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Everyone prepares for the upcoming battle, and some secrets are revealed.



"You got lives in you, hard to kill. Storm, bullets, sand and wind, yet still you walk. For now."

---

Vaà didn’t understand why the visitors needed to sleep. He wasn’t tired at all, and wouldn’t be for another few days. After the plan was laid out and everyone was asleep, Vaà secluded himself in his lab, watching the sky through a satellite. The Evil’s ship was on sensors, moving towards them slowly. He smiled, taking his mind off the impending battle as his better half drew near. They exchanged amorous greetings before Makron even entered the room. As she entered, Vaà pointed to the screen. “They will arrive in forty hours. That is a rough estimate.”
Makron joined Vaà, touching his snout with her own briefly. Even with Makron’s stabilizing presence, Vaà was afraid. It was clouding their understanding. Makron turned to him. “Vaà, I cannot understand you.”
He tried to calm himself. “I do not know. I… sense that this battle will be… final.”
“We have fought the evil before.”
“The stakes have never been higher. We stand to lose existence.”
Makron looked back at the screen. “Do you believe Leph?”
“About what?”
“About his experience. He fought a being that sought to destroy his world, so he says.”
“I… do. But I cannot speak to him. This clouds my judgement.”
Makron smiled sweetly, extending a mental hug. “I understand now. You are uncertain.”
“Yes. But…”
“You are still not speaking clearly.”
“If this threat is eliminated… what does that mean for our world? We are not alone. The universe is no longer singular.”
“We will answer that question in the future. You are right, however. This asks questions we are not prepared for.”
She took his claw in hers. “Do not let it trouble you.”
Vaà smiled. “I will try.”
They turned back to the screen.

Leph awoke to pure darkness. He carefully disentangled himself from Leena and found his S-Com. From what he could tell, he had slept longer than usual. However, it was still dark outside. He heard Leena yawn. “Is it dawn yet?”
“Still dark out. The days must be longer… Its weirdly warm, though.”
“Yeah… Come back here.”
Leph tossed the S-com to the floor and climbed back onto the moss bed. Leena rested on his shoulder. “Hey.”
Leena sighed onto his neck. “What?”
“Do you remember… oh, hell, what was that planet called?”
“We’ve been to a lot of planets, Leph.”
“We crashed there, and the people thought we were gods?”
“Yes, I remember.”
“We might die again.”
Leena sat up. “Don’t you make me cry again, Leph.”
He chuckled. “I just have a question.”
“Hm?”
“Was I a good dad?”
Leena chuckled. “Come on, you know you were great.”
Leph shrugged, staring at the ceiling. “I shouldn’t have been so tough on her.”
“Leph, she’s not still mad at you over that racing thing.”
“Maybe… I mean, what was I supposed to do? Let my daughter who just learned how to fly race against other kids who just learned how to fly? And let her take my only shuttle?”
“Stop agonizing over it. She got over it the moment you took her out for ice cream.”
“Yeah. And I hate ice cream. What kind of people freezes milk? And puts sugar in it? Ugh.”
Leena giggled. “She has my sweet tooth.”
“That’s for sure… How did I ever end up a father, anyway? I never saw myself as one…”
“We have this conversation at least once a year.”
“I know, Peach. I just… Before I met you, I was this hotshot with a ship and an eye on some big money. After Rissa I was just gonna fly about the Galaxy breaking hearts with my friends and getting into trouble.”
“Then I domesticated you.”
“You sure did.”
Leena shifted from her sitting position, laying her head on Leph’s chest. “I always wanted to be a mom. I was afraid when I first met you that I was gonna fall in love and never have kids. I was too ambitious. I wanted kids, I wanted a career and you. But somehow you gave me everything.”
Leph didn’t respond, and before Leena could keep talking, she felt him shake. She looked up. “What’s-”
Leph tried to hide his face, but it was too late. He had already started crying. “Shit…” he sniffled.
Leena hugged him. “You never got emotional when I told you that before… Oh, Leph, we’ll be fine.”
“No… No, I have to tell you something.”
Leena sat up. “You don’t have to, Leph.”
“You don’t understand, I-”
She reached out and grabbed his muzzle. Her face had suddenly become hard. “I said you don’t have to say anything.”
Leph’s eyes widened. He nodded. She let go slowly, then lay back on his chest. He took a deep breath. “Sorry. Stress, and all.”
“I understand.”
“I’m not gonna give you another speech, like on the planet.” he laughed nervously.
“We should get up.”
“In a minute.”
