<div class="floatleft">(http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j77/wulfjaeger/___protector_of_time____by_vincentxyooj-d5lw1gq_zps59496fa9.png)</div><br/><br/>Allia could feel the tension in Emily as she talked.  The way the older woman looked through her at the locker behind rather than at her told Allia that Emily was trying very hard to control her emotions.  Emily's personality had always been strong and defiant, one of the aspects that drew Allia to the other woman.  She knew Emily wasn't much younger than her mother, but something in the woman held Allia's attention.  She was glad for their friendship and hoped her words had carried some weight.   Of course, the way Emily avoided her gaze gave Allia little hope in her efforts.<br/><br/><em>"I'll stay until you have someone to fill my shoes. But I'm sorry, I can't stay longer than that. Life's too short to get blown to bits by an insane clanner. Or working alongside one, for that matter..."I always said you were a lunatic, Allia. You're young, you could find some other company. But... At least you know how to stick with your friends. I'd be a poor one if I abandoned you all now,"</em><br/><br/>The words hung in Allia's ears like some sort of angelic siren song that drew you in.  She had began to lose hope, but now the words drew life back into Allia.  The way Emily placed her arm over Allia's shoulder before she moved across the room seemed very paternal, Allia knew Emily was struggling with this decision, and Allia knew it was on her to make sure Emily's gesture wasn't wasted.<br/><br/><em>"But promise me one thing. Keep an eye on Damian. Even if none of this was his doing, I don't trust him. Few of us do, and for good reason. Clanners aren't like us. I've fought enough to know. And Sea Foxes are some of the craftiest bastards among them. He wouldn't stay if there wasn't something in it for him."</em><br/><br/>Allia considered Emily's warning.  Of course her assertion that<em>'few of us do'</em>seemed a little odd considering that there wasn't anyone left.  She realized that it was very likely that she was privy to a side of Damian that Emily had never seen considering the circumstances, but as far as Allia was concerned, if Carlos Morena had trusted the man, there wasn't much more reason she needed to trust him.  Of course, there was something in it for him, a need for a place to feel welcome and needed.  Emily knew the feeling all too well as did Allia, which was the reason she stayed.  Of course she could go to another unit, but this unit had made her feel at home, and now it was her need to rebuild that home that kept her.<br/><br/>"Thank you Emily.  You don't know how much it means to me and to Kari that you're going to help."  She jumped up, hugging Emily much the way she'd wanted to be close to the woman for so long.  The hug was long and full of emotion.  They both needed a friend right now and needed to feel appreciated and safe, and Allia hoped this one little gesture might melt Emily's cold emotions, even for a moment.  Finally disengaging the embrace, with a rather shy look in regards to her enthusiastic response, Allia backed towards the exit.  "I'll let you unpack.  Come find me later and we can sit down and talk about what we need to do."<br/><br/>Full of joy, Allia left the locker room and walked slowly through the hangar bay.  Stopping in front of Gheistwulf, she stared up at the stripped skeleton of her mechs frame.  It was fortunate that they had restocked the stealth plating a few months ago, hers would be one of the only mechs fully functional when they landed on Galatea.  They would need it as a sign of their strength in the aftermath of such devastation.<br/><br/>She lingered for a long moment before turning towards the crew quarters.  She'd need to report to Kari on Emily's status, then she needed to work off some stress.