Futuristic Blacksun (Notorious x C.DEX)

[Notorious]

As soon as Lucy's words hit the loading bay Nyx tore after Imille up the stairs, refusing to believe what she was saying. Jagar couldn't die, it wasn't possible. He had survived against the most deadliest beasts on hundreds of worlds and now he was simply dead? It wasn't possible. She watched in silence as Jagar was killed. While Imille turtled up and couldn't look, Nyx could do nothing but look. She watched as Knox toyed with Casar, she watched as Jagar raised a thumbs up to Cas, she watched as a man she loved and held dearly collapsed to the ground dead. She stood completely still, her hearing bubbling away as she heard the rush of blood enter her head. While Imille was sobbing and in hysterics Nyx felt numb. She had done nothing but lose people once before, in fact she was no stranger to loss. She had lost her entire homeworld but it felt that was nothing compared to losing Jagar.


She remembered her father, watching him be obliterated before her very eyes by those damned artifacts the Exodlites were harvesting. She remembered losing other people close in her life and it had been so long since she had she almost had forgotten what this felt like. Surprisingly she took a few steps away from Imille, not a single tear in her eyes as she disappeared into the background. She passed by Arc and simply headed downstairs to go be alone. She felt so numbed by the loss of Jagar she wish she could feel the pain of losing him properly like Imille or the others. What she felt almost seemed worse in comparison, experiencing such a deep and painful sorrow only for her not to be able to express it or put it into words.


Ajax unfortunately was experiencing a mix of emotions, especially as Ayla came running up to him and jumped in his arms. His heart couldn't make up its mind on what he wanted to do. He wanted to scream in victory for rescuing Ayla as he held onto her tight but part of him felt that he had damned Jagar by making him come along. Much like Nyx he was blaming himself, wishing he could turn back time and simply go here alone when he had the chance. Leave Axel and Nephilim and simply go get Ayla. Ayla had been speaking to him but he only caught the last bit as she said "-missed you so much! What is Jagar? Why is everyone crying?"


"Jagar was our friend. Jagar is dead, Ayla..." Ajax whispered, clutching onto his sister tight. "He was a good friend. He had spikes on his head and he tried to act tough but he had so much love for all of us... I'm sure he'd love you too... In fact..." He stopped, resting his head on the top of her head, watching as Nyx passed by looking like she was shell shocked. He took note of Avena who bowed her head out of respect but simply sat quietly to herself, staying away from the others. "I think he did love you Ayla... Because he wouldn't have went if he knew you weren't important."


"Like mommy? Mommy didn't get to spend a lot of time with me but I know she loved me a lot!"


"Like mommy." Ajax said, tears finally coming to his eyes as he held Ayla close. "Now listen kid, I have to go help them... We aren't leaving Jagar here. What I want you to do is go to my room and-" He paused, "Do you want to meet our new friend?" She nodded enthusiastically, though a faint sadness was on her face too. She was wrapping her head around the fact that someone had sacrificed their life for her, a concept she was trying to realize at too young of an age. "Come on." Ajax led Ayla to his room and on the way there she asked an even harder question.


"Where is Cassie? I thought a super hero was supposed to say hi when he helped save me!"


"He..." Ajax felt another pain, one of knowing what was probably going to happen to Casar. The pain of Jagar was too real but the pain of Casar? Just beginning. "We have to go find him. Don't worry, it may take a few days but he'll turn back up. Okay?" He led Ayla into his room then disappeared for a moment, then walked back in with a massive kitten that made Ayla's little face light up. "This is Bambi. This was Jagar's and Casar's kitty. Now he's going to be very lonely so I want you to be really nice to him okay?"


"OH MY GOD JAX HE'S SO PRETTY!" She cried, reaching up and grabbing the kitten from his hands that was more than just a kitten. Bambi had grown to be just about as tall as Ayla, the comically sized Ipt being much more than just a standard house cat now. Bambi started to purr and began to rub his face against Ayla, the poor thing not knowing what was happening outside. "I love him!" She paused, "And I guess I love you too, Jax." Ayla said, able to tease in a moment like this. She was a Winger afterall. "Thank you for saving me."


"Thank you for being strong... I'm sorry I took too long."


"It's kay!"


"Okay Ayla... I'm going to go help the others now, I'll be back soon." With that, Ajax began making his way to the cockpit. When he arrived he found them on a course back to the tower, to not leave Jagar behind.

 

[C.DEX]

The trip there was quick. Though they were devastated, their Captain was determined not to leave their friend alone. Imille had risen just as soon as the image had flickered off the viewport of the Gaius, trying to stop herself from tears in order to finish it all. She couldn't help it - the knowledge that Jagar was dead came like horrible waves, causing a pain so deep that she had wanted to die herself. The war raging on the outside of the RCN-1 became a secondary thought in their minds, the image of Jagar dying one that they couldn't possibly erase.


The Gaius came to the central tower, the upper half of it completely non-existent due to the Harbinger's beam. The detachment ship that Knox, Vivick, and Magnus had come in was all but gone by the time they had gotten to the tower, leaving a horrible, violent scene behind.


The bodies of the two Chancellors that had been murdered still laid there. Even Nephilim had looked calm in death, despite the grisly way that he had gone out. He was splayed out near the window, his hands near his throat, his eyes in peaceful lax. Jurea had been killed near the elevator, out of some kind of duty to stay within the tower before the end. He had lead Ajax, Casar, and Jagar directly to the top, where they had known Axel had been. But there was no Casar, and no Axel. There was only Jagar left.


Purple blood streaked the floor, leaving the broken Vekht in the middle. His eyes and skin had lost their hue, defeating the thoughts of Imille that he somehow could still be alive. That he would be strong through it, just like he had been strong through adversary a million times before. His eyes still stayed on the place where Casar had been, his hand no longer holding the gesture he'd given to Casar - deprived of his last words in the universe. Instead, Casar and Axel had both left a trail of blood leading toward where Knox's ship had once been. A bloodied knife had been left behind, one that had been previously lodged into Knox's head, and the reason that Jagar was dead.


As soon as Lucy pulled the ship in close, Imille had come downstairs, her eyes glassy and vacant. She went down to the loading bay, her hand grazing the dock and opening the door in the same place that Knox's crew had disembarked. Seeing the trails of her friends to their very own ship had sparked a dissonance in her as she stepped down from the Gaius, collapsing at Jagar's side. Her hands took his face in, planting a kiss on his broken respirator.


"I-I'm so sorry, Jags." Imille murmured, horrified that he was cold to the touch. Her tears rolled onto him, but this wasn't a fairytale. It wouldn't bring him back to life. And it was so hard to deal with. She looked up to the dock, the thought coming back of having to carry his body. She waited for Ajax, slipping her hands underneath his head as if trying to soften his position against the cold floor. Even in the end, she was still caring for his comfort, the thought that he died scared and cold far too much for her to bear. "Y-you did it, though..." she said, talking to him as if he had still been alive. "We got Ayla. She's with us. She's safe." she said, gently resting her hand between the spikes on his head.


Arc had stood up, silently limping down from the cockpit as the Gaius landed. He passed Ajax, not meeting his eyes. The scientist wasn't sure if it had been a trade worth making, the grief on his face palpable. He knew what the consequences were for Casar, and while he hadn't considered Jagar one of his close friends, the loss was still there. It was the first time Arc had cried in front of them, losing his composure along with the others.


Imille solemnly waited for Ajax, the two of them the only ones left who could get him on board.

