The Koprulu Sector

by TheKopruluSectorUnion

Chapter 26: Separation

Seeker's pod drifted helplessly through space. The life support systems would only last a few hours without being connected to an external power source, meaning unless someone picked her up, she was on borrowed time. At the moment she was completely unaware of her surroundings, still frozen, and in a chemically induced sleep state.

It was actually fortunate she had been released when she had been. The drugs were slowly wearing down her brains higher functions and she would eventually be put into a permanent coma. Dominion Intelligence didn't need her awake to bear children, and once she had passed her fertile years, they would probably just dump her in waste basket heading towards an incinerator. But for now she would slowly recover.

For now she would dream peacefully.

---

Sovereign sat in his room meditating over the nights memories. The early days of every preserver were always hectic. He had learned to passively absorb memories in small chunks, but large influx of memories still took effort to process. Until they were properly absorbed, they would sit in the back of his subconscious like piles of unfinished paper work.

Allowing too many memories to build up was dangerous, and could cause the memories of the dead to overlap with his own. Such overlapping memories could result in an inability to separate them from his own memories, and end with eventual insanity. It was important for now that he sat down and properly absorbed every large influx of memories the same night they arrived in order to avoid a build up.

Sovereign had been told that as he became more experienced, he would eventually be able to passively absorb thousands of memories at once, and eventually even learn to disconnect from the Khala at will. Though such disciplines took years or even decades of experience. Other Khalai could already disconnect at will, as they weren't linked to the Khala on the same level as a preserver. For now, Sovereign just had to keep practicing.

At long last, he had finished sorting through the nights memories. When he opened his eyes, he found himself face to face with his faithful shadow, Seeker. "How long have you been there?" asked Sovereign.

"About half an hour. You still move your lips while you relive memories you know?" commented Seeker.

"Still? I thought I was past that." said Sovereign with a hint of disappointment. "Feels like I'm moving backwards sometimes."

"You're doing the best you can" said Seeker. "Zamara believes in you. You should too."

"Do you believe in me?" asked Sovereign.

As a Dark Templar, Seeker would normally be an outstanding liar. But it was always difficult for her to lie to Sovereign's face. "I'm... I'm not sure. I worry about you sometimes," she said looking away with her head down. "I think sometimes she is pushing you too hard."

"At least you're honest," said Sovereign with a smile.

She turned back to him and smiled back. "Well I wasn't just sitting here for half an hour to stare at you while you meditate." she said revealing a basket.

"And I thought I was just that handsome. There goes my ego." said Sovereign causing Seeker to chuckle. He opened the basket and found it was filled with apples.

"You're always hungry after you finish a nights worth of memories," said Seeker.

Sovereign gave her an appreciative grin, then handed her an apple as well as helping himself to one.

"What was it this time?" asked Seeker before biting into the apple.

"A convoy got hit on one of the border worlds," replied Sovereign. "Just a minor skirmish, but one civilian vessel was destroyed."

Seeker frowned at the news. Military casualties were one thing, but civilian ships being destroyed was news she was never used to. "Any children on board?" asked Seeker.

"Most of the mares and children were teleported to safety before the ships gateway went out. But two didn't make it. One died fairly quickly. A blast through the hull killed everyone in the room. The other though... she was caught in a fire. He mother put her out, but was then forced to watch her die in her hooves." replied Sovereign, his voice filling with a hint of sorrow.

Seeker couldn't understand how he was able to put up with it night after night. Not just seeing the tragedy, but reliving it as well.

"I'd say she lived a happy life though, short as it may have been," added Sovereign. "She had a good relation with her mother, and let her know she loved her before she went. They had just finished visiting that world's museum on a vacation. Her last days were pleasant for the most part. Despite the pain, she died with a smile," finished Sovereign.

While he was forced to see the always traumatic last moments, he could also choose to see the other more pleasant events in their lives. It was a recommended technique by the other preservers to try and observe as many happy memories of the departed to help maintain a positive outlook and a healthy mental state.

"I'm glad to hear she met her end well," said Seeker. "You do important work you know? As long as you're alive, you can always share those memories with her mother through the Khala. She'll always know her daughter had a happy life."

