A/N: A couple of items here...

First, I've been suffering from lack of Internet access, as I've entered a billing dispute with my ISP. I will get access back when I either change providers, or resolve the dispute with my current ISP. That means that I will have less of a chance to upload new chapters and other various activities that I need to progress this story further for the readers. That being said, I've also been fighting a re-addiction to Civilization 4... I spent most of my free time playing that, instead of writing, this past week, so I haven't even started on chapter 29 yet. I do have the next couple of chapters plotted out in my notes; I just need to get started writing again. Here's chapter 24, but that means that I am now only 4 chapters ahead in my writing. I prefer a "comfort zone" of 5 chapters or more, so I may wait a bit longer to post 25... long enough to finish chapters 29 and 30. Just a head's up for those of you who have come to rely on me posting a new chapter at least once a week. If it seems like I disappear for a bit, it's just because I am working hard to catch up.

Second, I felt, at this point, that it was time to start creating my own background stories for existing characters. You'll find a lot of the stuff that I write in from this point on is of my own imagination, so don't go fact-checking on me... hehe. Again, I try to remain as accurate to the original as possible, but when I feel like there's a story to be told that fills in some gaps, I'll take advantage of the opportunity. Enjoy! (05/30/10)


The door to the shuttlecraft opened, flooding the cabin with the orange hue of the dawning sky. A cool gust of fresh Aimo air rushed in and greeted the passengers with a pleasant caress. As each Zentraedi soldier disembarked onto terra firma, they stopped for a moment to take in their surroundings. This was "home" to them, regardless of whether or not they had been living on the colony ship all of their lives or if they had just arrived with the new Zentraedi fleet several weeks earlier. Whether their business was to keep them on the planet for a long while, or just for a short visit, it was still a refreshing feeling to return to civilization.

Klan exited amongst the other Zentraedi soldiers. She wore her SMS jacket over her NUNS uniform and carried a duffel bag filled with some of the belongings that Nene brought to her while she was still on the medical frigate. She stopped for a moment to admire the work that had been done to construct the Zentraedi starport so quickly. When she left Aimo with the Quarter, it didn't even exist yet. Somehow, the inclusion of such a grand complex to the overall progress of the colony's growth reminded her of the importance that the majority population of Humans put onto giving Zentrans everything that they needed to flourish.

As she walked towards the transportation depot, she paid no attention to the small crowds of Zentrans who had gathered at the starport in anticipation for the arrival of their loved ones. She didn't expect anyone to be there to greet her, seeing as how there was nobody around to see her and her sister off when they left the planet. Deep inside her mind, she harbored a desire to rebuild her family connections. She'd been fairly non-existent when it came to familial gatherings and it only served to separate her from the people who'd probably do anything for her. Maybe it was a good time to start rebuilding some bridges while she was here...

The group of passengers approached the depot and entered the building one by one. As Klan entered the door, she heard a faint voice call her name. "Klan!" She looked to her right to see Cathy standing on a miclone-sized elevated walkway, frantically waving her arms to get the Meltran's attention. Klan put a smile on her face as she realized that she actually did have someone who came to see her upon her arrival. Even though the relationship between the two women was not much more than mere acquaintance, she treated Cathy as a good friend. After all, Cathy is the one who Ozma regards as his equal... and that's saying a lot, since Ozma is Klan's respected superior officer.

Klan stepped to the side to get out of the way of the other Zentrans who were trying to get into the building behind her. She greeted Cathy with a salute, "Cathy! I'm surprised to see you here. How did you know I was coming back to Aimo?" Cathy shook her head at Klan's formal posture, "You don't have to salute me, hon. I should salute you for being the one who keeps my dear Ozma out of trouble..." Cathy said with a laugh as she playfully saluted back. "I was wondering if you had time to talk real fast. I have some news to share with you, if you're interested." Klan agreed with a nod and began to walk with Cathy as they chatted a bit to catch up.

They passed a large poster hung on the wall that showed a collage of pictures featuring Ranka, Sheryl, and several new and popular entertainers. Part of the poster read, "Are you looking for a chance to show off your talent? Interested in giving back a little thanks to our military personnel for their hard work? Contact the United Frontier Service Organizations! We are looking for amateur acts of all types!" The bottom of the poster listed several various acts already signed on and the numerous charitable organizations who were lending a hand to the project.

...

