Chapter 2: Gekkostate's Reunion
As another beautiful morning begins a new day, hometown hero Renton Thruston gazed from his spot on a cliff overlooking the many scub coral mountains and canyons on the outskirts of Bellforest at the rays of the rising sun as it crept over the horizon. It was his day off from work at his Grandpa's newly rebuilt garage and he had decided to get up very early and head out toward the rocky country side to do some serious ref boarding. The scene was absolutely gorgeous, and only wished his wife Eureka was here to see it. He could have woken her up to join him, but decided to let her sleep in.
Once the sun appeared over the horizon, Renton got his ref board ready to fly. He checks the trapar intake engine underneath the board to make sure it was in working order. He also sees if the stability wheel in front is bolted in. Everything checked out, and he was ready to go. He gets out a pair of sunglasses from his white and red-sleeved jacket, puts them on, and walks back a ways until he's a good 20 feet away from the edge of the cliff side. With his ref board in hand, Renton makes a dash toward the edge of the cliff, and just as it seems as if he was about to commit suicide, he quickly throws his ref board out in front of him and jumps on. Once his feet made contact with his board and got under the feet handles, an explosion of green trapar waves erupted from the board as he took off into the morning skies, riding the trapar current beneath him.
The young 16 year old maintains his balance as he rides his board into the clouds at speeds up to about 30 mph. The red jewel on his forehead sparkled in the sunlight, and his pants, jacket, and hair fluttered wildly against the wind, and continued to do so as he flew higher. Soon, Renton was at least 2000 feet above the ground and still gaining momentum.
A school of sky fish was coming into range, and within minutes, Renton caught up with the flock. He takes a few moments to gaze at the beautiful winged-shaped, one-eyed creatures that were flying in formation next to him. After a few minutes, Renton decides to have a little more fun. He quickly takes off higher into the sky, increasing his speed and climb into the atmosphere, passing a couple layers of clouds as he went straight up at a 70 degree angle. As he turned his head back to look below, he could see the flock as no more than a miniature shape passing beneath the clouds. He turns his attention back to the blue sky in front of him as he was now reaching the highest any boarder has ever gone – about 10,000 feet above sea level.
Once he was at a 90 degree angle, Renton shut down his board, allowing the trapar waves under the board to cease. With his arms spread out at his sides, he let gravity take over from there. He was now in a freefall. Falling backwards, he began a series of back-flips and twists as he sky dived toward his moving targets. His downward speed increase the further he went. It was a few minutes later when he reached the flock of sky fish, and threw right into them in an upside down cork-screw dive. As he predicted, the sky fish scattered in all directions as he went plowing threw them and continued his descent. Minutes later, he was passed the lowest set of clouds and was making his approach toward the scub canyons below. And just when it seemed that Renton was about to hit the ground head on, he flip back upright and ignited his board, and in a blast of trapar, was off again, flying through the canyons just a few feet from the ground. It turns out his skills have improved greatly in the two years since the Second Summer of Love.
Keeping a steady speed, Renton navigated his way through the forks and turnpikes that made up the canyons' many intersections. He yelled out a "yooohoooo" that echoed throughout the canyon walls as his adrenaline pumped hard while he raced. A short time later, he found the exit and went speeding off across the grassy plains and hillsides before taking off into the sky again.
However, just a short distance behind him at a higher altitude, another stream of trapar emerged from the clouds. It was another ref boarder. The ref board itself was a large, silver-colored, obscured shape, made up of a large body, neck, and nose section, with the bottom side of the body and nose being the turbine and engine, igniting and leaving a trail of trapar blasting behind it.
The one riding the board was a young girl, also 16, wearing her casual blue and while uniform. But she wasn't fully human, due to her lavender-colored eyes, her beautiful short teal hair, and of course, her large transparent lime-colored butterfly wings hanging out her back. She also had a jewel similar to Renton's on her forehead, only it was blue. She wasn't alone. Hanging on to her by her waist where three young children. The oldest clinging to the teen's waist on the right was no more than 10, with jet-black hair, black eyes, wearing a white shirt, tan vest, dark brown cargo pants, and red and white sneakers. The second one who was hanging on the left side of the rider was a little girl, about 9 years old, with blonde hair, blue eyes, and wearing a light blue and pink dress with pink shoes, and wearing a bunny backpack. The youngest one, hanging to her left thigh, was African-American, no more than 6 years old. He had black curie hair, black eyes, and wore a yellow and blue shirt, some shorts, and a pair of green sneakers. The four were none other than Renton's wife Eureka, and their kids Maurice, Maeter, and Linck, riding the large board given to them by Holland Novak, with their own individual ref boards strapped on to it behind them.
As it turned out, Eureka was woken up unwittingly by Renton as he left the house. She of course figured out right away what he was doing, and decided to do a little lifting herself. After Renton left, she went to wake up the kids and ask if they wanted to join her. Since the kids had lifting skills already under their belts thanks to the training Renton gave them, and always wanting to go whenever their adopted Papa did, the kids jumped at the invitation. The four then quickly got dressed and got out their ref boards, and headed out the door to follow, even though they were already far behind him.
By the time they caught up to him, Renton had already taken off. They had to followed pursue from a distance. They witnessed his little freefall stunt with the sky fish, as well as his close call with the canyon floor. The kids were amazed by his skill, and only wished they were at his level. Eureka and kids tried to follow pursue through the canyons, but lost sight of him. They decided to fly over the canyons and catch up to him when he flew out. Once Renton emerged, his family spotted him easily.
"Look, Mama! There's Papa!" Maeter said excitedly, pulling on Eureka's skirt and pointing in his direction.
"I see him, Maeter dear," replied Eureka with a smile. "Let's go!"
The kids held on tightly to their adopted mother as she allowed her huge board to gang extra momentum and ride the waves harder as they now headed straight to Renton's location.
By the time they caught up to him, Renton still hadn't notice them. He was in his glory as he rode with the winds. It wasn't until his family rode up next to him and called out his name that he snapped out of his trance.
"Renton!" Eureka and Maurice both called out, while Maeter and Linck yelled out "Papa!"
Renton turned to his right and took off his glasses to get a good look. Seeing his family ref boarding right next to him gave him a surprised, but joyful response.
"Hey Eureka! Hey Kids! What you guys doing up so early?" he asked with a warm smile, while keeping his speed in sync with theirs.
"You woke up Mama when you left, Papa," explained Linck.
"Yeah, and she asked us if we wanted to go ref boarding," Maeter continued.
"And we've been following you," Maurice concluded.
"Oh I see," Renton chuckled. "Did you guys see me sky dive?"
"Sure did, Renton. And you nearly gave me a heart attack when you almost hit the ground!" explained Eureka, nearly laughing the last line.
Renton could only blush in response, and rub the back of his head, embarrassed. "Sorry about that. Didn't mean to worry you guys."
"It's ok, dear. I was actually quite impressed."
"Me too!" said Maeter.
"Yeah, you were awesome, Papa!" said an excited Linck.
"Hey Renton, can we lift with you?" Maurice asked.
"Sure thing!" Renton answered. "Get your boards out."
