The Mirror: Vestia

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Asher nodded. "I'll be careful. Stay safe, and don't let anyone be too stupid." He'd head for the bridge.

--a little later--

At some point Kay would find out about what had happened.
He stormed off to find his brothers.

They were still drinking, both of them a little more merry with alchohol in their systems as Kay burst in with a look of abject fury on his face.

"Uh oh." Esk remarked.

"Hey little bro." Matt started.

Kay marched over and slapped Matt across the face.

"HEY!" Matt protested.

Kay whirled to face Esk. You'd get one too if I wasn't afraid to touch you!

Esk stared at Kay impassively. "So... gotta assume someone told you about what happened yeah?"

Matt rubbed his jaw.

What the hell were you two thinking?! Kay glared at them both. Conspiracy, regicide? You've just made yourselves heretics and traitors!

"It was the only way Kay! the greater good..." Matt didn't get a chance to finish.

Don't YOU DARE talk to me about the greater damn good Mattias! Kay's face flushed with fury.

Matt gulped.

"Calm down Kay." Esk sounded bored.

Don't you tell me what to do

"If.. if we could have found another way we would have" Matt was defensive. "It's not like we wanted to hurt someone!"

How could you? He was contained, he wasn't a threat!

"Yeah... he was. " Matt continued.

And YOU, I thought you were better than this Stellan. You've just murdered someone in cold blood and the pair of you are sitting here DRINKING!?

"Why the hell do you THINK we're drinking!" Matt frowned.

Esk looked faintly irritated. He sipped from his bottle. "Matt's right, there was no other option. Despite what you might think about me Kaylr, I don't just wander around murdering people with no reason. I'm not a monster. "

He was your brother!

"No he wasn't. He was a lunatic dictator and an imposter. That was NOT our brother Kay. " Esk shrugged.

I don't think I even recognize the two of you any more.

"If it makes you feel any better, I hesitated." Esk told him cooly. "And he didn't suffer."

Not that doesn't make it better! You killed a defenseless man and YOU he looked at Matt. You ordered the execution!

Matt nodded grimly. "For the greater good Kay. We likely saved millions of lives. One live for millions? That's a trade i'll make any day."

Kay's eyes narrowed.

Esk nodded and swigged more from the bottle. "This self righteous fury isn't helpful Kaylr."

Kay reached forward and wrenched the bottle out of Esk's hands. You know what I think about you and your greater good? He threw the bottle forcefully against a wall, shattering it with a satisfying crash.
You both disgust me! He stormed out again.

"Yeesh." Esk remarked. "talk about an overreaction."

Matt pulled another bottle out of nowhere and handed it to Esk. "He'll come around..."

Esk shrugged. "Not our problem."

Matt sighed and rubbed his temples. "We... we did the right thing right?"

Esk shrugged. "No idea. But can't change it now."

"yeah... what's done is done... " Matt looked miserable.

Esk snorted. "You didn't do anything Matt." He looked serious. "If anyone tries to guilt you on this, remember, you don't control me. Just because you say I should do something doesn't mean I will. I pulled the trigger, not you."

Matt nodded slowly. "Yeah.. I.. I know.. " He finished his bottle.

--

Meanwhile, Kay stormed off to find somewhere quiet to sit and collect his thoughts. Why WAS he so angry? Matt was right of course, the greater good was more important than the life of a single person, so why was Kay so sickened by it all? Why was he so mad at his brothers for this?
It was the same argument wasn't it? The greater good, always the damn greater good, turning the people he loved into soulless monsters.

Damn this place. It was easier to blame this universe wasn't it?

He curled up and buried his head in his hands. What if Asher was right and he couldn't save him? He'd never been able to stop Matt from doing horrible things, why would it be any different with Asher?
He felt so utterly helpless and hopeless.

Who the hell were these people around him now? Wanting to torture sentient beings into submission, ordering executions, killing people who couldn't defend themselves. Who the hell were these people?

Ellie went looking for Shane, bean plants twining all over her body.

~~
Ethan had stayed well back for the duration of Luka and Mourn's fight, not wanting to be called on to take part. It was fun to watch them beat each other up though.

Prime Shane was in a lounge room, playing solitaire with a deck of cards as he thought about what had happened and what that could mean about them

Ellie found Shane and went to sit down near him. "Hey cutie, what's up?"

