Warning: Slight mention of suicidal thoughts.

Eva Wei looked up at the starry night sky. Her smile wide. She leaned against the railing of their home porch. It's been two years since she went to Oban and raced with Jordan. Though she still misses him, she's glad of all the things he did for , she just graduated high school and is ready for a new life as a racer. Even her dad agreed to have her do a race the month after their small vacation. Her eyes closed as she enjoyed the breeze that gave the smell of fresh spring. A door opening made her turn her head. She grinned at her dad. "Penny for your thoughts?"

Don Wei laughed. His dark eyes filled with life. He was a far cry from the broken man he was before. Still gruff with his workers, but no longer pushes his daughter away. The two have been able to make up for the lost time they had for the past ten years after Maya's death. Every once in a while, they talked about the race and how it brought them together despite all the terrible things that happened. "Just thought to join you through the starry night." He leaned against the railing. "Two whole years since that day…" He laughed. "Hard to imagine. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would travel to alien planets and try to save the human race...only for you to finally come back into my life again."

Eva grinned. "Yeah well...It wasn't easy. I had to win you back somehow. You were a piece of work."

"So were you."

The two laughed heartily. Suddenly, a limo drove to the front of the house. The car door opened to reveal a stern president of the Earth Colonies stand before them. His eyes focused on Eva. "Don Wei. Eva Wei. It's been awhile."

Eva and Don stiffened. They both despised the president after what had happened at the race. Though all of humanity was at stake, he manipulated Eva to do his work and not tell her what was going on. He practically gambled with her life. As much as they disliked him, they both knew it had to be this important. "Yes…" Don Wei said, trying his best not to growl. "Quite. What brings you here on this fine evening?"

The president cleared his throat. "You two have to come with me to my office, your expertise is needed. We're also having a linguist being picked up as we speak. Come with me and I'll give you more details."

Eva took a deep breath. Letting her anger melt away, but her voice had a warning tone to it. "Alright, but no secrets. Tell us everything you know."

The president was silent for a moment. His face holding the same expression. Then, he nodded. He vanished back into the limousine. It didn't take long for both Don and Eva to join him. As the doors, closed the van drove away from the Wei house and into a new adventure.

-(Lydia)-

Lydia laid on the park bench half asleep. She just couldn't feel anything. No warmth. No cold. She just wanted to be away from everything. The pain. Torture. People laughing behind her back. Yelling at how useless her work was. Ridicule. The agony that her mother might never return to her. It wouldn't have mattered, Lydia thought bitterly. There's no home to return to. Her eyes opened to the twilight sky beneath the trees. The smell of fresh grass gave her nothing.

She sat upright. Her hand fiddled one of the bags to find a small knife that Mercu gave her when they first met. It was made for carving stone which made it sharp. However, if she placed it on her wrist...Suddenly, a random shouting startled her. The box that was beside her fell onto the ground, spilling out the content in it.

Lydia knelt down to the ground and scooped up the materials. Three glittering stones. One green as the grass in front of her. Blue as the ocean. The last one a slight mix of pink and purple. The green stone cradled in her hand. She sighed. "I guess I can start carving shapes before I leave. I promised Mercu that." She settled herself back on the bench. Her mind instantly took an image of the green gem in a form. A Red River Hog. Tusks jutted out of its mouth. A fierce gaze coming from pale green eyes. Stout legs positioned for combat. Just as she was finishing the last touches, an "Ahem" brought her back to reality. She looked up to see a group of people standing in front of her. Government officials in black suits. "Um...Can I help you?"

"Are you Lydia Lin?" One of the men asked.

Lydia nodded. "U-um...Yes. What do you need me for?"

"The President of the Earth Coalition wishes to speak to you. We had many references from your boss and your old landlady that you are good with languages. Especially aliens."

Lydia looked down. "The alien language was just a side project. They just have dialects that branch out from the languages on Earth." She blushed when she saw the Nurasian writing. "It was a simple love letter from one of the warriors that helped the Crogs-"

"Come with us."

Lydia was silent for a moment. This was too much for her. She lost her home, money and possibly her mother. Now the president wanted her. She looked down at her hand. The cool green stone cradled in her palm. The tusked pig is almost complete. Whatever the president needed from her, it won't be long. After all, she thought bitterly. I don't have a home to go life is meaningless to lose Lydia took a deep breath. "I'll do it. But let me take my stuff with me. It isn't much but I don't want to leave what I have left of my life."