The kids let go of Eureka, but kept their footing under the foot handles as they went to un-tied their boards. The three boards they processed where small beginners boards for children. Maurice's board was a lot like Renton's, only tan colored. Maeter's was of course sky blue with pink lining, and Linck's board was yellow and blue on top with a black underside. Once they were ready, the kids got to the right side of Eureka's board, and one by one jumped off and got on theirs. Three additional trapar waves appear beneath as they took flight. All five boarders were now flying side by side.
"Ready kids?" Eureka called out to his kids.
All three replied "Ready!"
"Then let's go!!" yelled Renton as he took off, full speed, with Eureka and kids following close behind.
The family of ref boarders was now blasting through the clouds at a high altitude, racing together at high speeds. Renton led his clan through many openings in the clouds, which made a perfect obstacle course of twists and turns. As he looked back, he could see his family having the time of their lives. The happy looks on their faces told him that. Just seeing them having a great time put a smile on his face. He was also very proud of the kids. In the year since returning home, the lessons he and his wife gave the kids really paid off. The three had become experts with the basics, and even managed to learn a few moves. Maurice even learned how to perform the famous cutback drop-turn, making him the youngest in history to master it.
The five flew together single file for a while as Renton led them through the cloud openings. Afterwards, they reached clear skies, and got into a "V" formation, with Renton leading center, Eureka and Maeter to his right, and Maurice and Linck on his left. After a few minutes, Renton spots an eruption of trapar blasting out from a trench nearby. Eureka spotted it as well, and two looked at each other for a moment before getting the same idea, grinning at the thought. Renton moved up next to Eureka's board and hopped on, grabbing his own board and strapping it down on the harness in the back. Once his feet were hooked and he had his arms around her waist as he held on behind her, Renton called in his kids.
"Come on, guys! Get on!"
"OK!" the three children replied.
One by one, the children returned to the huge board, got on and placed their small boards in the back. Once the boards were secured and they were once again holding on to their mom, they were ready to go. They set course directly for the trench. It was a few minutes later that they reached the trench's opening. The blast of trapar had already dissipated. They could only wait for the next one, which wasn't for very long.
Looking downwards just five minutes later, the five ref boarders could make out activity deep down in the trench. At first, they could only hear the deep sound of trapar rising, much like a volcano before eruption. Moments later, they saw a green glow appear down below. Finally, they saw the trapar gushing its way up towards them. The Thrustons got ready, holding on tightly. Eureka opened up and extend her large coralian wings.
"Ready guys?" Eureka asked.
"Ready here, honey," replied Renton.
"Ready, Mama!" said Linck.
"OK, here we go!" Eureka shouted.
Once the trench erupted, the family became engulfed in trapar. Bathed in the green glowing practices, Eureka unleashed her power, and with both her wings and board catching wave after wave, the family took off, blasting into the atmosphere at insane speeds. The wind blasted at their faces as they rocketed upwards at a 60 degree angle. Traveling at 20 feet per second, their expressions became one of pure excitement and great joy, like a family on a roller coaster ride. The blowing winds added more to their adrenaline. And like Renton did earlier, Eureka disengaged once they reach the 10,000 ft mark, and went into a freefall.
Beginning their sky drive, the family pulled on the ref board together to begin a few back-flips. Once they were upside down, Renton and the kids grabbed their boards and let go of the foot handles, and started freefalling away from Eureka, immediately getting on the boards moments later. The five then started a series of sky diving stunts as they fell together. Renton and Maurice practiced a few cutback drop-turns together, while Maeter and Linck simply did a few cart wheels. Eureka on the other hand had started doing a cork-screw dive, spinning wildly as she gang momentum. Unlike Renton, she did hers with grace and elegance, much like a ballerina. It was a truly beautiful display to anyone who was watching her.
At one point during their dive, Maurice manage to take out a pocket camera he brought with him and take several pictures of his family performing. Not only has he taken ref board lessons from his parents, but had also taken up photography as a hoppy. He of course had Stoner as a mentor, and just within a few months had already mastered a few tricks of the trade. But just like his ref boarding, he still had a long way to go.
The family continued showing off for a long 10 minutes. Afterwards, the five kids came up to one another and form a circle, holding on to each other by hand. They were laughing and giggling among themselves as they fell. Renton and Eureka managed to give each other a kiss on the lips. They stayed together in the circle for a good 2 minutes before Renton gave them the signal.
"Alight kids, let's break!"
Everyone followed his word and broke away from each other. They then took off together back to Bellforest. The town's airport tower was the only structure in view at the moment. It would be another 20 minutes before the town came into view.
On the outskirts of the town, a group of people were waiting for Renton, Eureka, and the kids to arrive home. Already they spotted the five small streaks of trapar coming in from the east. They knew it was them. One of the people waiting was an old man in his 70's, wearing a white button-up shirt and dress pants, along with pair of eye glasses. He was Renton's grandfather, Axel Thruston. With him was a young couple with a fat, white pet badger. The young man was about 22 years old, although he still looked no older than 16. He had jet-black hair, and wore a white U.F.R. military issued uniform. With him was a young girl with long pink hair and lavender eyes, with a red line going through them. Even though she was now 18, she too looked younger – no more than 15. She wore a white and orange dress with sandals. The fat badger stood next to her, cuddling her right leg. They were Dominic Sorel, his new wife Anemone, and their pet Gulliver. They were once the late Dewey Novak's ex-subordinate and LFO pilot, and were now the newest members of Gekkostate.
Once they were in visual range, Maeter pointed toward the people waiting for them on the ground. Once the five noticed them, they made their way in for landing.
"Here they come," said Dominic as Renton and his family made their final approach. He and Anemone wave out to greet them as they arrived. "Renton!"
"Eureka, hey!" Anemone called out to them.
"Dominic!" called out Renton as he landed a few feet away.
"Anemone!" Eureka happily called as she landed next. Her kids soon followed.
"Grandpa!" the kids shouted.
Once the young Thruston family had safely landed, the kids ran up and hugged their great-grandfather, while Renton helped Eureka carry the large ref board as they walked up to greet their friends.
"Guys, what are you doing here?" Renton asked as he laid down the board for a moment to shake Dominic's hand.
"Well for one thing, my boy, I wanted to see the kids ref boarding myself," Axel joked as he hugged his great-grandchildren. "Seriously, Renton, I was at the shop when Dominic and Anemone here showed up. They were asking for you, and since I knew you no dough went lifting, I decided to bring them here, since you would head back in this direction all the time."
"We're here because Admiral Jurgens has called in Gekkostate for a meeting at the town's state military base." Dominic explained.
"So we just came to pick you guys up," Anemone added in as she hugged Eureka.
"What's going on?" Eureka ask. "Is it the Rebels?"
"They're not saying, only to bring you guys over to the base."
"They're not even saying what for?" Renton asked, a bit concern.
"Afraid not," said Dominic. "They called in for us to bring you guys in right away. We have a hummer over here with room for your ref boards, and we're ready to go whenever you are."
"Well then, we're with ya. Just lead the way."
"Is it alright for the kids to come?" Eureka asked.
"Yeah! Can we?" Linck begged with a smile.
