All Stalker had ever wanted was to be a pilot. Flying with his hair on fire while pushing the envelope as far as he could. It was the life of dreams for pilots. Unlike most, Stalker had gotten to live it. He was the best pilot in the entire Earth Space Force. Even as a Commander of his own BattleStar, he still flew. His favorite past time? Flying through an asteroid field whenever it struck his fancy. Flying was the only thing he wasn?t just good it. He had a natural gift for it. The comment that Stalker was born with flying in this blood was made often. More times than could be counted, Stalker would fly away from seemingly overwhelming odds only to go back the next day and push those odds once again.

Stalker longed for that dream to start anew. He felt it in his bones, his blood, and the very fiber of his being. For, you see, that dream came to an Earth shattering, bone jarring (literally) halt on Monday, July 13th, a year and 3 months ago. On that day, the Nexus decided to play a cruel and deadly game with Stalker. He was with his unexpected soul-mate, Kalista Michelle Renoit. His Kali. He had pretty much healed from a crash landing with Starfire, his trusted fighter and friend. Stalker was making plans with Kali to go see Starfire. He was planning on taking her up and showing her that it was actually safe to be in the air and why he did what he did. The Nexus snapped him up. If it were possible, he thought his boots would have been left behind.

The next thing Stalker knew, he was dumped like a laundry bag onto what appeared to be the same path but it was different. After landing in a heap and barely managing to tuck into a roll when he hit, he came up flexing his shoulder. It was dark, sinister looking. The air had a touch of a chill to it, as if something Evil had moved in. ?What the ?? Something?s wrong. Very, very wrong.?

As Stalker stood, he looked around, eyes narrowing and his right hand lingering near his blaster. Rhy?din was always a strange place but this wasn?t Rhy?din. At least, not the one he knew. He blew out a breath he hadn?t realized he was holding. ?Well, what have you dumped me into now, Fate? I?m guessing, by the looks of things, it?s not that summer vacation I keep meaning to take. Why must you test me so often??

Stalker didn?t expect an answer, but he didn?t have anyone else to talk to. Perhaps, for once, this was a good thing. He only needed to worry about himself, as far as he could tell. He opened a channel to Starfire on his wrist com and was greeted by static. He then started going through all the channels, all greeted him with static. He merely nodded. ?I didn?t think it would be that easy. Ok, Stalker, first things first. Basic recon. I?ve got to figure out what I?ve gotten dumped into.?

Stalker headed to where Starfire should be, only to find nothing. And so the nightmare began. He?d come across those he knew but they would be different than his ?Rhy?din?. Sometimes, one or two would act as he had known them. The Nexus would grab him and dump him to yet a different alternate Rhy?din. Each one had its own look, feel and complexities. There were three constants Stalker could ALWAYS count on during his Nexus jumping. One, Starfire wasn?t anywhere around. Two, and the worst part, most people he knew were trying to kill him. Three, while he always survived, he was always injured. Those injuries were starting to take their toll.

On some of the alternate Rhy?dins, he would come across a ?good? Eva. Sometimes she was confident and sometimes, she seemingly was afraid of her own shadow. The ?good? Evas always patched him up, but other times, it was the ?bad? Eva. On one occasion, she almost managed to kill him. The same with Kali, only she was more sinister. Much like a Black Widow, trust her and she?s strike without warning. More often, it was the ?bad? Kali. But Stalker couldn?t bring himself to do harm to her, at first. Lately, however, for self preservation, he had to. Each time, he?d walk away crying. Each time his heart would threaten to close itself off to the world and his feelings. Each time, he?d think of his own Kali and continue to fight to hopefully see her again.

Stalker had reached a point in his on-going nightmare that trust was very hard to give. For Stalker, that was a very bad sign. Everyone he knew, more often than not, ended up being the ?bad? ones instead of the ?good? ones he would encounter. Stalker knew when he?d be moving on, too. After awhile, he recognized a strange feeling then his stomach would feel as if he had just been stabbed. He always landed with a thud.

