Last Exile Fan Fiction ❯ Developing Bonds ❯ Attachment ( Chapter 3 )

Developing Bonds

 

By: A-Z Mk II

 

Disclaimer: Not mine - just borrowing for a bit.

 

Rated: NC17/X

 

Chapter 3: Attachment

-

Humming happily to herself, Alvis enjoyed the sucker that the brother of Ralph had given her. Behind her, the two men talked quietly about van ships, Norkia, and the war. Alvis didn't pay them much mind, really, other than to periodically peek over to make sure that Claus was still there. At eleven years old, Alvis had seen more changes in her life than most would in a three decades.

It wasn't so much that she had been consumed by the war, but rather, it was more that the war had reshaped her world. The young girl had never really understood what was going on in the war, living in relative isolation with the Hamilton house of the nobility of Anatory. Her life had been relatively placid over the years, with Kita - her maid and nanny - spending all day, every day with the young girl.

Then, suddenly, she and Kita were going on a trip, and things had turned very scary. She had been separated from Kita, there had been explosions and the next clear memory she had of that day was of Claus and Lavie, and their tiny home in Norkia. Two strangers, who had become the two most important people in her world.

Thinking of that day and night, she peeked over to see Claus and the strange man talking. She wasn't sure exactly what had been happening between him and Lavie lately, but she knew that something was off balance in their little world. It had been that way since Claus had disappeared for all that time with Tatiana. Since then, there had been a tension between the two that she had never thought possible. Lavie and Claus haven't been happy lately, but even so, they can't stay away from each other. thought the girl, subconsciously clutching the stuffed ram that Lavie had given to her that first night a little closer.

Alvis Hamilton did not like it when Lavie and Claus were not acting like they normally did. Since the first time that she had met them, they had shown a kind of bond that Alvis had never seen before, and she had been pulled into the bond as naturally as a lollypop melted on your tongue. Both of them made time for her, and they shared a room with each other, and she always felt safe as long as she knew they were close. Even when Lavie had been hurt and Claus was missing, she had felt safe because she spent her time tending to Lavie, and she knew that no matter what, Claus would come back to her and Lavie.

And he had, too. But, when he had come running to find her and Lavie in the hanger area, something had made Lavie freeze up mid-greeting. Alvis wasn't sure, but she had known instinctively that something was wrong. And she was pretty sure that it had to do with Tatiana. Thinking of the platinum-blonde van ship captain, Alvis frowned. She didn't really like Tatiana much; a sentiment that Lavie seemed to share with her.

“She's always so mad.” muttered the girl, thoughtfully chewing on the hard lollypop for a moment. From the very first meeting with her, Alvis had been convinced that Tatiana was a mean person. Claus didn't seem to think so, but then, Claus liked pretty much everyone. Miss Sophia had seemed to like Tatiana well enough, and Alister - Tatiana's navigator - had told her that Tatiana was really a nice person, once you got to know her. For the time being, however, Alvis was following Lavie's lead in this matter, choosing to keep distance between her and Tatiana.

Just the night before, she and Lavie had talked, and Lavie had told her that what was bothering her most was seeing Tatiana in Claus's overalls. Alvis wasn't entirely sure why that would bother Lavie, but she knew that it probably had to do with that `dating' or `sex' stuff that the adults were always talking about when they forgot she was there. So, what about that got Lavie so upset? wondered the girl.

On a practical level, she understood that men and women formed couples, and those couples usually started families, but she didn't know exactly how the formation of couples was done, so maybe that was what had Lavie upset. I don't think that I would want Tatiana to replace Lavie in my family. she thought. I want to stay with Claus and Lavie, not Claus and Tatiana. Alvis glanced over to make sure that Claus hadn't escaped her watchful eye since last she checked. Claus hadn't, and he was currently watching some van ships practice formation flying.

The young girl smiled, thinking of Claus and Lavie. In spite of her situation, in spite of her losses, she was happy because she had gained Claus and Lavie. Unlike the rest, they had always been on her side, and they cared about her enough to sacrifice their home and all they held dear to get her to the dubious safety of the Silvana. Her thoughts were interrupted by Claus's excited voice.

Jumping to her feet, she ran over to him, grabbing his arm as she usually did, seeing him pointing to three van ships and calling out names. Alvis watched Claus's face as he tracked the three ships to their landing spots before heading off at a job, Alvis keeping time with him. He looks like he used to before, the girl thought, a smile forming on her lips. I like this Claus more than the other Claus he has been the last few days. she decided happily.

Reaching the three van ships, Claus enthusiastically greeted the three pilots. Alvis hung back slightly, keeping an eye on Claus, but not so willing to be around strangers - friends of Claus or not. From her vantage point, she picked up that all three of them expected Lavie to be at Claus's side. When Claus said he didn't know where she was at the moment, Alvis immediately volunteered to go find her, scampering off swiftly. Maybe, she thought, if Lavie sees these people, she'll go back to the way she was before, too!

The search for Lavie was shorter than she thought, as she met up with Lavie half-way back to the berth where the Silvana was being feverishly repaired for the next battle with the Guild. Grabbing Lavie's hand, she eagerly led the girl to where Claus and the van ship pilots were waiting. When she got a look at them, Lavie's face lit up, and she energetically greeted them. Watching her and Claus together, Alvis grinned happily. The two most important people in her world were back the way they should be.

-

The reunion was shorter than expected. Not too long after they had been reunited with their friends from Norkia, the group had gone to dinner, talking of old times. During this meal, the issue of the van ship squadron currently training at Horizon Cave came up. When Hurricane Hawk had mentioned that Duke Mad Thane was the man sponsoring the plan because he had seen a van ship take on a Disith fleet at the battle of Minagese. The fat old woman - Piggy Bird, as Lavie called her - had asked the two if that van ship hadn't been theirs. Al had turned to see Claus and Lavie looking at each other, both very disturbed.

Al didn't know what they were talking about, other than that Lavie and Claus had been delivering a message to this Mad Thane guy and had been caught up in the battle. From the talk she heard from Miss Sophia and Tatiana and the mechanics when Lavie wasn't around had led her to think that it was a great accomplishment for the two, and she had thought that they would be proud to be recognized for their accomplishment. Instead, Lavie was nearly in tears, and Claus was looking worse than he had before.

“It wasn't…supposed to have turned out like this.” whispered Lavie to Claus, looking him in the eyes.

“I know, Lavie, but what can we do about it now?” replied Claus. Sitting at the end of the table, with Claus on her left and Lavie on her right, Al looked between the two, intently studying their faces. Sitting at the table with the three, the other van ships pilots from Norkia watched in silence, just as confused about the reaction of the two as Al was.

“What's with you two?” wondered the younger man, frowning. Nose Hair, thought the young girl, absently reaching out to touch both Claus's and Lavie's hands with her own, that's what Lavie said his name was. The older man studied the two thoughtfully.

“It was you two, then.” murmured the man. “How did you end up in a war, Claus?” he wondered.

“We were delivering a message, and…well….” Claus trailed off.

“It…was horrible.” picked up Lavie. “All those men dead, and the fleets still planning to fight for that oh-so-precious `honor'…” Lavie went silent, unshed tears shining in her eyes.

