Race to the Next World

Aurora couldn’t stop crying. There were two things on his mind. One: they won. Everything they fought for, everything past generations fought for wasn’t in vain. They won. Two: everyone that crash landed on the planet was going to die.

He couldn’t help Sirus. He could barely help himself. Both of them were seriously wounded. Aurora could barely stand because of the shards of glass in his legs, but he swore he was fine. He tried to move the large pieces of metal and glass out of the way to get Sirus out from underneath but he didn’t have the strength. His legs collapsed under him and he could only sit on the grass and listen to the sound of other ships crashing near by.

They’ll die here.

Aurora had head trauma from the crash. He tried to blink away the blur in his vision but he could barely stay conscious at this point.

There was blood everywhere and it wasn’t just his.

Sirus couldn’t move. He laid in the grass and stared up at the sky. His breathing was choked from the injury to his chest. He couldn’t move out from the broken pieces of metal so he just laid there. The numbness in his body made him think he wasn’t in pain but it was just too much that his body decided to tune it out.

“I shouldn’t have left you.” Aurora cried quietly. “This is all my fault.” He was stuck on blaming himself.

He always did that.

Sirus really didn’t care.

“Who decided it was okay to make you a Flyer?” Sirus asked, rolling his eyes and groaning from the pain he felt. “We don’t complain this much.”

“If I hadn’t left-”

“I’d be down here alone.” Sirus finished for him.

He knew that nothing would change, that he still would’ve fallen in Earth’s gravity and crashed on the planet. Nothing would change. If Aurora wasn’t down here, he’d be alone.

Aurora didn’t say anything. He was still panicking, and it was to the point where he might choke. He didn’t know what to do, and for once, it was killing him. How was he going to save Sirus this time? There was so much blood everywhere and if they couldn’t get help they would die. Sirus wasn’t that focus on the outcome, and he didn’t want Aurora to be because when he panics, nothing good comes out of it.

“I don’t like being here.” Sirus hated the brightness, the sun, the sky, the grass, he just hated it all. In his first few minutes of being here, all he’s gotten was a death wish.

Of course he would hate it.

Aurora stared down at him, wondering how someone could dislike absolutely everything. That’s what he kept his mind on. If he didn’t, he would freak out worse over how Sirus was coughing up blood, how pale he looked, how he could possibly be paralyzed.

“I like it.” Aurora whispered.

He honestly liked it outside.

“It’s warm.” He closed his eyes.

That was the only thing keeping him up. With all the blood he’s lost, he was cold. It was like death cold. But he could feel the sun’s heat on him, and it’s the only reason he hasn’t passed out yet.

He was getting there though.

“I’m glad you can feel it.” Sirus said sarcastically. Clearly he wasn’t able to feel anything.

He continued to cough but it didn’t help to clear his lungs. His coughing just made it harder for him to catch his breath. It was only seconds later that he started to choke.

Aurora moved quickly, looking for something sharp he could use. He just barely rose on his feet to move around. As he stumbled, he looked for a gauge or something that could release air. He could hear Sirus trying to breathe and struggling so he did his best to find something to help. Moving around so quickly made him dizzy; he almost fell over multiple times before he finally had to stop.

He got down on the ground again to catch his breath. He looked at the glass that surrounded him, trying to find the perfect shard.

His hands were getting cut by how he recklessly touched the broken glass. He didn’t have time to worry about getting a cut when he was already losing so much blood from his gaping wounds. He had multiple pieces in his grasp, and he got up to go back over to Sirus.

He dropped the ones he didn’t need and held the one piece in his hand tightly. Without a second thought, he stabbed Sirus’ chest with the piece of glass and moved his hand. Sirus gasped for air, finally being able to breathe. It wasn’t perfect but it bought them more time.

Sirus just about cursed Aurora for causing him more pain.

“Dammit, Aurora-”

“Your lung collapsed.” Aurora said as he laid down on the ground, feeling tired.

He knew he had to stay awake because of his head trauma but he was so out of energy. He couldn’t keep it up anymore.

Sirus wasn’t going to last long either. Aurora knew that. How much longer were they going to wait to get the help they need? They’ll die here if no one comes for them.

“Your lungs will fill with blood and you’ll drown if someone doesn’t find you.” Aurora said quietly.

He couldn’t do anymore work.

He was tired.

He closed his eyes and focused on how the sun’s heat felt on his skin. He could feel the grass on his bleeding fingers. He could feel the wind on his face. He could feel it all.

