-1Chapter 16- the first encounter
"Hey Renton, are we sure about this? I mean, us going back to the Gekko?"
"I don't know Eureka. If we don't, what will happen to everyone else?"
"I wish I knew that answer Renton. I just hate the thought of us leaving our new home."
"So so I dear, but we have to finish this once and for all. At least this time you can take it easier on yourself, and Talho said we can come back here anytime we want."
"That's true. At least they agreed to that. They can't deny us staying here at our new home."
"No they can't, and as far along as you are getting with our child, I don't want you taking any unnecessary risks."
"I won't Renton don't worry. I'll take it easy this time I promise."
"That's good. Are we all packed then?"
"Yes we are dear. I'll go check on the kids to see if they are ready."
"Ok Eureka. See you in a few minutes."
"Alright. We'll go to bed afterwards. We'll have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."
"Sounds like a plan to me." Renton replied. Eureka then left their room to check on the kids.
"Momma, I don't want to share a room with the boys anymore! I like having my own room." said Maeter.
"Well how about we ask Talho if you can have your fathers old room on the ship?
"Can we momma?"
"Sure Maeter why not? I'm sure they won't mind."
"Cool! Thanks Momma!" yelled Maeter as she gave her mom a hug.
"Anytime dear. Now finish getting ready and get into bed alright?"
"Ok." Maeter replied cheerfully.
"Boys, are you two ready to go?" asked Eureka as she walked into their room.
"Yeah we are." Maurice replied.
"Good. Get into bed then. We'll see you in the morning."
"Ok Momma!" they replied. Eureka then walked back down the hall and into her and Renton's room.
"They're all set Renton. We're good to go."
"That's good." Renton replied as she crawled into bed next to him. "Are we all set to do this then?"
"Yeah I think so. I just hope this all ends before the baby comes."
"If this war isn't over by that time oh well. I'll make sure we're out of it and here at home before that time comes."
"You will Renton?"
"Of course Eureka. You know that you and the kids come first before anything."
"I know we do. I'm just worried that's all."
"That's fine. I'm worried too believe me. But I'll protect all of you, I promise."
"I know you will Renton. Thank you for being so wonderful to us."
"I wouldn't be a husband if I wasn't Eureka. Now lets get some sleep ourselves. I'm sure the crew will have a large welcome for us when we return to the ship."
"Yeah perhaps they will. Goodnight Renton."
"Goodnight Eureka. See you in the morning." Eureka then laid her head and left hand on Renton as the two fell into a deep peaceful sleep.
The next morning, Talho, Holland, and Stephen arrived at Renton and Eureka's, hearing no sound at all inside.
"Are they even awake in there?" asked Holland as they walked towards the home.
"I'm not sure. Doesn't sound like it. I wonder if the door is open?" Carefully Talho turned the doorknob and the door slowly creaked open. "Shall we?"
"I don't know Talho. They may get mad at us if we just walk in on them."
"Nah, they'll be fine if we wake them up right." said Talho as they quietly walked in.
"What do you mean?"
"You'll see." Talho replied as they looked into Renton and Eureka's room. "Aren't they cute sleeping together?"
"Yeah they are happy together." said Holland with a smile. "Now how do you plan on waking them up?"
"Come with me and you'll find out." said Talho as they headed towards the kitchen.
"I think I already know where you're going with this Talho."
"Good. Lets get cooking then."
About thirty minutes later, the young couple finally began to stir as the smells of food filled the home.
"Hey Renton, who's cooking? It smells good in here." said Eureka groggily.
"I'm not sure. I don't think the kids can do anything. Let's go to the kitchen and find out." Slowly Renton and Eureka got up and went towards the kitchen. They were surprised at who they saw in the kitchen.
"Well good morning you sleepyheads!" said Talho with a giggle. "Breakfast is ready for you guys. I hope you don't mind."
"No we don't. How did you get in though?" asked Renton.
"You left your door unlocked." Holland replied.
"Oh, ok." said Renton laughing.
"I'll go wake the kids up dear."
