The noise of the hangar might as well have been silent for all the attention given to it by Tobias. He'd been sitting and staring at the people and Titans as they bustled throughout the frigate for nearly two hours now, waiting for KT's but his mind was elsewhere.

He kept replaying that ultimatum in his mind, mentally distancing himself from his past iteration until it almost felt like someone else entirely, a stranger wearing his clothing.

So, I'm proud to have failed. It's because of her that I'm alive, and I'd like to return the favor.

With that sentence, he might have just signed away any hope for asylum he had left. He could have simply taken the offer, been dropped off on Harmony and lived out his days there until this war was over. Instead, he'd gone against every instinct he had to stick his neck out for a Titan of all things.

Why? Why did he keep taking so many risks where she was concerned? He didn't run from her when they met, he found a battery and saved her from the snow, and now he'd just given up an escape from the war just to keep her from being decommissioned.

He shut his eyes, sighed, and bowed his head between his legs as he leaned against the cargo crate behind him. Was it shock? The traumatic experience of seeing his squad incinerated by an explosion might have triggered some small bout of insanity within him. He could simply be latching onto her psychologically because she was all he had left.

Or maybe it was her Pilot. Maybe it was the way that the man had embraced him as a friend rather than an enemy. It could have opened his eyes and shown him that there were far more shades of grey than the black and white that he'd been determined to see before that fateful moment.

But—and he feared that this was the likeliest answer—perhaps there was simply a part of himself within him that recognized it was time for a change, as much as he hated to admit it. Groaning, he raised his head up again and was once again back to people-watching.

Six years he'd been fighting for the IMC. Not once had he ever felt like he'd been making a difference—though, truth be told, he hadn't cared. All he'd cared about was—

Fighting past a lump in his throat, a brief memory of the past chose to momentarily reveal itself and drown out all other thoughts ...

...

The roars of military ships above were all too prevalent in the otherwise quiet night. High in the air, they circled the settlement with spotlights and watched over the town.

They claimed it was for their own safety, and it may have very well been, what with the rising feelings of unrest shared by man amongst the frontier; there were always those who chose to take drastic measures. But for now, it was simply a source of fear for a mother and her young son.

Peeking through the curtains once again, the woman sighed with a mixture of stress and frustration. She knew that these measures were necessary, but that didn't mean she had to enjoy them. And she knew that he certainly wasn't—

"Mom, when are they going to go away?"

She gave another sigh, but not one of consternation; this one was full of sympathy for her son's anxiety towards the ships and looming threat of danger.

"I don't know," she admits, "but you know it's for the best, sweetie. They only have our safety in mind." She wished she could believe those words as easily as she said them.

He seemed just as unconvinced as she was unenthused to say it. "What are they keeping us safe from?"

"Life on the frontier can be dangerous, but it can also be freeing. Now though, the IMC are trying to protect us at the cost of adding a few restrictions." More than a few, but the law was the law; she would abide by it.

He tilted his head. "So are they right or wrong to protect us?"

That was a loaded question. But as he looked into his mother's eyes, she knew he didn't really want an answer, but some sense of comfort and security. She was happy to provide those for him ... but maybe she could teach him something too.

"The world isn't so easily labeled," she said gently. "And they aren't good or bad; they're just doing their job. And the people who don't like them aren't really good or bad either, they just feel that what they're doing is right."

"But if no one's good or bad, how do you know who's right and wrong?" he questioned.

She took pause, and thought on how best to explain this to a child with no real concept of the world and its issues. Maybe ...

Giving a small hum, she smiled and sat on his bed where he lay curled up in his covers. "Can I tell you a story?"

He tilted his head curiously, but nodded all the same.

"Long before we journeyed to the stars, everyone lived on Earth. It's where we first came from, and it has a lot of history behind it. Before technology and all the things we have today like cars, ships, and that cool stuff you play with nowadays, times were much simpler. People fought over land."

"Really? But there's so much of it!" he exclaimed. She laughed slightly.

"Maybe now there is, with so many worlds. But remember, we only had one back then. So people would try to have as much land as possible, and people would go there to live. Oftentimes, when there was enough land and people, they would come together and form a town, or even a kingdom."

"What kind of story is this?"

"This is the story of one such kingdom, with a castle and its inhabitants. See, the people were very happy with what they had, and their king was happy with his people. And so, there was peace. But that kind of happiness attracts greed, others who would want to steal from them and hurt them. So, they had one warrior to defend them from evil; a knight."

He likely had only the barest idea of what a knight was, so she didn't feel surprised when a confused expression came over his face. But she wouldn't tell him if he didn't ask; she'd let him imagine whatever he wanted.

"Every time someone came to ruin the peace, the knight would fight them off and protect the people. And so the people loved him."

Her son's face was full of wonder now, he was eager to hear the rest of the tale. He didn't even notice the ship's engines overhead anymore, thankfully.

"As time went on however, fewer and fewer dangers came to challenge the kingdom and its people. They entered a new era of peace and enjoyment. They told the knight to leave, and so he left the people that he'd protected so bravely over the years."

"What?" He seemed nonplussed. "Why did they tell him to do that? He did so much for them!"

"They thought they didn't need him anymore," she explained, "that they were fine without him. And so they enjoyed their peace for a time, celebrating their newfound way of life. But it wasn't long before something else came along; everyone who had ever been fought off by the knight had arrived, now that he was no longer there to protect the people. Together, they began to steal from the kingdom."

"Serves them right for throwing out the knight," her son muttered in a satisfied tone.

