Episode 30: Battleship Mutrad, part 3

DISCLAIMER: ALL CHARACTERS MENTIONED IN THESE STORIES ARE COPYRIGHTS OF CARTOON NETWORK. I HAVE NO AFFILIATION TO SYM-BIONIC TITAN OR ITS CREATOR, GENNDY TARTAKOVSKY. I AM SIMPLY TRYING TO EXPAND ON HIS EXCELLENT WORK, NOW THAT THE SHOW, WHICH HAD SO MUCH POTENTIAL, HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

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Then, with a sick grin on his face, Baron added, "This is gonna be the best moment of my-"

Suddenly, a foot kicked down the door. Lance watched as camouflaged troops poured in and opened fire. A few soldiers on both sides fell, and Baron and his troops fled the scene by leaving through another door which led to a new hallway where they could regroup. All this happened in a matter of seconds.

"I'll secure the hostages!" A tall soldier with freckles and red hair yelled. He released the chains binding Ilana and helped Lance to his feet. "Somebody check out those wounds on the boy! Stat! Get them outta here and go!" He yelled, giving Lance and Ilana's watches back to them. Next, he grabbed Octus' head and placed it his backpack he had with him. "We gotta get outa here!" Exclaimed the red headed soldier.

"Wait, who are you?" Ilana asked.

"No time for that! We need to do he says!" Lance answered. Ilana nodded and followed the redhead out of the room and into the hallway. She could've sworn that he was familiar somehow. As the three of them moved down the hallway, the next thing they saw surprised her.

"Steel?" She said in disbelief.

"And...Solomon?" Lance asked, equally confused. Solomon and his red uniformed G3 troops were shooting a number of nearby Mutradi, intermingled with Steel's troops doing the same.

"Stand down and hold off forces in the area!" Steel was shouting. "Shoot anything that isn't human or anyone wearing an old fashioned uniform! They are hostile!" he yelled. The teens and Babyface watched as Steel punched an armed Mutradi in the stomach and stole his semi-automatic weapon. Steel used the machine-gun like blaster to fire on various targets across the room. Each fell in just a few hits. Solomon, meanwhile, was keeping as close to Steel as possible, using his athleticism to dodge the fire of the Galalunans he was fighting. Having been trained to copy their fighting style, he rolled out of the way of the sword that one of them had drawn, then almost instantaneously jumped to his feet and delivered a light punch to the forearm of the soldier, causing him to briefly drop his sword. Solomon used this opportunity to grab the sword. Ilana turned away as he used it to stab the soldier in the chest. Lance was impressed. Then he realized he was in a war zone, and had to take the appropriate measures.

"We've got to help them!" Lance said to Ilana. Babyface had already gone off to join the fight.

"Ok, ok, but I don't want to kill any of my own people!" Ilana cried nervously.

"So? I'll take care of that; you just go get some Mutradi!" Lance answered. He then turned on his armor and flew into the fight. Ilana joined him, breaking off to find a group of Mutradi that wouldn't be too difficult to defeat.

They fought off Mutradi, coming from both ends of the hallway, streaming through like water in a river. Interestingly, there was no sign of Baron. But Lance and Ilana fought on regardless. Lance hovered just above the fray, swinging his sword low. The Mutradi and several Galalunans were cut to pieces as he swung his sword like Death's scythe. Landing on the ground near a doorway where all the troops seemed to be coming from, he threw one of his grenades through the doorway, sending it into the next hallway. A massive explosion occurred in the next room. Lance then turned around and fired his machine guns at several Mutradi that had tried to leap up on him. Ilana, meanwhile, fired both her blue and white lasers into the crowd, killing some Mutradi instantly. Unlike Lance, she stayed on the ground, firing her beams at the largest groups of Mutradi that tried to reach her. She put up her force field as she heard the blasts from more enemies behind her. She turned around and saw that they were coming from other Galalunans. Ilana rose up in the air, not wishing to fight them. But then one of the soldiers suddenly threw his sword straight at her. It went straight through the force field as if it was thin air and hit Corus' heart. Shocked that they would dare try to kill their princess, she tried to fire her white laser as she fell to the floor. But her armor failed to respond. It had practically become disabled by the blow. As she tried to pull the sword out of her armor, the Galalunan troops suddenly swarmed her. She thought she was about to be doomed (yet again), but then she saw that same redheaded soldier from before pick up a machine gun and fire at the other troops. It wasn't long before he had killed them all before her eyes. Ilana was grateful, but also somewhat frightened at seeing the dead humans. Babyface turned and helped her to her feet.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine, but...I don't think I can bring myself to killing my own species."

"That's understandable. But that's just one of things you may have to do in a war," Babyface answered.

"I guess you're right," Ilana replied, glancing around to make sure that there were no enemies in this area. Noticing that no one else was around, she looked up at the redheaded soldier and turned off her armor. "Haven't I seen you before?" She asked.

"Oh," Babyface grew a little nervous, but he figured now it would be okay to tell the truth. "I was sent by Steel to spy on you and your guardian."

"Now I remember!" She said.

"I'm sorry about the whole thing. I was just following orders from Steel."

"Well, it's all behind us now," she said.

"You're very forgiving about this sort of thing, aren't you?" He asked.

"I can't help it," Ilana said, smiling.

"And I learned my lesson after some awful, deep-voiced alien thing of yours scared me away," Babyface replied, embarrassed.

"Oh, that was just Octus!" Ilana said, stifling a giggle.

"Your robot?" He said, reaching for his backpack and taking Octus' head out of it. He stared at the mechanical face for a while before putting it back in the backpack. "Is he...dead?" He asked Ilana.

"No," she replied, frowning. "If we can get him to G3, they can do whatever is necessary to revive him again for us. We're not going to lose him now." Ilana stared at Octus with pity in her eyes. She recalled how she had felt when Octus had first "died". She thought that only a miracle could revive him. Ironically, it had almost been just that. She still didn't know who in G3 had saved him. She decided that when she had the chance, she needed to ask who it was in G3 that had brought him back to life.

Lance dashed over to her and Babyface, armor turned off. "Come on! We can't mourn over Octus! We've gotta keep fighting!"

