Love and Blood; Regulars Space AU

Chapter Eight

For a moment everything was okay.

For a moment he felt the soft blanket around him, one that he didn't have in his ship.

For a moment he was a year younger, a year happier.

For a moment he was home.

Then he opened his eyes and realized it was not.

Nico grunted and shifted, rubbing his claws over his eyes to try and wake himself up. He grabbed at his blanket, brushing his claws over the soft fur. It was a blanket made from the hide of Dokth'n mountain goats. It was a little piece of his home. Shaking his head, he sat up. What was it that had waken him?

It took Nico a moment, but he realized there was a faint buzz, like an alarm. Nico stretched as Josie materialized from his watch, looking up at him.

"They're calling a meeting," Josie said simply.

"Are we there?" Nico asked.

"Not yet," Josie informed, "But we will soon."

Nico nodded and took the watch as Josie disappeared. He clicked it around his wrist and stood, brushing off his scales and shaking out his wings to get rid of the stiffness. He stretched his wings widely, then opened his door.

He stepped out into his hallway when Sigils did. The two observed one another for a minute
before quietly making their way down the hall together.

As they entered the living space, Henwy and Biffle turned to glance at them. Nico and Sigils took their respective chairs.

Nico was the closest to the left wall, slightly behind Henwy, who took the middle-left position. Sigils was beside him, and Biffle took the far right wall.

A half circle was laid on the ground, blending their colors together in a gradient.

The ship hummed.

"Morning," Henwy and Biffle greeted the two. Nico waved.

"So, like fifteen minutes after you two went off to Slumberland, we got a call and was told that we apparently have spies that are helping us out, which is great," Biffle explained, waving his lower arm while messing with a few buttons. A hologram appeared in the center of the half circle, making everyone turn their chairs to see it.

"Shofkal," Henwy said, gesturing to the planet, "Someone named Gold is going to be there to help us get in safely."

He hesitated for a moment, a moment that Nico and Sigils noticed.

"What's up with him?" Sigils asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing," Henwy waved, "It was just...a little weird, I guess."

Nico furrowed his brow.

"Anyway," Henwy waved a hand, "When we get there, Gold is going to get us in because it's a government base, not necessarily a civilian city. He's going to make sure nothing bad happens while we're busy."

Sigils shrugs, "Seems fair. I assume you checked with SSundee?"

Biffle nodded. He cleared his throat, "So. The plan."

The three watched as Biffle took the briefcase and ruffled through it, finding the folder and opening it, then flipped through the pages.

"There is no plan." Biffle muttered, wings twitching.

The four were silent for a while.

Sucking in a breath, Henwy said, "Well. This is going to be fun."

The avian gestured to Biffle, "What's all in the file?"

Biffle tipped the folder up so he could read it, "They're going to have the meeting at 17:00, Shofkal Time, which is in about four-ish hours. It's going to be outdoors on the manor's pavilion, which, as it says here, is within a wide range of safe sniping areas."

"Sniping?" Nico asked.

Biffle nodded, "Apparently there's a lot of easy-access rooftops nearby that are within range of the pavilion."

"Are they expecting us to kill them?" Nico asked, a little horrified, "We aren't assassins."

"Well, no," Biffle replied, "Because apparently we're meant to break up the deal since Eskoph wants to forge an alliance."

"So, we need to scare them." Henwy said, snapping his fingers, "By staging a failed assassination attempt to make it seem as if Shofkal were trying to attack."

"That...could actually work," Sigils said, thinking, "If we shoot close enough."

Nico shifted uncomfortably, "I don't think that's a good idea."

"How so?" Biffle asked with a tip of his head, almost challenging, "Do you have a better idea?"

Nico blinked at him, taken aback. Trying to find words, he said, "Well- I just don't think this is something we should do."

"Why?" Biffle asked, "We aren't actually killing anyone."

"We're coming pretty close, though," Nico objected. His gaze flicked over to Henwy and Sigils, "It just doesn't sit right with me."

"Do you have a better idea."

Nico felt the tension rising, "Well...no. We know I'm not the planning guy."

Biffle stared at Nico for a long time, as if there were a lot of words he were leaving unspoken.

He turned away from him.

"So. Do we go with the idea we have now or do we make a new one?"

Sigils shrugged, avoiding looking at Nico, "If a better idea is presented, then sure."

Henwy was glancing between Biffle and Nico, jaw set, "I- well-..."

"You were fine with the idea," Biffle said slowly, "Why are you second guessing yourself?"

Henwy looked at Sigils, who looked back at him.

"We don't want it to happen again."

Nico looked away.

There was another period of silence before Henwy declared, "We're going with the original idea."

Nico met the eyes of Henwy. They stared at each other before Nico shrugged, "Okay."

Nico spun his chair back around to face the window. He quickly glanced at the state of the ship, noting the low hydrogen levels. He set a detour to a nearby fueling station. No one said anything.

The other three turned back as well, watching the stars fly past.

Nico leaned back and crossed his arms, eyes starting to flicker shut. He noticed Josie and Humble play-tackling over the control panel.

Nico shifted and closed his eyes.

And for a moment, just before he fell asleep, everything was wrong.