The children's living quarters was complete chaos. Corvus is trying his best to get everyone ready for Ronan's arrival, but the whole event was like fighting an uphill battle. The eldest children helped out however they could, as a middle child, Peter was only responsible for making himself presentable. However, everything ran more smoothly when they all looked out for each other. Peter felt he was getting the hang of being their older brother.
His little brother, Nexus tugged on his jacket, "Peter, I need help with my shoes! Can you show me the bunnies, again?"
"Yeah, no problem." Peter knelt down to help Nexus. He hummed the song his mother taught him. "First you cross them like this, and then you fold them like that." Nexus watched intensely, trying to commit it to memory. Peter slowly tied one of his shoes for him. "Easy peasy lemon squeezy."
Nexus giggled, "lemon squeezy?"
"Peter!" Kekallie yelled to be heard over the noise.
"Coming!" He yelled back, then patted Nexus shoulder. "I'll be right back, try and tie the other one." Peter weaved through the crowd until he found Kekallie sitting on the floor with Cauda. She was consoling him the best she could.
Kekallie flashed a sad smile at Peter. "Cauda is missing his hairclip. Have you seen it?"
Peter shifted his weight, "the one with the flower or the one with the insect."
"The flower." Cauda sniffled and rubbed his eyes. "My mommy gave it to me." This was serious, then.
"Did you check the med bay?" The white coats made you remove all your jewelry and weapons before entering. Cauda always forgot to pick his stuff up before leaving. He shook his head and Kekallie rubbed his back. "I'll go look for it, okay?"
Peter sprinted down the hallway, pushing past his siblings. The door to the stairwell slid open, Peter jumped over the railing. He caught himself on the staircase and climbed onto the lower floor. He made two lefts and a right and walked into the med bay. Cauda's hairclip is sitting in the bin by the door. It was a small piece of amber with a flower trapped inside. Peter sighed happily and he tucked the hairclip back into his jacket pocket. Peter hurried back to his quarters.
When he returned to the crowded stretch of hallway, Nexus was waiting for him. "Peter look! I tied it all by myself!" He announced proudly.
Peter grinned, "I knew you could do it!" Nexus trails behind Peter as he pushed his way through the crowd. He found Cauda and Kekallie on the floor, right where he left them. Cauda was huddled in a ball, sniffling softly. Peter knelt down so he was eye level with Cauda and pulled the amber hairclip out of his pocket. "You found it!" Cauda tackled Peter in a hug, wrapping his arms around his brother's neck. His horns brushed against Peter's cheek. "Thank you!"
"Yeah, no problem," Peter chuckled. When Cauda pulled away, Peter clipped the amber flower into Cauda's hair. "You need to take better care of this," Peter scolded him, "it's important."
Cauda touched the hairclip affectionately. "I will, I promise."
"Cauda, " Kekallie stood up and offered her hand. "you need to get dressed now, alright?" She helped Cauda off the ground.
"Yeah, okay." Cauda sighed and hurried back to his cabin.
Peter turned to leave but Kekallie grabbed him by the collar. "Wait a minute!" Peter sighed as his older sister glanced over his outfit. She pulled back his jacket, "what is that?"
Peter was wearing a navy blue T-shirt under his formal jacket. The shirt had a white diagram of Earth's solar system and the words Starchild printed in English. "This is the shirt I got from Earth's tourism board, " Peter said meekly.
"You cannot wear that to dinner," Kekallie pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Aw c'mon man, this is so not cool!" Peter stomped his foot.
She lets out an exasperated sigh, "you cannot wear your light up gym shoes either."
"Lame!" Peter folded his arms over his chest and pouted. "I'm eight full cycles now! I can dress myself!"
"Apparently not, " Kekallie observed. Cauda yelled for her and she shoved Peter towards his cabin. "You go change! I will pick out an outfit for you if need be." Peter changed his outfit twice before Kekallie deemed it acceptable for dinner. He wore his crimson red collar shirt under the formal black jacket, with slacks and gym shoes. Peter hated black. The jacket was a gift from Thanos, it was embroidered with their rank and security clearance. They were required to wear them.
