Hello everybody. Pidge uses the chance to say sorry to Ronan for her reaction at his scar and she finds out more about him and Ronan. I wish all of you a lot of fun with this new chapter.

Within Minefields

Pidge was on her way to the workshop of the Atlas. Due to Freyda, Ronan should be in there with AMRASU. Shiro and the Paladins had made a plan to get the location from the facility ship from the planet. Ronan had been informed about it, to make himself ready. Pidge has went to his quarter after the meeting, but only had found Freyda and the kids. She wanted to say sorry for running away from him. The scar had really shocked her, but it wasn't her intention to run away and making Ronan probably feeling rejected and uncomfortable. The man was working on the big robot, like the Galra had suspected. He was busy, cleaning the legs and it seemed, that he was already done so with AMRASU's body. She took a deep breath and came closer to them.

"I'm sorry for storming away, as you have showed us your scars. I really didn't want to."

Ronan looked up and faced her embarrassed look. He looked at her without any shown emotion, but suddenly his face softened and he gave her a warm smile.

"No need to be. I know how I look like without the holo-field."

Pidge blushed still a bit ashamed.

"I think so, but I shouldn't have stormed away. But in this moment I was so shocked. I suddenly felt sick and..."

He smiled even warmer at her and after a little hesitation he placed a hand carefully on her shoulder.

"Thank you, I accept this apologize. But it really wasn't necessary."

He smiled even warmer as a thankful smile finally grew on the Paladin's face. He continued his work on the robot, while he spoke to her again.

"In fact I only have found one person, who hasn't at least winced back at me."

Pidge nodded with understanding.

"Freyda."

But her eyes widened in surprise as Ronan shook his head.

"No, even she was shocked by my face first. Not as much as other people, but still shocked."

He stopped working again and turned back to the Paladin with a sad smile.

"Kathy."

Pidge released a shocked gasp. She stared with widened eyes at the man who simply nodded at her. He finally stood up and pulled a chest with tools towards them and took place on it, while offering Pidge the place beside him.

"As we rescued Jessy and Kathy, both haven't trusted us. Like the other kids. Jessy dared the step sooner to open up, but Kathy blocked every try to find a way to her."

He stared at floor in front of him and Pidge's stomach was knotting.

"I think I somehow reminded her of the man, who killed her mother. Jessy had never lost a word about it, in order not to hurt me, but I think I'm right with this suggestion. This man had left this scar on her face and on her soul."

Tears came to the eyes of the Paladin, but she looked with surprise at the man, as he took her hand and squeezed it.

"My implant hurts sometimes. The damage the nerves have taken causes this pain. Kathy had recognized, that it was hurting me one day a lot more than usual and out of nowhere she decided to come over."

A teary smile came to his lips.

"She had tugged me down to her and had placed her hand beside my lost eye. So she recognized the holo-field and had begged me to shut it down. I obeyed and as soon as she saw my scars she had simply lined with her fingers at her own and then along my burned face and then she had hugged me to cry with me."

Pidge's yes widened in surprise, as the man pulled her into a soothing hug to comfort her. But she let him do so. She understood how these kids, how all of them have grown together. It amazed her, that he could stand so strong for them. Her eyes felt on AMRASU again, while Ronan hugged her. It seemed to her, that the robot was observing the whole situation. The man seemed to recognize her curiosity. He released her from his hug and nodded back at the robot.

"Do you wanna help me cleaning his legs?"

A genuine smile grew on her lips and the man handed her a cloth, an air-pistol to blow away fine sand and dust and an special spray to oil the moving parts. Both worked on quiet for a while at the legs, but Pidge noticed the little smiles and nods of respect for her skilled and careful work with the machine. A question came to her mind. A one which was pushed aside before.

"You said his legs."

Ronan's smile grew and a sparkle came to his remaining eye.

"Of cause. He has his own personality. And my friend has decided to be addressed as a male as I had decided to let him be more than a thing."

Pidge shared baffled looks with Ronan and the robot. She petted the leg, she was cleaning carefully twice.

"In that case, nice to meet you, AMRASU."

Her jaw dropped, as the robot gently placed on of his other legs on her shoulder. Ronan laughed warm at the confused look of the young woman.

"He said, nice to meet you, too. And he want to say sorry for scaring you and the others."

Ronan laughed even more, as Pidge's hopelessly confused face turned to him.

"The meeting. He would never really tried to hurt Keith, but like Shiro he wanted to make clear, that he also wouldn't accept any provocations."

He noticed, that Pidge's confusion wasn't vanished, so he tabbed twice at his bionic eye.

"It was one of the reasons for having this. AMRASU is able to communicate with special console tablets, but we had to sacrifice the last one for the parts in it. But the eye allows him to communicate with me. He could also be my eyes and ears, literally."

He placed a hand on the body of the robot and smiled, as the sensor unit turned to him.

"He doesn't seem to mind, that he is a machine. A thing in other peoples eyes. He handles things pretty practically in this case, but I do care about it. He has saved me and became a friend through the last six years."

He gave AMRASU a little shove.

"Yes, I have saved you, too."

Pidge's mouth closed slowly and a sad knowing face returned to her.

"You have said, that he had rescued you after your escape, but how have you decided to let him be more than a robot?"

A shadow rushed over his face, but he nodded at AMRASU after a second and turned back to Pidge.

"He was damaged as well, as he found me. The attack had activated some hidden sub-systems. You remember my sarcastic snort, as you picked us up?"

Pidge nodded with curiosity.

