Transformations   von chelle76
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                             Kapitel 6: Traveling
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Transformations…
Chapter 6: Traveling	


A few days pass. A mourning period is held, in conjunction with several public
and private memorials. Commander Eagle asks the Bismarck Team to come to his
office. They enter and sit down.  He looks at them for a moment before deciding
how to continue. “We may have a positive identification of the other ship on
the infrared images.” They all look up, suddenly more interested. “One of
the other planets in the Intergalactic Alliance has contacted us. Their people
seem to be fairly certain that the ship we saw was from a Galran fleet.”
“Galran, Sir?” Saber asks.
Commander Eagle nods. “Yes. Galra was once a planet in the Dark Nebula Galaxy
that was destroyed by the GoLion team from Altea and their Allies several years
ago. It was thought that all of their fleets were destroyed, but evidently, that
is not the case.”
“Does that mean that these...Galran people are going to start attacking
here?” April asks concerned.
“I wish I knew.” Commander Eagle sighs. “I certainly hope not. From what I
remember, the Galrans were ruthless, and believed humans or any other creature
for that matter, to be inferior and to be used as slaves or victims of their
sick tournaments of death.” He closes his eyes, thinking before looking back
to the group. “I have spoken with Strategist Raible, and Princess Fala of
Altea. They are willing to offer assistance to you in any way they can. They
have suggested that perhaps you could go to Altea and meet with their team and
see how they have successfully fought the Galrans, and perhaps learn ways to
prevent such attacks from occurring again.
Fireball nods. “So we are going to Altea?”
Commander Eagle nods. “I think it is a logical place to start.”
“When do we leave?” April asks.
“As soon as possible.” He replies.
Colt shifts uneasily. “Any idea how long we will be gone?” The Commander
shakes his head and Colt sighs. “I thought not.” He turns to Fireball.
“Well, how long do I have until we leave? I'd like to let Robin know.”
Fireball nods. “As quickly as we can manage. The rest of us already are packed
and living on the ship. That just leaves you to pack up and we can go. I want to
get moving, maybe then we can get some answers.” Saber and April nod their
agreement.
Colt nods. “I'll go and be back as quick as I can. I am packed, just wanted
to...”
“It's Okay, Colt.” Fireball interrupts him. “I understand.” He smirks
slightly. “Just get going.”
Colt blushes and laughs. “Be back soon.” He turns and heads towards his
quarters. The others go and begin prepping the ship to leave. Acquiring various
supplies and performing safety checks.

A couple hours later, Saber, April, and Fireball are back at Commander Eagle’s
office. Saber is sitting on a chair, April and Fireball on a couch. “So, how
long should it take us to get to Altea?” April asks aloud.
Saber shrugs. “I don’t have any idea, honestly. Don’t you remember how the
trip was from when you went before?”
April shakes her head. “Not really. I think it was close to a week.” She
thinks for a few minutes. “If I remember correctly, the ship we took back then
wasn’t as fast as our ship. We could probably do it in two days, easy. We just
have to take turns taking watch.”
Saber nods. “Just in case we inadvertently run into someone, we don’t want
to be caught off-guard.”
Fireball nods. “I say we make Colt take the first night watch, since he’s so
slow getting back here.” April laughs. “Well, it only seems fair.”
Saber smiles and nods. “You’re the boss, Sir.” 
Fireball looks at him and smiles. “So I could make him do it.” Saber shakes
his head amused, and April laughs.
“I’ll volunteer myself for the next watch. I haven’t been sleeping well
anyways. I could take say, from, 3:00 to 8:00 in the morning, by then someone
else should be up. I can rest some during the day, so it wouldn’t be an
inconvenience.” Saber offers. “That way, Colt won’t be half asleep if
something does pop up.”
Fireball nods. “If you’re comfortable with that, it is fine with me.”
Saber nods. “At least we have a plan.”
A few minutes later, Colt enters, carrying a duffel bag. “Okay. I’m ready. I
just have to toss this into my sleeping quarters.”
“It’s about time, Colt.” Fireball laughs. “You volunteered yourself for
first watch tonight.”
“Wha…How do you figure that?” Colt asks.
Saber walks up behind him and says quietly, “You were that last one ready,
Cowboy.”
