As the ship continued to move forward to their nearest destination for answers, Eva and Akka told her everything. The race of Oban. The Avatar. How Eva went by the name Molly in order to be with her father. The true nature of the "ultimate prize". The face off of Canaletto and Jordan's sacrifice. By the time they were done with the story, Lydia's eyes were filled with tears. "I'm so sorry that you lost your mom because of that awful creep!" She rubbed her eyes. She sniffled. "If we ever go to Planet Phils, let's see if you can make it up to him. I'm pretty sure it would make him feel a little better, you know?"

Eva gave a sad smile. "I'll keep that in mind."

Suddenly, the monitors beeped ferociously. Eva found the button and the screen brought on a relieved Don Wei and the President. Don Wei leaned in closer, nearly knocking over one of the workers. "Eva! Thank goodness! I thought...Are you and the others alright?"

Eva leaned forward. "We're alright. But…" She gave a nervous laugh and rubbed her hand behind her head. "We ran into some trouble." She soon began to run the details about what happened after their crash. Upon mentioning the Crogs, Don Wei paled. The President only gave a grim expression.

"Did you get any intel about the missing humans?" The President asked.

Lydia craned her neck so she could be seen. "No sir. However, I did find something very interesting. I stumbled into a small room that was similar to a library. However, I was only able to take pictures of one book." Lydia fiddled with the camera until she found what looked like a special send button. In a matter of moments, she noticed the two men looking at the images. "I'll translate it as soon as possible. I don't know what information might be in there, but it might not be battle plans."

"Just translate!" The President said. With that, the screen went blank.

Eva soured. "I'm really starting to hate that guy."

Akka sighed. "At least he didn't question how we got out." He turned to the girls. "Right now, we can't say anything about Ishtar or the stones. We don't know what they do or how they work. If they fall into the president's hands, who know what will happen." He was soon met by nods. He glanced at Lydia. Noticing the tired and frail look on her body. "Go get some rest. You've seen it take a toll on you. We'll let you know when we reach the next planet."

Lydia nodded. She unbuckled her seatbelt and walked away. It took a while to find her room until she found a door with her name etched in it. Once she was inside, Lydia set her bag and glasses down. She plopped onto the bed. She was surprised at how soft it was. The earthy smell gave her a sense of relief as she drifted off to sleep. Memories of laying in a field of lavender swaying in the breeze. Suddenly, a large shadow stood over her. It was strange. Instead of running away, she smiled warmly and offered a spot. It lasted for a very long time.

-(Sometime later)-

Lydia heard a knock on the door. She groaned. Her eyes blurry. She rubbed them. Lydia lifted her head. This is the first time in a long time where she didn't wake up from a nightmare. Her arms clung to a pillow. Lydia's mouth hung open in a small "o" as she tried to speak. "Who issss it?"

"Lydia? It's Eva." Eva's voice carried through the metal door. "We're arriving at the nearest planet for fuel. Come on. Get ready for landing."

Lydia yawned. She got up. She picked up her glasses and bag. She opened it to see that Istar was still in her stone form. "I wish you could tell me how you work." Lydia looked at the sky. "Mercu...I wish you were here." She walked out. Unaware that her braid had come undone.

A little while later, Lydia and Eva sat down. They began pushing buttons, secretly hoping it wouldn't crash. Akka fiddled with his seat. Next to him was a fresh set of arrows that seemed to be made from the ship. The engine hummed as the ship began to move forward. A small planet soon came into view. A small brownish-grey marble in a sea of black. The planet grew as they got closer.

"Where are we headed?" Lydia asked.

"Byrus." Akka answered.

Lydia nearly did a double take. She quickly grabbed Ishtar and the other stones that tumbled out of the back. "Byrus! As in...the planet that was polluted by the Crogs? The home planet of Rush?!" She turned to Eva. "Isn't he one of your friends you made during the race?"

