S1, 04 TI: Startling Revelations (June 22, 2016)

**This chapter takes place three days after episode 3.**

Corresponding text beneath each image.

Russ winced as he pricked his forearm with a blood-tester. The needle absorbed the leaking blood, leaving behind a stain on his skin. Russ attached the tester to a port on the side of the computer, and waited.

*...accessing data...*

A moment later, the screen read:

*Do you wish to search for DNA matches?*
"Yes"
*...searching for matching DNA...*

Russ shook uncontrollably. He had been waiting for this moment for years. Not that his parentage troubled him; no, he figured his parents were just simple scavengers like himself who had died when he was young. But as their child, he felt he owed it to them to at least try to learn about who they were. It was the least he could do to honor them.
But then something occurred to him: why would their DNA even be recorded on the database? After all, they were mere scavengers, weren't they?
*I might as well give it a shot,* Russ thought, *now that I have the means to.*

Then
Robert Galroy

Russ took a deep breath. He felt a great dread come over him, as if after
looking at this name his fate was forever changed. He clicked on the name,
letting the air out of his lungs.

***Robert Galroy***
Robert Nicholas Galroy(born 2045)is a member of the Galactic Imperium Senate.
Elected to the the Senate in 2092, Galroy has served for four years.

Galroy is also a famed novelist, having written a number of books,
including The Galactic Shift, which won the Dower Award in 2095. Galroy currently
resides in Washington D.C.

Russ had a hard time processing this information. All his life, he had assumed
his father was a nobody. But this changed everything. It was like finding out
you were the long-lost heir to a marvelous king, destined for great things.
He scrolled down the page.

***Family:***
Sarah Galroy(2075-) (Daughter)

Russel Galroy(2077, deceased) (Son)

Elisabeth Galroy(2046-2077, deceased) (Wife)

This bout of text was much harder to bear than the last. Russ deduced four
things from this information. One, that he had a sister, Sarah, who was living.
This didn't mean much to him. If they had developed a relationship in
childhood, being his sister would mean something. But now they were just
separated adults, who had never seen one another before. Strangers.
Secondly, he figured that he was Russel Galroy. But that didn't matter at the
moment.
Thirdly, Elizabeth Galroy was his mother. Russ(Russel?) always had a deep
affection for his mother, even if only now he knew who she was. Dead.
Lastly, he deduced that his mother had died in his childbirth,
(supposedly)bringing him with her. He wiped a tear from his eye, and held tight
to the workbench he was at.

Then he felt a cold and comforting hand on his shoulder, and turned his head to see Hera. Russ tried to dry up the glistening in his eyes, but it was no use. At first he was ashamed, but the hand at his shoulder brushed away such thoughts. Never before had he been- consoled. He had always depended on himself for comfort. Now, for the first time, he felt compassion from another being.
"It's silly, isn't it." Russ said, "to feel so much sorrow and emotion for people that I am so disconnected from."
"Disconnected? You are more similar to them than you might think. The bonds of family run deep in our blood, and they are bound to make amends."
"I have never even seen my parents, never looked into their eyes. This thing you call family is only an obligation, and is quite meaningless for someone like me."
Hera looked into his eyes deeper than anyone ever had. "There now," she said softly, "don't underestimate their love. While you may be separated, they just surely think of you every day. Do you not often yearn for them, also? That is what counts. I too am far separated from my family. After my parents separated, I left Fuyoria to get away from it all. To be alone. But don't think that I don't miss them every day. And who's to say they don't feel the same for me? Your family may be in pieces, but it is begging to be put back together," she said, and then after a pause, "someday."

