Chapter 2:
"Eto..." Ken said softly.
Eto crossed her arms looking down at the floor.
"You got your lower part of your body back." Ken said.
Eto was surprised by what he said.
"You aren't mad for what I did." Eto asked.
"We can talk about that later." Ken said.
Ken gave her a hug and Eto smiled leaning into him and hugged him back.
Scourge rolled his eyes and walked by them.
"We have an Aparoid to capture, let's cut this lovey crap." Scourge said.
"Aw come on big guy, you got to admit this is cute." Hide said.
Scourge turned around and pointed his finger at Hide giving him a mean look and turned around walking off.
"Bridge is this way big guy!" Decorus shouted to Scourge.
Scourge took a deep breath and without a word, he went the right way.
"Hide, go with him please." Decorus said.
"Love to." Hide said.
Hide followed Scourge who tried to ignore Hide.
"Eto, it is good to see you." Thane said as he walked up.
"You got a nice scope on your weapon." Eto commented.
Thane just smiled with a nod.
"Everyone to the bridge please." Decorus said.
As everyone headed to the bridge, Decorus put his hand on Eto's shoulder to keep her there.
Ken looked back but Decorus gave him a nod of assurance and Ken headed off with the others.
"Going to give me a lecture?" Eto asked.
"Yes, but after we win this war." Decorus said.
"What's up?" Eto asked.
"You are a wanted criminal, you have taken so many lives to where you have a death sentence. I really wished you kept hiding but now everyone has seen you- and with me." Decorus said.
"So you have to execute me?" Eto asked.
"I should, but the Federation Council is no more. You was right about the corruption, but I wished you would have done everything a lot more differently instead of with murder and terrorism." Decorus said.
"Aizen said the same thing before he died. I told him who I was and what I was really doing. He told me not to follow his path, his mistake. He thought of power and so did I, but I thought I could do it but I suppose in the end I failed, like him." Eto said.
"You are of his bloodline, he didn't want you to have that bad blood." Decorus said.
"I know." Eto said.
Decorus sighed looking around the hanger at some people looking at them.
"If you help us, I can see if I can have you pardoned, but that doesn't mean you won't be punished." Decorus said.
Decorus looked frustrated and Eto sighed.
"I know you don't want to see me dead. It isn't your fault, it's mine. I know that I must be punished. If it makes you feel better, handcuff me and keep me in one of your small jails here." Eto said.
"I am conflicted. I trusted you but at the same time you did wrong and I have my duty and responsibilities. Ken never gave up on you. So I will issue that you are watched at all times. If we win the war then I will see what I can do with a pardon for you but don't get your hopes up. For now, we need your help." Decorus said.
"You're wrong. If we win? It's that we will win." Eto said.
Decorus smiled and shook her hand.
"Welcome back, Eto." Decorus said.
The two headed to the bridge together.
When they arrived, Eto stood beside Ken and Hide while looking at Arentei who was ready to speak.
"We will need to either wipe out an Aparoids head to take the rest of its body before the blood is sucked out into space, or we take an Aparoids brain for a full anatomy to creating a virus to destroy their Queen." Arentei said.
"Stolas, do you think you could use some magic to hold an Aparoid while we sever the head?" Hide asked.
"My magic isn't that strong I'm afraid." Stolas said.
"We're going to need to face off against one of them alone. But I don't know how we can draw one away from a group." Arentei said.
"Bait?" Hide asked.
"It's more complicated than that. They work like a hive mind so one could easily send a distress call telepathically to the others." Arentei said.
"What if it didn't feel distressed?" Ken asked.
"What do you mean?" Arentei said.
"What if we could make a trap, a small town of fifty people. There wouldn't be need of fifty Aparoids to head to one little town so why not draw just one in?" Ken asked.
"You're saying to use people as bait?" Hide asked.
"No, I say we have Federation soldiers pose as civilians and trick an Aparoid into coming to that town." Ken said.
"There are no known towns I can think of that has a population of fifty, let alone a place we could do this at." Decorus said.
"Seroroon went to small abandoned town to make trade, no one there. Strange smell though." Seroroon said.
"Who's that?" Decorus asked.
"Someone we helped save along the way." Hide said.
"You said there was a small abandoned town? How many buildings?" Ken asked.
"Thirteen." Seroroon said.
"Seroroon, what town and planet if I might ask?" Ken asked.
"Small town on Tatooine. Seroroon remembers where, in a mountain range." Seroroon said.
"Tatooine, that's a planet I haven't heard of in ages." Tali said.
"What is Tatooine?" Ken asked.
"It's a desert planet on the outer rim. The Federation has a small embassy there but really there isn't much to gain from the planet. Minerals was all mined out years ago." Decorus said.
"Then I guess we have a town we could use." Ken said.
"Next question is, how do we draw an Aparoid to it?" Decorus asked.
"Do you think the Aparoids will target Tatooine?" Ken asked.
Tali typed on the console.
"Thirteen Aparoids are over the city of Anchorhead. They're there." Tali said.
