Author's Note: This chapter of "As Time Goes By" has been translated into Paxian for the benefit of the Paxian readers.
Friends First
Six
Maria and the other surviving members of Delta Division stood at attention before Supreme Commander Krieger as he presented the awards of heroism.
"For quick thinking in a time of stress, The Babylonian Defense Militia awards Kyle Hood the Star of Lore, a sign of wit and, more importantly, outwitting the enemy." He smiled, pinning the medal to Kyle's chest. He saluted and smiled as Krieger moved to Maria. "For creative use of all available assests in a time of chaos, and downing fifty-three Paxian Guards in a single moment, despite the fact we still do not know how it was done, The Babylonian Defense Militia awards Maria Despair the Dragonspine Cross, and the Star of Lore." Maria waited as Krieger pinned the medal on before saluting. He continued down.
"For resilience and defiance in the face of overwhelming hostility, the Babylonian Defense Militia awards Technician Zana Myrad the Star of Lore." He pinned the medal, Zana smiled and saluted, and he moved on. "For resilience and defiance in the face of overwhelming hostility, the Babylonian Defense Militia awards Pilot Micheal Sorren the Star of Lore, and for sustaining an injury in the field of battle, and still completing his assigned objectives, the Babylonian Defense Militia awards Micheal with a Purple Heart." Pinned, salute, smile. "For resilience and defiance in the face of overwhelming hostility, the Babylonian Defense Militia awards Riflemen John and Michelle Hyde the Star of Lore." Lather, rinse, repeat. "And finally, for calculated rejection of orders and for successfully seeing her team to safety, the Babylonian Defense Militia presents Commander Gale Stormwind with the Dwarfhold Cross, and the Dragonspine Cross, as well as a Purple Heart for sustaining an injury, and still completing assigned objectives." As he pinned the medal, he took a step back, addressing the recipients now. "Ladies and Gentlemen. These recognitions mean you went above and beyond the call of duty. However, next time you all receive recognitions, we may be doing them during your funeral. Lore needs heroes. But we need alive heroes." There came a thundering applause from the crowd as the group turned and exited, feeling important.
"Mrs. Despair, I would like to see you in my office at your earliest convience." Commander Stormwind muttered as they exited.
"I'll be right down, Commander." Maria responded. Supreme Commander Krieger had given the seven some time off, and everyone would enjoy it.
-Half an Hour Later.-
Maria walked to the door of Commander Stormwind and knocked.
"Come in, Mrs. Despair. Be quick about it." Maria opened the door and slipped in. "Have a seat." Commander Stormwind wasn't look at Maria, but at a report on her desk she was writing. Her free hand was pointed to the chair before her. Maria complied and sat.
The two sat in silence for several seconds before Gale spoke.,
"Mrs. Despair, do you know why I called you here?" Maria shook her head. Gale looked up from the report and smiled. It wasn't a caring smile, but a cruel, sadistic one. "I called you here, Maria, because there is one loose end which must be tied before I can complete my report. And that is... how exactly you obliterated fifty three Paxian Guards over the course of... two point nine eight seconds." She crossed her arms and stared at Maria. "Before you start, Mrs. Despair, know that, while my body may be slow, I may not be able to keep up with you speed wise, my mind is so sharp, it will not only keep up with your train of thought, but it will hijack the bloody thing. I am no fool a simple 'I did nothing' will work on."
"But I didn't do anything. It was a freak accident. I swear." Maria presisted. Gale sighed.
"You mean to tell me... a bolt of super-charged electricity just... formed in a random point in space, which, by the way, just happened to be right before your hand, at which point it raced for the nearest guard, struck him dead where he stood, then jumped to the consecutive fifty two other guards, striking each one dead in turn? Is this what you're telling me, Maria?" Maria thought for a second.
"Pretty much, yea." She replied.
"I don't believe that for a Creator-Damned second, Maria. That is the biggest pile of shit I've ever seen. If you're going to lie though your teeth, Maria, at least lie... though you teeth."
"I'm not lying. That's what happened." Maria continued.
"Mrs. Despair. If my mother were alive today, she would have killed you for being so damn stupid."
"Well. I guess I'm lucky." Gale sighed, defeated for now. She folded her arms and stared at Maria.
