"Apprentice Keith Montgomery, please report to the Dean’s Office immediately," a disembodied voice announced over the PA system in the practice hall where Keith’s freestyle hand-to-hand combat class, his last for the day, was being held.

The sound distracted Keith, who was grappling with Lance in the middle of the mat. The loss of concentration was enough for Lance to throw him off and almost get an elbow in his stomach if  he hadn’t sprung away in time. Lance scrambled to his feet, and they stood with legs apart at the center of the mat, breathing hard, and gauging what the other’s next move would be.

"That’s enough, you two, we’ll call it a draw for now," barked their huge beefy instructor blowing a whistle to signal the end of the match.

Keith and Lance bowed to each other in the middle of the mat, and Lance gave his friend a grin. "Looks like this is one match you won’t beat me at," he quipped.

"Only because you got lucky," Keith said as he playfully socked Lance on the shoulder as they walked off the mat towards their instructor. The instructor nodded in approval at both as he ruffled their heads.

"That was good work, boys,"  he praised. He turned towards Keith and gestured with his thumb. "Well, Apprentice Montgomery, appears like you’ve gotten yourself into some kind of mess with the Dean. You better get on there as soon as you get back in uniform. Hit the showers, boy."

Keith ran towards the showers, not really worried about what was waiting at the Dean’s Office. After all, he hadn’t really done anything against Academy rules… had he?
 
 

The receptionist at the Dean’s office, a junior officer in an Alliance uniform instead of an Academy uniform, quirked her eyebrow in amusement at Keith as he entered the room cautiously, eyes darting from one side of the room to another. "Hey, kid, get in here – I don’t bite," she said wryly, motioning for him to take a seat on one of the couches in the anteroom. "The Dean’s still seeing a couple of folks inside his office, and he wants you to wait here until he calls for you."

Keith came into the room and gingerly took a seat on the couch nearest the inner office door, right beside the receptionist’s table. He fidgeted nervously with his hands, keeping his gaze on his boots, trying to remember what he had done the past twenty-four hours that would get him called by the Dean.

"Got yourself into trouble, did you?" the receptionist teased, earning an indignant glance from Keith. She was very pretty, with a pair of leaf-green eyes and a head full of thick chestnut brown hair, and she was smiling tauntingly at him. "Well? Cat got your tongue?"

Keith glared at her. "I did not get into trouble," he finally retorted, his face flushed. "I don’t know why Dean Graham asked me to come in here, but –" The door to the inner office clicked open and a gray-streaked head peeked out. At the sound, Keith shot up from the couch and stood stiffly in attention, a motion punctuated by a giggle from the receptionist manning the desk.

"Ensign Walker, is Apprentice Montgomery here – oh there you are, Keith,"  Dean Graham said, smiling at him in welcome. Keith took it as a good sign – after all, if Dean Graham were planning to punish him for something, he wouldn’t be smiling at him… would he? The Dean motioned him inside the office. "Come in, Apprentice, there are people here who want to see you." He retreated into the office, and Keith curiously followed him.

It was a spacious office, the floor padded by a thick burgundy carpet and the walls lined with synthetic mahogany paneling, since it was illegal to use real wood. Dean Graham’s desk sat in the middle of the room, and several pictures and framed certificates were hung on the walls. In one corner, two figures stood examining certificates on the wall – one was a tall man with dark unruly hair and the other a petite slender young woman with waist-long hair the color of reddish gold.

"He’s here," Dean Graham said, ruffling his hair with a fond grin and a twinkle in his eyes. "The best student in his batch, both in physicals and in academics, and he's improving every day."

"A chip off the old block, of course," a familiar voice said from the corner and Keith’s eyes widened in shock and happiness.

"Dad!" he exclaimed, running towards his father who affectionately slapped him on the shoulder and ruffled his hair, a gesture hard to reconcile with the forbidding uniform the young admiral was wearing. "What are you doing here… is that you, Mom?"

"Young man, I can’t believe that a mere change of clothes can cause you not to recognize your own Mom." Keith slowly turned to the beautiful woman standing beside his father wearing an Alliance officer’s uniform with a commander’s insignia; he couldn’t believe it was his really his mother holding out her arms to him with a welcoming smile. It was the first time he had ever seen her in full uniform. He reluctantly walked into her arms, afraid to crumple her uniform, and gingerly gave her a hug, quickly releasing her before doing any damage. His mother continued to drape her arm around his shoulders and hold him close to her side.

