“What’s a little attempted murder between friends?” Lelesia said.

  Selenia froze as Lelesia wrapped a wicked arm around her neck from behind.

  Lelesia looked worse for wear. Across her body, parts of her black and dark red uniform were dirty and in tatters. She sported various wounds, mostly minor, scattered across her body, various cuts and cracks where dark ichor bled out from the dark chitin that formed her skin.

  Aster reflectively reached for a non-existent blade. Then winced as the sudden motion made his whole body scream at him, the wounds covered by his bandages and gauze pads stinging him, his broken leg in a cast yelling at him, and a broken arm in a sling telling him it was a bad idea.

  He coughed from the exertion, stumbling as the weight of his injuries caught up to him. He had to steady himself, but even that sent agony through his body.

  Lelesia simply chuckled at him.

  Aster relaxed as he realized that Lelesia meant no harm as she pointed a clawed finger at him in laughter. He tensed even though he knew that Lelesia had plenty of opportunity already to do something. It worried him that Lelesia had moved so quickly and quietly that he hadn't noticed her slipping within their midst. None of them had.

  “Relax. Relax! If I wanted to do something, I would have done it already,” Lelesia grinned, showing rows of wicked, sharp fangs. She turned towards Selenia, who had gone as still as a statue. “You’re like a little mouse, so hard to catch.” Lelesia playfully shook Selenia with the arm she had wrapped over Selenia's shoulder.

  Selenia paled at the sight of those dangerous, wickedly sharp claws that looked like they could rend steel apart, just dangling in front of her face, ever so casually.

  Aster imagined those claws turning direction in an instant, impaling Selenia right through he head. Her words didn’t provide him any comfort.

  Garrod sighed while Fafapan, the tiny pixie, quickly rushed behind Garrod's head and made herself as small as she could within his long silver hair.

  Lelesia saw Fafapan, poking her eyes out of Garrod's long silver hair, and giggled. She leaned to the side of Garrod's head, as he stoically faced her without a word, to get a glance at Fafapan’s cowering sight. “My mother used to tell me all about how we Velzelians used to eat little pixies like you as snacks before we joined the Federation.” Lelesia’s crimson spider eyes seemed to glow ever so slightly. “Small little pixies like you getting caught within spider webs that would make for nice, easy, delicious meals.”

  Fafapan quickly retreated within Garrod’s long silver hair, and her trembling could be seen in the vibrations that shook his hair.

  “You wouldn't mind if I just take a little bite, would you?” Lelesia chuckled.

  Garrod coughed as he tensed his only arm, ready and waiting.

  “I'm kidding. I'm kidding,” Lelesia waved off. Then, she looked straight into Garrod's purple eyes. “As for you, moon boy, you sure could have done a better job protecting that moon girl over there.” She glanced at his missing arm and the many bandages that covered him. “You got blown up pretty good.”

  “That's what happens when you bring a mobile frame to a little brawl between friends, right?” Garrod said.

  Lelesia laughed. “That's right! Well, I suppose it's unfair to judge. You can't reasonably expect someone to win against a mobile frame just by themselves. It would be like someone trying to bring a knife to a gun fight. Unless you're awesome like me. I've taken mobile frames out all by my lonesome in the past.” Lelesia huffed in a boastful manner.

  Then Lelesia wrapped her other arm around Aster, bringing him close, just like she did with Selenia. “Skill issue,” Lelesia laughed. “But then, this little brat Aster knows what I'm talking about. I think I beat him up pretty good, eh?”

  Aster chuckled weakly. The feeling of Lelesia's chitinous arm wrapped around his shoulder reminded him of how she had crushed his arm, smashed his shoulder, and broken his leg when they had fought. Not to mention all of the other cuts and bruises that he had suffered from her. And she had only been playing around with him. He could believe it. She was an End War veteran. She probably had at least a few times.

  The shaking she was giving him was painful. Did she really need to shake him so hard? He winced at the pain going through his body.

  Then, Lelesia turned her head towards Selenia, who tried hard not to stare. “Of course, we would have killed little miss moonbutt if she hadn't gone insane firing Proto Particle beams everywhere. We had her dead to rights otherwise.”

  Lelesia tilted her head right in front of Selenia’s face, crimson spider-like eyes staring right into her. Selenia’s breath stopped as she saw her reflection come back at her in those eyes, Lelesia giggling, a melodic tune completely in odds to her demonic appearance. “I’m pretty scary, aren’t I?”