 

[Notorious]

Lucy was miraculously holding it together long enough to pilot the ship, knowing that the mission wasn't over and that they all were still in danger. She seen the shields of the RCN-1 go down and the flashes of ships retreating. They only had a little while longer before everyone abandoned the Renegades completely, the one battle they needed to win ultimately ended in the biggest loss of their career. The Renegades were dead, Casar was probably dead and Jagar was dead. She kept a watchful eye out for all of them, knowing that the situation could change at any moment.


Ajax stood at the top of the stairs and made his way down, noticing Arc openly weeping. If it had been any other situation then it would reaffirm that he actually had a heart, something that Ajax had obviously already known but seeing that much emotion from the usually emotionally stinted man was surprising even to him. Then it dawned on him.


"We'll get him back." Ajax whispered as he passed by, "We'll get your boy back."


Somehow summoning the strength to walk down those stairs was hard. He had only been traveling with Jagar for a few months but even then the weight of his death was potentially highest on Ajax out of all of them. Jagar gave his life for Ayla, something Ajax would never forget. Unfortunately, that came at the price of perhaps never potentially letting himself be forgiven for putting the Vekht in this situation. Each step was harder than the last, the whole ordeal only lasting seconds but each felt like hours to him. It took him a while to cross the loading bay but by the time he did he seen Imille cradling Jagar's head.


"Go back inside Sarai. I'll take-" When he seen how stubborn she looked and just how distraught she was he walked over to her and wrapped her in an embrace. One that should have came from Nyx but one that they both needed nonetheless. Capital ships and explosions were happening all around them, the rumbling of the station being plundered and the screams of the people who hadn't been able to escape on time filled their ears. That was all drowned out by Ajax gripping Imille tight and trying to make things better in this moment filled with so much despair and grief. "Together." He said, reaching down and picking Jagar up while Imille supported his head.


Ajax looked down at his sister's savior, offering him a quick smile. "He'd be pissed he hadn't been eaten by some huge monster." As they pulled Jagar into the Gaius they had no time to lose, the loading bay ramp retracting and the Gaius sealing. Lucy punched it, pushing the Gaius to its limits as she jumped into hyperspace from inside the station. The result of such a maneuver caused the top half of the tower to crumble in their wake, the concrete supports breaking and half of the RCN-1's tower falling down onto patrolling Exodlite patrols down below.


The crew never did get to see the end of the Renegade's home base, how the Harbinger and the dozens of Harvesters that had surrounded the station all opened fire in unison. How nothing remained of the Renegade's home after they were finished annihilating it. They never seen the light bouncing off into the cosmos and radiating a massive boom that looked as if a star had gone supernova. They would never get to see the fall of the Renegades, thankfully never having to see Ayla be taken along with it. However... this also came at the price of never seeing their family member Jagar ever again.

End Scene 14: The Trade​

 

[C.DEX]

They had left the RCN-1, filled with tears and silence. The team had suffered a great loss - one that the child on board couldn't fully comprehend. Even her companion had left her, Bambi choosing instead to go down to the infirmary, where Jagar's body had been stored. He stayed by the fallen warrior, fully able to comprehend what was happening. Jagar was in the side compartment of the infirmary, sealed away from the elements. It would give them enough time to get to Vetka, a decision that they had made quietly. Imille had moved all of the medical supplies upstairs, being in the room with him far too painful. It made up most of the time they had spent together, mending one another's wounds. When they weren't in the loading bay recovering, most had gone to their respective rooms.


Arc had found himself in the loading bay more often than not, Imille keeping watch over the severely concussed scientist, with Avena looking over the others. He had gone blank, not complaining about the pain or discomfort, unable to unfocus himself from what had happened. It took a matter of a week for them to get there, the planet seemingly lying on the edges of the known universe. It was a week spent in hardship, each of them being forced to cope in their own ways. Some destructive, some not.


But they were at the extreme planet now, breaking atmosphere to a place that a deal of them had remembered negatively, either forced to put down their own friends or forced to fight. Jagar had promised that he had become a leader there, but that did little to dissuade the fear on-board. The Gaius had come to a slow near a wooded area, one with a mass of trees that seemed to reach into the sky. There was an opening for ships - the very same opening that the Interceptor had taken the first time. They had glided to land, unsurprisingly accosted by Vekht as soon as they had landed. They sat outside of the loading bay, weapons aimed up at the Gaius. When the ramp opened, and they had seen what the crew was carrying, they lowered them.


Imille looked out to the small gathering of Vekht, still teary-eyed. Their shocked faces looked on, not entirely sure what or who they were seeing. He'd had the markings of a Vekht exile, but ...


Suddenly, a smaller Vekht figure had pushed through. One with many scars, and a large, spiked thing in his hands, but it wasn't a spear. Skulls decorated the outside, large and small, with a rope that curled around and tied to his wrist. He was pale green, with spikes of great length jutting out of his head. He was what they had recognized as a Vekht elder, and as he moved forward, the others parted way. His dull yellow eyes twinged in recognition. It wasn't just an exile. He had known exactly who it was. He stepped forward, approaching the solemn crew, muttering a few words in his harsh, guttural, native tongue towards the others, most likely indicating for them to step down.


As he approached, he dwarfed them and Jagar, showing even in advanced age just how difficult it had been for their warrior, even on his home planet. The rustling of the trees seemed to come to a slow pause, ambient noise from insects and animals alike fading away when they didn't even realize they were there. The elder reached to Jagar's face, unclipping the broken respirator from his mouth.


"Jagar ..." He said, weakly, before looking up to the members of the Gaius crew. "Today, we give him back to Vetka."

 

[Notorious]

"Yes." Ajax replied first solemnly, looking down at Jagar before looking at the others. They all looked like they had seen better days, deep bags underneath all of their red eyes. They didn't just lose Casar, they had completely lost Jagar. Seeing the Vekht's face after the broken respirator was removed was hard, Ajax hadn't personally seen him without one aside from the time it had been removed and he began to attack the others. In retrospect even that memory was a better alternative than the death of his friend. Their friend. Ayla held Ajax by the hand, looking at Jagar with sorrow but not quite to the level of the others. Seeing him made his death that much more real now.


"How did he fall? In battle?" The Elder asked, a hint of sorrow in his voice but this was not the first time he had to return young Vekht to Vetka.


"Yes." Ajax said, speaking for the others as they were either to stricken with grief or simply allowing him to talk since he did so first.


"By what? Beast... or man?"


"Man." Some of the Vekht began to sigh, falling to another person wasn't as glorious as falling to beast. Usually. "By one of the strongest men in the universe." This perked them back up, Ajax catching on that these people valued honor above all else. "The Exodlites they-" Several hushed whispers broke out as soon as Ajax spoke those words, the Elder slamming his ornamental staff into the ground signaling silence. The Vekht were well aware of what the Exodlites did and what they were capable of, the idea that they had the ability to destroy planets was more than enough for them to revere them. "Jagar fought the strongest the Exodlites had to offer with only one other man beside him. They managed to fight not one, but two others alongside the strongest Exodlite ever."


"The strongest?..." The Elder questioned, never before hearing of such a thing. "Exo-light only human. How was Jagar best by them?"


"The man was larger than any Vekht. A Crusader." Understanding swept across their welcoming party, a Crusader they understood. The best though? That gave them all chills, more so than what a beast would have done. "Jagar... fought for one of the most glorious reasons of all too." Ajax had their attention, the man frowning but having a lot of respect for what Jagar did. He would never be able to repay him. "He gave his life for my little sister." He said, gesturing to Ayla who waved at all the strange tribal men with a big grin on her face. "She had been taken and... without Jagar I wouldn't have been able to get her back. Not only did he save a young life but... he nearly killed the strongest Exodlite ever created. One that he should have had more help for but..."


"Exo-light know of Vekht strength now!" One of the observing Vekht shouted, "They will fear our power, thanks to Brother Jagar!"