Fireball and the others turn to Commander Eagle. “We will report any findings
we have as quickly as possible, Sir.”
Commander Eagle nods. “Good luck to all of you. Please try and come back in
one piece.” They all nod and head to the Bismarck.

It’s nearly evening when the team breaks to eat, leaving Colt on watch. Saber,
April, and Fireball are sitting in the dining area eating. Fireball looks to
Saber. “How are you doing, honestly?”
Saber puts the cup of tea down he had been sipping and takes a breath before
answering. “Well, I am a bit tired, but I don’t feel like sleeping. Sleep
has not been easy for me to come by.”
Fireball nods. “Do you think you should have not come? That maybe this is too
much too soon?” He asks concerned.
Saber sighs. “I think I’ll be okay, once we are actively doing something.
It’s when I have nothing but time I tend to feel more…depressed.” Fireball
looks to April, several questions in his mind, not sure how to proceed.
Saber notices the look between them and shakes his head. “Honestly, I will be
fine. I just need some time. I do feel that getting to the bottom of what
happened will help bring closure. So I am glad not to be closed up at
Headquarters trapped behind a desk. I believe I wouldn’t cope as well there.
At least here, I feel that I can tell you if something is on my mind. I
wouldn’t feel so…safe to express any doubts I had to those at Calvary
Command.”
April nods. “At least you are being honest with us.” She closes her eyes to
think, then looks at him. “You would tell us if you had doubts, wouldn’t
you?”
Saber nods. “Yes, I would. I would not put you in danger because of my mental
state.”
Fireball nods, listening to the two of them for a bit. “Saber, how do you
think you would do as a strategist and navigator?”
Saber nods. “That’s pretty much what I do anyways, isn’t it?” 
Fireball nods. “But, I think that maybe you should be the one to talk with the
people of Altea. You are a bit more…diplomatic than I tend to be.” 
Saber chuckles. “You have to learn at some point, Captain.”
Fireball grins. “Yeah, but you shouldn’t throw me straight into the fire.
And technically, you are still a Captain. I’m just the one ‘in charge’ of
this particular mission. So your rank would be equal to mine. They should
respect that. Besides, you are the more logical thinker. It makes sense that you
have free access to the information. I’m not as technically inclined as you or
April, so I would have to defer to both of you for advice anyways. I know the
ultimate decisions on action are up to me, but I want us to be able to work on
our own too. If we know what our strong suits are, then we can each focus on
that, sharing what knowledge we gain with each other, and deciding how best to
use the information.”
Saber nods approvingly. “Point taken.” He looks to April. “Any insights
from you?” 
April shakes her head. “Not really. I would like to see GoLion up close. I’m
curious as to what kind of upgrades we might be able to make to the Bismarck.”

Saber smiles and shakes his head. “You’re hopeless sometimes. Not that I
blame you. Not many would get such an opportunity. Besides, I’d like to see
the inside of one of the robot lions, if they would allow it. It could be a
valuable learning experience.” April nods in agreement.
Fireball nods. “I’d love to see it in action. I hear that they are a pretty
close team, a lot like we are.” 
Colt comes walking in from the control area. “So far, so good. A few transport
ships, but nothing out of the ordinary.”
Fireball looks up. “That’s good. I want us to try and relax until we get
there. I have a feeling we might not have much opportunity to once we arrive.”
A beeping is heard coming from the control area. 
Saber looks up. “Sounds like someone is trying to contact us, you want to
answer, Fireball?” 
Fireball shakes his head. “I think you should. I’ll come with you though.”
He stands up.
Saber gets up and heads to his saddle unit, Fireball, April, and Colt follow
behind him. “This is The Bismarck. Go Ahead.”
A middle-aged man appears on the screen. “This is strategist Raible of Altea.
I was checking in to see how your trip has been and your approximate ETA.”
Saber nods. “I am Captain Richard Rider of the Bismarck. Our ETA is
approximately” he pauses as he looks at the navigational maps, “another
twelve hours, Sir. That is, if our current luck holds.”
Raible nods. “You are making rather good time. You must have a good ship.”
Saber nods. “It’s our best ship, Sir.”
A young woman appears behind Raible on the screen. “We are looking forward to
meeting you. I am Princess Fala of Altea.” 
