The start of the space battle didn’t start with a large explosion, or the crack of a starting gun. No, if anything it started with a few barked commands. A slow eventual drifting of ships moving into positions.
Helmsman had approached me after talking with them, Wang and the old emperor.
“Captain, I want to handle this.” He had said, his eyes burning. His shoulder squared. He didn’t want my aid, or the aid of the children. No, he wanted to win this through sheer military might and ability. It was a foolish notion, but I could guess as to why. He had a history with CHET, though, I don’t remember what exactly. His terse words with the old emperor told me that perhaps he had known of the old man.
Then, I thought back to the meeting. That general we had met not once but twice. Once when he tried to stop us from taking the Super Carrier, the other time when he led the CHET military during the war. He had been there during the little conference where we decided to work together against the parasites.
Likely, he was here still, leading the fleet with the old emperor on the chair, much like I was. There was a history there. A shared kind of respect, and perhaps animosity, though I wasn’t entirely sure on that. What I did know, was that Helmsman had an ace to grind, and I didn’t much care to turn him down.
“Do not disappoint me, Helmsman.” I ended up saying, relenting. He lit up and saluted me with great fervor. Following that, the man took charge. Wang didn’t seem to mind, probably because he lacked capable military. Not only that, but watching the battle lines be drawn. I knew this was the best option.
I sat on the captain’s chair, simply watching the battle progress from my vantage point and yet… I knew me being here had significance. This battle wasn’t mine. Not really. Letting them fight it out was perhaps the best. Allowing me to better prepare myself for the coming conflict.
Only, where was the DEPP military leadership? Why was CHET here in force with DEPP ships. Why was a CHET commander leading them? It was, a good series of questions, none of which I had answers for. Instead, I settled in to watch. Eager to see these fresh conscripts Wang had pulled together be put through their paces by a true general.
Out fleet outnumbered them, but what they lacked in numbers, they made up for quality and experience. Helmsman had his work cut out for him, his objective wasn’t simply to win the fight, but to blood the new recruits, and preserve them for the upcoming conflict against the Majin.
In that way, if he succeeded. He would have truly proved himself. Not just to me, but everyone. And so… the battle was joined, while I sat on my chair and drank. As if I was attending a show, and not a battle. A moments break before the eventual end…
On the planet surface, inside the DEPP military headquarters. There was not a single living soul. Only the dead. Exile and Veteran, both having snuck onto the planet not long ago, both were stalking through the halls, their worry ratcheting up with every step.
Neither spoke. Neither broke that sacred silence that hung in the air. They had helped Wang with his efforts, each for their own reasons. Exile, to help her people. Veteran, simply to help Exile out.
The pair were a perfect combination of lethality and stealth. Easily dismantling and destroying cells of spies and saboteurs. They trained up and worked with the black ops portion of the rebellion, slowly building an extremely competent and lethal division of intelligence agents, and assassins, of course.
They had snuck into the DEPP home world for a singular purpose. Knowing that the rebellion was going to slowly work their way here, Exile wished to cut in front. All in the hopes of confronting her mother and getting proper answers. Veteran, did not complain. Merely grunting and following in her footsteps, eager to help her see this through. If for no other reason than… he wished to.
He was always a killer for hire. A mercenary at times, a hitman at other times. It felt nice for once, to do something with a bit of meaning. Not for the rebellion, since he knew it wasn’t likely to amount to much, but with Wang’s belief in Rettas, well, he couldn’t help but reconsider that notion. Still, he was here to help a daughter confront her mother, and if possible, do what he can.
The pair moved through the halls, bodies torn and rent. Cut to pieces, with blood painting the halls. It was clear, something had happened. A coup? Something more? They didn’t know. Coming into the main hall, where the DEPP military leadership, the grand generals should have been. All they saw was more blood and bodies.
Somebody had gone through and killed them all. Cutting off the head of the snake, as it were. Neither spoke, though, they took time to investigate. The wounds were familiar at least. They suspected it to be an assassin, the weapon similar to those used by Exile’s people and yet, still, the question was left unanswered.
The question as to why this had happened.
