2 weeks after the battle for the commander:
The commanders were helping a lot in the war effort, sending reinforcements whenever they are needed. Luke had a forward base in the Great Plains, where Granger is, and has a main base 2 miles north of Jasper. Jade had a forward base near Madrid, and had a main base 3 miles West of Jasper. And Chase had a forward base near Des Moines, and had a main base right next to the Autobot base. Sometimes, they offered to even do it themselves, since their units were more powerful.
Jade was sitting on the roof of the command center in the autobot base, looking at the sunset. She was worried about how she might have lost contact with someone for good. Please, Aaron, don't be dead. Not yet. Thought Jade, tears forming in her eyes.
"Hey, how long will you be gone?" Jade asked Aaron.
"Not too long, got to go to Sega Ultima, Cybran forces invaded the planet. Why, where are you going", Asked Aaron.
"I'm staying here, 2 other commanders and I are going on a recon mission to check out a new planet that popped up, looks almost just like Earth. Have you been there?"
"Once, it's beautiful there. There are grasslands and just beautiful scenery there. Too bad it's mostly city, though," Aaron said, the last part in a depressed tone.
"Luckily, I'm going there, myself. That's where the others are meeting. You going, too?"
"No, I'm leaving for Sega Ultima in about an hour, depending on if they need reinforcements right now," Aaron said.
"Well, hope I see you again," Jade said.
"Oh, I know we will see each other again," Aaron said while walking away, leaving Jade to her thoughts.
'I hope that he makes it back.' Jade thought as she walked to her transport.
Only an hour later she found out that the planet was destroyed by a Cybran experimental laser satellite, and a commander was caught in the blast.
The transport never stood a chance. A chunk of rock the size of a city slammed into the transport head-on, the transport exploded on contact. We didn't go back for survivors, since there were none left.
Jade started to cry, she had deep feelings for him, and she didn't want him to be gone. Jade cried hard, not able to contain the emotions.
"Hey, Jade. You alright?" Luke said, walking towards her.
"I'm fine, I don't need help," Jade said, calming down a little.
"No, you're not fine. Let me help you," Luke said, sitting down beside her.
Jade calmed down a little, and smiled a bit, thinking he was a very good friend to her.
Truth was, Luke had a crush on her for a long time, at least a year at the time. He meant to ask her out, but he didn't have the courage nor did he think she liked her back. They went through almost everything together: training, battlefield tactics, everything. Luke even helped her through the time when her father was being a bit abusive to her and her family. When he finally felt he got the courage to ask her, he didn't have the chance to. He was walking out to the shuttle after mental training when he looked back and saw Jade getting another guys number, Aaron, one of his friends from another academy and another commander. Luke almost lost control of himself when he saw this, immediately knowing what was happening. He almost started to cry, but he remained composed until he got home. At the time, he was only 15. He buried it as deep as he could, and didn't feel that sad or guilty for a long time. It would pop up once in a while, but only for a little bit.
It's been a year, now, and they have graduated from Commander Academy. He still had feelings for her, but he didn't show it in public. Luke himself was one of the best in the class, especially in battlefield tactics and strategy. Jade was good in gathering resources and recon, and Chase was good at mass production and building heavy defenses. They weren't the perfect team, but that's what central command wanted, so they went with it.
"You can tell me what's wrong, I can help you," Luke said in a confident tone.
Jade paused for a bit, trying to calm down.
"I… I really miss Aaron. For all I know, the reports were true and he was caught in the blast," Jade said, still crying a bit.
Luke felt sorry for her, sorry for not knowing how it felt to lose someone close. He sighed, remaining his composure from the emotions that were flooding him.
"Hey, it's alright, you're here. You're alright, and that's what matters right now," Luke said, looking into her eyes.
"I just miss Aaron, a lot. I heard and saw footage of what happened to Sega Ultima. The planet literally imploded on itself, like the core just disappeared," Jade said, trembling.
Luke got a little bit closer, and unexpectedly Jade hugged him. Luke hugged her back.
"Why? Why did he have to leave for Seta Ultima? Why did he have to die like that?" Jade said, her voice trembling.
"It's ok, just let it out. It's fine," Luke said in a soft tone, hugging her a little tighter.
Luke again felt bad for not knowing how she felt, but he had an idea from ghost sympathetic feelings. He himself thought about crying, but he couldn't. Damn, I might have taken that emotional training a little too seriously. Thought Luke as he continued hugging her for a few moments.
When they released each other, Jade looked into his eyes and smiled. Wow, I never saw them this close before. Jade thought. His eyes were a deep blue, full of wisdom and passion. The eyes of a true strategist, formed from years of intense thinking and fighting off the common idiocy that often appeared in the academy. There were a lot of people who failed at commander academy, especially the ones who just did it to show off.
Seeing that Jade had calmed down, Luke started to get up and leave.,
"Wait, stay here, just for a bit longer, please?" Jade said, voice still slightly trembling.
Luke looked back, and decided to stay with her for a few more moments. He sat down and watched the sunset. Luke felt something on his shoulder, and realized that Jade was leaning her head against him, with a smile on her face. Luke sighed, and watched the sun until it set below the horizon, encasing them in darkness.
