Shattered

Chapter 17

Alex sat silently in the armory. He was fiddling with his assault rifle with uncharacteristically distracted hands. The Great Fox and the others ships in the strike force had left Corneria an hour ago. Soon he would be heading down to the surface of a planet that held all he despised in the universe.

Markers! The vile abominations didn't seem to have an end. No matter where Alex went, they followed, and brought ruination and suffering with them. Except this time, others would be coming with him to stop them. Others who could die trying to prevent something they shouldn't even have to worry about. Others who did not deserve to have these calamitous artifacts threatening their existence.

He felt tired, deep in the marrow of his bones. The ever foreboding knowledge of what they could do weighed heavily on his conscious. He did not even want to conceive the thoughts of what a full-blown marker incursion would do to these cornerians. It sickened him to consider the ramifications. His mind was swarming with all those concerns and troubles, to much to focus. He set the rifle down on the table and sighed.

"You okay?" He heard a wonderful voice ask. Alex turned to see Krystal watching him from the doorway, arms crossed, one ear bent slightly, green eyes studying him intently.

"No, but I will be when this is all over." He answered as he leaned back with another long breathed sigh.

She walked over to him and slid onto his lap. She slowly sat down and hugged him comfortingly. She held him for awhile in the silence of the armory, the only two souls within. "We will get through this." She said confidently.

"I know we will." Alex replied, placing an armored gauntlet upon her furry paw and rubbed the back if it. "I have too much on the line to fail." He looked into her eyes, drinking in her beauty one last time before he had to go.

Likewise she looked into his golden brown orbs. This was the man who had become her everything. From the moment they met, she had felt a connection with him, beyond that of any she had before. Fay had said something similar to her thoughts the other day. Suddenly she felt him place his other hand on her cheek and angled her muzzle to face him, gently rubbing the ruff there. Taking the initiative she locked lips with him, they kissed passionately, expressing their love to one another as best they could at the moment. He brought his hand to the back of her head and pulled her close.

They embraced each other. Alex traced one of his hands across her back softly in loving patterns. Krystal wrapped her arms around his back and squeezed him tighter. "You know I love you right?" She said with a murr, her muzzle buried into his chest.

"Of course I do." He replied with a laugh. "I thought that was abundantly clear."

"Promise me you'll come back." She pleaded suddenly, with a hint of desperation.

"...I promise." He pledged, he WOULD come back.

"Good." She bobbed her head satisfied. They held each other for a long time, simply happy in their closeness. But all good things come to an end eventually.

With great reluctance, Alex stood up from his seat, helping Krystal up as well. "I gotta get going, I need to talk to Fay before I head out."

Krystal sighed in disappointment and let him go, paw lingering just a second more on his shoulder. "Aright, look after yourself, okay?"

"I will." Alex said, kissing her on the cheek. "Do you know where she is?"

"Yeah, she's in the hanger waiting with the others." Krystal answered. "I'll take you there."

"Thanks, you're the best." Alex followed after his loving vixen and walked arm in arm to the hanger. Thy held each other, cherish the time they had before they must depart for a short while.