Star-Crossed - Chapter 20 (Patreon)

Something startled Blake awake, but she hardly started searching for the cause before hearing a soft giggle behind her.

“Sorry…” Yang whispered not long after.  “Didn’t mean to tickle you.”

Though relaxing at the response, Blake felt her heart speed up once she realized that she’d woken in Yang’s bed yet again.  In Yang’s bed, in Yang’s room, without clothes...and she was happy to be there.

“You’re up early,” she mumbled, rubbing the sleep from her eyes

“You’re up late, actually.”

“Really?”  After craning her neck to look at Yang, who looked radiant as ever when she smiled, Blake settled back into the sheets.  “Then why am I so tired…”

“I can think of a few reasons...”

When Yang chuckled, Blake closed her eyes and savored the uplifting sound.  Unfortunately, not even Yang’s laughter could make her forget the reason why she wanted to go right back to sleep.

“You sleep ok?”  Wrapping her arms around Blake, Yang pulled them closer together.  “It looked like you were having nightmares.  Your ears were moving like crazy.”

Blake had been having nightmares.  And with anyone else, she would lie.  With Yang, she sighed and said, “Yes.”

“Were drones chasing you like they were in my dreams?”

The drones were an easy answer but, again, Blake wanted to be more honest than that.

“Drones, yes, but also...Adam.”

After briefly stilling at the name, Yang pulled Blake closer.

“I’ve had those before.”

“You have?”

“Yeah.  He usually shoots me for no reason.”  When Yang shuddered at the thought, Blake felt moderately better.  Or, at least, less weak for dreaming about him choking her to within an inch of her life time and time again.  “And he’s going to be in a horrible mood today,” Yang added.  “So maybe your subconscious picked up on it.”

“Because of the drones?”

“Yeah.  He’ll be out for blood trying to figure out how they got on board.”

“Why do you think ISA did that?”

“If I had to guess...because I just tossed one of their officers off a cliff.”

While Yang chuckled at the thought, Blake frowned.  That seemed very retaliatory, especially when Sun survived.  There had to be another reason...some information they wanted…

But that also didn’t make sense.  If they wanted information, why not ask her to find it?  She was already on board.  Why risk her cover and wellbeing by forcing her to fight the drones and potentially shock troops?

“And I think Adam might have pissed someone off on Drideter,” Yang added.  “Not positive, but I overheard one of his guards talking about a firefight.  So much for a ‘refill only’ stop...”

The casual disclosure illuminated how intimately intertwined Blake was with a top source of Blackguard information.  Not only was Yang one of the leading commanders, but she was...honest.  At least, she was honest with Blake.

Even though Blake was acutely aware of how far outside the rules this relationship was, that wasn’t enough to convince her to stop.  She was still doing her job.  She was still figuring out how the Blackguards operated.  She was still transcribing the maps and keeping photos of the finished products for herself.  Being with Yang didn’t prevent her from doing any of that.

If anything, Yang helped - just like Blake thought she would.  Her knowledge of the Blackguards, as well as her proximity to Adam, was invaluable.  She knew intricate details of what happened around the Inferno, and she shared that knowledge willingly.

“You fall asleep?” Yang whispered a few seconds later and, for a brief moment, Blake considered pretending to be sleeping to see what Yang would do.  Thinking better of it, she spun around in Yang’s arms instead.  As soon as their eyes met, Yang smiled, and Blake used every bit of willpower she possessed to keep her gaze above Yang’s collarbone.

“It’s already late,” she pointed out, as if Yang needed telling.  “If I fall asleep, people will probably start looking for me.”

“And they’ll never find you here.”

The tilt in Yang’s lips implied she was joking, but Blake was finding it hard and harder to focus while warm fingers trailed down her side.

“I...should still get back to my room…” she mumbled while goosebumps rose along her arms.

“Right,” Yang agreed only to lean forward and press a kiss to Blake’s lips.  With such a sweet and gentle touch, she proved that she knew how to make Blake crave more, and crave more in a big way.

