Cody III, Chapter 3 Cody's legs protruded, absurd and out of place against the tangle of iridescent wires and pulsing conduits. Sweat trickled down his forehead as he wriggled back from the bowels of the control panel, a maze of Ara technology that defied his understanding. With a defeated grunt, he extricated himself and sat up, his gaze falling upon the chaotic jumble of alien circuitry that remained stubbornly inscrutable. "We need to move to the alternate Bridge," Cody declared, voice echoing slightly in the dimly lit chamber. "This is hopeless. I can’t fix it." Amelia watched her son, her brow furrowing in concern. "Why can’t Fang, Whiskers, and Two-tails fix the ship?" she asked, her voice a harmonious contrast to the metallic clinks and hums that filled the room. Cody brushed his hands on his trousers, leaving streaks of grime on the fabric. "They're not engineers, Mom." His words were blunt, his tone edged with frustration. With a collective sense of resignation, the group abandoned the main Bridge. The hushed shuffle of their steps resonated through the corridors as they made their way to the secondary command center—a haven in times of crisis. Upon entering the alternate Bridge, Cody paused for a moment to marvel at the fact that the vessel had withstood the supernova's wrath. Whisker's lightning-fast reflexes had save the ship from total destruction. Even so, there was an undeniable limit to what even an Ara ship could endure. The Captain's chair accepted Cody's weight as he slumped into it; the faux leather groaned under the sudden burden. His eyes roamed over the panels, their lights blinking intermittently, a morse code of despair. What next? The thought hovered like a specter above the flickering displays. Cody leaned forward, elbows on knees, hands clasped together—searching the depths of his young mind for a spark of ingenuity that might light their darkened path. Fang's shadow loomed over the console, a dark contrast to the flickering lights. He leaned in, close enough for Cody to notice the concern etched on his ally's face. "It's not your dad’s fault the ship was damaged." Cody mustered a weak smile, his eyes glinting with the faint luminescence that betrayed his half-Ara lineage. "I know," he replied, voice steady despite the chaos that had befallen them. "It was a good idea to check out that science station, but nobody could have known it was a trap." Dr. Samuel Branson approached, his steps measured, his expression a mixture of regret and determination. "I'm sorry about your ship," he said, clasping a hand on Cody's shoulder. The ship creaked around them, groaning under the weight of damage it had sustained. Cody shook his head, dismissing his father's apology with the grace of someone who had seen too much for his years. "Dad, it wasn't your fault. Who would ever think somebody even had the technology to blow up a sun? That was crazy. We're up against someone really smart, and evil." Sam nodded, understanding lighting up his features. "I was talking with Whiskers. He didn't get to look into the telescope, but he did see it and can mark the general direction it was pointed." "Where was it pointed?" Cody's gaze sharpened, the curiosity of a boy intertwined with the analytical mind of a burgeoning engineer. "The Dragon Claw nebula," Sam replied, his voice carrying a hint of irony. Cody laughed—a short, mirthless sound. "Of course it does. How much you want to bet there's another trap there, and if we survive that trap, it tells us to go to another place with another trap?" Sam raised a finger, a signal that an idea was forming, gathering substance. "I've got an idea... but..." Cody offered his dad a tight-lipped smile, encouragement woven through his skepticism. "Dad, it wasn't your fault. What's your idea?" Taking a deep breath, Sam outlined his plan. "My guess, every place we get lured to will have the word 'Dragon' in its name. Let's spend some time searching through the galactic maps for every place that has the word 'Dragon.'" Brightening, Cody's youthful enthusiasm shone through the gloom. "Brilliant idea, Dad. Maybe we can find a pattern without walking into every trap whoever did this has set for us." They dove into the task with fervor, poring over charts and data pads strewn across the alternate Bridge. Days passed—two to be exact—with little sleep and less certainty. Clustered around the main display, the group hunched like detectives sifting for clues. "Okay, so here's all our clues," Cody announced, tapping the screen where names dotted the starry expanse. Amelia stepped forward, her keen eyes scanning beyond the obvious. "Hold on," she interjected. "Whiskers said the telescope was pointed in the general direction of the Dragon Claw Nebula, but what if that isn't what the telescope was pointed at?" Her finger landed on a celestial body skirting the edge of the map. "Look at this planet beyond the nebula, out here." Cody leaned in, reading the label that hovered beside the distant orb. "Terragon," he murmured. "Isn't that an herb or something? We're looking for dragons." Amelia's grin sparked a collective curiosity. "Cody, the scientific name for Terragon is Artemisia dracunculus." Kneeling next to Cody, Tara's eyes widened in realization. "It's