1 The Resistance

"We are not having this same conversation again, Kordelia." General Everett stated plainly, his tone almost a matter of fact.

The look in his unblinking stare mirrored exasperation, while Kore's leaked absolute determination. This was the way of things. Every month or so, she would march her way into his office, demanding to infiltrate the Egrarian home base. And every single time, she had been denied. It had been five long years since Alekai had pulled her from the aftermath of the Penurious Battle. The fight itself had been devastating to their cause, but it still had checked off as a victory for the history books.

"It has been five years, old man. When is enough going to finally be enough? Our numbers are dwindling. They have had a short up rise since the last Unionization. But they are only children. It is time we ended this, for the greater good of our people." Kore huffed, almost as annoyed with him as he was with her.

Everett inclined his head slightly, the movement almost unnoticeable to the naked eye, yet Kore caught it, just as she did most things.

"If you don't recall, you were but a child when we found you. And look at what you have become; a Major General. You are beloved by our people, you have fought battles against battles, undefeated. You have worked harder, trained harder, and fought harder than any soldier in this Army in such a short amount of time. Take the victories and be satisfied."

Kore threw up her hands, slamming them down on the desk opposite of her target. "You mean to say that for the rest of this career, I am to sit idly by until another battle makes its way into our path? That you are, again, refusing a more permanent solution?" She hissed under her breath.

"If that's the way that you see it, there is nothing I can say to douse your flame." He leaned back in his chair, glowering.

"This is bullshit, Jac, and you damn well know it."

Kore made a swift exit, slamming the door. The fumes could almost be visible with how her anger radiated from every single one of her pores. The constant war that loomed over all their heads could easily be resolved in one assassination, and she believed it wholeheartedly. The rules that her people had to live by were slowly catching up to them and soon there would be no one left to fight for another free day.

Living in Orwyn was a hell inside itself. Citizens were bred during the annual Unionization; participants having had to reach the ripe old age of thirty before you could partake. If not of age and the Unionization was broken, it was treated as a crime, punishable by death. Women of the participating age would marry; children would be conceived. They would grow up, semi-normally, until they reached sixteen to join in the ranks and training began. And thus, was the cycle. Grow up to serve the cause, serve the cause, retire from the cause, marry and breed for the cause. Everything for the damned cause, that could easily be dismantled at a moment's notice. Kore only needed one's approval, one who consistently wouldn't give it.

Most didn't live to see retirement. Only a select few refused to retire.

Alekai was of that few, Kore would join him. That had been decided years ago when they had become death personified. You wouldn't find a better duo at killing as they were. Together they had brought down hundreds of humanoids, fighting directly side by side. He had become her mentor, trained her to the fullest extent, and commanded absolute perfection.

She sighed heavily, returning salutes from passersby as she made her way down to the mess hall. It had already been a long day, and she was growing weary with each passing minute. Scouting wasn't her greatest attribute, and Alekai had been breathing down her neck all day to get the job done. She had finished, hours later after the initial command, and had stormed straight to Jac as soon as she completed her duties. It had been futile. But then again, she knew it would be.

Entering one of the biggest rooms in their fort, a lost castle if you will, Kore speculated her surroundings, searching for her very own band of merry men she decided were close enough to be considered a family.

Felix, Madocc, and Wolfe were sitting at a bench not far from where she stood. Wolfe had noticed her arrival quite suddenly and offered a small wave and an impish smile. He was the baby of their quad, and together they spent more time looking after him than anything else. He was only nineteen, to everyone else's twenty-two, Alekai outranking them all at twenty-nine. Wolfe had blonde hair down to his shoulders, which he always kept in a tight-knit bun, baby blues that could charm a snake, and a boyish smile with one chipped tooth you couldn't help but love.

Kordelia waved, finishing her monitoring of the hall, gave a curt nod as if to affirm their safety, and made way to the spot next to Madocc that was always left open for her. Sitting down she scoffed lightly.

"You bastards don't have anything better to do than laze around mess all day long?" She gave a look of mock-disapproval.

"We finished our training early, Kore. It's not like you wouldn't know. We saw you scouting the perimeter today. Just another day for you to be lazy, walking around being Alekai's bitch all day." Felix grunted into his tray.

Felix was a hard man to please. He stood just shy of six-foot-five, was built like a brick shit house, and had the brute strength to back up any threats. His black tresses were always buzzed short, military style. He couldn't stand any reason to be compared to a woman, hair included. He was a relentless tease to Wolfe, and always gave him the proper amount of shit talking for it.

Kore brushed her palm against her chest, feigning wounded pride, eyes wide. "I didn't realize following orders was against our code. Please enlighten me as to what I should do in the meantime, Fee."

Silence fell.

Suddenly, the whole table erupted into laughter, that even Felix cracked a smile.

Kore never truly had a family that she could remember. Her memories were a haze before she was found by Alekai. The first year or so had been rough. No one besides Jac and Alekai had trusted her. She had always felt the unease of the base in regards to her arrival. Even now, with her status, the enemies she had taken down for the cause, and years of unfaltering loyalty, the unease still endured with at least half of the residents.

She couldn't exactly blame them, no matter how much thinking of it upset her. She was the only of her kind. Human and automaton. A cyborg. A freak to nature. Her optical weapon had given her advantages on the war field and disadvantages with those she considered to be her people. It just didn't seem to matter some days. After every battle, victory or otherwise, Kore was the only person that didn't have someone to come back to. She had her squad. The three men sitting with her would never know how much they meant to her. It was absolute. She would die for them.

Wolfe composed himself, barely. "Kore, I forgot to tell you this morning, but I need you to come down to my lab later today if Alekai will allow us to be late to training. I think I have come up with a way to update your optical. I think I can hack it finally, and maybe the specs will run faster."

Kore rolled her 'good' eye, huffing under her breath. "I don't think it needs any updating."

"That's not what I heard." Madocc interjected, breaking his usual silence. "There was talk around the grounds today that Alekai actually landed a hit on you this morning."

No bullshit. Just how he always was.

"It was a fluke." Kore absentmindedly rubbed the spot on her thigh where Alekai had made contact just hours ago, a flutter settling in the pit of her stomach.

Wolfe snorted. "Couldn't have been. He hasn't been able to touch you in two years at least. It needs to be looked at and improved. Or maybe..."

Kore shot a glare in his direction.

"You let him get close enough on purpose."

It was Kore's turn to snort. "You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, pup. I could bring Alekai down in an instant if I really wanted to."

"Oh, could you now?"

The deep rumble came from behind Kore. The whole table froze, and a chill ran down Kore's spine as the baritone reached her center. Alekai's presence instantly demanded the whole hall's attention. The respect that swarmed his entire being only fueled his gigantic ego, or so Kore always believed. Only quiet murmurs filled the tables, curious eyes glancing every so often to their tables direction. Kore turned, leaning gently on Madocc for support, to look directly into the stormy eyes that most nights, unfortunately, haunted her dreams.

"I believe so." She scoffed, her chin inclining just as it had on the first day they had met, competitive defiance glittering in her expression.

Alekai grinned, a very rare feat. "I'll expect that tonight at training."

"S-speaking of which, Commander Ivanov. I need to inspect the Major General MacIntosh's optical before training. Permission to arrive shortly after 18:00." Wolfe stated formally for eavesdroppers. "We might run over if I make a break."

"Permission granted." Alekai's eyes never broke away from Kore's. "You had better bring a better game to the table at evening training than this morning, Kordelia." He smirked.

Kore couldn't help the heat that crept towards her face.

"Oh, I plan to."