“What? You seem concerned. I must admit your holographic avatar’s facial features and animation are quite impressive. The fact that you aren’t translucent like Mira’s was…well, if I didn’t know you were a hologram, I wouldn’t have guessed.”
“Good to know. And yes, I’m concerned, as being a hologram means I can’t ever leave the ship.”
“Yeah…I kinda figured that would be the case.”
“You see, it means that once I leave…”
“I know, Zee. But is that any different than if you were still here in the flesh?”
“Quite, as I would probably have wanted to stay here with you.”
“I would have liked that too.”
Ziron’s holographic eyes watered. “I’m glad to hear it.”
“Thank you for saving my life.”
“You would have done the same for me.”
“I kinda tried, but that furry friend of mine, he’s so stubborn at times.”
Ziron chuckled. “Tell me about it.”
“I hope you’re not leaving right away.”
“No, I can stay until tomorrow at least, and well, I hope to come visit often. Who knows, maybe you could figure out a way to make a portable holographic projector.” Ziron smiled. “Like the doc on Voyager?”
“Yes, exactly like that. I see you still have access to my brain patterns.”
“Yeah, and that’s a good thing too, at least I’ll have them keeping me company when I’m away.”
Kevin’s smiled morphed into a frown. “At least you have my brain patterns, but I won’t have anything to remember you by once you go.”
“About that, I think now is the time to talk about my quarters.”
“What about them?”
“Sonic, Mario, and Zelda are on board.”
“What? What were you thinking?”
“I was thinking that after the battle we could all stay on Earth with you.”
“Right…I meant it was a little dangerous taking your offspring with you into battle.”
“Believe it or not, I had no doubt you would prevail.”
“Well, perhaps you didn’t, I for sure had my fair share of doubts in that regard. But never mind that, should we head to your quarters?”
“For the time being, I’d rather they didn’t see me as a hologram.”
“Why not?”
“They need to move on, and I was hoping you’d be willing to take them in.”
“I have to clear that with my folks I guess, but I’m pretty sure they won’t have any objections.”
“I’d worry more about Boomer.”
“Yeah, he’s gonna throw a jealous fit I’m sure, but he will get over it.”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
“So what do I tell them about you?”
“The truth.”
“Really? But they’re so young. They’ll be crushed.”
“I prefer not to lie to them. I am dead after all…wow, that’s such a weird thing to say.”
“Yeah, I can imagine. Alright, so, I’ll go tell them the news, and I’ll come back to see you tomorrow, then?”
“Sounds good. I’m glad you’re safely back home, my friend.”
“Wish I could I say the same, but I’m glad Mira kept you alive in that fashion. I was really heartbroken at the thought of not speaking with you again.”
* * *
Kevin entered Ziron’s quarters with a long face.
“Kevin!” said Zelda, jumping off the bed and into Kevin’s arms.
“You’re talking!” said Kevin, surprised.
“Yeah, I’m a Sphynx, remember? That’s what we do.”
“Do Mario and Sonic talk as well?”
The other two kittens came and rubbed themselves against Kevin’s leg, mewing.
“I guess not,” said Kevin.
“No, not yet, but soon, most likely.”
“I see. Well, what I have to tell you might make it a little simpler knowing you understand me.”
“They may not talk yet, but they’ll understand you just fine.”
“I see…”
“What’s going on, Kevin? You look a little strange. Is everything okay?”
“It’s better we all sit on the bed, if you don’t mind.”
All three kittens jumped to the bed, and Kevin joined them.
“Here’s the thing…”
Kevin swallowed hard.
“I—I have some bad news. It’s Ziron.”
Mario and Sonic mewed heavily, and Zelda looked down.
“You see,” continued Kevin, “he tried helping me…”
Kevin stopped. Saying it out loud was harder than he ever thought possible. Even more so not telling them that even though their father had died, he was still around, at least on some level. But he respected Ziron’s wish, and if that’s what he wanted, Kevin had to honor his request. That’s the least he could do for him, especially after what Ziron had done for Kevin.
Kevin took a deep breath. “I’m sorry to say Ziron didn’t make it.”
Zelda and the other kittens started crying, and Kevin knew exactly how they felt. Perhaps not exactly, but he had deeply felt Ziron’s loss, and witnessing him dying in his arms had been one of the most painful experiences of his life.
Kevin took all three kittens in his arms. “I’m so sorry.”
After a few minutes and a lot of tears, Zelda snuggled closer to Kevin.
“What is to happen to us now?”
“Well, I was hoping you’d like to stay with me. Otherwise, there’s always the option of returning to the Arcadian Confederate and be with your own kind if that’s what you prefer.”
“No,” said Zelda. “We want to stay with you.”
Mario and Sonic each mewed once.
“They concur,” said Zelda.
“It’s decided then. Would you like to see your new digs?”
Zelda nodded, and Sonic and Mario mewed again.
