22. Chapter One

"Uhhhhh, hey, uh, little Ventrexian dude? You okay?"

Little Cato looked up from his seat at navigation, only now realizing how tightly he was hugging himself. The young Tryvuulian – Fox – was leaning down to look at him. There was a hint of worry in his dark eyes and an anxious expression on his gray face. Little Cato thought it odd that a Tryvuulian would be concerned for him, a Ventrexian, given that after a thousand years of war, their races had only known a decade of peace between them.

Fox, it seemed, was the type of person who wanted to be liked. Fortunately, he was pretty likeable overall, once you got past the nervousness. He was clearly afraid of rejection right now, but Little Cato appreciated the effort it took to make such an overture. Given what he knew of Clarence Polkawitz – greedy, selfish, controlling, traitorous little bilge worm that he was - Little Cato figured Fox and Ash weren't used to any type of freedom or being allowed to make decisions for themselves. Once again, he thanked every goddess in the pantheon that he'd been raised by Avocato. His dad had taken great care to instill self-confidence and a fierce independence in him.

"No," he admitted, loosening his hold a bit. He glanced at the communications panel to be sure the line was open. Gary was still spilling his heart to the whole fleet, an accident that made Little Cato at once grateful and frantic, since they heard every word Gary said and every sound Avocato made in the midst of a seizure. He grimaced as Avocato tried to take a breath, and he could not stop himself from whispering, "My father is dying."

Shocked, Fox looked at him sharply. Slowly, carefully he asked, "Your dad is Avocato?"

He wasn't, but he was. In all the ways that mattered. "Yes."

"I'm sorry, man."

Little Cato closed his eyes, his chest squeezing tightly as over the comm channel, Avocato made a small sound of pain. He could not imagine life without Avocato in it. His life was the price Avocato had demanded for serving the Lord Commander, and together, so far removed from their home and people, they had learned how to be a family. Avocato had been the only constant in his life. He could not imagine going on without that deep, patient voice and the occasional sighs of exasperation as Avocato tried his best to be a general and father, rebel and teacher.

He could not, would not lose him.

Pouncing on the ship's comm unit, Little Cato activated the command channel to the Zintibo captain. He tried not to sound desperate as he said,

"Colonel Cato to Captain Cree'took."

There was a pause, and then the image of the bird-like officer appeared. She gazed at him coolly, clearly able to guess why he was calling in the midst of battle.

"Captain, I request permission to break formation."

"Denied, Colonel Cato. You have your orders. I have mine. You will remain with my fleet."

"Ma'am," Little Cato began, then stopped to keep from choking. He swallowed, then forced himself to say, "Respectfully, General Avocato needs me."

Cree'took's expression never wavered. "What General Avocato needs is for this battle to end as quickly as possible. For that to happen, we must follow orders."

So, she knew. Little Cato wasn't sure why he was surprised. Avocato had known Cree'took since back when he was Ventrexia's top general, and while she was not among the fiercest fighters Avocato knew, she was one of the smartest. The Zintibo had been among the first to join Avocato in rebelling against Tera Con Prime. She knew his pain, felt it, because her voice gentled slightly as she continued.

"Colonel Cato, if anyone can survive facing the Lord Commander, it is General Avocato. Even if he does not survive, his sacrifice will have saved this rebellion and, of far greater importance to him, your life. You must have faith, young prince."

"I-" Little Cato paused, fighting for control. He had faith. In his father, in everything he had been taught. He just needed assurance right now.

"Your goddess is Ventrexia, no?" Cree'took asked, redirecting their conversation.

He nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

"And she has many daughters, does she not?"

"Yes. Ninety-nine. And one son."

Her dark, round eyes softened into an expression that, on Zintibo, was the equivalent of a smile. "Then I believe you have a great many prayers to say for your father's safety."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Gary!"

"Kiddo!"

Abandoning any pretense at dignity, Little Cato barreled full-tilt into his friend's arms. It was such a relief to be held, to let a trusted adult take charge, if only for a few moments, and if it couldn't be his father, his friend was a good stand-in.

The fleets had rendezvoused well outside the Tarb system, and now the post-battle cleanup could begin. Captain Cree'took had finally, finally allowed the Crimson Light to join the Ventrexians, and they had beelined for the Sabertooth, and from there, to medical to check on Avocato. Of course, only Little Cato had been allowed in and he had only been given the swiftest of glances, but at least he'd seen his father and knew he was alive and cared for and worried over.

Gary looked tired and mussed, but pleased, and it was a long time before either of them let go. Finally, Gary held Little Cato out at arm's length to get a good look at him.

"Still in one piece. Hair all spikey. Looking sharp in a uniform, Spiderca-"

"Gar! Gar! Gar!"

"Moonca-"

A faceful of face hugger cut him off, and Gary staggered at the impact. Little Cato reluctantly let go to allow Gary to greet the others. Mooncake got a huge hug, and then Gary looked to where Fox and Ash hovered nervously by the door. He broke into a wide smile and held his arms out.

"Kids!"

Fox burst into tears and swept everyone before him – human, blob, and Ventrexian – into a tight hug. He proceeded to bawl happily, soaking them all. Ash edged over, looking twitchy and uncomfortable. She quirked a brief smile, then reached out and touched Gary's arm with the flat of her hand, snatching it back before anyone noticed. Gary grinned, unable to do more than wiggle his fingers at her, but it was enough to seal the deal and make them a family.

