{ THE CONFEDERATE | DIVISION ALPHA, IMPERIAL CONSERVATOIRE | COORDINATES: X-7462 Y-2735 | 6TH SUN, 12TH MOON | 3:45PM }
Core was having a shitty day.
First off, she was running on painkillers and caffeine — not exactly the safest combinations out there, but she needed to be awake to give Sebastian a piece of her mind (and a punch in the face, or two), plan to stop the Intergalactic Exploration, and get through schooling all in one go. Her arm wasn't broken but it was extremely sore from the plasma shot, so Aurora had slathered a generous amount of a concocted balm the secretly-training-medic had made. Her ankle was another issue altogether, though. She had sprained it when she landed all wrong, so now it was wrapped up with herbs, hidden within her boot. The only reason she could walk without waddling weirdly was Knox, who supported her on her weaker side and stuck to her like glue the entire day.
Second, she had to sit through all her classes today, all seven hours of them, before she can even begin to hunt Seb down. As Aurora had predicted, he hadn't even come to her rooms to go through their routine, apparently already somewhere in military headquarters making preparations. Core was annoyed for two reasons: 1) He didn't even leave a fucking message or something, and 2) he actually broke their routine. Even if Core was out patrolling all night as Nightshade, she made sure to always be in her bed before Seb would come to wake her up, because it was their routine and it was a contract they had — or so she thought.
Third, just when she thought she couldn't suffer any more than this, Van came swaggering towards her as Knox went to get his hovercar (because Seb was otherwise too indisposed to remember he was Core's only mode of transport — legally at least). The asshole had timed it to make sure Core was alone (with Knox getting their ride and Aurora riding her own), and even if there were students scattered around the courtyard she was waiting at, Core knew Van wasn't scared of public displays; in fact, the audience always seemed to inspire him in nasty ways.
"Coraline," Van greeted, reaching for Core's hand and pressing his lips to the back of her palm. His eyes stayed glued to hers the entire time, watching her reaction.
It made her shiver, and not in a good way.
"Van," Core returned tersely. She tried her best not to snatch her hand away from his grip, withdrawing it gracefully instead. "Not heading home yet?"
He grinned with his teeth on full display. "Not quite. I have some...business to take care of."
Core knew he was heavily implying that he had business with her, so she clasped her hands together behind her back and tilted her head up at him (the boy was infuriatingly tall), smiling as cheekily as she could. She'd rather shoot herself than show any emotion but utmost confidence in front of someone like Van. Besides, it was about time the boy really chalked up what he wanted from her. "And to what do I owe the pleasure of your...business?" she purred.
The smug look of triumph that overtook his features was difficult to ignore, but Core did lest she end up punching it off. He took a step forward, getting in her personal space, as his hand reached up to brush a strand of hair back from Core's face. "You're a smart woman, Coraline." Then he leaned closer, their noses almost touching, and Core told herself to fucking stay still. "I happen to like smart women."
"Do be careful, Van," Core said in what she hoped was a sultry manner. "Smart girls don't take too kindly to men who are all talk and no action."
Core almost breathed a sigh of relief as Van laughed, throwing his head back to give her space again. When he finished, he returned to leering at her, a pompous smile plastered on his face as he slid his hands into the pockets of his trousers. "We'd be so good together, Coraline, and this is proof of it. There's always such passion in our conversations, can't you see? Why don't you leave that Knox for me instead?"
Ah, there it was — this is what he wanted. A little more and she could make him crack wholly.
She gave him a surprised look, adding in a faux flattered-and-nervous move of fiddling with her hair.
"What could I possibly offer you that you don't already have?" she asked sweetly.
He took the bait hook, line, and sinker. Excitedly certain that Core was warming up to the idea (he couldn't be more wrong, really), he took her hands in his as he explained. "Just imagine, Coraline: With your endorsement, General Gray would certainly put me in the List for the Intergalactic Exploration! The glory I would bring home would make you so proud, and it would elevate your social status to unreachable heights! You'll be the fiancé of an explorer like you rightly deserve, and not some soft boy who ended up in the Advisory track because he was too weak to become a soldier."