Leena drifted back to sleep, leaving Leph with a pit in his stomach. If Leena suspected something, he was sure she would have come to him about it, and beaten him half to death. He gulped, doubts drifting around his skull.

~~~

Leo awoke the next morning with an ache in his legs. He sat up, rubbing his eyes and flattening out his mane. The darkness made it difficult for him to locate his legs, but after a few minutes of scanning the edges of the room, he saw a glint of metal and crawled to the edge of the bed. He reached out to grab the first one, but the moss underneath him slipped, and he went tumbling to the floor. “Ah!”
He managed to catch himself, stopping his nose from being bashed against the floor. He ended up on his back, near the legs. He reached up and grabbed one, only to have the other fall over, out of his reach. “Damn!”
He sighed and let his arms flop on the floor. “Leo…”
Fieru stood above him. Leo smiled sheepishly. “I, uh… This place is hard to get around.”
“Let me help ya.”
Fieru picked up the legs and helped Leo attach them. He stood. “Thanks, Fieru.”
“Anytime, bud.”
Leo sat on the bed as Fieru got dressed. “So, I got something to discuss with ya.”
“Yes?”
“I was just wonderin’ what we’re doing after this? If we don’t die.”
Leo frowned. “What do you mean? We’ll continue on with the Frontier.”
Fieru sighed. “Are you kidding?! First of all, there’s no way to know if we can even take the Frontier back with us. And second… I deserve a vacation after this!”
“I was under the impression that you wanted to leave because the job felt too much like a vacation.”
“Drifrasa’s tits, man, we’re stuck in another universe! This isn’t exactly what I had in mind!”
Leo stood. “You complain when times are peaceful, you complain when times are filled with strife. What do you want? To go back to protecting dirty businessmen?!”
“Sure! I’d love that! Free booze, drunk women, and a good fight at the end of the day!”
Leo turned for the door. “That’s all you’re in it for? Hedonism?”
Fieru got between Leo and the door. “No! High risk, high reward, that’s what! I started running with you because that’s what you loved doing too. Then along comes this Leph prick who turns you inta some soft, content captain with a weak bladder!”
There was a pause. “Then quit.”
“Oh don’t give me that! What happened to you?!”
“I’m done talking.”
Before Leo could push by, Fieru grabbed him by the collar, his claws piercing the fabric of his coat. “Alright, fuck you then. As soon as we’re free of this place, I quit. Fly, fix and run around with Leph in what’s left of the Rocinante without me. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to get us airborne.”
Fieru turned and walked away, growling to himself. Leo shut the door, turned around and shredded the closest plant with his claws. “Dammit!”

Zach jumped as he was awoken by a shout. “Zach!”
“Gah! Mum, I… oh.”
Dez chuckled at him. “Hi, sleepyhead. You weren’t at the briefing yesterday, but we decided we’re going to fly up to the Frontier in a few hours so… Get ready.”
Zach stumbled out of bed. “I’m ready. I’ll change once we’re up there.”
Dez nodded, and Zach followed him out. The two collected everyone else who was absent from the briefing, and they all packed up and headed out to where the gunship was parked. Leph was there already, looking like he needed a cup of coffee. “Hey everyone… We’re leaving soon, and we’re not coming back. Hopefully.”
He glanced around at the bleary-eyed group. “You know what I mean… Anyway, I suggest you all get your things in order and get back here in two hours, because as soon as Fieru gets the Rocinante up and running, we’ll be heading back to the Frontier. It’ll be nice to sleep in our beds for once.”
Dez and Serleah were sitting by one of the gunship’s landing struts. Serleah gazed up at Leph as he spoke, and she muttered. “It could be the last time we do.”
Dez took her paw, and she squeezed. She sighed. “Sorry.”
Leph clasped his paws together. “I know some of you aren’t part of my crew, and some of you were once our enemies, but…” he looked at the dirt “if we come together tomorrow, I’m confident we’ll get out of this.”
He let that hang in the air as he turned and walked off unceremoniously. Teliko and Yalogalil were the first to run off, while everyone else lingered. Lenny joined Dez and Serleah by the gunship. He popped open the cockpit, turning up his nose as the smell from inside wafted out. Serleah glanced up. “What the hell happened in there?”
Lenny chuckled. “G-forces. We gotta clean this.”
Serleah stood. “Not unless you want me to be sick too.”
She walked off, Dez standing up. “Sorry about her.”
He followed. Lenny wasn’t bothered. He held his breath and looked at the inside of the ship. “Ugh…”
“Hey, I’m sorry about that, okay?”