"Mom? Dad? What are you guys doing down here? My eleventh birthday isn’t until a month from now," he said, scratching his head in puzzlement and looking from his mother to his father in askance. The expression on his face caused all three adults to laugh.

"Look, Zachary, he’s grown past my shoulders now," his mother said in awe, holding him away from her to look at him. "And we haven’t seen him for only three months."

The admiral laughed and took a good look at his son. "That isn’t saying much, Kat, you being the shrimp that you are," he affectionately teased his wife, who gave him a playful slap on the arm. He turned to Dean Graham with a slightly troubled expression. "Are you sure it would be all right for Keith to miss his classes tomorrow?"

"It won’t be a problem," Dean Graham replied, taking a seat on the chair behind his desk and watching the family. "I don’t think he’ll have much trouble catching up, as it’s just a few days past his midterm examinations. They’ve barely started with the new lessons."

Keith looked at his dad in surprise, but good manners kept him from jumping into the conversation with his questions. He turned to his mom, who placed a finger to her lips and winked at him. He watched silently as his father approached Dean Graham’s desk and extended his hand to him. The Dean clasped it warmly and shook it. "Very well then. We had better get going. Don’t worry, Evan, we’ll have him back here by tomorrow evening."

Dean Graham nodded solemnly. "Yes, that will be fine," he said, releasing Admiral Montgomery’s hand. "I’ll see you tomorrow then, Apprentice?" he asked, turning his smile on Keith.

"Yes, sir," Keith replied briskly, moving away from his mother to give a sharp salute, causing the Dean to send a laughing glance towards the admiral, who was looking at his son’s form and bearing with admiration and a fair amount of pride.

"Well, Zachary, he certainly is turning out to be a chip from the old block," Dean Graham said, dismissing Keith with a wave of his hand. Keith put down his hand and moved back into the warm circle of his mother’s welcoming arms.

Commander Katherine Montgomery grimaced at her husband and gave Dean Graham one last smile and a wink. "Of course, Dean Graham, Keith is a chip off my block," she quipped. The couple ushered a dazed Keith out of the room and closed the inner office room door to the sound of  Dean Graham’s loud laughter.
 

Katherine had cooked dinner of prime beef ribs and had set the table for a romantic candlelit dinner for herself and "the two men in my life." She insisted both Keith and Zachary dress up for dinner, and she had gotten her way after several loud moans and groans from father and son.

"Mom, why did I have to wear this tie anyway?" Keith complained, running a finger under his collar and eyeing his mother reproachfully as she placed a plate overflowing with ribs in front of him. "And you both haven’t answered my question about why you guys brought me home in the middle of term."

"We’ll discuss it later – now dig in," Zachary said firmly. He sighed towards Katherine, who was just taking her seat across from Keith. "Although I have to admit that the suit and tie is overdoing it a bit, Kat."

"I was cooking in an emerald green velvet sheath with an apron – but was I complaining?" Katherine retorted tartly, ignoring her husband’s woebegone expression and earning a laugh from her son. "Now both of you eat your dinner and tell me again what a wonderful cook I’ve become since we first got married."

Despite their formal clothing, dinner was the same quietly riotous affair Keith had always remembered. He watched his parents bicker with amusement and affection, not knowing the reason why he was here, but glad to be home. He sometimes became so caught up by the pressures of  being an apprentice in training at the Academy while at the same time completing his grade level academic requirements that he forgot how much he missed being with his parents and their constant teasing and warmth. The candlelight flickered over them, bathing the dim room in its yellow light, and it seemed like it was laughing in time with them.

"That was incredible, Katherine," Zachary said after finishing the last bite on his plate with a satisfied smile, leaning back on his chair and patting his stomach. "For the first time, I don’t think I’ll have to get the stomach pumps from the garage tonight. What do you think, son?"

Keith laughed at his mother’s outraged gasp and indignant expression. "Stomach pumps! For that, Zachary Lionel Montgomery, you will not have even a sliver of the decadent chocolate fudge cake I baked for Keith tonight," she declared, standing from her chair and taking all both their.

"Chocolate fudge cake – all right!" Keith exclaimed, punching his fist in the air, unmindful of his formal clothes. "This really must be a special occasion!"

"Oh, it is," Katherine replied with a twinkle in her emerald-green eyes before she whirled around and walked towards the kitchen. "And your father won’t even get a taste of it, more’s the pity."

