Spoiler Warning: If you haven't read up to chapter 16 in Learning to Dance, this drabble may spoil major plot points for you. Read at your own risk.
Had he wanted to do this? Hell no.
Pedro listened as the ship's system counted down to separation, striking away the mere seconds he had left. On his palms, he could still the warmth of Taz's small body. Any given day, this would have comforted him, but it didn't. As the warp crystal hummed in front of him, he knew there was no going back.
Taz's cries from the other side of the force field only deepened the pit in his stomach. Pedro was doing this for her and her only. He knew Taz needed to survive. If anything, she'd be the one to stop the damn robot war—with or without him by her side. He just wish he had more time to tell her that. The thought of turning around and talking to her one more time crossed his mind. He could face her now, knowing his fate, and say why he was doing this. Pedro knew that Taz probably already had figured it out, but it felt like a weight on his chest if he didn't admit it himself.
Pedro glanced over his shoulder, seeing the girl trying to fight her way through the force field, screaming in Spanish at him. Anger mirrored her face as she kicked and punched, bruises and burns already forming on her fists. With the state she was in, Pedro couldn't bring himself to say anything. He turned away, staring fearfully at his reflection in the metal floors. There was no way he was going to be able to do it. The last thing he had said to her still echoed in his mind.
"It's been an honor, Taz. All of it."
It had been an honor; every little detail down to the bone. If he hadn't said so just then, he didn't know if he ever could.
With that, Pedro made his decision. He wiped the stray tears from his face and marched as a soldier should, his gaze on the warp crystal.
"Ship separation initiated," muffled its way through the force field. Behind him, Pedro heard one last gut-wrenching cry from Taz accompanied by a crashing against the barrier.
The engine room lurched forward, shaking and throwing Pedro off his feet. He landed painfully on his arms, rolling to the side. As he tried to stand, another part of the engine room detached from the Cazadora, smashing Pedro into the control panel. He struggled to find his footing as the gravity thinned. The farther he was from the starship, the lighter he became. He tucked his head in as a piece of machinery zoomed past him. Sparks flew everywhere as wires ripped from the ship. The engine room was falling apart from under his feet.
"Oh, mierda!" Pedro shouted as he watched two interior panels beginning to pull apart. He glanced out the window, watching the approaching robot ships. But they weren't close enough. If the stand-alone ship didn't make it into a close proximity to the enemy lines before it fell apart, the blast wouldn't even scratch a vessel.
Pedro looked around, grabbing ahold of the nearest wall and pressing his feet into it. He bent his legs, dragging himself back and aiming for the panels. In one fluid movement, Pedro launched himself off the wall, flying across the room. He crashed a bit too hard into the panels, feeling them coming loose. Finding the edges of the metal, he held them tight, trying to pull them back into place. He pushed his feet up against the walls, curling his palms and forearms around the sharp metal. Pain spiked through his palms, running up his up his arms.
Slowly, the two pieces came together. Pedro's arms shook as the ship threatened to tear itself apart. He pulled the panels together, finally letting go when they locked back into place.
As soon as he dropped his hands, pain stung through the cuts. Gashes trailed down his forearms, with a concerning amount of blood drenching his torn shirt.
The room rocked again. Pedro guessed the outer hull was breaking away as it hit debris from the battle. It had to only be a couple seconds until the warp crystal was at least close enough to do damage. If Pedro honestly wanted to end this battle, he needed to be right next to the ships.
Pedro spun himself, holding the cold control panel as he looked out into space. There was the Cazadora, broken and falling apart. The auxiliary engines had kicked in, throwing what was left of the ship back and away from the impending explosion.
Good, he thought. Fly as fast as you can towards home, wherever that is.
Pedro could hardly still see the hole that the engine section had left in the side of the Cazadora. He found the small doorway that he had shoved Taz away from. Barely, just barely, he could see the outline of a crumbled girl being restrained by a larger figure. His heart sunk ever so slightly.
Another jolt sent Pedro flying and tumbling across the room, crashing painfully into the system scanners. He gasped for a breath, struggling to breathe as the oxygen thinned. It was all rapidly going too fast for him to prepare for.
One last glance was enough for Pedro, however. It was now or never. In one final leap, he jumped off the scanners, flying at the warp crystal. It took a moment for the boy to coordinate himself, locking his eyes on the blue field encompassing the gem. He raised his hand, pushing it through the light and grasping the crystal. The radiation immediately seeped into his skin, burning as it traced along the gashes in his forearm.
He cried out but didn't let go. It took all his strength to rotate the crystal. The blue field began to fade away as Pedro pulled the gem out. It came free, heavier than he had anticipated. He winced as the radiation pulsed through his wounds again, stronger since the protective barrier had died. A quick glance told him he was just about next to the robot ships. He peered back through the black of space, looking at the Cazadora one last time.
"Me voy a casa, Taz" Pedro muttered, ignoring the rushing tears on his face. He swung his arm back, gripping the gem as tight as he could, bringing it smashing against the control panel.
The engine room lit up orange.