September 2937
BLG Valiant Pennefeather - Panther Class Pocket Carrier
Kallis System
Specialist James Belcher smiled as the trio played in the make shift nursery. The quarters were supposed to be for the XO but the Pennefeather didn't currently have one and Matthius needed a place to keep the trio safe. Six year old Elizabeth was counting down with her hands over here eyes tight.
"Five... Six..."
Meanwhile the twins, Matt and Samantha were desperately looking for a place to hide in the spacious quarters. Eleven year old Samantha continued to prefer Lexi in favor of her deceased mother. In truth the family enjoyed it as well.
"No peaking!" Belcher belowed to Liz.
"Seven.. Nine... TEN!" Liz turned and opened her eyes.
Belcher laughed as the five year old tore the room apart looking for the less than hidden twins. Cushions, cloths, toys all took flight like the latest Aurora model. "Where are you!" she exclaimed.
"Kids!" Their nanny Miss Cameron arrived at the doorway playfully slapping Belcher's shoulder. "How dare you let them tear this place apart!" She protested. Belcher stood up and put his professional face back on. Failing to hold back a few more chuckles. "Clean up this mess before you're father arrives from his meeting!" He ordered.
Kallis IV, believed to be similar to earth's early development provided Ballistic Logistics with a great cover for their research base. Matthius was here on a routine visit with the Ballistic Logistics division head of R&D; Jacob Sundavold. Six years, he'd been without Alexis. It wasn't entirely bad as he had thrown himself into his work and the kids. Ballistic Logistics had taken off including new bases in Bremen and Horus. Profits where up and no further attacks had occurred.
Omi was still reporting directly to him every six months, but her search had yet to reveal any details. The hit had been professional and covered it's tracks thoroughly. He hoped she would find something soon but in truth the pain had slowly lessened over time and he was debating the need to keep her on what seemed to amount to a pointless mission.
"Allow me to have my people demonstrate her ability!" Sundavold continued. Matthius wasn't aware he'd drifted away.
"Sure sure. Show me this mysterious engine tweak you've been working on." Matthius urged. He had no reason to deny the work. After all Sundavold's staff had provided the Laser Pistol side arm and the AMX-1 Repair Bot.
Fifteen minutes passed as several techs continued to spit out details about efficiency and performance gains. Matthius couldn't help but stare at the Hadesian Artifact in the corner.
"Where did you find this one?" He asked.
"Ah the great puzzle of Hades!" Sundavold motioned for the engine techs to put away their toys. "Yes we found this on the black market. Cost you a pretty penny too I might add. One day we'll figure out it's value."
Hours later, Matthius now back on board the Pennefeather enjoyed watching as the three kids sleeping. He couldn't help but think about Alexis and how much Elizabeth looked like her. Lexi so desperately wanted to fill that void but shared far more features with her father. He stood in the doorway watching while an hour, two or maybe three passed. All the while thinking, a starship really is no place for the kids to grow up.