Zachary’s eyes followed her as she disappeared behind the door connecting the dining room to the kitchen. Then he turned towards his son conspiratorially. "You will let me have a forkful of the cake, won’t you, son?" he asked pleadingly.

"I’ll think about it, Dad," Keith replied with a grin. "Maybe if you agree to teach me that move you used on me the last time we sparred? You know, the one you said was too dangerous because you said I was still too short?"

Zachary laughed, glad to see that Keith had inherited his mother’s spitfire wit. "You drive a hard bargain, young man," he declared, reaching over and giving his hair another affectionate rumple. He looked at his son in assessment. "Then again – you are tall enough now…"

A sweet, musical voice floated in suddenly from the kitchen, softly singing "Happy Birthday." Katherine walked back to the table carrying a large cake frosted with chocolate fudge icing and topped with eleven lit blue candles. Very carefully, she placed the cake in front of Keith, who looked at it in renewed puzzlement. "Happy birthday, Keith."

"But Mom – my birthday isn’t…"

"We know that, son," Zachary said solemnly, watching the candles light up his young son’s eyes. He was growing so very fast, this son of his, and he was growing up to be a man to be proud of. His chest tightened with emotion and pride. "We just – your mother and I – we decided that we would like to celebrate it with you a month earlier." Keith continued to regard him with a thoughtful expression. "Go ahead, make a wish," he urged.

In the meantime, Katherine sat back at her seat, and Zachary caught her hand in his and held it tight. Katherine exchanged another loving glance with him, tears glistening in her eyes, and he knew that she was thinking the same thing of the young man who was intently staring at his cake and thinking of an appropriate wish.

They watched as he closed his eyes and blew all the candles out in one long breath, clapping their hands and beaming at him with approval.

"Dinner was wonderful, mom, and the cake is great," Keith said, turning from one parent to the other in confusion. "But why did we have to celebrate my birthday a month earlier? What’s wrong with next month?" His intense dark eyes pinned both his parents in their fire.

Zachary avoided the dark eyes so like his own and exchanged another meaningful glance with his wife. Neither of them knew what to say. The silence in the room suddenly became deafening, and Keith could hear the pounding of his heart. All of a sudden, he was afraid.

Katherine silently rose from her seat, the scraping sound of her chair on the floor the only sound in the room, and busied herself by cutting the cake, serving Keith one slice and Zachary another. Finally, she cut a slice for herself, but before she could move back to her place on the table, Keith put his small hand on hers.

"Mom. You have to tell me," he said quietly. He looked at Katherine’s pinched expression and Zachary’s studiously stony one. "You’re going on another mission again, aren’t you? Both of you are," he guessed. The guilty flushes on both their faces confirmed it, and, even if he didn’t think it was possible, his heart beat even faster, harder. This wasn’t the first time they had left on a mission together since he began his education at the Academy, but for some reason, this time, he was afraid. "When do you leave?"

Zachary finally capitulated, looking at him straight in the eyes. "The day after tomorrow," he replied gruffly. Katherine gently removed her son’s hand from hers and took her seat, moving her chair closer to Zachary’s in a show of a united front towards her son.

"It’s a fairly easy one – we’ll be back before you come back home for your holidays three months from now," Zach explained reassuringly. Keith continued to regard both of them with a thoughtful expression, and Zach hated not being able to read his mood. "I was assigned to lead an exploratory  mission into the far galaxy, near the planet Aidel. It seems that there is some kind of energy disturbance in that area, and they want me and my team to check it out. Piece of cake. Boring, actually."

Keith looked at his father with a slight frown upon his face. He didn't know why, but he could sense that they were keeping something about this mission from him, something they had never done before. "You promised me that the next time you went out on a mission, you would take me along," he stated matter-of-factly. "How come you didn’t tell me about this mission earlier?  I could’ve asked my teachers for the advance work so that I wouldn’t fall behind when I came back –"

"You’re not going anywhere, Keith," Katherine stated gently. Keith gasped indignantly at that, but his mother didn’t allow him to speak. "Tomorrow, you’ll go back to the Academy and kiss us goodbye and see us on your next holidays," she continued firmly. "You’re too young to fly with us, honey."