Eva grinned. "Yep! There wasn't any Crog activity...That we know so far since we don't know what sort of features Ishtar put in the ship…" Her grin went awkward.

An awkward silence hung in the air. Lydia pulled up Ishtar. "I can't believe Mercu didn't tell me about the stones' powers. If only I could get Ishtar to talk to me." Lydia gasped as Ishtar glowed. The stone grew and began to become soft. Lydia's grey eyes grew wide as there was no longer a stone pig, but now a tiny boar curled up on her lap.

Eva gawked. Akka's blue eyes grew wide. The Nourasian looked at Lydia. "Miss Lydia. I think these stones are only activated by your heart's desire."

Lydia shook. She looked down. The little boar had the same green pelt like the bigger version earlier. The tusks were small stubs. Ishtar twitched. Her eyes were peridot green as she opened them. Lydia put a gentle hand on the creature. She gave a small smile as Ishtar rubbed her head against her hand.

"Good morning, Mistress. How shall I serve you today?" Ishtar asked.

Lydia blushed. She's never the type to give commands. She normally follows them. "W-well….can you tell me how you made this ship and how these stones work?" Lydia pulled out the two other stones. To her dismay, she soon realized that she was missing the oranges stone!

Ishtar gasped. "My kin!"

Eva raised a brow. "Kin?"

Ishtar looked at them. "Yes. I'm a stone beast."Then she looked embarrassed. "That's what I know so far. I know that these other stones are my siblings. We don't have a soul until somebody carves the stone gives us a form and soul."

Eva sighed. "So much for finding out more." Suddenly, everything began to rattle. She looked up at the monitor. A diagram of the ship heading toward the planet soon flashed. Alarms sounded as the actual planet got closer. "Hang on! We're coming in hot!"

As the ship entered the atmosphere, the ship began to turn bright oranged as it began to burn up. The engine roared as Eva, Akka and Lydia frantically tried to push random buttons in hopes that one of them would get them to land. As they got closer, the ground was as black as the night sky with only a few houses dotting them. Fortunately, Eva found a button that activated the wheels. The large wheels popped out. The wings angled which slowed their rapid descent. In a matter of minutes, they were able to land safely.

Lydia melted in her chair while Ishtar simply giggled. "Mistress, Let's do that again." The little pig was soon brought up in Lydia's arms.

Lydia got up from her chair. "Maybe at another time…" She followed Eva and Akka out of the ship. She grimaced like her fellow teammates. Before her was an enormous carpet of scorched earth. Even with her helmet on, her lungs were tight against the clouded air. Lydia grew disgusted as the trio began to walk by rivers of yellow-brown sludge. A few destroyed buildings dotted the area. She began to take pictures while holding Ishtar in one arm. She could feel Ishtar's rage vibrate off of her. The soft fur spiked with fury. Lydia hated to admit it, but she also felt that sensation crawling over her skin.

"No one so far…" Akka said. He gripped his bow tightly. He looked down at the ground. His mind went back to the times when the Crogs threatened him and his people. They even reduced to making him throw out the race. All just to avoid the same fate as Rush's planet. Lydia was right. The alliance with the Crogs was nothing but cowardice and hate.

"There's gotta be someone here. The only thing I know about Rush's people," Eva said. "Is that they're usually optimistic and can't make spaceships for long travels." She narrowed her eyes to have a better view of the horizon. In a matter of minutes, she spotted a large shape over the horizon. "I think I see somebody." Eva ran toward the shapes.

"Molly! Be careful!" Akka soon ran after her with Lydia trailing behind him.

As the trio ran, the shapes got bigger. Whiter. It soon became that they were Byrians. One looked like Rush. An orange beard with goggles sitting on top of his head. The other was more feminine. Her hair was kept in a braid. Dark eyes were filled with suspicion.

