FSE

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Soothing was the silence that surrounded the young Husky Evocanis. He slowly gained consciousness as his mind brought back those horrible memories of what just happened a few hours ago.

Slowly, opening his eyes, he noticed that he rested comfortably in a soft bed. It was a dark, small room with a huge window that showed nothing but the silent and eternally calm universe. It was not Canis Major, but indeed it felt like home.

The coldness that he was used to all his life was back, and felt so warm ironically. The well known thick silence that pressed his eardrums felt so relaxing. The heavy silky quilt caressed his naked body in the same comfy way that he's been used to all his life. But for some reason he didn't feel comfort.

Despite the sense of security and the comfort of the place, his heart and soul were overwhelmed with pain. He had lost someone very important for him...

Next to him, a young orange furred Evo snuggled against him tightly. He was not awake, but the husky could see the pain that invaded his brother...

"Hasky..." The young husky cried. These were the first words that came out of him as he sat up.

He got out of the bed and walked to the huge window.

"Why did we have to get involved in this? I should've listened..." The young husky blamed himself for what had happened. "If Fx and I wouldn't have gotten ourselves involved..." He cried of pure anger and pain. "...they would be alive now!"

The young husky punched the glass, driven by his inner rage. Over and over...

"Why..."

And over again. The knuckles in his hand-paws went numb by the impacts, to the point where he started bleeding... But the physical pain was nothing compared with what he felt inside.

As he growled in pain, he saw a reflection in the glass of someone who stood behind him by the entrance of the room.

"Husky?" A soft voice called him. This voice caused a reaction in the young Evocanis. The one who called him approached where he was. As this happened, the reflection made itself clear.

"Stop doing that, Husky! You're going to get yourself hurt." The gentle voice said. The young husky felt how someone gave him the warmest, most soothing hug that he ever felt.

"Hasky?" He asked. His voice was so broken that it was almost inaudible.

"I'm ok, Husky... It's all over."

What had been the most painful and horrible moment in the young husky's life, turned now into the most soothing and greatest relief he has ever experienced. The emotions were so intense that he could hardly react. His body has had enough.

"Come here. Let me take you back to bed." The female husky said. "Our bodies have suffered enough already. We need some rest."

"But how? I... I saw the planet..." The husky tried to speak.

"It's a long story, Husky. Even I find it hard to believe that I'm still alive." She said while helping Husky get back to the bed. "Zonda and Alpha didn't accept the idea of Kalem and me dying today."

The two Retcan warriors were moved by Hasky and Kalem's self sacrifice. They knew how brave Evos could be, but they never though that they would be willing to abandon their lives as a sign of appreciation for them. Even General Zonda feared for his life at that moment and found it hard to believe that such sign of gratefulness could beat their fear of dying.

This is something that our race will forever be grateful for, Hasky and Kalem. But today it's not your time to die...

"I'm only able to remember those words." Hasky told her son. "I then woke up in R105's hangar. Zonda or Alpha might've stunned us and then sent us out of the planet in the last ship..."

"Where's Kalem?"

"He's fine. He's still unconscious. But Hemi knows his father made it."

There was nothing else to say. The Evos had cried the tears that they needed to cry. Alpha and Zonda gave their lives so the Evos could continue theirs. If the Evos permitted the sadness and depression to take the best of them, they would be dishonoring Zonda and Alpha's sacrifice.

It didn't take long until Fx recovered consciousness. He was confused when seeing Hasky next to them. It took time for him to recover his sense and realize that she was still alive. It was a breathtaking realization for little Fx. That certainly would also be the happiest, most relieving moment of his life.

The two huskies and the orange Evo were reunited once again. This time, nothing would separate them. The three of them cuddled in bed soothing each other with their warm bodies and their familiar scent.

"Let's not do this again." The orange Evo cried while he pressed himself closer to Hasky and his brother. They closed their eyes and finally were able to rest their tired and sore bodies...

At that same moment, things came to an end for Captain Silver. It was too late for her to snap out of her confusion. At the bridge, she sat on the floor now realizing her mistakes. Only Bo and her brother Titan gave her company.

On the screen, the Counselor stared at her. His intimidating red eyes were now full of sadness and disappointment.

"This is why we follow the protocol, Silver..." He said in a sad tone. "I told you many times and still you weren't able to follow our guide."

"I am sorry, Haro..." Silver whispered. Her apologies weren't heard.

"Your bad judgment and disobedience has resulted in the death of two of our brothers..."

Silver started crying after she heard these words. She knew how true this was.

"I want you to know, Silver, that your brothers will never turn their backs at you. We will always be with you and forgive you for your mistakes. But know that you will carry this burden for the rest of your life... I feel sorry for you sister Retcan."

Retcans would never feel hatred or remorse for any of their kind. There was nothing to forgive. But Silver would carry her own guilt, and she would be responsible to forgive herself with time.

