So'lek x fem!avatar driver reader inspired by Tsumuke written by @lvlypinkesworld
Part 26 > Part 27 < Part 28
So'lek stood behind (Y/n), one hand gently adjusting her shoulders while the other steadied the bow in her grasp.
(Y/n) hooked her fingers around the string and pulled. Nothing. Her face scrunched. The string shifted perhaps the width of a finger before refusing to move any farther.
She strained harder. The muscles in her arms trembled. The bow remained entirely unmovable.
After several long seconds she let the string slip forward with a defeated sigh. "I cannot do it."
So'lek took the bow from her hands before she could try again. "I should have expected this."
She rubbed her sore fingers. "I thought I was stronger than that."
"You are." He looked down at the bow. "This is a warrior's bow."
He glanced back at her. "It was made for someone considerably larger than you."
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "I shall make one for you."
She looked up. "You will?"
He nodded. "One suited to your size."
She tilted her head. "Must I even know how to use a bow? I will never hunt."
"What if you need to hunt, (Y/n)?"
She pulled a face. "I would feel too bad. I shall simply become a vegetarian if that ever arose."
That earned a quiet chuckle from him. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "It is not only for hunting. It is for defence."
His expression grew more serious. "It would ease my mind knowing you could protect yourself until I arrived."
(Y/n) looked back down at her arms before lifting one dramatically. "With these scrawny arms?" She sighed. "I can barely draw the string back."
He gently took her wrist, turning her arm over in his hand.
His thumb brushed lightly across the lean muscles there.
"It is my bow— a warrior's bow. I should have known you would not be able to draw it."
He looked into her eyes before she could begin blaming herself. "But do not take it to heart. There is no shame in it." His fingers intertwined with hers. And while I am here..." His voice softened. "You will never need to hunt."
He reached over and brushed a loose braid back behind her ear.
"That is enough for today."
"Already? I have barely learned anything."
"You have. You have learned this bow is too large."
She laughed. "I suppose I have."
"And." He rested a careful hand against the bandage beneath her clothing. "...your wound has barely healed. I will not have you reopening it trying to impress me."
"I was not trying to impress you,” she huffed, facing away from him so he couldn’t the blush that gave away her lie.
He slipped an arm beneath her knees before she could protest.
She squeaked in surprise as he lifted her effortlessly into his arms. "You know I can walk."
"Because I wish to carry my mate."
She smiled and rested her head beneath his chin. "I am beginning to think you simply enjoy carrying me everywhere."
He carried her beneath one of the broad pink-leaved trees where cool shade danced across the moss.
Settling himself against the great trunk, he eased her into his lap with practiced care, making certain her healing side rested comfortably.
One of his arms wrapped securely around her waist while the other rested lightly over her stomach.
Neither of them spoke for a while.
The breeze stirred the branches overhead, sending pink leaves drifting lazily around them.
(Y/n) watched one spiral gently to the ground.
"This.." She smiled sleepily. "is much nicer than practising."
He hummed in quiet agreement. "I thought you might say that."
She nestled a little closer. "I still think you worry too much."
"I have never denied it."
She laughed softly. "I love you."
He rested his cheek against the top of her head.
"I know that too. And worrying about you is considerably easier than living without you."
Her smile faded into something softer. She reached for his hand, threading their fingers together before closing her eyes.
He sat quietly with her in his arms, listening to the slow, steady rhythm of her breathing. His entire world had narrowed to one single person. His arms tightened almost unconsciously around her as he leaned into her hair, breathing in her familiar scent. Moss. Medicinal herbs. Fresh water. And something that was simply... her.
He closed his eyes and nuzzled gently against her hair before pressing a lingering kiss there. His sweet mate.
His thoughts drifted unwillingly back to Alma. To every poisonous lie she had spread. To the way Teylan had believed them without question.
He held (Y/n) a little closer. If she ever heard those words... It would break her heart.
