My Son, My Soldier, My Hero

by That_Random_Pony

Brother of Mine

There was a beeping sound... an awfully loud beeping sound. A broken groan pierced the silence, and a clattering of objects caused him to groan even louder, the sounds echoing in his mind and prompting a minor headache. Agner felt the bandage above his heart, his arm straining to move so far. His hazy memory recalled Jerosh... fighting... Fermot... a battle.

"He's awake!" Agner glanced to an earth pony doctor with a Loki'irian healer rushing at him from the far side of the room.

"Doshentoet (Son of Makti), lay down," the healer told him, setting him back down on the bed. "Your wound still needs time to recover."

He glanced to the side, looking over X-rays of his torso. "Wha....what happened?" he groaned. "The... the Iikro. Reku'un!"

"They're fine," Derekosh said from the door.

Agner looked at Derekosh's own bandaging and smirked wearily. "Are you sure?" he weakly chuckled,,grasping his wound. "We... fought the Iikro... what were the casualties?"

His brother's expression grew cold, and he beckoned for the doctor and healer to leave. They did so quickly, but the healer insisted he be quick about what he needed to say. Derekosh moved over to Agner's side and leaned against the wall, silently sighing as he recalled the number he was given.

"Half the Signa are gone... another thousand or so regulars... lots of Nera'ak turned to stone, as well." He slid down against the wall, running a hand through his hair as he gripped his head. "Fermot isn't awake yet."

Agner sat up, but Derekosh used his Rites to keep him down. "Where is he?" Agner grunted, conceding as he laid still. "Derekosh, what happened to him?"

His brother didn't look at him as he mustered his voice. "You were both dead... your energy was gone," Derekosh whispered, wiping a hand over his face. "You both should have died... I was certain you would."

Agner remembered the day Derekosh had come back from his service. He was a young boy, barely into his adolescence. At that age he wanted nothing more than to train his hardest, become stronger and kill as many Arthanians as he could when he grew up. Then Derekosh walked into their home. It had been 3 cycles since they had seen him, and he, Fermot and Jaqeluu, and their mother of course, greeted him with happiness and relief to see him back. Derekosh had been just as jovial to see them, and the day seemed like he hadn't changed. They spoke about Loki'ir's news, updates about Fermot and Agner's training, and what their father had been doing. Their mother was pregnant, so Derekosh had inquired all about their newest sibling.

However, Agner had come upon the question of the war. He'd heard his brother had helped cleanse a planet of the horde, and that he was part of a very prestigious group of warriors in that system. It was subtle, but Agner had seen slight discomfort in his older brother. Since he was still young, he pressed on with questions about the Arthanians on the planet. How long did it take? How many did he kill? Was it a breeze like it had been for their father? Would he be able to wipe a horde off of a planet like him?

Now that he was older he knew why his brother had acted strangely, and even now it showed on his face. The war had taken friends and family from one another, claiming lives with swift or painful deaths. Derekosh had been on the front, which was where most casualties came from. He had seen the faces of his enemies before they met their end, but he'd also seen the faces of his friends and allies before they did. In their war, death was expected... almost to the point where it was normal to see casualties. But unlike their society, Derekosh didn't take death easily.

Whether it was his own family or a warrior he had only spent a week beside, the deaths of his comrades hurt him. For him to know that the Iikro had killed most of what had survived of their people was an overbearing weight on his shoulders. Agner knew he cried... perhaps not on that day, but he knew he cried. Usually Derekosh would conceal himself to let out his emotion, as he wasn't very comfortable with expressing himself openly, other than anger or aggressive behavior.

"What are Fermot's wounds?" Agner asked, sitting up on his bed.

"His neck was gashed... he was pierced in the heart with a blade... and his hand was severed before the Ashla reattached it," he recounted, pointing to Agner's chest. "It nearly sawed a hole in you, as well."

Agner sighed, wincing at the feeling of his skin stretching. "How long will he be out?" he asked, shifting so his back wasn't touching the pillows.

"Not for some time... Nedafan, you were supposed to be out of it for two more lunar cycles, at least," he chuckled, standing up and smiling. "And I'm not saying you'll be leaving anytime soon."

"Will he recover? Hand and all?" Derekosh nodded, but he wasn't completely honest.