"Then we just need to draw one of them, perhaps an Aparoid Crawler, to see the small settlement for an Aparoid Moth to come to purge. We just need to dress up like civilians so they don't see a possible threat." Ken said.
"Sounds like a plan then." Arentei said.
"I want thirty soldiers to head with Ken and his group on the Ebon Hawk to Tatooine!" Decorus shouted.
"We aren't bringing the fleet?" Hide asked.
"The Aparoids will know something is up if we do. It's best you guys go at this alone. We will be in the System next to Tatooine's and wait for your call and we will immediately rush to Tatooine and help bring in the dead Aparoid." Decorus said.
Decorus typed out orders to the other ships while looking over to Arentei.
"I suppose you're going with them?" Decorus asked.
"I have to." Arentei said.
"And you're going with them to." Tali said.
Decorus and Arentei looked at Tali surprised.
"It's best I'm here." Decorus said.
"Come on, you and I both know you want in at some of the action other than to be trapped on a bridge. I can cover for you." Tali said.
Decorus sighed and handed her an extra comlink.
"That's my private channel." Decorus said.
Decorus and Tali looked at one another while his hand was on hers and the two embraced for a moment.
Decorus turned on a shield guard around himself and Tali and she opened her protective helmet glass off for a moment and the two kissed for a few seconds before she put it back on and he deactivated the shield guard.
"If you get sick?" Decorus asked.
"Totally worth it." Tali said with a chuckle.
The two had joking chemistry it seemed to that.
Decorus gave her a wink and walked by Ken and Hide to head to the hanger.
Everyone was heading to the Ebon Hawk and Ken picked up a few supplies.
"Ken." Eto said.
Ken turned around and looked at Eto and the two looked at one another for a long time before hugging one another.
Hide noticed them talking and Thane patted Hide's shoulder to follow and to give them a moment.
Atton was sitting in the cockpit seeing Ken talking to Eto.
"Oh come on, we are in a hurry to save the galaxy." Atton said shaking his head.
"Dude, it's like a romantic movie, you can't ruin the plot." Joker said.
"Plot? Are you kidding me!" Atton said.
"Just let them talk for a bit. Who knows he might score a kiss." Joker said.
"Bull." Atton said.
"Want to place a bet?" Joker said.
"Fifty credit's says no." Atton said.
"Fifty says yes." Joker said.
Ken and Eto kept hugging one another and both slightly paced in a circle.
"I'm conflicted." Ken said.
"On how you feel about me?" Eto asked.
"Yes." Ken said.
"It is my fault and after this war, I am willing to accept any punishment the Federation gives me." Eto said.
"I will stand with you and see if I can convince the courts-" Ken began to say.
"You will do no such thing. If you stand with me then you might get in trouble along with the fifth fleet." Eto said.
Ken looked worried.
"What is it?" Eto asked.
"This invasion, everything that's going on doesn't feel real." Ken said.
Ken's hug got closer and tighter.
Eto felt he was scared and deep down she was worried too.
"We have each other, our friends too. You and I are not alone. We're all in this together." Eto said.
Ken's grip loosened up.
Ken looked at Eto who looked at him and immediately the two lip-locked and embraced one another.
You could hear Atton yell 'damn it' in the background as he lost the bet.
Ken and Eto pulled away from one another and headed to the Ebon Hawk.
Once they entered, the bay door shut and the engines roared loud.
"We're heading to Tatooine right now." Atton told them.
Joker operated the Ebon Hawk out of the hanger and immediately into hyperspeed.
The fifth fleet headed into hyperspeed to a system that would be nearby the Tatooine System.
Decorus noticed a group of small Otter creatures that were near sentient and wearing lily pads for hats going by the corridor of the ship.
"Dare I ask?" Decorus asked Thane.
"Actually, I'm just as surprised as you." Thane said.
"Atton! Who are these- things?" Decorus asked.
"What the? Hey! Damn stowaways." Atton said.
"They are with me, sorry, they are an endangered species from the planet Eletania." Arentei said.
"So you brought all of them onto my ship?" Atton asked.
"They are endangered! There are only twenty-six of them, you have room." Arentei said.
"Oh, that's wonderful! We can throw them all a party!" Atton said.
One of them was speaking to Atton who just frowned at it.
"What's he saying?" Thane asked Arentei.
"We don't know their language yet. It's for another time after this war." Arentei said.
Atton tried to walk away but they all followed him.
"Get away from me!" Atton yelled.
One Otter walked over to Decorus and sat down beside him looking up at him and chirping something.
"Hi?" Decorus responded.
The Otter just stared at him which made Decorus feel a bit uneasy but he tried to ignore the uneasy feeling.
"We have a weird crew, you know that?" Eto said with a grin.
"Hide! Open this door! Let me into the cockpit!" Atton shouted.
"Dude, I don't know what you're talking about!" Hide said laughing.
Joker and Hide was messing with the door controls while the Otters kept bothering Atton on the other side.