Globe Tracers 6: Chaos Storm

Chapter 68: Proving it

Jessica:

Carn stepped down from his mini podium. "Tomorrow?" I squeaked out.

Xao skipped after Carn and talked to him for a few moments out of my ear shot as I felt something welling up in my chest. I could feel Raven inside me as a kind of panic was setting into her. 'Maybe... maybe we can go with him?' She asked.

"Are we going as a family?" I quickly asked. J-Star looked down at me.

"I'm not sure the ship has provisions for that at the moment," she said. "Only so much could be spared for myself and Xao. Besides, do you really want to give up on finding lost children down here?"

"I want to stay together, that's what I want," I replied.

J-Star knelt down and held my hands in hers. "This is something Xao really wants to do Jessie, he wants to help those children. Not sure how much he's been telling you about it, but he's been bugging me about it non-stop."

"He only broached the issue once in a while..." I said, not sure what to think of that.

"Well- I am going to be his wife. Maybe it's high time he started confiding in me rather than his little sister and mother."

"What did I do wrong...?"

"Jessie..." she hugged me as all I could do was feel more and more lost. She pushed me back again. "You didn't do anything wrong. Things just change okay? Xao and I are growing to rely more and more on each other. He'll always love you and Kyle and Jaden, but he's moving on to be a man, rather than a boy. He's choosing his own mission in life."

Xao came back over and messed up my hair as if to tease me a little. "Hey I just-"

A shadow fell over him. He looked back to see Jaden standing over him with folded arms. "You really think you're leaving without saying anything to mom?" he half demanded. "You can go but-"

"And I wish Carn hadn't put it like that," Xao said. "There's a ship orbiting this world called the Mammoth. We're going to parlay with them and commission a crew. It's a process that should take a week at least- maybe a month."

"Oh..." I said.

"Yeah, the Mastodon has a few space pods. Jay and myself will be along as rescue professionals and to deal with the human children. We're not going to be in the command structure or heads of security or anything," he gave a chuckle and a shrug. "We might be growing up but we're still kids in the eyes of these guys." He waved at the assembled storm walkers.

"Neither of us has much to pack so- while we're waiting to leave..." J-Star bit her lip. "We're... we're taking our vows." I gasped. "It's not the same as human marriage, okay? He and I can't legally have kids yet but-" but I didn't care for the details. I jumped on her and wrapped my arms around her tightly, a huge smile on my face as I fought to keep my headache from ruining the moment.

Jaden smiled and leaned down to Xao, giving a one-sided smile. "Well, I should get this out while I can. You treat her well- or I'm coming for you."

"I... hold on, I'm YOUR brother."

"That was just a manly thing," Jaden said. He glanced over at Jay, being sure to be heard. "And she better be good to you or I'll hunt her down and leave her in to die in the black void alone and-"

"We get the point," Xao said, grabbing Jaden's head to make him stop.

"Well I gotta look out for my little brother," said Jaden, pushing down on Xao's head as if to heave himself up off the young teen's brow. Xao gritted his teeth at the movement, still smiling at the teasing.