It was in these times she cursed the Confederate and its rules, its social norms and cultural protocols. She wanted to knee this jack-ass in the groin, shoot his face with a plasma gun, punch his gut until he wretched on the floor, do anything necessary to ensure he'd never exploit people ever again, but she couldn't, because she was a she — as if one letter (the "s") made any difference to how she felt things like anger, as if having breasts meant she couldn't throw a punch, as if bearing babies meant she couldn't defend herself and the people she cared about.
Fuck it all.
She swallowed it all, pushed it down, buried it deep inside with all the other instances and shit she had gotten. Sending Van the most sincere smile she could muster, she gave him a parting tilt of the head as Knox's hovercar pulled up in the driveway. "I'll think about it," she assured (more like lied).
"I'll buy you the biggest ring in the entire Confederate!" Van promised to her retreating back.
Good so I can shove it down your throat, Core ranted in her thoughts.
Her day had practically only just begun what with everything she had left to do, and she was already on the brink of exhaustion.
★ ★ ★
{ THE CONFEDERATE | DIVISION ALPHA, GALACTIC ARMY MILITARY BASE | COORDINATES: X-2945 Y-2347 | 6TH SUN, 12TH MOON | 4:48PM }
Core was a force of nature, swooping down on the soldiers getting out of her way in the military base. She strode down its narrow halls, shoulders thrown back and head held up high like she belonged there. Soldiers made way for her by pressing themselves up against the walls, and she didn't even bother sparing them a glance. She kept her gaze firm, staring straight ahead, recalling all the times she had walked the same steps back when she used to visit nearly every day.
When Pollux had died, she stopped having a reason to visit.
She was slightly limping now, her foot starting to act up a bit, but she didn't care and kept walking like she was absolutely fine. It didn't take her long to reach the familiar steel door, and she went straight for the handle, yanking it right open.
"We can bring in more recruits from the Imperial Cons —"
Sebastian whirled around, cutting himself off. He didn't look surprised to see her; instead, he had a resigned countenance that irked Core. The two privates he had been talking two were dismissed with a wave of the hand, and they threw him a salute before leaving the room in haste.
"Did you volunteer?" Core interrogated, shutting the door behind her and stopping right in front of Knox. He was wearing his usual military garb, but instead of his usual three-star badge, something else replace it: Five stars arranged in a circle. Core's eyes flickered to it, and she scowled. "Or did father bribe you with a promotion?"
"I volunteered," Seb replied curtly. He turned around and focused his attention back on the holograms he had been studying before Core had interrupted. It displayed faces, names, and profiles, glowing in a soft blue-green. With a flick of Seb's wrist, the holograms expanded into life-sized projections of army trainees from the Conservatoire, scattering all over the room.
Core walked right through some boy's profile, navigating around computers and desks to stand in front of Seb again. She was going to make him look at her.
"Why?" she demanded.
Seb levelled her with a cool look. "For the same reason any soldier has: To do my duty."
"Your duty," Core said brusquely, "is to protect the Confederate. Not cause unnecessary death."
"The situation is different now." He was still so calm and Core got more and more pissed off because of it. "You wouldn't understand."
"Then explain it to me," she pressed, barely suppressing the urge to shout.
"I can't," Seb replied. "It's confidential intel."
And that's when Core snapped.
"So you're just going to leave me here?" She shouted. "Like Pollux did? Do the exact same thing all over again? Go off on an exploration and then die?" She screamed the last part as she fisted her knuckles, shaking from the rage that was building in her. She felt the stinging in her eyes but she shoved it all down with heavy breaths, because she will be damned if she cried here of all places.
Core had Seb's entire attention now. He went to reach for her, but she took a defiant step back, glaring at him as hatefully as she could. A hurt look flashed in his features, and Core couldn't help but think it served him damn right (even if it was the first flicker of emotion she'd seen from him in a while).