"Ok Eureka."
"Hold on, I'll go with you." said Talho as she followed her.
"So Renton, are you guys ready to come back then?" asked Holland as they sat down at the table.
"Not really, but we know what we have to do. That's why we're coming back. To finish this thing once and for all."
"I'm glad you did. I know it's not what you wanted for your family, but I want to thank you for putting up with us."
"Anytime Holland. Just don't get used to it." Renton replied with a chuckle. Right at that moment, Eureka, Talho, and the kids walked into the dining room.
"Hey kids."
"Hi Papa!" they all replied.
"Breakfast is ready, so dig in you guys."
"Hey Holland, I just approved another request for Eureka." said Talho.
"What did you do this time?"
"Gave Maeter her own room since she's getting older."
"Where? We don't have any other rooms left."
"Renton's old room."
"But we turned that back into a storage room."
"Well, now we can un-clutter it. It's time she had her own room anyways."
"Well, I guess that's fine. We have plenty of other storage on the ship anyways."
"Yay! Thank you Holland!" yelled Maeter as she hugged him.
"Sure Maeter. I guess it's just too hard to say no to that cute little face of yours."
"Yeah it is." said Talho as the ate. "It's hard to when they're that young."
"I know. Anyways, is everyone all packed and ready to go?"
"Yeah we are Holland. All we have to do is get dressed, cleaned up, and loaded up." Renton replied.
"That's good Renton. I'm sorry we had to do it like this though."
"Don't worry about it Holland. The main thing is that we're getting along again."
"Yeah that's true. Are we all done eating then?"
"Yes it looks that way." Eureka replied. "You all done kids?"
"Yes momma."
"Ok why don't all of you go get cleaned up and ready to go. Me and Holland will clean up around here since we made the mess."
"Ok thanks Talho. Come on children, let's get ready to go."
"Ok momma!" they replied as they followed Eureka and Renton to the back of the house.
"Well, at least they're coming home with us." said Talho as her and Holland were cleaning up after breakfast.
"I don't think they're too happy about it though from the way Renton sounds, but he did say that they know what they have to do."
"I'm glad they do. I'm just glad to have our kids back with us."
"So am I Talho. So am I."
One hour later after they all made sure the house was clean, power and water were off, and all locked up, they loaded up the Nirvash and headed back towards the Gekko.
"Hey Holland, how long do we have before we find the Gekko?" asked Renton over the radio.
"Not long at all Renton. They have actually been circling the area since me and Talho arrived in Bellforest looking for you guys. They've just been out of sight."
"They've been here the entire time!?"
"Yes they have Renton. Sorry we didn't tell you earlier."
"It's alright Holland. I expect things like this out of you anyways."
"Yeah, that's true. Anyways, there's the Gekko up ahead, a little to your left."
"Roger that."
"606 and Nirvash are heading towards the ship!!" said Gidget happily.
"They actually got them to come home." said Ken-goh. "Gidget, open the landing ramp."
"Roger!"
"Doggie, maintain your speed and adjust your course to match theirs."
"Roger that."
"Gidget, alert the others that our young family is coming home. Have everyone meet them in the Hangar."
"Right!" Gidget replied. She then alerted the crew what was going on over the ships P.A system.
"Oh my god I'm so excited to see them!" said Anemone as they waited in the hangar for them to land. "I wonder how much Eureka is showing from the baby?"
"She should be showing pretty well by now. She is almost halfway through her pregnancy you know." said Hilda.
"Hey there they are now!" yelled Matthieu. As the crew looked on, the 606 and Nirvash got closer and closer to the ship. Within a few minutes, they were both landed and secured onto the ship.
"Sis!" yelled Anemone as Eureka slowly climbed down off the Nirvash.
"Hi Anemone." Eureka replied happily.
"Hold on Eureka. Let me help you down." said Dominic.
"Thank you Dominic."
"Anytime Eureka." he replied as he helped her down.
"It's good to see you guys again." said Hilda. "Where have you been all this time?"
"At home in Bellforest."
