This…I was somehow possessed to continue with my story, and so I shall, since a ton of my actions seem to be based off my whims. Anyway, this chapter is shorter than the other ones, but probably is still readable. Read and hopefully enjoy.

The military headquarters in the capital city, Core, was not as seemingly advanced as the Cathigan outpost that Vivi had previously been held captive in only a few weeks before. For one thing, it was made from a type of stone similar to something called "limestone" on the home planet, Earth. The tall white building stood 9 stories high and took up more space than any other building. Two miles of land was reserved for the building and the training area around it. The base housed 8 divisions of the Human Army, with each containing 100-200 members; a wide range and few numbers, but with the human population around 20,000 on Dextrius, they were silently given some elbow room.

The eight divisions were classified as colors, and called "Zero Divisions" (no one knows whose brilliant idea that was). Some like to think it's because those divisions were the last standing defense against the Cathigans reducing the population to zero. The eight divisions on this planet were "Gold Zero", "Red Zero", "Blue Zero", "Grey Zero", "Violet Zero", "Yellow Zero", "Black Zero", and "Bronze Zero." Each division had its own floor as their dormitory they stayed in when they weren't on missions or on leave. Naturally, to prevent unwanted circumstances, the women's section were separated from the men's by a steel door, locked with a code only known to the women, changed every month. The very bottom floor of HQ was the briefing room, the kitchen, hospital, and so on so forth. That was what Vivi was taught in her many courses and tours throughout HQ. With her already laid out future of a translator and possible diplomat, it was important to know at least the basics of the people she would most likely be working with in the future. At least that was what she was told. It helped that Vivi often came to HQ when her father and/or her uncle had a meeting with the superiors there.

Vivi's hand was clutched tightly in her uncle's large one as they both followed her father, a tall, lean man to the briefing room to discuss things she wasn't allowed to know. Once again, like every other time, her father and uncle would enter the room, leaving her outside to stare as the doors shut. Once again, she would wait for someone to come and pick her up to do "activities" while she waited for them to finish. With nothing else to do, Vivi stood against the wall across from where a soldier stood guard outside the doors, looking down at her purple shoes, smoothing her violet dress and tugging down her equally colored, grandma knitted hat. Every time someone walked by, she would look up for her "companion" to smile and take her away. Despite her hopeful gaze, no one paid any heed to her, and she never saw anyone she recognized.

Vivi waited, and continued to wait, to the point where her legs were getting tired of just standing there. Disappointed by every person who came by her, she eventually just gazed at every person who past by until she saw a familiar figure. Excitement welled up inside, and as that person walked by, Vivi pushed herself from the wall and raced after her as a name escaped her lips. "Naomi!" Startled, she turned around.

"Vi…Miss Vivi! What are you doing here?" Vivi looked towards the double doors and the guard standing nearby.

"Papa has a meeting. Naomi, is Trinity okay? Is he dead? He's dead isn't he?" Naomi's stared, and then she started to laugh.

"Why don't you see for yourself? I'm going to see him right now." Vivi's face brightened, her eyes noticing flower in Naomi's right hand, the petals a wonderful bold, dark blue, and the middle, a bright yellow. Naomi glanced down at them and smiled softly. "These are Lullaby Flowers, Trinity's favorite. Did you know these are the only flowers that whistle? Whenever the wind blows over them, the middle part has these little holes that it passes through and whistles softly. Trinity's mother said he'd always fall asleep listening to them." Vivi's eyes grew wider as she heard the flower's story. They walked in silence before Vivi asked the question that is expected to be asked.

"How do you know Trinity's favorite flower?" Naomi waved in the air, as if shooing the question aside.

"I've known him since we were children, so I know little things like this." Naomi pulled out her ID card and slid it through the slot, opening the infirmary doors. As they entered, Vivi realized that she had never been inside this wing before; she only was allowed to look inside briefly. The beds were neatly lined up against the walls facing the middle, leaving a clear aisle in the center of the room. To the left of each bed was a small wooden cupboard for visitors to place their gifts or to hold the doctor's medicine for the patient. On the far left from the entrance was the operating room, guarded by two tall, white doors. Male and female nurses circled around the patients to care for those who needed their attention. Naomi grabbed Vivi's hand and led her to a bed next to the operation room entrance. Trinity grinned as they approached.

"Hey! You brought someone else along, huh, Naomi?" Trinity looked towards Vivi, eyes sparkling. "And it's Miss Vivi, too. You two have been doing well, then?" Naomi threw out the dead flowers in the white vase and replaced them with the Lullabies.

"Ask yourself that question. Still in bandages, I see." Trinity placed a hand on his chest where white bandages covered it and his midriff.

