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Changing Destiny (Kancolle)

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aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

DISTRACTION

People can stop betting on the AH thing now.

OTHER DISTRACTION


Lexie may well have the best WSG design, IMO. Certainly it works very well. Can't complain about their choice in artist in this case.

Also, working on the next chapter now. Hoping to get it up tonight, if I don't get dragged away for something.


(I'm still mildly surprised I don't have an author page on Tropes yet. What with I think...four or five fics with pages. And apparently now a meme.)
 
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There's something much more sad about actually seeing what happened to Hipper!Seydlitz, compared to reading about it.
 
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Chapter 36
  • Threadmarks
    • Chapter 36
    ​

    If there were any one thing that Enterprise would never be used to, it was the idea of being asked her opinion. It was so foreign to her, that she knew her mouth was hanging open. Her red eyes were wide. And her Admiral was staring at her expectantly, with only the slightest of smiles crossing his square-jawed face. It wasn't the first time this had happened, of course, but she felt it was still something she would...never quite be accustomed to.

    As a warship, being asked what she thought was something unusual. To say the least.

    "Enterprise?" Admiral Halsey just tapped his desk, hiding whatever amusement he may have felt. Admiral Richardson, sitting across from Halsey, didn't even try.

    "Wh---I'm sorry sir!" Enterprise snapped to attention, blonde hair ruffling slightly under her officer cap. "I was just surprised you wanted my opinion, that's all. You're both a lot more experienced than I am!"

    Both Admirals shared a look at that. Silently communicating in the the way that only experienced officers could.

    "And that is exactly why we're asking this," Richardson was the one to turn back to the carrier, glasses glinting lightly in the overhead lighting. "A different perspective is always important, and no matter how experienced either of us are...no one knows your limitations and abilities better than you do."


    Enterprise was sorely tempted to blush and look away. Her nerves were still very much present and she struggled to control them at the best of times. Certainly, it was hard to live up to what was expected of her. Though she liked to think she was getting better at that, at least. And because she was better at that, she didn't look away. Her cheeks did brighten.

    But she didn't look away. Little E stared right at Richardson, her shoulders squared and her expression serious. If the Admirals were going to treat her like a valuable perspective, she wasn't going to disappoint them!

    "I--if you want my opinion," Enterprise spoke with only a little stutter in her voice. "I believe that I shouldn't be in port any more than necessary. And that the missions should continue."

    "Interesting," Richardson nodded at that answer. His own face was thoughtful, as he looked between the carrier and the papers on his desk.

    "Sir?"

    The older Admiral just shook his head, looking more at the papers now. "You know, I do firmly believe that being in Pearl is waving a sign at the Japanese telling them to attack. I suppose it is possible they choose not to, though I find that unlikely- anyone who has studied the Japanese know they firmly believe in quick strikes."

    It seemed almost as if he was talking to himself, and not to her. Enterprise blinked her red eyes, and turned to look at her own Admiral. Halsey met her gaze, shrugged, and smiled thinly. Was he used to this?

    "At any rate," Richardson still didn't move his head. But his words sounded more like they were directed at her again. "If the Japanese do attack us, they'll probably attack here to try and cripple the fleet. I don't know how, but they'll probably try. So you'll find I don't disagree with you, in principle."

    Finally bringing his gaze back up, the commander of the Pacific Fleet stared at Enterprise with his steely eyes.

    "And that is why I wanted to know your opinion."

    Unable to fight the flush on her face, Enterprise nodded shakily. Not so much because of what Richardson had said...but because of what Thompson had once told her.

    "The Japanese are going to attack Pearl. It was a miracle you weren't there, Enterprise, and we have to make sure that happens again. If you, Lex, Sara...if any of you are in that harbor, I can't say if you'll survive. The carriers were the priority target, even if a lot of Japanese pilots might have gone for the battleships first.

    No matter what happens, you can't be in the harbor. If you have to convince Halsey to have you at sea from late November on, then do it."

    "Admiral--Admiral Thompson told me something," Enterprise spoke, so softly that anyone but an Admiral intently watching her wouldn't have heard.