This was most certainly NOT the flying Stalker had dreamed of.

The present was particularly cruel. Stalker was being hunted by everyone. No one was good here. He managed to make his way into the mountains and found a defensible position. He?d been on this alternate Rhy?din for 2 months. His comlink had gotten destroyed. His clothes were tattered and his flight jacket had tears in it. He had about 2 months of stubble on his face, he smelled, was sore and very, very tired, his blaster was running out of charge. Stalker had maybe 2 shots left before he had to depend 100% on hand to hand combat and some improvised weapons.

There had been a new feeling that moved into Stalker?s gut. One that was completely foreign to him. He was losing his confidence. It was, as if, the ?bad? ones knew this, for the attacks were becoming more vicious. The latest one, currently waging had Stalker trapped in the back of his cave. He was surrounded. Only two shots left. Breathing a sigh and resigning himself to the fact he may not survive this, Stalker looked around the group and spoke, to Mason. ?You guys really need to get a life. I mean, attacking me every day for two months? Even a fly gets tired of being swatted that often.?

Mason gave Stalker a predatory grin. ?You haven?t won the day, yet, McPhearson. I can sense the fear in you, Mc-Fear-son.?

Mason gave an evil chuckle at the play on words. Stalker, wasn?t amused. He also knew what was coming. He swung his blaster to the right and shot Eless square in the chest before she could use one of her ?special? explosives. It pained Stalker to do it. Every time he pulled the trigger on the people he knew here, he would see the friendly, by comparison, faces of those back on the ?real? Rhy?din. Stalker spun to his left and avoided Mason?s charge to bring his blaster up in time to shot another attacker in the face. This one took his breath away but he knew he had to keep moving or risk not surviving. His last shot was for the last person he would ever want to hurt, under any circumstances, Kali. Stalker took comfort in the fact that this wasn?t ?his? Kali and that she was trying to kill him. It did little to squelch the dread and feeling of defeat he felt in his gut.

Stalker spun to his left again, putting a spin kick into another attacker, only to feel someone else hit him in the back of the head, almost knocking him out. Then there was searing pain in his right leg. He just got stabbed. Changing the grip on his blaster as he was moving, trying to focus, concentrate on surviving, he hammered Mason in the forehead, spun, and deflected another sword, only to get his flight jacket sliced in 4 different places from more swords. Stalker fought off panic. He was still standing. He wished he had his own sword.

Willing himself to keep on the move, Mason managed to land a jaw jarring blow to Stalker?s left eye. That threw Stalker off balance enough to allow others to land blows, with Eva hitting Stalker?s right knee with a solid club while yet another managed to grab Stalker?s left wrist. Stalker?s momentum was great enough that his left shoulder was dislocated from the grab.

Letting out screams of pain and simply reacting, wanting to live yet another day, Stalker brought his blaster around and leveled it at whoever was nearest and pulled the trigger, only to be rewarded with a click and yet another blow to his head. Stalker fell hard, bouncing his right cheek and face off of the rocky ground. He knew he had to move but when he tried, new pain would erupt. They were using him as a pin cushion.

Mason stood over Stalker, a huge rock in his huge hands, raised over his head. ?Now it ends, Mc-Fear-son!?

At that moment, Stalker?s gut lit on fire! He reflexively curled up as much as he could. The next thing he knew he was falling, landed on something hard and heard a sickening pop from his left side, rolled and landed on his back on the floor, coughing up blood. He looked around as he struggled to pull himself up. He saw Eless behind a bar. He was in the Red Dragon Inn and, for the first time, it felt right. ?Please let this nightmare be over, please.? Stalker exchanged a few words with Eless and even got a Long Island Ice Tea. He asked Eless ?the question?. When was the last time she made an explosive. The answer he received was what he had hoped for. Not in a very long time. Just as he was about to accept that the nightmare was over, the Nexus swept him up again to deposit him elsewhere.

Stalker?s nightmare continued.

Stalker had managed to sleep about 3 hours straight. It had been the most sleep he had for a long time. In a way it was good. He felt better. A nagging headache wasn?t competing with his injuries for attention. In a way, it was bad. His body and mind wanted more.

