers also provided assistance in repairing the starship's shields and the minor damage the FOH had done to the vessel with its phaser blasts. They also worked on the ship to help augment its power sources. The fasted speed of the vessel was warp 5. Endarian engineers boosted the ship's power so that warp 8 was now its top speed.
Days later, Jean and Storm were poring over a shipment of books that had arrived. Beast had asked the Queen whether it would be possible for them to somehow replicate copies of books from earth. Marina told them that was a very simple request, easily fulfilled. Most X-men had turned in a list of titles they wanted, and the eagerly-awaited first shipment had arrived. Jean and Storm were sitting in the rec room, mulling over the titles as they removed them from the box one by one.
"Suddenly I'm a kid again," Jean said.
"Does this bring back memories for you?" Storm asked with a smile.
"Yes. When I was a kid, we used to have the chance to order books through school. Not school books, but things you would read for pleasure. I was always so excited when the shipment arrived and I got my hands on the new books." Jean held one of them to her nose. "I love the new book smell! What an amazing place this is, that we get to experience this again."
Truly this was an amazing place for all of the X-men. Endaria and its many moons were surrounded by the enormous nebula cloud, shrouding them from the rest of the galaxy. Because the Endarians wished for no contact with the outside world, the X-men were limited to remaining on board their ship or on the surface of An'zhina. They frequently saw Endarian spaceships pass by, and many of the moons were within visual range. A whole civilization so close, yet so far.
Jean pulled out a stack of very slim volumes and showed them to Storm.
"Children's books?" Storm asked, looking at the colorful covers.
"Charlotte and Rory will need them at some point. I started reading at age three. Given how fast the girls are growing, we'll need them before we know it."
"That is very true. Oh, good," Storm said, as her hands reached a particular book. She pulled the book out of the box. "I ordered this for Wolverine. A book on martial arts techniques. I know he'd rather do the movements than read about them, but I thought this sounded good. If he doesn't want it, I will read it."
"That was thoughtful of you," Jean said. She paused, "So how is Wolverine?"
Storm smiled. "You see him every day like I do, and you can read minds, so surely you know how he is," she teased.
"Well, you know what I mean. I'm just curious as to how things are going between you and him. I'm sorry if I sound nosy."
"You're not being nosy at all. Things are going well. I'm very pleased with our arrangement, and I think he is too," Storm said straightforwardly.
"You know, I'm just curious and please tell me if I am being too prying…..but how do you see your relationship with Wolverine? I mean, are you two in love or….?"
Storm smiled again and reassured Jean that she did not mind the questions. "Our relationship is a little hard to define. We're not soulmates like you and Scott. We don't have the passion for each other that Rogue and Gambit have. Logan and I do have a great deal of respect for each other, respect and caring. And tenderness." She paused. "And we are very good together in bed. I suppose we love each other in a way, but it is not similar to what you and Scott have. We have discussed," Storm continued, "the possibility that one of us might fall in love with someone else. Of course that is unlikely in the immediate future, given that our hosts insist we have such limited contact with their people. But who knows what the future will bring? If one of us does fall in love with someone else, we are free to end our relationship." Storm paused, "If something like that does happen, I would be very sad to no longer have him as my lover, but I would not be devastated as, say, Rogue would be if Gambit left her."
"I sense that Logan is still in love with me," Jean said quietly. She almost wished Storm had answered differently, though Jean knew it would have been a lie. Jean wished that Wolverine had fallen in love with Storm, and vice versa.
"I know," Storm said simply, nodding. "But that is alright with me. I do not desire to be his wife or his soulmate. Perhaps I do have a soulmate out there somewhere and perhaps I do not. For the time being, I am quite comfortable with my arrangement with Logan, and he has told me that he feels the same."
Jean nodded. It was hard for her to imagine making love with someone she wasn't deeply in love with but, then again, she hadn't done so for many, many years. Before she'd ever met Scott, she'd had one lover. At the time she thought she was in love, but it had been nothing like what she now had with Scott. Anyway, it was not her place to judge Storm and Wolverine's relationship….she was truly glad they were happy. She just wished Wolverine would stop loving her and be able to find someone else.