"Yes... Jagar made sure of that." Ajax said, offering a smile to the honor-bound people. "Will you... perform whatever burial rite y'all do for your brothers? Jagar may bare the mark of the Exile but from what we hear he became much more than that later on... That he sacrificed a lot for you all as well." Ajax's smile disappeared, much like the rest of the group's had. "I think the only thing that would put his soul to rest is to be given the send off his people give to their warriors. Nothing more, nothing less. He was funny like that..." Ajax rubbed his face, his beard growing in thick as he hadn't shaved it during all the sadness. "He just wanted to be like one of you."

 

[C.DEX]

"Yes." The Elder said, and hushed remarks began to flit around the other Vekht. Their visit to Vetka now had been phenomenally different than their one previous, and the Gaius crew was unsure if that was due to Jagar's changes there or if it had been the fact that they carried a loved one. The Elder stood there for a while, his eyes fixated on Jagar. Mourning was a thing that every species had experienced, no matter how big, how strong, how weak, or how small. The Elder frowned, the expression settling naturally on his face. He must have gone through it a thousand times, but seeing a warrior fall was always painful. He looked to Ayla, both of them on the opposite ends of life. "Jagar give self to see that this one get chance to become warrior." He said, in understanding. "He also gave time to Vetka. For the same reason. Come."


The Elder once again slammed his cane down, this time twice. Two Vekht had moved to his aid, passing the Elder up to lift the bed that Jagar had laid on. Imille snapped forward, afraid that they would cause him to fall, but the Elder raised his hand. "Vekht treat Jagar with respect." He said, alleviating her fears. As they lifted him, her hands came to her mouth, as if she couldn't watch them take away someone that she had loved. They followed them out of the Gaius, splitting the crowd.


They had come to a large ship, not dissimilar to the carrier that had carried them into the forests, for the last 'hunt' they had partaken in on-planet. But they weren't going to the forest. Jagar had been taken in first, the Elder boarding alongside the others. It was silent while they boarded, with Lucy being forced to board last due to her wheelchair. Once they had all been put inside, Imille spoke.


"Where are we going...?" She asked, close enough to Jagar still to put her hand on his.


"Between." He said.


"Between where?" Arc asked, the first time he had spoken in a long while.


"Between Vetka. Great warriors ... above forest Vekht clan. Above desert. Above sea. Between." The Elder said. "Jagar great warrior. Jagar ... not belong to Vetka, though. Jagar unite clans, then go to stars."


"He came to us." Imille said. "He was our family."


"Jagar strange like that." The Elder replied, something like a chuckle coming from his throat. "Human family. First exile come back, and ... first exile come back with family." He grunted. "Not ... expect him to come back. Not like this."


"We ... didn't either." Imille replied.


"Vetka will know." The Elder replied, his hand tightening around his staff. It groaned under the pressure, his actions surprising the others. "Vekht will know. Vekht find Exo-light. Prepare for hunt. First ... First give Jagar back to Vetka. Soul of warrior make Vetka strong enough for war." He said, bitterly. "At Between. Stand." The Elder said, standing up with difficulty.

 

[Notorious]

"For war?" Lucy mumbled, surprised that the Elder brought those words up. Was he considering going to war with the Exodlites? "Well Elder, I'd stand up but I can't seem to feel my legs." She said sheepishly, offering them a smile in the grimiest of times. Everyone looked at Lucy and while most of them were just surprised that came out of her mouth the Elder actually began laughing, that same disgusting sounding Vekht laugh, but a laugh nonetheless. It cut through the massive air of tension, the very same tension that followed them off the Gaius.


"See why Jagar like you humans. You are... strange." The Elder replied, giving Lucy a toothy smile before turning back to the loading ramp of the ship to walk first. Lucy laughed it off while the others looked at her, while some approving of the joke while others were glaring daggers at her. Ajax gave her a wink and began leading the way to follow the Elder who was moving quite quickly. "Know Jagar. Strong warrior. Stronger man. Know his family and people not to be... sad at passing." He gestured for them to follow before whispering, "Only cared for others... Never himself." Jagar had made quite the impact after he had returned to Vetka, especially with the way the Elder was praising him. The others walked ahead with the Elder as Jagar's corpse was being escorted by his Vekht brethren. Although the Gaius crew wished to move alongside his body they were having to keep up with the Elder who seemed to be rather active for his age.


"You said... prepare for war." Ajax brought up as they began walking out into a place that was exactly between like the Elder had spoke. Where the sea met the forest, where the forest met the desert, where the desert met the plains. It was a strange patch of land, a gathering place for all Vekht. It housed the Colosseum nearby, the very same one that the Interceptor crew had fought an entire stadium of Vekht and came out of it alive. The Elder was leading them to someplace in particular, having already signaled to the other tribes what had happened by sending messengers. This was a lot bigger than they all were aware of, Jagar's massive impact in life causing an even bigger one in death. "Are you planning on doing what I think-"


"Vekht have been selfish." The Elder said to Ajax, "Jagar urge us over and over to help others. Then... Nisela was destroyed. We did not have Jagar then but when he return he too busy uniting us. Too busy fixing Vekht. Now... Vekht fixed. Vekht not let more neighbor die. Vekht not allow Exo-light to live anymore. Vekht will avenge Jagar. Vekht will avenge people we fail."


"That's... Good." Ajax said, nodding at the Elder. "We lost another of our friends to the Exodlites along with Jagar. He might still be alive... might not be." Those words were like an open wound the others hadn't addressed yet, Casar's disappearance much different than the complete loss of Jagar. They had found both Psy and Ayla, they could find Casar too. "We're going after the Exodlites even if we hadn't lost him but... They've taken too much. They haven't lost like how we have." Ajax grunted, "I plan on making them feel what we've felt." Instead of answering Ajax with words the Elder simply slammed a fist into his own chest, the heavy thud signalling his complete approval.


"Good. Exo-lights will die. But now... We give Jagar back to Vetka. Are you all ready?"

 

[C.DEX]

The Elder stepped out of the ship, onto the sand. It was coarsing hot, reflecting heat from the harsh Vekht sun. As they stepped closer to the Between, closer to the area in which their lands had met, the heat seemed to relieve itself. The ocean's waves reached far inland, so far that it seemed to want to sweep them all away. The Elder guided them all, Jagar taking the front, so that they didn't succumb to just that.


Soon, Jagar had been set down on the beach, his bed sinking into the sand. Imille looked on with tears in her eyes. Arc seemed blank, his thoughts elsewhere. There was no true silence, not as the waves lapped at the shores. It sounded like static filling the air, all of the biomes rushing in to meet at the Between.


The Elder fell silent for a long time after Jagar had been set down. Then, the staff he had carried with him suddenly raised as he lowered it into the surface that Jagar was on. The Vekht to his side came to his support - a gesture that he readily waved off. It had confused the Gaius crew, but they had allowed him to speak.


"I place staff with Jagar ... because staff has death. Death of old way. Skull of Exiles. Of Vekht men, of beast, of human, of ... friend. Vetka stuck in old way, for long time. We kill each other, we kill neighbor, family, friend, for honor. We think it is for honor. But it is not." he said. Then, he knelt down, his hand resting on Jagar's. "For long time... Vetka hate Jagar. Vetka hate Jagar because Vetka think that Jagar weak. That he ... small. So because Jagar small, could not have done honorable thing. Vetka wrong. No ... Vetka not wrong. Vekht wrong. Honor is ... protection. Honor is ..." He looked over, his eyes landing on Ayla. "Honor is making world where child grow to protect others, not killing child for weakness. Staff ... staff not honor. Staff built on bones of family, of Vekht killed because Elder believe that because other small, they have no right to live. Honor is Jagar."


