-1Chapter 18- fight for love
"Hey Holland, how are we looking so far?" asked Talho.
"Not good. The rebel alliance is gaining strength. If we, or should is say the federation fleet, doesn't get moving soon, we'll be in a heap of trouble."
"But how is that happening?"
"They're aiming all their propaganda at people who still believe in exterminating all scab coral and all coralian life forms."
"That's going to make things dangerous for Eureka and Anemone."
"Yes Talho it will. How are they doing by the way?"
"Great so far. Anemone is happier than ever and so is Eureka. Our daughters are really happy with where they're at."
"Good to hear. How about the boys?"
"I think they're afraid that they are getting double teamed on by the girls. It's actually quite hilarious if you pay attention to them."
"What are they doing then?"
"Working on the LFO's and hiding from them." Holland just laughed and said "Now that's funny."
"I know isn't it? I feel sorry for them already."
"So do I now that you mention it."
"Anyways, what time is it?"
"About five I think. I wonder what we're having tonight?"
"I don't know. Depends on if someone is actually cooking or if we're fending for ourselves tonight."
"Well I for one are fending for myself. There's a nice apple pie in the fridge that's calling my name."
"Oh no you don't!! That's mine!"
"You wish!" she yelled back at him as he chased her down the hallway laughing.
"Hey Renton, why are we always down here working on the LFO's?" asked Dominic.
"For one, we need to because of the wear and tear they get from the battles, and two, you should know the other reason."
"Yeah Renton I do. Ever since Anemone got pregnant, her and Eureka have been inseperable. I can't even spend any time with her anymore. I just get ignored."
"So do I, so don't feel bad. They sure haven't been the same lately."
"No they haven't. And to tell you the truth, I miss that. I enjoyed my time alone with Anemone. It was great."
"Same here with Eureka. They only time I see her now is at bedtime, and we don't even talk then anymore."
"That's terrible. I hope things get better for us soon."
"You aren't kidding there Dominic." Renton replied as he continued the work he was doing on the 808.
"Anemone, Eureka, are you two still hanging out with each other?" asked Hilda.
"Yeah we are, why?" Anemone replied.
"Well, it just seems like you two are ignoring your husbands with all the time you two spend together that's all."
"I don't think we've ignored them at all, or have we?" asked Eureka.
"I don't know. When was the last time either of you talked to your husbands?" asked Hilda.
"I'm not sure. We've hardly talked at all in a couple of weeks. We don't even talk at bedtime anymore like we used to do."
"Come to think of it, neither do me or Dominic. I wonder why that is?"
"It's plain and simple Anemone. You two have completely ignored them with all the time you're spending together."
"Yeah I guess you're right Hilda. I'm going to go talk to Renton and straighten things out with him."
"And me with Dominic. I just can't believe we did this to them." Anemone replied. "Thanks for bringing it up Hilda. Where are they now?"
"In the hangar working on my 808."
"Alright, come on Eureka. We owe our husbands an apology."
A little bit later, the two women arrived at the hangar to see the men still working on the 808. Renton was working underneath it while Dominic was working up above.
"Hey guys." said Anemone.
"Hi ladies." Dominic replied.
"What, no hello Renton?"
"Oh, hi."
"Well, that was a friendly hello."
"Yeah, whatever." Renton replied as he continued working.
"Anyways, can we talk in private Dominic?"
"Sure dear. See you in a bit Renton."
"Ok Dominic." he replied as they left.
"Hey Renton, can we talk to?" asked Eureka.
"Not now. Maybe later. I have to get this work on the 808 done."
"Bud Dominic was able to leave. Why can't you?"
"I said later Eureka."
"But Renton."
"I said Later, ok?" Tears of sadness then filled Eureka's eye's as she ran out of the hangar.
Fifteen minutes later, Talho was walking past Rentons and Eurekas room after checking on Stephen. As she did, she thought she heard someone crying inside. Curious, she knocked on the door.
"GO AWAY!!" Eureka yelled.
"Eureka, are you ok?" asked Talho as she walked in.
"Oh, sorry Talho. Yes, I'm fine."