~~•˖✧•✯•✧˖•~~
Ronan the Accuser-the Kree warlord who sanctioned the genocide of billions and brought interplanetary empires to their knees-was leisurely sipping ice tea while he bounced his daughter on his knee. She the spitting image of her mother, with peach skin, silver eyes, and platinum blonde hair. The scene was so jarring that Peter stumbled into Nebula. She elbowed him in the ribs and hissed, "watch it!"
The mess hall is extravagant. It has polished marble walls and three chandeliers that sparkle like gold. The tables are covered in silk cloth and there's a bouquet of flowers freshly cut from their garden. The mess hall looks more like a ballroom from a fantasy castle than it did a cafeteria. After eating here for years, the mess hall's charm was lost on Peter. The children walk into the mess hall in two single file line. The Black Order joins Thanos, Ronan and the other Kree officials at the table on the platform.
Peter kept staring at Ronan as he whispered to Nebula. "Did you know Ronan had a daughter?"
"Stepdaughter" Nebula corrected. She found an empty chair and stood behind it, Peter chose the seat next to her. "Sel-enic from Princess Crystal's previous marriage. We learned about her in our history lesson last week."
"Sit, " Thanos thundered. Peter and his siblings pulled out their chairs and sat down in unison. Sel-enic was watching them with wide round eyes.
"Right, right, I totally remember that." Peter nodded his head and folded his arms across his chest. "Could you remind me why anyone would want to marry genocide smurf again?"
Miertra chuckled, "Princess Crystal is marrying Ronan to end the decades of war between their two empires, silly."
Nebula glared at him. "You better watch your tongue before someone cuts it out, again. Dad wouldn't approve of you insulting his associates." Peter wasn't sure if that was a threat or a warning.
"Thanos won't find out because no one is going to tell him," Peter growled back. The servants drifted around the mess hall serving dinner.
"Not even five minutes and you are already causing trouble." Voros sighed and tossed a bread roll to Peter.
He caught it on reflex. The pretzel bread was still warm. "I'm being careful, they can't hear us." Peter insisted as he took a bite from the roll.
"Except Ebony Maw, " Miertra pointed out.
"Except Ebony Maw!" Peter echoed with pure horror. He stood up to get a better look at Ebony. The telepath wasn't focused on Peter, his full attention was on Heather. She was sitting by herself, glaring at her bowl of soup as if it had committed some horrible atrocity against her. The spoon bent in her hand. She didn't even notice. Peter sank slowly back into his chair. "Uh hey, has Heather been acting weird lately?"
Voros and Miertra look at each other and then back at Peter. "She has been awfully moody recently, " Miertra shrugged.
Voros waved his fork in the air, "Kekallie told me Heather threw a temper tantrum this morning. She did not say what it was about."
"Hm, " Peter stood up again. "We should go sit with her."
"We?" Miertra raised his eyebrows.
"I would prefer not to, " Voros grunted.
Peter frowned at them. "Neb come with me."
Nebula rolled her eyes at him, "No way, I already sat down." Peter scowled at them and then he grinned impishly. "Don't even think about it. I swear by the stars," She snarled. Peter flapped his arms and clucked like a chicken at her. Their siblings are staring at them.
"Peter! Ronan the Accuser is here!" Miertra was mortified. None of this stopped Peter from putting one foot up on the chair and crowing like a roster. Kekallie and several of his siblings suppressed laughter. Thanos shot an annoyed look in their direction. Ronan's stepdaughter giggled at his antics and Peter winked at her.
Nebula shot to her feet and dragged Peter down. "Enough! You win! Okay? I'll go."
He grabbed his plate and silverware, "thank you."
"Succumb to the void," Nebule growled at him.
The mess hall settled down as they walked over to Heather's table. The air around her was tense. It was a harsh pressure on his skull, it physically hurt to be near her. Peter set his plate down in the empty spot next to Heather. "Can I sit here?" She nodded without looking up from her soup. Nebula sat across from them, brooding quietly. Peter knew something was bothering her but didn't how to ask her about it, or if he could even fix it.
A servant set a bread basket down on the table. Peter snatched up more warm pretzel bread. Kekallie was watching them and rolled her chair over to their table. "Maybe you should eat something besides bread," Kekallie suggested.
