Nightmares

Sahuna Ama Darav stood by the front door of the Ama Darav household.

The Resistance captain shook his head. "I'm terribly sorry. Your husband, Vajen, we never found his body."

Sahuna's hand was other her mouth, tears streaming down her face. "No! No! No!"

The Resistance captain could only hug her, words useless.

Moments later, the captain turned his head to face Jaal, his voice sounding like that of the Kett Cardinal. "You stood by, and didn't do anything!"

Chills shot up and down Jaal's spine. "No!"

Jaal found himself near the kitchen, and heard crying. He quickly ran in.

Sahuna was sitting on a chair, weeping.

Jaal approached. "Mother, what is wrong?"

She found her voice through tears. "Allia and your brother Taalre, t-the Kett t-took them!" Moments passed, and Sahuna removed her hands from her face and turned to Jaal.

Instead of eyes that looked like the blue sky of Havarl, it was a dull blue like a Kett Chosen's eyes, the teeth of a Kett, and stars- that voice! "I bet you're happy now! That your brother Taalre, who stole Allia from you, is gone!"

Jaal opened his mouth in horror. "No! That's not true!"

Jaal found himself in the Voeld Angara Resistance Base's medbay. His left neck flap ached and he lightly touched the still healing wound which would become a scar. A wound from a Kett blade.

A medic approached, her face solemn.

Jaal turned to his left to look at her.

She hesitated. "Jaal, I am terribly sorry. Kosaan, he didn't make it back from the mission."

Jaal's eyes widened, tears in his eyes. "What happened?"

The medic shook her head. "Details are not clear. But he and several others," she paused, "they didn't make it back, contact lost. Presumed taken alive."

Jaal heard footsteps approaching from the right and turned to see who it was.

It looked like Kosaan, but several things were just wrong. He had dull blue eyes, along with the nose and teeth of Kett. And his voice sounded like the Kett Cardinal. "If you were there, I'd have lived!" The face twisted into a malicious grin. "If Allia, your brother, and I have been Exalted, I imagine you killed them, and felt good about it!"

Jaal was staring in horror, eyes wide. "W-what is going on?!" He turned to the medic to his left, and saw the same dull eyes and face. He tried to move but his legs wouldn't budge, bone chilling fear set in. "Skkut!"

The fake Kosaan lunged at Jaal and pinned him to the medical bed. And was squeezing his cowl so hard his throat was being constricted, squeezing the air out of his lungs.

Jaal tried to scream. "S-Someone h-help!" His lungs were burning and his vision fading.

Jaal found himself full armor, with his rifle and a team, running down halls. From what he could see, he came upon the dawning horror it was one of the worst Kett slave camps he had seen.

The captain of the team opened a door leading into one of the slave barracks. And the sight made him sick to his stomach.

The prisoners were malnourished, skin and bones.

Some laid on the bunks or the ground dead. Worse, children were among them.

Out of the shadows walked an Angara, except he looked all wrong. He had the face he saw on Kosaan, and worse his overall body looked more like a Kett Ascendant than an Angara. And that same dreadful voice. "The Resistance is a failure, taking years to find the missing! You should quit, and form your own group, bet you would do better!" Its face turned into a sinister grin, an orb formed in its hand.

Before Jaal could even raise his weapon, the creature lunged at him and thrust the orb dead center into his chest. The wind was knocked out of him and he flew back into the wall, his vision faded.

He was now in that Exaltation facility on Voeld.

In front of him was the recently Exalted Angara, now Kett. And it was aiming at him with an assault rifle.

Jaal raised his own rifle. Before he could aim, he felt two piercing pains in the back of his neck, like needles were stabbed in. "No!" He was unable to move.

He turned to look to the side, and for a horrifying split second he thought it was Sakura Ryder leaning in from behind. But quickly realized realized the proportions were wrong. While the black hair and brown skin were just about right; the dull blue eyes, and the jutting bones and width of the top of the head were all wrong.

Then the face peeled off, revealing the black sin, white bony crest, and mandibles of the Kett Cardinal.

Jaal gasped in horror, eyes widening. "No!"

And she spoke in that deep sinister voice which sent chills down his spine. "You should quit the Resistance while you can. Abandon everyone, run to some other world or leave the cluster."

Jaal shook his head. "I wouldn't abandon everyone!"

Jaal lost sight of the Ascendant, who was now right behind him, the blood curdling voice became ten times worse. "Before this happens to you!" The plungers of the syringes were pressed, and Jaal heard it.

His body twitched and convulsed, black lines spreading rapidly. His skin became an oily sheen of black while bony armor grew.

Jaal screamed in horror.

Jaal awoke with a scream, and bolted upright on the bed. He drew shaky breaths, felt cold, and cold sweat ran down his forehead.

Even worse, his stomach felt extremely nauseous and he could feel bile rising.

Putting his feet on the floor, Jaal stood up. And walked, but his legs felt weak and shaky, and he fell to his knees.

He tried to keep the bile down, but it was too much.

And vomited onto the floor.

The door to the tech lab opened.

A/N-

Another 1,000 words or less prompt fic, and a little taste of a fanfic I have planned.

This prompt was Horror Tropes, and I used 'War is Hell'. And honestly, wouldn't be surprised if Jaal had a nightmare like this at least once, especially after that Exaltation reveal...the reveal that a sizable amount of the Kett are his transformed people…

Jaal's missing brother, who ended up with Allia, was unnamed. So in my fanfics, his name is Taalre, until it is revealed in canon at a point if his name ever is.

Same for Jaal's missing father, unnamed so his name is Vajen until canon gives a name.

One sequence was inspired by another writer who had Jaal suffer not just the loss of one love interest, but another. And since Jaal is bi, and I love that, I got in on the fun as well! So Kosaan is the name of the other dead love interest…