Precious
Chapter 4 - Conflict
For some odd reason I was feeling a bit nervous. I looked again at the console inside the monitoring bay. There were indeed small bogeys circling the path of this ship. I couldn't understand it though - why was I feeling worried? They were just run-of-the-mill bandits. I took off my vest and rested myself on the chair. My life had always been in the line, knowing the dangers of the world where the law could not reach. I wondered why I am feeling this tension. Was it because there were other people with me in this ship?
"We don't have our ships boarded in this thing," Fox spoke at my back, hurling me with a blaster. "There aren't even any defensive ships in this thing. We can't engage them in a space battle." Rats, I should have asked Peppy to board at least one Wolfen. "This cargo has some defensive turrets, but if they penetrate through our defenses, then we have to blast them off."
"Your plan... How sure are you that this would work?" I asked.
"Well... This ship has seven great pilots. Besides, shouldn't the great Lord O'Donnell strike fear to their hearts? You are known after all," he smiled back. I couldn't tell if it was an insult or a complement. He was right though - the name Lord O'Donnell gave worry to those was my prey. It also put me and my crew in a lot of danger, as many shady organizations began to target us.
I was getting a lot more worried. "Yeah, but what about the name Krystal? Falco? Slippy? Your name, Fox. Does it give them the shiver? Maybe you could scare them if you have an Arwing. I don't mind it if I was in the line of danger, but what about the others?" Did I just say that? Now that I think about it, I was always looking out on Leon and Panther. The reason why I got wounded before was because I was worried about Panther.
"Wolf..."
"...Shut up," I fumbled without even thinking. "It's not that I care. It's just that having other people around gives you burden. You have to worry about other people's lives, holding you back. I want to get work done as fast as possible." That was... Was that really me answering?
His voice became stronger. "Well, if I want to get this thing done as soon as possible, I'd get my butt off that chair and go to the bridge!" He walked out to the door, and I heard his heavy, forced steps. What did I say that made him react like that?
I held my locket and thought things for a bit. This locket kept me alive for it inspired me to survive. This wasn't mine after all. It was handed to me by the man I looked up to, who soon perished. The reason why the previous owner of this charm died was because he held back for me. He cared too much about me that he ended up dying. He died in front of me. To be honest, I felt like I didn't deserve this. Maybe I should return this to the person I expected him to give this when he was alive. The problem was that I couldn't confront this person straight out.
I put on my vest and went down to the bridge. It looked like I was the only one not there. Panther seemed eager to fight. Leon, strangely enough, was stiff. He wasn't like that, especially if he knew a battle was about to begin.
"So what... We're gonna stay and keep firing the turrets against these scumbags?" Falco asked Fox. I saw the vulpine stare at me for a bit before looking back at Falco.
"Right," he continued. "Because we lack the ships to face them in a space fight, we'll have to deal with them with the weapons found in this thing." I was expecting him to comment on the rabbit's forgetfulness to supply us with ships, but I guess he cared about the old man much. "And for those who are quite curious, we don't have ships here because this cargo ship cannot contain them." Right, as if I hadn't seen cargo ships loaded with smaller fighters.
"Incoming!"
A blast shook us out of our toes! Everybody suddenly manned the consoles save for Leon, who seemed to be looking at the floor, a bit distraught judging from his eyes - something you couldn't see from him before. Falco stopped and tried to snap him out, but he felt lifeless. Was there something wrong with him?
"Battle stations! Battle stations!"
"Leon?" I tried to touch him with my voice, but it felt like my voice passed through him. "Leon!"
"He was a bit teary-eyed when I saw him here earlier," the bird explained. "Something happened to him... I... Well... Water splashed through his face then all of a sudden he became like that." Water? Leon requested before not to make him touch water, especially the cold ones. A trauma?
"Oh... Uh... Wolf," he jerked for a bit. He stood up and went to an empty console. "I'll... I'll handle this." Something was indeed wrong. Usually he would be confident and energetic when he realized that he would be manning turrets. The bird followed him and observed in a fair distance. Was he...?
"A few bogeys taken down," Panther reported, who was working beside Krystal. "Some had escaped my range. They're heading for the right wing."
"Roger that," Fox responded, who then looked at the empty console beside Slippy. He then looked at me. "Wolf! What the hell are you standing there? Take a station!" Crap, I was getting careless. I wasn't used at being commanded, after all.
I seated in front of the command console controlling the turrets at the right side of the ship. I saw the ships preparing for an attack. "Defensive barriers. Activate them, Slippy."
"Barriers up."
The ship was defended with the barriers. It was time for a counter attack.
"Firing turrets."
They exploded. The tiny dots vanished from the console screen. I was a bit relieved. I didn't know why. Was it because I killed space pirates? Was it because I made it through? Was it because no one was hurt? What was the point of knowing this anyway?
"Everyone," Krystal shouted. "Meteors approaching!"
Suddenly, second thoughts about accepting this mission bothered my head. Did the military screw up again on the destination of this ship that they forget the possibility of meteors crossing this ship's path? I thought the rabbit would fix the defense force. Then again, while he might have tried to make the defense force better, there were still those underlings who were not only incompetent but were also corrupted. It was them who sent him to his end... the person I looked up to and the one who owned the locket...
"Leon, fire the turrets!" Falco shouted.
I looked back at the chameleon. His eyes - they were showing signs of confusion. I had never seen him like that.
"Leon, fire the turrets!"
I stood up.
"Leon!"
I saw his eyes become teary.
"Leon, darn it!"
Falco pressed his hand onto Leon's hand, forcing the console to fire the cannons. The meteors were eradicated, but they were close that we felt the shock. Falco got off-balance and knocked his head onto the desk. He got injured, with blood staining the console. I looked at Leon - he would normally enjoy the sight. Instead, he became more distraught - with his eyes showing signs of being afraid.
"I can't take this anymore!"
He ran off as Slippy, Krystal and Panther carried the bird off to the sick bay. It was quite intense - I was shocked to see Leon not acting by himself. I couldn't even move because I tried to comprehend what happened.
"Wolf."
"Not now," I growled back at Fox.
"You said that you don't want people around you because they are a burden to you. Are you going to abandon Leon because he acted like that? You said you don't want burden to slow you down."
I wanted to punch him after saying that, but he had a point. However, I decided to let Leon be for now. I thought that maybe, this was the "normal" Leon hiding from the cold shell of his.
"I'm... I'm leaving him be. He might need it."
"Well... okay then." Fox gave me a deep, analyzing look before turning his back onto me. "Don't act like that," he told me while he left. "In the end, you might end up alone. No burden to slow you down, but no one around to pick your hand up."
Then why did James die for my sake?
