The Regret

Minutes turn into hours. No one speaks a word. The only thing to keep us company in the silence was the rumble of the pod as passes through the atmosphere. Eventually it slows down before an intense pull from the top stops us completely. The parachutes deploy and we gently fall to the surface.

The pod gently lands, opening the doors on its sides to finally let light in. Everyone exits the ship. We are in a lightly wooded area, despite the world being barren, a few trees were scattered here and there. The team sets up a small camp and lights a fire. The sun is already starting to set, so we work fast.

The tensions are high though. All eyes are on Clara, though no one said a word. We already have a procedure for this kind of situation, so everyone already knows their role. Oniv and I are in charge of the shelter and food and Clara and Dern are to establish a perimeter. Angel was put on activating the distress signal, in hopes the pilot will detect it and retrieve us. Some time goes by, day turns to night and a fire is started by Oniv with four rocks and logs placed around it. Dern and Clara have already returned though they are not talking or even looking at each other.

"Clara." Oniv yells.

Everyone including her turn to his attention. He stretches out his hand, pointing it in the direction of the log across from him. I know what this is, and she clearly does too. She removes her rifle and places it on the ground, then sits on the rock across from the fire. Angel and I sit on the log to her right, Dern sits opposite of us. Oniv sits across the fire facing her and unstraps his pistol. The tension in the area grows. Each passing second became more unbearable to be in.

Oniv pulls out his pistol and loads a magazine. He loads a round into the chamber and places it on his lap, facing Clara. Dern deploys the sword from his rifle, and I pull out my hammer. Angel is the only one to not show a weapon. Oniv stares into her eyes. His anger starts to leak out like its written all over his body. His instinct to jump and fire at her slowly overtakes him, as his leg becomes twitchy, and his hand starts to shake. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.

"Here's what we are going to do." He says, "This will be your chance to make your case. Win us over, and you will be fine."

"And if I don't." Clara asks.

"Then you know the rules."

"Yes sir. No lying."

Clara takes a moment to gather herself. She clears her through, sits up straight, and closes her eyes.

"The story the queen told of the moon crashing into the planet. I know that story well."

"Why is that?" I ask

"Because I was there. I was only a child, then. The planet was pristine, perfect. The waters were blue. The skies were always clear, and the sands felt smooth like silk beneath my feet. The queen at the time thought the same thing. I could see her castle from out of my window. She used to fly there to get away for a while and the rebels knew that. One day as I played in the sand, and my father watched me from the deck, I remember him yelling for me. He's normally a reserved kind of man. Not one to raise his voice unless he has to but today was different. He screamed as loud as he could grabbing my arm and taking me inside. It all happened so fast. Next thing I remember, we are getting ready to board an evacuation shuttle. They let me on, but I noticed my parents weren't there. The guards didn't let them board the ship. By the time I realized what had happened, it was too late. They wouldn't let me leave, and I had to watch as the ship left without them. Suddenly, a large shadow passes over us. It blocks the sun for a moment then passes us and crashes into the surface."

Everyone is silent. Dern doesn't give her any eye contact with the exception of a few glances every once in a while. Oniv on the other hand was completely focused on her. Clara continues.

"I watched as my family, my friends, everything I ever cared about vanish before my very eyes. The rumors were the rebels attempted to sabotage a starfire engine, but they screwed up and activated it instead. As the years when on, I was mad, so fucking mad. I wanted nothing more but to destroy the very people who took everything away from me. So, when the new queen came into power, and announced her plan to squash the rebels, I joined without a second thought."

She looks down toward the ground for a moment, fiddling with a ring on her finger. I could see the deep regret on her face. Whatever she saw, she was not ready for. She continues further.

"We went system by system, planet by planet, burning everything to the ground without a second thought. I thought we were doing the right thing, saving the citizens from the dangerous rebels, fully unaware of the carnage we were causing ourselves. The cities we destroyed, the homes we burned, the people we killed, it was so much. I honestly couldn't tell you what all we did."

She clinches her hands together tightly. So hard they start shaking and a little blood starts to drip from her hand. Angel stands up and walks behind and embraces her. Dern shakes his head and sighs as Oniv leans in closer. Clara starts speaking again, but it I could tell she was holding back tears.

"I am so sorry. I didn't think this was going to come back. I just wanted to leave it all behind." She turns her attention to Dern. "I am so sorry."

Dern stands up with his electric sword in hand. It zaps all over the ground creating a bright blue hue along the surface. He just stares at her for a moment, before closing his eyes tightly and turning away. He twists the handle of his sword, shutting it off and throws it to the ground, then walks off, not saying a word. Oniv stands from his seat and walks around the fire. He places his gun on the ground and kneels down, placing his right hand on Clara's face. He looks up to Angel, who shakes her head.

"I think we are done." Angel grudgingly says to Oniv.

He smiles for a moment and turns to Clara.

"It's ok." He says, "You don't need to tell us anything else. I am sorry we opened that wound."

Clara nods her head before collapsing into tears. Oniv moves closer to her, allowing her to use his chest to cry in. Angel continues to comfort her from behind. I decide to put my weapon away. It is no longer needed. I stand and walk to Clara and the others and place my hand on her shoulder, as continued to cry into Oniv. I spot Dern as her stand just outside of the light from the fire. The moons become the only source of light at that distance, and he leans against a tree staring into the stars. He too, wipes off his face, though I cannot tell from here what it is.