“Drukhari eh? Damn bastards.” Shas’kor said while dragging his friend Vra’elo to the medics; their tent was quite far from where they were.

  “Scary and deadly… but stupid…” continued his friend, “yeah, ‘beg not to be captured’ does not hit the same when your enemy is half naked and armed with only a dagger and a sword, does it?”

  Shas’kor tried to make his friend feel better, as what he had just said was mostly not true “well… not everyone was that stupid…” answered Vra’elo trying hard to laugh, in a way that sounded too much like coughing, “that… bastard… over there… his weapon… was not that bad…” Vra’elo continued, pointing his arm to the now headless raider that reduced him to that state. They were wearing armor and, unlike their comrades, had actually brought a gun to the battlefield.

  “Still no helmet though.” Shas’kor told his friend, still bringing him forward, the scene in the rocky hills of the southern continent of the sept world of Sai’ran was a calm one. Most of their comrades were picking any tech and scraps that would be useful to the earth caste or carrying the wounded like himself.

  As for the auxiliaries, the Kroot were trying to find any meat that was not full of poisonous drugs, the Vespids were doing something more peculiar instead, as the survivors got together in circle and, with a cacophony of verses, began to sing a mournful dirge to the fallen. Many would consider it just noise, but Shas’kor found it a beautiful melody, so they stopped for a moment.

  “Vra’elo, look, a Vespid dirge.” Shas’kor said pointing in the auxiliaries’ general direction. His friend looked back at him with a sad smile, “heh… they will... sing for me too… now…” Vra’elo answered.

  “Don’t say so! You'll get to the medics and they will patch you up in no time…”, but it was clear to both that they would never reach the infirmary in time, “You know… I'm happy… to end it here… in my home planet… near, Alsena, our home … with you…” Shas’kor found no answer to his friend’s words, dragging him still while Vra’elo began coughing again.

  “Shas’kor?” Vra’elo managed to mutter as his breathing became heavier and slower, Shas’kor was looking at his friend holding tears as he answered, “Do not speak please, you’re overstraining yourself.”, he tried to make his friend stop.

  But Vra’elo continued, “No… I must tell you… this… is important…” Vra’elo coughed, with drops of deep reddish purple blood coming out of his mouth, “This is my only secret… my only selfishness… against the Greater Good…” Shas’kor listened carefully, wondering what his friend had hid from him, even though they had been close since they were kids, pain struck him at the realization that his closest friend would hide something to him, but still, he was ready to receive such knowledge, “I… have a child… mixed blood”.

  Shas’kor was left speechless, what was his friend thinking! Not only did he have a relationship with someone of another caste, something already forbidden by the Ethereals, the union had generated a child! The poor creature would be hunted for life.

  The Ethereals’ way of dealing with hybrids was one alone, hunt and kill. Shas’kor would have wanted to reprimand his friend’s foolish actions, but he had only the strength to ask “Who’s the mother?”

  Vra’elo’s look became darker as he answered, “A rich water caste… I had been her bodyguard…protected her with all my strength… it wasn’t enough.” his friend paused, taking another deep breath. His voice became even more feeble, “I beg you… take care of him… do something I was… too cowardly to do… bring him… to somewhere safe… this is my request… I know… I'm selfish… but please… Shas’kor… bring my little steam cloud… to somewhere… where he can be himself…”

  That was the last thing Vra’elo could say to his friend, as all his strength had left him, darkness had finally overtaken him and Shas’kor finally allowed himself to cry while screaming repeatedly “I promise.”

  He looked around himself, the Vespids had finished their songs and returned to their duties. Whatever meat there was to salvage from the cruel raiders was already boiling on a pot, the Kroot did not take their chances with drukhari flesh, his platoon was cleaning the battlefield of any tech that could be useful to the engineers and carrying the wounded away.

  From afar, his Shas’ui had been looking at them, thankfully too far to hear Vra’elo’s final words. They came to him, their expression unreadable from their elongated helmet, “Shas’la Shas’kor!”, they shouted.

