Baatar glanced at the heap of green and silver clothes discarded at a corner of the detention room. His eyes trailed to the simple green long sleeved shirt and pants ensemble he was given upon his return to Zaofu. A part of him felt incomplete without the uniform that had served to define his identity for three years. He felt…light, defenseless for lack of a better word without the neatly pressed heavy coat with gleaming metal adorning his shoulders but now that the empire was no more, he had no more need for it.
The former second in command had felt the stares of multiple pairs of eyes over him on the journey back to his homeland. They weighted heavily on him, making the silence of the trip from Republic City to Zaofu feel longer than it should had been. After what had happened, it seemed there were a million things to say and nothing at the same time. A vision of twisted metal and scattered rubble triggered the pulsing of the veins at his temples and the accelerated palpitations drummed inside his chest. The memory of the aghast faces of his mother and twin brothers brought an oppressive weight that made breathing difficult. He had sought for the oblivion of sleep but instead his mind only played the flash of blistering light over and over again. The reassuring words of his mother were supposed to ease his mind but his own conscience kept gnawing at him. Some things aren't meant to be forgotten with a simple "I'm sorry" and he was certain of that fact even if his optimistic progenitor believed otherwise. Baatar had strained the bonds of family love with terrible words and actions. Just how much they would be soon finding out in the days that laid ahead.
As he walked down the airship's ramp with slow, measured steps, the devastation of Kuvira's rage was made all too evident in the stark nakedness of the now dome-less city. Baatar had refused to look down through the portholes as they landed, but now he could no longer avoid seeing the evidence of the brutal efficiency in which the imperial troops carried out the command to dismantle the city's emblematic domes. From what he'd managed to hear from Wing and Wei and his mother, the destroyed remnants of the Colossus he'd built was all that was left of the platinum domes. He wondered how long would the reconstruction take and when he could begin to work in earnest. He needed to work to fill his mind from the things that made his heart ache.
A guard had attempted to handcuff him but his mother stopped him. Baatar had logically expected to be rushed to a prison cell but instead Suyin instructed the guard to escort her son to a separate building complex. The building had considerable surveillance with guards posted at every door yet it didn't resemble an ordinary prison. The wayward son was given a mercy that he hadn't been able to give his own blood when they were held captive at one of the Empire factories.
A knock on the door brought the engineer out of his train of thoughts. The door opened allowing inside an employee to efficiently take away the uniform and another to place a tray with his meal over a table. As soon as the employees turned away, another figure stepped in.
"Huan…?" Baatar croaked. The last time he remembered seeing his younger brother was when he had taken over the city with Kuvira. His defiance had angered him, Baatar remembered now with regret.
"So you're back" Huan stated coldly.
"I am" his elder brother replied. He pushed his glasses up his nose in a nervous gesture.
"I just needed to see it with my own eyes, that's all. I'm glad you're unharmed."
Baatar nodded. He looked unharmed on the outside but neither of them were unscathed on the inside.
His younger brother stood before him in silence, his eyes boring at him as if attempting to reach the depths of his soul. Baatar's eyes roamed the room focusing on the table, then the chair, then the floor. He was simply unable to face his brother's inquisitive gaze.
Finally the engineer heard Huan's long sigh.
"Right" he said. "Welcome back" he added softly as he turned around and moved towards the door.
"Thank you" his eldest brother mumbled back.
Huan was stepping out the room when all of a sudden his head snapped back.
"Why?" his voice trembled.
Baatar let out an exhale as he met his brother's shimmering gaze.
"Why? I've been asking that myself Huan."
The door closed and Baatar stood in the same spot as his brother's voice echoed inside his head with a question he would spend the next years of his life attempting to answer.
"Why?"
The End