Not content to let Yang pull away, Blake pursued those soft lips and felt them just barely holding a smile at bay.  That was all the permission Yang needed to press forward and climb on top of Blake, keeping their lips locked all the while.  Feeling Yang’s warm skin against hers while their kisses grew more passionate, Blake knew exactly where this was headed - and fast.

Yet, somehow, she found the resolve to break the kiss.

“Now I should really get back to my room…” she said, and Yang gave an understanding nod.

“Right, absolutely.”

Another kiss started immediately after, as if they both knew the first break was only temporary.  Yang’s hand was roaming now, and Blake’s body heated up with what could only be anticipation.

“Yang…” she whined against Yang’s lips, realizing this wouldn’t stop without Yang’s help.

“You know…” Yang murmured while trailing her fingers down Blake’s chest, tickling her ribs in the process.  “Technically, I’m your commander.  If I tell you to stay here, that’s kind of what you have to do.”

“That’s...a good point…”

When Yang’s lips again met hers, Blake considered saying nothing else for the next hour or so.  Unfortunately, the more time that passed, the more her and Yang’s absence would be noted.  Besides, she still had a nagging worry she needed to address.

“But I have to get those maps to Adam…”

Finally, Yang sighed and collapsed onto the bed beside Blake.

“You’re right...we already have to deal with his ‘moodiness’ today.  We shouldn’t make it even worse.”

“Now I’m really looking forward to seeing him...” Blake muttered while rolling out of bed.  Conscious of Yang’s gaze, she quickly grabbed her clothes and started getting dressed.

“You never know.  Maybe having all the maps will put him in a good mood.”  When Blake glanced over her shoulder in disbelief, Yang laughed.  “You’re right.  He doesn’t have a ‘good’ mood.  Just various shades of pissed off.”

Shaking her head at the accurate description, Blake grabbed her armor and got caught looking when Yang finally slipped out of bed.

“Like what you see?”

Too embarrassed to respond, Blake focused on her armor while Yang got dressed.  Even though Yang could be shockingly immodest sometimes, Blake knew it was a ruse just like her hardened, confident commander personality.  It masked her insecurities and let her live a lie...yet it still made Blake blush like a schoolgirl.

“I’ll be thrilled if I never see a Valerian rune again,” she muttered to break the silence, and only turned towards Yang when she was fully clothed.

“Guess I’m not getting that tattoo then...”

When Yang stepped in front of Blake and smiled, Blake was struck by how different she looked with something as simple as a change of clothes, a smile, and lilac eyes.  Not too long ago, Blake couldn’t have imagined being this close to someone like Yang.  Today, however, she didn’t hesitate to reach up and set her hands on Yang’s shoulders.  When Yang stepped into the touch and rested her hands on Blake’s hips in return, Blake understood the meaning of intimacy.

The hardness of Yang’s right shoulder contrasted with the softness of her left, and Blake gently squeezed her hands to test the difference before sliding down Yang’s arms.  She felt Yang’s bicep in one arm while the other was hard as rock.  She felt the soft skin of Yang’s elbow followed by the almost fragileness of her wrist - each of those tender places replicated with solid metal on the opposite side.  Finally, she reached Yang’s hands - warm and calloused compared to cold and smooth.

Sensing the intentness with which Yang watched her, Blake didn’t look up while focusing upon Yang’s hands.  After hearing the stories and rumors, she could imagine the horrible things these hands could do.  But, as she intertwined her fingers with Yang’s, she also couldn’t imagine it at all.

For as much as Yang had a coldness and hardness to her, those facets were just as real as her arm.  They didn’t belong.  They were bolted on like last-minute additions rather than pieces of who she was.  They were a part of her, but that didn’t mean they always would be.

She was the key to so much more than information.  She was the answer to whether a bad person could be good, or whether a good person could be bad.  And when she smiled, when her eyes sparkled with hope and belief that Adam hadn’t taken away from her, Blake realized how misguided she’d been all along.

Dropping her hands to her sides, she smiled and tried to think of an explanation for what she just did.  As it turned out, she didn’t need to say anything - Yang just smiled and reached forward to hold her hands.