  The soldier immediately made a salute, but the Shas’ui made a gesture to relax,while taking the body of Vra’elo from him. Then with a commanding tone said “Return to base like the rest of the squad, soldier, the cleaners will arrive shortly.” The Shas’ui continued with a soft tone of voice this time, rare of them “It must be hard for you, you have known each other since childhood, haven’t you?” Shas’kor made a sign of confirmation.

  The shas’ui took a moment of consideration, then they returned to their normal tone of voice “You will be allowed a two-day leave for mourning . your combat abilities shall not be compromised by the loss, understood?”.

  Shas’kor answered with an immediate “Yes Shas’ui! The fire warrior shall return to normal capabilities after the mourning period!” knowing too well that it was a lie. Shas’kor will not see any of them soon.

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  “Also, you look worried. Are you fit for duty, soldier?” Shas’kor quickly brushed it off as being simply traumatized by the raid, the damn pheromones, he had forgotten about the pheromones! What sort of species develops pheromones as a non verbal language! He made a salute and got away as fast as possible.

  He had taken his comrade’s house keys before handing the body to the officer , in the hope that there would be instructions on where to find the kid.

  When he reached camp, Shas’kor abandoned his armor and rifle, putting on civilian clothes. He holstered his pulse pistol; he had to be prepared for everything.

  He took the long way to the exit, specifically to avoid the mortuary and the infirmary, trying not to be spotted by his now former comrades. Part of him would have wanted to at least say goodbye to them, but knew it was a bad idea, he had managed to reach the gate unnoticed, sighing a deep breath as the back gate made no alarm when he scanned his visa to open it.

  He reached Alsena by walking, the city’s signature triangular skyscrapers, ‘The Pillars’, were ever present on the sky, small individual residences visible from the highlands. They were often inhabited by the important or the rich, people the Ethereals had granted every comfort in life for their services.

  He finally got on an asphalt road from where, after another hour of walking, reached the city proper from which he reached the first overbus stop to the habitative quarters. He was not entirely unnoticed from the water and earth castes that were around there, a tired looking fire caste with dirt on his clothes was not exactly common, but very few would have cared in the crowd. Alsena held 21 million souls in its area, very small for a sept world city, but still held all important commodities a city would need .

  He got off the bus and reached Vra’elo’s apartment complex by walking half an hour, the squat and circular building recognizable for its big red number 15 painted on the elevator and stair tower, it was only inhabited by earth castes and fire castes who were either on leave or retired. As water castes lived more near the downtown, while air castes and ethereals only on ‘The Pillars’, the first ones for their form, the latters as a show of power.

  He entered the building’s atrium trying his best to not appear alarmed, greeting the concierge on her desk, an old woman with bad eyesight , Shas’kor hoped she did not smell his pheromones.

  He took the stairs since his comrade lives…lived on the second floor, he reached the door without making any noise. He did not wish for any neighbor to discover him, they would certainly ask questions on why the friend was opening the owner’s apartment without the owner actually being there.

  As he opened the door to the apartment, the place felt so void of everything, Vra’elo was usual to invite him on the seventh day of the week to play games and discuss, today, it was the seventh day too.

  Unable to take it in anymore, Shas’kor began crying as he collapsed on his friend’s couch, rethinking everything, of when they played with sticks when they were kids. Vra’elo loved to play the villain, usually pretending to be a Gue’Ron’Sha fighting for his emperor or a Necron overlord waking up from his slumber, while Shas’kor usually played as great heroes like Shas'o Kais.

  Of how when they were still cadets in the academy, where they would make competitions on who scored better in the shooting range. Vra’elo would get distracted often by the female cadets, making him win more often, though Shas’kor always wondered if it was on purpose.

  Every time he had come to this home, ate the noodles his friend made, which were by far the best of his platoon, of drinking blackbean juice while watching sports events on the tv in this very couch where he was right now.

  But he could not dwell too much on the past; he had a mission to do, a promise he made and would not break at the cost of his life.