Eva gave a crooked smile. "Uh...Hi. I'm Eva, but Rush calls me Molly." She jumped back just as a pickaxe swung at her. She growled. "Hey, watch it! I'm just making friendly conversation!" She readied her fists. She was surprised when Lydia came between them. Akka placed a hand on her shoulder, calming her rage. Is Lydia going to try to talk to them? She thought.

Lydia gulped. She wanted nothing more than to remove her gloves so she could rub Ishtar's soft fur. Lydia looked up at them. "L-l-look...We mean you no harm. If you're worried about the Crogs, then I can tell you that we're not allies with them. They hate Earth as much as they hate your people." She gulped when a weapon was close to her face. Ishtar growled fiercely.

"You expect us to believe you!" The male Byrian said. He glared at Akka. "The last thing I've heard is that the cowardly Nourasians allied with the Crogs just to make sure their precious planet didn't blow up!"

Akka went silent. He grimaced, but said nothing.

"That's not entirely true." Lydia said. Lydia felt a hardened stone that was big as the orange one she lost. Her breathing intensified. "The Nourasians h-h-had broke things off with them. They finally understand that being allied with the Crogs. I-I know it's a bit much b-b-b-but can we sit down and talk? Please?"

The female Byran leaned forward. "I think she's telling the truth. Otherwise, she wouldn't be that willing to stand under your pickaxe."

The male Byrian was silent. He was about to say something when an engine roared in the distance. He didn't bother to lower his weapon as he turned his head toward the noise. A cloud of dust headed in their direction. Then, stopped only a few feet away.

It was a massive ship. Bulky. It looked like a living forge with weapons on its side. A large figure popped up. Another Byrian. He wore goggles over his eyes. His beard was longer and flared out. His angled ears twitched. "What's going on here?" He asked. Then his gaze turned to Akka and Eva. "Molly! Prince Akka! What are you doing here?"

Eva beamed as she ran over to the ship just as Rush got off. With great abandon, she hugged him. The two let out a laugh that seemed to melt away the gloom of the planet. "It's so good to see you! It felt like forever since I last saw you. You look like you barely changed."

Rush laughed. "Ha! You, on the other hand, have grown so much!" He reached out and hugged Akka. "You too, Akka." His gaze then laid on Lydia. "Who's this?" His lips went into a firm line. "Put that down, Aksin. You're scaring the life out of her!"

Lydia sighed. Ishtar was calming down in her arms. She suppressed a giggle when Ishtar snorted. She looked at Rush. "Thank you. It's really nice to meet you, Rush. I'm Lydia. I'm one of the Ambassadors to Earth." With no time to waste, Lydia began to explain their mission and what they were doing on Byrus. "I do understand that they've stripped you of everything, but if there's anything here that might maintain our ship. It should work. Also, are there any Crogs here or anything suspicious going on?"

Rush thought for a moment. He gave a soured expression. "Well...There are a few Crogs that like to slither back here every once in a while to make sure we stay in line." He tightened a fist. "I would like nothing more than to get those beady-eyed creeps off my planet and restore it properly." Then, he formed a smile. "But let's put that bitterness aside. Come, you must meet the rest of my people." He walked back to his ship just as Akka summoned G'dar.

Lydia, Eva and Akka climbed onto the beetle and took to the air. They soon joined Rush's ship which now carried the two other Byrians. Ishtar simply stayed in Lydia's arms the entire ride. The ride was a little bumpy as G'dar coughed. He squawked in protest at the acrid clouds. Thankfully, it didn't take them long to arrive at a small cluster of buildings which was now doubt a village. They landed by Rush's ship. Surrounded by various Byrians coming over to check them out.

Ishtar jumped out of Lydia's arms. She landed with great ease and raised her head high. She smiled as some of the women cooed at the sight of the little boar. Suddenly, the ground began to shift. A small patch of greenery began to grow beneath her hooves. Gasps erupted. Even Lydia's jaw dropped at the sight of this bizarre miracle.

"Ishtar!" Lydia said. "Did you know you could do that?"