“The Guild wouldn't do anything to stop it. Even after a surprise attack by another fleet, the Guild just sat there…” Claus said. Al squeezed both hand.

“So, we got between the two and dumped our blue smoke.” Lavie took her turn again. “It was the smoke we were saving for when we won the Norkia Cup.” she added, her tone rough.

“We started taking fire from the Disith fleet, and then Tatiana's van ship was there, and we followed her through the core of the lead Disith fleet. Before we knew it, the two fleets were separating, and the Silvana was gone.” explained Claus, looking into Lavie's eyes. His navigator, partner and family was silent.

“And that was the day before the Norkia Cup.” deduced Hurricane Hawk. To think that they were flying that race after getting caught up in a battle…simply amazing! The other two were looking at the two strangely.

“You were in a battle the day before, and still flew like that?” wondered Fat Chicken. God, I should be glad that they weren't rested and relaxed, or they would have put a hurting on all of us! She still vividly recalled the slip-past they had pulled on her in the tight, confined tunnel section of the race course.

“Well, I guess that it's just as good that you and Hawk had to drop out of the race, then. I would have felt bad about winning if I had known that you fought a battle the day before.” blustered Sonny Boy. Hawk grunted.

“The only reason you won was that Claus and I had to drop out of that race.” dismissed Hurricane Hawk. Sonny Boy just shrugged and pulled the medal out from under his shirt.

“Say, Claus,” Hawk said, steering the conversation off that topic, “you didn't tell us about how you and Lavie came to have this cute girl with you two.” he noted, smiling warmly at Al. Blinking, the two forced their attention back to the group.

“Well, you remember that van ship that nearly crashed into us?” asked Claus slowly. Hurricane Hawk nodded.

“My van ship still bears the dents from that.” he confirmed.

“Well, that was the ship of the kid brother of one of the pilots flying with you all. He was carrying Al here to the Silvana when he got jumped by the starfish. During the evasion, he wandered onto the race course.” Claus paused, not knowing how to say what happened next without bringing up some painful memories for Al. “He…couldn't complete his mission, so Lavie and I took it on. We've been with her ever since.” he said, giving Al a slight smile. From the corner of his eye, he saw that Lavie was doing the same.

“Starfish? Is that what that thing was called?” wondered Hawk. The other two were looking between him and Claus, seemingly lost about the topic of conversation.

“Yes. They are Guild ships. Tough; and hard to get rid of.” came a voice from the door to the nearly deserted mess hall. Turning, they saw Tatiana and Alister. Lavie's face closed down.

“Hi, Tatiana.” said Claus. “These are some friends from Norkia. Hurricane Hawk, Sonny Boy and Fat Chicken.” he introduced them, each nodding to the officer in turn. “They're training for the van ship squadron.” he explained.

Tatiana joined him at the table, Alister moving to sit next to Lavie. “So. Are you going to transfer to the van ship squadron, Claus?” asked the young woman intently. “I certainly wouldn't blame you.” she added softly, her eyes flickering to Lavie for an instant.

“Transfer? We never joined the military.” muttered Lavie, her tone deadly poisonous. Tatiana didn't look at her, choosing to ignore the remark.

“I'm staying on the Silvana.” said Claus softly. At least until Al is safe. he added to himself, looking directly into Lavie's eyes. His partner was not happy, but she made no move to say anything, and her steady gaze told him all he needed to know. The sense of relief that washed through him almost made him slump. She's staying with me! he realized, relieved.

“You two are crewing on the Silvana?” wondered Hawk, an eyebrow raised. That particular ship had a reputation, after all. Before either of the two could speak, Tatiana did it for them.

“Not exactly.” said the young woman. “Lavie is Claus's mechanic, and Claus flies combat missions with my squadron when necessary. But their main duty is looking after Al and fixing their personal van ship.” she said calmly.

“Fixing you ship?” asked Sonny Boy. “What happened, guys? I know that Claus isn't that bad a pilot!” he denied.

“It was a rough landing.” was all Claus said, before he and Lavie began to softly laugh. Smiling at each other for the first time in more than a week, the two shared a moment.

“Probably the roughest we've had.” agreed Lavie. Grabbing her glass of clear, clean water, she raised her glass. “A toast to rough landings!” she called. Claus immediately stepped in with her.

“And to walking away from them.” he added, sneaking a peek at Tatiana. She smiled and swiftly raised the glass of water that Alister handed her.

“Here here!” seconded the group at large. Swallowing her water, Al studied her two most important people and smiled. These were the two she was used to. That night, the three of them turned in together in the small, cramped quarters they shared on the Silvana, not realizing that their world was about to change again.

-

Alvis awoke to see Lavie still asleep in her narrow bunk. Leaning over the edge of her top-bunk bed, she smiled at seeing Claus still sleeping soundly in the bed below her own. It had been a while since they had all gone to bed together and woken up together, but Al decided then and there that it was a good sign.

Quietly, she wiggled over the edge of her bed and dropped down to the floor of their cabin, making hardly a sound. Stepping into her boots, she smoothed out her tunic and checked her hair, making sure the covered buns that held her waist-length hair hadn't come loose in the night. Feeling that they were still in place, she took a step toward the door. “Morning, Al.” came Lavie's voice.

Flinching, the young girl turned to see Lavie looking at her, a small smile on her face. The short-haired girl absently tugged her small top back on straight, it having twisted and pulled up while she slept, leaving most of one breast bare.

“Morning, Lavie.” replied Al. “Did I wake you?” she wondered. Lavie was usually up by the time that she awoke, and she usually hammered on that piece of metal with a hammer to wake Claus, but not this morning.

“No. I've been awake for a while now.” said the older girl, sitting up in her bed and stretching her arms. Al stepped over to Lavie and gave her a brief hug. “Off somewhere?” she asked the younger girl. Al nodded.

“Yes. I thought that I would make you and Claus breakfast.” replied the wheat blonde girl eagerly. “The cook has been teaching me some new dishes, and I know how you like a big breakfast.” she explained. Lavie fondly touched Al's cheek.

“Ok. I certainly won't argue with food.” she smiled. Al beamed at her.

“Right!” agreed the girl happily. “Are you going to wake Claus?” she asked Lavie. The navigator-cum-mechanic's smile faded slightly.

“I'll wake him up in a bit, Al. Why don't you go ahead and get started on that breakfast, and we'll be down before too long, ok?” she suggested. Al glanced at the clearly asleep Claus and nodded.

“Ok. I'll see you two soon!” she said, nearly skipping out the door. After the sound of Al's happy footsteps faded away, Lavie tossed back the single blanket that she slept under and rose from her bed, moving to the door and closing it, dogging the hatch as she did so. Scratching her head, she turned to study Claus's recumbent form.

From the corner of her eye, she caught sight of her reflection in the narrow, three-quarter-length mirror. Slowly turning to look directly at it, she studied what she saw there. Without her coveralls or the mechanic's togs she wore around the ship or when working on a van ship, she stood in her threadbare top and panties. A slight frown on her face, Lavie slowly turned herself from side to side, critically examining her reflection. Abruptly, she snatched up her mechanic's clothes and wiggled into them. “There's work to be done.” she muttered to herself. “I can't be wasting time like this.” Stepping into her work boots, she paused only long enough to hastily lean over and kiss Claus's cheek before nearly running from the room. In her haste, she forgot to wake him.

