Hello Everybody. Veronica comes back to her quarter, finding a distant and desperate Acxa. I wish all of you a lot of fun with this chapter.

Where Honor Lies

"Acxa…?"

The quarter was dark and quiet, as Veronica returned from her shift. The thick and heavy quiet was screaming at her and it alarmed her. She entered carefully the quarter and switched on the light. Acxa wasn't in the room, so she walked on the the sleeping room. She saw a familiar silhouette sitting on the bed and her throat tightened. Acxa had pulled her knees to her chin and had wrapped her arms around her legs. She was wagging fore and back a little. And she had made no sound.

"No."

Veronica's hand had wandered to the switch for the light, when Acxa controlled voice made her stop. The voice of the Galra seemed so distanced. It scared Veronica to the bone. The last time, she had felt such a distance between them was the day, when she had dared to join Acxa on the canteen for the first time. When she was new around here. Veronica hesitated. Her hand stayed near the switch for a while, before she finally removed her hand. She walked over to Acxa. Her hair hung in her face and covered her eyes, together with the darkness in the room. Veronica carefully placed her hand on Acxa's head to pull her against her middle, but she nearly winced back. Her girlfriend seemed to deny this comforting touch with every inch of her body. Acxa was trembling under the tension, her muscles were about to build up at Veronica's soothing touch.

"Just leave, please."

These three words cut deep and painful in Veronica's soul. She took away her hand, while her tears were running down her cheek. Her helpless look rested on her girlfriend, who had started to wag again. She couldn't see, which object the Galra was facing, but she definitely avoided to look at her. She stood lost beside her, unsure what to do. She was about to take seat beside Acxa, when the Galra stopped wagging.

"I said leave."

Acxa didn't show any sign of emotion, even at Veronica's teary gasp. The woman kept frozen on spot fore some seconds, before she stormed out of the bedroom. Acxa heard her leaving the quarter. Only then she dared to sob again. And her body started to shake with every new teary sob of desperation, which came to her in her loneliness.

She had no clue how long she had cried for herself again, when she herd Veronica entering the quarter again. Acxa felt instantly quiet and distant. She heard the sound of some dishes and she recognized Veronica entering the sleeping room. Her girlfriend placed a tablet with tea on a nightstand and left the room again. Acxa had barely time to recognize the spicy and fruity scent of ginger and lemon, when Veronica came back with a chair. The woman placed the chair beside the bed in safe distance to Acxa, but close enough to reach the nightstand with the tea. And obviously with a candle. Veronica lighted up the candle and the warm and soothing light filled the room, but also allowed Acxa to keep her face hidden in the shadows. Veronica filled two cups with the hot tea and the rich flavor of the drink floated the room with a pleasant warmth. Then she picked her cup and took place on the chair.

And so she waited.

Acxa noticed, that her girlfriend was nipping at her tea from time to time. She had obviously cried, a faint red was still to be found in her eyes, but no judging look, no accusation, no grudge was written in her face. Only worries. It made Acxa's stomach cramp.

"I have said, you should leave."

Veronica simply nodded.

"I have."

Acxa watched her observing look out of the corner of her eyes.

"But you're still here."

Veronica shook her head. She placed her cup back on the nightstand.

"Wrong, I came back to bring us some tea. I was absent in the time between."

Acxa's voice remained distant and emotionless.

"Then leave again and stay away."

"No."

It made Acxa finally turn to Veronica and a little anger was glowing in her eyes, but Veronica didn't move. She only faced her look with a patiences, which only could be found in the strongest determination. Acxa tried to stare her down, but without any success. The human had crossed her arms before her chest.

"This is our quarter, remember?"

Acxa kept staring in her eyes for some moment and then she stood up in a harsh move. She was about to leave the room, when Veronica's provocative voice made her stop.

"Do you really want to dishonor yourself, by dishonoring me and my offer to be your strength, too?"

Acxa turned around in trembling rage, but Veronica faced her look with the same rage in her eyes. The humans lip was quivering heavily.

"Good! Scream at me, be mad with me, try to hit me, if it would help you, but don't be so distant! I thought we were over this phase months ago!"

She stood up and got carefully closer to the Galra. Acxa's anger faded with every step, her girlfriend came closer to her and the sadness and bitterness got control over her face.

"Don't cage me out, Acxa! Please, don't dare to do this to me! I can handle everything, but not this cold distance from you!"

