-1Chapter 22- promised land
Another ten minutes later, the GekkoState was out of the atmosphere and floating in space. Holland was in the captains seat sulking and upset. He had never had to leave or give up on a battle like that. It left a heavy feeling in his heart.
"Don't be so hard on yourself Holland." said Ken-Goh. "You did what was best for the crew and the ship."
"I've never had to give up like that before. It makes me sick just thinking about it."
"We had no choice. The ship was beginning to take damage and the LFO's are pretty scuffed up also. I'm just amazed that Hilda went out as sick as she is."
"No doubt. I'll thank her later. Have Axel get to work on the LFO's tomorrow."
"Roger that."
"Anyone else getting sick by the way?"
"I think Gidget is as well as Nadia. Hap and Talho are in bed completely drained. We're watching Eureka and the kids to make sure they're ok though."
"That's fine. We'll be up here for a bit so do a complete check of the ship. I'll be in the dining hall if you need anything."
"Roger that."
As this was going on, Mischa was busy going over everyone's flu medication.
"What a time for everyone to get sick." she thought to herself as she separated everything out. Just then Maeter walked into her office.
"Mischa, I don't feel too good."
"You don't? Come over here and I'll check you out ok?" Maeter then groggily walked over to her. "Lets take your temperature first." As she did that, she asked Maeter "Do you have a funny feeling in your stomach?" Maeter nodded yes in reply. "Well, your temperature is at one hundred and one, so you definitely have a fever. You probably got the flu also. Go change into your pajamas and get into bed. I'll take care of you from there ok dear?"
"Ok Mischa." she replied. Maeter then left her office and went into her room.
"It never ends." Mischa said to herself after she left.
Meanwhile, Holland was in the dining hall when Eureka walked in.
"Hi Eureka."
"Hey Holland."
"How are you doing?"
"I'm fine thank you. A little tired from the baby though."
"That's understandable. How is Renton holding up?"
"He's doing well but is still extremely sore. It worries me a bit."
"I see. Is Mischa still checking on him at all?"
"Yes she is. She's doing that daily."
"Good to hear. Getting dinner for yourself then?"
"Me and Renton since he's hungry also."
"Let me help. You shouldn't have to work by yourself."
"What about your dinner?"
"I'll join you and Renton. Is that ok?"
"That's fine. I'm sure Renton wouldn't mind at all." she replied with a smile.
"Matthieu, what are you doing?" asked Ken-Goh.
"Helping Mischa out giving everyone their medications. She just added Maeter to her sick people list."
"One of the kids got sick eh?"
"Yes she did."
"I see. Have you seen Holland?"
"The last time I saw him he was walking with Eureka to her room carrying food. So I'm guessing they're eating together."
"Ok sounds good. Continue helping Mischa then, just don't get sick yourself."
"I'll try not to. See you later." Before Matthieu got too much farther, Mischa called him from behind. "Hey Mischa, what's up?"
"Have you seen Nadia? She wasn't in her room."
"She's in Hap's room passed out on his sofa. I guess she must have been checking on him when she got sick and fell asleep in there."
"Ok, I'll go check on her then. Thanks Matthieu."
"Anytime."
Meanwhile in the lounge, Avriana and Maurice were talking about their first battle.
"Were you scared Maurice when we went out there?"
"Kind of, but I was more determined that anything to protect my family, especially my mom and dad."
"Is that what you call family? Protecting them?"
"Yeah, it is. My parents went through a lot to keep us protected as we were growing up. So I guess it's my turn to repay the favor."
"You love them that much Maurice?"
"Yes I do."
"I guess I feel that way about my mom."
"You have a mom?"
"Mhm. Nadia took me in since I was the only child here who didn't have one."
"That was nice of her."
"Yeah, it was." she replied with a gentle smile.
"Anyways, you did well out there. Thanks for the help."
"You did well too Maurice. The Newhope was happy to be with you."
"And I was happy to be with you."
"You were?" she replied with her eyes wide open.
"Yeah, I was. I know we've only been together a short time, but I feel like I've known you for forever." His response made her blush and put a warm smile on her face. She then said "Yeah, I feel that way too." as she held his hand.
