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Chapter 16

It took forever to get the camp broken down, and by the time the remnants of their army were ready to move, the planet was setting in the east.  A "sunset" in the east.

"This place is just backwards." Agera said as she watched the last little bit of the blue giant sink beneath the horizon, "Everything is upside down.  Instead of raining occasionally, it rains consistently.  And the planetoid rotates backwards from earth."

"Backwards and strange from your perspective." Ronan said smiling at her, "Earth was beautiful, but also crazy."

She smiled again, something that Ronan found changed Agera in startling ways.  When she smiled, she was almost radiant.  And for the first time today, she had truly laughed.  No giggles or rolled eyes or anything, just laughter.  It was harsh and untamed and wild, and so, so stunning when she laughed.

And she had been nice.  Albeit, she hadn't been gentle.  They had worked their tails off today.  Ronan had worked every muscle in his body, and his wings felt as if they were going to fall off, but Agera had been supportive of his new position in their military.  The others, for the most part, treated him with indifference, with the exception of Janus.  He had treated him like family, and told him his story. Venus and Vienzo had been friendly as well, but it was more cordial than genuine friendship.  Guin had been downright hostile at first, but got over it quickly, perhaps because Agera had threatened to "make her eat her tail spade again".

Kiesah had even stopped by and made sure Agera hadn't killed him.  Seeing that she was better than fine, she had pulled Ronan off to the side.

"She's different.  What happened between you two?" ,she asked quietly.  At that exact moment, Agera laughed loudly at Janus who was struggling to lift the portable latrine that had been affixed to the barracks, "What did you do?"

Ronan smiled, "I helped her.  I don't know how, but I wanted to.  She's been in a good mood all day."

Agera was in an even better mood that night.  After working to break camp and get on the move, they were ordered to fly night time patrols until the convoy reached the badlands.  So, naturally, on a couple hours sleep, they were roused by an aid, donned their armor, and took off into the shadows and pouring rain.  Ronan didn't mind, he was used to the weather, but the others seemed miserable.  Agera had them split into groups of two and fly in concentric rings, scanning the ground and sky.  He had paired with Agera herself, probably so she could keep on eye on him and his well being.

And she was in her element.  Orders were constant, as were the reports from the other two wings.  Individuals kept spotting odd shapes in the storm and investigating them.

"We should roll through the crystalline wastes!" Ronan called at her, "It's open and clean, easy to navigate.  Let the lead elements know. 234.7 degrees." Agera nodded and relayed the information.  Wind gusted up and rocked them, and they fought against the weather, Agera roaring a savage challenge at the clouds.

They passed through the midnight shift, a time jokingly referred to by the human soldiers as "Balls-30" because it took place around 0030.  Agera loved working at times like this.  Her eyes and ears gave her advantages far surpassing any unassisted human, and most void.  She could see farther and even faintly see heat sources.  Any vehicle in this weather glowed to her as a white hot blur on her vision, and she could even make out faint outlines of the humans on and inside the convoy, despite flying at 3,000 feet.  So when a vaguely draconian shape flew at them from out of the darkness, swiftly followed by five others, she knew something was wrong.

"Two, do we have any other scheduled squadrons tonight?" Agera asked over the radio.

"None, ma'am.  We're all alone." came the reply.

"You been keeping an eye on your sectors?  No unknowns have gotten past?"

"Of course ma'am.  No solid contacts."

"Well that's good, cause I'm looking at one right now.  Convoy, we have contacts, extreme short wave radar.  Confirm?"

"Hold, Omega lead." there was a short pause, "Confirm.  Do you have radio contact?"

"Unknown contact, state your identity and purpose for being here." the coms were silent, "No joy command."

"Then you are cleared to engage.  Happy hunting."

"Confirmed.  Two, three, six, with me.  Four, five, continue your CAP." five clicks acknowledged her, and Venus and Vienzo angled towards her.

"There's something strange about them." Ronan said, "If they were hostile, they would have flown in lower and faster."

"Lead, my element still works." Venus called over closed mikes, "Suggest caution."

"Dully noted.  Follow me in.  Six and three, stay back, cover us." Agera was in the middle of her bank over and dive when Ronan called out to them.

"Friendly!  They're friendly!  Wave off!" Agera only just veered away at the last second.  As she dove past the squadron, the leader reacted instinctively and bit at her, and she heard snapping jaws just miss her tail.  They all collectively pulled up and hovered mid-air. The two females pulled up and hovered across a twenty foot gap.

These WERE void, but Agera had never seen void like this.  It was an impressive feet that they hovered because they each wore a full set of body armor and carried supplies.  Each of them rippled with toned and honed muscles.  They were alert and focused, not the normal snarling gnashing mess most void were.  They even flapped their wings in unison, something that was difficult for dragons.  Ronan pulled up next to her and they all lowered their heads, exposing their necks.

"High King Ronan." The leader said reverently, "It is a great honor."

"What be your squadron name, commander?" Ronan asked sternly.

"Our squadron be Omega." Agera's eyes bulged, "Twenty-third squadron, forth battalion, second division.  My name is Katan."

"Why are you here, Omega lead?" Ronan asked.

"We were ordered by high commander Octavian to come and escort you to the badlands, or wherever you wish to go."

"Lord Octavian is as impulsive as he is stupid.  He nearly caused an interplanetary incident with that order.  You should not have come." Ronan said sternly.  The commander went to speak, but Ronan cut him off, "However, considering you followed your orders so well, and you were so vigilant on your way here, you are to be commended, Captain."