-

“You're leaving the Silvana?” asked Lavie, sitting beside Claus and across from Mullen Shetland. The man nodded.

“Yes, I am.” he said quietly. “I guess, in the end, I'm a musketeer.” he tried to explain. The four of them - Claus, Lavie, Al and Mullen - had retired to the quiet mess hall where the two had been reunited with their fellow van ship pilots from Norkia the evening before. It was mid afternoon, the pair having been working on their ship for most of the morning. Claus had only been awake for about five hours, though.

“Well,” said Lavie dubiously, “you better survive, or I'll take it personally!” she warned him.

Mullen chuckled. Tapping his survival medals, grinned at her. “No fear of that, Lavie!” he assured her. “I've got twenty survival medals, so I am assured to survive!” he boasted. Lavie saw that the twentieth medal was the one she had made for him after the fight with the crew of the Leviathan.

“Hey! You still have the medal I made you!” she exclaimed happily.

“Of course!” agreed Mullen. “Your medal is the twentieth, after all, so it is the one that guarantees my survival.”

“Well, then,” said Lavie, pouring more water for herself and Claus, “let's made a promise to have a reunion when the war with the Guild is over.” she proposed. Mullen grabbed his glass of water, and the four touched glasses.

“To a reunion!” they said in unison, drinking deeply. Their toast was interrupted by the Silvana's siren.

-

Since the ship had departed Horizon Cave, things had been almost perfect in Al's world. Claus and Lavie were spending nearly all day together, happily working on their personal van ship. Both were nearly back to the way she remembered them from before the crash in the desert. Tatiana was still around, but Lavie seemed to be ignoring her, and that meant that the happy mood between Claus and Lavie was preserved.

Each day, she would wake with Lavie, help Lavie wake Claus, and then scamper off to the kitchen to make sandwiches for the three of them for their lunch, as they often worked straight through the day. Today was shaping up normally. It wasn't until she saw a dark form moving toward them that she realized that the Captain had come calling. She tugged on the cuff of Claus's coveralls, calling his attention - and by proxy, Lavie's attention as well - to the fact that Alex Row was standing in the shadows near their van ship.

“Alex.” hissed Claus. He and the Captain had issues between then, Al realized, but what those were, she had no idea. All she knew was that the two didn't like each other, and therefore, she was distrustful of the man. Lavie was not much friendlier, her bond to Claus and Al stronger than her knowledge that he had been the one that had been friends with their fathers and even overriding the fact that Alex had given her the stuffed ram that Al now clutched to her chest. “I'm staying on the Silvana.” stated Claus evenly. “As a van ship pilot!” he added defiantly; or rather, Al reflected to herself, as defiantly as he was capable of. Claus doesn't really get wound up about much. thought the girl.

“I see.” said the man quietly. “Our new Empress's coronation is going to be held tomorrow at the capital. Take a van ship and attend.” he said simply. Turning to walk away, he paused. Turning back to the trio and their silver ship, he had one more thing to say to Claus. “Sophia. Give her my congratulations.” he asked. Claus nodded.

“Yes, sir.” he said simply. Turning to look at Lavie, he saw her staring off into space. “Lavie, when should we take off?” he asked her.

“I'm staying here.” said the girl quietly, her eyes back on the work before her. Claus blinked.

“You're not flying with me?” he wondered. “It's not a combat mission, Lavie.” he noted. Lavie said nothing, her wrench and hands busy. “Lavie?” he asked her, confused.

“Ask Alister.” said the girl. “Or even Tatiana.” she added, slipping off the winglet and walking away. Behind her, a completely confused Claus stared after her. Standing at the foot of the stepladder Claus was on, Alvis was just as confused. Looking at Claus, she decided to try and find out what had gone wrong with her world once more.

“I'm going to talk to Lavie.” she said firmly. “Want to come with me?” she asked him hopefully. Claus slowly shook his head.

“I need to find a navigator.” he said, slowly climbing down the ladder, pausing to pat Al's head. “I'll catch up to you a little later, ok, Al?” he said. She nodded.

“Ok.” she said simply, moving off to find Lavie. Claus moved off to find a partner for the flight tomorrow morning.

-

“Oh, it's you, Al.” said Lavie softly, hearing the door open. Stepping into the room, she saw Lavie sitting on her bed, her knees tucked under her chin. The older girl was staring at Claus's bunk. “Everything ok?” she asked, her tone tinged with curiosity.

“Yes.” said Al, sitting beside her. “Something is wrong between you and Claus.” she stated. Lavie snorted softly. “Are you two fighting again?” she asked suspiciously. Lavie shook her head.

“No. We're not fighting, Al.” she said softly. It's more like I'm fighting myself. she left unsaid. “In fact, we're almost back to normal.” she muttered. But I'm not sure that's what I want. Al sat there, silently staring at her with those pale grey eyes of hers. Lavie sighed and stood up. “How about a bath, Al?” she asked. Al smiled.

“Sure.” she agreed. The two women grabbed their towels and moved toward the small bath area.

The bath area was the one thing that Lavie liked about the ship. Before, she and Claus had only been able to bathe sparingly, since clean water was very expensive, and washing in dirty water defeated the purpose of bathing. On the ship, though, with the steam system and recovery tanks, there was clean water to be had, and while it was not exactly an inexhaustible supply, there was certainly enough for a bath or two a day, depending on the number of crewmen on duty.

There were, in fact, two small shower rooms, one situated aft of the kitchen area that was usually cluttered with food stores, parts or perishables, and the main one located between the hanger deck and the engineering spaces. Neither of them were very luxurious; it was barely more than a small set of pipes and knobs, over a tile-and-wood slotted floor. There were four bare, unadorned nozzles, each one dispensing a miserly amount of water, but far more than what Lavie was used to.

While they were growing up with Claus's parents, they had usually shared a tin tub for their baths. Later, they had shared a large wooden cask that had been sawed in half to form a wide, shallow tub. When they had moved to Norkia, they had started to bathe in a deep, but narrow tin pan that they also used as a step-stool, grocery cart, laundry tub, parts bin and occasionally as a rain catch-basin.

The shower room on the Silvana was just that: a room with four nozzles on the far wall, a door, and a few hooks and a wire shelf unit. Lavie set her towel over one hook, helping Al put hers over another before quickly wiggling out of her mechanic's coveralls, top and panties. Beside her, Al carefully stripped off her own tunic and baggy shorts, folding each item before placing them beside Lavie's stuff. As Al took off the mushroom-shaped hair ornaments she habitually wore, Lavie got two of the showers started, adjusting the hot and cold to her preferred temperature. Turning, she saw Al shake her head, her waist-length pale blonde hair shimmering across her back.

“Ready, Al?” asked Lavie, stepping under her nozzle. Al stepped under the other nozzle, the modest spray from the nozzle gradually soaking them. For several moments, the two were silent. Finally, Al spoke.

“Lavie, why are you being mean to Claus?” wondered the girl. Beside her, Lavie blinked.

“What do you mean, Al?” she wondered, honestly confused. Al turned to look up at her.

“You won't fly with him, even when he's stopped flying combat missions. Why?” she asked. Lavie pursed her lips.

“Who told you he stopped flying combat missions?” wondered Lavie. Al watched her with her light grey eyes.