"Core," he began, tone soft and placating. "I need to do this. I'm going to come back."
"That's what Pollux said last time," she deadpanned.
Seb looked like he didn't know what to say to that for a second, and Core finally decided then that she had had enough. It was time to settle it in a way he couldn't refuse.
She slipped the glove of her right hand off (hiding a wince as her arm throbbed) and threw it down by Seb's feet. The grim set of his lips told Core he was not happy about the official challenge issued, especially since by law he couldn't refuse. While legally these challenges were meant for men to settle disputes, there was a particularly lovely loophole that actually allowed females to become challengers or defenders (what Seb now was since Core had challenged him) — not that any female attempted it, because to challenge someone would mean a sword fight, and while swords were actually one of the few weapons of self-defense females were allowed to use, many didn't bother to learn. Their culture had been shaped to leave the protecting to the males.
It wasn't like Seb didn't know she could use a sword. They (Core, Seb, Knox) all used to train together under Pollux's tutelage, so it really shouldn't be a shock to him. What probably got him the most was the fact that she had challenged him. And now they had to head to the Arena, and fight it out under the scrutiny of whoever wanted to watch.
And he had to fight her.
"Your terms?" Seb asked wearily, as if the fight was already done. He picked up the glove as per ceremony, handing it back to Core as a gesture of acceptance (not that he had a choice.)
"If I win, you stay. If you win, go do whatever you want."
Seb shook his head, expressing his clear disapproval of the whole thing. "I really don't want to do this, Core. I don't want to hurt you. What would your father say, and —"
"Well too bad," Core shot out. "You should have thought about all that before volunteering." She snatched the glove from him, turning on her heel to head out of the room. "You have ten minutes to prepare before we begin in the Arena. Tardiness is a forfeit," she reminded, mocking him (everyone knew the rules, seriously, especially soldiers) just because she still had a vindictive streak going on. She almost stumbled right after she left the room and closed the door behind her, hand shooting out to hold onto the wall as she steadied herself. Now that she had stopped moving, she felt her ankle throbbing in complaint.
Fuck, she thought. Her injuries were going to affect the duel, but she had to win.
She couldn't just stand by and watch. Not again.
She wouldn't make the same mistake twice.
★ ★ ★
{ THE CONFEDERATE | DIVISION ALPHA, GALACTIC ARMY MILITARY BASE CONFERENCE ROOM F | COORDINATES: X-2035 Y-2384 | 6TH SUN, 12TH MOON | 4:50PM }
There was a twisting in Knox's stomach that had begun when Core and he went separate ways. That was his first sign that Core would probably go and do something stupid again, but he reassured himself that she would definitely be more careful seeing as she had just gotten out of a near-death situation.
...Right?
Okay, so maybe she was still going to be an idiot and rush into things, so he had to get his job done really fast so he can stop her from being the reckless brat that she was no doubt going to turn into. Under normal circumstances he wouldn't even be leaving her unattended, especially with how volatile the situation was (Sebastian on the list was just...wow); but this was anything but normal, and they had to tackle multiple problems at once.
So that's why Knox was waiting in a conference room by himself, trying to piece together the best way to get through to his father about discontinuing the next exploration. No matter how hard he thought about it, it was pretty much impossible; it's not like he can tell his father that the rebels just said so, and even if he did he couldn't possible explain why he had contact with the rebels and why they should trust the bunch. That was like getting into two years worth of backstory, and quite frankly he might be beheaded, metaphorically or literally, before he could even get to the important part of the story just for consorting with the rebellion.
Nope, he was utterly lost.
