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CHAPTER 2

Consequences

Aidan opens her eyes, the ambient, sterile white light assaulting her eyes causing her to blink and groan a little. She is alive. Tied to a bed, hooked up to a wide array of machines, wrapped in bandages and covered in vivid bruises, but she is conscious.

Hearing her waking up, the several blurry silhouettes standing feet away from the hospital bed she rests in turn their heads in unison, interrupting the lively conversation they were having a moment ago.

“And here she is." Says a low, angry voice, “This is going to cost us all our lives Oma. Why on Earth did you think saving a human you were tasked to kill would be the right call?! What went through your head? Answer me."

“Because I'm sick of having innocent blood on my hands, Ondo. I can't do it anymore. I'm done." answers a familiar voice. “Kill her if you want, I'll suffer the consequences alone, please, prove me you're the monster I think you are."

“You are an idiot, a child. I can't believe I sacrificed half of my life raising you to be the soldier your father wanted you to be. I promised, Oma. The day he died, I took you under my wing, I treated you as my own child and THIS is how you reward me? I should let the personnel send a report to the counsel, you should pay for this."

Aidan groans once again, her entire body sore, barely able to focus her painful, irritated eyes on whoever is standing in front of her. The familiar voice resonates once more.

“Don't you dare talk about my dad and what he wanted. He's dead. He died because of the Empire's greed, so did my mom and your wife. If you want to keep throwing your life away to defend a system that took so much from us, if you want to be just another cog in a senseless meat grinder, then you're free to do that. I'll bribe the doctors myself. I'll wait for her to heal and recover and I'll bring her back to her people. You don't have the right to choose who I am, just like you shouldn't have the right to choose who lives or dies just because of those medals on your chest. Now go. If you're not willing to help me, just go."

The room falls silent. A long drawn out sigh cuts through it a few seconds after Oma finishes making her point. A third voice makes itself heard.

“Madam, what your uncle is trying to say is that…"

“I know exactly what he's trying to say, Alhen. Don't even bother." blurts out the Hargen that decided to save Aidan. “I don't need to hear any of it. Do what you want to do, I can't stop you, I've obeyed for too long, if I lose it all then so be it. Death will be gentler than the nightmares, the guilt, the sixty five years of my life I have spent doing the bidding of a few tyrants instead of what I should be doing."

“Oh for the love of gods, Oma. Don't give me this shit again." Ondo now clearly losing his calm, “You'll live a thousand years, what's a few centuries spent making the world a safer place, you petulant child. I cannot take your naivety anymore. I deserve better than your ignorance."

Aidan tries to speak, but nothing more than a groan comes out of her mouth, instantly muffled by the oxygen mask keeping her alive.

“I might be naive but you're brainwashed." Says Oma, her tone increasingly more frustrated and angry, “Just like every single Hargen that decided that the Empire's bloodthirsty vision for Earth was better than what this girl's ancestors did to it. We're just the same."

Ondo lets out a menacing, low growl escape him. “That's it. We're done. This is the last time I cover for you. Nurse this pathetic thing back to health and release it into the wild and after that, you'll obey my commands, every single one of them, without fail, or I'll have you hanged for treason, kid. Don't you dare fuck up this badly ever again."

Aidan, her vision slowly coming back to her, catches a glance of the unfamiliar Hargen as they leave the room, leaving Oma alone with her. The young wolf letting out an irritated yelp before sitting down on a bench in the corner of the room.

A long silence ensues. Aidan tries to speak once again but the tight mask strapped to her face prevents her from doing so. Raising a trembling hand, she grabs it, tugging on it until it slips off onto the covers, catching Oma's attention in the process.

“Put that back on, immediately, your right lung is perforated,badly so. You're gonna die if you keep it off for too long." barked the Hargen as she stood up, clearly still furious.

“You saved my life…" mumbled Aidan in a labored voice, “And whoever that is clearly wants you to forget that."

Oma's eyes widen and she remains silent for a few seconds before a deep sadness appears on her face, letting herself fall back onto the bench, burying her face into her hands.

“My uncle, that's who that was and he is going to have me hanged because of it. None of them care. I didn't care. For so long. I should have killed you. I don't know what's wrong with me."

“B-but you didn't." mouthed the bedridden human.

“No. Clearly I didn't. I didn't because I am tired of taking lives for no reason. But I was wrong, I have to be wrong about everything. We have to kill or get killed. I have to kill because this is what my job requires of me. I should get this through my head before it costs me my life."

