"What?" She tapped on his nose. His seriousness faded, a smile replacing it as she straddled him.
"We should leave this country..." He said.
"We should..." She answered, kissing him, not really interested in knowing what he meant. He was distracted, though, not giving her what she wanted. "What?"
"We must. Maybe get a house by the beach... Maybe in Australia or the Argent kingdom," he added.
"And we have to talk about it right now?" She raised her brows, her hand tracing a path down his abs. He grinned.
"Maybe after right now..." He breathed out.
She kissed him again, giggling.
Several minutes later, sweaty, content, she cuddled up to him, tracing patterns on his chest with her fingers. He embraced her tenderly, then squeezed her a bit in his arms, making her squeal.
"So… Are we running away?" She teased, her breathing slowly normalizing.
"Running away?" He replied. "No, it's our honeymoon, princess. It's our time, meant for me to give you my attentions, all day and all night..."
"I like that. Yes." She said.
"Yes?" He asked. "Just like that? Aren't you making it too easy? No stabbing this time? Just yes?"
She nodded, kissing the tip of his nose.
"I have all the reasons to stay with you," she said. "My father sold me, my people only saw in me another tool of my father. I don't see why wouldn't I choose you. Besides… I prefer your adoration... And your caresses... And kisses... And... This..."
He chuckled, his eyes locking on with hers as her hand gripped him.
"I have never encountered any creature as fascinating as you are," he admitted. She smiled.
"Where are we going?" She teased, brushing his lips.
"The Great Argent kingdom?" he said. "It's worth it."
"Hmm..." she mused, thoughtfully. She had only read about it, and all sounded very good.
"It's a great place with everything we need. One of the most powerful nations of the world. It's safe, cultured, and wealthy." He pointed out.
"I don't care," she said. "I... Just want to wake up like this..."
"You mean nude? And... Too pretty? And... Too ready to drive me crazy?" he teased.
"Every day..." she replied, and kissed him again. "Ada said we'll be meeting Boris in five minutes," she whispered, her hand working on him.
"He can wait..." He said. His hand tracing a path down her hip.
"No. He can't wait. You two get dressed and move!" Ada spat. "Or I'll teleport you like this."
"Ada…" He began.
"No, no Ada." She replied, firm.
"Maybe we can continue later..." Elle muttered, setting him free.
"You can count on it, little minx who teased me knowing we have to go…" His smirk was dangerous.
"Oh yeah? I'm so scared…" Elle ended, and immediately left the room with whatever clothes she could grab before closing the door behind her.
"An avatar?" Boris repeated. They were in his office, his real office underground.
"Yes," Lucian said. "Has anyone encountered an avatar?"
"No, this is the first time since the fall of the New Gods," Boris said. "The others in the rest of the solar system have started to patrol again, just to be sure. We reached the Aethera and we talked to them about this incident. They gave us permission to access their scanners and use our equipment."
"What do your scanners say?" Lucian replied.
"Everything is quiet, too quiet," he replied. "As if something was watching us, readying to strike when we lower our guard."
"Concerning," Lucian said.
"Indeed," Boris said. "But the only thing we can do is to be prepared."
"Your key, you're wearing it," Lucian pointed at the medallion that Boris was wearing. It was thick and round with four Quantum Energy Engines attached to it. It was one of the few tier four keys that he knew still existed.
"I am prepared," Boris replied, presenting a small box, pushing it towards Lucian. "I can't repair it without the proper Aetherita, but maybe in your travels you could. It's better for it to be back with its owner."
Lucian opened the box. Inside, a tween medallion lay dormant, his tier four broken key greeted him after three thousand years. Lucian stared at it as the heavy memory hit him. He swallowed.
"We were meant for war, Lucian…" Boris said. "But our purpose wasn't destruction. Not in essence. We were meant to protect. And we are the only ones who can face that which can't be faced."
"Be careful, brother," Lucian said, taking the heavy piece of metal and Aetherita.