You'll never believe what I started doing. During the weeks while Cerebro was being repaired, we X-men looked for things to do. We had all the usuals like working out in the Danger Room and playing with the babies, plus a few new ones like reading the books the Endarians acquired for us and spending time experiencing the beauty of An'zhina. But we still got bored occasionally.
Wolverine had an idea for warding off boredom. He decided to teach classes on karate. He announced it to us one day during lunch. He said he had in mind late-morning sessions every day, just before lunch and that he'd like to conduct the classes on An'zhina. "If any of you want to be trained in this, let me know in the next few days." He sounded quite serious and dedicated at the task of coming up with the structure of the lessons.
A few hours after Wolverine's offer, Jubilee caught up with me in the rec room. I was tired that day and not in the mood for frolicking outside, even though the weather on An'zhina that day was reportedly beautiful. I was lounging on one of the recliners, my feet up.
"There you are, Bobby," Jubilee said, bounding into the room. Her eyes sparkled.
"Hi, sweetie," I said.
"I'm signing up for karate! Jean and Scott agreed to watch Aurora while I'm in class, since they're not interested. Sign up with me, Bobby!"
"Are you kidding? I could never do it."
"Sure you could. C'mon, if I can do it, why can't you?"
"You're made of a lot tougher stuff than I am, Jubes."
"Oh, bullshit!" she said, smiling. "C'mon, it'll be fun if we take the class together. Besides, most of the others I talked to aren't interested in it. We gotta take the class so Wolvie doesn't cancel it. Pleeeeasse?" she asked, making quite an adorable face at me.
Since we were alone in the rec room, I spoke openly. "Jubilee, I have reasons for not wanting to take the class. I don't wanna work in such close proximity with Wolverine. I think he can sense that I got the hots for him and it's going to be really uncomfortable."
Jubilee shrugged, "I think he can sense when someone likes him because of the smell, but he's always had this ability and you've had the hots for him since like you walked in the door, so what's the problem? He already knows. You're not the first person who's got the hots for him that he's not interested in. He can deal."
"What if I suck at it though? Then I get to make a fool of myself in front of Wolverine," I said glumly.
"Wolverine respects people who try and push themselves, even if they fall a few times along the way. He respects that way more than those who never bother to try. C'mon, Bobby….it'll be fun, it'll be challenging, it'll give us something to do. Wasn't it not that long ago that you were pleading with me to start training again in the Danger Room? Well, I have. So please go with me on this one too!"
She continued to come up with reasons and what can I say? Against my better judgement, I decided to agree to it. In the end, it was only the two of us and Colossus who signed up for the class.
The four of us worked together for weeks. Almost every day the sun was bright and warm as we worked out in the open on An'zhina. A few times it rained and we had to take it indoors, to the gym on the ship.
Well, I did make a fool of myself and get my butt kicked several times. I mean, I was *bad* at first. But I also made some progress. After a few weeks Wolverine said, "You've improved a lot. Keep it up." I almost wanted to dance with joy. Wolverine was a good teacher and way more patient than I thought he'd be.
I got to watch more of the way Wolverine interacted with Jubilee. Man, he loves her. Not in *that* sort of way, of course. I've heard others say she's like his little sister but I think it's more of a father-daughter type thing. Well I don't know exactly. Anyway, he practically glowed with pride when she mastered a new skill and he was so good at encouraging her, getting her to try new things. I was mighty impressed, with both of them.
The X-men had been in orbit around An'zhina for almost two months when Cerebro II was finished at last. The reconstructed Cerebro was housed in a room on board the ship that used to serve as a meeting room. The X-men watched and waited eagerly as the Professor entered the room with Cerebro II and closed the door behind him.