"I know we're still young, but I know this is a sign of things to come." As Maurice bent in to give her a quick peck on the cheek, she inadvertently turned her head to look at him, causing him to kiss her on the lips, startling both of them. "Oh, I'm sorry!"
"It's ok." she replied blushing. "I kind of liked it."
"You did?" Avriana replied by nodding her head yes while smiling.
"Well, lets keep this to ourselves then ok? I'm going to go check on my parents. Want to come along?"
"No, I think I'll go say hi to my mom since I haven't seen her yet this afternoon."
"Ok, see you later then!" he replied as he left the lounge. Avriana just sat there for a moment and smiled. She then put her fingers to her lips and though to herself "Yes, this was a sign of things to come. This is my future."
Meanwhile in Haps room, Mischa was checking on Hap and Nadia to see how they were doing. Hap was passed out on his bed while Nadia was still sleeping on his sofa.
"Nadia, wake up." said Mischa. "I've got your flu medication for you."
"Thanks Mischa." she replied as she slowly got up. "I guess I must have fell asleep earlier."
"Yes you did. I want you to go to your room though and rest there ok?"
"That's fine." she replied. As she got up and left Haps room, Avriana came walking up besides her.
"Mom, are you ok?"
"Not at the moment dear. I'm sick right now."
"Will you be ok?" she asked worryingly.
"Yeah I will. It's only the flu so I'll be ok in a few days."
"That's good."
"You seem different by the way. Did something happen to you?"
"No, I'm just in a really good mood, that's all."
"Ok if you say so. Well, I'm going to go rest. Why don't you go play with Maeter ok?"
"I can't. She's sick too."
"She is? Oh my, this flu is getting around. Why don't you go to Renton and Eureka's then. I'll see you a little bit later." Avriana's eyes lit up when she said that. "Ok mom!!" she replied as she took off towards their room. Nadia just laughed and said "There is something going on with that girl, but I'll figure it out later." She then went into her room and fell asleep in her bed.
Back in Renton and Eureka's room, Renton, Eureka, and Holland had finished their dinner together. Linck was happily playing with Stephen while Maurice was watching a movie.
"Thanks for joining us Holland." said Renton. "Thanks for helping Eureka also."
"Don't mention it. It helps keep me away from a sick wife anyways."
"You shouldn't say that Holland." said Eureka. "You should be taking care of her."
"Yeah I know. I just don't want to get sick either that's all."
"I can't say I blame you." said Renton. "How is she doing by the way?"
"She's still pretty bad but getting better. She should be herself in a few days."
"That's good to hear." he replied. At that time, Avriana walked into the room.
"Hi Avriana." said Eureka. "Why aren't you playing with Maeter?"
"She's in bed sick."
"She is? MAETER!!" Eureka yelled as she ran out of the room.
"Didn't she know?"
"No Avriana, she didn't. I guess Mischa was so busy she failed to tell us." Renton replied.
"I'm sorry. Was I not supposed to say anything?"
"You're fine Avriana. Thanks for letting us know. It helps us to also take care of her."
"Oh, ok." she replied.
"Speaking of taking care of someone, it had better go check on Talho. I'll take care of the dishes. Avriana, you and Stephen stay here with Renton. Do you think you can handle it Renton?" asked Holland.
"Yeah, I think I've got it. Maurice can help out if I need it, right Maurice?"
"Right Papa!" he replied.
"Alright, I'll see all of you later then." Holland then left the room and headed towards his. A few minutes later Eureka returned to their room.
"Hi love. How is she?" asked Renton.
"Sick but ok, Mischa gave her medication already. She's sleeping now."
"That's good to hear. Holland left us in charge of Avriana and Stephen while he checks on Talho."
"That's fine." she replied. As Eureka sat next to Renton on their bed, Avriana sat next to Maurice on the sofa.
"What are you watching Maurice?" asked Avriana.
"A movie about the war of the past. It's really one of those educational movies, but I like it. Want to watch it with me?"
"Ok." she replied.
"Hey, Renton, do you see what I'm seeing?" asked Eureka quietly.
