"It's BZ, known to the navy as Buzz." Blinka was as good as a doctor as one was going to get way out here. She had basic medical training and enough local plant knowledge to cure most ailments. "It's a powerful hallucinogen that, if ingested by us, would've put us in so deep a sleep that we never would've woken up." L'iana shuddered despite herself, now understanding Colorado's insistence upon being the water's guinea pig. "Is there a cure?" She asked. "Stimulants have sometimes been known to work but without knowing how strong the solution in the water was or how much of it she drank, I'm not willing to risk it. Best solution is to let her sleep it off." Blinka replied. "How long will that take?" L'iana asked. "About 8 hours." "This was a coordinated attack." She said. "I want all ships ready on standby. Something nasty is coming in the next 8 hours and I want to be ready for it." "Yes ma'am." Blinka left, leaving L'iana alone with her mate. The trawler snuggled herself tight to Colorado's side. "I am never leaving you alone again." She whispered.

5 YEARS EARLIER SENDAI JAPAN

The whole family was on vacation. L'iana personally blamed Niata. Her sister was always coming up with wild idea. Sometimes, like this time, they were good though. Not that L'iana would ever admit it of course. Sometimes the work in Taji played with her head as killing often would and she, like the next ship, needed a refresher and what better place to relax than Sendai. The family had their own private spot to relax. Even a brisk breeze blew across the trees which was odd as L'iana could feel no wind. But air was very different on the clifftops than it was at sea level. Her other sister, Brika was eyeballing some fish that were beginning a mad dash out to sea. Apparently Brika had developed a reputation and as expected, she chased after them. "Not too far now!" L'iana warned with a chuckle. She leaned against her mate, himself a netter at Taji. Between them, their two children. 14 month old D'vira and 2 month old Brista. "Mommy I'm hungry." D'vira whined. "Your auntie's catching some fish now. You'll have food soon." L'iana promised. "Wonder what's taking her though?" She muttered. "Probably got her nose whipped by a fish tail and is taking her sweet time to finish the sucker off as vengeance." Her mate, Ilian, said and L'iana chuckled.

She heard her sister scream, and turned towards the sound, stunned at what she saw. The breeze was still blowing across the cliffs but L'iana knew now that was no breeze. That was the Parent of this ugly blue monster coming straight for them, over 130 feet high. "Tohoku." Ilian growled softly, confirming what she, what they were all seeing. There were sharp cliffs and steep hills on all sides of them. Great for the villagers as the high ground served as protection but for the ships, it was a trap with no way out. L'iana clung to her mate who gripped her back. The trawler kept her children on her leeward side so that she might somehow shield them with her body. L'iana had no words to describe what the impact felt like. She'd never experienced anything like it before. The deluge was unimaginable. Her whole world turned to a seething caldron of churning blue and white foam. Her shiplings and her mate were torn from her grasp. She never saw them again.

In total, 5 waves struck the harbor that day, each darker and more debris laden than the last. They were monsters, their faces splattered with the remains of their victims. L'iana knew she had survived because she could still feel pain and what pain it was. She would later learn her ribs had been crushed by the impact with the first wave and her shoulder had been broken upon hitting the ground nearly a mile from where she originated from. Before the water could recede, she made her way back to where she knew the original shoreline was and began searching for her family. Her mate and shiplings were gone and no matter how many times she called for them, they did not answer. The broken, twisted hull of Brika was seen mangled amongst a floating mat of debris. Her sister's shallow breaths ceased moments after her arrival. L'iana broke down and cried on her sister's flank. The remains of her mate and 2 month old son were never found. D'vira's body was recovered 3 weeks later over a hundred miles offshore. It took nearly 2 years before Niata's rotting torn corpse washed up on the shores of California.

L'iana's eyes flashed open. Surprised she had fallen asleep, she woke to semi darkness. The sun was going down and she was unsure for how long she had slept. Colorado was still out cold so it had to be less than 8 hours. Sighing, she settled down beside her mate again. It'd been five years since that awful day in March 2011 but the wounds were as fresh as they were yesterday. Sometimes, when the rains had been here long enough, L'iana's ribs would remind her of all she had lost and what she had gained. She had a new life now, a new home, and a new family. She hadn't dreamed of that time since she left Japan and she wasn't sure if dreaming of it now was a good or bad sign. The Ancients were trying to tell her something and be damned if she wasn't going to listen. "Oh wise ones above, whatever I have done to wrong you please! Just punish me! But leave Colorado alone. She is innocent. Spare her your wrath. Let not my mistakes bring your fury down upon her!"

Colorado's dreams were a jumbled mess and she couldn't make heads or tails of them.

"Colorado, you are ordered to fire."

"I cannot." She whispered.

"Then you leave me no choice." She dove, desperately trying to avoid the missile as it detonated above her. The ocean floor loomed.

Another voice. "You betrayed your country." Illinois sneered. "You don't deserve to live."

"You want a fight, I'll give you and your precious secretary a fight."

Another face. "You are a disgrace." Ohio snarled.

"A traitor." Enterprise hissed.

"Worthless." Virginia agreed.

"So weak, so helpless..." Those voices were coming from outside Colorado's head but she couldn't pinpoint them. The fog was too thick. More voices were heard. "You will never get away with this!" L'iana. Her mate was in trouble. Anger served as a stimulant and the fog began to thin. She felt someone against her hull, decidedly not friendly. A voice close to her ear purred "Oh my dear, we just have."

When Serrat's lapdog flagship took the missile key off Colorado, L'iana lost it. She forced herself up against her captor, one of his aides, and pulled his dart gun away from him, tossing it over her shoulder. But her victory did not last long. He was on her again in an instant. L'iana may've been strong but she was no match for a trained fighter. The aide pulled out a knife, ready to slit her throat. Then suddenly he stiffened and rolled off her dead. Shocked, L'iana looked around for her savor and saw Colorado, her eyes wide and leaning heavily against the dock, barely able to stand, but gripping the dart gun she had thrown away. Serrat's flagship fled the scene, his work done. Colorado collapsed, unable to support her weight any longer. L'iana was at her side in an instant, helping the giant sub to lay flat. She buried her face in her neck. "I thought I was going to lose you." She sobbed. Colorado held her. "I'm tougher than I look." She assured. "But you, really scared me there L'iana." She whispered. "Seeing you fight that other ship. You could've been killed." "I couldn't let them hurt you." L'iana muttered. "I'm built to withstand anything those little punks could dish out. You on the other prop... Ancients L'iana when I saw that bastard pull a knife on you I was certain I'd be watching your death." She held her tighter. A single tear found its way past her tight control, landing with a wet plop on L'iana's deck. The trawler tried to comfort her mate by snuggling deeper into her side, nuzzling the nape of her neck. "I want you to promise me never to do something crazy like that again." Colorado said. "Colorado..." L'iana tried. The fins around her back loosened their grip and Colorado pulled back so L'iana could look at her. "You mean so much to me. I couldn't live with myself if you were injured or killed." The sub whispered passionately. Seeing her mate like this was enough to break L'iana's will. She sighed and nodded. "Alright." She agreed. The sub relaxed. "Thank you L'iana." She sighed and the pair joined in a kiss.