Present Day: Somewhere in the Domed City of Gormo.

Juniper has been chasing ghosts again. Almost five months ago, everything changed: She was shot down over her homeland and lost the love of her life in the process. Ever since Eris mentioned “Subject Iota”, she hasn’t been able to get the thought of Laila being alive out of her head. The only logical explanation is that she’s alive, otherwise, why hint at “Iota”, or do any of this?

The shrinks keep saying that Laila is dead and gone, that there was no chance of her surviving. But they don’t know, they’re guessing, just like everyone else is. They don’t know the hell that Juniper went through. No one does. She was written off as dead, only to reappear on the battlefield.

So why couldn’t it happen to Laila?

If she were dead, then Ares wouldn’t have been remade into an imposter Argos. Eris wouldn’t have brought up “Subject Iota”. And Juniper wouldn’t have fought Argos if that were true. No, she’s alive, she’s out there somewhere. Or none of this would have happened.

Upon arrival to Gormo, it happened again; another clue relating to her. A dark skinned woman, hair as red as the flames of hell itself, everything about this woman reminded Juniper of her partner. Chasing after this ghost was a stupid idea, but what better choice was there?

She’s surrounded by pitch-black darkness, it reminds her of the kennels, of her time in captivity. It’s difficult to remember much of those first few weeks, but she remembers clearly how dark the cell was and how painful the isolation was. Every step she takes, the sound of her boots stomping against the metal floor grates echoes against it.

It feels like so long ago that she came here to the the Domed City of Gormo, the place where She said that Juniper would be able to find the medicine needed to help “fix” the withdrawals. But it hasn’t; it’s only been a day since she stepped foot here. It’s possible that Laila was leading her through wherever they are now, to bring Juniper to the medicine, although it’s unlikely.

None of this feels…real. As if she’s been dreaming since she got here. There’s a sharp pain in her head and she’s hearing things again. Laila is real, she has to be. This must be how she’s looking out for her partner’s safety, knowing they can’t directly interact.

….Right?

48 Hours Ago: Volterra Base.

She’s still getting used to someone in her bed: Mara. They’re not…a couple, because Juniper can’t bring herself to commit to that just yet. They're friends with benefits. Which mostly means they’re having sex and passing out in bed together; but not tonight. They ate together in the mess, grabbed some snacks from the commissary and went back to Mara’s room, to watch old movies on a projector she nabbed.

Apparently Mara is really big into old horror flicks from long-since-dead directors. So they spent most of the night watching them and laughing at the terrible effects. Up until they fell asleep during the last movie, cuddled up together. They’re safe like this, no Eris to haunt Juniper’s thoughts, no Handler to take her away, just comfort.

Mara is warm, her presence is comforting, she’s safe. Their relationship, though unspoken, eases the anxieties in Juniper’s head. Mara wants to save her, even if neither thinks it’s actually possible. She knows how to break her partner, but refuses to speak those words into existence, to let loose that half of Juniper.

To Mara, Juniper is Juniper. She isn’t a weapon, or a traitor, nor a beast; she is simply Juniper. And that’s all there is to it for the lieutenant. They’re still getting used to each other, still feeling things out, but her presence makes Juniper feel as if she doesn’t need to pretend to be a person anymore. She can just be a person, even if that person is broken.

Even with Mara’s comforting presence, sleep is hard for Juniper to come by. Because when she closes her eyes, she finds herself stuck thinking about Her again. She…forgave Juniper, despite being unworthy of Her forgiveness. Those words healed her more than any drug ever could. It’s weird, but Juniper has been…happy since hearing those words.

Mara hasn’t experienced what She’s like yet, so it’s okay that she’s wary.

Handler did not only forgive however, she also provided them with something extremely valuable: Information. Somewhere that Juniper’s withdrawal symptoms can be properly treated. A place of bad memories, relating to someone Juniper used to be: Gormo.

They still haven’t gotten the authorization to travel there. It’s being mulled over by the brass, until the last possible minute. The wait hurts, she’s starting to feel the withdrawal symptoms hitting again. Which is part of the reason why Mara wanted to do this movie night; to help get Juniper’s mind off of…everything. It’s a sweet reminder of the little things Laila used to do in their downtime.

If the circumstances were different, she and Mara would have been good friends.

The blaring of the alarm interrupts their peaceful slumber, that has Juniper dead asleep in Mara’s arms. Juniper nudges her partner awake, rolling out of bed to throw on her jumpsuit. She’s used to these alerts, they always come at the worst possible time.

“June?” Mara groggily rubs the crust from her eyes. “What’s going on?”

Juniper is already lacing up her boots, while Mara is still half-asleep. She squeezes Mara’s hand, a serious look in her eyes, “scramble alarm, that’s our cue to get up. C’mon, Mara, there’ll be time to sleep after.”

As the reality of the situation hits her, Mara swears under breath and rolls out of bed. She kisses Juniper’s cheek, grabbing her gear from the floor. Once prepped, Mara gives Juniper’s hand one last squeeze, running out the door together and through the halls. The normally bright fluorescent lighting has been dimmed red for emergency status. All around them, doors slam closed as other pilots run to the hangar.

“June, I’m with you all the way, don’t forget.” Mara says to her captain, flashing her a soft smile.

Juniper doesn’t say anything in return, she only nods, focusing her full attention on what’s ahead.

What’s usually a five-minute walk for Juniper from the quarters is barely a two-minute run in this situation. Every second counts, that’s more time to prep a strategy. They enter through the hangar doors, watching the chaos unfold. Techs are scrambling with last second repairs, sirens are blaring, everyone is yelling.

It’s hell on earth.

They split up, running to their bays. Once Juniper is aboard Ixion, she’s already undergoing the connection process. It’s normally painful, making her head feel like it’s about to crack. No such issue tonight, light nosebleed and a minor headache, but she’s good to go.

The Pulse-Reactor hums to life, green energy spills from the wings in Ixion’s shoulders while it continues booting. It’s still beat up from the last fight, they replaced what they could, but the armor is full of little nicks and scratches from fighting Ares. The reactor definitely won’t withstand another insane thermal overload, but none of that matters right now. What matters is getting her mech up there and fast.

The green glow of the monitors illuminates the cockpit as systems continue to boot. It’s just about sunrise outside, so they’ll have maybe thirty minutes of darkness, until they lose their cover.

Ixion still needs a proper overhaul, but there’s no way they can sideline it for long.

Techs have done what they can to repair Ixion, it’s just not enough. Reactor output is stable, but it isn’t anywhere near efficient levels for some reason. The left arm meanwhile has an input lag that Mora hasn’t been able to pinpoint. To say the least, it’s worrying, but a problem for later.

Juniper’ll need to skip the pre-launch checks and launch as is, there’s no time to ensure everything is in working order. Cables eject from Ixion’s reactor ports, venting steam and falling silent seconds later. She gives her arms a good stretch, moving Ixion onto the elevator, following three other units onto it.

“Comms check.” Juniper says, cracking her knuckles and yawning.

Copy Captain, Aurora here, ready for action. She doesn’t recognize the voice, but recognizes the mech immediately. A Belos operating under the name Leo. She’s heard the stories of a rebel who stalked a Belos pilot for weeks to steal their mech. So this must be the eponymous rebel who did it.

Loud and clear, Sladek, just try not to get me killed? Just the person she didn’t want to hear, Vera Glass, the mercenary. Could have sworn she left, but it seems not.

“Fuck. Off. If you went through half of the hell I went through, then–”

June, Vera, cut the chatter. I’ll be running electronic warfare, so try to keep me safe up there, ‘kay? Mara’s cheerful voice breaks up the brewing fight. The Captain’ll be leading us, so I’ll be assigning everyone a call sign, Wardogs 1 through 4.

One by one, markers appear over each mech, with Ixion being labeled “Wardog 1”. Juniper would rather the Wardog name have been retired. Wardog 1 was a leader, a true hero, she isn’t. But there’s no sense in protesting.

Leo will be operating under Wardog 2, Helios, Wardog 3 and I’ll be Wardog 4. Once we break for the surface, single file formation, we’ll break for Hill 142.

“Copy.”

Roger.

Copy that.

Red lights flash, as the elevator begins its ascent into tunnels of Volterra, loaded with four mechs onboard. Volttera is unique, like most rebel bases it’s built into the ground. However, unlike bases, it’s built underneath the remains of an old train station, giving access to miles of tunnels. The rails are still used to transport cargo over whatever rail systems in this region are still intact.

The elevator takes them to one such tunnel exit, overlooking a hill. From here, the mission is easy: throw them off the scent of Volterra. After the fourth or fifth mission like this, you get used to them. It helps to know the lay of the land, makes it easier to ambush and lead the enemy away.