Ishtar looked down at the grass. "Nope. Guess I do now. Watch my speeeed!" With that, Ishtar ran out into a blackened field. With every stride and strike of the hooves, plants began to spring everywhere. She laughed as everyone cheered. Rolling around only brought about flowers and young bloomed out. However, when she splashed into the water, the little pig jumped out. She sputtered out the polluted water. She shook herself. "Sorry folks. I guess I can't fix the water for you."

Lydia walked over to her as a chorus of groans went. She knelt down over Ishtar. "Well...At least the resources...you somehow were able to revive...can give these people something to eat."

Rush laughed once again. This time, that laugh was followed by whoops and cheers. "That's the spirit, Lydia! Come brothers! Let's start a brand new harvest!" In a matter of minutes, there was a live celebration. Music played loud and clear. Smells of herbs and spices tickled the nostrils. Everyone sat down and talked about their ancient history. A few went stiff at the mention of the Crogs. Even when Lydia asked if any were still walking around, the female Byrian, Brinnnia, the sister of Aksn tightened her lip. As if she wanted to protest about something but didn't want to say anything.

"Yeah...A few of them are still crawling around here." Askn said.

"One that you should avoid at all cost," An elderly Byrian said. He wore a thick greenish-brown robe with symbols on it. No doubt indicating that he was the Chief of this group. "Sagittarius. He's smarter than most of the Crogs. I've even heard he's a prodegy when it comes to strategy. Smarter than most grunts. You can tell it's him by the armor he wears. Even wore a pair of our goggles!"

Late at night, Lydia began taking in all the cultures and stories. She wrote every word with ease. Her camera made her very popular with the locals and started her own photo shoot. She even went as far as sharing some of the languages from Earth. Her throat hurts from removing her helmet to eat, but it didn't matter. It felt so nice to be heard for once. As she sat down, she began to pull out the blue stone. Lydia blushed as everyone gathered around her.

"What a pretty stone!" One child said.

"Where did you get that?" Rush asked.

Lydia felt blood rushing to her ears. Then, she felt a slight tingling on her head. Maybe it's because my hair is down for the first time, she thought. "W-w-well...This was given to me by a very dear friend of mine. I met him while I was a little girl."

"Oh yeah." Eva said. "You said someone by the name of Mercu. Who is that?"

Lydia never thought to talk about her past besides her mother. When it came to the counselors she would only stutter to keep herself from body shook. She felt Ishtar put her hoof on her leg. Lydia looked at her. She would have to tell them sooner or later. Lydia took a deep breath to calm down. "My mother...was a scientist. She was very smart. One of the best in her field studies, Anthology. It was going to be used to help with building stronger relationships with other intergalactic residents. Or so she thought…"

Akka gazed at her with concern. "What do you mean?"

Lydia's throat went dry. "She...got involved with the wrong people. They were doing things that went against Intergalactic laws. Mercu got tangled in them. When she met my dad, it was a wake up call for her to get out. She did but it wasn't easy. By the time I was born things were quiet….Until I got kidnapped."

"KINAPPED?!" Everyone was in an uproar. It took a long time for things to settle before Lydia continued.

Lydia wrapped her hand around the stone. "I-I was outside on a playground. My mother was running late to pick me up from school. So, I just simply drew in the sand. A bunch of men came out of nowhere and grabbed me. I screamed and kicked but no one came to help me." She shivered as memories of dark rooms crept in her soul. The men were laughing at her. "The only things I remember is being trapped with several other kids and undergoing special tests. Mostly just going through a maze.I...thought it would never end." Tears began to form in her eyes. Then, it happened. A form for the stone appeared in her mind. A seahorse. Regal. Comforting and friendly. Swimming with ease in the water. She sniffed. Her shaky hand picked up the knife. "Then, Mercu came and rescued us. Don't ask me how he found me, but he did. Once he dropped the kids off closest to their home, he walked me back. I was so scared and cried the entire time." With each carve, she began to form the plump body of the seahorse. The narrow face taking shape. Her smile grew big as she began to remember the fox alien. "He started to cheer me up with some stories about his homeworld and showed me these stones. Said that they were special and that if I carved them, I wouldn't be so scared or alone anymore. He brought me home. Then, he was attacked before I could thank him." As she finished, the stone was finally complete.

