Breaking the Ice

[Unna Hi Chaanu]

"You are welcome," Unna responded with a friendly tone and smile. If Todd were to look at Unna, it would probably be the first time she ever saw the icy Iktotchi smile and it was a surprisingly warm smile. Ashla would know what a rare occurance this was up until recently. "And it would please us very much if you would come out into the room...if you are ready." Unna felt relief after using her empathic abilities to detect a change in Todd's emotions. The fear-stricken Kel-Dor was beginning to feel sympathy and affection, shadowed by embarrassment, but in the shadows of those emotions shined a feeble glimmer of hope. Unna hoped that now would be a good time to coax her from the locker.

"Todd, Ashla was actually my first friend as a small child. We were separated by the war, but were reunited later on in childhood. It's another thing we seem to have in common. Of all that we have lost in life, we were both fortunate enough to find a friend like Ashla in these dark times. I know you say feelings are pointless in this game of survival. They have certainly seemed that way to me. I felt that way all of the time, up until recently. Feelings, if not allowed to get carried away, have given me something worth fighting for. I used to keep to myself and seldomly speak to anyone, aside from Ashla and Auro. Then I was forced out of my comfort zone and actually had to make some tough calls aboard this ship while the rest of you were away at the temple on Olivan. I saw firsthand exactly how feelings of camaraderie and loyalty could inspire confidence in a crew. It literally saved the lives of everyone on this ship. It was then that I realized that the way I was living aboard this ship was not in the best interest of myself, or anybody."

"The path the three of us are currently on, along with Auro, Duncan, and Jayden, is one that most of us will not survive if we continue to exist out of sync as we have been. If we as a group can function as one, like the crew did when this ship made what should have been an impossible escape, then the future I saw can not come to pass. It will be negative emotions that ignite the fire that most of us will parish in. All that will we left of us is you and Auro...and I know you wouldn't want that with the way things currently stand!"