I brought his chapter in less time than the last one. What can I say? I've been waiting to write this one for a while now. Just to warn you, it contains quite some violence. I mean, it's the Sobrekt we're talking about. They are like the vikings: they live for battle and are quite bloodthirsty. I'm not going THAt far, though, because the fix isn't rated 'M'.
I hope you enjoy!
Shades of Purple
Chapter 13
Tenn was abruptly awakened by a temblor so strong that it nearly made her fall off the bed. Wait a minute, bed? She realized that she was back in the bedroom. How did she get here? The last thing she remembered was Tallest Purple arriving and comforting her (weird), she returned the embrace in a moment of weakness, and everything after that… According to her PAK memories, Tallest Purple carried her all the way here and took Rouge to his crib.
She hated to admit it, but it was… nice on his part.
Back to the present, she was momentarily curious about the temblor that awakened her. What was going on? Did something happen? Down in the engines? She tried to send a PAK-mail to ask Purple what was going on, but she got an error message saying communications were offline. She tried again a few more times, always getting the same result.
Now she was certain something was going on.
Tenn warily made her way out of the room. The emergency lights were on, confirming her suspicions. She heard wailing coming from Red and Lena's chambers. Rouge must have been startled awake by the commotion. She better go check on him to calm him down. As soon as she picked him up, Rouge tried to crawl back into the pouch, the 'safe place'. She did so for a while if only to quiet him down.
She quickly tried to leave, but the elevator was blocked. Tenn tried to open the door with her hand scan, but the computer rejected it. "Computer, what is the meaning of this?"
"There are intruders attacking the Massive, mistress. Tallest Purple gave orders to place your bedchambers in lockdown. Nobody can leave nor enter until he says otherwise."
Intruders? More of a reason she had to go down and fight! "Computer, I order you to let me out!"
"Petition denied, ma'am. Tallest Purple's orders override yours."
Desperate, Tenn tried pressing the buttons to override the doors, but all she got in response was beeping and denial messages. She finally gave up with a groan of frustration. From Invader to crystal doll. Just great. "Can you at least tell me who is behind the attack, computer?"
"Sobrekt intruders."
Tenn stiffened at the mention of the lizards. Great, the last species she wanted to see right now. Had they brought their pets? Hopefully not. "Where is Tallest Purple?"
"In the bridge, dealing with the situation, ma'am—" Suddenly, the computer's voice became distorted and muttered unintelligible words before shutting off completely.
"Computer? Computer!" Tenn called, but there was no reply.
She heard something within the walls. Tenn raised and twitched her lekku to catch the sound: tapping, footsteps, a sort of laser… She even thought she heard talking. Tenn realized what was going on. The Sobrekt had created a diversion in the lower levels to distract the Massive's crew and keep them away from their real target: Rouge and her.
Tenn looked down at the frightened, whimpering smeet. He couldn't stay here. Knowing the predatory Sobrekt, they'd go after the more fragile and easier to hunt Rouge. She had to get him out of here somehow. Okay, the elevator was not an option thanks to the lockdown.
Then she remembered: the Tallest had a mini elevator that led directly to the kitchens for whenever they were too lazy to get their own food. Yes, she could send Rouge down and he'd be safe from the lizards. Someone would find him and take him to Tallest Purple.
The Invader quickly made her way to the kitchen, where she hurriedly tapped some buttons on the wall to slide the doors open. She then grabbed a hovering tray and took Rouge out of the pouch. Almost immediately he started to whimper and protest.
"Rouge, listen to me. I'm going to send you down to the kitchen. I want you to stay here until you're found, okay?" She didn't know if he actually understood what she was saying. He just looked at her with frightened blue orbs as she wrapped him in a small towel and sent him down the chute. Tenn sent a PAK-mail to Tallest Purple just to be sure he'd be found.