Saber nods. “Your Highness. We also look forward to our meeting. We hope that
it will be beneficial to all of us.” Fala nods. 
“We shall end our communication here until your arrival. If you run into
trouble, just call us. You are close enough now, that we could come to your
aid.” Raible says. 
Saber nods. “Thank you, Sir. Bismarck out.” The screen cuts off and he turns
to face the others behind him. “Well, that seems promising.”
Fireball nods. “And that is the reason I want you to be the one to talk to
them. You speak their language.”
Saber looks up amused. “Do I?” Fireball nods. “And what ‘Language’
would that be, Captain?”
Fireball laughs. “’Noble’, Captain.” Saber shakes his head smiling.
April starts laughing. “Okay you two. Don’t make me separate you.”
Fireball and Saber look up at her innocently. “What did we do?” They all
start laughing.
Colt shakes his head and returns to his saddle unit. “And ya’ll wonder why I
don’t want to become an officer?”
Fireball looks over, “Why wouldn’t you, Colt?”
Colt looks at him, “Two reasons. I don’t like having to answer for other
people’s mistakes. Also, it evidently makes you crazy.” He grins. April
starts laughing.
“Who are you calling crazy, Cowboy?!” Fireball asks.
Saber laughs. “To be in this line of work at all, you have to be a bit…off.
I’d say he’d make the perfect officer, don’t you agree, April?”
April smiles mischievously. “I think you’re right. He would be the perfect
candidate.”
Colt grumbles and turns and faces into his unit, not saying another word. The
others all start laughing.
Fireball catches his breath. “I suppose we should be nicer to the poor Cowboy.
He’s just mad he had to leave Robin so soon.” 
Colt looks over to him. “At least your wife is with you. You don’t have to
sleep alone.” Saber gets up and quietly leaves the room. Colt winces,
realizing what he said.
April glares at Colt. “I can’t believe you said that in front of him!”
Colt looks to where Saber had left and quietly answers. “I wasn’t thinking.
I’m sorry.”
Fireball sighs. “I know it wasn’t intentional. We sort of let it get out of
hand, but the comment was a bit insensitive.”
After a few minutes, April gets up and looks towards the sleeping quarters.
“I’ll go and talk to him.” She goes to his door and knocks. “Saber?”
“Come in.” He replies.
April opens the door and sees him sitting at his desk. “Saber, I’m…”
He holds up his hand to silence her, and shakes his head. “No. I just over
reacted. I was fine once I got out of the room. It’s not as bad as it was a
few days ago. I…I wasn’t trying to upset anyone. No one did anything
wrong.” He sighs. “It will just take time…” He stands up nods towards
the door. “Come on. I need to say something to all of you.” She nods and
they return to the control area. Fireball and Colt look up when they enter,
looking down when he makes eye contact. He sighs. “Look at me, please. I feel
that I need to say something to all of you.” April goes to her saddle unit and
turns to face Saber, Fireball and Colt look up at him, looking a bit guilty.
“I want all of you to know that I do not want you to curb what you say around
me. It causes tension, and that is something we can not afford. I would like to
think we are all good friends here.” He pauses, looking to each of them and
they nod their agreement. He continues. “Then you will just have to understand
that if something you say bothers me, I’ll just walk out to compose myself and
my thoughts. It’s not that I’m not angry at any of you, if I walk out of a
room; it just means I need some space. If I feel you have crossed a line that
you shouldn’t have, I will tell you. Hopefully, you would do the same for
me.” Again the three nod. “I am getting better. It just takes time. Albeit
more time than I would like. I may relapse on occasion, and then just come and
talk to me. I’ll tell you what is going on in my head. I will not allow my
personal feelings to endanger any of you. I don’t care to lose anyone else
I’m close to.” He pauses again then sighs looking a bit tired. “I’ll be
in my room for a while. Please don’t be afraid to come and get me if you need
me before I come out.” With that, he turns and goes back to his quarters, the
door closing after him.
Fireball sighs. “Well, at least we know how he feels.”
Colt stands up. “I really didn’t mean to upset him.”
April shakes her head. “He’s right you know. We need to be honest with each
other. Otherwise, we could have problems.” She looks back towards the sleeping
quarters, “I think he’ll be okay. I think he’s mad more at himself right
now for the little things that still bother him. One of his biggest strengths is
being able to keep his emotions separate, and right now, it’s a bit…tough on
him. Maybe the change in scenery will do all of us some good.” She turns and
looks back to Fireball. “I think this will be a good trip, I just wish we
weren’t on such a depressing mission.”
