This is part nineteen of a series of images followed by stories that follow Warren, a human. and Alice, a Tordenchi. As they both survive during the Rynar's invasion of earth.

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Click here to go to the OMAM folder! And see all parts!

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There is now a dedicated Twitter for Of Mice And Men! I Will post on it each time there is a story update, so you all don't have to miss it!~

https://twitter.com/of_omam  Twitter

Story idea base on a universe created by  Hetzer
His story Integration was our first look into UTO, and I still say it's one of my favorite stories I've ever read! You best read it too~

The artwork was done by the amazing  Jadan
His work has been making OMAM possible!

Part 19 will be the final part from Alice's perspective for awhile! With Pippy (Warren) safe away in his home, her happy optimistic attitude wanes slightly as she thinks back to her family!

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Silence...

I found a small nook near the lodge where I could rest... Settling myself down slowly, I was shaking... The cold had rarely ever bothered me before. To me, it was a solemn friend... Something that would always be there... Yet now it seemed oppressive...

I've been trying to keep strong and optimistic, for Pippy's sake. But with him now tucked away in his home and me left out here, I felt my strength slipping... His judging eyes were not there to make sure I was at my best...

My leg was still jolting me... While the cold was helping dull the pain, the slightest movement still shot lightning up my leg... Shuffling back on the gravel, I had to bite my tongue to keep from whimpering...

I wrapped my arms around myself for a moment... Taking a deep breath of the chilled air...

My stomach gently growled, reminding me again that the last time I had eaten was the night before... But with only one ration bar left and not knowing how long we'll be out here... I wasn't going to eat...

I found myself sifting through my pockets for anything to take my mind off the cold and hunger... Soon finding my Yutri, I checked the battery and let out a pained whine...

It was blinking a red battery sign, but I needed something to take my mind off eating...

Games...? No... I don't need entertainment... I need solace... Something, anything to take my mind off the alien world around me... The fighting... The violence... That face...

I didn't want to think about it... I couldn't think about it..! But still, that damn Rynar kept coming to mind..! I'm an engineer! I'm not a fighter..! Yes, I help with weapons, but I've never 'pulled the trigger'..!

My throat locked up as my eyes drifted down... They began to sting as they watered from tears... I'm glad Pippy doesn't have to see me like this...

I had felt my fingers move on their own... Yet I was unsure what they had planned... Only when I reopened them did I see something that both warmed my heart and made it sink...

A flickering blue hologram illuminated my face in the dark. Showing several Tordenchi of all sizes...

My family...

Mom... Dad... Sister... Brother... With me in the center...

I hadn't seen them in years... While we talked here and there over text, I was always too tied up in my work and studies to pay attention to them... Afterall... I would have seen them again... Right...?

Sitting here, in the frigid cold, with my Yutri in my hands and tears dotting my eyes... I questioned that more than ever...

Would I see them again..?

My dad was a lot like me... He was an engineer onboard a UTO ship when he met my mother... How they met still is something I find funny... My mom was a fighter pilot, and after a skirmish with pirates, my dad was tasked with fixing her ship...

They began talking... And talking... Taking time off on the same days to keep up conversations, making games to try and keep each other on their toes. Finishing sentences and thoughts hours after they started them...

Eventually, the two got together and married on that very ship... Where they had me, my sister, and my brother...

My dad was the one taking care of us, putting his engineering work down for a time... I felt terrible for him, as he loved working and tinkering with things... He did it for us, though, as many more engineers were coming from various stations... My mom kept with her flying throughout my time there...

Sometimes I'd glance out the windows of the ship and see a fighter flying alongside our vessel... My mom felt so invincible... Like nothing could stop her... In that metal spear of justice floating out in space, back wings illuminated by streaks of plasma from her thrusters...

Her ship was one of a kind... The Silver Valkyrie...

I was taken out of my trance when a red battery symbol flashed on my Yutri...

I flicked it away and stared again at my family...

My sister was an oddball... She was a couple of years older than me... But she and I were very close nonetheless... She wasn't keen on going into the military like our parents. When my younger brother was born, she took quickly into tutoring him...

While she didn't talk down about the military, I could always tell that she was scared for my mother... Especially when pirates started becoming more of a threat...

I'll be honest... I was scared too...

My mother seemed untouchable for a time, but there were several times her ship was severely damaged... Taking a whole team of engineers to keep it from melting down when it docked...

Maybe that's why my sister got into teaching...

I knew she wasn't happy when I showed her my UAF acceptance letter...

My mom and dad were worried too, but I was so excited... They couldn't help but be happy for me... After all, a UAF engineer was highly trained and rarely on the front lines of a fight! So they didn't have to worry about me getting hurt...

I wonder if Pippy has a family waiting for him... Heh... How will he explain his adventures with a crazy Tordenchi carrying him around...

I soon was sniffling, my eyes watering as I let out a choked laugh... Wiping my nose, I glanced down for a moment... Only for the blue light of my Yutri to suddenly flick off... Leaving me in the dark... My family now just a recent memory that left my eyes watering even more...

I'll see you all soon... I promise...