I stared, and got to my feet. Raein seemed smaller than she usually was once I stood at full height. "Aren't you glad to see me, big brother?" She asked ecstatically.

"I'm surprised to see you're here!" I replied in a very stern voice. Raein's beaming expression disappeared as I became irritated. "Why did you come here, Raein?" I paused. "More like how did you get here?"

She looked down, swiveling the tip of her foot on the ground from left to right. "Maybe I stowed away on a ship so I could follow you..."

"What?!" Raein cringed. "You could have been discovered! More or less killed!" I shouted, growing angry. "I would never forgive myself if you got hurt! Now you get on a ship and back to Phrygis or so help me-"

"Rundas! Gosh, give the kid a break!" Gandrayda snarled, standing next to Raein. She was as tall as the adolescent was, but only by the purple plumes on her head. "If I had some sort of sibling I would've come along too."

"But she's only eight years old. She shouldn't be in the middle of a war!" I protested, giving the youth a dissatisfactory glance. "I'm only thinking of what's best for Raein, Gandrayda."

"Cut her some slack!" She repeated, crossing her arms. "You're starting to sound like a strict father. You're only what, twenty five? six? Chill for a bit, dude. Jeez!"

I heavily exhaled, rubbing my brow. Could this day get any worse? "All right. I'll 'chill'. But," I jabbed a finger towards Raein. "you're going back home."

"Rundas-"

"No!" I snapped, my sister jumping at my sudden ferocity. "In fact, since you refuse, I'll escort you back to Phrygis myself." I snatched up her hand and pulled her behind me. "Let's go."

She dug her heels into the floor with grinding noises. "But I don't want to! You can't tell me what to do, you're not mom and dad!"

"I'm your brother, Raein. I've gone through being an unwanted hitchhiker and I don't want the same thing to happen to you. Now come on," I grunted, yanking her next to me with a resonating pop of her shoulder. "you're being unreasonable."

"Ow! That hurt!"

"Stow it."

A few seconds later a voice shouted from behind. "Raein!" My sister turned back, but I kept going. "Do you know what the Phrygisians are doing here?"

She nodded quickly, "Uh-huh!"

"Rundas, stop!" Ghor demanded.

I stood about a foot from the door, gritting my teeth. I turned, shooting the Wotan a glare that could have blown a hole through his head. "Why?" I hissed, balling my fists. Raein whimpered as I crushed her hand by accident.

"Raein could be of use to us. Maybe we'll be able to find out what the armies are attacking for, and maybe give us insight on who their leader is from her inside information," Samus, Gandrayda, and Admiral Dane looked at me eagerly, wanting me to approve and not send my sister away. "I know it will be dangerous, but we could use all the help we can grasp."

I glanced to Raein, who was making the biggest puppy dog eyes, along with a pleading face that I was immune to denying. I sighed heavily with relent, letting go of her bruised palm and walking back to the small group. She skipped, smiling broadly as we joined the others. "So, what are your guys's names?"

The human saluted. "I'm Fleet Admiral Castor Dane. A pleasure to meet you, Raein."

She giggled, and I imagined her laughing over his title. "You, Jovian?"

"I'm Gandrayda." She gave her a smile with full, violet lips.

"My name is Ghor." The Wotan spoke when Raein turned her head towards him.

She looked lastly to the armored huntress, making a puzzled face. "And you are...?"

"Samus Aran," she responded in the velvet voice that made my heart melt. I sighed to myself, finally realizing that she was okay, and that she was standing in this very same room. Why hadn't I acknowledged that before? Was it the battle? Raein's abrupt arrival? I didn't know, nor did I care now. All I paid attention to was that she was here, I was here, and nothing else.

"Cool. So, where to?" Raein asked.

Dane responded. "We should most likely get out of this hanger. There's no telling when these Jovians will wake up and if another ship come in. Plus, I don't want any opposing forces to hear what you have to say. I know the perfect place. Follow me." He turned on his heel and we followed him slowly as we left the dock.

Walking down the hall, Gandrayda and Ghor were chatting amongst themselves ahead, with Samus strolling to my left, and Raein at my right. "Hey Rundas," the child whispered, and I bent over to listen. "Which one did you say was your girlfriend?"

"What?" I spluttered noisily, twisting my head towards Samus. She hadn't noticed. I reverted my gaze to Raein. "What are you talking about?"

"Well you said on Phrygis that you had a girlfriend that wasn't our kind. I was just wondering which girl it was."

"Sh! Be quiet, she doesn't know I like her," I whispered, avoiding eye contact with anybody. "You shouldn't be worrying about that, you're only eight."

"You're turning red, Rundas," She crooned, a playful smirk on her face.

I felt my face, which was burning and left tingles when I touched it. "So?"

"So which girl is it? C'mon, I wanna know!"

I watched Samus carefully, mindful of keeping my voice down. "Her."

Raein's eyes went starry. "Really? Is she always in that armor?"

I shook my head. "Not all the time. She occasionally takes it off."

"I bet she's got a pretty nice bod, too, huh? Do you get an eyeful?" I smacked her lightly upside the head. "Ow! I was just curious." After a couple of paces, Raein asked in a smooth tone, "Does she have a sexy butt?"

I hit her harder. "Shut up!"

Raein rubbed the back of her head, giggling uncontrollably. "Like a tomato..."

I looked to Samus, who hadn't caught a single trace of our awkward (and embarrassing) conversation. She merely walked normally, with her swaying hips and shining plating. The light bounced off the Varia Suit prettily, and I was caught staring in the gleams of her smooth curves. The gun fastened on her right arm meant nothing to me. I could just picture Samus's long, flowing blond hair, sparkling cerulean eyes and breathtaking smile. How beautiful she was. As gorgeous as the galaxies and stars themselves.

We stopped, and I almost ran into Ghor. Admiral Dane was keying the code to enter a secluded and sealed room labeled R89. I watched him type 49265 as the access digits, and the red bar of light on the door flash green, then it slide into the wall. The Admiral stepped aside for each of us to go inside, and once we all were, he closed the door and commanded the AU to bolt us in.

"All right, let's get down to business."