As the Humpback resumes its trek to Avion, Tarantea speaks with Captain Farron about the Federation attack. She mentions how the Federation has been more aggressive in dealing with dissenters in recent months. Farron asks if there is a reason behind the attacks but Tarantea has no clue. Sierra proposes it might have to do with the recent election that occurred on Earth. It’s likely that they sense weakness within the Republic.

“That would explain the recent rumors going around.” Says Tarantea.

“What rumors exactly?” Asks Farron.

“Apparently, there’s been a lot of dysfunctions with Federation leadership. With the current state of the Republic, it’s likely the Federation is doing this to show of strength.” Says Tarantea.

“And the easiest way to do that is by taking down any rebels in Federation controlled territory.” Says Sierra.

Suddenly, Xel enters Farron’s office with something important to tell him and Tarantea.

“Captain. We have arrived at Avion and are ready to land. Oh! Tarantea. Your crew has been fully treated. Most of them even made a full recovery.” Says Xel.

“That’s good to hear. What do you intend to do now?” Asks Farron to Tarantea.

“At the moment, we are going to let the Avian official know what happening. From there, we going to lie low and rebuild.” Says Tarantea.

Upon landing on Avion, the ALF exit the Humpback much to the surprise of the locals. Tarantea is not far behind as she bids farewell to the Humpback crew. Just then, Sierra rushes behind Tarantea in order to ask her a question Sierra had in mind. A question involving a certain someone.

“You wouldn’t have happened to have seen a human on Arachtos? Black hair? Blue eyes? Looks like he need coffee constantly? Pilots an eagle starfighter?” Asks Sierra, overwhelming Tarantea.

“Slow down little fishy. To answer your question, no. The Republic typically avoids attacking on planets directly.” Says Tarantea.

“Oh. Sorry about asking. I just thought you would know something.” Says Sierra with disappointment in her voice.

“To be fair, there are reports of a Republic starfighter attacking Republic facilities. So, who knows. You might find this person eventually. It’s clear you care about him a lot.” Says Tarantea.

“Yeah. Besides, friends look after each other. No matter what.” Says Sierra.

Sierra bids Farewell to Tarantea and returns to the Humpback. She passes by Xel, who is getting the photonium power cells for the ship as well as means to repair the ship. Sierra approaches the Battle Kong and assesses the damage. Luckily, the Battle Kong sustained minimal damage thanks to its upgraded armor. For now, Sierra can resume with the remaining upgrades while also repairing the Battle Kong. While she does this, Sierra thinks back to when she and Jack first met. Back when they were kids on Earth.

Many years ago, Jack was a human kid living on Earth. He had a particular interest in spaceships and how they were made. One day Jack was building a model starfighter when he was confronted by older kids who saw him as an easy target. Each of the bullies took their turn beating Jack senseless. Suddenly, a blue Aquarian decks one of the bullies in the face, knocking tooth out of their mouth. The other bullies quickly backed away from Jack and left their “friend” behind. The last bully also runs away from the Aquarian. Jack gets a closer look at the Aquarian and realized how close in age they were despite the fact the Aquarian was much stronger.

“Hey there! How are you holding up?” Says Sierra, the Aquarian that saved Jack.

“Sort of. Everything hurts but I can stand.” Says Jack, struggling to stand.

“If they show up again, I’ll make sure they’ll regret picking on anyone.” Says Sierra.

Jack notices a model of a tyrannosaur mech in Sierra’s pocket. It dawns on Jack that him and Sierra share a similar interest in machinery and the making of machines. Sierra then helps Jack rebuild the starfighter. Upon completion, they played with each other for the rest of the day and from there on became friends with a near unbreakable bond. Before leaving as the sun sets, Sierra and Jack introduce each other properly.

“Jack Rider. Pleasure to meet you.” Says Jack, reaching out his hand.

“Sierra Oceana. Let’s meet again sometime!” Says Sierra.

Back in the present day, Sierra finishes the repairs on the Battle Kong and even manages to finished the pulse cannon. She prepares to attach the pulse cannon as the humpback begins to take off from the ground. Upon attaching the cannon, Sierra ends her shift and heads to her room. She enters the room and prepares to check what’s left of the upgrades. As she does this, Sierra notices her old model tyrannosaur mech she has on her shelf. All these years, Sierra kept it as a memento of her and as a reminder of what drove her to enter mech development. As she is reminiscing, Sierra is interrupted by a knocking at her door. At first, she thinks its Farron given his tendency of checking on the well-being of the crew. As she opens the door however, Sierra is greeted by Xel who appears to have something important to show Sierra.

“Sierra! Glad you’re here.” Says Xel.

“What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be treating any patients.” Asks Sierra.

“My shift ended but that’s besides the point. I was exiting the clinic when I got a message on my portable communicator. Here. Have a look.” Says Xel, handing over the communicator.

“What the?! This message… it’s from Jack. It’s actually from him!” Says Sierra with shock on her face.

“Sierra. Xel. I want you both to know that I don’t regret my time with either of you and the rest of the crew. But after the ambush, I’ve realized that so long as the Republic is after us, we will never be safe. So, for your sake, I’ll keep them busy while you all escape and for the resistance that will end this conflict. Don’t bother finding me. The last thing I need is to lose those I hold dear.” Says Jacks message.

As the message ends, Sierra and Xel are shocked by what Jack is telling them to do. It quickly dawns on them that Sierra and Xel have to find Jack soon before he does something he’ll regret.