"Thank you. It's easy to forget that sometimes." said an appreciative Sovereign.

Seeker smiled back at him, then rested a hoof on his leg. "I didn't come here just to talk about that however." she said. "There is something that's been on my mind for a while."

"You know you can always talk to me." said Sovereign.

"Well... you and I..." Seeker took a deep breath. She had rehearsed this in her head over and over again, yet all that preparation seemed to fail now when it counted. "We've been friends a long time now. Since we were children. In fact, you're the only friend I really ever had."

"The feeling is mutual," said Sovereign. She was literally the only pony his age he knew growing up, so she was also the only friend he ever had.

"I know. And you mean a lot to me Sovereign. It's why I wanted to be your shadow." said Seeker.

"You mean a lot to me too Seeker." replied Sovereign.

"I know but... I mean a whole lot... maybe more than just a friend." she said nervously. She got on all fours and closed in on him face to face.

"What do you mean more than-" before he could finish his sentence, Seeker wrapped a hoof around him, and kissed him deeply. Sovereign was completely taken by surprise as she pressed the two of them onto the ground, and continued kissing him. Sovereign didn't know how to react to the situation. If he weren't hooked to the Khala at the moment, his natural male instincts probably would have taken over by now. Unfortunately the emotional controls maintained a focused state of mind, and prevented him from giving into his more primal cardinal urges which the current situation called for. "Seeker, I'm not sure."

"Ssshhh," was all she said as she put her hoofs to his lips, then slowly began undoing his pants. When she finished the deed, she looked below his belt area and was rather disappointed to find Sovereign hadn't responded the way she had hoped. Apparently this wasn't doing it for him. She had an idea what the problem might have been though. "Umm... Sovereign, are you still connected to the Khala right now?" asked Seeker.

"Yes. I can't disconnect remember?" he asked.

"Well I know you aren't supposed to but..." she said as her face turned bright red as the apples in the basket. "Well I think this situation calls for an exception right? I don't think you can... perform otherwise."

"No, I mean I literally can't. Preservers are linked to the Khala on a much higher level that other Khalai. It takes years of practice before I'll have enough discipline to disconnect on my own." he explained.

Seekers heart just about stopped when she heard that. Not only had she made herself look like an over eager idiot in front of Sovereign, but the fact he was still connected meant everyone else had just seen that! "Uh... Sovereign... I need to go," she said trying to fight tears of embarrassment and disappointment. "See you tomorrow ok?" Sovereign couldn't get off a reply before she disappeared into a cloud of black mist.

Seeker found herself running through the halls back to her room. As she made her way past the personal, she couldn't help but notice everyone was snickering at her as she passed by. Finally she turned invisible and stayed out of sight the rest of the night.

---

Sovereign woke up tied to a bed by a hoof at each corner. Rain Sight was in the room with him in a nurses outfit. "Well look who is finally awake. I invite you into my house, cook your meals, put a roof over your head, and that is how you repay my generosity? Some stallions." she said.

Sovereign wanted to remind her that technically she kidnapped him, but the gag prevented him from saying anything. Fortunately it seemed his prayers were answered when her father finally returned home and entered the room. "Some poor fella got his head sliced off at the... what's going on here?" asked Karn.

Sovereign started trying to shout for help, but was unable to get out any coherent words. Rain Sight replied for the both of them. "Dad... we're kind of busy here!" she shouted.

Karn noticed Sovereign tied to the bed, and his daughter dressed up in the nurses outfit. "Oh... I didn't know he was into that kind of thing."

Sovereign tried to get out a muffled, "I'm not! I'm not! For Khalas sake, get me out of here!"

Karn gave off a chuckle. "Well I can tell he can't wait to get things moving, so I'll just get out of the way. Though for future reference, leave a hat on the doorknob." said Karn. "As I said, apparently someone was found decapitated, and DI thinks a zerg is loose in the streets. I have to help K-sec them track it down, so I'll be gone for a while. You have the house all to yourself Rain, go easy on him."

"I will dad. Now... some privacy please?" she asked. Karn bowed his head and left the room. Seconds later she could hear the front door open and close. "Finally. You hear that Sovereign? You and me have the house all to ourselves."