"Oh, right," Ilana replied. She thanked Babyface for saving her, and then turned on her armor, which had now repaired itself, and flew off. As Babyface placed Octus' head back in his backpack, Lance glared at him.

"Don't worry, you can trust me; Octus won't get hurt," he answered.

"It's not Octus I'm worried about," said Lance. "Don't get too clingy to Ilana. It's my duty to protect her, not yours."

"I wasn't trying to-" Babyface began.

"I don't wanna hear it. Just stay away from my princess," Lance interrupted. He then turned on his armor and flew off to continue the battle. It was his job to keep Ilana safe, not some low-class Earth soldier. She hadn't fallen for him, had she? After all, this guy was taller and more buff than he was. But then Lance realized that his muscles were probably much more toned than that redhead's were, even though Lance was younger and naturally lanky. Surely Ilana liked his better, especially since she had seen him working out once.

Wait a minute, why was he worried about whose muscles Ilana liked more? Lance dismissed his thoughts and refocused on the battle at hand.

Despite the endless numbers, Steel, Solomon, Lance, Ilana, Babyface, and everybody else made it to the end of the hallway and into the next room. When they got to a secure area, Steel turned on his radio. "Get the chopper ready," he said. They continued to hold off for several minutes. Then, as they were beginning to grow exhausted, black falcon helicopters hovered near the window. The bullets from their machine guns broke through most of the windows, and they shot and killed at all the remaining enemies from there. In minutes, all the Mutradi in the area were killed. But more were coming. Steel and Solomon jumped out of the Battle Station from the shattered windows and landed in the helicopter. The other troops did the same in the nearby helicopters. A G3 troop-carrying ship also arrived by the broken windows. Lance and Ilana could have flown using their armor's jets, but instead they boarded the helicopter with Babyface to see to Octus again. She and Lance had been so shaken up, they almost forgot about him. When the helicopters were safely out of range of the Battle Station, they began to head towards the G3 airship so that Octus could be repaired.

After a period of silence, Babyface spoke up. "You know, I don't think I've introduced myself to you guys. My name is Steve Stevens—joke from my parents-but you guys can just call me by my nickname, Babyface."

"Babyface?" Ilana asked, laughing. "Well, you do look pretty young," she laughed.

"Why did you and Steel and his troops come to rescue us, after everything we've done to you guys?" Lance asked.

"Solomon came and proposed the idea," Babyface explained. "Steel realized that you three weren't threats, and that you really just wanted to save Sherman from all those monsters."

"But what do you think?" Asked Lance. "Do you think we're...threats?"

"I don't know; judging from how you saved us repeatedly, no," the soldier relied. "I was simply following orders. You obviously don't remember me, but I was one of the soldiers you fought in the Omega mall. I couldn't help but notice that you didn't try to kill any of us; you just wanted to escape. Except for when you crushed that tank, of course. But I thought it was pretty stupid that Steel ordered us to send it crashing through the wall of the mall building! To be honest, I have my doubts about Steel sometimes. Frankly, I think it would be best if he had resigned after the original Hammer was destroyed so easily. But you didn't hear that from me, okay?" he said.

"How can you forgive us after destroying your tank?" Ilana asked.

"Or...when we first came here, and I damaged more of your weapons and wounded your fellow troops? What about when we wrecked the base which housed the original Hammer? Or when we destroyed almost all of your fighter jets while trying to protect G3?" Lance asked. "How can you suddenly turn around and try to help us?"

"A very good question, Lance." The soldier looked down. "You three have caused so much destruction...but I couldn't help but notice it was all directed against us. At first I was just like Steel. Stubbornly wanting to eliminate any threats from our country, which I assumed you were. But then I stopped and thought, 'If they're truly threats to national security, why are they killing the monsters that seem to follow them?' And then when I saw Solomon was ready to help you guys, I tried looking deeper into this. I realized that you, like ourselves, had been acting in self-defense. That didn't necessarily justify everything you did, but it gave a good explanation, nonetheless. At one point I secretly talked about this with Solomon. It was just after we all had to team up and fight those 3 Mutradi monsters at once. He told me everything you did, good and bad, and I just drew my own conclusions about you guys."

"Why did he tell you this? Did he want you to pass it on to Steel? Why did he trust you, anyway?" Ilana asked. Babyface laughed.

"Of course, he doesn't say a word. Not that anyone would guess about us, what with his old man hair…but Solomon doesn't let me joke about that."

"What are you talking about?" Ilana asked.

"Solomon is my older brother!" This surprised both Galalunans. Solomon had never mentioned having a brother before! "Also, before Solomon formed G3, he worked with us. Can you believe he was actually a corporal to Steel?"

"Wow. Why didn't he tell us about you?"

"He was probably worried you would misunderstand things if you knew whose side I was on. And yes, he wanted me to pass everything he had said on to Steel. He didn't want Steel to have the same assumption he had once had about you. But when I tried to tell him, he didn't listen. But somehow, Solomon convinced me to look underneath the surface. When I thought of the casualties both G3 and the military lost, I was still sad about it. But only because it all could have been averted if we had all tried to be a bit more peaceful when we first met you. Now that you just saved me back there, I'm convinced of your true intentions. There isn't a doubt in my mind anymore. I'm sorry for everything that the United States military has done to harm you. That's not supposed to be our purpose; it's supposed to be to defend this country."

"We accept your apology," Lance said solemnly. But Ilana had other thoughts. "No, Lance! We should apologize to them! We brought all the Mutradi to these innocent people; we've done more damage to Steel and his forces than he could ever do to us! Steven, I know this isn't much, but...I am sorry for everything that Lance and I have done to your fellow American soldiers. It..." Ilana began.

"...Was all just a misunderstanding," Babyface replied. "You came in peace, but we didn't. Steel and his men, including myself, more or less deserve all that has happened since you came, Ilana. Perhaps we're all a bit ignorant and fearful when meet strangers," he said solemnly. "But I want that to be a thing of the past. I forgive you. You've atoned for everything by saving the world many times over."