"Where? Holland said you weren't at Axel's at all.
"We were at our place."
"Huh?" Hilda replied as she and the rest of the crew gave them a confused look.
"Me and Renton own our own home now."
"What!!" the crew yelled.
"It's true guys. We now own a cabin in the woods outside of Bellforest. The city just signed it over to us." Renton replied.
"Does that mean you're moving out?" asked Matthieu.
"No not at all." said Renton laughing. "We'll just be staying there occasionally when we ever feel the need to."
"Holland allowed that?"
"Only because Talho made him do it." said Maeter. Everyone on the crew started laughing after she made the comment.
"Ok guys that's enough." said Holland. "I can make decisions around here you know."
"Not without me you can't." said Talho with a laugh.
"Anyways, it's good to have you guys back home with us. It's been depressing around here after you all left us." said Gidget.
"Yeah, sorry about that. But we had to do what we though was best for our family." Renton replied.
"And that's just fine." said Talho as she put a hand on Renton's shoulder. "Now lets go get you guys settled back in ok?"
"Ok."
"I want the rest of you to meet me in the meeting room in fifteen minutes. We have a few quick things that we need to go over."
"Roger!" they all replied.
"Alright kids, let's go get you unpacked."
Fifteen minutes later as planned, everyone had gathered in the meeting room to find out what Talho wanted.
"Ok everyone, listen up. This meeting is in regards to our current situation. I know Renton and Eureka are back with us, but from this point on they won't be fighting with us that much anymore. So we're going go have to pick up the slack a little bit around here."
"Hey that's not fair!" said Matthieu.
"So why aren't they going to fight that much anymore?" asked Hilda.
"Because of two reasons. One is because it was a request from them. The second is because of recommendations from Mischa due to Eureka's pregnancy and how far along she is. So me and Holland made it an order for them to not fight that much unless we need them to. Mischa doesn't want Eureka pushing her limits."
"Well what will they be doing then when they are not able to fight?"
"They'll be helping a lot more to help take care of the ship and all the duties that go along with it."
"That sounds acceptable I guess. I wouldn't want to be out there fighting either if I was pregnant."
"Now what about their home situation? Why did you say that they could go to their new home anytime they wanted?" asked Hap.
"Well, we really can't stop them from going Hap. I don't think it'll be much of a problem though since they'll be taking it easier on the ship."
"Yeah, I guess that's true."
"Anyways, all they requested for otherwise was more family time and a new room for Maeter. Hilda, Gidget, Anemone, we'll all take care of that."
"Where are we going to put her?" asked Anemone.
"In Renton's old room. We'll get to work on it today and hopefully have it finished by tomorrow."
"Sounds like fun!"
"It should be. Anyways that's it for now. If anything else comes up we'll let all of you know later. Dismissed."
A little while later after the meeting, the four women were hard at work working on Maeter's new room.
"Well, we got it cleaned out, now what do we do?"
"We go down in storage, pull out a twin bed for her, add a little paint here and there in her favorite colors, add a small dresser and we should be all set."
"Sounds like a plan to me. Will we be done tomorrow then?"
"We should be with no problem. Good job everyone. See all of you back here tomorrow." said Talho. As the women left and went in their own directions, a sudden explosion rocked the ship, knocking them off their feet.
"Are we under attack again?" yelled Hilda.
"Looks that way!" Talho replied. "You and Anemone get to your LFO's! I'll get Dominic, Holland, and Matthieu on their way!"
"Roger that!" they replied. As Talho got up and ran to the bridge, she almost immediately bumped into Renton.
"Talho, what's going on?"
"We're under attack Renton. Just keep Eureka and the kids safe."
"Alright I will, I promise."
"Good. Get to your room and stay there. We'll let you know when it's safe."
"Roger that." he replied. Renton then ran down the hall to look for his wife and kids.
"606 launching now!" yelled Matthieu.
"808 your next!"
"Roger that! Taking off now!" and she jetted off the catapult.
"909 heading out!" and he launched off the ship.
"Venturion launching now!!" yelled Anemone and they took off from the ship.