When he opened his eyes again, he looked at Sirus.

There was just so much blood.

Were they going to make it?

Sirus stared back at him. Blood stained Aurora’s white hair. His sweat, tears, and blood was mixed on his face. His suit was torn from the glass shards. His legs were bleeding and going numb from the injury. He was barely going to make it. Any longer and he might go unconscious until he’s no longer breathing. He looked tired and he might fall asleep although he knew he shouldn’t.

There would be no time to get the help they need.

This was the only part of their lives that they knew what it was really like to be on a planet. Everything they learned, it was all this. They didn’t have long to enjoy it.

“I don’t want to die alone.” Aurora said quietly, breathing out slowly and letting his body give up. His tears spilled but he didn’t have the energy to really cry.

It was over.

He knew it.

“I’m here.” Sirus said.

That put Aurora at ease, enough to be okay to close his eyes and let everything go.

He could no longer feel the heat of the sun on his face.

What confused Aurora was hearing a beeping sound as he came out of unconsciousness. He forced himself to open his eyes despite his body’s inability to want to move.

He was in a medical room. He wasn’t the only one either. There was so many people pushed up into one room, receiving treatment for their severe wounds. He was laying in bed, his arms and legs bandaged up. He felt the white tape at his neck as well.

His hand moved up slowly to touch his head, feeling where his head was bandaged as well. He had a headache already and it was from the sterile lights.

“Good to see you’re awake.” One of the doctors was recording his response and information. “You had quite a lot of damage to your body.”

“How long...have I been...”

“It’s been ten days.” He said.

Aurora found it hard to speak. He knew what he wanted to say but he was troubled with forming the words. Immediately, he knew his head trauma was much worse than what he thought it was.

“You’re fine, Aurora. You just need time to heal. With the damage your body dealt with, your treatment will be rigorous. The medication you’re on isn’t making it easy for you.” He informed him.

Aurora still had questions to ask so he was going to try anyway. It was tough enough to be struggling but it was because of the medication he was on.

“S-s...Sirus...” He wanted to know where Sirus was.

“I’m not aware of all the patients we’ve taken in. We’ve also had a lot of deaths-”

Aurora couldn’t help but panic. His heart rate jumped at the sound of the word death and he couldn’t calm down. If only the medication he was on wasn’t holding him down. He would definitely go looking for Sirus.

It would be reckless. He was in no shape to be getting up and going anywhere.

“Please, Aurora, calm down. We need to focus on getting you better first.” The doctor was more concerned for his health now.

Within just a few seconds, Aurora’s psych numbers managed to jump up a level and that wasn’t a good sign. The doctor wasn’t confused, he was incredibly wary of what could happen next. Aurora was on the verge of a psychotic break and couldn’t handle it.

“Aurora, everything is going to be okay.” The doctor changed the medication he was on to get him to fall asleep again.

Aurora clearly needed more time to get better. Damaging his mental health wasn’t worth it to see if his wounds healed. Aurora was unconscious again within seconds. The panicked beeping slowed and his mental health numbers went back down to normal.

It will probably be a few more days before he wakes up again.

If there were any bad news, would he be able to handle it?

He was woken up again three days later. The same doctor was looking at him. The room was filled with different people getting their wounds treated. There were so many of them that they had to continue to rotate them around. Aurora was the only one who hadn’t moved in so long. He was the lucky one that could wake up, some others didn’t.

Aurora looked around slowly, getting used to his surroundings again. He knew where he was and why he was there, he just didn’t say anything.

“How are you feeling?” The doctor asked.

Aurora looked around slowly. He was trying to remember things but it just seemed like there was a gap in his memories.

He remembered the crash. He remembered the pain in his legs from the glass shards. He remembered the headache. But most of all, he remembered all the blood. It wasn’t his blood. He remembered seeing Sirus a mess.

But after that, it was blank. The last thing he could remember was the first time he woke up.

“Can I get up?” Aurora asked, wanting to move out of bed; there were things he needed to do

The doctor was cautious about letting Aurora go. Considering the spike in his psych health a few days ago, he wanted to asses any issue Aurora may be having. Right now, it didn’t seem like a concern but it could definitely cause problems if Aurora was put in an environment that he’s not used to.

Aurora was rather persistent and didn’t wait for an answer however.

