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“What he hell are you saying Kevin? We practically grew up together. Remember? I know you since you were what 14, 15 years old. You were the little kid too young to be in our class at the academy, who grew up to become the best pilot and our leader. What is happening here? What the hell does all this mean? Suddenly I have no fucking idea who you are. What are you going to say now? Oh, right Stuart, I forgot to tell you, I am not human.”

“We are humans.” Came Kev’s calm response. He was sitting back on a chair, arms folded in front of him, watching Stuart pace the main room in shock after what he had told him a couple of minutes ago.

“But you just said that thing was right.” Stuart pointed to the cockpit, referring to the Empire message we all have seen on the computer.

“I am going to explain you.”

“Well, do it!” he growled.

He had stopped his pacing in the middle of the room, the rest of us were witnessing the scene from different positions. We were all there except for Nick and Brian who had stayed in the cockpit in case there were more Empire ships near.

“You have to trust me Stuart.”

“I want to, Kevin, but this is too much.”

“I know” He unfolded his arms and rested them on his knees and then he cracked his knuckles, something he used to do from time to time. “We are different, yes, but there’s nothing wrong in that Stuart. You know me, you just said it. You know the kind of guy I am. I’m the same guy who saved your life more than once.”

Kevin’s last words made him stand still.

“I really want to trust you Kevin.”

“Then do it,” Kev said staring directly at Stuart.

Stuart licked his lips before talking again.

“So, you are different but you are humans.”

“Yes.”

“And…”

“And I’m going to tell everything to the Counsel once we arrived to Trinsuet.” He stood up and approached Stuart. He had sounded completely decided again, not leaving room for arguments.

“You don’t think we deserve more than that Captain?” This time the Professor was the one speaking.

“No.”

Train’s reply shocked me. He didn’t even look at the Professor. Arms folded across his chest again, he was standing in front of Stuart and his voice sounded stronger than ever.

“This is my ship, you are still guests here. I’m not under the Rebels command, at least not yet and especially not here. I’m going to give you the answers you are requesting but not now.”

There was a deadly silence in the ship

“I would like to say something.” Dana’s voice was soft but firm too.

“The Empire considers them dangerous, Stuart. That’s not too much difference to any other rebels and I’m sure that’s not a threat to us.”

“I for once, have no problem with there not being humans. Who says that you have to be a human to fight against the Empire?” Rual intervened and then gave me one of his customary smiles.

“Nobody says that Rual; my problem was with them deceiving us not with them being humans, Martians or whatever the heck they are.” Stuart looked at Dana and then at Kevin, he took a deep breath before speaking again “I’m trusting you Kevin.”

Kevin just nodded.


The next day

“Brian are you sleeping?”

“Isn’t that like the silliest question ever, Bone? Do you really expect someone who is sleeping to reply to that?” He answered without even looking at me.

We were both in our room. It was still early but we had decided to try to rest a little after a long morning repairing the panels that went damaged on the attack. Brian was on his bed lying on his side so I wasn’t able to see his face from the place where I was, sitting on the bed beside his, Nick’s bed, cleaning an old meter that I had replaced early.

“I felt like you have been avoiding me all day.”

“That’s not true.” His voice sounded really low, he probably was about to fall sleep.

“Yes, it is, you are avoiding me since I saw you kissing her.”

He didn’t reply this time. Early that day I had gone to the computer room looking for Brian just to find a private romantic scene going on there. The door was open and at first sight I had thought the room was empty but then I saw them, sitting on a corner, kissing. I was about to leave the room because I didn’t want to bother them but I stumbled over some toolbox on the floor causing them to jump. Brian called my name but I told him not to worry and left the room. Neither of us mentioned the incident during the rest of the day.

“Come on Rok. I want to talk to you. There’s no time nor privacy around here anymore and I feel like we haven’t talked in ages. Lets take this opportunity now that Nick and Howie aren’t here. You know it’s difficult to speak with them in the same room. Although Howie can sleep through anything.”

“Do you like her Jay?” His question caught me by surprise.

“What? Man, are you worried about me?”

He finally turned around and looked at me.

“Well, I thought you like her.”

“Yes, I like her. How could someone not like her? She is beautiful, man. But she is not my type, bro, she is too nice, too goody-goody. I like dirty girls.” I said raising my eyebrows and smiling.

“You are an idiot.” He laughed and once again he changed his position, this time lying on his back, hands folded behind his head and looking at the ceiling. I laughed too.

“I’m serious Bone, sometimes I’m worried about you. You are treating those girls with respect, right?”

I laughed even more.

“Which girls Brian? I don’t see any around here.”