The void gave Ronan a savage grin, "Thank you, sir!"

"Now I suggest you apologize to your new allies for attacking them." and to Agera's absolute amazement, the void turned and bowed to her.

"Apologies to you and your squadron, miss..."

"My name is Agera, Katan, call sign Omega 1." now it was Katan's turn to have his eyes bulge, "Ronan is my number six, and my bondmate."

Katan looked at Ronan, "Sir?"

"Well bow, captain!  You should show her even more respect than you've shown me so far.  She controls all your destinies."

They gave her wide eyes and astounded looks, and then bowed so low she thought they might fall out of the sky.  Two rushed over and flew above her, sheltering her from the rain.  By now, Ronan was grinning from horn to horn.

"My Goddess!  What would you demand of your most humble servants?" Agera didn't know what to say.  She had never seen Avila treated like this by any void.

"Don't ever call me that again." She said quietly.

"I beg your eternal forgiveness my most exalted Queen, but my mortal horns could not hear you."

"Enough!" he went silent, "Enough with the groveling and titles!  And for fucks sake, look at me!"

He raised his eyes and looked at her, but still kept his head bowed and low.

"I'm NOT a goddess.  Don't ever call me that.  What did you just do, Ronan?!"

"By all rights, you control our entire nation.  They don't just see you as royalty.  They see you as divinity." Venus by now was laughing. Even Guin was grinning at her.  But Agera didn't see the funny side of it.

"What kind of orders will they take?"

"Any.  They'd take their own lives if you ordered them to." Ronan replied.  Agera turned to the commander.

"That's too easy." Agera said quietly.  Then she turned to the other soldiers, "Troops!  Has your commander been good to you?"

"Yes, my lady!" They answered instantly, in unison.

"Good, that's the way a commander should treat his soldiers.  Do you want a different commander?" Agera asked.

"No ma'am!" They answered in unison again.

"Good." She gave him a stern look and then quietly said to them, "Kill him."

The reaction was instantaneous.  Ronan's face transformed from a grin to a look of absolute horror.  Venus gave her a face that spelled disbelief.  But the soldiers dived and grabbed Katan by the legs and wings, and his second in command, likely his best friend, someone who would die for him, positioned his sharpened tail spade in the center of his chest.

"As my Goddess commands." He said quietly, and drew back his blade.

"Stop!" The dagger halted, quivering just a few inches from the commanders skin.  Agera was pale, "What the fuck are you doing?!?!"

"As our Goddess commands." The second said.

"And I thought my number four was crazy!  You lot are absolutely MENTAL.  Here is a male who has probably led you through thick and thin, war and death, stood by your side, given you the right orders and gotten you through times you thought you couldn't get out of, and you're about to kill him because some female you haven't known for five minutes tells you to!!" She screamed at them.  She sounded slightly hysterical.

"Our Goddess demanded us too!  Did you not wish it!?" One of the males holding Katan's leg said.

"Fuck what I wish or don't wish!  I could wish you all to kill yourselves, but it doesn't mean you should!  Ronan!" Ronan dropped four feet as she rounded on him.

"Don't look at me!  You gave them the order!"

"You mentioned it!  You knew this would happen you bastard!  Is this more of your fucking bullshit Bonding crap!?"

"You command me, so you command them as well!"

"Through you!  They aren't directly bonded to me, you ass!"

"It matters not!" Ronan was regaining his composure, "You bonded with me, the rightful king of all the void!  Did you not think that would affect all of them!  I told you because you needed to know!  Your problems now affect us all!"

"I didn't need them to actually kill their commander!"

"Yes you did!  And you needed them to treat you like this.  Agera, we are about to enter the biggest stronghold of free and bonded void on the run from an enemy of the state.  You needed to know what you'll face.  They're all going to treat you like this!  They will obey your every command, and each and every one will truly give their life to protect yours." He bowed his head, "Even as I would."

Agera felt like she was going to throw up.

"Lead?" Agera jumped at the voice in her ear.  It was Guin, "Command has been asking for you for the last five minutes."

"Fuck.  Patch them through."

"Krigsman!" It was the GM, "Why the devil did you block us out?"

"I'm sorry, sir.  Our friend Ronan has just been demonstrating that the bond we share extends to the entire Voidwing race."

Silence.

"Command?"

"That changes things.  I assume that because we still have twelve solid contacts, he told you because of the allied void who came to escort him?"

"Yeah, they're all bowing, calling me Goddess and asking for commandments."

"Well get your royal ass in gear and command them to land, Goddess."

"I...   yes, sir." She turned to the group of void, "Drop him."

"As my Goddess commands." Five voices returned, and they instantly let their commander go.

"Stop calling me Goddess.  As you all will soon discover, I am anything but divine.  Now follow us in."

The group as a whole dove down towards the convoy, landing with a splash in the mud and splattering them with grime, which is what always happened on this planet.  Two of the void rushed to wipe Agera off, but she pushed them away with her wings.  One void even rushed ahead of them as they ran up to the command truck.

"Make way for the Go-" he never got any further than that.  Agera tackled him and they plowed into the mud.  Even with all the muck on them, you could still see Agera blushing wildly.

"Shut up, you demon!" She hissed into his horn, "Are you trying to make my life a living hell?  Who taught you these things?  Ronan, you're nowhere near as bad as this, how come?  And if you say, 'It's the bonding, Imma punch you.'"

"It's the bonding." She frowned at him, "You need to not be embarrassed or ridiculed for how I treat you.  They have a bond to you, but it's not as strong."

