There he stood in the same robotics lab where his very existence had been preserved just weeks earlier. Lloyd loomed over his new body, a surreal occurrence. He felt it almost rivalled an out of body experience, or perhaps a close enough substitute. The construction was flawless in its mimicry of his original form. Lloyd ran his hands along the skin feeling its texture, noting that there were even the most minute details in the tiny hairs that laced it's form, each mole and freckle were where he had left them. The skin was warm to the touch, there was even a simulated pulse, for which he did not yet understand why. Eva was curious about something else and reached out to slide the covering off the genitals only to have Lloyd slap her hand at the last moment.

"Ow!" she snapped. She recoiled her hand instantly, rubbing it with her other to take the sting out. "I just needed to check something," she cried convincingly.

Lloyd scowled then remembered that his artificial hand probably caused more pain than he had intended, "perhaps you could wait until the others leave?" he smiled stating the obvious. Felix cleared his throat to remind her they weren't alone.

Eva snapped back to reality with a flustered face of pure embarrassment.

She forced a grin as far as her cheeks would allow, "oops, sorry."

Lloyd turned to Erranos, "how long will the transfer take?"

"I can have you in there in less than an hour with Emelia's assistance," as Erranos finished his response Emelia knocked her heels together and snapped a salute.

"Alright. Well I'm good to go when you are," advised Lloyd with the utmost of confidence. Erranos nodded and Emelia proceeded to shoo everyone else out of the lab except for Eva.

Felix and Maddison went off to find Gaia. She and Councillor Bligh had been discussing their options. To begin with, those who were taken prisoner by Lloyd from the Crius were to be pardoned. Too much had transpired to try and keep them caged for the rest of their lives. Gaia was confident that she could keep an eye on all of them as they were released to join with the other refugees in some amount of freedom roaming portions of the ship. Felix thought it prudent to advise them that they would be vaporised in an instant if found to be stepping out of line. Even the Tarras were less welcoming at first when the freed peoples encountered them in the corridors.

"So where to now, Councillor?" Gaia asked Bligh as they spoke in her quarters.

"Oh," a disappointed Bligh sighed, "I was hoping you could tell me." They both sat puzzled and deflated.

"Wait, there is still one place where we might be welcome. Though I admit, it would be a long shot," claimed Gaia. Bligh raised her brow and her eyes gained focus. "Earth," smiled Gaia.

Bligh's face quickly shifted to an agitated state as if she had just been personally insulted, "that cesspool? How absurd. I highly doubt we would be welcome in the first place, and secondly, so much of it is nothing but a lifeless, toxic, wasteland. There wouldn't be enough room for us there I'm sure," argued Bligh. Her speech was much larger than usual. She had lost her breath and started to struggle.

"Councillor, please try to remain calm. Your blood pressure," Gaia had leapt to Bligh's aid only to be shooed away.

"That's enough, I'm quite alright, just give me a moment," Bligh asserted, Gaia sat back down slowly, still poised to assist.

"Well pardon my bluntness, Councillor. But do you have a better idea?" Gaia countered trying to be firm without being insolent.

Bligh's face seemed saddened as she had already come to the bitter realisation, "I suppose not then," she sighed. "Let's just hope our ancestors left on better terms than rumoured."

There was another issue yet to be resolved. There were still the other Titans out there, still on their own expeditions searching for viable worlds. Once the Tarraxen reinforcements arrived and Gaia station was destroyed there would be nothing left to return to. They would find themselves lost and alone, without their home or loved ones. And worse still, without any rhyme or reason as to why. Still abroad and unaccounted for were the Titans Coeus, Cronus, Iapetus, Oceanus, Phoebe, Rhea and the Tethys.

