Melissa watched as the wreck came into view.
Surprisingly for a 'wreck', the ship was mostly intact, barring a few pieces that had snapped off during re-entry. Those broken segments had been assembled into a makeshift bridge to the Plains of Eidolon, which several Ostrons were already walking over, trying to get a better look at the starship's remains. The Grineer briefly watched the villagers walk past, before moig on their way - they had better things to do than harass civilians.
Namely, repel the Sentients.
To say that things were bad was an understatement. Once Hunhow had acquired the commander chassis, he had wasted no time in using it to bring his forces to the Origin System, where they had brought ruin to all. The Corpus and Grineer had actually declared a truce to fight the synthetics, and they were still losing - badly. Even the Infestation had been less aggressive of late, instead attempting to target the newcomers, lest the plague soon find itself wiped form the system. Losses were already mounting - she'd seen the numbers so far, and couldn't believe just how bad they were. In just two days of fighting, the Grineer and Corpus had lost more troops to the Sentients then they did to the Tenno in a month. Suprisingly, they were doing nothing to hide how badly they were losing, instead being surprisingly open about it.
Of course, given who they were fighting against, this wasn't a surprise - the Sentients were going to kill everyone, so hiding their kill count would just give peope a feeling that negotiation was possible. Better to make it obvious that annihilation would be the cost of defeat.
The dropship came to a halt nearby the bridge of the ship. Disembarking, Melissa made her way inside, eventually coming upon the main part of the bridge, where she heard two familiar voices.
"Is that enough payment?"
"You are offering me a great fortune here-"
"Do you want more? Payment is not a problem hfor me."
"I'M FINE!...You have offered enough. The deal is complete."
"Thank you."
A moment later, the screen displaying Anyo's face closed down, leaving Melissa alone in the room with her pawn, who had finally noticed her presence.
"So," he began, "how are you doing?"
"Good. Yourself?"
"...Could be better."
"Not really surprised there. So, how's your plan to beat the Sentients coming along?"
"Slowly. I've...had a couple of setbacks."
"Really? I thought you said you still have plenty of engineers to work with, and a lot more units then you lost to Hunhow."
"True, but Hunhow has my Commander - he can build factories to replace his losses faster than my forces can. Plus he knew where ,y bases were and set about destroying him with the forces he managed to acquire before the Commander Network locked him out."
"Oh...well, we just have to try harder to beat them, then."
"Yeah, we do...how are the colonies holding up?"
"Surprisingly well. Funny, things are going great for them when it goes to hell for the superpowers."
Indeed, things were turning out surprisingly well for the colonies - with danger knocking on their doorsteps, the Grineer and Corpus had been forced to pull out the forces used to oppress the colonies, lest they find their already failing offensives become even greater losses. Thus, for the first time in memory, the vast majority of the colonies were experiencing unprecedented freedom to act as they wished. It was a tiny, but noticeable, light in the black.
"Yeah, funny...could I ask you something?"
"Yes?"
"Could you, um...take care of my kids? For a little while, at least?"
That hooked her attention. "What? Why?!"
"I'm...having some trouble finishing up some things that I need for my counterattack, and I'm...still trying to fix my body after what happened on the twenty sixth."
"Okay..." replied Melissa, feeling that he wasn't being entirely honest to her. "How long do you want me to look after them?"
"For a while."
"Define a while."
"...A few days, at least," he responded.
Melissa did not miss the hesitation. For a moment, she wondered why he hesitated. Then her expression went blank.
Was he giving up?!
"Oh no, oh no, oh no no no no NO!"
"What?"
"You did do not get to give up here!" she shouted, stomping her way up to him. "Not after how much you have done!"
She lifted her hand up as she approached him. "You do not get to just call it quits her! You are my servant," *SLAP* ", and I-"
A second, much louder slap filled the air, followed by a crunch and the sound of contorting metal.
Groaning, Melissa pulled herself out of the dent in the wall, her back throbbing in pain. What the hell?! Why had he just hit her?
All those enraged thoughts came to an end, however, as Melissa looked at her right hand...which was now covered in blood.
For a moment, she just stared on in confusion, then turned to look at Flame...whose face was now bleeding profusely from where she had hit him.
Face contorting in horror, the female ROB tried to run toward him, only to stop when he gestured for her to do so. Then, with a groan, he pulled a tiny machine out from beneath him and put it onto his head. A moment later, and the wound sealed, after which the machine began to clean his face.