"All of you guys be careful out there!"
"Don't worry Talho we will!" Holland replied. "Alright team, let's see who we're dealing with."
"Roger that!"
"Eureka, are you and the kids ok?" asked Renton. He had found them sitting in their room cuddled up close on the bed.
"Yes we're fine Renton. How about you?"
"I'm ok Eureka." he replied as he sat down next to his family.
"Aren't we going to go out and help them?"
"Only if we have to dear. Hopefully they can handle themselves out there."
"Holland, who are these guys? I've never seen them before!" said Matthieu in the 606.
"I don't know. I've never seen these LFO's before!"
"I have." Anemone replied in the Venturion. "They're similar to LFO's that I've worked with before."
"What do you mean?"
"I think… it's the Ageha squad."
"Alright. Everyone engage now! Let's see what those brats are capable of."
"Right!" they all replied.
"So those guys think they can take one the Ageha squad? They should be nothing to us, even with their new LFO. Let's show them what real pilots can do!"
"Roger that!" the others replied.
"909, watch out for their main weapon! They are able to unite all their energy and shoot it off in one large powerful shot if we let them!"
"Roger that Venturion! Thanks for the warning! Let's take them out while we have the chance!" Just as the group was about to launch their own attack against the new enemies, the Ageha squad reacted first by taking out the ref board on the 808.
"Hilda!!" yelled Matthieu as he dived after her in the 606.
"808" has been taken out and the 606 is recovering! 909 and the Venturion are having a hard time keeping up with the rest of them!" yelled Gidget.
"Talho, three of the rebel units are heading in our direction!" yelled Woz.
"Doggie, evasive maneuvers!"
"Roger that!" he replied.
"Ken-Goh, arm the missiles and lasers!"
"They're armed and ready!"
"Alright, fire at will with everything we got!"
"Roger! Firing lasers and missiles now!" After he said that, a barrage of missile and laser fire left the Gekko, hitting one of the rebel units before it could react.
"Recover our damaged unit. I'm going after the GekkoState!" said the head unit.
"Roger that!" the second LFO replied.
"The other two try to follow me! We're going to show them who's boss around here!"
"Nirvash heading out!" yelled Renton over the radio.
"Renton, you guys get out of there! We've got it handled here!" yelled Talho.
"No you don't. So let us help! Launching now!" and they launched off the catapult.
"Dammit! Venturion, keep them covered!"
"Gekko, Roger that!" yelled Dominic.
"Venturion, this is the Nirvash! How about we team up and do this together!"
"Alright let's do it!" Anemone replied. With that said, Renton and Eureka pulled up and activated the Amita drive, causing that ever familiar green light and a seventh swell effect that surrounded both the Nirvash and Venturion.
"What is this? A seventh swell with two LFO's?! That's impossible!" yelled the leader of the Ageha squad.
"How can this happen? Leader we must retreat!"
"Roger that! Everyone leave now!"
"Right!" they all replied but they were too late. The Nirvash and Venturion had rushed in before they could scatter and attacked, taking out all their weapons and boards, also avoiding killing them since Renton and Eureka hated to kill unless absolutely necessary. Unfortunately it wasn't before the Gekko and the other LFO units took some damage.
"Good job everyone. Thanks for the support Nirvash."
"Roger that 909. Anytime."
"Alright, everyone get back to the ship. Let's try to get any damage we incurred assessed."
"Roger that." everyone replied as they all started flying back to the ship. As they flew along, Eureka quietly said "Hey, Renton?"
"Yes Eureka?"
"I….. don't feel so well." Right after she said that, she passed out.
"Eureka! Crap!" Renton then went into jet plane mode and took off at full speed towards the Gekko.
When Renton got landed and secured, Talho was the first one to meet him in the hangar since he never answered the radio.
"Renton, what's wrong?" she asked when he opened the canopy.
"It's Eureka! She passed out on the way back to the ship!"
"What?! Let's get her out of there and up to Mischa right away!"
"Right!"