She had spent so much of her life believing she was not enough. He had spent every day since they became mates trying to show her the opposite. He wanted his woman to know nothing except happiness. Nothing except safety. Nothing except being loved.
And since the day they had become one...
She had smiled more. Laughed more. Rested. She leaned on him without apology. She accepted his affection. Let him care for her. Let him love her.
The thought warmed his heart even as Alma lingered like a shadow.
He buried his face gently into the crook of her neck and simply held her.
He remembered her as she had been before. Always exhausted, working. Eyes ringed with tiredness from days and nights spent tending injured animals.
She rarely stopped long enough to eat. Forgot to sleep unless someone reminded her. Never believed she deserved kindness.
If someone thanked her, she insisted she had done nothing special. If someone praised her work, she found reasons they were mistaken.
If someone worried about her...She smiled politely and carried on until she nearly collapsed.
She had never looked after herself.
The woman in his arms hardly resembled the lonely healer he had first met.
She smiled as freely as the wind and brightly at the sun. She laughed often enough that he sometimes found himself smiling simply because she was. She reached for his hand without thinking. Curled into his arms whenever she was tired. She no longer carried every burden alone. She allowed him to carry some of them with her.
She had become more confident. More peaceful. More herself.
He brushed his nose lightly against her neck. "You have no idea how proud I am of you," he whispered so quietly the breeze almost stole the words away.
She stirred faintly in her sleep, nestling a little closer without waking.
A tiny smile found his lips. His family.
The words still felt almost impossible.
For so many years, that word had meant ghosts. Now it meant the woman sleeping in his arms. The tiny life growing beneath his hand.
He rested his palm gently over her stomach.
He had once believed he would die as the last of the Trr'ong.
Instead, Eywa had given him a mate whose heart was kinder than anyone he had ever known and soon, a child.
He closed his eyes once more.
Whatever storms lay ahead. Whatever lies Alma chose to spread. None of it would reach her if he had anything to say about it.
She was his family. And he was hers.
Nothing...Would ever change that.
A sharp buzz broke the quiet. So'lek's ears twitched. The small earpiece tucked neatly against his ear crackled to life. Careful not to disturb (Y/n), he tapped it lightly to answer.
Alma. Her voice came through clearly. "So'lek. The Zeswa have requested the Resistance's aid in taking down one of Harding's bases."
"Priya will send you the coordinates. We are meeting at a Zeswa camp overlooking the base."
The connection went silent.
(Y/n) had already noticed the change in him. "So'lek?"
He looked down at her. "The Zeswa have requested the Resistance's aid."
She nodded immediately. "Then you'd better get your weapons."
He helped her to her feet before they walked together into the cavern.
She reached automatically for the familiar metal vest resting on its stand. "I'll help you get—"
His hand gently caught her wrist. "Wait."
"I would like you to help paint my war paint."
Her expression softened instantly. "...Of course."
He gathered the small pots of paint before lowering himself onto one of the woven mats.
She settled in front of him.
"So..."She dipped her fingers in one of the bowls. "What would you like me to paint?"
He met her eyes. "Whatever you would like."
She smirked. "That is a dangerous amount of trust. I could make you look ridiculous."
Her fingers rested lightly against his cheek as she studied his face.
The first line swept across his forehead. She added another beneath one eye. Then mirrored it on the other. She painted across his jaw. Down the bridge of his nose.
He remained perfectly still. Watching only her.
"You keep staring at me."
"Can I not look at my mate?"
"You are making it difficult to concentrate and make sure you don't look like an idiot."
"And your beauty makes it difficult for me to close my eyes, even for a second."
She smiled to herself, shaking her head at her foolish husband, before finishing the final mark. "There." She leaned back to admire her work. "You look terrifying."
"I was hoping for handsome."
He rose as she grabbed the metal vest. She helped lift it over his shoulders. The familiar weight settled into place. She moved behind him, pulling each leather strap tight across his back. She tugged firmly to make certain every buckle sat correctly. "There. It fits."
He nodded before reaching for a small pot of white paint. "One more thing."