“No one told me. I just knew it from what he said to the Captain.” she explained as if it were obvious. “So why won't you fly with him to see Sophia?” pressed the girl. Lavie slowly lathered herself up with the bar of soap.

“It's…complicated.” she said, sighing. Taking the offered bar of soap, Al lathered herself up as well, still watching Lavie intently. Seeing that Al wouldn't let it go at that, Lavie gathered her thoughts for a minute or two, using the cover of rinsing off the suds. “I guess that I just don't know if flying with him right now will make things better between us, or worse.” she said quietly.

“What do you mean?” wondered Al, frowning. They seemed to be going back to the way they were when I first met them, so what could Lavie mean?

“Claus and I have always been together. Always, Al.” she tried again. “But, since we came here, Claus has changed. I…don't know who he is right now, and during the Horizon Cave Eight, I discovered that he sees a different sky than I do right now.” A pause, then she went on.

“Since that first fight with the Guild, when I blacked out, it was as if he and I fell out of step with each other. Something in his eyes changed, Al, and I have been trying to find out what changed, but all I have learned is that thinking about it makes me crazy.” she grunted sardonically at the admission. “Finally, after he got back from the desert, I just told him how I felt about him.” she said quietly.

“How do you feel about him?” wondered Al. Lavie's lips twisted at that question.

“I told him I couldn't stand the way he was right now.” she said, smiling slightly. To her surprise, Al pouted.

“I asked how you felt about him.” she complained cutely. Lavie frowned.

“I told you, Al.” she responded. Al shook her wet head.

“No. You told me what you said. I want to know how you feel about him.” clarified the girl, sounding vaguely exasperated. She's more like me than I thought! realized Lavie, knowing that she had often enough taken that tone and inflection with Claus when she was younger than Al was.

“I…he's…” Lavie trailed off. That is the question I have been trying to figure out for the last few years, Al! she silently yelled. Al sensed her turmoil.

“Do you like him as a man?” she wondered. Lavie's eyes widened.

“Wha…what are you saying, Al?!” she sputtered. Al was unfazed.

“When a woman likes a man, she spends time with him, then she starts a family with him.” explained Al. “Kita said that if a woman wasn't sure if the man liked her back in the same way, she should tell him before another woman did so.”

Lavie looked away from the sincere grey eyes. “And what if another woman beats you to him?” she murmured, more to herself than to Al. Al heard her and answered for her.

“I asked Kita that, and she said that the woman should try to win his heart back with her charms.” she parroted. Lavie almost laughed.

“Your nanny said that?” she wondered. What kind of people do nobility hire to raise their kids?! she wondered. To her, Kita was just a name. But to Al, she was a trusted source of information for questions. Al nodded.

“Yes. Kita explained it to me when I asked her why there was a man in her bed one morning.” she elaborated. Lavie felt a faint hint of color on her cheeks at that tidbit of information.

“You caught your nanny in bed with her lover?” she wondered. Al shrugged.

“I came to greet her that morning, and she and a man were wrestling in her bed. When I came in, they pulled the cover over themselves, and Kita asked me to wait for her at the breakfast table.” she went on. “Mother once said that Kita was `man hungry', but when I asked her what she meant, she just turned red and told me to go play.”

“Al, you had a strange upbringing.” said Lavie. Al frowned at Lavie.

“Do you really think so, Lavie?” she wondered. “I thought it was normal.” she noted. Lavie paused to review her own life.

“I guess it was more normal than Claus's and mine.” she admitted. Al smiled at that news.

“Are you and Claus lovers?” wondered Al. Lavie flinched in surprise.

“Do you know what you are saying, Al?” gasped Lavie. Al nodded.

“Kita told me about lovers.” she assured Lavie. “Are you and Claus lovers?” she asked. Lavie didn't answer her question; mostly, Lavie wished she herself had an answer for that question. Lavie's introspection was interrupted by the younger girl. “I think it would be good if you were.” she opinioned.

Lavie silently gaped at the young girl, who seemed entirely too calm and happy at the subject matter of their discussion. Glancing at Lavie, Al frowned slightly. “Lavie? Is something wrong?” she wondered.

“N…no.” breathed the bobbed-hair mechanic/navigator. Well, if you don't count having an eleven year old girl tell you she thinks you and your best friend, family and partner should be lovers, that is! she silently added. The hell of it is, I can't tell if she is right or wrong! Al ducked her head under the spray, her face titled up so the water flowed over her face. Beside her, Lavie mimicked her, though it was more to give herself time to think than anything else.

The two girls didn't notice when Claus opened the hatch and peeked in. Seeing Lavie naked reminded him of the tension that came and went between them lately, and he silently closed the hatch before either girl knew he was there. Moving down the corridor, he wondered if asking who he was looking for would help the situation between him and Lavie, or hurt it.

-

Al patiently watched Lavie working on their private van ship. With the months of constant, hard work she and Claus had invested in the ship, along with the subtle help of the mechanics of the Silvana, the ship was nearing the home stretch of the repairs. Looking at the basket with the three small sandwiches remaining, she idly reviewed the last few days.

The flight that Alex had asked Claus to make had apparently not gone well for anyone. Claus had been introspective and a bit moody when he got back, Tatiana had been persist in staying close to Claus, Alex had had some kind of fit about a ceremony, and hadn't let his cabin since. With Tatiana around Claus so much, Lavie had turned her entire attention to the van ship. Since Claus had refused to fly any more combat missions, she had left off her daily inspection, repair and tuning of his combat van ship.

Al had found a lot of pretty red petals all over the ship, but Dio - who had been acting very strangely even by his standards since he came back to the ship - had panicked at the sight of them, knocking her basket of carefully collected petals onto the floor. That had hurt her feelings, but then Lavie had explained that maybe Dio didn't like those petals the same way that Al and Clause didn't like spiders while she was fine with them.

From talking to the strange but nice man in the engine room, she had learned of Dio's approaching birthday. She had also learned from Luciola that Dio had never had a birthday party before. Deciding that she should try to help Dio feel better, she had begun planning a birthday party for him. Reminded of the cake she still had to make, she carefully climbed out of the navigator's seat where she had been watching Lavie from, feeling the other girl take her waist in her hands and help her down to the deck. “Going somewhere?” asked Lavie.

“Uh huh!” she nodded happily. “I have to make a cake, Lavie!” she smiled. Lavie quirked an eyebrow.

“Well, ok then. See you later?” she asked. Another nod was her answer before she scurried off, basket in hand. Lavie stretched her back. The replacement of the engine control levers and mounting hardware was done, and she decided that a short break before beginning the work on the starboard winglet's strut and wheel was in order. “Maybe some fresh air.” she muttered to herself, moving toward the open lift deck.

“Lavie?” came a voice from behind her, causing her to spin around in surprise, “can we talk for a minute?”

-

Alvis happily hovered over the toolbox, eagerly awaiting a request from Claus or Lavie for a tool from it. For the first time in a long time, the two were working together on their ship at the same time. The Silvana was running along the far reaches of the edge of Anatory territory, basically keeping to herself since Alex still hadn't recovered from his hissy fit at the appearance of the Guild warship over the coronation ceremony for Empress Sophia.