She held up a finger. "Not quite. Because just when all hope seemed lost, the knight returned and began to fight harder than he'd ever fought in all his life. Though he was alone, he managed to defeat them at the expense of his own life. He sacrificed himself to save the kingdom, and the people realized what they'd done was wrong. After that, he was remembered as the greatest hero they'd ever known."

She pretended to finish, and waited for his reaction. She wasn't disappointed.

"But that's not fair!" he cried. "They made him leave, but then he came back anyway and died? What kind of story is that? Why did he come back, didn't they deserve it?"

"Maybe they did," she agreed, "but that's not the point. The knight didn't have to come back at all, he knew the army was too big for just him; he knew he would die if he returned."

"Then why did he?"

"Because it was the right thing to do. The people weren't good and they weren't bad, they were both. In life, you'll find that this is true for everyone; no one is completely good or bad. But he knew that letting them perish was wrong, even if they might have deserved it. Before, he protected them because it was his duty. But then he did it because, even if they didn't love him, he loved them. And in years to come, that love and heroism inspired others to stand up to evil just as he had done."

He stared at her in awe, finally understanding the message. She chuckled and leaned down to kiss his head. "As you grow up, I just want you to know that it's often the hardest choices which are the right ones. When the time comes for you to make such a choice, I have no doubt that you'll choose well."

He nodded with a small smile on his face, happy with her explanation. "Thanks, mom."

"You're welcome. Good night, Toby." With that, she left his room and closed the door.

He wasn't afraid of the ships anymore, even if he didn't really like them here. He took what his mom told him, and applied her wisdom to the situation; maybe they weren't all good or bad, and maybe the people rising up on the frontier weren't all good or bad either. But peace was good, and the IMC wanted peace. That was enough for him.

He stared up at the ceiling, thinking about the knight. Maybe there wasn't any kingdom for him to save right now, but ... all the same, he wanted to be like that knight. To be brave, and strong ... internally, he made a promise to himself and to his mom.

He would always do the right thing.

...

Absentmindedly, he rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand and saw that it came away wet. Quickly grabbing the collar of his under-shirt, he wiped away any trace of his feelings towards that particular recollection.

He'd promised to always do the right thing, but he certainly hadn't followed through. Years spent hell-bent on getting vengeance was never what he'd intended, though it was definitely what his life had turned into. Using that memory of her and the goal of 'peace' to justify his behavior ... and soon, he simply didn't have enough willpower to break away from it all. He'd fallen into an almost sedentary attitude towards his position in life, taken it for granted that the IMC had to be good because he'd been too afraid and arrogant to ever question his own judgement.

And in one day, KT had changed that.

"What are you doing?"

With a start, he turned around to see the very subject of his thoughts standing over him a few feet to his left, watching him with the blue optic of her Ion chassis which was becoming increasingly familiar to him with every encounter.

"Hey," he responded with obvious surprise in his voice. "I didn't hear you come over- they can't be done that quick, can they?"

"The engineers have a lengthy list of tasks to complete," she explained. "They repaired what was necessary first, and will continue to work on my chassis when they have the opportunity."

He nodded, sensing the logic behind their decision and work process. The Ion followed his gaze to see the expanse of the hangar before them.

"What are you doing out here?" she asked, gesturing to his apparent target of observation.

He shrugged dismissively, hiding his face from her. "I don't know. Thought it might be fun to see how things run around here."

Out of his peripheral vision, he saw the aperture of her optic narrow in disbelief. Thankfully, she did not press the issue.

"Why?"

He cleared his throat. "Why ... what?"

"Don't be coy. You know perfectly well what I meant."

Apparently, today was a day for life-changing revelations and long sighs. Releasing yet another, he simply stared at his hands awkwardly.

"I was out here asking myself the same question that you just asked me."

She contemplated that seriously. "Did you find an answer?"

He furrowed his brow, trying to think of how best to reply as she awaited silently for his response.

"I was taught that it's often the hardest choices which are the right ones. I've been drifting with the IMC for six years, ignoring what I was told and taking the path of least resistance. I've lived for myself and no one else ..." He swallowed hard. "But I think it finally hit me that I'm not worth living for. Not with the choices I've made."

KT was speechless, listening intently to what he said but without any kind of response of her own. He faced her with a sad sort of smile.

"You, on the other hand ... you've forced me to make several hard choices over the last day. And I haven't regretted a single one of them so far. I've lost whatever purpose I may have originally had all those years ago ... but I think you've given me a new one."

The two of them stared at one another in stunned silence for a few moments before she broke it.

"Four, you are the only reason I'm not a frozen, metallic corpse underneath a blanket of snow—the only reason I'm even standing here talking to you, and not waiting to have my data-core wiped. I was forced to place my faith within you initially, but now I do so because I choose to." She paused for a moment, much like he had when he'd racked his brains for what to say.

"Just as you have found a new purpose within me, I have found one within you." It would take time for her to adjust to the notion of having a former enemy as a Pilot ... but she was willing to try.

He opened and closed his mouth several times, never quite able to express just how grateful he was for what she'd said. Finally, the corners of his lips tugged upwards in appreciation. "Well, it's nice to know I've got you as a friend, KT."

She seemed taken aback by that statement, as evidenced by a sudden jerk in her chassis as well as rapid blinking. He raised an eyebrow in concern. "You alright?"

"I'm fine," she quickly assured him, her voice taking on a far softer tone, "I've simply never been called that before." She stood back up and moved to stand next to him.

"Called what?"

"A friend."

The two of them remained there for a while longer, both pondering on the new way each of them saw the other, and what would await them going forward.