"And I forgive you, too," Ilana replied, hugging the soldier. Lance changed the subject once more, now that they were all in good relations with each other.

"Well, since we failed to destroy the ship, now what?" asked Lance. He didn't like all this drama. It was good that one of Steel's troops was Solomon's brother and on their side, but they didn't have time for emotional I-forgive-you speeches! Lance didn't what he would have said to Steel if Ilana hadn't been here. And Lance wasn't exactly the forgiving type.

"Steel said to take you to G3 and reactivate your robot," Babyface said. "And as for the battle station, you failed to destroy the jet engines and permanently disable the power source, but you did manage to destroy their shield generator," the soldier went on.

"We destroyed the shield generator? Nice going, Ilana!" Lance said, smiling. He wasn't concerned about Octus right now. He knew he'd be all right once they got him repaired.

"Oh...it was nothing," she said, blushing.

"No, it was definitely something all right. If you hadn't blown up the generator, we'd be helpless against that thing! We would have to go revive Octus, only to go back in again." said Lance. He raised his hand to give her a high-five. Babyface glanced at Lance's damaged and bruised face.

"How'd you get your face so messed up?" He asked.

"It was Baron, the guy in charge of the Battle Station with the white hair and pointy nose," replied Lance angrily. "That coward! When you guys showed up, he just ran! Come to think of it, he's probably back in the control room now, preparing to attack your fellow troops! Tell Steel to do as much damage as possible to that little jerk!"

"Why don't you tell him yourself?" Babyface suggested, handing the radio. Lance called out into it. He was a little nervous talking to the General. After all, they had never really been on good terms, to say the least. But Lance's hatred for Baron overpowered his fear of Steel.

"Hey, Steel?"

"Yeah, Lance?"

"How'd you know my name, and that it was me?"

"Long story. Listen, I've been kind of a jackass lately. Those guys at G3 told me everything. And I mean everything. At first I didn't believe'em, but then... Right now I just want to say...I'm sorry. It was all a big misunderstanding on my part. I was just blindly protecting my country from anything unfamiliar. I was told by one of the G3 guys that you did the same thing when you arrived here with that princess," Steel said. "Lance, don't get freaked out by this, but when I was your age, I was...kinda like you. Loved me a good fight. I followed orders to the letter, no matter how absurd. I guess the real reason I didn't trust you was cause I had been taught not to trust outsiders. It never really occurred to me that anyone outside this country could be trusted. That was just America's mindset back then. Anyway, I kinda understand now why you reacted the way you did back at the mall when you three first landed here. Seems like such a long time ago, doesn't it? It was just out of fear and your ferocity to defend your leader. Or in this case, his daughter. Kinda like with the leader of my own country, in a crazy way. I don't agree with his policies; heck, I don't agree with him on anything. But I'd still defend him to death. It's about loyalty, Lance, not politics or opinions. If you and that princess ever argue, just remember that. I think that applies on both of our planets."

"Maybe..." Lance thought. "Hey, wait a sec, who in G3 told you so much about me?" Lance asked. "I know it couldn't have been Solomon. It's not like he's knows that much about me."

"You're right, Lance. I got from someone who knows you best, because he's yer own flesh and blood." Then Steel suddenly turned off communications.

"Wait! What did he mean by that?" Lance asked. The others shrugged as the helicopter approached the massive G3 airship.

Back on the battle station, Baron was tending to his ship, issuing orders for repairs. "For the record, I didn't want to retreat," he insisted. "It was the only logical solution. What's our status?" he asked a passing Galalunan.

"I'm afraid that little skirmish you had with Lance crippled our engines, sir," he replied. "Our shield generator is utterly destroyed, and we don't have enough fuel to pursue the vehicles that rescued our primary targets. We do have just enough fuel to move about in this city, in case we need to do so if Titan returns and attacks us. Our weapons are also fully functional. We just have to wait for them to return as Titan, which they inevitably will. I will make all possible repairs."

"Well, this sucks," said Baron, sighing. He slumped back down into his captain's chair almost comically, waiting impatiently for the three heroes to return to the city of Sherman.

Our heroes were once again in the G3 airship. Lance and Ilana were no longer afraid of this place. Babyface, Ilana, and Lance were talking while they waited for Solomon to repair Octus. They were explaining what Galaluna was like to Babyface.

"Your planet has green skies?" Babyface asked in amazement. "Does that mean that the water is green, too?"

"It just looks green, but yeah, I guess so," Lance said. "But it tastes just the same."

"So how long is a year on Galaluna?" Babyface asked.

"Oh, about 8 months, according to your calendar," Ilana replied. "That's how long it takes for all three moons to have gone through each phase that your moon goes through at least once. According to the Earth calendar, Lance and I are both sixteen, but according to the Galalunan calendar, Lance is actually seventeen."

"Oh. Well, why is it that you guys speak English, like most of us do in America?" Babyface asked.

A mechanical voice interrupted. "Earthling and Galalunan evolutionary lines must have been quite similar, because both species have similarly shaped tongues. This trait may have likely led to the formation of nearly identical languages, despite the parallel evolutionary line. As for the diversity of languages found on Earth alone, I-"

Lance and Ilana had turned and hugged Octus before he could say any more about this intriguing subject.

"Welcome back, Octus!" Lance said.

"I still fail to understand why you two become so affectionate after seeing me," Octus said, turning on his Newton hologram so that the teens would be more comfortable hugging him. Anyway, sorry I got killed again. You'll never guess who I encountered on the ship: Galalunan traitors!"

"Yeah, we saw some, too," said Ilana. "They tried to capture us. They almost killed Lance when..."

"They almost killed Lance?" Octus said, shocked.

"Almost, Octus," Lance replied. "It's a long story. But you'll be shocked by who saved us."

"Who? Kimmy?" Octus said hopefully.

Babyface spoke up. "No, that would be me," he answered.

Octus turned to face the speaker, recognizing him instantly. "I remember you. Private Steve 'Babyface' Stevens, yes?"

"That's me," he replied.

"I recognized you from when you stated your name and rank back when I had to frighten you away from the High School. That must have been a horrifying experience. But I don't understand why you were urinating as I released you."