The door to the bustling office had a temporary sign hanging on it, labeled "United Frontier Service Organizations Offices. Appointments only, please!" A delivery driver approached the door carrying a couple of insulated bags with pizzas and food inside. He read the sign on the door and scratched his head for a moment before boldly knocking. Through the commotion on the other side of the door, a voice could be heard speaking over the office noise, "Would someone get that door, please? I think it's the delivery guy..." The delivery driver sighed in relief as he realized that he was actually expected and that the sign didn't apply to him...

"I never thought that organizing events like this would be so much work. I now have a much deeper respect for Elmo," Ranka said with a sigh as she reached for her drink. Ranka, Nanase, and Brera shared the table with a few volunteer employees who were working with them. Too tired to clear the table, they had placed all of the food boxes on top of the piles of paperwork and books. The occasional ringing phone in the background went largely ignored; the workers were on their break and relied on the answering machine to fill in for them.

Ranka's cell phone began to hop around on the table with a chirp, alerting her of an incoming call. She grabbed the over-animated phone and answered the call when she saw who was on the ID. "Hi, Sheryl! Are you going to make it in today?" Sheryl stood against the wall in an alleyway next to a one-way door, which was propped open for her to come back inside when she was done. She held a bottle of water in one hand and her phone in the other. "I'm sorry, sweetie, but I'm going to be stuck in this recording session for several more hours. Those slave-drivers at the record company have me under constant surveillance until I get done with this record. I can assure you that I try hard to make it in to help you guys out when I manage to sneak away." Ranka's face turned glum at Sheryl's response. "We could really use your expertise here. Plus, you need to give us a little sneak preview of your new work!"

Sheryl was a bit relieved that Ranka didn't take it too negatively. She knew that Ranka was a little in over her head with their new endeavor. Her voice turned sympathetic, "I promise you that as soon as I'm done with my recording sessions, you'll have my full and undivided attention. I can't wait to get to work with you guys on your project." A bald-headed man stuck his head out of the door and looked to the side where Sheryl was standing. He wore a pair of colored sunglasses on his head to cover his bare scalp. "Come on, Sheryl. We're waiting on you again." Sheryl angrily glared at him for interrupting her break. He didn't even bother to wait for her to answer before shrinking back into the building.

Sheryl recomposed herself and turned her attention back to the phone conversation that was taking place before it was rudely interrupted by the main source of her current annoyances. "I've gotta get back inside. I barely get a moment's peace with these vultures circling around me all of the time," she said with a sigh. Ranka bid Sheryl goodbye and ended the call. She seemed a bit down upon hearing about Sheryl's frustration with her current employers. Without Elmo around to insulate her from the record executives, Sheryl was more vulnerable than she led everyone to believe.

"I hope Elmo gets back from vacation soon..." Ranka thought to herself. She turned her attention back to the meal in front of her as she set the phone back down on the table. Nanase looked straight at her to inquire about the conversation that Ranka just had. "She's not coming, is she?" she said with a saddened look on her face. Ranka shook her head in response. "She's just as busy as we are. I'm sure she'd be here if she could..." Ranka replied. She decided to change the subject to their work. "Okay, so what's the story on the event scheduling?" Everyone at the table began to search for the documents containing the answer to her question. They were probably hiding somewhere under the boxes of food.

The newly-rebuilt Folmo Mall was teeming with activity. Hundreds of Zentrans and Humans went about their business, casually intermingling with each other in the public forum. Klan sat at a table on the food court, accompanied by Cathy, who was seated at her own table on a segregated concourse mid-level to Klan's perspective. "I appreciate you coming out to greet me at the starport," Klan said. Cathy grinned, but she was hiding her true intentions within herself. "Your thanks is not deserved," she said nervously. Klan looked at her with some confusion on her face.

Cathy continued, "I actually had some business to take care of. We received a communique from the fleet before you got back and I got wind of your arrival. Ozma sent me a message regarding your availability to take your own squadron and asked me for some help." Klan didn't seem to be phased about Cathy's admitted ulterior motive. She was more concerned about the prospect of leaving her beloved squadron. Cathy noticed Klan's distraught demeanor. "Are you not ready for your own command?" she asked.

Klan took a moment to flash through her memories of each member of her squadron. Most of them were centered around her current team of Nene, Will, and Cal. "It's not that, it's just... if I take my own squadron, that means I will have to leave behind the familiarity of the Quarter. I won't be able to protect them if I'm not there." "Oh, sweetheart, I can only imagine what must be going through your mind. Don't worry, though. Captain Wilder and my Ozma will make sure that no harm comes to them if you're not there," Cathy said. Klan knew that there was more specificity to her own statement, though. She didn't know how to properly convey that feeling to Cathy without giving her the wrong impression.

