by Eva Brandt
Epilogue
Selene
After all was said and done, returning to Tartarus Base felt strangely anticlimactic. By the time we arrived at the academy, everyone had found out about August’s injury, but had gotten over the shock. The news of Charybdis’s enduring dormant state was received with a mix of concern and secret satisfaction, but ultimately, we returned to our previous lives.
Even if he didn’t have a chimera of his own, August continued to train with us using the Scylla. Nobody seemed to find this odd.
Before long, the end of the semester arrived, and with it, my first exams. I passed them all with flying colors, as nothing the teachers threw at me could compare to what I’d been forced to face in the tournament.
The day the semester ended, General Rhodes came to visit the academy and summoned me for a meeting. It was the first time I’d seen him since I’d left Earth and I was surprised by his presence. “You wanted to talk to me, Sir?”
“Actually, yes. Since you’ve completed the tournament and your first term at the academy, it’s been deemed necessary for you to have an official rank in the Space Force. Congratulations. Starting today, you are Acting Pilot Selene Renard.”
I’d known I’d eventually get something like that and I couldn’t deny it felt nice to know I wouldn’t be called ‘Ms. Renard’ any longer. Still, I doubted he’d arranged this meeting just for that. I didn’t know how to ask him about it, so instead, I chose the proper, military response. “Thank you, Sir. I appreciate your assistance and support.”
“You deserve it, Acting Pilot Renard. Without your efforts, we might not have been able to salvage the Charybdis, which would’ve been a disaster.” He paused and shot me an inscrutable look. “That being said, I’ve received word that, while you were at Hyperion Base 35, you healed Flight Lieutenant Cavallero of a serious injury.”
“I didn’t really do much,” I replied. “It was assistance from Gaia.”
“That’s just it, Acting Pilot Renard. According to your mother, you’re not supposed to be able to use such gifts. I’m afraid you’re going to have to return to Earth and explore these new abilities. We wouldn’t want them to affect the workings of the chimeras.”
I couldn’t believe my ears. The help I’d given August had been insignificant at best. I certainly didn’t have a talent that could be used to influence mechas. How was it that my superiors managed to turn everything around, just so that they could send me away?
“Sir, with all due respect, I’m needed here,” I said. “With Charybdis gone, Sphinx is more important than ever.”
“I didn’t say you wouldn’t be a student at the academy, Acting Pilot Renard, just that you’ll have some extra lessons.” He narrowed his eyes at me, making no attempt to hide his disapproval. “If you want to be of use to your unit, you can’t rely on good fortune and gambles.”
My face flamed at his words. I wondered how much he’d guessed of the strategy I’d used during the tournament.
In any case, I didn’t have a choice. I was an official member of the Space Force now, which meant that I went where I was told to. If this was the decision of The Grand Judiciary, I had to obey.
“Of course, Sir. My apologies. I didn’t mean to sound ungrateful. It was just a little shocking.”
“That’s fine. Your reaction is understandable. We’re making a big exception in allowing this arrangement, so a degree of surprise is to be expected.”
I bit the inside of my cheek. The way he’d phrased that sentence made it sound like he was doing me a favor, but that couldn’t have been further from the truth. He was pushing me away, trying to get rid of me again. If I constantly had to travel between Earth and Tartarus Base, I’d fall even further behind in my studies at Chimera Academy. It would be much tougher to get some private time with my lovers. Before, I’d at least had the comfort of always sharing a room with them. If I had to take additional lessons on Earth, that would change.
Getting frustrated about it wouldn’t help me. I had to think about the bright side. I’d see my family, my friends, and learn a new skill that would undoubtedly help me in the long run. Even if things would be tougher in the near future, it was worth it for the sake of my plans. A healing skill could be invaluable for a soldier when on the front.
I took heart in that knowledge and nodded. “I look forward to every lesson, Sir. Once again, thank you for your guidance.”
