Multiple years passed by. Some beans stayed on an entrance near the medical station from the space station Wildwhirl. Even Lord Pitch was there. Everyone looked saddened. They were really worried about something. Captain Pitch didn't show it like the others, but secretly he was worried as well.
"Captain, you are allowed to visit him. He seems in stable condition for now." One of the doctors said quietly after they walked to the door. The black bean gave a short nod and slowly went in. The door closed behind him. No one else was there. Only him and Admiral Corentin, who was lying in the medical bed. His visor was closed, his breathing seemed to be calm and slow. With heavy steps, the black captain stepped closer to him. Corentin heard his steps and slowly looked over to see him. In the background was a machine that made a tactical peep sound. It was recording Corentin's heartbeat. Looking at it, Pitch could see that his heartbeat was slower.
"There you are, Pitch." The green admiral was happy to see him. He sounded very tired. "Just look at you. You've grown so much."
The captain became concerned as Corentin suddenly coughed after he made that compliment. Pitch didn't really know how to answer back. He was secretly overwhelmed, but he didn't want to show it in front of the old admiral. A while flew by before Pitch found the right words.
"I thought I'd check on you," he replied and went quiet after Corentin coughed once again.
"That's very caring of you. Thank you, Pitch." The admiral was indeed grateful that Pitch decided to check on him. Over the past few years since Captain Pitch came back, he took a lot of care for the black bean. The green bean was aware that Pitch was not young anymore. But his past instincts increased over time and he couldn't help but to take care of Pitch anyway. Memories came flooding back into Corentin's mind. Past missions he shared with Pitch.
"Do you remember our first mission right after you came back to us?" The admiral asked and the black captain was wondering why he asked the question.
"I do remember it." Captain Pitch answered.
"To rebuild the Blackcrow was something very exciting. And I could sense that not just me felt that way. I'm proud that you are back, Pitch. I'm happy to have you around." The long sentence was too exhausting for the old admiral. He ended up coughing badly. It didn't seem to stop and Captain Pitch became worried and concerned in silence. There was a controller with several buttons near the admiral. Pitch grabbed it and activated one of them. While the admiral continued coughing, a few doctors ran towards him to help.
Captain Pitch stepped aside to make room. They all surrounded the bed. As they took care of Corentin, Pitch saw on the monitor how his heartbeat increased wildly. Until it flatlined. Admiral Corentin was dead.
No bean could believe what happened. Even the doctors had to hold back tears. Their admiral died. Guilt arose in some of the doctors because they couldn't help him to stay alive. Corentin died because of his old age. No one should feel guilty over it but some did anyway. For Pitch, it was way too fast. He couldn't believe what he just witnessed. He stepped again a few steps away to clear his mind. There was no sadness seen in his visor but secretly he was. One of the doctors demanded Pitch to leave the medical station. Another one even accused him of killing the admiral on purpose. Which was Pitch's limit and he snorted at the doctor who accused him. Not everyone seemed to trust Pitch at all. Even after years since he came back to prove that he could change. Some still saw him as a cruel impostor. Obviously, Pitch never showed it publicly but it was hurting him in silence that those trust issues were still a thing for some.
He left the medical station and went straight to Hawk and Moon. They should know first what happened to Corentin. He met the pair in front of their room. Starla was with them too. As Pitch stood behind them, Starla notified her parents that Captain Pitch was there. They turned around and realized instantly that something bad happened.
"How's Admiral Corentin doing?" Moon asked gently. Pitch's short pause relayed the bad news but he answered with a heavy deep voice.
"He died."
Moon and Hawk were afflicted to hear that. A tear was seen on the cyan bean's visor. While Starla was a bit too young to understand what was going on around her.
"Well, his condition has been really bad in the last few days." The purple captain reminded him. "It was just a matter of time."
A heavy growl was heard from Pitch. He turned away and was about to leave, but something pulled on his clothes. As he looked down, it was the tiny Starla who looked worried into his visor.
"Uncle Pitch, are you okay?" she asked softly. The young one noticed that something wasn't right with him. Now, Pitch is not biologically her uncle, but Starla sees him as one. A shine on Pitch's half broken visor was noticeable.
"Do I look okay to you?" He then countered back and shook Starla's grip on his clothes.