For the last couple of days, the ship had felt almost directionless without Alex making odd orders and the Guild not attacking the ship. Dio had been acting weird since the incident with the red flower petals, but Al had learned that some people didn't like things that others did, and she had also learned that Dio had never had a birthday party before. So, between helping Claus and Lavie with the ship repairs, she had been learning to make a cake.

But her culinary education was secondary to being with Claus and Lavie - especially when they were both together, working on their van ship. Like a family does. thought the girl, handing a screwdriver to Claus. When they are working on their ship together, they are the Claus and Lavie I like best! Right now, they were shoulder-deep in opposite sides of the engine frame. Al never got tired of watching them work together. Neither had to say what they needed to the other to do; they already knew. They seem to read each other's minds when they are like this.

“Frame.” said Claus, sighing. Lavie nodded.

“Yeah. Frame.” she agreed, the two sitting back to squat on the winglets. Al handed Claus a glass of water before dodging under the belly of the ship to hand another glass to Lavie.

“Let's take a break.” she suggested to the two. Both smiled at her and nodded.

“Hey, hey!” came Godwin's booming voice from the end of the ship. “You two are really something! This ship looks practically new!” he complimented the two young people. Claus and Lavie both blushed slightly at his words. “As a token of our respect for yours and Lavie's skills, here's a gift from the mechanics of the Silvana.” he said, holding out a new van ship sub frame. “Try this one. That racing model of yours won't stand a chance in the Grand Stream.” he said, sending the two a gruff, but warm smile. Behind him, Kostabi nodded encouragement to the two.

Hopping off the winglets, the two moved over and took hold of the frame. When Godwin let got, they both grunted, their legs buckling slightly. “T…thanks!” managed Lavie, seeking a better grip on the unexpectedly heavy frame assembly. The big, tough man nodded.

“No problem!” he assured her. “Believe me, you two have more than earned that trinket.” he said. Before the two could respond, Ethan came running around the corner.

“Hey! The Vice Captain is back!” he yelled excitedly. Godwin frowned.

“I thought she was the Empress now?” he wondered. Just then, the PA boomed to life, with a familiar voice coming over the speakers, ordering the Silvana and the Urbonis into the Grand Stream on a mission to capture Exile.

“That is certainly the Vice Captain's voice.” admitted Godwin.

“Maybe now we can get paid on time!” smirked Kostabi. Claus suddenly turned to Lavie, pushing the frame into her arms.

“I have to go talk to Sophia, Lavie!” he said urgently, releasing the frame, which caused Lavie to stumble back a step.

“Hey!” she screamed at him irately. He was already running toward the lift.

“I'll be right back! I just need to talk to her about something important!” he called back over his shoulder.

“Claus!” called Al. The young man waved an arm.

“Stay with Lavie, Al! I'll be right back!” he repeated. Lavie managed to get the frame set down. Seeing the look on Al's face, the young woman dropped an arm around Al's shoulders, pulling the girl close to her side.

“It's ok, Al. He'll be right back.” she said, sounding oddly certain and not particularly bothered.

-

Claus had taken the stairs up to the working decks, since the lift would take too long to make the trip. Puffing slightly as he jogged down the corridors in search of the woman, he finally found her about to enter her cabin. “Miss Sophia!” he called, waving to her. Turning to look at him, she smiled at him warmly.

Claus's view of the older woman was blocked by a large Anatory Royal Guardsman, his musket across his chest diagonally, blocking his way. “What business do you have here?” he barked at the young man.

“I need to speak with Miss Sophia.” replied Claus, wondering how the man hadn't reached that conclusion, given that he had called her name and waved. The man didn't move.

“Do you have an appointment with her Majesty?” asked the man, his tone cold and making it very clear that he knew damn well that Claus didn't have an appointment. Claus blinked, opening his mouth to ask why one would need an appointment to speak with a friend, but he was saved from answering by Sophia's voice.

“Claus needs no appointment to speak with me, Guardsman.” she said crisply, her tone commanding. The man stepped aside.

“As you will, Majesty.” he replied tightly. Claus looked forward to see the smiling woman tilt her head toward her cabin.

“I am glad to see you again, Claus.” she said, inclining her head toward the cabin. “Please, let us speak inside my cabin.” she invited gracious. Claus stepped into her cabin, Sophia pausing to issue further commands to her guard. “I do not wish to be interrupted unless it is an absolute emergency.”

“Your Majesty.” he acknowledged, saluting. Sophia stepped inside the cabin, closing the door behind her. Turning to look at Claus, she found him gaping at her. That's right, he has never seen me dressed up in my `princess' robes! she recalled, stifling a giggle. Straightening herself into a regal, self-possessed pose, she slowly turned a full circle, showing off to Claus. Completing her circle, she saw the look of awe on his face. This time, she did giggle.

“So, what do you think?” she teased him fondly.

“Beautiful.” breathed the young man. Unexpected, upon hearing the reverent tone of his voice, she felt herself blush. Glancing at him again, she saw that is eyes were on her breasts. It wasn't until she saw where he was looking that she realized that she had arched her back, accentuating her liberally-displayed charms. Glancing down, she noticed that her nipples were hard as rocks, and the thin material covering them was hardly concealing that fact.

Sophia's court gowns were all cut in a similar fashion, with a generous notch that exposed her breasts to just above the nipples, while the bodice pushed the breasts closer together and lifted them slightly, resulting in a lace-trimmed valley of feminine charm that few could resist looking at. And while she had never really thought about it before, she realized that she had never reacted to seeing a man staring at her breasts like she had just reacted to Claus's awe-stuck gaze. You know why you're reacting to him this way! came the cynical voice from the back of her mind, You've slept with him, and when you are honest with yourself, you know you really like him; maybe even love him! the voice taunted her. Uncomfortable with how close to the truth the voice was, she silenced it in favor of a different topic. “What did you want to talk about?” she asked, unconsciously stepping closer to Claus, pausing nearly breasts-to-nose with him.

Shaken from his visual obsession with her tits, he suddenly remembered why he had run off to speak with her. “What is going to happen to Al?” he asked urgently. Sophia felt a spike of warmth flow through her when she saw the obvious concern in the boy's eyes for the young girl who had become so important to the entire crew, but more so to Claus and Lavie.

“We need Al to recite the mysterias for us so we can take control of Exile.” she explained. “Without her, we have no chance against the Guild. For that reason, she is very important to us.” Claus's lips tightened.

“So, she's just a commodity to you, too?” he asked, bitterness tinging his words. He fell silent as Sophia's delicate fingertip pressed to his lips. Leaning down, she looked into his eyes.

“No.” she said simply, shaking her head slightly. “Al is not a commodity to me, and I promise you, no harm will come to her.” she assured him. “I promise you, we will all do everything we can to protect Al.” Her finger, which had been gently pressed to his lips, moved to slip along his jaw as she spoke. Exhaling in relief, Claus fell back to land on Sophia's bed. Smiling at him, Sophia leaned past him, all but pushing his face into the valley of her cleavage as she picked up her uniform jacket.

With his face so close to her soft skin, Claus inhaled a heady hit of her scent. Once more, he wondered why her perfume was so familiar to him, but pushed that thought aside as she pulled back, holding her grey uniform against her chest, a blush on her cheeks. “I…I'm glad to be back.” she said softly, her eyes on his. Claus found himself smiling at her.