"What I'd like to know is can it be broken?" a voice said from inside the command truck.  The burlap flap was thrown back as the GM addressed them, "Get your tails in here, it's disgusting out there."

The void Agera had tackled jumped up first and looked around the truck.

"Do you have a cushion for the Goddess?" He asked the human.  As the GM stared, Agera, despite the mud on her paw, face palmed anyways.

"The Goddess requires you stand guard while she is in council of war." Ronan said immediately.  They immediately took up positions around the truck, even the one who had gone in, and followed it in perfect escort.

"Sweet Ass-fucking mother of Jehoshaphat." The GM said as they climbed in, "You guys look like death warmed over."

He handed Agera a towel so she could wipe herself down, then turned to Ronan, "Are they all like that?"

"Some are a bit less zealous, but for the most part, yes.  Thanks to Avila, they teach learners to treat divinity as such.  Normally, whoever is bonded to our leader is considered divinity.  Avila was considered divine for a time.  She bonded to my father, but then he died, breaking the bond.  Even still most void follow her."

"They don't treat her like that though."

"That's because, even to her, it gets tiring after a while."

"I hate it full stop.  I can't believe they'd do that to their commander."

"I can't believe you did that!  You nearly gave me a heart attack!" He said turning to her.

"Don't be ridiculous.  I inflict death on my enemies, but I do not wish it on them.  And I certainly don't do either on my allies.  I'd have to be one mean motherfucker if I did.  Not even Avila is that bad."

"She can be sometimes." Ronan said quietly.

"This complicates things infinitely.  You're going to need to be very careful Krigsman.  Let me also suggest you get them to stop calling you Goddess."

"I'm going to have a good long talk with them, sir.  Tell them about myself, learn about them."

"OK.  First off, I understand you lot want to show respect.  But until recently, I would have killed you all on sight.  So stop calling me Goddess.  The is a direct command, and it stands for the rest of the void.  If you all MUST, you can call me Lady.  However, I would prefer Agera, considering that's my name.  You all are so obviously unmated, you need to learn a female enjoys hearing her name."

"Does our Lady wish us to take our lives?" The second said.

"What?!  No!  What is with you people?  I'm not your divine commander.  I get that through your king you are required to follow my orders as laid down by the bonding.  But just because I said something doesn't mean I commanded it.  I'll let you know if it's a command. Treat my words like those of a good friend.  Hell, treat them like Ronan's."

"That's not a bad idea.  Captain, you and your own are to treat Agera as if she were me.  Her words are mine.  She is not a Goddess, more like a commander in the field."

"Commander in field?"

"A bit like the Grand Marshall." Ronan answered her.

"Just ma'am then?" The commander said.

"JUST ma'am.  Now, let's start on a paw that isn't us covered in mud in the middle of a never ending monsoon.  My name is Agera Krigsman.  I hail from the Guardianship of Rusa, formerly known as the Soviet Union or Russia, formerly of Earth.  Now I have no home.  Now who are you?"

"My name is Katan, ma'am." Katan said, "I hail from the same province as our honorable King here, Versai.  And this is my brother, Scimi."

He threw a wing over his second.  Agera was startled.

"You would have killed your brother on my command?" Scimi looked at Ronan, almost as if he was asking permission to speak to her.

"Well?  Answer her!" He said sternly.

"I would be honored to follow any of my ladies commands, even if they bring myself grief." He said, bowing his head.  Agera grabbed the spike on his chin, and lifted his eyes to hers.

"Show me respect when we talk.  Look me in the eye.  I will never, ever give you a command that will cause you grief without a very good reason.  And even if I do, I will give you the choice of whether or not you wish to follow that order."

Scimi was quivering, though whether with fear or awe or excitement she didn't know until he jumped up.

"Forgive me, Goddess." And he dashed from the truck omega squadron was resting in.

"Please forgive him, m'lady.  You must understand, we have had to suffer under Avila for two and half decades in your time.  We have been taught to fear and follow our current 'Goddess'.  He's scared that your going to be the same way.  We all are."

"So why aren't you the same way then?"

"Because if you were like Avila, you would have let my brother kill me just so he could prove his loyalty."

After this entire incident, things mostly smoothed over.  Agera had to correct the squad a couple of times.  She once mentioned she was hungry, and five minutes later, a full feast had been laid out in front of her, something they had nicked from the chow wagon.  Agera had simply chastised them, told them she could take care of herself, and as punishment for stealing, had them fly her squadrons patrol that night.  That night though?  Her and the rest of her squad really did feast and sleep.

Even still, with full stomachs and a good night's rest, there was aggravation among Omega squads ranks.  Ronan was frustrated with Agera.

"I can't believe you pulled a stunt like that!" He said loudly to her as they walked to morning chow.

"I wanted to see what they would do!  I didn't actually intend..."

"Intended or not, you ordered his death!  Now some are going to think that he did something very wrong.  It might lead to dissension or outright insubordination!  You need to think before you give orders like that!"

"It's not as if I had time to think!  You put me on the spot Ronan.  I didn't know quite what to do!  Do you think I liked doing that?!  You make me sound like Avila." Agera retorted, stepping in front of him and stopping him.

"Of course you're not like Avila.  But you're going to need to learn to think under pressure.  The choices you make are going to affect millions."

Agera actually growled at him, "Do not patronize me, Voidwing.  I have slain hundreds of your kind.  I've fought the most powerful creature to exist for a thousand years.  I have conquered cities and countries, infiltrated and decimated impregnable fortresses.  I know how to think under pressure.  And don't you dare imply my honor is any worse off because of that order I gave.  I'm the one who leads a squadron here, not you."