"Maybe you should mind your own business." Peter really only wanted one or two more bread rolls, but since Kekallie tried to shame him, Peter had to commit to it. He made direct eye contact with her while he made a bread pyramid on his plate. He emptied both bread baskets.
"That's an ungodly amount of bread, " Nebula observed with a bored expression.
Peter leaned forward and gestured at Nebula with his bread roll. "Has anyone ever told you that you sound like an old wizard that's grey-haired and grey-clad, and leans on a staff?"
Kekallie interjected, "that's oddly specific."
"Because that's what you sound like," Peter talked over him.
"Maybe you're the one who talks funny." Heather's voice is barely above a whisper.
"I don't talk funny!" Peter protested through a mouthful of bread.
"Sometimes I think you speak a made-up language only you understand," Nebula said.
Heather nodded in agreement. "C'mon man, that's like, totally not cool. Super grody to the max." Kekallie said in an exaggerated American accent. Nebula nearly spits her water across the table. Heather burst into a fit of giggling.
"I don't sound anything like that!" Peter threw a bread roll at her but he was smiling. Kekallie caught it with ease. His bread pyramid toppled over and rolled onto the floor. "My bread pyramid!" He managed to catch two pieces.
Heather pointed at the fallen bread and announced, "That's the fate's punishment for your gluttony."
Peter rolled his eyes in response, "fate be damned. I'm gonna eat all the bread I want." Heather chatted and joked with them. The psychic pressure around her relaxed. She was doing better. Peter munched on his two remaining bread rolls, while dinner was served. He piled meat and starches onto his plate. Kekallie cut Heather's food into tiny pieces for her with her switchblade. The evening went smoothly until the tournament began. Everyone gathered on the observation deck above the arena, there's a thick plated glass window separating them. The kids and the Kree officials stood in front of the window. Thanos, Ronan and his family got to sit on the dais and watch. The servants floated around serving fruit and drinks.
Edbe and Photon went first. Edbe was a Remeir an amphibious species that had limited control over electricity, while Photon was considered a skilled telekinetic (even for a Centaurian.) This made their sparring sessions amazing to watch. The rules of each fight are simple. The challenger got to pick the terrain, and all weapons and abilities are allowed. The fight is only over when Thanos says it is. Although, their father had a nasty habit of allowing the fights to go far longer than they should.
It was this moment that Sel-enic slid off her stepfather's lap and skipped over to them. The Kree officials parted for her. She was clutching a notebook to her chest. "Good evening," Sel-enic said in Kree. Her accent told of an upbringing on the Kree colonies, which was unusual for someone in her social standing. Heather went completely still.
"Good evening," Nebula echoed her sentiment politely in Kree. Peter tried to reply but choked on the berries he was eating. He had to wash it down with water. "You're an embarrassment, " Nebula hissed under her breath in Standard.
When Peter could speak again he said, "Hi I'm Nebula's little brother, Peter." Nebula stepped on his foot, her face flushed a touch purple.
"Everyone in the galaxy knows who you are, children of Thanos." Sel-enic reached out and clasped Nebula's hand. "I'm very familiar with your work."
"You, you are?" Nebula was caught off guard and was utterly bewildered.
Sel-enic smile was blindingly bright, "you took down that terrorist cell on Rho! You've worked alongside Daddy Ronan to keep the Kree empire safe. You're a hero!"
Peter swore the air around Heather dropped by several degrees. "A hero," Heather couldn't hide the sneer from her voice.
"Is that what your dad told you?" Peter spoke slowly, choosing his words very carefully.
"It was all over the news." Sel-enic chirped seemingly unaware of Heather's growing rage. She presented her notebook to Nebula, "could you sign this for me? Phyla is gonna be so jealous that I got to meet you!" Nebula signed her notebook in a daze.
"Do you know the nickname she earned for that mission?" Heather voice was calm but it cut like a razor. Sel-enic stares at Heather all doe-eyed.
Peter put two and two together. Ronan sanctioned the genocide of Heather's homeworld, and Thanos gave him military support. Ronan killed her parents. "Heather, " Peter says but she doesn't hear him.