?When this is all over, I think I?m going to sleep for a month!? Stalker sighed as he worked his way towards Stars End Spaceport. He felt relatively sure he could make it. Dress as he was, with a hooded robe concealing his face, no one would be able to identify him. With a little luck, he?d make it past the open spaces he had no choice but to go through.

Stalker carefully made his way through dark allies and dark back streets and, darker still, shadows cast by buildings and other things. He had made it through two clearings and was nearing the last clearing when he heard a crunch and a muffled, barely audible, curse, to his left. It wasn?t what he needed. He slowly turned his head to the left and had slipped his right hand inside the robe after moving his makeshift crutch to his left hand. Then he heard a sinister chuckle behind him.

?Well, well, well?what do we have here? Why, it?s someone that fancies himself a hero!? Stalker heard the mischief in the voice, along with amusement and confidence. Stalker continued his turn to the left, keeping his head low so the hood would hide his face. The man laughed more. ?Come, Stalker, we all know who you are.? With that, more footsteps could be heard. More people started coming out of the shadows.

Stalker looked directly at the speaker and stood straight up, dropping his makeshift crutch. He was going to need both hands for this and, busted knee, broken ribs and who knows what other injuries or not, he was going to have to stand on his good leg. The face he saw looking at him with amusement was one he recognized but not one he knew. ?Well, you obviously know who I am. How about letting me in on the grand joke and telling me who you are and why you and your friends want to kill me?? Stalker took off the robe but kept his hand on his blaster, most of his weight was on his left leg, but he tried to hide it.

The speaker, he was a handsome fellow with short black hair in a military style, a black uniform with a red strip down his pants and one across his chest. His smile was roguish only with a sinister twist. His eyes were a dark color and his chin was very square. Stalker was sure this guy was somehow a part of all this "jumping".

?Straight to business I see? All this time on the run must have used up all of your sense of humor.? He chuckled but his smile grew upon seeing the look of bewilderment on Stalker?s face. ?Yes, I know all about it. I was hired to make sure you didn?t survive your little venture. Yet, here you are.? The Speaker opened his arms to take in their surroundings. ?However, I?m pretty sure this will all come to an end.?

Stalker sighed but that determined look of his was in solid granite. He wasn?t going to budge. As a matter of fact, he was going to do something out of character for him and very rash, well, for him. ?At this point, I don?t even want to know. I just want it over with. And you?.you must be the key.?

That was when things went in motion. It all started to happen so fast, that part of Stalker was amazed at how slowly it seemed to him to play out. Two people jumped out, Stalker?s blaster was out in a heartbeat and shot the one on the right square in the chest, then, spun around and shot another that was just starting to lung. Stalker used the momentum of the guy that had jumped at him and used his speed and weight to throw him into the crowd around them, creating an opportunistic opening. Stalker lunged for it and was hit with a club or heavy stick on his back. He kept moving but spun around and took a shot into the center of the crowd with his blaster, catching the speaker in the gut. Then Stalker?s world crashed in front of his eyes.

The mob or crowd or whatever you wanted to call it was all over Stalker. They had closed up ranks and tripped him, they were kicking at him, trying to stomp him and trying to inflict as much damage as possible. One kicked his bad right knee, one sliced down his left side, leaving a bloody gash, one came at his face. Several were shot by Stalker?s blaster, but they were overpowering him by numbers.

The mob stood Stalker up and held him standing. They started to use Stalker as a bunching bag. One came at him with a knife. Stalker used their strength to raise his feet and kick the attacker square in the gut. After several blows to the face, Stalker managed to break free and run about 5 feet before his knee buckled from something thrown at it. He fell drawing his blaster out and started firing on people without truly aiming. Stalker struggled and fought and gained new injuries to add to the list before his gut felt like it was lit on fire and he doubled over, falling.

