Jaden looked away from his pilot controls, the coordinates were set and there were no rough
places to go through, so all he could do now is wait patiently.  His eyes scanned the computer
screens slowly: everything was in order.

  He got up from his seat and walked into the small recreation room of the ship. Zander lied
across the window seat fast asleep.  Jaden couldn’t help but smile; he looked so peaceful
sleeping.  “If only he were so peaceful,” he thought grimly. Jaden knew and understood that he
was trying to protect someone, however to shoot an unarmed man went against everything he
had ever taught his son, everything that he had tried to help him understand. He couldn’t help
wondering where he had gone wrong. Zander was crying out for something, that much he was
sure of, but he had tried everything.  What was it that kept him doing these things? What was he
thinking?

  Jaden sighed heavily, and kneeled to kiss Zander gingerly on the cheek.  He stroked his son’s
silky brown hair softly, then stood and walked to one of the four small living quarters.

  Shutting the door, Jaden turned towards his com-link on the wall. His father, Shawn Kein
was on the screen, looking at him patiently.

  “You seek something on your visit,” Shawn stated cocking his head, “ Tell me, what troubles
you?”

  “My son troubles me, father,” Jaden answered. He paused, looking downward briefly, then
directed his attention towards his father once more, “ I fear that he is starting down the dark
path.”

  Shawn’s expression turned grim. He took a moment to sense Jaden’s feelings, his face
becoming wrinkled with the growing frown. “He has shot one of his peers?”

Jaden nodded slowly.

“Then we have quite a bit of work to do. What reasons did he tell you for this?”

  Jaden would have answered, however, he could sense Zander leaning against the door,
listening. He sighed slowly, “One moment father.”

  Jaden walked to the door at a slow pace then opened the door quickly.   Zander moved back
just as quickly, unsure what to expect.   Jaden looked down on him sternly, “ This is a private
conversation between your grandfather and I.  If you no longer wish to stay in the room you
were in, then go to your quarters now.”

Zander stepped back a little more, uncomfortable under his father’s harsh stare.

“Do you understand me?” Jaden asked sternly.

  Zander nodded as he walked away toward his room, feeling a little hurt, but welcoming time to
be alone: away from everyone’s disapproving glare.

  He shut the door behind him, and sat down on his bed, slumping sadly. His father used to listen
to him; he used to respect him more than the others, yet now he seemed only burdened by his
son, saying nothing but harsh rebukes.  Zander rubbed his sleepy eyes and turned to the stars,
trying to rid his worries for a while by finding constellations.

  A soft beeping sound turned his attention. Zander looked around then realized that it came from
his wrist communicator. Feeling foolish, he shook his head and opened the clasp.

  On the tiny screen was young teen with fiery red hair, and teal eyes. Zander sighed and gave
her a half-hearted smile in greeting, “Hi Cyera.”

  “Hi Zan, did you just magically conjure up that smile for me?” she asked placing her hands on
her hips, “I thought you were able to show a little more enthusiasm than that!”

“It hadn’t been a day for smiles and enthusiasm,” he replied softly.
………………………………………………………………………………………………
  Being through with his conversation, Jaden walked to his son’s room and stopped at the
doorway once he heard Cyera’s voice. He frowned, Zander was not supposed to be talking to
anyone else on this trip. Folding his arms, he leaned against the wall and listened.
………………………………………………………………………………………………

  Cyera gave Zander a sympathetic smile, “Where are you? I tried calling at your house and your
mom was talking to me about some trip.”

  “Yes, I’m going to my grandfather’s house. Apparently being grounded at home wasn’t
suitable.”

Cyera looked at him inquisitively, and Zander shrugged in response.

  “I don’t understand it either, maybe he’s trying to elaborate his usual punishment routine,” he
said dryly.

  “He still uses that speech and lesson routine?” she asked. Zander nodded vigorously, his
expression showing his annoyance of the fact.
 
 

  “He uses it repeatedly. I can’t understand why he wastes all of his energy on me. It seems
obvious to everyone else that I’m a lost cause.” Zander snorted in bitterness.
“They talk of me as if I weren’t person, but rather some sort of virus.”

  “It will get better Z, you just need to let the tension pass,” she said, stressing the fact to calm
him.

  Zander shook his head, “The tension has been there for years, it’s not just going to dissolve
away after one problem is fixed. Another problem will just replace it. It’s a cycle, Cyera: I mess
up, we talk it out, then I mess things up worse.” Zander hung his head and sighed, “ I should just
leave and put them out of their misery.”

  “That’s the last thing you should do, Zan!” she exclaimed, “Oh, Zander why can’t you just go
and open up to them?”

  “How do I open up to a family that doesn’t wish to listen!?” Zander replied, raising his tone,
“We’ve gone over this all ready!”