Finding no convenient clues, no notes or messages. They continued onward. Walking to the main pulpit, Exil maneuvered around until she uncovered and old mechanism. With some work, she managed to open it, revealing a stone staircase that led downward.
Still, no words were spoken, but Veteran took a moment to light a cigarette. The burning butt lit the way before them, casting the stone walls into an eerie light. Neither much cared. Smoke drifted up, the cigarette ran down. Until finally they reached the bottom. They felt the pressure on their heads, of being deep in the depths of the earth. With a sigh, Veteran grabbed his cigarette, no more than a nub and flicked it to the ground before grinding it down to nothing with his shoes.
The pair continued forward into a large cavern. Luminous lanterns covered the path before them. Casting everything in a ghostly light. It was silent. Every step echoed endlessly into the darkness around them. Holes cut into the stone walls were dark, with no signs of life. The air smelled stale and unused.
With every step, Exile grew more concerned. “It shouldn’t be like this.” She whispered, but even still, her voice was like thunder in the silence. “This is our home, our central city. It shouldn’t be abandoned.”
Neither spoke, continuing forward into a larger square. Lanterns were placed strategically. Lighting up the whole area. The pair paused. For before them was a fountain, and yet, it was not filled with water, but bodies. Exile gasped and Veteran merely grunted. Her people, slaughtered. To the last it seemed.
Exile stood dumb, and so, Veteran stepped forward. The bodies were cold, some of them beginning to rot. He looked them over, noting bullet wounds and such. They had been shot. Something Exile’s people simply did not do. He gestured to her, showing her the wounds.
The pair of them looked around, Exile bit her lips, looking for a reason, or an explanation as to what happened, and found none. In the end, they had no other recourse. They made their way in deeper. Through winding paths. Traces of blood were on the ground, doors kicked in. The more they saw, the more they pieced together what must have happened.
It wasn’t until they reached the palace that they saw the final clue. Soldiers. Bodies strung up. Weapons cast aside and broken. With a look, Veteran knew they did not die good deaths. They stepped up and passed the bodies. Ropes creaked as the corpses swayed. Neither speaking nor voicing anything.
Inside, were more dead bodies. Soldiers strung up or impaled into the walls. Tortured or more. The further they went, the more gruesome their fates, up until they came to the throne hall. A man stood before them. His eyes roamed over Veteran, then Exile. Stopping for a long time on her.
“It is good to see you again, Exile.” He bowed. By instinct alone, traditions carved into her, Exile returned the bow.
“Is my mother well?” She asked, the man frowned and looked to the distance.
“No… she is not well. With the turning of the war, with us losing against the rebels… The general’s the leaders of DEPP plotted to make her into a scapegoat. Figuring that if they offered her head up, that perhaps an agreement could be made.” A pause. The silence descended. “It did not end well for them.” He finally finished. Giving them all the answers, they needed.
Exile firmed herself. Looking to Veteran whom merely lit up another cigarette, his final one. Taking that as agreement she stepped forward. “We will meet her.”
The man looked between them and stepped aside. “I wish you luck, Exile.” She didn’t respond. Stepping forward towards the large gates. Almost too easily they slid open with a push. The hall, the throne room was expansive, carved of black stone that shone like a mirror. An ancient hall, a place that had been carved who knows how long ago. Filled with the history of her people and yet…
Sitting on the throne was a woman she knew all too well, her mother. The person that had tortured her, exiled her. Just the thought had her breathing hitch. Only Veteran’s calming presence kept her from breaking down. Veteran had been a constant source of support in these trying times. She had always believed she was strong but fighting her own people and her own mother… it brought her to the brink.
Stepping inside, she made her way into the hall. Stopping at the center. Her mother on the throne did not speak. She did not move.
“Mother, I have come back.” Exile spoke. Her words barely carried. Dying in the darkness surrounding them. The mirror black walls, reflecting them in darker light. Slowly, but surely, the woman on the throne stirred her eyes fluttered as if she had awakened from some dream.
“So, you have…” She said, almost too tired to move. Neither spoke, eyeing each other, however Veteran frowned. He could sense a familiar energy coming from her. Even as the war raged above, he could sense it. A corruptive energy he knew all too well. She was marked.