She almost jumped when a plasma laser blade started cutting through the ceiling. Thinking quickly, she cut through a nearby wall with her PAK's lasers and hid behind it, leaving only enough opening to peek through. She had just put the square-shaped cover back in place when the piece of cut metal fell to the floor with a loud clang.
Three Intruders dropped down from the ceiling. Two kryvtors and a Sobrekt… Tenn froze as she saw the latter's clothing: dark blue loincloth, white helmet reminiscent of a beast, exposed torso with countless scars. She had never seen one of these before, but she had heard tales of them making their way through battlefields in an animalistic rage, killing whoever they had in proximity, even their own allies. Back on the Academy, she heard legends of the white-headed Sobrekt who were particularly violent, crazy and wild… well, more than usual, and whose lust for blood and death was comparable to the Tallest's craving for snacks.
They were known as Berserkers*.
Tenn cursed her luck. There was no way she could fight in the open against these guys if they had a Berserker on their side. She'd be at a terrible disadvantage. Part of her told her to stay hidden and wait until someone came to look for her and deal with the lizards. If there was something she learned at the Academy, it was that facing a Sobrekt Berserker on your own was suicide:
But the warrior in her refused to stay in her little hideout like a coward. She was an Invader, an Irken Elite Soldier and the conqueror of Meekrob. She had single-handedly ruined the Irken Empire's sworn enemy. She had been the top of her class in the Academy. She'd figure something out. Those lizards would be no match for her. But for now, she watched as the kryvtors started looking around the place while the Berserker just stood there in the middle of the room with a blank expression.
It almost looked like he was in a sort of trance.
"There's nobody here, Kamran!" The dark orange kryvtor cried as he walked out of Tallest Purple's bedroom.
The apparent leader, Kamran, stepped out of Tallest Red and Lena's own. "The crib is empty. Someone took the smeet."
"But who? There's no one here!"
"Don't be so sure of that. Remember the news broadcast? The purple Tallest has a new wife. She's probably here."
The other kryvtor licked his chops. "Ooh, hide and seek. My favorite game. Come out, little Irken! Let's play!"
Tenn analyzed her opponents. The Berserker was the only thing to worry about: she could handle the kryvtors if she could incapacitate the crocodile. Tenn looked into her PAK and took out the onyon smoke bomb prototypes Ilk had sent her and Purple as a present: they were supposed to release onyon gas alongside the dark smoke that would irritate enemies' eyes in the battlefield, giving Irkens the upper hand in ambushes. She was sure they would be particularly effective against the reptilian Sobrekt.
Tenn gripped the first bomb, taking a deep breath. Once she threw it, the lizards would be aware of her presence. She had to focus on getting rid of the Berserker first before she faced the Kryvtors or she'd be done for. Her PAK's plasma cannons should be enough. With one last deep breath to gather courage, Tenn subtly threw one of the bombs at the Sobrekt's feet.
Kamran heard a small tapping sound. Looking around, he saw a small, metal ball rolling their way. "What in the Ancestor's name-?" He didn't get to finish as the sphere suddenly released a green gas all over the room.
Kamran and his companions coughed and tried to fan the awful scent away from their nostrils. The gas had a terrible smell he recognized from his visit to Earth: onions. The blinding fruit. His suspicion was confirmed as his eyes stung and watered up. He rubbed his ocular orbs to soothe the pain, but it was too late. Kiago was already growling and screeching in pain while Sakato was wordlessly blinking and rubbing his irritated eyes.
Kamran quickly screeched into the communicator. "Keela, open the ventilation systems in the Tallest's chambers!"
"On it, sir!"
Now was her chance. Tenn sped out of her hideout, brought out her PAK's plasma cannon and fired a large, ionized charge at the Berserker. The blast didn't kill him, but it sent him flying through one of the metal walls, leaving a crocodile-shaped, smoking hole in its wake. Okay, one less, now she got-
SMACK!