“Listen…” Yang added in a softer voice, with a softer expression to match.  “When you give Adam the maps, make it sound like you’re still needed, ok?”

“Because I’m expendable otherwise?”

“I don’t want to give him a reason to think so…” Yang trailed off and, after looking thoughtful for a few seconds, shook her head.  “I don’t know what happens once he has them all, and that scares me a bit.”

The admission alarmed Blake but, at the same time, she was grateful that Yang voiced it out loud.  At least she wasn’t the only one afraid of what Adam might do.

“I guess we’ll have to deal with it when it comes, right?”

“Right.”

After sharing a look for a while longer, somehow communicating the rest of their worries without words, Yang blew a breath through her lips and grabbed her armor.

“If you’re headed to the bridge, I’ll swing by the cafeteria and meet you there.  I don’t want to give people the wrong idea if we keep showing up at the same time.”

“Ah...”

“Not that I don’t want to,” Yang quickly added.  “I don’t mind, and I’m pretty sure most of the crew knows we’re sleeping together, but I don’t want Adam finding out it’s more than just sex.”

“Oh.”  As soon as the comment sunk in, Blake gave Yang a curious look.  “Is it?”

With her armor midway over her head, Yang froze.  And the longer she remained like that, the more Blake’s anticipation grew.  They hadn’t discussed anything remotely close to this subject, too busy surviving to discuss specifics, but now she wanted to know Yang’s answer.

“I mean…”  Trailing off, Yang pulled her Blackguard uniform into place and straightened her posture.  She might even look imposing if not for the blush on her cheeks and the shyness in her eyes.  “Y-yeah...I’d like to think so...”

Yang looked more uncomfortable with each passing second, but Blake savored that moment for as long as she could before smiling.

“I’d like to think so too.”

She shouldn’t have admitted that, but it was how she felt - and Yang’s smile made it worth it.

“Yeah?”  Yang looked so happy, Blake had no option but to nod.  “Ok, then...it is more than...just that.”

As Yang’s bashfulness returned, a laugh slipped through Blake’s lips, and Yang quickly shook her head.

“I’ll, uh...see you in a little bit,” she continued as she regained some of her composure.  “Try not to piss him off until I get there?”

“I’ll do my best.”

After leaning in and stealing one last kiss, Blake smiled at the mystified expression on Yang’s face before sneaking out of the room.  Once the door closed behind her, she smiled to herself before hurrying away from the officers’ corridor.

Sometimes, this situation felt too surreal to be true.  But, despite grappling with the guilt of hiding her identity from Yang and worrying about her duty to ISA, she was...happy.

She was still smiling like a fool when she made it back to her room, but her joviality evaporated when she thought about the interaction to come.  On the desk were the last three maps, fully transcribed and ready to be turned in.  After giving them one more glance to make sure she hadn’t missed anything, she gathered them up, took a deep breath, and headed to the bridge.

Yang didn’t know what happened next, and neither did she.  For all she knew, her time on the Inferno ended the moment she handed these over.  Without her skill as a translator, what other use could they have for her?  She had the ability necessary to join the squads but, after the look Adam gave her yesterday, wasn’t sure they trusted her enough for that.  She needed a reason for them to keep her - she needed to remain vital to their mission.

By the time she walked onto the bridge, she still had no idea how to prove her importance.  Not only that, but the phaser burns in the walls reminded her all too well of yesterday.  When she found Adam and Cinder poring over a hologram on the table, her worry only worsened.

Yang’s absence put her on edge, but Yang couldn’t always be around to help.  If Blake was going to complete her mission, she had to deal with Adam and Cinder on her own sometimes.  Still, she missed the subtle protection Yang offered.  Or, at the very least, Yang’s ability to be a calm, rational person.

Adam and Cinder noticed her before she announced herself, and Cinder cleared the hologram before she got a good look at it.  While suspicious, what worried her most was the way Adam looked at her as if annoyed that she dared exist in his presence.  Maybe it was only her imagination.  Maybe he always looked at her like this, but she was just hyper-aware of it today.