The doctor stepped aside to give Aurora some room to move and get to his feet. He sat up in bed slowly and did his best to push himself off the bed. When he stood up, he couldn’t hold his weight for long so he sat back down. His legs were still injured. It wasn’t till then that he felt the tight bandages wrapped around his legs. He was wearing a grey short and pants that were given to everyone in the infirmary. Underneath the clothes, he felt all the bandages. His body was stiff.

All he wanted was too leave, but he could barely walk. So now what?

“It’ll be some time before you can hold yourself up. Your muscles were severely damaged.” His doctor said.

Aurora remembered the shards of glass that we’re embedded into his legs. He’s lucky that he was still able to have function in his legs. Aurora wouldn’t be too happy to be using prosthetics.

“You’ll just need crutches for a day or two.”

That wasn’t a long time.

Aurora touched his head when he felt a pulse. The headache returned and it was enough for him to lay back down. His head hurt a lot. It was worse than the first time he woke up.

“You also suffered severe head trauma.” The doctor said. “We’ve assessed and taken care of the damage, everything with your brain is fine, it’s just going to take some time to heal.”

Right. Aurora knew that.

He stared up at the ceiling and tried to think about what was going to happen next. Then he realized that he would rather be anywhere else except for here.

“Can I leave?” Aurora asked anyway, the pulsing in his head getting stronger.

The doctor stammered for words. He clearly didn’t want to let Aurora go anywhere. It didn’t matter if everything looked normal. Aurora wasn’t fine. There was something going on and Aurora needed to stay to get further assessed.

However, Aurora didn’t wait for an answer again. Instead, he was getting up on his own because he wanted to leave.

His doctor didn’t stop him.

As Aurora sat up in bed, his doctor shined a light over his eyes to see if he still had photo phobia. Aurora’s pupils reacted normally to the light and he didn’t shrug away from it either. His reflexes were normal. The only problem he had was not being able to move easily. He needs crutches and pain medication.

“Just be sure to take your medication when you check out.” his doctor said.

Aurora got up again, this time being able to stand longer. The doctor handed him a pair of crutches so he could walk better.

Aurora left immediately after getting checked out.

He was surprised to find himself back on the mothership. He had to remind himself that everything that happened actually did happen and it wasn’t some dream he made up. He actually went through what he went through and crash landed on the planet his nation had fought centuries trying to get to. There were more people sitting along the walls of the hallway. They weren’t as badly hurt as the others in the room but it was enough to still need treatment.

Thirteen days.

The system can only handle so much trauma and not slow down.

Aurora continued to walk slowly only to be met with a few higher up Lieutenants. They told him to follow them. Aurora was hesitant to but he did. He couldn’t disobey the officials.

He found himself in Iris’ room, the main control center for the mothership. This was where everything happens. He hacked the computers from this very room but being here on official business seemed much better.

Iris and Picses were standing at the center of the room. Other lower officials were talking to them. They turned when they saw Aurora walking in slowly with his crutches.

“Aurora!” Picses was elated. “Glad to see you’re alive.” He opened his arms wide.

Aurora still had a bitter dislike for Picses after his recent stunts. He was wary about what may happen in the next second. His eyes narrowed when he heard Picses misdirected enthusiasm. Considering how so many people have gone missing or died, Picses was shocked to find some cadets alive. He didn’t realize Aurora had a disdain expression.

There were other things to worry about.

“We have been talking about how the new world will be situated.” Iris said behind Picses. “We’ve created different spaces and departments designed to work together and help the president.” He explained.

“You mean the figure head?” Aurora interjected.

Aurora figured out a lot of truths after joining the fighting force. He wasn’t going to be lied to now.

“Just let the civilian people have their president,” Picses laughed and stroked his beard.

“We wanted to ask you if you wanted to be the head of the defense department.” Iris said.

Head of the defense department. Does that mean Commander?

“Yes.” Aurora said immediately.

He didn’t have to think about it. He just said yes without a pause or breath. His face was serious. This was something he didn’t take lightly.

“Are you sure you don’t want to think about this? Being Commander isn’t a joke-”

“I’ll take the offer.” Aurora didn’t need a second to think.

He knew damn well that he deserved this position. He worked too hard for years to give himself a second to think. He was mad that he had to be asked to take the position. Did Picses think lightly of him?

“It’s going to be a tough job, Aurora.” Picses was warning him. “We’re reconstructing the system and-”

“That’s not tough. I can do it.” Aurora insisted.