Sovereign just let out an annoyed grunt. She was kind enough to pull the gag out of his mouth. "Seriously, you need to move out of your fathers house," he suggested.

"I don't live with him, he lives with me!" snapped Rain Sight. "Do you think he's the one who put that computer in the bunker? Oh and thanks for leaving that hatch open. One of my zerglings got away and sliced off someone's head. Great going genious."

"You're the one who is keeping zerg in the basement!" shouted Sovereign. "Did you really think a wooden floor door would keep your stupid pet from escaping?"

"The door is coated in a layer of lemon juice, the zerglings can't open it," she explained. "It's an old confederate trick my mother taught me. And it worked up until you showed up! He ran out a window last night, that's what woke me up."

"Hey, you 'invited' me remember? And why do you have those things anyway?" asked Sovereign.

"They're my guard dogs to keep people like you out of the bunker. If you had just kept your snout out of where it doesn't belong, you and I could have enjoyed a lovely breakfast together. Now we have to work this out instead," said Rain Sight.

"Well what's with the nurse get up, and tying me to the bed?" he asked.

"I tied you down so you wouldn't escape. I wore the nurse outfit so dad would get the wrong idea as to why I tied you down," she replied.

"Oh... well from what I've seen of Karn, that actually makes a lot of sense." said Sovereign. "So... what happens now?" he asked.

"Well I still haven't recieved orders to kill you yet..." said Rain Sight.

"I'm sorry I tried to run away," said Sovereign rolling his eyes. "But you don't have to keep me tied down. It's not like I can do anything with your little monsters down there."

"Sovereign... I have to ask. What are you even trying to do?" asked Rain Sight.

"What do you mean?" asked Sovereign.

"Well lets just say I turned off that inhibitor, and you left. You walked out that door and I didn't try to stop you or report you. What would you do next?" asked Rain Sight.

"Well... I'd probably find Sweetie Belle, then look for another way off Korhal again." he answered.

"Ok then. Let's just say for one moment that is exactly what happened. Do you really think Sweetie Belle is better off with you as dead weight?"" asked Rain Sight.

"I wouldn't say dead weight. Sure I've had some trouble adjusting," said Sovereign.

"Sovereign, we've been tracking you since the day you left the Academy. Didn't you even wonder how you escaped so easily?" she asked.

"Maybe I'm just awesome. Did you ever think of that?" asked Sovereign.

Rain Sight couldn't help but chuckle at his comment. "No, you aren't. But now that you're no longer clinging to Sweetie Belle, we can't find her. If you hooked up with her again, all you would be doing is putting her life in danger. Is that really what you want?" asked Sovereign.

"Of course not. I want to be there for her to protect her." said Sovereign.

Rain Sight sighed. "Sovereign, you aren't a knight in shining armor. You're a walking disaster. As long as you and Sweetie Belle are together, you may as well paint a bulls eye on her back. Do you know why you are in here right now?"

"Because you picked my pocket, and I chased after you. Then even though I beat you in a fair fight, you decided to drug me in the typical underhanded DI fashion." said Sovereign.

"I didn't pick pocket you." she replied.

"I felt your hoof enter my pocket!" he said.

"Yeah, to put a tracking device in your pocket, not to steal your wallet. You left your wallet on your hotel nightstand, with the time and place you were going to meet up with the ship taking you off world." explained Rain Sight.

"I didn't want to write it down! I told Sweetie preservers can remember everything the first time he hears it. It wasn't my fault!" argued Sovereign.

"I'm sure you believe that. But now that you're out of the picture, we can't find Sweetie Belle. She could probably leave the planet right now and we'd never know." continued Rain Sight. "I don't know much about what has been going on between the two of you, but we know you've spent the last two months together. I'm going to assume you've developed feelings for her, and that's understandable. But do you really think you can protect her when you can't even take care of yourself?"

Sovereign felt like he had just been punched in the gut. Yes he wanted to be with Sweetie Belle, but her words did have truth to them. She really would be much better off without him. Perhaps choosing to stay with her was just him being selfish. "Well... what else am I suppose to do?" he asked. "If I stay on Korhal, they'll find me and fry my brain. You said so yourself, I keep giving myself away."