Gaia had spoken with Felix and Lloyd about her idea then they made the request of Erranos to take them to Earth. The boys were much more excited than most to visit their ancestral home, the birthplace of their race. Once Maddison and Eva were brought into the fold the idea gained more momentum and they set about notifying the remainder of the masses. With everyone else filled in on their plan including the refugees, some of which were reluctant to head for Earth. Too many stories of the old days had been passed down over the ages and Earth seemed more of a wretched, desolate place compared with the harmonious utopia that was once Gaia Station. Ultimately they had no other choice available to them. To continue on Gaia's original trajectory would only move them closer toward the risk of another Scourge incursion.

Before departing the sector they would need a way to communicate with the remaining Titans. Erranos decided to assist by retrofitting a Tarraxen satellite to remain behind with a recorded message from his human patrons. The message was simple;

"Gaia Station destroyed. Return to Earth."

As the only remaining member of the High Council, Eva used Bligh's encryption codes concealed within the message to validate its authenticity. Then again, even without the codes, the crew of a homeward bound Titan would have no option once they stumbled upon the wreckage and debris of their once glorious home.

A few weeks later the Tarraxen Barooda class Battlecruiser had arrived, in addition there were two smaller ships in escort, only half the size of a Titan. Erranos advised they were Sarrat class Destroyers, lacking the heavier armament and armour of the Baroodas, the Sarrats were much faster and easily more manoeuvrable. The Barooda was an impressive vessel. Although still roughly half the length of the Lotars, they boasted the heaviest armament of all Tarraxen ship classes. Erranos had mentioned that it only takes five or so to destroy most average sized rocky planets. The Tarraxen reinforcements were unmanned, their automated systems had homed in on Erranos' signal.

By that time almost all of the Scourge pod was now within the Gaia station, filling her every crevice and corridor with abhorrent apparitions. All that remained visible of the pod was the section left to keep the station's atmosphere sealed in. Most alarming was that this particular pod, based on Tarraxen intelligence was now recorded as having travelled the greatest distance from Arntarra thus far. Erranos feared there may be others to have covered such vast amounts of space, he planned to leave dozens of satellites en route to sweep for pods.

Erranos invited Councillor Bligh, along with Felix and his friends to witness the destruction of Gaia station from the Barooda's bridge. The atmosphere and climate settings were adjusted accordingly. It only took a few minutes to prepare the Barooda for oxygen-dependant organic occupants. The Lotar moved further out to a safer distance, all the refugees were informed and almost all had gathered to the port side to watch the fireworks.

The Barooda was manoeuvred into a firing position. The Sarrats shifted to its sides to intercept any wayward portions that could be attempting to flee in the chaos. The bow of the Barooda transformed as more turrets appeared quadrupling its forward arsenal.

"The weapons are coming online, I will be ready to fire in a moment," advised Erranos as he sat atop the main chair suspended in the centre of the Barooda's bridge.

In response to the impending doom the Scourge mass began to quiver and fissures formed all across the station. As the cracks expanded and deepened, pieces of the station began to separate. A piece roughly a quarter of the entire station began to move outward revealing the cause. With all organic matter on the station now absorbed, all the minions had amassed, the pod had reformed and was preparing to depart.

"What's happening?" screamed Felix in a panic.

"It intends to escape!" answered Erranos raising his voice the loudest they had yet heard.

As the outer shell of the station peeled back the pod started to separate itself. The Barooda was almost ready to fire but the Sarrat's weapons had a much faster charging cycle. The Sarrats opened fire on the pod. In reaction tendrils flared and darted towards the Tarraxen ships. The Sarrat to the starboard side was snagged and pulled toward the pod.

"Can we save it?" asked Lloyd in a panic.

"No need," responded Emelia calmly "there is a contingency for such occasions," she elaborated whilst still staring out beyond the bridge.

As the snared Sarrat was pulled closer in Erranos withdrew the second and the Barooda further away. As the end of the pod opened to form a crude mouth to dispatch its captive an intense light blinded them. The snared craft had been set to self-destruct and had obliterated almost half of the pod along with it.