Rico leaned in behind Lenny. “N-no, it wasn’t your fault.”
They stepped back, Lenny stroking his chin. “But we should clean it out.”
“How?”
“I’ll ask a Sytis if they have a hose or something. It’s safe to spray water in there.”
“It is?”
Lenny nodded. “Yeah. Come on…”
Rico watched Lenny as he walked off towards the main building. He swallowed hard.

Teliko didn’t know where Czyak lived, so she wandered around the gardens and grassy plains, listening for his voice. She could hear other Sytis, their words and emotions seeming gray and scattered when compared with Czyak’s. She walked into a small grove, recognizing a voice coming from inside. It was not Czyak, but it was a start. “Excuse me?”
Blansh whirled around. “Ahhh!”
Teliko and Blansh jumped away from one another. “Sorry!”
“Ah! You… I did not hear you coming.”
“I didn’t know… I’m so sorry…”
Blansh grumbled, but Teliko wasn’t sure what that meant. “Yes… it was an honest mistake. What is it you need?”
“Um… I just want to know where Czyak lives.”
Blansh turned back to her plants, but Teliko could hear her unease. “I know him. He lives some miles away.”
“Miles?!”
“Yes. He lands here sometimes. He has visited many times in the past few days. More than he did last year.”
Teliko fiddled with her paws. “Could you… call him?”
“Yes.”
Blansh left the plants and rummaged in a nearby bag. She held an object, stared at it, then handed it to Teliko. “Hello?”
“Czyak! Its Teliko! My dad said we’re leaving Sytis in a couple hours, and I haven’t given you my poem.”
“Two hours?”
“Yes.”
There was a pause. “I have just completed your gift. Meet me under the tree.”
“I will.”
“Goodbye.”
The device stopped receiving. She handed it back to Blansh. “Thank you. And I really am sorry… I’m not used to living with Sytis.”
Blansh seemed to accept the apology. “Very well.”
Teliko nodded, then walked back through the field. A sound in the sky made her look up, and she spotted a sphere ship heading for the main building. She broke out into a run, scaling the hill as Czyak climbed out of his ship. “Teliko.”
“Hi!”
He stood tall before her and held out his claw. Pinched delicately between his massive claws was an object on a string. It was a small orb filled with a bright yellow light. Teliko let Czyak place it gingerly in her paws. “What is this? It’s so warm…”
“It is a starstream sample. I collected this yesterday.”
“A… some of that glowing stuff in orbit? Is it safe?!”
Czyak laughed. “Yes. It is safe. That glass is very strong. You might be able to break it with a laser or some sort of weapon. However the starstream inside would simply dissipate and perhaps cause a minor burn.”
Teliko hung the string around her neck. “I’ll be careful anyway… Czyak, I love it.”
Czyak was filled with relief. “I was not sure what your people fancied.”
She laughed. “We like shiny things! But this is also symbolic, which makes it invaluable to me.”
“Then you understand us now! Our speech!”
“W-what?”
Czyak was smiling widely. “The nature of our speech… the reason why we can understand each other so clearly with nothing but our… how you put it? Emotions! Emotions are… Symbols. They are very meaningful.”
Teliko nodded. “I see that…”
Czyak pointed to the star she now wore. “Let that object be a symbol.”
She tucked it away under her shirt. It was warm against her fur. “And let these words be a symbol.”
She gave him a data pad. Czyak was about to turn it on when Teliko stopped her. “Wait no! Not yet. After we’re safely home, you can read it.”
Czyak hesitated. “Why?”
“I’m embarrassed!”
“I will never truly understand you.”
They laughed silently. Czyak turned, watching the activity buzz around the gunship. “I will join you.”
“Are you sure? It’ll probably be dangerous.”
“I will join you. I will… see you off. Keep you safe.”
Teliko nodded, then grabbed one of his claws. “Alright.”
She shook his claw. He was puzzled for a moment. “What is this action?”
“Don’t worry about it.”

Leo followed behind Fieru as he pushed through the increasingly long grass. As Fieru crested the final hill and nearly tumbled down the other side, Leo waited, watching Fieru climb into the ship. He flexed his sticky leg, then sat down, rubbing his face. Leo always had answers to tactical problems, but since his experience with normal life was less than extensive, he never knew how to handle situations like these. It wasn’t like Fieru was forced to stay in his employ, even if Leo thought it was a terrible idea to leave. Leo stood again, seeing no other way but to tell Fieru the truth. He stumbled down the hill and entered the ship. He spotted Fieru right away, or, rather, Fieru’s legs. He was dangling into the engine room. There was a clang, and he hauled himself up, ignoring Leo and going back outside. “Fieru…”
He returned with a coil of thick cable, knelt down, and tossed it down. “I’m sure you know all about the fall at Sern.”