Ixion takes lead, walking across the muddy ground, with the other three following close behind. It sticks out like a sore thumb here compared to the other mechs painted to match the terrain, personal preference of hers. Even before all of this, keeping Ixion in one color worked since it was mostly airborne.

Best not to rely too heavily on the flight system, techs did what they could, but that last battle was costly. At this point, her mech needs a total rebuild more than anything. And it’s hard to say if they’ll even be able to get it back in fighting shape before another sortie. Ixion is a difficult beast to maintain and with the recent part shortages, the techs are doing what they can.

Can’t just repair Ixion with parts for a Doru. Its frame is unique and difficult to work with.

She stares down at her dog tags and lets out a sharp breath. It’s times like these that make her wonder why she continues to fight. It’d be easier to just walk away, but she knows she can’t do that. If there’s even a chance that Laila is alive, then Juniper has to take it. And if she walked away now, there’s no way Mara would follow. She’s too stubborn, much like Juniper used to be.

The comms have been quiet since they launched, none of the other three have bothered to communicate, aside from the occasional update from Mara.

Wardog Team, two klicks to Hill 142, prep for combat.

Downhill are dozens upon dozens of black blurs, mixed in with…some sort of quadrupedal mech, all in formation. It doesn’t matter how many they send, the rebels have the advantage, but even with that advantage, it still leaves them outnumbered.

There are other teams in the area, probably enough to outnumber them. But Wardog were the first ones out, it’ll take time get the calvary on scene.

Pick your targets carefully, we’ve got one shot at this.

“Copy.” Ixion unfurls its scythe, planting the blade into the ground and priming the cannon for fire. Bracers on the legs dig into the muddy soil and the vents spill out steam. Target acquired, just a matter of waiting for the signal. Selene readies a 180mm cannon, feeding a clip into its side. At least it finally has weaponry worth using, instead of the standard Doru loadout.

On my mark.

Juniper takes a deep breath, steadying her shaky hands.

Set.

Juniper anxiously chews on the side of her mouth and closes her eyes. All it takes is for one thing to go wrong, one little thing and that would be it for them. Every rebel knows the terrain here like the back of their hand, but even still. All it takes is an enemy unit looking up, or recognizing four extra reactor signatures in their formation.

Fire! Fire at will!

An explosion of energy roars from the barrel, kicking up a storm of dirt and debris that pound against Ixion’s armor. The shell screeches downrange ripping through the reactor of a Doru, letting loose a massive explosion, that leaves a crater in its wake. Steam pours from every vent on Ixion, while it begins the reloading process.

Selene fires it’s 180mm cannon, taking down two enemies and crippling a third with the impact.

Leo fires a string of missiles and cannon fire, ripping through a Belos and a handful of Doru.

There’s a brief lull in the attack, that ends the moment a cyan-colored beam bursts from Helios.

As the dust settles, at least ten enemy units have been taken down, but it’s not enough. There are too many enemy units for just four mechs to takedown. Even when Wardog Squadron was still active, they had at least five units working in precise coordination. Here? No such luck, just whatever rebels launched first.

The enemy forces split up, using the terrain for cover and in seconds are throwing down defensive fire on the rebels, forcing them to retreat. A mixed formation of Doru, Belos and some sort of quadrupedal mech. Not good at all.

“Mara, give me a sitrep.”

We’re outnumbered bad, Helios is still recharging its cannon and Leo has gone dark. I’ll be honest, June, we’re up shit creek here. Mara laughs that cute laugh of hers. The one where she’s pretending to be fine, but is actually stressing the hell out.

“What’s the plan, then?” Juniper calmly says, fighting back her anxious feelings.

I got one plan, but it’s fucking insane. Forwarding details now.

She’s right, this is insane; running a flanking maneuver with just three mechs is downright suicide. But Juniper likes those odds. She cracks her knuckles, gunning the throttle and taking to the skies. The wings in Ixion’s shoulders extend, radiating heat off of them.

“I’ll give covering fire, buy you time to set up.” Juniper orders. These situations are stressful, but imperials don’t have any clue how to work the terrain here, they’re walking into an unfair fight.

Mara, ETA on reinforcements? Vera calls out, firing shotgun blasts at anything that gets close.

Unknown, all my hails to control are going unanswered.

Shit, are you–Fine. Sladek, we need five minutes. Keep them distracted, don’t do anything stupid.

“Copy.” Juniper focuses on the numerous enemy units quickly regrouping and making their way through the muddy terrain of Volterra. This won’t be pretty, that’s for sure.

Ixion screams out of the rising sun, firing round after round on unsuspecting mechs. Once in range, its rifle becomes a scythe, cleaving through five enemy mechs in a single swoop. She howls into the closed comm link, once more letting her animalistic side take hold.

She spins the scythe cleaving off a Doru’s arm, then implanting the blade into its cockpit and firing a rifle round. It falls in seconds, lifeless. More enemy mechs surround her, but this is nothing.

Going airborne again, Ixion fires at the squad of Doru, giving them a nice flying distraction. Something isn’t right about this. Shit, are they–

June, incoming fire, break off NOW!

Ixion rolls left, swooping across the ground, barely dodging a shell that impacts the ground with a large explosion. Shit, that was too close, imps got a sniper.

June, you got– The line goes dead, static is the only thing she hears from the other end.

Shit, this…this isn’t good. It’s…it’s triggering, makes her think of…No, calm thoughts, deep breath. It’s fine, the Imperials are just jamming comms, Mara is alive.

You’ve been through worse, June, and so has Mara. Neither of you would be here right now if you hadn’t. Trust her, worry about your own ass first.

Ixion swoops down, taking out another Doru in the process. Almost as soon as Ixion touches down, it’s swarmed by quadrupedal mechs, a laser emanating from their heads.

That’s when she gets a good look at them, they look like…Dogs. Shit.

Without thinking, she throws on the reverse thrusters, slamming the controls into the opposite direction. A shell explodes near her, having just barely missed. Shit, shit, shit, these things are everywhere. The Doru were just a distraction for these mongrels.

The dog-mechs easily keep pace with her, clawing and tearing at bits and pieces of Ixion’s armor. Chest Vulcans fire, tearing through some of them, but most of them are smart enough to evade. It buys her time to retreat into the skies, but it’s not looking good for her. Left leg is leaking coolant and the thrusters are damaged.

Juniper’s being overrun, and the thrusters aren’t supplying enough power to get airborne. Shit, shit, shit. Need a strategy and fast. She swings Ixion’s scythe, gaining distance from the dog-mechs, only to run into a group of Belos waiting to ambush her. No matter where she runs, she’s being cornered by attackers.

More shots rain down close to her, barely missing, while all she can do is run evasive maneuvers. Warnings blare throughout the cockpit and she can’t do anything about them. The reactor isn’t supplying enough power and that coolant leak has gotten worse. It’s not looking good for her.

You can’t rest yet, Ixion, not while there’s still work to be done.

With another wide swing of the scythe, she takes down three, maybe four of these things, but they just keep coming. A Belos slices her with a chain sword, ripping off the reactor shielding. It only takes five rifle shots to take it down, but that only creates another opening for the dog-mechs to tear off another chunk of Ixion’s armor.

Damn things tore off a piece of the hatch, spilling the quickly rising sunlight through the cracks in the inner-shield. Ixion’s scythe is in bad shape, the blade is chipped and there are cracks forming all along the surface of the weapon itself. Can’t switch it to rifle-mode, the transformation mechanism is shot, leaving her with just a cannon.

Comms are still hissing back static, while Selene and Helios are nowhere to be seen. This situation is getting worse by the second and it’s looking like she won’t make it out of this one alive. There’s got to be a way to kill these things, but how?

Could try a thermal overload again, but this time’ll kill her. The reactor won’t withstand that load again, especially missing most of it’s shielding. Not only will it kill her, she’ll be setting off a large-scale explosion in that case. Ixion is starting to creak and rattle from all the hits, but there’ll be time to patch it up after.

Whatever those things are, they’re not just there to kill her though. No, of fucking course not, they’re spotters for a sniper, which means–A shot screeches forward, tearing off Ixion’s left arm. Juniper reroutes power to the remaining arm, but it’s not gonna last long. She’s starting to feel the damage herself. That last hit shook her up good.

The scythe isn’t designed to be wielded with one arm, but much like Levka, what choice is there? What remains of that left arm is still spraying out coolant. Fucking sniper hit it at the joint, severing it completely, save for some wires that have hung on and are wildly sparking.

Damage is looking bad, the reactor is having trouble compensating for the damage, while the balancers are totally shot. Ixion swings its scythe again taking down another dog-mech, quickly firing its cannon to take down survivors. Extreme damage warnings keep blaring, but have to be ignored.

Starting to see what Laila felt facing that Aegis in Aurelia, except this is ten times worse.