“Then do it. I didn't want any of this." grumbles Aidan, realizing that she is stuck in something completely out of her control. “You people killed everybody I was with, that should have been the end of me. Then I almost killed the both of us…"

Aidan coughs, struggling to breathe and speak, the taste of blood assaulting her taste buds again.

“Put the mask back on, you idiot." growls Oma, jumping back to her feet and bolting towards the bed, grabbing the oxygen mask before sticking it back on Aidan's face and pushing a button on the machine it's connected to. “Here, you can both talk and breathe now."

The young Hargen lets out a long, drawn out sigh before leaning against the bed, crossing her arms.

“I won't kill you. Too late for that now, not that I want to anyway."

“Well, thanks for this I guess." Aidan scuffs, a smirk appearing on her face through the mask.

Oma remains silent, arms still crossed, what looks like a smirk bending the corner of her mouth.

“I'm sorry about your people…"

Aidan gazes at the young wolf for a few seconds before answering. “I didn't know most of them. We were assigned to a hunting party, that's it. The only person I knew assaulted me years ago. He beat me up pretty badly after I told him he shouldn't sell drugs to the kids of our sector. Fuck him. I'm glad he's dead. And for the others, what's done is done."

Oma's mouth opens a little as Aidan recounts the events, clearly conflicted about the whole situation.

“Fine, that one guy got it coming. Doesn't change we killed a dozen other innocent people."

“Your people use mine as a food source, do your best to sterilize us, poison our food and water, your laws push us to live underground, you prevent us from entering your borders unless we want to die and when we do by accident you slaughter us, just to name a few." says Aidan after letting a tiny grunt escape her lips. “I don't want to ruin your introspective outburst here, but it's a lot more than a few dozen."

“I know!" Oma yelps, burying her face into her hands again. “And I can't live with it, none of it. And yet here I am."

“I agree, here you are, at the bedside of a human you saved today. And if I've understood what I heard correctly, it could hurt you, throw your life in shambles. Yet, you don't want to unplug this machine here, finishing me off."

“What do you even want from me?" Growls Oma, lifting both her arms up, “I'm stuck. I won't kill you and just like you in that ravine yesterday, I don't want to die. There's no escape from this. I'm gonna have to do what my uncle wants once again, wait until you're healed, take you back to the border and come back here to be a killing machine for the Imperial death machine. That's the only way out of this."

“Then do it. Don't throw your life away for nothing. I'm thankful that you decided to spare my life and put yourself in danger to nurse me back to life. Don't tempt fate anymore than you already did. There are things in life that we can't change. All of this is bigger than us, that's it."

“Fuck this." scoffs the young Hargen, “I'm gonna take you back home whenever you're healthy again and then I'll just leave. I'll defect and I'll make sure nobody can ever find me."

“That does sound an awful lot like throwing your life away for nothing."

“Still better than the alternative."

Oma stands up and begins pacing around the room, crossing her arms once again.

“That's up for you to decide, I guess." Aidan shrugs. “I can't believe I'm here talking about this after all that happened…"

“I'm sorry. You're right, this is definitely not your problem" grumbled Oma, stopping in front of the nearby window, staring outside for a moment.

The human kept her eyes on the Imperial for a while, taking in her pristine white fur, long black hair, and squeaky clean Imperial officer uniform before the Hargen turned back toward the bed and as her deep blue eyes met Aidan's, she couldn't help but see it, just how beautiful Oma was.

“What are you staring at?" probed Oma, her eyebrows furrowing a little.

“Nothing. I'm stuck in this bed, remember?"

“Sure, whatever." Oma let out a sharp sigh before continuing, “I need to go and you need to rest. Your injuries are bad enough that you're going to have to stay here for a few weeks at the very least, the more you rest the faster you'll heal. And please, do drink and eat your fill, I know the food here is terrible but you need to."

“I'd kill for some of this awful food right now, don't even worry about it."

Oma nods before moving towards the door, stopping right before leaving, one hand on the door handle already.

“What's your name? I never asked."

“Aidan."

Oma smiles.

“Aidan. That's a beautiful name you've got there. Take care Aidan, rest. I'll be back to check on you."

The Imperial left the room, leaving Aidan alone with her thoughts.

The following week, Aidan spent most of her time sleeping as her condition gradually improved, little by little. The rare moments she spent awake were filled with silent contemplation, unable to think of anything but the insane situation she finds herself in, at times even wishing she had died upon hitting the ground at the bottom of the ravine. Despite all that, even when the whole ordeal felt like too much to go through, the memory of Oma standing up to her uncle, risking everything to justify saving her life, kept coming back to her, making everything ever so slightly more bearable only for the weight of it all to come crashing back down on her, crying herself to sleep the majority of the time.

