Pulling Zircon out of the throat of a Drakoshi, her favourite new snack, I suddenly realised I was surrounded by silence one more. Or close enough. In the surroundings, I could hear men and women crying out in agony. Asking for aid or, in other cases, death.

Coming down from my adrenaline, I realised my entire body was heaving up and down. I dropped Zircon to my side and dropped onto my knee.

"Apollo!" Gabrielle screamed as she ran over to me, but I raised my hand to quell her approach. I needed a moment to cool off.

I closed my eyes and just began breathing, drowning out the sound. I focused on my breathing. Taking in Psionic energy with every breath.

"You did so well today, my kindled. All this destruction. All the flames around you, you performed above my wildest expectations. I am proud of you and love you dearly." I heard Sol reach out to me, prompting me to smile after a few moments.

I then felt my helmet get removed from my armour and I looked up into a pair of beautiful green eyes. Onyx brushed her hands through my hair before leaning in and kissing me. She had recently eaten... Something, but I didn’t care. I needed her affection.

She pulled back quickly though. She wasn’t being lustful with her intentions. She was grounding me. Bringing me back to normalcy after almost an entire day of fighting nonstop. She then extended her hand out to my own and helped me stand back up, my figure a lot more sturdy now.

She then smiled at me before wordlessly disappearing. I felt her enter my Mindspace and change her into her stalker form before snuggling up against my Origin for a well deserved torpor.

Putting my helmet back on, I heard two sighs of relief and turned to them. Nerissa then asked. "Apollo, are you well?"

I nodded. "Yeah, sorry. My body just finally knew the fight was over. My combat stims don’t let me feel fatigue so with my last kill and them wearing off at the same time... I don’t know how I’ve been rocking the sword and board all day. How about you two? Are you well?"

Gabrielle slotted her hook swords into their sheaths before collapsing to her rear. "I tell you what Apollo, you have some serious stamina. I am proud to have fought beside you today. I am proud of what you achieved here. I am proud of you."

I felt something get caught in the back of my throat at Gabrielle’s words, but I didn’t make a peep as Nerissa looked around. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Apollo, your job isn’t over."

Hearing that triggered my fight response, as I proceeded to take a combat stance, looking around on high alert.

"At ease, my lord. We need our commander back, not the warrior." Nerissa clarified in a calm, soothing voice that made my entire body tingle with resonance.

I chuckled at myself. "Sorry. Adrenaline is one serious hormone. What job do I need to do now?"

Nerissa looked around after I said that at the carnage. "Apollo, we have achieved a serious victory here today. Your mixed unit tactic at the start, us leading the charge. Your constant assault, never backing down. Those that have seen it in the phalanx will already be telling stories about you. They will call you a hero. And you are."

I grimaced at the word. The only time it was reasonable to call yourself a hero was in vain egoism around close personal friends, inner dialogue and comforting scared and upset children.

Nerissa read my reaction like a book, even through my helmet, and continued. "Like it or not, that is what you are today. You need to make rounds across the fort. Your armour is basically untouched, just bloody. You are a symbol of strength. You need to show that strength."

Gabrielle then added on. "Nerissa is right. I’ve been in the military my whole adult life in one form or another. The Phalanx are sturdy, even without you here. They would be ready to fight another battle tomorrow no questions asked. But with your presence. Morale is going to be off the charts. Seeing their leader, who actively made it known they were on the front line the entire confrontation, is untouched by the Drakoshi... Not even injured, just tired after killing most likely thousands singlehandedly... Please, do it for those that are still alive."

Gabrielle proceeded to give me the puppy eyes, almost knocking me out. I then turned to Nerissa and scowled. "The one thing I hate is being the centre of attention and now you have gotten me a title that basically made me a super idol, but of war. I am getting you back for this, mark my words." I declared and I could feel Nerissa’s smug expression through her mask at my words.

"Ugh, fine. Let’s do this." I then channelled my Thermokinesis over my body and the standard on my back. Purging away the filth that covered me from head to toe in quick fashion. I then took another look at the shield I had been given. The damage had taken was shocking, yet it still held. I had heard about Damatrium a few times, but never used it before. I needed to acquire more...

’If I could get some to feed Zircon and my armour... Oh yeah.’

I then nodded, redid the strap tight to my arm so I could release my hand out of a clench after hours and hours. and picked Zircon back up before putting a leg up on a tactical Drakoshi and asking my friends.

"So? How do I look?

"Heroic/Sexy" The duo said in unison and I chuckled at their response.

"Come on then. Let’s have a look at all those still alive and if they really ’need’ my presence."

...

The dead were everywhere. There was nowhere I could look without seeing a corpse, Drakoshi or human. Some bodies were so mutilated I could not even tell them apart. I think back to not long ago, the sight and smell of so much death would have made me throw up.

I still wasn’t numb to it, the sight pricked my heart. Death was not something I was comfortable with, but I could drown it out. Live with it. And it seemed I had to.

The Phalanx were hard at work piling up bodies.

Drakoshi were burned and Phalanx were being sorted by identifiers. Some would be shipped off world to be buried with their families, or places like Ecumenopolis 5, mortuary worlds. while others were getting the Drakoshi treatment of cleansing fire.

The sight of the charred corpses brought me more comfort than the others. It was like Sol was using their energy for a final send off. I liked that thought. It gave me some form of solace.

Though throughout everything I noticed as I walked. One thing was abundantly clear. No matter who it was, when I walked past. The area froze in silence. Some fell to their knees before me, while others bowed, saluted, but the respect they were showing me. The look in their eyes.

I could feel their thoughts. And a few telepathic probes confirmed it. Every last one of them was thinking it.

’I am alive because of you.’

Even the seriously injured took a moment , despite medics doing their best to prevent them, to acknowledge my existence before they continued to writhe in pain.

Honestly I was in awe. How some of these normal people were still alive with the wounds they had sustained. It made me proud of the human spirit. Every single wounded soldier that would survive today would be a spit in the face of the Drakoshi. And that thought allowed me to continue to walk, my head held high all the while.

As I continued to walk I made it far enough back east to spot someone I knew. Knight captain Cassian.

The Knights mech was a wreck. His shield arm was gone. His chassis was lacerated upon every single inch and sparks flew out every so often. The Knight was moving debris, and corpses, getting dirty. He noticed me as I approached and saluted. From the angle he was standing at, I could see the man inside the machine. A man in his early forties, long blonde hair drenched in blood and a large gash across his face that looked self cauterised.

I chuckled internally, the man’s flesh suit even screamed ’knight’.

"Captain. I am glad to see you alive." I spoke as I approached.

"And I you, lord Sentinel. Though I am a little worse for wear than you by the looks of things and... The standard still flies regally, forgive my words, but I was sure the thing would be damaged beyond repair at this point. This is truly a testament to your abilities my lord, I am proud to have shared two battlefields with you now."

"It is not damaged, captain, because not once did I turn my back against our enemy this day. To do otherwise would be an affront to you and all those brave soldiers who lost their life today. Although."

I reached above me and pulled the standard free before planting its end into the ground between us.

"I now return it to its order, though I am proud to now be a part of its history."