She looked at him curiously. "What?"
He dipped her palm gently into the paint. Then guided her hand toward the centre of his chest. Without speaking, she pressed her painted hand firmly against the metal breastplate. When she lifted it away, a perfect white handprint remained over his heart.
He looked down at it. Then covered her hand with his own before she could pull away. Holding it there. For just a moment.
She met her mate’s gaze. There was an unease in her stomach, it curdled like old cheese. She could lose him. One stray bullet. She fought back the tears, it was a ridiculous thought, "You will be careful?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.
He looked into her eyes, he could see she worried for him and his expression softened, she was his world and he was hers. "I will fight like a demon to come home to you."
He leaned forward, kissing her forehead before turning toward the entrance.
"You are not going to help with my supplies?"
He stopped. He looked back over his shoulder. "...No?"
She narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean, no."
She folded her arms. "I beg your pardon?"
A small, disbelieving laugh escaped her. "You will not allow it?"
"So'lek." She narrowed her eyes at him, the look sharp enough to make even the most seasoned warrior think twice. So'lek's heart picked up. He was entering dangerous territory.
She stepped closer. "I am a healer."
He was struggling to keep a straight face, his mate trying so hard to be stern with him was both adorable and just a little frightening. The way her brows drew together, the determined set of her jaw—it should have intimidated him, and in a way it did, but it also made warmth bloom in his chest. She was much too adorable when cross. It was such a rarity.
He remembered what he was going to say before this spiralled any further. "You are injured."
"I can still aid the wounded."
She scoffed. "Who dragged your sorry backside off a battlefield? Need I remind you it saved your life."
"So why can I not help now?"
"Because." He closed the distance between them. "...I cannot allow you anywhere near this battle."
She planted her hands on her hips. "You cannot allow me?"
Her narrowed eyes turned into a full glare, unyielding and bright as lightning on a blackened sky. So'lek felt it hit him like a physical force. Yes—he knew he was in trouble now. That had been a poor choice of words. This was very dangerous territory.
One of his hands settled instinctively over her stomach. "(Y/n)...I have always admired your nature and all that you do to help others."
His thumb brushed gently across her side. "But now...I cannot focus upon the battle if I am wondering whether you are safe."
"I know you do. But people will be hurt."
"That is battle ma yawne."
"You can, I’m not denying your skill."
She stared at him. "...You are infuriating."
But he was not budging and neither was she.
She groaned loudly enough to make him almost smile.
"Would it ease your mind if I promised to be nowhere near the battlefield?" she asked, her voice gentler now. "I will stay in the medical tent, far away from the fighting. I will not go near the front lines."
His brow lifted cautiously. "You promise?"
"I promise. I will remain well away from the battlefield. I shall only treat the wounded brought to me. Far from the front."
He studied her for several long moments. He nodded once. "I can accept that."
She smiled triumphantly. "I knew you would see reason."
"I did not say I was finished."
Before she could ask what he meant, he walked across the cavern.
She frowned. "What are you doing?"
He lifted another of his metal vests from its stand.
Turning back toward her, he held it out. "Easing my mind."
She stared at it. "Absolutely not."
"I will be nowhere near the battle."
"I know but you can never be too careful."
"It does not even fit me properly."
She looked at him in disbelief. She folded her arms tighter. "I refuse."
"I refuse to let you leave without it."
She sighed. "So'lek, I already agreed to stay away from the fighting."
"And I agreed to let you come." His expression remained perfectly calm. "This is my condition."
She rubbed both hands over her face. "You are impossible."
She glared at him for several long seconds.
He simply waited. Patiently. Without moving. Even though beads of nervous sweat was running down the back of his neck.
Do not break. She cannot be stern forever.
She recognised that look.
He was not going to lose this argument.
With one final sigh, she marched over, snatched the vest from his hands. "I hope you are happy."
She shot him another look. "You are insufferable."
He stepped behind her, gently settling the vest over her shoulders before fastening each strap with careful hands.