"Ah, that was a long time ago; forget about it," Babyface replied, blushing furiously. "Steel gave me orders to rescue your friends, and we've made up. How could I hate you guys after you saved us so many times?"

"Hello there, Stevens," Solomon said, appearing from the room Octus had emerged from. "Steel as stubborn as ever?"

"You know it, big bro!" Babyface replied. Solomon scowled at him. "What? I already told them on our way here. I don't see why you like to pretend we're not related!" Solomon groaned, then turned to Octus.

"If you're wondering, yes. Babyface here is my younger brother. Satisfied…little bro?" Babyface grinned in amusement.

"So Babyface, why are you in the Army when Solomon is working in G3?" Lance asked.

"Good question. You see, Solomon and I both worked as soldiers under Steel. He was actually a general before Solomon and I became Corporals! Shows you how old he is, eh? When Solomon formed G3 after he met-" Babyface began to explain, but a look from his brother screamed, "Not yet!"

"-Uh, this one guy with a mechanical hand...he pretty much became his own boss, just like he wanted too! You see, Solomon wasn't so keen with following orders, especially those he believed were too rigid or ignorant. He tried to keep in open mind about people. Like when he met the guy he founded G3 with. Solomon's not the kinda guy who will obey orders without question. He has to find his own reasons for doing things sometimes. Steel and I were mad at him when he left us, of course. We thought there was no such thing as aliens and that he was crazy. And if there were any aliens, I figured they would be bent on conquest. But after you three showed up and saved Sherman so many times, I realized that Solomon was right. I should've realized that you three were trying to do more good than harm. I know I already said all that, but I can't express this enough. I tried telling Steel, but he just couldn't get it. Until today, that is. You've gained his trust now. And Steel can become your friend, too, I believe, in time."

"Hold on; I don't think Steel is an ally just yet," Lance said. "He said something about being convinced that we were good when he heard that my own flesh and blood was the real leader of G3. What was he talking about?"

"Yeah. What's going on?" Ilana asked.

"Even I am confused," said Octus.

Solomon sighed. "I guess it's time you knew another thing about G3 and me, Lance. I can't keep you two apart for so long."

"You mean...?" Lance was shocked.

"Come with me," Solomon instructed. Lance followed Solomon out of the room.

"Did you know anything about this?" Ilana asked Babyface.

"Not much." Suddenly, Steel burst into the room.

"Private, we're packing up! I don't think that that Battle Station thingy's done anything to the city. It's you guys they want!" He said, pointing to Ilana and Octus. "Where's Lance?" He asked.

"He's...reuniting," Ilana answered.

"Ah, I see. Well then, pleasure doing business with ya!" Steel said. Babyface gave a salute to the princess and her robot, and they gave one in response. Babyface went to the hangar to leave the airship. Steel was following him, several troops in tow, when he turned around briefly.

"And uh...can we start everything over?" Steel asked.

"If necessary, I will wipe away all data of our battles prior to these recent events from my memory banks," Octus said.

"I'll take that as a yes, then," Steel replied, giving a salute before joining his men in the hangar.

"I guess they're with us now?" Ilana asked Octus as the General left.

"Indeed. But right now we must find Edward. I have many questions to ask him as to how I function. As well as...other things," Octus replied. Ilana had a feeling he was thinking of Kimmy.

"We can meet Edward later, Octus. I think Lance needs some time alone with his father. And when he's done, we can destroy the battle station. Our meetings with Edward will have to wait. What do you think is going on right now with them?" She asked, even though she knew Octus' guess was as good as hers.

Lance followed Solomon through the corridors of the vast airship. Past the interrogation room, past the hangar, past the control deck, the medical lab, and finally, a small door at the end of the hall. "Edward is waiting on the other side of that door," Solomon said.

Lance found it hard to talk just then. "A long time ago, I accepted my father's death as a fact, and now you're telling me something I should only hear in a good dream."

"Open the door, Lance," said Solomon. "I'll leave you two alone."

"Ok, but...I just wanna say...thank you. For everything," said Lance.

"I'm sorry that we tried to interrogate you and Ilana," he said. "It was my rash actions; I disobeyed Edward. He was furious. He explained his origins and why you were most likely here just after the incident with Steel, when I asked him how he knew so much about you three even before I captured you."

Lance thought about what he would say next. Could he forgive Solomon? "I...I'm sorry that we damaged your airship. And...I forgive you," Lance said. It was a little difficult for him to say those words, but they came out anyway. Lance could not remember a time before when he had forgiven someone. It was a first for him.

"Thank you...Corporal," said Solomon. "Now go, Lance. See your flesh and blood at last. I would give everything to see mine," Solomon said. What did Solomon mean by that, Lance thought.

As Lance closed the door, Solomon sighed and stared at the floor, managing a smile when he turned to face the door again.

Lance opened the door, almost afraid. What if it was all a lie? What if this was all a nightmare? Or a dream? Or was he still back on Galaluna?

But no. It was reality.

The greatest reality Lance ever had.

There was nothing in the room, save a couch and a bed with few chairs. The room itself was small and carpeted. There was a small dresser with picture on it. It was a picture of Lance when he was little, smiling with his beloved father. Lance had brought a picture just like it when he had arrived from Galaluna. And there on the bed, to the left of the picture, a man with a mechanical hand sat, his arms resting on his legs. He wore a lab coat, glasses, and had light brown hair, with was beginning to gray in some places. There were scars across his face. There was a cane leaning against the bed. Their eyes met. No words were exchanged.

Lance dashed over to the bed and hugged Edward, the leader of G3, the inventor of the Manus armor, the inventor of the Rift Gate, the inventor of Titan, and the first person to love him.

And most importantly, his father. Seeing him again after so long was a moment too great for words. His father, the man who had loved him and cared for him always, the man who had cared for him always, who showed him his inventions, who listened to him, his teacher...his first, and for a while, only friend, was standing right there. He had survived.

Tears streamed down Lance's eyes as he hugged his father. Edward hugged him tightly. Lance felt as if he was a child again, and that his father had never left, and that they had been together forever.

