Interstellar Academy

35: War

Jim went with his fellow seniors to one of the storage units holding the school's weapons. Kept under high security, the shed held guns of all sorts. Taking two, Jim placed them firmly at the lining of his pants, going right back to Nova and her father.

"Why are they here, daddy!" she screamed, as if this attack was her father's fault.

"I wish I knew, Supernova, but I haven't the slightest idea! We had a place in which we'd meet for battle, but it looks like our enemies don't know how to keep their word." Her father looked around at the students flocking the shed. "Why are the younger ones grabbing weapons?"

"Because this is their school, it's what we do."

Phoenix nodded and faced Jim. "You protect her, do you understand? Don't allow her out of your sight."

Jim reached for Nova's hand and squeezed. "Never."

"I'm going back to check on my crew. Stay together." Her father turned and rushed off, still aiming at the fleet flying just above the school.

"I have to do something." He led her away from the chaos and toward the maze, hiding just inside of it.

"Jim! We have to help my father, he's old, he can't-"

"Just one minute, Nova, is all I need." Jim brushed his clothing and retied his hair, confusing the girl but she didn't question him further. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, baby blue velvet box.

"J-Jim?" Nova tried not to make any assumptions, but failed.

Jim took Nova's left hand and caressed her ring finger, then looked up at her seriously. "This is something I meant to do awhile ago, but… felt it wasn't the right time."

"And now is?" An explosion sounded around them, but they ignored it.

"Better now than never." He opened the box with his free hand and took out the ring. It shone a bright blue against the rising sun. His eyes stared up at her with so much love and dedication, she felt anything he said from this point on she'd never doubt. "I have messed up, made you cry, made you laugh, made you smile, probably made you feel every emotion out there. I'm not perfect, Nova, but I'll keep trying. For you. For us. So, I have to ask… if you will have me, flaws and all? Will you marry me?"

The world stopped as his words floated into the air and around her head. She nodded frantically, at first unable to speak. "Y-yes. Of course I will."

He slipped the ring onto the proper finger and kissed it, standing up to brush his lips against hers. "Now let's go fight a war."

They joined their classmates in the courtyard, the students standing at attention, silently. Nova took her place before the girls, Jim leading the boys.

"Today," boomed the dean, wearing a militia uniform of his own, "we are going to make history. We may lose some in the process, but know this: your legacy will live on for generations to come. Save this school, save this universe. Save your loved ones. Keep in mind just who you are fighting for. Attention!"

The students stood straight and tall, weapons tucked away but in easy reach.

"Ready, march!"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

The students, aligned, marched toward the battlefield. Nova and Jim didn't look at each other, but stared forward. When they reached the designated area, they all halted simultaneously, awaiting further orders.

"On three, ready your weapons and move out!" The Dean stood between Nova and Jim, pulling out his sword. "One… Two… Three… ATTACK!"

The students charged, Nova going straight for her father. The man seemed to be struggling, though she knew he wouldn't say so. Nova placed her ring in her pocket, knowing her powers would just melt the beautiful jewelry.

"I don't want you fighting in this battle," Phoenix growled as he fought off an attacker.

Nova blasted the man toward the damaged ship, glaring up at her father. "Isn't that too bad, you can't get what you want."

The man smiled down at his daughter. "You've grown up so much."

"I had to, daddy."

They fought side by side, though it was only a matter of time before her father collapsed. Even then, Nova battled off anyone who came near them, taking his arm and hoisting it around her shoulders so they could walk together.

"They won't have you, not while I breathe."

Jim was with Ruse and the other drafted men, firing at people who looked harmless, almost as if they could have been someone's friendly neighbor. He knew people could only take so much, and he couldn't help but wonder who was the bad guy in this situation. He watched as men dressed in the Solara uniform outnumbered the pirate-looking fellows; if that many people were willing to risk their lives for Nova's father, did that make him bad?

"And to think," Ruse said over the crossfire, "three years ago, the worst thing in the world to us was whether or not we'd pass our classes."

