Hit Me -RaPr- 10

"Give me a run down," The General said coldly, ruby eyes as hard as ever. His first officer shuffled along behind, quickly saluting and following orders just as he had been trained to do.

"Fatalities at a minimum. Total losses still being estimated. Medium damage taken to landing ships and the Tallest is eager to speak with you." Blik reiterated, nodding along as he remembered. Without speaking, Red turned on his heels sharply down a corridor that led towards the communications room.

"Good. Set coordinates for the Massive. We'll regroup and recharge there."

"Yes, sir." Blik put his fist to his chest, antenna back against his skull in the Irken salute just as the door swooshed shut in his face.  Walking to the giant screen in the middle of the room, Red quickly punched in the calling code for the Control Room on the Massive.

The pink screen lit up with the irken symbol for a few seconds before it cleared to show her. Myuki, with the graceful and deadly silver-blue armor of the Tallest. Her eyes matched it to a 't'. Respectfully, his antenna fell against his skull, as he saluted.
"General Red. Glad to see you are alive." She said, voice strong and practically thrumming with authority. "I would hate to lose my best solider."

"Thank you, My Tallest. Glad to be back." He stood at attention.

"General Red, we have plans to see that planet cleansed." A service drone popped into the screen for a few seconds to offer up a bag of chocolate covered pretzels. They were her favorite. She graciously took them, actually acknowledging the smaller irken.

Myuki was a rare kind of leader. The kind that was great, loyal and destined for glory. She was their hope for the Empire, and with her incredible intelligence and seemingly endless patience, a bright future was assured.

"O-of course, My Tallest." Red's hands curled into fists. "When, if I may ask?"

"You may, General Red." After swallowing another pretzel, she tilted her head to the side. "Approximatly,30 minutes." She studied his reactions and saw how stiff he became, how he fought to keep a steady face.  "Red, is there something you wish to tell me?"

"I-I…" Inside, Red was rebelling. Two sides of a bloody brutal war. On one side, he could feel nothing but pain, betrayal. That one lie…it wasn't a small one either. Lying about your status could get you executed. Red should've carried that out. He should've killed Purple.

It went against normal Irken duty. And that was all that Red had. It was all that any Irken really had. Duty to the Empire. General Red wanted to shove aside any wrong feelings he may have somehow became infected with and let them blow up this planet, the traitor along with it.

The other side however, screamed in agony. He'd trusted Purple, with his life, his dignity. They'd kissed and fought, laughed. They'd been more intimate than any Irkens should ever be. It was right in the rule books, drilled into their head every single day.
From hatching till graduation; no touching, no emotions, no attachments, no weaknesses.

Purple was everything that Red was supposed to avoid. Yet, he'd fallen over the abyss, taken that dive into uncertainty because there had been something in violet eyes, in the noises he made as he slept, in that cocky gait and how wonderful it felt to intertwine themselves in every way possible.

Purple made his blood boil in more ways than one. Purple was forbidden and ridiculous. Purple made him do incredibly stupid things like jump off cliffs and hold someone in their sleep.

How was he supposed to live without that? How could he let go of his hand? How could Red just leave him there? He grabbed his left antenna and tugged on it harshly, trying to work his mind into a sense of order.

"Red?" Myuki asked again, this time much more concerned and confused.

"I…My Tallest?"

"Yes?"

"Have you ever…"How to explain this? "touched someone?"

An invisible eyebrow rose. "Like how, General?"

His jaw clenched. "Like…like they teach you not to." Understanding showed on her face. Red crindged, waiting.

"Yes."  Startled, he looked up from the ground, not remembering having done so. That was cowardly.

"W-what?"

"I said, 'Yes'. It was so long ago…but, he was a companion. A scientist. We met before I was Tallest. Went to the same section of the Academy and had never even met until the day we literally collided in the middle of the busiest hallway." Myuki was remembering, eyes slightly glazed and demeanor different; calmer.

"It wasn't instant. We used yelled at each other to watch where we were going and went our separate ways. Then a few days later we saw each other again. Glares were exchanged." She smiled at the memory.

Red was rapt, eyes wide. "We ended up being assigned as partners for Battle weapons and even if we fought like cats and dogs…I remember his facial expressions and how he moved. How his calculations were flawless and his drawing wretched…we touched like that, Red. Alone together. It was instinctive and against everything we'd been taught."

The Tallest blinked and looked back at the Irken solider. "We went our separate ways. It was extremely painful. But, the true agony set in later. I wanted to see him and bring him back, tell him that I felt things for him." Azure eyes dulled just a tiny bit. "He was killed in a freak lab accident. I never should've let him go."

Red couldn't breathe, his claws dug into the control board. "Does that answer your question, General?" She said. There was a layer of knowing, of regret. He nodded silently.

"Wonderful…" Silence. "I'm going to change the time of Cleansing; Two hours sounds about right." With that the call was disconnected. Immediately, Red broke away from the screen, rushing to the door, impatient with its stupid opening mechanisms.

As if by magic, Blik was there, eyes growing wide as soon as he saw his General's face. "A-Are you okay, Sir?"  Red shoved past him, running down the hallway and into the main control room.

"Go back. Return to the planet. We have unfinished business there." The pilots seemed confused but, were loathe to argue with their leader and obeyed. Blik followed close behind.

"Sir? Go back? But…the planet is to be cleansed. We can't land again." Red whirled on him, poking the smaller irken in the chest.

"Are you questioning my orders?"

"Sir, no, Sir. It just seems that maybe you aren't sound of mind, Sir." Blik replied hurriedly, glancing back at the pilots who now glanced at each other, worriedly. It wasn't un heard of for a lost solider to go crazy on a strange planet when marooned. Even if it had only been a few days, the atmosphere and the poison of the screw bullets could've had a major effect.

"I…heard your call, General." Red went still, glare frozen on his face. Finally, he jumped back from Blik, scowling.

"Did you?"

"Yes, Sir. And you aren't sound of mind. I'm afraid as First officer, I must take charge, as it says in Section 43, Paragraph 89 that in the case of the General's sudden inability to do his dut—" His words were choked off as Red wrapped his fingers around his throat.

"I know the Vort damned rules, Blik. I also know that I've compromised my own title and my own life. I know that if I keep squeezing your neck I'll send you into a mini coma. And I know that my duty, the duty to this Empire, to my Tallest and to my troops is all that I have…" Or was. Red released his first officer, who dropped to the floor, gasping for recycled air.

"You know what? Take it." He looked out the window. It was far down. Very, very far down. The pilots had made the craft hover in confusion. But, with his Pak legs and the techniques that Purple taught him he should be able to make it. Maybe… "Take it all. Take my duty. Take my position. Take all that I have…"

Blik just stared at him, hands clutching at his neck, as if he'd gone crazy. "W-what?"

Red grabbed the emergency release door, pushing and lifting so it popped open. "Section 56, Paragraph 889." He grabbed either side of the door jam and leaned out the side of it, back towards the long plummet below, looking back at his first officer.

  "Unless, there is known fatality, no high ranking officer left behind." With that he let go, letting himself, fall, fall to the ground below, hoping to god that he lived because Purple was out there somewhere.