Star-Crossed - Chapter 29 (Patreon)

“I should’ve died.”

Deathly quiet filled the council room after the words, and Sun shifted in his seat before continuing.

“I knew it was stupid to sneak around, but I just wanted...”  After glancing Blake’s way, he sighed and shook his head.  “I just wanted to see the ship take off.  But I got caught and...I should’ve died.”

“Can you elaborate?” the overseer asked, directing the flow of testimony as he had over the past few days.

“Cinder Fall was going to kill me.”

Sun’s answer was so blunt and certain that the spectators in the room murmured amongst themselves before the overseer raised his hand for quiet.

“How can you be sure about that?”

“Because she said she was going to.  And...”  After briefly trailing off, Sun shook his head and refocused.  “I could see it in her eyes and hear it in her voice - she wanted to kill me, and nothing would stop her.”

From his tone and posture, he believed the words, and he believed that his brush with death had been real.  That somber, poignant silence laid over the room for several seconds before the overseer prodded him forward.

“What happened next?”

“Yang showed up,” Sun explained, settling into the rest of his story.  “And she took over.  She roughed me up a bit - gave me a couple good hits - then pulled a knife.”  Thinking back on that moment, which Blake remembered like yesterday, he shook his head and chuckled.  “I thought I was a goner.  Here was this badass girl with a knife about to send me to my maker, but...she didn’t.”

“She didn’t.”

“She didn’t,” Sun repeated before smiling at Yang, who sat at the front of the room next to the representative tasked with her defense.  “Because the knife wasn’t real.”

He paused to let that information sink in, but the onlookers seemed just as slow to grasp it as Blake had been.  A fake knife?  What criminal carried a fake knife…?

“It looked real, but it wasn’t,” Sun hurried on, his words spilling out faster now.  “It was like the ones you give kids so they don’t hurt themselves - the kind that collapses into the handle.  She nailed me in the side with it, but I didn’t even understand what happened before she grabbed my shoulder and shoved me off the cliff.  The water was a good hundred feet below, but I landed without a scratch, swam to shore, and got the hell out of there.”

“You were unharmed?” the overseer asked.

“I was a little roughed up, but nothing serious.  Ended up with a few bruises and an awesome story to tell.”

“Then, in your opinion, Miss Xiao Long saved your life?”

“That’s not my opinion,” Sun replied plainly.  “That’s a fact.  I’d be dead if it wasn’t for her.  I owe her my life.”

While Sun beamed at Yang with the statement, Yang shifted in her seat when faced with such open gratitude.  She believed that he saved her life just as much as she saved his, which might be true.  But she was the one on trial today, and she was the one who needed his testimony.

“Thank you, Mr. Wukong.  That will be all.”

“No problem.”

With his time on the stand finished, Sun hopped out of his seat and headed towards the exit.  Before he left the room, Blake caught his gaze and mouthed a sincere ‘thank you.’  Even though he was going through his own drama with ISA right now, he’d insisted on testifying on Yang’s behalf.  For that, and many other reasons, Blake would forever be grateful.

“We’ll take a short break now,” the overseer said once Sun left the room.  “And reconvene at two.”

After a long morning filled with testimonies from across the universe, many of the onlookers gladly stood and stretched their legs.  Blake, however, watched Yang, who kept her gaze on the overseer while he jotted notes from Sun’s story.

“We’re going to grab lunch,” Weiss spoke up from beside her.  “Would you like anything?”

“No, thank you.”

When Blake shook her head and mustered a fleeting smile, Weiss nodded and moved towards the end of their row of seats.  Before following, Ruby smiled and gently touched Blake’s shoulder - a subtle sign of support that meant more than Ruby likely knew.

Ever since arriving on Icion, Blake had been a bundle of anxiety.  Being separated from Yang, who’d been immediately taken into ISA custody, didn’t help.  Neither did the constant speculation about the outcome of this trial, which could fall anywhere between wonderful to crushingly horrible.  The only consolation was that they would have an answer soon.  Once the overseer made a decision, they would know their immediate future, and they could plan from there.