"Sure! You kids are welcomed to join us," Anemone responded with a warm smile, as she pick up Gulliver to carry him back to the hummer.
"Mind if I tag along as well?" Axel asked.
"Of course," Dominic answered. "Shall we?"
"Let's go then," Renton said.
Dominic helps Renton carry the big ref board over to the large hummer and places it in the back trunk along with the other boards, while Axel, Anemone, and the kids got in the back seats, and Eureka in the center front passenger seat. Once the boards were packed away, Renton got in the left passenger seat, while Dominic took the wheel. He soon started the vehicle, and then they were off to town and on to the base.
Located downtown in the shopping district of Bellforest was a row of two-story buildings, all of which were stores with upstairs apartments. One such building was a duplex with two stores inner-connected, making it one big store. On one side was a sporting goods store, which dealt with selling ref boards, gear for mountain biking, river rafting, bungee jumping, and even skiing. The one on the other side was a music store that sold CDs, and even old cassettes and records. Many of the categories included alternative rock, heavy metal, jazz, techno, classic, and much more. In the back of both stores were the stairs that lead up to the two upstairs apartments, along with rooms for storage.
What makes this duplex and its two stores stand out from the rest on the block was that they were owned by two couples who were members of Gekkostate. The owners of the sports shop were Jessica "Gidget" Jennings, and her boyfriend James Darren "Moondoggie" Emerson, and the owners of the music store were Matthieu Conner and his fiancée Hilda Collins. When most of the crew of the Gekko had moved into Bellforest a year earlier, Matthieu, Hilda, Moondoggie, and Gidget had decided to open up their own businesses, with their love for music and sports in mind. Once they found the duplex, they saw that they didn't have to have separate stores. After setting up shop, their businesses took off, and they've been doing great since. The income they make on a weekly bases was more than enough to satisfied their needs.
Today, the four of them were resupplying the shelves and rackets with new CDs and sports gear, but they weren't alone. With them were two old friends of Moondoggie's. One was a young man no older than 20, with dark brown hair, dark eyes, wearing a white and tan jacket with a white strap belt, and brown jeans. The other was a young woman, also 20. She had yellow eyes, red hair in a pony tail, wearing black sports tank top, dark-red jeans, and had a pair of green ear phones hanging on her neck. They were Sumner Sturgeon and his girlfriend Ruri Solead, the pilots of the Terminus Series typeR505 Kai and the Azure Flestnia. They too were also Gekkostate's newest members. The two came to the store to help Moondoggie, Gidget, Matthieu, and Hilda out with the resupplying. Sumner was helping out with placing some speed bikes up on the racks, while Ruri was helping out Matthieu with placing the CDs in their proper category.
"Well, that takes care of the rest of the rafting supplies," said Moondoggie as he emerged from the back of the store after putting some supplies away. "You done over there, Sumner?"
"Sure am, James," Sumner replied as he finished putting the bike on the rack. "All the bikes are up. Anything else we need?"
"I don't think so." Moondoggie heads over to the register, where his girlfriend was just putting the cash in. "Hey Gidget, is there anything else?"
"Nope, we're all ready on our end," Gidget answered as she finished up with the register. "How about you, Ruri? You and Matthieu finished with the CDs yet?"
"Almost," Ruri called back to her. "Just let us place a few more on the rack here and we'll be all set."
A few moments later, Ruri and Matthieu finish stacking the CDs.
"And that's the last of em," Matthieu said at last.
"We're all done, guys?" Hilda asked as she put a box away beneath the register desk on their side.
"We sure are, honey. The new CDs and gear are up on the shelves and racks. The cash are in both registers. We're ready for another business day."
"Well, then it looks like we got some time left to spare," Hilda explained as she looked at the clock. They've all been prepping the stores since 6 am. It was now 8:30, with only 30 minutes until they opened. "How about we have a few cokes and chill for a while?"
Matthieu of course jumped at the chance. "Sure! I can go for a drink."
"Me too!" cheered Gidget.
"Same here!" Ruri followed.
With that, Hilda walked into the back storage room and came back moments later with a six-pack of coke-a-cola in hand. They each took a can and just hang back and talk a bit until it was time for work. The in-store speakers quietly played "Believe" by The Bravery as they talked about times past and how business has been going for them. After about 25 minutes the group soon received company as two people in uniform arrived at the front doors. One was a chubby yet handsome young man with grey hair and glasses, and the other was a young, short-haired blonde woman. They were U.F.R. officers Hooky Zueff and Gillian Hamilton. Once they heard them knocking on the glass doors, Ruri wasted no time once she saw who they were. She quickly let them in.
"Hooky! Gillian! Hi there!" Ruri said cheerfully as she greeted her friends with hugs and kisses. "How have you guys been?"
"We're doing great, Ruri, it's good to see you," Hooky replied. He proceeds to shake Sumner's hand. "Hey Sumner, wa's up?"
"Doing fine, Hooky," said Sumner, "You remember Moondoggie, don't you?"
"Of course, it's good to see you too, James."
"Thanks, Hook," replied Moondoggie as he greeted him. He then introduces them to his co-workers. "This is my girlfriend, Jessica Jennings, and this is Matthieu Conner and his fiancée Hilda Collins."
Being gentlemen, Hooky shakes hands and then gives Gidget a kiss on hers. "A pleasure to meet you, Jessica."
Gidget giggled while replying, "Please called me 'Gidget.'"
"'Gidget'? That's a nice nickname."
"Thank you."
"Sumner and Ruri here told us all about you guys," Matthieu explained. "So what brings you here to our two little shops?"
"You guys were just in the neighborhood, and decided to drop by?" asked Moondoggie.
"Actually no, we're here on orders from Admiral Jurgens," Gillian explained. "We've been asked to escort the six of you over to the military base."
"What for?" asked Hilda.
"He didn't say, only that all members of Gekkostate are to attend. We ourselves just wanted to escort you personally."
"Well, we're just about to open the store," said Sumner. "Can this wait til after hours?"
"No can do, bro," said Hooky. "He's making it priority one. He requested you be there right away."
Facing the situation, the six members of Gekkostate quickly came to a decision. After all, there's no harm in taking a day off from work.
"Well then, just give us a few minutes to close shop here and we'll leave together," said Hilda.
"Sure thing."
The six wasted no time in closing up the stores, putting the cash from the registers away, turning off the in-store speakers, and putting away anything else they left out. They took no more than five minutes to close up shop. Once they put the "Close" signs up and locked the front doors, the six were ready to go.
"Ready whenever you guys are," said Matthieu.
"Alright then, let's go," Gillian replied.
There was a U.F.A. issued military hummer waiting for them on the corner street. Once they all got in, Hooky took the wheel and soon they were off to the air force base. All eight of them were wondering exactly why Admiral Jurgens was calling Gekkostate in for. They knew though they would find out eventually. Once they made a right turn at the end of the street, they headed down the road toward the military base that was only three miles down the road.
In a neighborhood that was situated on a mountain side overlooking the military base and the town nearby, the morning sun shined brightly through the trees that provided some cool shade in the quite suburb. Children were playing in the backyards or in the streets, while their mothers quietly started their day indoors, making breakfast or starting chores. An old couple was relaxing on their porch nearby, admiring the quite view. A few dogs barked in the distance as they either barked toward one another or were simply trying to scare away the mailman.