"No you're not dear. You've been crying. What's wrong?" Eureka's eyes then filled with tears again as she broke down and hugged her. Talho just sat there with her on their bed and held her for about another ten minutes as she calmed and reassured her letting her know that everything would be ok. When Eureka calmed down enough, Talho asked her again what was going on.
"It's Renton mom."
"What did he do?" Eureaka then explained to Talho the whole situation.
"You mean when you tried talking to him he didn't want to?"
"No he didn't. He just rudely and coldly turned me down. It was like the 808 was more important to him."
"Well that little jerk. You go and try to correct a mistake you made and he treats you like dirt. I'm going to show him a thing or two about treating a woman right."
"What are you going to do?"
"Don't worry about it. Just stay here and relax ok?"
"Alright. Thanks Talho."
"Anytime dear." Talho replied as she gave Eureka a gentle hug. She then walked out of the room and headed towards the hangar at a furious pace. When she got there she couldn't see him, but she could hear him working.
"Renton, where are you?"
"Under the 808. What do you want Talho?"
"To talk to you, you little jerk."
"Later. I'm busy alright." His reply infuriated Talho even more. She then grabbed his shirt collar and yanked him out from under the 808, nearly choking him in the process. "Geez Talho, what's your problem?"
"You are. Who do you think you are taking the 808 over your own wife?"
"Well I've got work to do. I told her we'd talk later." His response made Talho even madder yet.
SLAP!!!
"Hey, what was that for?"
"You idiot!! You picked work over her? She wanted to apologize for what she did to you and you just pretty much ignored her and turned her down. That's not like you."
"I'm sure she's fine Talho. Can I get back to work please?"
SLAP!!
"You jerk!! She's not ok! You sent her to your room crying! I found her in tears and had to calm her down. What do you think gives you the right to treat her like that?"
"I did? Wow, I didn't think I had gotten that bad. I guess I had better to talk to her."
"Yes you should. I am also ordering you to stay away from the hangar. Axel will do all the work from now on."
"But Talho….."
"No buts. Now go spend some time with your wife. She misses you."
A little bit later, Renton arrived at their room and found Eureka laying on the bed watching TV.
"Hi dear." said Renton.
"Renton, what happened to your face? It's all red."
"Talho knocked some sense into me. It's ok."
"Oh Renton, I'm so sorry. I didn't know she would do that to you."
"It's alright. I deserved it. Anyways, I want to apologize for being a jerk. It's not me or who I am. I'm sorry."
"And I'm sorry about ignoring you over the last couple of weeks. I should have known better than that."
"It's alright. I guess we both learned a lesson here, and that's not to treat each other badly or ignore each other. So, what's on TV?
"Nothing really. What's more important now is the time I spend with you."
"Yeah, you're right dear. It is." Renton replied. He then took his wife into his arms, layed down next to her, gave her a gentle kiss, and fell asleep next to her with a warm smile on his face.
Meanwhile back at Tresor, in a dimly lit dorm like room, Dr. Johansen, who was just a year older than Renton, was going over all the info she had acquired on him during her free time. Her obsession over him had quickly grown as she read about who he was, what he was like, and how loyal he was to his friends and family. When she read about how he went after Eureka several times in order to save her, Nadia's obsession grew even more.
"So you went after a mere coralian and saved her life. Then you went off and married her and now she is bearing your child. Well all that is going to change. I'm going to find you Renton. I'm going to save you from her and show you what it's like to be with a real woman. So don't you worry my dear Renton, we'll be together soon enough. Just you wait and see." The dimly lit light then turned off as she went to bed, plotting her plan as she slept.
The next morning, everyone was in the dining hall on the GekkoState enjoying a hearty breakfast. As time went on, everyone began to wonder where Renton and Eureka were at. The two had yet to come to breakfast, which was a rarity for them.
"I'll go check on them." said Holland as he stood up. When he got to their room, he noticed the young couple still sleeping together in their usual postion. Renton was on his back with Eureka's head resting on his shoulder, her left hand resting on his chest, and his left arm tightly wrapped around her. Holland just smiled at the scene. He then quietly left the room and called Stoner down.
"Hey leader, what's up?"
"Can you do something for me?"
"Sure. What do you need?"
"Follow me and I'll show you." He then took Stoner down to Renton and Eureka's room and opened the door. "Can you carefully and quietly take a couple of shots of them? I want one for me and Talho then I want you to give the other to them. I think it'll make a nice momento for them."
