Chapter 29: Daughter Stars

“ ... Who are you? Where am I?”

I am the Guiding Star, the oracle of ages who takes those destined by fate into their assigned place in life. I am he who guards the cosmos, and who does battle with the evil that hovers over our heads constantly.

“I didn’t ask for a life story, whoever you are. Just come out and tell me.

As you wish...

Slowly, there materialized in front of Dana the image of a silvery fox, with seven tails and a piercing look in his blue eyes. He seemed to be staring directly into Dana’s soul, and yet everywhere else as well. She took a moment to examine this unusual creature, and realized that it had been the one who spoke to her.

“ ... Who are you?” she asked again.

I am Shadi, a Kitsune from the dimensional plane your friend originates from.

“You mean Zet?” she said.

Correct.

“That’s nice ... but where am I? What is this place?”

This is your dream, said Shadi as he indicated the world around them. This was perhaps the only way I could communicate with you. I have something important to tell you, but since you will be waking up soon, it will have to be brief. Confused, Dana hugged her knees close to her chest, and observed the dreamy image of the Kitsune as she hovered slightly in the air.

“All right, I’m listening.”

All I can say is that you will be tested sometime in the next few days. Even I cannot determine how, but it will require you to exercise certain muscles that have been laying dormant in you for some time. It is up to you, whether you succeed or not. If, however, you pass the test, and prove yourself, you will be greatly rewarded.

“How?”

You will discover something incredible, something that you have never known until this point, yet have always wondered about, in secret. This reward will be well worth any trouble you go through.

“And all this happens soon?” she asked.

Yes. Sooner than you might imagine.

Dana Q. Withers woke up to the strange sound of a telephone ringing violently. She grumbled, trying hard to pry her weary eyes open, and fumbled for the phone she had hooked up in her room. When she picked up the receiver, however, there was only the dial tone to greet her. She snorted, and with some aggravation, she reached for her cell phone.

“Mmnn ... Withers here.”

“Dana?” came the voice over the phone. “Is that really you? My my, you sound rather groggy. Oh no, did I wake you up at a bad time? I forget what time schedule you’re on.” Dana growled, and if it had been five minutes earlier, she would not have even been able to identify who it was over the phone. But her memory recalled the speaker almost instantly, and with a bit of apprehension, she addressed her caller.

“ ... Mom? ... Ughhh, yeah, figures it’d be you. It’s almost five A.M., mom. What do you want?”

“We haven’t spoken directly for almost two years, and that’s the only thing you can say to me?”

“Sorry, mom, but you did call at a bad time. I was having a really weird dream.”

“Dana, I’d like to chat mother-to-daughter with you, but I know you don’t like me running up your phone bills. We can talk later, if you know what I mean.”

“Huh? No, I don’t.”

“What time did you say it was?”

“Almost five in the morning, mom. What’s going on, anyway? I’m usually the one who calls you.”

“I know, I know. Listen, Dana. I want you to pack up your suitcase, and if you have any friends, I ask you to tell them the same thing. I’ll answer all of your questions once you get onboard, but all I can say now is get ready.”

“Mother, what--”

“Just trust me, hon. Get your friends together and go outside to the nearest spaceport. I’m sending Officer Man-Lou out to escort you up to my ship.”

“ ... Mother, what’s all this about?” asked a very concerned and very awake Dana. “You call in the dead hours of the morning and start blabbering on about all this stuff? What’s going on? Is there trouble?”

“Just trust me, hon!” chuckled the voice of Dana’s mother. “I’ll answer all your questions later. Just get your friends together and meet Officer Man-Lou in the nearest spaceport. I’ll explain everything to you face-to-face. Okay?” Dana sighed, but couldn’t do anything else except accept her mother’s orders.

“ ... Sure, okay,” she sighed. “We’ll be ready in about an hour. Talk to you later.”

“Right. Love ya.”

“Love you too, mom. Later.” A sigh. Dana turned her cell phone off, and ran her hands through her dark brunette hair. Without the braid she usually put it in, her hair was quite long and wavy, and slightly thick and just faintly course. Some people said that she looked prettier with it out like that; Dana preferred it short and organized. Shaking her head, the twenty year-old woman (as of a few weeks ago) trudged out of bed and headed towards Greg’s and Jerwon’s room. Her mother did not usually call her, so there was bound to be more at hand than a simple social call.