“I finished them,” she said before setting the last few pages on the table.  Faking nonchalance, she didn’t even watch Cinder grab the maps and load them into the computer system.  Instead, she glanced around the bridge as if it was more curious to her than what Cinder was doing.

A blue and yellow planet took up nearly the entire view outside the Inferno, but she couldn’t name it from those details alone.  She hadn’t known they were heading to another planet so soon, but she also hadn’t had the opportunity to pry Emerald for information recently.

“I don’t know what we’ll find when we get there,” she added while Cinder combined the new digital scans with the others.  “This could be a map to another map.  Or the entrance could be covered in more runes.  I have no idea.”

She honestly didn’t, but she hoped they also had no idea what they were getting into, and what they might or might not need her for.

“Run the analysis,” Adam said once the scans were ready.  With Blake and a great majority of the bridge watching, the hologram table created layer upon layer of details from the old maps.  Those were then laid on top of each other and rotated, then rotated again, and again.  The computer was searching for something - a specific pattern only it knew.

The maps, which meant next to nothing when considered separately, eventually locked together in an image that looked like an intricate star.  In that form, the runes - Blake’s translation - suddenly made sense. It was a full constellation, exact coordinates, and a complete warning telling anyone other than the chosen guardians to stay away.

“They thought they were clever…” Adam mused after the computer highlighted their next destination - an unnamed planet labeled TS72 in the Boller system.  “Chart a path,” he ordered the bridge while the planet hung in the air before them.

The pilots hurried about their new task, but confusion sparked in Blake’s mind.

Why had they let her see that?

“Good work,” Adam told her, though the words lacked a single drop of praise.  “Now that we have a location, it won’t be long before we have all the Valerian steel we could dream of.”

“That’s great.”

Blake forced an impassive expression, but her skin tingled when Cinder walked around the table and looked at the hologram from beside her.

Something was wrong.  The room was too tense.

The moment she tried to slide away from Cinder, someone grabbed her arm.  Her instinct was to pull away, but she hardly moved before a foot kicked the back of her knee and buckled her leg.  The loss of balance was enough of an opening for Cinder to twist her arm behind her back and slam her against the table.

She struggled against Cinder’s grasp until she saw a flash of silver.  Then she froze and watched Cinder bring the blade closer to her throat.

“What the hell are you doing?” she got out, somehow sounding angry even though she was terrified.

“Oh, I’m sorry.  Did I hurt you, Lieutenant?”

“What’re you talking about?” she scoffed, even though the word made her blood run cold.

“Don’t bother,” Cinder replied, twisting Blake’s arm even further, making her wince in pain.  “Don’t you recognize where we are?”  She nodded towards the planet through the glass, but Blake still didn’t recognize it.

“Gautov.”  As soon as Cinder said the name, Blake’s concern doubled.  “ISA offloaded some of their data here, and they were kind enough to let me take a look.  Turns out, you’re in their system -”

“We’re all in their system.”

“ - as an employee,” Cinder concluded with an air of finality.  “And your first assignment was a big one, wasn’t it?  Infiltrate the Blackguards and figure out how to take them down.”

When Cinder tsked the statement, Blake searched for a way out of it.

“You’re lying.”

That was the only thing she could think of - the only way to cast doubt over the truth.  And that was when her ISA badge replaced the hologram of planet TS72.

“Are we?”

Feeling every eye upon her, she stared at her badge and struggled to find words to say.

“Let her go.”

Adam’s low, calm voice scared her even more, and she didn’t even want to look at him after Cinder did as instructed.  Her immediate thought was to make a run for it, but where could she go?

She didn’t have time for more thought than that before jumping backward when Adam swung at her.  Instantly on the defensive, she backed as far away as possible, dodging more blows in the process, and tried to decide whether or not to respond.  Attacking Adam meant death, but her cover was already blown -

“Come on,” he goaded her.  “Try it.”

Taking the bait, she launched a counterattack and felt her surprise grow when he immediately switched to the defensive.  He was strong enough to overpower her with brute force, but he let her try to attack.

