'This is dangerous. I have to get Miru away from this person,' Ash thought frantically. You had to be crazy to try taking on the temple, which even the sovereigns refused to do. It was late into the night now.
Ash wondered if they were still holding the gathering to watch the Silver Princess's new stream; he chastised himself for that thought. He had bigger issues at hand than a princess on another star.
Ash started exploring the shed, keeping an eye on this Xander character. His burns weren't itching, and his pain was easier. Whatever he had done had helped; it could help Miru too.
'Would they be named traitors along with him for receiving aid?' Ash struck a balled fist at his thigh. Why did this day keep getting worse? Ash walked toward the back of the room, where his heart sank. Xander wasn't bluffing; they had killed the Knights.
He recognized most of them; one, stripped of his tactical suit and cape, was a senior officer he had trained under at times.
"You should get the gear of those knights. They won't be needing it anymore," Xander called out from behind him.
"I am alright for now, thanks," Ash called out solemnly.
Ash returned to Miru's side. She still hadn't woken up. "What happened to her? Why isn't she waking up?"
"We weren't here for the entirety of it, but the man in charge of these Knights seemed to have hit her. That's where the bruise on her face is from. Apparently, if she lasted long enough in the rain with her arms exposed, they would go help you," Xander explained.
"Oh!" Ash said, anger and grief racing to overtake him as Xander continued.
"She was frantic by the time we treated her, so we gave her some meds to ease the pain and relax her. That might be why she's sleeping so soundly."
Ash looked at where Xander was standing, his eyes closed. Even when he wasn't speaking, his lips seemed to move as if he were talking to himself.
"Did you mean to help her? Or was it because she was useful to you in taking out the knights, I mean?" Ash asked.
Xander opened his eyes and stared at Ash after hearing the question. "Well! She made a good distraction, but even so, isn't it only natural to help someone out if you have the power to do it, regardless of how useful they are? Wouldn't you?"
'Definitely wouldn't,' Ash thought. There were a lot of factors to think about: how close they were, what the repercussions could be, and could they reach back to his loved ones? Xander's response sounded privileged to Ash, who had to walk a fine line between slavery and the empire's system.
But maybe he shouldn't say that to his captor's face. Instead, he asked, "How do you measure if you have enough power to help another person out?"
"I don't know, man. All I have are my intentions. Start doing what you think is right. Don't worry about being successful at it. Otherwise, you'll never take that first step."
Ash stared at Xander. He had never heard anything more idiotic.
"So what now? How long are you going to hold me here?"
"Hmm… good question! I guess you'll just have to find out."
Ash slumped to the ground beside Miru. After a few minutes, he got back up and went over to the pile of corpses and armed himself with their gear. Ash was disappointed to find all their weapons already gone, just the usual utility kits. Their tactical suits remained, but the electrical equipment had been stripped.
He took off the armor of the knight that was the least bloody; it was one size too big for him, but he had no better options. He returned to Xander.
"Umm… I forgot to say it, but thank you for saving Miru."
"It's alright, friend. Say, how do you know this poor girl?"
"Well, we are both from the slave settlements outside the city. I'm sort of responsible for her, like an older brother, you understand. Not a lot of us around, so we have to look after each other."
"I understand that bond all too well. Wait, you're from the slave colony as well? How did you end up at the temple then? I thought they didn't take in tankbreds," Xander said.
"We're not tankbreds. Our parents were, but not us. That's what makes us free. I don't get why, because my mother is a tankbred and she's the best human I know," Ash replied. He didn't like others calling his people tankbreds, but for some reason, when Xander said the word, his tone wasn't insulting.
In truth, there was a tinge of sadness in it. Just who was this person?
"Wait, we've heard rumors of this for a while now. Of a slave colony where they've started conceiving naturally, and the sovereigns don't intervene there." Xander suddenly had a wide smile on his face, his voice excited. "By any chance, is a person called Rain part of your settlement?"
Ash was wary of Xander's excitement, debating with himself whether to tell him the truth. Someone this dangerous and reckless would only expose his family. "I think I've heard that name before. Who is she exactly?" Ash asked carefully.
"Oh, makes sense! She wouldn't expose herself too openly. She's one of our planet-side contacts for Mortrum. Provides us with local information and helps maintain our channels on Mortrum."
Ash had a burning question that would probably expose his lie, but it was worth the risk.
"Hey, do you provide this Rain person with those videos from the life of the Silver Princess?"
Xander turned toward him. He was silent for a moment. "Yes."
Ash had always wondered how his mother got hold of them, and her secret monthly meetings to show them in the settlements. This person knew Rain, protected Miru, and so far had been cordial with him, even though Ash had struck first. Maybe, maybe he could trust him.
"Rain is actually my mother," Ash finally said, hoping this revelation wouldn't come back to haunt him later.
Xander's grin grew even wider than before. "You're not joking? That is awfully convenient, isn't it?" Xander started pacing back and forth.
"It might be…"
For a tense second, both boys stared at each other: Xander smiling, Ash with a wary, unsure expression.
"This couldn't have turned out better. You're cautious! I thank you for your honesty."
Ash's muscles tensed immediately. 'Oh no, here it comes.'
Xander instead spread his arms wide. "Peace be upon you, Ash. One of my team's missions was to make ground contact with Rain's community."
Ash still couldn't let his guard down around Xander. He remained wary, but he didn't back out of the unexpected hug. He stayed stiff as a board, fully aware of how easily Xander could snap him.
Thankfully, Xander didn't squeeze too hard.
Xander held him for a few seconds, then broke it off with another squeeze, probably meant to reassure him. "Now, I can at least be open with you. Let…" Xander was interrupted by a message on his HPC. A notification floated on his wrist, waiting for his command to open.
Xander's excitement vanished in an instant. Both he and Ash stared at it for a fraction of a second before Xander hurriedly swiped on it.