She approached Greg first, and began to shake him. If Dana wanted to wake her partner up, she knew she had to apply some bizarre psychological force in order to stir him. He was a tremendously deep sleeper, and probably wouldn’t wake up unless something was affecting him. Jerwon, however, woke up without having to be approached at all, and as he sat up and rubbed his eyes, he gazed at the strange scenario.

“Dana? What are you doing? Did you find another job or something?”

“It’s kind of hard to explain,” she told him. “Jerwon, this is going to sound bizarre, but I need you to start packing your suitcase. We’re going somewhere today.”

“So it is another job.”

“Not necessarily,” she replied. “We’re going to see my mother today.”

“Oh, wow, really?” Jerwon smiled brightly, and hopped out of his bed. He had slept in his clothes, as usual, and looked like he needed a shower. “I’m gonna go wake up Cat and Tia! They’re gonna be really surprised to hear this!”

“No, you’d better let me!” she hissed. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I don’t think you should wake them up. We’re all friends here, but how do you think they’d feel if you came barging into the sleeping quarters of two women?”

“I don’t have a problem with it,” he shrugged. “I used to wake up everyone when I was at the circus--well, Gretott always woke up before everyone else, and I do believe Najson never slept once in his life.”

“Well, wake this guy up here, if you don’t mind,” she said, poking his bare feet. “I’m gonna go get the other girls up. Do whatever you have to, okay?”

“Sure thing,” he saluted, and Dana left the room to wake her other friends up. Jerwon smiled, and thanked every deity he knew of that he had been given the gift of a normal Leduadian height. As “small” Jerwon, he probably would not be able to pull off something like this so effectively, but as “big” Jerwon...

With a giant leap, he jumped on Greg’s bed and smashed into the poor sleeping guy, crushing him and snapping him out of his sleep in the most painful way. Greg screamed out in pain as a normal-sized Jerwon landed on him, and roared out at the offending tumbler.

“OW!!! ... Jerwon!! What’d ya do that for?!”

“I had to wake you up!” he exclaimed with a perverse smile. Greg groaned, and covered his face with his hand. Jerwon might have grown a few feet since eating the rare kik plant, but his maturity had not gotten such an advancement.

“What for?”

“Dana says that we’re going to meet her mother. I was about to go pack up my stuff, but Dana asked me to wake you up.”

“Why does that suddenly explain everything?” he moaned. He paused, still absorbing what Jerwon had told him, and nearly did a double-take. “Whoa, waitasecond! Did you say ‘meet Dana’s mother’?”

“ ... Yeah.”

“Whoa... ! What for? Up until recently, she’s barely mentioned her family at all, and now this?”

“I know, it’s a mystery. Dana doesn’t even know herself. I guess you don’t question something that comes from that high up the power charts.” Greg silently nodded his head in agreement, and asked Jerwon to relocate himself so he could get dressed. It was true that Dana was somewhat secretive about her family, just as Greg really hadn’t talked much about his own past, but he figured that if he didn’t tell, then she didn’t tell either. It was one of the rare things that the two partners really agreed upon, but he had to admit that his curiosity got the better of him from time to time. So, eager to learn a little more about his partner’s family and history, Greg showered and got dressed, and waited to see what happened.

“Good morning, Officer Man-Lou,” saluted Dana as she approached the pilot. He snapped her a salute as well, and ushered the small group into the shuttle. Obviously, Dana’s mother couldn’t pick them up herself, so she had to send somebody in a shuttle. As the group of five boarded and were sent out into space and beyond the planet Saturn, all eyes were on Dana to see if she would reveal anything about her mysterious family.

“So tell us a little bit about your mother, Dana,” said Greg as he poked her. “I don’t think any of us really know. I mean, there’s no point in keeping secrets if we’re going to find out soon anyway. We may as well get a good handle on things before we actually meet her.” She made a show of sighing in defeat, and submitted to the wishes of her friends.

“All right, all right, if you insist. My mother is Abigail Jane Withers, co-Marshal of the White Dove Space Fleet, and Supreme Commander of the Alpha quadrant of the galaxy.”

“Wow,” whistled Jerwon. “That’s amazing! Can you tell us anything more?”