Juniper keeps swinging the scythe over and over again, while the dog-mechs continue to rip away at her armor. Fine, if that’s the game you want to play, she disengages all safety limiters on the cannon, firing shot after shot in rapid succession. Each shot takes down more of them, but does more damage to Ixion in turn.

Every system is under incredible strain right now and Juniper is finding it harder to stay conscious. Even as she continues firing cannon shots, more of these dog-mechs keep coming until they’ve completely surrounded her. It’s looking grim, she’s out of options.

“M-Mara, d-do you read?” Juniper tries between coughing fits, but–

An artillery blast takes out the group of quadrupedal mechs, giving Juniper the needed chance to run. Took her long enough.

Sorry that took so long, Cap, fuckers encrypted this shit good. Status report? Mara’s voice is cheerful, even now.

“Hhurt, need…need backup. Dog-mechs, everywhere…spotters…find source.” Juniper’s not even thinking straight as the words are blurted out. Instead, pushing the throttle well past its limits, while warnings blanket the cockpit screen. If this is gonna be the end for her, she’s going out on her terms.

Wardog 1, return to base, you’re in no shape to keep fighting. C’mon June, please, you can’t continue.

“N-No can do…g-gotta ffffinish this m…m…mmmyselffff.” It’s hard to speak, even harder to focus with the amount of blood gushing from her forehead. Fuck, really shouldn’t have gotten up this morning.

Wardog 1 what the fuck do you think you’re doing!? Mara’s losing her cool now, but it’s hard to blame her.

All friendlies in area, need reinforcements near Hill 142 ASAP. We’re outnumbered, our lead is injured, and her mech is close to the point of failure.

Dammit, someone! Anyone! Please respond!

A groan; Mara’s voice comes over comms again. …I-I don’t want to see you die, June. Come back in one piece, please.

Juniper doesn’t respond, she’s already airborne, trying to find the origin point of that shot. Terrain warnings keep blaring, as Ixion is barely keeping itself from crashing. It’s another thing she ignores in her quest for revenge. No one wounds Ixion and lives to tell the story.

Every part of her body hurts right now, it’s hard to ignore the pain, but she has to push through it.

The past has come to haunt Juniper again.

She doesn’t need a radar signature to know what she’s up against.

Argos.

Or some fucked-up facsimile of it.

Once a bulky Gunmetal Grey mech, it looks nothing like its original form. Where large wings once stood on its back, they’ve been replaced by much smaller ones that pulsate energy from them with each passing second. Its girthy form has been remade into something slim and damning. A radar dish sits where the mass of the old flight system once did, revealing the source of the jamming.

The cannon that once sat on the right arm is gone, replaced like much of the monochromatic mech, with a short shield. In its hands rests a large rifle, which must be what Argos used to hit her.

Two glowing red eyes track her every movement, like a hunter stalking its prey. Along the side of rests a set of horns, jagged, deformed.

A demon; Juniper is up against a demon.

None of this makes sense, she’s dead. No, it’s a test or some sort of nightmare.

Laila Praxian died fighting in Aurelia, whoever this is, it isn’t her. Juniper refuses to even consider that option, because it’s ludicrous to even fathom.

There is no hesitation from Juniper, she swings the damaged scythe of Ixion with its only arm at the monochromatic imposter over and over and over again. Argos effortlessly dodges each strike, as though it were reading her every move.

Read this then, jackass. The vents on Ixion seal tight, an AP shell is loaded into its cannon. Something the techs cooked up, one of a kind, just for this kind of situation. Looks like it’s now or never.

It’s tantamount to suicide, but fuck it, she’s out of options. She exhales sharply, squeezing the trigger; a large explosion rips through the cannon, hurling the shell downrange and impacting on target.

There’s no effect on Argos, or if there was, it’s barely noticeable. Ixion is stuck in a thermal overload, the vents won’t open and that last shot tore a larger hole in its core plating. The bad news keeps coming with an explosion ripping through the scythe, leaving the mech without a right hand now.

Juniper forces open the throttle, squeezing out the last bit of life from the reactor. Argos doesn’t give chase, aiming its large sniper rifle instead, while a missile salvo tears open more holes in Ixion. There’s a reactor failure imminent warning that keeps blaring, and all she can do is watch everything fall apart.

In a final act of desperation, she throws open the comms channel, setting it to an open frequency. Her hands are shaking, face covered in blood, she’s fucked either way. “L-Laila…i-is that you? P-Please if it is, respond. I-I’ll surrender, I’ll…I’ll return to Her, j-just please…respond.” She’s crying now; hoping for a response. If this is Laila, she’ll answer, she would never let her partner cry like this.

She pulls the ejection handle, trying desperately to eject again and again, but nothing happens. That last hit must have fried the ejection system.

Juniper is well and truly fucked.

But that response never comes, only one more shot. Straight through the upper torso, crippling the flight system in seconds. She struggles to gain altitude, but it’s no use, both sticks have gone dead. Ixion is left hurdling towards the ground, dog-mechs wait to chew her up down below. Juniper tries to eject, but it’s no good, every attempt to punch out doesn’t work.

In her final moments, she sees a beam take out the dogs, right as Ixion crashes full-speed into the ground. With the last bits of consciousness, Juniper can hear an encoded transmission playing.

Do you remember our dream?

…Laila?

***

44 Hours, 12 Minutes Ago: Volterra Infirmary.

Barely clinging to life, Juniper has seen better days. After coming face to face with Argos, most of her memory is blank. She remembers a light and someone squeezing her hand; they were warm. Everything else is a blur and it hurts to think. There’s a beeping sound that she can’t quite place, but it’s annoying.

_{You need to wake up, June.}

_{Wake up, June. You don’t want to make your Lieutenant worry, do you?}

That…that voice….why does her partner’s voice still haunt her? She’s dead, or maybe she’s “Subject Iota”, either way, she’s lost forever. They were supposed to run away from it all, live somewhere deep in the countryside, where the war wouldn’t bother them anymore. Instead, her partner got killed, because Juniper wasn’t good enough when it counted.

_{Please, June, wake up, it’ll all become clear soon, but only if you wake up.}

As her eyes begin to open, the first thing she sees is Mara’s head resting in her lap. Dried tears stain her face, that Juniper wants to wipe away and tell her that it’ll be okay. Except that she can’t. Her right arm is limp, it refuses to move, while there’s an IV in her left arm. She has to settle for the next best thing: Whispering Mara’s name.

It gets her attention almost immediately, perking up and tearfully hugging her captain. “Dumbass, you had me worried!” She sobs, refusing to let go of Juniper. “When your signal went dead, I panicked, but hey, you’re alive. S’what counts right?” Mara shrugs.

Juniper flashes her a weak smile, nodding. “...What happened to me?” She stares at the table next to the bed, where her dog tags rest. They’re covered in blood and slightly dented, but they survived without issue. At least there’s a silver lining.

“You got shot down. I–” She sighs, face going pale as she leans over in her chair fidgeting. “I pulled you out of Ixion, but…it was bad, thought I was looking at a corpse. Dunno how you survived, just please don’t do that again. I don’t think I could take losing you…”

“Saved your asses, didn’t I?” Juniper wheezes, trying to laugh, it hurts to even do this much. “Where am I, anyway?”

Mara squeezes Juniper’s left hand, stroking her hair. “Yeah…yeah you did, but save the jokes for when you’re not in a hospital bed, June. You’ll need to thank Aurora for saving your ass, she’s why you’re not dead.”

There are so many questions she wants to ask, but no one would believe her story about encountering Argos. She isn’t even sure she believes it, given the amount of head trauma she suffered. Instead, she settles for asking a more pressing question: “What happened to Ixion?”

Mara fights back a groan, giving Juniper’s hand another squeeze. “Well, I’ll give you the good news, the reactor didn’t go critical. Salvage team are still hauling it back in, but suffice to say, neither of you are fit for combat.” Juniper winces, because there’s no way in hell that the techs here can repair something as complex as Ixion with what they have on hand.“You need bed rest. Docs did what they could to patch you up, but you need rest.”

She gives Juniper the sweetest possible smile, kissing her cheek. “Get some sleep, June. I’ll be back in a few, to help you with some R&R.” Mara gets up from her chair, stretches and walks out of the infirmary with that same limp she’s had for weeks.

Juniper closes her eyes, relaxing in the hospital bed. She’ll worry about everything else, once she’s had time to sleep. Because right now, she’s out of energy and is crashing fast.

Mara’s here for her, even if Juniper doesn’t understand why. As long as they’re both still alive, they’ll find a way to survive, it’s what rebels do best; survive.

Besides, Juniper wouldn’t be able to live with herself, if she knew her precious Lieutenant was hurting because she got herself killed. Gods, it makes her think of Laila all over again. She was the same way with Juniper.

