Chronicles From A Warlock III: Slave of the King

Chapter 12

"Aero~"

"He's stabilizing!"

"Aero~"

"He's low on power, hit him again!"

"Aero~ Wake up~"

"I don't care if it's not safe! Hit him again!"

I bolted into a sitting position. Where was I? I looked around frantically to see Awoken guards, some of which were reaching for me. I felt their firm grip on my shoulders as they tried to hold me down. "Aero! Calm yourself!" Someone shouted.

I slowly calmed myself from my panicked state and the guards slowly backed off me. "Aero..." I looked towards the voice to see Petra, She had her hands on her hips and she was shaking her head. "You have some explaining to do. Because you should be dead, but since you're not dead, there is some major confusion about what the hell happened on the dreadnought."

I was still breathing heavily from everything that had happened. Petra spoke again. "Aero, if you'll come with me, there are some people that would like to speak with you. I slowly pulled myself off of the operating table I had been lying on and began to follow Petra.

It was a short walk down the hall of the Infirmary and through the main social area of the Reef before we stopped at a small door guarded by three high ranking Awoken guards. Petra waved them off but one of the guards whispered something into her ear before we entered the room. I couldn't hear what the guard had said, but by the expression on Petra's face, it wasn't good.

The door slid open with a soft hiss. This room was well furnished, with a few dark purple couches and other soft and padded chairs. A soft blue glow emanated from small holes in the ceiling that harbored the bulbs that produced the light. The entirety of the far wall was a glass pane, that faced a nearby star that had recently turned into a supernova. Beautify colors swirled against the black embrace of space and I marveled at it. It was breathtaking. I had never been in a room like this, the Queen's chambers were nice but this had an appeal all of its own. This was nothing like anything I had ever been in before. I lived my entire life in combat. I never really had a moment to stop and relax.

I was so taken by the sense of calm and peace that I had skipped over a small figure, sitting in front of the glass. I studied the figure, trying to make out who it was. Then she slowly turned to face me. I instantly recognized the girl to be Mercie. She gasped when she saw me and she was almost instantly wrapped around me. "Aero!" She cheered happily with almost an essence of a song in her voice. She smiled warmly and looked up, her normally silver eyes had a faint green tint to them.

I was taken back for a moment before Petra placed a hand on my shoulder. "We were beyond shocked when a cabal escape pod floated into the reefs orbit. You're lucky we didn't blast you to pieces." She smiled and motioned for Mercie to give me some space.
"No, it's fine." I started and Mercie cut me off. "Thank you so much Aero!" She was smiling and she hugged around my waist even tighter. "To say the least... We the thought you both were dead. When Fireteam Hidden Power returned and refused to describe what happened. As a matter of fact they had just left before you came back..."
I tuned Petra out for a moment. I was lost momentarily in Mercie's eyes.
There was a faint whisper but I couldn't make out exactly what was said. The whisper ended with a screech that made me jump slightly. My vision went black for a moment. But all I could see where two green orbs. Two green orbs that represented Mercie's eyes. They bored into my soul seeming to pull the light from me.
Then it was gone in an instant. "Aero? Aero. Aero!" Petra shouted as she shook my shoulders roughly. I shook my head and looked into her eyes. I subconsciously reached for my hand cannon.
I could imagine it now. First, the crisp crack of the revolver, they the soft thud of her body hitting the grounds . Her soft purple blood would paint the wall behind her and it would stain the floor beneath her. The guards would be next, they would hear the sound, surely they would. They would open the door and then they would see her body, her blood. They would move towards her, allowing three more shots to echo through theses chambers. Then the ship. Then we would get to the ship. We would fire the main gun to disable the shields that would otherwise keep us there. Then...

My revolver wasn't there.

... What was I doing?

"Aero? Do you need a psych evaluation?" Petra asked leading me to the couch "No... It's just..." I stammered, confused at what had come over me.

"Aero?" Another familiar voice called followed up with a voice I could never forget, Nemori. "Aero!" She cried sprinting towards me.
In a matter of moments her arms were wrapped around my neck and her lips were pressed against mine. It had been a while since she had kissed me. I was lost in the bliss of it for a moment.
When we broke contact I noticed she was blushing brightly. My own systems burned up heavily, it was obvious as she hugged my  warm chassis tightly. "When we heard what happened... We thought you were dead." Vette said as she waved at me from one of the couches in the room. I waved back and watched as Mercie crawled into her lap and yawned heavily. "It's a miracle that you both made it back alive." Vette added as she patted the girl's head.
"I'll say." Nemori said slowly pulling away from me.
Vette picked up the now sleeping Mercie in her arms  and carried her to a  bed that silently fell from the ceiling and stopped in front of her window.
Petra turned and led Nemori and I out of the room. "So how have you been?" I asked allowing myself to lighten up more than I had for a long time. "Keeping the Queen safe with the stealth tech we have makes the job boring as all hell." She said warmly wrapping her arms around one of my own. Petra spoke up "Unfortunately for you two, my job is never over. And I must return to my post." She finished with a wave and began to walk away.
"Looks like I've got you all to myself for a little while." Nemori giggled. I had never seen her like this before. She was always the mission focused, voice of reason behind the black helm of a Warlock. I wasn't sure how I felt about this version of Nemori yet. Clearly she had feelings for me and I was more than willing to feel the same where for her. But I couldn't seem to fully commit. It must have been obvious to her because she said, "Aero, my lovely Fireteam leader, may I interest you in a meal at the finest restaurant the Reef has to offer. I was frozen for a moment taken back by her gestured. She looked up at me and I kept my gaze locked on her eyes. "I'd be delighted." I said with a subtle smirk.
She quickly let go of my arm and said, "Meet me here, 1900." And with that she was gone.