Keith stared at her in disbelief. "But you both promised that the next time you’d be assigned together – "

"We weren’t allowed to take you," Zachary sighed in exasperation, scowling at his stubborn son. "No matter how much your mother and I vow to protect you, it is still against the Alliance rules to bring in a person who has not been under training for more than two years at least." He looked at Keith with sympathetic eyes. "I know how much you wanted to go, but you’re not yet qualified to come on a mission, even as a trainee, since you’ve only been at the Academy for a little over a year."

"But, Dad, I’ve been doing well – I’m taking advance courses and…"

Katherine knelt in front of her son and took his face in her hands. "Keith, honey, try to understand. They’re right about this, you know. It’s dangerous up there, and we have enough to worry about without worrying about you," she reasoned softly, refusing to let him look away. "And it’s also the middle of the term. You can’t just up and leave, you’ll be left behind in all your lessons."

Keith looked down, his lips trembling, trying manfully not to cry and almost succeeding except for a tell-tale glisten in his eyes. "But I’m big enough now, Mom. I can catch up, you know I can. I want to be with you and Dad… it’s good training, isn’t it?" he pleaded.

Zachary sighed heavily. "Do you remember how many times I’ve said that would never teach you a move that I don’t think you can handle?" he asked, looking Keith straight in the eyes. "No matter how often you pushed me to teach you a new maneuver and how hard you tell me you’ve worked on your other moves, I never gave in when I thought that you were not yet trained enough for it. Didn’t it always pay off?"

Keith nodded reluctantly.

"This is another one of those times, son."

Keith looked from his mother, who was still kneeling beside his chair, to his father who was regarding him with sympathy and regret and finally sighed his agreement. "All right, I’ll stop complaining," he finally said. "Just promise me you guys will be back as soon as you can… and that I can go next time." He forced a smile, earning a kiss on the cheek from his mom. He wiped it off in disgust. "Mom, you’re getting lipstick on me!"

Katherine stood up and exchanged a look of wisdom with her husband, then burst into laughter. Keith scowled at them. "You guys are always laughing at me," he muttered, continuing to wipe away the lipstick from his cheek with one hand while taking a piece of cake with his fork with the other.

Zachary smiled knowingly at him. "One day soon, son, you’ll be liking kisses from girls too much to even think of wiping the lipstick off," he predicted, getting a forkful of cake of his own. "Don’t you think so, Kat?"

Katherine snatched away his saucer of cake from him. "I wouldn’t know - I’ve never had that problem," she remarked sweetly, ignoring his indignant sputtering. "What I do know is that remember saying that you wouldn’t be having any cake tonight."

Despite the fear he continued to feel, Keith had to smother a laugh at the look of disgust on his father’s face.
 
 

Later, they moved to the family room where Katherine had cleared the floor and placed an audio disk on the music system. Soon enough, it began playing the muted sounds of a slow song. This was yet another ritual they reserved for special occasions; Katherine never considered an occasion an occasion if she never had the chance to dance with both of her men. It was, though, an ordeal to Zachary, who was lethal and coordinated in hand-to-hand battle but a total oaf on the dance floor.

She danced with Keith first, grinning proudly at  his courtly bow and sending a teasing smile over his head towards Zach, who was sitting on the couch watching them. "Well, Zach, your son certainly didn’t inherit your two left feet," she quipped as Keith solemnly held out his arms towards his mother and led her into the first steps of the dance.

Zachary quirked his eyebrow at her. "I do remember my lack of dancing prowess didn’t stop all the women from wanting me back then," he shot back, watching them twirl to the music around the floor. Keith rolled his eyes, having heard this argument all before but finding it amusing anyway.

"Ah," his mother replied breezily, winking at Keith in secret. "That may be true, but I distinctly remember a certain uncoordinated captain taking dance lessons for more than a year just to be able to ask this one woman out."

"Son, why do you never remind me to quit when I’m ahead?" Zachary groaned, throwing up his hands in frustration and casting a pleading look at Keith.

Keith whirled his mother around in perfect time and grinned at his father. "That’s because with mom around, you’re never ahead," he quipped, causing his mother to laugh and his father to growl menacingly at both of them.

"Is that so?" Zachary growled, extending his hands into claws at both of them. "I may not know how to dance, but I am still tall enough to give you both a tickling that you will never forget!" Without further warning he lunged at both of them, plucking Keith off the floor by the waist with one arm and tucking Katherine under the other.