Juniper can’t be what Laila was to her, for Mara, but that’s okay. Juniper will just be herself and it’ll be fine.

Three hours pass before Juniper is awake again, yawning and stretching with her left arm. The pain has died down significantly, but that might just be the painkillers. As if right on cue, Mara walks back in holding a tablet under her arm. “Y’know, we never did finish that slasher flick.” She says with a grin. “How ‘bout it, Cap?”

Juniper lets out a pained laugh, nodding. “Might as well, right? It beats laying here.”

Mara moves the chair closer to Juniper, setting the tablet down on the bed. “Got some good news for ya though. Been granted approval for the Gormo trip, so that they can repair Ixion. Well, officially anyway. Command don’t believe a word about this ‘medicine’ story, but I know some folks out there willing to look the other way and ensure no one catches us snooping.” She squeezes Juniper’s left hand as the movie starts.

“Mara, how the fuck’d you manage that?” Juniper says, staring at the screen.

Mara shrugs, chuckling. “Some contacts back from my imperial days owed me a favor, and I cashed it in. Now shut up, the movie’s started.”

They’re watching some weird slasher flick from long ago. Something to do with zombies, but honestly, she’s not watching the film. She’s watching Mara. The ex-Imperial who’s gotten her out of multiple jams and asked nothing in return. Juniper wanted to kill her, but all she can think right now is how content she is.

**

18 Hours, 12 Minutes Ago: Volterra Base

Upon her release from the infirmary, Juniper made her way to the hangar. Limping her way through on crutches to see the damage done to Ixion with her own eyes, refusing to believe anyone else. And to say the least: It’s bad.

The left arm sits on the floor in the three pieces, while the right arm is down to just the frame. Ixion itself is held upright with chains due to the extreme damage. There’s a puddle of coolant underneath that grows every few minutes as more of it drips out. The left leg is mostly a stump now and there’s a massive hole in the upper torso from where Argos took out the flight system.

They hastily patched up the reactor, but there’s no way this mech is repairable here. The technicians do what they can, but this is essentially building a new mech from scratch. Not something they can handle here.

Juniper wasn’t on her A game, she let herself get distracted by a ghost. She got lucky is what happened.

Staring at the remains of Ixion, makes her feel like a piece of herself has died.

She remembers clearly what she heard as it all went black: “Do you remember our dream?” It has to be Laila, there’s no other explanation. She was the one who came up with this to begin with; this whole countryside dream. It’s difficult to remember when she first talked about it, but no one else ever knew.

Juniper asked one of the techs to forward all transmissions from Ixion to her tablet. And when she opened the message again, there were a set of coordinates. Perfectly matching to Gormo. All signs point to Gormo being where she’ll finally get answers, but what if they’re not good answers?

Is she mentally prepared for the heartbreak of finding out that this was all another test orchestrated by Her? No, of course not, but…what if it isn’t? No, no time to think about that. Need to see Eris, she’ll have answers.

Eris is still being held down below, they’ve amped up security since the last week, but it’s still fairly weak. And Juniper gets through without issue. There’s business to attend down there, so they let her pass, after ensuring she’s unarmed. As if she could carry a sidearm in this state.

The door to the holding cells opens and Juniper steps through it on her crutches. Eris stares at her for a moment, a sad look in her eyes. “You’re not here to just talk, I take it?” Eris says, as Juniper finds a chair to sit down in.

She shakes her head, but also makes a show of being unarmed. Which is fairly easy, being as her right arm is in a sling at the moment. She stares at the ground, rather than at Eris. “...Gormo.” She says, afraid of her own words.

Eris hums to herself, nodding. “The city-state, right?”

“I fought Argos, it gave me coordinates to Gormo. Why?” She’s scared to admit those words aloud, because who would believe them? She slides the tablet across the floor to Eris, already loaded with camera footage from their encounter.

Eris stares at it, watching the footage closely. She’s more curious than anything. “Mm, and you’re certain it was Argos?”

If Juniper weren’t reduced to hobbling on crutches, she…she…she’d strangle Eris for that. Instead, she’s been reduced to nodding pathetically. “Yes. It countered my every move, as if it knew me, as if–”

“As if it were Laila?” Eris interjects.

“Y-Yeah…” Juniper is fidgeting with her good hand, trying to not show weakness, not to her.

Letting out a long-drawn-out sigh, Eris nods, sliding the tablet back to Juniper. “And so you’re wondering what information I might have regrading this. Unfortunately, it’s as I said, if she’s alive, I was never assigned to her. Or…perhaps I was? It–It’s hard to remember much with the hood on. I’m sorry, June, I don’t have any useful information. I’ve given you what little I know.”

Silence falls between them, Juniper afraid to speak, Eris unwilling to help. It seems she’s well and truly out of options. If Laila is out there, she has to find her, get answers. But, not in this state. Not with Ixion in the state it is. Neither pilot nor machine are capable at the moment.

But if that really was her partner, then she needs to be combat ready. Which means paying a visit to where Ixion was built in the first place. It seems to be the place she’ll get answers, as well as more drugs to help with her withdrawal symptoms. It’s all too convenient, too well-timed.

Something’s off with this and she intends to find out what.

And then, if Laila really is out there: bring her home.

***

Present Day: ??? - Somewhere in Gormo.

Where the hell is she?

For the past hour, Juniper has been following after Laila–or someone who looks like her. After encountering her near the train depot, it’s been nothing short of a headache. They’re deep into the city now–or Juniper thinks they are, it’s honestly hard to tell.

Something inside her just knows the person she encountered is Laila. Too many coincidences, for it to not be purposeful. Otherwise, those coordinates wouldn’t makes sense and encountering Argos wouldn’t have happened.

Maybe Juniper’s just losing her grip on reality again, it’s hard to say. None of this makes sense, if it is her, then why did she keep walking away when Juniper called for her?

They’re walking down a dark alleyway, but there’s a light at the end that leads somewhere, could it be a sign that Laila is trying to lead her partner to safety??? That…that could be it. She was always one step ahead, after all.

If that’s really her, then they can get out of here together. Say fuck it to this whole damned war and go live out their dream instead. Who cares how difficult it would be? The important thing is that they’d have each other and that’s all they need.

They can finally be free.

But what if it’s not? What if it’s just her failing mental faculties feeding her delusions again? Juniper remembers the voices, remembers how they wanted her to kill. It can’t be that though, otherwise…otherwise…She can’t remember.

Juniper just needs to reach the light, she’s so close, she can feel how warm it is. The light calls to her and she’s far too happy to run to it. But…Laila isn’t here. There are no other doors or openings in this room, just the–Wait, where is the door she came through? Wasn’t she just in an alleyway!?

“H-Hello?” She calls out, only to hear her voice echo back. “L-Laila? Please if you’re…if you’re here, show yourself. I–I’m unarmed!” Juniper tries again, but once more, only her voices echos back.

She blinks and then, the light is gone. Just–Gone. This doesn’t make sense, Laila was here, Juniper saw her. …Right?

She’s beginning to doubt herself more and more. Even when she showed Eris the footage, there wasn’t the slightest look of shock on her face, just…worry. What if Juniper is losing her mind and this is all a hallucination?

Maybe another side effect from the lack of medicine?

It’s cold down here–wherever here is–, even with her jacket on. She’s shivering, left to wonder if any of what she’s seen if actually real. It used to be that she had Laila to comfort her when she was scared. Then, when Juniper had no one left, she had Handler.

Handler “forgives” her, but does She really? Or is it another lie to comfort this dying fool in her last days of sanity?

Right now, it hurts to be so alone. Laila was supposed to be guiding her, isn’t that why she was here? Or did she Juniper just imagine that, like she’s imagining everything else these days?

Gods, she’s so fucking tired of hurting. Even before Aurelia she was in pain, she should have listened when her partner spoke, instead she shut her and everyone else out. Because she was and still is–afraid.

Juniper sinks to her knees and curls up, bursting into tears. She’s tried to hold back the tears, but it hurts right now. Her head won’t stop throbbing and she can’t take it anymore. No meds to help with this spiral, no Mara to comfort her, she’s just…alone.

She should have asked Mara for help, should have listened to Laila, should have done a lot of things different. But it’s too late now. Life is nothing but constant pain for Juniper Sladek as of late.

The Empire broke her so damn bad, that no one will ever be able to help. Not Mara, not the rebel shrinks, not this facsimile of Laila. No one.

Mara wants to save her, but–But what?

Why does Mara want to save her? What’s left of this wretched husk to save?

It’s time to wake up, June.

A soft voice calls to her, makes her think of those lazy mornings spent in their quarters, where they’d get up late, shuffle down to the mess for a hot meal and spend the rest of the day doing nothing.

Is it…her?