"They call her the Reaper of Rho." Nebula put on a mask of neutrality as Heather spoke. "The devil that came straight from hell. She slaughtered hundreds of people."
"That's so stellar!" Sel-enic clutched her notebook tightly to her chest. "I can't believe you're a kid like me! You're gonna fight in the tournament later right?" The psychic pressure was building. It was crushing his skull. Heather is glaring at Luna. Peter doesn't know what to do, this isn't something he can fix. The path Heather is headed down is a dark one.
"I can't wait to watch you fight! I'll be rooting for you," Sel-enic says sweetly. Peter had never seen Nebula turn that shade of purple before.
Ebony Maw appears out of nowhere and gingerly placed a hand on Heather's shoulder. The psychic energy vanished. "You are up next my dear," Ebony said before he dropped his voice to a whisper. Peter barely heard him say, "That girl is under my protection."
Sel-enic curtsied at Ebony, "good evening."
"Good evening, " He steered Heather away from Sel-enic. "You will have to excuse us. Heather has other matters to attend to."
Peter watched them disappear into the crowd. The whole exchange left a bad taste in his mouth. "Yes well, the real spectacle begins when Heather and Cauda fight." Nebula said casually, "my little brother has an affinity for explosives, and Heather's skill in telepathy allows her to create illusions." Unable to do anything else Peter stares out into the arena.
Photon was declared the winner of their fight. There's a cheer from the kids and the Kree official's exchange units. The medical team tends to the worst of Edbe and Photon's wounds as they're ushered away. The arena resets to an empty white box. Cleaning bots skitter across the floor mopping up the blood. Fears icy fingers grip Peter's heart as Heather stalks into the arena. No good could come of this. Ebony returned to the observation deck, standing guard by the window. The arena shuttered and then shifted. A golden meadow sprouted from the floor, a soft lilac sky appears with two suns hanging overhead. The meadow gave way to a black sand beach where waves crash against rocks. It seemed endless. Peter had to remind himself that Heather was still in the same empty room as before. She turned and glares up at Ronan.
Peter heard the warlord chuckle, "I remember that place. Certainly, a little spitfire, isn't she?"
Thanos nodded in agreement, "that she is." He was not nearly as amused as Ronan was. "Begin!" He thundered with a wave of his hand.
Heather closed her eyes, her breathing was slow and steady. A glowing ring of green fire encircles her. It grows more intense with every breath she takes. Cauda broke into a run putting as much distance between them as he could. He threw out landmines that scuttled across the meadow like bugs. Heather opened her eyes. Twin green dragons made of pure fire erupted from the ground. They twisted around each other as they shot towards the sky. "Woah!" Sel-enic gasped and pressed her forehead against the window. Cauda was ready for this. A small explosion went off to her left. Heather barely managed to dive out of the way. She rolls across the meadow and her dragons moved with her. Heather swiped down at the air with her palm. The dragons uncoiled, diving at Cauda. Their mouths opened unnaturally wide. He pulled the pin out of a grenade with his fangs and hurled it into the air. There was a tremendous spark of light and bang that shook the observation deck. One dragon burst into a flurry of embers. Heather covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut. The remaining dragon slammed into Cauda. He collapsed in unimaginable agony, he pressed his forehead to the floor, holding his sides. It was burning him alive. The dragon passed through him disappearing into the ground.
"I don't get it," Sel-enic said loud enough for everyone to hear. "How can illusions hurt somebody?"
"Pain is all up here." Voros tapped his head with his knuckles. "Your mind cannot tell the difference between phantom pain and real pain. Hurts all the same." Sel-enic pursed her lips and looked out the window.
