Chapter 3

"Do we really gotta move daddy?"

Jade's voice rang from the bedroom as she packed her clothes and other belongings to move down to the Gyirk planet. Xander walked in and smiled softly as he watched Jade sit on her suitcase to get the zipper to engage.

"We need to make room for the reinforcements, Jadie."

He helped her heft the suitcase off the bed and pulled out the handle so she could roll it on the floor.

"Besides, you remember how pretty the planet was the night of the celebration don't you? Well, it's even prettier when the sun's up. You'll love it."

Jade smiled a little and walked over to Xander. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him nervously.

"I trust you, daddy. It's a little scary, though. This is my home."

She looked up at him, her lip trembling a little. Xander knelt in front of her and smiled as he stroked her arm comfortingly.

"I know it’s scary, Jade, but don’t worry. Dad and I made a really good friend down there. She has a son of her own."

He smiled as Jade grinned a bit and hopped excitedly.

"Really? She's got a son?"

She giggled as Xander nodded.

"Ok! This is gonna be fun!"

She grabbed the handle of the suitcase and started out the door. He chuckled and stood, walking back into the room he shared with Aaron.

"The kids are on their way. I programmed their buds to give them directions to Emiaj's place. She said we can stay with her till they get a home built for us."

Aaron looked up from his packing and nodded.

"Yeah, I tried to talk her out of it, but I think we complimented her garden a little too much."

They both laughed a bit and Xander pulled Aaron into a hug, kissing him softly. Aaron ran a hand through Xander's hair.

"Well I always said you can make friends from any species. Guess this just proves it."

Xander chuckled and shook his head, giving Aaron a little peck.

"Like you can't do the same."

He turned and started gathering up a few more things.

Once their suitcases were packed till the zippers were straining, they followed their children down to the planet and walked hand in hand down the Gyirk streets. Now and then the natives would turn and watch them curiously, but they were never met with anger or hate. They were a small anomaly, that was all. Xander glanced at Aaron and smiled, giving his hand a little squeeze of affection. They reached Emiaj's door and knocked lightly. A small male Gyirk opened the door and looked out at the men. His crest fluffed up to full height in excitement.

"They're here!"

He ran back in and Xander laughed.

"That would be Darjan."

He headed in with Aaron and looked around. The house was large and roomy, even by Gyirk standards. It appeared that Emiaj's wine and orchard was more successful than she admitted. There were several decorations that even a non native could tell were only things the rich would have on the planet. Aaron looked over at Xander with a raised eyebrow and Xander just shrugged, mouthing 'self esteem'.

Emiaj walked out of what appeared to be the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel. Her feathers fluffed a little as she saw the two humans and walked over.

"Your children are getting settled into their room. They're next door to Darjan. They seemed rather excited by the fact. I expect a few things to be broken during your stay here."

She awkwardly winked and they all chuckled.

"Your room is this way. I hope you find our beds comfortable. Jade and Cain seemed to like theirs."

She led them down the hall and opened the door into a large bedroom with a bed big enough for four humans to sleep on. Xander walked in and looked around. There was another door that led off into a bathroom that held a bathtub that could be used as a pool by any human. Xander stared around in awe.

"Wow this is amazing, Emiaj."

He looked up at her and smiled. She closed her eyes and gave them a small bow.

"The house isn't really that large. Not by our standards."

She led them into the living room where the twins and Darjan were laughing and playing tag. Darjan leaped forward and tackled Jade to the floor. She shrieked and laughed as he started tickling her. Cain leaped on top of Darjan and started tickling him as well. He started laughing and squirmed under the small human.

"Truce! Truce!"

They all laughed and stopped tickling. The twins grinned as they saw their fathers, and Darjan’s ears and crest perked up significantly in excitement. He stood and walked over to them.

"Hi, Xander, Aaron. I'm Darjan. I'm glad you're going to be staying with us."

Xander nodded, smiling.

"It's nice to meet you Darjan, all we saw was your tail when you let us in."

They all laughed as Darjan giggled and Xander walked over to his own children, kneeling and hugging them.

"You guys had fun?"

They nodded and grinned.

"We're gonna like it here."

Cain sat back and looked up at his fathers.

"Are we gonna watch the ship leave?"

"Oh! I'd almost forgotten!"

Xander sat back and checked his watch. The time had been set to match the Gyirk rotation.

"Looks like we have enough time to get in the shuttle and set our orbit."

He picked Cain up as Aaron picked Jade up and they headed outside to the shuttle.

"Can we come too? We haven't gotten to see your travel technology."

Emiaj walked along behind them. Xander looked up and smiled, nodding.

"Yeah there should be enough room on the shuttle."