Heading down one of the neighborhood streets in another military issued hummer were three members of Gekkostate. They were the Gekko's 2nd in Command, Photographer, and Weapons Officer, respectively - Oliver "Hap" Andrews, Ernesto "Stoner" Che, and Kenichi "Ken-Goh" Gohuzuma, also known as "Maestro." Hap was at the wheel, with Stoner in the front left passenger seat, while Ken-Goh rode in the back. They soon arrived at their destination – a large one-story ranch-styled house. It was the home of their leader, Holland Novak, his wife, Yuki Talho, and their baby, Charles. Once the hummer got up the driveway, Hap put the vehicle in park in front of the garage. As the three got out and made their way to the front porch, they took a moment to look around at the beautiful neighborhood.
"You know, no matter how many times we visit, I still can't believe Holland and Talho live in a place like this," said Stoner, admiring the beauty.
"Tell me about it," Hap answered back. "I wouldn't mind living here, but I prefer my apartment back in town."
"So why not simply move out here then?" Ken-Goh couldn't help but ask. "We're all making a good sum of money now. Why not make the decision and finally move out here?"
"Because I'm just not use to a quite community like this, Ken-Goh. I like the town. There's always something going on. Besides, I rather wait until I decide to settle down with a wife and kid of my own first. Well, we better go and see if their awake yet. Come on, guys."
Hap gave a knock once they were at the door.
Inside, Holland and Talho were still asleep. It was past nine in the morning, and they preferred to sleep in on a Saturday. Once the knock was heard, their baby began to pout a bit from his crib in the other room, enough to wake them up from their quite slumber. Talho heard the knock again once she woke.
"Hmm, Holland," said a sleepy Talho as she turn her body to face her husband, "someone's at the door, dear." Holland grouted a bit as he stir under the sheets. Talho gave him a slight nuch on the shoulder as she tried to wake him up. "Come on, you big oaf."
After another nuch, Holland woke up. "Ugh, alright, alright! I'm up. I'm up."
Hearing the knocking on the door, as well as the door bell starting to ring, Holland got out of bed, and quickly got on some underwear and a robe, while Talho got on some panties and a silk robe. After all, the two were sleeping in the nude. While Talho went into their baby's room to calm down Charles, Holland proceeded out of their master bedroom, down the hallway, and to the front door in the living room.
"Alright, I'm coming!" He shouted lightly at whoever was at the door. "Keep you pantyhose on!" He then makes to the door and opens. "Yeah?"
"Hey, leader! Long time no see," greeted Stoner with a smile.
"Hap, Stoner, Maestro. It's nine o' clock in the morning, on a Saturday. Unless this is important, can I go back to sleep?"
"Actually, it is important, Holland," Hap started to explain. "Jurgens is calling a meeting for all members of Gekkostate over at the base."
"So why didn't he just call us?"
"Well, he kinda figured we travel up here to pick you up, just to give you enough time to sleep a bit more. Guess we came too early."
"Yeah, well-"
"Holland, who is it?" asked Talho as she arrived at the door, carrying her baby. "Oh, Hap! Stoner, Ken-Goh! What are you guys doing here?"
"They came to pick us up. Michael's calling a meeting over at the base."
"Oh really? What for?"
"That's the thing, he won't say," Ken-Goh answered. "He only asked us to pick you guys up and head there. Dominic and Anemone have already gone to pick up Renton and Eureka. And two old friends of Sumner and Ruri's are picking them up plus Doggie, Gidget, Hilda, and Matthieu from their store. The others are already waiting for us at the base."
Holland and Talho thought it through for a moment. What could be so important that all of Gekkostate has to be present on the base? Whatever the reason, they knew that if it was indeed important, they should go.
"Well, if it really is that important, just let us get ready," answered Holland.
"Would you guys care to come in for a minute for some coffee?" Talho asked.
"Love to," Hap replied with a smile.
With that, the three men were welcomed in. Once they were in the kitchen, Talho asked Hap to hold on her baby while she prepared the coffee. The boys took a seat over at the dining table, while Hap held Charles on his lap. Holland, in the meantime, went back into the bedroom to get dressed.
"So how have you guys been?" Talho asked as she poured the coffee into a few cups a few minutes later and passing them to her friends.
"Just the usual," Hap started as he got his cup from Talho. "Doing a few odd jobs on the side while working on a few projects back at the base."
"I see. How about you, Stoner? How's the photo studio?"
"Doing great, actually," Stoner replied. "The next issue of rayout should be out by the end of the month. I just need a working title."
"Do you want me to pose for you for the cover? I could even throw in something 'kinky' for ya." Talho of course giggled after saying that last line.
Answering with a small laugh, "No need to. I already have a cover ready. It'll feature Dominic and Anemone with their new ref boards." He proceeds to drinking his coffee.
"Well it's about time those two got on one of our covers. Ken-Goh, how about you?"
"I'm just keeping the Gekko's systems all in check," Ken-Goh said as he took a sip from his cup. "I don't really plan on opening a business like the others. I rather keep working with the military until I can retire."
Holland soon came into the kitchen fully dressed and got himself a cup of coffee. "Better get dressed, honey."
"OK," Talho replies. She then picks up her baby boy. "Come on, baby. Time to get dressed. We got a big day ahead of us." She then takes Charles with her to their bedroom, while Holland sat at the table with the others.
"So Jurgens didn't say why he's calling us in?"
"No Holland, afraid not," Hap answered.
"Do you think it could be about the Rebels?"
"I don't think so," Ken-Goh pointed out. "The Rebels may have caused a lot of chaos in the past year, but they still don't pose much of a threat in my opinion."
Ken-Goh did have a point there. The Rebels' may have been troublesome, but their numbers were small compared to the U.F.R. forces.
The National Rebel Alliance was formed by those who still believed in Dewey's cause. They consisted of a small fleet of renegade airships and KFLs divided up into small groups scattered throughout the globe. They also had small outposts hidden in forests, mountains, and even abandon mines and factories where they could plan out their objectives. They even had their own military HQ, but it's location has yet to be uncovered. Since their formation after the Second Summer of Love, the Rebels have been responsible for many terrorist attacks, included bombings in cities such as Warsaw and Bester, and even attempted assassinations on Vodarac Head Priest Tiptory, the current Fleet Admiral of the U.F.R., and even the newly appointed Sage Council who supported Gekkostate.
Luckily thought, the total number of people who were in the Rebel Alliance was only about 100,000 men and women. Compared to the millions of personal in the Republic's military, they were just a small band of thugs and bullies. And despite the damage they've caused and the people they've hurt and killed, the Republic had managed to keep their forces at bay, shooting down their mecha, arresting those involved in the attacks, and even raiding a few of their outposts once they've been found. Their last known terrorist attempt was a month ago in a town called Riverton, and the U.F.R. managed to stop them before they could carry out their plans. So at the moment, things have been quiet since.
"Well whatever the reason, I'm sure we'll find out," Stoner said after thinking it over.