Cauda slowly pulled himself off the ground. He was grinning devilishly, the imaginary green flames still licked at his clothing. A landmine exploded underneath Heather. She was thrown back against the wall. Peter inhaled sharply through his teeth. There was a bloody smear across the lilac sky where Heather slid down the wall. Heather staggered to her feet and the dragon rose from the ground with her. Cauda grabbed another grenade off his belt and hurled it at Heather. She ran around the Arena. She avoids the first two but the third was coming in too fast. She twisted around to kick the grenade away and landed back in fighting stance. The grenade went off mid-air. She brought her fist down and her dragon dived into the explosion. Cauda pulled out several spherical bombs and hurled them Heather's feet. They exploded in a colorful fountain of sparks, shrieking like a dying animal. Heather's knees gave out and she crumples to the ground, her hands are clasped tightly over her ears. Her dragon exploded into a shower of multicolored embers above Cauda's head. He tossed another bomb at her feet. The explosion burned her badly. A scream is ripped from her throat as she skidded across the floor and slammed into the wall.
"Get up, Heather!" Lexifier and Kekallie both yelled down at their sister. "Get up! Stand up!" Sel-enic is watching the fight through her fingers.
The skin along Heather's shins and forearms had blackened and chard. There are specks of bone poking through her lacerated flesh. She's breathing weakly as Cauda strolls towards her. Her red swirling tattoo begins to glow, and her eyes burn so intensely it looks like flames. Cauda stops in his tracks. Heather stood up. All around her the meadow burns with green flames. She steps forward and pushes out with her palm. The green dragon erupts from the flames. It's color shifted from green to yellow to orange, sparks rolled off its glowing scales as it doubled in size. There's no escape. The dragon swept through Cauda, and he was thrown at a deadly speed across the arena. He cracked the wall when he slammed into it. The picturesque sky glitched out revealing white paneling beneath. Cauda lays in a crumpled heap on the ground. His blood paints the golden meadow black.
"She's a telekinetic and a telepath," Photon whispered a tad enviously.
"Don't let her pin you down Cauda!" Miertra yelled.
Cauda braces himself against the wall and tries to stand up, but he slips on his own blood. He slides back down the wall. Heather took another step forward, she raised her palms skyward, and in one sharp motion brought them down. Her dragon followed. There's enough time, he could get away if he tried. "Run, Cauda! Move!" Peter yelled. Her dragon smashed Cauda into the ground. His body is wreathed with multicolor flames. Peter felt his heart stop. Heather pivots and she pushed towards the observation deck. Her dragon's serpent-like body contorted in the air. It charged directly at them, at Ronan. Its mouth opened wide, its eyes are pure flames. The children screamed and dropped to the floor for cover. Nebula yanked Sel-enic down. Ebony flicked his wrist as if batting away a pesky insect and Heather's dragon exploded into a shower of multicolor embers. Heather closed her eyes and her tattoo's stopped glowing. She collapsed to the ground. "Heather is the winner," Thanos announced and there are cheers from the crowd. Peter is silent. He can't tear his eyes away from the arena.
Cauda isn't moving.
There's so much blood. It's matted against his hair and pooling on the floor. Everything is happening too fast. The landscape shutters and returns back to a white box. The cleaning bots scurry across the floor. Heathers badly hurt but she's still breathing. The white coats are carrying Cauda and Heather out of the Arena. "Peter?" Proxima Midnight has to touch his shoulder to get his attention. "You are going next."
Peter walks out of the observation deck and down the stairs in a daze. Outside the Arena, Heather is curled up on a gurney. She would need a skin graft if Thanos didn't have her arms removed. Their eyes met and she grabbed onto his jacket. "I didn't mean to. It was an accident." Heather was nearly pleading. "I was so angry, and then," Her voice caught in her throat. Peter didn't know what to say. What do you say to something like that?
There's a corpse on the gurney next to her. It looks like Cauda, and it's dressed like him, but that thing was a corpse. His little brother wasn't in there anymore. Peter looked at the corpse and felt nothing. His head is full of static. He reached down and removed Cauda's hairclip from the corpse. It was a gift from Cauda's mother, it was important. Peter tucked it safely into his pocket. The white coats escorted Heather down to the med bay. The corpse would be thrown into the recycler, it's body ground up into fertilizer for the gardens.
The countdown clock by the Arena door read thirty seconds. Peter stood in front of it. Light shines through the crack in the door. It's bright, burning even. Nebula stood next to Peter, her fists are balled at her sides. She's glaring at the clock. Ten seconds. Nebula is trying very hard to suppress her rage but it's bubbling to surface. "She killed Cauda, didn't she?"