"No, that's why I asked." The rose one explained but all Pitch did was walk away. The family didn't know where Pitch was going now. Starla went back to her mom and was scared about Captain Pitch's unusual behavior. The young mother took her child in her arms to soothe her. Hawk was petting Starla to calm her down.
"Why don't you follow him and have a talk with him, Moon? I'll take care of our child in the meantime," the purple dad suggested and Moon liked the idea. She placed the child in his arms and followed the black bean quietly.
Dark shadows filled the hallways as Pitch walked by. A few lights from the area flickered. He didn't really understand why the crewmembers didn't repair the lights while Corentin was in the medical station. Did they know that he would pass away? Was that the reason why they neglected this particular hallway? But why would they? The more he thought, the louder the silence became around him. The black captain arrived in front of Corentin's office door. No one was there. Only him. He used a button which let the door slide open. The sound echoed throughout the hall and room. Some plants caught Pitch's attention immediately after he opened the door. The stars were clearly visible outside the giant window behind the table. Pitch pressed another button to turn on the lights. The plants Corentin took care of seemed to be dry. There was a watering can nearby and Pitch had the sudden idea to give them a bit of water. He picked it up and watered the plants.
He then focused his attention on a shelf that decorated the room. Above it were several hanging plants and flowers. It seemed like Corentin loved flowers. Pitch had never noticed them before. He must have added them before his health got worse. With a slow movement, the captain set the watering can aside and walked over to the shelf. He saw some portraits displayed on it. There were a few photos hanging on the wall along with achievements the admiral earned over the years. Pitch took a closer look at them. There was Admiral Corentin, proudly smiling. Another one beside the portrait caught Pitch's attention in particular. It contained the green admiral but younger and a tiny black bean, which he realized was himself. Memories flooded in silence. A flashback played in Pitch's mind and he remembered the day where they took that photo together. As the flashback faded away, the black grumpy bean took an even closer look at it. The glass reflected the light from the room. In the reflection, Pitch saw Moon standing there.
"Why did you follow me, Moon?" Pitch asked, rather annoyed.
It didn't surprise Moon that Pitch noticed her. Maybe he heard her steps as she walked closer? No more thoughts interrupted the cyan commander and she walked closer to Pitch.
"You seem very stressed lately, Pitch." Moon began carefully to talk with Pitch. She was really gentle with him. More gentle than she usually was with Hawk. She didn't want to accidentally anger Pitch. "Are you sure you are alright?"
Pitch only snarled back in response. He wasn't in the mood to talk at all, but after all what Moon did for him over the past few years, he couldn't ignore her, "No, Moon. I'm alright."
"I've noticed that you aren't. We all have. Don't lie to yourself, Pitch," the commander admitted and tried to teach him that it is okay to show emotions. But Pitch just didn't want to. No, he just couldn't. After all the years he had always hidden his feelings towards anyone. No matter who it was. Why should that change? What's even the point of showing emotions? A chaotic loop played in Pitch's mind.
A bit of silence interrupted their conversation. Pitch used that pause to lay the photo back where he found it. As he did, he saw a crumpled letter out of the corner of his visor. Again, his curiosity secretly piqued. He couldn't deny it. Before he could answer Moon, he opened the letter. He went completely silent as he was looking at it. It was a very old drawing. A drawing which Pitch made for Corentin many years ago. The same drawing where he admitted that Corentin was like a dad to him. Some new words were on it, it looked like Corentin wrote something down. It said: 'And you were like a son to me, Pitch. I hope you are coming home soon.'
The limit for Pitch was reached. His visor got heavier and he had to sit down. Moon saw that and helped him. She took a nearby chair and helped Pitch get seated. The young mother didn't want him to sit on the cold ground.
"Take it easy, Pitch." Moon advised. She saw that Pitch was emotionally on a dead end. But why didn't he want to show it? Bottling up feelings made things worse.
"Why are you helping me?" Pitch then suddenly asked with a cracking voice. Moon got irritated by that question.
"Because you are a part of our family." She answered softly and touched his shoulder for a short while before letting go of it. "And families help each other out, no matter how bad the situation is."
"Agh." The black captain muttered and stood up again. He walked towards the office table. There were some pens and a few blank papers lying on it. "It's no use to help me, Commander."