She tried very hard not to smile. "You are lucky I love you."
He adjusted the final buckle before resting both hands lightly upon her shoulders. "There." His eyes searched her face. Only then did some of the worry ease from his expression. "Better."
She looked down at the armour before sighing in defeat. "...I suppose I do look rather impressive, even though it does look awkward.”
He smiled faintly. "You always do."
“Impressive yawne. You could be covered in mud and to me you would be the most beautiful woman to walk pandora.”
She looked back at him, unable to stop herself from smiling too. "Flatterer."
"It appears to be working."
She chuckled, she suspected this was his way of trying to get himself out of hotwater. She would take the compliment. "Come. I have some medicines stored here. I will radio Anqa, and Nalin can send whatever else I need."
She stopped. Her gaze sharpened suddenly, fixing on him.
So'lek had faced warriors, beasts, and battlefields—but he had never known such terror as the look she gave him now. "And So'lek," she added, voice low and firm, "if you ever try to tell me what I can and cannot do again, you will find yourself sleeping on the cold, hard ground."
For a heartbeat, he simply stared at her. Then he leaned in and kissed her cheek. "I do not mean to offend you." Yes, he was in trouble.
Her expression softened just slightly. "That is why I am warning you and not keeping my word."
A quiet chuckle rumbled in his chest. He loved this side of her. “I adore you yawne.”
“Can I not compliment my mate?”
“Just hush and help me or I really will be mad at you.”
Iley landed just outside the bustling Zeswa camp, his wings folding neatly against his sides as (Y/n) slid carefully from the saddle.
The moment her feet touched the ground, So'lek was already beside her. "Must you insist?" he asked, reaching to steady her before she could walk away.
He sighed as he began removing her packs and baskets from Iley's harness.
"Minang is perfectly capable of running the healer's tent."
"Minang is an excellent Tsahik," (Y/n) agreed, taking one of the baskets from him. "But she is not equipped to manage internal bleeding with Na'vi techniques."
He pouted at her. "Can't someone else?"
She stopped walking and turned to face him. "You are not talking me out of this."
He let out another long sigh. "You are remarkably stubborn."
Before he could think of another argument, the unmistakable roar of approaching engines echoed overhead.
Several Zeswa glanced skyward.
A Resistance Scorpion descended into the clearing, sending dust and loose leaves swirling through the camp.
(Y/n) instinctively raised an arm against the wind.
The aircraft settled onto its landing skids.
The side door slid open. Alma stepped down first.
So'lek's expression darkened immediately.
(Y/n) didn't so much as glance in Alma's direction. Neither of them acknowledged the other's existence. It was as though they were complete strangers.
Ri'nela hurried over instead, smiling brightly. "(Y/n)!"
(Y/n) turned briefly to So'lek. "Now stop your pouting and go make sure Tamtey is ready for battle."
Without waiting for a response, she turned and headed toward Ri'nela, grabbing a box from the Scorpion. Together they began unloading medicines, bandages, IV equipment, and folded gurney’s.
Across the clearing, Minang spotted them. She waved both women over and showed them where they could set up a medical tent.
So'lek watched every step she took. Every interaction. Every glance Alma's way.
He did not trust Alma. Not for a heartbeat.
Only when he was satisfied that Ri'nela and Minang remained beside her did he finally turn away.
He tapped the communicator resting against his ear. "Tamtey. Are you prepared for battle?"
"I guess," he replied. "With the RDA around... you kind of always are."
So'lek nodded to himself. "To stand and defend Pandora is to be Na'vi."
"What about the Resistance?" he asked after a moment. "Alma?"
So'lek's gaze flicked briefly toward the Scorpion. "She likes to think herself one of us."
Tamtey was quiet for a while. "Sometimes I forget she isn't," he admitted. "Before now she was the only adult who sort of looked like us."
"Your roots were severed early and planted in false soil." He began walking slowly toward the gathering warriors. "Mine were cut in battle sending me to wander."
