Tobana was going to see him, for the first time, in four years. Work complicated things a lot, and living planets apart did not make it any easier. She had been a soldier in the imperial army for almost seven years. Perhaps she was not the most exemplary trooper in the battalion, and lacking the commitment to ever make it far through the ranks, but a soldier that did her duty nonetheless. She was done with that life however, after everything it was time for a change of pace.
572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9oWzVMVxC3
With a sizeable backpack strapped on, Tobana took her motorbike out of the barracks’ garage, where it has sat idle for at least two years. It was a sleek contraption, clad in crimson that roared a compelling sound when the ignition switch was flipped and the bike came back to life. With her chin up and shoulders back she beamed at her surroundings. It was good to be back on that familiar seat. Not a moment later she fired up and leaned forward in a comfortable riding position, and exited the military base.572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrAn5j8zv6w
572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsKUxi6hOZC
She entered the bustling heart of Harmad, one of the great cities on the imperial capital world of Khelum. The city was predominantly a hub for major corporations to house their headquarters and several government-funded factories producing numerous arms and armed vehicles for the imperial military. One was even situated right next to Harmad’s military base, and one whose equipment Tobana often eyed with a fixed gaze. Paragon Industries, the army’s most prominent benefactor, and supposedly the Emperor’s favourite, if all the commercials and advertisements are true. Today she raced passed with rapid speed, her platinum blonde hair and tail caught in a windswept dance, batting no eye to the facility. It was time for a personal visit that was long overdue.572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAoV8O3O4ev
572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoK45bGaoC9
It was close to an hour later before she arrived at her destination. A large apartment complex, thirty-six storeys high. She parked her motorbike and went to the entrance. Her steps slower and her hand tightened on a strap of her bag that now hung over a single shoulder only. Before she could ring the intercom, a resident just arrived to enter the building. Claiming the chance to enter without ringing, she slipped inside after the old lady and darted up the stairs all the way to floor twelve. Just then the elevator doors opened and the selfsame old lady emerged to give Tobana a wide-eyed look.572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlg3iT81s3n
572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJi4Tq7e1KL
"My goodness,“ she said, "don’t tell me you climbed all those steps!”572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUx2bFDpqfW
572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhdtDyY1pqe
Tobana with hands up and palms forward offered the woman a smile. “It’s nothing. I can’t call myself a true Yukami if I couldn’t even climb a few measly stairs.”572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGgVV8tvTni
572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWrgf9pHH7e
The elderly woman glanced at Tobana’s paws where she had feet and nodded with a laugh. “If you say so, dear. I’ll stick to the elevators myself,” she then said before waving a short goodbye and vanished into her home.572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqpkuHJ0N0r
572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJCA0ZVn8L1
Tobana eventually stood before the front door of another apartment on the same floor and with a deep breath to pass her hesitation she finally knocked. There was silence. Seconds felt like entire minutes. She nibbled her bottom lip and her pink eyes went left, then went right to admire building in idle fashion. At the sound of a click her ears perked up and the door went open. Brian Macken, a grizzled Human man well into his fifties stood at the entrance. His soft expression tensed the very second he registered Tobana standing on the other side of the doorframe. His eyes widened, his hands trembled, and his mouth was agape with incredulity.572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUb9S9NZHxv
572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5JADM4NNiK
"Tobana…“ was all he managed to say, and his voice still trailed off. There was a hard swallow down his throat and not even multiple blinks could stop the tear that rolled down his cheek.572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv2temQWeAL
572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAglTRdgyvc
Tobana softened at the display, smiling with mouth and eyes both, and carefully set her bag down on the floor next to her. "Hey, dad. It’s been a long time,” she said and stepped forward with her arms thrown open. The gesture was mimicked and the two embraced, long and tight.572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyzTOtr0YqP
572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOmSrwWmwvT
"It is so good to see alive and well,“ Brian said as the embrace drew its final breath, and the two withdrew to look at one another.572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmJp1dV173p
572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDbirJBqfLx
"Me too, dad,” she replied. “I’m glad to be back on an imperial world again. And I’m sorry I haven’t been able to come see you.”572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoSieY4f6Ae
572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQfWqF3hQ6j
Brian dried his face with the sleeve of his cotton shirt and smiled. “Don’t worry, I understand you’ve been quite busy. Now come inside, I’ll get you something to drink.”572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡncpyy6lnKE
572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIooUpaOwdw
With a swift nod Tobana picked up her bag from the floor and entered the apartment proper. Moving through the hallway into the living room the interior was familiar. It hadn’t changed a bit. The dark brown carpet around the coffee table, that same pine coloured couch still stood proudly in in front of the TV. Thing must be fifteen years old at least. And the photos on the wall. The largest and most emphasized frame contained a picture of her as a little girl, together with a more determined and younger looking father. The place was clean at least. Retirement had not made him completely sloppy. And then there was the balcony view of the city, still as fair as the three times she’s seen it in the past.572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuXQIW0kOBp
572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLOgktuktNb
"What does my star soldier want then?“ he asked. "And what rank are you now? Surely you’ve made a promotion since last we spoke?”572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡizFRSefcXd
572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7SY7Ub82l5
Tobana placed her bag down next to the couch as she sat down. Her long fur tail curled neatly beside her as she reclined back. “I’ll take a coffee, with both sugar and milk please.” she said and slung an arm over the back of the couch while looking over a shoulder towards her old man with a quick lick at her lips.. “And I was a sergeant.”572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUHyFSZThTw
572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAljXWln5gB
With his brow furrowed, Brian turned around to look at his daughter while coffee was in the make. “Was?” he asked. “You don’t make it sound very positive. What happened?”572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqj2AfvuOzO
572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgcqsUu25X6
"I resigned from service,“ Tobana said with her head dipped down and her lips forming a thin line. A hard swallow followed, and her throat tightened as if clenched by a large hand. Blurting it out felt easy, but the sensation of feeling judged, that was not so easy. She was certain she had disappointed him with her decision. It wouldn’t have been the first time either. Her body tensed as she noticed her father taking a seat next to her on the couch, presenting her with the cup of coffee right before her on the table. She half thought he’d be looming over her like a tower casting a shadow. That’s how the silence felt anyway. With some hesitation she turned her head to look at him, but before she could open her mouth to speak she felt his hand on her shoulder.572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc1TmcgOqWf
572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyAYWYmffbl
"Is this difficult to talk about?” he asked with a butter soft tone that permitted the Yukami a fresh breath of air. “We can talk about something else if you’d prefer?”572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWq6Cw8Icm1
572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxE1fkFGLth
"No, it’s alright,“ she replied while reaching out for her cup, and brought it over to her lap. "I don’t feel cut out to be a soldier. The expectations and lifestyle are just not for me,” she continued and immediately felt that sting again. That thought she disappointed him by blatantly saying she was nothing like him, nor wanted to be. She couldn’t get any more stereotypical Yukami, and that felt even worse. “I should have died on Ahnuhra, I was shot straight in the chest, but I survived because of the Emperor’s boon. It was a strange and eerie sensation I still don’t fully comprehend.”572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIALGFLKbwr
572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3YzetEyyQu
Another silence washed over the room, now allowing Tobana a moment to study how her father was taking it. Brian had to know the Emperor took to the battlefield himself. It was covered in the news and everything. As a former soldier, he too had to know something indescribable happened every time He joined the fray. The quiet lasted no longer than a few seconds before Brian broke it. “You have felt His touch then? I went through the same in the past during the second colonization war, I believe I’ve told you some stories of those days before.”572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPb6JfJ8V1o
572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGlJXD6TOH5
"You have,“ she said with her lips curling up. "Your stories is what made me aspire to create some of my own. I guess I just wanted to impress you when I was younger, and now I’m ready to let that go and do my own thing. But it’s my last deployment what made up my mind.”572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT223O8Lot5
572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrWyn1uFALD
"I am already proud of you,“ he said. ” And I am already a very happy man, knowing that my daughter still cares despite the cultural differences between your mother and I. You must pursue what makes you happy, and gives you a sense of pride. Now you mentioned your last deployment?“572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJih45Q5xcw
572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgToWulDtqg
The smile soon faded from Tobana’s lips and formed a stern thin line while her brow narrowed. The thought of her last mission overshadowed all the comfort and assurance she had just heard from the man that sired her. "After our victories on Ahnuhra we set our sights on the unexplored world of Thya, due to the unusual readings we found. I do not understand much about these things, but I heard people say that planet Thya has a similar power source that our origin world once had.”572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7cmZcojfMh
572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmZt9itlMKv
Brian hummed as strong fingers ran along his stubble chin. “Did the military locate this source?”572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2WF1paHeE1
572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoQ0FW7Tc0S
"No, we failed,“ Tobana admitted with gritted teeth. "There are… things on that planet. Shadows. I am not even sure how to put it into words. They didn’t strike me as humanoid, but neither were they animals. They didn’t act like one either. One almost got me, but we managed to take it down. At least, I think we took it down. I often see the scenario again in my dreams. It’s always out there trying to get me, and its eyes just scream something eerie. Like it knows we’ll be meeting again.”572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmtXud7dZcX
572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZAzN8Y15OP
Seeing Tobana tense at the subject, Brian shuffled a little closer and slung a protective arm around his daughter. “Whatever these things were, you are a galaxy apart,” he assured and drew her into a hug.572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPcxnn1rUi1
572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtMxW7kN7Rd
After setting her cup of coffee back on the table she wrapped her own arms around her father and embraced him back. It still felt a little like hugging a stranger. She had only seen him periodically throughout her twenty-five years, and while she was always interested in getting to know her father better, life just never quite allowed it. Nevertheless, the warmth of a relative was one she missed. She had stood on her own two paws all this time, never seeing a moment of true respite, or real safety. Now she could finally let that all go. She could finally be herself.572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtPKO0Bk3tl
572Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTf85JKM08b
"Thanks, dad,“ she replied softly. "I love you.”