Fifteen minutes later, Holland ran into Renton and Talho who were standing in front of Mischa's office.
"So what's going on?" he asked.
"Eureka passed out in the Nirvash on the way back to the ship. Mischa is looking at her right now." Talho replied.
"I see. How are you holding up Renton?"
"As well as can be expected I guess until we hear something from Mischa."
"I understand how you feel. Why don't you go to your room and get some rest. We'll send Mischa down your way when we hear something ok?"
"Alright. Thank you Holland." Renton then walked down the hall towards their room.
"Come on Talho, let's do the same in our room. It's been a long day and we could use it."
"Alright Holland, that sounds fine." He then took his wife's hand and they went to their room for the afternoon.
Later on in the evening, Mischa went down to Renton and Eureka's room after telling Holland and Talho of the situation. When she got there, Renton was laying on the bed watching TV.
"Renton?"
"Oh hey Mischa. How is she doing?"
"She's fine Renton. She just strained herself too hard. She's awake now and will be with you shortly."
"That's good. Want me to come help her?"
"I've got it dear." said Eureka from in behind Mischa.
"Eureka, I didn't clear you to leave yet."
"I'm sorry Mischa, but I wanted to be by Renton's side."
Mischa let out a heavy sigh and said "Well, that's fine. But I want you on bed rest for the next few days."
"Ok Mischa, thank you."
"Alright then. I'll be checking in on you from time to time. So make sure you keep an eye on her Renton."
"I will. Thanks Mischa."
"Ok I'll see you later then. Get some rest now." Mischa then turned and left the room.
"Eureka, are you ok?" asked Renton as she crawled into bed.
"Yes I'm fine. I'm just tired that's all."
"Ok, see you in the morning then. I love you."
"I love you too Renton." she replied softly. They then gave each other a small, gentle kiss and Eureka then fell into a nice peaceful sleep.
The next morning, the entire crew minus Renton, Eureka, and the kids, were in the meeting room going over yesterdays battle and damage reports.
"So how are we damage wise?" asked Holland.
"VRF's one and four on the left and number three on the right are damaged. We also lost a little bit of reflection film during the battle." said Hap.
"How about the 808?"
"Luckily it was only my board they took out. The LFO unit itself is just fine." said Hilda.
"Is the board repairable?"
"No it's not." Axel replied. "It was shattered into too many pieces in order for me to repair it. We'll have to have a new one made."
"I see. Mischa, how is Eureka doing?"
"Well, she seems to be doing well so far. Physically and mentally she's fine, but I think the strain of battle and the use of the Amita drive are too much for her and the baby to handle."
"Are you saying we should ground her and the Nirvash?" asked Talho.
"No I'm not at the moment. I have her on bed rest right now. If they do happen to go out again, we'll have to monitor them a lot more closely."
"Alright, we'll do that then. Anemone, do you think this is the last time we'll see the Ageha squad?"
"No I don't. They have Dewey's determination in them. The next time we meet, they'll be fighting with vengeance in their eyes."
"Well, when we do meet again, we'll hopefully be ready for them next time. Holland, what should we do about repairs then?"
"Tresor is the only place we can go for the repairs we need. Hap, is it still in federation territory?"
"Yeah it is. The federation army has extended it's coverage area over there and pushed the rebel forces back. It's as safe as it's ever been before."
"Good. That means we don't have to hide ourselves over there like we did the last time. Doggie, set our course for Tresor. I want Gidget and Woz to keep an eye out for enemy communications and to watch radar. Talho, I want you, Hilda, and Anemone to go finish Maeter's room project. I want everyone else to go over the rest of the ship to make sure there isn't any further damage. I'm going to Eureka and Renton's room to check on Eureka with Mischa. I'll be joining you for inspection shortly after that. Everyone dismissed."
Shortly after the meeting, Holland and Mischa arrived at Renton and Eureka's room. When they walked in, they were laying next to each other on the bed watching cartoons with the kids while they sat on the floor next to them.
"Trying to rot your brain out Renton?" asked Holland with a laugh.
"No, just spending time with the kids."
