Blitzkrieg Bop

<C: Aren't you gonna stay with us for the afterparty?>

<M: No, I would love to but I'm just fighting my demons right now. Love you, sis, tell Ivy I love her too>

<C: Anything I can do to change your mind? We're going to miss you!>

<M: I...can't. I'm sorry. I'll be home tonight I promise>

The flowers and trees of Castra really are beautiful this time of year. The fog helps keep me centered because when I'm alone I'm the only thing that exists as narcissistic as that sounds. I still have nightmares about Levski, dad being the only light in my life, being cold and hungry all the time and wishing I was back on Terra.

After Bella rewired and modded her Corsair back to the good ol' days, she found a market in modding ships for others to the point that Drake rolled the changes back because it was cutting into their profits. They lowered the price and I snatched one up for myself.

A nursa sits in the back, monster cannons all over and it's become my defacto home. An empty home with three beds where only one gets regular use.

As per gear, I've been wearing a full Artimex set and enjoying how needlessly comfy it is. Warm when needed, cool when it isn't, flexible yet takes a hit pretty well.

More importantly the full-helmet hides my face, can't read my emotions, detect if you're getting through and more importantly hides the bags under my eyes due to lack of proper sleep.

The nightmares have been getting worse and now I hear whispers at the back of my mind when it gets quiet. We're comfortable in here.

Missions are a plenty for me because I'm still so barely known and nobody has pieced together that I'm one of the infernal infamous Spacemoms.

Modern life's a joke.

A contract rolled in, supplies for food, water and medical dropped at a settlement on Bloom in Pyro, normally Ivy and Ravja take this but it's been sitting for a day so guess I'll run it.

Food, water and medical have gone up recently after the Detatrine incidents went down, and regen has gotten shady so the cost out of my pocket is a serious pocket-fire.

I have my quicksilver pack, P6-LR along with a Parallax rifle and Coda strapped to my hip.

So far away from the standard loadout, but I don't care. Callie says the Parallax is a war crime and wants it near none of us but frankly I could give less of a shit, the ammo efficiency is amazing despite copper dropping in value.

<A: Hey sweetie, don't bother with that job. Ravi and I got bad vibes we were there>

<M: I can handle it, thank you>

<R: Please, Minerva? Please just stay with us>

I went offline and honestly I think I might be a bitch here. I know they love me, and I'm learning to deal with this shit myself, but fucking leave me be please...

The order called for 16SCU of each, but the kindness in my heart said 32s should be more than enough. I think that's kindness...

I took off and a priority hail came in from Callie's daughter, Bella. Said she was ordered to keep an eye on me but she had other matters to tend to so she begged me to not go. At this point I'm tempted to blow the comm-link sats to get some peace and quiet.

Castra's jump point connects to Pyro so I route the flight path and sit back for a bit as I coast through space on the wings of almost light. The gate ATC warns me as usual, nothing to declare, nothing comes back out, yadda yadda.

Every time I come here my heart jumps and flutters in hopes that some jackass interdicts me just so I can ruin his life...no pun intended.

Bloom is a decent flight away and honestly at this point I should just replace the pilot's seat with a couch.

<???: Turn back, there's nothing for you here>

<M: Who the fuck are you?>

<???: Just leave. Please>

<M: I got a job to do. So kindly fuck off>

<???: Those supplies are a waste. LEAVE>

I blast out pulses looking for the origin of the signal, because this asshole knows I'm packing and I wanna know how he knows.

Bloom comes running up at full-speed and I make a course adjustment to my location: small settlement, around thirty-ish people, men, women and children.

Why the fuck you would bring kids out here is beyond me.

As I make my approach, I see a small shed. A quick scan shows it's been abandoned for a while and there's tread wear in the ground leading away, looks to be Ursa-width. I follow the tracks and see that they lead directly to the settlement, with a larger round spot about 2.5 kilos away. This guy either made a lot of good choices, dumb choices, or second-guessed himself.