    Halsey, of course, was used to his carrier talking like that. He leaned forward, square-jaw jutting out at the young girl. "James told you something, did he?"

    Another nod, "He did. Something about the Italians? That their fleet was..."

    "Taranto." Richardson finished her sentence, sparing Enterprise from the need to lie more.

    Along with putting a thoughtful frown on the older man's face. Halsey as well, for different reasons.

    "Did I say something wrong?" Little E didn't need to fake the slight tremble in her tone, though it did help her in this case.

    As it had Halsey's expression softening, the Admiral placing his hand on her shoulder. "No, you didn't. Actually...you may just have given us a lot to think about, Enterprise. You're definitely my ship."

    "Ah..."

    While Enterprise was busy feeling warmth spread from her boilers to her hair, Richardson was rubbing his cheek. The man was staring at the desk thoughtfully, humming softly under his breath.

    "Taranto...air attack...Japan copies Britain..."

    Enterprise only caught snippets of what the man was saying, consumed as she was in Halsey's praise. At least, until Richardson spoke a familiar name.

    "Saratoga."

    What?

    Pulling away from her Admiral's hand, the young carrier looked back at their mutual superior. Richardson returned the look, getting to his feet as he did so. The broad-shouldered Admiral walked away from the desk, and towards the exit from the office. When his hand touched the door, his steel-eyed gaze looked at both Enterprise and Halsey.

    "You've given me a lot to think about, Enterprise." Richardson's gaze was harsh, yet his voice was as soft as it ever got. "Not least that the Japanese are not fools. Saratoga showed that Pearl is vulnerable to air attack multiple times. Taranto showed that torpedoes can be used in a shallow harbor."

    Pushing the door open, the Admiral gave just one more statement before leaving.

    "And it is entirely likely the Japanese take lessons from both of those. Consider your request taken under advisement...as much as it is in my power, you and the other carriers will continue your reinforcement missions. And will not be in port here any longer than strictly necessary, so long as the tensions with Japan remain."

    -0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
    ​
    "...and that was what we talked about."

    Alone now, Enterprise was swinging her legs off the side of her flight-deck. Men walked around her, doing their duties while completely unaware that there was a young girl sitting on the ship. As for said girl herself? Well, she was staring at a certain battleship moored in the distance. The newly red-painted turret tops were quite distinctive, even from where Enterprise sat. Turrets as red as the girl's hair and the carrier's eyes.

    "That's it? I thought you would have talked about more things!"

    Enterprise rolled her eyes, giggling softly. "Oh Ari, you're almost as bad as your mother."

    "I'll take that as a compliment." It was easy to imagine Arizona crossing her arms, pouting at the carrier.

    The two ships had become quick- and unlikely -friends. The second youngest carrier in the fleet, at least until Hornet came into service. And one of the oldest battleships, despite her young appearance and cheerful personality. An odd pairing if there ever were one.

    Yet both of them were genuine friends. Perhaps they had bonded over their shared knowledge of the future at first, but it certainly wasn't that way now. Enterprise knew that. She was determined to never end up the only carrier fighting Japan, and Arizona was equally determined to not become a martyr. Changing the future wasn't just limited to Admiral Thompson, that was sure!

    "If you want," Enterprise couldn't help the wide grin on her face.

    "You're such a tease." Arizona, meanwhile, just grumbled a bit. But there was probably a smile on her face as well. "Seriously though, you only talked about that? I thought they would have asked about more things. Admirals always have so many questions!"

    "I think they only wanted to ask me that one question..."

    The carrier didn't sound particularly confident when she said that, as her red eyes shifted towards her island. Admiral Halsey was up there, planning the next operation. She knew that. So why was she worried?
    ​

    "Maybe they did. Maybe you surprised them?" Ari sounded thoughtful.

    Little E frowned, "But how could I have surprised them like that?"

    "Well, I surprised Admiral Thompson when I asked questions about Sara."

    Those words, despite everything else, had Enterprise breaking down into helpless giggles. Arizona growled in the background, but the carrier just didn't care. She may not understand it herself- her Admiral would say she was too young probably, and threaten to shoot anyone who tried to do it -but Enterprise knew some times. And one of those things was that her Aunt Sara and Ari were probably going to come to a head over a certain Admiral. Unless one of them did something different.

