Out of Space

Leung Chun Kok, of Terran descent, formerly a member of the United Nations of Man Fleet Command, now deserter and a cursed apostle of Apep, nervously watched the two women of opposing hostile ideology face off against each other.

One dressed in form fitting crimson and gold jacket, ending in long pants and boots. The ritualistic scars marking her face did not take away the beauty of her looks and instead gave her a sort of wild primal beauty. She defensively stood there holding a dagger that appeared out from nowhere and in her other hand, she tightly clutched onto the shard of mana stone.

Facing her was the Duchess and despite her age, she still possessed striking features. Her stolen sword was held out in a combative stance as she stared down warily at her opponent who had awakened. Leung staring at the two women felt a headache as he did not know what to say to defuse the situation.

They had barricaded themselves inside one of the prison buildings and he had hoped to use the Protectorate girl as a means of cover to escape the Iron Kingdom. But he had failed to anticipate one thing was that the Protectorate were too rigid and stubborn in their ways. Anyone not a follower of Ramuh was branded a lawless heretic and were unwelcome, less they get tainted by their sins.

That was how the situation became this way when the female Protectorate woke up. Despite her injuries, she let out a growl and a dagger suddenly appeared from somewhere. Seeing the situation in a stalemate and the sounds of fighting getting louder once more, Leung stepped in with his hands half raised as he tried to smooth things down.

"Relax! We are not enemies here!" Leung said as he inched his way forward. "Please put down your weapons! We... We are all... on the same boat here!"

"Same boat?" Duchess Manarva spat. "She's an Inquisitor! She will kill us all without even blinking an eye! It's what they do!"

"R- Really?" Leung faltered as he looked at the girl whose pretty face was covered in scars, feeling pity for her. "E- Even after we saved you from those soldiers?"

"You lawless scum!" The Protectorate girl shifted her stance, pointing her dagger at Leung. "You dare lay your filthy hands on me? I shall send you to be Judged!"

"Wait, what?" Leung jumped out of the way of the slashing dagger. "For God's sake! I just saved your life!"

"Blasphemy!" The Protectorate girl hissed. "Ramuh curse your false Gods!"

"Can I kill her now?" Duchess Manarva mocking asked as she watched from the side with amusement. "Is she still your ticket out?"

"Stop it!" Leung groaned as he dodge another slash from the Protectorate girl. If not for her wounds, she would have sliced Leung up several times already. He wanted to make use of the Protectorate to escape from the Iron Kingdom soldiers, but it didn't turn out the way he wanted. "Wait! Stop! Listen to me!"

"Lawless! Nothing you say shall prevent Ramuh from Judging you!" She made a lunge at Leung. "You sinner!"

"Wait! I- I understand Law!" Leung made a desperate attempt to pacify the Protectorate girl. He quickly thought up some Chinese quotes, "Laws control the lesser people!"

The Protectorate girl paused in her actions as she heard his words and she repeated them softly, "Laws control the lesser people?"

"Yes! A... ah... Right conduct controls the greater one!" Leung squeezed his brains for more quotes that he know and once again, greatly regretted that he did not study hard enough when he was young. "To violate the law... is ah... the same crime in the emperor as in the common people!"

"Your words..." The Protectorate girl frowned as she listened to Leung's quotes. "They are not from the Book of Law and Order!"

"Ah... No!" Leung wondered what the hell was the Book of Law and Order. "I... I believe in Law and Order! "

"Your words are profound," The Protectorate girl eyed him suspiciously, "Yet... Which Bishop taught you?"

"I... I have no teacher!" Leung quickly said. "I... ah... came to enlightenment by myself!"

"Eh... L- Laws are useless when... when the people are pure... But unenforceable when the people are corrupt!"

-----

The Protectorate, RP Delta

The overly painted hull of an airship came to a slow hover over the dusty ground, its aerial screws and hidden propellers winding down, spiny landing legs extended out jerkily from its undersides before touching down. Overhead, two other blocky airships lazily drifted among the shrieking feathered wyverns, watching the area.

The airship settled down on its landing jacks with a strained metal groan before the side cargo hatch swung down and the boarding ramp ran out. Blake ran out as before the ramp was even fully deployed and he came to a halt before a waiting group of people.

Tyrier made a wordless gesture to the soldiers and they stopped their gawking and busied themselves, giving the Captain some private space but still sneaking peeks. Blake continued forward in shaky steps until he stopped before the figure wrapped in a hooded cloak and carrying a bundle in her hands.

"S- Sherene?" He asked in a hoarse and uncertain voice. The woman before him had aged and looked haggard. It hurt him so much when he saw she had suffered so much but at the same time relief flooded his veins to have her back safe and sound.

Sherene nodded, her body shaking as tears spilt out from her eyes. "Y- yes, Richard..."

"I- I am... sorry... for being late..." Blake cried as he reached out to touch his wife who had been separated from him. He paused in his actions when he saw how she flinched away and the guilt pierced his heart. He dropped his hands down to his side and smiled underneath the tears, "I am sorry..."