Only when the ISA agent supervising Yang prompted her to her feet did she stand and meet Blake’s gaze.  They shared a smile, as they often did, before she followed the man into the hall for a break of her own.  Once the door shut behind her, however, Blake put her head in her hands and sighed.

Even though the trial had been taxing in ways she couldn’t have imagined, they still had much to be grateful for.  Their injuries were almost fully healed.  Ruby was safe and sound.  They had the full support of Weiss, an Atlesian princess with considerable wealth and influence.  Adam and Cinder were locked in maximum security cells awaiting trials of their own.  Most importantly, they had each other.

Yang’s future hung in the balance but, regardless of that uncertainty, she didn’t falter from this path.  Privately, she admitted that this was the hardest thing she’d ever done - facing the people she’d wronged and admitting her guilt - but she was determined to see it through.  Her resolve was evident in her eyes, which never approached the shade of scarlet that used to be such a large part of who she was.  Repentance and remorse were her overarching emotions now, and were on display for everyone to see.

That open vulnerability was probably the reason why she hadn’t wanted Blake and Ruby to attend the trial.  That, or she didn’t want them hearing the stories of what she did during her darkest days as a Blackguard.  But they refused to stay away and, fortunately, she had no way of making them leave.

Some of the testimonies were surprising.  Some were filled with hyperbole.  Some might very well be true.  Regardless of what was said or learned, Blake never lost sight of who Yang was - a desperate soul trapped in a bad situation, forced to partake in crimes beyond her control, with a penchant for saving as many lives as possible.

While Yang’s mistakes were on display, it felt unfair that Blake’s remained in obscurity.  She also messed up.  Her actions resulted in the deaths of others - with Ret, most of all, at the top of her mind.  Yet the law gave her a pass because it had been her job to be in those situations.

That didn’t erase her guilt, and she believed she should face some sort of judgment too.  She probably would someday, but it would be silent whereas Yang’s played out for the universe to see.

When word of the trial spread, stories and testimonies poured in from across the galaxy.  Most were overwhelmingly positive, giving Blake hope that maybe...just maybe...the overseer would grant leniency.  Until then, she sat in the front row of the council room, as close to Yang as possible, and waited for the trial to end.

With only one speaker left, it wouldn’t be long before a decision was made.  The impending conclusion added to Blake’s unwillingness to leave the room, but that unwillingness turned into nerves when Weiss and Ruby returned.  They retook their seats beside her as the rest of the spectators gradually ambled into the room with more energy than before.  When Yang was led back into the room, Blake realized that this was it.  One more speaker, and they would know.

Picking up on Blake’s emotions, Yang offered a small smile.  Without words, her eyes said everything - that she hoped for a good outcome like Blake did, but was still prepared for the worst.

When the door to the overseer’s office opened and he walked back into the room, voices quieted in anticipation of what was to come.

“Is our last speaker ready?” he asked one of the attendants, who nodded and hurried to bring in the last guest.  Blake’s nerves returned as the trial resumed, but along with those nerves was a budding sense of restlessness and discontent.

Due to her relationship with Yang and her...complicated...history with ISA, it was decided that she wouldn’t testify.  Doing so, Yang’s representative informed her, would add too much complexity to an already complex situation.  They didn’t want to get bogged down in details about her undercover mission, which she wasn’t free to discuss, or get lost in drawn-out discussions of what criminal activities she participated in, which diminished her credibility.  Her credibility already took a hit when she resigned as soon as they returned from Planet TS72, causing legitimate concern that anything she said would be written off as biased at best, untruthful at worst.

Ultimately, she wouldn’t do anything to risk Yang’s case...even if that meant she wasn’t a part of it.  Instead, she sat forward and watched the last speaker walk to the front of the room.

