What will happen? What will come to be? What will come? Just read and find out!
PS: For the voice of Bianca Lightyear, I can't decide if I wanted to go with Tara Strong or Amy Birnbaum.
Just something I wanted to let you guys know, because for this chapter she won't be speaking but she will be in the chapter after the next because I have plans.
Ok?
Please enjoy!!
For Bianca Lightyear it wasn't unusual for her to go on an early morning flight on a Sunday before everyone else was awake.
It also wasn't unusual that Commander Nebula was well aware of this and he allowed it.
And it wasn't unusual for her to want to do this not only to have some serenity before getting the day started with everybody else... Especially regarding the past...
Inexplicably every time she had a nightmare about It, it was always on a Sunday, although really when it happened it happened on a Sunday, thus making the day a little more...
... Unnerving...
Nobody but a select few even know that even she has nightmares, Especially when it came to That incident years ago...
If it hadn't been for them who had saved her before it was too late ... the unthinkable could have happen...
Even just thinking about it made her shudder.
She has been getting better thankfully as those nightmares are now few and far in-between, yet sadder still they do still happen.
But those weren't the only set of nightmares she had to deal with, no Space Ranger can go by unscathed after all, physically and otherwise as everyone in Star Command has all faced great danger, peril and trauma at one point in their careers in one way or another, weather in the name of the greater good or even just being off duty, herself included.
Most don't know about them, not even her own teammates, as she always kept it all well hidden.
As stated before only Nebula and a few others know her past plights, Even one who Although is no longer a member he nonetheless didn't need rocket science to figure out what's been on her mind here and there although strangely but otherwise gratefully he never brought it up, and most certainly not to his boss.
Despite what anyone thinks even he knew where the line needed to be drawn.
Wholeheartedly she believed it was because of everything they went through before his betrayal, especially involving That incident years ago as everyone involved kept their lids shut on that.
Her more recent nightmares were of her arch Nemesis, Evil Emperor Zurg.
Again things were manageable, but there were some nights that were rough.
Thanks to her years of hard work and dedication She was able to keep her internal struggles from being known to everybody, not even her own team knows, don't get her wrong She does trust her team with her life but some of her older wounds (though not physical) were still too sensitive to reveal.
This one nightmare however was a little worse than others before as it seemed to have been a mix of That incident and of Zurg, More particularly around the time he almost succeeded in taking over the entire galaxy using the Evilized Unimind, around the time she was adamant about not having teammates not wanting a repeat of what happened with Warp Darkmatter before she learned the truth.
To put it bluntly, things ended worse there than how both had ended originally.
"Going out?" Called the voice of the Commander as this brought her out of her thoughts as she turned to him, Who had his arms crossed and was leaning against the door frame to his office.
Same old song and dance, as to be expected as she merely nodded to him who gave her a sympathetic look.
"Be safe out there ok?" The man told her, gently yet sternly, "And remember, the very minute you find something's not right, come straight back, if not call and we'll be there. Okay?"
She nodded again, gently smiling in thanks before she continued her way to the launch bay.
The Commander could only sigh, just after she was out of ear shot, feeling bad for her once more.
Same old song and dance indeed.
'It's been 10 years since it happened, and yet the scar still runs deep, and it isn't just her who was affected by it.' He thought to himself as he went back inside his office.
Even just thinking about it made him have a heavy heart once more, the guilt he has been carrying for all these years still ever present within his chest, but he had no one to blame but himself.
To this day nobody knows about what took place 10 years ago, nobody, not even the members of Team Lightyear.
Those who were directly involved in the incident were ordered to keep their lids shut, while for others who were suspecting or suspicious of what was going on they were told that it was a private case that was a code SSS top secret.
He has tried to encourage her to tell her teammates as they had every right to know, especially after everything they've been through, but again she gently declined, not only was the subject still sensitive but she really didn't want to feel like she was burdening them with something that had happened a decade ago.
Even though he himself knew that it would not be a burden to her friends, they have all listened to each other's plights and worries, of what's been bothering them and What have you, although to the girl... She felt like it was a weight that she herself had to support alone even though she really didn't have to, something she really shouldn't.
The sad truth was it was only around him and a select few, who were involved in what had happened back then, she allowed herself to let her guard down completely, shed her mask to let them know how she was actually feeling, as they would understand her, to her revealing that in front of others made her feel like... She would be seen as vulnerable and weak, she didn't want to appear like that especially as there were many who looked up to her, who counted on her, she could not let them down.
And it honestly frustrated and hurt him seeing how she had to keep such a pristine image for the sake of not feeling like she was going to fall apart, and for the sake of not making others worried or scared.
She had put herself on a high pedestal for the sake of others even though she herself was practically Swaying uneasily on top.
No one is truly invulnerable, human or another species altogether. Everyone feels pain, everyone suffers trauma, everyone gets scared every now and then, everyone feels uneasy and at times feels like they're going to fall apart, it was a fact that nobody should forget, especially not her. She is aware she is still hurting yet she's trying to appear untouchable to many, Even to the point of denying herself at times, sadly that was only just an illusion as a means to protect herself.
In his opinion she has every right to reveal her softer side every now and then, She has every right to be allowed to relax and recuperate when needed, yet she was practically a workaholic and getting her to relax completely was sometimes a bit of a struggle.