another word for dragon!" Amelia's nod was firm, decisive. "The Dragon Claw nebula is too obvious a trap to fool us a second time. Terragon is where we'll find the next clue." "You're brilliant, Mom," Cody exclaimed, admiration swelling within him. "Now we only need a ship to get there, this one is broken," he stated, gazing at the crippled vessel surrounding them. "Have faith, I called for a tow-truck," Tara assured him, her voice a soothing balm to the sting of uncertainty. Cody couldn't help but laugh, though the sound held more hope than humor. "The Aurora is big enough to tow a moon. I hope it gets here soon." The vastness of space seemed to shrink as the Aurora emerged from hyperspace, its immense shadow enveloping Cody's disabled craft. He gripped the edges of the Captain's chair, his knuckles whitening. "Tara! Tell them we're here!" "Already on it," Tara called back, her voice steady despite the adrenaline surging through her veins. She buckled herself into the navigator's seat with practiced ease, her movements swift and sure. "Everyone buckle in," she commanded, the words barely out before the viewports were filled with the sight of the Aurora looming larger with every breath. Cody's heart raced as two specks detached from the colossal ship, growing rapidly as they approached. "What are they doing!" he shouted, his curiosity wrestling with his anxiety. "Collecting us like space debris," Tara said, a hint of awe in her tone. The two ships unfurled a net vast enough to ensnare a small moon. They darted to either side of the stricken vessel with surgical precision. A sudden jolt signaled their capture. "Brace for a swing!" Tara warned, and the crew felt the momentum shift as their ship was hauled in an arc toward the Aurora. At the last moment, the towing ships released their hold, sending Cody's ship adrift straight into another outstretched net. "Nice catch," Cody muttered, as the netting held firm and the cranes began their work, lowering them onto the deck with a final, solid thump. "Uncle Max will know what to do," Tara murmured, more to herself than anyone else, as she sprang up and made for the airlock. Her steps echoed down the corridor, each one a beat closer to reunion and resolution. The airlock hissed open, and Tara bounded down the stairs with a grace born of mixed heritage. Before her stood a man whose bearing spoke of command, his salt-and-pepper hair framing a face marked by the trials of leadership. "Uncle Max!" Tara's voice broke through the tension, her body colliding with his in a fierce embrace. "I'm so glad to see you." Captain Maximillian Archer returned the hug warmly, then turned his gaze to Cody, who now stood a few paces away, weariness etched into his young features. "The Third Light and a super nova? Quite the birthday adventure," he remarked, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. "It wasn't supposed to end with us almost getting vaporized," Cody said, the weight of recent events bowing his shoulders. "Yet here you are," Captain Archer observed, "and your ship is still in one piece. That counts for something." "Can you fix it, Uncle Max?" Tara's question hung between them, hope mingling with the recycled air of the docking bay. Captain Archer surveyed the Ara craft, his eyes tracing the scorched hull, assessing damage unseen. "We'll get her flying again," he said at last, confidence resonating in his voice. "Let's take a look at what you've got." Max's nod was subtle, a slight bow of his head that held the authority of eons. "I can fix it," he asserted, the timbre of his voice leaving no room for doubt. Fang, his emerald glow dimming with concern, stepped forward, towering over the human Captain. "Sir, this is Ara technology, it is far beyond human understanding." Captain Archer's laugh cut through the tension like a laser scalpel—sharp, precise, and unexpectedly warm. "I’ll get my engineers together," he said, flashing a smile that seemed to mock the very notion of limitation. "Tara, you can break it to your Ara friends that they aren’t the only technologically advanced species in the universe." Tara turned to face Fang, her eyes shimmering with secrets yet untold. She spoke with the clarity of revelation. "Fang, I was born on the Aurora. The people living here aren’t the humans you’ve been dealing with out there.” Tara waved her arm in the general direction of space beyond the massive ship. Fang nodded, his stature erect, a soldier recalling duty. A grin played upon Tara's lips, an amusement that danced with gravity. "There’s actually two races of humans." Her gaze flicked from fang to Cody, and back again. "Cody was born in this age, but Uncle Max and I was born millions of years ago during the Golden Age of Human technology, along with millions of other people that are still in sleep-pods, waiting for a new world to be found." The air felt charged, history woven into the very fabric of the moment. "The humans you’ve met and been dealing with are the ones that weren’t fortunate enough to have descendants that found a spot on one of the World Ships." Tara's hand swept towards the massive World Ship that defined the skyline of her heritage. "Those humans fell back to the dark ages after Earth was practically