"Well, it's not just that, but... how do you handle not being near Ozma for so long? Isn't it hard to cope with your attachment to him when he's so far away?" Klan asked. She was asking questions that might help assuage her feeling of attachment to Nene and Will; but more importantly, to Cal. She's already done a lot of thinking about what he said to her. It was still too soon to make a decision, though. Now that there's the possibility of her leaving the Quarter for an opportunity to further her career, yet another slew of variables were being thrown into the formula.

Cathy laughed nervously as she answered Klan's question, "God, yes, its difficult. But when you find someone who you perceive as your equal, your partner; that love for them traverses all distances and boundaries. True love is supernatural; nothing can stop it." "I've heard from other people that long-distance relationships never work out. Were they just grossly misinformed?" Klan asked. "For the most part, yes. They don't work out because one or both people were not strong enough to handle the long periods of separation from each other. However, Ozma and I understood this before he left. I'm sure that he misses me as much as I miss him. The incredible thing about it, though, is that when he gets back, the reunion will be so very sweet." "Absence makes the heart fonder?" Klan asked again. Cathy looked up at Klan and confidently smiled. It looks like they both understood the same thing now.

Cathy's words of advice soothed Klan's uneasiness somewhat. She tuned out her worries and moved forward to the original intent of Cathy's visit. "Okay, so what do you have for me?" she asked. "I know Ozma told you to stay off-duty for a few days, but I'm going to override his orders. You won't be doing any flying for a couple of days, though. I've arranged a meeting with the captain of the ship you'd be serving on for tomorrow. Can you make it?" Klan thought about Cathy's proposal for a moment and figured a meeting couldn't hurt. That would give her a chance to get familiar with the notion of being a squadron commander before actually deciding to take the post. She confidently nodded and smiled at Cathy. She acknowledged Cathy's assistance in furthering her own career.

After visiting for awhile, Cathy left Klan to get back to the other items on her busy daily agenda. Klan had to respect the strength within Cathy to endure the long period of separation from her beloved Ozma. Perhaps it's just a state of mind one has to enter in order to cope with it effectively. Already, Klan was feeling a bit lonely from being so far from the people whom she regards as her second family. These next few days were certainly going to be full of tough decisions...

Before Klan could spend much time reflecting on her potential options, a vaguely-familiar Zentran took a seat at her table without even asking for permission. "I thought it was you... How come you never return my calls? I have to hunt you down in a public place like this to get to talk to you. It's been a long time, hasn't it, Klan?" he said. Klan glared at him with narrowed eyes, processing the audacity of this man's actions; not only did he rudely interrupt her alone time, but his statements annoyed her even more. She became extremely irritated at his presence and replied to his utterances, "Father..."

Cal and Nene watched Will as he sat on the other side of the mess hall, chatting away with the sniper pilot in Kanaria's Rabbit Team. No doubt, the two pilots were sharing stories of their kills and Will was taking in every bit of information he could to help him out on his next sortie. Cal glanced back at Nene at the same time she turned her gaze back towards him. She glared at him with the same accusing look she had given him the day before. He cradled his cup between his hands and looked down at the liquid inside the container, trying to avoid looking straight at her.

"So, you're in love with my sister, huh?" she said with a stern tone. Cal thought about how Nene didn't waste time getting right to the heart of the matter. He sighed and put his hands up to hold his head as he continued to stare straight down into the cup in front of him. "I know, I shouldn't have said anything... I must be going crazy." Her demeanor turned cheery again after she dropped the facade of seriousness. "No, you did the right thing. Amazingly, she has taken a bit of a liking to you. I wouldn't be so embarrassed, if I were you."

Cal slowly looked back up to Nene, following her encouraging words. "Well, I didn't tell her that just because I expected anything out of her. I told her because she asked me why I made such an effort to keep myself near her, despite all that's happened between us. At first, I didn't know what it was, but after doing a lot of thinking, it was the most thorough explanation." Nene smiled because she had a feeling that Cal would say something like that. "She told me that part too. You don't have to worry about her having any misconceptions about your feelings for her. I can confidently state that you are both on the same page regarding the matter."

Cal wasn't sure what that really meant, but he didn't want to ask Nene to elaborate. He was already struggling to talk about it because he just couldn't shake the feeling that he had exposed himself too much and left himself emotionally vulnerable to Klan. Even though they've become close, Cal has always had reservations about blindly chasing after someone he's interested in. The relationships he had early in life were nearly traumatic. He always seemed to find the women who had no problems taking advantage of his generous nature, and then leaving him for some other guy. He realized how lucky he'd been to have met Marie. At least she was one who appreciated all he did for her. Then, there was Klan.