"Sure. It's a perfect shot. Them being so peaceful in a time of war. It's a wonderful thing. You just can't ask for anything better." Stoner then took the pictures of the two quietly as not to be heard. "I'll have them ready by this afternoon. I'll even frame them for you."
"Thanks Stoner. We'll catch you later then."
"You got it leader."
At the same time at Tresor, Morita and his crew were going over the new KLF prototypes for the federation army. They looked more like LFO's than anything. No longer were they big and blocky looking. They were now more streamlined, faster, and deadlier than ever. They also still carried the same black and blue color scheme.
"Jackson, how are the new prototypes coming along?" asked Morita.
"Fine sir. There are still some minor flaws and bugs we have to work out, but those should hopefully be corrected shortly. We should be ready for final testing sometime this afternoon."
"Sounds great. Go get the test pilots and let them know to get ready."
"Yes sir."
"Dr.Hansen, have you seen Nadia at all? She's one of the people who's supposed to be watching over the completion of these things."
"Sorry Morita but I haven't. It's kind of weird though."
"Why do you say that?"
"Well, she's been acting strange lately. Ever since the dance, I see her talking to herself and going over some sort of paperwork all the time. It's like she's obsessed over something."
"Hmmm, that is strange. When was the last time you saw her?"
"At dinnertime yesterday. She was eating by herself with some sort of glazed look in her eyes."
"Alright. Dr.Hansen, you're now in charge of watching over the completion of the KLF's. Sonia, me and you along with a couple of gaurds will check on Nadia and her room. Let's see what's going on with her."
About twenty minutes later, Morita, Sonia, and three gaurds arrived at Nadia's room. When they knocked on her door and she never answered, Morita used his master key card to make entrance into her room. As they searched around and investigated, they noticed a disturbing trend.
"Morita, everything she has here is about Renton! She's got personal info, pictures, facts, stats, and just about everything else you need about a person right here on her computer!!"
"Yes I know. All her paperwork is the same way. But what would she want with him? He's married, has three kids, and another on the way."
"I think I have the answer right here."
"What do you have Sonia?" She then held up a picture of Eureka that said "You will not have him!! Renton is mine!" at the bottom.
"Oh my god, she obsessed with Renton. It looks like she's going to try to take him away from Eureka! Gaurds, find her and put her in a holding cell now!!"
"Right!" they all replied.
"I'll try to alert the Gekko. If I can't reach them, I'll send the alert message through the army and have them relay it. Hopefully we'll find Nadia soon before she tries anything."
"I hope so too. I wonder where she could be hiding at?"
"I don't know Sonia. I just hope we find her before she finds them."
Back on the Gekko, the 909, 606, 808, and Venturion were in the heat of battle taking out yet another rebel base.
"Venturion, watch that machine gun fire!" yelled Holland in the 909.
"Roger that 909. We can't get near the base! Their fire power is too strong!"
"Keep trying! This is one of their main supply bases! It has to be taken out!"
"Roger that!" Anemone replied. Just then a barrage of missle and laser fire flew over them, taking out several of the gun units.
"909, this is the Gekko. Thought you could use a little help!" said Talho over the radio.
"Gekko, roger that. Thanks for the backup. Alright team, let's go!"
"Right!" they all replied.
"Leader, several rebel KLF units coming our way!" yelled Hilda in the 808.
"I see them. You and the 606 try to handle them! Me and the Venturion will handle the base!"
"Roger that!"
"Venturion, let's go! You handle takeing out the rest of the gun turrets! I'll start on the hangars and communications!"
"Right!"
"606, you got two on your tail! I've got three of them, so you're on your own at the moment!"
"Great, thanks!" Matthieu replied. "Alright you rebels, let's see what you're made of!" As the rebels began their pursuit, the 606 turned and charged back at them, firing his laser. But the two of them split off before he had the chance to hit them. "They're getting better at this." he said to himself as he doubled back at them.
"Ok I got one, two to go." said Hilda as the two remaining units charged at her. "These guys are good." As the two remaining fired at her, she launched her anti missle screen to avoid and dodge the missiles. She then doubled back at them through the smoke, firing at them in the process, and eventually taking them both out. "Man, they were tough. I had better go check on Matthieu."