“The regions will be split in three. Though your position will be the highest.” Iris said and faced Aurora. “There will be other departments you have to coordinate with. Your other half is the defense in space which will be headed by Hariette.”

“We’ll be changing protocols so every department head will be around for briefing...”

Aurora stopped listening. He is a Commander. Not only is he a Commander, he’s the Head of Defense. He stopped listening to everything. He imagined this moment to be much better, to be much brighter and more exciting. Then again, he didn’t care, he just wanted it. He wanted to be Commander so badly and it finally happened.

“Aurora?” Iris asked when he noticed that Aurora had spaced out. “Are you okay?” He asked.

“I think...I think I should go lay down. ” He slowly moved back to leave the room.

He just needed to bask in the great news. He was about to faint.

He made his way out of the room so he could take a breath. He really didn’t want to think about what just happened but he couldn’t help it. He was a Commander now. He was in control. For years, he’s dreamed of this, and look at what happened. He leaned against the wall and took another deeper breath. He had to make sure this was real.

Who was he going to tell? Where were his friends? They were okay, right? He looked around the empty hall as he thought about who he should talk to. Then he remembered that he hasn’t seen Sirus. It’s been...how long?

He had to find Sirus.

He went back to the infirmary to ask a lot of questions about where he could find his partner. Even that kind of information wouldn’t be given to him till he demanded it. And because he was so persistent, they finally let him know where he could find Sirus. He was slow still but he made his way around to find him.

There were not a lot of people in the hallways, but the people he did see had bruises and fading scars, casts, and bandages. He assumed they were Flyers that fell just like he did. He didn’t realized that there were so many.

What were things going to be like now? So many peopled died. Could Aurora say it was for a good cause? How could he justify that? What he always expected from Flyers was for them to come back after each mission. He never did well with enduring a loss even with people he doesn’t know. So this was going to linger on his mind until he had other things to worry about. He walked the halls slowly, thinking about things he would change to make everything better. It would be better if he could protect everyone.

He should be able to protect everyone, right?

He stopped thinking about it when he saw Sirus.

Aurora didn’t think he would ever see Sirus so beat up. Although its been thirteen days, it wasn’t enough for Sirus to heal that well. Not everyone had the luxury, even Aurora had to use crutches to hold himself up on his legs.

He was quiet as he walked in the room. Sirus just barely glanced at Aurora when he saw him. Right then, he knew it was time to leave. There was no reason for Sirus to stay if Aurora was up and moving around. So he decided that he should leave the room. Aurora didn’t say anything though he did object to it, he had other things on his mind.

Sirus was getting dressed. He pulled his black long sleeved shirt over his head and moved his arms through his sleeves. He was bandaged everywhere, his arms, his chest, his stomach, his legs. He had to be sedated so the doctors could touch him; if he was awake, all hell broke lose. His shirt covered up most of the injuries that were already healing.

Aurora sat quietly in front of him, holding on to his crutches as he watched Sirus get dressed. There was so much he wanted to say but he couldn’t process it.

“I’m...Commander.” he said slowly. “I finally got what I wanted.” He was quiet, his voice barely a whisper.

Sirus stared at him. He wasn’t necessarily surprised. “Crazy follows crazy.” He hasn’t forgotten everything he was put through because of Picses.

Aurora snapped out of his trance and glared at Sirus. “Why are you always an asshole for?-”

“Careful.” Sirus warned him. Aurora wasn’t going to listen. “I’ll trip you when you least expect it.” Sirus gestured to the crutches.

“You’re awful.”

“That’s not a first.” Sirus rolled his eyes. “So what now? You just run the world?”

“I don’t know. I wasn’t...listening when they told me.” Aurora tried to think again. He doesn’t know what the plan is, what they want him to do now that he is Commander. “Did they offer you anything?” Aurora asked.

Sirus was about to answer but he didn’t. He did get an offer earlier from Carsus. Something about leading a section of an army. And as much as Sirus was okay with that, he didn’t want to do the work. Training would be brutal, he didn’t want to go through that intensity again.

But now he knows that Aurora will be Commander. That changed everything. He might reconsider.

“Why don’t you worry about yourself?” Sirus suggested.

Aurora knew the hostility was coming from a genuine place. Sirus was always mean but sometimes he toned down how harsh he was. Aurora could only think about the year and how far they’ve come.

“Do you remember what happened the day we fell? I can’t seem to remember anything.”