Lance didn't let go.

Twenty minutes passed. Father and son finally let go of each other. Lance was the first to speak:

"Father."

"My son. Look how much you've grown."

"I love you, dad."

"And I love you too, son. Do you still wake up at 2 am, waiting for me?"

"Yes. Yes I do," his son replied, tears still falling from his face.

"Did you believe I was dead, Lance?"

Lance starting crying again. He was a little embarrassed for being so emotional. "I'm sorry, but...yes, I thought you were dead."

"But...did a small part of you still believe I was still alive?" Edward asked, placing his human hand on Lance's shoulder.

"Yes."

"What's been going on since I left, Lance?"

"Don't you know most of it, since you've probably been watching us?"

"Yes, but I want to hear it from you."

And so Lance took a deep breath and told his father his story. Everything that happened after he had supposedly died, and in chronological order. Lance told his father about the academy, his rivalry with Baron, the fights they had, the coup, how they ended up on this planet, how they struggled to fit in at high school, the fiery monster, the discovery of Titan, how he had acted at the mall, the robot hydra, how all the girls seemed to like him for no real reason, how he and Ilana had first behaved around one another, how they learned to get along with each other, how they defeated the sentient tornado creature, when he had faced Xeexi after becoming the Phantom Ninja, when he was lured by Mike Chan to street race illegally, how he got his driver's license, the nightmares the dark shaman had given him, how they had briefly had Tashy as a pet, how he dressed in the mascot's uniform to fight off sludge monsters, when he tried to eat a massive hamburger, how G3 had interrogated them without Edward's knowledge, the "Scary Mary" party, Kristen, the Mucolox, the weird painting, how he discovered his skills with a guitar, how he performed with Disenfranchised, how Ilana had set up the dance, Octus' death, how he and Ilana had to search for a way to revive him, and how they tried to fight off the Hammer with G3. After Edward explained to his son that it was he who revived Octus, Lance told about how Titan had saved everyone yet again from 3 monsters at once, how Octus and Kimmy had been dating, his first date with Kristen, how Lance also had feelings for Ilana and was confused about it, what he had said to Ilana when she had been cyber-bullied, how Octus searched relentlessly for a cure when they got sick, how he and Octus had fought off the plant-like creatures, his second date with Kristen, the 5 bounty hunters, how Thanatos took control of his mind, and everything that had happened today up until this exact moment.

Together, father and son laughed, cried, smiled, and hugged each other. Afterwards, Lance asked his father many questions:

"How long have you been running G3?"

"Shortly after I arrived here. Of course, it wasn't my intention to have them capture you. You see, Solomon injected a sedative while I was asleep that night before he headed out. I had no idea what had occurred, and the other troops weren't told that I had been knocked out. I was furious with Solomon, but I couldn't bring myself to fire him. He's the only one on this planet that I really trust, and he was the first person I'd met after arriving here."

"Oh...I'm sorry we...may have killed a few troops of yours."

Edward sighed. "It is too late to change things for the innocent casualties on both sides," Edward replied. Lance thought it best to change the subject.

"How long have you been observing us?"

"Ever since you came here."

Lance asked more difficult questions: "Why did you not help us beat those Mutradi?"

"As much as I wanted to, it would reveal my identity. I didn't want to tell Solomon anything about you and Ilana, but when I saw Titan I know it was you three. You see, Lance, I could not take any chances in revealing myself. Like you were at first, I was a little paranoid that some of the Earthlings were spies. I didn't want to show myself until I had completed a Rift Gate duplicate for all of us to return home. I regret not showing myself to you sooner, son. It was a mistake, of which I have made plenty of in my lifetime. I was worried that if I did, and Modula found out I was still alive, he would try to destroy the planet with a deadly weapon such as the one we are seeing today. And judging by the destruction he has caused today, he must have found out somehow and released this weapon, hoping I am somewhere on the ground."

"Yeah, I was gonna ask: How come the battle station hasn't detected this thing yet?"

"Cloaking device. Oldest trick in the book." Edward chuckled.

"Oh. Were you surprised to find me and Ilana on Earth?" Lance asked.

"Not entirely. I had collaborated with the King on what to do in the event of a coup. He never believed it would happen, but I had my doubts. I came up with the idea of Titan shortly after I created the armor, and Octus was the final ingredient I had plans to make. In my will, I told the King to create it in the event of my untimely death. I see that he followed my instructions to the letter. I was surprised to see Octus' human-like qualities. I had intended to give him these, but I never thought that he would be capable of falling in love...with an Earth girl. But then again, according to your account of everything that's happened to you, you have as well!"

Lance laughed. "I want to talk to you about her, Dad," he said in a more somber tone.

"I'm afraid it will have to be another time, my son. Do you have any more questions?"

"Why did you leave in the Rift Gate?" Lance asked, nervous of the answer.

"Son, it is a very long story. I'm afraid I will have to save that answer for later. I'm not trying to avoid the question, Lance. It's very complicated, and right now we don't have all the time in the world. Son, I know we have just met after years of being separated, but right now you need to form Titan with the others and destroy that battle station. You can talk to me at 2 am, just like we did all those years ago. Then, I will tell you everything."

"But Dad...what if I don't make it back?"

"You will, son. I'm sure of it. I have full confidence in all three of you."

"Can I visit you again here, dad?"

"Anytime, Lance."

"Well...it's been an hour. As much as I hate to leave, I have to, Dad," said Lance.

"Wait. Just let me say one last thing: I'm sorry."

"For what, Dad?"

"For leaving you when you were just a boy. I can tell that you have been scarred by that. When you talked about everything that had happened afterwards, I was able to assess your personality. It had changed so much. Your heart was hardened, and you became indifferent, not letting anyone in your life. You thought that they would just leave or let you down. You became tough because of the cruelty of the world. I'm sorry that you became that way in my absence. I'm also sorry that you had to go through puberty and adolescence alone, with no one to turn to. I wish I could have been there to watch you transform from a boy into a young man," Edward said.

"Well, that's all in the past now," said Lance. "Who says I...can't change a bit? You know maybe...open up to people more?" He continued.