They led the way to the shuttle and cleared a space for Emiaj and Darjan to sit. The shuttles were large and roomy to allow for several families to be comfortable if need be. The engines roared as they lifted up into the air and began to clear the atmosphere. They slowed and the auto pilot maneuvered them into an orbit. They joined several other shuttles already in position to watch the ship leave. Several other shuttles had Gyirks in them to watch as well as some Gyirk vessels holding Milky Way occupants.

Before them, the gargantuan ship's engines were gearing up, readying for the jump into White Space. A small white point in front of the ship began to expand and tear through normal space, growing wider and wider as the ship began to slowly accelerate. Cheers and shouts of farewell and good will could be heard over the ear buds and Aaron ported the sounds to the speaker so Emiaj and Darjan could hear. The captain proudly bid farewell to those watching and promised to return with more aid.

Suddenly, as all listened, alarms began to sound on the ship, being played through to the ear bud systems. The voice of the captain demanding information could be heard and a technician answered, reporting five Cogian ships approaching from behind the planet's moon. He ordered that the shields be raised, but a report came back with news that made all in the shuttles freeze in horror. It was too late, their shields were so drained from entering White Space that they couldn't defend themselves.

The captain screamed at the pilots to accelerate into White Space as fast as they could. Gyirk vessels began to move forward into a barricade, firing in the direction the threat was coming from. Milky Way shuttles began to follow, trying to surround the ship and protect it from enemy fire, but as Aaron watched, he knew the horrid truth.

"It's not enough . . . "

As the words left his lips, they all watched as Cogian ships came screaming toward the ship, firing at the open areas with everything in their arsenal. The darkness of space was lit up brightly as white energy beams shot from the Cogian vessels, striking the Milky Way ship so hard that the enormous vessel rocked to the side. Xander closed his eyes and turned away, unable to watch as someone on board announced a hull breach outside the bridge. Screams sounded over the speakers as missiles struck the ship. It almost seemed to be crumbling away as the weapons made contact. Debris and bodies drifted out into the void, sucked out along with the atmosphere on the ship. The sensors blared, trying to tell them to pick up the surviving creatures that were floating out, but the alarms stopped after a few moments as the freezing vacuum killed them.

Over and over, the Cogians passed, only being grazed by the Gyirk weapons. The screams only became louder and more frantic. The ship couldn't return fire, their weapons would only fire uselessly into White Space. The hallways of the ship were destroyed, blocked by debris. Men, women, and children were blocked from the escape pods, their only chances of coming out alive.

A Cogian ship exploded in a flash of blue flames as the Gyirk weapons hit home, but the remaining four were relentless, as though they could hear and understand the screams and begs for mercy coming over the communications. Two ships began to fire on the Gyirk ships, several of which began to break off from the barricade and draw the ships off. The Gyirk ships followed after them, firing upon the Cogian ships and hitting nothing but shielding as the Cogians returned fire, also only hitting shielding. It seemed almost too easy to distract them like that, almost as though. . . Aaron’s eyes widened in horror.

"Oh god no. We fell right for it."

Aaron turned and wrapped his arms around Xander, the two holding each other as the screams from the ship were cut off, replaced by a loud, pounding boom, then silence as the ship exploded, taking several of the shuttles and Gyirk vessels with it. The rest of the ships surrounding the remains scattered and started after the Cogian vessels, now bent on revenge. As White Space began to close, it drew in the debris of all the ships, every last bit disappearing into nothingness.

Xander risked looking out the window as the sensors chirped for each Cogian vessel destroyed. The darkness was pierced again and again by bright flashes from the opposing weapons. He turned as he heard whimpering and swallowed sadly as he watched Jade, Cain, and Darjan cling to Emiaj, tears rolling down their cheeks. Xander stood and walked over, kneeling and gently pulling Jade to him and hugging her close as she clung. Aaron knelt beside them and took Cain into his arms, holding his son close. Neither of them said a word. Nothing they could say would undo what the children had seen. All they needed was the love and comfort of their fathers.

The shouts and screams began to die down and Xander turned, watching as several Gyirk ships converged on the final Cogian ship, firing everything at their disposal, the ship exploding upon impact. But the ships didn't stop firing, they continued to pulverize the debris until there was nothing left but dust. Everything grew quiet with only the hum of the shuttle's engines as they all stared at the place where the gargantuan vessel that was their only hope had hovered only moments ago. They remained in silence like this for several moments before Aaron gently pulled away from Cain.

"We should go back home."

His voice was quiet as he moved over to the controls and maneuvered the small vessel back down to the planet. All remained silent as they walked back to Emiaj's home. Xander and Aaron sat on the cushions in the living room, holding their children on their laps as Emiaj settled across from them holding Darjan as he cried. Their feathers, once glowing brightly now, seemed dull and nearly colorless.