  Selenia nodded vigorously.

  Lelesia let both Selenia and him go to his relief.

  “We can still be friends, right? Lelesia said, her unblinking eyes waiting for an answer from both of them.

  Selenia nodded silently, petrified.

  “Sure,” Aster said. “Why not?” If that could get her to go away and stop being so friendly with them, when she had beaten him so badly, that would be great.

  “Good!” Lelesia said as she gave Selenia cheerful pats on the back.

  A cough came from behind Lelesia. Aster turned along with everyone else.

  Lieutenant Commander Mechu of SETI stood silently, composed and watchful of Lelesia, giving Lelesia a look of warning, her blue eyes stern and nearly unfriendly to the spidery lady. Much like Lelesia, she sported superficial wounds, and parts of her black and dark red uniform were in tatters. From where her body had been broken and punctured, he could see the telltale underlying blue sludge that revealed Mechu’s true self as a slime mimic beyond her superficial veneer of human skin. It seemed like Mechu had given as good as she had gotten when she had fought Lelesia earlier.

  Aster felt reassured by Mechu’s presence, a sense of relief going through him. She was always so dependable and competent.

  “Well, unfortunately for us, and fortunately for you, our little plot failed,” Lelesia sighed in annoyance.

  Lelesia withdrew several small vials of blue fluid from within the pockets of her black and dark red uniform. She tossed one to Garrod, who looked skeptically at it but drank it anyway.

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  “I cut the line over there,” Lelesia said, gesturing over to the commotion of the field hospital that had been set in the distance, where commotions happened between those who had to stand in the long queue, which ruffled those who stood in it. “I’m a senior officer, so I get special privileges,” Lelesia said smugly.

  Then, Lelesia handed Aster one as well. He looked at the small blue vial in his hand, then at Lelesia. Well, the chances of it being poisoned were slim. He popped open the bottle's small cork, then downed it all in one go. Aster sighed in relief as the healing elixir took the edge off.

  The blue liquid tasted awful, but the pain from his bones lessened as they partially mended, some of his bruised tissue restored itself, and some of his aches and sores lessened.

  Mechu sighed, crossing her arms, as she saw both Captain Blanche and Captain Bernard hurrying over to them, though Captain Blanche was far in front, soaring in the air with his fiery arm-wings.

  “Yo old bird!” Lelesia said, waving to Captain Blanche as the phoenix approached, landing by her.

  “Captain Lelesia, have you finished your preparations for our departure?” Captain Blanche said.

  “They'll be finished soon. Just paying a quick little visit to our resident moon princess here,” Lelesia said.

  “Well, she's a lot more dangerous than she looks,” Captain Blanche said as he looked down upon Selenia. The tall phoenix in his current bipedal shape made her look small.

  Selenia wilted at the attention.

  Lelesia sighed. “Of course she would be.” Lelesia threw a glance towards Selenia. “Now I see why mother and father ordered us to kill you, little miss moonbutt.” Lelesia turned towards Captain Blanche. “I still think it would have been better to have just blown her up, sniped her, or slit her throat in her sleep.”

  Selenia ran behind Mechu, who rolled her eyes in annoyance at the pair.

  “I'm right here, you know,” Selenia said, in protest, from the safety of Mechu’s back. “Can you please not talk about trying to kill me right in front of me!?”

  “Ah, sorry!” Lelesia replied, chuckling. “We'll talk about killing you somewhere else later.”

  Aster shook his head in exasperation, along with Garrod beside her.

  “Damn you Blanche, I can’t fly right now because of my injuries,” Bernard said, the dragon in humanoid shape sliding to a stop as he caught up to their group, panting from the exertion of running.”

  “What’s the saying? You’re only as good as your worst day?” Blanche retorted, smug.

  Bernard grit his sharp teeth, then smiled in triumph. “Well, I suppose you would know. You failed killing that oon brat over there even though you had a mobile frame with illegal weaponry,” Bernard said.

  “As if you had anything to do with that Bernard,” Captain Blanche said.

  “Oh! I had plenty to do with it!” Bernard said.

  “Like what? Sleeping on that rocking chair when all the fighting took place? You overgrown lizard!” Blanche retorted.

  “I'll kill you, you damn overgrown bird!” Captain Bernard roared.

  “Not if I kill you first,” Blanche roared back.

  They butted heads against each other.

  “Go ahead and try!” Bernard said.

  “No. You try it!” Blanche replied.