That’s when Juniper opens her eyes. She’s in a hospital bed, but can’t for the life of her remember when she got here. Was she…always here? Was that just a nightmare then? Ugh, gods, it doesn’t make sense. The sooner she finds what she came for, the sooner she can leave this wretched city.

Someone is standing next to her, petting her head, there’s a sweet, loving expression to them. Dark skin, fire-red hair that covers one eye, it’s…Laila? No, Juniper’s head is just messed up, that’s it.

Laila pulls away, standing at the end of the bed, a smile on her face, as though she were happy to see her partner. Dressed in an Imperial Officer’s Uniform, with a pair of sunglasses folded along the collar of her jacket. She stands there, taking in Juniper after so long.

_{You kept your hair the way I loved it. It still looks good on you.}

“Of course I did. I still have your dog tags too, right against my heart. They’re beat up after my last sortie, but…it was you piloting Argos, who shot me down, right?” Juniper stares at Laila, unsure if she’s real, only that she feels real.

A sigh; there’s a nervous look on her face. _{Yeah…yeah, it was me. There’s so much I wish I could tell you. I’m sorry, June – that fight shouldn’t have gone the way it did, but our mutual benefactor needed to know that I was serious. And now you’re injured because of me.}

Laila fishes in her uniform, pulling out a set of identical tags, the nervousness fading. Of course she kept them, they’re still partners, wives even. _{Even in my darkest moments, I had you close to my heart, keeping me sane.}

Juniper tries to climb out of bed to hug her partner, but is stopped with a gesture. “A-Are you…real? Please…I…I don’t want to lose you again. I blamed myself for your death and–and–” She’s fighting back tears, saying whatever comes to mind.

_Mm… Laila shrugs. _{Who’s to say? Look, I don’t have long, but don’t you think it’s time to return to my side?}

_{Do you remember what we did our last night together? Before we fell asleep, that is.} This is the real her, it…it has to be, no one else would ask about something so mundane.

Juniper sighs, nodding. “We had nothing to do that day, both our mechs were being loaded up for transport. You surprised me with a cake for our anniversary. Vanilla, right?”

Laila smiles bright. _{And what did I say when I surprised you?}

Gods, it really is her, but…fuck. She…She’s alive. “T…That you loved me, now and forever. That you knew it’s not much but–That’s when I shut you up and cried into your chest, because of how sweet it was.” It takes all of Juniper’s willpower to not breakdown remembering that.

_{We can have that again, June, we can have that and so much more. But…I need you to come back with me. Maybe not now, but soon.} Laila’s smile fades, anxiously squeezing the dog tags on the table next to her love. _{Captain now, eh? Congrats June, I always knew if you stuck around you’d be leading Wardog someday.}

Juniper shifts uncomfortably in the bed, staring at the image of her supposed wife. “...I can’t. There’s…there’s someone I’ve gotten close to, that I can’t bear the thought of hurting. You’d like her, you know? She’s kind and sweet, even if she reminds me so much of how I used to be. …Before I had you.” Her heart hurts thinking of Mara, but even more staring at Laila.

Laila adjusts her jacket, tucking her dog tags back underneath the uniform. _{Would you rather watch crappy zombie movies with the person directly responsible for the pain you’re in?}

“...You’re not real, are you?” Juniper blurts it out without thinking. “Otherwise, you’d know all I can do is run.”

Laila leans in close again, hugging her partner tightly. _{That’s for you to figure out, June. But right now, it’s time to stop trying to be a hero for people who see you as the enemy, love. I know, you’re scared of returning. You’re scared of a lot of things these days. I wish I could tell you the truth, but it would hurt you worse right now. I know how much you hide the truth from that turncoat, but it’s okay, she’s meaningless.}

“B…Before you go. Just…tell me one thing.” Juniper stammers out, scared of the answer. “If you’re real, are you…are you safe? You’re okay? Not…Not hurting anymore?”

Laila for her part smiles gently, nodding. _{I’m okay. I can’t give you anything concrete, but yeah. I’m sorry, June, I need to go. This was unauthorized. Command would have my head if they knew I visited a rebel. But that’s not important, what is, is that I love you, Juniper Sladek. I’ve loved you for a long time, you’re my partner. Now and always. I won’t beg you to return, but things will get worse if you don’t. I…I don’t want to have to kill you in combat.}

“Will I ever see you again!? I-I love you, Laila, but–”

Laila interrupts her with a shrug. _{I guess that depends: in the underworld lie your answers. Whether you go there or not is up to you. Just know that if you don’t, the next time we meet will be in battle.}

_{I’m sorry, June. I really am. I love you, more than you’ll ever know. I hope…I hope that this isn’t our last meeting.} Laila turns, walking out of the room. _{Goodbye, June.}

Juniper limps out of the hospital bed, ripping out the IV in a desperate attempt to chase after Laila. But she’s not there, there’s no one in the halls.

***

8 Hours, 3 Minutes Ago: Somewhere in Volterra Base.

Juniper’s been on-hand to supervise the techs loading Ixion into a cargo container. It’s just a lot of staring at her baby, while they then load the container onto a train car. They covered Ixion in a tarp, being careful with the temporary shielding around the reactor housing.

They loaded Ares next. From her brief meeting with the Commander, he said that the brass want Eris to pilot again. As such, they’re reducing the workload of the techs by sending four of the five mechs from Wardog Team for repairs. Two heavily damaged, two for overhauls.

Not only will Eris be returning to service, but she’ll be doing it as the fifth pilot of Wardog. It’s a sick joke.

The journey by train shouldn’t be difficult. It’s a four-hour trip, but one they’re making during nightfall. Volterra’s tracks are still useful, but they only run at night and in low visibility, to prevent the imperials from picking up their trail.

Juniper’s role in all of this is to supervise the repairs made to Ixion and get further treatment to her wounds. Doctors in Volterra did what they could to patch her up, but with short-staff and a lack of equipment, it’s better to send the wounded elsewhere.

But there’s an ulterior motive to all of this: Laila. She’s in Gormo, or someone who knows her is. Then there’s the medicine that promises to help with the withdrawals. If it’s real, then everything will be okay again.

Simple and easy.

So why does it feel like anything but?

“Sladek, look alive.” Vera says, sneering at her.

Juniper’s arm is in a sling, or she’d hold down the merc and punch her until her knuckles bled. Instead, she stands there, while the merc walks up to her and pins her against a wall, gripping her dog tags tightly.

“Listen here, you fucking mutt, I know your game.” Juniper winces, but doesn’t put up a fight. “This whole ‘broken’ act, it doesn’t fool me. I’ve been assigned to make sure that your ass doesn’t try switching sides again.”

“...Why do you give two fucks?” Juniper says it quietly, afraid to raise her voice.

“Why? Why?” Vera laughs, punching Juniper’s shoulder. “You fucking know why. Levka Valley–”

“What, so I almost killed you? Fitting for a merc who can’t aim for shit.” She lets a bit of the old Juniper slip in there. The one who would have kicked this merc’s ass without trying.

Vera goes to punch her again, but stops short, laughing again. “Cute, little traitor’s got a mouth to her. Since you’re so curious, Nyx Glass, pilot of the Argus, my little sister. You killed her and I want my revenge.”

Juniper runs her left hand through her hair, laughing. “That’s what happens when you dance with the Angel of Death. If you want, I’ll send you to her right now. Maybe that’ll get you off my ass? If not, then move. I’ve got a train to catch.” Juniper ducks underneath Vera’s arm, wincing at the pain in her legs.

“Fuck off, Sladek. You keep talking like that and I’ll be the first person to put a bullet in you. And when you’re finally fucking dead? I’ll make sure they all know what a coward you were. Little Miss ‘Afraid of Her Own Shadow’. I’ve seen the footage. You got your partner killed and then turned traitor.” Vera cackles, watching Juniper walk away.

Vera isn’t wrong, but, gods, all Juniper can think about right now is killing her. It wouldn’t be hard, take the knife from that bitch’s hip sheath and stab her until she’s choking on her own blood. But it wouldn’t be right to kill her right now, no, wait until they’re all alone and do it then. Send her to hell to meet her shitty sister.

A fitting punishment from the Angel of Death.

Days like these, it’s easy to find the old Juniper inside herself. The anger that she felt, the cockiness, she would have fought someone like Vera and mouthed off the entire time while doing so. Because that’s who Juniper Sladek was.

Maybe it’s time to stop being the pretend-person and be her again.

***

Now: Gormo.

Juniper’s seeing things – ghosts – again. She told Mara about it, but who even knows if she believes it. As far as she’s concerned, Juniper may very well be going insane, so why believe her ramblings? Even still, Mara hasn’t left her side since finding Juniper passed out in the hall.

It’s white, far too white and sanitized in here. She’s in a small hospital room, much like the infirmary back in Volterra, only with better equipment. There’s a wristband on her left wrist with medical information on it.