"Stay with me," replied Rain Sight.

Sovereign was surprised to hear her say that. "And what? Be your pet?" he asked. "Won't that just lead to me getting captured again once you get orders to turn me in?"

"Sovereign, no one knows you're here except me, and I don't intend to tell anyone. I can literally clean your records, get you a new identity, and get Sweetie Belle cleared from the ghost program." she explained. "I can promise if you stay here, no one will try to hurt you. We'll let Sweetie Belle think you're dead, and she'll be able to move on. You said you wanted to protect her right? This is the best way you can protect her. Stay here, and she'll be free."

"But..." Sovereign couldn't think of anything else to say. News of his death would crush Sweetie Belle at first, but she would eventually move on. She'd meet another stallion, and Sovereign would be nothing more than a footnote in her life during a two month stay on Korhal. "I... need to think about this" he finally replied.

"Well come with me then," said Rain Sight. She untied Sovereign and walked him down to the basement. A few zerglings gathered around the two of them, but they seemed to acknowledge Rain Sight when she ordered to let him pass.

"How are you able to do that?" asked Sovereign.

"Let's take care of this first." said Rain Sight, refusing to answer his question. She led Sovereign to the room with the computer in it, and after a few commands his inhibitor released.

Sovereign was relieved, but also confused. "I don't understand." he said.

"I'm going to make it your choice Sovereign. If you stay here with me, both you and Sweetie Belle will finally be able to move on with your lives. Or you can go back to her, and continue to systematically ruin both of your lives. Just remember that when you walk out that door, you've made your choice." said Rain Sight.

Sovereign's heart felt so heavy at the moment. He hadn't been forced to make a choice like this since the day he chose to run away.

"I know we both got off on the wrong foot Sovereign," said Rain Sight as she grabbed Sovereigns chin, "but trust me, I really don't want to be your enemy," she finished as she kissed him, causing him to blush. Again Sovereign didn't know what to say or do. "You might want to go up stairs now. The zerg will still rip you apart when I'm not around. And close the door this time," she suggested as she walked out of the room.

---

Seeker awakened inside of the nexus infirmary. She felt weak and dizzy, but was for the most part still healthy. As she opened her eyes, she was met face to face with Zamara. Seeing her face quickly brought Seeker out of her drowsiness. "Supreme Matriarch! I'm so sorry for-"

Zamara put her hoof on her shoulder. "There is no need to apologize. You weren't prepared for the rigors of becoming an archon. There is nothing more you could have done than what you already did. The call of the void and Khala is a powerful lure. There are very few who can ever resist it. Even I was tempted to allow our bodies to burn out when you finally allowed me to join with you and Sovereign."

"Where is he?" asked Seeker. "And what happened to the two of us?"

"He is recovering in the isolated Nexus. His mind was already in a frail state when the two of you merged, so he'll need more time to recover before he can wake up." explained Zamara. "Occasionally the burden of too many memories at once can cause a loss of psionic stability. It's common for many new preservers. I ordered him to lock himself in his meditation room when that happens because physical contact with another being of powerful psionic or void abilities can cause both of their energies to destabilize. When that happens, their bodies are converted into raw energy, and they merge together into an archon. But if they aren't strong enough to control it, the archon tends to go on a destructive rampage."

"Supreme Matriarch I didn't know that would happen!" snapped Seeker, but Zamara interrupted.

"It's ok. I didn't expect you to know what was going to happen when you touched him. He was supposed to lock the door. Don't worry, he'll be fine. Sovereign isn't as weak as he appears."

Seeker wasn't so sure about that. She had seen the night terrors Sovereign experienced, and even experienced one of the many thousands of deaths he had been forced to relive. "Supreme Matriarch. I don't think Sovereign is ready to continue being a preserver. I think he needs more time in isolation."

Zamara shook her head. "Seeker, he needs to learn to cope with what he is going through. I know you are worried about him, but believe me when I say he isn't experiencing anything that other preservers haven't gone though. We've all been through the nightmares, we've all been put in a fragile state, but in the end, we've come out of it stronger. I was a preserver myself once remember? I speak from experience when I say you have nothing to worry about." she assured.