Shane looked up to her and smiled then reached over to touch a leaf on one of the plants "Looks like you are learning a lot about your magic now"

~~~
Dawn was wandering the ship when she found Kay's hiding place. She paused in the doorway then came closer to him "Are you alright?"

Ellie nodded, looking pleased. "One of the best things about coming to this nasty universe was that Starr got me magic texts to study! Now I'm actually able to do cool stuff with plants. How are you doing?"

Now pretty damn exhausted, Luka wiped the sweat from her brow and Mourn sat on the floor panting.

"Better pilot lady, better." He nodded.

Luka laughed and dabbed a towel at her bleeding cheek. "You're a crazy little guy you know that?"

"Yes!" Mourn grinned at her and rubbed his sore shoulder. Too much physical exertion put a lot of strain on his prosthetics.
He glanced to Ethan. "you know how sword fight robot?" He asked.

"Oh man, you don't wanna take on an android. Esk punched James once and broke his hand. Looked pretty damn painful." Luka remarked.

----

Kay looked up at the voice, frowning a little and shrugging.

"I'm fine" Shane said and looked back to his cards. He wasn't fine, but he couldn't put into words what was wrong this time. "Just can't wait to get back home I guess."

~~
Dawn knelt down close to Kay and looked at him then smiled softly "Sitting curled up in the dark isn't a good thing, you can talk to me if you want' She offered gently then touched her temple "I don't mind"

Ethan flinched at Mourn's question, not able to meet his eyes. He's not Kaylr, he's not Kaylr, he's not Kaylr, he reminded himself, Stop panicking, you moron. "A little bit," he said weakly.

~~
"Aww, it's been pretty tough out here," Ellie said, moving closer to pet Shane's hair. "We'll be home soon, don't worry."

Kay stared at her, he barely knew this girl. He tensed a little.
It isn't that dark. He told her, forcing a weak smile.

--

Mourn tilted his head at Ethan. "Good" He remarked. "You remember too. Punch, kick, bite! You heavy, stomp of feet if get chance. " He cackled.

Luka made a face. "Brutal."

Shane smiled at the petting, tilting his head a little to let her do so. "I know, but at what cost? We just assassinated a king and put his child in power with an unknown woman as regent. I know she seems nice, but we don't really know her"

~~~
Dawn chuckled and glanced around "True, I guess." She said then looked back to him again "I will leave if you want me to, I was just exploring since I was bored."

Ethan nodded. It was sensible advice. He breathed a sigh of relief that Mourn didn't seem to want to fight him. He knew it was dumb, but he kept being surprised when bad things kept not happening to him.
He looked at Luka, "So the Imperium teach sword combat where you're from?" he asked.

~~
"Wait WHAT?" Ellie stared at him. "I missed an ASSASSINATION?" Well THAT was new. Holy crap, her friends were weird.

Shane blinked and looked to her then nodded "Yeah, Esk's brother Web from this realm. He was crazy and wanted to kill our Matt, so we ended up killing him." He explained with a frown.

Kay shook his head and indicated she sit down. It's fine, you're right, not moping is ultimately better for my mental health right? He huffed. Are you aware of what my brothers have done?

---

Luka smiled softly and nodded. "Yes, it's part of basic military training. Sometimes you're in an environment where guns aren't ideal, so we all have swords as well. I haven't really used one in years, I was a fleet pilot, not a soldier."

Mourn nodded. "All training, no real world practice" He grinned.

"How'd you learn to fight?" Luka asked him.

Mourn shrugged. "Pirate, smuggler. Had to fight, or you get captured or killed. "

"I can't imagine you as a pirate." Luka remarked.

Mourn frowned. "Why no?"

"You're way too fluffy and adorable." Luka laughed.

Mourn made a face.

"Um, wow. Cool, I guess?" Ellie shook her head. "Matt's still alive, right?"

~~
"Can't judge people by their appearance," Ethan said, eyeing Mourn. "My duplicate is a terrifying person despite his nonthreatening persona." He looked back at Luka, "Guns are better anyway. Much less collateral damage." A bit of recoil from a large gun hurt way less than getting smacked by a sword, okay?