Before she knew what had happened, she had been thrown against the kitchen door, which slid open just in time for her to fly right through it and land painfully on her head. Her cheek felt very sore. As she touched it, she found her glove dripping her own blood. Tenn froze. How could they attack her if the onyons are supposed to blind them temporarily? Or maybe it had been a blind but lucky strike. She didn't want to find out.
"Where are you, you little Irken!" she heard the other lizard chuckling sinisterly. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!"
Tenn quickly crawled to hide at the end of the kitchen counter just as the dark kryvtor peered through the door's small, circular glass panel. She quickly retreated her head behind her hideout as he stalked in, making that tapping noise with his talons. She heard more footsteps behind him and Kamran's voice. "The bitch knocked Sakato out."
"No matter, we can handle a single Irkenette by ourselves. Besides, Sakato doesn't let me 'play' with my victims. Oh, can I toy with her a bit? Can I?"
Kamran snorted. "Fine, just don't kill her yet. If we don't have the smeet, at least we can take the female."
Tenn barely contained an exasperated groan. It's no like Tallest Purple would give anything for her safe return. Everyone (except the Tallest themselves) is expendable in the Irken Empire, even her.
The former Invader moved slowly and carefully down the kitchen floor, sticking close to the counter to avoid being seen.
Both lizards had split up to cover more areas of the kitchen, leaving her. She saw the kryvtor's feet, and the larger talon claws that tapped continuously on the floor. She couldn't help but wonder the purpose of that sound. Was it a form of communication or a sort of kryvtor code?
"Nice trick you pulled back there, little Irken! Reminded me of all those times your people would torture my ocular orbs with lots of substances just to see me writhe in pain!" Tenn felt a shiver down her spine as he laughed. That would explain why this one wasn't as affected by the onions as the others. "Haha! Don't worry, I'll treat your pretty little eyes with the utmost care once I pluck them out!"
Okay, Tenn, remember your training. Sobrekt are hardly injured with pistols and guns, she had to use melee weapons to kill one, and even then she had to aim at their weak spot: the throat, the only soft area of skin in their entire bodies. One well-aimed cut could kill even a Berserker, some said. Unfortunately, her PAK knives had been removed after her marriage to Tallest Purple to avoid… certain arguments and the closest thing she could get was the Sobrekt's own weapons.
Just as if things couldn't get any worse, she received a PAK-mail at that moment. It was a copy of a report from Ilk. Tenn would have dismissed it given the circumstances, but the title, Sobrekt weaknesses, caught her attention.
The report described conditions that could affect Sobrekt physiology negatively: their cold-blooded status causes the temperature to affect their metabolism directly. Cold temperatures caused them to lose energy more quickly, prompting them to go into hibernation mode. Additionally, sugar consumption can put them in a semi-unconscious state precisely because their slow metabolism takes too long in processing sugars.
Sugar and cold temperatures. A plan started forming in Tenn's mind. If she could get to the Tallest's personal freezer, she could use the ice cream (known to have LOTS of sugar) to incapacitate the lizards and lock them in there. Thank you, Ilk!
Okay, the freezer is a few meters away. Running was not exactly an option: she couldn't outrun a kryvtor even on the PAK-legs. If she could distract them for long enough, she could at least gain an advantage and run toward the door.
Tenn barely had time to go into a nearby cabinet as Kamran landed right in the corridor. He walked by, sniffing the air. He must be trying to catch her scent. There were lots of unused pans in here, courtesy of Zim. He claimed it was an earthen weapon to knock opponents out with a hit to the head. She grabbed one by the handle and threw it towards the opposite end of the kitchen when Kamran stepped further away. The primitive device struck the wall with a loud clang.