"His throat was cut and... he won't be able to speak when he wakes." Agner nodded slowly, thinking how strange it would be to never hear his brother's physical voice again.

"And Reku'un?"

Derekosh smiled as he gestured outside one of the windows, pointing to a mountain. "Uncle has started his Ina training. They're probably starting the stages of Ina, I'd hope," he said, staring at the blue skies.

"Derekosh... do we know when the Iikro will be back?" His brother didn't turn to him for some time, but ultimately he moved away from the window and looked to him

"No... but we must prepare Reku'un as soon as possible." He looked to the door as the healer and doctor came in.

"Please, we must start tending to him. It will speed up the recovery process," the healer told him.

With a small bow, Derekosh headed for the door, but stopped on the other side of the threshold and gave his little brother a reassuring nod. "We're not out of this yet, Agner. And I don't want you to think that way."re

His brother grinned and nodded, watching him leave his sight before turning to the doctor and healer. "How long before I may fight?"

"If you are consistent, perhaps a lunar revolution... perhaps another half," his healer sighed, his hands igniting in his aura. "This one will keep records and apply some of their procedures to assist."

"As long as I may fight soon, I have no problem," Agner said, hissing as the deep cut throbbed from the healer's touch.

---

Jaqeluu breathed deeply, then exhaled slowly. He did this again, and again, and continued as he meditated at the top of the castle's highest tower. He felt an energy moving towards him, and he peered over his shoulder as he saw Derekosh flying over on his Nera’ak's back. He leapt down and sat beside him, watching his dragon fly off to rest with the others. The sun was lowering slowly, the sky painted with different oranges and reds with a slowly creeping blue.

"What brings you here?" Jaqeluu asked. Derekosh shrugged genuine uncertainty and laid back, careful with his bandages.

"Agner is awake." Jaqeluu smiled with relief, letting out an exhale and placing his hands together. "The healers are caring for him at the moment, but we may visit him later."

"Good... that's good," Jaqeluu laughed, wiping his eyes before tears could fall. "How is he?"

Derekosh shook his head and sighed. "Not too well... but he isn't in agony like we had been," he said, rubbing his head. "Fermot's still unconscious, but he seems stable. I filled him in about... the attack and whatnot. He's... processing it."

"I would be the same if I were in his situation." They looked out into the horizon, looking at the populace every so often. "Jerosh has information about our fleet, and with us crippled he will not hesitate to attack with the entire horde."

"Do you think these nations will be of any help? They cannot take a blaster shot and fight on like ourselves," he reminded him.

His brother sighed again and crossed his legs. "With our herbs we can make their bodies ignore that pain, and the suits can work on those wounds before they actually hinder them." Derekosh nodded, thinking about the different species they'd met. "I doubt Jerosh hasn't accounted for it... but there may be one thing he isn't."

"And that is?" Derekosh asked.

Jaqeluu pulled a holo-display from his side, then turned it on and placed it on the ground. "He may have not thought about this." Derekosh looked over the three dimensional diagram of a satellite array. Namely, an emergency call satellite.

"You don't think they'll come, do you?" he laughed, cutting it short when he saw Jaqeluu's serious expression. "The Galvans haven't responded to our calls, the Krurkite are under siege, the Lezazan still don't trust us-"

"It's worth a shot," Jaqeluu said over his brother's listing. "We explain the situation and if they accept, they can flank the fleet and give us opportunities and reinforcements all at once. Not to mention we have a better chance at wiping out the horde that will be stuck in orbit."

His brother was taking a risk that had no drawbacks, so why would he argue? The third oldest of their family laughed as he shook his head. "It will take some time to make this, and a bit longer to calibrate the signal," Derekosh explained, looking over the design. "Not to mention we must alert the nations and our uncle."

"It will not take so long to notify the armies," Jaqeluu smiled, turning off the hologram. "But if this works, we can at least save more lives... Minira knows we've lost so many."

His brother nodded and looked out into the horizon, watching the sun fully fall under the hills. "This war will end soon, Jaqeluu... I know it."

Jaqeluu sighed as he imagined what it would be like without their war. "Hopefully there is another and less massive evil out there," he chuckled. "Otherwise, we'd be out of a job."

Author's Note:

Hello again, everypony! Hope you guys are enjoying the story, and as always, like, fav, comment, and have an awesome day or night! Peaces!