She also began to harbor serious doubts about what she would do once her body recovered and the Hargen decided that it was time to release her. Living underground among the remnant of humanity, struggling to feed themselves and make sure she remained in the good graces of the local property renters so as to not end up dying alone outside after having been exiled for being unable to pay sure wasn't a thrilling way to live and maybe, just maybe, now that everybody probably thought she died alongside the rest of that hunting party, she could find a caravan or a transit ship to work on and take her far away from that sector she spent her entire in and she hated so much, never to come back.

Nobody but a couple nurses ever came to check up on her during that first week, neither did they for another seven days, Aidan starting to believe that Oma lied and that she wouldn't come back. That at some point someone else would come to take her to a transport and that she would never see the Hargen that saved her life ever again, that maybe she already fell victim to the consequences of her actions that her uncle seemed to despise so much. But then, on the fifteenth day in a row stuck in that bed, in the early hours of the morning, she was woken up by the sound of the door closing. It was Oma, standing there at the entrance of the hospital room, holding a bag, dressed in Hargen military fatigues, looking at her with a softness in her gaze.

“Hey there." she said, “sorry to have taken such a long time. They sent me on a two weeks mission in the borderlands."

The young Imperial steps closer, leaning against the bed.

“How are you doing?" she asks, he tone gentle and soft.

Aidan takes a few seconds to process the warmth she feels upon laying eyes on her before answering.

“Nurses say I'm healing faster than anticipated. Everybody seems to silently hate me here though, and you were right, the food really is awful."

Oma chuckles. “Well that's good news, did they tell you how long you're going to have to stay here now that we know you're even tougher than I thought?"

“No. As little time as possible, I hope… I thought I'd never see you again."

Aidan's words made Oma pause for an instant.

“With how much shit I got from my uncle for deciding to save you you really think I'd just disappear never to be seen again?" She answered, a hint of playfulness transpiring through her tone as she looked at the human with a slight smile.

“Well, yes." Aidan chuckled.

“How rude of me would that be. My uncle can punish me however much he wants, I'll still deal with the consequences of my actions, and this time it's making sure you heal and are ready to go back to your people."

Aidan paused, looking down at her hands and arms laying on top of the covers pensively.

“Yeah, about that…" she finally responded.

Oma didn't add anything, she just waited there for whatever was coming next, tilting her head slightly to the side, one of her ears flickering.

“I won't go back. Not to my sector at least." Aidan begin, a touch of sadness taking hold of her, “I have no family left alive, no friends, not enough money to keep my old place and enough people pissed off at me to warrant looking back over my shoulder every time I step out of my place and make locking the doors at night a matter of life and death."

Oma's eyes narrowed a little, a look of concern now clearly distinguishable upon her face.

“On top of it all, everybody there probably thinks I died that day alongside the rest of the group your team was sent to kill. There's nothing for me there. Not a single reason to stay." she blubbered, now picking at one of her nails, clearly distraught.

A short silence ensued, only broken by a sigh coming from the young Hargen.

“We really are more similar than I thought, uh?" Oma lamented, looking at the window for a second, lost in thought. “Whatever you do after all this is up to you. Just make sure it doesn't get you killed. Would be a shame after all you're going through right now."

Aidan's lips contorted, betraying her thoughts for a second. Fear, indecision, a tinge of sadness maybe.

“What about you?" She asked, looking up at the Imperial once again.

Oma opened her mouth, ready to answer but she paused. Like she knew the answer she was about to give was bullshit, like something in her decided to tell the truth, for once.

“I don't know." She answered.

Aidan's eyes staying stuck on her face, scanning her emotions, clearly understanding that something had changed since the last time she saw the warrior.

“I think it's really time for me to reconsider everything I thought I would be in the future, make sure I disappear for good. If my uncle decides to have me on trial for it all, which looks a lot more likely than I thought given how furious he has been the last few weeks, I'm gonna die anyway…"

Aidan let out a slight little gasp.

“This doesn't mean what I think it means, right?"

“I don't know." Simply said the Hargen, crossing her arms and lowering her head. “It doesn't mean I'll take my life if that's what you think it means, God no." she added, suddenly realizing what the human was implying. “But there's a very real chance they will be the ones to decide I need to die for what I've done, that they need to make an exemple out of me. Not just for you, but for a litany of other things I've done. This has been going on for a while."