"My dress! You’re going to ruin my favorite dress!" shrieked Katherine as Zachary threw her on the couch and pinned her in place with one knee. He then regarded his giggling son under his other.  "Now, Apprentice Montgomery, you are faced with a very important tactical decision. On the one hand, you can chose to remain allies with your mother, at which case I will throw you on the couch with her and tickle you both to death," he said matter-of-factly.

"What’s the other choice?" asked Keith, looking up from  his mother’s indignant face to his father’s menacing one.

"You can switch sides and join forces with your mighty father, at which case I will show you mercy and allow you to tickle the prisoner to your heart’s content."

Katherine looked up at him with a pleading expression on her face, shaking her head frantically, but her green eyes were twinkling. "Don’t you dare abandon me, Keith Zachary Montgomery!" she muttered.

He looked up at his father’s forbidding expression then back down at his mother with a sheepish grin. "Sorry, mom," he mouthed. He cleared his throat. "I’m with you, mighty father," he intoned reverently, earning a furious shout of, "Traitor!" from his mother.

"Smart choice," Zachary said smugly, dropping Keith on the couch on top of his mother. "You’ll make a brilliant officer someday. Dig in, son."

For the longest time, the family room rang with their loud laughter, drowning out the music with their happiness.
 
 

For some reason, Keith felt compelled to allow his mother to do something he hadn’t allowed her to do in over a year – tuck him into bed and watch him fall asleep. The last time she had done it was the night before he left for his first year at the Academy. He couldn’t understand why, but he just wanted her to be there with him tonight. The fear that he had managed to push away during the tickle fight came rushing back, and he hated the cold sensation it brought to the pit of his stomach.

In the dim glow of the night-light, Katherine saw his troubled expression and sat beside him on the bed. He was propped up on pillows, struggling hard to keep awake, but his eyes were filled with worry. She began to gently stroke his forehead, humming an old lullaby under her breath.

"Mom?"

"Hmmm?"

"Do you guys really have to go this time?"

 Katherine sighed softly. "Is this question because you’re upset you can’t come along this time around?"

She felt him slowly shake his head under her hand. "I – I just wanted to know if you really have to go."

"Oh, Keith," she said softly, continuing to stroke his forehead but staring out the window towards the stars. "Do any of us really have to do anything?  The stars, well, they’re in my blood and they’re in your Dad’s blood. We try working behind a desk for a while, but every night the stars call to us and we can’t resist it." She chuckled sheepishly. "I guess I make both your father and I sound like lunatics and I don’t expect you to understand but –"

"But I do understand, Mom," Keith murmured, stifling a yawn. "I feel it, too." He faltered. "I just wish – I just wish you and Dad didn’t have to go this time around. Or that I could go with you."

She bent down and gave him a kiss on the forehead. "You’ll be with us next time," she promised him softly. She watched as his eyelids drifted closed. "I love you, son."

Zachary’s shadow fell over the bed, and Katherine motioned for him to come in. She stood up from the bed, and he gathered her into his arms. For the longest time, they stood in silence watching their only son sleep, his lashes creating shadows on his cheeks, his innocent child’s face hinting at the man he would become.

"He’s so much like you," Katherine finally murmured, laying her head on Zachary’s chest. "I look at him, and I see what you were as a little boy." She looked up at her husband with a loving smile. "More importantly, when I see you, I see what he will be as a man."

Zachary shook his head, smiling wryly. "He has so much more potential than I did as a boy," he admitted. He looked down at his son with a fond smile. "If it had been me tonight, I would have thrown a tantrum and wreaked havoc on the place." He looked back at his wife with a thoughtful frown. "I almost wish he could come with us this time around;  he’s right when he says he is ready – but I refuse to take him to Aidel."

Katherine nodded in solemn agreement. "Yes, not Aidel," she said, looking troubled. "He doesn’t belong there yet." She smiled when Keith suddenly stirred and murmured softly in his sleep. "Next time he will, though. He’s growing up so fast." Katherine looked inquiringly up at her husband. "Why do you say that Keith has so much more potential than you did as a boy?"

Zachary dipped his head and gently kissed her lips. "Because half of him came from you."

As if he had heard what they were talking about, Keith softly smiled in his sleep.
 
 

The next morning, Keith found his father in the garden, performing a  martial arts kata in the middle of a large mat the two of them always used when they sparred outside the house. It was always a treat for Keith to watch his father practice; it gave him an opportunity to learn more about the way he moved and how he used his mind to keep his body working as a single, unified whole.