"The doctors are just over-reacting. These are only scratches." Naomi rolled her eyes.

"How embarrassing. If word got out that you fainted from a few scratches, you'd be the laughing stock of the year…again." Trinity chuckled in reply as Vivi watched the scene before her, repeating what Naomi said in her mind. Slowly, tears swelled in her eyes as a pang of guilt came over her. Both Trinity and Naomi stared, bewildered.

"I'm sorry…I…Everything that happened is my fault. I was taken away so you had to come rescue me and…you're here because…and your friends…I…" Vivi looked at her shoes as she started to cry a little. Naomi and Trinity glanced at each other expectantly, silently willing the other to say something. Naomi rustled her own hair a bit before desperately gathering words to say.

"It isn't your fault, Miss Vivi. Things happen like that in war…it's expected." Naomi looked at the young girl and saw that her words had wretchedly little affect. "Please, Miss Vivi, don't blame yourself. It's not healthy for someone as young as you."

"You two are not much older than she is. Take care of yourselves more." The lady doctor from the rescue mission stood behind Vivi and glared at Trinity through her glasses.

"That is not true," Naomi protested. We are a good twelve years older than she is! Isn't that right, Miss Vivi." Vivi wiped her eyes and shrugged slightly.

"I'm ten years old…in Earth time." Naomi nodded slightly.

"We are eight years older than she is." The doctor shook her head a bit and tapped her clipboard, looking down at Vivi.

"Miss Vivi, just what do you think you are doing here? Your guide for the day must be frantic." Naomi winked at Vivi and saluted the doctor mockingly.

"I take full responsibility for the frightened heart of her guide person, Section M. Chief, ma'am." The doctor looked hard at her.

"Stop saluting me. Now take her back and leave us in peace, meddler." Naomi smiled and held out her hand for Vivi to take. As they walked away, they heard the doctor and Trinity trading a few last words.

"Hey, Chief, when can leave the infirmary, or more preferably, the bed?"

"You will stay there in that bed until I say otherwise. I'm keeping you still as long as I can...that way you can't accidently kill yourself." Startled, Vivi looked up at Naomi with wide eyes. Naomi simply shrugged, still smiling.

"He's accident prone."

Apparently, when Vivi's guide didn't find her in front of the conference room doors, she went into a state of panic and interrupted the meeting Vivi's father and uncle were attending. So when Vivi and Naomi were visiting Trinity, many people were on a frantic search for the missing girl, and no one thought to look in the infirmary. Things were still in disarray when they returned. The poor guide was leaning against the wall, breathing from her inhaler. Apparently she had asthma, and it got worse when she panicked. The Captain Commander started to scold Naomi for "kidnapping" the Senator's daughter while Vivi's uncle was explaining ways to alert someone of their location. Some of them Naomi overheard, and the ones she did she was certain could not be applied inside an occupied building. When things finally started to settle down, Senator Kelchane, who was simply standing back and watching the events that amused him greatly, announced he was heading home, since they were done discussing logical topics and merely rambling on about useless subjects. Vivi's hand was engulfed by her uncle's huge one, and as they followed her father out the door, Vivi looked back once and saw Naomi saluting the Captain Commander and walking away. Vivi turned back, feeling slightly disappointed that she couldn't stay here longer with Trinity and Naomi.

"Uncle?" Her uncle didn't look down at her as he replied.

"Hm?"

"Why do people have to call me 'Miss Vivi' all the time?" She wasn't completely ignorant. Vivi did notice that both Naomi and Trinity had referred to her as "miss".

"Why, because you're important! You are the daughter of a man from the Ten Seats, and everyone must treat you with the utmost respect. It was upsetting that some lowly soldier had led you down a path of foolishness, taking you away from your guide. Promise me you will not be so irresponsible again. You are going to be an imperative key to our survival in the future, so you must not concern yourself with low ranked soldiers." Vivi looked down at the floor and didn't reply. She remembered learning about the Ten Seats, and of their importance, but she still didn't understand why that importance is passed down to her. Still, if Uncle said it, could it have been true?

The Ten Seats of Government were literally ten people, titled as Senators, who are in charge of monitoring a certain section of the branches of government, including the military, making sure that things were kept under control. They basically run the system and are the backbone of the current society. They are changed every so often, but every person there has an experienced mind. Her father was one of those in charge of the military section. He reports on military progress to the Ten Seats, brings certain matters to the attention of the military commanders, and discusses strategies of the war effort. That's only a vague description of what he does. At least, that is what Vivi's tutor told her. When she was older, she would know more. Her future life depended on it. Vivi was sure her tutor, and adults in general for that matter could see the future, what with all the things they told her about her own.