Aidan doesn't answer, lowering her gaze instead.

“I just don't know where to go quite yet. I can't mess this up. Defection means death for someone like me. I could go on trial if I say, a fake, orchestrated one for sure, but a trial nonetheless. If I leave and they arrest me, they'll hang me or behead me the same day. This happens every week. It happened to so many service members I knew or heard about over the years, it's frightening."

Aidan remains dead silent, listening without interrupting, something Oma clearly needs at the moment.

“I feel like I should leave Earth. If there's a chance for me to disappear safely, this is probably the best course of action. I'm sad this is what it's gonna have to come down to but I don't know if I have a choice."

Aidan felt her heart drop a little. Ignoring the feeling, she finally speaks up.

“Taking a Seraph gate? You'd have to enroll on a transit ship."

“Yeah, basically. Most civilian captains won't run any background checks on potential hirings, ever. They don't care, as long as you make them money, they won't ask any questions. Putting a few billion light years between me and Earth sounds like a good plan, sadly enough."

“What if the other gate goes dark for some time? Some of them have been know to go dormant for decades, if not centuries sometimes."

“Even better, I guess." Admitted the young Imperial. “I'd need to come to terms with the fact that my life would probably end somewhere far, far away from everything I have ever known. That sure sounds daunting, but again, do I really have a choice? I fear the answer is no."

Aidan remained silent. Oma was right, the Empire grew to expand to an unfathomably large size, now including more than a thousand solar systems in its core. Anyone who would want to manage to escape them for the rest of their life would have to travel distances that would make any Earther's head spin.

“Anyway…" Oma stuttered, “I brought you a little something."

The wolf reached for the bag she was carrying, opening it and reaching inside before revealing its content, a rack of MW credits and a bottle of rhubarb soda.

“I'll keep the rack for you while you finish recovering, there's five thousand credits in there, it will be enough to cover any spending for a while." she said, then lowering her voice to a whisper, “I'll also give you a gun and a full set of travel clothes and gear once we're behind the border, wouldn't want anyone trying to rob you of those credits now, would we?"

“Oma, that's… that's so much money, you really don't need to do that. I can survive on my own." protested the young woman, feeling conflicted between the clear generosity of the Imperial and the feeling that said generosity felt almost insulting in a way, that Oma might be doing this more for herself than anything else.

“If you don't want it then sure, just say it and I'll keep it. The Empire pays people like me very, very well. I won't miss this kind of money, and if I disappear, they'll freeze every account I have, seize every liquid and every asset I own anyway. Might as well start giving it all away." countered the tall, white wolf, her tone calm and collected while making her point.

Aidan tried to protest again but the few words she came up with sounded rather unconvincing, even to herself. Oma was right, if everything was going to end in Imperial possession regardless, her accepting the money and possessions would be objectively better than refusing it all.

“Fair." she reluctantly said.

“Of course. You can keep the bottle right now though. I asked the doctors if it was fine in your current state, they said it wasn't the best idea but it wouldn't hurt you and, you know, after everything you've been through, I think you can allow yourself to break the rules a little. Plus I've heard many times that this is a human favorite."

“I love it." Chuckled Aidan, forced to admit Oma's pick was great. “Thank you."

“Bare minimum I can do, honestly." The wolf looked at the time before continuing, “I need to go. I'm glad that you're doing better already. It kept me up at night the last few weeks."

Aidan grabbed the bottle, a smile appearing on her face in response. She proceeded to open it and took a sip right away, the familiar taste hitting just right. Oma was already walking back towards the entrance of the room when Aidan decided to speak again.

“Oma?"

The wolf stopped and turned around, ready to hear whatever the human had to say.

“What if I wanted to come with you? If you end up leaving, what if I wanted to leave too?"

The Imperial's face betrayed the fact that she wasn't anticipating this question at all. She opened her mouth a little, ready to say something and then closed it, clearly thinking about what her answer should be.

“I don't know, Aidan. I wasn't expecting this one, to be honest. I appreciate the idea." she replied, struggling to find her words, “But I don't know if it's a good one. I almost was the reason you died once, I would hate to end up repeating that."

Both of them sustained each other's gaze silently for a few seconds before Oma broke the silence again.

“Get some rest, think about that for a while. I think it's important that you do." she added before turning around to leave once more only stopping one last time while standing in the door. “I'll see you soon, Aidan."