“Yes, but try not to interrupt. From what I know, the Fleet originally began as a small but influential group of peacekeepers, diplomats, and negotiators. The original founder of the fleet, a former member of the galactic senate named Thomas Adams, wanted to balance out the current powers in the galaxy by introducing a group of people who were dedicated to keeping the peace. Legend has it, he used the symbol of the White Dove as a means to express such pacifism.”

“But the Fleet’s a heavy military power now,” pointed Cattia. “How did it go from being peaceful to militaristic?”

“I’m not sure myself,” Dana admitted. “Whenever I asked my mother, she always replied with ‘I’ll tell you someday’, and today might be that day. She knows more about it than I do, anyway.”

“So fate threw you the wildest card in the whole pack!” exclaimed Tania with a broad smile. “Daughter of the Marshal of the galaxy’s most powerful independent space fleet! Man, that’s gotta be a big ego trip! So like, if Marshal Withers is your mother, who’s your father?”

“His name is Abraham Withers, and right now, I think, he’s patrolling the other side of the galaxy.”

“The other side? Why?”

“The White Doves have exploded in numbers over the years. They’ve gotten so big that it was soon divided up into two units, one being commanded by my mother, the other by my father. Sometimes, both units will converge and demonstrate the full power of the fleet, but it’s very rare. The last time I saw my father was six years ago, and according to their schedule, I probably won’t see him again until either late this year or early the next.”

“That’s terrible!” exclaimed Jerwon. “Going seven whole years without seeing your own father? That must drive you crazy!”

“Not really,” she smiled. “Mom and dad are cool with it. They need to get away from each other every so often, or they’ll drive each other off the wall, or so they’ve said to me. I mean, they grew up together, and I don’t doubt their love, but sometimes, even the greatest lovers must have some private time.”

Silence overcame the shuttle for awhile as the small team absorbed what Dana had told them. Gregory began to understand why his partner had kept most of this under wraps. Aside from the fact that it was all very complex and a bit hard to understand, most everything that Dana had said was classified information, to be kept confidential and secret. Divulging such information casually would be quite unwise, no matter what the situation or who was listening.

“That’s deep,” said Greg as he shook his head. Dana smiled and nodded her head. “So how’d your mom and dad get to be the heads of the fleet? Wouldn’t it make more sense to make the founder, this Adams guy, the Marshal instead?”

“Yeah, but my parents said that he died a very long time ago, in a terrifying battle. They told me that among the six greatest leaders that looked to succeed old man Adams, they were the ones that everyone supported and liked the most. It was just a matter of circumstance and a voting system.”

“This is all very fascinating,” whispered Cattia as she shook her head in amazement. “I didn’t know any of this stuff when I was working in pilot training school on board the King. Say, Dana, now that we’re talking about the Fleet, how in all the worlds did it get so bloody powerful? I mean, in case any of you didn’t notice, that Brokolov guy was pretty scared when he saw Admiral Kanaui, and from what I read on the guy, Brokolov isn’t the kind of guy who scares so easily.”

“Sometimes I wonder that too,” admitted Dana. “My father told me that it was sheer battle experience, and the morals that were carried over from old man Adams’ day. The White Doves have been around for a very long time, probably even longer than your all’s Eternenenite friend.”

“I doubt it,” snorted Greg. “Mother Sayrah’s not old according to Eter standards, I’ll admit that, but she’s been around for a long time. Your fleet would have to be at least 330 years old to boast seniority over her.” Dana gave her partner and sometimes-friend a shrug, shaking her head like she was just as clueless as everyone else.

“I’m just saying, it’s what dad told me. I trust him and mom implicitly, and they never had any reason to lie to me before. Oh sure, there’s things they don’t tell me, but considering their positions, I can understand it. Oh, hey, look--we’re out of the Solar System.” Greg, Cattia, Tania, and Jerwon all turned to look out the shuttle window, and sure enough, Pluto was now in the distance, and growing further away by the minute. Up ahead, a massive vessel greeted them, resembling a kind of large mechanical shark just a bit. Greg saw it second, after the pilot, and when he did, his mouth hung open wide and his eyes bulged out like they had never bulged out before.

“Holy crap!“ he muttered. “That is one huge ship! Dana, is that your mother’s?”

“Nah, too small,” she replied. “It’s probably Uncle Kadati’s ship, the Czar. That’s the one that took Brokolov prisoner way back when.”