"It is, Pitch. Even if you haven't noticed it yet. But you changed. You changed for the better over the past years. And we all are proud of you. I'm sure that even Corentin would be proud of you." Moon replied.
But Pitch bent his body a bit more down and looked at the table. Suddenly, another one entered the room. Steps were heard from the doorway and Moon turned around to see who it was. It was the grey general Cole. The cyan bean was confused to see him in Corentin's office. Why was he here?
"General Cole? What are you doing here?" Moon asked.
"I could ask the same thing to you two." He countered back and Pitch held his body up as if nothing happened. He shook off his sadness and turned around as well. "What are you two doing here?"
"I was checking Corentin's office." Pitch then explained but Cole made an unsure expression and looked at him suspiciously. He noticed the crumpled letter in Pitch's hand and made an assumption that he could have tried to steal something.
"Did you really just come here to check the office? What's that in your hand, Captain?" Cole's stern undertone secretly made Pitch livid. He walked nearer to the general with the intention to intimidate him.
"None of your business, General." The black captain snarled.
"I'm sure it's nothing to be worried about, General." Moon interrupted, trying to be like the old admiral. He always protected Pitch when someone accused him of something, like Cole did just now.
"Stay out of this, Commander. Or are you supporting impostors like him?" But the general didn't want her to be involved and demanded her to be quiet. The cyan bean inhaled her anger away. He didn't say that in front of Pitch and Moon just now, did he? But yes, he had the nerve to say that. Even Pitch became very upset and he snarled again.
"Pitch, try to stay calm. It's okay." She could understand that he was angry about the fact that Cole was so annoying, but the last thing she wanted was an argument between them.
In that short pause, the grey general had the opportunity to walk around the room a bit. He looked at the photos, the table, and the flowers and plants in the office. Something seemed to be of interest in Cole's mind. But no one could figure out what it was. He looked around as if he was searching for something. As he stood in front of the table near the chair, he went back to Pitch, "I'm still asking myself why you went to Corentin's office. Did you try to steal something from him?"
"No, Pitch would never steal something from anyone's room. General, with all due respect, but Pitch has changed." Instead of Pitch answering, Moon gave her best to help him out. To be a helping hand for him. To protect him.
Walking away from the table, Cole stood near the black captain once again and looked deeply at him. His suspicious look didn't fade away. Cole was too stubborn to believe that Pitch had changed. It was impossible that such an impostor like Pitch could ever change. Very well knowing about his history. Pitch still held the opened letter in his hands and the grey one could see that he tightened his grip on it out of rage.
"If that something in your hands isn't that important, Captain, you can give it to me then." The general took out his hand to take it from Pitch. Rage filled up inside Pitch as he witnessed how Cole tried to get the drawing from him. A protective feeling increased as well and a feeling of fear, which the black bean couldn't describe. As Cole grabbed the paper, Pitch slapped him across the face with his sharp claws. It ripped apart as he snatched it from him. One half was in Pitch's and the other in Cole's hand. The general fell to the ground after Pitch slapped him. His right cheek began to bleed. Three scratches were visible on Cole's face from Pitch's attack. Moon was appalled as it happened and went to Cole. The general didn't want her help. He just snarled at the cyan-colored commander and stood up.
"I knew it. Still acting like an impostor." Cole said angrily, covering his new wounds with his hand. He gave the torn piece back to Pitch and walked out of the office.
After Cole left, the black captain looked at the paper again. Moon was still curious about what it actually was. Whatever it was, it had to be something meaningful for Pitch. Otherwise, he wouldn't be so overprotective over it. The drawing Pitch held was now ripped into two pieces. On the left side was Corentin and on the right, the tiny Pitch. Some of the words weren't readable anymore.
"Pitch..." A quiet voice spoke. Moon wasn't trusting her visor either about what she just witnessed, but she could understand Pitch's point of view. He was very stressed lately and easily riled up. The young mother was in such a situation before. She knew what that felt like. No more words were spoken afterward. Pitch walked out of the room and went somewhere else.
A bit of time flew by and a ceremony in the Wildwhirl's space station began. Everyone was paying their respects to Admiral Corentin. All of the members were there to say their goodbyes. Some of the members wore black suits. As did Hawk, Pitch, and even Saros. Starla was clueless of what had been happening during the past few minutes. Everyone around her was sad, sorrowful, and quieter than usual. The current atmosphere scared the little bean a bit. She silently clung to her mother's side and searched for comfort. Moon felt Starla's hug and wrapped her arm around the rose-colored bean to soothe her. The others were quiet. Completely quiet. Candles lit up the area around Corentin's closed coffin and the crowd.