A few minutes later, Talho returned, fully dressed in her causal white and blue uniform, along with baby Charles in a cute red and white shirt, jeans, and shoes. She also had with her a strap-on bag filled with baby-supplies.
"Well, we're all set and ready to go, right Charles?" Talho said playfully as she cradled her baby in her arms.
"Taking the kid with you?"
"Of course! I'm not leaving him behind. Besides, the babysitter we had was caught smoking pot and making out with her boyfriend the last time she was here, so I had to fire her ass."
"Ouch," replied Hap to that remark.
"Quickly, everyone, let's get going," Holland said as he quickly took a last sip at his coffee before putting it in the sink.
The others finished their coffee and headed out the door, with Talho quickly putting her baby in a baby chair to carry with her. Once the house was locked up, the five members of Gekkostate (six, if Charles counted) got in the hummer and headed out to the base. While Hap was back behind the wheel, Holland sat next to him in the front center seat, with Ken-Goh sitting next to him on the left. Stoner and Talho in the back seats, while Charles was in his baby seat next to them. As they started their trek, Talho and Stoner played with Charles to keep him busy, while the others discussed their situation further. They knew it couldn't be the Rebels. Whatever the reason, it must be something big.
The Bellforest State Military and Air Force Base was situated about half a mile northeast from the town and airport tower. The establishment mainly consisted of a huge main runway with a main building complex and a few cargo and airship hangers. The main building complex itself had a control tower for monitoring air traffic, along with two additional hanger bays. It was also served as the base's housing, training, range, operations, medical, and dining facility. The base also had an underground establishment, which consisted of a few sub-levels with laboratories and testing facilities, used primarily for experimentation and analysis and testing of new military technology.
Housed in one of the complex's two main hangers was a large airship, that looked primarily like a huge bird, consisting of a large body, neck, and head. The main body at the end was where the cargo, engine room, and hanger bay was. The body had two large main rocket boosters with top and bottom tail fins, two large laser cannons mounted on the bottom, and a large forward mounted wing span, with four trapar exhausting VRF ports on each wing. The underside of the body and neck had a long ramp entrance that lead up to the ship's hanger bay. The neck of the ship was also where living quarters were. The bottom side of the head was where the bridge and lounge was located. The ship's colors were white with a lime-green underside. This was the ship used by Gekkostate; the Gekko-Go, also known as the "Moonlight."
Working on one of the landing wheels of the Gekko was the ship's engineer, Geoff "Jobs" Stevenson, and radar specialist Willy "Woz" Wozoski. The two were just tuning a few of the gear's bolts, and were just finishing up when the ship's medical officer, Dr. Angela Mischa Egan, came down the ramp to check on their progress. But before she could ask them if the tune up was done, her attention turned to the three military hummers that are now approaching the base. She knew right away it had to be Holland and the others.
Once the three vehicles arrived, the three groups got out and greeted one another. Some of them haven't seen each other for months. The men mostly greeted each other with handshakes while the ladies gave each other hugs and kisses. The kids on the other hand gave hugs to everyone who arrived. Many of the girls even gooed over little baby Charles. After all, he was the cutest little guy on the base. The last time they saw him he was little bit smaller. He had grown since then. After the three groups said their hellos, Mischa called all them over from the open hanger.
"Hey everyone! Over here!" She called out to them with a wave.
"Mischa!" shouted the kids as they ran over to her and gave her a group hug.
Holland and the others headed up to greet her as well. At the same time, Jobs and Woz had finished their work on the landing gear and walked up to greet them as well.
"Hey there, Mischa, how you doing?" greeted Holland with a hug.
"I've been great, Holland," Mischa replied back, "it's good to see you again." She then gave Talho a hug. "You too, Talho."
"Thanks, Mischa, I missed you too." Talho said with a warm smile.
"And how's little Charles doing, huh?"
"Oh, he's fine, aren't ya, baby?"
Charles could only replies with "goos" and "gaas," but it was enough to tell he was in a joyful mood. The others could only giggle and laugh a little at his reply.
"It's great to have you here again, leader," Woz said.
"Thanks, Woz, you too," Holland replied.
"Mr. Renton, Ms. Eureka, you both are looking well," Jobs complemented.
"Thanks Jobs, you look well yourself," Renton said as they shook hands, followed by Eureka giving Jobs a hug.
"Axel, it's an honor to see you again as well."
"Thank you, Geoff," Axel replied with a handshake, "I see you guys are keeping the ship in top shape."
"Yeah, we just got finished working on the land gear," Woz explained to him. "The ship's all set and ready to go."
"That's great to hear."
"So does anyone here know why the Admiral called us in for?" asked Sumner.
"Afraid not," said Jobs. "He hasn't said a word about it. Just that he'll tell us once the rest of you got here."
"And now that you have, we can get down to business," called a voice off to the right at the far end of the hanger.
Everyone turned to where the voice came from. Approaching from the door of the main building was Admiral Michael Jurgens. With him was his wife, Commander Maria Schneider, and their five adopted children, the Ex-Ageha Squad; Alice, Jermain, Harsh, Arnette, and Marianna. As the admiral and his family approached, Dominic, Anemone, Hooky, and Gillian saluted them. The admiral saluted back and told them to stand at ease.
"As you were, lieutenants," he replied. And the three stood at ease.
"Michael, it's been a while," said Holland as he came up to him and the two shook hands. "How've you been?"
"Been keeping busy, Holland, but besides that, I'm fine, and so is my family here."
"I see. So do you mind explaining why you guys called us all here for?"
"Actually, I didn't. I just provided the escorts."
"Then who then?"
"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Jurgens motioned his head behind him.
Waiting at the door way was none other than Dr. Bear.
"Hey guys!" he replied.
"Bear!" the kids called as they ran up to him to give him a hug.
"Hey kids! I missed you. Look at you. You guys have gotten a bit bigger, I can tell."
"Really?" asked Linck.
"Yeap." Holland, Jurgens, and the others soon came up to see him. "Holland, Tahlo. It's good to see you again."
"Thanks, Doc," said Holland, as the two shook hands.
Bar then gave Talho and her baby a hug. "Talho you're looking quite well, and this must be little Charles, I've heard so much about him. He looks so handsome."
"Thank you, Doctor," she replied with a smile. "Hear that, Charles? You're a handsome boy. Yes you are!" Her baby giggled.
Bear then turns to the young Mr. and Mrs. Thruston. "Renton, Eureka! You guys look great. Eureka, you're looking lovelier than ever."
"Why thank you, Dr. Bear," replied Eureka with a charming smile and a hug.
Dr. Bear turned his attention to his ex-wife. "Hey there, my little kuma-chan. I missed you."
"Thanks, dear," Mischa replied as she hugged her ex-husband, "But what are you doing back so soon? I thought you were still at the cluster's grave site and wouldn't be back for like another month or so."
"Well, something came up, and it's the reason why I called you guys over."
"So what's this all about, Doc?" asked Matthieu.
"Yeah, why did you call us all here?" asked Anemone.
"Well, everyone," Bear started, "we found something…Something unbelievable."
