Exploration [I]

Jok stood in front of Amelia's quarters, his face flushed and a nervous sweat building on his brow. She'd come to his quarters on numerous occasions to discuss business, but this was the first time in the almost century that they'd known each other that he'd been invited to hers.

"Calm down, Jok. We're just going to talk about how we can help Lucian," he breathed out slowly, trying to get rid of the jitters. "It's important that we help him, or Mills will be gone forever. I need to take this seriously."

He steadied himself and held the bouquet of glowing rolisans in front of him. A few giggles echoed down the hall as women passed by and saw the well-dressed Captain standing in front of Amelia's door. Some of the whispers reached his ears, and the giant couldn't help but smile awkwardly at the gossiping ladies. After taking another deep breath, he lightly tapped on the door.

Jok shuffled his feet nervously, hoping that Mills wouldn't take too long to answer. The few women that had been at the end of the hall were now a small group and were pointing toward him, further increasing his anxiety. Under normal circumstances, he would relish the attention, send a few winks their way and laugh at their reactions. However, he always gained this insecure feeling whenever Amelia was involved, and it took him a few minutes of speaking to her to go back to his usual, boisterous self.

The door opened moments later, and a smiling Amelia stepped out. She was wearing a sleeveless, purple dress that clung tightly to her slim figure. Her shoulder-length hair was up in a tight bun, and a shimmering necklace drew his eyes toward her chest. Jok quickly glanced away with flushed cheeks and held out the flowers that he'd brought.

"Good evening, Jok," Amelia giggled at the flustered giant. She took the flowers and stepped to the side. "I'm glad that you could make it. Please, come in."

Jok ducked his head as he entered the apartment. He could stand up inside without leaning over, but only barely. The hairs on the top of his head still dragged against the ceiling. Amelia laughed at the sight of the giant in her small apartment and pulled him over to a large seat that she'd prepared. It was nothing more than multiple bean-bag like chairs stacked together.

"Have a seat," she told him. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience. Maybe we should just continue meeting at your place from now on."

Jok waved her apology away, "It's fine, Mills. If Dorkan's men always see you heading to my quarters rather than me sneaking up here, they'll probably think something's up."

He looked around the small apartment. Aside from the squishy chairs that he sat on, there were many strange devices. There were small lamps with bubbles rising and falling, a ball with electricity arcing from the center, and an old, box-shaped television set. Beads hung from the ceiling, and there were rugs and paintings with rainbows and spirals all over the room.

Amelia caught his wandering eyes and smiled, "I've been keeping up with the times on Earth since I made it here. The 70s and 80s were a colorful time, and I managed to collect a lot of materials during our last pass over the Sector."

"It's certainly colorful," Jok chuckled. He smiled and watched the bubbles rising and falling in a cone-shaped lamp. There were many items from his home world that he'd collected over the years back in his own quarters.

"Well, let's get this over with before we go to dinner," Amelia coughed, pulling his attention away from the glowing bubbles as she sat on one of the bags next to him.

"We still have some time until the first Major Milestone," Jok began. "But the first Minor Milestone is less than two months away. If he beats the Mini-Boss that he will face in the Fifth Wave, then we can at least send him a message."

"That's it?" Amelia asked.

Jok nodded, "That's it. Earth is one of the many planets with no idea what is happening, so Lucian will receive nothing. However, most of the significant families in the Sector have already sent in messages to give to their contenders."

"It doesn't help that they can watch the event live," she sighed. "Those old monsters will be sending their descendants advice. Lucian is already heavily disadvantaged by his origin planet."

"That didn't stop you," Jok grinned.

Amelia rolled her eyes, "Times were different a century ago, and you know it. Even then, I only survived by joining a powerful Domain. It was luck that I ran into Kera while she was injured. If it weren't for me healing her and her taking a liking to me, I wouldn't have made it."

"Well, your boy has certainly shown how lucky he is already," Jok looked thoughtfully toward Amelia. "Why is it that you chose him, anyway?"

She sighed and looked up to the ceiling, "Lucian is related to George."

"Oh?"

"He's not a direct descendant, but he was close enough for me to keep an eye on him," she smiled. "He just happened to be within the range that I was allowed to choose from this time around. Lucian may not have been the best choice based on his skills, but he's suffered a lot in his life and still came out with a strong will."

Jok nodded in understanding, "Most of the choices from Earth are terrible, even if they have a high survival rating. For some reason, most can't be introduced to so much so quickly without going insane."

Amelia leaned back and closed her eyes. Jok wasn't sure what the woman was thinking, but he felt that she regretted having put someone she was close to in the Tournament. He wasn't sure what to say, so he gently patted her tiny hand and smiled. It may have been a tradition for most families throughout the Galaxy, but Earth was still a fledgling planet.

"He's doing well, Mills," Jok told her. "Who knows, maybe he'll pull through just like you did. From what I've seen so far, I feel that he would have chosen to participate if given a choice."

Though the rudimentary planets were safe as long as the Atlas remained in control of the Sector, other Councils didn't feel the same. The people would be hauled to already overpopulated planets, and the planet would be stripped of its resources. Most of the beings who were relocated wouldn't survive or would be trafficked away into slave rings. It was a dirty business, but most Sectors looked the other way.

"You may be right," Amelia groaned and got to her feet. She grabbed the giant's hand, her palm barely wrapping around his finger. "Let's discuss the message we'll send him over dinner. You need to give me the specifics. I'm sure there are rules."

Jok grinned and allowed the woman to drag him out of the cramped room.

*******

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