"Make this quick, Knox," Atlas said swiftly as he entered the room. No one followed behind him, and he shut the door before he sat himself down on a chair. He looked disheveled, hair lacking its usual lustre and dark circles hanging heavily underneath his eyes. He suddenly seemed his age (he often looked young with his constantly cheerful disposition) then, bony fingers kneading his temples like he had spent the last hours working his mind heavily. Knox knew his father must be assisting in the preparations for the exploration, and for a second his heart almost stopped as a thought crossed his mind.
"You're not going, are you?" Knox asked tentatively, staying as still as possible while his heart beat against his chest in nervous anticipation.
When Atlas shook his head, Knox's entire body relaxed. "General Gray needs me to manage affairs in the Confederate in his place."
"Of course," Knox acknowledged. It had always been that way; soldiers went off to explorations and wars. Advisors stayed behind in their place. He had just thought something might be different this time around.
"Although as the hour comes closer, the more I think I should come along," Atlas added. Knox held himself back from replying with a resounding "No!" Instead, he clenched his hands and asked, "Why so?"
"There are..." Atlas trailed off, seemingly unsure as to how much information he could disclose. In the end, he looked at his son straight in the eye and continued. "Complications."
"What sort of complications?"
Atlas scrutinised his son, staring into the young man while he worked something over in his mind. Knox let his father be, and prayed that he would finally get the information he needed here and now. He was sick of going at things blindly, and as an advisor-in-training himself, his instincts itched to see the entire situation from as much angles as he can. But he was young, and not nearly important enough to have access to Galactic Army intel. The fact that the rebellion even had the tiniest inkling about it was worrying in itself, really. Atlas was Knox's last chance to understand everything.
After what seemed like long minutes of deliberation, Atlas moved. He steepled his fingers together as he leaned forward in his seat, eyeing Knox. "I trust you, son."
Those were four words that spoke volumes, mainly because Atlas had never said that out loud to Knox before, and secondly because the situation must be dire if Atlas was finally going to spill to Knox.
"In truth," Atlas began, "the exploration is less of an exploration but more of a subjugation. But the citizens cannot know, because these secrets are the kinds that must become a ruler's burden to carry."
"A subjugation?" Knox repeated incredulously. "Of The Faction?" Although the intergalactic explorations happened yearly since the beginning of time, there was only ever one nation that The Confederate managed to successfully claim as their own a decade ago, and that was The Faction. If there was anything that would need subjugating, then it could only just be The Faction.
Atlas tilted his head in affirmation. "We've had to send troops to keep them in control throughout the years. Unfortunately the leaders General Gray had appointed in the nation are incompetent at their jobs," the man explained with a slight bitter tone. "Word has recently arrived that the Faction has overthrown the leaders we have placed, and are now making plans to do the same to us."
"They want to overthrow the Confederate?"
"Worse than that, son," Atlas said grimly. "They want their revenge; to do the same to us as we did them."
Knox stayed quiet as the gears in his head turned and whirred. It was far worse than he could ever imagine, and he didn't know how to react. What could he possibly say to that? What could he possibly do for that?
"We're trying to send as much abled men as we can," Atlas continued. "Expanding the List far more than we ever have before. We made the mistake of sending too few the last time, and we won't let that happen a second time."
Something in that stabbed at Knox's gut. As soon as the next words came out of his lips, he wanted to take it back. "You mean the exploration two years ago."
Atlas' eyes drifted closed, expression bereft. "That subjugation mission went horribly. The worse of them all."
Pollux, Knox's mind screamed. They killed Pollux.
"How long has the subjugation missions been going on?" The cold tone surprised even Knox himself, but Atlas seemed to be unaware of it.
"Two years ago happened to be the first. The next one was more successful." Then something dark crossed Atlas' features, and he added, "or so we thought. The situation at The faction right now has gone out of control."
"And you still think this is something that the citizens should be left in the dark with?" Knox almost shouted, the tension from his clenched knuckles rising to his voice.
"Rulers cannot let their citizens live in fear, my son," Atlas placated. "Those on the List are notified of the situation, and then are immediately sworn to secrecy to keep the peace."