destroyed. They had a long crawl to get back to the space age, and they only did it because Uncle Max has been sprinkling our people among them for almost ten-thousand years." Tara turned away from the ship to stare out at space. “I was supposed to be one of those people that would be placed somewhere and help push the human race one more step forward… but…” Fang's gaze lingered between the ancient man and the young girl, a silent acknowledgment passed between them. The future, once uncertain, now promised a melding of past and present—a symphony of human and Ara ingenuity. Cody's heart pounded, a drumbeat echoing the turmoil within. He stared at Tara, the glow in her eyes now a beacon of ancient secrets. "Tara… but what?" His voice barely rose above a whisper, laden with the weight of his dawning realization. Her confession hovered between them, a chasm of truth and consequence. "I fell in love with you," she admitted, the words tumbling out in a rush. “I begged Uncle Max to put me on Ara, instead of the human world I was supposed to go to, so I could be with you.” The revelation struck Cody like a comet, igniting a flurry of emotions in his chest He had known some of this story, but not all of it. Dr. Amelia Branson stepped forward, her touch gentle as she took Tara's arms. A knowing look passed between them, one of shared understanding. "Sweetheart," she began, her tone soothing yet firm, "Pretty much everyone knows of Captain Archer’s plan to save the human species from extinction. Cody might be the only one that doesn’t know. He’s a sweet boy, but he can be thick sometimes." Her revelation hung in the air; that everyone but Cody had been aware. "Mom, I’m standing right here," Cody interjected, his protest weak against the tide of information washing over him. Amelia's gaze didn’t waver, casting an unwavering net of maternal support. She reassured Tara that nothing was lost, her future was brighter than it had ever been. Even if Cody had decided to be a potato farmer. Tara grinned. “Cody’s dealing with something, the potato farm is just his way of sulking while he works it out.” Beside them, Cody's cheeks burned, a dash of embarrassment coloring his features at the mention of potato farming. "Yep, that’s me, just a pile of mashed potatoes," he retorted, his pride smarting. “Just the smartest engineering candidate in a hundred years, now a potato farmer. The irony wasn't lost on him, his self-worth momentarily eclipsed by the grandeur of ancient legacies. In the silence that followed, the ship's hum served as a reminder of their shared journey, a blend of past and present hurtling towards an uncertain future. Amelia took her son’s hand. “Cody, you need to stop sulking, you need to focus completely on finding your father, Firebelly.” Cody’s mouth dropped open and a wave of anger rolled over him. “Who told you, I’ll kill them!” Cody swore under his breath. “Darling, nobody told us, and it is so sweet that you were trying to protect us. I’m not mad at Firebelly for using us like he did, he gave us a miracle.” “You’re my mom and dad, I hate Firebelly,” Cody spat the words out. “No, you don’t, sweetheart,” Amelia said softly. “Let me tell you a story. Sam and I booked passage on a ship to Alpha Centauri, where we were to do our internship for our first doctorate. There was an accident and the radiation shields failed. The doctors saved our lives, but both of us were left infertile because of the radiation. We were never going to have the child we wanted so much. And then when I became pregnant with you, it was a miracle, given to us by Firebelly, we were going to have the son we wanted. It saved our marriage. Your dad and I were having bad times back then. So, fix your ship, and let’s get out there and find your father.” Cody glanced at Sam. “I’m still your dad, Cody,” Sam said with a warm smile. “I don’t care how you arrived, I’m just glad you did. Every moment with you has been a blessing I would have been denied if not for Firebelly.” Tara's fingers intertwined with Cody's, a firm yet gentle grasp that pulled him away from his self-deprecation. The air around them hummed with the latent power of the damaged ship, its once sleek lines now scarred and twisted. "Come on," she said, her voice carrying the weight of resolve. "We need to help Uncle Max fix your ship. You can hold the tools or something." Cody felt the warmth of her hand seep into his, lending strength. His gaze lingered on their joined hands for a moment before he nodded, the corners of his mouth lifting in a tentative smile. They moved together through the corridors of the vessel, metal groaning softly under their feet, the scent of burnt circuits lingering like a ghost. In the aftermath of their quiet departure, Sam's eyes met Amelia's, a silent conversation passing between them. He reached for her hand, skin brushing against skin, a tangible reminder of shared decades. "We're going to have very interesting grandchildren," he murmured, a hint of wonder lacing his words. Amelia's lips quirked, a soft chuckle escaping her. Their fingers entwined, a simple act that anchored them amidst the chaos of interstellar consequences. They stood there, united, watching the future unfold in the clasped hands of Tara and Cody.