As she expected, the kryvtors instantly reacted. They flew over the counters at top speed to see the source of the sound, giving her a chance to bolt out of her hiding spot and run towards the freezer with all her might. She heard Kamran cry out just as the doors closed shut behind her.*
Being in here reminded her of when she got stuck with Tallest Purple in Zim's freezer back on Earth. But now was not the time to think of the 'good times'. Tenn quickly looked throughout the ice cream containers looking for a very sweet flavor. Cotton candy, coffee, vanilla, and chips… maybe the chocolate one would do the trick. With trembling hands, Tenn picked the container from its shelves and vacuumed half of it into her PAK. She pointed at the door with the vacuum hoses, aiming right at where their heads would be.
She better hurry before the 'brain freeze' thing happened.
The door was kicked open. Tenn instinctively shot the overly-sweet substance at the kryvtors' faces, hoping their mouths were open. The force of the chocolate stream sent the victim backward. As she ran out of ammunition, however, she found only Kamran on the ground.
The other kryvtor stepped into the freezer, clapping his hands slowly. "Impressive, little Irken. Not many know that Sobrekt are intolerant to sugary substances."
Tenn slipped and fell to the ground when she tried to run away. She froze as the lizard's clawed hand grabbed her by the throat and pinned her against the wall. She closed her eyes shut, remembering the kryvtor's threat about her eyes. One should never take them lightly.
"But then again, Irken Elite soldiers are very smart, right? You are the 'best of the best in the Irken Armada', after all! I learned it the bad way back on that arena where you Irken scum forced me to fight for the entertainment of the crowds. I learned it as I was forced to fight against my own clan for survival, I had to take the lives of those I loved in order to see the light of another day.
"The torture didn't stop there, no sir! Every night, I was put in a torture chamber where the irken Elites tried to make me talk. They did many unspeakable things to me as they tried to beckon me to reveal my people's weaknesses. There was one time I was forced to stay awake for an entire week though electric spears and serums. Other times they connected my brain to a machine to extract all my knowledge from there.
"Soon, I learned that they enjoyed it whenever I jerked in pain or showed any signs that their torture was working. So I began to act as if I actually enjoyed it." the kryvtor snickered. "Eventually I did start to enjoy the pain, you know. It was the only thing that kept me sane after all those years. And it was worth it! HA! The looks on their faces when they realized they weren't breaking me anymore!"
Tenn opened one eye in the slightest, but she wished she hadn't. The kryvtor's pupils were two thin lines, and his eyes were still bloodshot from the exposure to the onyon gas, which gave him an insane look. The tone of his voice matched his crazed expression. The torture he went through seemed to have caused him permanent brain damage. The kryvtor smiled at her as soon as he noticed she had opened her eye.
"You do have beautiful eyes, little Irken. I will definitely take special care of them. Surely you don't mind if I take them, do you? From what I hear, you can just get another pair. Your mate is the Tallest, isn't he? You'll have no problem with that." To his confusion, his victim started to… laugh. "What's so funny, if I may know?"
Tenn smirked at the kryvtor. "Want to hear some friendly advice? If you're going to kill someone, just do it. Don't waste time on useless monologue!"
Both looked down at his abdomen, where she had silently injected some of the sugary substance into his body as he spoke. The effect was immediate. His pupils dilated and his grip on Tenn loosened to the point he let her fall to the ground. His last words before collapsing were 'smart move, my little irken'.
Tenn released the breath she didn't know she had been holding. Quickly, she made her way out of the freezer. Without any time to lose, she dragged Kamran's unconscious body inside and left the two kryvtors inside, locking the door behind her. Okay, that two down, now she only needed to deal with the crocodile.
She heard a roar-like scream coming from the living room. Tenn grabbed one of the kunai-like blades Kamran had dropped. She might not be good at melee combat, but it would come in handy when she faced off against the monster.
As she ran out of the kitchen, she found the Berserker back on his feet. Tenn felt a shiver down her spine when he spotted her. He was salivating hungrily and both pupils were so thin they were almost invisible. The air he gave was different than when he came in. He roared at her again, this time sounding more like a bellowing sound from deep within his throat.