"Temporary peace is not peace at all, father," Knox pressed, rising from his seat. "The more people know, the more help you can get!"
Atlas had apparently had enough. He rose from his own seat, loud voice booming, "Enough!"
Knox winced, but otherwise stood his ground. "You're sending soldiers off to a suicide mission! Again!"
"Do not talk of things you do not understand, child," Atlas said roughly, eyes narrowing and face contorting in his own frustration. "It is a government's duty to protect its people, and if a war is coming our way we must stop it before it comes at all costs. In the same way, it is a soldier's sworn duty to die for its people. Make no mistake, we do not want a war on his hands. The subjugation will aim to prevent that." Atlas stared at his son, daring him to say something, but Knox was busy thinking. The younger man only snapped to attention when Atlas approached him, his father's hands heavily falling on his shoulders. "Trust me as I trust you."
Knox swallowed the lump in his throat, blankly nodding. Atlas looked into his eyes for a few more seconds before turning around to leave. The door shut behind him with a finality, but Knox still stayed rooted to the spot nursing a chaos of emotions: anger, confusion — and most prominently — fear.
Did the rebels know about this? Was stopping the "exploration" even the right thing to do, now that they were at the brink of war? Was war even ever right? Were they going to sacrifice a fleet of soldiers, a fleet of friends and people they knew, for the sake of their own safety?
But overlaying the questions were memories of a rough hand in his; a gentle smile with a mischievous glint in their eye; strong arms wrapping around him, keeping him safe and warm; fingers running through his hair and eyes staring into his soul.
Pollux hadn't died from an exploration accident.
Pollux had been murdered by The Faction.
Knox didn't know if he wanted to cry or punch the wall.
So he did both.
★ ★ ★
{ THE CONFEDERATE | DIVISION ALPHA, GALACTIC ARMY MILITARY BASE ARENA | COORDINATES: X-2947 Y-2634 | 6TH SUN, 12TH MOON | 5:20PM }
Core was very, very small in this large, open space, and that thought both humbled her and terrified her.
Standing in the middle of the Arena (which was practically a coliseum) with an electric sword in hand was something she had missed. She used to spar with Pollux and Seb all the time, with Knox watching from one out of many rows of seats. (She had tried to count the number of rows once, but they extended far and beyond that her impatience eventually won.)
The sun was setting above the stadium, and it painted the sky in a purple-orange gradient. A golden glow surrounded the Arena, the sun's setting rays filtering through the dome's glass ceiling. Core walked around the room, her gloved hands brushing through the high, metal walls with the occasional grips and slots scattered here and there for fighters to hold on to. The Arena simulated a battle out in Gamma or further up the sky (as soldiers were usually sent to go for explorations and all), where gravity was sparse and can either be a friend or foe.
It was all about strategy here in the Arena; holding a sword properly would hardly grant a win. Knowing where to land, how hard to push against the wall, and using gravity levels to one's advantage was the key to everything. That was the first thing Pollux had taught her, before he even bothered to teach her how to wield a sword.
And shoot a gun.
And ride a hoverboard.
And kick ass, basically.
Everything she knew had come from him.
Core swung her sword experimentally. She had taken it from storage before entering the Arena (taking and changing into some sparring clothes too), and though it wasn't the kind she was used to, it would do. The electric sword thrummed with a bright blue current of energy. It was light, making it easy to handle, but was far too short for Core's liking. She was used to the heavier and longer kind, whose weight she could use to compensate for her small-ish stature, but her current injuries needed a lighter sword. (If Seb would notice that tiny detail, then whatever. If he didn't, then good.) She tried to do a parry, raising her arm and flicking her wrist. The sword left a trail of blue in its wake as it moved, but Core was dissatisfied at the speed; her left arm wasn't nearly as practiced as her dominant right. It wasn't as strong, nor as fast, but she'd have to work with it because her right was otherwise indisposed.