"I..I..I'm sorry," choked out Melissa, barely speaking above a whisper.
"It's fine," he replied. "You didn't know."
"But...what...what caused that..."
Before she could receive an answer, the drone suddenly darted behind the commander, presumably to examine the rest of his body, only to be grabbed and crushed by a wormlike sentient, which then hissed at both Commander and ROB before retreating, which seemed to caused noticeable pain to the Commander.
"That...thing" he began, "is why I'm so...weak. It was made by Hunhow, if its adaptability is any indication, and frankly, it's made my life rather-ARGH-miserable."
"..Why haven't you just pulled it out?"
"It hides deep in my flesh, then mimics on of the myriad tissues I absorbed when the Organic Storage Room. When my body tries to repel it, the immune response instead targets healthy flesh."
"Well, can you just do use void energy to kill it?"
"It hides to deep to be affected by that most of the time," suddenly intoned a drone using Rory's voice, "and it isn't the only one in him now - it reproduced. Somehow."
"Oh...well, how bad is it?"
"At best, we've got three weeks before my ad experinces….total organ failure...from immune response. And that's not counting any...additional injuries...from the worms."
Melissa gasped at that, both in shock at what she was hearing...and the realization the boy speaking to her was trying not to cry.
"Well, can I hel-"
Suddenly, a glowing light filled the room. When the light vanished, a chrome colored machine with golden highlights lay in the center of the Bridge.
"Operative Omega, your presence is requested by Lord Celempheros….right now."
"...I see," replied the Lady-ROB, expression suddenly turning neutral. "Well, I will see you after my communion with my superior is completed," she continued, grasping the Machine's hand.
To which the machine followed with "Do not make a promise you cannot keep."
Another light appeared, and when it was gone, so two were the servants of Celempheros. In their place lay a viewing screen, which the Commander picked up and began to watch.
XXXXXXXX
Melissa stood before a council of sorts, with her compatriots on one side and several other interested parties on the other. For once, Celm did not stare at her with any signs of respect or sympathy, but instead only disgust.
"So," he began, "you gave the Commander access to the entirety of the Progenitor database aboard the Xenosentry. Something I deliberately denied him access to?"
"Yes sir."
"And then, the Commander promptly lost said machine to the Sentients, who now have, in addition to the entirety of the Progenitors' arsenal, a way to leave their home universe, potentially making them a threat to everyone?"
"Yes, sir."
"what do you have to say for yourself about that?"
"That I take responsibility for my actions in full...and I don't regret any one of them. Not at all."
For the first time in a century, Melissa saw Celm's face marred with both indignation and rage.
"...leave."
"Sir?"
Ǵ̦̝͖̯̞͜ͅĖ̹̦̘͓͇̩͂̓͗́ͧ͜T̫̲̳͈̔̈ ̌ͧ̒҉O̵̮͈̯͚̭̣ͬ̈̃ͭU̠̱͔͙͔̱̜̾̃̐̎͡Ṯ̉ͬͩ͑͛ͪͅ!̬̘̿
"...Yes, sir."
"And do. Not. Come. Back."
"..May I at least help the Commander attempt to get his Xenosentry back?"
"...I suppose...but do not think that doing so will make you forgiven. At least, not entirely-"
"With all due respect, sir, this is not acceptable," intoned a member of the council that was prescinding over this...trial.
"What do you mean?"
"Your subordinate's attempt to fix her mistake is commendable, but merely exiling her is not sufficient punishment."
"I fail to see what you mean by that," intoned another of the council - Queeneria, to be precise.
"Omega has already submitted her resignation. Exiling her is pointless, and besides," responded a third, "...we must make a statement with her."
"And how do you propose that we do that?"
"When you rescued this young one oh so long ago, you gave her additional strength so that she could better repay you for saving her, correct?"
"You are not wrong."
"Then, there is a simple solution to punish her actions: take that strength back."
For a moment, the courtroom was silent. Then, slowly, Melissa tried to back away, only to be blocked by two armored figures.
Celm, meanwhile, just stared at his compatriots, uncomprehending. "What?"
"Remove he power you loaned to her, and she will be considered suitably punished."
"That is a rather...severe punishment," intoned Queeneria. "Perhaps we should put it to-"
"All in favor, say Aye!"