As the Elder had begun talking, the others were affected. Imille had stepped forward to her fallen friend, kneeling in the sand. She was dry, unable to cry any more for him, but her head rested on the bed that he laid on, her hand draped over his forehead. The Elder continued talking, solemn.


"Jagar change the way of Vekht. Jagar open eyes, see universe where others ... not fight giant beasts to survive. Where people in same system ..." he glanced to Nyx. "Where neighbors ... realize pain of losing everyone. Because Vekht have family too. For long time ... Vekht believe that only Vekht could be family. That only strong could be family. Jagar prove that not true. Nisela prove that not true. That Vekht can look out to stars, and realize that Vekht not alone. That not everyone want to hurt ... and so Vekht not need to hurt everyone."


The Elder looked back down to Jagar's body, a deep frown coming across his face.


"Jagar also prove that some only want to hurt. That there reason for Vekht to be here. Vekht not here to sit on Vetka all day, to kill beasts. Not repeat same cycle over and over. Vekht not here to live same life, in different Vekht. Because true hunt ..." he looked up. Portions of star peeked through the atmosphere, the sky in twilight. "True hunt is up there. In stars, Vekht prove ... Vekht prove that Vekht best. They hunt Exo-lite. They kill man who think that killing weak is honorable. Because killing weak is not. Vekht hunt up, to greatest human, who kill Jagar. To Exo-lite, who kill children. To anyone else, who point their spear down. Because true warrior ... true honor is to point up. Up at Crusader. At Saur. At man. And Vekht ... Vekht is honor."


The Elder raised his hand, balling it into a fist and then slamming it against his chest. "Jagar teach Vekht this." he said. "Jagar is honor."


He reached out, placing his hand onto Jagar's eyes. Then, he moved to the skulls on his staff. Aged hands ripped them off with decision, three in total. Then, he placed them along the fallen Vekht's body. "Skulls of staff of Vekht thoughts gone past burn with Jagar." he said. "One burns at Jagar's neck. It fallen skull of small hunt, not done for food. For killing without reason. It burns, and so does Vekht thought that killing without reason. The next is at Jagar heart. Skull of family. Family too weak to fight for self. Jagar fight for family too weak to fight for self. It is in his heart. Third is skull of beast, mightier than many. It is on Jagar gut, because even in end ... Jagar always honor hunt."


The Elder raised his hand to his chest, palm out. It would be the last time he made the gesture to Jagar, but it wasn't him who had been affected the greatest. He looked to the others - humans that sat alongside him, no doubt something the Vekht of years ago would have never accepted. "Now ... Jagar family speak." he said, his eyes landing on Imille.


She was silent for a long time, her eyes vacant of emotion. Hearing the Elder speak didn't bring back Jagar, but it did calm her dry sobs, hearing just how much change Jagar had made in his short years. Everyone had already said a lot of the things that they needed to say, but ... Ajax didn't know Jagar too long. Neither did Lucy. Nyx, Imille, Casar, and Psy ... those were the ones who had missed him for years.


Only for him to come back and die.


It hurt too bad to put into words, but slowly, she stood up. Her eyes were red, and she was numb. "I... love you Jags." she said. "I'm so sorry we weren't quicker. That between ... between the years, that it was just me and Nyx and not you and me and Nyx. I'm sorry that ... that you were alone for so many years, but I'm .. I'm so happy you did so much here." she said. "I ... wasn't your best friend. Cas was your best friend." she said, sobbing. "I don't ... I don't know if we'll ever see him again, but I know he would have wanted to be here. And that's ... that's not fair. It's so unfair." she said, struggling to keep on her feet.


She breathed for a moment, trying to keep her composure. All of it was too real. "We always said ... that we were willing to die for each other, but none of us ever expected it to really happen." she said. Then, she tried to stiffen up. "You were brave. You were ... you were a hero. Any one of us would have rather been here, because ... b-because you're ... a light in all of our lives. Now you're gone."


Imille reached over, grabbing Nyx and resting her head on her chest. None of the others had words. Suddenly, the Elder turned around. He stared out fro a while, causing the Gaius crew to look around as well. It was then that they realized they weren't alone. Vekht bodies had stood silently around them all, so quiet and respectful that they couldn't have known they were there. But that was about to change. They would all soon realize that the words the Elder had been speaking weren't false - that Jagar not only changed the opinion of the aged man, but that he had changed the opinions of hundreds, if not thousands. As Vekht of every type - brown, purple, green, black, pale - and of every size and ability had gathered around them. To see what was happening at the Between. And to realize.


The Elder slammed his fist on his chest. A primal fear shook the Gaius crew as the once silent area had erupted with thousands of voices at once. The Vekht language had sounded foreign, and harsh to the ears. The Elder had been speaking their language for their sake, but this was Vetka. And they were surrounded by Vekht. The harsh tongue had come off of the Elder's lips, unintelligible pieces of phrase and language began to sound like chanting. Not long after, they had realized that they were all making the same sounds. The Vekht cried out in unison, screaming out in an outpouring of emotion and pain. What was once terrifying soon became overwhelming. The Elder had done it their way, now they were subject to his.


In unison they moved, pulling weapons from themselves like legions from a planet-wide army, each movement accompanied by a verse in a language that they couldn't make out, but there was no doubt what they had meant. Jagar was a loss - a loss that was far away from a single Vekht. The Gaius crew couldn't help but feel their voices violently tearing through the air, thundering through their chests. The water in front of them shuddered, sound waves cutting and splitting Vetka just like the loss of Jagar had.


Then, thundering, they stopped. Every Vekht stopped, with their hands balled to their chests, the same way that the Elder had. He stood steely staring out at them until the last echo of their voices had gone away, allowing the Between to settle once again. Then, he turned back to Jagar, knowing well that every eye of thousands had been settled on them all. He looked to the Vekht to the sides of Jagar, nodding. Before the Gaius crew knew exactly what was happening, the gentle cloth around him erupted in flame, the chemicals in the Vekht atmosphere burning him in a brilliant blaze of white, green, and red. It forced them to step back, billowing a plume of smoke so high into the sky that his loss would be seen for miles.


Jagar was gone, but his influence would be felt. It was a mistake that Knox would learn in due time. With the death of one, he had united an entire people. Only after death had Jagar been truly accepted. To Imille, to Nyx, to Ajax, to Arc, to Lucy, to Ayla and to the Vekht, his sacrifice was not in vain.


They cast him off into the sea, knowing well that they would never see him again.


The warrior was gone, but his people had been united.

End Scene 15: Unity​

End Chapter Three​

 

[Notorious]

"What? You didn't think this was how it was gonna go... Did you? I told you too many times kid... Your actions have consequences... The fact that you had the fucking testicular fortitude to take my eye? Hell... If I could go back in time I would have made you a Crusader. Turn that wimpy, broken body into something formidable. Put a chip in your brain to make you a good little bitch but no.... You're just a defective fucking clone. Just like the rest of them. To think people above me once told me your kind was the future... Look where that's got us... Clones that can't even properly follow orders... Ones that will take their superior officer's eyes and turn against their own kind... Pathetic... Hmm.... Might have got us here... but what do you have now, C-2341? The heretic title of Savior of Terram... the honor of being the biggest cloning fuck up in history... and the soon to be owner of a Royal execution. That's right, scab. Lord Damaris himself is going to over see your execution. You're... Fucked..."


