Soldier Girls

It had been five years, but Del Rev was finally back on the Rogue.

He stood there on the bridge, as he had once done before. As many had done before him in turn, from the crew of the ship when it had been called the Imperator, to the Ancients, to races even older than humanity's ancestors. In peace and war, from the Dark Times to the present, the Rogue had supposedly been here. Right now however, it was a time of war. It had been a time of war when he'd fallen under the control of the Imperium, and five years on, that remained the case. The Zero Rebellion continued. The war continued. The bloodshed continued.

He took a sip from his coffee, savouring the taste - least that hadn't changed. Course, coffee hadn't changed in millennia, but still, experience had taught him just how much could change in a matter of moments. For all he knew, some disaster could strike the galaxy today and wipe out all coffee from existence. He'd seen stranger things in this universe.

"Hello Del."

Others changed over time he reflected.

"Didn't think you were cleared to be out of bed."

People like Gem Coll.

"I'm fine."

"Yeah, that's what a lot of patients say. Doesn't mean it's true."

In more ways than one.

"I'm fine," he said, turning towards her. "Really."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure of it," she said. "But quite a lot of people still aren't sure so…" She nodded towards the bridge's exit. "Bed. Now."

He smiled and folded his arms. "You turned into quite the mother hen didn't you?"

"I turned into one because I had to," she said, folding her arms as well, but also frowning. "With you gone…well, who else was going to do it?"

Del didn't say anything. He just looked at Gem.

She had changed, he reflected. Her voice had changed. She'd gotten taller. She'd grown her hair back. Her armour had adjusted itself to account for her increased body size. But those were only the surface changes. The way she carried herself, the way she looked at him, the way she…held back, he supposed. The Gem Coll he remembered had been a child. A child he and Bowi had raised, and at the end of the day, still a child on the Rogue all those years ago. The type of child that could duke it out with Imperium troopers one day, and play a game of "catch Del's hat" the next. Looking at the girl before him now, nineteen years old and counting…he couldn't imagine her doing any of that anymore.

He turned his gaze to the void of space beyond. A space that was empty apart from the planet below – Cocheny, if he recalled correctly. One of thousands of Imperium worlds, one of hundreds that had broken away from Vykar's 'benevolent' rule.

You thought it pretty benevolent up until recently.

He tried to suppress the thoughts. Though as Gem walked up to him, that became harder and harder. Guilt was more pronounced when you were in the company of those you'd betrayed.

"Y'know I can't leave you here unsupervised," she said.

"I'm fine Gem."

"I know you're fine, and you know you're fine. Problem is, there's a lot of people on this ship that are dubious of you being fine."

He frowned – he knew he was in no position to give Gem a lecture on morality, but in the knowledge of who these "other people" were…he couldn't shake the knowledge out of his head.

"Besides," Gem said. "We'll also need to, um, interrogate you."

The cup he was holding stopped before his lips. "Interrogate me?"

She gave him a playful shove but he could tell it was forced. "Not like that silly."

"Then like what?"

"Just, like, try and get you to remember some of your time with the Imperium. See if there's anything that might help us."

"Oh." He took another sip, turning his gaze back to the emptiness of space. "Sorry. Don't remember anything."

Liar.

"Yeah, I get that. But if there's anything that can help us…"

"I'll let you know." He forced a smile.

When are you going to tell her the truth?

She smiled back.

Well?

He'd answer that question later. Later, as in, the later where he'd reveal the truth that he remembered everything. It wasn't that the Bioweave controlled him, it was that it rather got him to…see things differently. He was aware of the excesses of the Imperium. Of the excesses of Vykar. Difference was, with the Bioweave, he saw it as all for the greater good. He saw things clearly, as he had put it. But then, Gem had managed to capture him. Guardian had managed to "deprogram" him. And now…

"Y'know I didn't ask," Del said, in a bid to change the conversation. "Where's Zero and Tag?"

"Zero's off on Joreal."

"And Tag?"

"Tag?" Gem asked, glaring. "Tag's off with Mika Tarrant."

"And who's Mika?"

"Mika?" She laughed bitterly. "Mika's a little tartlet that Tag encountered on the crucible moon who…" She cleared her throat. "Who happens to effectively be fourth in command right now. Which is why she's stirring up a resistance on Aventura." She paused. "With Tag."

"Oh. Right."

"Like, really stirring," Gem said. "Or pumping. Or, heck, whatever."

He sighed, not sure whether to offer condolences that Gem's luck hadn't gone the way she wanted, or to bring up the issue he'd had ever since he'd woken up on the Rogue. After seeing the children running the place.

"Gem-"

"I know Del, I get it. You didn't want me to be a soldier, and now you come back into the fold with kids running the show."

As it turned out, Gem had chosen the topic for him. "Gem, I haven't said-"

"No Del, you haven't, but I can see it," Gem sighed. "And look, I don't blame you. Probably got a lot on your mind, last thing you wanted was to see me back here in a war."

"You could say that."

"Yeah, well, hard as that might be, I think we can both agree that the alternative would be much harder."

Maybe, he reflected, thinking of the clarity the Bioweave had given him. Maybe.

"Well, anyway, I'm not a kid. The kids we picked up on the first crucible moon? They're not kids anymore." She sighed. "Course the crucible moons are easy pickings, which is why there's so many kids on this ship, but, hey, gotta grow a rebellion somehow right? I mean, look at me." She frowned. "Look at Tag."

"Can't really look at Tag right now Gem."

"Don't worry. He isn't much to look at."

A lie, Del noted. But he let it slide. He'd lied to Gem already. He could hardly complain about a white one.

"Anyway," Gem said. "I better get you back to sickbay before the people on this ship start complaining of nepotism." She gestured towards the bridge's exit. "Come on."

Del followed. Keeping his silence.

Keeping his secrets.

A/N

So, for those who've seen Prisoner Zero, anyone find it ironic that mere episodes after Del leaves the ship after accusing Zero of turning Gem and Tag into child soldiers, the Rogue basically gets its own contingent of child soldiers who are ready and willing to engage in outright rebellion?

...well, it's probably a moot point anyway, but anyway, drabbled this up.