-(A few hours later, close to midnight)-

Lydia had finished the last touches to her hog and fell asleep during the rest of the car ride. She woke up a little later to help the men move her things into a storage locker and wait in the council room. Lydia fell back asleep once she settled down. Sometime later, she awoke to the sound of a door opening. She got up slowly. Her eyes half-opened and bleary.

In the doorway was the president. He looked stern and tired as if he was the one driving all night. Next to him was a man in his 50's. Black and white hair representing the race track. Then, a young girl at the age of seventeen. Red with hints of black underneath. Her brown eyes focused on her.

Lydia immediately got up from her seat. "Mr. President!" Her chair fell backward from her fast movement. She bowed. "Forgive my rude behavior, I had a hard day." She blushed. She absent-mindedly fiddled with her glasses."Though...yours must've been harder I'm sure." Then, her mind instantly snapped awake when she recognized Eva and Don. "I've seen you two before! On the Racing Weekly Magazines! You're both considered-"

The President raised a hand. "Please sit down everyone. I have an important announcement." He walked over to the head of the table. He watched as everyone did just as he commanded. At that moment, the lights went off. He pulled out a remote for the projector. The first image pulled out a map of where each colony resides."As off late, some earth colonies have been disappearing." He flipped to the next one. This one presented a strange mark on an abandoned house. It was a strong resemblance to a red fox with multiple tails. It looked extremely unfriendly. "A few survivors have recalled seeing aliens that maybe Crogs developing a new strategy of conquest." He turned to the others. "I want Eva and Lydia to go in space and learn more about the situation."

Lydia sat up straight on this. "What?! I-I-I mean it would be a huge honor to work with the daughter of Maya Wei and Don Wei." She turned to look at Eva. "I'm deeply sorry for your loss by the way."

Eva gave her a soft smile. What she saw in those tired eyes was a girl who's going through so much pain. "It's ok. We're doing a little better now." She turned to glare at the President. "Or at least, that's what was happening earlier."

The President sighed. "I know that you and Don are still mad at me. However, this could hit our home planet if we don't address this now. A lot of lives will be at stake." He turned his gaze to Lydia. "So far, I've asked many linguists for help. However, none of them specialized in any languages except here on earth. You might be the only one who may be more aware of alien language and better understanding of their culture better than most. Please… Help us."

Lydia sat there for a moment. This was an opportunity of a lifetime for her. She was overlooked by everyone. No matter how hard she practiced. No matter how good her grades were. She was worth nothing to her peers. Now...her mother is gone. Even if she dies out in space, at least she would have a nice time before the end. Lydia got up from her chair. "I'll do it."

Eva stared at her in surprise. "Are you sure?"

Lydia fixed her glasses. "I don't have anything else to lose. This is my only chance to be in space. I've always wanted that my whole life. I'll do my best to see what these attackers are up to."

Eva wasn't sure about Lydia's answer. Something about it felt off. As if the young woman has nothing left to lose. However, she thought about it. If there really are attackers and the Crogs are somehow involved, I shouldn't miss this chance. Her memories went back to her time on Aiwas and Oban. She's been through peril time and again. Most of them were with Aikka and Jordan, but things are different now. She got up. "I'll do it too, sir."

Don stared in shock. "Eva!"

Eva gave a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, dad. It's not something I've dealt with before. Besides, I won't be completely alone and protocol will be diplomatic, right? Nothing too dangerous."

The President sighed. "It will be diplomatic, but I'll give you permission to use whatever means you have to protect us." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I can't predict much but you two might be our only hope for Earth's future." He let out a yawn. A glance of his watch. The lights soon came back on. He got up from his spot. "I'll give you further details in the morning. You can rest in the guest rooms tonight." With that, he left.

Don Wei sighed. He placed his hand on his head. "After all this time, there's another reason to get you tossed into another problem."

Eva placed a hand on her father's. "Don't worry, dad. Canaletto won't hurt me now. Also, I'm not alone. I'm sure the president will set up a crew for us soon enough." She smiled. "You can count on me!"

Don Wei smiled back. Tears welling in his eyes. The two stood there for a while. Feeling relief and happiness after a tense moment. Something about this scene only squeezed Lydia's heart as tears fell out of her eyes.

That's it for this chapter. I felt like it would be reasonable for both Don Wei and Eva to hate the president after the dirty tricks he pulled later in the show. More to come later. Also, remember to do the polls if you want more in the stories and review.