Descension

CHAPTER 22

Ben stands beside the barrel fire, watching as Joaquin ladles previously-dehydrated mushroom soup into four bowls.

As Ben takes a bowl, he stares into the middle, watching the steam curl around his vision. "How's Liam?"

Zeline replies, "He's not himself lately."

Ben's lids lower as the corners of his lips twitch down. He gives a soft grunt in response and takes a deep sip of the soup. Zeline looks down at her armor, then back up at Ben, then Dannika, and finally Joaquin. Dannika stands with her arms crossed, occasionally glancing at Zeline. Joaquin focuses entirely on the soup. Ben, however, stares daggers into Zeline's entire being, scrutinizing her from head to toe in disgust. His eyes never stray far from her.

Zeline gulps and looks away from Ben before speaking to him, "...My grandfather--Senator Hugh Holden--sides with you. He hasn't said it, but I know he does. I think on some level Liam does too."

Ben does nothing more than scrunch his nose. He quickly finishes his bowl and sets it down on the ground, then grabs his coat and saunters outside. Joaquin watches as Ben leaves the building, sighing softly after finishing a sip of soup, then sets the half-full bowl down and trails after Ben.

Joaquin peeks his head out from behind the door, finding Ben sitting on the ground with his eyes closed, back resting against the wall. Joaquin strolls over and squats beside him. Ben slowly turns his head towards Joaquin and opens his eyes.

"Ben..." Joaquin begins, "...I know you don't understand because you can't experience what I did with her: the neural bond. What you can understand is that I trust her for that. I saw the inside of her mind."

"You saw what she wanted to show you." Ben sneers.

Joaquin sighs and drops his head, shrugging his shoulders, "She's just as much of a defect from the rest of The Ordership as Jaakobah-"

"I don't trust him."

"-and you."

"I am nothing like them!" Ben shouts as he leaps to his feet, staring down at Joaquin with fury in his eyes.

They stare at each other for a long moment, Ben panting as if he had been running. Joaquin's throat bobs as he gulps, glancing above the edge of the window behind them before turning his gaze back to Ben.

Joaquin stands up with a sigh and looks over his shoulder once more before turning back to Ben, "She said she can bring us anything we ask. I'll request for her to make a weapon run tomorrow."

Ben licks over his canine tooth in scorn at the thought. His eyes narrow tightly, then retract once more to allow reflections of starlight in the blue abyss of his irises. He puffs a breath out from his nostrils and crosses his arms.

"If she makes that run, she goes now. No later." Ben spits with definitive punctuation, leaving no room for question before swiftly marching back into the building.

Ben strides up to Zeline, eyes narrow and piercing. She stares back up at him with full, unfeigned confidence and strength.

Ben takes a slow step back, "Can you get us weapons before dawn?"

"With help, I can. They'll question me if I take more than even one," Zeline replies. "I can only sneak at most two of you in, though."

Dannika steps up, "Joaquin and I will go with you. Ben is who they're after, so he should be the one to stay at camp."

Ben's brows furrow at the suggestion. Dannika gives a pleading expression to him.

Zeline nods, "Good thinking. I'll leave my blaster with Ben as well."

Dannika gives Zeline a thumbs-up, then turns away to get Joaquin.

"I will earn your trust," Zeline says to Ben as she unclips her blaster from her belt and hands it to him. She flips open a cartridge on the blaster to reveal that it's fully loaded with plasma pods, "I will fight for you with all I have... Commander."

Ben raises an eyebrow, "Commander?"

Zeline smirks, "This has to officially be a coup by now, right?"

She turns on her heel and strides out the door, placing her helmet over her head. Joaquin and Dannika follow her out, Ben watching as the door shuts behind them, and their glinting figures disappear into the darkness.