"I figured that. How are you feeling Eureka?"
"Fine thank you. I'm still a little tired, but that's it so far."
"That's good dear. Can you sit up so I can check your temperature please?" said Mischa.
"Sure." Eureka replied as she slowly sat up. A couple of minutes later as Mischa also checked her pulse, Eureka's temperature came back normal.
"Well, everything looks good so far. Have you eaten yet?"
"Yes I have. Renton made me breakfast earlier."
"That's good. I'll be checking on you later on then. Stay in bed and take it easy."
"I will Mischa. Thank you."
"Anytime dear." Mischa replied as she left the room.
"Hey Renton, can I have you help with an inspection of the ship after the battle?"
"Sure. Kids, keep an eye on your mom ok? I'll be back in a little bit."
"Ok Papa!" they all replied.
"Hurry back Renton." said Eureka.
"I will dear don't worry." Renton then gave her a gentle kiss and walked out of the room with Holland.
"So you two really do believe in family don't you?" asked Holland.
"Yes we do. It's the best way to live in our opinion. To be around the ones you love is the best thing in the world."
"I guess so. Maybe that's a lesson I should start following."
"It wouldn't hurt Holland. To spend time with your family is more important than anything else you can think of. If you spend all your time just fighting this war, you will never know that feeling."
"Well well, point well taken. I guess my time with Talho and Stephen hasn't been much lately. Maybe spending more time with them would be nice for all of us."
"It'll make a big difference believe me. Anyways, I'll take the lower front of the ship, you can take the back half. I'll report if I find anything."
"Alright. See you in a bit." Holland replied. As Renton walked away, Holland thought to himself "Maybe they have something going on when it comes to being a family after all." He then turned the other way and began his inspection.
There it's done!!" exclaimed Talho. Her, Hilda, and Anemone had finally finished Maeter's new room. With a twin bed, a small dresser, and a few flowers painted on the walls, it was a perfect room for a girl.
"Anemone, go find Maeter and bring her down here." said Hilda.
"Alright!" said Anemone excitedly. Since she knew exactly where she was, Anemone headed right towards Renton and Eureka's room. When she got there, the door was open since Mischa was keeping an eye on Eureka.
"Hey Maeter, we got your room done. Want to go see it?"
"Sure! Do you want to come Momma?"
"I'm not sure Maeter. Mischa told me to stay here in bed."
"Oh come on Eureka! I don't think Mischa will mind you being up for a few minutes." said Anemone.
"Yeah. Come on Momma!"
"Ok, let's go see your room then. Anemone, could you stay by me in case I need your help?"
"Sure sis. Let's go." Anemone replied as she helped her sister up. A few minutes later, the group of three arrived at Maeter's new room.
"Wow Momma I love it!" yelled Maeter as she looked at her new room.
"It looks nice Talho. Thank you all for everything."
"Sure Eureka. With Maeter growing up, she needed it. So I'm glad we could help."
"It was a work of love Eureka. We were happy to do it." said Hilda.
"That's what we call family sis. We're here to help each other. You and Renton have show all of us that."
"Yeah, you guys have really shown us what it's like to be a family on this ship. And we wouldn't have it any other way." Talho replied. "Now let's get you back into bed before Mischa finds you up and about."
"Ok." Eureka replied. "Can someone get me some lunch afterwards?"
"I'm on it." said Hilda. "You just get her to her room Talho."
"You got it. Anemone, why don't you go help Hilda."
"Alright. Let's go Hilda."
"Ok." said Hilda with a laugh. "See you in a little bit Eureka."
"See you." Eureka replied. "Let's go mom. I'm starting to feel a little tired.
"Let's get you into bed then." said Talho. Talho then helped Eureka to her room and into bed, where Eureka instantly fell into a nice, comfortable sleep. Talho then went down to the kitchen and told Hilda and Anemone not to worry about Eureka's lunch since she had already fallen asleep, but to go ahead and make lunch for everyone else. And for the first time ever in her life, Eureka dreamed happy, peaceful dreams.