"Can you draw what he looks like?" Rush asked.

Lydia picked up a stick and began to draw. The outline of the fox ears. Nine fox tails twirling and wrapping around. The silver eyes and grey fur had to be described since there were no colored pencils for her.

Rush thought for a moment. "Looks a little familiar."

"It is?" Akka asked. He cocked his head as he handed a piece of food to G'dar.

"Only stories though." Brinnina answered after being silent for so long. Her voice was surprisingly smooth despite her large frame. "They were considered one of the oldest races in space. They vanished. I think they're called Kitnina."

"Kintnina." She looked done at her work. It was strange that Mercu had told her so much about his home but so little about his race in general. Maybe she'll find the answers in space. Like Ishtar, there was life radiating from it. However, it was much different from her. Gentle. Shy. However,he was willing to give comfort to her when she needed it. Lydia could feel it. A name. One that spoke of the ocean. "Hello...Alon."

The room glowed a bright blue light. The water started to purify in the jugs. A cool sensation filled the room. A small blanket of ice gleamed across the surface. Everyone just stood in amazement as the glow faded away to reveal a bright blue seahorse. He was small. The same height as Ishtar. He slept. Then, he opened his eyes. A wail escaped from his mouth. Tears streaming from his Robin egg eyes.

Lydia cradled him. "There, There. It's ok." She kept rocking Alon until he stopped crying. "Hi Alon, my name's Lydia. I'm...your mistress. Though I'm not the type to give commands. This is Byrus." She lifted him up to show her newfound friends. "These people are really nice so you don't have to worry, ok?"

Alon soon began to settle down. He lifted his head to turn around. He started to calm down. He cooed. He even giggled when some of the Byrian women began to fawn over him. Giant hands rubbed against his head. Without thinking, he rolled out of Lydia's arms and began to float.

Lydia gave a weak smile before she collapsed in a heap. Her shoulders were touched by a concerned Eva. She gazed up. "I'm fine..Just tired. I completely forgot that backlash…" She tried to get up. Then, Lydia was carried off to another room with the help of Rush. She soon felt Ishtar and Alon curl up next to her. Whatever words Rush said were drowned out by the dive into darkness. Never in her life was she able to feel so comforted, but yet so full of questions of the stones and Mercu. Her dream was filled with being curled up in one of his ninetails. Brushing his soft fur.

Suddenly, a sharp pain touched Lydia's head. She scratched at it. Then she heard a muffled noise. It sounded like footsteps. Heavy ones. She woke up from her sleep. She groped in the darkness to find her glasses. Ishtar and Alon both awoke at the same time. Lydia got onto her feet. She peered through the darkness. There, she saw a large shadow leaving the hut of the slumbering giants. Lydia followed. Careful not to awake anyone. Once she stepped out into the green moonlight, she saw Brinnia walking away into the shadows of night. She looked at her small animal friends.

"Misstress?" Ishtar said. "Can we follow her? She's been funny the entire time we're here."

Lydia nodded. "Yes, but do it quietly. The both of you."

"Don't leave us out for fun."

Lydia jumped and turned around to see that Eva stood there with Akka at her side. The Nourasian Prince bowed. "Apologize for scaring you. It seems we're all suspicious of her. Remember Lydia, you're still recovering." Despite Lydia protesting, the duo joined her in following their mysterious Bryian maiden.

Did what I could for this chapter. I'm not too familiar with Rush's people since the show never talked much about it. So, what do you think the secret is? Review!