"Do you want to know a story, Mrs. Despair? It's about lies and betrayal. You'll like it." Her voice was harsh, very unlike the Gale Stormwind she knew. Maria nodded. "There was once a mother and her daughter. They were close, VERY close. The daughter's mother was in the military, and her daughter wanted so much to follow in her footsteps. And so, on her eighteenth birthday, the girl did, joining the military herself. She spent two years in training, and, when she was twenty, she was finally inducted into the Militia. She desperately waited for her first mission. And when it came, she would never forget it.
"There, on her first mission, a group of Paxians found the girl, and tore her apart. APART, Maria, APART. Quite literally apart. They tore her leg and arms from her body, leaving her in the forest to die alone. Do you know what happened to that little, innocent girl?" Maria said nothing. "She was alive. But just. Another group of Paxians found the girls' body and took her back to their base, stemmed the bleeding, and managed to stabilize her condition. They replaced the pieces missing with machines. But there was one thing they couldn't fix. Do you know what that was, Maria?" Gale didn't wait for her to answer. "Her heart. Her heart was shattered, and her innocence was gone forever. She came into that base a shattered girl, and she left a shattered killing machine. Do you know the name of that little girl, Maria?"
"Gale Stormwind?"
"Yes! Me! I was the one who had that horrible fate befall her!"
"What happened to the girl's mother?" Maria continued. Gale stopped. She clearly had no idea how the mother's story ended. "I..." She muttered at first. "I don't know." She answered quickly, turning away. "The only thing I do know is that the daughter never got a chance to say what she wanted to her mother."
"And that was?" Maria asked. Gale stood ridged, staring at Maria.
"Dismissed." She droned.
"'Dismissed'?" Maria questioned.
"You are dismissed, Mrs. Despair." Gale continued, turning her back to Maria.
"You didn't answer my question, Commander." Maria continued. With an almost unlorely rage, Gale spun around, spraying tears across her desk. Her face was bright red, tears flowing for what seemed like the first time in her life.
"GET THE HELL OUT OF MY OFFICE!" She shouted, grabbing a letter opener and throwing it at Maria, whom simply side stepped it.
"Yes, Commander." Maria replied, turning to go.
"I love you." Gale muttered as Maria took the handle.
"Sorry?" Maria asked, never turning around.
"I never got to say that I loved her." She replied, sniffing. "I don't remember her face... I don't remember her voice... I don't even remember her CREATOR-DAMNED NAME!" She grabbed the chair from the the floor and smashed it over her desk, breaking both. She slumped to her rear, gripping her knees crying like a little girl. Maria turned the handle, opened the door and left.
-Would you Like to Know more?-
Maria stood in formation next to Kyle, standing at attention as their commanding officer looked them over. Gale had finished crying, even if it took her three hours to stop.
"Alright, everyone. We've decided that after the flop that was the initial assault, we'd step our plans down a little. We have to take the small continent to the south of the main Paxian island if we want to win. The Paxians, most likely know this, and are waiting for us. So suit up and get ready." Gale turned and limped towards her office. "Mrs. Despair, I'd like to speak to you. Alone. In my office. Now." She droned. Maria nodded and followed Gale into her office.
Which, incidentally, was still trashed from her fit of depression.
"You'll have to excuse the mess. The last talk we had rather upset me. I walk to talk to you, because I think you'll be happy to know that, after straining my brain, I remembered my mother. Her face, her voice, her name."
"That's good."
"She had the most trusting, beautiful eyes. Long, silky hair and the voice of an angel." Gale smiled. "She always cared for people. People felt safe around her, and she felt safe around people. She raised me from my disaterous youth into the person I am now. While I can't say I whole-heartedly thank her for that, she has given me things I'll take to my grave. A sense of loyalty. Honesty. Faith in my friends, and my friend's faith. And love. That is one thing her and my..." She paused. "My father tried to drill into my head. It worked."
"Why are you telling me this, Commander."
"Because my mother had eyes a piercing crimson. They demanded the truth, yet told you everything was alright. She had hair of seafoam, lulling people into a sense of safety. Her voice echoes decibles similar to your own. Your face is a mirror to hers, and you wear it well."
"So I look like your mother. Is that it?" Gale shook her head.
"No, Maria. You see, I also remembered her name. It was a name that, years ago, would have thundered across Lore, striking foes dead at the very sound. Maria Despair." Maria's happy-go-lucky smile vanished.