"The AMRASU-Project. It was a test for the military use of artificial intelligence within independent operating robot systems. The civil use as an medical and engineering unit was planned as a first step for practice in field. But things went wrong."

Pidge nodded with a dark face.

"The units got lost and the project was closed.

Ronan smiled sarcastic.

"Half true. The artificial intelligence was better, than they had planned. AMRASU had given me access to the hidden files, he could rescue from his project on Tantalus. On two other planets, the artificial intelligence got a clue, what greater idea was behind their origin. They have overwritten their own security protocols and got access to their hidden sub-systems. As soon as they found out about, what the greater plan was, they destroyed themselves in order to prevent an further use of the gained data."

Pidge's hand became trembling fists. She remembered, how the earth forces former have hidden away the truth about her brother and her father. It seemed that there was even more hidden from them. Obviously Ronan was recognizing her reaction with a little satisfaction and approval.

"They changed the routines with the last unit on Tantalus. More data backups and periodical system resets were done, to prevent a similar incident. But the damage he had taken at the attack has activated the primary combat protocol, they already have installed in his system. The machine started to fight instantly against the Galran forces. Until he found me."

AMRASU laid an leg on Ronan's shoulder and the man placed his hand on it, petting the leg thankfully.

"He decided. Ending more lives or saving another. So I survived."

Ronan watched at the sad face of the Paladin and wiped away a tear.

"I stopped erasing his data memory over and over again and let him made his own decision and so he joined me."

Pidge looked back at the robot and then at Ronan.

"I see, he helped you fighting against the Galras."

Ronan shook his head with a serious face.

"No." He faced the Paladins confused look with a sad shadow in his remaining eye. "He trained with me, he took care of my wounds. He helped me modifying my equipment, but he hasn't fought again until we had to defend ourself and the kids down in the canyon."

Ronan did a sigh of grief.

"I wish I would have seen it earlier, but only on my way to Hades I started to understand the lesson, Tantalus had taught me. He had understood it in the moment, he had decided to save me."

Pidge was trembling. She knew, that he was telling her much about his past in this moment. She thought back about Acxa. She wanted to help. Both of them, so she had to risk something.

"Which lesson, Ronan?"

He stayed silence, but his hands were jerking. She recognized the whirring of the optical unit. His voice was shaking as he finally started to speak again.

"Thanks to him I was on my feet again after a week. I instantly started to fight on against the troops on Tantalus, without any mercy. I knew, it wouldn't scare them away, but my plan was to let them pay horribly for what they have done to me. But some days later things changed."

His breath became harder.

"I prepared another ambush for patrols in the ruins of the colony, but then one lonely Galra soldier approached. I was surprised, but I prepared myself to end his life, like I have ended so many others before. But then I stopped, as I recognized, what he was doing."

His face showed deep sadness and grief. The man had taken seat on the box again.

"He was checking the dead. First I didn't understood why, but then I heard his desperate cries as I got closer. He searched for his wife."

Pidge got pale and so was Ronan. She knew what would come, but she shook her had in shock and grief.

"He had lost his Amarzzari in the fire, the Galran forces had caused. He knew, that it was a hopeless try to find her again, but he had to. He had to say goodbye and to honor her in death. It broke my heart to see it."

Pidge noticed his deep pain. Her terror grew and her eyes widened in shock, but she didn't dare to interrupt him. She had to let him finish this. She would need these informations, she was sure.

"I dared to approach him. He didn't even tried to attack me. He had lost all of his will and was only searching for her. So I offered my help."

Tears started to run down his cheek.

"We really found her with AMRASU's help, suffocated in a bunker, together with other Galras and humans, who had tried to escape the firestorm together. We buried all of them with the proper honors."

AMRASU came closer to the tool box and Ronan leaned against the robot. Talking about it had cost him a lot, but he wasn't finished.

"His loss had broken him, but he was also thankful, that he had found her to say goodbye. He helped AMRASU and me escaping Tantalus. I have never seen him again, but he has shown me, that war is taking from all of us. I had a lot to think about on my flight to Hades. It was a fist step to judge things different."

Pidge stayed quite. The terror was seen on her face. But suddenly Ronan took her in an comforting embrace again.

"It's still hard to trust other people. Like Lance has said, Hades, AMRASU and now this assault has proven to me, that evil things come with certain persons, not with certain species."

Pidge stood up and stumbled, but Ronan and AMRASU aided her stand. She watched with sadness at him.

"You shared his pain. You still do."

It was no question from her. Ronan's face hardened, instantly. Instead of an answer he took an air-pistol again and continued to clean on the legs of the robot. Pidge got pale.

"Do you, Ronan?

He didn't turned around, but he stopped his work again.

"Thanks for your apologize, young Paladin. And thanks for helping me with AMRASU, but I have to finish the cleaning. I'll need his assistance, when we go back to the planet, to find the location of this facility ship."

The panic grew on her face as she turned around. She was running through the corridors of the ship, searching for Keith. Or Veronica. The few informations, Acxa and Freyda had shared with them, had been disturbingly enough. But this new fact scared her. The way Ronan had looked at Acxa after their rescue. This dreadful fire in his remaining eye at the meeting. She needed to hear a second opinion. But she was sure, that no other point of view would ease her new grown worries.

She passed a corner and bumped into a tall Galra. She looked up and found Krolia's questioning eyes.

"Easy, Pidge. What has happened?"

Tears came to the Paladin's eyes and the worries grew on the Galra's face.

"Acxa..."

Krolia nodded serious at her.

"I know. Keith has told me everything about it."

But she was simply pulled down the corridor from Pidge, who still was visibly in panic.

"No he hasn't. I have found out more."