  “You're just mad that you didn't win this time around," Bernard said, drawing back. “That's another win for me. You lose.” Bernard poked a finger in Blanche's chest. “You lose! Ha. Ha.”

  The Phoenix shook, vibrating intensely, tiny flames licking from his fiery form. Then pointed a fiery, clawed finger into Bernard's own chest. “This isn't over. I’ll get you next time. Even if I have to beat you in that hellish pineapple-eating competition.”

  “I'd like to see you try!” Bernard snorted. “As if you could. In your dreams!”

  Lelesia leaned over to him, whispering. “We have our own fair share of idiots, eh?”

  Aster couldn't help but chuckle along with her, even despite

  Captain Blanche of AXIS was a phoenix who never got along with Captain Benard of SETI.

  Phoenix and dragons were usually at odds with each other. The rivalry had started when the Gaia Sphere Federation had begun its unification efforts, and different groups of phoenixes and dragons joined it because of status and prestige. And both Captain Blanche and Bernard were infamous for always engaging in some form of competition with each other. Even if it was a pineapple-eating competition, among other things.

  “In any case, it's lunch time, kiddos,” Bernard said as he unveiled the large container of sandwiches he had brought with him, then began tossing the paper-wrapped morsels over to them. “Eat up because you'll be working through the night. And it’s a good thing our resident glow-stick is here, she'll light up enough at night for all of you to see well enough to keep shoveling!’

  Well, that wasn’t going to be fun.

  Selenia audibly sighed behind Mechu’s back as Fafapan appeared out of Garrod’s silver hair, braving danger at the mention of food, even though she was afraid to death of Lelesia.

  Captain Blanche watched silently as Bernard tossed them around. It was obvious to everyone that Bernard was deliberately ignoring him and Lelesia. And instead of giving either of them one, he had started unwrapping sandwiches and stuffing them in his maw, glaring a petty smile at the phoenix who stared back at him, eyes twitching in annoyance.

  “The food is only for us in SETI, bird-brain, in case you needed it spelled out for you.” Bernard looked between him and Lelesia. “You all wrecked our place, and you thought we were still going to feed you all in the AXIS unit?” Bernard laughed. “No food for you! AXIS isn't getting any.”

  “You selfish lizard!” Captain Blanche readied to pounce.

  “I'm a dragon, what do you expect? Screw off, the food is mine.” Bernard coughed. “I mean, ours.” He wrapped his scaly arms around the large container of food in a protective manner.

  Wisps of phoenix fire began to lick off of Blanche's bipedal form just as wisps of smoke began to smoke from Bernard's maw.

  Then, Blanche lunged. “Give it to me!”

  “Never!” Bernard said.

  They all watched as Captain Blanche began tuning with Captain Bernard for the sandwiches.

  Did they really have to fight over sandwiches? Food was something meant to be shared after all.

  Aster looked at his own sandwich in his hand, then glanced at Lelesia, who was looking at the pair scuffling with a roll of her crimson spider eyes. He tapped Lelesia's arm with the back of his sandwich hand to get her attention. She turned towards him.

  “Here,” Aster said. “Have mine.”

  Lelesia tilted her head at him for several moments. Then, quickly took it in one swift motion and stuffed it in her mouth, munching on it happily, paper wrap and all, before Captain Bernard could react.

  “Those are our sandwiches, you damn spider!” Bernard said as he and Blanche paused their scuffle.

  “Good job Lelesia!” Blanche said, giving her a thumbs up.

  “You little brat!” Bernard said, giving Aster a stink eye. “How could you give away our precious, irreplaceable sandwiches!?”

  “Even if you fight with others, if you’re able to share a meal with them, then they can't be that bad, right?” Aster said. “That's what I believe, at least.”

  Mechu sighed in annoyance as she glared at both Bernard and Blanche. The pair unentangled themselves quickly due to her imitating glare. They both composed themselves, coughing in embarrassment as they straightened out their ruffled black and dark red uniforms.

  Captain Bernard took in Aster’s words for several moments, then sighed as he handed Captain Blanche a sandwich, who took the offered gift reluctantly.

  Garrod and Fafapan, who had been sharing a sandwich of their own, looked at Aster with a small smile of approval.

  Mechu gave Aster an approving look, nodding in satisfaction as Selenia smiled at him.

  Lelesia stared at him, then began chuckling. “Spoken like a true hero, eh?”

  Aster flushed, his face growing red after realizing what he had said. When did the artificial daytime sun get so hot?