That includes trying to get her to open up to others about the subject that took place years ago or Even just for her to let out her grievances and pain to easy the burden off of her.
And forget about even thinking about early retirement as she loved her job too much, she's worked too hard to just let it all be shelved all because of one thing, even though nobody would really fault her for doing so as she wouldn't be the first person who retired early because of something severely traumatic that had happened.
And she certainly wouldn't be the last if it did come to it.
Sometimes she even threw herself into work just to avoid the subject or even thinking about the subject, Which to him wasn't always a good thing as she was basically trying to run away from her problems, which will only make things worse.
Bianca was a very stubborn woman, in fact as far as he recalls she's even more stubborn than most female space rangers he's known.
Looking back it seemed like only yesterday she was just a brand new trainee, at first she was impulsive and brash, jumping to the wrong conclusions, but as time went on she became more mature, growing and learning from her past follies, Especially on an adventure she had gone on back in her training years though he still wasn't fully aware of what took place but he knew that it led to her becoming who she was today, becoming a proud and hardworking comrade and leader.
Personally among any rangers he has had over the years, only Bianca Lightyear had truly caught his eye. Because honestly she reminds him of himself when he was younger, some of her past faults and blunders, achievements and endeavors reminded him so much of his younger cadet days, and into his young leadership years.
In fact he has known her since before she even became a trainee, it seemed like only yesterday when he first came to her home planet, she was still a little youngin, excited and passionate about becoming a Ranger, wanting to do amazing things, wanting to help people, see places outside of her home planet, wanting to protect the galaxy from evil.
Her admiration towards him was both endearing and heartwarming.
He still remembers the times he had shared tea with her Nana occasionally during that mission back then. He even still came to visit on one occasion or another even after the mission was over.
The girl had a lot of potential, sure she did have rough edges, but he could definitely see that with time, patience and training she would be able to achieve her dreams. And years later she most certainly has and more.
In a way to him she was like the daughter he never had, he never married nor had any kids of his own. Yet to him Bianca was like the daughter he'd always wanted but didn't know he did until years ago.
They've even gone on missions together occasionally. There was even that one time where she'd actually gotten injured badly enough that she needed a blood transfusion, if it weren't for the fact that the two of them had the same blood type she would have died that day.
And he and their small group were there to listen to her when the nightmares came or when she was down, And even when she didn't want to say anything just lending her a shoulder was enough to help her calm down, recompose herself and get back to sleep, if not then help her to get the day started without another hitch.
So yes in a way she already was his daughter.
Although he himself felt like a chicken for not being able to admit that, because really he had a bit of an issue that was similar to her, he had to remain as tough and stern, commanding and diligent, a proud commander and leader of Star Command, hardly anybody ever got to see his softer side except only a few and only on a few occasions depending on things.
He always felt like a hypocrite there.
He sat down at his desk as he let out another heavy sigh.
He had one other thing that had been bothering him.
He was already well aware that Bianca was exceptionally beautiful around most men, And not just in his employment, there are others who had set their sights on her, and yet she's not interested in seeing anybody, she doesn't even know a thing about what it's like to be in a relationship, not that he can fault her.
She considers herself just a normal woman, that she wasn't that special in that particular regard, always claiming that she was too busy for such things, She has never been vain or conceded even once about physical beauty in any way shape or form.
She was already at the right age to look for a boyfriend and someday settle down but she wasn't interested.
Or rather, she was afraid to.
It all stemmed from That.
'If it hadn't been for Him then things would have been different, she could have been happier, She wouldn't have been scarred to the point of even being outright afraid to look for another.' He thought in woe and anger.
Nebula was so disgusted by Him that He didn't even want to say his name out loud let alone in his mind as what he had done was completely horrific and inexcusable, it can no longer be blamed because of what had happened to him prior to It.
He was just glad that that sick punk was rotting away in prison where he can't hurt or touch anybody, especially not her.
His only regrets were not having beaten the sicko into the mud himself... And for not having realized how bad things were actually getting until it was almost too late.
They would have lost two comrades that day, one to darkness and the other to... The unspeakable...
If he had known sooner what was going to happen or even a hint of what was actually happening he would have dove in and knocked the twisted freak into next week..
... He shook his head, dispelling the "what-ifs" knowing that that won't help anybody, for the past was in the past and there was nothing they could do about it except to move on.
Though even he was aware that That was easier said and done for some people-!
Just then he got an alert notification on his computer which startled out of his thoughts, recomposing himself he saw that it was a galactic news update.
He almost forgot that he had the notification set to loud so that he would always hear it even when he was deep in thought.
Keeping up with the news was very important after all, Especially in the line of business he and everybody else were in.
'Why am I not surprised that there's a news update first thing in the morning?' The man thought to himself sarcastically as he went to open the notification to see what it was.
But before that, he noticed right away that it was labeled as "Urgent", meaning that something very serious had happened. Worse than anything normal. His face quickly turned serious too as he opened the update.
But upon opening it he was immediately met with fear.
All he could utter from his mouth was barely a whisper, yet it was laced with deep shock and horror, "No..."
Hope this wasn't bland or anything, please stay tuned for the next chapter!
Until next time, TTFN!!!