She seemed pretty normal for a Meltran at first, but after experiencing her volatile temperament and desire to reign in his free spirit, doubts entered his mind as to whether or not this was a prudent course of action for him to take. Her dichotomic personality was unpredictable, at best. The nature of her duality was reflective of the vast difference in physical form she takes when she undergoes the micloning process. She seemed to be less tolerant of his constant prodding when she is in her miclone form; perhaps due to the insecurity she harbors from having the form of a child. When she's in her Meltran form, she uses her appearance to try to intimidate him and her self-confidence in her natural form empowers her desire to get whatever it is that she wants. Now that she was aware of his vulnerability to her, she could do anything she wanted with him, if she were so inclined.

"I wish I could tell you that your words fill me with confidence, Nene. I can't fight this feeling that I'm just setting myself up for some kind of humiliation. You know how she is... She's stopped at nothing to get what she wants from me before. I don't know if I could handle that, to be honest," Cal said as he returned his gaze back towards his drink. Nene was noticeably annoyed that Cal would say such a thing about her sister, but she realized that he did have some grounds to make a statement like that. Klan's stubbornness nearly caused his death not too long ago. However, this is not like Cal to concern himself so much with something that he claims to not require any reciprocation to. If that was true, he'd be playing this whole incident off like it didn't matter to him. Nene knows that his doubt and uncertainty meant that he really did mean what he told Klan, and he's worried about being turned down or taken advantage of.

"The first thing I'd do is quit pretending like it's no big thing to you," she said. Cal looked straight back up at her because he knew that she understood what he really felt inside. She continued with her advice, "I promise you that she won't hurt you regardless of what you two decide to do. I know my sister better than you can imagine and I can confidently tell you that she's put you on the top of her list of things that are important to her. You saw her risk her life to save yours just a couple of days ago. Does that not say enough to you about how important you are to her?" Cal looked off to the side as he sat back up in his chair and sighed. He didn't want to admit that Nene was right and sought to hide his interest in her words.

She got a little frustrated at his obstinate display. "Look at me, Cal," she said as she reached across the table and grabbed both of his hands. She laid them on the table and placed her hands on top of his to show him that she was genuinely sympathetic to his feelings of doubt and wanted to help him feel better. Cal looked at their hands and then back to her face as she continued with what she wanted to say. "You need to listen to me on this. I know Klan well and even though she seems harsh and cold on the outside, it's all just a defense mechanism to keep herself from being hurt again. You're one of the elite few who I can say has fought their way through to her true self inside. You'd be a fool to turn around and walk away at this point, after working so hard to get to where you are."

Cal heard and understood every word that Nene had just said to him, but one thing jumped out at him. "'Hurt again'?" he asked. Nene realized that she had strolled into a difficult subject, but in order to help Cal understand her sister better, it was probably necessary to proceed. Cal thought he knew what she was talking about, "Do you mean from that Michael fellow dying?" he asked. Nene quickly shook off his misconception. "No, that's an entirely different matter. He's one of the people who share your company on that 'list' of hers. She'll always love him in her own way." Nene let go of Cal's hands and leaned back into her chair with a sigh, in anticipation of the difficulty of explaining the subject at hand. "She has a general mistrust of men, due to certain... disappointments brought on in her early childhood." Cal's face displayed an intense interest in what he was about to be told while Nene continued with her story.

"I thought that ignoring your calls was enough of a statement to tell you that I'm not interested in talking to you," Klan angrily said at the man sitting in front of her. "Is it too much to ask to get to talk to my own daughter from time to time?" he said with emotionally-fueled intensity, "Your mother made damn sure that she kept me away from you during your childhood. Now that she doesn't control you anymore, I see that you've also made the decision to exclude me. Do you have any idea how much it hurts to not be able to see someone you love dearly?"

Klan became angered at his question. "As a matter of fact, yes. I seem to recall numerous broken promises from my father. Crying over my own birthday cake because my father didn't make it to my birthday each year, after promising he'd come? The man who wasn't there at the important milestones of my life? Having to ask my mother why my father doesn't love me? Yeah, I think I understand fully," she shot back at him. Her father dejectedly looked down at the table upon hearing about the traumatization he had caused her while she was growing up.