A chorus of ayes filled the air.
"All against, say nay."
A paltry amount of voices responded, amongst them Celm and Queeneria.
"Well, the ayes have it."
As the words rolled off the Councilor's tongue, Celm felt the world seem to come out from under him. He looked at Melissa, then at the Council, then back at Melissa.
"You are aware that we can force you to do this, correct?" intoned one of Councilors.
"...I am...Omega, come here."
The guards moved to carry the girl forward, only for her to break free of the grasp, give them a glare and walk right toward her master. As the two looked each other in the eyes, though, it became apparent that she was beginning to cry. The tears were not only of sorrow, though - they were also ones of fear.
"...I'm sorry," spoke the golden one.
"I know," came the blonde's reply.
Celm sighed. Then he held out his hand and spoke.
"That which I gave, return to me. The power I hath loaned must now be repaid. Restore the strength I hath offered, in full and immediately."
As he spoke this, light formed around his hand, and when the last incantation was spoken, it surged forward, impacting on the blonde.
Melissa tried not to scream.
She lasted ten seconds before the pain became too much.
Most people lasted only one second before they broke, so there was that.
Yet the small victory did nothing to comfort the female ROB as her body wreathed and burned. Wounds from the recent battle reopened, her hair ignited, and her blood boiled. Bones that could take impacts from railguns shattered under stress they could never match.
All this happened over a period of fifteen seconds, after which a twisted, burnt mass of flesh with a head and still very beautiful face fell to the ground.
"Well," intoned a councilor, "I believe justice has been served. Now, please, someone send her to-"
Suddenly, a rift opened up behind the twitching creature. A moment later, a winged forelimb darted through and picked her up, before vanishing, along with the rift it had emerged from.
As the light faded, the Councilors turned their attention toward Celm...who was now very pissed off.
XXXXXXX
Melissa felt pain all over. Pain unlike anything she had ever known. Pain that was impossible to bare.
Then she felt someone tugging on her, which made the pain worse. A moment later, she came to a rest.
Then something touched her...and made the pain go away, if only slightly.
Opening her eyes, Melissa found Flame looking over her, a look of concern on his face.
With some difficulty, she managed to speak.
"W...wh...Why?"
"Hmm?"
"Why'd you pull me out? And why are you helping me?"
"You are in pain. Need I another reason?"
"...f..fair enough."
"Oh, and I have some people who want to see you."
Before she could ask him to elaborate, Nelissa suddenly felt something wrap its arms around her.
"Mom!"
"...Cassidy?!"
"It's me. I'm so glad you're okay. I mean...when I saw..."
"...you...saw...that?!"
"...Yes."
For a moment, Nelissa went rigid. Then she returned the hug, which her most trusted subordinates soon joined.
XXXXXX
As Melissa enjoyed her company, Flame turned his attention back to the screen. It seemed certain now that he might learn why Celm hated what he had done.
XXXXXXXX
"Why are you so angry about what you did...what we forced you to do?"
"Do you have any idea what I just did?"
"You took back the strength you had given her...that was a piece of your soul, no?"
"Yes."
"Then she won't ever truly recover from that, will she? She's lost something that can never really be returned."
"And I gained something that will forever haunt my conscience."
"Really?! Why do you have to be so melodramatic?!"
"Because I gave her part of my soul more than five centuries ago."
"So?!"
"Just like her body, her soul is still growing. And it was growing when I gave a part of mine to her."
"Your point?"
"Her soul has had more than half a millennia to grow around the part I gave her. Do you honestly think that removing it would not damage something vital?!"
"...Wait. You mean..."
"Yes. If she is not given treatment for that wound, she. Will. Die."
The councilmen and women looked at each other for a moment, shamed.
"Then let us fix this-"
"No. The ship has set sail."
Suddenly, Celm's eyes and hands began to glow.
"I forbid any of us, on penalty of death, from interfering with the Commander and Operative Omega for one month, unless they manage to fix this problem themselves."
The rest of the council just stared at him, stunned and horrified.
At least, until Queeneria spoke.
"And of the Sentients manage to gain access to a multiversal gate before that time passes?"
At this, Celm's expression went to one of resignation.
"Then this universe...will be destroyed."
XXXXXX
AN:...I'm really too depressed to say anything here, so please, just tell me how I did.
This is Flameal15k, signing off.