“Welcome back, Sophia.” he said. When she set her uniform top aside and reached behind her to untie her outermost gown, Claus started to stand to leave, but Sophia asked him to stay, as getting out of her court regalia without help was arduous to say the least, and they would be entering the Grand Stream within the hour.

Following her directions, Claus untied, lifted, held, and removed, more and more of Sophia being presented to his eyes as they worked on getting her out of her gown so she could get into her shipboard uniform. Practically before he knew it, Sophia was setting aside the cloth-and-gold crown, leaving her naked. Turning to look at him, Sophia saw slowly reaching out toward her. Making a snap choice, she stepped into his hesitant embrace, wrapping him up in her arms as her lips connected with his.

For several minutes, the two simply clung together, kissing and hugging. As they did so, Sophia felt herself growing more aroused; what got her going the most, however, was the feel of Claus's dick hardening against her upper thighs. Easing back from the close embrace that they had been sharing, she guided him back toward her bed, lying down on her back, guiding Claus down with her.

As he settled on top of her, she began to extract his from his tunic and pants, Claus busy with her lips, throat and breasts. She was panting slightly as she finally wrapped her hand around his hard length, slowly pumping it as she wiggled her hips, settling into a better position as she guided his tip to her wet opening. Humming encouragingly, she tugged gently on his dick.

Feeling her hot, wet sex against the tip of his dick, Claus instinctively pushed forward, splitting her lips as he penetrated her tight sex. “Ugh! Sophia!” he grunted, forcing himself deeper into the Queen of Anatory. Beneath him, Sophia shivered in pleasure as she felt him driving deeper and deeper into her.

Practically before he reached her deepest depths, he began to thrust hard into her, kissing her as he fondled her breasts. It seems he has been practicing while I was away! thought Sophia, pleasantly surprised, her own orgasm approaching swiftly. I wonder if it was Tatiana or Lavie, though? she wondered fleetingly. With Claus passionately slamming into her as his tongue danced with her own and his fingers rolled and tugged her nipples, she climaxed in a powerful, deep orgasm.

Claus wasn't far behind her, reaching his limits while she was still in the throes of her own orgasm, flooding her with his cum before resting on her chest, both of them panting and comfortable, Sophia holding Claus's softening member in herself as they rested. As they recovered, they did something new for them in their strange relationship: they talked. At first, it was small stuff, Sophia complimenting him on his improved skills teasingly, Claus blushing and trying to get her to stop teasing him. From there, the talk turned to more significant issues, like what was going on with the newly-made Anatory-Disith alliance, the integration of the two forces, and the impressions Claus had of the idea of Duke Mad Thane's van ship attack fleet that had been training at Horizon Cave.

Sophia had been sobered by the realization that the van ship squadron that would be going against the Guild was made up of people that Claus and Lavie knew; in fact, not a few of them were a lot like Claus and Lavie, though none were as young and skilled. Hearing Claus talk about the shock he and Lavie had had when they realized their responsibility in the birth of the plan, she had a sudden burst of insight into the minds and relationship of the two. Hugging him close to herself, Sophia offered to do anything she could to help him and Lavie.

Hearing Sophia promise to help him, he decided to take her up on that offer. In her cabin, having just had sex with her, Claus Valca asked the Queen of Anatory and the head of the Anatory-Disith Alliance what he should do to get Lavie and his relationship back to the way it had been before. For her part, the woman who even as they spoke was still joined to him in the most intimate way, tried her best to help him and the girl that meant the most to him. It wasn't Queen Sophia, or First Officer Sophia who did this, however; no, it was Sophia, Claus's friend, who tried her best to help him find again the relationship that had sustained him through the toughest childhood she had ever imagined possible.

-

Alvis had never been so scared in her life as she was when the crazy woman from the guild showed up aboard the Silvana while it was anchoring itself to Exile. The entire crew had been overpowered by the guards the woman had with her, and though she had been taken the bridge by the strange woman, she hadn't seen Alex or Sophia anywhere. When one of the creepy Guild guards had told the woman that Dio had not yet returned to the ship, it had been decided that they would wait.

Eventually, she saw Claus and Dio enter the bridge. Upon seeing the woman, Dio - who had been acting unusually happy since her successful surprise birthday party - had panicked. To Al's and Claus's surprise, Luciola had obeyed the woman and herded him along with the woman, who had decided to take Al with her. When Claus had objected, the woman had capriciously decided to take him as well.

Upon reaching the hanger, the group had been just in time to see a heavy transport roar out of the hanger, the Guild guards who were supposed to be preventing anyone from leaving dead. Beyond the crumpled white-clad strangers, she saw the mechanics and Lavie tied up, but apparently unhurt. Beside her, Claus gently squeezed her shoulder, reassuring her. When the head Guild guard had asked the woman if she wanted the escaping heavy transport pursued, she dismissed it as unimportant.

Further discussion was interrupted by gunfire and the appearance of Alex. Claus had swiftly determined that Alex had killed the Guild guards, gotten Sophia into the heavy transport, and sent her over to the Urbonis with Tatiana and Alister at the controls of the craft, leaving the head of the Alliance free of Guild possession; and not entirely by chance, leaving him free to pursue his personal agenda of revenge on the woman he held responsible for the death of the woman he loved. That the woman was also implicated in the death of Claus's and Lavie's fathers was but icing on the cake to the revenge-mad Alex. Had it not been for the once called Cicada, Alex would likely have finished her where she stood.

As it ended, however, Alex, Al and Claus were being taken by the Guild, along with Dio, for some sort of ceremony or other, leaving Lavie and the rest behind. The Urbonis had immediately cut the cables holding it to both the Silvana and Exile, and high-tailed it out of there, since they were tasked with keeping the Queen safe. As the starfish started to life the van ship that was carrying the three captives, Claus had promised Lavie that he would take care of Al and get back to her. In spite of their scary situation, Al's heart soared when she heard the two's exchange.

The next two days were a blur to the girl, with horrible things going on all around her. Dio killed others in front of her with great enjoyment, and was acting like a completely different person. That crazy woman who was in charge kept making veiled threats and treating Claus bad. Luciola prevented her and Claus from doing anything to help Dio, and perhaps most disturbing to her and Claus were the obvious obsession that Delphine had for Alex. Her behavior toward him made both of their bloods run cold.

Over the course of the day, Delphine had all but had sex with Alex while he was tied to an ugly cross, then she had giggled and planted flowers all over him. The flowers had grown rapidly, and when next they saw him, they had trained all over him. Delphine had gleefully explained that the roses were specially made by the Guild scientist, and in addition to feeding off Alex's blood, it injected a chemical that made him pliant to her instructions.

With that, she had nearly fondled Al as she had Alex recite the mysterias that would give her control of Exile. Hearing the mysterias, Al had gone into a kind of trance, much as she had that time on the Silvana. Delphine had been gloating until Alex's final trick played out. Claus, much as he hated to admit it in light of his dislike of the man, had to admire Alex's planning. The four mysterias that the four main houses of the Guild held were the keys to unlock Exile, but Alex had deliberately left one of them sealed and intentionally not learned it. After all, what he didn't know, he couldn't tell.