Knox was like a predatory animal, circling the two men as they stood on the bridge of the ISS Harbinger. The massive crusader's arm was still bloodied by Jagar's blood, his eye socket covered by a piece of medical weave tech, tiny nanomachines running across the socket to heal the tissue. Both Casar and his surprise companion Axel were shackled together, being drug by an equally tall crusader. One with V-1 painted on the front of his armor, his helmet firmly on his head concealing his face. The other Crusader paced around both Casar and Axel, the fury on his face only tamed by the fact that he had just destroyed the RCN-1 and any chance the Renegades had at winning this war.


Although he lost his eye in the process, Knox had won. He had completed his mission.


He destroyed the Renegades.


"Your execution will be after my promotion to the Hand of Damaris.... The highest position one can achieve. There hasn't been a hand in centuries... And I intend to reach my full potential." Knox shook his head up and down, feeling just in the actions he commited and although he had sacrificed a lot to get this far he was finally here. Finally in grasp of his ultimate goal. He began to walk back, passing by the barely standing Casar, the General wiping Jagar's blood into Casar's face. Somehow it was still wet, purple blood dripping down Casar's forehead and into his eyes. "You got a little bit of your friend on you 'Cas'. Guess those Vekhts bleed hard, that body is cold and he's still bleeding!" Knox said with a shit eating grin, that was until he seen that both men were losing consciousness where they stood. Without V-1 holding them up by their shackles neither of them would be able to stand, both of them basically suspended in air. "You aren't allowed to die yet, C-2341... Not by a long shot... But you cowboy?" Knox grinned, "You're going to have a great stay with us, Commander Winger. Take them away... Take the broken clone to the cells, bring his friend to our technicians... They will be removing each augment... One... by one... while you're awake."


"Good." Axel whispered, the man holding his head down towards the floor.


"What was that, welp?" Knox actually laughed, "Found your voice finally? What did you say?"


"Good..." Axel whispered once again, Knox leaning down to listen to Axel properly. As soon as he leaned down Axel raised up and opened his mouth wide, aiming for Knox's ear. It was a pure act of desperation, one that was cut short by V-1 yanked on their shackles so hard both him and Casar slammed into the Crusader's armor. Knox began to howl with laughter, the most laughter the generally stoic and harsh general had ever displayed in front of his men OR his prisoners before. Axel looked at Casar weakly, unable to fight back as V-1 began to drag them away to their respective locations. "Ca...Cas...." Axel whispered as the two men who could barely follow behind V-1, both losing the feeling in their legs and being dragged along as dead weight. "Don'...t... let.... th...em.... wi...... wi... win...." Axel said, the awful looking man the last thing Casar seen before he was thrown into an empty cell and left swiftly. V-1 did not hesitate, he simply obeyed orders and executed them quickly.


V-1 walked, Axel slid across the floor to their destination. The ship began to transform before Axel's eyes, leaving the militarized bridge and defense systems into what resembled a hospital interior.


"Vit...Vitor..." Axel groaned, looking up at V-1 in desperation. "You... You're still in there... stop this... Come on... Don't... don't you remember me? Axel... Axel Winger..." Saying his full name felt foreign to him, Axel barely understanding why he was trying to reach out to Vitor. He hadn't reached out to anyone in half a decade, he hadn't asked for help or for mercy. Why? Why was he starting to feel a stirring inside him? An error? A glitch? "Come... come on buddy... Don't do this. We're your friends... Even that little bastard back there you locked up... Do you remember?" Axel asked, slumping back onto the ground as V-1 dragged him along as if Axel was weightless. He was staring up at the lights above, blinding him but he didn't care. They were going to torture him and he was ready as he'd ever be but for some reason he wanted one last connection with someone. Anyone. Even if it was Vitor. Before they killed him. "Our days on the Gaius... All those missions we went on... From when we first started traveling together after the Dredge... To when Cas and Psy broke free... our final mission on Terram..."


"V-1 does... not... care for Vitor's memories." Vitor sounded off, his helmet muffling his voice. "He is weak. I killed him."


Axel was surprised Vitor was even speaking, although the grip around his shackles had tightened. "He isn't weak. Vitor is the strongest man I know... You just took over, you punk bitch.... The only person you've killed is Dayle and she was twice the man you'l-" Axel never realized how much pain his mostly cybernetic body could feel, even with his pain receptors brought down to almost non-existent levels. V-1 smashed him into oblivion, the doctors and technicians not even having to remove the bulk of Axel's augments. V-1 had done that for him. By the time they had stabilized him after such a brutal thrashing they had left Axel a husk of a man. He had no arms, he had no legs... he had no eyes... His life support augmentations were removed, leaving him as human as he had ever been. With it the emotion suppressor augmentations Nephilim had installed were removed, a surprise the Chancellor had left Axel and forced him to succumb further than he would ever let himself on his own. Axel wasn't nearly done with his torment, with those augmentations gone he would feel everything.


He might as well have been dead when he awakened. Blinking his eye lids a few times to see if his eye augmentations were malfunctioning Axel let out a groan. A wild, primal groan of pain as the screaming torso was left with nothing but his augment hook ups and his natural body. A body that had seen too much ware and tear, one that shouldn't have even existed. One he could hardly move being just a torso. It was a scientific miracle this man was still alive. The second miracle had been that him and Casar both had been given the same cell. Knox was getting cocky, the general keeping them in one place to toy with them since Axel was a torso and Casar may as well have been a cripple with the injuries he had sustained in battle. He wanted the two of them to be together as one last act of torture.


"Where... where am I?" Axel asked, his mouth hoarse as he experienced the most physical and psychological pain imaginable. All his pent up emotions and thoughts came flooding to him in a wave as he awakened, leaving him gasping and moaning into the air as his mind betrayed him for the first time in years. Axel could feel... it may have been pain... but it was a step in the right direction. That, and he deserved every bit he was receiving. "Is... there someone there?" He whispered, his ears picking up slight movement of chains in the room. "What... is going on? P-please... I can't... I can't see.... I can't move... Just..." Axel licked his lips, his face showing a genuine look of fear. He didn't want to die. "...Listen... I just want to see my kids... one more time... I... did unforgivable things but... I can't let... I can't let my last time alive with them... be that... I'll do anything... please..." Axel had tears pouring out of his empty eye sockets and nose, the tears flowing extremely hard as they burned his face. "Please help me... I can't die... Not now... I did so much... Bad... It wasn't all me it-" Axel was basically confessing his sins as he paused, rethinking what he said. "It was me... I just don't want to go without seeing them again... I just want to say sorry..." The torso went limb as he laid like a disgusting sack of organs in the corner of the room, "Please..."


Axel was broken.

 

[C.DEX]

Casar sat in the cell, his state not quite as bad as Axel's, but still unable to move. Both prisoners were broken - mentally, physically, and emotionally. Axel, for the loss of his limbs and the removal of the augment that had given him the inability to feel pain. For the fact that his daughter and son hated him; that he'd never get to make amends for what he had done to them. His saga was effectively over, especially as he sat limbless in his cell, unable to even perceive his surroundings.


Casar had found himself once again in Exodus prison, seemingly for the last time. That seemed to be the entirety of his life; it all lead back to the same thing. And he was tired. Emotionally broken, and blaming himself for Jagar's death. Maybe if he had just dug the knife a little further, fought a little harder. He was inches away from killing the Crusader that had plagued him from the moment he stepped foot on the Dredge, but he couldn't do it. They would have won. The RCN-1 might not have survived, but they would have won.


But he didn't. And they didn't. So when Axel had called out to Casar not to let them win, he was only met with a glassy expression that had given him all the answer that he needed. Allies due to circumstance or not, they were done. "They already won." he said, finding it hard to even breathe. Afterwards, he was taken to the cell while Axel had been taken to get his augments removed. He sat there for a while, bones broken and in a torturous amount of pain, until they had brought the hollowed man back. Until Vitor had. Cas simply stared at the Crusader, knowing from experience that the man was long gone.


