Krolia couldn't believe it. Even as it happened right in front of her she couldn't understand how it happened. The scout had escaped. He had managed to get to his ship and had taken off. There was nothing she could have done to stop it. The Empire was going to get the location of the Blue Lion and there was nothing she could do! Then it exploded. The sky ignited with fire and debris as the explosion decimated the escaping scouting ship. As if the planet had realized its existence was threatened and struck down the threat before it could cause any damage. How?
A pained grunt reached her sharp ears from down in the valley. Her nocturnal vision allowed her to make out the form of a body laying on the sand. Kogane… It was Kogane. Kogane the man who took a risk in helping a strange, potentially hostile, off-worlder with no expectation of gaining anything in return. Who not only nursed her back to health but took it upon himself to hide any and all traces of her existence from his planet's military. Kogane, who went beyond that act of kindness by teaching her of his world and swearing to help her complete her mission. The same man whom she developed feelings for as time went on and said feelings were reciprocated and blossomed into the form of the tiny sleeping infant assumingly waiting for them to come home. Kogane, whom the Imperil soldier claimed to have killed before attempting to apprehend her; and instead was alive gripping the detonator in his hand, his thumb firmly on the button as he glared at the sky. Until he suddenly went lax and collapsed face-first into the sand.
"Kogane!" Before she even knew what she was doing, her body was already moving and making its way down to her mate. The scent of blood hit her nose as she finally reached his prone form only to be greeted by the horrific sight of his torn back. "No…" A blaster. Kogane had been shot by an Imperial blaster. Aim for the very center where his internal organs would be affected. The wound was deep. Very deep, and there was nothing she could use to do a field patch. "Please…" Krolia whispered like a prayer as she turned her love around and cradled him close. His eyes opened, revealing that he still had his grip on life, but was gradually losing it. "Please hold on…" As carefully as she could manage she lifted the 6ft 2in man up and began to jog for their shared home. She had to get him back to the house. He needed medical attention and soon.
Apparently you really do see your life flash before your eyes when you're about to die. It was rather strange to be able to see his childhood from an outsider's perspective but no less surreal. Being born… Quality time with his parents… Going to school and playing with friends… Fights he'd gotten into… Graduating from college and going through training… His career as a Firefighter… His love of the desert leading him to build a house out there… Stargazing at night after long hard days of work… Spotting the shooting star that landed not too far from his home… Discovering Krolia and the truth on what was out beyond the night sky… The friendship they've developed… Finding the Blue Lion… Falling in love… Having a child with her… All of it… was very well worth it. Even as his breathing became more and more labored and his body felt heavier than lead, it had still been worth it. Somehow, someway, he willed his eyes opened and her vision to clear so that he could see the remarkable woman that became such a huge part of his life one more time.
"Krolia was growing desperate. The bleeding slowed but Kogane was still fading. The corrupted quintessence from the gun must have savagely attacked and drained his own. What could she do? She wasn't a medic. What training she did have wasn't going to be enough for this. She didn't have access to any medicines or equipment for something these severe. Unless… Kogane's communication device. The emergency three-digit code he mentioned during the early days of getting to know each other.
"You'll be alright, just stay with me." If she could contact a healer and keep him alive until they get here… A sudden touch on her wrist broke her train of thought and had her looking down at her mate.
"Shhh… It's alright…" Kogane practically whispered. He saw the way she suddenly eyed the phone and knew what she would have done if he hadn't stopped her. Just because he wasn't going to make it, didn't mean she had to risk her freedom for him. "What matters is… we stopped them…"
"The look in his eyes told her how futile any further attempts would be. "I'm sorry…" The Mamora agent half sobbed as she gathered her mate in her arms again and held him close. "You never would have been involved if…"
"I regret nothing…" The Firefighter declared as he ran his fingers through his lover's impossibly soft, duo colorful hair. "Meeting you… Learning from you… Loving you… was the best adventure of my life…" He soon cupped her face so that she could see his eyes and know he was telling the truth.
She did. "And you mine…" She closed the distance between them and shared one last kiss with the man that had conquered her heart.
"Just… promise me…" The two kept their foreheads pressed together as the man's breathing became more labored.
