After parking the truck, Eric walked up to his house. Every light was on. He sighed as he walked through the front door. A disaster zone was waiting for him as he walked through the entryway. Jessica was chasing Liara around, and Mia was on the couch, staring at them with tired eyes. Her black hair was tied up in a ssy bun that looked more like a rat’s nest, and she hadn’t changed out of her pajamas. Off to her side, toys were strewn around the living room. Eric frowned as he noticed a cat tower. He then slled it.
"Cat Litter?"
Mia started whistling, and Jessica finally managed to catch the toddler. She scooped Liara up and nuzzled the one-year-old, causing the baby to coo and laugh.
Eric looked at Mia. "Sweetheart."
Mia turned to face him, a sheepish grin on her lips.
"Yes, dear?"
Eric crossed his arms before looking at a black ball of fur on his wife’s lap. "What is that cat doing on your lap?"
Mia stroked the kitten’s head, and the cat rolled over, purring.
"I found this little guy near the back alley of the general store. I couldn’t let it stay there, tired, alone, and hungry."
Eric rolled his eyes. "Jessica and her sad eyes convinced you, didn’t she?"
Mia smiled. "I’m glad you understand, my love. His na is Lee."
Eric plopped down on the couch next to Mia, wrapping his arms around her waist while Jessica walked over.
Eric chuckled at the teenager’s disheveled appearance. "You two look like you went through hell today. Long day?"
Jessica handed Liara to Eric. "You don’t know the half of it!" The teen grumbled. "You guys warned that when she started crawling, she would run within a few months, but I didn’t expect her to be so quick!"
Eric and Mia started laughing, and Liara rested her head against Eric’s shoulder. "Dadda!" The baby cooed while sniffing him. Eric chuckled and stroked Liara’s hair. "Yes, little one. Dadda is here." He said gently, his voice nearly a whisper.
Lee crawled off of Mia’s lap, sniffing Eric with curiosity. The black ball of fur then rubbed his head against Eric and kneaded on the couch. Eric sighed. "Well, looks like we’ll have to get couch covers."
Jessica walked over and picked Lee up. "Lee! No kneading on the couch!"
Lee owed, and Jessica put him down near the cat tower. The cat looked at the couch before turning around. He started to claw the scratch posts.
Eric tilted his head in confusion. "Did I imagine that? It looked like Lee just nodded?"
Mia laughed as she ran her fingers through Eric’s hair. "There’s no way that can happen, babe. He is a cat."
Liara started to squirm in Eric’s arms. "DADA! STORY!"
Eric smiled as he kissed Liara’s cheek. "Okay, sweetheart. But you have to go to bed right after."
Liara beat her fists against Eric’s chest. "No bed! Story!"
Mia watched from the side, sipping her coffee.
Eric held the toddler up, looking into her eyes. "No bedti, no story."
Liara beat her fists against his chest again, her tail curling under her. "NO WANNA. NO WANNA."
Eric sighed, eyeing both his wife and his teenage daughter as they retreated towards the kitchen. "Traitors." He muttered.
"I heard that!" He heard Mia yell from the kitchen. "We have been playing with her all day. It’s your turn."
Liara began screaming into Eric’s ear, yanking his hair. "STORY! STORY! STORY!"
Eric hugged Liara to his chest, stroking her hair. "If you don’t stop, you won’t get a story."
Liara tugged harder on his hair, shaking back and forth. "STORY!"
Eric chuckled. "I wonder where you got your stubbornness from? It definitely wasn’t ."
"Bullshit." He heard Jessica yell.
"You are the definition of stubborn, husband." Mia’s voice called out, her voice laced with ice in her tone. "You literally fought an entire battalion by yourself to get to when we were still dating."
Eric sighed as he stood up. "Whatever you say, my lovely wife."
He brought Liara to her room and set her down in her crib. Once he had tucked her in, he told her a story about a knight rescuing a maiden in a tower. The maiden turned out to be the Dragon King, and they lived happily ever after. Little by little, the toddler grew heavy eyes, and by the end of his story, Liara was fast asleep. She hugged her blanket to her chest, and Eric kissed her on her head. He turned around, seeing Lee approach the room, and Eric shook his head. He picked up the cat.
"No sleeping with Liara until she is older, Lee."
He swore he saw the cat nod again.
After closing Liara’s door gently, he saw Jessica going into her room. "Goodnight, Dad." She whispered as she shut her door.
"Goodnight, Jess."
Eric turned off the hallway light and walked into his room. Mia was already lying in bed.
Before Eric could take off his top, he saw Mia staring up at him.
"How bad is it?" She whispered, her ears flattening against her head.
Eric sat down on the edge of the bed. He didn’t look at her at first as he untied his boots.
"Nothing escapes you, does it?"
"We have been married for almost two years. I know when sothing is bothering you. Now, answer the question."
Eric groaned as he stretched out after changing into shorts. "This one is bad, babe. Apparently, the Empire has so sort of flying fortress. It-"
His words were cut off as he noticed Mia’s eyes show fear. The usual light-hearted nature in her eyes was replaced with an icy glare.
"The Consortium Ark."
Eric’s eyes widened. "You know of it?"
She nodded. "Yes. We have it docunted very well. Stories about those machines have been studied religiously by every intelligence mber we have. When it was used against Tryasche and his people, the damage was imnse. Entire cities can be wiped out with one barrage from the Ark," She murmured.
Eric grabbed her hand. She felt cold, like her veins had been replaced with ice. "Eric-"
He cut her off with a kiss. "I know, my love. I am scared too. Of all the things that I could have been told today, I was not expecting a Cartharic super weapon to be one of them. The way King Tryasche described it left feeling chills down my neck. If one of those things makes it past Esponia, it will not bode well for us. Especially since we have so many assets and people to protect now."
Mia pressed her shaking body against his. She closed her eyes as she nuzzled against him. "Do we evacuate our family again?" She muttered, looking out the window in the direction of Riemskin. "Nowhere will be safe if that thing ever sees the light of day."
Eric kissed her head. "We have a plan in place. If it flies, it dies." He said coldly.
Mia shook her head. "Babe." She said quietly.
"This is not like the Brios cannons, the Srariaz launchers, or Mumat systems. This is a flying fortress. We will need more than just the B-2. Tomorrow, you will watch Liara. I will take the truck and go to my office in Riemskin. I want to check so of the old archives. I know that we have ideas for its weaknesses."
Eric leaned his head back against the pillow. "We think we can overpower its failsafe systems. Stronmam told us about the mana cores. If we can overload the cores, we can weaken and destroy them."
Mia kissed his jaw. "You are getting too ahead of yourself." She groaned.
Mia grabbed his cheeks between her hands, forcing him to make eye contact. "You told about your nuclear weapons. Well, from what I can rember from the archives I did read, the Consortium Ark is that strong. Each cannon is a stronger version of the Brios. And since it flies, it has a perfect chance of leveling entire cities without detection."
Eric groaned as he looked into her eyes. "We have to send Liara back with Samara." He said gently. "They have to retreat to the capital. I don’t know if I’d be able to contai-"
His words were cut off as Mia kissed him again. She pressed her tongue against his lips as she deepened the kiss. "I agree." She said softly after breaking apart from him. "We should evacuate the cities nearest Esponia as we did with the refugees."
Eric rubbed his hands down her back, his mind wandering. "I don’t know if that would be possible. Austin alone has over one million people. Killeen has another two hundred thousand."
Mia tapped her fingers against his sides. "That is a lot of people, but we have to at least try. It is better than leaving the people to die."
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