She finally reached her and started to stroke Acxa's cheek with the backside of her fingers. Both woman were shaking heavily. Acxa closed her eyes and hot tears run down her cheek and over Veronica's finger. The woman in front of her sobbed hard and finally Acxa pressed the hand of her girlfriend on her face. Within the next second she found herself in Veronica's arms, crying uncontrollably. She barely recognized, that she was guided back to the bed and for a long time the desperate weeping of her, mixed with the crying of her girlfriend were the only sound, which filled then room.

"I love you, Acxa. You cannot command me to leave, when I think, you need me most."

She placed a kiss between the horns of her girlfriend, who had almost clawed herself in the comforting embrace of Veronica. The woman lifted careful the head of the Galra to face her desperate look.

"Speak to me. What has happened? Let me be part of your strength."

Acxa felt the soothing lips on her head again as Veronica pulled her head close to her chest, while the woman was gently rubbing her horns.

"I have killed him, Veronica."

She heard the shocked and sharp breath behind her. Veronica was frozen on spot but had tightened her protecting grip around her girlfriend.

"Impossible. I have seen him on the monitors in the workshop only one hour ago."

Acxa shook her head with a heavy sob.

"I have killed the man he was."

Her weeping got worse again and Veronica did her best, to sooth her back to a point, where she could continue her explanation.

"He was an engineer, not a soldier. He never wanted to kill anyone. But I have made him do so. I have destroyed his home, have killed his friends, have burned his face, I have… I have..."

Acxa's breath became panicked. She turned around to Veronica and watched with widened eyes in the tortured face of her girlfriend.

"I have killed his wife, Veronica. His love!"

She pressed herself as close as possible at Veronica and cried along, while the woman helplessly tried to ease some of her pain.

"But you weren't responsible, Acxa. You have learned to do those things."

The Galra only sobbed harder.

"But I should have known better, because of my training. I should have protested against using these weapons. I should have questioned everything so much earlier. I have killed him, Veronica. I have killed him..."

"And now, he wants to kill you..."

The pure panic in Veronica's voice made Acxa straighten up, instantly. She shook her head heavy, almost frantic.

"No, he offered forgiveness. He'll search for a peaceful solution to present on the day of the duel."

Now it was Veronica, who started to cry uncontrollably, while she wrapped her arms around Acxa to hold her as tight as she could. It took her a long time to recognize Acxa's grief and sadness.

"Acxa…?"

The Galra looked ashamed away from her but Veronica placed a hand on her cheek and turned her head back to her.

"How could he try to forgive me, when I cannot forgive myself, Veronica?"

The relief, which was seconds before in the face of Acxa's girlfriend was replaced by the greatest shock, Acxa had ever seen. The Galra was trembling in shame and sadness.

"A crime like that deserves death, nothing less. The solution, he's searching for, must compensate the weight of his loss."

Acxa was pale and shook her head in frantic harsh moves.

"How could anything ease such a pain, Veronica? How do I deserve compassion from him? How could I live in honor, when I know, what I have done to him?"

Both women stared in horror at each other. Acxa was sure, that Veronica would storm out of the room at any second. Her look had left the room and nothing but fear and terror was left in her face. But then she grabbed the Galra with a fast motion and placed her lips on Acxa's

"How could you think, you doesn't. War has killed you, too. Like it has killed him, Acxa."

She placed another deep kiss on the lips of the surprised Galra.

"Honor could only exist in life not in death, Acxa. It's a feeling! Dead people have no feelings!"

She kissed her another time, even deeper and more desperate, like she was trying to kiss away all the horror and grief.

"You aren't the person anymore, who helped killing him. He has seen it. The person, he is now, has seen it, Acxa. Dare to see it, too. Allow this new person to live and not only to die again, because you will die, whether you would win the duel or not."

She tried again to place her lips on Acxa's but the Galra pushed her back and faced her with a scared and shocked look, her red-cried eyes widened.

"You think, that there is honor in me? And that this honor could live on in me."

Veronica pulled Acxa's forehead against hers with a determinant teary smile.

"I'm not thinking it, Acxa, I know it. Not only live on in you. In us. In Ronan. In Freyda. We all cannot carry this burden alone. But we..."

Veronica couldn't finished her sentence, because the Galra had slammed her lips against hers. She felt the Galra's fingers buried in her hair, while the women shared passionated kisses with her as she got pushed back in she sheets from her girlfriend. Her beautiful strong girlfriend.

Both didn't recognize the incoming call from Shiro for a long time.