  Shas’kor found his friend’s personal ordinator on his desk, opened it and inputted the password. His friend was never creative with them. In there he found various files, entire chat logs between Vra’elo and his beloved, though looking at them felt painful and wrong.

  Why? Why did he never tell him?

  Then he found what he was looking for, a document titled, “In case i die”, there Shas’kor found dispositions for everything, where to find Ma’eth, his friend’s child, who was about five years old.

  He was hidden in a small residence just outside of the city in a remote hill near a forest, the child was currently overseen by reprogrammed drones; they would have been his only friends. ‘No child should be this alone,’ Shas’kor thought as he read.

  Continuing, Vra’elo had already thought of a place to escape in case things got dire, the enclaves of O’Shovah the traitor; The Farsight Enclaves. Shas’kor did not know much of them, the ethereals suppressed much knowledge on the subjects, but if they would accept mixed blooded people, he had to bring the child there.

  Lastly there was a message in the end that made him tear up, as it was referred to himself:

  “Shas’kor, I know that I have put you in a difficult situation, and know well you would make this your mission, but I want you to know that, I'm sorry. For making you a traitor in the eyes of the Greater Good, for ruining your career. You always had more talent than me and I'm sure you would have become a great pilot of vehicles or even a crisis suit. You are not an air caste, but you did always reach for the stars, much more than me, even your parents knew it when they named you, Firewind.”

  He had to stop a moment to wipe the mist from his eyes before he continued.

  “I'm sorry for not being a good friend, I should have told you, but my fear clogged my judgement. I'm a traitor to my people and to you. Even in death I selfishly ask you to betray all you stand for, a horrible friend indeed. But please, I beg you to take care of my child, my little steam cloud. I was never able to be around him because of too many worldly complications. He is very lonely, tell him for me, that I'm sorry. For being a bad father. I know the burden on yourself is overwhelming, I wish I could have been a better person, a better fire warrior, a better friend, but at the same time, I do not have too many regrets. I can only wish you luck, friend, for wherever the Greater Good will bring you…”

  Shas’kor muttered to himself a goodbye, tears streaking down his eyes as he left his friend’s home one final time, still without making a sound he exited the building. The concierge did not ask questions.

  It was night, he had to find a spacecraft, he needed to find an escape vehicle and he needed it now. Thankfully for all the Greater Good promised and offered, there was still a beaming black market underground, where you could buy all you needed without the attention of the law.

  Shas’kor knew this as he had entered it in the past accidentally, so, blending with the crowd, he got on the subway tunnels of the city. All fire warriors were trained on them in case they had to defend the city, the place was full of hidden tunnels and unused bomb shelters, one of which held what he was looking for. A secret dealership run by some old shady water caste.

  The old man did not ask many questions, as he immediately passed to show him various vessels. Shas’kor had to admit he always wanted a private spacecraft, but the cost was exorbitant, and for that he had saved his money for years.

  His eyes lingered on a sturdy-ship of angular shape, made of black metal with accents of red lights all over it. Its design was unmistakably Votann and its color scheme was of the Demiurg Brotherhood. The old man immediately went on to list the ship's capabilities and cost. The ship was sturdy as it looked, as it could withstand even the strongest of warp storms and had a reliable speed. It was pricey, it would leave him nearly broke, but he had to buy it.

  ‘This one or nothing.’ he thought.

  He brought the old man his savings, the water caste was beaming with joy at the money, and the deal was struck. At the end of the negotiations he deliberated on what hangar he wanted to find the ship, and spoke his choice, at which the old man agreed readily.

  Shas’kor again quietly left the tunnels, this time he finally returned to his home, another circular building, with a 6 stamped onto it. With the most absolute silence he got to the elevator, picked his floor, entered his home and began packing up all he would need.

  He felt empty inside as he left his home one last time. He knew he was a traitor, but had to save this child, for the child, for Vra’elo, for himself, for the Greater Good, for the TRUE Greater Good, whatever it takes to do it…