"It really hurts me to say this... I hereby discharge you from your position, Silver. You will permanently be banned from setting paw in any R Series cruiser for the rest of your life, including your crew. Do I make myself clear?" Haro gave his last word. He didn't sound strict at any time, but instead a huge sadness was felt on his words.

"Yes, Haro." Silver replied completely broken. Please forgive me Kassaar...

"Titan, you are now in charge of R105 for what is left of your journey. Settle the things you need to with the Evocanis and return immediately to Lusceonis. You have three days."

"Yes, Haro."

"We will be seeing each other soon, brothers. And Silver... be strong."

It was over for R105. The journey that they once started ended abruptly.

"Not everything is lost, Silver." Bo said as he sat down next to Silver. "I will always be with you." The young Retcan smiled at her despite having tears on his charcoal eyes.

"I have failed Kassaar..." Silver said.

"You know what, Silver? You haven't. Don't you remember what you did thirteen years ago? You saved Canis Major. You saved millions. It's true that we went against the rules, but just imagine how great it is that you saved an entire species from extinction. You brought their home back to life and you taught them everything they need to know in order to survive in space. Silver, I think Kassaar would be so proud of you..."

Both Retcans looked at each other for a while. The young male Retcan smiled at the now defeated Silver and this somewhat brought Silver some hope of recovering.

"I am sorry, Bo."

"For what, Silver? I have nothing to forgive."

"I'm sorry for not giving you a normal life. Since the day you were born you've known nothing but training after training, you've lived around the warrior's way. You never had a chance to live in our beautiful city of Lusceonis Alpha and socialize with you kind, because we spent all those years in that mountain alone."

Right after the Great War of Lusceonis, Silver disappeared form her home, from her brother and friends. She confined herself in an isolated mountain of Lusceonis Beta in hopes of finding her inner strength. She trained herself to be strong enough so she could withstand the rigorous duty that being a Captain of an R Series cruiser meant. It was not until fifteen years later that she reappeared as a warrior now, ready to take on her duty and comply with the promise that she once made to her friend Kassaar. That promise was fulfilling his once dream of being an R Series Captain; dream that was crumbled after his tragic death in the last battle for Lusceonis.

"But you have given me everything, Silver. Thanks to you I know so many things that Retcans of my age wouldn't. Plus, we've been together since. I couldn't ask for more."

"Wait!" Titan interrupted. "You said you met Bo a few months before you returned to Lusceonis Alpha. You said he was looking for you after he knew that you were Kassaar's best friend..." Titan started to tie loose ends. "Hold on a second... Why didn't we know about Bo in the first place? Why wouldn't Kassaar tell us that he had a son?"

Silver and Bo looked at each other. Whatever they knew and had kept a secret, it was now time to reveal it.

"Brother." Silver said. "I have been hiding something from you. I hope you can forgive me for hiding such thing but understand that it was necessary."

"What are you talking about Silver?" Titan asked anxiously.

"Kassaar didn't talk about his son Bo simply because there was no Bo while he was alive. Bo was born after his death... Bo is my son, Titan..."

"What are you saying?" Titan was shocked. He never expected such a confession from his sister.

"Understand that it was necessary, Titan..."

One of the most important rules for belonging in an R Series cruiser is that none of its crewmembers should be related. This is done because of how judgment can be compromised due to the natural instinct of protection or affinity that related beings might have. It had already been very hard for the council to accept Titan and Silver to work in the same crew, but they finally accepted as they both played an important role on the Retcans victory in the Great War. But there were limits...

"I didn't know I had conceived with Kassaar until later on when I was already in Lusceonis Beta. I don't want to say that Bo was an obstacle, but he would really jeopardize the fulfillment of my promise to his father. There were three options in which only one was the logical. The first one was to return to Lusceonis Alpha and abandon my quest. The second would be to continue with my training and to become a Captain, leaving Bo while on our journey; I simply couldn't leave him as it would be unfair for him. The third option was the best choice. Train Bo and turn him into one of our crew, hide his true age and the fact that he is my son." Silver confessed.

Titan didn't know how to react. He just sat next to Bo and hugged him... This white Retcan that he always felt an attraction to resulted to be his own blood. That attraction made sense now.

"There is nothing to forgive, Silver." Titan said. "I understand why you did it..."

"That's right, brother. I didn't want you to carry another burden by being obligated to hide a secret to the council. If they knew about this, there was no way that they would let him board R105. And as I said, leaving him was not an option..."

Difficult days were still yet to come not only for the members of R105, but for Canis Major as well. It was uncertain if the Evocanis would be able to find their lost ones without the help of the Retcans. They were sure that they would be safe now thanks to all that the Retcans gave them, but being out in open space still held a great threat...

Only time would be able to tell the fate that these two benevolent species would finally have...