He was in the room for a long time. Jean "checked in" with Xavier on occasion just to ensure that he was well. "He's doing fine," she would update the group. "He's just deeply concentrating and this is taking a long time." The X-men had been pacing the hall outside of the Cerebro room, eager for any news of mutants back on earth. The Professor was taking so long that they finally gave up and most of them moved to the rec room. After even more time passed, they started dinner.
The Professor joined his team during dinner. Heads turned and forks were put down when he entered the room. The Professor took a seat at the table. His face was difficult to read.
"I have some news and information," he began. "I am frustrated because I do not have all the details. Some of the information is hazy. This Cerebro is just not as clear as the other one. It takes me about five times as much effort to gain a fraction of the information. But having said that," he paused, "I will tell you what I know. I will start with good news. Nightcrawler lives."
Several X-men gasped and exchanged excited looks. "Nightcrawler is alive?" Rogue asked, her eyes wide.
"Yes," the Professor said. "I am certain of it. Unfortunately, I was not able to establish a connection with him…..I was simply able to pick up on his mental 'signature' and sense that he lives."
"He must have escaped during our battle with the FOH," Cyclops said.
"I was so sure that I saw him jump from rooftop onto garage," Colossus said. "Garage was on fire and I think then that he die for sure."
"I cannot imagine that he escaped from that without injury," Storm said. "But let's be thankful. He's alive. I hope our teammate is doing well."
"I have more news," the Professor said. He enjoyed sensing the happiness the others felt at the news of Nightcrawler. "Much of this news is good too. Our three friends from Alpha Flight are alive as well. Shaman, Northstar and Jeanne Marie have survived."
More looks were exchanged. "That's wonderful!" Iceman said.
"Yes," the Professor said. "Furthermore, I was able to dialog for a bit with Shaman. He is not a telepath but I was able to access his mind and have an exchange, of sorts, with him. He `told' me that their shuttle was easily able to slip passed the Friends of Humanity's defenses due to the cloaking device. They returned to Canada to search for their families." The Professor paused. "Shaman's wife Silver Moon and their daughter are alive and he is reunited with them. Unfortunately, both Jeanne Marie's husband and Northstar's partner are dead. They were killed by FOH at the time Alpha Flight was abducted." The Professor continued, "Jeanne Marie's son is alive, though. The boy is living with his paternal grandparents. Sadly, the grandparents do not allow Jeanne Marie any contact with her son. They view her as a bad influence and they blame her for their son's death. I suppose it goes without saying that Jeanne Marie and Northstar are quite heartbroken over this."
"How sad," Jean said, holding the sleeping Charlotte in her arms. "To get that far, make it all the way back to earth, and then find that your spouse is dead. And to have a child but be unable to have any contact with him."
"It's tragic," Cyclops agreed. He could hardly imagine. If Jean died and he was barred from seeing Charlotte - Scott questioned whether he would be able to even go on living. What would keep him from losing his sanity? What kept Jeanne Marie alive? It had to be her strong relationship with her brother and the hope she would one day see her son again.
"Shaman and his family and Jeanne Marie and Northstar have been living together, underground since they returned to earth," the Professor continued. "They are fairly certain that FOH is unaware that they are back on earth but they feel they must remain underground and avoid FOH at all costs. That is probably a very wise and safe assumption. They are living in the Canadian wilderness, just getting by. There are some churches that help them on occasion, and many of the native peoples of Canada assist them from time to time as well. Shaman is quite worried, because th twins have been talking about…abducting Jeanne Marie's son. He fears they will be caught and their punishment will be severe. But she is desperate to get her son back."
The Professor paused and looked around the room. He sensed a number of emotions from his X-men. He knew his next bit of news was unlikely to lift the mood at all. "There is another piece of information that I should mention," he said. "Shaman is deeply worried about rumors he's heard regarding the treatment of our fellow mutants on earth. Given that he and the others live underground and are generally on the run, it is difficult for them to separate truth from rumor or learn what is truly happening in the world. As is the case when we left, the news media is controlled mostly by FOH. But Shaman has heard that the Friends of Humanity…." he paused, "are rounding up mutants and putting them inside what they call `Mutant Containment Centers.'" The Professor paused again as he sensed sickened feelings in the pits of the others' stomachs. "That was all the information I was able to obtain. Perhaps these `Mutant Containment Centers' exist and perhaps they do not. I was unable to find out."