The next thing Stalker knew, he was falling much further than he had expected, He landed with a hard thud, heard a crack and actually sighed. After a moment he realized he was in sunlight and had landed face first on grass. He managed to roll over, his left eye was swollen and he saw the shadow of a figure moving toward him, almost as if the figure was startled and surprised. Stalker hoped it wasn?t someone looking to attack him. He weakly pulled his blaster up and pointed it lazily in the figures general direction. He tried to speak but couldn?t. His arm flopped down and, before his eyes rolled up into his head, Stalker thought he caught a glimpse of a tree. Finally, as he passed out, he noticed a shadow of a person moving toward him. Whoever it was, he was totally at their mercy. Finally, blackness came and Stalker didn?t fight it. He couldn?t any longer.

Everything she had packed was then loaded onto her mare Lilith and a hand ran down the beautiful Bay?s snout. A murmur of apologies.

?I promise my love, I wouldn?t weight you down this way if it wasn?t important. YAH?

Heels dug into the animals sides as they both took off at a gallop. In no time at all reigns were pulled and they came to a stop. Slipping from Lilith she took down her satchel and the tent before patting her down and smiling. A clicking of her tongue told the magnificent animal that she could no wander as she pleased.

It took Alana a couple of hours but she constructed the tent around the wounded man without having to move him an inch. During this time she also lit a small fire to keep the human warm. The army tent was thick green canvas and apparently from some point in time where Mason had served somewhere. The writing suggested he may have been stationed somewhere on earth, she made a mental note to ask him about that. Slipping inside Lana began to strip the human of his clothing as gently and carefully as she possibly could, resorting to cutting off as much as she could with a bowie knife.

She had as undressed as she could bring herself to make him. His pants cut off as short as modesty would allow, his shirt lay flat under him, and his boots were so soaked in blood and whatever else he had come across that she had thrown them out, with as many shreds of bloody clothes as she could manage to get without moving him, deep into the woods so they wouldn?t attract animals. Turning she canted her head to him and had to pity him for all he had seen. Lucky Lana didn?t share her sisters na?ve about her abilities. Where Kali would have been put through every ounce of his pain Lana could watch his past as if they were a movie. A sigh as she put water on to warm and using a clean rag began to clean the dried blood from the space pilot. Each new laceration she uncovered made her wince and she would brush her fingers feather lightly over the wound a soft spoken elven prayer for healing. Sadly she wasn?t some fantastic healer like Ren was. She couldn?t force the wounds out. She could simply use: aloe and tea leaves to draw out any infection, clove oil topically to his bruises, a strong pair of hands to reset his bones, and supply him with as much of her energy as she could spare.

Stalker stirred for a minute then his eyes snapped open. The last things he remembered were hitting the ground hard, seeing a figure approaching him and the fear that he had to defend himself, still. His blue eyes darted around taking in what he could see. He was in a canvas tent, his feet were chilly and he could wiggle his toes, so he knew he didn?t have any boots on. When he realized he wasn?t alone, he reflexively reached for his right side and his blaster, only to find it gone. He quietly moaned. He wasn?t in any shape for a fight. The aches and pains didn?t take long to hit him.

?Be very careful. The other day was the first, and last time you?ll ever draw a weapon on me and breath a second breath to tell about it.? A long pause before the woman opened up her satchel and started fishing around. ?So space man, fancy something to eat then?? she asked.

Stalker tried to leverage himself up onto his elbows but the pain in his left shoulder was too much, which left him to use only his right arm. ?I know that voice. Lana?? When she gave him a nod, Stalker chuckled. She was one of the few people he can say he hadn?t seen. ?I?m sorry, Lana. I?ve been?well, I?ve been living a nightmare for a very long time.? He wanted to desperately ask if his nightmare was over and then to desperately ask about Kali and if she knew he was home?if he was truly home. Stalker chuckled and then moaned. Of course she?d know. She always knew when Stalker was back planet side. She, somehow, always felt him.