General Rhodes didn’t seem completely satisfied with my words. “Acting Pilot Renard. Believe it or not, some of us do respect what you’re doing here. But I want you to keep something in mind. As dreadful as things in Tartarus Base might seem to you, they are this way for a reason.”
His reaction took me aback so much that for a few seconds, I didn’t know what to say. Then, his words processed and anger surged through me. I tried to come up with anything that could possibly justify the horrible treatment women received here, but I found it impossible. “With respect, Sir, that sounds like an excuse for not doing something to fix an unbearable situation. Maybe I’m not in a position to make a change. Maybe I won’t be, ever. But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to try.”
General Rhodes let out a deep sigh. “Fair enough. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
People had been warning me off ever since I’d come to the academy. This wasn’t anything new. Maybe he did mean well or maybe he didn’t, but at this point, I couldn’t be bothered to care.
When he dismissed me, I made my way back to the hangars. As expected, I found my lovers waiting for me there.
August had recovered from his injury, but he was still processing. He’d been shocked to learn that, for some reason, he’d witnessed the exchange between me and the apsid—from the apsid’s perspective. He was trying to figure out what had happened by getting some lessons on mental abilities from Sphinx.
Meanwhile, Cerberus and Brendan were feeding the remaining chimeras. We’d recently received a supply of fuels from Terra, and my lovers had started distributing it this morning, before I’d left for my meeting.
Pollux had been assigned Charybdis-duty. He was cleaning her parts, making sure she stayed in good condition for whenever her soul could return. Technically speaking, this was something the engineers could do as well. But we took pride in our connection with our chimeras and we wanted to handle every issue ourselves, if it was possible.
“Hey there, beautiful,” Knox greeted me. “How did it go with General Rhodes?”
“Okay, I guess. I’ve been promoted to Acting Pilot, but I still get the feeling they don’t want me here.”
“That’s not going to change overnight, Selene,” Pollux said. “But we have faith in you. You’ll prove to everyone that you’re more than worthy of being a tamer.”
The vote of confidence was nice, but I had to wonder if he really meant his words. Because of everything that had happened to August, we hadn’t gotten the chance to clear the air between us, to talk about their plans and true feelings for me.
My doubts and fears must’ve become obvious because Brendan passed the canister of feed to Knox and fully turned toward me. “Selene? Is something wrong?”
“Is that supposed to be a trick question? You know very few things have been going right lately.”
I didn’t mean to sound bitchy, but my answer still came out snappish and irritated. Brendan didn’t seem shocked. Then again, he very rarely was. “Yes, but I get the feeling something in particular is on your mind.”
“We all know what’s on her mind, Brendan,” August said, emerging from the cockpit of the Sphinx. “We can’t dance around the chimera in the room forever.”
An inappropriate chuckle escaped my lips at his phrasing. I knew what he meant, but it was still funny. “Oh, I don’t know. We have plenty of chimeras we can dance around.”
“If that’s what you’re into as foreplay, I’m all for it,” Brendan answered, just as straight-faced as before. My amusement died a quick death and I took a step back without even knowing
why.
“F-Foreplay?” I stammered. “Is that the direction we’re headed in?”
“That’s your decision,” Knox answered. “But if it helps, Selene, I’m tired of being afraid. Being judged, forcing myself into a particular role just because everyone else things I belong there… It’s all bullshit. I want to protect you, but if there’s anything this tournament has taught me, it’s that you’re far stronger than we ever realized. Besides, if I want to keep you safe from other possible dangers, the best way to do it is to stay together.”
“But you already knew that, sweetheart,” Pollux said, his voice a little softer. “I thought you said you weren’t angry with us. Have you changed your mind?”
“No, of course not,” I answered with a sigh. “I guess maybe… It’s me I’m angry with.”
“Oh, Selene.” Knox let out a slow breath. “Is this about what happened on Mercury, with that asshole? It wasn’t your fault. You realize that, right? He forced that kiss on you.”
Yes, he had, but I’d enjoyed it. Or had I? I distinctly remembered clinging to him. Had he been manipulating me the whole time or had I wanted to kiss him?