"Yeah, I do." he replied with a warm smile. "Our son is growing up before us."
"Yes he is." Eureka replied softly as she held on to Renton's right arm. The two then cuddled and smiled as they carefully watched Maurice and Avriana hold each others hands.
The next morning, Holland, Hap, Ken-Goh, and Doggie met in the meeting room to go over their next strategy.
"So, where are we going next?" asked Ken-Goh.
"Hacienda, or FAC51 if you don't remember it. Jurgens main base is there and he said we could use it for repairs since they rebuilt it." said Holland.
"Hacienda eh?" said Stoner as he walked in. "It's been a while since we've been there."
"Yeah it has. The memories we have of that place though aren't very pleasant."
"I remember. We almost lost Eureka, Renton, and the Nirvash there."
"As well as the Gekko." said Ken-Goh. "We almost got buried alive in there."
"That we did. Why would they rebuild it though? It's an easy target as open as it is."
"That may be true, but it's their most heavily guarded base, so no one can get near it without clearance." Holland replied.
"And we have that clearance?"
"We're part of the federation, so why wouldn't we?"
"That is true. When do we arrive then?"
"Tomorrow, so they know we're arriving. I'm sorry we have you here Hap, but you needed to know this."
"That's fine so don't worry about it. But I'm going back to bed now." he replied. As he was walking out of the meeting room, he turned around and said "By the way, I ran into Mischa on the way over here. You can add Anemone and Dominic to the sick persons list."
"Them too now? Man, it gets worse everyday. Alright, thanks Hap. Go get some rest now."
"Ok, later guys." Hap then went to his room and crashed on his bed.
The next day, the GekkoState arrived in the area of FAC51.
"Hacienda, this is federation battleship GekkoState requesting permission to land for repairs, over." said Holland over the radio.
"GekkoState, this is Hacienda. Federation code confirmed. Jurgens has already alerted us to your situation. Permission to land has been granted."
"Roger that." Holland replied. "Doggie, take us down easy."
"Roger that." Ten minutes later, the Gekko was safely landed inside Hacienda. When Holland disembarked, he was met by a familiar name. "Mr.Novak, I'm admiral Benson."
"Well well, the last time we met, it was in a battle against each other."
"Those were bad times indeed, and I apologize for that. I hear you're in need of repairs to your ship and LFO's."
"Yes we are. Many of my crew members are sick, so I'll need a possible quarantine also."
"I'll have that done right away. Have anyone who isn't sick disembark and move your LFO's out right away."
"Can do." Holland replied. A little bit later, all the LFO's were out of the ship as well as any remaining crew members who were still healthy, which were only Stephen, Renton, Eureka, Avriana, Linck, Maurice, Doggie, and Matthieu. Mischa stayed on board to take care of the rest of them.
"Thank you Mr.Novak." said Benson.
"Just call me Holland. You don't have to be so formal."
"Understood. You can call me Jon. I believe this young lady is Eureka Novak right? I heard you adopted her Holland."
"Yes we did. But her last name isn't Novak, it's Thurston."
"She's married?"
"Yes I am." she replied. "This is my husband, Renton Thurston."
"Ahh, the infamous hero's of the world. Why are you in a wheelchair Mr.Thurston?"
"Accident on the ship sir. One of our children left a toy in the hangar that I tripped on."
"How many children do you have?"
"Three adopted sir, with one on the way as you can see."
"I can tell. Our doctors will see that you two get the care that you need. Soldier, see them to their quarters."
"Yes sir."
"Thanks for the help Jon. It's really appreciated." said Holland.
"No thanks needed. I'll have my maintenance crews get to work on the damaged LFO's and the ship. You go get some rest."
"Thanks, I will."
A little bit later, Renton and Eureka were unpacking their things into their temporary quarters.
"Eureka, do you feel ok being here again?" asked Renton.
"It feels strange, but I'm ok so far. I don't feel tired though like I did before. I feel more relaxed than anything. I wonder if they are continuing to mine LFO's here?"
"I don't know dear. But listen, I'm tired and need some sleep, so I'm going to take a nap. Want to join me?"
