Pandora knocked on the bedroom door. "Mom."
"Just give me a moment, please," Nebula replied.
Pandora broke the lock Ignoring her mothers pleas; Pandora walked in, and closed the door behind her.
"Can you just listen to me for once?" Nebula yelled.
"Nope," Pandora walks over to her mother and seats besides her mother, "Great show tonight. The production was fantastic."
"Yeah, I guess," responded a dejected Nebula.
"I remember that day—the blood, the cries, and the smell of death. But what I remember more vividly is you saving us and protecting our people," Pandora explained.
Nebula shrugged her shoulders.
Pandora shook her head, "I know I'm going to regret this, but being next to you is, and always has been, a safe haven for me. I never told you this, but sometimes, when I'm having a dreadful day, I secretly head home because being close to you centers me and makes me happy."
"YES! I LOVE YOU TOO!" Nebula yelled, embracing Pandora her smile beaming ear to ear.
"I already regret telling you that." Pandora muttered.
"My sweetie, my darling…" Nebula sang while holding Pandora tightly.
"Mom, take your hands off me right now," Pandora said firmly.
Nebula slowly releasing her daughter. Pandora stood up.
"Thanks." Nebula said
"For what exactly?" Pandora asked, confused.
"For cheering me up," Nebula answered.
"No problem," Pandora said, helping her mother up.
Nebula noticed her watch beeping. "Oh, it's been three weeks on Earth."
"Okay, I guess you should be heading home." Pandora suggested.
"You should drop by sometime. You know, he would love to see you." Nebula added.
"Maybe next time. There are things that need my attention here, but tell him I said hi," Pandora replied.
"Okay. He'll be disappointed, though." Nebula remarked.
"I'll make it up to him. I'll walk you to your ship." Pandora said.
Nebula and Pandora left the bedroom.
"Where's Will?" Pandora asked.
"He went to sort out Mom's flight back home. Can I walk with you, Mom?" Eden asked.
"My daughter and son walking me to my ship. I like the sound of that. But it seems you're not coming back with me either?" Nebula inquired.
"Yeah, I'm sorry, Mom." Eden apologized.
"Fine, lead the way." Nebula said.
The three of them left Nebula's assigned housing and headed to her ship.
"So, anything new with you both?" Nebula asked.
"I've got to sort out a couple of contract disputes before I can officially become an arms supplier to the Order." Pandora explained.
"Oh! That's nice. What about you, Eden?" Nebula inquired.
"I'm just a couple of classes away from becoming a judge for the Order." Eden revealed.
"A judge? Seriously?" Nebula exclaimed.
"Yep," Eden confirmed.
"That's fantastic! I'm so proud of both of you." Nebula praised her children.
"Thanks," Eden said. "And we're here."
They stopped in front of Nebula's ship.
"Come here, Heaven." Nebula said, hugging Eden lifting her hulking son in the air and swinging him around a bit but stops when she hears Pandora laugh and Nebula puts Eden down.
"Pan, my sweet, fist bump." she added, extending her fist. Pandora walked forward beyond her mothers fist and Nebula smiled ear to ear before hugging her tightly.
"That's enough, Mother." Pandora murmured.
"Okay," Nebula agreed, letting her go. "Bye, and remember, I will always love you both."
"Mmmhh," Pandora murmured.
"We know," Eden affirmed.
Nebula entered her spaceship and sat next to Troy, "Hey,"
"It was a momentous day today," Troy remarked.
"Indeed, it was," Nebula agreed.
"So, you told her?" Eden asked.
"What are you talking about?" Pandora asked her brother.
"How you needed to be near her when you were having a dreadful day?" Eden clarified.
Pandora was shocked and confused that her brother knew about her secret.
"I am quite perceptive… but knowing you, if I tell another soul about this, I will suffer unimaginable pain, so it stays between us." Eden assured her.
"I did what of it?" Pandora asked.
"Even though you stopped decades ago." Eden revealed.
"A white lie, as the humans would say." Pandora retorted.
"A truth mixed in with some omissions, which serves to prove one thing—an undeniable truth that you care more about the ones close to you more than you let on." Eden concluded.
Pandora smiles and walks away.
The ship takes off, As the spaceship cruised through the cosmic void, its interior bathed in soft starlight from the observation deck, Nebula turned to Troy. "I have to ask—why didn't I see you during the start of the ceremony?"
"I had to buy Orpheus something I thought he'd like." Troy replied.
Nebula smiled gently, "Thanks for that. You've been helpful with him, and I'm grateful he has you."
"I'm his dad, after all." Troy said.
"Yeah. And by the way, your celestial weapon—if you want to master it, you have to be one with the weapon." Nebula advised Troy.
"What does that mean?" Troy asked.
"The weapon's power comes from the name it's given. Your weapon is Mirage, but you approach it with reason instead of embracing what its name embodies." Nebula explained.
"How will I know it's worked?" Troy asked.
"The weapon will become part of your essence." Nebula answered.
"Okay," Troy said.
Before she could continue, Nebula's phone pinged. "It's been eight weeks, huh?"
"Are you going to teleport?" Troy asked.
"I have to. Can you stop the ship?" Nebula asked.
"We're still hundreds of millions of light-years away from Earth." the captain informed her.
"Don't worry about it," Nebula reassured him.
The captain stopped the ship. Nebula created hundreds of ravens that encircled both Troy and her until they vanished and reappeared at a shrine outside her home reality.
"Let me," Troy insisted, walking forward and placing his hand on the statue of the first being on Earth. "No being is above another; all are equal in life."
After he finished chanting, they teleported to Navara. From there, they walked to Nebula's home. As they entered, Orpheus rushed over, jumping into Nebula's arms.
"Mom!" Orpheus yelled.
"My darling," Nebula replied, spinning around with her son. "You're getting heavy."
She put Orpheus down before he hugged Troy.
"Dad, do you have a present for me?" Orpheus asked.
"Nothing but this…" Troy handed Orpheus a cube. "This is a map of the universe. Tap it, and you can see everything."
"Cool," Orpheus said, playing with the cube.
Nebula and Troy walked into the living room, where Bessie, Nebula's mom, was sitting.
"Took you long enough," Bessie remarked.
"I'm sorry, Mom. The event started a day late, and a star went supernova, so the ship had to take a detour." Nebula explained, taking a seat with Troy beside her.
"I saw the show, Nebula Millennium, and I must say it's impressive," Bessie said.
"Yeah, it is. Where's Dad?" Nebula asked.
"Mortals dimension, transporting a weapon from the edge of the galaxy. And Troy, shouldn't you be getting back to your duties as the Subterranean ambassador to Shield?" Bessie inquired.
"I've already informed the organization about my absence. There are no issues," Troy assured her.
"Okay. I'm tired, so I'll head home to rest. Your son has too much energy, and he has school tomorrow. I suggest you take that map away," Bessie advised before standing up.
"I'll walk you out," Nebula offered.
"I'll put Orpheus to bed," Troy said.
Nebula nodded and escorted her mother out of the house.
"I saw the interview. I have to ask, are you okay?" Bessie asked.
"Yeah, everything's good—hell, great, even. My career and personal life are great, so I'm happy," Nebula assured her.
"Hmmm… so why does it sound like you're trying to convince yourself that what you're saying is the truth?" Bessie probed.
"Because it is the truth," Nebula insisted.
"Okay, it's your life," Bessie said, hugging her daughter before walking away.
Nebula returned inside and headed to the kitchen for a drink.