After a long silence, Emiaj was the first to speak.

"Was that the only way you had to return?"

Xander shook his head, but his expression didn't lighten.

"No, all our ships, even the shuttles, have the capability to jump to White Space, but that ship was the only one with the resources to make the journey. The shuttles wouldn't even make it a third of the way if they pooled all their fuel, life support, and rations together in one. We might get a message off to Earth, but even with that it would be even longer than it would if the ship had survived. They'd have to build an entirely new one to get here. We won't be getting help from the Consortium. Not any time soon."

Emiaj closed her eyes and held Darjan close. It seemed hopeless now. The promise of reinforcements was gone, destroyed with the ship. They didn't have anyone who could create a ship capable of the travel they needed and many people from both galaxies had just lost friends, some had lost family. Xander looked up at Emiaj, holding Jade close.

"We will still keep our promise, Emiaj. We'll do what we can to help you. We still have most of our military people. Maybe they can bring in new ideas and strategies. I-I'm sure our leaders are talking right now. Right?"

He looked over at Aaron, trying to hold himself together. Aaron nodded, swallowing.

"Y-yeah. Right. We'll get back on our feet."

He smiled a bit nervously, then turned as a knock sounded on Emiaj's front door. She cocked her head to the side, and set Darjan down. The young Gyirk moved over to Aaron and curled up beside him, needing comfort. The voices were muddled by walls as Emiaj spoke to the visitor and a few moments later, she walked back in with a large male Gyirk and a Risous following her.

"Aaron, these men want to speak with you."

Aaron frowned and stood, still holding Cain. He walked over to them.

"What do you want me for?"

The Risous spoke first.

"Aaron, we need your talents. You were one of the best minds in the military before you retired. We need your help against the Cogians."

The Gyirk’s head bobbed slightly in a nod, and he continued on.

"With the loss of your vessel, we need every hand we can get. Military and non military."

They glanced at each other, then over at Xander, who now had all three children clinging to him. Xander held the twins closer as Aaron looked over too.

"Go, Aaron. They need your help. We'll be fine."

Aaron closed his eyes and sighed a bit, then walked over and knelt, hugging the three of them gently. He whispered so only they could hear.

"Everything will be alright. We'll take care of this."

He stroked Xander's cheek before gently kissing him.

"I love you. I love you two. I'll come back. I promise.”

He kissed Jade's forehead, then Cain's. He stood and walked back to their room, grabbing his suitcase and following the Gyirk and Risous out.

"How exactly do you need my help?"

He looked from one to the other and the Risous looked over at him.

"We need your piloting expertise. You were one of the few in the fleet that had enough imagination to come up with maneuvers that nobody else could even dream of. We need that imagination now more than ever."

Aaron nodded a little as he followed.

"What will my position be?"

He looked to the Risous, who glanced back with a smile.

"The same you had before you retired, Colonel."

The Risous gave a salute and Aaron smiled a bit, returning it. Few knew what a rising star he had been in the military before meeting Xander on shore leave and marrying him. Many of those he served with complained, of course. He was well known as a calm and fair officer, but Aaron held firm in his decision among the cries. In spite of their complaints, all of those that Aaron served with attended the wedding, glad to see their comrade so happy. When they saw Aaron's face as he felt the wedding ring slide into place on his finger, they all realized just how much something like this meant to their friend.

If Aaron were to tell the truth, he liked that he was going to return to the military in order to help the Gyirks with their battle. He knew how to read enemies quickly and find their weaknesses for easy defeat. That talent had been what propelled him so high into the ranks in the first place.

The Gyirk led them to a large tent that had beings of all kinds bustling in and out, all with a sense of urgency. The Risous pulled the flap open and let Aaron into the tent. Everyone glanced up at him as they entered, but the conversations didn't pause. Many were working on plans to improve the Gyirk ships and others were working on ways to turn the Consortium shuttles into fighters, perhaps even better than the Gyirk vessels due to their size and potential capacity for weaponry.

Aaron walked silently up to the command table and looked down at the virtual map the Gyirks had provided, showing the known positions of the Cogian ships as well as the planets occupied by both species. He set his case down and leaned over the map, examining it.

"What's the situation?"

He looked around and the Gyirks took turns explaining. A younger one spoke first and started pointing out the various ships and planets.

"The Cogians are positioned through most of this section of the galaxy, having already taken control of most of the planets and star systems. We have only a handful of planets left, spread out over several systems. We're trying to improve our chances by spreading our numbers through the different planets in the systems. At first, it was also an attempt at confusing the Cogians into guessing which one is our home planet," He sighed slightly, "but it seems they already knew."

He looked up at Aaron, who nodded slightly, plans formulating in his mind. He ran his hands over the map, starting to position the different pieces precisely.