"Look, all I can say is that I'm sorry for not being there for you. I did my best to spend time with you, but I was going through a lot of problems at the time," he said. "You mean your raging alcoholism? It seemed like you loved drinking more than me, if I recall correctly," Klan responded. "I know, I know... but I've been sober for a couple of years, I swear it! I started calling you because I wanted to do whatever it takes to be a part of your life again." "So, now that you've conquered your petty addictions, you now have room to include me in your life again?"

His face remained indifferent. He didn't know how to answer her question. She'd cornered him and was ready to move in for the kill. "No, thanks. I already have a father," she said. Her words served as the shiv into his ribs. Enraged by her unwillingness to give him a chance, he angrily stood up to deliver his rebuttal. "That man? He doesn't deserve your mother, nor does he deserve your respect. I'm a better man than he could ever hope to be!" The ridiculousness of his response caused a little bit of laughter to sputter out of Klan's mouth as she prepared to answer.

Following her brief scoff, she sought to finish him off with her answer, "At least he was there for me when I needed him. He loved me like I was his own daughter. At no point did he give any preference to Nene nor myself, despite her being his own flesh and blood. I may have taken out my frustrations with you on him, but he was strong enough to take my shit and keep on loving me for who I was. He was there at every major event in my life. He was the father I never had. You're nothing but a deadbeat who was unable to do what it takes to become a real 'man'. I see that some things still haven't changed. I may not be in a hurry to marry someone, but at least I can look forward to not having to carry your name anymore when that does happen." She stood up and began to walk away.

After a moment, his angered demeanor changed and he stopped her before she could leave. "Klan," he said as she slowly turned around to look back at him. He pulled his wallet out and began to dig around in one of its pockets. "I know that you couldn't tell, but I really did love you. Despite my lack of presence, you were always number one in my heart. I just had to at least tell you that. Perhaps in time, you can forgive me for my mistakes and we can move forward with our lives in some way." He pulled out a picture and placed it face down on the table. With reluctance, he removed his hand from on top of it and looked at her one more time before walking away. Klan could see his eyes were glazed over, but she did nothing to respond.

He quickly disappeared into the crowd of shoppers and Klan stared down at the picture. There was some writing on the back, but she didn't read it as she slowly reached down to pick it up. Upon turning it over, the image printed on the paper evoked an emotional response that she did not expect. Her throat tightened up as the memories resurfaced within herself. The picture showed a blue-haired child sitting on her father's lap. Both she and her father looked incredibly happy to be together and you couldn't tell that there was so much hate and animosity that exists between them in the present.

She could vividly remember the feelings she had when her father actually showed up to spend time with her. She missed those times so much and the memories of those times caused her eyes to water. She turned the picture over to read the captioning written on the backside. "Klan and her Daddy, 04/05/2045." The ink had turned slightly brown from the passage of time, indicating its genuineness. This picture had been held in his wallet for many years and appeared to have been handled countless times. Her father's gesture indicated to her that he was willing to sever his ties with her if she so desired. This picture was probably the only thing he had to remind himself of his daughter and he now left it in her possession.

"Don't you ever tell her about this conversation, do you understand?" Nene demanded, "Your life literally depends on it. If she doesn't kill you for bringing it up, I most definitely will!" Cal's eyes were as big as dinner plates as Nene's words struck him straight in the face with her serious intensity. He vehemently nodded to acknowledge, but asked a question that popped into his mind, "Then why did you just spend all of this time to tell me these things?" "Because I think that you are deserving of Klan's attention. I don't want to see you screw things up because you didn't fully understand where she's coming from. Whatever you two decide to do with each other, I know that you both will remain connected to each other in some way. I've watched her return from the brink of self-destruction because of you and your efforts. For that, both she and I will remain grateful to the fact that you worked so hard to help her deal with her issues. I know that she's affected you in more ways than I can imagine too, am I right?"

Cal recomposed himself and smiled in response. They both shared a quiet moment of agreement with each other until Will returned to the table and took a seat next to Nene. "Hey... Hey! Hey! I see what you two are doing over here. I thought I told you to get your own girlfriend, Cal!" he jokingly said as he pulled her closer to himself with his arms. Nene just responded with a satisfied grin as she let her body be moved in whatever direction he chose for her. Cal smiled at them both as he took a drink from his cup. His mind began to imagine what it would be like if he were in Will's position and Klan was in Nene's...