“Too small?“ choked Greg. “Too small?! Dana, that thing is huge!! If you call that big lug small, I’d hate to see the flagship!”

“Well, you won’t be disappointed. Now that one over there is Admiral Chekhov’s ship, the Pharaoh, and the one over there is Admiral Spueller’s ship, the Kaiser.” The group leaned out to examine the vessels, and each one amazed the foursome with their immense size and proportion.

“Then there’s Emperor, Admiral Daltrieve’s ship, and of course King, which Cattia referred to earlier.”

“That’s King?!” barked Cattia as she strained to look out the window. Sailing gently in outer space, well beyond the boundary of the Solar System, was a vessel that looked a little bit like an eagle. Cattia gently placed her hand against the window, and sighed sadly as she dared to look at it. She felt a comforting hand touch her shoulder, and smiled back at her friend.

“It’s all right,” said Dana. “It wasn’t your fault, remember? That thing was rigged. Admiral Baines will understand if I talk to him, and I’m sure my mother would, too.”

“Still,” said Cattia huskily, “I can’t help but feel terrible for what happened. Twenty-three people died in that explosion, and Tia and myself were almost with them, as well; Tia came closer.”

“Though I don’t know why,” added the android. “Maybe I was just being a sweet little sister and protecting Cat’s life. Or maybe something else happened. My memory from that time is a big blank.” She emptily looked up to gaze at her sister, who was still glazed over from bad memories. Jerwon smiled, and tried to cheer his young friend up.

“Anyway, it’s all in the past now. We should really look to the future. Say, Dana, if all these ships are of different Admirals, where’s your mother’s? And why are they all gathered here?”

“Rendezvous, most likely,” she said. “If I know my mother, she probably gathered together all the other flagships from different corners of her unit, and brought them all here outside the solar system. God knows why she asked me to come out here, though. As for her ship ... well ... let’s just say that you’ll know it when you see it.” Jerwon nodded his head, and strained so he could watch out for the promised vessel.

A few minutes passed, and the shuttle puttered past most of the other vessels, who gave it readings and signals to verify its presence and crew. Everyone, except Dana, was waiting for the Marshal’s vessel, which seemed to be playing a game of hide-and-seek. Suddenly, the entire shuttle began to tremble slightly, and a special signal was sent to and from the vessel as it puttered closer to its destination. Everyone strained to see whether or not the main flagship would appear--and got the surprise of the year when it did.

The object loomed almost directly in front of them, quite a good distance away. Even at that measurement of space, anyone could tell that the thing was bigger than behemoth--it was preposterous! The vessel, if it could even be called that, was almost bigger than the entire planet Mercury, probably three miles in length and two kilometers in width. The Grand Flagship of the Fleet was shaped as one would expect, in the form of a peaceful dove, and was so monstrous that it dwarfed the vessels of the gathered Admirals.

“Ho ... ly ... cow!” whispered Greg in astonishment. “That is one big ship.”

“That’s one of the two Grand Flagships of the Fleet,” indicated Dana. “My mother’s vessel, the Merkava. My father’s is exactly the same, except his is called the Yuri Gagarin.”

“Wooooooooooooooooow,” whispered everyone on board. Dana smiled, and had to agree with their astonishment. Even she sometimes got goosebumps at seeing the immense pride of the fleet. The crew was given an even better view as the shuttle whizzed towards its gigantic mother, and soon it had docked inside the ship, which was so large it could have held the entire Asian district on Earth, with room to spare.

Officer Man-Lou led Dana and her friends past the docks and into the main transport area, which carried smaller vehicles that were used to scour the mighty ship. Since they all had an appointment with the Marshal herself, he sent them on an express elevator that would go directly to the main bridge. The elevator was rarely used, and had a code put in it that only personnel knew. The code changed once a month to reduce hacking, and although this seemed inconvenient, the security was worth every sacrifice. Even if an assailant had somehow gotten this far, it would be very hard indeed to sneak further into the ship.

The elevator was exceptionally fast, but due to the ungodly size of the ship, it still took about five minutes to reach its destination. Jerwon was perhaps the giddiest of them all, and next would have been Tania and Greg, and then Cattia, who actually dreaded the meeting with the Marshal. She had, after all, almost killed the woman because of the accidental engine explosion that scarred her and Tania, and killed 23 others.