He lunged at her, jaws wide open and claws outstretched. Tenn quickly jumped out of the way just as he crashed against the couch, but he didn't seem to realize he had grabbed the wrong target, as he began to tear it apart with his bare teeth like a rabid Digestor. Tenn used her PAK-legs to climb up the wall, but before she could move any higher the Berserker's jaws grabbed unto one of her robotic limbs and started to flail her around like a rag doll. Tenn detached the broken limb, but in doing so she was sent flying against the wall.
CRACK!
Tenn yelled in pain as her shoulder moved out of place due to the force of impact. She bit her lip, closed her eyes shut and had her PAK sent painkillers and adrenaline to lessen with the pain while she dealt with this. A cramp in her abdomen made her slide back to the ground. Damn it!
To make things worse, the Berserker finally realized she was no longer in his power and snapped her robotic limb in half with a bite. His eyes scanned the room until he found her again. Tenn forced herself to get back on her feet despite the pain, clutching her limp arm tightly and holding back some tears. With her remaining PAK-legs, she wobbled back up, but it was hard to keep her balance on just three legs, two without counting the one she was using to hold Kamran's kunai.
Once again, the Sobrekt was the first to attack, and she barely managed to dodge it, though this time she did manage to injure his arm. But this only seemed to anger her opponent, and his attacks became more unpredictable and wild. He almost grabbed another PAK-leg, but instead he switched targets at the last moment and clawed at Tenn's robe, injuring her waist in the process. At the same time, Tenn managed to drive one of her PAK-legs right through his chest where she thought his heart should be, but to her shock he merely tore it off and continued with the rampage, splattering his purple blood all over in the process.
The battle took a toll on the lounge as the Berserker destroyed everything around him in his trance. The couches had been clawed and torn apart, spreading cotton and silk everywhere. The walls had been dented and released sparks every now and then. Drops and pools of pink and purple blood decorated the carpet and furniture like a twisted canvas of death.
Tenn realized she'd run out of energy far before he did. She had already lost a lot of blood, she lost two PAK-legs and her left arm was incapacitated. She had to end this now. She had one chance to dig the kunai into the crocodile's throat and kill him once and for all, but it was very risky, and if she failed it'd be the end…
Irkens don't exactly believe in an afterlife. If you die, you die. Period. Your PAK is retrieved and saved for future generations of smeets, who will gain your personality, knowledge, and traits. The PAK is the closest thing the Irkens would consider a soul. Irkens are not afraid of death despite the knowledge that they'd probably cease to exist when it happened. They live and die to serve their Empire, and they did so with dignity.*
Part of Tenn, however, wanted to believe that if she did die, she'd see Dren again, join him in wherever he was now, and get out of this hell. With this in mind, she cried out. "Hey, pea-brain! What's the matter?! You can't handle a 'little Irken'?! Perhaps the stories about you are exaggerated!"
The Berserker roared and lunged at her again, but this time Tenn did not jump left nor right to avoid it. Instead, she slid down under him and threw the dagger right at his exposed throat. The Sobrekt let out a screech of pain as the blood poured out of the fatal injury.
However, Tenn had completely forgotten about the tail. In one last attempt to drag her down with him, the Berserker used his remaining strength to strike at her abdomen, sending her against the wall a final time before he fell to the ground, unmoving.
Tenn felt something inside her break as the monster's tail came into contact with her body. This time she couldn't contain a scream of pain nor the tears as she felt blood trickling down her legs. Time slowed down. She just lay on the ground for what seemed an eternity until sweet unconsciousness claimed her. The last thing she heard before everything went black was someone screaming her name.
"GET OUT OF THE WAY!"
"My Tallest, you must wait outside-!"
"DON'T YOU DARE TELL ME TO WAIT OUTSIDE WHEN MY WIFE IS DYING INSIDE! STEP ASIDE OR I'LL HAVE THROW YOU OUT OF THE AIRLOCK MYSELF!"