"How is my dad?" pressed Little Cato, wriggling free of Fox's grip. "They wouldn't let me in the room, just let me look at him from the doorway."

"Alive," confirmed Gary. "I don't know much more. I don't think the doctors know much more right now."

Little Cato nodded, unsurprised by such a vague answer. "General Cataloupe is expecting me on the bridge. Will you stay with him?"

"Yeah. Of course."

"Thanks. And, Thunder Bandit?"

At his tone, Gary gave Little Cato his full attention, mildly concerned.

"When we get a chance, we need to talk."

"This serious?" wondered Gary, and they both smirked at the mention of the game they used to play in the monstertorium.

"Yes. Very. But . . . in a good way."

A slow smile lit Gary's features. "You got it, Spidercat. Just name the time and place."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Seated in the officers' mess, at the very end of the table and removed from the handful of lower-ranking officers eating a late dinner, Gary and Little Cato finally had an opportunity to reconnect. The meal they had been served was typically Ventrexian, making it extremely flavorful and heavy on the protein. It was apparent the cooks had done a bit of research into human nutrition, because Gary was served more vegetables than Little Cato.

"So, how's shadow blockers coming along for you?" asked Little Cato after listening to a detailed account of Avocato's progress.

Gary laughed. Avocato was teaching him to play the strategy game in the brief spans he was awake and alert.

"The rules are easy enough, but even drugged to the gills, your old man can't lose even when he tries. Mooncake's been learning, too, so we've played a few rounds."

"Who won?"

"Do you play?" Gary countered, artlessly answering without answering.

Amused, Little Cato said, "Most everyone does, especially in the military. It's pretty universal, really." He jerked his head towards the young officers at the far end of the table. "You could ask most anyone on the ship to play. They're all really curious about you, anyway."

"Next time I'm not on Avocato duty, I'll give it a try. How are you doing? Cantaloupe running you ragged?"

"Cataloupe," he corrected. "And, no, I mostly just stand there and try to look like I know what's going on and nod when he needs me to. He's a good diplomat. Different from my dad, but effective."

"I think your old man had to side-step his rep at every move."

"You're not wrong. Still, things are stabilizing politically. A lot of old treaties and territories are being updated, and the rebels are going to keep their alliance intact."

"What about you?" asked Gary softly.

Little Cato took a slow breath before answering, being careful to match Gary's tone. "Ventrexia has been notified we'll be returning. We should get there sometime in the next three months. General Cataloupe wanted to give them time to process freedom and the monarchy being restored, and I'm not going back until dad is recovered and can walk again. From what I've been able to gather from news feeds, the Ventrexians are more excited to get their generals back than to get a new king. I think the only reason they're giving me a chance is because I was raised by Avocato. So, I'm going to have to work hard to get them to accept me."

"You're just going to have to put your money where your mouth is, kiddo."

"My what, where?"

"An earth saying. It means you have to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. Don't just say what you want to do and expect it to get done – you have to do it yourself. You have to prove yourself, in big ways and in little ones."

"I know. Gah." He shook his head. "My parents screwed up a lot, Gary."

"Then get a big 'ole wrench and start unscrewing. Want my honest opinion?"

"Yea – Yes."

"Once they get to know you, they're going to love you."

With a wry look, he admitted, "I'm kinda scared."

"Of course you are. Who wouldn't be? You've never been a king before. Thing is, you won't be alone. You'll have your dad and Cant . . . Cataloupe and me and -"

Little Cato looked up sharply. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about, Gary. I want to know – what do you want to do?"

Setting his fork down, Gary pondered the question. "I kinda thought . . . hoped I'd be able to stick around with you and Avocato. I mean, we've been through a helluva lot and – and you both mean everything to me and I don't really have anywhere else I can -"

Relief flooded him, crowding out all other emotions. His voice was rather abrupt as he said, "Okay, good. You'll come to Ventrexia with us."

"And Fox and Ash? I think we're a package deal now."

"Well, yeah. I already promised Fox our engineers would replace that gun with a hand like yours so he can study music again, and Ash wants to be an artist."

Gary blinked. "That's scary."

"I thought so, too. They need you, and so do I. Mostly, though, I want you to stay because . . . because my dad really, really needs you. He loves you."

Gary drew a sharp breath, and Little Cato suddenly wondered if he had somehow overstepped. Quickly he added,

"He's lonely. He has been since back on Ventrexia, before I was born. General Cataloupe told me once. He really enjoys your company. He thinks your smart and funny and he likes that you know how to fight. He used to ask you to join us because you were the only one on the ship he could really talk to as an equal. As a friend. And – and -"

He stumbled to a halt, hoping he hadn't ruined anything. Sensing his anxiety, Gary leaned in close and smiled to reassure him.

"Kiddo, I've been stupid in love with your old man since he stepped into my room on his flagship and I saw he had a pink nose. Seriously. Game over. I fell hard. The way he scowls? And then that black uniform? Oh, my god, I didn't stand a chance."

"Everybody loves that t'Rakkidan uniform. So . . . you won't mind helping to look after him and . . . me?"

He reached over and took Little Cato's paw, clasping it gently. "It would totally and completely be my honor to help look after you two. I love you both. Meeting you was the best thing that ever happened to me, Spidercat. You're my family."

Elated, Little Cato tightened his grip and returned Gary's smile, still determined to make Gary's claim into reality.