Delphine had pouted. She had tormented Alex some more. She had, ultimately, shrugged and said that three should be enough to give her what she needed from Exile. Announcing a feast to celebrate Dio's new position as her heir, Delphine had instructed her minions to bathe and prepare Claus and Al. When the servants had started to lead them into separate chambers, Al had locked herself to Claus and refused to be separated. After a brief bout of attempted reasoning, the servants - in the absence of specific instructions from their mistress to the contrary - they shrugged and let them bathe together.

Claus was loathe to let Al out of his (admittedly limited) protection, but he wasn't really sure that he wanted her to bathe with him. Sensing his hesitation, Al turned to look at him as she folded her tunic. “What's wrong, Claus?” she asked him, not sure why he was acting so nervous around her. Pushing her balloon shorts off, she quickly folded them before reaching for her hair ornaments that kept her long hair tucked up and out of the way. “The bath looks nice.” she noted.

“Um, yeah, it does.” agreed Claus, looking at the wall in front of him. Frowning, Al moved around to look up at him, completely naked.

“Claus? Let's get a bath.” she said. Claus's face turned red when he realized that she was standing there naked, completely unaware of anything wrong.

“Ah, you go ahead, Al. I'll bathe after you are done.” he tried. Al pouted.

“Why? Don't you want to bathe with me?” she asked. “Lavie and I bathe together all the time. And she told me that you and she bathed together all the time not too long ago.” she reasoned. Claus was torn between avoiding an awkward situation with an eleven year old girl and his burning need to protect her to the limit of his abilities. “Please?” begged Al, tears in her eyes. “I'm scared.” she whispered.

Claus had no prayer of resisting that. Carefully hugging her, he assured her that he would be with her the whole way. Quickly getting undressed, he joined her in the large bath. The whole time, Al was never more than an arm's length from him. Claus, after an initial period of hesitation, relaxed around Al. He found that his mind kept calling up all the times that he and Lavie had bathed together when they were Al's age and younger. By the time that the Guild flunkies had come to get them, they were happily talking to each other about Lavie and what they would do when they got back to the Silvana.

The celebratory dinner was more than a wet blanket; it was a tropical downpour on the candle of happiness that the two had managed to find in the bath. Dio was plainly nuts, and though Luciola stood by his shoulder as always, Claus was sure that the strange guard of the young Guild member had to be having second thoughts about obeying the Guild leader, sister to Dio or not. As the supper of madness continued, Al and Claus tried their hardest to hold on to the hope that they would see Lavie and the Silvana again.

When the dinner had been interrupted by some sort of problem, Luciola had silently collected Dio and told Claus and Al to follow him. Leading them through a twisted maze of passages and corridors, he had guided them deeper and deeper into the depths of the Guild's main stronghold. As he did so, he was silent and uncommunicative. Eventually, the four of them reached a large hanger room, where the van ship that they had been towed to the Guild in sat silent and ready.

Luciola told Claus to take Dio and Al and get out. When he asked why, Luciola had told him that Dio was all he cared about, and that being with the Guild was bad for Dio, so, therefore, he was going to send Dio to a place where he would be able to be happy. When he asked about Alex, Luciola had told him that he couldn't save the man, and that if Claus didn't immediately get out, none of them would live. Al had begged Luciola to come with them, but he had shaken his head, telling them that the three of them would load the ship to maximum, and in any event, he had to make sure that they got their change to get away, as well as preventing any pursuit of them.

Claus had glanced at Al, and together with Luciola's help, they had boosted the near-comatose Dio into the back seat, with Al in his lap, while Claus took the controls. With a final look at the three, Luciola had run back the way that they had come while Claus fired up the engines to the ship and made sure that Dio and Al were strapped in. He had no idea what would happen to give them a way out of the room, but when the walls tore apart and he realized that they were dropping, he had no more time for thought; and certainly no more time for worry about what might happen to Luciola or Alex.

-

“It's pretty much destroyed.” noted Al, looking at the remains of Claus and Lavie's home in Norkia. The starfish that had been pursuing Al when she met up with them had torn through the roof and gone out the bottom, leaving it little more than a couple of walls and a half-roof. Not that their home had been large or anything, but now, it could honestly be mistaken for a pile of scrap lumber. Still, it was all they had.

He and Al had flown from the Mad Thane manor house to his old house, where he had stopped to visit the graves of his mother, father and Lavie's dad, and from there, they had gone to Norkia, since they had no way of knowing where the Silvana was. Dio, hardly able to function, had been left in the care of the Duke of Mad Thane. With night falling, they had decided to take shelter in the home before trying to find out where the Silvana might be.

Looking through the house to find the best place to sleep, Al had discovered the scattered pictures that used to decorate the rooms of Claus and Lavie. Thoughtfully, she gathered them all up, and tucked them into a pocket in her tunic. Lavie will want these. she thought. Turning to return downstairs, she saw a thin book with Lavie's handwriting on the cover. Picking it up, she leafed through it before realizing that it was a hand-written van ship manual. Excitedly, she ran downstairs to show Claus.

“Yeah. Lavie wrote that book when she was about your age, Al.” confirmed Claus, caressing the thin book. “She was always saying that we might need a book about van ships, so she wrote down everything she knew or learned as we went. She used to sit in the back seat and read it as we were learning to fly and navigate.” his voice was soft and fond. Al's stomach rumbled.

Looking in the kitchen, the pathetic vegetables and coarse bread were beyond use, he knew Lavie. Digging around, he found her hidden stash of smoked, cured meat. While hardly a meal worth remembering, it was food, and it wasn't the worst meal they had ever had. As they ate, talked turned once more to Lavie and the people on the Silvana. As the stars were darkened by gathering rain clouds, the two bedded down against the wall of the hanger, which was the most intact part of the house. Wrapping a blanket around himself and Al, who was resting against his chest, Claus drifted off to sleep as the rain began to fall.

-

“Claus?” came Lavie's tentative voice, so unlike her usual loud, confident tone. Claus held the strange pendent that Luciola had given to Al just before he ran to do whatever it was he had to do at the Guild stronghold. He had told her that it would connect her to the safest place around, and now, he could hear Lavie's voice over it. “Claus? Is that you?” came the voice of Lavie.

“Lavie? Can you hear me?” he asked the pendent, unsure how he should talk to the thing to make Lavie hear him. Apparently, she could hear him just fine.

“Claus! Where are you, sleepyhead?!” she demanded, her tone tight and uneven.

“How should I say this?” wondered Claus. “We're at our house in Norkia.” he said. He could feel Lavie's flash of temper.

“Norkia?!” she barked at him. “What are you doing in Norkia?!”

“Well, we escaped the Guild and…” began Claus.

“You escaped the Guild?” came Lavie's voice. “Is Al with you? Are you two all right?!” she demanded.

“Yeah, Lavie. Al's just fine. She's right here, in fact.” he said, seeing the girl stir and sit up. Seeing Claus talking to the glowing pendent, she jumped up and skipped over to him, hugging him.

“Lavie?” she said.

“Al! Thank god!” came Lavie's voice, which was beginning to crack. “I knew…knew you would come back. I…I…” the two heard her sob over the link.

“Claus, we're all fine on this end.” came Godwin's voice. “I'm patching you through to the Vice Captain now.” he said. A moment later, Claus heard Sophia's voice.

“Claus?”