"They already know the home planet, so we have to focus our forces on protecting it. With our Consortium shuttles, we can ferry the civilians to a safe planet. One of the uninhabited systems."

He pushed the crimson pieces to one of the dark systems on the extreme outside edge of Gyirk control.

"We know they have the capability to track us, but they didn't come out until the White Space portal was visible even from several planets over. They've never seen anything like our technology before so it won't be possible for them to see what we're doing. We want all military strength here on the home world to protect it."

He glanced around at the other faces and they were all nodding in agreement. The first thing they wanted to do was protect those who couldn't protect themselves. He looked down at his work on the map. All the crimson pieces were positioned on a dark unclaimed planet. The civilians would be safe. He positioned four scarlet pieces on the planet as well, two on the surface, and two orbiting.

"We'll keep four ships on the planet at all times in stealth mode. Two will be in orbit on patrol at all times while the other two are on the planet resting and recuperating. If the Cogians find them and attack, they'll send distress calls to us through White Space. It's faster that way, and we'll be there to help in no time."

Looking around, he could tell the others liked this plan. It was simple, yet effective and would protect the innocent. Leaving them to discuss how to execute the plan, he stood and walked over to the technicians' table. He leaned over and examined the plans. He didn't speak, only nodded to tell them they were doing good work. They weren't only working on weapons systems for the shuttles, but they were also working to integrate White Space technology into the Gyirk ships to give them an advantage over the Cogians. He kept his eyes low to keep from tripping over the small Danoo, who were scuttling about. He smiled a bit as he stepped around a small group chattering over a holographic model of a Gyirk fighter.

Finally, he reached the table where they would be working out battle tactics. He leaned over the holographic screen which showed green and scarlet fighters weaving in and out of strafing runs and loops, weapons lancing from the front of all the ships. Aaron watched a moment, then looked around at the others.

"How accurate are the Cogian movements?"

He looked up at one of the Gyirks, who had been in charge before his arrival.

"Their movements are all gleaned from flight patterns recorded in battle. We've managed to identify seven separate battle patterns, the ones they prefer to use. They don't think enough of us to change what they use against us. We could use the fresh eyes."

Aaron nodded and stared down at the simulations, their movements weaving patterns into his mind. He focused only on the bright green ships as they wove, dipped, and looped. Everything went on normally without his attention. He had done enough at the strategy board that they wouldn't need his input unless the Cogians attacked that very moment. His eyes took in every tiny detail, every twitch, every falter in the Cogian movements. Anything could be useful.

Many hours passed and he only drank when a coffee cup was pushed into his hand by others. Finally, he blinked slowly and stood up. He kept his eyes closed as he held his hands over the map. Others at the table watched in awe as he began to trace the patterns exactly, seeing them in his memory as his hand followed. One hand continued the Cogian patterns, the ones everyone recognized by this time, and his other hand began weaving in and around the other.

The red and green counterparts on the map began to follow his movements perfectly, even as his hands began to move faster and faster, weaving through each and every pattern the Cogians used and creating several parries to them. Sweat beaded his forehead as he continued to trace, one hand remained the same, tracing the Cogians, but his other hand was ever-changing, creating new patterns and tactics with each wave. Had classical music been playing, he could have easily been mistaken for a conductor.

Xander had watched once as Aaron made motions much like this when entertaining the young newly adopted twins. His husband had commented that with movements like that, Aaron could very well be a successful artist. Aaron had just chuckled on the comment and shook his head. Sure, Xander may be right, but Aaron didn't particularly care enough to try and find out.

As his hands slowed, meticulously tracing the final pattern, he slowly opened his eyes and looked down at the table. He finished the incapacitating blow on the Cogian vessel, having created patterns to kill as well as capture. Looking around, he saw the Gyirks staring at him in amazement. The Consortium members who had seen or heard of his method before were less awed by him, so they went right to business and started uploading the parries into the network that the fighter vessels used.

He stepped back, but stumbled a little and was caught by a Brinte standing behind him. He looked up at the alien and nodded a little in thanks. It was difficult to tell whether or not it was one he knew, since it was wearing a special water-filled helmet to allow it to breathe and see properly.

"I'm all right. I just need to rest."

He stood back up and flexed his numb legs a bit before picking his suitcase back up. The Brinte nodded and started walking, leading Aaron away from the silent command tent. Aaron had been working for so long that everyone at the other tables had gone to their quarters. The Brinte, whom Aaron learned was called Iroth and was one he hadn't met before, opened the tent flap to a private room. He looked around and stared for a few moments at the empty one man cot.

"Do you need anything, Colonel?"

Aaron looked up and shook his head.

"No, I'm ok. Thank you, Iroth."

Iroth nodded and walked out, closing the tent behind him.