She would have to make a lot of adjustments to cater to her injuries, but she'd bank on the fact that Seb and she hadn't sparred in a long time. Two years since Pollux had died, and two years since any of them had even step foot in the Arena. She had been practising despite that, though, and had her fair share of space fights as Nightshade to remember how to be friends with gravity levels. She can win this, even with the injuries.
She had to.
She heard his footsteps before she saw him. They were heavy and resigned, like Seb was walking to his death, and Core wasn't naïve enough to think he planned to lose on purpose. Clearly he wanted to go to the exploration enough to volunteer, so he was going to have to fight her on this with all his strength.
Glancing at the holographic timer on the wall told her she had been waiting for roughly nine minutes. She buried the sword in the ground and leaned on its hilt as she called out to him from the other side of the Arena. "I almost thought you were forfeiting."
Her voice echoed along with his footsteps until he stepped out from the entrance tunnel and onto the Arena. He was zipped into a sparring suit of his own, right hand clutching a green electric sword. It was the heaviest kind of them all, sacrificing wielder movement for sheer, brutal strength. Core's injured arm and ankle seemed to throb in anticipating of how difficult this match was going to be. "I really wish I could," Seb said as he continued walking forward, sword dangling loosely to his side as he moved. He held himself high and straight — the perfect soldier's posture.
"It isn't too late to back out yet," Core offered just for the sake of it. She knew he wouldn't.
Seb stopped a few feet away from her, a sad smile on his lips. "We're more alike than you think, Core." Okay, Core didn't expect that, and she hoped the surprise didn't show on her face. But it must have, because his lips quirked in amusement as he continued.
"We'd do anything to protect those we love." He swung his arm to the side as if to test the sword, and it swung in a perfect green arc. "Even if it means hurting them in the process."
Core pulled her sword out from the ground. "I'm doing this for you."
Seb's expression was back to its normal one: nothing at all. "And I'm doing this for you."
Footsteps suddenly rang loudly in the Arena, slapping against metal as if in a frantic run. Both Core and Seb turned to anticipate whoever it was, watching the entrance tunnel. Knox's disheveled and panting self came out, emotions flashing across his features in rapid-fire motion: first panicked, then relieved, then angry.
"What the fuck are you doing?" he shouted at them, even as he struggled to catch his breath.
Core wasn't sure if he was addressing her or Sebastian, so she ignored him and turned back to Sebastian instead, readying herself in a fighting stance. "Just in time," she told Knox, eyes still pinned to Sebastian's reserved-looking ones. "You can be the referee."
Knox cursed again as Core shouted out to the Arena, "Match start!" The lights from the high walls opened and flashed down on them, as the whole battle space whirred and hummed. Core could feel the air shifting, and she knew it was the gravity around them changing levels. From the corner of her eye, she saw Knox backing into the entrance tunnel, where the air was kept normal.
"Core!" Knox shouted to Core, but it was drowned out in her ears by the blood thrumming in her, the adrenaline and fear and anger and worry and love sending a huge spike of energy flowing in her veins. In here, she can be Nightshade, even when she was Core.
In here, she can be both strong and scared.
In here, she can be injured, but she will win.
"You're in no condition to fight!" Knox's voice said from somewhere seemingly far, far away. But Core was already moving, weight shifting, uninjured leg pushing off the ground as the air took her higher and higher up.
Just when she thought Seb was just going to stand there forever, he pushed off the ground in her direction, sword poised to strike and eyes darkened in intensity.
Core's mouth split into a large grin.
★ ★ ★
Author's Note:
we finally reached the plot after lightyears of background oops.
WHO'S EXCITED FOR CORE AND SEB'S LOVE-HATE FIGHT BECAUSE I AM (excited to show it to you that is because i'm done writing it)
Also i've started with season 2 of this where most of the plot is now in outer space (around episode nine) but i'm stuck so i'll be posting whatever i have whenever i reach my chapter read count goal but hopefully i get enough inspiration/motivation to keep writing because I AM SO STUCK i'm not even kidding.