Sherene shook her head as she saw the look of guilt and pain in his ears. She quickly stepped forward and hugged him fiercely before gently transferring the bundle in her hands to him. "It's... alright dear... Here... meet your son!"

"My son?" Blake looked down at the bundle in his hands, seeing the baby for the first time. The child was asleep with his tiny thumb in his tiny mouth. He had a mop of black hair like Blake's and the facial features of his mother. But the striking thing of the child was his ears, on his right, it was pointy like the elves and on his left, it was short and rounded like the humans.

"What is his name?" Blake's coldness and harsh expression had softened as he looked at his wife and child.

"His name... is Coa..." Sherene blushed in embarrassment. "I... named him... after cocoa which... you taught me where chocolate came from... and his hair is dark like chocolate... and it makes me think of the first time we met... and and..."

Blake smiled as he hugged his wife and child fiercely, listening to her blabbering. The soldiers cheered and applauded as they witnessed the scene, happy to see their Captain and the Princess reunited.

"Princess!" Dr. Sharon cried out from behind as she came barreling over with a whole suite of medical equipment. She grabbed Sherene before she could react and hugged her tightly, crying with joy. "My poor princess!"

"Oh! Your son?" Dr. Sharon's eyes glittered as she looked at the cute child. "I need to do a medical checkup on both of you first!"

"Get on the stretcher!" She shooed Blake to one side as she helped Sherene up onto a stretcher pushed by two medical attendants, before adding, "You can continue your family reunion after I finish checking both mother and child's health!"

Blake nodded as he wiped off the tears on his face and with his son in his embrace, he followed alongside the stretcher. Stopping at the top of the ramp, he turned to look at the hulking war machine that was looking back at him with its electronic eyes and gave a nod before issuing an order to the waiting officers.

"Expedite the boarding... I don't want to stay here another minute longer!"

-----

The Old Ugly, Med Bay

Dr. Sharon suppressed the urge to cry out when she saw the naked body of Sherene who was seated on the medical bay. Crisscrossed scars could be seen on nearly every part of her back, some clearly just recently from the coloring of the tissue.

She gently attached the medical sensor leads on Sherene before helping her lay down and covering her with a thick blanket. She gently patted Sherene's head and resisted the urge to cry and instead, she asked, "How are you feeling, Princess?"

"Tired," Sherene smiled. "And... safe..."

"Don't you worry, we will keep you safe!" Dr. Sharon declared as she checked Sherene's vitals. "We... We will do something about these scars..."

Sherene cast her eyes down in anguish as she recalled the memories of her time in the Protectorate. "T- They forced me to learn... their ways..."

"Any mistake... no matter how big or small..." Sherene started crying as Dr. Sharon did her best to comfort her. "They will punish us... We must always follow the law and there can never be any disorder..."

"Hush, my princess!" Dr. Sharon wiped her tears away. "You are safe now! We are going home! Magister Thorn, General Joesph, Blue Thunder, Rastraz, Kaga and many others are waiting for you!"

"Y- Yes! I... miss them all..." Sherene finally calmed down. "I miss... home..."

"I know. Now I am going to draw some blood from you," Dr. Sharon said gently as she took some blood from her arm. "Oh, Blue Thunder and Rastraz had a pair of babies too or eggs?"

"Really?" Sherene smiled, it was the first true smile she had after so long. "I like to introduce my child to them!"

"Alright, we are done," Dr. Sharon helped Sherene up and pointed to a side cabin. "Go take a long good shower while I check on the health of your child."

Sherene nodded obediently and she disappeared into the cabin while Dr. Sharon printed out the results of the test. She opened the cabin hatch and called Blake to enter with his son, gesturing him to place the boy down on the examination bed.

"Sherene's healthwise is still ok, as long as she gets proper rest and nutrients," Dr. Sharon said. "Her nanites are working at below efficiency levels, but once they get topped up with some proteins and nutrients, they will start working to help Sherene recover fully."

"Now here," Dr. Sharon smiled at the boy ogling his surroundings curiously. "What is this little handsome's name?"

"Coa," Blake smiled as he watched his son make baby noises. "She said it reminds her of chocolate..."

"Foodie..." Dr. Sharon laughed as she distracted the child and quickly drew blood for tests. The child was shocked by the sudden prick but Blake patted him and calmed him down. "I will run some tests for the child. Looking at his size and weight, the Princess must have given all her food to him."

"Even so, the child will be lacking in certain nutrients and vitamins which I will only know after the results are out..." Dr. Sharon said. "And it would suggest that cross breeding between two different... species... Homo alfus and homo sapiens are... possible..."

"But we do not know what kind of genetic troubles may arise in the future," Dr. Sharon warned. "So you better be mentally prepared!"

"And as for Sherene..." Dr. Sharon gestured to the side cabin. "She is both mentally and physically scarred. So you need to put in your all to ensure both her mental and physical health!"

"I don't want to see you go off into a blender anymore!" Dr. Sharon warned.

"Yes, I understand," Blake nodded. "I will make sure nothing will ever happen to them again."

"Just get us all home, Captain!"