"Not right now dear. I'm going to go check on the kids and make sure they're settled in. You can go ahead and take a nap."
"Ok. See you later dear."
"Sleep tight my dear Renton." she replied. She then gave him a gentle kiss and left to go check on the kids.
Back on the Gekko, Mischa was running about trying to take care of everyone. Talho was the first one she checked on.
"Mischa, where are we?" she asked.
"At Hacienda getting repairs."
"You mean FAC51?"
"Yes."
"Did the federation rebuild it?"
"Looks that way. The ship and LFO's are being repaired now as we speak. Enough about that though. How are you feeling today?"
"Getting better, but I'm still not at a hundred percent yet."
"That's good. I'm going to go check on the others, so continue resting ok?"
"Ok. Thanks Mischa." Talho then got back under her covers and fell back asleep.
Later that night as everyone slept, Eureka and Renton tossed and turned. Something that night was keeping them awake for some reason.
"Renton, can you sleep at all?"
"No I can't" he replied. "I know it's not the nap I took, so what's going on?"
"Hold on a minute!" she replied. Eureka then closed her eyes in concentration for a couple of minutes. Afterwards she opened her eyes and said "It's the Nirvash. She wants to see us."
A little bit later, Renton and Eureka went out to where the Nirvash was parked. "Nirvash?" asked Eureka.
"Renton, Eureka, it's good to see you again. We have a small mission we need to go on."
"But how Nirvash? We me being pregnant and Renton injured, we can't go anywhere."
"I'll do all the work Eureka, you just have to trust me."
"I trust her dear." said Renton. "Nirvash, how long will we be?"
"Only a day Renton. There's something that we need to pick up."
"Like what Nirvash?"
"You two will find out when we get there, but we must hurry."
"Ok Nirvash, let's go." The Nirvash then carefully helped Renton and Eureka get onboard and in the cockpit. As they took off, little did they know that they tripped a silent alarm that alerted the base to their exiting. A few hours later, they arrived at a spot that they all knew too well- The Great Wall.
"Renton, Eureka, are you ready?" asked the Nirvash.
"Yes we are Nirvash." said Eureka.
"Ok, hold on tight." The Nirvash then went into jet mode and took off towards the promised land.
Back on the base, the entire area was on alert as they went into full patrol mode looking for the Nirvash.
"How would they get into it though? They're in no shape to." said Holland.
"I can tell you sir." said a security guard. "We got everything on tape, and you probably won't believe what you'll see." As he and Benson watched the tape with the guard, they all noticed the Nirvash helping them get in.
"How is that possible?" asked Benson.
"Those two have a special connection to the Nirvash, so anything is possible with them."
"Amazing." he replied.
"Is there any sound?" asked Holland.
"Yes there is, but I have to fine tune it. Give me a few minutes." As Holland and Benson waited impatiently, the guard fine tuned the sound and volume. When he was done, they listened to the conversation.
"They have to pick something up? A small mission? What's going on?" asked Holland.
"Shall we go after them Holland." asked Benson.
"No, they said that they'll be back in a day. Keep the patrols up though so we can be alerted when they come back."
"Roger that." Benson replied. He then ordered a full twenty four hour patrol to keep an eye out for the Nirvash.
"Another control cluster?! But how?" asked Renton as they entered the promised land.
"It was formed when Avriana came to be." said the Nirvash. "That's why it's up to Maurice and all of you to protect her."
"I see. I guess we're heading towards the center of it?"
"Yes we are Renton."
"Alright, let's go." he replied as they flew in. A few minutes later they then landed at an ever familiar park bench.
"Renton, we've been here before." said Eureka.
"Yeah, we have. It's where we promised we'd never leave each others sides. But why here Nirvash?"
"You'll see." she replied in a strange, happy tone as she helped them down. As Renton and Eureka sat there and looked around, a familiar, friendly voice sounded.
"Renton, what happened to you?"
"SIS!!" yelled Renton.
"How are you doing son?" said a man in a deep, masculine tone."
"DAD!!"
"Eureka, looks like you're doing well." said Diane.
"You too Diane." Eureka replied.