“Let’s all go tell Boomer the good news. I just need another few minutes to grab something from the ship, and I’ll return to get you, okay?”
“Okay,” said Zelda.
* * *
“How did they take it?” asked Ziron.
“You’re telling me you didn’t watch through your camera in your quarters?” said Kevin.
“That was kind of my intention, but believe it or not, I simply couldn’t bring myself to watch.”
“I believe you. And perhaps that’s better. As per your question, well, not surprising, they were crushed.”
“What about…”
“The part where I invited them to stay with me?”
“Yeah, that.”
“They’re game, and I’m glad. I’ll take very good care of them, I promise. As a matter of fact, I’ll watch over them as if they were my own kids.”
“I know you will. Thank you, Kevin.”
“That’s the least I can do. And by the way, Zelda speaks!”
“I know.”
“Thanks for the head’s up.”
“Oopsie.”
Kevin smiled.
“There’s someone else who wants to talk with you.”
“At this hour?”
“It’s not past midnight on every world, you know.”
“Right. Who would that be?”
“Admiral Corso. Should I patch him in?”
“Sure.”
The admiral’s face filled the bridge’s main holo-screen and immediately saluted Kevin.
“Kevin, congratulations on defeating the Kregans. We owe you a debt of gratitude.”
“Well, without your fleet, my world would be gone so we’re pretty much square if you ask me. This was not without casualties. There were losses.”
“I know. But that’s what happens in a time of war, and from what Ziron’s told me, without you, these losses could have been way worse.”
“I suppose.”
Kevin wanted to say Mira had a big role to play as well, but it was probably better not to mention her at this
point. She was not really an Arcadian AI after all.
“What about the Kregan home world?” asked Kevin.
“Your attack plan was pure genius. Once we took out the planetary defenses and broadcast the fact that their Emperor had died, the rest of the Kregan forces surrendered without too much issue.”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
“There’s someone else who’d like to speak to you.”
“Oh, is there?”
Corso walked away from the camera, and soon Kalliopy stepped in.
“Hi, Kevin, it’s me, the real me I mean.”
“I figured that. Glad they managed to deal with your brainwashing, Princess.”
“Don’t call me that, I’m not fit to hold that role anymore. I think I’d like Athala to make her position permanent.”
“Don’t beat yourself up too much about this, you were not in control, and trust me, I know how that feels.”
“Yes, but after hearing what I had done…” Kalliopy covered her mouth and cried. “I…I’m so sorry for what I’ve put you through, I hope you know that.”
Kevin’s wounds on the matter were still fresh, but he knew she wasn’t in control so it wasn’t very hard to bypass his first knee-jerk reaction and think logically about this.
“I forgive you, let’s. . .let’s just leave it at that, if that’s okay with you?”
“It’s more than generous. Thank you, Kevin, and thank you, Ziron, for…well, for everything.”
“You’re welcome,” said Kevin, “pardon me for being frank, but it’s really getting late over here, and I don’t want my folks to worry. The last time I went out after midnight, well, I ended up on Arcadia.”
“Fair enough. I was done anyway. Bye, to the both of you.”
The holo-screen turned off before they could answer.
“What did she mean by that?” asked Kevin. “Does she know you died?”
“Yeah, I’ve told Corso, but I also requested that the Osiris be given to me and separate from the main fleet, that way it should grant me a little more leeway in how I move about the universe and allow me to come here more often.”
“Couldn’t you just stay here, period?”
“I’m hoping after a while I can negotiate that, but for the time being, they’ve asked me to provide new defense systems for the home world and make sure we deal with the Kregan for good. So I guess for the short term, it isn’t an option.”
“Bummer.”
“Yeah, but don’t worry, the moment I can get free of my responsibilities, Earth will be my first destination.”
Kevin smiled. “That’s good to know.”
29
The first thing Kevin saw when opening his eyes was Boomer’s tongue.
“Hey, boundaries,” said Kevin with a yawn.
Boomer extended his paw and pointed to the side. “What are they doing here?”
Kevin looked to the side where all three kittens were sleeping. It had been a long and emotionally charged night for all three of them.
“Well, they’re our new bunkmates.”
“And you didn’t think to run it by me first?”
“I knew you would be cool about it; after all, they just lost their father, and my best bud has a heart of gold, right?”
Boomer barked. “Well played. Does mom know?”
“Nah, I’ll tell them over breakfast. I don’t foresee any problems though.”
“That’s what you get for saving the Earth, you’re the hero, and I’m just your dog.”
“I did mention your exploits as well over dinner, I believe.”
“You did, and well, I appreciate that.”
“We were in this together, and without you I would never have made it back.”
Boomer licked Kevin’s face.
“Eeew, I need to brush your teeth.”
“Start by brushing yours, you’re not exactly smelling like roses either.”
Kevin discreetly breathed out some air in his curled palm.
I guess not. Better brush before going to kiss Lacuna in the guest room.