"We share a seeker's path," So'lek continued.
"What have you found?" Tamtey asked
So'lek smiled. His eyes drifted across the camp toward the healer's tent. (Y/n) and Ri'nela were unfolding gurneys while Minang organized medicines.
(Y/n) laughed softly at something Ri'nela said before carefully arranging surgical instruments exactly the way she liked them. She looked completely in her element.
His smile deepened. "I may tell you someday..." he said quietly into the comm, "...but not over this human toy."
So'lek's expression settled back into calm seriousness. "Just never stop looking," he instructed. "Around you and within you."
"So'lek." He turned. Nesim stood outside one of the larger tents, beckoning him over with a single motion of her hand. "Come."
The ground had been smoothed flat, and in its centre Alma had drawn the layout of Harding's base into the dirt.She crouched over it, tablet in front of her, comparing the satellite imagery with the hand-drawn map. Red markers indicated watchtowers, ammunition stores and patrol routes.
So'lek lowered himself into a crouch opposite her.
Without looking up, Alma tapped the tablet. "Latest reconnaissance."
She enlarged one section. "Scorpions." She tapped another. "AMP patrols." "Automated turrets."
Nesim studied the layout in silence before speaking. "They are no match for us in the open." Her eyes burned. "Our numbers are greater and our blood burns with Eywa's cries."
So'lek's gaze travelled over the sketched defences. "We draw the cowards out."
Nesim gave a satisfied nod.
Footsteps approached outside. Tamtey entered first, ducking beneath the tent flap. Behind him came Minang. Ri'nela followed close beside her and finally (Y/n).
She paused just inside the entrance, quietly taking in the gathering of warriors, she looked unsure, hesitantly coming in and crouching between Minang and Ri’nela.
Tamtey's face was unusually solemn.
"Pasuk..." Everyone looked toward him. "They hacked off his tusks."
Silence settled over the tent.
(Y/n)'s horrified gaze found Minang. Without thinking, her hand settled gently upon her shoulder. Minang reached up and covered it with her own. "When I looked into that great eye a cold, dark pool..." Her voice caught. "...all I could do was drown in it."
Alma finally broke the silence. "We can't just charge in."
Every head turned toward her. "Harding won't surrender. I know her. If we attack recklessly she'll fall back, regroup and bleed us dry."
Nesim rose to her full height. Towering over Alma. Her shadow fell across her. "Then go if you are already defeated perhaps the Aranahe have some weaving to be done."
Before she could answer, So'lek stood as well. His voice carried quietly through the tent. "This is for the Na'vi to finish."
Alma's expression hardened. Without another word she pushed herself upright.
(Y/n), assuming she should leave as well, rose beside her.
"Stay." Nesim's voice stopped her.
"...you are one of us too."
For a heartbeat she simply stared at her.
"So stay." There was no hesitation in Nesim's answer.
She glanced around the tent. Every face was turned toward her. Ri'nela smiled encouragingly. Minang nodded once.
(Y/n) lowered herself back into a crouch.
Alma passed her. The venom in her eyes was unmistakable. Cold and bitter.
Before (Y/n) even noticed it, Ri'nela had shifted half a step sideways, just enough that Alma's line of sight now met Ri'nela instead.
Alma looked away first. Without another word she disappeared outside.
Only once she was gone did the tension ease.
Nesim stepped forward. She rested one hand upon Minang's shoulder.
(y/n) gently held Minang's arm. She knew what it felt like to lose such a precious and innocent life.
However, she looked almost uncertain she belonged there. As though she expected someone to realise a mistake had been made.
So'lek noticed it immediately. Without drawing attention to her, he quietly crossed the circle and settled beside her. Close enough that their shoulders almost touched. He said nothing.
(Y/n) glanced sideways at him.
The tightness in her shoulders eased. Her breathing slowed.
She looked back toward the map a bit more at ease.
With a plan set the left the tent to make last second preparations and rally the Zeswa warriors.
