Dynamic Patrol: Gel Squad! Episode II

Chapter 34: Little Ship

Kipp, Kai, Cam, and Bodi joined the others in the briefing room, which completed the original Gel-Squad and added many new faces. Russell returned from his quick visit with Polly and crossed paths with D1 while returning to the briefing room. "Look, it's the rest of our friends," Bodi, exasperated, he quickly rushed over to hug Tommy, who grunted as Bodi thrust himself into the arms of his cousin, burring his muzzle deep into his chest.

Kipp approached his father with arms crossed and a deep frown engraved on his face. "Father. Secondary caregiver." He greeted Maxion and Russell respectfully. He was still salty about the argument,  which led to his staying on the derelict starship Destiny.

"Kipp. Look, when this is over. Maxion and I want you to come home so we can talk to you. In private." Kipp already knew what this was about. But that would not change his mind about the feud. The only problem was that Russell believed that formday parties were pointless, and Kipp was the one who was acting immaturely when he tried to force the occasion. He'd put Russell through hell when he couldn't find where Kipp had vanished for the first few hours he ran off, so Russell believed that Kipp was the one who needed to apologize. The point was— they were both hardheaded.

The greetings were similar to a family reunion; everyone took turns saying hello to somebody, Tommy once again apologized to Cam much more sincerely this time. Cal talked to Kai and asked for parenting advice. That was quite a surprise, but it made sense when considering Kai had been raising Bodi as a brother, father, and best friend for years and likely had a great deal of experience with children. But what confused Kai was the sudden urge to learn about parenthood. Once the introductory stage was completed, everyone wanted to dissipate and return to their lives. Oh, right— so far, in the eyes of everyone here, this 'meeting' seemed to be a coincidence; Kipp had to drop the reason for his seemingly random arrival. "Wait... I've made a troubling discovery... our planet is dying." Perhaps there would've been a better way to say it, but that brought the room to a halt, and the crowd flurried back in.

Kipp informed the entire group of everything, leaving nothing out. A heavy silence fell over the room as Kipp shared the dire news with the group. The revelation of their planet's impending demise sent shockwaves through the room. Russell's expression darkened as he absorbed the gravity of Kipp's words, his mind racing about what this could mean for their people and future. Kieran kills all those people, and now he's killing the planet. Great. Cam and Kai weren't as surprised as the others because they knew about this already. Cam's hand reached out to hold onto Kai's in solidarity. Tommy's jaw clenched as he processed the news, his mind already working on potential solutions. Cal's ears drooped with concern, a deep frown marring his expression.

The room erupted into a barrage of questions and discussions as everyone tried to grasp the magnitude of the situation, all directed toward Kipp, even Tommy— the leader, who was trying to probe for information. Maxion got in between the crowd circling. His arms spread out to shield Kipp from the pressure. "Hey, chill out. He doesn't know anything about this. He came up here to get help from us, not the other way around. Stop asking endless questions." His eyes darted around the room, searching for a response from someone that would he at least half-logical. The questions ceased at that point.

Kipp took a deep breath, his resolve firm as he addressed the group. "We need to find a solution, and we need to find it fast. Our planet may be dying, but our people are not powerless. We have... limited resources, but we have vast knowledge and determination on our side. We can come together, pool our expertise, and explore every possible avenue for salvation."

Russell nodded in agreement; Kipp's brief speech made him sound quite... heroic. He wanted to join the DP before deciding to take on engineering full-time— shame, he would've made a perfect superhero. "Maybe... we should go?" Bodi suddenly suggested, and he raised his voice so that the other conversations were mute compared to his volume. That quieted the room. Tommy faced his cousin with concern etched on his face. "Bode... this is our home— we can't just leave it," Tommy explained slowly. "Sure we can, Tommy! Kai and I did, and we turned out just fine."