They always had limited time, didn’t they?
As TO walked back to their room, that’s what they thought about. It seemed like peace, like the surety that they’d be with DH was always just out of their grasp, and every checkpoint they hit had some kind of condition to it. They had to survive their training, had to go on assignment together, had to stop the insurgency. Brief moments in between where they either thought they had lost altogether, or thought they had all the time in the world now.
Now… they had to get off the planet. Another task, another condition, another chance they would get separated or killed. All they had to do now was get off a planet in lockdown, and avoid being captured or killed by this quadrant’s minister of security—who already suspected them, TO was certain—or by King Decon’s own army when they arrived.
Even if they did that, TO doubted that that would be the end.
They turned a corner, their own room laying just ahead of them. Was DH there, or was their mate still talking with Vik? If they were, TO decide they’d go find Avery or GiDi. They didn't want to stop DH from making friends, but they also didn’t want to be alone.
They opened the door, and found DH there laying on the bed, their chip projecting lines and lines of code in the air before them. As TO Entered the room, they stopped and turned off their work.
“Where did you go?” They asked as they sat up, “I was worried-”
“I just wanted to talk to Flit and Snout.” TO said, “That’s all.”
DH’s ears quirked forward, “Is everything alright?”
TO smiled, and headed to the bed. They sat down next to DH, wrapped their arms around their mate, and then lay down, pulling the other with them.
“... Nothing’s alright.” TO muttered as they curled into DH, holding onto them, a wing draping over their body.
“... You’re upset about the warehouse too?”
Confusion halted TO’s thoughts. “What?” they muttered, “The warehouse?”
“What Vik said about making people disappear, or smuggling them in.” DH said as they wrapped an arm around TO, “That it’s just allowed. That so much is just allowed… No, that King Decon allows it.”
TO’s hands tightened around DH. Their first response, the one on the tip of their tongue, was to say that He likely didn’t know about it. However, that had been their assumption on the whole indebted program as well, and the housing situation. It was all allowed. All sacrifices for the good of the galaxy, to keep things running smoothly.
And if things didn’t run smoothly… Well, things were not running smoothly on Arkane right now, and they knew what was coming. King Decon allowed all this to happen. Maybe if he had been in direct control it wouldn’t have, but even so he allowed this to happen. King Decon sacrificed the well being of civilians for the smooth running of his kingdom, and now with it endangered, there’s every chance that King Decon wouldn’t fix the problem, but just destroy it; a planet of civilians, just gone.
They were once civilians too, a long time ago. Chilacians. What happened there? Why were they turned into synths? Civilians did that to other Civilians. King Decon wasn’t supposed to do that to civilian races and certainly wasn’t supposed to lie about it.
They hid their face in DH’s side, their ears low, their hands shaking.
“.... DH.” Their voice was low and soft, their words whispered so quietly it was almost as though they didn’t want them heard. “... Is King Decon bad?” The words felt so childish coming from them, but even so it was the only way that they could say it, the only way they could pose the question. DH felt quiet, their hold on TO tightening. For a long time, TO thought that DH wouldn’t answer, and even worried that they shouldn’t have said anything. TO was about to apologize, to beg DH to forget they asked that, but then DH finally spoke.
“I don’t know.” They said, their words slow and ponderous, “But I don’t think he cares about us. I don’t think he cares about any single person, so long as the Galaxy is running as he wants.” They pulled TO closer, resting their chin atop their head as they slid a hand around their lower back, “Otherwise… how could He just kill off an entire planet of people?”
That made sense. That made so much sense it was painful. TO always thought that the sacrifices that they made for the Galaxy under King Decon’s rule ensured that civilians could live good lives. That civilians could be comfortable, and the Galaxy could grow.
The Galaxy was growing, but it wasn’t for the benefit of the civilians, at least not most of them. They had been working, striving for the good of the galaxy. For the good of its people. If all their work, if their service wasn’t doing that, if King Decon wasn’t doing that… then what was it for?