As easygoing as his father was towards him and his mom, Keith knew that his father was a legend at the Alliance, an incredible individual fighter and a highly intelligent military tactician, the youngest ever to reach the rank of  Rear Admiral. At the rate he was going, people pegged Zachary to reach the rank of Fleet Admiral in the next three years or even less. It was a tall order to fulfill, following in his father’s footsteps, but Keith was more than willing to give it a try.

"Here to give me a challenge, son?" Zachary said by way of greeting, assessing his son’s physique and his increase in height and nodding in approval. "I’m beginning to think that you might."

Keith grinned cockily at his father. "Maybe," he quipped, adopting a battle ready stance. Then, without any further warning, he attacked.

Zachary was stronger and much larger in size, but Keith had speed working for him as they exchanged a flurry of kicks and blocks with one another. Zachary, confining himself to only the skills that Keith knew in his particular level, found that Keith had more than mastered them and was effectively inventing new combinations that were actually for a higher level fighter. Nonetheless, Keith was not proof to his father’s experience, and Zachary ended the match several minutes later by sweeping a leg under Keith and pinning him to the mat.

They stood up and bowed to each other, and Zachary gave him a wry smile, eyes twinkling. "That was a good match," he praised gruffly. "You almost wore me out."

Keith sat back down on the mat and muttered to himself in disgust. "I can’t believe that you got me with that leg sweep again," he complained sulkily with an expression of self-disgust on his face. "Obviously, I still have a lot to learn."

At that, Zachary had to stifle a laugh. "Keith, you’re barely eleven, of course you still have a lot to learn!" he said, taking a seat beside his son and casting him a sidelong glance. "The fact that you’re such a good fighter at this age shows that you have potential to be even better. And you’re faster than I ever was, even at your age."

"Still, does that mean I can ever be as good as you?" Keith muttered to himself.

At the words, Zachary stared at his son intently. "Is that why you’re doing this, Keith, because you want to be as good as I am?" he asked cautiously, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Because you have to find a better reason than that to actually tap into your potential. You have to find something you can care about enough to be the best."

Keith turned towards his father, eyes unusually serious for a ten year old child. "I care enough to be the best because I want to be able to fly with you and Mom on an Alliance mission someday," he said solemnly. "Is that a good enough reason?"

Zachary looked thoughtful then nodded slowly. "That’s a good beginning, I suppose. But if  you want to be the best fighter and explorer for the Alliance,  you have to care about it more than simply wanting to fly with your mother and me." He shifted position and moved to sit in front of his son. "You have to find a reason for life as an Alliance officer even long after your mother and I are gone."

Keith nodded reluctantly. "Well, I just want to be able to fly with you guys," he said in a disgruntled tone, trying to ignore the return of his irrational fear of their coming mission.. He felt uneasy even at the thought of losing his mother and his father, it sent that cold feeling back into the pit of his stomach. "What was your reason for going into the Academy and fighting for the Alliance, Dad?"

Zachary grinned at the memory of himself at Keith’s age. "I first went into the Alliance dreaming of fame, glory, and seeing the stars." He laughed ruefully, rubbing a hand at the back of his neck in a boyish gesture. "Pretty selfish, wasn’t I?  Now, what I care most about being an Alliance officer is the chance to leave you and your kids with a Universe in peace and harmony." He paused, regarding his son solemnly.  "It’s that one thing, aside from you and your mother, that I would willingly give my life for." He patted Keith’s shoulder. "I hope that someday you find that calling as well."

Keith nodded then gave Zach another mischievous grin. "Oh, Dad, I almost forgot my other reason for wanting to be the best."

"Oh, and what’s that?"

"I mean to be able to beat you in a sparring match someday."

Zachary grinned back, mirroring his son’s expression. "Now that will be the day," he said with a chuckle. "You still have a lot to learn – and I haven’t even taught you anything about women yet."

Keith looked disgusted at the mention of girls, grimacing and sticking out his tongue. "Girls, bah – who needs them! You and Mom do enough of that mushy stuff between the two of you," he exclaimed, scrambling to his feet. "I’d rather learn that new move you promised me… can I, Dad?"

On impulse, a laughing Zachary reached out and gave his son a warm hug. "Sure you can," he said. He reached his hand up to Keith for assistance, and Keith took it and pulled. Smiling in mischief, Zachary pulled himself up in one smooth motion and without pausing, pulled Keith into a throw, causing the boy to tumble back on to the mat.