The Professor then told the group that that was the extent of the information he had been able to gather during this bout with Cerebro II. He was mentally fatigued, though he said he will try to learn more the next day. "The trouble with this new Cerebro," he explained, "is that it is very difficult to acquire specific information. I tried to draw up anything on Moira McTaggert, and on your family, Jean. But Cerebro II does not do well with specifics. It is more like there are random energy patterns floating around, and when I see one that I know, I can grasp at it. As I did with Shaman and, to a much lesser extent, Nightcrawler. However, I will certainly try again."
After the Professor recounted what he had learned from Cerebro II, the X-men discussed what to do from this point forward.
"We gotta return to earth," Gambit said. "We gotta see if dere any truth about dese 'Mutant Containment Centers.'"
"Yeah, and if they do exist, we gotta break the mutants the hell outta there!" Rogue added.
The Professor spoke, "I would propose, instead, an exploratory mission to earth. We return to earth and see what information we can glean. We can get within range to pick up news reports, and maybe I will learn more from Cerebro II. Once we acquire information about the happenings on earth, we can then decide what our next course of action will be."
The group liked this idea. Most nodded and expressed agreement with the plan.
Cyclops and Jean looked at each other. Without using his telepathic abilities, the Professor knew their concern, as they had expressed it to him before. "Professor," Scott began, "I think that is a fine plan, but Jean and I - and Jubilee - have a concern about it. Getting closer to earth could put our children at risk."
Jean nodded. "We understand that if we remain cloaked, and if we go to earth simply with the purpose of gathering information, our risks are fewer. But we never know what might happen. We're very concerned about the possibility of anything happening to Charlotte and Aurora."
Jubilee nodded to show her agreement with the couple as Scott continued, "Somehow being a parent changes everything," he said. "I just don't feel comfortable taking risks that I never would've thought twice about in the past. We don't know what sort of new weapons FOH has. Maybe they can detect our cloaking device now."
"I couldn't stand it if anything happened to Rory," Jubilee said. "I might be able to survive if we ended up captured again, but if anything happened to my baby…..I would go crazy. It's just unthinkable." She shuddered at the notion of FOH ever getting their hands on her daughter. What would they do? Would they kill her instantly? Would they somehow discover that her "father" had been one of their kind….and then take the girl away, to be raised by members of the FOH? Would FOH keep her as a slave? The thoughts made her skin crawl.
Storm nodded, "I believe their concern is valid. Even if we act with the utmost caution, we do not know what surprises await us. Before the Endarians rescued us, we came very close to being recaptured by the Friends of Humanity. Granted, we had decloaked so we could beam that dilithium on board our ship…but that should serve as a reminder to us that we may never be as secure as we think we are."
"I feel very torn," Jean admitted. "On one hand, I desperately want to make contact with my family and to help the mutants back on earth. But Scott and I have been discussing this for weeks, and we will not do anything that we think might put our baby at risk." She paused and looked around the table. "There is another factor influencing Scott and I. We've been meaning to tell the group for days now. I'm almost sure that I'm pregnant again."
This bit of information was a surprise to most everyone.
"Really?" Bobby asked. "Congratulations!" His sentiments were echoed by everyone else around the table.
"Thank you," Jean said. She and Scott exchanged a smile. "This happened a bit earlier than we had anticipated, but we're glad," she said, sounding just a bit chagrined. Jean's mother had once told her that becoming pregnant while still in the stage of breast feeding a baby was very unlikely, if not impossible. Taking that advice, Jean and Scott had not used any precautions….and now Jean had missed a period, when her cycles were always like clockwork. Plus, she just *knew* that she was pregnant; she could feel it. Jean and Scott weren't upset over this, though, because they wanted another baby. They also liked the idea of having two so close in age.