Jen also sat in the mess hall to eat her meal, but she was too distracted to notice that Cal was just a few tables over. She was busy spending her time exploring the personality of another curious individual sitting across from her. Commander Ortiz was telling her some stories of his days as a green flight control officer; how his inexperience led him to make embarrassing mistakes back then. She held onto his every word, seeing as how she had once walked that same path so long ago. "Isn't it always great that we can look back on ourselves in the past and laugh at the silly things we'd done?" she asked. Commander Ortiz chuckled as he nodded.

"My point is that even though the job may be new to us and we'll make mistakes from time to time, you will just get better with experience to the point where you can look back at the past and laugh them off. Don't be apprehensive to take on the new responsibilities of your new post. Just dig your feet in and get ready for anything," he said with confidence. Jen embraced her cup with both of her hands as she held it in front of her face. She smiled back at Ortiz before taking a sip. She turned her attention back to the notepad that was sitting on the table next to her. "Okay, so I'll have these modules read before tomorrow's assessment test. Is there anything else I need to do in preparation?" she asked.

The focus she had put into her training seemed to blind her to everything else that was going on around her. Suddenly, Cal didn't seem to mean that much to her. Her feelings for him had taken a backseat to her career, but she was also becoming aware of the interest she was showing in Commander Ortiz. Perhaps this is what Bobby meant by being with someone who walks the same path of life as she does. At least Ortiz won't be constantly looking up at the sky when she's trying to garner his attention. He seems genuinely interested in pushing her to the next level in her career. Does that also mean that he's interested in her in "other" ways?

The memory of seeing Monica sitting in the Captain's chair briefly popped back into her mind. That was definitely something she'd love to try sometime soon. At that very moment, Monica was taking a seat back into that chair while Captain Wilder stood next to her. It was officially time for her to take her first shift as a bridge commander, without the supervision of one of her superiors. She savored the feeling of the chair and sighed in relief when she finally came to rest.

"I know you'll do just fine, Monica. Just remember that you can give me a call if you have any questions or anything important comes up," Captain Wilder said as he removed his hat. "I'll be fine, Jeffrey. Go get some rest and I'll see you when you wake up," she responded. He grinned at her overconfidence, assured that she'd end up calling him over some menial operational procedure at some point during his off-duty time. She waited for him to leave the bridge before issuing her first orders. "Third shift starts now. Please send your status reports to me and set the bridge lights a little lower." She began to punch something into her console as the bridge crew acknowledged her orders. The lights dimmed a bit, enhancing the glow of the active screens and displays throughout the bridge. Monica turned her gaze towards outer space as if she was moving the ship forward with telekinesis; she'd seen this look from Captain Wilder a hundred times and imitated it well.

Klan stood at the front door of a rather large house. The yard had been well-cared for and there was a group of trees planted at every corner. From the perspective of a Zentran, the fully-grown trees were mere bushes. The decorative mailbox dwarfed the group of birds perched on top of it and the name of the family residing at the house was written on it, "Rora". She looked up to the sky as she made sure that she was comfortable with being there at that time. Looking back in front of her, she saw more birds sitting on the knocker. Their incessant chirping seemed to invite her to make her presence known. They parted in all directions as she reached forward with her hand to grab the knocker.

Following her knock, the birds began to return to their former perch on the door, but some of them chose to land on her retracting hand. She extended her finger to give them a better place to sit and began to stare at them with a smile. It was as if they could sense her rarely-seen gentle nature. Memories of her childhood came to surface, reminded by the birds on her finger. She used to love playing in the forest area with Michael back on Island-3 when they were very young. They would frequently spend their time feeding the thousands of birds that resided there. Klan always made it a game to see how many birds she could coerce into landing on her. It always made Michael laugh at the image of her covered by hundreds of their avian friends.

As soon as she could hear someone approaching from the other side of the door, she dropped her hand back to her side. The birds flew off to find a more stable place to stand. The door opened to reveal a tall, blue-haired Meltran. Even though the color of her hair had faded a bit from age, she still looked exuberant and lively as she stood in front of Klan with a shocked look on her face. "Hi, Mom," Klan sheepishly said with an embarrassed smile. Her mother practically jumped into Klan's arms from the joy of seeing her daughter again. "Klan! Oh my, It's so good to see you! I've missed you so much!" she exclaimed. She grabbed Klan's arm and yanked her inside before slamming the door shut. "Come in! Come in! We have a lot to catch up on, don't we?" Even though she was glad to be in the company of her mother once more, Klan was still mortified that she had done little to maintain any kind of relationship after leaving home a few years ago. Now was the beginning of her quest to rebuild the family relationships she's long ignored since she began living on her own.