"You lead a squadron, I lead a civilization."

"And I've saved two of them.  By the end of this war, no matter what I do, I'll have saved yours as well." And Agera turned about, smacking Ronan up-side the head with her tail spade, and stormed off towards the chow wagon.

The thing she hated was that Ronan was partially right.  Agera hadn't realized what kind of an impact that order would have.

Ronan on the other hand was rubbing his head, marveling at how all females, even ones from another planet, could be so similar.

Omega resumed their patrols that next night, the rain finally settling down to a light drizzle, lifting everyone's spirits.  They could even fly above the rain now in the cool night sky.  And for the first time ever, Agera saw the full starscape of this strange planet.

It took her breath away.

Here was something truly magnificent about this planet.  It was a far better view than the one they had on earth.  The sky was filled with vibrant colors, a double band of milky clouds encircling them.

"Where in the universe are we?" She asked aloud.

"Our researchers say it's a pair of warring colliding galaxies we're in the center of.  That's why we have no star.  Cosmic shock waves pushed us so far that we were thrown out of our solar system billions of years ago.  It's hard to make a life on a planet that has little light or warmth."

Agera went back to scanning the ground.  But just as quickly she turned back to Ronan.

"I was to hard on you, earlier this evening." She said quietly, "I shouldn't have smacked you.  Up until a few days ago, my only knowledge of Void was how to kill one quickly.  Now I find myself not only in an alliance with a couple million of them, but I also find myself in the unique position of leading them.  It's a lot to take in.  You gotta be patient with me."

"I WAS to hard on you.  First time working with Draken." He said, thumbing at himself.  Agera smiled at him, and despite his best attempts, Ronan's beating heart and rushing blood must have shown through in the silence.

"That's it lovebirds, kiss and make up, cause we got other things to take care of.  Like the six inbounds from the northeast." Agera, despite her sudden blush, turned and looked out over the cloud cover.  Sure enough, on the horizon, six white hot contrails were screaming towards them.

"They glow like fighter jets." Guin said, returning to the group, "And they're moving like nothing I've ever seen."

"I know who it is.  That's GOTTA be Aurora." Agera said angling in towards them, "We're never gonna be able to catch them."

"Actually, I might be able to bring them to us." Janus said suddenly.  Agera raised an eyebrow at him.

"Are you sure?"

"Watch me."

The monsoon Janus drew up took time, so Agera and the others flew across the expanse to meet their strange powerful foes.

As they rapidly grew closer to their enemies, number fours tempest took form.  There was no rain, just wind, and suddenly, they were fighting against two hundred mile an hour gales that tossed them about like fallen leaves.  Agera, Venus, and Vienzo had all trained flying in these conditions, but Guin and Ronan had issues.  Guin could overcome the problem with her element, using it to shoot left and right. But the Void was caught up by the gale and forced to put some distance between him and the rest of the group.  Agera lost sight of him, but was still able to keep track of him with radar.

"Agera, you couldn't catch Aurora last time.  What makes you think anything is different?" Guin asked over a private channel.

"Because I now know what to expect." Agera said, and she flexed her element, closing with them now at supersonic speeds.  The sonic boom flew over her wings in slow motion, uncomfortably squeezing her joints, but otherwise, she was unaffected.

As Agera got closer, she saw that the other members of her squadron were of shadow drake descent.  All of them, Aurora included, had looks of shock on their faces.  Even in slow motion, Aurora was still far too fast for Agera, so she had one shot at this.  The spy tried to barrel roll and dive out of Agera's strike, but the golden dragonelle was ready for that.

Finally, her claws hit home, and Agera left three large marks in the high tech suit.  The jets on her opponent's back and beneath her wings died as bits flew off into the storm.  Aurora shrugged off the shattered remains of the armor and tried to flee, but now she was far to slow, and she wasn't used to flying in storms.  The wind tossed her about, and then, with a sudden jerk, her wings ripped back violently, and her left wing separated from her body, and she spiraled towards the ground with a shriek of terror and pain.  Agera dove after her and when she had caught up to Aurora's slow descent, found she had passed out.  She couldn't fly with Aurora, but she could glide nicely, so she caught the female under the forelegs and locked her wings, angling towards the convoy, and using her element to let her glide further than normal.  She went to ground a quarter mile from the convoy, which had stopped.

It was Kiesah who met her in the field.  Fortunately.  Had it been anyone else, they might have just slain the female on the spot.  As it was, she knew exactly what to do.

"Take this, and hold on tight." The medic said, handing her one end of a tourniquet.  Gingerly looping it around the fallen dragons bleeding stump.  Bracing herself she yanked hard.

"AAAAAAAAAHHH!" Aurora suddenly jumped up, biting at Kiesah's paw.  Agera jumped.

"Goddamned motherfucking piece of shitty cock biting whores!"

"You whimp." Kiesah tore back as she pulled her paw out of bite range, "Not even Venus swore that much."

"Damn, that stings!" She pulled at the strip of elastic, and Kiesah cracked her across the nose.

"Leave it.  That strip is currently keeping you from bleeding out.  Help me Agera." Kiesah grabbed the female under her arm, and Agera got under her wing.

"Why are you here, Aurora?" Agera asked quietly.

"Scouting and recon run. Avila is assembling a strike force."

"Then it's time we put our foots down and force this March." Kiesah said.

