**It’s a horrible day. A horrible, fated day.**

**Heart racing, eyes burning with tears, teeth clenched as I try to understand. I open my mouth in that moment, to say something, anything just to be with him. **

**I know he isn’t safe; I want him anyway. The only thing I have.**

**But the price that I will have to pay is—**

——

**_Before

_**“Brett?” A voice whispered into my ear suddenly, hot breath tickling the shell of my ear.

I startled quickly, jerking back from the source. Tayln stared at me, eyes wide at my strange reaction, but then his face crumpled into amusement.

He laughed. “Where were you this time? All throughout the meeting you were staring into space and nodding at random times.” Tayln scooted closer to me in the space pod until our legs were snug against each other. Space was dark outside of us; a swirling void of ice and rock floating around it helplessly.

We were leaving from the home planet for the Emperic Rebellion: Garth. There we had a meeting with a few other leaders who had joined our cause. It was less than satisfactory, as many of them were just there to decline the invitation to the rebellion and were less than respectful, but swore to keep the secret. I ignored them all, leaving Tayln to communicate to them. I had other things to worry about.

“See, you did it again,” Tayln frowned at me when I finally looked at him, eyes clear and focused, “What’s on your mind?”

I ignored his question and instead asked one of my own. “When will we be getting home?”

Tayln’s frown grew deeper, but he allowed the conversation to change. He faced forward where the ship’s autopilot system took place. “About thirty minutes; why?”

I shake my head, trying to will myself to be patient. “We need to get there faster.”

“I swear your mom will be fine. It’s not the the Emperor is going to attack a neutral planet any time soon.”

I turn to him sharply, teeth gritting together. “You don’t know that! She could be gardening one day and—_POW! _Bombed! You don’t know anything, so will me to be cautious.”

Tayln opened his mouth, as if he was going to correct me, but then decided against it. Of course, he knew I was right. The only way someone knew about the plans is if he was the Emperor himself.

And Tayln, my husband and my life of three long years, definitely was _not_ that crude man.

My eyes widened as I something strange on his arm that I knew wasn’t there before. It seemed to be a strange tattoo, an animated one. Now it wasn’t strange to see animated tattoos in this day and age, but what was strange was the indecision of it. It wasn’t just one image, it seemed to be a swirled, black combination of multiple ones.

I shook my head, confused and entranced at the same by it. Just at that moment, I realized that Tayln was staring me with a deep intensity. He looked away we I stared back though, leaving me wondering.

***

It had taken us a little over thirty minutes to arrive at the port, and by the time we got to my mother’s little house near the entrance of the contained bio-life, it had been close to an hour.

I was tense and anxious as I hurried over down the crosswalk, pushing past the busy people of Metro Street. Tayln wasn’t with me at the time, he didn’t really like my mother as much as he should have; mother, for all her sweet self, didn’t appreciate him much either.

When I finally saw the white fence that I knew so well, I sighed in relief.

There she was, white hair twisted into thick braids and a pretty pink dress to her knees. My mother was quite small, wrinkled, and rather forgetful sometimes, but she was my everything—not including Tayln.

Her back was towards me as she watered her plants in her tiny, makeshift garden, but she quickly stopped and turned when she heard my voice. I unlocked the fence to meet my mother’s open arms.

“Brett!” She exclaimed, voice hoarse and shaky, but nonetheless hers. She kissed my cheeks softly, and upon inhaling I smelled her fresh scent of lavender and peppermint. Even after all these advancements, wars, and hardships, my mother was the same.

It felt quite nice.

**Of course, it ****_felt_**** quite nice.**

I** **kissed her in response. “How are you doing, Mom?”

Mom jutted out her lip. “I would be better if you weren’t to busy with that husband of yours.”

I laughed, holding onto her arm as I made my way to the house. “That’s not all what I’m busy with, I have work too.” My mother did not know of my assistance with the rebellion. Or that I was a chief of a section here. Precautionary measures.

“But he’s still some of it,” Mom seemed as though she was not going to change her mind on that one, “Has he broken your heart yet? It has to be soon.”

I shook my head and chuckled as opened the door. “I know you don’t like him, but please try not to curse me, Mom.” I let go of her arm, stepping inside, then startling as a firm grip caught my sleeve.

“Mom?”

“I’m serious, boy.” Her face was thunder, eyes suddenly dark, pale hair stray and rough. My heart picked up in that moment. What she said couldn’t be true; no. “I just have this bad feeling—“

“Mom,” I take my sleeve out of her hand then grab both of them gently. “I promise you. Nothing bad is going to happen.”

**……**

**That night, the day after we left,**

** ships, the Emperor’s Army, **

** were found around the planet**

**I—I don’t know what I was expecting **

**I really don’t know.**

**……**

Sleep had evaded me that night. Though the warm was bed with Tayln’s shared warmth, it felt cold. I felt cold.

My sweet mother.

Tayln looked guilty for some reason. Eyes cast down as he laid in the bed facing me.

“I’m sorry, Brett,” he whispered, taking placing a hand on the side of my face. I closed my eyes. He was sorry? Why should he be sorry? It wasn’t his fault.

“I’m going to kill him.”

“What?” Tayln’s voice sounded hoarse.

I opened my eye. “I’m going to kill that bastard of an Emeperor.”

Tayln’s hand grew hard on my face. He bit his lip. “I love you so much, but I’m afraid I can’t let you do that. He has plans you see.”

Everything went blank.

**A tranquilizer—he was ready for me.**

**Honestly, I should have questioned him about that tattoo when I saw it.**

**How deceptive. How—horrible.**

**The Rebellion started 4 years ago. It seemed that the Emperor knew of it even when it was scraps of some fueled anger. He sent someone he trusted, his personal guard, to monitor it. **

**By chance, that someone found me and fell in love.**

**_Why me?_**

**_Why him?

Out of EVERYONE, EVERYTHING, EVERY UNIVERSE?

_****His face is a unemotional as I fall into his arms. The Emperor is watching, thin and frail, but all powerful.**

**“Why?” I whisper into his ear. “Just a little playing around while you did your thing, huh?”**

**I feel him stiffen at my words. At least he reacts. **

**“Th-that’s not it—“ The Emperor claps loudly, interrupting his sentence. **

**Strong hands grab my arms tightly, pulling me away from my world, practically dragging me to my death in live hologram. **

**Tayln stares off at me. He looks near to tears. I wish I could offer him comfort. **

**But I steel my feelings as I see the Emperor on his throne directly behind him. Like a master and his dog.**

**I stop resisting and let them take me.**

***

_(I dunno, I just wrote some shit probably. I had this idea in my mind, that forgot it in the middle then remembered it when I was close to finishing, so I was like, “I ain’t starting this over.” Soooo. _

_Thanks for reading and have a good day!)_