Yang’s representative had saved the most distinguished testimony for last, which became all the more apparent by how the room quieted as the well-dressed, middle-aged woman sat down and straightened her posture.  Several of her personal guards stood nearby - a well-deserved security measure considering she represented the planet of Lemia, a position bestowed upon her after the death of her husband.  When she had arrived on Icion last week, it only took a name for Blake to understand her connection to Yang, and to understand how close they’d come to meeting before.

“Ms. Riol,” the overseer greeted her with a warm smile.  “Thank you for traveling all this way.”

“Please call me S’opheia,” she replied in a confident, smooth voice.  “And you’re welcome.  l thought it was important to be here in person.”

“I understand you’d like to add a testimony regarding Miss Xiao Long.”

“On her behalf,” the woman corrected before taking a deep breath and meeting Yang’s gaze.  “Because she saved my life, and the lives of my two little girls.”

Blake remembered the ship.  She remembered the phaser shot, hearing Yang talking to someone, and Yang making her walk away without ever seeing who was inside the room.  She remembered the last moments of S’opheia’s husband, Austor, who refused to bend to Adam’s will.

“We were traveling home when the Blackguards attacked,” S’opheia explained, her voice quiet as the room collectively leaned forward to listen.  “We’d heard the stories, but the trip wasn’t long - we thought it would be safe.”

Her lip briefly quivered at the memory, but she took a deep breath and continued.

“My husband told us to hide.  That he would get rid of them...but I knew we didn’t have the manpower to fight back.  Still, I took my daughters and hid in one of the rooms while they boarded.  It felt like we were there forever, but it must’ve only been a few minutes before someone opened the door, and I tried to shoot, but I missed.”

After a short pause, she made eye contact with the overseer.

“I shot first,” she reiterated to him before sending Yang a wavering smile.  “But she didn’t shoot back - she wasn’t even angry.  Instead, she told us to stay put - and leave the door unlocked - until the ship undocked.  I don’t know why I listened, but I did, and...they didn’t check the rooms again.”

After taking a deep breath and briefly staring at her hands, she cleared her throat and looked up.

“She was our guardian angel, that day.  She saved us.  And I know she would’ve saved my husband too, if she could have.”

Yang worked her jaw back and forth at the comment, and Blake knew exactly what she was thinking.  She wished that she could have saved Austor, too.  She wished that she could have saved all of them.

“Then, in your opinion, what should her judgment be?”

The question caught Blake’s full attention, as it hadn’t been posed to any of the other speakers over the course of the trial.  S’opheia’s position must have prompted it, meaning her answer held more weight than anyone might know.

“When the ship docked...” she began, again looking at her hands before raising her gaze.  “I knew I would do anything to keep my family alive.  Anything.”  She paused for a second to let that statement sink in before continuing.  “I can’t imagine being trapped in that situation.  And I can’t imagine being in that moment - feeling that terror - and risking my life for a stranger.”

Meeting Yang’s gaze, she gave a tearful smile.

“You showed your true character that day, Miss Xiao Long, and I’ll never forget it.”  Once Yang managed a fleeting smile in return, S’opheia turned towards the overseer.  “I think those moments should weigh more heavily than the others.  Because she’s here, now, accepting her mistakes.  This is someone who deserves a second chance, and we should grant her one.”

Blake agreed with the words wholeheartedly, and watched with growing hope as S’opheia exited the stand and walked over to Yang.  Yang hastily stood and extended her hand, but S’opheia clasped both of hers around Yang’s before leaning forward and lowering her voice to a whisper.

“My greatest hope is that you forgive yourself,” she whispered before pulling away and meeting Yang’s gaze.  “Because I’ve already forgiven you.”

With a small smile and gentle touch of Yang’s shoulder, she left the front of the room and rejoined her guards at her seat near the exit.  Yang, meanwhile, remained standing for several seconds longer, looking at a loss for what to say or do in response.

As a Blackguard, she was to be feared.  Yet the people who traveled all this way...the people she’d saved...treated her like a hero.  For someone used to being the villain, the reversal would take some getting used to, if she ever did at all.