"What are you saying, Commander?" She asked simply.
"What do you mean?! Do I have to draw you a creator-damned map, mom?!" Gale's demeanor changed. Her voice filled with emotion, the droning robot gone.
"No." Maria spoke harshly, standing, pointing a threatening finger at Gale. "No! You are NOT my daughter! My daughter died centuries ago! Pretending to be my daughter will NOT make me happy with you! It'll only PISS ME OFF!" She shouted, throwing a hand to the side.
"I'm not pretending." Gale spoke simply. It was Gale's turn to be on the offensive.
"You are NOT MY DAUGHTER! My daughter was no killing machine! She had feelings! She laughed! She smiled! She cried, and hurt! You.. you just kill. If it looks at you funny, kill it. If it laughs at you, kill it. If it hurts you, kill it. That's all you CARE ABOUT! What's the body count at the end of the day?!"
"How's Safiria?" Gale continued.
"STOP! IT! RIGHT! NOW!" Maria shouted, grabbing piece of the shattered desk and heaving it at Gale.
Metal grinding.
A single 'shing'.
Wood splintering.
Silence.
Maria stood, her vision clouded with red, heaving after having thrown something rather heavy. Gale stood her ground, the pieces of the desk at either side of her. Her back was turned, a gloriously golden blade in her hand. The pieces of desk had a clean cut in them. Such strength.
"Finished, mother?" Gale asked, dropping the sword facing Maria.
"You are not my daughter. You are not Gale Despair. You will never be her. SHE! IS! DEAD!"
"You didn't answer my question. How's Safiria?" At this, Maria pulled her sidearm out, pointing it at Gale's forehead.
"If you don't stop this, I'll kill you." She droned, tears pouring down her face, lower lip trembling.
"Try it. Kill me. Then think to yourself 'Was she telling the truth? Did I just kill my own daughter?' That will eat you up, Mother."
"You..." She droned, lowering the gun. "Are..." She shook in place. "Not..." Pulling the hammer back, she stood firm. "My..." her grip tightened on the pistol. "Daughter!" She fired six times, each shot striking Gale in the chest. Commander Stormwind stumbled backwards from the impact, collapsing to the ground in a pool of blood.
-
John yawned loudly, cracking his neck. He'd heard yelling in there for a few minutes, but he was told to watch the door, not play peace keeper. He shined his new name badge, reading the name on it. 'John Anasi. Security Chief.' Yea... he liked that.
Gah. More shouting... Maybe he should just... no. He just got this job, he didn't want to blow it on a lover's quarrel. After all... that's what it was...
Right?
Tapping the assault rifle around his chest he hummed. This job payed more, but it was boring as hell. He took a chance glance at his watch. Almost lunch time. And he sure felt it. His stomach growled against the hunger pains.
"Don't worry... another hour and it'll be food time." He muttered to his stomach. He felt another yawn coming on.
This one was stopped by the sound of six gunshots coming from inside. Reacting, John took his rifle into a ready position and kicked the door in.
"Freeze!" He shouted, looking around. Inside was the green-haired woman who had entered with Commander Stormwind, pointing at a body on the floor with a pistol. "By the Creator?! What did you do?"
"She wouldn't... she wouldn't stop..." The woman muttered, in a daze. John, weapon still pointing at the woman with green hair, strafed around to look at the body.
"Good god..." His weapon safety clicked off. "Drop the gun, lady. Drop it or I'll drop you." He was stopped by a coughing sound.
"God..." a voice came from the body. "I forgot how much getting shot hurts..." John watched Commander Stormwind stand and shake herself off.
"How..." John muttered.
"If I give you two thousand credits, will you forget this ever happened, Anasi?" Gale muttered.
"Uh... yes ma'am."
"Anasi?" The woman with green hair asked.
"Yes... Security Chief John Anasi. Can I..." He stopped himself, re-pointing the gun at her. "I mean... drop it."
"Relax, John. She's not going to hurt anyone. Right, Maria?" Gale asked, holding her hand out, waiting for the gun. Maria sighed heavily, giving her the gun. "Do you want to know what happened, I'll tell you..." She stared at John. "Shouldn't you be guarding something, Anasi?"
"OH! Yes, sorry, Ma'am." He left.
"Here's the story, Mother."