    Which she didn't expect to happen. Not at all!

    Regardless, Enterprise continued to giggle, as she stood up from her deck and started to do a little twirl. Her skirt ruffled around her legs, the carrier lost in her own little world. "Ari, thank you for that."

    "What for?" Annoyed as she may be, the battleship sounded curious now.

    "Oh nothing really," Little E smiled, wind blowing her short blonde hair around her face. "I just needed that laugh."

    If someone were looking at Arizona, at that moment, they may have seen a buff of smoke rise from her stack. Despite being docked.

    -0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-​

    "I don't get what was so funny." On her own hull, Arizona grumbled. Her face was distinctly grumpy.

    And she walked directly into her Admiral, the man having to reach out to steady her. His hands on her shoulders brought Ari down to earth, and staring up into his concerned face. Isaac Kidd smiled down on her, patting the battleship down as she flushed bright pink from the collision. Brighter than her hair, at that.

    "Careful there, Arizona. You know the crew doesn't like you walking through them, even if they don't know why." The Admiral was genial in his words, though there was a serious undercurrent to them.

    "Yes sir!" An undercurrent Ari wasn't inclined to push, even as it brought a smile to her face.

    Getting Admiral Kidd to see her had been...amazingly easy. Admiral Willson never had seen her, but Kidd...Kidd saw her almost right away. It was just a matter of grabbing his arm and talking to him.

    Admiral Thompson would say its because he was already my Captain before.

    "Now, what's wrong? You're normally more attentive than that." Kidd continued to look down on the short battleship, raising an eyebrow when her brown gaze moved away from his own. "Arizona?"

    Ari's hands fisted in her long red skirt, tugging on the fabric a bit. "Enterprise kept teasing me about Admiral Thompson."

    Kidd blinked.

    Then blinked again.

    Before a fond smile crossed his face, the Admiral letting go of Arizona's shoulder so he could lean back and shake his head. Amusement was clear in his actions, as he leaned against the bulkhead beside the girl.

    "Oh, Arizona, you are far too sensitive for a battleship." Kidd, if anything, sounded like an older brother amused by his sister's embarrassment. Unlike Halsey, he never had tried to fit into the 'father' mold. "Though, if you'll recall..."

    The battleship scowled, and turned her head away. She mumbled under her breath.

    "Hmm?"

    Her Admiral didn't even need to say anything, before Ari blew a bit of air out of her nose. The effect ruined a bit since she didn't burn coal.

    "I know, Admiral. He wants Sara, not me." Arizona didn't like to admit to that point, of course.

    The man by her side just patted her head, "More like he's a carrier man, through and through. I don't know Thompson personally, but I have heard that much. He won't serve on any other ship, I bet you that."

    What was left unsaid, was that Ari shouldn't be distracting the other Admiral. Kidd had told her that before as well. It made her grumpy and all, but she followed what the man said. It wasn't her fault that she understood matters of the heart more than other ships! After all, there was...

    That incident. The event that made her shudder in revulsion to this day.

    Anyway. She understood the heart more than anyone else in the fleet. Naturally, of course. Even if it made her get a bit frustrated some times with the younger girls who didn't know better.

    "Now, Arizona, I want to talk to you about something." Kidd's voice broke her from those thoughts, the Admiral gently guiding her towards his office. Away from anyone else.

    "Ad--Admiral?" Ari blinked, going along with his gestures even if it confused her. What could he need to talk about? "Did I miss something?"

    "If Enterprise was talking to you, probably not." The Admiral's eyes were much more serious, when he looked over his shoulder. His voice was soft, yet tough as iron. "I know all of you girls don't keep secrets between each other."

    That was most assuredly an admonition. A gently worded one, but still one.

    "...we could never talk to each other before?" Ari weakly protested it. Even though she knew the next words.

    And Kidd would not disappoint her. "It is still a security risk, and you know that. That, however, is not what I wanted to talk about." Opening his office door, the Admiral gently tugged the battleship inside before shutting it behind them. He spun around, his feet roughly clacking on the decking, and his eyes zeroed in on her. "What I want to talk about, is what Admiral Richardson is planning."