* * *
After the family met with the new additions, they had to take a plane to Washington DC, where the president insisted on giving Kevin a medal, so it ended up being a rather long day.
That evening, after dinner, Kevin had one more task he wanted to do. So when everyone went into the living room to watch a show on Netflix, he excused himself and went into the shed to grab a shovel.
His parents had agreed to let him bury Ziron in the backyard. He could have waited for the next day, but the night was fresh, and he felt like doing it now.
He returned to the backyard, found a spot near his favorite tree, one with a view from his own bedroom, and started digging. The light from the back porch came to life, and his father approached.
“Need a hand?” asked Leon.
“I’m good, but thank you.”
“Son, I wanted to say something, if I may?”
Kevin planted the shovel into the ground and turned around.
“Sure. What can I do for you, dad?”
“I want to apologize.”
His father had never apologized for anything, so to say Kevin was baffled hearing his father lead with that was an understatement.
“What for?”
“Everything, really. I’ve been very hard on you these past few months, well, before you were replaced by a…”
“Sentinel. Several actually, every time the Kregans sent agents to get you, they would morph into me. I’m glad Ziron sent them to protect you guys.”
“Right, so am I. I just feel a little stupid not recognizing a facsimile of my son. But they also fooled your sister and your mother so they must have been pretty convincing.”
Kevin wanted to say he wasn’t that happy neither one of them recognized a cybernetic copy of him, but his father was having a heart to heart talk with him, one that was long overdue, so he preferred not interfering with its flow.
“I’m sure they were. You were saying?”
“Right. I’m sorry for being a failure and a jerk to you. I projected some really bad feelings onto you in the past, and I don’t have any excuse for my behavior. I just want you to know how proud I am of you. And I’m not saying that because the president gave you a medal.”
“That was pretty cool, though, I guess,” said Kevin with a smile.
“Yeah, the YouTube video is trending too, you may break records, in fact.”
“I don’t quite care much about that.”
“If you didn’t have a girlfriend already, I’d say you would get some serious attention from the ladies. In fact, you probably will anyway.”
“I don’t think there’s a better girl for me than Lacuna.”
“She’s very sweet. I’m glad you two are an item.”
“You are?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, if you want, we could merge your room with the guest room, that way you could have a king-size bed in there.”
“Are you serious?”
Leon’s eyes watered, something else Kevin didn’t see every day.
“Look, son, you saved this family, your planet, and you’ve been through hell and back. I don’t care what people think, you’re the most mature person I know and the most courageous one, too. From now on, I’ll treat you with nothing but the respect you deserve.”
Kevin was not prepared to hear that from his father. Kevin hid his face with this hand for a moment.
“Well,” Leon continued, “I won’t hold you up, I know this is important for you. I just wanted to say I’m proud, and I’m sorry for being a jerk.”
“Apology accepted, dad. Thank you.”
“Let me know if you need anything, okay?”
“Will do.”
Leon turned back and walked toward the house.
“Dad, wait.”
Leon turned. “Yes, son?”
“I think I’d like it if you gave me a hand.”
Leon nodded. “Let me grab another s
hovel.”
* * *
It was early in the morning, and Kevin was outside, sipping his first coffee. He wasn’t really thrilled with the taste, and that was even after adding three sugars and three creams in it. But since he had finished Ziron’s grave late with his father, he needed the energy to keep his eyes open.
Lacuna came next to him with her own cup.
“This beverage tastes weird,” she said.
“It’s an acquired taste, or so I’m told.”
“It does give one a mental boost though.”
“Yeah, that’s why it’s so popular.”
“How do you feel?”
“Better than I thought I would. It helps that my family has accepted all of you with open arms, my dad even said we can merge our rooms together.”
“That’s cool. Nobody asked me if I was cool with that.”
Kevin spat his last sip back into his cup, some coffee dribbling on his face.
“What?”
“I’m kidding, but your expression was priceless.”
“Very funny.”
She kissed him, and he kissed her back.
“What’s next?” she asked.
“I have no idea. But the fact that it doesn’t involve large ships, mechs, and the fate of the galaxy will be a good change of pace for a while.”
“I’m sure it will. I, for one, look forward to seeing your world.”
“And I look forward to showing it to you.”
“Do you miss him?”
“Yeah, a lot, even though he already sent like fifteen subspace transmissions.”
Lacuna laughed. “Who’s missing who, huh?”
“Exactly.”
“That’s a nice grave you made for Ziron.”
“Is it?”
Lacuna nodded.
“It’s strange having a grave and yet being able to talk to him every day.”
“I guess it’s better than the alternative.”
Kevin preferred not to even think about it. At least his friend was technically still there, and that made his courageous sacrifice a little easier to deal with.
“Yeah, at least there’s that.”
Epilogue
It had been a week since Kevin’s return on Earth. He and his father had started the work on making his room bigger, and his father had already ordered the larger bed, which was resting in the basement until the work was completed.
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