It only took a few more seconds to realize that something was wrong.  Without much effort on his part, he parried or dodged every blow, almost as if he knew what she would do before she did it.  No sooner had she made the realization did he grab her arm and pin it behind her back.

“I should have known,” he said, twisting her arm until she cried out in pain.  “The stench of loyalty.  The misguided belief that you’re always right.”

When he released her, she hardly felt the relief in her shoulder before throwing an elbow towards him.  He didn’t bat an eye while ducking and landing a hook right to her temple.  The blow sent her staggering into the table, where she caught herself and shook her head in hopes of clearing her vision.  Sensing his approach, she threw a wild punch at him only to feel a hand lock around her wrist.  Before she could react, he jerked her off balance and brought his knee up into her chest.

Her lungs emptied as her ribs cracked, and she fell to her knees while tears of pain stung her eyes.  Her ears were ringing.  She could hardly breathe.  Her head pounded.  And she knew this wouldn’t be the last of it.

“I thought it was a coincidence,” Adam continued, circling her while she struggled to regain her breath.  “But I knew it the moment I saw you fight.  You don’t know what it’s like to fight for survival because you weren’t trained to survive.  You were trained to march into the fire because those are your orders.  Because the greater good demands it, and you heed the call, like any good drone.”

Gritting her teeth, she set her hands on the floor and pushed herself back to her feet.  The effort made her head swim, but she blinked the feeling away and stared at Adam.  Every alarm bell she had was ringing fiercely right now, but there was nothing she could do.

“State your identification number,” he snarled at her, and she frowned.  The way he said that…

“State your identification number,” he repeated before grabbing her by the collar and jerking her forward.  “State it.”

Everyone on the bridge waited for her response.  She would have expected all of them to be disgusted or livid.  Some were, but some were simply surprised.  Others looked uncomfortable.  Then there was Emerald, who glared daggers her way.

If this was the end, she wasn’t going out as a Blackguard.

“Badge one-six-five-eight,” she replied in a clear voice, and Adam released her with a menacing smirk.

“Badge three-seven-one-four.”

Blake’s eyes widened at the response, and she stared in disbelief while Adam straightened his posture, rolled back his shoulders, moved his heels together, and gave a stiff salute.

“Captain Taurus.”

It was a lie - it had to be.

But he had no reason to lie.

“You’re Alliance?” she asked anyway, only for her disbelief to grow when he nodded.

“They sent me to figure out how criminal organizations worked, and you know what I realized?”  He paused and waited for her to respond, only to raise his hand and point at the planet outside the window.  “ISA has it wrong.”

He made the statement with such certainty, Blake frowned, but he wasn’t done yet.

“Every planet that joins is guaranteed a seat at the table.  How many is it up to now?  Twenty-two?  Twenty-three?”

“Twenty-five,” she whispered, still too shell shocked to fully grasp the situation.

“Twenty-five planets.  Twenty-five leaders to be appeased.  Twenty-five voices, all arguing for themselves.  And every additional planet drags the system further into stalemates and deadlock.  Decisions can’t be made quickly, opportunities can’t be seized upon before they slip away.”

“They had the right idea - bring together the planets - but failed in the execution.  Now they sit on their hands and argue while the rest of the system wonders when this fabled ‘protector of all’ will appear.”

Pausing, Adam flipped the holoscreen back to Planet TS72.

“Once we control the mines,” he said, speaking to the screen rather than to her.  “Our numbers and power will grow, and we’ll wipe the Alliance from the system.  In its place?  Order, discipline, and prosperity, under the direction of one voice - and that voice will be mine.”

When he turned towards her, she saw the manic determination in his eyes, and she knew he meant to see this plan through to the end.

“You can’t be serious…”  When she shook her head, she winced and gingerly touched her side.  “Even if you have this metal, ISA has planets of resources to draw upon -”

“And what happens when planets start leaving the Alliance?”

The idea of a planet leaving the Alliance seemed unfathomable, but so did finding an ancient metal supposedly stronger than anything else in existence.  If Adam had his way...if he destroyed ISA...one of the only hopes for a united galaxy went with it.