He looked around the tent and then at himself, he noticed the splints first, then all the cuts and nicks that showed on his arms. Letting out a sigh, Stalker rubbed his face and felt a half beard had grown. He looked up as Lana offered him something to eat. ?I must look like I?ve been drug through hell. How long have I been out? Lana, how?s Kali? How long have I been gone?? He took the offered food and, seeing his hand shake a bit, set the food down in his lap. His blue eyes showing concern and distraction. As weak as he was, his mind was already working on how to solve his biggest concern, was he really home and safe? He looked up at Lana and weakly smiled. ?Sorry for my manners. I?m guessing you patched me up a bit. Thank you.? Then he took a bit of the offered food. His stomache was definately telling him to eat.

?You are home yes. And you?ve been unconscious for a little less than a week.? Stalker waited what seemed a life time to hear those words. The only thing that would fully confirm it would be seeing Starfire again. He was sure relief flooded into his eyes. When Lana started chewing her lip, Stalker knew there was something else coming. He braced himself for what was being left unsaid.

?Stalker, Kali isn?t here. In Rhydin I mean, after you disappeared she assumed that you?d left her for good. She thought it was because of her fear of your piloting. After six months and a mad search for you we finally made her come to terms with your death. About that time she made friends with a wonderful man named Kalius. She explained the whole situation to him, he supported her and helped her get back on her feet. She went nearly a year without her violin.? That was the bit of news Stalker hadn?t anticipated. No more Kali? Thought he left her? Oh god, didn?t she remember the promise he made? Didn?t she remember that she made him promise he would keep flying and did he promise her that he wouldn?t leave her?

Stalker worked his mouth a couple of times to say something. His mind was even yelling at him to say something, anything, but nothing came. All Stalker could do was watch as Lana checked his bandages and wounds. Finally, he took another bit of the food that was sitting in his lap. His mind, though, hit the afterburners, trying to fully comprehend what had been said. Twisting it around, looking at it from every angle.

?They left the realms a while back. He?s good to her. He taught her that she could love again. They are pregnant with their first son. And although she still mentions you in each of her letters. I am not sure if I should tell her you have returned. If she was in Rhydin she?d already know but she isn?t.? Stalker swallowed what he had been chewing and blinked back a couple of tears. No more Kali? She had moved on and was?pregnant? With that, Stalker?s mind simply flamed out. He felt like his mind was suddenly stuck in some kind of goo.

When Lana gently rested her hand on his, it brought his mind back to the here and now. He felt dizzy and his body hurt just a little bit more. When Lana frowned and whispered she was sorry, it drove home the finality of it and what it meant. He wanted to stand up and head for Kali and show her, tell her, he never would have left her if it was within his control. Finally, Stalker realized that he was staring at his busted right knee, bandaged and splinted. He took a deep breath to steady himself and went to use his left hand to wipe at a tear?only to wince in pain and sigh as he put it back down.

Finally, Stalker looked back at Lana. ?P?.pregnant? K?Kali?s pregnant? Wow!? Stalker?s voice was softer than normal. ?Well, I guess I have been gone for a long time. That makes it sound like I?ve been gone for at least a year. Oh man! Poor Kali?I wouldn?t dream of hurting her.? As he spoke this, the image he always hated seeing in his mind was the image of him shooting his blaster and hitting Kali square in the face before she could kill him. He squeezed his eyes shut against the image for a moment. When he opened them, he looked at Lana with a half-heart, lopsided grin. ?Well, not my Kali, I wouldn?t.? Then he frowned and looked down at his busted knee again and whispered, ?I can?t rightfully call her that, anymore.?

Stalker sat there for a moment and sighed, letting his brain catch up. Stalker finally looked Lana straight in the eye and gave her a more sincere lopsided grin. ?I guess sending a congratulations present would be a bad idea.? Stalker sighed again, trying to keep himself level headed. All he wanted to do was crawl into bed, bury his head and wait for everything to return to normal. That wasn?t his way, though. ?Lana, when Kali finds out I?m back...and not by me?she?s going to be furious. I don?t think keeping it a secret would be a good idea. But waiting until I?m a little healthier maybe a better idea.?