Description
Chapter 16

It took forever to get the camp broken down, and by the time the remnants of their army were ready to move, the planet was setting in the east.  A "sunset" in the east.

"This place is just backwards." Agera said as she watched the last little bit of the blue giant sink beneath the horizon, "Everything is upside down.  Instead of raining occasionally, it rains consistently.  And the planetoid rotates backwards from earth."

"Backwards and strange from your perspective." Ronan said smiling at her, "Earth was beautiful, but also crazy."

She smiled again, something that Ronan found changed Agera in startling ways.  When she smiled, she was almost radiant.  And for the first time today, she had truly laughed.  No giggles or rolled eyes or anything, just laughter.  It was harsh and untamed and wild, and so, so stunning when she laughed.

And she had been nice.  Albeit, she hadn't been gentle.  They had worked their tails off today.  Ronan had worked every muscle in his body, and his wings felt as if they were going to fall off, but Agera had been supportive of his new position in their military.  The others, for the most part, treated him with indifference, with the exception of Janus.  He had treated him like family, and told him his story. Venus and Vienzo had been friendly as well, but it was more cordial than genuine friendship.  Guin had been downright hostile at first, but got over it quickly, perhaps because Agera had threatened to "make her eat her tail spade again".

Kiesah had even stopped by and made sure Agera hadn't killed him.  Seeing that she was better than fine, she had pulled Ronan off to the side.

"She's different.  What happened between you two?" ,she asked quietly.  At that exact moment, Agera laughed loudly at Janus who was struggling to lift the portable latrine that had been affixed to the barracks, "What did you do?"

Ronan smiled, "I helped her.  I don't know how, but I wanted to.  She's been in a good mood all day."

Agera was in an even better mood that night.  After working to break camp and get on the move, they were ordered to fly night time patrols until the convoy reached the badlands.  So, naturally, on a couple hours sleep, they were roused by an aid, donned their armor, and took off into the shadows and pouring rain.  Ronan didn't mind, he was used to the weather, but the others seemed miserable.  Agera had them split into groups of two and fly in concentric rings, scanning the ground and sky.  He had paired with Agera herself, probably so she could keep on eye on him and his well being.

And she was in her element.  Orders were constant, as were the reports from the other two wings.  Individuals kept spotting odd shapes in the storm and investigating them.

"We should roll through the crystalline wastes!" Ronan called at her, "It's open and clean, easy to navigate.  Let the lead elements know. 234.7 degrees." Agera nodded and relayed the information.  Wind gusted up and rocked them, and they fought against the weather, Agera roaring a savage challenge at the clouds.

They passed through the midnight shift, a time jokingly referred to by the human soldiers as "Balls-30" because it took place around 0030.  Agera loved working at times like this.  Her eyes and ears gave her advantages far surpassing any unassisted human, and most void.  She could see farther and even faintly see heat sources.  Any vehicle in this weather glowed to her as a white hot blur on her vision, and she could even make out faint outlines of the humans on and inside the convoy, despite flying at 3,000 feet.  So when a vaguely draconian shape flew at them from out of the darkness, swiftly followed by five others, she knew something was wrong.

"Two, do we have any other scheduled squadrons tonight?" Agera asked over the radio.

"None, ma'am.  We're all alone." came the reply.

"You been keeping an eye on your sectors?  No unknowns have gotten past?"

"Of course ma'am.  No solid contacts."

"Well that's good, cause I'm looking at one right now.  Convoy, we have contacts, extreme short wave radar.  Confirm?"

"Hold, Omega lead." there was a short pause, "Confirm.  Do you have radio contact?"

"Unknown contact, state your identity and purpose for being here." the coms were silent, "No joy command."

"Then you are cleared to engage.  Happy hunting."

"Confirmed.  Two, three, six, with me.  Four, five, continue your CAP." five clicks acknowledged her, and Venus and Vienzo angled towards her.

"There's something strange about them." Ronan said, "If they were hostile, they would have flown in lower and faster."

"Lead, my element still works." Venus called over closed mikes, "Suggest caution."

"Dully noted.  Follow me in.  Six and three, stay back, cover us." Agera was in the middle of her bank over and dive when Ronan called out to them.

"Friendly!  They're friendly!  Wave off!" Agera only just veered away at the last second.  As she dove past the squadron, the leader reacted instinctively and bit at her, and she heard snapping jaws just miss her tail.  They all collectively pulled up and hovered mid-air. The two females pulled up and hovered across a twenty foot gap.

These WERE void, but Agera had never seen void like this.  It was an impressive feet that they hovered because they each wore a full set of body armor and carried supplies.  Each of them rippled with toned and honed muscles.  They were alert and focused, not the normal snarling gnashing mess most void were.  They even flapped their wings in unison, something that was difficult for dragons.  Ronan pulled up next to her and they all lowered their heads, exposing their necks.

"High King Ronan." The leader said reverently, "It is a great honor."

"What be your squadron name, commander?" Ronan asked sternly.

"Our squadron be Omega." Agera's eyes bulged, "Twenty-third squadron, forth battalion, second division.  My name is Katan."

"Why are you here, Omega lead?" Ronan asked.

"We were ordered by high commander Octavian to come and escort you to the badlands, or wherever you wish to go."

"Lord Octavian is as impulsive as he is stupid.  He nearly caused an interplanetary incident with that order.  You should not have come." Ronan said sternly.  The commander went to speak, but Ronan cut him off, "However, considering you followed your orders so well, and you were so vigilant on your way here, you are to be commended, Captain."