Casar kept quiet as Axel was put into the cell, not wanting to alarm him to the fact that he was there. It wouldn't help anything, after all. But even with limited movement and shackles on his wrists, sharp pain had continued to emanate from the mage's back, and the sound of chains rattling had alarmed Axel to his presence. Then, he did something that Casar didn't expect to ever hear out of the broken, cybernetic man.


He begged.


Something about Axel begging had caused a deep pang of dread in the technomage's chest. Perhaps it was that it was the last person in the universe he had expected to do so. After all, if losing his daughter, son, and wife didn't bring the man to begging, what would? It had signified that it was absolutely over. The absolute last resort. Unfortunately, Casar wasn't in a position of power to respond to Axel the way he'd been asking him to. But there was some sort of feeling of solidarity between the two.


It was foreign; feeling bad for Axel. Feeling like they were in the same situation together. He was at least in part responsible for the man's current state. If they hadn't fought, then they wouldn't be where they were. So he spoke out, voice low and broken. "It's me." he said, eyes flickering around the cell and breaking their glassy stare. "We're in ... a cell on the Harbinger." he said. "You ... can't see Ajax and Ayla, but -" he paused. "... they got out safe. I was listening to them over comms. We traded ... us for her."


He went silent for a long while, not sure how to approach further. Then, footsteps sounded out from outside the cell, down the hall. The mage spoke quickly. "We're far away from them - no way we're going to see them, just know that they're safe even if that means we -"


Vivick stopped in front of the cell. He was holding himself oddly, most likely still recovering from Axel slicing the man open. He looked to the pathetic torso that was Axel, and then to Casar, who had stopped talking just as soon as he had seen him. "Yes, quiet. C-2341 ... we have to stop meeting like this. I thought we had some fun times together, didn't we? Next thing we know, you're actively working against us. Again. After having put so much time into you. Your betrayal came as a shock, but you won't be given the opportunity to do it again."


"...As for you, torso," Vivick continued, derogatorily, "If you think you're in pain now, you simply have to wait. You're truly going to be shown the meaning of pain. As will your children, when our people tie up those loose ends. The Exodus is inevitable. But you know that now, don't you? Will they be looking for their daddy?" he asked, a sadistic smile creeping up on his face. "They will die cold and alone. I will personally make sure of it."


He sighed. "- in any case, we'll be arriving at the Exodus soon. I suppose I'll show you a mercy and tell you that. You'll be transferred to our prisons, and then deeper into the core. General Knox and I shall accompany you down for the show. Your actions have earned you a place in front of our Emperor's eyes themselves, though I don't believe that you deserve the honor, perhaps watching the most traitorous scum in the universe die will bring a smile upon his face. It certainly will mine. But please, continue to beg." Vivick said with finality, turning to leave at last.

 

[Notorious]

For once, Axel remained completely silent as Vivick walked away. The fight was over for him. He failed. There was no point in infuriating their captors further, it didn't make sense to fight them when they had already won. The crippled torso simply sat in silence until he couldn't hear Vivick anymore, the slimy man the last person Axel wanted to speak to. He was so broken that even talking to Casar was bring him some form of comfort, hearing that Ajax and Ayla were safe continued the water works as Axel just laid there. Not that he had any other choice but it's what he did as he looked towards the source of Casar's voice.


"Thank... you..."


Axel would trade himself for Ayla at any moment. He would do the same for Ajax. He had lost himself somewhere in his own self loathing and despair, followed by agreeing to all the augmentations that Nephilim had subjected him to. It was no excuse as to why he behaved the way he did, it just enhanced what he was already feeling. Enhanced it to a point where he finally got what he wanted and he couldn't feel no more. A break from the grief, from all the losses. Now it didn't matter. Soon he would die and chances are the Exodlites were going to win. He had failed... but in some twisted way as long as Ayla and Ajax had a fighting chance he could die happy.


The two didn't speak after that, both of them sharing in mutual expressions of pain but nothing verbal. They were two enemies, both of them hating one another for different reasons. The sheer fact that they were willing to share this space in the presence of one another was incredible. It was just a shame that the thing that brought the two men back together was a death sentence. That said death sentence seemed to be drawing closer and closer, the two spending what felt like years in that cell with very little to eat but nutrient paste and left to do nothing but suffer silently as the Harbinger made its approach to the Exodus.


They were not greeted to a magnificent sight of the Exodus or the Harbinger docking with the massive planet-ship. They were not greeted by seeing just how massive the planet-ship was and how it had its own atmosphere and was completely self sufficient. They were not greeted with a lowly prison guard as the cell to their room opened. V-1 had returned, the man formally known as Vitor being ordered to be the one to bring them in and to transport them. It made sense, Knox loved toying with Casar, even after so many escapes and even after taking his eye the General was unrelenting in his torment towards the boy. Using Vitor was a slap in the face of both Casar and Axel. That, and the Crusader was so far gone that it didn't matter what they said to him.


The giant hoisted Axel up and over his shoulder while once again dragging Casar without waiting for him to stand. They were both dead men but that didn't mean they had to be walking, Axel ironically relieved to not be forced to slouch against that same wall anymore as he bobbed with the movement of V-1's shoulder armor plating.


The reunited trio soon exited the Harbinger, the ship passing them by in a flash as they were now greeted to the first sight of the Exodus in some time. Blue, beautiful sky hung over their heads as they were now outside, breathing in fresh air that the planet-ship generated as it moved slowly through space. Axel could feel the breeze on his face, the torso letting out a relieved sigh as he took in the air but couldn't see anything. If he could have it would have been incredible, massive complex of complicated looking buildings and pedestrians everywhere. Normal people scoured the streets around them, all cheering on the Harbinger's return as they had returned victorious. The Renegades were dead and finally the Exodlites could have peace. Many seen Casar and Axel, spitting or shouting at them as V-1 continued to drag them forward, soon bringing them inside and en-route to the prison deeper in the core of the planet.

 

[C.DEX]

The two of them were brought deeper into the Exodus prisons, though they had been stopped at the gate for processing. Like clockwork their credentials were read off; all information that the Exodus had on them was repeated back to their faces and written down, including their names and their families. For Casar, there had been none. For Axel, there had been Ayla and Ajax. Loose ends, like Vivick had said. Soon, their information had been re-entered into the system, and the prison guard had approached them, flash-branding an encoded tattoo onto each of their neck's. The pain was nothing compared to what they had gone through.


From there, they were placed amongst other Renegades, deep into Exodus prison. They weren't the only ones getting a Royal execution; no. In fact, everyone who they had taken alive from the RCN-1 - which had turned out to be a small amount - was escorted deeper into the planet. They were shoved into their cells by happy prison guards like animals to the slaughter, mocked and ridiculed not only by them but the citizens they had passed by.


Hours upon hours passed like this, with hope dwindling down. Casar had been torn between abject fear, denial, and depression, only faltering to go absent on occasion. He, like Axel, had been absolutely broken, tears streaming down the mage's face for what was about to happen. Hours later, they had been given no food or water, nor medical attention past simply keeping them alive. It was a waste of resources otherwise, despite the massive victory that the Exodus had just had over the RCN.


"We both ..." Casar started, breaking the silence after a while. "We both fucked up." he said, referring back to the regret that Axel had back on the Harbinger. "It's ... only an hour left." he added, his eyes closing with finality. He had always thought - since leaving the Harbinger with Psy - that he'd end up back there. To some degree, his attachments to the outside world had made it all the more painful, and a part of him had wished he'd never met any of them at all.