Fieru climbed into the engine room, and after a few seconds, answered. “Of course I do. It’s where… you lost yer legs.”
The sounds of tinkering and hammering came from down the ladder as Leo sat dangling his damaged prosthetics into the engine room. “Tell me. Where were you when that was happening?”
A faint chuckle reached Leo’s ears. “Well, I was fighting with an MP when the news came in. Me and the guy forgot whatever it was we were fighting over and glued ourselves to a TV.”
“When we met, you told me that Sern was the reason you took so much pleasure in using your claws.”
There was a pause, then the sound of a small drill. “I… Yeah, I suppose it is. You know why, though. You were there. The Solar Federation used their new M2 Bayonets. Y’know what I think? The Solar Federation takes a perverse pleasure in their inhumane weaponry. I’ve seen guys blown to shreds by Solar Federation orbital strikes, and once on Pakka I saw a lieutenant get his head vaporized by some AM rifle. And after Sern, I started seeing more and more guys with their intestines in their hands after being bisected by some freakish laser bayonet a crazy 18-year-old Human was waving around. So I started using my claws and my teeth. Give them a few nightmares.”
The unexpected tirade over, Leo took a moment to regain his thoughts. “I was there, Fieru. I… From the command tower, near the end… I could see the flashes even through the thick foliage. There was rifle fire from my men, but I didn’t hear a single shot from any Human firearm. Just the sound of those M2s.”
Leo grabbed the ladder and joined Fieru, who had stopped working. “I know exactly how you feel, Fieru. But…”
In the past, even when they had met briefly during their time in Special Forces, Fieru had never known Leo to show strong emotions. He glanced up when Leo’s voice choked. “I resent that part of me. T-the part that wants to rage at the world for its injustices. It consumed me, turning me into a misanthrope. You never met my ex-mate, but I came home to her a stranger. I didn’t recognize it until I was holding a broken bottle and watching her run out the door nursing a nasty concussion.”
Fieru gulped. “I just… I assumed you got in a bar brawl with some space scumbag.”
Leo shook his head. Fieru dropped his tools and stood. “But… I don’t get it! That explains nothing! If anything it just raises more questions! I’ve never seen you show an ounce of disdain for Zach, or the staff at Human checkpoints, or me or any other crewman we ran with!”
Leo grabbed him. “I bottled it! I hid it with high risk work and solitude. And then I met Leph.”
“What does he have to do with anything…?”
“He has to do with everything! Leph is a hero. He was involved in a battle with an unidentified alien life form. Hundreds died. I can only imagine the things he saw.”
“You’re talking about the Eden incident, right? Leph was involved with that?”
“Yes! You never knew?!”
Fieru shrugged. “I did, just… I thought he was just there, y’know?”
“He flew a shuttle into the thing, and somehow killed it. I never asked him about it, but I’ve read the stories.”
Fieru pushed Leo’s arms off him. “Leo, yer freakin’ me out here...”
Leo growled and stepped forward. “Leph is a hero, right? Some people called me that, once. I have a metal and everything. Two missing legs! I bet Leph’s got scars, too. I bet he stays awake at night sometimes thinking about it. I bet he’s hidden two decades worth of terror from his family.”
Fieru stumbled over a piece of scrap and slumped against the magazine door. “L-Leo… What the fuck are you saying? Gimme some space, please!”
Leo grabbed Fieru’s jacket. “I’m here to learn, Fieru. Oh, I’m here to get paid and protect a fleet, but more importantly, I’m here to learn from the best. A man who, from what I understand, once survived a one on one battle with a mass killing space entity. Such a man should have turned into a much more bitter version of me. But somehow, he didn’t. I needed to know how.”
“Leo, please… I-I don’t like-”
“I’m trying to help you, too! You’re like me! You like to use your claws, bathe yourself in blood. That’s your coping mechanism. We both stand to learn everything from Leph! Don’t you see I’m trying to help you?!”
Leo was too crazed to see the warnings, so it came as a shock to feel Fieru’s claws shred his coat and slice into his chest. He was then kicked to the ground as Fieru leaped over him, scampered up the ladder, and shut himself in the cockpit. Leo opened his eyes after a moment and sat up. He checked his wound, determined it non life-threatening, then propped himself against the wall and began his breathing exercises.