The void gave Ronan a savage grin, "Thank you, sir!"

"Now I suggest you apologize to your new allies for attacking them." and to Agera's absolute amazement, the void turned and bowed to her.

"Apologies to you and your squadron, miss..."

"My name is Agera, Katan, call sign Omega 1." now it was Katan's turn to have his eyes bulge, "Ronan is my number six, and my bondmate."

Katan looked at Ronan, "Sir?"

"Well bow, captain!  You should show her even more respect than you've shown me so far.  She controls all your destinies."

They gave her wide eyes and astounded looks, and then bowed so low she thought they might fall out of the sky.  Two rushed over and flew above her, sheltering her from the rain.  By now, Ronan was grinning from horn to horn.

"My Goddess!  What would you demand of your most humble servants?" Agera didn't know what to say.  She had never seen Avila treated like this by any void.

"Don't ever call me that again." She said quietly.

"I beg your eternal forgiveness my most exalted Queen, but my mortal horns could not hear you."

"Enough!" he went silent, "Enough with the groveling and titles!  And for fucks sake, look at me!"

He raised his eyes and looked at her, but still kept his head bowed and low.

"I'm NOT a goddess.  Don't ever call me that.  What did you just do, Ronan?!"

"By all rights, you control our entire nation.  They don't just see you as royalty.  They see you as divinity." Venus by now was laughing. Even Guin was grinning at her.  But Agera didn't see the funny side of it.

"What kind of orders will they take?"

"Any.  They'd take their own lives if you ordered them to." Ronan replied.  Agera turned to the commander.

"That's too easy." Agera said quietly.  Then she turned to the other soldiers, "Troops!  Has your commander been good to you?"

"Yes, my lady!" They answered instantly, in unison.

"Good, that's the way a commander should treat his soldiers.  Do you want a different commander?" Agera asked.

"No ma'am!" They answered in unison again.

"Good." She gave him a stern look and then quietly said to them, "Kill him."

The reaction was instantaneous.  Ronan's face transformed from a grin to a look of absolute horror.  Venus gave her a face that spelled disbelief.  But the soldiers dived and grabbed Katan by the legs and wings, and his second in command, likely his best friend, someone who would die for him, positioned his sharpened tail spade in the center of his chest.

"As my Goddess commands." He said quietly, and drew back his blade.

"Stop!" The dagger halted, quivering just a few inches from the commanders skin.  Agera was pale, "What the fuck are you doing?!?!"

"As our Goddess commands." The second said.

"And I thought my number four was crazy!  You lot are absolutely MENTAL.  Here is a male who has probably led you through thick and thin, war and death, stood by your side, given you the right orders and gotten you through times you thought you couldn't get out of, and you're about to kill him because some female you haven't known for five minutes tells you to!!" She screamed at them.  She sounded slightly hysterical.

"Our Goddess demanded us too!  Did you not wish it!?" One of the males holding Katan's leg said.

"Fuck what I wish or don't wish!  I could wish you all to kill yourselves, but it doesn't mean you should!  Ronan!" Ronan dropped four feet as she rounded on him.

"Don't look at me!  You gave them the order!"

"You mentioned it!  You knew this would happen you bastard!  Is this more of your fucking bullshit Bonding crap!?"

"You command me, so you command them as well!"

"Through you!  They aren't directly bonded to me, you ass!"

"It matters not!" Ronan was regaining his composure, "You bonded with me, the rightful king of all the void!  Did you not think that would affect all of them!  I told you because you needed to know!  Your problems now affect us all!"

"I didn't need them to actually kill their commander!"

"Yes you did!  And you needed them to treat you like this.  Agera, we are about to enter the biggest stronghold of free and bonded void on the run from an enemy of the state.  You needed to know what you'll face.  They're all going to treat you like this!  They will obey your every command, and each and every one will truly give their life to protect yours." He bowed his head, "Even as I would."

Agera felt like she was going to throw up.

"Lead?" Agera jumped at the voice in her ear.  It was Guin, "Command has been asking for you for the last five minutes."

"Fuck.  Patch them through."

"Krigsman!" It was the GM, "Why the devil did you block us out?"

"I'm sorry, sir.  Our friend Ronan has just been demonstrating that the bond we share extends to the entire Voidwing race."

Silence.

"Command?"

"That changes things.  I assume that because we still have twelve solid contacts, he told you because of the allied void who came to escort him?"

"Yeah, they're all bowing, calling me Goddess and asking for commandments."

"Well get your royal ass in gear and command them to land, Goddess."

"I...   yes, sir." She turned to the group of void, "Drop him."

"As my Goddess commands." Five voices returned, and they instantly let their commander go.

"Stop calling me Goddess.  As you all will soon discover, I am anything but divine.  Now follow us in."

The group as a whole dove down towards the convoy, landing with a splash in the mud and splattering them with grime, which is what always happened on this planet.  Two of the void rushed to wipe Agera off, but she pushed them away with her wings.  One void even rushed ahead of them as they ran up to the command truck.

"Make way for the Go-" he never got any further than that.  Agera tackled him and they plowed into the mud.  Even with all the muck on them, you could still see Agera blushing wildly.

"Shut up, you demon!" She hissed into his horn, "Are you trying to make my life a living hell?  Who taught you these things?  Ronan, you're nowhere near as bad as this, how come?  And if you say, 'It's the bonding, Imma punch you.'"

"It's the bonding." She frowned at him, "You need to not be embarrassed or ridiculed for how I treat you.  They have a bond to you, but it's not as strong."