"Sorry." the mage said, knowing that it wouldn't help. "I ... was stupid, before. It got too far. But ... we hurt them in the process. Terram. For Oeutune." he said, tired. "You did as well."

 

[Notorious]

"I'm..." Axel gritted his teeth, no matter how much trouble Casar had caused him he couldn't believe he was about to say this. "Sorry..." The words came out slow and tortured, the man obviously not comfortable with saying those words to an Exodlite he wanted to kill for so long but he had a revelation. "My children... chose you... You..." Axel coughed, his lungs nearly collapsed from the way V-1 had man handled him. "You took care of them... You helped get my baby girl off the RCN-1 while I was too blinded to see she needed to escape. Thank you..."


Axel let out a low groan, blood staining his teeth as he forced a smile. "If... you told me that I was going to be thanking you back on the station... if I still had my augments I'd stab myself before doing so..." He stifled back a chuckle, "Let's die with our heads held high. You'll... have to tell me where up is though." He coughed, blood sputtering out of his mouth. "We'll give Damaris one last 'Fuck you' before we go... We'll-"


Rapid foot steps began to rush in their direction. They could hear it even through the cell door as the door was forced open abruptly, the gears inside grinding as it was unnaturally opened.


"C-234-... Casar." A familiar voice spoke, his face shrouded in shadow as he began to walk towards Cas. "There is no time to explain... This prison is going to be assaulted by hundreds of Exodlites soon. They will know of our plan."


"What plan, jackass?" Axel sounded off. "Who the fuck are you?"


"They call me Magnus." The man said, stepping into the light. His face was exposed, a frightening image to Casar as he looked at the man who was identical to him in every way. If it wasn't for his accelerated aging Magnus would be Casar's twin, instead, he was an old grizzled man. A thick white beard had sprouted out of his face, his eyes lacking a certain luster to them but he was still alive and kicking.


"You killed Div you bastard I'll fucki-"


"I am sorry. Truly." Magnus said, legitamete sorrow on his face. "But now is not the time to scold me. Now is the time to run."


"I don't have legs you fucking assh-" Axel was hoisted up into the air by Magnus, the older clone simply carrying Axel as his torso wasn't all that heavy. The Technomage held his hand to Casar's shackles and they electronically released themselves from his wrists and ankles.


"Can you walk, Cas?" Magnus asked, using Casar's real name for once. "We must be swift. The Renegades are being freed now by the others... We don't have much time."

 

[C.DEX]

Casar reached up, grabbing Magnus by the shoulder. It might have even seemed aggressive for a moment, especially as he pulled power from the other mage. But it wasn't his intention. Instead, Casar had somehow found a burst of motivation, his eyes glowing eerily in the dim light of the prison. He yelled out in pain, a horrible shock going through his back where he had an inevitable break. It was a lot of pressure on his clone, though, and he'd soon buckle under the weight of Axel and Casar if he hadn't found a way to support himself.


Alike to Magnus, Casar was holding his body and skeleton in place by the power he'd taken from the other. He'd been made mostly of metal and augments, the Exodlites unable to take them all from him without outright killing the mage. With his frame broken and execution in hours, it had been deemed unimportant. He braced himself against the wall, face contorted into pure pain. Still, it was a far cry different from the Casar who had been resigned to death moments ago.


"Where is V-1? And Vivick?" Casar asked, through gritted teeth. "They're -" his eyes rolled back in his head for a moment, his spine feeling as if it had been disconnected and his vertebrae simply stacked on top of one another. He was struggling to keep himself up, maintaining his structure through the use of his powers solely. "...Supposed to be ... in an hour." he said. "Who ... others?" he asked, knowing that he didn't have the capability to keep himself up for too long.


The simple idea that there had been anywhere to run to at all on the Exodus almost seemed to be a laughable one. But despite his emotions - just like when he had plunged the knife into Knox's eye out of self-preservation - his body was moving on its own. He doubted he could get out of there alive, but something in him hadn't. It was like when he had been connected to Psy, viewing everything through his eyes, with everything moving independently.


Like clockwork, the alarms had gone off. Whether it was due to Magnus or the mysterious 'others', they didn't know. The three of them in the cell could only watch as the door attempted to close on itself, Casar's hand flying up to stop it mid-air. It hung like that, groaning against the mage's magnetic strength, and they made their way out of the cell.


"Where? Where?" he asked, panicked.

 

[Notorious]

"Follow me!" Magnus called, running with Axel a bit of ways until he realized just how injured Casar really was. "Ishmael! Grab that one there, he is one of the good ones." Magnus barked at another Exodlite looking man, covered head to toe in Enactor armor but he was anything but that when he swooped Casar up and gave him someone strong to lean on. "Ish... I will keep you two covered. Mr. Axel... You are going to need to hang on." Magnus cursed as he realized how insensitive that was, his mind elsewhere as he held his tactical pistol in one hand with Axel over his shoulder with his other hand supporting the torso of a man.


"Ha. Ha." Axel sounded off dryly.


"You're going to be fine. I'm Ish." Ishmael spoke to Casar as he began to walk a little faster than the technomage was expecting. Surprisingly though Ishmael was able to support his weight almost to the point of carrying the heavily augmented technomage without all that much effort. "Don't worry about the armor, I use to be one of them but... My chip wasn't as strong as some of the other Enactors. Poor bastards..." The augmented man spoke to Casar as if he was a human, a rare trait in Exodlites. For once he was having just a quick conversation with one, a friendly one at that. "I'm Mag's point man. He tells me where to go, I shoot. We-"


"No time for a history lesson, Ishmael!"


"Shit old man... I'm just talking to your son here. Or... clone..." Ishmael grunted, "I'm one too, a lot of us Enactors are. Ain't nothing wrong with it... Just means we gotta shove our fists so far up Damaris' ass that-"


"ISHMAEL!"


"ALRIGHT!" The young sounding Enactor groaned, leading the way to the prison ward gates. "Reports coming in from our scouts, we got three minutes until Exodlite arrival." Ishmael said to Magnus, the two keeping pace with eachother as prisoners of all kinds were being corralled to a side entrance. "We have just enough time to get most of them out... The others are in for a fire fight but we should be good, sir." Ishmael added, calling Magnus sir to signify his rank. Axel was wondering what the hell was going on and how such a man could have a massive change of heart like that but kept it to himself as the helpless torso simply stayed put.


Not like he had a choice anyways.


"Move toward the exit. I will ensure that we are not followed." Ishmael and Casar raced to an open maitenance hatch that all the other prisoners were filing into. It looked seamless, blending into the floor so well that no one would figure to look there. They were next to a massive bulkhead door, the main entrance to the prison, that was wide open. Exodlite bodies littered the prison walk ways as Magnus stepped over one and began to held his hand towards the door. They began to slowly budge with a sickening metal scrapping sound, the behemoth doors shutting in the worst way possible as the room was filled with a horrific waling of metal on metal.


"WISH THEY TOOK MY FUCKING EARS TOO!"


"Quiet." Magnus said to Axel, "I have... to think..." The Technomage spoke, his face growing paler the longer he manipulated the tech. Soon the massive door shut with a massive thud, the man slipping down the ladder with Axel in tow and the others up above placing the hidden entryway back in place for them to properly escape. "Casar..." Magnus said, slowly putting Axel down for a moment as his shoulder began to ache. "I am... sorry... that I could not stop what happened to your friend... I... I hope this makes up for but just a fraction of your pain. We will have our revenge and..." Magnus frowned, the sight of Casar's on face looking back at him still had to be jarring. "I will do whatever it takes to make it up to you. Even if it means my own life."