Dazed and confused, I sat down on the paw of my chimera. “I don’t know what to do.”
August jumped down from on top of the Sphinx and knelt next to me. “Do you want us to back off and never mention anything sexual again?” he asked. “We can do that too, if you’d rather.”
“No!” I cried, with more vehemence than I intended. “I… I just want us to get back to normal.”
Except we didn’t have a normal relationship, did we? We never had. We’d always lied to one another and had other priorities. If there were feelings between us, it wasn’t something I could properly identify. Or could I?
A small, serpentine body emerged from behind the Sphinx and curled around me. “Oh, for Tartarus’s sake,” Tiny Typhon said. “Stop being so hesitant. You’re broodmates. Accept it and move on.”
I’d completely forgotten Brendan had assigned him to watch over me. It had slipped my mind once we’d come back to the academy. Maybe it had slipped Brendan’s mind too. “Typhon, this isn’t necessary,” he said. “We can handle our own love lives. You don’t have to intervene.”
“I very much doubt that, hatchling,” the large version of Typhon replied as his smaller equivalent tightened his hold on me. “I’ve stayed out of it long enough. Now, will you claim your broodmate, or will I be forced to take more drastic steps? Don’t make me fuck her in your stead. I can do that too.”
“It’s true,” Cerberus pointed out. “He can. And I wouldn’t mind helping.”
“I can join in,” Scylla added happily.
They were probably bluffing, as I couldn’t imagine how any of them would be able to do something like that. Besides, they were mechanical beasts. They didn’t have a sexuality. Even so, Tiny Typhon still swept his tail over my body. He avoided my groin, but squeezed my breasts in an almost painful hold.
Before I could even process what was going on, August snatched him off me and threw him away. “Sorry about that, Selene. Chimeras can be weird sometimes.”
“Not weirder than you, hatchling,” Typhon replied with a huff.
“It’s fine,” I replied, still confused about what had just happened. “I’m sure Typhon didn’t mean any harm.”
Typhon’s numerous heads moved in an approving nod. “See, Brendan? She gets it, and she’s yours to take. That apsid on Mercury had the right idea. What’s the point in waiting when she’s right there, willing?”
There was something in that sentence that should’ve bugged me. I couldn’t put my finger on it, though, and I ended up forgetting all about it when Brendan and the others made a decision. “It’s true, isn’t it?” Knox asked. “You really do want us. Then why bother to lie and pretend?”
His eyes burned like fiery coals and I suddenly felt as if I was facing a very dangerous predator. I froze, unable to move a muscle or even speak.
August took me in his arms and picked me up. “Scared, lovely? Don’t be. You should never be afraid of us.”
I would’ve believed him more if my uniform hadn’t lit up like a damaged drone when he put his hand on me. Tachyon overload, my mind whispered. Danger. Danger. Run.
It was too late. Brendan was already there, next to us. He tore the back-link off my uniform and crushed it in his fist. “Sometimes, I hate tachyon-resilient tech. It can be such a pest.” When he smiled, the curve of his lips held a dark promise. “We wouldn’t want to be interrupted, right, princess?”
The nickname snapped me out of my trance and I managed to stammer a response. “N-No, of course not. But… Here?”
It was an incoherent reply, but they got the message. “You’re right,” Pollux said. “It’s not safe to do something like that in the hangars, where everyone can walk in on us.”
Pollux had always been warm and protective of me, for reasons he’d never explained, but something about his demeanor had shifted. I remembered the grief, guilt, fear, and loss I’d felt the last time we’d been together and threw all caution out the window.
“I have an idea, if you’re open to suggestions.”
They all agreed and were even more enthusiastic when I explained what I had in mind.
“You’re kinkier than we gave you credit for, little Terran,” Knox offered. “That sounds like a great plan.”
“I’m just using every method I have at my disposal to achieve my goal,” I defended myself.
“Which is getting fucked.” August smiled crookedly. “Face it, Selene. You’re just as lost in this as we are.”