Eventually, Yang turned around and met Blake’s gaze, her eyes showing her confliction.  The look made Blake want nothing more than to go over and console her, to assure her that she deserved the praise, but the overseer chose that moment to clear his throat and gather the items in front of him.

“Now that the testimonies are over, I’ll go over what I’ve heard and determine Miss Xiao Long’s possible punishment.  We’ll return shortly.”

With no additional clarity, not even a hint of what he was thinking, he left the room through the doorway leading to his office.  The counsel room quickly filled with soft conversations as everyone guessed what Yang’s fate might be.  Paying those theories no mind, Blake kept her eyes on Yang, who sent her another small smile before being led out of the room.

That smile made Blake’s heart ache even more.  The worst part about this, besides the uncertainty of the outcome, was not being able to support Yang as fully as she wanted.  She still did her best, and she would always do her best, she just wished she could do more...

“He can’t give her life,” Weiss commented from beside her.  “Not with how many lives she’s saved.”

“Yeah, but...if he does?”

“We’re prepared for that.”

Weiss spoke with such absolute certainty, Ruby looked relieved.  Still, Weiss waited several seconds before glancing Blake’s way.

“Blake, you’re ready?  If need be.”

Staring at the doorway Yang had just walked through, Blake nodded but said nothing.  She didn’t want to consider that possibility, but she was thankful that Weiss thought of everything.  Yang might be willing to accept whatever her fate held, but they weren’t.  If ISA tried to put her away for life, she would be off the planet before the announcement reached Command.

But that was the worst case scenario.  It was the best case scenario that Blake clung to - the hope that Yang walked out of here under her own volition.

The chances of that happening seemed slim, but that didn’t stop Blake from wishing.  What she wanted more than anything was for them to be together.  To put their pasts behind them and move on, heal, and figure out what their future held in store.

Blake didn’t know how long she sat there, staring at that door while her knee jittered up and down, but eventually the overseer returned to the room.  As soon as he did, her heart sped up in anticipation of the decision to come, and threatened to seize with worry when Yang was led back into the room and stood before the man tasked with determining her fate.  Even though she stood straight and tall, Blake read the concern in her posture.

That same concern must be written all over Blake at the moment, but there was nothing more they could do.  They’d exhausted all of their options, called in every favor, and done everything in their power to swing this in Yang’s favor.  So, when Ruby reached over to hold her hand, she willingly accepted the gesture, took a deep breath, and waited for the verdict.

“Miss Xiao Long,” the man began, meeting Yang’s gaze and Yang’s alone.  “The testimony on your behalf has been overwhelming, and your actions bringing the Blackguards to justice are steps in the right direction.”

The moment he paused, Blake’s heart fell.

“But the crimes you’ve committed can’t be so easily undone.  Grand theft, assault and battery, possession and distribution of illegal substances and firearms, manslaughter - I understand your participation could be labeled involuntary, but those charges alone warrant never setting foot outside a reformatory again.”

Weiss stiffened at the words and reached over to hold Ruby’s other hand, and Blake’s adrenaline rose while the man sighed and shook his head.

All Yang wanted was to stop running...but if ISA wouldn’t grant that wish, she wasn’t spending the rest of her life behind bars.

“Regardless,” he continued.  “You’ve agreed to testify against Adam Taurus and Cinder Fall, and provided ISA with invaluable information regarding the Blackguards and other criminal organizations.  Most importantly, I can’t help agreeing with many of the people here today - you deserve a second chance.”

“Therefore, I’m sentencing you to four years at the ISA reformatory here on Icion.  If you exhibit exemplary behavior, which it seems you should be capable of, early release will be possible in twelve months.”

“Thank you, Your Honor,” Yang replied with a nod, and the man nodded in return before gathering his belongings and motioning the recorders forward.  With the trial officially over, the rest of the room discussed the outcome and prepared to leave, but Blake hurried over to the small railing separating her from Yang.

“It’s ok,” are the first words out of Yang’s mouth before Ruby reached across and hugged her.