    Oh. Ohhh.

    "The new plans!" Despite herself, Arizona couldn't keep the excitement out of her voice.

    Kidd didn't seem to share it, "Yes, the new plans."

    While Arizona would be the first to admit she was sometimes bad at reading a situation, she wasn't in this case. She could recognize that her Admiral was a bit annoyed. Probably...probably because Admiral Richardson wanted to keep the carriers safe before the battleships. Or maybe at the idea of always being prepared for an attack to begin with. One of the two.

    This was not going to be fun, was it?


    Far away from Pearl, the same thought was running through an Admiral's head. On some level, James Thompson was more worried about the door he stood in front of now than he had been of the White House. He had dreaded the meeting with Roosevelt, and he had learned how utterly out of his depth he was at politics. Both of these were true. It hadn't been a very fun experience, nor had his further meetings with the man. Lying to Roosevelt's face was impossibly difficult. And Thompson was still convinced the man knew more than he was letting on.

    Yet, for all of that, he was more worried about the innocuous door and innocuous house in front of him. Silly wasn't it?

    Come on Thompson. You stared down Franklin Roosevelt and a little meet and greet is scaring you?

    Slapping his cheeks a bit, Thompson squared his shoulders before knocking on the door.

    "Come on in! You know the door's unlocked!" An older man shouted from behind it. A voice that Thompson didn't recognize. Even though he should.

    After all, as he opened the door, he found himself face-to-face with his 'father'. A smirking man in his sixties that--that he didn't know. He recognized his own eyes staring back at him, of course. And receding or not, he had the same hairline. But Thompson had only seen this man in black and white pictures before.

    "It's been too long, James. Can't an old man see his son once in a while?" David Thompson pulled his 'son' into the house, despite the obvious discomfort of the younger man.

    This was his great-grandfather, not his father.

    "So...sorry about that." Thompson forced his voice to be level, as David tugged him along. "The Navy, you know."

    All he got was a derisive snort, "Should have joined the Army like your old man. Sure, the trenches weren't fun. But at least you didn't have to worry about drowning!"

    'Not fun' was probably an understatement, if the journals his grandfather had shown him were any indication. It was about all he knew of his great-grandfather, that he had served in France.

    "Though, you'd think being in all these ports you would have found a good girl by now. I'm not getting any younger, James."

    That, and the fact the man was a typical father. Past or pre--future.

    "You know my answer to that...father." Thompson sighed, as he was pulled into the living room of the small home. A radio in the corner was playing music, but the room was otherwise quiet. He knew it well enough, though there was supposed to be a television where the radio was. At least the furniture was the same, if much newer.

    "Bah! Complaining, I say."

    While his- could he say 'his'? He wasn't the man he had replaced...was he? -father moved away, Thompson found himself engulfed in a loving hug. The smell of an old quilt filled his nose, as he looked down on graying brown hair.

    "You haven't changed one bit, James. And neither has your father." The faintly disapproving voice of his--mother spoke beneath him.

    Ignoring a complaining David in the background, Thompson pulled away enough to look at the woman he faintly remembered from the same pictures. It was so different seeing her alive in front of him. A kind smile that made him want to relax and smile back. Sparkling blue eyes, so unlike his own. The gentle features of a matronly woman in her sixties.

    "Though, I do agree with him this once." A sad smile crossed her face, the older woman smoothing down her dress. Her brilliant eyes moving between the two men. "Your brother and sisters are all married. When are you going to settle down, James? You can't keep living alone forever."

    Thompson didn't know how to answer that question. With everything going on he had never really felt the need to find someone, now or in his own time. There had never been any chances.

    Toss in the way the girls looked at him- the way she looked at him, he wasn't blind -and...well. He couldn't very well tell anyone about that. Not the Navy, not his family. It would be frowned upon in the extreme, even if he reciprocated the feelings. And that was a confusing subject he preferred not to dwell on with Pearl coming.

    So, instead, he just fixed a smile on his own face and hugged his gran--mother tightly. "I'll find someone eventually. Right now, there's too much going on with Japan and Germany."