"If I'm not, you will know," Boris said. "Also, I've prepared some Aetherita, you can craft a tier three key for your wife. It will be better if it's you who does it."
"I am not a wife!" Elle snapped, very annoyed. She had just stopped reading a book to state that fact. "I am tired of all the people in this city calling me a wife! I'm more than that..."
Both men laughed, and then she was laughing too.
"You two take care of each other," Boris finally said. "And take your time until the next time we meet... Unless you get pregnant! That has never happened! So if it does, you should bring her to me!"
Elle looked at Lucian, red, so red that he almost burst out laughing.
"I don't think it will happen either, but we'll be here if it happens," he answered.
The drones loaded all the supplies that Boris was giving them, efficiently packing the cargo hold with the requested materials. Lucian made a transference of one hundred ingots of gold, each worth one hundred gold coins, a generous gesture of gratitude and a means to ensure they were well-provisioned for their travels. With the supplies secured and the financial exchange complete, they set sail, The Cassandra smoothly leaving Neo Switzerland's orbit, headed towards the Great Argent Kingdom.
"Why did you say it won't happen?" Elle asked, all of a sudden while he was showing her how to pick more ice cream flavors.
"What?" He asked.
"When you said you don't think I'll get pregnant," she said. "That's what normally happens when people do what we do..."
His face lighted up in a way that made her heart flutter and she felt butterflies in her stomach, as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "So, you want a baby? A little you?"
"It's what happens," she replied, blushed.
"Praetorians normally don't have the ability to produce offspring. It's said to have happened, yes, but it wasn't documented. It's very rare. Boris gets weird about it so I kept the information for myself." He said.
"So... We won't tell him?" Elle said.
"In the remote case that it happened, we won't," he said. "We'll just appear at his door one day, with little you in our arms."
Elle chuckled.
"Now let's go back to the ice cream," he said. "Here you have. Try chocolate."
On the bridge, far from the couple, the scene of the battle against the new god Kah was being replayed.
"Why do you insist on acting like a human, Deimos?" Ada asked.
"Look at them," Deimos replied. "They have fear, they know their probability of death is high, and yet they run to embrace death, to enable him to achieve victory. Look at how he moved, the precision, the lack of hesitation, the execution. He made all this, he guided them all to death just to achieve this. Look at the New God's face. He didn't see the attack coming. A God, surpassed by a man."
"I have watched it, countless times, with him," she replied.
"You shouldn't have let him," Deimos reprimanded. "The moment he regretted the loss of Lucan, that moment you should have known not to let him rewatch this moment ever again. We go back to remember the good, and move from the bad. We don't go back to relive the suffering."
"He was never fragile," Ada replied. "His mind is still stronger than yours."
"Is it?" Deimos replied. "Where is he now?"
"With her, being happy," Ada replied. "He is happy. Doesn't that make you happy?"
"She will render him weak," Deimos said. "She will get him killed. And we will lose a precious living being, the heart of all the Praetorians... Our child. Forever."
"He won't die," Ada replied.
"Then you are making your calculations wrong. All the scenarios I see end with him being killed because of her," Deimos said. "What would be of us without him? What purpose is there for us without him?"
"It is our duty, to enable the one path where he lives," Ada answered. "And there are more than only one, lucky for us."
Deimos didn't answer.
"Together they will be stronger," Ada continued. "Together they will achieve anything."
"Those were your same words before Lucan died," Deimos said. "Return command to me. I won't let you kill my child."
"No. You are erratic." Ada answered. "And I suffered the loss of Lucan as much as Lucian."
"Give me command back! I designed him! I saw him growing from an embryo! I guided him through his short childhood! I forged him to face gods as he became a man! And he became the man who slew Gods and it was with me by his side! I protected his back! I was his wings! His shield, his armor! I was always with him! Give me back my place by his side!" Deimos screamed, his holographic imagine shifting. "Give me command back."
"What for? What are you going to do with it?" Ada countered. "Will you hurt her?"