Keith glared up at him indignantly. "What did you do that for?" he groaned, rubbinh his hip.

"As I said, son – you still have a lot to learn." With that Zachary pulled him up and began a new lesson in combat training that lasted until lunch and well into the afternoon.
 
 

And then the time finally came to say goodbye.

The entire family had spent the last hour during the drive back to the Academy in silence, each in the company of their own thoughts. As the bright lights of the Academy glared at them ever nearer, Keith felt the impending farewells with a dread that eclipsed all the other times they had taken him back to the Academy after a holiday. Finally, Zachary pulled into the driveway of the main building of the Academy, stopping in front of the tall doors of the main hall and turning off the vehicle’s power supply, causing the engine's soft humming to cease.

"Well, here we are," Zachary said with false cheer, peering back at Keith and trying to read his expression in the dim light. "Time to get off, son."

The door swooshed up on Keith’s side, and he slowly got off, trying to put off the moment of parting. Katherine had already gotten out and was waiting for him, a gentle, encouraging smile on her face. Silently, she opened her arms to him, and he rushed into them to be clasped in a warm heartfelt hug.

Zachary had gotten off on his side of the vehicle and was leaning on the roof, watching the two people he loved most with a gentle smile of his own. After a moment, he stepped around and joined them, gathering them both into his arms.

"Hey, hey – it’s too early in the year for a rain shower, don’t you think?" Zachary chided, kissing Katherine’s red-gold head and rumpling Keith's dark hair with one hand. Nonetheless, he held them close to him for a while longer before letting them go.

Katherine let Keith go and wiped her tears away quickly. Keith himself had tears standing in his eyes, and he manfully ignored them, pasting a bright smile on his face.

"I guess this is goodbye then," he said, looking at his feet and fidgeting. "I’ll see you guys three months from now, okay?"

For a moment, Katherine and Zachary shared a trouble glance, then Zachary knelt in front of him and tipped his chin up to look into his eyes. "We’ll see each other again, Keith. I promise. Till then, you can have this on loan." He put his hand inside his pocket and pulled out a small golden disc, then took Keith’s hand and placed the object into it, clasping his hand closed around it. Keith's hand could barely close around it, for it was large enough to fit into his palm.

Keith raised the large medallion into the light and watched as it shone gold in the dim light, a lion’s crest barely showing. "Dad, this is your lucky medallion – the one Mom gave you and saved your life five years ago…" he said in awe, looking from the medallion to his father. "You never go to any mission without this."

Zachary grinned at him, then looked up at Katherine. "Well, I’m going to have my one real lucky charm with me – so, you can take this one until we see each other again."

Katherine took the medallion by the leather thong it dangled from. Zachary stood up and watched as she gently put it on their son the same way she did before he had left on his first mission right after Keith was born. Zachary felt the rightness in what she was doing, the rightness in passing the medallion on to their son.

"There," Katherine said after a long moment of emotion packed silence. "Know that you carry our pride with you wherever you go, son," she murmured softly, saying the same words to him now that she said to Zachary then and kissing the top of his head. "Our pride... and our love."

In the distance the night bell rang, signaling that it was half an hour before lights out in all the student dormitories. Keith looked up and, this time, when he did, his face was wreathed in a real smile.

"Well – I better go," he said, grinning up at both his parents. "Lance might lock me out of the room… he gets paranoid about locking the door at lights out." He skipped up the steps, and his parents watched him go, nestled against each other’s side. At the top step, he turned around and looked at both of them standing together at the bottom of the steps for a long moment. Then he ran back down and gave them both a long embrace.

"I love you guys," he said softly, then sent up a cocky grin their way. "Mom, make sure you keep Dad in shape – I mean to beat him the next time we spar, and I wouldn’t want it to be too easy." With that, he dashed up the steps again, this time without looking back.

Katherine was still laughing even as she watched him disappear.

"I think I should have given him more discipline growing up," muttered Zachary, running one hand through his hair. "It isn't too late, is it?"

"You should be proud - he got that streak of arrogance from you, dear," Katherine said, controlling her laughter with difficulty. Suddenly, her face clouded over. "Do you… do you think we made the right decision?"

Zachary’s face hardened. "We’re the best people for the job," he said softly, tipping her face up to look at him. "If this is what it will take to keep this world safe for Keith, I think it’s well worth it." He bent down and kissed her gently. "We’ll get through this, Kat."