The battle waged on for hours, from sun up to sundown, and it became evident who was going to win. A daring enemy scavenged up the opposing ship to a cannon. Jim saw this and followed him, firing at him ruthlessly. Even so, it did no good. The man aimed the cannon at his former leader- who stood right beside Nova.

"Oh no you don't!"

Jim lunged at the man and turned the cannon in a different direction, out toward the open sea. The man growled, fighting back with as much force as he could muster.

"Do you even know who you're fighting for, kid? He's a horrible leader, merciless!"

"He's also my fiancee's father," Jim snarled, kicking the man away from him.

The man looked up with knowing, understanding eyes. People flocked onto the deck, wondering who fired off the cannon. The king was one of them, and he stared between the man and Jim, disbelieving.

"You're ruthless, merciless, and could care less about the people you rule over! You'll pay for all the crimes and sins you've done." The man pulled out a flintlock and made one last attempt to off his former ruler. Jim put himself between the king and the shot, falling instantly to the ground in pain. The man, unsure, jumped off the ship and into the sea, never resurfacing.

"JIM!" Nova knelt beside him, holding his wound with as much pressure as he allowed. "You IDIOT. What were you thinking?"

"I wasn't," he said, clenching his teeth at the pain. "Y-you know I don't do that." Breathing became difficult, and he used all his strength to cup her face. "N-Nova, listen. I love you and-"

"Don't you talk like that! Don't talk as if this is it!" She rested her head into his neck, trying with every ounce of strength to control her tears.

"It's hard to breathe…" Paramedics tried to separate them, but they refused. The men decided to just work around Nova. "I'm sorry. For everything."

"Me too," she whispered, gazing into his blue eyes, watching the life dim from them. "J-Jim! Stay awake, come on!"

At this point, the medics forced Nova away. Charlotte and Helena reached down to hold Nova back, and after awhile she knew fighting against them was futile. She watched, uselessly, as they worked to try and save him. But after a few minutes, they stood up and away from the boy's still body.

"No!" Nova dove down and shook him, as if that were enough to make him move. "Jim, please wake up, please!" The boy didn't answer, expectedly, but she kept trying anyway. Once it was confirmed Jim wasn't coming back, she simply rested her head on his chest and began sobbing. "Jim…" She looked at his peaceful face, his eyes and mouth closed. A single crystal tear dropped onto his cheek, and she went to wipe it away, but it disappeared into her skin. This astonished her and she stared, wondering why it vanished.

Then something extraordinary happened.

Jim took a gulp of air.

"That's impossible," said a paramedic under his breath.

"We pronounced him dead!"

"Jim?" Nova stroked loose brown hair from his face.

He took her hand and stared at it, then glared up at her with fluttering eyes. "Where is it?"

Nova at first simply stared, then registered what he was asking about. She took the ring from her pocket and placed it back on her finger.

"That's better."

At the hospital, Phoenix explained what Nova had done to bring her fiancé back to life.

"Your powers can be deadly, but also healing, it seems. Like mine." The small crowd in the room- Helena, Ruse, Charlotte and Jim and Nova on the hospital bed- stared at him expectedly, waiting his next sentence. "There was a war when I was younger, and I was forced to fight in it. Your mother's father was the enemy, and we had been seeing each other in secret. However, then, we had to fight against each other, for our planet."

"You never told me this," Nova said, holding Jim's hand.

"We didn't want you or your brother to fall into my footsteps. But… well… At any rate, by the end of the battle, my planet was going to dominate. One of our soldiers went to take me out, and your mother took the hit. She died upon impact.

"My heart broke into pieces, seeing her lie so still. It was the first and only tear I'd ever shed. And it brought her back to life, like you did with Jim. Her father ceased all fire, as did mine, and we came to a truce. And now me and your mother have been married for forty-five years."

"Oh, daddy…"

Ruse, Helena and Charlotte left, Nova's father shortly after. The girl turned to her fiancé and smiled.

"Quite the week, huh?"

"More like quite the past two days…" He leaned over to kiss her neck, sending a shiver through her. "Thank you. For bringing me back to life, you know."

"My pleasure."

A/N: I don't want this to end. T.T Like, I'm writing slower and slower because it's almost over.