Sirus remembered every single detail. He remembered what they said to each other, how quiet things were between them, how he thought they were going to die but at least they weren’t alone. Sirus had a massive change of heart after that one day. All it really took was one day, that one incident to change everything.

It’s not like he wanted to discuss what happened. Nothing really did happen but he didn’t want to talk about it. It was good that Aurora doesn’t remember. At least he will never bring it up.

“You stabbed me in the chest.” Sirus said plainly.

“Did I?” Aurora laughed quietly.

“Thanks for that by the way.” He said sarcastically, more high strung again. “That’s just more problems I needed to deal with.”

“You’re welcome.”

Sirus got up and shook his head. Of course Aurora would mess with him.

That’s what they do.

Aurora used his crutches as support to get up to his feet. He hasn’t been hurt like this before so it was new to him. Luckily, it would just take a few more days to heal. He was ready to work and didn’t want to delay.

For a second, neither of them moved. It was just for a moment that they stayed quiet. They’ve had moments like this, where they say nothing, where they just look at each other. It’s not something uncommon.

Sirus was the first one to do something, to lean forward and kiss Aurora.

At first it was harmless, the sweet relief Aurora needed to get rid of his stress and anxiety. At first, he thought Sirus was just being nice to kiss him so gently. Aurora knew what he was getting himself into but for a second, he didn’t care.

After everything that has happened, he didn’t care.

But of course, Sirus always expects to get something out of Aurora no matter what time of day it is, what condition he’s in, what’s going on. So at first, the gentle kiss may have been sweet, but Sirus always wanted something.

Aurora pulled away when he figured Sirus might get touchy.

“My...entire body hurts, Sirus.” He said quietly, hoping Sirus didn’t notice the blush on his cheeks.

“Is that a cock block reason?”

“We almost died.” Aurora backed away further. “I hope you still don’t think of me as a toy to play with even after all that.” He was slightly shocked that even now he couldn’t get the respect that he deserved.

After everything, did Sirus’ thoughts not change about him?

Aurora will never know.

Sirus wasn’t going to talk about how everything changed because of that one day. He wasn’t going to mention how the only thing he could think about was Aurora. It wasn’t like that before the fall. Now, the only thing he had on his mind was Aurora. It just took that one moment, to see Aurora hurt, close to death even, to change absolutely everything.

Aurora will never know.

It’s not like Sirus is the type to talk.

He stared down at Aurora, still thinking to himself. How was he going to cover up everything he’s been thinking and wondering about? His eyes watched Aurora though he was the one that was supposed to answer.

“Did I ever say you were a toy?-”

“You have always referred to me as an item, something that belonged to you when I actually don’t.” Aurora was ready to answer that one.

Sirus wasn’t going to refute that.

“Why can’t you just be nice to me? We almost died.”

They did almost die. Sirus knew that. But he didn’t want to talk about it. There was so much going through his head that he was sure he would blow up if he opened up about it. Aurora desperately wanted to see a change of heart if Sirus was experiencing it but what would be the chances of seeing that?

They did almost die.

It was the worst day of their lives.

Sirus remained quiet as he stared at Aurora. He clearly did have a problem he didn’t want to talk about. He had a habit of staring at Aurora, but right now it was different. He was, again, lost for words. Aurora stared back but he was the only one that began to blush.

“We should get going.” He looked away, his fingers holding tighter on his crutches.

“Let’s ditch the speech. I’m tired of hearing that old man talk to me.”

“Where are we going to go? I’m expecting everything to be on lock down for a while because of what happened.” Aurora said.

Sirus wasn’t paying attention.

They’d find out once they get there. For now, they just didn’t want to be surrounded by all the people that were close to death. They were the lucky ones. They made it out alive.

They walked the halls quietly together. Aurora had a slow pace since he was on crutches. Sirus never missed a beat to tease him and try to pull his crutches from his grasp. Aurora would complain and Sirus would snap back. Nothing changed.

When they got tired of moving, they stayed in an empty hallway together. There was a big glass window that showed the view of space. Instead of a dark abyss, a view of Earth could be seen. For years, Aurora could only see darkness, and this was the first time he could view Earth from where he was. It was breath taking.

He pressed up against the window to see the best view he’s ever gotten in his life.

“You’re so weird.” Sirus said as he slowly slid against the wall to the floor.

