Apex

Chapter 26

A/N: I've been waiting for this one ;) Enjoy.

-Spade

•Zoryne•

Ky was silent through the entire flight. I'd stopped asking about our destination, since she'd taken to ignoring me, and remained settled in a chair with my eyes fixed on the cockpit window. The sky had taken on its usual bright blue hue.

I've only flown through the skies of YD-R3 a few times, but the sea of blue littered with white clouds was just as breathtaking as I remembered.

A shame that I couldn't enjoy the view.

During the first hour of our flight, I was convinced we'd be pursued by the soldiers on the base. Those worries eased the longer we flew with no sign of any other aircraft. Either whatever plan was at play had accounted for the risk of pursuit, or the soldiers at base were too busy cleaning up the mess we left behind to do anything else.

I shivered.

We. When had I started grouping myself together with these criminals?

"Preparing landing sequence," the now familiar automated voice rang through the ship.

"Sounds like a plan." Ky said, leaning back in her chair. "Try to make it an easy landing, okay? I'm already sore as it is."

"Understood, Captain."

Ky stretched and spun her chair in my directions, finally granting me her attention.

"Now," She bent forward, settling her elbows on her knees. "There will not be a kind welcome reception for you."

"I've learned not to expect convenience since this nightmare started, Ky." I replied with a bland expression. Ky scoffed.

"I know you haven't had it easy, but you better wake up real quick."

"Wake up?" I made to stand, but settled back in the chair when I remembered we were landing. "I think I've done quite a bit of waking up, even before an entire building fell on top of me."

"Good," Ky said. "Because I'm going to get an earful when I bring a Tsosyran scientist into our base."

"And why exactly are you doing this?" I was couldn't bring myself to care about what rebel Tsosyrans might think of my presence. My stomach flipped as the ship began it's decent. It moved with grace, silent and smooth like a blade cutting through the sky.

"I'm doing this because Rem put in a good word for you. I owe him more than a few favors, and saving the life of a confused scientist was a simple one."

"And it goes back to Rem." I shook my head. "What does he have to do with any of this?"

"Frankly, not very much." Ky said as we dipped below the clouds. "He's been helpful, but in the scheme of things he's simply a convenient variable."

"And you're still not making sense," I said mostly to myself.

"It will make sense soon," She turned her head back to the window. "Then you'll have to make a decision."

"What decision?" I implored.

Silence.

Always back to the silent game.

Focusing my attention to our destination, my eyes widened as we approached an endless landscape filled with...nothing.

Sad brown bunches of trees stood out from the land stubbornly. The dirt was too dry and flaky to grow much of anything. Black char marks covered the land, climbing up the brittle trees swaying in the wind. All of it was scorched beyond repair.