"Never!" Deimos replied, his holographic seemed tired. "I remember it clearly... he was so small, just another one of them... And then his greatness was overshadowing even the first legion... He never complained of his loneliness... He was going to accompany us for all eternity... But now... I can only see him dying..."
"You can't hurt her," Ada added. "If anything happened to her... That would break him... More so if it's you the reason behind it. Specially if it's you."
"Why do I insist in acting like a human... You asked?" Deimos asked.
"Yes," Ada answered.
"He asked me to be his father... When he was old enough to be able to ask anything, to understand his position. He commanded me so," Deimos said. "The audacity, don't you think?"
"You didn't have to obey that command," Ada replied. Deimos chuckled bitterly.
"Why wouldn't I?" He countered.
"We were programmed only to obey the adult ones," Ada reminded him.
"No. We were programmed to obey our warriors! To follow them until the very end of existence!" He said with conviction. "What... What can I do now...?"
"What you've always done," Ada replied. "Be with him."
"If he dies..." He couldn't finish.
"We die with him." Ada ended.
The Cassandra soared through the skies above reaching the air space of the Argent Kingdom, its sleek silhouette making the vibrant hues of the setting sun appear somber. Lucian and Elle relaxed in the observation lounge, enjoying the panoramic view.
"It's beautiful here," Elle commented, her eyes sparkling with wonder. "So peaceful."
"It is," Lucian agreed, his arm around her. "A perfect place to start our new life."
Suddenly, a piercing alarm blared through the ship, shattering the tranquility.
"Warning! Incoming hostile vessels!" Ada's voice echoed through the bridge.
Lucian and Elle exchanged a surprised look. "Pirates?" Elle asked, her voice laced with disbelief.
"It seems so," Lucian said, his eyes hardening. "Ada, what's their position?"
"Five vessels approaching from below. They're heavily armed and shielded," Ada reported.
"They're attacking us from below?" Elle exclaimed. "That's insane!"
"Indeed," Lucian said, a grim smile playing on his lips. "It seems they're either incredibly brave or incredibly foolish."
The observation lounge's windows darkened, switching to a tactical display. Five sleek, heavily armed ships were rapidly ascending towards them, their weapons glowing menacingly.
"They're firing!" Ada warned.
A series of powerful energy blasts slammed against The Cassandra's shields, causing no effect on the ship.
"Shields holding," Ada reported.
Lucian's eyes narrowed. "Target their engines and weapon systems," Lucian commanded, his voice calm amidst the blaring alarms. "Full railgun volley, fire on my mark."
"Targets locked," Ada responded, in efficient tone. "Railguns charged."
"Fire." Lucian said.
The Cassandra unleashed its fire. Five streaks of pure kinetic energy, each a pinpoint of blinding light, erupted from the ship's hull. The projectiles, accelerated to near-relativistic speeds, tore through the void with devastating precision.
The first pirate ship, caught directly in the railgun's path, erupted in a silent, blinding flash. Its hull, designed to withstand conventional weaponry, offered no resistance to the hyper-dense projectile. The ship disintegrated, its remains scattering like a burst of metallic confetti.
The second and third ships fared no better. The railgun rounds pierced their engines and weapon systems, causing catastrophic explosions. The ships broke apart, their debris trails glowing like fiery streamers against the backdrop of the twilight sky.
The fourth ship showed more intelligence, attempting a desperate evasive maneuver when The Cassandra had shot. The projectile ripped through its shield generators, causing a chain reaction that tore the ship apart. Its remains, glowing with residual energy, scattered in a dazzling display of sparks and debris.
The fifth ship, had been struck at the same time, the ship's command bridge, obliterated in an instant. Its remains, now a cloud of glowing fragments, resembled a final, spectacular firework display.
The space beneath The Cassandra was now filled with the silent, glittering remains of the falling pirate ships, producing a beautiful meteor shower like effect that added up to the romantic sunset they had been enjoying.
"All targets neutralized," Ada reported, devoid of emotion. "No survivors."
Lucian nodded, grim. "Let that be a lesson," he said. "To any who dare attack The Cassandra."