“Do you know how strong the gravitational pull is from this planet?” Aurora asked and looked towards Sirus, who was not going to answer. “Very.” Was Aurora’s response before he looked away to the window again. “But compared to some of the other planets it’s not that significant. And then there’s the sun.” He was so amazed.

“Just kill me.” Sirus sighed quietly and leaned his head back.

“There has to be something you find interesting.” Aurora said. He came to realize what he said and corrected himself. “Don’t answer that.”

“I just don’t care about grass and nature and whatever the fuck.”

“Well I care.” Aurora cared so much.

Everything he was taught was right in front of him. This is what everyone was waiting for, this was what past generations were trying to get to. This was it.

Aurora thought the view was breath taking.

Literally.

He got tired of standing on his legs and decided to make his way over to Sirus, limping slowly and trying not to hurt himself. His legs felt weaker due to his injuries so he had no choice but to sit. However, he could still see the view from where he was. He didn’t mind.

“Well this was fun.” Aurora sighed. Sirus scoffed however since he couldn’t say the same. “You caused me so many problems-”

“Stop whining.” Sirus groaned.

“If you were more pleasant-”

“If you didn’t talk as much-” Sirus snapped back but Aurora spoke over him.

“Why are you like this?”

“I can’t believe I’m gonna have to work for you.” Sirus groaned again and closed his eyes. The last thing he would want is to continue working with Aurora and dealing with his annoying behavior.

Aurora was slightly stunned however. He didn’t think Sirus would accept the offer. He thought Sirus may have been tired. They’ve gone through so much in their years working for the fighting force and he thought that maybe Sirus would do something else.

“You said yes?” Aurora asked.

“It’s not like I know how to do anything else.”

Sirus was more concerned that there was nowhere left for him to go. All he knew how to do was all this. He never did anything else. He didn’t have the chance to. If he tested for a different occupation, would he even pass?

Aurora thought that no one deserved to be miserable, even Sirus. The way Sirus sounded, it was like he felt defeated. Aurora hasn’t seen that side of him before.

“If it makes you feel better, I’ll be nice to you.” Aurora said kindly.

“Yeah, right.” Sirus thought it was a bluff. “The second I step out of line, I’ll hear your voice screaming in my ear-”

“Then don’t step out of line...? I don’t see the problem.” Aurora couldn’t stand when Sirus knew what he was doing but complained about the consequences anyway.

“Whatever.” Sirus mumbled and looked away.

He started to get up from the floor, a little slow due to his injuries. His hand moved under his shirt to feel the bandages around his chest. Apparently his lung collapsed more than a week ago and he was stabbed so he could keep breathing. He took a breath, feeling the tension, and let it out with a bit of disdain.

Aurora hadn’t moved from the floor. He had a plain expression on his face as he looked up towards Sirus. He was clearly waiting on something.

“You make me so tired.” Sirus said as he held out his hands for Aurora to hold on to so he could get up.

Aurora took his hands and did his best to lift himself up on his shaky legs. It was hard to stay standing without his crutches.

“If I make you so tired, you can just get away from me. I mean, that seems like a plausible solution.” Aurora said.

“I’ll probably just take a nap.” Sirus said as he pulled Aurora up.

Aurora shook his head as he reached for his crutches when Sirus let go of his hands. They had somewhere to be and it wasn’t here. Sirus was serious about that nap though. The injury to his chest was making his tired and he would rather lay down than continue walking around.

It would be great to get more rest, right?

The plan was to head back to their room. Aurora would finally have a chance to sit down and think about today was like. Sirus would fall asleep. That would be an easy day.

Taurus was the first to find them walking together. She was so shocked that the two of them were actually alive that she was just about brought to tears. She didn’t think she would ever see them again. She was so sure that something awful happened and it nearly brought her to tears.

“Oh my goodness, I can’t believe you’re alive.” She hugged Aurora tightly. “I was so scared.” She was already crying hard. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t do better-”

Aurora felt her pain, “Taurus, this isn’t on you.”

“If only I hadn’t-”

“Taurus, this isn’t your fault.” Aurora told her. “There was a lot to deal with, and you couldn’t have possibly known that it would’ve gone this way.” He said.

There were just so many things happening and Aurora figured that it would get out of hand. They’ve dealt with so much during that day and the last thing Aurora was going to do was point fingers. He knew what war was, he knew what could’ve happened and he tried to forget what did happen.

Taurus looked up at Sirus, slightly frightened because she didn’t mean to get him hurt.