"I believe you can, Lance. You see, a friend I knew once said that the personality you develop in your adolescence can stay with you for the rest of your life. And you're not quite through growing, Lance."

"Yeah," Lance mused. "You know, it was tough, going through the academy. Facing Baron, arguing with the King. I never really learned how to respect authority. I never really learned how to be...nicer to people, or open up to them. You were right, Dad. I admit, I'm kind of stubborn sometimes. And a little too...antisocial and...aggressive. That was probably the reason Ilana and I used to argue so much. We never saw eye to eye. And Dad, I've made plenty of mistakes."

"We both know that everyone does, Lance. And I'm sorry that you had to teach yourself how to fight. It must have been hard, but look at yourself now! I had a hunch that you could become the greatest soldier in Galaluna. I knew that if you were trained hard enough, the King could see that you would become a great soldier and an excellent young man. I just wish I had been there to see it happen. By the way, Lance, I know this sounds a little strange to you, but trust me on this: Ilana has a lot to offer you. She can teach you how to open up to people with her bright, warm, bubbly personality. Of course, this is what her father told me!"

They laughed. "But he might have been right," added Edward. "If you and Ilana can get along better, maybe your personality can change a bit, for the better."

"Thank you for the advice, Dad," Lance said. "And by the way, even though I had to grow up under such harsh conditions with no one to turn to, I learned a lot. I think all the bad things that happened to me had a little good in them. So don't apologize for leaving me. If you hadn't, my life wouldn't have been this way. It's been hard, but it has been rewarding. It might have been easier if you were there, but I think what's happened to me over my life is...gonna all work out in the end."

"Well, I'm glad you feel that way, Lance," said Edward. "And as Earth fathers say to their sons when they finish bonding with them, 'Good talk, son, good talk.'"

Lance laughed. "Well, I'm off to go fight the battle station."

"Make me proud, Lance," his father said.

"I will," said Lance. Suddenly, he stopped. "Wait. What if I don't come back?" He asked.

"You'll come back. You always come back," Edward said.

Lance smiled. "That's the same thing I told Arthur at the academy shortly after you disappeared."

Lance left his father's room, feeling a bit more motivated. There were now two people he had a responsibility to protect on this planet...

Lance ran down the long hallway back to where Octus and Ilana were waiting. "Sorry I took so long," said Lance.

"Slow down," said Ilana. "You haven't even told me if it was really him...was it?" she asked.

"Yes," said Lance. Ilana couldn't help but notice that Lance had a huge grin on his face. She had never seen him smile in such a way as he was now. Lance had a beautiful smile, but Ilana had never really gotten a good look at it. Lance's smile was warm and inviting, with the dimples on Lance's face showing. Lance's eyes were dark, but Ilana could see a small spark in each of them. And...His eyes were a little red, like he had been crying. But somehow, seeing him smile warmed her spirits. It occurred to her that she had rarely, if ever, seen him smile like this. Ilana almost wished that she could see Lance smile forever. It was just so...friendly and radiant.

And then she snapped out of her trance. None of that was relevant! So she shoved the thought out of her mind. Ilana asked her guardian soldier:

"Can...We meet him?" Ilana asked.

"I'm afraid not. Right now, we have a battle station to destroy. And Baron happens to be on that battle station!"

"And so are thousands of Mutradi," Octus added.

"Don't worry about that. Ilana managed to destroy the shield generator. Now we can destroy the whole thing at once using Titan!"

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Ilana said.

Solomon and Edward met up in the control room of the vast ship. "Should we help?" Solomon asked.

"No," said Edward. "We''ll only just get in the way. This battle is for Titan alone."

Our heroes turned on their armors and flew back to downtown Sherman. When they arrived, they were shocked at the senseless damage that the battle station caused. Buildings were burning, and others had crumbled completely. Everyone was still safe in the shelters, and Steel was making sure to keep everyone over there safe. Kimmy, meanwhile, was watching a news broadcast with Kristen, Jason.

"The Battle Station has held its fire for 30 minutes now," a reporter said from inside one of the military helicopters. "We've just spotted our three robots return onto the scene after they seemed to disappear around the time a group of helicopters approached the ship and opened fire. We now go live on the ground to General Steel, who's going to explain what happened." The screen cut to Steel, on the ground as the anchorman had said.

"Could you explain what's been going on in the sky to our viewers?" A female reporter asked.

"Sure thing, ma'am. After I scrambled my jets to try and get at the turrets on the Battle Station, I was approached by an, uh...an anonymous individual," Steel said, not wishing to reveal Solomon's identity. "He persuaded me to send some of my men into the Battle Station to infiltrate it and rescue the robots because they had been captured by the crew of the ship. The smaller ones, I mean, not Titan. It's too big to fit in there! From inside there, the robots managed to destroy the shielding and fuel source of the aircraft, so that it's now dead in the air and defenseless. But our planes still can't penetrate its armor."

"This is quite a lot to take in," the reporter said.

"Yeah, but the gist of it is this: We had to perform a rescue operation to save Titan's friends, and now he's gonna show up soon and destroy the Battle Station for us!"

Cheers rang through the walls of the shelter. Kimmy was relieved that Titan hadn't been destroyed from earlier, but she was still concerned about Newton. She was sure he had something to do with those robots, but what? Did he make them? Did he pilot them? Kimmy needed answers, but would her boyfriend supply them?

Jason interrupted her thoughts. "Hey, look, Kimmy. It's Titan!" He cried. She looked at the screen and saw the familiar giant blue and yellow robot, standing before the Battle Station.

"And Titan has made its return!" The reporter in the helicopter announced. "But does it have the capability to save us from this giant Battle Station?" He asked his audience. His question would soon be answered.

Inside said aircraft, Baron was getting himself ready. "We can't fail!" He cried to his men. "Fire up the laser!"

"We can't fail!" Lance said in Titan, in almost the exact same way. "Get ready!"