Dawn took a seat and shook her head "No, I know there was some ruckus, but not really what it was."

~~~
"Yeah, apparently both are still alive since this Web said Matt sent for him and gave this ship as a place to meet or something." Shane said with a frown. What else would mirror Matt do as he recovered?

"Darn, that other Matt was a dick," Ellie said. "It'll be okay, we'll fight his attacks off until we can get back to our universe, don't worry." She grew her bean plants to twine around Shane's shoulders in a sort of plant hug.

Shane frowned but nodded "Yeah, I know we will, but what about those we have to leave here? This is all a crazy mess." He said quietly and leaned closer to her then chuckled a little "James thinks I'm some kind of jerk or something because I was telling the new regent lady that we had some people that could heal her scars at least a little before she leaves."

Luka nodded. "unless you're near something explosive or whatever. I think it's a holdover from when ship's hulls weren't bulletproof, explosive decompression isn't pretty. " She shrugged. "Still, it's a useful skill to have in case you run out of bullets or energy coils for the plasma rifles."

Mourn grinned at Ethan. "Element of surprise yes? People underestimate, then you shoot." He liked that thought. Yessss.

---

Kay closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Where to start? Matt's duplicate escaped, and then his twin brother showed up looking for him. Apparently in this universe he's not... entirely stable. He was captured, he was taken into custody and my brothers decided the best thing to do was kill him. Kay shook his head, he still looked angry and upset. They argue it's for the greater good. Our eldest brother is... for want of a better term, a king, not to mention a religious leader. I don't know the full details of who he was or what sort of leader he might have been in this universe, but Matt coldly ordered his execution and Esk dutifully carried it out. Esk claims he was a dictator, but really what evidence do they have of this? the word of a slaver who fled custody and probably sent his brother here in the first place? Kay shook his head. I don't really know what to think about it all. I know they've both done horrible things over the years but .. .this feels so much more cold and calculated than usual. He shuddered.

"They'll be fine, we've made it through the crazy mess in our universe, after all," Ellie told Shane. "James is so weird. Robots are weird. Don't worry about what he thinks of you."

~~
"Hulls that aren't bulletproof. What a great idea," Ethan said dryly. He grinned at Mourn, "Good point. There are worse things than being underestimated, I guess."

"right? That was a long time ago." Luka shrugged.

Mourn puffed out his chest, still sitting on the floor. "Sharp claws under all the fluff!" He declared.

Luka burst into laughter. "You got that right." She ran her fingers across the cuts on her face.

Dawn frowned as she listened to him. That didn't make much sense based on what she knew "There has to be more to that, even with what little I know of Esk and Matt, they don't seem the type to kill without reason. Esk can be a jerk at times, but he isn't an assassin."

~~~
Shane sighed then gave her a smile "I guess so, but he is our friend, so I do care what he thinks of me, especially since I am still trying to figure out how to have normal friendships."

Kay shrugged. The greater good right? it's always the greater good. He shook his head. Matt is... capable of some pretty awful things. I've witnessed him kill people in cold blood before but at least those times he was provoked and they weren't already caged. Esk? I just don't know. I honestly barely know him and all I thought I knew.. i'm questioning. Iknow they had a reason, i'm just not sure I can stomach the fact they were quite so willing and able to do it.

Ethan looked amused. Mourn's bizarre antics were oddly endearing sometimes, and it was hard to stay scared of him for long.
He looked at Luka as she touched her cuts, "You should probably find some rubbing alcohol for those."

~~
"Aww, that's so sweet," Ellie said, patting Shane's hair. "You gotta not worry too much, but I guess you can worry a bit. Seriously though, James is a robot. He's had a weird life and he thinks weird thoughts." She nodded sagely.

Dawn frowned but nodded a little "I guess so." She said softly, looking down at the floor then back up to him again "We have all had to do things we don't agree with to survive up to this point. I know I have." She said then looked down again. "I am not proud of that but I would do it again if I had to."

~~~
Shane smiled a little and turned to hug Ellie "I am glad you are my friend."

"Wait, I thought we were dating," Ellie said, hugging him tightly and directing her bean plants to move out of the way with some effort. She was smiling though.

Luka nodded. "You're probably right. I'll go find James." She stood up and went to do that.

Mourn grinned and waved. "Bye Pilot lady!" He got to his feet with a grunt of effort, still rubbing his right shoulder. "oh!" Mourn seemed struck with something. "I gave girl robot program to fix 8s. Should talk to starr about it, see if let me install it on all. Then they can be like 6 and 7s!" He looked pleased. "That be good yes?"

---

Kay's frown deepened. that's just it though isn't it? Doing something to survive is one thing, but if you have to become a monster to help the many, is that worth it? And what if they were wrong? What if they've just made things worse? We shouldn't be meddling in politics, we certainly shouldn't be killing kings. And what sort of person can order the execution of their brother? What sort of person can actually carry out that order and kill their brother? Could you hurt your uncles double?