As if he had planned to sacrifice one or both of the Sarrats from the beginning, Erranos instantly opened fire on the heavily damaged pod. The first few blasts from the Barooda caused significant damage. Within a moment most of the pod was eradicated. The remaining Sarrat took up an opposing position to comb the debris for any living pieces left to be annihilated. It was all over in a matter of minutes, there was no remaining trace of the Scourge and for good measure, the remains of the station were also destroyed. Many of the refugees had been reduced to tears at the sight of their home being obliterated. It was somewhat easier for Felix and his friends to bare, for they had already undergone so much. They were perhaps less naive from the moment they first saw the pod protruding from Gaia, for they knew what the outcome would ultimately be.

With the clean up complete, Erranos lead them from the Bridge and they headed back on board the Lotar.

Councillor Bligh was the most shaken by the day's events, the sight of Gaia station being destroyed weighed heavily on her as if she herself had failed her people.

Erranos deployed the beacon satellite for the Gaia bound Titans as they prepared to leave for Earth.

Felix and Maddison noticed Gaia was staring out into the space her station once occupied. Without an organic nervous system, Felix was at a loss to know what Gaia was thinking per se but she certainly seemed troubled.

Gaia turned around and realised there was a pair of saddened faces staring back at her. "Well, at least I've lost a lot of weight," she chuckled hoping to lighten the mood. "Don't worry, what's done is done. All we can do now is focus on our future."

"Yeah!" cheered Felix, "you're absolutely right."

Maddison smiled as she tilted her head to the side. She too was optimistic for the future. She had found love and after thinking she had lost her entire family, her father had at least survived. "So how far away is Earth, Gaia?" she asked softly.

"Well, Dear, I'd say perhaps a month or two with how fast this baby does," Gaia surmised. "I'm guessing it's just about time to leave."

Erranos had been uneasy since they encountered the Scourge pod that struck Gaia, no recent reports had any Scourge activity even close to that sector. To be prudent, as the Tarrax most certainly were, he decided to keep the Barooda and Sarrat on as escorts. On the bridge, Felix and Lloyd found Erranos as he made course corrections based on Gaia's input.

Erranos stared at them, noticing they seemed prepared to ask a favour of him. "What would you like?" he questioned without hesitation.

"What makes you think we want something?" enquired Felix trying to hide his grin.

"Your endorphin levels betray you, Felix. That and your face clearly indicates excitement," concluded Erranos as Lloyd burst into laughter.

Felix smirked, "I see, well in that case. Can we travel on the Barooda?"

"For what purpose?" Erranos asked.

"None, other than we would just like to," responded Lloyd as Felix nodded incessantly.

"I see," replied Erranos, "I do not foresee a problem with that. Would it just be you two onboard?"

"No. We would all like to go. Gaia wishes to stay on the Lotar to keep an eye on Bligh. But Maddison's father would be joining us," answered Felix.

"Very well then," Erranos complied and activated the Barooda and its life support systems came back online. "I will be accompanying you, Gaia advises she will alert me if there are any problems here."

Felix and Lloyd were elated, they did well to compose themselves, reserving their excitement. Although they were mystified by all they had seen thus far, the fact that they were stuck on a boring old transport had much less appeal than the bridge of a battlecruiser class ship.

Once docking was established, Lloyd and Eva went over first, Felix and Maddison had first gone to retrieve Silas. Erranos went straight for the bridge as Emelia waited by the airlock for the others. Silas greeted her with a nod as he came on board, he was still yet to come to terms with how he had a second daughter. To him, she was a stranger, not because her hair and outfit were different, but simply because she was no different to Erranos in his eyes, an animated machine.

"This way Daddy," Maddison extended her hand leading Silas toward the bridge.

Unable to wait any longer, Felix and Lloyd hoped Erranos would show them around. They went to the bridge to make their request, which Erranos agreed to. Emelia was left on the bridge with Maddison and Silas to oversee things. Eva caught wind of the boys' plan and was just as curious, without a word she ran off after them hoping not to miss out on all the cool stuff.