"What I'd like to know is can it be broken?" a voice said from inside the command truck.  The burlap flap was thrown back as the GM addressed them, "Get your tails in here, it's disgusting out there."

The void Agera had tackled jumped up first and looked around the truck.

"Do you have a cushion for the Goddess?" He asked the human.  As the GM stared, Agera, despite the mud on her paw, face palmed anyways.

"The Goddess requires you stand guard while she is in council of war." Ronan said immediately.  They immediately took up positions around the truck, even the one who had gone in, and followed it in perfect escort.

"Sweet Ass-fucking mother of Jehoshaphat." The GM said as they climbed in, "You guys look like death warmed over."

He handed Agera a towel so she could wipe herself down, then turned to Ronan, "Are they all like that?"

"Some are a bit less zealous, but for the most part, yes.  Thanks to Avila, they teach learners to treat divinity as such.  Normally, whoever is bonded to our leader is considered divinity.  Avila was considered divine for a time.  She bonded to my father, but then he died, breaking the bond.  Even still most void follow her."

"They don't treat her like that though."

"That's because, even to her, it gets tiring after a while."

"I hate it full stop.  I can't believe they'd do that to their commander."

"I can't believe you did that!  You nearly gave me a heart attack!" He said turning to her.

"Don't be ridiculous.  I inflict death on my enemies, but I do not wish it on them.  And I certainly don't do either on my allies.  I'd have to be one mean motherfucker if I did.  Not even Avila is that bad."

"She can be sometimes." Ronan said quietly.

"This complicates things infinitely.  You're going to need to be very careful Krigsman.  Let me also suggest you get them to stop calling you Goddess."

"I'm going to have a good long talk with them, sir.  Tell them about myself, learn about them."

"OK.  First off, I understand you lot want to show respect.  But until recently, I would have killed you all on sight.  So stop calling me Goddess.  The is a direct command, and it stands for the rest of the void.  If you all MUST, you can call me Lady.  However, I would prefer Agera, considering that's my name.  You all are so obviously unmated, you need to learn a female enjoys hearing her name."

"Does our Lady wish us to take our lives?" The second said.

"What?!  No!  What is with you people?  I'm not your divine commander.  I get that through your king you are required to follow my orders as laid down by the bonding.  But just because I said something doesn't mean I commanded it.  I'll let you know if it's a command. Treat my words like those of a good friend.  Hell, treat them like Ronan's."

"That's not a bad idea.  Captain, you and your own are to treat Agera as if she were me.  Her words are mine.  She is not a Goddess, more like a commander in the field."

"Commander in field?"

"A bit like the Grand Marshall." Ronan answered her.

"Just ma'am then?" The commander said.

"JUST ma'am.  Now, let's start on a paw that isn't us covered in mud in the middle of a never ending monsoon.  My name is Agera Krigsman.  I hail from the Guardianship of Rusa, formerly known as the Soviet Union or Russia, formerly of Earth.  Now I have no home.  Now who are you?"

"My name is Katan, ma'am." Katan said, "I hail from the same province as our honorable King here, Versai.  And this is my brother, Scimi."

He threw a wing over his second.  Agera was startled.

"You would have killed your brother on my command?" Scimi looked at Ronan, almost as if he was asking permission to speak to her.

"Well?  Answer her!" He said sternly.

"I would be honored to follow any of my ladies commands, even if they bring myself grief." He said, bowing his head.  Agera grabbed the spike on his chin, and lifted his eyes to hers.

"Show me respect when we talk.  Look me in the eye.  I will never, ever give you a command that will cause you grief without a very good reason.  And even if I do, I will give you the choice of whether or not you wish to follow that order."

Scimi was quivering, though whether with fear or awe or excitement she didn't know until he jumped up.

"Forgive me, Goddess." And he dashed from the truck omega squadron was resting in.

"Please forgive him, m'lady.  You must understand, we have had to suffer under Avila for two and half decades in your time.  We have been taught to fear and follow our current 'Goddess'.  He's scared that your going to be the same way.  We all are."

"So why aren't you the same way then?"

"Because if you were like Avila, you would have let my brother kill me just so he could prove his loyalty."

After this entire incident, things mostly smoothed over.  Agera had to correct the squad a couple of times.  She once mentioned she was hungry, and five minutes later, a full feast had been laid out in front of her, something they had nicked from the chow wagon.  Agera had simply chastised them, told them she could take care of herself, and as punishment for stealing, had them fly her squadrons patrol that night.  That night though?  Her and the rest of her squad really did feast and sleep.

Even still, with full stomachs and a good night's rest, there was aggravation among Omega squads ranks.  Ronan was frustrated with Agera.

"I can't believe you pulled a stunt like that!" He said loudly to her as they walked to morning chow.

"I wanted to see what they would do!  I didn't actually intend..."

"Intended or not, you ordered his death!  Now some are going to think that he did something very wrong.  It might lead to dissension or outright insubordination!  You need to think before you give orders like that!"

"It's not as if I had time to think!  You put me on the spot Ronan.  I didn't know quite what to do!  Do you think I liked doing that?!  You make me sound like Avila." Agera retorted, stepping in front of him and stopping him.

"Of course you're not like Avila.  But you're going to need to learn to think under pressure.  The choices you make are going to affect millions."

Agera actually growled at him, "Do not patronize me, Voidwing.  I have slain hundreds of your kind.  I've fought the most powerful creature to exist for a thousand years.  I have conquered cities and countries, infiltrated and decimated impregnable fortresses.  I know how to think under pressure.  And don't you dare imply my honor is any worse off because of that order I gave.  I'm the one who leads a squadron here, not you."