There was another moment of silence and Stalker finally broke it with a weak chuckle. ?Honestly, this maybe a good thing. I?ve had things happen to me, things I?ve had to do to survive, that would make it difficult to look at Kali without feeling very guilty. I?well?I had to survive. I wanted to survive for her. I truly missed her.? Stalker couldn?t bring himself to say that he had to shoot Kali?s look-a-likes. It was bad enough he did it. ?I am happy for her, though. As long as this?Kalisus, was it? As long as he treats her well and honors her, I can?t really complain, can I??

Stalker chuckled absently at the mention of Lana cutting his hair with a hunting knife. ?No, don?t worry about that. Put I do think it?s time to satisfy my own curiosity and verify my nightmare is over.? Stalker grabbed his busted wrist-comlink and pocket knife then set to work on popping the back off. It was tricky to do with only one good arm but he managed to pop it off fairly quick. He started on the inner workings and a couple of wires.

Stalker?s mind was still playing catch-up and dealing with a mental checklist he had created a long time ago during this nightmare. Step one ? get help?or Starfire, in this case. Step two, get healed and healthy once again. Step three?.had always been to take Kali on the vacation she very much deserved. Time to come up with a new step three. His mind came up blank. Frustrated with the mental block and the wrist comlink, he murmured under his breath, telling himself to focus. He finally worked the two wires out he wanted when it finally clicked on him what Lana had been saying about Kali.

?Oh, I don?t know, Lana. Kali has a life now and, while I?d like to think she?d be happy I?m alive and well,? Stalker glanced around at himself and then looked back at the work he was doing, ?mostly, she has a baby and has someone that has supported her. I think she?ll be fine. Maybe a little surprised but fine. ? Stalker shook his head, wiped at his right eye with the back of his left hand to get rid of a tear there that threaten to blow his brave cover then looked back at the wrist comlink. He had one more connection to make, then is should send a burst message to Starfire.

?I?m not happy to hear she?s become?unable?when it comes to her abilities. I hope she gets things back under control?for the baby?s sake.? Stalker looked over his handwork, made the last connection then started snapping the cover back into place. He looked up at Lana as he said ?Cross your fingers.? Stalker snapped the last of the cover shut, triggering the Emergency Burst Message that should get Starfire to him in no time. With that last snap, he also forced himself not to concern himself with Kali. He had more questions he wanted to ask but right now, his number one priority needed to be to take care of himself.


In a hanger, what appeared to be an old SF-14 Spacecat, covered and powered down, looking like it hadn?t move in a long time. This, however, was no ordinary SF-14. Suddenly there was a beeping in the cockpit. Then, slowly, one by one, systems started to come on. First communications, which started analyzing the burst package that was received. Next, navigation, which started communicating with the satellites that were in orbit around Ryhdin to pinpoint the source?s location. Then, the primary systems started powering on and a hum began to emanate from the SF-14. Once the primary systems were up, a surprised sounding voice was heard by anyone that was standing nearby.

?Stalker?!?!?! It?s the EBM? Damn! That?s not good. But if it?s someone playing a game, I?ll blast them. I hope it?s really him.? Starfire tapped into a nearby wench?s computer and used it to remove the tarp that was covering him. Then he started the engines. It took ten minutes to get every system online. Defenses, weapons, sensors, run a pre-flight check, attempt to contact Stalker, ping his comlink, and plot his flight path. Of course, since it was an Emergency Burst Message, there wasn?t any response to his attempts to raise Stalker. The EBM was designed to us all of the battery charge to transmit.

Starfire had spent a year searching every part of Rhydin, trying to find Stalker. When the search hadn?t resulted in locating Stalker, he shut down all of his systems, except the Emergency Burst Message system, just in case. Shaya said she?d make sure nothing happen to Starfire while he was shutdown. That was almost an additional year ago. After sitting still that long, his landing gear, while maintained, was stiff. The brakes protested but they weren?t going to overpower Starfire?s engines.

