"Aria, if you need anything, I'll be right next door." Jake spoke to his sister.
"HEY! That's my line." Aria spoke with an annoyed expression.
Jake smiled at her before heading inside.
Jake stepped into a bedroom that surpassed the grandeur of their previous quarters. This expansive sanctuary exuded opulence and comfort.
Dominating the space, a king-size bed with sumptuous linens beckoned, its regal presence heightened by the meticulous craftsmanship evident in every detail.
Above, a delicate chandelier suspended from the tall ceiling cast a gentle glow, creating an ambience that balanced warmth and sophistication.
The fireplace in the corner of the room for some reason made Jake feel cosy as a memory flashed before him.
His past, before he and his family were exiled from Earth when Jake and his family were truly happy.
Almost 7 years ago April 2388:
It was a rainy day in Devon and Jake and his sister Aria had just finished learning with their tutors, Iris was still too young, so she would be taken care of by the maids and would join Jake when he finished up with his tuition.
Their mother would be busy handling the affairs of the family while their father would be on a government trip in Berlin.
Since it was thundering outside, Jake and his siblings were forced to stay indoors, much to their dismay.
Elizabeth was in the main office and was finishing up her work for the day. "Hah, Another acquisition, I swear Victor, just wait till you get back home." Elizabeth spoke in an exhausted voice.
Recently Victor had been purchasing smaller companies from a range of industries, which wasn't an issue monetarily but was just a ton of paperwork which Elizabeth handled herself.
The most recent acquisition was a Shipbuilding company on Mars, Hyperion which had a medium-sized shipyard located near the end of Valles Marineris.
The paperwork looked normal enough and Victor was even able to get a below-market value price on the company, however, Elizabeth read the final page of the company report and her eyes widened momentarily before calling her husband.
Victor was currently in a meeting with several other GOE governors discussing future colonization efforts on the North Western border before receiving a call from his wife.
He excused himself and left the room before answering the call.
"Hello Victor?" Elizabeth spoke.
"Yes, dear?" Victor answered.
"Is the meeting over?" Elizabeth asked as it was getting late.
"Eh, just about, I left a bit early so I'll try and be back before the kids go to bed."
"You better! You know the kids go crazy when they don't see their father." Elizabeth spoke in an annoyed tone with a smile.
"Yes, yes, my lady I will be there." Victor impersonated his butler.
Elizabeth giggled before getting serious "Honey, about the latest company we've acquired, are we going to invest that amount? Can we even afford it?"
Victor went quiet for a moment before speaking "Elizabeth, trust me, I've already acquired the funding from the banks and other sources so do not worry, everything I do, I do it for our children. I have a great feeling about this, hell if it does well we could set our family up for at least 10 generations easily."
"I trust you Victor, but a military shipyard? Would it not be better for us to go into the commercial ships or even a mix of both? And what is this order you've placed already" Elizabeth asked.
"And what is this Hyperion Vanguard class ship you've placed an order for? Victor the price is insane!" Elizabeth was angry with her husband's purchase.
"Why not honey, it's a nice little ship that our family can take on vacations off the earth." Victor gave a wry smile as he tried to convince his wife.
"LITTLE!, it's a 90-meter ship! Vacations! Where will we go that requires...Railguns and Anti-matter torpedoes, have you lost your mind Victor I swe-" Elizabeth was cut off from her rant by her husband.
"Shhh, shhh, I'm sorry honey, I can't hear you very well. I think they're calling me back. I'll speak to you later. Love you, bye." Victor quickly ended the call.
"VICTOR?, Victor? Just wait till you get home.*sigh*" Elizabeth didn't say anything, her husband always did odd things but it was not dangerous and it always worked out in the end.
Elizabeth signed the documents before sending them through. She got up stretched her back and walked to the main living room, the maids telling her where her children were.
She walked into the large living room and spotted her children playing hide and seek. Iris fussed because she did not want to count but Jake managed to convince her.
"18...19...20. Ready or not here I come." Iris finished the count before turning around.
Elizabeth quietly hid behind her daughter catching her by surprise.
"Boo." Elizabeth surprised Iris who got frightened and was about to cry, seeing her mother she started to smile again, sniffling as she hugged her mother.
"MOM!" Aria and Jake shouted running from their hiding spots and smothering her.
All of Elizabeth's exhaustion wore off as she joined her children playing with them till they got tired.
Victor had reached home before midnight, quietly entering the Manor.
He spotted his family sleeping on the couch wrapped in a blanket.
Elizabeth woke up and glared at her husband.
Victor smiled and kissed his wife before taking the kids to bed.
Jake woke up and pretended to be asleep as his father came to fetch him.
"Jake, I know you're awake, come sit with me." Victor called to his son as he sat on the couch.
"Where's mom and Aria and Iris?" Jake asked his father.
"They're gone to bed, come tell me what did you learn today?" His father inquired about his studies and his day.
"It was okay, but a little boring." Jake answered.
"Hmm I see, well Jake if you promise me to do well, I'll give you a special present." Victor spoke to Jake.
"Really, what?" Jake perked up and asked his father.
"Anything you want, what would you like?" His father asked.
"Hmmm, a ship dad. I want to visit Ceres with you and Mom." Jake thought for a while then spoke.
A sly smile came upon Victor's face as he soon answered his son.
"Alright son, if you do well in your classes and make me proud, I'll buy you a ship when you get your licence."
"Really!" A bright smile came upon his face.
"Really." Victor spoke as Jake hugged his father.
"Mr Avalon, where shall I put this piece?" A butler of the Avalon residence spoke behind Victor carrying an art painting.
"In my study." Victor answered without turning around.
"As you wish sir." The butler answered.
Jake was tired, yet was still able to see the painting being moved.
The painting looked to be in a small picturesque town with a few people having a picnic. However, there were a few peculiar things in the painting.
Some of the people depicted did not look like humans. Jake had only heard of the Kreedians from his tutors but the person depicted did not match their features.
"Red skin, sharp ears, pink hair?"
Jake had a sense of realisation before being awoken by a knock at his door. He looked at the time and realised he had been daydreaming for a few hours and it had gotten dark.
"Who is it?" Jake inquired.
Yet no one answered.
The knock came again and Jake walked to his door.
He quickly opened the door and sighed in relief as he saw his sister with an angry look.
"What is it Aria?" He asked with a tired expression.
She said nothing as she walked into his room and climbed into bed. She turned away from him and mumbled.
"Can't sleep."
Aria had gotten used to sleeping with her family in New Canberra and being in the unfamiliar room all alone, she could not sleep.
Jake laughed quietly before getting into bed as well. "The genius of the Avalon family is scared to sleep alone." He teased her.
Aria could only keep quiet but soon turned around.
"I spoke to Mom." Aria spoke to Jake.
"What did you say?" Jake asked his sister.
"I told her I convinced you to take me to Sevilla station for shopping and we stayed at a hotel." Aria spoke and revealed she had taken the blame.
"Was she angry?" Jake knew the answer to the question but still asked.
"She said she's going to kill you." Aria answered in a deadpan tone.
Jake gulped and buried his head in her chest. "Well, my big sister will protect me."
Aria laughed "You always have an answer to everything but finally act your age huh."
"Good night Aria." Jake spoke.
"Good night Jake."
(Jake, about that painting.)
'Yeah, Atlas?'
(The woman was of the Raiyu race, even their art style matches the ones here.)
'You're saying there's a connection between the Dravaris family and Dad?'
(You should ask Elian about the paintings. If there is a connection between your dad and the Dravaris', he will know.)