<span style="color: #BF80FF"><span style="font-style: italic">"Three days,"</span></span>Velneir answered him, when he finally decided to acknowledge the half-human's presence.<span style="color: #BF80FF"><span style="font-style: italic">"And... That's because Anak gave you some of his blood to help you heal faster. You should be healing fast.. since he's an Indigo."</span></span>The crew's techie said that last word uncomfortably, almost as if it were taboo--like the N word.<br/><br/>-------------------<br/><br/>After a while of silence, Uriel tried to start up a conversation--just to take her mind off of romance for a while.<br/><br/><span style="color: #BF80FF"><span style="font-style: italic">"You talk about your cousin a lot,"</span></span>she noted.<span style="color: #BF80FF"><span style="font-style: italic">"I always get the impression you two are close"</span></span><br/><br/>Anak raised his head and looked at her.<span style="color: #8080FF"><span style="font-style: italic">"Well, yeah, I guess. We're both Indigo's, so we used to hang out a lot as kids, pretending we were twins."</span></span>He paused.<span style="color: #8080FF"><span style="font-style: italic">"What about you, Uriel? I don't think I've ever heard you mention your brother."</span></span><br/><br/>Uriel suddenly realized the hole she'd dug herself into.<span style="color: #BF80FF"><span style="font-style: italic">"We're not that close,"</span></span>she said dismissively.<br/><br/>Anak hummed suspiciously, sort of the Vortian equivalent of raising an eyebrow.<span style="color: #8080FF"><span style="font-style: italic">"I can see that."</span></span><br/><br/>Uriel sighed.<span style="color: #BF80FF"><span style="font-style: italic">Fine. You win. His name is Ilsam, and he's dead to me."</span></span><br/><br/>Anak sat up suddenly and stared at her in disbelief.<span style="color: #8080FF"><span style="font-style: italic">"Your brother is--!?"</span></span><br/><br/><span style="color: #BF80FF"><span style="font-style: italic">"Go ahead,"</span></span>she said scornfully.<span style="color: #BF80FF"><span style="font-style: italic">"I've already heard it all."</span></span><br/><br/><span style="color: #8080FF"><span style="font-style: italic">"No! I mean, I--my cousin, Ida, she works with him. I never knew he was your brother."</span></span>He paused.<span style="color: #8080FF"><span style="font-style: italic">"You two are nothing alike."</span></span><br/><br/>She stared at him, somewhat grateful that he wasn't just spouting of rumors; that he actually knew something real about her brother.<span style="color: #BF80FF"><span style="font-style: italic">"Before you ask; it's true."</span></span>Uriel laced her fingers and rested her head on them, staring into the distance.<span style="color: #BF80FF"><span style="font-style: italic">"He fired one hundred and sixty rounds... directly at Earth's surface."</span></span>she made an upset sound, and Anak just stared.<span style="color: #BF80FF"><span style="font-style: italic">"I can't believe they discharged him."</span></span>