(Y/n) adjusted the oversized metal vest that hung awkwardly over her shoulders. The armour reached lower than it was meant to, making every movement slightly clumsy.
Tamtey walked alongside her, eyeing it with poorly concealed amusement. "...Why are you wearing one of So'lek's vests?" He tilted his head. "You look ridiculous."
(Y/n) looked down at herself. "I know." She tugged at one of the straps. "It is much too big."
Nesim glanced over. "You wear a warrior's armour, but you are going nowhere near the battle."
(Y/n) sighed."That is because someone is overprotective." She looked pointedly at him.
To prove her point, So'lek simply stepped beside her, cupped her face for the briefest moment and kissed her cheek as if that was a good enough answer, the gesture speaking for him more than words could.
Tamtey groaned. "There he goes again."
Ri'nela laughed. "I think it is sweet."
Footsteps approached. Alma. She stopped a few paces away, her eyes settling on (Y/n). "You call yourself Na'vi."
(Y/n)'s smile faded. "I'm not—"
Nesim's ears flattened. A warning hiss escaped her. "Enough."
Alma ignored it. "What would your new friends say if they knew the real you?" She took another step. "A liar. A manipulator. The skin you wear is false and so is your heart. At the end of the day you are still an avatar."
(Y/n) met her stare. "I made my choice. I left so I can’t—
Alma gave a humourless laugh. "And then you baby-trapped So'lek."
So'lek's voice cracked across the clearing like a whip. "That is enough of your nonsense, Alma."
Tamtey immediately moved. Ri'nela stepped beside him. Together they placed themselves between Alma and (Y/n).
"And even now..." Alma continued, glaring around them. "...they shield your lies."
Nesim looked between them. "What do you speak of?"
Alma pointed directly at (Y/n). "She seduced So'lek. She tricked him into laying with her. They are not truly mated. Their story is one of lies."
"She does not know your ways. She does not respect them enough to learn them. She became pregnant so she could shortcut her way into becoming Na'vi and she dishonoured So'lek."
For one long heartbeat... Nobody moved.
Then (Y/n) stepped around Tamtey.
Before So'lek could finish her name— Her fist struck Alma square across the jaw.
The crack echoed through the clearing.
Tamtey froze, eyes wide, jaw slack as if his mind had simply stopped working.
Ri'nela blinked rapidly, her ears flicking back in disbelief, one hand slowly rising to cover her mouth.
Nesim's brows shot up, her usual composure cracking for a split second as she stared at (Y/n) like she was seeing her for the first time.
Even So'lek stood utterly still, his breath catching, eyes fixed on his mate with a mixture of shock, awe and absolute adoration.
In that single moment, something in him. Not anger—no, that had already burned when Alma spoke—but something else. Pride. Possession. A pull in his chest as he realized she had struck not just out of anger, but because Alma had dared to dishonour him.
(Y/n) stood over her, breathing hard. Months of hurt. Months of biting her tongue. They all surfaced at once. She grabbed a fistful of Alma's clothing and brought her nose to nose, shaking her with fury. "I am getting sick and tired of your lies."
Her voice shook with anger. "And now you bring my husband into it." She released Alma with a sharp push. "I will not stand for it."
Alma remained sprawled in the dirt, stunned.
(Y/n) looked down at her. "If you get yourself shot today " Her voice was ice. "I will not be saving your avatar."
She let out a snarling hiss at her. "And if you ever speak ill of my husband again," she added, her voice low and deadly, "you will be leaving with far worse than a bruised cheek."
She is defending him. His mate, soft and gentle, had bared her teeth for him—and it ignited something in him that made his pulse quicken and his breath catch. His focus had narrowed entirely to her. The way her chest rose and fell with lingering anger, the fire still burning in her eyes, the protective edge in her voice when she spoke of him.
She had threatened someone for him. His mate. His gentle, soft-hearted healer had stood over another and bared her teeth in his name. Something he would have thought impossible.
