At what cost
III
The gentle hum of the spaceship was interrupted loudly by an alert that startled Kaden out of sleep, his muscles stiff after hours of sleep on a well-worn seat, He yawned as he took in his surroundings.
They were here.
Veldin's huge dusty brown surface taking up his entire vision outside the cockpit, instinctively he held his stirring closer to him, curling into a sitting ball with his son.
He knew that it was the right thing to do, Tachyon had to be delayed somehow. The demonsionator safe for good off world, he just had to ensure Tachyon still thought it was on Fastoon, a six hour trip back.
As well as make sure the bastard knew how he felt.
A thirst for revenge began steadily replacing the feeling of guilt inside him.
The feeling of guilt would be gone as soon as he was rid of him.
Nausea sat in him at thinking like that, his son wasn't a burden this was the right thing.
Tachyon would kill the infant child without a shred of guilt, if the thousands of unburied corpses were anything to go off.
As he entered the atmosphere of the dusty backwater planet he shook uncontrollably making his son stir.
Sleep riddled green eyes stared into his own, a small laugh escaping his mouth.
"You're home buddy."
The streets of the Kyzil plateau city were quiet in the early hours of the morning, something he was grateful for as he held the bundle of blankets within the raggedy brown coat, giving Kaden the appearance of any other bum.
His eyes glanced over all the buildings until he saw a huge wooden building, the sign out front telling him it was an orphanage.
He had been mentally preparing for this moment, whatever barricades he had put up came crumbling down the moment he sat his child in the weave basket with his wrench and two notes.
Hugging him for one last time, Kaden felt tiny infant hands wrap around his neck, tears flowing down his cheeks as he sucked in a shaky breath.
"I love you too much to stay." He whispered in a broken voice, the reinforcement more for himself.
He risked a glance down at his son one last time and rest his head to his own. The kit giggling as he played with his father's ears.
"Please forgive me kiddo."
With that he stood up and began walking away, a growing crowd of people staring at him in confusion, at what he was and what he was doing.
He was in the ship breaking down mentally before the infant cries of a Lombax reached his ears.
"Dada."
Alister sat in the great court panting heavily, Tachyon had returned to look for the dimensionator.
Instead only finding death and scorched earth.
Tachyons throne of Lombax forged steel sat in the centre of the city near the Court of Azimuth on three spider like legs, several loud speakers blaring orders to the many Drophyd foot soldiers below, their advanced weaponry and armour able to turn almost anything into nothing.
The sounds of Tachyons throne whirring mechanically made Alister's breath hitch in his chest.
They had come as soon as Kaden had left for the stars, several hours of fighting in between ruined buildings taking the most out of him.
He had taken a piece of shrapnel to the shoulder at some point, the blood caking his fur in a dry brown.
At last it seemed death was going to take him, in the blaze of bullets and explosions he had always thought would befall him.
He just wished it was on his terms.
Steadying himself on his wrench he began to step outside into the cloudless night blaster in hand.
The faint sounds of a ship blasting through the atmosphere caught his attention, tracing it with his eyes he saw it land by the cliff where Kaden's house stood.
A feeling of confusion followed by anger swamped over him.
"No"
Jumping out of the ship Kaden glanced downwards into the valley below shrugging off his jacket, his black armour glinting in the moonlight.
The metal of a large tripod as well as several hundred yellow lights lit up the dead city, Kaden pulled his blasters out of the ship and made a glance to the sky, the universe staring straight back at him in in all of its glory, a storm brewing on the horizon.
A fine night to die.
The sounds of footfalls made him turn and aim at the source of the noise, the sight of a wounded Alister meeting him.
Pulling the gun down Kaden sighed heavily.
"You coward."
Kaden shifted on his feet as he sighed.
"I have to."
"No! Don't start with that crap, you've got a son Kaden, you're willing to abandon him just so you can die at the hands of that bastard?!" The Rage in Alister's voice rose clear through the sounds of bangs and shouting that was getting closer.
"It's about protecting him! If I stayed with him Tachyon would've found him as well as me, he knows I know where the Dimensionator is!"
The battle cries were getting closer by the second, Kaden took note of this cloaking the ship.
"At what cost?"
The words hung heavy in the air for a few seconds as the crack of green blaster fire went over their heads.
"Give me hand will you?" Kaden yelled out as he dodged fire from his left that went careening into the sky.
Alister responded with returning fire as the two Lombaxes fought back, melting a hole into a few of the Tyranoids that dared peak their heads.
Within the hour they were surrounded and the sounds of Large mechanical legs began to thud towards them from down the hill, a shrill rat like shriek following.
"Bring me their heads!"
Tachyons voice sliced through the air in between blaster fire, the two friends slaying dozens of his men with skill.
"We can go through the caves up to the cliff!"