The Professor looked at the three members of his team who were parents. He understood their emotions because he felt that way every single time Scott and Jean and others went away on a mission. Every time he sent them against Magneto, the Sentinels or any of their other countless foes, the Professor had felt a stab in his chest and the crushing fear that one of his "children" would not return. He had never really expressed that to any of them in so many words though. But that day he had complete sympathy for the viewpoint of those who were parents. "Do you have any suggestions for what we might do?" he asked. "I sense that many of us wish to get closer to earth and gather information. Is there a way we can do so that you would feel comfortable that your children were safe?"
Cyclops drew a deep breath. "I don't really like this idea, but Jean and I think it might be the only way. What if….what if Jean, Jubilee, and I-and the two babies-were to stay here? On An'zhina."
Surprise was now written on the face of many of the X-men. Many gasped and exchanged looks. Scott looked at their faces and prepared to speak his mind. These people were his friends, his family. He reminded himself that he could speak openly and say what he needed to. "I hope that none of you will view this as if….we're trying to shirk our duty or anything like that. I tell you, I never expected that becoming a father would impact my life so much, but it has. Absolutely everything is different now that Charlotte is here, and now that we have another one on the way. Everything is different."
Storm nodded. "I do not have any biological children of my own, but I completely understand. And I cannot speak for anyone but myself, but I would never view your decision as shirking duty."
"Family must come first," Colossus said, remembering his baby sister Illyana and feeling a stab of pain, even though it had been years since she died. What he wouldn't give to have her back, to hold her once again. "I understand completely."
"Me too," Bobby added. "I mean, I've never been a parent but I totally understand and I'd probably do the same thing."
Most of the others expressed their agreement.
Jean added , "Queen Marina has been so hospitable to us, and I know that she has nothing up her sleeve. She wouldn't mind if Scott, Jubilee and I and the babies remained on An'zhina. We have everything we need there."
Jubilee said, "We could keep one of the shuttles here with us, just in case. There are still two shuttles on board the ship."
Bobby suddenly, inexplicably felt a lump in his throat. It came on suddenly and started to overwhelm him. His eyes watered. Jean turned to him, "Bobby?" she asked softly.
"I'm sorry," he said, his voice shaking. `How completely mortifying,' he thought, 'to cry in front of everyone.' "Somehow," he explained, "just the thought of any of us separating from the others…." A tear rolled down his cheek as his voice trailed off.
Jean got up and hugged him. She had tears in her eyes too. "Scott and I have had many long discussions about this during the past few weeks. The thought of being apart from the rest of you makes us very sad too."
Jubilee was sitting next to Bobby, and joined him and Jean in the hug. She was crying softly now, too. The small group of X-men had been together, day in and day out, for so long now. It was hard to imagine life any different and hard to imagine any of them not being there.
Pain flashed in Wolverine's eyes. "It's gonna be ok," he said, his gaze towards Jean, Bobby and Jubilee. "We'll be prepared for anything. We'll be cloaked. And - much as I'd like to kick some FOH butt - we're just going to get information. That's all." As the words rolled off his tongue, his heart broke at the thought of being away from Jean, Jubilee and their babies who were like his nieces.
"We will not make any decisions until we return and consult you," Storm said.
"On the positive side," Hank began, "we will not be gone long. Thanks to the improvements to our engines made by the Endarians, the speed of our ship is greatly enhanced. The fastest speed of this vessel used to be warp five, but now we can travel at speeds of up to warp eight. What used to be a four month journey to earth will now be a five week journey." And all the X-men knew that despite their superior technology, the Endarians would not be able to help them reach Earth any faster than that. Queen Marina had told them that providing assistance such as a faster ship would run counter to the xenophobic feelings of her people and she would not be able to get it approved. The Endarians were excessively protective of their starships.
"You're right," Jubilee said. "It'll hardly be any time at all."
"We all will be jus fine," Gambit said. "We jus find out what we can, and den we head back here so we all decide what to do."