Cyera sighed, “I still believe that your Dad will listen,” she replied.

  He shook his head sadly, and rested his forehead on his palm.  “He hates me like the rest of
them now,” he answered in a choked whisper. Tears that had been forming in his eyes began to
dribble down his sorrowful face.

“Z, when are you going to understand?” she blurted out desperately, “ No one hates you!”

“If not them, then I,” Zander replied softly, as he started ending transmission.

“Zan…” Cyera cried out just before connection went out.

  Zander threw the communicator to the corner of the room, and buried his face in his hands,
crying out all of his frustrations.

  Jaden sighed heavily, feeling guilty. He should’ve seen this before; he had been too hard on
Zander.  He knew he had to punish him, because if he didn’t the cycle would start all over again.
“But now isn’t the time for lectures or rebukes,” Jaden decided, “he needs comfort.”

  Slowly, Jaden opened the door and walked to his son. Kneeling before him, he turned Zander’s
face towards him. “No one hates you,” he said softly, with a hand cupping Zander’s cheek.

  Zander’s eyes widened, then he groaned. “Of all the things to overhear why this?” he thought in
embarrassment.
 

Jaden removed his hand, sensing that Zander was uncomfortable.

“Son, I don’t hate you,” he said calmly.

  Zander pressed his lips together, and forced his tears back. “Why, then, do you think that I’m
evil?”

Jaden looked upon him with sympathy, “Zander, I never said…”

“It was close enough to saying it, Dad,” he said in an annoyed tone, “Why?”

“I’m just worried about you, Zander,” he replied, staring into his son’s brown eyes.

  Zander shook his head, and sighed heavily, “You really confuse me, Dad. First you tell me that
defending is the correct thing to do; to protect is the correct thing to do.  Then when I do this you patronize me for injuring someone.” He ran a hand through his soft brown hair, summoning up
words to explain. “You’re sending me mixed signals, Dad.
Am I supposed to protect people or not?”

  “Of course protecting is the right thing to do! What I don’t agree with is how you did so.
Injuring someone should be the last resort, but in this case it was one of your first resorts.  In that you did the wrong thing.”  Jaden’s eyes probed his son’s, attempting to see whether or not he
understood.

  “I’m not a Mindwalker, Dad. I don’t analyze a situation when I’m in danger,” he said dryly, “When I’m
in danger, instincts take over, and tell me to do what ever the hell I can to get out of the situation
alive.”

Jaden looked at him in astonishment, “Son, I prepared you for dangers like these!”

  “It’s not something you can just teach through talking, and simulators.  You don’t feel the
overwhelming emotions when you’re not actually in danger. I think this is just something that I
have to learn from experience.”

  Jaden shook his head, with all the preparation he provided there had to be a better explanation
that that.

“I didn’t expect you to understand,” Zander said somberly.

  Jaden looked up at the ceiling as he allowed himself the regaining of his composure.
Sighing, he looked back at his son, “This still doesn’t make sense to me, there has to be more to
your explanation. You can’t go through all this training then tell me that human instincts are at fault for this. ”
 
 

  Zander went slack in the seat, “All right, I’ll admit it. I let fear come over me.” He threw up his
hands in exasperation; “I was terrified, and I just,” he paused, and summoned his words, “could
think of no other option. At least I had enough sense to keep myself from injuring him fatally.”

  “The wound was still bad enough to have to take him to the hospital, Zander,” Jaden replied,
displeased.

  Zander snorted in frustration, “Look, I’m not happy about this either.” He sighed shakily, angry
tears falling down his cheeks, “I am so very sorry that while Parthes was terrorizing me, he got
hurt.”

  Jaden’s eyes narrowed. He pulled Zander towards him, twisting his arm tightly.  He leaned
towards his son’s ear and talked. His voice was quiet, but very stern. “I am growing very tired of
this attitude of yours, and will condone it no longer.  I expect you to treat this matter with
seriousness, because no matter what you may think, it is serious. Do we have an understanding?”

Zander pulled away. He nodded hesitatingly, looking away and rubbing his arm.

  Jaden moved back slowly and stood up, his discontented gaze unwavering. Sighing slightly, he
shook his head, giving up on talking to Zander.   Uncomfortable silence lingered in the room, until Jaden’s voice came out of the dreary darkness telling Zander only to go to bed.

  Zander looked up only to see a small bit of his father’s brown robe just before the door closed.

“The creature that’s climbed up his ass must be making itself really comfortable,” he thought
glaring at the door. Had his eyes been lasers, they would’ve gone straight though it and anything
else in a three-foot radius.

  “He talks to me as if I were five,” he thought in resentment. He had had enough of this,
no more would he tolerate their rebukes, and patronization. He was through of being ordered
around by people who thought nothing of him.  “When they least expect it,” Zander thought to
himself, “I’ll run from this prison.”