    "And the President, from what I've heard," David seemed to have recovered from his own annoyance quickly enough. He clapped his son on the back, wide grin threatening to split his face. "Don't give me that look, I still have some friends in high places. Don't get into the White House without someone noticing, son."

    Shaking her head, his mother- Andrea, he remembered -rolled her eyes at her husband. "He just got home, and you're already wanting to ask questions about the President. At least let him eat first, David!"

    "Our son met the President, and you're more interested in filling him up?"

    "Who knows what food the Navy has him eating. It certainly can't be as healthy."

    As the old couple in front of him bickered, Thompson couldn't help the smile on his face becoming more genuine. They weren't the parents he had grown up with, no. But he was...he was still at home. Maybe he could just let himself relax. Forget the war, forget everything he had done and still had to do. And just enjoy the company of what remained of his family.

    That would be nice, wouldn't it?

    I probably need it.

    And so, James Thompson let his mother and sour-faced father lead him to dinner, years worth of stress finally fading into the background.



    And there we go. The first of the chapters I want to get done.

    This one can be considered a 'cool down' chapter, considering what is going to be coming soon enough. I wanted to get a bit more of E, Ari and Thompson just...relaxing. Show some development on the characters of the former two, and troll with family let the latter relax with his family. Even if he doesn't really know that family. May not be the most interesting chapter in the world, but I wanted to give the characters some time to not worry.

    If that makes sense.

    Especially considering next up, we have Schreiber for the last time before Pearl...and, of course, the elephant in the room needs to be addressed with our German friend. The big, red elephant.

    Hopefully the chapter works well enough. I know some people don't like ones like this...

    (also, a bit of Iron's Ari leaked in.)

    (and fair warning, I'm going to be at the zoo- the zoo three hours from home -all day tomorrow. Won't be able to make any real replies until I get home, which could be...late)
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Very nice. We get to see Thomson's family and the admiral's worries of an attack grow. Plot is happening.
    Also, when the family mentioned him marrying, he thought of a "her" which I think is a ship, probably Saratoga or Arizona, I think the former.
     
    Cutes of Li'l E, Ari, and Admiral Thompson, made all the more precious by being set against the increasingly palpable background presence of the inevitable Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor? You spoil us, Sky.

    Also I see that Ari is still peeved by a certain Miss Madeline Blair, hahaha. Good thing Admiral Kidd is a good big brother figure XD
     
    Skywalker_T-65 said:
    Another nod, "He did. Something about the Italians? That their fleet was..."

    "Taranto." Richardson finished her sentence, sparing Enterprise from the need to lie more.

    Along with putting a thoughtful frown on the older man's face. Halsey as well, for different reasons.

    "Did I say something wrong?" Little E didn't need to fake the slight tremble in her tone, though it did help her in this case.

    As it had Halsey's expression softening, the Admiral placing his hand on her shoulder. "No, you didn't. Actually...you may just have given us a lot to think about, Enterprise. You're definitely my ship."
    Click to expand...
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    And now they're putting the pieces together.
    Skywalker_T-65 said:
    Enterprise only caught snippets of what the man was saying, consumed as she was in Halsey's praise. At least, until Richardson spoke a familiar name.

    "Saratoga."

    What?
    Click to expand...
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    What happened just a short time ago, add the exercises, and...
    Skywalker_T-65 said:
    "You've given me a lot to think about, Enterprise." Richardson's gaze was harsh, yet his voice was as soft as it ever got. "Not least that the Japanese are not fools. Saratoga showed that Pearl is vulnerable to air attack multiple times. Taranto showed that torpedoes can be used in a shallow harbor."
    Click to expand...
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    Boom. The US Navy is informed about the attack. But what all is done, that is the question.
    Skywalker_T-65 said:
    Alone now, Enterprise was swinging her legs off the side of her flight-deck. Men walked around her, doing their duties while completely unaware that there was a young girl sitting on the ship. As for said girl herself? Well, she was staring at a certain battleship moored in the distance. The newly red-painted turret tops were quite distinctive, even from where Enterprise sat. Turrets as red as the girl's hair and the carrier's eyes.