"Dad, can I ask why we were brought here?" asked Renton.
"We're coming home son."
"But how? Everyone thinks you're both dead."
"We'll clarify that later Renton." said Diane. "We're ready to return to you."
"You're coming home?" said Eureka.
"Yes we are Eureka. By the way, how far along are you?"
"A little over seven months."
"Is it yours Renton?"
"Yes it is sis. We're married also."
"I'm sorry we've missed so much in your lives Renton." said Adrock. "I hope you can fill us in on everything that has happened."
"We will dad. Are we ready to return then?"
"In a moment." said Diane. "There are two others who are coming with us."
"Who?" asked Eureka. Just then a young Norb and Sakuya walked up the stairs.
"NORB! SAKUYA!!" said Eureka happily.
"Nice seeing you again Eureka!!" said Sakuya with a smile.
"Renton, I see you two are doing well together." said Norb.
"Yeah we are. So you two are returning also?"
"Yes. We plan on rebuilding our Voderak homeland together."
"Sounds great. Nirvash, are we ready to go back home then?"
"Yes Renton, it's time to go."
"Eureka dear, let's go home."
"Ok." she replied as she gently kissed him.
Back at Hacienda, the full patrol mode was on as the search continued for the Nirvash."
"Anything yet?" asked Holland.
"Not yet, but not to worry, we'll find them Holland."
"Thanks Admiral."
Several hours later, the Nirvash landed at the Voderak homeland of Ciades Del Cielo.
"It's the white devil!! It has returned!!" several people yelled as they landed.
"My people, that is enough!" yelled Norb. "These are the saviors of your world! You should cherish them!"
"It's Norb and lady Sakuya!" said a high priest. "Sorry if we upset you master Norb."
"Don't worry about it." he replied as they climbed out of the Nirvash. "Renton, Eureka, thank you for bringing us here. Where are you going next?"
"Back to Hacienda. We have a family we love that is probably looking for us." said Eureka.
"I see." said Sakuya with a smile. "Good luck on your ventures together."
"Thank you Sakuya." they then closed the canopy and took off towards Hacienda.
"Holland, what's going on?" asked Talho.
"Talho, what are you doing here? You should be in bed resting."
"I'm ok, I'm better now. What's with all the ruckus?"
"We're looking for Renton, Eureka, and the Nirvash. They went out on some sort of mission."
"Mission?" she asked. Just then an alarm went off.
"Unknown LFO entering the area! Confirming id now!" said the guard. Several moments later, the guard said "id confirmed! It's the Nirvash type zero!"
"Alright, clear them to land!" said Benson.
"Aye sir!" Several intense minutes later, the Nirvash was safely landed back inside Hacienda.
"Renton, Eureka, are you ok?" asked Holland as he ran towards them.
"Relax Holland we're fine." Renton laughed. "We just had to pick up a few people."
"Pick up people? Like who?"
"Norb and Sakuya to start."
"They're back?! Where are they?"
"We dropped them off at the Voderak homeland of Ciades del Cielo. They want to try to rebuild their city together."
"That's amazing! Who else?" asked Talho. After she asked that, Adrock and Diane came out of the cockpit.
"D-Diane." said Holland.
"Hi Holland. You look well. So do you Talho."
"Adrock, I thought you were dead. Nobody saw you after the first summer of love."
"No, I wasn't passed on at all Holland. I just merely merged with the scab coral like Diane did."
"Holland, what do we do now? We don't have any room for them on the ship. We're already at maximum capacity."
"I'm not sure. Benson, is there a chance that they can join Jurgens on his ship?"
"It should be no problem at all, even though we will be keeping your return quiet for now. We don't want the rebel forces getting any ideas on how to capture you."
"Thank you Admiral." said Diane.
"Anyways, when will we be air born again Benson?" asked Holland.
"Three days max."
"Sounds good. I'm going to bed then since I haven't gotten any sleep lately. I'll see all of you tomorrow then."
"I'll join you Holland."
"Ok dear. Later everyone."
"Night mom and dad." said Eureka. Adrock and Diane just looked at her strangely.