Colt nods. “I’ll try and not say anything like I did before. I only meant it
in fun.” 
Fireball nods. “I think we should all try and be a bit more…conscious of
what we say. And not just because of Saber. We don’t want to offend the
Alteans...especially the Princess.” 
April smirks. “Taken with the beautiful Princess, Fireball?”
He looks over innocently, “No. I just don’t want to make an enemy of her. I
think we need all the help we can get.”
April smiles. “I was only teasing. I knew what you meant.”
Fireball grins, going over and places his hand on her shoulder. “Sure you
did.”
Colt chuckles and goes back to the screen, watching it for a while, then looks
up. “Think I have time for a nap?”
“Sure, go ahead. I’ll stay up here until we’re about an hour out, then we
should all be up and ready.” Fireball replies.

A few hours later, April goes and knocks on Colt’s door. “Time to get up,
Cowboy. We’re about an hour out.”
Colt grumbles, “That was way too short.”
“Sorry, but I told you it’d only be a few hours.” April replies. She then
goes over to Saber’s door and knocks, “Saber. We’re about an hour out.”
She waits a minute and after getting no reply she enters the room. She notices
he’s sleeping soundly; she goes over to him and shakes him gently on the
shoulder. “Saber?” He stirs briefly. “Saber, we’re almost to Altea.”
He opens his eyes and looks around getting his bearings, then notices April.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I guess I fell asleep.”
She smiles at him and nods. “You actually look a little better than you did
earlier.” 
He sits up. “I take it we’re almost there?” 
She nods. “We’re about an hour out, maybe less.”
He nods and she moves so he can stand. “I’ll be out in a minute. I just want
to wake up a bit more.”
April nods and heads back to the control room. 
A few minutes later, Saber comes out and sits in his saddle unit. “It appears
we are approaching Altean orbit. Should I attempt to request permission to land,
Captain?” He looks to Fireball, who nods. He presses a few buttons, “This is
the Bismarck, calling Altea, come in.” He waits.
A minute later a young man with dark hair appears on the screen wearing a red
and white uniform. “This is Altea. Go ahead.”
“Requesting permission to land, Sir.” Saber replies.
The dark haired person nods. “Permission granted, Bismarck. There is a landing
pad behind our castle. I’m sending you the coordinates now.” He is seen
pressing buttons, shortly after coordinates appear on Saber’s screen.
“Coordinates received. We shall arrive very soon.” Saber states.
The dark haired person nods. “Welcome to Altea, Bismarck. We will meet you on
the tarmac. Altea out.” The screen goes dark. Several minutes pass by.
Saber turns to Fireball. “We should be arriving in about two minutes,
Captain.” Fireball nods. “Tarmac in site.”
They proceed to land. After setting down, the crew gathers before exiting the
ramp as one.
At the bottom of the ramp, they are met by several people in uniform. The older
looking man steps forward. “Welcome to Altea.” He stretches out his hand.
Fireball steps forward and shakes it. “I am Court Officer and Strategist
Raible. This is...” He nods to the Princess, “...Her Royal Highness,
Princess Fala.” The crew all bow.
“Your Highness” Fireball acknowledges. He then nods to his crew. “We are
grateful for your warm welcome. I am Captain Shinji Hikari of the Bismarck.” 
The dark haired man in the red and white uniform steps forward. “I am
Commander Keith Kogane leader of the GoLion team.” He nods to his crew.
“This is Lance Kurogane.” A man in a blue and white uniform steps forward.
“This is Tsuyoshi Seidō” A heavy-set man in a gold and white uniform steps
forward. “And finally, this is Hiroshi Suzuishi.” A teenager in a green and
white uniform steps forward and nods. “We are the GoLion Team, along with
Princess Fala.”
Fireball nods to each. “It is an honor. This is Captain Richard Rider,” He
nods towards Saber, who nods to the crew. “This is Ms. April Eagle” She
steps forward and nods in greeting. “And this is Mr. Bill Wilcox.” He nods
and steps forward. “We are the crew of the Bismarck.”

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