A warmth spread through his chest curling into something dangerously close to giddiness. For a fleeting moment, he felt less like a seasoned warrior and more like a love-struck boy.
He wanted to laugh. He wanted to pull her into his arms, lift her off her feet and carry her away from all of this and just hold her. To press his face into her neck, to breathe her in, to remind himself she was his and he was hers. To love on her until that fire softened back into the warmth he knew so well.
It took every ounce of discipline he possessed not to act on that urge right then and there.
She turned on her heel without another glance, the clearing remained utterly silent as she walked back toward So'lek.
Ri'nela's mouth hung open.
Nesim watched her approach before a slow grin spread across her face. "So..." She folded her arms. "The sweet healer does have claws."
(Y/n)'s anger was already fading, replaced by the sinking realisation of what she had just done and a flush of embarrassment painted her cheeks.
"I..." She looked at So'lek. "I may have overreacted."
He said nothing. Instead, he stepped forward. One hand settled gently against her cheek. Then he kissed her. Slowly. Tenderly.
When he finally drew back, there was unmistakable pride in his eyes. "I have never..." A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "...been more attracted to you."
The heat rushed to her face. "So'lek."
"You are supposed to tell me not to punch people."
"No," he murmured, a hint of amusement in his voice, "you are supposed to let me do the punching for you."
Tamtey let out a sharp laugh. "Nice right hook."
So'lek leaned in and kissed her again, softer this time. "You are bewitching."
(Y/n) huffed, trying to ignore the warmth creeping up her neck. "Stop it, there's a battle to fight."
He dipped his head closer, his breath brushing her ear. "Later?"
Her face flushed deeper. "...Maybe."
Nesim grinned, clearly entertained, "I'm happy to give you both a jug of Zanke," and (y/n) buried her face into her hands with a groan.
Ri'nela shook her head, still smiling. "Of all things, I did not expect that to happen."
(Y/n) peeked out from between her fingers, huffing. "I do no harm, but I take no garbage is all." She straightened, trying to regain some dignity. "Now all of you stop picking on me and get prepared to get shot at."
So'lek only smiled faintly at her stubbornness before leaning in to kiss her one last time.
The waiting... It was horrible. Far worse than being the one in danger.
(Y/n) stood outside the healer's tent, her eyes fixed on the distant horizon where thick columns of black smoke curled into the sky.
Every few moments...Another explosion rolled across the plains.
The ground trembled beneath her feet.
Each blast made her heart jump.
She wrapped trembling fingers around the necklace resting against her chest.
He would come home. He promised he would fight like a demon to come home to her. She closed her eyes. Come home...
Behind her, the Zeswa healers hurried between cots, laying out bandages, herbs and bowls of clean water.
Healers Minang has assigned to help her and she would be grateful for their held.
Stretchers waited empty. For now.
(Y/n) knew that would not last.
She was familiar with the aftermath of battle. The rush of trying to get to the most wounded and that delicate balance of who could be saved and who they should let go.
There hadn’t been a day that went by that she did not remember the battle of Ayrum Alusing, that day there had been a greater amount that died from their wounds than saved.
Soon... The wounded would come.
And there were only a handful of healers waiting for them and she the only one able to handle internal injuries. She could feel that unease creep over her as she remembered the rush, the anxiety, the pull of being needed in too many different directions at once— and no medical experience, all she could do was help with basic triage.
Her communicator crackled. "(Y/n)...?" The voice was weak. Broken by coughing.
A fit of violent coughing answered her. "I was..." Another cough. "...destroying some pipes..."
He struggled to draw breath. More coughing. "I—"
"I can't breathe, (Y/n)." His voice trembled. "I can't move."
He sounded terrified. Panicked. Her stomach dropped. "Tamtey." She forced herself to stay calm. "Where are you now?"
"I..." He coughed again, sounding weaker than before. "I don't know."
"I'm not in the processing chamber anymore. I think." His breathing came in wet, ragged gasps.
She closed her eyes, thinking. "Did you call So'lek?"