Erranos led them on a tour through the ship to visit some of its core systems. The power core fascinated them although they did not understand in the slightest how it produced energy. Erranos had no illusions of secrecy regarding Tarraxen technology, merely that most of what he explained was far beyond their comprehension. They passed by more machine shops where Drones and Tarras were produced. All Tarraxen ship classes have the means to produce Drones at varying scales, as without them, a damaged Tarraxen would not be able to transfer into a new body. Felix found the machine shops fascinating, whereas Lloyd and Eva now saw them in a different light. Even without verbalising it, they now saw them as the very means to extend and preserve life. If ever Lloyd's new body was damaged, he would be brought to one of these places for repair just as if taken to an infirmary.

The parts of the ship they were most excited to see were the weapons systems. Far superior to humans technologically, the Tarrax had a mastery of energy-based weapons that was most appealing to the trio. With the tour concluded the humans were shown to quarters by Tarras to settle in for their journey to Earth.

Over the weeks they each found ways to pass the time. Silas was given access to the data core as he was most interested in the plants that once covered Arntarra. There was also an extensive database that included all the biological life the Tarrax had encountered over the millennia which he would periodically peruse to change things up a bit.

Lloyd was encouraged by Erranos to spar with Drones to help him learn to use his new body more efficiently. Eva would occasionally step in, they enjoyed training together and saw it as strengthening their bond, however despite having superior skills Eva wasn't able to damage Lloyd's synthetic body. She required a good two days recovery between each session. When she was too sore to take on Lloyd she would train Felix. The offer was also extended to Maddison but she did not wish to participate. She didn't give any particular reason, no ideals of pacifism, more so that she just wasn't all that interested. Felix was a quick study, on top of that his ability to peer into the minds of others gave him the edge regarding anticipating Eva's movements. It took him three weeks until he finally managed to best her in one of their engagements. Eva's shoulder had been dislocated the previous day and she was nursing four bruised ribs, but Felix was still proud of his achievement. Of course, Eva was also proud, her protege showed great promise. This she had decided long ago when she first stared into his eyes on the bridge of the Hyperion. Felix was gagged, bound and sitting on the floor completely defenceless and yet in his eyes, there was a flame she both recognised and admired.

Try as he might, Felix wasn't able to recreate what he had done on Gaia station after Lloyd was struck down. Despite his intensive training and meditation during rest periods, he could not figure it out. He wasn't sure if it was a once-off occasion or perhaps that without the element of impending doom unachievable. All he did remember was pure rage, the remainder of what happened was somewhat of a blur. Felix did, however, learn to expand his mind in other ways. Although making things explode again seemed impossible, he did discover that he was able to influence inanimate objects close by. This was no secret to his friends as it first happened when they were eating. Felix had felt thirsty and as he went to reach for his cup it slid into his open hand. The rest of the table was shocked but Lloyd jumped up, overcome with elation. He was so impressed at what he had just witnessed that he then started to point to other items on the table for Felix to move making a game of it.

"That's so cool!" claimed Lloyd, "now do a chair," he instructed as he stood up.

Felix tensed up and the chair began to quiver. Felix extended his arm hoping to focus his mind on a single part of the chair. It wobbled more then slid over a few centimetres before Felix had to stop.

Felix had broken into a sweat and decided he should rest before trying again later. "Not quite yet, I'm not even sure if it's too much in volume or just too heavy," he sighed.

"Don't push yourself, we don't even know how this is possible," pointed out Maddison. Felix smiled innocently as he went back to his meal. Much to their satisfaction and appreciation, Erranos had found ways to alter their nutrient-rich gruel giving it some flavour.

"Shouldn't be long now guys," stated Lloyd looking out at the brilliant colours of space formed by the ship's wake.

"Most likely just a few days," confirmed Emelia.