The silence stretched, until Exile was forced to speak up again. “Mother, I have come to ask… why? Why did you exile me? Why did you have me tortured?”
A pause, a breath. The woman on the throne stirred. Shifting herself to get a better look at her daughter. “For you, obviously. The elder council used you to question me, even challenge my authority.”
“You should have just killed me.” Exile bit back. Her mother, froze.
“I should have…” She admits, making Exile go quiet. “It was always like that. I just wanted… to make a better world. I wanted to create a new future for us, to lead us on a new path. Then those old hags used you against me. Then they tried to get me to kill you. But they couldn’t have known, nobody knew… the whole reason I was doing this wasn’t just for my people it was for you!
I wanted you to grow up in a world where we didn’t have to keep hiding in the shadows! Where we could be more than simply assassins! Given time, we were all going to die anyway! That Seer spoke the truth, even if he was just using me. I’m not stupid. The Majin, even now speaks to me, whispers to me, promises me.”
Neither Exile nor Veteran spoke, though they tensed. The woman was ranting. It was clear she hadn’t eaten much. Her mind at the very brink. “It tells me, that I could have everything, that all I need to do is what it says, and yet, I know that its lying. It offered me power, but that wasn’t enough. I gave it more and more. Asking for more and more. But it was never enough!
And now, everyone is dead. Those old hags, the people in the city and even those generals and their toadies. I killed them all, their blood is on my hands…”
She trailed off. Going quiet in a way that had Veteran on edge. He drew his blade. “Prepare yourself Exile.” He hissed, and she responded to his words, knowing that he wouldn’t lead her astray. Almost as soon as he said it, the woman on the throne stood. Glittering crescent blades were at her side.
“Now… it doesn’t matter anymore.” And she moved. Exile barely reacted in time, moving back, just as a shimmering black blade passed where her throat had been merely a second ago. Even still, another blade came sweeping in, aiming to kill her on the spot. Only for Veteran’s blade to smash into it, altering its trajectory. Veteran kicked out, attempting to hit her, only for her to jump back. Taking distance from.
Blades were readied, though Exile’s mother swayed to and fro as if drunk. “Now… I will atone. I will fix my mistakes. I will kill you; my daughter then kill myself!”
She was lost, Veteran thought. The woman came at them like a rabid beast. Though, her talent and skill were incredible. The mark empowering her made it all too easy for her to beat them back. In just a few short moments, wounds covered their bodies. Minor cuts that bled profusely.
If this kept up, they would lose without a doubt. Exile did what she could, her own blades clashing and sparking. Veteran assisting. It was, the only reason why they hadn’t yet died. Exile did her best, but her mother was leagues ahead of her, even with the ki she had, it couldn’t compare with the absurd energy the Majin had granted her mother.
Every misstep Exile made was corrected by Veteran stepping in. His strikes were deadly and venomous like a viper. Constantly seeking out weak points, forcing the Exile’s mother to either back off or abort strikes to deflect his own.
Still, as they fought, and as they tired. Whereas Exile’s mother seemed tireless despite her exhausted and almost emaciated appearance. Veteran knew, this could not continue. His mind moved far faster than even his body could hope to keep up with. He had analyzed her movements, and he knew, he just knew he could end this. Only… how did he want to end this?
Killing was familiar to him. It was something he was born to do. It was something that came to him all too easily. He had spent his entire life killing and only when he had met that one girl, that girl that made him reconsider everything. Not Rettas, no, if anything, seeing her, he understood how different they were.
No, it was the woman that he had fallen in love with. The woman he had tried to quit being who he was for. Only to be betrayed and left for dead. He should have died back then, and yet, now? Now he thought about something else. He had joined up with the Silver Suns, if only because he thought that he could finally die. That he could just keep doing what he has always done, and yet…
Now? Seeing Exile, fighting her own Mother, and with him here. Witness to it all. He had to think. He remembered his time spent with the Silver Suns, how sick he was of fighting and yet, when he saw Rettas, someone so clearly different and yet, the way she fought. It wasn’t to kill. No, if anything it was to surpass herself. Every action she made, every motion she made was towards a future only she could see.