    "That's it? I thought you would have talked about more things!"

    Enterprise rolled her eyes, giggling softly. "Oh Ari, you're almost as bad as your mother."
    Click to expand...
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    Ari acting teasingly... hoo boy.
    Skywalker_T-65 said:
    And one of those things was that her Aunt Sara and Ari were probably going to come to a head over a certain Admiral. Unless one of them did something different.

    Which she didn't expect to happen. Not at all!

    Regardless, Enterprise continued to giggle, as she stood up from her deck and started to do a little twirl. Her skirt ruffled around her legs, the carrier lost in her own little world. "Ari, thank you for that."

    "What for?" Annoyed as she may be, the battleship sounded curious now.

    "Oh nothing really," Little E smiled, wind blowing her short blonde hair around her face. "I just needed that laugh."

    If someone were looking at Arizona, at that moment, they may have seen a buff of smoke rise from her stack. Despite being docked.
    Click to expand...
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    1. Yeah, love triangles are fun to watch, E.
    2. TsundAri is Best Ari.
    Skywalker_T-65 said:
    Yet, for all of that, he was more worried about the innocuous door and innocuous house in front of him. Silly wasn't it?

    Come on Thompson. You stared down Franklin Roosevelt and a little meet and greet is scaring you?

    Slapping his cheeks a bit, Thompson squared his shoulders before knocking on the door.

    "Come on in! You know the door's unlocked!" An older man shouted from behind it. A voice that Thompson didn't recognize. Even though he should.

    After all, as he opened the door, he found himself face-to-face with his 'father'.
    Click to expand...
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    ... I'm surprised there wasn't any 'you're not acting like yourself' moments. Usually that tends to come up right about now. Maybe in the future...
    Skywalker_T-65 said:
    Especially considering next up, we have Schreiber for the last time before Pearl...and, of course, the elephant in the room needs to be addressed with our German friend. The big, red elephant.
    Click to expand...
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    The defection.
     
    More likely Operation Barbarossa. I don't think Schreiber would defect with only Bisko and Pringles, leaving Blucher behind. I would imagine that High Command would order Schreiber to proceed to the Med to light a fire under the Regina Marina's ass to deal with the remainder of the Royal Navy. After that probably enter the Black Sea to shell Sevastopol and assist the invasion that way.
     
    So, does the Big red elephant have a pet bear? Possibly speaks with an accent? Either way, Schreiber wont be having a good time.
     
    Skywalker_T-65 said:
    And it is entirely likely the Japanese take lessons from both of those. Consider your request taken under advisement...as much as it is in my power, you and the other carriers will continue your reinforcement missions. And will not be in port here any longer than strictly necessary, so long as the tensions with Japan remain."
    Click to expand...
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    Richardson remains quite the astute man, as expected. I imagine the carriers' crews aren't exactly happy at the minimal to nonexistent shore leave opportunities though.

    Skywalker_T-65 said:
    She was determined to never end up the only carrier fighting Japan, and Arizona was equally determined to not become a martyr. Changing the future wasn't just limited to Admiral Thompson, that was sure!
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    Well, Little E and her fellow carriers do have better knowledge of aerial combat maneuvers thanks to Thompson so they ought to fair better in the opening months at least. As for Ari, I applaud her resolve, but what killed her in OTL was a freakish combination of bad luck and being caught unawares at peacetime readiness status. She and her Admiral can do something about the second, but the first?

    Speaking of, I am liking this portrayal of Admiral Kidd as a pseudo-big brother figure for Ari.

    Skywalker_T-65 said:
    Come on Thompson. You stared down Franklin Roosevelt and a little meet and greet is scaring you?
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    Well, I suppose meeting your past family would be scary. After all, they'd more easily notice any inconsistencies and be willing to grill him on it.

    Skywalker_T-65 said:
    . Maybe he could just let himself relax. Forget the war, forget everything he had done and still had to do. And just enjoy the company of what remained of his family.
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    Perhaps not the wisest of choices, but getting rest now, while he can, is still a valid idea. Very soon now, the next few years are going to be rather trying and busy.

    Thanks for the update Sky.
     
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