The hivemind is conquering for me? Chapter 885: Light Wounds

Sigismund chuckled, allowing his thoughts to reset. "All right lad, not a bad answer. A bit over the top, but I agree with the sentiment buried within. I’ll bring this up to you again once the fighting has concluded. Which actually brings me to the last reason I wanted to speak with you now you are awake."

Sigismund’s friendliness evaporated into thin air as he suddenly leaned across the table and looked directly into my eyes. "The Warlord. How did you kill it?"

I took a deep breath. This was the easiest question yet.

"Early on in the sabotage campaign I was running, we found a depot containing some experimental alien weaponry. Being a sentinel with permission to use alien weaponry I took them and hid them aside.

One of these weapons was, basically put, a clean nuke. I lured the Warlord into a trap and activated the nuke. Honestly, I expected the Warlord to be dead from such a blast, but to my surprise when I got back to the ambush point. There it was.

Its regeneration was spent and it was half a skeleton, but after a long back and forth and nearly dying in the process. I managed to kill the fucker. Trust me, it was not my own power that won the fight, but sheer dumb luck."

Sigismund then just proceeded to stare at me for a good thirty seconds, not uttering a word before reaching across the table to pick up his inhaler and took a dose.

"Hah~ Alright lad, that makes a lot more sense than you beating it outright. Honestly, I too am a little surprised a nuke wasn’t enough to finish it off, it would certainly be enough for the one I maimed. But I don’t blame you for your injuries sustained either. Warlords are dangerous, especially when they are genuinely facing life and death. You will be seriously commended for your efforts Apollo, well done."

"Sir, I am not sure my killing of the Warlord requires commendation, I was just doing-"

"-No, I am not talking about the Warlord. That will stay a secret, just trust me for the why, I am talking about the rest of your accomplishments during the war. I have read the reports. Your actions alone are some of the reasons we were so well off to the point before that Warlord entered the fray. You are a war hero and I acknowledge heroes."

Sigismund then got up fully from the table and patted himself down. "Rest up, Apollo. I will call for you if needed."

...

Sigismund then walked away, leaving Apollo alone at the table. His eyes narrowed, his face forming a frown as he began to think about something with extreme focus.

Was it confliction? Did he have new thoughts on the War? On his position in the empire? He was angry when Sithrik perished, did he truly still think this was not his war? Or perhaps-

"Fuck, I am still so hungry. Are they still serving food?"

...

After eating to the point I could hear the mess staff complaining to their superiors, I began to have a stroll around the fort to digest my food. Half of the fort was still structurally sound, but the other half...

It was obvious the Drakoshi had gotten in. There was so much destruction. Even the fort’s foundations had been heavily damaged. It was lucky that Sigismund arrived when he did or things could have seriously gotten worse for the defenders.

Following the trail of destruction through the fort, I eventually found myself at a field hospital with the dying and injured visible as far as the eye could see. I had grown accustomed to the sight at this point and this one appeared to be more ’permanent’ for the time being. With medical equipment appearing to be more at hand.

Walking through the injured, I listened to their moans, their wails and I just felt myself getting angry.

The Drakoshi...

I honestly got why Spartari hated everyone and everything at this point. To see men and women who have fought on the same battlefield with you get torn apart and blown to bits by the alien menace...

’Yeah, I really don’t like the Drakoshi.’ I couldn’t help thinking as I walked past a man whose eyes had clearly been gouged out via Drakoshi claws.

These aliens were nothing like my love. The hive killed, but out of necessity. She was a big girl and a big girl needs her eats. This though? This was pure malice. The Drakoshi that did that, to keep his victim alive, clearly enjoyed the act. It was deplorable.

’Perhaps I should casually mention to Jewel that I really do not like this one set of aliens and watch the aftermath of pure rage and carnage afterwards unfold... That would be fun to see.’ I thought, prompting a smile out of myself.

That smile quickly replaced itself with a frown as I continued to walk. ’Jewel...’ It had been so long. I had planned on going back to the college, picking up the girls, taking Janine back to Euc 4 then make my way back to Jewel for some well needed loving.

But now Onyx has told me to accept Sigismund’s request and now I’m not going to see her for even longer? Even worse, Onyx wasn’t even here! I was truly alone, fully broken away from my hivemind...

"Sentinel?"

A voice suddenly called out to me, snapping me out of my funk.

Looking around, I couldn’t pinpoint where it came from until it spoke again.

"Sentinel."

The voice was weak and weary, but I found its source. A Phalanx soldier, a woman. She was missing her left arm and her body was wrapped up like a mummy from head to toe.

As I approached, she let out a smile and her eyes began to water, so I hastened my step.

"Are you alright? Do you need something? Should I go get a medic?"

As I was about to abuse my power to get this woman some medical attention, she asked me something that brought my gaze upon her once more. "Do you remember me?"

’Uh oh...’ I thought to myself, thinking this was a friend I had made somewhere or one of the Psionic elites, but I didn’t think that was the case. Looking at her closely, there wasn’t anything strikingly obvious. She had ginger hair from what was poking out of her bandaging, freckles, average looks, possibly slightly above if her face wasn’t home to a myriad of bruises and cuts and her eyes were...

"Wait a second..." I had seen these eyes before.

A flash of images appeared in my Mindspace. Of the first siege. Breaching the walls. Saving a woman from a Drakoshi. The determination in her eyes. Then seeing her again at the end of the battle with a doctor. So many wounds...

"Wow, I do remember you! I can’t believe you are still here." I asked in shock, slumping down next to her.

The woman smiled at me hearing that. "Did you... Think I’d be dead?" She managed to get out after wincing through some pain.

"Wha-? No! No-No-No! I didn’t mean it like that! I meant I expected you to be off world. I mean, if I recall correctly, you were seriously wounded after that siege."

The woman began to laugh for a moment before regretting it as she began to grimace through the pain. I offered her my hand to squeeze on reflex and she took it. After squeezing for a few moments, she eased up and looked at me.

"Light wounds... Compared to this. I’ll live though. I promise you."

I was about to get up and tell her to get some much needed rest, but her hand tightened around my own as the tears came again.

"I knew you would save us. I knew it. I held that trench as long as I could because I knew you would save us. And you did. Everyone is praising King Sigismund. But I know the truth. Without you distracting that Warlord. We would all have been dead. I knew you would save us, save me. I believed in you..."

The woman then began to violently sob happy tears as she squeezed her hand. I didn’t move. I was paralyzed. Eyes wide as I stared at the woman.

She was glowing in a hot white colour. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. This was faith. And so much of it! So far I had seen just specs, itty bits from a Phalanx here or there, but this? The woman was practically holy.

I just couldn’t believe it. What had I done to deserve this woman’s faith? I know I was going down that path, I had promised. But I was still in awe. And I knew what I had to do. If she wanted to give me her faith, then I would reward her devotion.

Kneeling down beside her, I got close to her ear and whispered. "Sweetie, what is your name?"