"I can't keep up with these guys!" yelled Matthieu over the radio. "These guys are really skilled!"
"Hang in there Matthieu, I'm coming!" yelled Hilda as she fired at the rebels, taking one out.
"Thanks honey! I got the last one!" Matthieu replied. He then pulled out his scythe blade, charged at the remaining unit, and cut it in half in one clean cut.
"Good job 606! Now lets go help the 909 and the Venturion."
"Right! Let's go!"
"909, all remaining gun turrets have been taken out!" said Dominic over the radio.
"Roger that! I just got their communications. Let's finish off the rest!"
"We'll join you!" said Hilda in the 808 as her and the 606 came towards them.
"Alright team, let's do it. We'll finish it off and go home."
"Right!" They all replied. Twenty minutes later, the base was finished off and completely leveled.
"Good job everyone. That was one of their main supply bases, so it should slow the rebel forces down. Let's head home everyone. It's time we relaxed and got something to eat."
"Roger that!" they all replied.
Fifteen minutes later, everyone was docked and secured back onto the ship, thouroughly exhausted.
"How's everyone doing?" asked Talho as they climbed out.
"We're all ok, just tired and hunry really. How are things here?" asked Holland.
"Ok so far. Dinner is waiting for everyone in the dining hall. Renton and Eureka made it. But don't worry it's nothing huge, just nice and simple this time."
"Sounds great Talho. Let's eat everyone. It's been a long day. Afterwards to to your rooms and get some rest. You deserve it."
Back at Tresor, panic was starting to set in as Nadia Johansen could not be found.
"Gaurds, you checked everywhere right?" asked Morita.
"Yes sir! Gaurds in every section have been on the lookout and she has yet to be seen!"
"Are there any vehicles missing?"
"Negative sir! We checked them first thing. All registered vehicles are here and accounted for."
"I see. Where could she be then?" Just then a sudden explosion rocked the complex and alarms started blaring.
"What's going on?!" asked Morita.
"Hangar ten has been breached!" yelled a guard.
"What? That's where the LosthopE archetype is stored! No, it can't be!"
"LFO leaving hangar ten!" yelled the guard.
"And we have no way of stopping it at this time! Dammit, how could she?" yelled Morita. "Sonia, get in contact with the Gekko now! I don't care how you do it, just do it!"
"Right! I'm on it!"
"The only ones who can stop her now are the Venturion or the Nirvash. And the only way to do it is to destroy it with the pilot inside, unless they can convince her to give up." said Morita in a solem tone as the LosthopE disappeared into the Horizon.
The next morning, an emergency long range communication finally reached the Gekko.
"Leader, emergency communication from Tresor!" said Gidget.
"From way out there? I wonder what's going on? Gidget, put it through!"
"Roger that!"
"Gekko, this is Morita from Tresor, do you copy?"
"Yes Morita, we hear you. What's wrong?"
"Renton and Eureka are in danger!"
"What do you mean?"
"You remember Dr.Johansen from the dance almost three weeks ago right?"
"Yeah I do why?"
"After you all left, she for some reason became obsessed over Renton. Just last night she stole an LFO we were planning on dismantling and is now after him!"
"How do you know this?"
"We went through her room and she had all the info she needed about him. She also had a picture of Eureka saying at the bottom that she would take him away from her!"
"Man. How dangerous is this LFO?"
"All it has are the lasers and scythe blade, but it is deadly accurate and quick. There are only two ways to stop it."
"And what are those?"
"To either convince to give up, or destroy the LFO with her in it. If you don't, it'll use her human spirit to keep fighting unless it is destroyed."
"So we have to either convince her to stop fighting or kill her by destroying the LFO."
"That's the story Holland. I'm sorry."
"Don't worry about it doc. Thanks for the info. We'll try to keep them in hiding as long as we can, but I know we won't be able to for forever."
"That's fine. Just keep them safe ok Holland?"
"We will. That's a promise."
"Alright. Tresor out."
"Gekko out." and the radio went silent.
"Leader, what are we going to do?" asked Gidget.
"Keep them safe and hidden for now. I'll go let them know what's going on so they can be prepared for what they have to do."