"I know," she said, sighing as she looked in the direction of the younger boys’ quarters. "I’m just going to miss him so much."

With that, they both entered the vehicle and drove off into the night.
 
 

It was the last night of the term, and examination results had just been posted in the main halls. A chaotic mix of students from all Academy levels had converged in the main hall, looking at the different bulletin boards to find out their final class standings in their different subjects for the year.

"So, Keith, how did you do at hand-to-hand?" Lance asked, walking away from the board to where Keith was sitting on the steps facing the driveway. He sat down beside him.

Keith shrugged. "Good enough," he said in a distracted voice. There had been no word from his parents since they left for the mission three months ago. They were supposed to have been back a week ago, and yet none of them had called him to tell him when they were picking him up for the term holidays, and it was the last night of this term. The gnawing uneasiness at the pit of his stomach had come back, and not even the comforting weight of his father's medallion against his chest could banish it.

Sven joined them at the steps with a grin large enough to split his face. He gave Keith a slap on the shoulder, then sat beside Lance. "I zaw yur student number, Keith. Congratulazons on making it to number one over-all in de class this year."

Lance smirked at Keith and bopped him on the head. "’Good enough,’ he says," Lance said, rolling his eyes. "How does it get better than number one?  Does the Academy give rankings of number point five?" The remark caused both Keith and Sven to laugh. But Keith’s laughter was cut short when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Apprentice Montgomery?" a soft, familiar voice said, and Keith looked over his shoulder to find Ensign Walker smiling at him inquiringly. Beside him, he could feel Lance and Sven elbowing each other and gaping at the beautiful woman in the Alliance uniform.

"Yes, ma’am?" Keith asked, his heart thudding in unexpected fear.  He stood up and faced the officer.

"Dean Graham would like to see you in his office right now," she said with a nod. "Please follow me." Without another word, she turned and made her way through the press of students. After a final puzzled glance back at Lance and Sven, he quickly followed.
 
 

It was late in the evening when Keith returned to the room that he, Lance, and Sven shared. His eyes were bright with unshed tears and his face was ashen.

Lance was already settled in bed, his suitcase packed and sitting at the foot of it. He was staring up at the ceiling, so he did not see the expression on Keith’s face. "Hey, Keith, lock the door – it’s lights out in a few minutes," he quipped. "So, what did the Dean want to talk to you about – some award for being number one over-all? And who was that babe with the green eyes?"

Keith did not reply as he threw himself on his bed and stared silently at the ceiling himself.

Sven, whose head was stuck in the wardrobe they all shared, joined in the teasing. "Yez, Keith,  tell uz about ze beautiful gurl in ze –" Sven stopped in mid-sentence as he caught a glimpse of Keith’s face after emerging from the wardrobe. "Ach, Keith, whut eez it? Whut’s wrong?"

Lance bolted up from his bed and looked at the figure on the bed beside his. Keith was lying still, his face stony, and tears were streaming from his eyes. "Man, Keith, what happened?" he said softly, knowing that it had to be something awful to make his tough friend succumb to tears in front of them. Comprehension suddenly dawned. "Is it about your parents?"

A long, heavy pause filled the room. Finally, Keith sighed. "They’re gone," he said woodenly, still unmoving and not looking at either one of his roommates. "Dean Graham said they disappeared into an energy rift near Aidel nearly two months ago and haven’t contacted the Alliance since. None of the probes could find any sign of the ship."

Sven whistled under his breath and met Lance’s eyes. "I’m sorry," he said softly, putting the clothes in his hands into his open suitcase. He hesitated, biting his his lip thoughtfuly. "Keith, eef you haf nowhere to stay during the term holidays, you may stay weed us; Mama vil be glad to haf you."

"Or you can come with Dad, the girls, and me to the Cape," Lance offered quietly, not knowing what else to say. He exchanged another pained look with Sven.

"Thank you, guys, but no," Keith said softly, sniffling and still not looking at either of his friends. "I’m staying here and waiting for word about my Mom and Dad. I’m sure they’re out there somewhere. They'll be back for me." He clutched at the medallion lying against his chest with his hand. "And I promise that some day I’m going to find them. No matter what it takes."

"We’ll see each other again, Keith. I promise."

And as he looked up at the dark ceiling of his Academy room, he held the medallion close to his heart and swore.