The elevator came to a gentle stop and released its passengers into a very large and very empty room, which seemed to be used for viewing outside. The walls were made out of a transparent material, and according to Dana’s claims, they were virtually indestructible.

“They’re made out of adamant,” she said as she tapped the glass. “The only thing that could break this stuff would be a big asteroid or an extremely powerful blast at point-blank range, but both of those would be extremely unlikely. Go ahead, hit it with all your might! You’ll never even scratch it!” Nobody tested her claims, choosing rather to enjoy the scenery than attempt to destroy it. Every one of them had seen the outer regions of space several times, but it was still a breathtaking spectacle to drink in.

A few minutes after the small gang arrived, a door on the other side of the room opened, and out stepped a young woman who barely looked older than Zet or Melena. She was quite a short woman, perhaps three inches over five feet, and looked to be somewhere between twenty-four and twenty-seven. She had a shuck of short red hair on her head, and had the same soft bluish-gray eyes that Dana had, but other than this one distinction, the two really looked nothing alike.

“Dana!” squealed the young woman. She and Dana both ran towards each other, and gave the other a hug.

“Hi, mom. It’s good seeing you again.”

“Oooooh, Dana, I missed you so much!!“ The young woman crooned and squeezed Dana in her arms, nearly choking the taller woman to death. She even kissed her cheeks a few times, and her forehead.

“Ack, mother! Stop! You’re embarrassing me!”

“I know,” sang the woman happily. She let go of Dana briefly, and stood back just long enough to examine her. “Oh, my dear ... you have changed quite a bit since I last saw you. Your father would be amazed at how much you’ve matured.”

“Mo-ther!!”

“Sorry!” chuckled the redhead as she slapped Dana’s shoulder. “Oh, are these your friends? Which one is the Shift fellow I’ve been hearing about?”

“Oh, uh, I am, Miss...” said Greg meekly as he stepped forth. The woman, who he could only assume to be Dana’s mother, smiled and bowed her head formally.

“It is nice to finally meet you, Shift. My Dana has told me so much about you! Please, feel free to rest and relax while you’re here! Mi nave es su nave!“

“Thank you, uh ... Marshal Withers.” The woman smiled, and introduced herself to everyone else there as well.

“Oh, and who is this?” she crooned as she saw Jerwon. Jerwon’s tanned face turned pink a little, and he smiled sheepishly as the Marshal bowed her head. “You know, sir, it’s not often that I see a Leduadian. I wonder where Dana found you...”

“You mean you know I’m a Leduadian!?”

“Of course!” she replied. “I’ve dealt with them before in my time, mostly--might I add--on very good terms. Your name, sir?”

“J-J-Jerwon,” he stuttered, happy that he was being addressed so formally. “J-Jerwon N-Nodsten.”

“I see. It’s a pleasure, Mr. Nodsten. And these two young ladies?”

“Titania Tia Prepells,” smiled Tania. Cattia, however, merely gave a curt nod.

“Cattia Romana Prepells, ma’am.” Marshal Withers paused and gave Cattia a second look, peering into the woman’s scarred face as she tried to recall something in her mind.

“ ... Oh ... I believe I know you,” she whispered. “Were you not that unfortunate girl caught in that engine explosion a few years back? On Admiral Baines’ ship?”

“Yeah, that’s me,” sighed Cattia. Marshal Withers frowned and took the younger woman’s hands into her own.

“My dear, please allow me to extend to you the most heartfelt of apologies. I know that after the explosion, you were suspected of starting all that mess and a price was placed on your head. But a year or two later, Admiral Baines had some special detectives examine the remains of the wreckage, and they discovered without a doubt that the thing had been rigged somehow long before you got there--obviously as an attempt on the life of either myself or Admiral Baines. I have seen to it that the bounty was lifted and your name cleared, and ever since then, I have been aching to ask for your forgiveness. Please, please, can you ever forgive us for wronging you so greatly?”

“ ... I ... uhh...” Cattia was too dumbstruck to reply, at least for awhile. She had not expected this to happen when she arrived--more like a chaotic hunt or a trial, or at the least, an intense feeling of hatred and sorrow. But to beg for forgiveness??

“ ... Wow,” she said at last. “Uhh ... ma’am ... you ... don’t need to do that. I already forgave you guys when your daughter and I became friends.”