 

[C.DEX]

Casar looked to Magnus, silent. With a smear of dried blood still on his face, there was little way for him to even respond to the request for forgiveness now. Even though it hadn't been Magnus' fault, the wound was still fresh, even if the blood no longer was. He had either no interest in talking about the loss just then, or he hadn't forgiven Magnus, but either option had left him silent in response. Then, finally, he spoke up. "No one asked you to give your life." He said, leaving it at that.


"Magnus." A voice came, gruff and female. Down the way, a woman with armor plating adorning her body stood tall, a human face jutting out of a press in the wall as she surveyed the area. "You weren't followed?" She asked, concerned, but when she had seen that they were traveling with no opposition, she came out of the slat in the wall. Stench filled the air, hinting to their actual location. "Hold on - before you all go in." she said, approaching the surviving Renegades and freed prisoners. "This isn't just a place to store aimless Renegades. No offence, Mag, but we don't know where their loyalties lie."


The woman, fairly imposing, tossed a small device to Ishmael. It looked like a small handheld scanner with a screen on the back. "Scan and move the Exodlites and non-Renegade humans to the front. Can't risk anyone that's still allied with the Exos knowing where we're taking them, or having a runner. Can't be compromised." she said, her eyes flickering over to Magnus for a moment, and then landing on Casar. The alikeness didn't evade the woman, whose eyes had laid on the prisoners like a hawk's.


Soon, the scanner had been brought up and the resistance began moving the Exodlites from a disorganized position to the front, sandwiched between armed soldiers with makeshift armor. Some looked like Exodlites themselves, while others had long lost their designated armor and resigned to their positions as resistance soldiers, unable to show their faces on real Exodlite ground. Some had been non-humans - an unfamiliar notion on the massive planet-ship. Once they had been in a formation that their escorts were comfortable with - which had been made as they walked - the woman once again took the side, walking next to Magnus.


"How many did we -" she started, concern crossing her features. However, before she had even been able to finish her sentence, shouting had erupted from behind them. The injured prisoners were pushed forward and one by one the escorts' lights had flickered off, leaving the group traveling in absolute darkness apart from the dim lights emanating off of the helmets of their saviors.


"Where are you taking us?" Casar asked after it had gone silent again, the synthetic eye in the metallic portion of his face also glowing in the dim light.


"To the Resistance." the woman said. "We caught word of what happened to the RCN-1. It's important that we save what we could of the survivors if you all are the last beacon of the Renegades. Like clone like clone, I hope?" she asked, glancing between Magnus and the injured mage.

 

[Notorious]

"Damn." Ishmael said to the woman with the gruff and commanding voice. "Pretty bossy today aren't ya? We're saving a lot of people right now. Lighten up. Smile." He nudged her with his elbow as he went by, ensuring that Casar was not in the cross fire as he began to chuckle as they moved a little faster before she could catch them. "You'll like her... Once you see the base and we're all safe she'll calm down. I'll let her introduce herself, she doesn't really like it when I do it because I well-" Ishmael smiled underneath his Enactor helmet, "-fabricate a thing or two to make it more funny."


"Silence, Ishmael." Magnus whispered, "Voices low. The Exodlites are above us right now and we don't want our position given away by tomfoolery."


"God damn, you are getting old fast." Magnus let that one slide as the exodus of prisoners were corraled through the dark and foul smelling tunnels. At first it seemed as if they were walking completely straight for the longest time, heavy footsteps shaking the ceiling above them as the Exodlites responded in full to the attack on the prison. The captured Renegades were confused and scared, never before being in a situation like this. "This one is breaking." Ishmael said to the others around him, the Renegade in front of them shaking like a leaf. "Yo, Renegade. We're not going to hurt you. We're saving you we-"


"This is Commander Axel Winger." The torso spoke up from Magnus' shoulder. "Act like a god damn Renegade. We're getting out of this together." The soldier straightened up hearing Axel's voice, not seeing him fortunately as he was in the worst state of disrepair he had ever been in, but his voice still carried wait. "These people are not your enemy. They're saving you. Listen to them and keep quiet. We're at war still, even with the station gone."


"Well spoken, Mr. Winger." Magnus replied, leaving it at that however as they continued on their journey. It was a long and winding one, the Resistance members up front leading them down a different hall way now. Then another. Followed by yet another. Soon the prisoners had no idea where they were, the Resistance moving swiftly and silently as they walked for hours. When they needed to take a breather they did, when the former prisoners were hungry or thirsty they were taken care of. Everything was gentle, quiet and liberating. They were actually escaping. After the injured men and women made the longest walks of their lives they came toward a series of bright lights after passing by a bulk head door. Once everyone filled through the door sealed behind them, allowing them to work forward and into the light.


Once their eyes adjusted they were given the most beautiful sight: a totally enclosed underground base of operations.


The ceiling was high and while it reminded them that they were underground with how the walls were all brick it was magnificent. Computer gear of all kinds were out in the center of the floor, Resistance members working tirelessly to find exploits in the Exodlite war machine. There were hallways jutting in all directions that led to medical, housing and the mess hall. It was quite a sight, seeing such a base of operations having been built right underneath the Exodlite noses.


"This is one of many." Ishmael said to Casar cheerfully, "We call them Havens. Little patches of the Exodus that was built over as technology got more advanced. We've deleted any records of these places even existing and we are overly careful in who we show these places too but..." He let go of Casar and patted him on the back, "This is your new home. You're free, Cas."


"Looks magnificent." Axel replied, dryly. "Someone get me to an augment doctor. I ain't getting carried by this... thing... any more..."


"Okay then..." Magnus said, a hint of disappointment in his voice. "Please see to it that Mr. Winger is taken care of." He said, speaking to the woman from before.

 

[C.DEX]

"Sure, but it'll cost you." The woman said, slipping Magnus a sly grin. "Medical bed!" she said, twisting backwards to look behind her. The 'headquarters' of the resistance suddenly bustled alive with motion and movement and voices as the survivors of the raid were taken in with open arms, the Exodlites and Renegades alike now being treated more like humans than any of them had experienced in a long, long time. A medical bed - infact, quite a few - were brought to the survivors, Axel having been loaded up on one of them. Before he was carted away, the woman nodded to him. "I'm Leader Dresden. I presume the rest of you have already met so I won't introduce Ishmael and Magnus, especially." she said. "You said you're a Renegade Commander?"


She smirked. "Different sides of the same coin. Used to be a Valkyrie with the Exodlites. Can't show my face aboveground anymore. Not after getting what you have, there." she said, pointing at the tattoo that Axel and Casar both had. She brought the collar of her armor down, showing that she, too, had a similar tattoo. "We have ... spare parts that might fit on you, Axel Winger. They're going to be of Exodlite brand, of course, but all it takes is a few Enactors for a full set. No offence, Ishmael, but you Enactor clones are great for pulling parts." she said, grinning.


Casar looked to Ishmael upon hearing the 'clone' portion again, though without the man's support he collapsed against the wall, unable to keep himself standing with magnesis for so long. His face was turned in agony. "Alright," Dresden said, "Lets get you boys and the rest of the injured Renegades to the medical wing." she said, tapping on the gurney that Axel had been placed on, giving him a little more dignity than he had being carried before.


Soon, both men were carted off to an impromptu medical ward deeper down into the Exodus. Soon, they were given proper medical treatment, with Casar's breaks being set and Axel having been set up with Enactor augments. They had even been given food and water, and although it had been mostly stolen rations and filtered offwater, it was food and it was water. Still, the air was tense. Even after being saved and being allowed to wash the blood off themselves, Casar still bore a glossy gaze.


Away from Axel and Casar, however, Dresden had approached Magnus. A small smirk had been on her face, the size difference between the two almost comical. "Who is that?" she asked, her voice quiet outside their room. "You look sad."