Too many bad memories spent in hospitals, from…before Laila, before the rebellion. When Juniper was someone else, someone she doesn’t like to remember. Maybe that’s why she’s seeing ghosts, because of the kind of place Gormo is.

They claim it’s a neutral territory, that the war has no effect here. But that’s all bullshit. Gormo sold its soul to the Empire long ago and pretends that they’re neutral for the optics. Anyone with half a brain can see what this place really is: An extension of the Empire’s power.

This is where the Empire outsources much of their mech development for the region, because engineers here are second only to those in the Homeland. It’s where Ixion was born so many years ago.

A quick glance to Mara reveals her still fast asleep, which makes Juniper sigh just a little. It’s time for her to go, if she waits any longer, she’ll lose her nerve. Besides, Mara shouldn’t be caught up in her failings.

Sorry, Mara. Some things you just gotta do by yourself.

Juniper climbs out of bed, wincing at the pain in her legs. Docs didn’t clear her, she’s not in combat-shape, let alone the shape to do something stupid, but that doesn’t matter right now. Too many paths all converging in one location for her to ignore.

She grabs her dog tags from the nightstand, slipping them over her neck. Then, her camo fatigue pants and a black tank top are slipped on. Once her boots are laced tight, she throws on her jacket, walking out.

Hopefully this isn’t their last meeting, but these days, that’s hard to say.

As she walks out of the hospital room, she makes for a quick exit down the nearest stairway and out into the open streets of Gormo. Topside is a paradise, large buildings, green grass and clean (recycled) air. She’s careful to avoid eye contact with any imperials in the area, on the off chance they could recognize her.

It’s easy enough to blend in with the crowds here, you’re just another face amongst thousands of others. A place like this, there is no war, no famine, not even any suffering. It’s heaven, or it’s supposed to be. In reality, it’s hell, just like most of the world. Sure, on the surface it’s bright and clean here, but once you find your way down into the Underworld: That’s when you realize how bad it is.

The Underworld, much like the name suggests, is below the crust of society. It’s where the poor congregate. If you end up here, it’s almost never by choice. The way into this supposed research facility goes through the underworld. It’s not down here though, rather it’s on the upper level, but there’s no way in hell she’s walking in through the front door. Too many eyes up there, the only way to get to where she needs to go is through the sewers.

Tent cities, crumbling buildings, not to mention the lawlessness down here. The people of the Underworld are considered dead to the world above them. To those down here, this is simply home and it has always been. Imperial, Rebel, none of that matters here, what matters is if you have the cash to escape. No cash means that you’ll never find your way out of here.

Damned to forever wander the crumbling streets, in search of a way out.

Up above, the sewer entrances are difficult to spot, no easy way in. But down below, there’s a large pipe that leads to much of this world, because they never bothered to give the people below anything more.

Juniper wades through the waters of the underworld sewers, each step through this murky and filthy water is harder than the last. If she’s not careful, it’ll swallow her whole, as much of this place would in a heartbeat. It makes her wonder, is this even worth it?

It’s dark in here. She wishes she had a flashlight, but no such luck. The only reason that she has a vague idea of where she’s going is a gut feeling. Every twist and turn could lead her in the wrong direction. And in the dark, it would be easy to get lost. Perhaps she is already lost, who’s to say?

But one thing remains clear, she’ll find her way out, because she has to. Up there somewhere are the answers she’s after. Is her partner alive? If so, is she okay? She isn’t this “Subject Iota.” There’s no way that whatever that is, that she could be it.

It’s just something Eris said to scare Juniper, that’s all it is.

She turns left and rests against a wall, catching her breath. It shouldn’t be much further; she just needs to push on. Which is easier said than done, when she’s still walking with a limp. Really shouldn’t be doing this alone, but there’s no sense in involving Mara when she’s innocent. There are no innocents in this war, but Mara, she…she shouldn’t be fighting.

There’s an obvious bias, but Mara needs to get out before this war kills her. She doesn’t deserve these scars. Hopefully the two of them can spend at least one more night together before everything turns to shit. Probably asking too much given the obvious, though.

Ahead lies a door, black, covered in white graffiti, save for the keypad which glows green. Her head hurts staring at it, more bad memories of someone she used to be. It’s a door she’s familiar with from her years in Gormo. Long before the Angel of Death, there was a sickly woman dying of a disease she couldn’t afford the cure for.

She was given a cure that cost her soul in return.

So began the tale of the Angel of Death.

Juniper wades through the sewer water, putting a palm on the door. The door opens with a hiss, after she inputs a code, revealing her path forward. More sewer water, but there’s a light at the end of the tunnel that she can see from here.

Except, she’s being followed. Easy to tell, they’re not bothering to mask the sound of their footsteps. Could be OSI, wouldn’t be a surprise if they’re after her to tie up an old loose end. Or maybe–No, it’s not her, it’s never her. With a sigh, Juniper turns around, hands in the air. She’s unarmed, no sense in making a fuss.

A slow clap echos throughout the sewer system and from the shadows, out steps Vera Glass. “My, my, my. This whole damn time, you’ve been an Imperial spy? Goddamn, I knew you weren’t a merc. Nah, too cowardly for that. Thought for sure you were just some deserter, but a spy? How you gonna explain that one, Sladek?” She pins Juniper to the wall, holding a knife to her chest. “Gimme a good reason why I shouldn’t cut ya now, Juni.”

She spits in Vera’s face, growling. “That. Is. Not. My. NAME!” No one was allowed to call her Juni, only Laila Godsdamned Praxian was and she’s dead, or gone, or somewhere–it’s hard to remember clearly.

Juniper lunges at the merc, clawing at her face in a fit of rage. Landing one or maybe two hits, before the merc pushes her into the sewer water and stomps on her stomach repeatedly. She’s left wheezing in pain, this is hell, she can do nothing but lay here. “N…Not….s-spy…” She says between pained breaths.

It hurts so fucking bad.

“Then what are you? Don’t tell me, the daughter of some admiral?” Vera laughs, kicking her again for good measure. “Tell ya what, Sladek, tell me a believable story and we’ll go from there.”

Juniper stays curled up in the water, wincing at the pain. She’ll kill Vera, make her hurt, one way or another. But for now, she has to go along with the demands of this insane merc. “I-I’ll tell you, just…just follow.” Juniper says, trying desperately to not hurl up the contents of her stomach. The exit is just ahead, a ladder that leads to a manhole cover. Just a little further…

Vera follows close behind her, never letting Juniper out of her sight. If looks could kill, she’d have already killed the wounded pilot with just a glare. One excuse is all she needs to be set off, which is why dealing with her is going to be a headache.

“Alright, talk, Sladek. What’s your deal?” Vera says, blocking the path forward.

Juniper sighs, running her left hand through her hair nervously. “Yeah, I grew up in the Empire. They tried to conscript me and I ran. Wound up doing work for ‘em on the side, after I became a merc. The underworld isn’t some big imperial secret, nothing down here, just tunnels to elsewhere.” It’s a total lie, but it’s worth a shot.

Vera laughs, pushing her up against a wall again. “Bull fucking shit, Sladek. I don’t buy it, you’ve got ten seconds to tell me the truth or there’ll be a sea of blood down here.” There’s a knife to her throat now. One wrong move and she’s dead.

Juniper’s in no shape to fight back, because she got sloppy in the field. Looks like the price to pay for that sloppiness isn’t her injuries; it’s a knife. “You heard the stories, right? Wardog shot down in Aurelia?” She gulps, hoping that this doesn’t cost her.

Vera raises an eyebrow, the knife never leaving its place against the throat. “Yeah, what of it?”

Another sigh; the blade inches ever closer. “We were sold out. Someone in the rebellion sold us out, left us to die. Except…I didn’t. My memory of it’s hazy, but there’s a woman…She…She made me into a weapon.”

“What the hell are you–”

“I–I don’t know the details, okay? But…look. The place I’m going to, i-it’s supposed to have answers. And…medicine to help with my…issues.” Even the truth sounds like a lie at this point.

The knife disappears from her throat, returning to its sheath. Vera shoves Juniper forward. She glances back and sees Vera smirking. "Fine, fine, but I’m coming with. If you’re lying, then it’s over for you. Think folks distrust you now? Wait’ll they hear all about how you think one of ‘em sold you out.”

“Why would they even care if I think someone sold us out?” Juniper says, resisting the urge to fight Vera.

“Lookit you, you’re broken down, fucking paranoid, you howl like some rabid mongrel into the comms.” Juniper goes pale, she remembers cutting the comms so– “Oh, don’t give me that look, Sladek. Y’think it’s not hard to get footage? Sweet talk a mechanic or two, and they’re putty in my hands.” Vera laughs, but doesn’t hit Juniper again.