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
They clutched at DH and hid their face in the other’s chest. They thought of all the training they had done, how lonely they were at first, how scared once they met DH that they’d lose their mate. All their hard work, all their efforts. They thought of Q10, who their higher ups had corrected. Of the trainees that had been corrected for just not working as they should, for not acting as they should.
They thought of GiDi being taken away, early getting corrected, and of how they nearly lost DH time and time again. All of it was supposed to be a worthy sacrifice at least. A sacrifice for King Decon, and the good of the galaxy.
“...it was all a lie.” They whispered before they wept into DH’s arms.
======
They dreamt of the juvenile again. The child floating in the tank, whose life would cost too much to maintain. Of course, this dream had been one that plagued them from the day it happened, often becoming worse and worse as time went on. The only solace to it was that over time, the nightmares grew further and further apart.
This dream, however, was vivid, and lacked the normal surreal elements that normally implanted themself in their dream. They dreamt of The child, the twitching of their body as PQ03 pressed the button, ending their life. The box that connected to the small synth’s neck jolted, the juvenile suddenly tensed, their ears pinned, their eyes twitched beneath translucent eyelids, and then they fell limp and floated like a preserved specimen in the tank.
“It’s far less wasteful to start over and reprocess what we can than it is to fix the problem in this case.”
Less wasteful. Efficiency was so important. For king Decon. In service to King Decon. As tools for King Decon.
When they jolted awake, they expected their hands to be covered in blood. It had been so normal, so real, that TO wasn’t sure it had been a dream at all. They could hear and smell everything so clearly. It took a few waking moments for the smell of disinfectant to fade, for the sound of bones snapping to be replaced with DH’s soft breathing, interspersed with chirping.
They were supposed to wake DH when they had this dream. They had promised. Still, the first thing they did was close their eyes and snuggle deeper into DH’s sleepy embrace once more, listening to the hum of their heart, the rhythm of their breathing, and the soft chirps.
A minute passed, and then another. While the dream had faded, they still felt sick and they were so keenly aware of the puffiness around their eyes.
What had it all been for? It had been for the good of the galaxy. Apparently that doesn’t count the people in the galaxy.
Their mind wouldn’t let it go. The wondering, the gnawing of the thoughts at the inside of their stomach. No, they weren’t getting back to sleep. With a sigh they reached a hand up and gently set it along the back of DH’s ear. A soft, contented hum escaped them as they continued to sleep.
TO didn’t want to wake them.. But they had made a promise. “DH.” Their whisper was soft, but urgent, and it was enough to rouse them from their sleep, but only just. Their arms tightened around TO’s waist as they snuggled closer, their snout resting on TO’s head, their ear flicking in TO’s hand. “DH… I had the dream again.” TO whispered.
DH’s eyes opened languidly then, looking around as though trying to place where they were, then settling on TO.
“Hmm... the dream?” They asked, the words not really making sense to DH yet. It didn’t matter. DH’s other hand went to the back of TO’s neck, scratching gently just below the base of TO’s skull.
“It was more real this time.” TO muttered, but already the tension was seeping from them. “It was just like how it happened back then.”
“I wasn’t there this time?”
“No, thankfully.” TO said, “It was just like a memory.”
“How do you feel now?”
How could TO explain it? Their only comfort before had been that it was for something bigger than them, something better.
But, there was still something good that came out of it. TO let their hand slip to DH’s face, tracing the scars on their cheek.
“I’m glad you’re here.” TO said. The only thing that comforted them about that whole incident now was that it helped DH. If it hadn’t been for that sick young synth, if TO hadn’t been there, hadn’t seen the eyes removed, then DH never would have had them.
They would have lost DH long ago.
“I don’t think I’m getting back to sleep though.” TO whispered.
DH hummed and shifted to grab their communicator. “Alright.” They said, “Let’s see what time it is. If it’s too early, I’m sure we can distract ourselves…” The dim light of their communicator illuminated the area, and TO shut their sensitive eyes to it. A moment later, DH groaned, their hand dropping behind TO, their head crashing against the pillow.
“Nevermind.” They sighed, “It’s time to get up.”
“Is it really?”
“Yes… we need to check on Avery.”