Second guesses and dumb choices. One too late for the other because the settlement is burning with a Vanguard Warlock parked right outside the flames.

Misery loves company because I'm sitting down next to it.

The back hatch opens and I make my way down the ramp only to see two "gentlemen" sitting near a fire.

"Hey, you guys order the supplies?" I shout over with voice modulation and one looks over at me.

"HA! WOW YOU ARE SO LATE AAHAHAHAH!" He says as he takes a swig of his Rust, mankind's greatest fuckup. "WE ALREADY CLEARED THIS PLACE OUT BUT YOU'RE FREE TO LEAVE THE GOODS, EH?!"

I walk up to them as they sit on the ground where they offer me a swig and my stomach turns.

"No thanks." I say shaking my head and putting up a hand. "What do you mean you cleared this place?" I say as I wander off to explore the ruins.

"Idiots, left an order open for resources and nobody came." The other guy says taking a smaller sip. "We did, and now they don't have to worry about it."

"I see..."

I turn the corner of a smouldering shanty and see a stack of bodies piled into a fire, my soul dies as one catches my attention.

Adults, all adults except for one that looks...smaller?

Bring them to justice. No survivors.

I turn on my heel and my skin is covered in goosebumps with this feral voice's words. There's irrational thoughts, dreams of the blackest black and everything turning a deep blood red.

I see the louder goon laughing and passing cheers with his friend, who is also smiling like he just heard the greatest joke ever.

"Oi yeah? Like our litle pile over there? gotta burn da trash, ya knae? Being all environmental and-"

The Ascension design for the Coda seems like an ironic blur as I draw it in the flick of the wrist and his head explodes, spreading viscera everywhere and there's something unwell in me.

The other one.

The calmer gentleman drops his booze and puts his hands up as I'm now less than a meter from him.

"Okay hold on, let's not be hasty! Let's reason this out!" He pleads.

Do not bury the hatchet, bury the man

I holster the gun with another flick and with my other grab his throat while taking my knife into my disturbingly calm hand.

"Eegggh...hol' up now!" He struggles to speak. "Ju-st becau-se you got that f-ancy armor doesn't m-m-make you a he-he-hero."

I drive the knife into his gut, and he tries to double over but my iron grip holds him in place.

It's okay to eat fish because they don't have any feelings

He begins to flail and in his struggles, grabs the hose connected to my helmet and it pops off. The smell of burning steel and flesh sears my nostrils while chucklefuck tries to get free.

I take my knife-hand and remove my helmet then calmly set it on the ground as I kneel before him.

"I want to see the light and life drain from your eyes. I don't want you to go quickly with mercy..." My voice is not my own, these words are not mine. I am now a passenger watching somebody else with their hands on the wheel.

"I want to bask in the glory of your passing. An eye for an eye, a life for a life."

"HEY IS IT BECAUSE OF THE KI-"

He doesn't continue, his throat closes with a gag and a gasp, face turning pale in the firelight.

"I dream of the day you regenerate, but none of that works anymore. Enjoy your last days here in this corporeal plane."

I grasp the knife and it goes from bellybutton to nose in a swift motion.

"This is the way the world ends...may you never see the light of heaven nor the fires of hell. Wander the void endlessly."

Everything went dark for me, I remember walking home and down the hallway covered head-to-toe in so much...I feel good...

"Moira? Are you OH MY GODS WHAT HAPPENED?!" Callie says walking around the corner in our new home.

"Dad's training. Dad taught me how to clean a fish. Quality time with dad always helps..." The words escape my mouth, again not my own.

I hear footsteps coming down the hallway but she quickly spins around to beg them to not approach.

"Moira isn't well, just...give her time." She pleads as I walk past the crowd who is now wracked in fear.

They are family. Do not hurt them.

I was in control for an hour as I sat in the shower floor wearing full-armor and watched as viscera ran down my body and into the drain.

What is wrong with me...