“You know what I’m talking about Bone. You have a way with girls, no matter if they are human, Grises or …”

I didn’t let him finish. “Jeez, Brian you sound like a grandfather. I do respect them. Who do you think I am? And don’t change the subject, we are talking about you here.”

“No, we are not.”

“Yes, we are.” I put the meter and the brush aside “Are you in love Brian?”

“I don’t know, Bone. I guess I am.”

“She is a nice girl.”

He smirked “You said so.”

I rolled my eyes still smiling and shook my head “But this time I’m saying it as a compliment, you idiot.”

“Jerk,” he said looking at me out of the corner of his eye.

“You have spent lots of a time with her.” I spoke up copying his position and lying on my back on Nick’s bed.

“I like talking to her.”

“What do you talk about? Did she tell you about her life?”

“Aha.”

“I’m curious about how she became part of the rebel forces.”

“She was with the Gazoids who helped T on Berlington”

“Don’t call him T,” I said closing my eyes, tiredness catching up with me.

“Huh?”

“Don’t call him T, he is Stuart,” I replied opening my eyes again and gazing at him “T sounds heroic.”

“You are just disappointed because your hero turned out to be Stuart”

“He wasn’t MY hero.” I rolled my eyes. “But yes, I’m disappointed. I can’t believe T and Stuart are the same person, that’s all.”

“Is just that Dana calls him T so I’m hearing that name all the time.”

“Since you are with her all the time because you are so in love,” I joked doing a funny voice.

He threw a pillow at me. I was so tired that I didn’t even move. The pillow hit me right in the face and then I simply put it over Nick’s pillow and, getting myself comfortable, decided to take a nap.

“Did you wake me up to see you sleep?”

“You weren’t sleeping.”

“I was about to fall asleep.”

“I’m not sleeping yet, we can keep talking.”

“You know Kevin will come any minute now looking for us. The panels aren’t ready yet.”

“We will do it later, what is left to do can wait a little more.”

He sighed “Yeah I guess you are right.”

“So?” I asked

“So, what?”

“You were telling me about Dana and Stuart. Something about Berlington.”

“Still wanna hear the story?”

“Of course I wanna hear it.”

“Well, she was in Berlington with a group of Gazoids, they were helping humans and three human soldiers and two of them were captured by the Empire. It seems that one of the rebels was an important leader and that’s why the empies didn’t kill them immediately. Stuart and another group saved them on time. She stayed with them since that day and later that same week she returned him the favor, so to speak.”

“She saved Stuart?” Now I was fully awake again.

“Yes, they here were in the middle of a land battle and an Empire soldier was about to shoot Stuart on the back. Dana killed him.”

“Interesting.” I bit my tongue. Shit, I shouldn’t have said that.

“Interesting?” he squinted at me and I felt like he was trying to read my mind. I hated when my brothers did that, especially because my telepathy powers sucked. “What’s on your mind AJ?”

“What’s on my mind? Nothing man, simply curiosity.”

“I know what you are thinking AJ.”

“I’m not thinking anything, Brian. And stop looking at me, you are making me feel uncomfortable.”

He didn’t say a word and kept looking at me so I changed my position once again trying to avoid his gaze. I really hate when he does that.

“Okay, you know what’s on my mind? Well if you know it, then explain to me what’s so heroic in someone who constantly has to be saved by others?”

“He is constantly being saved because he is constantly in danger AJ. And is not like he goes around doing stupid things. Yes, he is always taking risks but that’s part of the life he is living now. Dana told me about all the people he had saved too. He is helping people Jay. And believe it or not he is not the same Stuart we knew all those years ago; not that there was anything wrong with him then.”

I kept silence still looking at the ceiling.

“It isn’t simple curiosity, right?”

“Don’t get paranoid Bri.”

“I’m not the one being paranoid here, Jay”

I closed my eyes and saw a beautiful smile. I was sure Brian had thought about Kaydee too. “I guess you are right.” I finally accepted.

“I just don’t want to see you acting like Nick again. No when there’s nothing to worry about.”

“What has Nick got to do with all this?”

“Haven’t you notice that he can’t stand T nor Dana.”

Of course I have noticed it. “He is just jealous of all the time you spent with her.”

“What about T then?”

I shrugged but I knew the answer, Kaydee’s smile was still on my mind. He is thinking about her, the same way I am. Everytime I see Stuart I remember that she died saving him.

“I’m worried about him.”

“About Nick?”

“Yes.”

“You are not the only one.”

“He slept well last night. I really hope those dreams disappear.”

“He said they are not dreams.”

“I know, that’s why I am worried.”

Suddenly, like taking a cue, Nick stomped in the room

“Stupid son of a bitch.” Well, there goes my chance to sleep, if there was still any.


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