"S-Sir, I understand you're worried about your wife, but right now taller smeet Rouge needs someone to look after him! And with all due respect, you'll make things harder for the medical team!"
Purple wanted to keep protesting and to throw this damn doctor out of the airlock with his bare hands, true to his word, but he knew he was right. He had no choice but to step back as the medical drone went back into the infirmary, which had been mostly disoccupied so that the best medics could focus solely on Tenn, locking the door behind him.
The sight of his beautiful Tenn on the ground, bleeding and almost dead, was still haunting him. He never imagined the lizards would find a way to his chambers nor that they would… He almost cried as he held her in his arms, begging her to hang on as the medic drones placed her on a floating stretcher and took her away. He tried to go in, but of course, the medic drones came up with this and forced him to stay outside.
Rouge was found in the Massive's kitchen, in the chute that connected it directly with their chambers. Apparently, Tenn sent him down so that the Sobrekt wouldn't be able to find him. The poor smeet was terrified, trembling, and wailing his lungs out when one of the soldiers brought him to Purple. It took him a long while to calm him down and lull him back to sleep. This kept him distracted for some time.
Purple then realized that the Massive was still in chaos from the unexpected attack, and all available troops, crewmembers, and soldiers were awaiting orders from him. The first thing he ordered was to send a message to Tallest Red and inform him of what transpired. Then he had the soldiers get rid of the bodies and the service drones clean everything up. He wasn't going to step in any room that had Sobrekt blood in it, not even his own. During the cleaning, he was informed that two more kryvtors were found in the freezer. One of them was alive, the other had committed suicide by slicing his guts out. Just great, all his precious ice cream was ruined.
But he'd deal with it later. Right now the main concern was to get the Massive working again. Purple made sure that all the prisoners that had broken out were either dead or re-imprisoned. The unconscious, half-frozen kryvtor found in the freezer would soon make his girlfriend company in the maximum security cell. Purple casually found a detailed report from Ilk describing how cold temperatures and sugars could be harmful to Sobrekt. This would explain why the lizards were found in the freezer in the first place: Tenn must have read that report first and based her strategy on it. Purple felt proud of both his wife and his niece.
A few hours later, the Massive was back to normal, it almost felt as if nothing had happened at all. The only evidence was his beloved Tenn still in the medical ward being treated. As Purple made his way back to wait outside for news of his wife, he was informed that Red and Lena had finally returned. He sent them a PAK-mail telling them to meet him outside the medical ward.
So Purple waited in the corridor, holding his trembling nephew in his hands. Not long after, he heard a familiar voice cry out. "ROUGE!" Rouge instantly reacted and started looking around and cry out for his mama.
Lena abruptly came and snatched her smeet from his hands to hold him against her chest, peppering him with kisses and head rubs. Rouge sobbed and whimpered as he snuggled against the familiar embrace.
Red joined them not long after. Lena must have left him behind at the hangar, judging by how he was panting heavily. Once he recovered his breath, he cried out. "Purple! What happened?! Are you alright?!"
"I and Rouge are fine," Purple said simply, watching as his co-Tallest checked on his smeet to make sure he wasn't hurt. "Tenn sent him down the kitchen shut to save him from the Sobrekt. It seems they were after him, after all."
Lena looked at him. "How is Tenn? Is she alright?"
"I don't know, those incompetent fools won't tell me anything yet!" Purple snapped at the door, raising his voice enough so they could hear him. "I swear, if they don't hurry up They're all going out of the airlock!"
"Purple, calm down!"
"How am I going to calm down?! My wife is probably dying and I can't do anything about it!"
"Don't worry, as long as her PAK is intact, she'll be fine."
Lena placed Rouge in Red's hands and knocked on the medical ward's door. "I'm Taller Lena, let me in!"