What he proposed was essentially declaring war on the universe.

Hearing footsteps, Blake turned towards the doorway and watched Yang walk onto the bridge.  The moment Yang saw the scene in front of her, however, she froze, then set her mouth in a scowl.

“What’s going on?” she asked while walking over.  The closer she got, the more worried her eyes became.  She could tell Blake was hurt and reached out as if to help her.

“She’s a proud member of the Intergalactic Space Alliance,” Cinder said, and Yang backed away as if Blake just burned her.

“What?”  After giving Blake a second glance, Yang looked at Adam and Cinder.  “No, she’s not.  She’s a merc - we checked her records.”

“The records are fake.”  Cinder looked so delighted to be the one delivering this news, she smiled as if she and Yang were best friends.  “How does it feel to know you slept with one of ISA’s drones?”

“ISA?” Yang repeated before looking at Blake.  Her red eyes were at first filled with disbelief, then shock, then...betrayal.

Blake shook her head but stopped short of lying.  As stupid as it was, she didn’t want to lie to Yang.  But she didn’t have to.  Cinder returned Blake’s badge to the screen, and Yang stared at it for several long seconds before closing off her emotions.

“Then what do we do with her?”

Blake instantly recognized the tone - Yang had fallen back into her Blackguard mode, and that scared her more than anything.

“What we always do with Alliance - and it’s my turn to off a cop.”

When Cinder drew her phaser and pointed it at Blake, Yang shoved it away.

“Don’t be stupid.  We might need her.”

“For what?”

“‘For what?’” Yang repeated before scoffing.  “For the same thing she’s been doing this entire time.”  After giving Cinder an incredulous look, she turned to Adam.  “We’re this close.  What if we get there and need her to read a fucking doorway or something stupid like that?”

“She’ll just lie,” Cinder argued.

“No, she won’t.”  Yang looked at Blake for a long time, her red eyes dark and unreadable.  “Because she’s scared,” she concluded, and Blake couldn’t even hope to argue.  “If she gives us the wrong information, then you get to do whatever you want to her - and make it as long and drawn out as possible.”

The thought of being left to Cinder’s wishes made Blake’s stomach turn.  Yang wouldn’t let that happen, would she?  She would grant a quicker death than that?

While the two commanders argued their cases, Adam deliberated Blake’s fate.  Eventually, his mouth twitched upward with that awful, terrifying smirk.

“Keep her alive, for now,” he concluded.  “She could be useful.  If she misbehaves, we’ll...have a little fun with her.”

Jaw clenched tightly, Yang gave Blake one last look before nodding and stalking out of the room.  Blake’s heart dropped while Yang walked away, and fell even further when Cinder laughed.

“I think you hurt her feelings.”

She did.  She knew she did.  But she was Alliance, and Yang was a wanted criminal.  Even if that didn’t matter...even if, for some reason, Yang wanted to help...what could she do without getting them both killed?

Instead, Blake was forced to stare at Yang’s back while her only source of light in this dark, brutal world left her side.

“Alright, grab her.”

Two men stepped forward at Cinder’s orders and grabbed Blake’s arms, quickly immobilizing her to the point where she couldn’t hope to move.  Only then did Cinder walk forward and throw an elbow into her already-broken ribs, making her cry out in pain while sending her back to her knees in no time.

Yang froze at the sound, but she didn’t turn around.  She doubled her pace out of the room instead, leaving Blake struggling to breathe while her eyes swam with tears.

Her last glimpse of Yang was lost when Cinder knelt in front of her and smiled.

“You know...I never liked you.”

“The feeling’s...mutual...” Blake got out through clenched teeth.

Cinder huffed at the response before standing and motioning the guards to follow.  They pulled Blake to her feet - her ribs screaming in agony at the swift action - before marching her off the bridge.  Adam’s eyes bored into her back as they left, but it was the betrayal in Yang’s that haunted her more.

What hadn’t been clear until this moment was just how much she relied on Yang’s protection.  Without it...she was about to learn what it meant to be alone.

And it was guaranteed to hurt.