“It’s ok,” she repeated once Ruby let go and backed away.  “I’ve done some bad things.  I...need to atone for them somehow...”

When Yang looked down at her hand, Blake put a finger under her chin and lifted her gaze.

“You’ve already done more than enough,” Blake said before kissing Yang’s cheek and wrapping her in a hug.

Feeling Yang pull her close, Blake closed her eyes and sighed.  This wasn’t the result she wanted, but they did everything they could.  At least it wasn’t life in prison, which had been a very real possibility this entire time.

“I pulled all the strings I could...” Weiss added with a sigh.  “But I understand their position.  They can’t let you off without punishment.  The message that would send...”

“I get it,” Yang agreed.  “And it’s actually not that bad.  I expected...worse.”

“Then you’ll accept it?”

As soon as Weiss asked the question, Yang sensed the intent behind it.

“Don’t even think about it.  I can deal with four years, but…”  Suddenly unsure, Yang glanced at her hand before meeting Blake’s eyes.  “Are you ok with that?”

Recognizing the decision being given to her, Blake shook her head and reached up to touch Yang’s cheek.

“I’ll wait for you forever,” she promised, feeling her heart beat loudly when Yang leaned into the touch.  “I only want you to be happy.”

“I want you to be happy -”

“And I can wait four years.”

With Yang’s eyes searching for the truth in that response, Blake smiled and ran her fingers through Yang’s hair.  After what they went through...and with how she still felt about Yang...she knew there would be no one else.  So, if Yang accepted the result of the trial, then so would she.

“Plus, if you’re good, it’ll only be a year!”

“You’re right,” Yang said before smiling at Ruby, who found the silver lining once again.  “And I plan on being really good.”

“Yang!”

Hearing her name, Yang turned and broke into the brightest smile when she spotted Zimon racing over to her.  Zimon’s uncle was right behind him but, rather than follow the young boy all the way to Yang, stopped by Blake’s side.

“Thank you for making the trip,” Blake told the man, who nodded.

“He insisted.  Said it was only fair.”

Clearing his throat to get their attention, Zimon gave his uncle an impatient look before beaming up at Yang.

“Thank you,” he said, his accent heavy but his words clear.  “For saving me.”

At a loss for how to respond, Yang just stared down at the young boy.  But Zimon wasn’t finished yet.  After motioning Yang closer, he lifted up his stuffed animal and touched its nose to hers.

“Zam Zam say thank you too.”

“You’re welcome…” Yang finally whispered.  And, before she moved away, Zimon threw his arms around her neck for a hug.  The action surprised her, as evidenced by the brief moment she froze, but she soon relaxed and returned the embrace.

“And thank you for letting me eat cake for breakfast!” he added in his native language after letting go.  “They don’t let me do that anymore.”

When Zimon pouted at his uncle, his uncle chuckled and shook his head.  Zimon quickly forgot about the injustice, however, when his gaze landed upon Blake.

“Thank you too!”

When he raised both arms for a hug, with Zam Zam still clutched in one hand, Blake smiled and knelt down to accept his embrace.

“You’re welcome, Zimon.”

Once she let go, he stepped backward, held onto his uncle’s hand, and sent them a bright, innocent smile.

“I’ll see you soon!” he said with such confidence that Blake couldn’t help believing it was true.  With one last grin and a wave, he left the room with his uncle - walking out of their lives for now, but apparently not for good.

As soon as the Zitovians left the counsel room behind, Yang cleared her throat, then cleared her throat again, before laughing.

“I swore I wouldn’t cry,” she got out before staring at the floor and taking a deep breath.  Once her emotions were under control, she met Blake’s gaze.  “Best thing you ever convinced me to do.”

“So far,” Blake joked, smiling when Yang laughed.

“Well my options will be pretty limited for a while…” she added with a glance towards the ISA agent standing nearby.

“But not forever,” Ruby was quick to chip in.  “Plus, it won’t feel like long.  Especially not when I visit you every day.”

“Every day?”