The battle station commenced the fighting by charging at Titan with its jets. Titan fired its massive blue laser. The laser hit the ship, but the battle station withstood the damage. The battle station fired its own laser in response. Titan tried to use its Sym-Bionic shield to block it, but the massive red laser was two powerful. Titan's shield shattered after a few seconds, and the giant robot crashed to the ground, destroying a few buildings. Titan ran around to the portside of the ship to attack there, but the battle ship fired its turrets and 4 of its giant missiles. It turned towards Titan so that the battle station's bow was once again facing the giant robot. Before Titan could react, the battle station slammed itself into Titan's chest, jabbing Titan's shoulder with the spikes on its bow. Titan then grabbed the front of the battle station and pulled it out from its shoulder, knocking the ship away a little bit. The battle station fired its massive laser again, but Titan stood to its feet and used its jets to hover above the blast. Titan formed its Cosmic Bow in the air and fired its massive arrows onto the ship from above, and they caused more damage. The battle station shot its last 8 giant missiles from above at Titan. The missiles caused massive damage, and Titan crashed to the ground. A few more skyscrapers were crushed by Titan's weight, and a whole street was demolished. The battle station fired its massive laser again, but Titan dodged that blast, rolled underneath its opponent and shot an arrow at the battle station's underside, causing yet another explosion. The ship then dropped a massive bomb from its deck just after it recovered, which landed squarely on Titan, knocking it out from under the ship. Now out from under the ship, Titan used this opportunity to fly away. Baron hoped that Titan was fleeing, but Titan then turned around and hurled its Sonic Boomerang at the ship, gaining power as it ripped through its hull, causing a few fires on its starboard side as the Battle Station strafed out of the way with its jets just in time. The battle station suddenly skyrocketed upward, as it had done before, dodging the boomerang as it came back to Titan. Titan's boomerang disappeared when it caught it. The battle station then took a nosedive at Titan from higher up. Titan unleashed its Cronus Chain, which it threw on the battle station so that it would wrap around its target as it charged. Titan used its jets to fly, swinging on the chain wrapped firmly on the ship, using it like a vine. Titan used its jets and its grip on the chain to swing itself above the ship. Titan then stopped to land on the ship, its boots crushing the roof of the battle station. Pulling on the chain that had been wrapped around the ship, Titan rode it like a horse and forced the battleship to stop nose-diving. But before Titan could whip out the blades housed at the other end of the chain, Baron issued a desperate command:

"Do a barrel roll!"He cried.

The ship performed a barrel roll, swinging in the opposite direction so that it unwound itself from Titan's Cronus chain. Titan lost its grip and fell back to the ground, creating a massive crater in the exact spot where one had been made by the first Mutradi monster that they had ever fought. The bridge that had been built over the crater was destroyed by Titan falling on top of it. The ship wasted no time in firing its red laser at Titan once again. Titan's outer armor shattered from the intensity of the impact.

Lance and Ilana screamed in pain. Octus, being a robot who could not feel pain, assessed the damage of their robot. "Our inner armor will be penetrated if the battle station fires again."

"What can we do?" cried Ilana desperately.

"We're gonna need to open up our armor again and absorb the blast, like we did with the storm creature!" Lance said frantically.

"But I said we should never do that ever again," Octus protested.

"Just do it, Octus!" Lance ordered.

And so Octus allowed for Titan to open up the armor it had left. It waited, expecting the battle station to fire once again. And it did. The blast was intense. Ilana felt the most pain because the laser had hit Titan's heart. But somehow, the energy from the blast gave Titan enough strength to suddenly rocket upwards and fire the reflected energy in all directions, casting a brilliant light as the blast hit the Battle Station. The reporter in the helicopter covered his eyes. When the light had vanished, the reporter and the cameraman looked down into the wreckage.

"Titan doesn't seem to be here..." the reporter said to his audience. "But I don't think that the battle station will last much longer," he added. The cameraman turned his camera to face the retreating Battle Station, flying away into the woods, covered in flames.

"This may have been a draw," the reporter said. "Titan may have sacrificed everything."

Back in the shelter, Kimmy shook her head as everyone else gasped or cried or mourned for the death of their Titan.

"Titan's not dead, I'm sure of it," she said.

"How would you know?" Kristen asked, her eyes full of tears.

"It's just a feeling," she told everyone who was listening.

Inside the battle station itself, the alarms had turned on. It hadn't been destroyed completely, but all the main engines had caught on fire, and the ship could barely stay afloat. All weapons were completely dead this time. Everyone panicked, as the ship had not come with escape pods. Modula had told them it was better to die than surrender. But everyone on board was not ready for an untimely death.

Baron dashed through the fast hallways of the ship and shot at any Mutradi trying to reach the escape pod before him. He came across a Galalunan soldier.

"Baron! All systems failing! According to my calculations, this ship will lose its flight capabilities in 5 minutes! Would should we do?"

"We Galalunans will have to evacuate by turning on our armor and make it back to space," Baron said. "The next time the Rift Gate opens, we'll leave through it to return home."

"We don't have any armor with us! Modula only allowed you to bring your own! And what about the Mutradi, sir?"

"It looks like I'm the only one escaping, then! Bye!" Baron said cruelly to his fellow soldier. He turned on his armor and blew a hole in the ceiling. Giving a salute, he flew off into the sky. The Galalunan and several others with him watched as Baron abandoned them. Everyone was too stunned to speak. One of the Galalunan troops screamed out "Traitor!" But then, a Mutradi spoke up:

"No. Baron is not a traitor. He is bugwaeron."

"What?" The Galalunan asked.

"It is a word in our language," the Mutradi explained. "It means, 'Forsaker'."

And that was the last word spoken on the burning Battle Station as it leveled a cluster of trees in the Sherman forest.

Meanwhile, back on the ground where the three Galalunans lay, Lance was once again the first to wake up. He rose to his feet and saw Ilana. "Hey," he whispered as she woke up. "How are you feeling, princess?"

Ilana opened her eyes and saw her bodyguard smiling. "Same as usual. You?"

"I'm good," Lance said casually, though he shed a few tears. It was just moments like these that tugged at their heartstrings. Just like when the Storm creature had almost destroyed Titan. After going through harrowing battles like this, they felt closer together. They shared a bond with Octus, too, but Octus was a machine and couldn't experience things the way they could. It was in moments like this where they forgot about everything, except each other. It was strange, really. As if Titan, if had any real consciousness, wanted them to be closer together...