“That’s good,” smiled the Marshal. “It’s nice to see Dana making some friends, and I’m glad you forgave us already. The whole matter was weighing so much on my heart that I thought I would suffer forever if I never got the chance to apologize.”

“It’s all right,” assured Cattia with a smile. “But anyway, Miss, what was the purpose of calling us all up here?”

“Yeah, that’s what I’d like to know!” agreed Dana. “Mom, I’m happy to see you again and I did miss you, but this certainly isn’t a social call.” Her mother smiled, her eyes twinkling softly, and advised everyone to have patience.

“I’ll tell you about that later, during the dinner. For now, enjoy yourselves. This really is a social call, dear--at least for now. Oh, while it’s fresh on my mind, why don’t I introduce you to a few people you’ll be working with?”

“Working with?” parroted Greg. “What do you mean?” Dana made a gesture with her hand and opted to explain.

“Mom’s not just a military commander, she also has influence over several major mercenary guilds and covert operations. It’s not uncommon for her to hire a few hundred people to perform a few land battles. The soldiers here are second to none in terms of piloting and naval battles, but on the surface, it’s a whole ‘nother story.”

“Oh, okay. But working with us? For what purpose?”

“During dinner,” emphasized the Marshal with a smile. “For now, allow me to introduce you to everyone. My source told me that they may seem familiar to a few of you.”

“Your source?”

“Just follow me,” she beckoned with a smile.

As Marshal Withers led the group of five into another room, the guests that had already assembled stood to greet her. At once, they recognized a few of the faces, and shouted out their names.

“Hey, Zet!!! How ya doin’, man?!”

“Oh, sir Shift! Lady Dana! It has been a long time since we last saw each other!”

“I know, man!” grinned Greg as he shook Zet’s hand fiercely. “And hey, looks like you brought Diana along too! She’s still lookin’ good!”

“Thanks,” she smiled as she greeted him too. Jerwon, who was equally as observant as Greg, noticed that the elf and the demi-human were holding hands.

“Hey, what are you two doing under the table?” he pointed. Zet’s face turned pink, as did Diana’s, and the two of them modestly explained the situation of their relationship.

“ ... Well ... I guess you could say that Lady Diana and I ... Well, we ‘found’ each other.”

“Hm?”

“He means we’re seeing each other now,” she explained. “As in, boyfriend and girlfriend.”

“Whoa, really?” grinned Greg. “Wow, that’s awesome!! I thought you two would get together eventually! You make such a cute couple!”

“Oh, please,” moaned Diana, though there was no ignoring her flushed face. Zet merely chuckled, and bowed in respect as he greeted everyone else. Along with those two familiar friends stood a few more. One of them was quite tall in the room, standing straight with long black hair, an unshaven chin, and piercing blue eyes. The sword he carried at his side, and the animal that was standing at his other, made his façade an unmistakable one.

“Dustin!!” exclaimed Greg. “We haven’t seen you in ages, either! What’s going on? I see you still have your pet goat with you!”

“And I see you still have the bad manners of one barely out of their mother’s house,” he said briskly. He bowed towards Greg and Jerwon, and kissed the hands of Cattia and Tania (Dana, obviously, refrained). Jerwon smiled and petted Woolyford’s fur, scratching the ram where it seemed he itched the most.

“Seems we weel be working together again, yes?” came a rough, edgy voice from afar. Greg smiled brilliantly as his friend Sahn flapped on the scene; everyone else, painfully remembering their experiences with the Kobrian, merely groaned.

“How’d he get enlisted?” pointed Dana. Zet sighed and shook his head.

“It is best if you do not ask. Some mysteries will just have to remain mysterious.” She sighed and shrugged, defenseless to do anything but accept the fact that Sahn was her ally again. A few less-familiar faces also stood to introduce themselves, but theirs bore more infamy than friendliness. One was a blond-haired, blue-eyed Spaniard with an excellent aim and a decent shape to go with him; the other was a younger, rougher, more conspicuous gunner. Both of them were still well-known in parts of the galaxy.

“Oh, I remember you two,” snarled Cattia. “The Super-S Class Assassins that were working for Brokolov and Grady. I thought we got rid of you two for good.”

“I guess you just can’t keep a good dog down,” shrugged Sean Gilliam. “Marshal Withers heard about us from a few sources, and she decided to pay us both some pretty decent pensions to work for her. Sorry, kids, but for now, we’re gonna have to work together.”