I didn’t bother denying it. Instead, I guided them into the decontamination showers adjoining the hangars.
When I’d first come to Chimera Academy, I’d showered here a lot out of fear of having to face my dorm mates. It was still something we did after practice, although it had never become sexual in the past. When we were piloting or paying attention to schoolwork, we tried to focus on that.
But since term had ended and a lot of people had already left, no one was using the showers at the chimera hangars anymore. The other units had separate bathing facilities, plus the ones in the dorms, which were far more popular. They wouldn’t think to come here. If someone did approach, our chimeras would notice and let us know.
It should’ve been simple. Honestly, the moment the door slid closed behind us, I intended to take off my uniform and spread my legs for them. They wouldn’t judge me for wanting them, because they wanted me too.
There was just one problem. When I reached for the bindings of my uniform, my hands refused to find the mechanism. I looked at my lovers, feeling strangely woozy.
My nerves didn’t go unnoticed. Brendan’s harsh expression softened. He stalked up to me and cupped my cheek with a cool, but gentle palm. “Hey. It’s fine. It’s still us, remember?”
“Yes, of course. I remember. I’m just… I’m nervous. I’m not sure why.”
We’d done this before, at a time when our relationship had been far worse, a dishonest mockery of what I wanted it to be. I’d given them my virginity and I didn’t regret it, not for a second. I believed, like Knox did, that there was no point in hiding behind masks and deceit. And I’d always hoped I could be what they all needed, that I could mend the pieces of their broken souls with my own.
“We’re nervous too,” Brendan said. “Opening yourself up to pain is always scary and we weren’t prepared for what you brought in our lives.”
“But we’re not going to hide, not anymore,” Pollux added. “It’s time for us to start over and keep all our promises.”
August shot me a brief smile, and it reminded me of the time he’d told me I looked like the Sun. “We’ve made our decision and you’ve made yours.”
“You belong to us,” Knox concluded.
It was that simple. There was no need for nerves, because those four words made everything clear. When Knox walked up to me and pressed his lips to mine, I kissed him bac
k. Our lip-lock was excruciatingly gentle. It was unlike Knox, who had a naturally savage nature. And yet, it didn’t feel wrong or twisted. In a way, it wasn’t sexual at all, just a reminder that he was there.
That profound knowledge hypnotized me and dragged me off into a world where only the four of us existed. I melted against him, and for the first time, I dared to acknowledge the hole in my chest, the strange emptiness I’d tried to ignore for so long.
“You don’t have to be in pain any longer,” a voice whispered at the back of my mind. “You can have everything you want. Just reach out and take it.”
I reached out and my lovers did the same. As Knox continued to kiss me, Brendan, Pollux, and August started to take my uniform off. I felt their hands on me and a part of me wanted to help out, to encourage them. But I didn’t have enough coordination, and they were moving too quickly for me to be able to join in.
Knox broke our kiss and nibbled on my neck, making me let out a moan of delight. “It’s all right, Selene,” he whispered. “Just let go. Just be ours.”
Surrender didn’t come naturally to me, but at that moment, it seemed like the most natural thing in the world. I was theirs to claim, to fuck, to possess and to protect, and I didn’t want to fight it anymore.
Our clothes ended up in a pile on the cold, metal floor and he set me down in the small nest. As he spread my legs, our eyes met and the intensity in his gaze made me shudder. He kissed my knee and smirked darkly. “Cold? Don’t worry. We’ll heat you right up.”
Following his cue, August lowered his head to my breast and started sucking on my right nipple. I cried out as he bit down on one of the peaked nubs, hot arousal already surging through me. Brendan took advantage of the opening I’d given him. Grabbing my hair, he turned me around and shoved his cock into my mouth.
The motion was so sudden it brought tears to my eyes. I wasn’t very experienced at this sort of thing and he was pretty well-endowed. But Knox’s earlier words were still ringing in my head. “Be ours,” he had said, and I wanted that. I truly wanted us to be one in every possible way.