“Sophia.” he breathed, relieved. “Are Tatiana and Alister ok, too?” he wondered.

“We're fine, Claus.” said the woman. “I'm glad that you and Al are safe. Did anyone else make it out?” she asked him intently. Claus sighed, feeling Al hug herself to him tightly.

“I'm sorry, Sophia. I couldn't save Alex or Luciola.” he said quietly. “Dio made it out, but he's…” he wondered how to explain what had happened. “…he's not who he was before.” he finished quietly. Sophia was quiet for a minute.

“Ok, Claus. We need you and Al to take control of Exile. Can you get to the Dragon's Fangs?” she asked him. Behind her, he could hear cannons firing and the yelled commands.

“Yes, we have a van ship.” he said. Sophia came back immediately.

“Go to the Dragon Fangs. When you…” static broke it up, and then the pendent went dead. Looking at Al, the two were silent for a moment, then both immediately scrambled into the van ship. The Dragon Fangs were a long way away, and there was nothing in Norkia keeping them; everything waited for them aboard the Nirvana.

-

Al swung her legs as she sat in the back seat of the van ship, reading the book that Lavie had written. She had decided nearly immediately that since it was just her and Claus that she would be his navigator. Her quick mind swiftly absorbed the basics of the manual, and was actually doing a passable job as navigator. The two were nearly at their destination, and Claus was trying to figure out how to get fuel to continue the search for the ship that Lavie was on.

As they navigated the Dragon's Fangs, Claus spotted a refueling station floating over the deserted area. Alerting Al, he opened up the throttles and made a screaming approach to the station. No sooner had the ship settled into the dock's arresting gear than Claus told the man approaching them to fill the tanks and a canteen - and fast. Hearing the man cluck his tongue, he looked up, seeing a familiar face. “Ethan!” exclaimed Al happily.

“Man, it's just like I thought!” complained the young mechanic. “You pushed her really hard to get here this fast! She's about ready to fall apart!” Stepping over Claus's head, he squatted down to pat Al's head.

“Sorry, but we have to get…” began Claus.

“Which is why there is a fresh van ship and navigator waiting at each stop; Vice Captain's orders!” he smiled, hiking his thumb to the side. Looking over, the two saw one of the dark green van ships of the Silvana already idling and ready to go. In the back seat, he saw a familiar and welcome face.

“Alister.” he smiled. Quickly extracting themselves from the abused silver twin-engine, the two of them navigated to the green twin-engine, Alister helping Alvis into the back seat with her and belting her in. As Claus checked the flight controls, Ethan had one more thing to say.

“You've got Lavie and your van ship sitting around waiting for you, so get a move on!” he said. “And good luck.” he added, giving them a thumbs-up. Claus and Al returned it. “I'll be looking for you on the Silvana, Alister.” he said the older girl. Seeing that Alister was returning the thumbs-up, Al grabbed her hand and did it for her as Claus hit the releases and the ship dropped free.

-

“Signal round, Alister.” called Claus, seeing another refueling stop ahead. Alister dutifully fired the round and the ship climbed swiftly to the dock. Looking around, the two immediately spotted the crimson ship of Tatiana Wisla waiting for them, the girl herself in the back seat.

“Are we going to be flying with Tatiana?” asked Al, sounding dubious about such a thing. “Is she still mad?” wondered the girl. Alister shook her head.

“No, Al. Tatiana was just trying too hard, that's all. She's really a nice person, I promise.” soothed the navigator. Al studied the other woman.

“Claus says so, too, but still…” she considered the situation some more. Alister smiled at Al.

“You know, Al, Tatiana doesn't have much experience being a navigator, so you'll have to help her.” she suggested. It had surprised the experienced navigator that Al had gotten so good with so little time and with so little material.

“She's right, Al.” agreed Claus, having extracted himself and turned to help Al out. Alister handed her off to Claus before looking over at Tatiana. “Tatiana is going to be good friends with you.” he assured her. “But I need you to help her, ok?” he asked. Smiling, she nodded.

“Ok, Claus!” she happily agreed. Looking back at Alister, he smiled at her.

“Thanks, Alis.” he said softly. The woman smiled back at him.

“My pleasure, Claus.” she said. With a nod, he and Al transferred to the red ship. Belted in with Tatiana, Al cracked her book and began the checklist, with Tatiana occasionally correcting a reading or adding something that Al missed for whatever reason. Less than a minute later, the three waved goodbye to Kostabi and Alister, the red ship streaking away.

-

“I'm releasing the fuel tanks! Hold on to Al!” yelled Claus. Behind him, Tatiana hugged Al a little closer, smiling at the girl reassuringly as Claus dumped the tanks and shoved the throttles to the stops, leading the starfishes that had jumped them into a hard, high climb. Reaching the apex, he deliberately stalled the ship, allowing it to fall back before shoving the throttles forward again.

As expected, the superior ships of the Guild nimbly flipped over and came down on his tail. Ignoring the rounds from the ships, he concentrated on the falling fuel tanks. With less than thirty rounds left and no reload, he had to hit it the first time. When the tanks filled his sighs, he hosed them with the last of his ammo, diving between them as the tanks shuddered under his assault. One of the ships hit the tanks as they exploded, destroying it. Pulling up and around hard, he lost track of the second ship, but hearing cannon fire, he realized that the fight had taken then close enough to the ship that the gunners on the station could get into the action.

Steadying the ship, he came in for a landing on the dry dock. No sooner had the engines spun down and the wheels were chocked than he leapt out of the ship, grabbed Al, who had struggled over the side of the navigator's cockpit, set her down and ran to meet Lavie, who had run toward the ship. Meeting near the winglet, Claus and Lavie froze for an instant before Claus and Lavie grabbed each other in a strong hug. Silently, the two clung to each other before easing back enough to pull Al into their hug.

We're gonna be ok! Claus and Lavie are back to the way they should be! rejoiced Al, relishing the warmth she felt from both of the two most important people in her world. Watching the three, Tatiana wasn't sure if she was jealous, happy or sad. Godwin, standing near the ship of Claus and Lavie, felt that things were looking up for them all. Eventually, the three separated from their hug.

“The Silvana is currently fighting the Guild and Exile in Disith.” said Tatiana. “You two have the job of bringing Al and the final mysterion there.” she explained. Seeing the looks on the faces of Lavie and Claus, Godwin nodded to them.

“That's right, you two.” he confirmed. “You are going to fly the Grand Stream - just like your fathers did.” he said. Moving to the ship, Lavie accepted the mission cylinder from Godwin.

“Thanks, Godwin.” said Lavie. The big, tough mechanic ruffled her hair.

“We didn't do anything, Lavie. You and Claus have done all the work on this ship; on your ship. Now it's time for you to make good on your promise, right?” he suggested gently. Lavie and Al looked at each other, seeing the look in the other's eyes.

“Yes.” said Lavie, holding Claus's eye. “It's time to fly the Grand Stream, Claus.” Claus nodded.

“Yeah, Lavie. It's time to honor our promise. I'll fly if you'll be my navigator.” Lavie snorted.

“I'll only navigate for you, Claus. God knows you'd never get out of bed for anyone else!” she sniped playfully. Boarding their ship, Lavie made sure that Al was securely settled and ready.

“We're flying the Grand Stream, Dad. Just like you did.” she whispered.