"Anything…" The Galra woman breathed as her tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Don't give up…" His grip on life was loosening even as he tightens his grip on her hand. His eyes, still determined even as they tremble and darken with the fading light. "Keep fighting… for us… for… him…" He empathized as he glanced towards the staircase. Or rather up towards where their shared bedroom would be. Where their child would be safe sleeping in his crib.
The one, and by far, the only good thing that has ever come out of this accursed war. "I will." Krolia swore as she cradled her husband until he finally breathed his last.
*******
As the desert moon began to set, it watched over a lone figure standing in the farthest corner of the fenced-in yard as she carefully arranged the last of some heavy stones over the loose dirt of a grave. It had taken hours into the night to dig and hours more to find the necessary rocks, but the grieving woman dutifully, if painstakingly, went about to bury the man she loved; hoping to whatever deity ruled over her adopted planet that she successfully honored her mate according to human customs. All the while the nocturnal orb illuminated her way as she carved the final words into the largest and heaviest stone she could find to mark his final resting place. Although none of this world may be able to read what it said, perhaps someday when the universe was finally free and at peace, his story will be known.
"I will never forget you, Kogane." She promised as she bid her mate's final resting place one final study before making her way back to the front porch.
Among a heavily packed duffle bag, diaper bag, and baby equipment, was a portable car seat, where her precious son laid swaddled in a warm blanket. She packed everything she knew she would need, and more, to make sure her child wouldn't be neglected in any way. She even grabbed the books her mate had gotten on human childcare because she'd be dead before she fails to provide for her child's human half. With the use of some bungee cord, she was able to tie everything together and strap it to her person before taking hold of the car seat and beginning her trek to the Blue Lion's location. The area was so far and remote that the chance of anyone from Earth finding it, especially without the proper equipment, was slim to none for the time being. It was why she didn't bother clearing any of the debris that still littered the ground and just went straight of the only surviving ship left intact. The first thing she did was secure her baby close to the consol so she could keep an eye on him as they travel. The second was hovering the ship enough to fire a very short and minimal blast at the ravine in order to bury the ground level entrance used to originally find the Lion. The sound muffled by the haul of the fighter. It was the best she could manage and at least this way nothing was left to chance. Finally, after giving her son a quick glance to make sure he was still resting, she began to take off, purposely going over the house that had been her sanctuary and home for three years to see one final time.
A small fidget had her glancing over to see her innocent baby snuggle deeper into his blanket. His painfully non-Galra appearance will make it impossible for him to blend in amongst her society. He'd have to be raised at the base among the blades to have even a chance at a decent life and education. No doubt he'll wind up being trained to join the Blades once he's old enough. "My son, I am so sorry I have to drag you into this." The reality of her son becoming a child soldier was very real. There was nothing she could do about that. The very idea had her tearing up as much as the loss of her dear mate. "But I won't let your father's sacrifice be in vain. Nor his fate be your birth planet's." This she vowed as she steeled herself. Pushing her grief aside, and redirecting it toward fierce determination as she began to plan out her new mission. "I will see to your training myself." If her only child is fated to become a Blade, then she will forge him into a weapon to be reckoned with. She'll get her most trusted associates aide in this endeavor to allow him every advantage possible. "I'll push you harder than any before you. Until you surpass even our superiors." Least that way, he would have someone watching over him when she's eventually put back on missions. "For if I can't be there to protect you, I will make absolutely certain you can protect yourself." With that, she activated the boosters and sped off into the sea of endless stars.
Meanwhile, elsewhere on the planet, an 11-year-old Takashi Shirogane was sitting on the roof of his home, looking up at the evening sky through a pair of binoculars. He wished he had a real telescope just like his cousin and was working towards earning one on his own, but for now, the binoculars work just fine. Next to him was a book about his favorite Japanese legend about two magical siblings, Sun and Moon, and how they created the stars in the night sky. He loved the stars with a passion and had always wanted to go up and see them up close just like in the story. As he looked through his binoculars and imagined doing so, he saw something flying through the sky before a bright flash of purple flared up and made it vanish; leaving behind nothing but stars. Surprised by this, the young boy glanced down at his book, and back up in awe, and wondered if perhaps, the old story was true after all.