Kaden yelled out running down the path that had been there since they were kids, daring each other to sneak into the caves under bluestone ridge, the elders calling it an ancient burial ground full of ghosts when in reality it was a sandstone cave full of stalagmites and sharp drops.
Alister followed Kaden through the caves climbing over slippery ridges.
The sounds of metal and blaster fire followed them as they made the ascent, Kaden breathing ragged, wordlessly Alister supported him with his good arm as the night air shone its way through the Lombax sized hole on the other side, its smooth rock hard to grip onto.
Climbing through the hole both Lombaxes took in the sight below them through the hole.
"They're in the caves!"
"Everyone pile in there I want them found!"
"Tachyon was never the brightest." Kaden said in between breaths.
"Keep pushing Kaden we can sneak back around."
Kaden looked up at his friend as he coughed a tired smile on his face.
A smile of acceptance.
"We ain't both gonna make it."
Alister looked his friend in the eyes before glancing down towards his friend's torso, a burnt hole sat where his hand was.
He'd been hit.
He had been hit badly.
"No, no Kaden no."
"Alister."
"Kaden No."
"Please." Placing a hand on Alister's shoulders he held his grip as tight as he could.
He was feeling weaker with every second.
"It would mean a lot to me."
Alister made a sound of protest but was cut off again by Kaden.
"I'll hold them off, just go."
Kaden looked away for a second before hugging his friend for the last time, the smell of plasma and ash ripe in the air.
"Don't look back."
Alister looked at his friend again as he watched him make the steady ascent higher up the cliff face.
"You're my brother Kaden."
Kaden paused for a second glancing back, his eyes full of emotions that were about to come spilling out.
"Take care of yourself, Alister."
Alister took several unsteady steps backwards before turning around into a run holding his shoulder.
The rocks cut through Kaden's gloves as he climbed, his breathing becoming more and more rattled with every step.
Standing at the peak of the Cliff Kaden looked down towards the ruined capital, a smouldering scar on the landscape, Pistols in hand he closed his eyes letting a breath escape him.
The wind gently blew through his fur and for a moment he was 13 again, climbing this peak with Alister just because they could, staring in wonder at the sight of the city.
The sounds of yelling below him caught his attention once more.
Breathing through closed teeth he began shooting at the three dozen warriors that made their ascent up towards him.
He let fly at them all the while shouting his best war cry, attracting the attention of Tachyon himself who stared at him in a look of rage, a hint of something else present.
Fear.
"This all you got Tachyon?"
The blood rushed in Kaden's ears as he felt blaster fire zoom past his face, singing his fur.
Quickly there was barely fifteen figures left, their bodies shrouded in the darkness.
"Can't even kill a dying man."
The taunt seemed to trigger something within the Cragmite who riddled the cliff side with an explosion that killed off the rest of his soldiers and sent Kaden careening into the rock face below.
Landing with a thud Kaden chocked air in as the thick dust cloud surrounded everything, the good ten metre drop breaking several bones.
Rattled breaths escaped him as he clutched at his stomach, barely finding the strength to roll over and start crawling to one of his pistols that sat a few metres away.
His gloves were torn to shreds and he couldn't feel his legs any more, blood dripping from a nasty gash above his eye.
He ignored the sounds of mechanical footsteps as he crawled closer to the gun, knowing damn well that Tachyons tripod was shielded.
Grabbing the gun he rolled over only to find it click empty, the energy cell damaged in the explosion.
"You've lost my weak friend."
Kaden groaned as he threw the gun at the Cragmite with as much force as he could, the blaster ending up a few feet short.
"I got what I wanted."
"Tell me where the dimensionator is and I won't have your son killed."
A laugh escaped Kaden as he spat blood at the emperor.
"You'll never find him."
"Where is the dimensionator!"
As Tachyon said this he lowered himself to mere inches away from Kaden, who took the opportunity to spit in his face, which earned him a pistol pointed straight at him, Kaden could see the Green glow from within the gun, the deathly light reflecting off of his face.
He was dead either way.
"Go fuck yourself."
Tachyon's eyes lit up with rage as he began almost growling, a trait he had inherently picked up after years of being around the Lombaxes.
"You're not better than me." The words practically hissed out of him.
Kaden returned the glare with all the strength he had left, the rain that had started falling soaking his bloody fur.
"Whatever you say you fool."
"Damn you."
A rumble of thunder burst through the night, the wind howling.
"Damn us both!"
A final yell full of pure hatred.
The blaster went off with a crack that dropped him instantly, splitting a hole clean through his forehead.
Tachyon laughed loudly as he stared down at the dead Lombax, spitting on Kaden's body before rising back up to full height and ambling down the hill, leaving the smoldering remains of his soldiers that littered the cliff face with Kaden's body to the storm.