"Like what? Extraterrestrials other than the Scub Coral?" Ruri joked. The others - especially Sumner, Moondoggie, Gidget, Anemone, Dominic, and the kids – shared a small laugh.
"…No. Something else. You all got to see it for yourselves. Come on! I'll meet you all in the conference room. I'll explain everything then. I'll be back in a few minutes. I got to get a few of my notes."
With that, Bear went back inside to get a few things set up.
"What do you suppose this is all about guys?" Moondoggie asked.
"Well, I don't know," said Holland. "But it's time we found out. Shall we, Michael?"
"Of course," said Jurgens, "let's go, everyone. Please follow me."
Holland, Jurgens, and the others all head into the facility and head down the hallway to the conference room. At least now they could all finally get answers as to why he called them all there in the first place.
The main conference room was round-shaped with a dome roof. In the center of the room was a large ring table with chairs all around. There were some drinking glasses on the table - one for each person - and a few pinchers filled with water. There was also a table off to the side of the room with a coffee machine and some cups. At the end of the room was a main view screen for presentations.
Holland, Jurgens, and the others all came in and took their seats around the table. From Holland's right side to Jurgen's left sat Talho and Charles, Hap, Ken-Goh, Renton, Eureka, Maurice, Maeter, Linck, Axel, Mischa, Gidget, Moondoggie, Sumner, Ruri, Matthieu, Hilda, Jobs, Woz, Stoner, Gillian, Hooky, Anemone, Dominic, and the Jurgens family. They all waited patiently for a few minutes for Dr. Bear to arrive. While they waited, a few of them had gotten themselves a glass of water. A few more were still pondering why Dr. Bear called them all over for. What is it that he found that it is so important for them to be present? Whatever the reason, at least they would now find out once the good doctor came in.
After waiting for at least 10 minutes, Dr. Bear finally arrived, making his way from the double-door entrance to the his seat at the back end of the conference room, located in front of the view screen. Once he took his seat between where Holland and Jurgens were seated, He started his briefing.
"First of all, I just want to say once more how great it is to see you all again," Dr. Bear started as he got his papers in order, "it's been a long time since we've last seen each other. I also like to say how glad I am that all of you could make it here on such short notice. What I'm about to disclose with all of you is the reason I called you all here."
He turns everyone's attention to the view screen as he pressed a few buttons on the table's computer consol and brought up an image of a map of the Control Cluster's grave site, along with the surrounding area within a five mile radius. On the screen, it showed one area encircled in red – the five small islands.
"Several days ago, one of our KLF squadrons picked up a strange reading coming from a small group of islands about three miles southeast of the grave site. At first, the signal they got was very weak, and therefore was disregarded as a sensor ghost. However, just three days later, the KLF squadron picked up the exact same readings over the same area, but on a much stronger frequency. However, the signal only lasted a few minutes, but long enough to be documented. I asked the squadron to stay in the area in case the signal came up again. Once it did just a few days later, Dr. Sonia Wakabayashi and I gathered a team to head over to the location, which was on the smallest of the five islands located here."
The view screen then showed the D-shaped island where Dr. Bear made his discovery.
"Once we were on the island, we set up a base and search teams to scan the island for the source of the readings. Whatever was giving off the strange signal was also emitting small, but harmless gamma and radiation readings, as well as a small magnetic pulse. However the readings were so erratic that neither sonar nor radar could pick up the exact location clear enough. It was as if the readings were bouncing off each other. However all that changed once we began moving toward the center of the island. Once we did, we discovered that the readings were indeed coming from the exact center of the island, deep underground."
"So did you guys dig it up?" asked Moondoggie.
"Actually no… it dug itself out."
That last sentence gave everyone in the room a puzzled look.
"'Dug itself out'?" said a confused Gidget.
"What do you mean?" asked Talho.
"Well," Bear continued, "I can't exactly describe what exactly happened. It be best if you just watch this to see for yourselves." He then switches over to a static screen with a number countdown – the start of a film. "This is a video recording, from one of our KLFs present on site, of the incident that occurred moments later."
The film started. It showed everything that happened on the island, from the start of the ground shaking, to the rising "sand bubble," followed by the explosion, and then the strange sphere of floating debris with the hidden light source hovering above the sink hole, leading to the debris falling down into the hole and filling it up, and the strange pulsing light hovering down to the ground. All the while, Jurgens, Holland, and the others were all staring in disbelief at what was happening on screen, completely taken back by what was going on.
"My god!" said an astounded Jobs.
"Cool!" said an excited Linck and Maeter.
"What the hell is that?" asked Stoner.
"Yeah, and what's causing that strange pulsing light?" asked Eureka.
"The source of the readings," said Bear, "which was also the cause of what you just witnessed on the recording, was this."
The screen then turns to a video display of the black emerald they found earlier, on display in its glass carrying case, hovering a half inch from the surface, rotating counter-clockwise.
"What is it?" asked Gidget. "And why is it hovering like that?"
"It looks…like an emerald," said Axel.
"That's exactly what it is," Bear explained. "It's a brilliant-cut emerald."
"No way, it can't be," Hilda concurred. "Emeralds are green in color. That gem is black. There's no way that could be an emerald."
"I'm afraid it is." As Dr. Bear talked, a sub-screen appeared off to the bottom of the emerald showing all data collected so far. "From the scan we took, the chemical makeup is exactly the same as a normal emerald: it's made up of the same amount of Beryllium, Aluminium, Silicate, and Chromium found on the periodic table. It also has the exact same mineral hardness between 7.5 and 8.0 on the Mohs Scale. The exact same basic elements. It is indeed an emerald. However why it is not green, or why it hovers like that, we don't know. But it isn't entirely black in color. If you look closely, you tell that it has a more purplish-violet color, especially when there's a light source present."
Dr. Bear was right. As they looked at the screen more closely, they all could clearly see that the transparent emerald did indeed have a more purplish color, since the video display was coming from a lit room. The emerald gave off a violet hue as it shined and sparkled in the light. So it wasn't completely black, it was actually a very, very dark-purple colored emerald which only made look more like a black color. The doctor continued on with his findings.
"That's not all. Even though it is made up of the same elements and chemical properties, we discovered it was also made of a second material we cannot identify." The view screen showed a readout of the emerald down to its basics. It displayed the materials it was made up of, with the unidentified material mark in read. "Whatever this material is, it doesn't correspond to anything on the periodic table. It all comes back 'unknown.'"
"So so far, you couldn't make out what the unknown material is?" Jurgens deducted.
"That is correct, admiral. But take a look at this." Bear displays on screen several different infrared readouts of the emerald, including ultraviolet, night vision, black light, etc. "Even though the emerald was cold to the touch, the readouts here are showing that it has a heat source." The next visual display shows a strange pulse surrounding the emerald in another form of infrared. "This is a readout used to display electromagnetic fields. As you can see, this emerald seems to have one as well, and a very unusual one at that."
"What do you mean, dear?" asked his ex-wife Mischa.
"The gem's magnetic field seems have the power to manipulate objects. Watch this next video and you'll see what I mean."