“So, what? You just want blackmail then? Just kill me. Be done with it. …My life is worthless anyway.” Juniper mumbles that last part, keeping her eyes focused on what’s ahead.

“Y’see? This is why I don’t wanna just kill you. No, no, no. I’ll ruin you in the eyes of these rebels and especially Mara. Then I’ll kill you.” She doesn’t need to look back to know that Vera is smirking, probably silently cackling too.

Juniper wants to lunge at Vera, grab the knife from her and stab at her until that smirk is gone. But, she…she can’t. She’s hopped up on painkillers, one wrong move could make things worse. “...Leave Mara out of this, she…she’s innocent. Please, that’s all I want, nothing else.”

There’s a sudden grunt and a splash behind her, and Juniper runs as fast as she can in hip deep water. Maybe Vera tripped, maybe something weirder happened. Right now, Juniper couldn’t care less.

***

8 Hours, 59 Minutes Ago: Gormo.

Arrival went smoothly. Ixion’s container was loaded onto an elevator and transported down below the surface. It hurts being separated from her mech, reminds her of the last time she was. Only this time it’s much worse.

Juniper is supposed to report to the hospital, so they can give her a more thorough examination. But she can’t, not until she finds Laila. If that message was accurate, she’s here somewhere, it’s just a matter of finding where. With a sigh, Juniper starts walking off from the train.

“June, where’re you going?” Mara says, catching up to her. “Need to report into the hospital first, no exceptions. I’ll find you the starlight, just–”

She shakes her head, stopping in her tracks. “That’s not it. I…” A sigh; she runs her left hand through her hair. “What I’m going to tell you is insane, but promise me you won’t judge me or-or tell anyone. Please.”

Mara looks concerned, but nods, squeezing Juniper’s hand. “Look, if it’s about–Just tell me, I promise.”

Juniper takes a breath, squeezing back. “I saw her–Laila. When I got shot down, she was there, sent me a message and–Look, I…I need to do this alone, okay? I promise, I’ll be back in two hours tops.”

“I”m coming with, I don’t care if you say no, I’m still–”

She shakes her head again, staring Mara in the eyes. “No. I–I promise I’ll be back, just, I need to do this alone. She’s my problem, I can’t involve you. I’m sorry, Mara, but please. I need you to not follow me.” Juniper lets go of Mara’s hand, pulling her into a hug. “I’ll be back, I promise.”

“Just be safe, June. Or so help me gods, I’ll–”

Juniper kisses Mara, holding her close. “I will.”

She’s walking down a corridor that leads directly into the city itself when she spots a dark skinned woman in a green jumpsuit, with fire-red hair, walking down the opposite direction. It-It has to be Laila. There’s no doubt about it now that this is her. Juniper is following closely behind her, trying desperately to catch up to her. It’s no use, because she’s gone. Only to reappear again and again.

It’s starting to hurt her head, but she refuses to quit.

Not when she’s so close.

As soon as they’re together again, they can leave all of this behind and start fresh. Like they always planned. After all Laila is the one who sent her the coordinates, this was all a ploy by her so that they could be together again. It all makes sense to her now!

Or it should.

In truth, nothing has made sense to Juniper in a long time. She isn’t sure how much longer she’s capable of continuing this charade. Before too long, everything will crash down onto her and it’ll be too late. Mara will get hurt, just like Laila did.

She’s followed this mysterious figure down a dark alleyway, but there’s no one here, she’s all alone.

Again.

***

Present: Gormo.

It’s dark in here, so damn dark. The only reason Juniper has even a vague idea of where she is, is the sound of the metal echoing from her footsteps. Where she is, is a complicated question though. The underbelly of an imperial facility, where she’s supposedly going to be able to find the medicine she needs to survive.

Vera should have been right behind her, but with how dark it is down here, it’s not a surprise that idiot got lost. If they’re all lucky, she’ll have died down here. They can use the scraps from Helios to repair Selene and Ares. And there’ll be one less headache for Juniper to deal with in that case.

This place reminds her of the kennels, it’s damp, there’s a certain smell she can’t place either. And there have been a few times that she could swear she heard barking. But she’s just delusional, probably a lack of medicine in her system. Every few feet she has to stop and remind herself just why she’s down here.

Because there’s no other way to reach where she’s going, unless she wants to deal with OSI, who have most likely been tracking her since she first set foot here. The Empire has eyes here, despite this being an official “neutral” nation, their influence spreads far and wide. It wouldn’t take much for them to grab her and haul her off for questioning.

It wouldn’t be a surprise if they grabbed Mara, considering her status as a defector. But they have bigger targets to go after. Like Juniper. Gods, it sends a chill down her spine even thinking about what they’d do to her.

There’s a light at the end of the tunnel. It’s only a crack, but it’s her first indicator that she’s getting close. This place will have the answers she’s after, for some reason she’s sure of it.

She reaches the end of the tunnel, climbing up a ladder to the surface. Then, after a quick check to ensure she hasn’t been followed, she proceeds onwards. This is definitely an imperial facility, it’s too…clean in here, too sanitized. What’s strange is that there are no cameras in here, no security, no nothing. Another reminder of her time in captivity.

Juniper leans back against a wall, catching her breath. Her entire body is screaming out in pain, which is no surprise, she should be on bedrest, not going off on some insane mission. The docs will give her hell later, but it’s fine, none of them realize what’s at stake here. Her very life is on the line and she…she can’t sit back and hope for a miracle.

No, because the gods won’t listen.

They don’t listen to sinners.

With a sigh she gets back to walking, though she has no idea where she’s going, only that her gut is telling her to keep going forward. And soon enough, it does pay off. She comes to a door, a door that feels so familiar, almost like–No, don’t even think it.

Her hands tremble opening it, as she peeks her head in. It’s another empty room, save for a stairwell. Why in the hell are there so many empty rooms in a supposed imperial building? Unless it’s a trap? If it is, she’ll go down fighting.

Carefully, Juniper enters the empty room, making for the stairwell. She’s being extra cautious, there could be trip mines, or something worse set to go off. But there’s nothing, it’s as if this place was built and never furnished.

This whole building gives her the creeps, even the fluorescent lighting creeps her out for some reason. Descending ever deeper into the bowels of this building, that bad feeling from earlier returns, coming to a security door. Whereas the ones before were more of standard wooden ones, this is heavy, metallic, makes her think of a bulkhead.

It makes her head hurt just staring at it. A torrent of memories come flooding back relating to the kennels again. Gods, why can’t she stop thinking about that? She isn’t that…that thing anymore, she’s free. Sure, the scars will be with her forever, but–Ugh.

What’s odd about this however is much like the security door in the sewers, it’s unguarded. As with much of this building, there’s no one on either side of it. It requests a password and she tries her luck with the one from before.

The code is accepted, and the door opens with a hiss. Once again, it’s dark, but not pitch black, Juniper can see perfectly well in here. Unlike the clean office building from up above, it’s more industrial down here, exposed girders line the ceiling with heavier doors than the one she came through, lining the sides.

She…She’s in the kennels. Oh gods, Juniper’s going to be sick.

It’s too dark to see into the kennels, but she can see the glow of red eyes as she walks through the metal hallway. She doesn’t need to see them to know what they are. People…formerly people, much like herself, reduced to broken animals, except they had no use and were left to forever haunt the kennels.

“My, my, I must say, I didn’t expect the little birdie to willingly come along,” one of them says in an emotionless tone, their red eyes follow her every movement. Never blinking, nor turning away. She knows they won’t hurt her, not without permission–she hopes so, anyway– they’re still trained animals, much like she was. Only broken even further.

“Sladek, get me the fuck out of here!” Vera shouts from one of the impossibly dark cells. Red eyes surround her, growling, ready to attack if their master so wishes.

They don’t attack though, no, they only speak in unison. “Please, do sit down, Miss Glass. You’re being very–”

“F-Fuck you! What are you–”

“VERY RUDE! I COMMAND YOU TO SIT!” The dogs scream in unison at Vera, forcing her to sit still.

“I do apologize, Lieutenant–Captain Sladek, I’m not used to company in these parts.” The dogs speak in unison, their bright red eyes following Juniper to the end of the hallway, where the door opens. Before she can even react, someone runs their hand through her hair. “You look very sick, puppy. But don’t worry, I’ll patch you up and get you right as rain. After all, it’s what She wants, isn’t it?” This time only one voice speaks, a pale dark skinned woman in a white lab coat and a black uniform underneath.

She’s tall and wears glasses, while her hair is the same fire-red as–No it’s not her, this isn’t who visited her in the hospital. It was Laila, this is just some delusion.

Laila will be here any minute to save her partner.

“W-Who are you?” Juniper mumbles, still trembling.