"Roger that."
"Until then, you and Woz keep an eye on radar and communications. If you need anything, just page me alright?"
"Ok." Gidget replied.
A little bit later, Holland found Renton and Eureka in the dining hall having lunch with each other. When they asked him what was wrong, he told them of the situation.
"NO!! SHE CAN'T HAVE RENTON!!" yelled Eureka as she clung to her husband.
"She won't Eureka, don't worry. We'll keep him safe from her." Holland replied.
"How do we stop her?" asked Renton.
"You may not like that answer Renton."
"Why is that Holland?"
"Because in order to stop her, you have to either convince her to give up, or destroy the LFO she stole with her in it."
"You mean we may have to kill her?"
"I'm afraid so Renton."
"Renton, would we really have to? I mean, I know we don't want to kill or hurt anyone."
"If that's what has to be done as a last resort, then we'll have to Eureka. But why us Holland?"
"Because the Nirvash and the Venturion are the only two that have enough power to stop her."
"So what do we do now Holland?" asked Eureka.
"We keep you hidden for as long as we can so that way you can both stay safe. But just make sure you're ready for when the time comes that we have to go against her."
"We will be Holland. Thanks."
"Sure thing. I'm going to go let the rest of the crew know so that way they can get prepared. I'll see you later."
"Alright, see you Holland." Renton replied as Holland left the room.
"Renton, we can't kill her! It's not who we are anymore!"
"I know that! But listen Eureka, I promised you a while ago that I would protect you, and I'm going to keep that promise, no matter what I have to do. I'm going to show her that I belong to no one but you. You're my wife and nothing will change that."
"I know. Thank you Renton, for caring for me like you do."
"It's because I love you dear, and nothing will ever change that." Renton then held her close in his arms and gave her a slow, passionate, reassuring kiss.
The next two days on the ship were real tense as they tried to lay low and keep Eureka and Renton safe. Little did they know, Nadia was closer than they thought.
"Renton, Renton, oh where is my Renton." Nadia sang to herself as she flew along. "Oh, there you are." she said as the Gekko came up on her radar. "Don't you worry Renton, we'll finally be together soon enough."
"Leader, unknown LFO approaching us rapidly! She's firing!!" yelled Woz.
"Crap! Doggie dodge the attack!" Holland yelled, but it was too late.
"Left engine hit! Booster pressure falling! We're losing speed! We won't be able to lose or dodge her attacks now!" yelled Jobs from the engine room.
"Hap! Put us on defcon 1!! Everyone to their battle stations!"
"Right!" they all replied.
"Gidget, have Renton, Eureka, Anemone, and Dominic get to their LFO's! they're the only ones who can stop her!"
"Roger that!"
"Eureka, are you ok?" asked Renton.
"Yeah I'm fine. That explosion just knocked me off my feet that's all."
"Good. Let's go then. It's time we showed her how we fight for love."
"Right! Let's go Renton."
"Leader, we have a communication coming from the LFO!" yelled Gidget.
"Put her through!"
"Roger!"
"Nadia, this is Holland Novak of GekkoState! Back Down! We are willing to talk. Please listen to us!"
"I won't back down! Release Renton at once!" she replied as she fired her laser again.
"VRF number one on the left has been hit!" yelled Hap.
"Nadia please listen! We don't want to fight you!" said Talho.
"I won't fight unless you refuse to release Renton!"
"Venturion heading out!" yelled Anemone.
"Gidget, open the catapult!" yelled Holland.
"Roger that!"
"Alright, launching now!" and they flew off the ship.
"Nirvash heading out!" yelled Eureka and they launched off the ship.
"So you're going to fight me anyways? TAKE THIS!!" and Nadia fired her laser at the Nirvash, missing it as they had dodged to the left to avoid her fire.
"We want to talk Nadia, so stop your attack!!" yelled Renton as they and the Venturion had stopped in front of the Gekko, acting as a sheild for them.
"Renton? You actually came for me?"
"Only to help you Nadia."
"I don't need help!! I need you Renton! You deserve better than that mere coralian girl!!"
"That coralian is my wife! I'll never leave or hurt her! Please Nadia, stop this! Let us help you!"
