Private A Reunited Brotherood

[Alexander Hayes]

It had barely been a month, and already Alex found himself here. He supposed it wasn’t too surprising, he had wanted to check the HoloNet for months. But his carers had denied the request, citing he’d become too distracted from his physical therapy.

And they would’ve been right, but Alex would never have admitted that. Just grumbled an acceptance and got back to the exercises. But throughout that there had been a burning desire, a need to know what happened. In his gut he knew, the obvious conclusions were drawn but there was still a tiny spark within that hoped otherwise.

The moment he could, Alex departed the facility and immediately went to hit up the HoloNet. But before he could, the Galactic Alliance intercepted him. It raised a question in the K’paur’s mind, whether the medical facility had been a GA operation, or perhaps they had tipped them off. Either way, they were there to pick him up not long after he had departed.

He was immediately thrown into several assessments, to check whether he was ready to get back into the fight. A bit of a presumption in Alex’s mind, what if he wanted to retire? To be done with all the battles?

No. Anyone who knew Alex enough, knew he was far from giving up the fight.

Very quickly, he was given his first mission and what a whirlwind that had been. But afterwards? Alex finally had some time off to do what he had intended originally.

To visit the Selvaris Memorial.

He knew there would be one, the Galactic Alliance was always on point with those. If it was a large enough tragedy of course. Have to prop up the deceased in memory of the sacrifices they made. Anger coiled through Alex as he stared down at all the names.

What is needed is a surgical strike at the Maw’s heart, cut ‘em down at the root.

Even this far removed from the fighting, Alex still felt that fire burning within him. That desire for battle that was wired into his very genes. And then his gaze fell upon the date, and he let out a mirthless chuckle.

“One year today, what are the chances of that…” Alex’s voice was quiet as crouched down before the plaque. He gently ran his gloved fingers across some of the names. Those that had been his brothers in arms for years. And the only name that was missing was Aiden’s.

That was confirmation enough for Alex. Somewhere Aiden was alive and well, and Alex knew he didn’t need to look too far. A day like today, the anniversary of that massacre? A bar would be the choice of venue. The K’paur didn’t have to explore for terribly long either. After poking his head into a couple buildings, he eventually caught sight of a familiar form hunched over the bar.

Alex took a deep breath before he walked inside. He carved a path through the civilians inside, making his way towards the bar. The K’paur slid into the spot next to Aiden, but said nothing initially. Allowing for silence to remain for a few more moments, until he finally glanced towards the man. His hood obscuring his face, aside from some scraggly dark hair poking out.

“You’re a hard man to find, Aiden Rennek .”

 

[Aiden Rennek]

​

"I didn't want to be found," Aiden said, as his eyes rested on the memorial in front of him. Much like other survivors, he came here to pay respect to the fallen, and to remind himself about what happened. As much pain as the battle on Selvaris had caused him, it was important not to ever forget the sacrifices his brothers and sisters made there.

Equally important, to Aiden, was that the Maw would pay for what they did one way or another. He just knew the Alliance had to be planning something to fight them out of the core and strike at the heart of their territory, but it was almost painful to wait for it to happen.

Luckily, he found strength in people like Briana Sal-Soren , who he had gotten much closer to, and even developed feelings for. It gave him hope and motivation to keep fighting and to believe that this war wasn't going to last forever. But there were others who could inspire such feelings as well, and one of them was standing next to him.

With a slight grin, Aiden turned to Alex and closed the distance to pull him into an embrace, "It has been too long, my friend," he said before pulling back to look him up and down. "How have you been? Hopefully up to something good..." he trailed off and looked for somewhere quieter, so they could catch up and reconnect a little.

"Care to join me for a bit?"

Alexander Hayes ​

 

[Alexander Hayes]

After he had spoken, Alex watched Aiden carefully. He could see the same emotions flashing through his eyes, the same ones that reflected back at him in a mirror. Sadness and mourning, a wish that they could’ve saved more of their brothers in arms. But also a resolve to remember, to never forget.

For every man and woman that died that day, they’d take ten from the Maw.

He hugged Aiden, giving his fellow soldier a pat on the back before he pulled away. “Too damn long, it’s good to see you're well Aiden.” He meant it truly. Even after finally reconnecting with the galaxy, there was no telling how wounded Aiden had become from the battle. But from the looks of things, Aiden had fared a lot better than him in terms of physical injuries.

“I’ve been cooped up in a medical facility for too many damn months. Would’ve got in contact sooner, but kinda got swooped up into something right away.” Alex noticed Aiden looking around for a quieter spot, so the K’paur nodded his head towards a place across the street.

“Found a bar/pub thing nearby, we should be able to find a seat there.”

And sure enough, the pair were able to take up a corner booth that was quietly tucked away within the establishment.

“Hmm, where was I again?” Alex drifted off in thought for a moment, before it clicked. “Oh right, the medical facility. Yeah I kinda got off really lucky on Selvaris.” The K’paur finally pulled off his left glove, revealing the mechanical prosthetic.

Aiden Rennek​