She puts a finger to Juniper’s lips, quieting the hound. “That isn’t important right now, my dear sickly hound. No, what’s important is that we give you your medicine.” She takes Juniper by the hand, walking through the door and into a familiar room. It reminds of her the white room, it’s just as creepishly white.

Juniper is strapped into a chair, leather straps over her wrists and ankles securely fashioned to prevent escape. The room is white, blindingly white, she closes her eyes to escape from it, retreating into her dreams. It’s safe there, or it’s supposed to be. Even in her dreams there’s only more white.

“I do apologize, but even I must take certain safety precautions. Wouldn’t want you to escape, now would I?” The woman says it sweetly, hands still running through Juniper’s hair.

As Juniper opens her eyes, the only thing she can see is this woman. Leaning over, smiling at her, as if she were doing the hound a favor. In her hand is a syringe that glows bright green, it makes Juniper’s mouth water just staring at it.

She needs it more than anything.

The woman laughs softly, holding it in front of the hound’s eyes. “Come now, Captain Sladek. Be a good girl and beg for it.”

She licks her lips, desperately trying to resist, but it calls to her. It’s the one thing she needs. “P…Please g-give me it. I-I-I’ll be…I’ll be good….Ma’am.” Juniper’s lips tremble with each word, it hurts to admit how much she needs this.

The mysterious woman gently strokes Juniper’s cheek, humming to herself. “Hmm, I believe I should introduce myself. After all, what good is a dog if it doesn’t have a vet to fix what ails them?”

She bends down to Juniper’s level, an unhinged smile on her face. “My name is meaningless to you, my role on the other hand is of some value to you, I’m sure. I am the Veterinarian, one tasked by your Handler to help poor hounds such as yourself. You and I are going to have loads of fun, Captain Sladek, but I promise to make you feel…divine.” She laughs to no one in particular, adjusting her glasses.

With the introductions done, the Vet doesn’t bother to waste a second longer, jamming the syringe full of starlight into Juniper’s jugular without warning or second thought. It should hurt like hell, but all she can see are stars. They’re more numerous than the last time, their whispers more obscure.

“Juniper can you hear me?” The Vet says, getting in her face.

“Yes, I can hear you.” Juniper says without thinking.

“Good dog!” The Vet praises her and it feels amazing. “And how do you feel?”

Juniper blinks, thinking for a moment. “I can see stars. More…more than before, they…they call my name.” She can feel her restraints being loosened and removed, but she stays perfectly still. After all, she has not been told to move. A good dog knows her place.

“Now then, I have a special task for you, my good dog. There’s an annoyance in the kennels who seems to think herself as superior.” Juniper nods, absorbing every syllable of every word. “I have a special gift for her that I want you to give her.” She motions for the hound to stand.

“Yes Ma’am, I’ll deal with your annoyance.” Juniper stands up and is handed a syringe full of starlight, though at a much lower dose.

“If you do a good job, I believe I’ll give you a reward. Would you like that, Juniper?” The Vet coos, petting her head.

Juniper nods, walking back into the darkened hallway known as the kennels. There, the first door on her left opens, dogs all around stare at her with their glowing red eyes. The annoyance–Vera– is being held down by three of them, while she struggles to no end.

Listen here you fucking mutt, I know your game. She remembers Vera almost ripping off her dog tags. Strangling her. Hurting her. All the times she’s dealt with Vera calling her broken, or a traitor or a headcase. Juniper knows what she needs to do; what she’s been ordered to do. Stab Vera, give her a dose of starlight and make it hurt.

“S-Sladek, wh-what are you–” The dogs turn Vera onto her side, inviting Juniper to do as she was commanded.

She kneels down next to Vera, remembering everything the merc has done to her. And then–She jabs it in with full force, letting the mercenary scream in pain as the starlight enters her veins.

“Good Dog, Juniper.” The dogs all say in unison, directing her back to the Vet.

As the door opens to the interior room once more, she kneels on the floor in front the vet, presenting her the empty syringe as proof of obedience. Juniper has been terrible for so long, it feels so, so good to finally obey.

The Vet pets the hound’s head, giving her chin a good scratching as well. “It’s a shame really, OSI had no interest in her. Until she made a drunken ass of herself, then as it turns out, Miss Glass is full of wonderful stories. Oh, but don’t you fret, Juniper, she was given an extremely low dosage. She won’t be like you, oh no, you my dear hound are special.” Her words drip with sweetness in them, every bit of them demands Juniper give her full attention.

Juniper wants to respond, but can’t quite find the words on her tongue. Instead, she simply nods thoughtfully, listening to the Vet speak.

“As for you, my dear hound, I believe you’re worthy of a reward, aren’t you?” The Vet says in her cheerful tone.

“Please.” Is all Juniper can mutter, staring up at her.

The Vet looks down at Juniper, cracking a wicked grin. “I’ve got two lovely rewards for such a good girl. The first one, I believe you want more than anything.” There’s a glint in her eyes, she pets Juniper’s head, grinning. “Laila Praxian is Alive.”

“W-What are–”

“Juniper: Off the Leash.”

There’s no time to even process the thought of Laila being alive. Those words have been uttered and in seconds, Juniper feels the implosion happening. The light leaves her eyes, replacing them with nothingness. Her place in this world is as a weapon, she’s tried to fight it, but truthfully, she’s tired of fighting it. It feels so good to just accept this as reality.

The Vet doesn’t need to say a word, she only sticks out a boot for the hound to stare at. Someone or something stares back at Juniper-Hound in the boots reflection. She licks her lips, staring up at the Vet, waiting for an order, like a good hound would.

“You want this, don’t you hound?”

Juniper-Hound nods obediently, a glassy look in her eyes.

The Vet chuckles, petting the hound’s head. “Hound, remove your pants, I want you to feel everything.”

Obediently, Juniper-Hound undoes her belt, slipping out of her pants without leaving her kneeling position. “The panties too.” She says, pointing to the hound’s panties, which too are removed without standing. “Good hound. Now; enjoy your reward, you’ve been such a good girl, I would hate to deprive you of it.”

Juniper-Hound wraps herself around the Vets leg, pressing her groin against the boot and grinds her cock against it. It feels so, so good to hump the boot of the one to fix her. Even now, the stars surround the hound, their twinkling is so bright and hypnotic. Every star whispers something different, but the same message; obedience is her true reward.

Juniper-Hound is drooling and moaning from this alone. Her reward is oh so sweet, and makes hurting that merc even better than it was before. Every movement of her hips against this boot makes the hound go wild. Mind buzzing with the scent of leather and polish in the air.

She’s moaning, the feeling of leather against her cock is a feeling like no other. Every moan is louder than before, but it doesn’t matter, Juniper-Hound is a blank slate, she doesn’t feel anything except for what her superiors tell her to feel. And right now, she’s been told to feel pleasure.

“Cum for me, hound! Cum for your Veterinarian! I want your cum all over my boot!” The Vet yells, cackling madly.

On command, Juniper-Hound cums, leaving a massive load of sperm on the shiny black leather. She doesn’t need to be told what to do, immediately lapping up the cum from the black leather. The taste of leather, polish and cum mix on her tongue making her head spin.

With each lick, she can see the light staring back at her, but it’s interrupted by the door slamming open and Vera Glass slumping through it. There’s an angry look in her eyes as she sees Juniper on the floor. At this revelation, the Vet claps cheerfully. “Perhaps I misjudged you. It seems you may have potential to be a Handler after all–”

“You fucking insane bitch! Locking me in there with those mongrels! I-I’ll kill you!” Vera screams it, her face turning red. She charges the Vet, throwing her to the ground.

The Vet is unphased by this, she doesn’t even attempt to defend herself.

Hound snarls and pounces Vera, punching and clawing at whatever she can get to. She’ll kill her, she’ll kill her, she’ll– “That’s enough, Hound I don’t want her hurt. Just a show of force is all.” The Vet snaps her fingers and Hound returns to her side.

“Did you really think that, that would work Miss Glass? My, my, and here I thought you had potential too.” The Vet teases, stroking Juniper-Hound’s hair. “As you can see, I have Juniper wrapped neatly around my thumb.”

“W-What did you–” She picks herself off the floor, taking a fearful step back,

The Vet wags her finger, as if she were scolding a child. “Oh, but don’t worry, I won’t have her kill you. Not unless you try something stupid like that again. No, what I want is to share the beauty of the Hound program with you. I’m very interested in your potential as a Handler. Just think, you could command Juniper here to kill and she would obey without question. Isn’t that what you want, my dear Glass?”

Vera gives her a questioning look, unphased by this.

“You want to kill your sister’s murder, but why not…destroy her?” She extends a hand, smiling slyly.

Vera reluctantly steps forward, shaking the offered hand. “Just tell me what I have to do.”