"We'll be back before you know it!" Rogue said.
That evening, several X-men sat in the rec room, listening to m, conversing, and watching as Colossus perfected one of his paintings. Storm, Wolverine, Jubilee, Rogue and Gambit watched as Colossus worked on a depiction of the stunning view from the surface of An'zhina - the turquoise color of the water against the white sand of the beaches with the pink and yellow sun in the background. He was painting from memory, but that was all he needed. "This beach on An'zhina is beautiful sight, yes?" Colossus said.
"Yes, it is," Storm said. "Though I cannot decide which I found more beautiful, that beach or the lake on the Paradise planet."
Rogue smiled and looked at Gambit. He winked at her. That lake back on the Paradise planet would always carry special memories for both of them. He put his arm around her and she rested her head against his shoulder. She tried to replace the disturbing thoughts going through her mind with the exquisite memories of those days.
Jubilee tried to pay attention to the conversation but her mind couldn't stay focussed either. She knew Aurora was sleeping peacefully back in their room, but horrendous thoughts circled through her mind. Unable to control them, she put her head in her hands.
Storm looked her way. "Jubilee?" Wolverine turned his head towards the young woman too.
Jubilee looked up at them. "I feel sick," she muttered. Her body seemed to shake.
"What's wrong, Jubilee?" Storm asked, having to stop herself from calling her young friend "child" instead of "Jubilee."
"I just feel sick and nauseated at the thought of those….Mutant Containment Centers. What if it's not just a rumor?" As she spoke, Storm got up and sat next to her, pulling her into an embrace. "Can you imagine it? Mutants forced to go through what we went through on this ship. The thought just makes me sick." Her face was pale as the images replayed in her mind.
Gambit held onto Rogue a bit tighter. He knew what was going through her mind too, and he murmured a few comforting words in her ear. She squeezed him tighter now.
"That is next logical step for FOH," Colossus said glumly. "They always say they want to exterminate us. I will not be surprise if these Centers do exist and if they really death camps. Or torture camps."
Storm took a deep breath. She knew Colossus's words were logical, but they were unlikely to lift the mood. "We have to remind ourselves that at this point, it is just a rumor. We do not know the truth now. Perhaps this is not the case. Perhaps life for mutants on earth is better now." Even as she spoke the words, Storm doubted them. Everyone in the room knew she was merely trying to console Jubilee.
Wolverine moved so he sat on the other side of Jubilee. He put an arm around her. "We'll find out what's goin on, darlin. And we'll take care of it. We're still the X-men."
Wolverine detested goodbyes. So much of his past was gone from him, so many memories inaccessible, but he knew that his hidden history must have included many painful goodbyes to loved ones.
Damn it all. Ever since Jean and Scott had married, he'd given up trying to win her heart but that didn't mean he loved her any less. And Jubilee, his spunky little sister. His mind flashed back to those awful days, now so long ago, when she had lain there like a stone statue after the FOH attacks. She was now like her old self, only stronger. He loved her more than ever. And he loved the two little babies like crazy, so much so that he no longer cared if the others knew. Shit, even Cyclops had kind of grown on him, even though he could still be a pain in the ass.
Wolverine shrugged and told himself he was being unreasonable. The X-men were returning to earth solely for the purpose of gathering information. Five weeks to get there, and five weeks back. He would be reunited with these people in no time at all. And if the X-men were indeed heading into danger, it was far, far better that these people he loved were remaining on An'zhina.
The last couple of days had been a blur. The X-men met with Queen Marina and her associates to update them on their plans and confirm that everything with An'zhina would be set. Jean, Scott and Jubilee moved their personal possessions to the building on the moon, preparing to make it their temporary home. The play pen and all the other baby supplies were beamed from the ship to the moon. All the X-men slept there for a night, ensuring that all the replicators and other equipment were functioning properly. One shuttle from the ship was flown to the surface of An'zhina and parked there.
Finally they reached the stage when all the X-men knew they were only delaying the inevitable. It was time to start saying goodbye.