Captain Pitch stood beside Hawk. He was the only one who couldn't show sadness publicly. His ears detected a quiet whisper. Two beans on the other side whispered quietly and looked at Pitch while they did. A hand was raised up even. They hoped that Pitch couldn't hear their words by covering their mouths. An uncomfortable assumption popped up. The black captain couldn't get rid of the feeling that those two were talking badly about him behind his back. Was it because he couldn't show emotions? Why did they do that? Pitch decided to step away from the ceremony to calm down before his rage became too intense to handle. Everyone was so focused on paying their last respects that nobody noticed Pitch had disappeared. But the purple captain did. He opened his visor and sensed that something wasn't right with the black one. As quietly as possible, Hawk followed Pitch out of the room to check on him.
For some reason the wizard suddenly felt green with envy. He didn't understand why Hawk followed Pitch. What was the reason behind it? The wizard's curiosity didn't end and he decided to follow as well.
In a side hall where no one could hear them, the wizard had the great idea to summon a hidden tentacle in front of where the purple captain was walking. As Hawk stepped on it, he fell down. The black captain didn't hear it because he was too far away. The purple dad rubbed the pain away after he fell and snarled. Saros came closer to him and teased:
"You need to be a bit more careful, captain."
"Thank you very much for your advice, wizard." Hawk said, annoyed. Saros rolled his visor in response. He was frustrated that Hawk didn't call him by his actual name. He always called him 'wizard' instead.
"I have a name, Captain." Saros reminded him and Hawk mockingly thought;
"Let me try to remember, Saro, Sars, Sarps, Sarah perhaps?"
"No, Hawk. It's Saros. Sa-ros! Get that inside your mind!" Rage was the only thing the wizard was able to feel and he didn't like it one bit. He didn't like it when others teased him like that. He didn't even understand why Hawk was mocking him. On the other hand, how many times did Saros tease Hawk by now?
"If I were you, Sarps -"
"It's Saros! Agh." The red one said angered, but Hawk continued.
"However, if I were you I'd advise you to worry about Pitch. Haven't you noticed that he has been very stressed lately?" Of course Saros noticed, but he didn't know what to do. All those situations were something new to the wizard. Even Saros was still learning how to deal with everything that had happened so far.
"O-of course I did." The wizard admitted and helped Hawk back up. The purple captain brushed off all the dirt that got on his black suit.
"Why don't you go to him and try to cheer him up? Be a bit more of a helping hand for him." Hawk replied calmly.
But Saros sighed in response, "I'm not sure if I'd be good enough for him."
"You never know it if you don't try." Yes, Hawk was sort of right. He never tried it before. Every time Saros thought of helping Pitch, he suddenly felt afraid to. He became anxious around him and insecure, but not in a negative way. The red bean couldn't describe what kind of feeling that was. He just couldn't think of the right words for it.
"Hm." Saros went into deep thought. After their conversation, Hawk wasn't sure if he should talk with Pitch. Maybe he needed a bit of time for himself to clear his mind. A lot of things happened and he was sure that Captain Pitch was having a hard time dealing with Corentin's death.
"But on the other hand, maybe it's better if we go back to the ceremony for now. We can check on Pitch later." Hawk suggested, and Saros agreed with him. Both of them walked back to the ceremony. Moon was wondering where they went as they quietly came back.
"Hawk, where did you two go?" Moon whispered. No one could hear her except Hawk.
"It's okay, my sweetheart. Nothing to worry about."
A short moment of silence passed. No one spoke. They all paid their attention to the ceremony. The two beans who talked about Pitch focused on the ceremony as well. All except for Pitch. He went back to his own office. The halls he walked were empty. He removed the handkerchief that adorned his black suit and sat himself at the desk. He heard something several rooms away. It was the sound of an organ. The music echoed through the whole space station as Saros played. Pitch kept his feelings bottled up as he listened to the calm music. It lasted for a few minutes and he was glad that they flew by fast. He noticed one tiny tear on his visor, whisked it away, and pretended it never happened.
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