?Sorry for the scorch marks, Shaya. Thank you for keeping my wheels inflated and working.? Then, Starfire turned on the external speakers on full volume and, essentially yelled, ?CLEAR!? and throttled up the engines and began to taxi out of the hanger where he had been housed. Some crew jumped at the warning and ran for cover at the roar of Starfire?s engines. Sure enough, he scorched the wall behind his engines and may have melted part of a tool box. The brakes protested but, eventually, released and Starfire was taxing toward the hanger doors, which opened on his approach.

Someone must have ran to get Shaya because, as Starfire emerged from the hanger, she was just outside approaching. In acknowledgement of her, Starfire blinked his front landing gear light three times, then turned to the left and headed straight for the runway. If she said anything, it was drown out by engines that were ready to go full burn. It was a fast taxi, Starfire only took two minutes to reach the runway then hit full afterburners. The engine roar attracted anyone?s attention that was at the hanger and they all watched. As soon as the landing gear was off the ground, Starfire closed them up and went ballistic toward the sources of the EBM. He threw a barrel roll to the left and was gone in no time. Three sonic booms were heard from several hundred yards away. Starfire was in a hurry and, if it wasn?t Stalker he found, whoever it was would pay dearly.


Stalker looked at Lana, who was giving him a look that gave him the feeling that she thought he had finally lost his marbles. It had been 15 minutes since he triggered the EBM and no Starfire. His heart was starting to sink and Lana was just starting to speak when Stalker shushed her. He had just heard something. Was that a distinctly familiar whistle? After a minute, a slow smile came to his face. After another minute, the smile became a full grin. Finally, Stalker?s characteristic lopsided grin came to his face and his features lit-up. He really was back on the right Rhydin. Starfire?s engine roar could be heard, after a sonic boom. Stalker couldn?t contain his happiness and excitement. ?Yes! That?s music to my ears!? The engine roar was almost deafening because of how low and fast Starfire was flying. The pitch in the engines changed and Stalker could tell Starfire was slowing his approach.

After 2 more minutes, Starfire flew directly over head, the engine roar made Lana look up and Stalker laughed, not at Lana, but just out of sheer joy. He missed that sound and he ached to get back into that cockpit. Without thinking, he went to stand, only to fall right back onto his butt, laughing at himself. Then there was a thud outside the tent and Starfire?s engines sounded as if they were moving away, perhaps to a clearing.

Stalker looked over to see a puzzled look on Lana?s face. He laughed again, his lopsided grin firmly in place. ?That would be Starfire, my fighter and friend. That thud you heard would be a package for me. A replacement for my busted comlink. I don?t suppose you could give me a hand and help me up so I can retrieve it, please??

?Kali will be happy to know you?re alive yes, but at what price. Stalker I am not trying to be a pain in the ass but she?s been through so much. We spent so long trying to console her regarding a death that apparently never occurred.?

She sighed at the brutal honesty. Sitting down beside him and brushed a bit of his hair behind his ear. Far too shaggy in her opinion but then again she was just an old fashioned type of girl apparently. Alana looked to him in a way that a mother looked at her child.

?She will be fine. She will be bound the second I can get my hands on her, before her inabilities carry over onto that little boy. Problem is she won?t return here, I had to drag her out of the cabin before she torched it to the ground inadvertently in a fit of rage. So she is a rather sizable threat to those around her.?

The noise that boomed around her then made her slam her hands over those elven ears a wince of pain and a look of sheer terror. Eyes went to him now and she wondered when the damn noise was going to stop. Instead of ceasing it simply became louder as the ship got closer. She uncovered her ears, which were visibly twitching and offered him a hand helping him up gingerly.

?You?ll come back time to time so I know you?re alright yes??

The way she spoke it was more a demand than a request and that was all too clear now that she had paired a stern look with the statement.

-sighing sinking into her seat visably- "thanks Starfire, Tell him I hope to see him soon, I owe him a smack for worrying me!"

-turning back to the ship-"poor Stalker"


-landing and going about her business, things had been diffrent with Adrin around looking around the newly outfitted Black Panther shaking her head running a hand through her hair heading to her quarters-