For The Horde
“Crystal, start recording, log…
I don’t know... fill in the date.” “Yes commander” The voices were telling me that we
should have destroyed this place. I should have killed the guards. The voices
showed me the destruction. I had to argue with them again. Tress did her best to
keep me calm when she noticed my reaction to the desert. Clean and pristine, no
massive holes, no battleship burning in the sky. Tress walked me to the lounge
with everyone else. Gill told us the Mithril in total would be worth over twenty
trillion, with a “T”. Commander Hail looked smug, I had the overwhelming desire
to shoot him again, and that was when I felt Tress squeezes my hand. She was
amazing, she can keep the voices down. Command Hail, Hunter, and Mirth are all
going to the abandoned base in the desert that Seth found, it was like he
already knew exactly where it was. We talked a bit more and then they left with
the most valuable thing in all the vese. “Crystal, look up irradiated Ceriamite and
explain it to me later.” “Copy commander.” We blend in with the rescue ship, though
I think it’s a waste of time. The mortals have no clue what is really going on.
The Chiten, Alie is still hiding in the kitchen, and all those bug things that
helped Björn are running around the new forge he just installed. We took a
little time to watch as the rescue ships were taking some pleasure in finishing
off the slavers as they fled. Lanius and Glynfir notice something amiss
and hop out the back, well Lanius does, tethered to the ship buy some cable. He
makes quick negotiations with some other ships and all the sudden there is a
group of slavers right below the ship. Gill hollers that there is an incoming pleasure
cruiser and we all gear up for a fight. I dash over to the Fang and get ready
for gill to open the hatch, the voices start their regular prefight noises, but
I tune them out. Gill comms me and tells me the fight is over before I even had
a chance to launch. “Ash, you ok in here?” “Yea, finishing my damn log, I’ll be there in a second.” We made our way back to the capital with two acquisitions in
following us. I know those ships, but we killed all of the crews, I remember
that, when the ground at the mines fell away, we used them to help rescue those
nobles they just killed. Next thing I remember we were all back at the office
space Gill had rented. He had it set up for a full-on invasion. All the drones
were here and now were following his mental commands, this is getting creepy. The
constant hum of my collar was getting on my nerves today. The more we veer off
course from my other self, the more it made me twitch. “I hope you understand what you did to me you bastard.” “Resume log…” I am not sure at what point we turned around, the next thing
I remember we were on the roof of the Sugar Bowl. I am not sure in what reality
it was, but I think that Commander Hail and Tress took off to meet up with us
later. The thought of her being gone made my skin crawl, that is the one great
thing my other did for me. Seeing her at the practice range, I knew her instantly.
No award small talk, no shyness, just a warm feeling, like the two of us have
been together for ever. I was a little taken when she got upset about me
telling the crew she was in fact a she. I have enough false labels on my head,
I don’t need another one. “End recording, I’ll finish this in a bit, I need a shower.” “Crystal, what time is it?” “The current galactic standard time is
1444 sir.” “Continue recording.” We made quick work of these weird ass
robot things that fell from the ceiling. They were like some kind of android
with no self-preservation programed in. Northhorn even toss Lanius’ scrawny ass
into the sky and almost kill the guy. When the ritual started everything went
to shit. I ah… I “Ah, Crystal, begin recording again.” “Take some time, you just had an
episode, you need to rest.” “No, I need to get this out there, he
will be here soon, and he will need to know this.” “You are a strange and broken kitty Ash.” The ritual was over, and the peace wards
all vanished at once. As Seth had expected, something used this to open a demon
portal right in the middle of the Bazaar. Gill popped us and all the drone to
the epicenter of the shit storm. The drones were full firing, indiscriminate
damage. Björn was firing away with that modified plasma cannon of his and
Ambella was dropping the big ones as soon as they came out. I remember this
fight, in so many different ways. I did my job and covered Seth and did my best
to keep anything from getting to him. I kept hearing my own voice, but it wasn’t
mine, it was whispering to me, calmly. ‘You will not die’ I wish it was true.
The horde of demons was overwhelming, and the last thing I remember was a wave
of the little bastards swarming over me. “Stop, ah, ssstop… aggg. Stop recording!” “Start recording.” I saw her, I got to walk with her again,
in my jungle, my home, my peace. *sounds of crying* She was there for me, I get
to rest, I get to be free of the voices, the pain, the, the all of it. I get to
sleep with out seeing another life, without shame. She strides past me and I
take my place, shedding my torn and battered armor, and my jacket. I walk with
her a bit and… and…*sounds of crying* “Start Recording” When I opened my eyes, I was almost ashamed
of myself, for wanting that, for wanting the release. Tiamat brushed the tears
from my face and walked over to pick up Seth’s body. I was the magic, the power
of her in this time and place. Tiamat brought Seth back and he stood proud, almost
arrogant. This fight was over, and I would get to see Tress for a little bit
more before we all had to part ways.
After we all meet up at the old facility,
I got to spend some time alone with Tress. We walked off to my quarters and I
activated the filters and tried the breathing spell she taught me. We got to
hold each other for a few minutes in our true forms, naked, and free. Neither one
of us hiding anything from the other, it was bliss. I know for fact that I will
see her soon. My others memories of us getting to spend some time together keep
interrupting my thoughts. We say our good buys for now and I head back to Seth.
Tress joins me and she and Commander Hail get ready to depart, that is when
Commander Hail hands Tress a package wrapped in cloth. She walks up to me and extended out her
hands holding the object obscured by a cloth. I delicately take the item with
uncertainty and fell undeserving of her grace, affection, and especially her
forgiveness. However, despite my feeling of being undeserving I wished to one
day prove himself worthy of all she had done for him. I waited till we were all back on board to unravel
the cloth he sees inside of it something odd. It was the shoulder holsters that
we looked at in the black-market area yesterday. The gold finishing’s and the specialized
leather. The cross holsters just like the ones I had when I was younger. “Stop recording” “Start recording” With the mission accomplished we
were given two weeks downtime on an entertainment cruise-liner. During the
downtime I spend some time flying the fang and perfecting my skills with its
controls. My natural agility allows me to pick up the skill, now I just need to
hone it. The two weeks went by without me having an episode and I spent most of
it alone in the Fang. Once we got back to our ship and were given orders, I knew
my time was getting close. I know you are coming; I can feel you more every day.
The war was hard on you, but you don’t know it, but I was with you all the
time. I will always be here to take your pain.
“Stop Recording”