To Purple's astonishment, one of the medic drones allowed her into the room, but the doors closed again before he could take a peek. In his frustration, he started banging on the door, demanding to be let in.
"Pur, quit it!" Red snarled as he pulled him away. "You'll only make things worse!"
"Worse than this?! Is that even possible?!"
Red took a deep breath. "Lena's going to tend to her, she'll be alright. She was a medical drone, remember? The best of her class. She'll save Tenn."
Purple finally gave up. He leaned back against the wall, taking a hand to his forehead. "I can't lose her, Red… I just can't… Not after we…"
He felt a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry to hear that, Purple."
"I'm afraid, Red. What if she…?" He couldn't even bring himself to finish the sentence. He didn't want to think it was a possibility, but he had seen the state Tenn was in when he found her. He knew where all the blood in her robe came from. He tried not to think about it and convince himself the blood was from another injury, but part of him knew it was a lie.
Hours went by again. Purple paced outside the door, waiting for any news until he got tired of walking and called a chair drone so he could sit down. Red, meanwhile, was tending to Rouge until he managed to lull him to sleep. Since he lacked a pouch to put him in, however, he had to put him in his lap after calling a chair drone for himself. Purple couldn't really imagine his co-Tallest with a smeeting pouch.
To kill time, eventually, both started reading Ilk's report on the Sobrekt's biological weaknesses. Red got a good laugh when he learned that sugar could incapacitate them. Purple would have joined in if the circumstances weren't so dire.
At some point, he dozed off. His lekku twitched at the sound of the medical ward's doors opening again. He was instantly on his feet. "How's Tenn?!" he asked instinctively.
There was a grave look on Lena's face. "Purple... "
"What?! She's not dead, is she? Tell me something! ANYTHING!" Red's backhand came into contact with Purple's cheek. He glared at his co-Tallest. "Was that necessary?!"
"Calm down!" Red hissed and gestured to Rouge, who was still asleep in his father's hand. The smeet shifted a bit, but he didn't show signs that he'd wake up at any time soon.
Purple took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. "Lena, how is Tenn?"
"Most of her physical wounds have been treated. Her PAK healed the smaller ones, but the deep claw marks had to be stitched closed with healing gel and laser treatment. Her shoulder's been moved back into place too. She has to stay in bed for a few days to be sure, but other than that she'll be fine..."
Purple took the following silence as a bad omen. "There's a but, isn't it?"
"Purple… you may want to sit down."
"Why, what's wrong?"
"Did you and Tenn have… sexual intercourse?"
"How is that relevant to her condition?" He replied with another question, hoping to avoid having to answer it.
"We checked her PAK for her memories on what transpired. During her fight against the Berserker, she was hit in the abdomen and thrown against the wall."
"What are you saying, Lena?" Red asked warily. Purple had an idea of what she was saying, but he didn't want to hear what Lena would say. Part of him knew what words would leave her mouth, but he couldn't bring himself to cover his ears. He just stared at her pleadingly, silently begging her not to say the words.
"Purple…" Lena took a deep breath, giving him a sorrowful look as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Tenn miscarried."
*Berserkers were viking warriors who were said to enter a sort of trance-like fury in battle. Sobrekt have a similar branch in their military; there are kryvtor and sobrekt Berserkers, but the latter are more common due to their more fearsome looks and superior physical strength.
*This whole part in the kitchen is an allusion to Jurassic Park, in which the children hid from the Velociraptors in the kitchen. Curiously, the kryvtors themselves are anthropomorphic velociraptors.
*Headcanon: from what we've seen of the Irkens so far, they don't follow any sort of religion (their blind loyalty and admiration fo their Tallest doesn't count), so they probably don't believe in an afterlife either. Besides, considering PAKs of dead irkens are normally saved for the next generation, and PAKs contain an Irken's personality and memories, in a way they practice rebirth of some sort.
Oh, my, things are getting dark. Poor Tenn. And we're yet to see Purple's reaction to the news.