"But what if you're wrong?" asked Seeker. "What if he doesn't get better?"

"Seeker!" said Zamara. Her eyes were now in a disapproving glare. "This isn't your decision to make. You are still young, and inexperienced in these matters. He'll be fine, I promise."

Seeker wasn't about to take no for an answer so easily. "Supreme Matriarch! I was assigned as his shadow. His well being is-"

"You requested to be his shadow." Zamara corrected. Seeker knew what she was implying. "Don't think I've forgotten about your behavior while we were merged. What you tried to do was incredibly selfish, and I think that is an indicator that perhaps you are not in the right mentality to serve as his shadow."

Seeker was struck silent by the comment. She simply lowered her eyes in shame. "Seeker... I know what he means to you. But your behavior has been very inappropriate as of late." continued Zamara. Seeker blushed in embarrassment. She knew what Zamara was referring to. It was a rather humiliating night for her a few weeks ago when she tried to engage Sovereign in sexual relations. Not only had she made a fool of herself in front of Sovereign, but it seemed everyone in the nexus was talking about it.

"I know what I did was inappropriate. But it was just a momentary weakness, I won't ever let that happen again." Seeker assured.

Zamara sighed. It broke her heart having to do this to Seeker, but it was for Sovereign's own safety. "Seeker, when the three of us were merged inside the archon, I could see everything. You wanted not only to take one of the Khalas few preservers for yourself into the void, but you also planned to do it again."

"But I-" Seeker said as she frantically tried to come up with a response, but there was just no way to explain herself when Zamara had a first hand look at her deepest thoughts.

"Eventually Sovereign will learn to disconnect from the Khala. When he does, you have every intention to merge with him. Not only will that kill the both of you, at least in a physical sense, but that'll also take all the memories he absorbed with him into the void. I'm sorry Seeker, but for his own safety, and the good of the Khala, I'm afraid I can't let you accompany him anymore."

"Supreme Matriarch please! I promise it'll never happen again. You have to believe me, I just want to keep him safe!" it was all obvious lies, but desperation was overpowering logic at the moment.

"I'm sorry Seeker. But your purpose as his shadow was to protect him, instead you tried to kill him. I won't cast blame on you for causing the archon merge, you knew nothing about that. But you knew full well what you were doing when the three of us were in the archon. What you attempted to do with Sovereign, what you intended to do with me was attempted murder." said Zamara.

Tears were running down Seekers eyes. She couldn't believe what was happening. "So... am I going to be dehorned and exiled?" asked Seeker.

"No. You are young, you made a mistake. No one was hurt, so I'll show leniency this one time," said Zamara. Seeker let out a sigh of relief. "However, you have demonstrated twice now that you can not be left alone with Sovereign. He is far too valuable to be placed at risk by your presence. You must never see Sovereign ever again. Do you understand me?" she asked.

Seeker wiped tear from her eye and nodded in acknowledgement. She wished Zamara had just absorbed her into her memories now. All Seeker wanted was to be with Sovereign, now she was expected to never see him again.

Comments

[ambion]

Oh balls, is that Scootaloo as a reaper?

That's Scootaloo as a reaper.

Alright, this is definetly a fun looking story.

[Gapeagle]

Poor Sovereign, all the mares are going after him and the one he wants he can't be near. But Sweetie is way better than Rain.
Also these flashbacks are an interesting pace that you set up.

To Rain Sight: "If I find your hand in my pocket, I am going to cut it off."

And the pony who was decapitated by the zergling was named Sarge and he was with his friend Lester.

[KRissCHu573]

Simply amazing.
memeorama.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/obama-slow-clap-gif.gif

Poor kids. Awww man, why you play my heart string like that?

Keep up the awesome work!

[KRissCHu573]

2819750 "Is that your wallet in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?" - Rain Sight

[Unholyheaven]

"The door is coated in a layer of lemon juice, the zerglings can't open it" she explained. "Its an old confederate trick my mother taught me. And it worked up until you showed up! He ran out a window last night, that's what woke me up."

[vader10001]

2857054

I always loved that weakness. Especially with Abathur's callback to it in HotS.