The Unseen War

Chapter 6

Earth Year 3010, May 20th

Twenty-Seven Months after the Attack

Sia had been piloting around the outside of the Regored ship and had seen the Totallers climbing on the outside. Then she watched as the Regored ship started to activate a Pass. Several Totallers pushed themselves clear, out into open space. She wasn't able to tell who was who from her ship, the Totallers activated their airpacks and began to return to the Tempest. She followed their example and landed inside the Tempest.

She was already worried with the unique situation they were in but after she landed, she knew there was something wrong. There were only five Totallers who had made it inside the Tempest, Chris was not one of them.

Over the next couple of hours, the Tempest crew searched the space around where the Regored ship had been. There were three bodies recovered and two survivors. Of the fifteen Totallers in the squad, they theorized that five were vaporized by the Pass.

Christopher McMillan had been declared dead by the military, as well as the other four missing bodies. Sia didn't know what to think yet. She had thought they would have more time. She hadn't cried yet but she knew that she would if she stopped fighting then she would begin to cry.

There were some other soldiers who called themselves 'friends' among her squad and they had come to her when the news became public. Sia felt like they were pitying her and she hated them for it.

A couple of days later, they held a short service for the soldiers they lost in the battle. It wasn't her first service but she tried not to care. They named the soldiers and Chris in passing. The idea that those who had died had just this small service hadn't bothered her before. They were people she hadn't truly known, so why should she care. Now she was on the opposite end of the situation, she suddenly found understanding at why some people found it hard to let things go. It was why the war had started in the first place.

She spent the night in her room alone for the first time in four months. It wasn't the first time that she had this room to herself but this time was completely different. She hadn't realized how used to Chris's presence she had gotten. He was quieter than most people that Sia interacted with. She had used that quality to keep herself safe from the army arresting her. Why had he saved her before the last charge dropped? She had literally been robbing him and he had thrown himself between her and the destruction.

Why had she turned around and put her neck on the line for him? He would probably have died from the injuries he sustained and she would have been home free. She hadn't thought about anyone but herself in years, but that night as he lay bleeding from wounds he got from protecting her, she had to do something. She had planned on just giving him to the first aid people and leaving, but then the soldiers had started to come through. She had taken the man's ID as well as some of his personal belongings, then she came up with the cover story.

If only she hadn't saved him, she wouldn't be in the situation that she was in now. Her heart ached at the thought of Chris not coming back. Did she love him? She had only allowed herself to get close to people when she was younger. Her parents had used her as a tool and everyone she met already had their expectations of her because of it. She had thought she had friends before, but they betrayed her as soon as they thought it would be more profitable.

She had never truly been treated like a person until that night. Chris had caught her stealing from him but he still protected her. He was the first one to treat her with any amount of respect. The only one who had seemed to care what she was feeling or who she was. She hadn't told him anything about herself, but that didn't stop him from asking occasionally. She felt regret at first, regret at not opening herself up and trying to become closer to him.

Then her regret turned into anger. Anger at the Military for dragging them into their mess. Anger at the Taggons for taking up arms and hiring the Regored. Anger at the Regored for accepting and being aggressive. Anger at the Whists for being on everyone's side. Anger at the Ordeerians, Graspers and Dilail for being neutral. Anger at her parents for treating her like a tool rather than a child. Then her anger was directed at herself, anger that she had allowed herself to begin to get close to someone again. Anger that she hadn't killed the emotions inside of herself long ago.

She looked into the mirror while getting ready for bed and realized that she was crying. The sudden realization set her off and she began to sob. She sat down in the corner of the bathroom holding her head in her hands. She sat there and, as time passed, she attempted to put her broken self back together.