"Eureka, why did you call them your parents?" asked Diane.
"Because they adopted me and my sister Anemone."
"There's two of you?"
"No, there's three. We have a little brother also."
"They adopted three of you?"
"No, our little brother is theirs."
"Are they married?"
"Yes, they are."
"I see." said Diane in a sad tone. "Anyways, let's go catch up Renton. We have a lot to talk about."
Three days later as planned, the GekkoState and their LFO's were done and ready to go.
"Renton, are you sure you don't want to stay here with us?" asked Diane.
"Yes sis, I'm sure. My home is on the Gekko with my wife, kids, and family, so you know where I'll always be at."
"Alright. You guys take care of yourselves up there."
"We will sis. We always do."
"Renton, we're ready to leave, so let's go!" said Holland as he walked by.
"Roger that." he replied. "So, where are you and dad going next?"
"Probably to Tresor to help do research with the new KLF prototypes and do some more research on the scab corals."
"Well we'll see you there then since it's one of our supply stops."
"See you soon then Renton. Take care of him Eureka."
"Don't worry, I will. Lets go dear."
"Alright. Bye sis!"
"Bye Renton!" Diane replied. Eureka and Renton then boarded the ship with the help of Holland and Talho. They then took off towards destinations unknown.
"Father, do you think he'll be safe out there?"
"He has been so far. So we can trust him and the crew he lives with. It is his home you know."
"You're right father." she replied as the ship flew off into the distance.
"Holland, are you ok?" asked Talho. "You haven't said a word since we left Diane at Hacienda."
"Sorry about that. I guess I just can't believe that she's back that's all."
"Want to talk about it?"
"No, not really. I just want to focus on you, our family, and this war."
"Wow, you really are turning into a family man."
"Hey, I have to somehow. I wouldn't be a husband if I didn't."
"Speaking of that, I was thinking earlier."
"About what?"
"Extending our family."
"You're pregnant?!"
"No, I'm not. I just thought it would be nice to have another child of our own."
"Well we already have three, but I'll think about it. It's definitely not out of the question."
"That's fine. How about we go join our crew now?"
"Sounds like a plan. How is everyone doing with the flu by the way?" he asked while they walked towards the bridge.
"Thanks to Mischa everyone is doing great. We should be back at full strength in a few days."
"Thank god for that. I was getting worried for a second there."
"Yeah, me too. So, where are we heading next?"
"Not sure yet. We may just cruise around until everyone is better."
"Sounds like a plan to me. That'll give everyone time to get better."
"That's the point." Holland replied as they reached the bridge.
"Care for some tea?" Holland and Talho just froze in their steps with their eyes wide open. That was a voice that they hadn't heard in ages. They then turned around to see a familiar, friendly old face.
"Gonzy?" asked Holland.
"Holland, Talho, good to see you again."
"But how? Where did you come from?" asked Talho.
"That's a question I can never answer. It wouldn't be fair if I did." he replied with a smile. Talho and Holland just smiled also. "Don't worry about me though. I'll be around."
"Yes, we know." Holland and Talho replied.
Meanwhile in Renton and Eureka's room, the young couple was sitting and reading books quietly in their bed while Maeter slept between them peacefully since she wanted to be by her parents. Renton and Eureka just looked at her and then at each other with a warm smile before going back to their books. The rest of the crew was still in their rooms recuperating from their little epidemic.
A little while later after the Gekko was cruising on the High altitude leylines, an emergency broadcast was sent out to all the federation battleships.
"Attention all federation fleet ships." said Jurgens. "An urgent matter has just come to our attention. Intelligence has intercepted a message from the rebel forces stating that they intend to make Bellforest their next target. All available ships should now converge to protect this city. Ground forces are already there keeping an eye on things and keeping the citizens safe. Please get there as soon as you possibly can so we can avoid any tragedies to this city. Jurgens out."
"Holland, what do we do? We're not in any shape to do anything right now."
"We have to wait. We have no choice. Once everyone is well, we're heading to Bellforest, the home of our family."
"Our home? But we have a home Holland."
"Well now we have two, just like the others do."
"Alright then, let's go protect our home."