“Every day,” Ruby confirmed with a nod.  “I’m not going anywhere until you’re out.  I’m staying right here.”

The news was a clear relief to Yang, who smiled and set her hand on Ruby’s shoulder.  They were accepting the decision more by the minute, just like Blake was.  Yang would be spending the next year, at least, in an ISA reformatory.  Possibly four years, depending on whether ISA considered her behavior worthy of an early release or not.

Blake didn’t expect Yang to get into trouble, but Yang wouldn’t be the only person in the reformatory.  She would be surrounded by criminals, many of whom might take issue with her status as a former leader of the Blackguard.  And she was missing her arm, seriously hindering her ability to protect herself...

“You’re worried.”

Blinking out of those thoughts, Blake gave Yang a curious look.

“Your ears do this thing when you’re worried,” Yang explained while motioning at Blake’s ears.

Blake had no idea that her ears gave away her concern but, seeing as how Yang already pointed it out, there was no use denying it.

“I can’t protect you in there...”

“But I can take care of myself,” Yang reassured her.  “Even without the arm, I promise. Besides, it’s not like you can come with me.”

The response sparked an idea in Blake’s mind, which Yang quickly picked up.

“Oh no you don’t.  If you try to follow me in there, we’re done.”

“It’s only a year...”

“Nuh uh.  You’re staying out here.”  Yang pointed at the floor by Blake’s feet before her expression softened.  “I don’t want to worry about you too...” she whispered.

Blake gave up that idea with a sigh.  It was a foolish one anyway.  What was she going to do...commit a crime and ask for a year in the same facility?

Sensing someone walk up beside her, she glanced over and spotted Sun.

“Hey, Sun...thanks for coming back.”

“Actually, I’m on duty.”

Confused by the comment, Blake gave him a closer look, noting his change in uniform as he puffed out his chest.

“My reassignment just came through!” he announced.  “You’re now looking at dashing reform officer Sun.”

“...what?”

“Yup!  ISA wanted to demote me, but I called in a few favors to land my next gig - security officer at Icion’s reformatory.  They gave me a big first assignment too - transporting a super dangerous ex-Blackguard to her temporary abode.”

Shocked, confused, and...shocked...Blake stared at him for several seconds before scoffing and throwing her arms around his neck for a hug.  She hadn’t asked him to do that - she hadn’t even thought to do that - yet he willingly made another sacrifice for her benefit.

“But you love being an officer…” she said before pulling away and searching his eyes for regret.

“Naw.  It’s not as much fun without you anyway.”

The way he grinned and waved off her concern, willingly letting go of his career as one of ISA’s finest, made her feel like crying...in a good way.

“Thank you,” she whispered before smiling at Yang.

“Looks like I don’t have to go with you, after all,” she said while hugging Yang one last time, memorizing as much of this feeling as possible.  Before letting go, she pressed a kiss to Yang’s lips and looked deep into lilac eyes that still made her heart flutter in her chest.

“I’ll see you soon.”

“I can’t wait,” Yang whispered before stealing one more kiss and moving away.  After hugging Ruby, then Weiss, she took a deep breath and managed a wavering smile.

“Thanks, you guys,” she said while backing away from them.  Her eyes glistened with tears as their separation loomed, but those tears never fell.  Instead, she smiled when Sun hopped the railing and motioned her towards the exit of the room.

“You’ll take it easy on me, right?” he asked while they headed that way.  “It’s kind of my first day.”

When Yang laughed, either at the irony of the situation or the idea of her putting up a fight, Blake’s heart warmed.  This wasn’t what she wanted, but knowing that Sun could look out for Yang made her feel much better.  The next few years would be difficult, and she already felt an ache in her chest, but it could also be...good.

Before leaving the room, Yang turned and met Blake’s gaze one last time.  Her eyes were soft, lilac, and filled with something Blake had never seen before.  Something that she, herself, felt now more than ever.

The worst was over.  The past was behind them.  And, for the first time in a very long time, they felt...hope.