“Ah, no.” Aurora stopped her, getting her attention so she wouldn’t think about what she was about to do. “Don’t apologize to him.” He said quickly.

“But-”

“Sirus handled himself. The last thing you’re going to do is apologize to him.” Aurora glanced at Sirus slowly.

“I’ll pull your crutches out from under you.” Sirus said plainly and walked ahead.

“See, he’s just fine.” Aurora said.

“Are you sure?”

“Taurus, we’re just fine.” Aurora assured her.

They were alive. That’s all that mattered.

“But I have good news.” Aurora said, a smile spreading to his face. There was one more thing that mattered, and he hoped that Taurus would get excited. “So there’s a new head of defense.” he said eagerly.

“Who?” Taurus asked like it was new gossip. But she corrected herself within seconds. “You’re head of defense?” she asked loudly, getting excited with him. “This is so great!”

“I know! I’ve been waiting for this for years. I can’t believe that it took me being taken down by earth’s gravitational pull for me to get here.” He laughed. In all honesty, he knew he did so much to get to where he was now.

“I’m really glad you’re okay.” Taurus said.

“If I wasn’t, someone else would be Commander so...” Aurora was so excited and it was getting much harder to hide. He knew Taurus was concerned about him being well, and he felt fine enough for now.

All that matter at this second was that he was alive and walking because there were a lot of people who aren’t doing that. He was fortunate.

“Did you hear that Hariette is taking over the defense in space?”

Aurora didn’t hear that, but he figured it would be true. If anyone was going to get the next role, it would be her. He probably zoned out when everything was being explained to him. There would have to be a day where he goes over what he can and can’t do. Plus, he’ll have to work with Hariette.

“She’s going to step all over me, Taurus. I don’t even think she likes me very much.” Aurora complained.

“Well you tend to-”

“I’m a decent person, okay.” He said before she could actually explain why Hariette might not like him. He had a hunch why but he wasn’t going to change. He was just going to have to do his best to avoid her.

Aurora and Taurus talked more about everything that was going to happen over the next couple of days. They would’ve talked longer but Aurora began to get tired of standing and wanted to lay down. So he told Taurus he would see her later and made his way back to his room so he could get in bed. It took a lot of strength staying up on his feet. It took a lot of strength just trying to function and talk and try to be normal.

He knew things wouldn’t be the same anymore.

He walked inside his room, finding Sirus laying in bed already, just about trying finally to sleep comfortably in an environment that didn’t make him want to fight. But Aurora was back so that won’t happen.

“I think I ripped my stitches.” Aurora couldn’t check where he felt the sudden warmth at the back of his lower leg.

“Wow.” Sirus didn’t care.

Aurora bit the inside of his lip to keep in his outburst because he definitely wanted to say something. But he was too tired to start a fight. He dropped his crutches on the floor and pushed Sirus aside on his bed as best as he could so he could get in. Sirus was rather annoyed but he did move over.

“You have your own bed.” Sirus groaned.

“That’s the first time you’re complaining about me being in your bed, Sirus. Are you sure you want to be upset about that?” Aurora asked.

Sirus opened his eyes and looked at him, a warning glance that came from his dark eyes. Aurora only smiled, hoping to get on his nerves, which he did.

“I wonder what it’s going to be like when we’re not here anymore.” Aurora thought of all the possibilities. Where were they going to go, what could they do, that sort of thing.

It would take days to get situated. He was sure there were thousands of engineering teams down on Earth already building all the infrastructures. How long would they have to wait for everything to be put together? Would it take long?

He wanted to feel the sun again.

But the second he thought about the warmth and the grass and the trees, all he could be reminded of was all the blood he saw. There were flashes of gruesome images that popped into his mind, and for a second he felt his heart race. He tried to blink away the images but it was just glances of broken memories from two weeks ago.

There was just so much blood.

Sirus saw that Aurora seemed slightly confused and a little terrified by the expression on his face. Aurora never really gets distracted like that, so it almost did make him panic. Sirus could tell.

“I hope Picses retires.” Sirus said. “If I think for a second that he’s going to continue telling me what to do, we’re going to have a problem.” he continued. “Also, I hope you know I’m not going to take orders from you.”

Aurora finally focused again. He stared at Sirus in response to his comment. Clearly he was going to try his hardest to get Sirus in line. That would be a big accomplishment if he can go through with that. It would be a challenge for Sirus to fight Aurora too. Nothing’s changed. They were going to clash no matter what.