The next video shows a demonstration of one scientist throwing a ball over the emerald by just a few inches. What happens next takes everyone by surprise: An eerie blue pulse of light erupts from the emerald, making a low humming sound. At that moment, the ball froze in mid flight, just hovering there as if there was no gravity in the room. All the while the emerald itself glowed brightly with an inner blue glow. After a few moments, the anomaly ceased, and the ball went flying – back toward the scientist who threw the ball. The scientist catches it safely. The whole phenomena was like the emerald had a mind of its own, and was simply playing a game of catch.
All of Gekkostate and the Jurgens, including Gulliver, had expressions of complete disbelief. Some had wide eyes and open mouths, looking in awe, while Matthieu in particular had a jaw-drop look like he had just witness the dead rise from the grave. Even the Ex-Ageha Squad had looks of disbelief on their young faces.
"…Unbelievable!" said an astounded Jermain, the j-roll dark-blond boy of the Ageha Squad.
"…Holy shit," Ruri managed to curse out loud, while still trying to get over what she just saw.
"…What… in the world?" Hap managed to say.
"How did it do that?" asked Axel, with a surprised look.
"I honestly don't know," said Dr. Bear. "It's like it has a mind of its own. This is just a guess, but we think the emerald has the ability to manipulate its own environment, including gravity, by using its own magnetic field. This would explain why it has one to begin with. But we believe it was caused by something else. A strange power this emerald possess."
"And that would explain what happened on the island," added Dominic.
"Incredible," said Harsh, the young African-American female of the Ageha Squad.
"I don't get it, though," said Renton. "What does this have to do with any of us, Dr. Bear?"
"I was getting to that, Renton," Bear answered. "Originally, if a discovery like this were made, the item in question would be taken directly to Tresor for further analysis and study. After all, the facilities here don't have everything we need, so we can only do so much here."
"So why didn't you do that?" asked Maeter, out of curiosity. "Why didn't you go to Tresor?"
"The answer is simple, Maeter: because of the National Rebel Alliance."
"He's correct," explained Alice, the messy short haired sandy blond of the Ageha Squad. She knew right away what Bear was getting at.
"What do you mean, Ms. Alice?" Jobs asked politely.
"The Rebels have been known to ambush and raid several transports that have return from the Earth below, mostly to take whatever they believe to contain value, but these cases rarely occur."
"But enough to stir concern," Hooky concluded.
At that point, Holland, Talho, Hap, and Ken-Goh knew right away why they were brought on base.
"Wait a minute, Doc," Hap interrupted. "Is this the reason why you called us here? Are you offering us a job?"
Silence filled the room for a moment before Bear replied. "Yes, Hap. That's exactly why you're here." He allowed his answer to set in with everyone before continuing. "I want you, Gekkostate, to be my armed escort while we transport the black emerald directly to Tresor for further study and analysis. Now before you say anything, you have the choice to reject my request. I could always ask the admiral here for one of his own ships to escort us there. But the reason why I'm asking for you guys is due to your past experience. Since you've accepted tougher missions in the past, I figured this would be easy for you to handle."
"So let me guess," Holland replied, "you want us to protect your ship that's carrying the emerald from any Rebels we may encounter while we head to Tresor?"
"Actually, it's the other way around: we want you guys to carry the emerald, while you escort one of our airships that will be transporting an empty cargo container as a decoy. The Rebels will never expect it until it's too late, and hopefully, we'll be at Tresor by that time. In addition, Dr. Sonia and I will be joining you on the Gekko to further monitor and study the emerald while we're in flight."
"So this will be like a smuggling job," said Hilda.
"Exactly."
"I don't know," said Stoner, "after seeing what that emerald can do, how do we not know it won't cause the Gekko any malfunctions?"
"Not to worry. The emerald will be housed in a transparent aluminum casing. It shouldn't be able to cause us any trouble what so ever. What do you say, Holland? Are you and your crew up to taking a request from an old friend? What do you say?"
Holland, Talho, Hap, and Ken-Goh gather together to think it over. The mission seemed easy enough. Besides, as Hilda said this would be just like some of the old smuggling jobs they use to take during their war with the U.F.F. Plus the Gekko was more than capable of handling itself in battle. I mean, they did take on all of Dewey's forces, which was worse than anything the Rebels can dish out now. So the job should be a piece of cake. After talking it over in private for a few moments, they turn to the others.
"Well, doc, let us take a vote," said Holland, who turns to face the face of his people. "Guys, it's up to all of you. Do we take this mission or not? Are you in or out?"
"The four us have already agreed, but want the rest of you to decide," said Talho.
"It's up to you," said Hap. "If none of you don't want to go through with this, than none of us will."
"Besides, the Rebels hopefully won't be any trouble," Ken-Goh reinsured. "But again, you never know, so therefore, it's up to you to decide."
"What do you guys say?" asked Holland.
"Well," Stoner started, "this weird emerald looks like the scoop of the decade, so if the good doctor can allow me to interview him about his findings, then count me in."
"And if the Rebels do show up and cause any casualties, you'll need a good doctor," said Mischa with a wink. "So you got my vote."
"If it's alright with you, Holland, I like to join you," said Axel. "After all, if things get bumpy out there, you might need a extra mechanic."
"Of course, Axel," said Talho. "You're more than welcome to join us."
"Thank you, Talho."
"You can count me in, leader," replied Woz.
"It would be an honor, Mr. Holland," Jobs replied.
"I'm in," said Matthieu, "What about you, honey?"
"Of course!" Hilda answered back happily.
"If you're going, leader, so are we," said Moondoggie.
"Yeah," added Gidget in agreement.
"What about you, Sumner?"
"Hell ya, bro, count me in," he replied with a high five to his friend.
"Same here," added Ruri.
"I don't know, guys, this could get dangerous," Dominic warned. "What if something goes wrong?"
"Come on, Dominic, lighten up," Anemone said, trying to cheer him up, "I'm going and so is Gulliver, right Gully-kun?" She pets her badger in a playful way.
After a moment, Dominic gave in with a sign, "Fine, I'm in."
"We are too, Mama!" Maeter and Linck replied.
"What about you, Renton?" Eureka asked her husband.
"Renton?" said Maurice.
Renton looked around the room at his family and friends for a moment, then to his lovely wife, smiling, "Well, I say why not? Count us all in, Holland."
"And if it's alright with you, Dr. Bear," the admiral said, "my family and I will be following your convoy from a distance with the Super Izumo. I know Gekkostate can handle themselves, but with them carrying the actual cargo, I don't want to take chances. As Lt. Sorel said, something could go wrong."
"Admiral," said Hooky, "with your permission, Lt. Hamilton and I would wish to join you."
"Permission granted, Lt. Zueff."
"Thank you, sir."
With that, the decision was cast, and Holland turns to face Dr. Bear. "Well doc, looks like Gekkostate is back in business, and Jurgens will be joining us. We're in. When do we leave?"
Dr, Bear reply was with a smile, "We'll take off at 1400 hours. Dr. Sonia and I in the meantime will prep everything we need. We'll meet you all on board the Gekko in a few hours." He shakes hands with Holland, then the admiral. "Thank you again, both of you. See you all in a little while."
With that said and done Dr. Bear gathers his notes and leaves the room, while Holland addresses his crew.