It made Veteran, jealous. All his life, he had been nothing more than a tool, and yet… that girl, more of a weapon then even him could make her own path. Could choose her own path. No, perhaps it was because she chose her own path that she could even get as far as she was. Even now, he could sense her in orbit, simply sitting back while the war was fought.
She was no tool. She was, her. And Veteran considered, wondered, wished. That he could for the first time make a decision, a true decision for himself. Watching Exile’s mother fight, he knew he could kill her. It wouldn’t be too hard to sneak into her guard and deal the finishing blow.
Yet, for the first time he hesitated. He felt as if, that wasn’t the answer. He wanted to do something more than kill. No, if he was to kill anything, it would be to kill this frustration. Kill this unhappy future. He found himself gripping his knife harder. Nearly slipping when he struck out with far too much force.
Exile’s mother took advantage of the opening, swinging to end his life, only for Exile to come to his rescue. No words were spoken, just a glance, but… just that glance was enough to firm Veteran’s resolve. He was an old man. Made younger through ki, yes, but he was an old man. He had lived his whole life as a killer, ending lives.
Before him, he looked through all the possibilities, everything he could do. Resolving himself. Today, he wouldn’t kill. “Exile.” He said breathlessly, though, the tone he used, the conviction within was obvious. Arresting even. “When you see the chance, move in.” He said, not telling her exactly what he meant, knowing she would know. Believing she would know.
It was foolish, but anything more would tip her mother off, making what he had planned fail. Exile nodded, preparing herself. Her mother tightened up her guard as Exile rushed forward. Likely preparing for him to end this. And end this he would.
He reached the point, the point where he could easily with a few steps slip into her guard. He ignored that. Her blade swung out, and he could have easily ducked under it, and thrust his blade into her throat. He did not. His blade came up, slamming into Exile’s mother’s blade. It rebounded, the force of the strike causing the bones in his hand and arm to crack and shatter. Even then, he gripped his blade.
Another swing came up. His broken arm still moved, forcing itself to block the strike. Only to partially succeed. The blade shattered, the handle went skittering away, the crescent blade ripped into his side, Exile cried out.
He ignored that. Already he was here. He slammed himself into Exile’s mother. Pushing her to the ground. Even as her other came back, crashing into his shoulder. Digging in. “NOW!” He cried, and Exile followed. She struck. Blade against blade, sending one skittering away, the other lodged into his should sawed back and forth. The woman under him squirming and triyng to throw him off. He put his broken arm before him, using it to keep her down, ignoring her as she bit into the flesh.
He felt the blade in his shoulder get pushed out, the sound of it skittering away filled his ears. He raised his good hand. And punched. Once, twice, thrice. Each time, he controlled his strength. Just enough until the crazed woman underneath finally stilled. Likely suffering a severe concussion, but alive.
He breathed or tried to. Coughing up blood he rolled off the ground. Blood pooling to the ground. His vision blacked out, the next second he was leaning against the wall.
“Veteran!” Exile was before him, her mother tied up, with the counselor watching over her. “Why!?”
He considered. Mustering his ability to speak, say anything. “I think… I just wanted to see a happy ending, for once.” He said between coughs and sputters. His voice low, and yet, rang out. He could feel that he was dying. Truly dying. The injuries had taken were too much. He closed his eyes, willing to simply die, but…
“PLEASE! DON’T DIE! If you die! It won't be a happy ending!” She cried out. A plea, desperate and begging. He wanted to laugh. Exile, was perhaps about his age, but her race was long lived. Practically a teen, a young adult perhaps… She was always on top of things, quiet and assured. Hearing her say that, Veteran realized… He wanted to chuckle to laugh.
Instead, he moved his ki. Doing his best to keep alive. If only, so that she wouldn’t be sad… No matter how much he wanted to die.
Truly, sometimes the greatest curse can be love, can’t it? He mused. His consciousness slipping in and out. His life and death, unsure.
Though, he was certain even then. He would live. He always lives.