"The babies really love pulling on your facial hair," Jean said, smiling as Charlotte tugged on Wolverine's hair.
"You be a good girl, now, pumpkin," Wolverine said, looking at the bundle in his arms and into Charlotte's brilliant blue eyes which sparkled as the baby returned his gaze. "Your Uncle Wolvie will miss you." He handed Charlotte back to Jean.
"How `bout a hug for me?" Jean asked. Wolverine put his arms around her, even though the baby was between them. Jean kissed his cheek.
"Take care of yourself, Jeannie," was all he could manage.
"I will. You do the same, Logan."
He broke off the embrace. Cyclops stood next to them, and Wolverine turned towards his old foe. Wolverine tried to think of something to say to the man he had once hated but now respected. Words failed him though.
"I'll take good care of them," Cyclops offered.
"I know you will, One-Eye," Wolverine said. He extended his hand and Scott shook it. They exchanged a look that conveyed all that needed to be said.
Wolverine then turned towards Jubilee and her baby. This wouldn't be any easier. Jubilee threw her arms around him and hugged him to her tightly, not letting go for a long time. Wolverine kissed her forehead. "Keep practicing your karate," he suggested. "Someday you'll get better than me."
Jubilee smiled through her tears. "I doubt that, but I will try. You never know." She wanted to say more but was getting choked on her tears. She stepped back and picked up Aurora, holding her out to Wolverine. He kissed the girl before handing her back to her mom.
The goodbyes were not easier for any of the X-men. For a year and a half, the 11 teammates had been each other's only family. No, they had been each other's only family for far longer than that, for all of them except Bobby. Now the X-men would be separated from Jean, Cyclops, Jubilee and the children for two and a half to three months, if all went well. * If all went well* was the key.
The Professor did not attempt to hold back his tears as he bid farewell to his two favorite students and their child who they'd named after him. Part of him wanted to remain here, with them. But he knew he would be needed to use Cerebro II, and he knew he had to see, firsthand, the situation back on the planet that he still held out hope for.
He embraced Jean and Scott for as long as he could, and he held his granddaughter tightly as she looked up at him. Charles looked down at Charlotte and knew that she somehow sensed his sadness.
"Don't forget about the photo," Jean reminded her teacher. Jean and Scott had given one of the pictures from the camera that Marina gave them to the Professor. It was a photo taken by Storm of Jean and Scott holding Charlotte. Their names were handwritten by Jean on the back. Jean wanted the Professor to have it with him "just in case"….she knew full well that the trip to earth was solely for the purpose of gathering information, but the X-men were used to expecting the unexpected. In case the Professor or the others should ever be in a situation where they might be able to take something down to earth, then she wanted this photo to be given to her parents, if at all possible. It never hurt to be prepared. The picture would be a good way for her family to see that all was well. At this point, her family surely did not know even whether she was alive or dead.
Bobby and Jubilee held each other for a long time before they let each other go. He also held Aurora for a long time. He'd really bonded to this baby, and knew he would miss bouncing her on his lap and the feel of her baby-soft little hands and feet. This time, Bobby managed to keep from crying though. He and Hank had a long talk the night before. They *would* return to Jubilee and the others, and they would return soon. Everything would be alright. The X-men and their ship were strong and powerful.
Each of the X-men took a long time to bid their farewells to Jean, Cyclops, Jubilee and the children. The small group that was remaining behind on An'zhina waved goodbye as the rest of the team beamed back aboard the ship which was orbiting above.
Scott's arm was around Jean, and she rested her head on his shoulder. They had discussed this decision a thousand times, but that didn't stop the lump from forming in Jean's throat. /It's the best thing for Charlotte and for the one on the way/ Scott reminded her.
/I know, Slim. We need to be safe and sound to raise our family. And we're just being paranoid about the fate of the others because we've been through so much./ Jean thought.
/They will be fine. They'll be back before we know it./
The couple noticed Jubilee softly crying again, and they moved to comfort her.
TO BE CONTINUED