"Alright people, you heard the man, we got a new mission in store for us. That means we got work to do. I want the Gekko's systems checked and re-checked for lift off, and see to it that all the LFOs are battle ready. Make sure to pack any supplies we need for the trip."
"The Gekko will launch with the main convoy at 1400 hours," Jurgens added, "followed by the Super Izumo at 1410. Let's get to work. Dismissed!"
Both Gekkostate and the others stood up and replied in salute, "Sir, yes, sir!"
Everyone left the conference room and prep for launch. Today, Gekkostate was back in business.
After the briefing, both parties got to work in prepping their ships for launch. Gekkostate got to work on prepping the Gekko, while Jurgen's group worked on the Super Izumo in the next hanger bay. Jobs, Woz, and Axel worked on checking the ship's engines and VRF units, to see if they were in working order, while Ken-Goh, Hap, and Holland did weapons checks on the main laser cannons. Moondoggie and Gidget were also on the bridge, doing system checks on the navigation and communications. Hilda and Matthieu, along with Sumner and Ruri, got to work on prepping and tuning up their LFOs in the ship's main hanger. The remaining crew handled getting the supplies in order.
After working for about an hour and a half on loading the supplies on board, Renton, Eureka, Anemone and Dominic decided to take a break. They joined the kids who were playing near the left hanger door with Gulliver. As they took a moment to relax, the two couples talked about how life has been treating them.
For Renton and Eureka, life at Garage Thruston was great. Both Renton and his Grandpa, along with a working staff consisting of some old friends from school, worked on repairing many kinds of vehicles, including automobiles, bikes, ref boards, and even KLFs and LFOs. Eureka, along with a staff of her own, worked in the office, where she took phone calls and filed orders. Not only did the workshop take in orders from the public, but they also had a signed contract with the U.F.R.'s military in case they needed their assistance in repairs, and the money they made there was always enough to satisfy their needs, and then some.
Dominic and Anemone on the other hand worked on the base. While Anemone mostly handle training new KLF recruits due to her experience with the Nirvash TypeTheEND, Dominic worked in the intelligence department, gathering information on Rebel activity as well as directing operations and mission details. Anemone also got the injection slot in her neck removed, so she no longer needed to take any further medications if she were to ever pilot an LFO again.
As the four continued to talk, Anemone and Eureka notice two lifting trucks transporting two archetypes up to the Gekko that caught their attention. The two young ladies got up and walked over to the two lifting trucks that were now at a stop over at the base of the ship's loading ramp. Renton and Dominic joined them, with the kids tagging behind them. The seven, including Gulliver, came up to the trucks and got a good look at the new Archetypes. Both were similar in design to the old archetype skeleton of the Nirvash TypeZero, only one was a whitish-sliver with green highlights, and the other was black with red highlights.
The seven – especially Eureka and Anemone - couldn't help but stare at the two alien machines. There was something about them that seemed familiar. Renton and Dominic got the same feeling. The kids on the other hand were just admiring them just as they would anything else they thought was cool. As they continued to stare, they didn't notice Jurgens coming up behind them.
"Beautiful archetypes are they?" he asked, startling them from their trance as they turn to him.
"Yes they are, admiral," said Renton. "Are they new?"
"That they are, Renton. These two archetypes were recently excavated on Earth just yesterday. Since they too are going to Tresor, Dr. Bear requested they be shipped on board the Gekko along with the emerald."
"So we'll be transporting both the emerald and these two archetypes, sir?" asked Dominic.
"That is correct, Lt. Sorel."
Eureka and Anemone both turned to the two giant alien skeletons for a moment in thought.
"Something's strange about these two," thought Anemone. "It's like I know them from some place, but where?"
"These two young ones," thought Eureka, "they feel almost like-"
"Aren't they cool, Mama?" asked Maeter, forcing her mom and Anemone out of thought.
"Yes they are, Maeter-dear," Eureka replied with a warm smile.
"What kind of LFO do you think they'll become, Renton?" asked Maurice.
"I don't know, Maurice," his adopted father replied. "Maybe we'll find out once we arrive at Tresor, OK?"
The black emerald was safely stored away, suspended in the air by its mysterious powers, in its transparent aluminum casing as it is taken up the ramp of the Gekko and taken to a small room next to the sick bay, which will serve as a small lab. Once secured in the lab, Dr. Bear and his assistance Dr. Sonia checked the casing to make sure it was locked and everything in place. Holland, Hap, Ken-Goh, Mischa, and Talho with Charles all came into the lab to see the emerald for themselves. For a moment they were fixated on the emerald as it rotated counter-clockwise in midair, and sparkling in the lighting of the room. How it was doing that was beyond them.
"Nice of you guys to drop in," asked Sonia. "What do you all think of our little discovery?"
"Amazing, doc," was all Holland could say.
"What do you plan to do with it once we reach Tresor?" asked Talho.
"We're going to study it, take samples, and find out as much as possible about it," explained Sonia. "Hopefully with the advance equipment we have there, we can determine what really makes this thing tick."
"Do you think this emerald's power can be used as a strategic advance against any further Rebel activity?" asked Ken-Goh. "Maybe even stop their terrorism once and for all?"
"I seriously do not think this thing should be used as a weapon, Maestro," Bear stated, "This thing is obviously too powerful to be used that way."
"So what do you think the Republic will do with this thing then, doc?" asked Hap.
"I have no clue, Hap. But I sure can't wait to study it further. I wonder what kind of secrets this little gem is keeping locked up inside."
"I'm sure you'll find out soon enough, dear," said Mischa as she patted his shoulder.
"I know, honey. I will."
"Well, we better get back to work," said Holland. "See you later, doc. Let us know if you need anything."
Holland and his group left to leave the two doctors do their work. But as Talho walked out, she turned for a moment to gaze at the emerald once more. There was something about it. Something very strange. Whatever it was, she couldn't help but feel that something was going to happen very soon. But after deciding it was just her getting all worked up, she quickly dropped the subject and followed her husband back to the bridge, carrying her baby boy in her arms.
Dr. Bear kneeled down to eye level with the black emerald, as he stared deep into it, "What are you? Where did you come from? What are your secrets, my little friend?"
Author's Notes: Wow! This chapter took forever! About 28 pages worth, but believe me, there will be more where that came from. For the opening of the chapter, I decided on an intro for Renton ref boarding just like Jim Hawkings' intro in Treasure Planet. The song "Un-Gavitify" by Cashell was the inspiration for the whole sequence.
I also borrow from LTSWC the idea of Matthieu, Hilda, Moondoggie, and Gidget owning their own stores, but in my version, they're sharing a shop together.
Also for the names of the Ageha Squad, I borrowed the names Jedi Master Yoda is using, but the differences are as follows: Alice is the messy-hair sandy-blonde girl; Jermain is the j-roll blonde male; Harsh is the african female; Artnette is the j-roll brown haired boy; and Marianna is the brown-hair female. Just thought I clear that up.
Next Chapter: Gekkostate is on their way escorting the black emerald to Tresor. But as they predicted, the Rebels ambush them, resulting in a deadly air battle. And just when things look grim, the unexpected happens...