"But why Renton? Why do you want to hurt me like this?" Renton and Eureka then opened their canopy, stood up, and took each others hands. Anemone and Dominic saw this and did the same.
"We don't want to hurt you nor will we ever hurt you Nadia. Please, come aboard with us. Talk to us. We'll show you how love should be. And if you're worried about us turning you in, we won't. you have my word."
"And mine also." said Eureka.
"Ours too." said Anemone.
"Really? You'd do that for me?"
"Yes we would Nadia." said Anemone. "We're a family here. We'd rather help others than fight them. So please, come with us. We won't harm you."
"But why do I feel this way? Why do I feel like I do about you Renton?"
"I don't know Nadia. But if you explain it to us, we'll help you with it. Please, if not for me, then for everyone else, come with us."
"He's right Nadia." said Talho over the radio. "They all are. Me and Holland also give our word that nothing will happen to you."
"Ok, I'll come aboard. I'll take your word for it."
"Thank you Nadia. You won't regret it, trust me." Renton replied.
"Only because I believe your kind words Renton. Thank you." The Nirvash and Venturion then flew aside and let the LosthopE inside. They then carefully followed right behind her.
When they were all secured, Nadia cautiously climbed out thinking she was going to get rushed. But the GekkoState was true to their word. Renton, Eureka, Anemone, and Dominic stood behind her while Talho greeted her with a blanket and a glass of hot chocolate.
"But, why? Why would you do this for me? Even after all that I did to your ship?"
"That's who we are." Talho replied. "Now how about we get you a hot shower, a good dinner, and some fresh clothes. We'll talk afterwards ok?"
"T-thank you." Nadia replied with tears in her eyes.
"Sure, anytime. Now come on, let's get you settled in."
"Renton, do you think she'll be ok?" asked Eureka.
"I think so. I'm a little nervous having her here, but I think it'll work out." he replied as he put his arm around his wife. "Thank you Dominic and Anemone for the backup and support."
"Anytime, now let's eat. I'm starving!" said Anemone.
"Alright, let's go. It's on me guys." Renton replied as they headed towards the dining hall.
A couple of hours later after Nadia was settled in, fed, and showered, she met with Talho in the lounge.
"Hey Nadia, how are you feeling?"
"Ok I guess. I still feel really bad about what I did to all of you, especially Renton."
"How do you feel about him now?"
"I'm not sure. Seeing how loyal he was to his wife broke my heart, but yet there's still a part that still cares for him. Is there something wrong with me?"
"Not at all. It sounds like you had a crush on him that really went out of control. It turned into an obsession that resulted in you almost getting hurt and our ship getting damaged."
"Yeah I guess it was. I'm sorry to all of you for everything that I did and for damaging your ship."
"It's ok. At least no one got hurt. That's the main thing. The ship is repairable."
"Yeah that's true. Anyways, where is Renton? I feel I should apologize to him and Eureka personally."
"Last I knew they were in their room relaxing. I'll take you down there."
"Thanks. So what happens next?"
"Well, we take the LosthopE back to Tresor to start and get our ship repaired. What will happen to you we don't know. If we can, we'll keep you here with us so we can counsel you and help you through this."
"You'd do that for me?"
"Of course. We help each other through everything here. Anyways, here we are. You ready?"
"Not really, but I owe them, so let's go."
Renton and Eureka were sitting on their sofa cuddled close watching tv when Talho knocked on their door.
"Come in!" said Renton. Talho and Nadia then walked into their room.
"Hey Talho. Nadia, how are you feeling?" asked Renton.
"I'm better thanks to you two." she replied.
"That's good. I'm glad we could help."
"That's what I want to talk to you two about. I want to apologize for putting you two through all of this. I am truly sorry."
"It's alright Nadia, we forgive you. I'm sure you couldn't help it." said Eureka.
"I could have, but I didn't, and it almost cost you two everything that you loved and had."
"But it didn't, and that's what counts. You made the right decision Nadia."
"Thanks Eureka. Listen, I'll see you two later ok?"
"Sure thing Nadia. Take care of yourself, ok?" Renton replied.
"I will, and thanks again." she and Talho then left the room.
"I think you're right Renton. I think she will be ok."
"I hope so dear. I sure hope so." The two then cuddled back up on their sofa and watched TV for the rest of the evening.