"That may be," Russ replied, "but now can you explain us being in pieces in the first place? Why does this say I'm dead?"
"I can't answer that, Russ."
Russ had finally regained his composure. "Thank you, Hera. But this is my own business, and I don't mean to drag you into it."
Hera smiled, "No problem, Russ."
Just then an alarm sounded.
"Well, it's been thirty minutes since we shut down the engines," Russ said, closing the program on his computer, "now I'll change the karzite crystal."
"Mind if I hang around?" Hera asked.
"Sure, I could use some company."
Then the sliding doors on the far side of Engineering swooshed open, and a man pushing a cart came through.

"Er- hi guys, I'm here to clean up," said a man wearing a helmet and some sort of goggles. It was Asa, the janitor aboard the *Attaboy*. He was also the cook.
"Hey, Asa," greeted Russ, "what's with the snorkel?"
"Oh, that? I'm sort of a germaphobe."
"A germaphobe janitor, how ironic." Hera muttered.
"Well, the thing is, I am such a germaphobe that only I can clean up to my standards. It's not one-hundred percent pleasant, but it's necessary. You keep this place pretty neat, by the way. I respect that. Anyway, I'll try to keep out of your way while I clean up."

Russ walked over to a crate and picked out a crowbar.
"So, what is karzite? I honestly don't know." Said Hera.
"Karzite is a rare ore with special properties, that when put under the right conditions, releases a massive amount of energy. The karzite energy output combined with the fuel stores provide propulsion for the *Attaboy*. Simply put, that is."
"Ah. So why do we have to replace the crystal?"
"In the karzite reaction chamber the crystal is put under tremendous stress, and will eventually break up. Fortunately, we have a good amount of karzite aboard. Follow me, I'll show you the crystal."

They walked down a couple stairs into lower level full of crates. Russ used the crowbar to peel the lid off one of the crates.

Russ pulled out the karzite crystal from the crate. It glowed a brilliant red, and captivated Hera.
"Very pretty," she said, "the sort of thing earth-girls would go wild over."
"Are Namorian women not the same?"
Hera blushed. "Generally, no. At least, not where I was raised. But I must admit, this is a fine specimen."
"It sure is," said Russ, "and expensive, too. Whatever this ship is carrying must be quite the subject of great demand in order for this business to be profitable."

They then returned to the larger section of Engineering, and Russ climbed a ladder that led to the top of the main reactor.
"Now," he said, "once we put this crystal in the karzite reaction chamber, we are good to go."

On top of the platform, Russ fiddled with some controls. Then, with a hissing noise, the reaction chamber moved forward a few inches.

Russ pulled the rest of the chamber from the wall, and pried its lid open. He then carefully lowered the karzite crystal. Inside the chamber, clamps secured the crystal. After putting the chamber back into the wall, we came down the ladder.

"Is that it?" asked Hera.
"Yes. It's pretty easy, changing the crystal. The real challenge is maintaining stable conditions inside the reaction chamber. You have to constantly compensate for karzite break-up. And don't get me started on the energy conversion filter."
Hera smiled, pleased at his enthusiasm. *He seems to have quite recovered from the disturbing revelations about his family,* she pondered, *he clearly doesn't understand what it all truly means. I hope he never has to find out.*
But Russ did understand, unfortunately, and his search for the truth had only begun.

### BONUS:

Well, this chapter was sure an undertaking. Besides being my biggest and (arguably) best MOC yet, it also forced me to seriously consider the future for my characters. Originally, the story was going to be quite simple, with Russ just changing the karzite crystal. But after taking the photos, I realized how inadequate that would be, and added the stuff about Russ' family(which I had originally planned to tackle in a later chapter). I am pleased with how Russ and Hera are progressing. I also introduced a new character, Asa, who may or may not appear in subsequent chapters.
Back to the build: I am very proud of this MOC. It is, in my opinion, my best yet. I didn't feel I captured the vastness of it in the pictures, but here are some extra photos that better show the MOC:

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Finally, the original main photo for the episode.

So that's it. I am very pleased with it, and I am surprised that I had the amount of pieces to make this. I spent a lot of time on this, and I hope that it shows.

As always, thanks for viewing!