The Games for Gaiathal (Part 3 of 'A Tale of People and Apples Trilogy')

Chapter 18: Operation Daybreak

"Luka I... I know how sad you are, but I have something to show you... Something that may bring you some joy," She nervously said to him, his care for Calysa beyond simply friendship she realized sadly, her heart breaking for him, and her heart breaking that her intuition, which first told her of their love for one another, was truthful.

The moment he came in with that great smile to inform her and her father that he had a partner for the Island Games.

A partner who he wanted far beyond just the Games.

The back of Maeve's great machine opened at the rear, a pale green glass and metal crib revealing itself to them, to Eeva and Luka. Parents.

She grabbed her newborn babe from the protective casing and took the babe in her arms, Maeve typing upon the side panel of her machine which transformed the trunk from the apparent crib into its original platform, which to Luka resembled a coffin. The others boarded the seats of the vehicle, awaiting their pilot Maeve along with Luka and Eeva.

Before Luka could even turn to speak with Eeva, he had to lay Calysa to rest. He turned to Maeve who hadn't spoken to him privately since he first met her in the Ring.

"Wolf, leave her. Bury her here. Why are you doing this to yourself? We need you to destroy the Marrow, to beat Solan. This girl will bring you nothing but pain, a constant reminder of the horrors you endured here. Horrors of the past which won't help us win right now and in the future."

To Maeve's surprise, and after Luka placed Calysa's body carefully in the back of the vehicle, Luka hugged Maeve tightly. "Thank you, for fighting with us," He said to her, as Maeve confusedly rubbed his back and caught Eeva's uneasy eyes over his shoulder.

"But Calysa must come, keep her here. It's all I ask of you, Maeve," Luka said to her as he released her from his embrace. "It's all I ask in return for... what you're going to do to me."

Eeva scrunched her face in confusion at the words, but continued to rock her baby and waited uneasily for Luka to finally speak with her. Unsure how he would react.

"Okay," Maeve said, wryly smiling and closing the hatch to the back of her machine. It seemed he wanted to bury her somewhere appropriate after it all ended. If it all ended and if they somehow survived.

She boarded the driver's seat of her creation after giving Eeva a squeeze of comfort upon her arm.

Luka slowly approached Eeva, his eyes at the bundle of blankets at her chest and a sleeping baby wrapped within the comfy green. To Eeva, it felt like a lifetime had passed since she had last spoken to Luka. And it felt like that to Luka, too, though he was only a few days removed from last seeing her while she was closer to nine months.

"His name is Aimos," She said to him, and passed the baby into his bewildered arms.

It was difficult for Luka to process what he held. It was as if a new Universe of responsibility crashed down upon his shoulders, a new fear that he had another soul which relied on him in the nearest future for its survival.

Yet despite the pain which piled upon his figurative back, he smiled at the sleeping baby.

"You're sure he's... mine?" Luka asked her as he gently rocked the tiny being in his bloodied and dirty arms. The contrast with his battle hardened arms and ripped uniform and the baby's innocent pure skin almost unbelievable. It made Luka queasy.

"Yes," Eeva scowled and said, trying to hide her anger at his question, trying to be kind during all he had been through. Trying to be kind after all she had been through.

"Eeva, I'll... I'll be there for this child. But..."

"But?" Eeva said, stunned. She couldn't even begin to imagine Luka offering the word 'but' after saying such a statement.