The teens dismissed their fluctuating, hormone-induced thoughts and went to check on Octus. He was lying under a pile of rubble, fully intact, as if he had not been harmed at all.

"Mission successful," he said simply. They heard a buzzing sound. It was the helicopter, circling the area, vaguely hoping for some signs of life.

"Let's show them we're still here," Ilana said. They formed Titan, and it was caught on camera.

"Wha-how in the-who-?" The reporter fumbled for words. The only words he could articulate were:

"Titan lives!" This he screamed into the camera. The people in the shelters cheered.

"How did you know it was alive?" Kristen asked Kimmy.

"I don't know, she said as everyone poured out of the shelter. "Just a gut feeling, I guess."

And back on Galaluna, a Mutradi servant came from the satellite room. "General, I'm afraid the battle station has been...destroyed, and Titan lives," he said, cowering in fear.

"WHAT?!" screamed Modula. "No! All of our work...for nothing!" He shouted. Modula, in anger, thought of what he could do to vent his rage. He went to his troops, Galalunan and Mutradi, and announced: "We will strike at the resistance tomorrow." He made no mention of his recent failure. The crowd of soldiers left after he dismissed them, with doubt and fear in their minds. They assumed that the battle station had been destroyed, that was obvious, but what they really worried for was Modula's sanity. Was he slipping off the deep end?

"Look on the news," Ilana suggested as they arrived home and turned on the TV.

There was a male reporter standing just in front of a wrecked area of the city.

"Roughly half the city was annihilated in this historic battle. I believe it would have been more if Titan hadn't saved us. And now, our high-maintenance construction crews are vigilantly working once again to repair our city. It should take just a few weeks. Sherman has endured so much. I now believe that as long as there will be monsters, Titan will be there to kill them before they kill us. Thank you, Titan, whoever you are!" He said, as repairmen began swarming the area. Then, the TV cut to commercials, and Lance turned it off.

"How do these people not despise us for bringing about all this destruction?" Ilana asked.

"They are forgiving, Ilana. They forgive us for anything we might do by accident, because, like Steel, they understand our purpose here: to protect them. Sacrifices may have to be made, but they know that without us, they would be completely destroyed by the Mutradi, even if we weren't there," Lance said.

"Wow, Lance. That was...insightful," she said. "We've been doing a lot of forgiving today, haven't we?"

"I guess so," he replied. "But I'm especially glad that I got to see my dad again. After all these years..."

Octus spoke up. "I have just picked up a message from Edward. It is addressed to all of us, but particularly Lance."

"Well, don't just stand there, play it!" Lance asked impatiently. Octus did as instructed.

They heard Edward's voice. "Lance...my son. I am so glad that we finally saw each other again after so many years."

Lance smiled, remembering fondly how he had felt when he came into his father's room.

"I'm afraid that Solomon and I must stay in the G3 airship. I can't come down to the surface of Sherman with you. I wish I could, but I can't risk Modula finding me. Though the princess is his primary target, I am his secondary target. You see, I am working on a duplicate of the Rift Gate which should be able to take us home, but it will take months. Modula does not this, I am sure, but he knows I'm certainly capable of doing so. Right now, Ilana is still his primary target, as he does not know whether or not I was killed by the battle station. I was its primary target. But I have concluded that somehow he has learned that I have formed G3. Should he know of my plans for a duplicate Rift Gate, he will certainly try to kill me again. If I should die, you will be unable to get home. In the meantime, you will have to continue defending the city of Sherman against more Mutradi. G3 can still help you at times, but try to call on us with your armor as little as possible. Everyone here is at work on the Rift Gate. And Lance, if you ever need to talk to me, about anything, you can. I won't turn you away, my son. Make sure to and protect Ilana as you have been doing already. Ilana, you are irreplaceable. Let no one tell you otherwise. Humans can survive if their bodies, or even their minds, are damaged, but no one can live without a heart. And give hope and joy to anyone who needs it. Never forget the humble life you lived on Earth when you return to reclaim your throne. And Octus, you will still have to provide for the children. You are the smartest of the three, so help them when you can. If I can't provide support, you will have to. But only if they ask. Do not intervene on their behalf. It may be something you cannot comprehend or solve, as intelligent as you are. Should I die, you will be Lance's paternal figure. And all of you, do not doubt Titan. It has more abilities which you do not yet know about. Not even I know everything it is capable of. I wish you luck in the rest of your lives here on Earth. Goodbye for now, Lance, my son." And the message ended.

"Goodbye Dad," Lance said. "I can't wait to see you again." He still wanted to say it, even though Edward couldn't hear him.

"Why don't we reply to Edward?" Ilana suggested. "Let's thank him. For everything, "she said.

"Good idea," Lance said. "Octus?"

"I'll do that tonight," he replied. "But first I have to make dinner!" he said. And with that, the robot headed into the kitchen, leaving Lance and Ilana in the living room.

"Lance?" Ilana asked.

"Yeah?"

"I want to thank you, too," she said. Without warning, she suddenly went over and hugged him. Lance hugged back.

"Dinner's ready!" Octus called.

"Wow! That was quick!" Lance said, breaking free of Ilana's embrace. As Lance went into the kitchen to eat, Ilana shook her head. Lance was just...she couldn't think of anything to describe him. Except maybe strong, and tough, and a little arrogant, and brave, and protective, and...

She dismissed her wandering thoughts and followed Lance into the kitchen.

Later that night, Ilana woke up to a noise. She went downstairs, slightly nervous. There in the living room, she saw Lance, wearing only his boxers that usually slept in, placing a picture frame of some sort on the table in the living room. It was the one of Lance as a boy and Edward, smiling together.

Lance smiled as he heard footsteps of a girl, trying to be as quiet as possible, sneak back up the stairs.

"Goodnight, Ilana," he said quietly to himself. As he was going back up the steps, he turned to look back at the picture of Edward and him.

"And goodnight, Dad. I'll see you at 2:00 am tonight."