At least now, Aurora had other things to think about though.

He wasn’t concerned with what was causing his anxiety.

“You never listen.” Aurora sighed.

“What’d you expect from me, baby?” Sirus asked. Aurora rolled his eyes. “Just because its you doesn’t mean I’ll change.”

Aurora hoped for a little change, enough that he would be able to tolerate working with Sirus but he wasn’t surprised that Sirus would explicitly state that nothing was going to change. When Sirus is forced to do something, he can get hostile so Aurora was prepared for it. He had a year to get ready for it.

Before Aurora could respond and say something that could never be as cruel as anything Sirus says to him, he noticed the flashing lights that came from the spare trackers on the wall. This could only mean that everyone that could move was being called. Picses wanted to talk to all the Coordinators and Flyers together.

He wasn’t up for a patriotic speech so he considered staying. However, he physically couldn’t disobey unlike Sirus who was prepared to ignore anything he saw.

Aurora was about to move away but Sirus moved his arm quickly around his waist to pull him back. Aurora wasn’t surprised but the look on his face said that Sirus was definitely out of his mind.

“No-” Aurora couldn’t object.

“Before we leave-”

“Sirus, let go.” Aurora shoved but Sirus held him tight. If he could, he would push harder but his body was sore all over. And Sirus being injured wasn’t enough to stop his urges.

Sirus was not going to stop. “We’ve got a couple minutes to do something fun. How about it, Boss?”

“No.” Aurora was quick to slip out from under him and get out of bed. He wasn’t going to deal with this. “Stay away from me, Sirus.” Aurora warned him as he picked up his crutches. “The next time I see you, you better be ready to work.” he said before leaving in a rush.

There were groups beginning to fill the hallways. Coordinators and Flyers left their rooms, slightly wary of what they were going to be told. They know who died, they know a lot of people died. What more was there to talk about?

Aurora blended right in, especially with his slow pace from his injuries. He wasn’t the only one.

It was a sad sight to see.

And that was the only thing on everyone’s mind. How people were hurt, how people died, how things were about to change.

Picses was really going to have to try hard to get them to feel better about the things that happened. Though, he was always the one to get the mood to change without doing much. It was a bitter sweet ending, everyone knew that. Picses had good news and he was going to tell everyone that could hear it.

There were crowds of people on the platforms, around on the ground floor, near every corner and section they could possibly fit in. Most were wounded but they chose to stand for their Commander. It began to get quiet as Picses got ready to speak.

What was he going to say this time?

“We have endured a great loss.” Picses said to the group in front of him. “We have not suffered more than we had days ago.” He looked amongst them. “But that was the cost for becoming champions.”

They were champions. That’s what did it. That’s what changed the mood immediately. They were champions.

There was an uproar of cheering and shouting.

“Your fallen brothers and sisters sacrificed so much for us to be number one. Let them know their deaths were not in vain.” He said loudly and the uproar continued.

Aurora was up on the highest platform, surrounded by other Coordinators who never really gave in to the patriotic speeches. They stared down at those who did, hearing the chanting and shouts. Picses and his lieutenants let them have their moment.

“Our environment will change and so will the structure of the government.” Picses said. “The leaders you see here have decided to step down, and you will have new people to take orders from among you.” He said.

New commanders. That will be hard to get used to.

“Hariette is your new Commander and Head of Defense in space. For those of you that choose to protect in the stars, she is your leader.”

Aurora could see Hariette on the ground floor. There were so many that rooted for her, cheered for her, respected her. It was no surprise her peers shouted for her.

“Your Commander for Latin America, Haroldo. And your Commander for Canada, Libra.”

Aurora could see them too. He didn’t say anything as he heard the uproar continue. People beside him were whispering about the people that were in charge now. Everything was going to change so how was all this going to work out? New Commanders? They’ll see about that. The cheering below them continued. Everyone seemed rather excited with the good news.

Even Picses was getting excited. He fed into the crowds enthusiasm. After all, with their incredible win, they have faced a giant loss. Why not try to get their morale up? The cheering may have been the only indication that things were going to be okay.

Aurora only had one concern. All he wanted was to finally get the recognition he deserved. It was finally his time.

“And your Commander for the ground forces of the Americas and your Head of Defense, Aurora.”

The cheering continued loudly.

It’s been a long time coming. Aurora was finally Commander.

He knew what he was in for.