"You lead a squadron, I lead a civilization."

"And I've saved two of them.  By the end of this war, no matter what I do, I'll have saved yours as well." And Agera turned about, smacking Ronan up-side the head with her tail spade, and stormed off towards the chow wagon.

The thing she hated was that Ronan was partially right.  Agera hadn't realized what kind of an impact that order would have.

Ronan on the other hand was rubbing his head, marveling at how all females, even ones from another planet, could be so similar.

Omega resumed their patrols that next night, the rain finally settling down to a light drizzle, lifting everyone's spirits.  They could even fly above the rain now in the cool night sky.  And for the first time ever, Agera saw the full starscape of this strange planet.

It took her breath away.

Here was something truly magnificent about this planet.  It was a far better view than the one they had on earth.  The sky was filled with vibrant colors, a double band of milky clouds encircling them.

"Where in the universe are we?" She asked aloud.

"Our researchers say it's a pair of warring colliding galaxies we're in the center of.  That's why we have no star.  Cosmic shock waves pushed us so far that we were thrown out of our solar system billions of years ago.  It's hard to make a life on a planet that has little light or warmth."

Agera went back to scanning the ground.  But just as quickly she turned back to Ronan.

"I was to hard on you, earlier this evening." She said quietly, "I shouldn't have smacked you.  Up until a few days ago, my only knowledge of Void was how to kill one quickly.  Now I find myself not only in an alliance with a couple million of them, but I also find myself in the unique position of leading them.  It's a lot to take in.  You gotta be patient with me."

"I WAS to hard on you.  First time working with Draken." He said, thumbing at himself.  Agera smiled at him, and despite his best attempts, Ronan's beating heart and rushing blood must have shown through in the silence.

"That's it lovebirds, kiss and make up, cause we got other things to take care of.  Like the six inbounds from the northeast." Agera, despite her sudden blush, turned and looked out over the cloud cover.  Sure enough, on the horizon, six white hot contrails were screaming towards them.

"They glow like fighter jets." Guin said, returning to the group, "And they're moving like nothing I've ever seen."

"I know who it is.  That's GOTTA be Aurora." Agera said angling in towards them, "We're never gonna be able to catch them."

"Actually, I might be able to bring them to us." Janus said suddenly.  Agera raised an eyebrow at him.

"Are you sure?"

"Watch me."

The monsoon Janus drew up took time, so Agera and the others flew across the expanse to meet their strange powerful foes.

As they rapidly grew closer to their enemies, number fours tempest took form.  There was no rain, just wind, and suddenly, they were fighting against two hundred mile an hour gales that tossed them about like fallen leaves.  Agera, Venus, and Vienzo had all trained flying in these conditions, but Guin and Ronan had issues.  Guin could overcome the problem with her element, using it to shoot left and right. But the Void was caught up by the gale and forced to put some distance between him and the rest of the group.  Agera lost sight of him, but was still able to keep track of him with radar.

"Agera, you couldn't catch Aurora last time.  What makes you think anything is different?" Guin asked over a private channel.

"Because I now know what to expect." Agera said, and she flexed her element, closing with them now at supersonic speeds.  The sonic boom flew over her wings in slow motion, uncomfortably squeezing her joints, but otherwise, she was unaffected.

As Agera got closer, she saw that the other members of her squadron were of shadow drake descent.  All of them, Aurora included, had looks of shock on their faces.  Even in slow motion, Aurora was still far too fast for Agera, so she had one shot at this.  The spy tried to barrel roll and dive out of Agera's strike, but the golden dragonelle was ready for that.

Finally, her claws hit home, and Agera left three large marks in the high tech suit.  The jets on her opponent's back and beneath her wings died as bits flew off into the storm.  Aurora shrugged off the shattered remains of the armor and tried to flee, but now she was far to slow, and she wasn't used to flying in storms.  The wind tossed her about, and then, with a sudden jerk, her wings ripped back violently, and her left wing separated from her body, and she spiraled towards the ground with a shriek of terror and pain.  Agera dove after her and when she had caught up to Aurora's slow descent, found she had passed out.  She couldn't fly with Aurora, but she could glide nicely, so she caught the female under the forelegs and locked her wings, angling towards the convoy, and using her element to let her glide further than normal.  She went to ground a quarter mile from the convoy, which had stopped.

It was Kiesah who met her in the field.  Fortunately.  Had it been anyone else, they might have just slain the female on the spot.  As it was, she knew exactly what to do.

"Take this, and hold on tight." The medic said, handing her one end of a tourniquet.  Gingerly looping it around the fallen dragons bleeding stump.  Bracing herself she yanked hard.

"AAAAAAAAAHHH!" Aurora suddenly jumped up, biting at Kiesah's paw.  Agera jumped.

"Goddamned motherfucking piece of shitty cock biting whores!"

"You whimp." Kiesah tore back as she pulled her paw out of bite range, "Not even Venus swore that much."

"Damn, that stings!" She pulled at the strip of elastic, and Kiesah cracked her across the nose.

"Leave it.  That strip is currently keeping you from bleeding out.  Help me Agera." Kiesah grabbed the female under her arm, and Agera got under her wing.

"Why are you here, Aurora?" Agera asked quietly.

"Scouting and recon run. Avila is assembling a strike force."

"Then it's time we put our foots down and force this March." Kiesah said.