"They're pinned down outside." He struggled for another breath. "Alma too."
Her grip tightened around the communicator. "Can anyone get to you?"
"I..." Another coughing fit overtook him.When he finally spoke again, every word sounded like it hurt. "(Y/n)...I need to destroy the base."
"I just need..." He gasped. "...to reach the ventilation."
"Send the gas back in on itself and the whole place will explode."
She didn’t like what he was saying. "Tamtey, from the sounds of it you are in barely in any condition to move, let alone destroy an entire base."
His breathing hitched. "Help me..." The plea barely sounded like Tamtey anymore. It sounded like a frightened child.
It wounded something in her heart, Her eyes squeezed shut. Every instinct screamed no. So'lek had trusted her to stay here.
She had promised. She had looked him in the eyes and promised.
Slowly, she opened them again. She could not ignore Tamtey. "I'm coming. Stay where you are."
Relief escaped Tamtey as a shaky breath. "...Thank you."
The connection crackled before falling silent.
(Y/n) lowered the communicator.For one long moment she simply stood there. Then she let out a defeated sigh. "So'lek is going to be furious with me." Or very very stressed out.
She hurried into the healer's tent.
Without answering, (Y/n) grabbed one of the portable air cylinders the Resistance had brought from Headquarters. Next came a breathing mask. She slung it over her shoulder. She snatched up a pouch filled with concentrated dapophet extract and emergency medicines. A syringe. Bandages.
Anything she thought she might need.
She tightened the straps on the oversized vest So'lek had insisted she wear. A small, guilty smile tugged at her lips. "You were right to make me wear this."
Then she adjusted the cylinder across her back. Checked the mask one last time.
And turned toward the distant smoke rising above Harding's base.
"So'lek..." She sighed softly. "...please forgive me." Then she started running toward the battle.
(Y/n) slipped through a gap in the perimeter fence just as another explosion rocked the compound.
The blast drowned out everything—except the hollow clang of metal beneath her bare feet as she landed on the grating.
She didn't stop. She flattened herself against the side of a storage container, breath held tight in her chest.
She spotted a maintenance grate at her feet. She pried it open, slipped inside, and crawled through the narrow duct until she reached the next one, hitting it with her shoulder to force it open and dropping out on the other side.
A pair of RDA soldiers jogged past, rifles at the ready. "...Nothing over here."
"Keep moving." Their boots thundered away down the corridor.
Only then did she breathe again.
She touched the communicator t. "Okay, Tamtey..." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "I'm inside the base. Where are you?"
A crackle answered before Tamtey's strained breathing came through. "Maintenance." He cough. "I crawled out the processing room."
"Don't go through there. "The gas—" He wheezed. "—it's sunk to the floor."
She nodded. "I wasn't planning to. I'll come through maintenance."
(Y/n) moved carefully, pausing at every junction to scan each corner before stepping through, her ears straining for any shift in the distant chaos. The muffled roar of battle outside and the constant droning of RDA alarms bled through the walls, making her flinch with ever little sound. Tamtey kept pulling at her thoughts, a worry she had to force down. She couldn’t afford panic—not now. So she steadied herself, exhaled slowly, and kept moving, focusing on first finding Tamtey.
The corridors here were narrower. Pipes lined both walls, hissing softly with steam. Warning lights flashed overhead, bathing everything in an uneasy red glow.
Every few metres she paused. Listened. Waited.
H, rushed mechanical footsteps, growing fast. An AMP suit. Her blood ran cold. Eyes darting around until she spotted a maintenance crawlspace grate in the floor. Without hesitation she yanked it open and dropped inside, pulling it shut just as the massive machine rounded the corner. The AMP thundered past overhead, its weight shaking the metal as it passed above her hiding place.
She let herself breathe again.
She exited, followed the sign and went into the maintenance office. “Okay, Tamte I’m in the office."
"You’ll see a broken vent in the door—follow the passage. I’m in there.”
She didn’t waste another second.
She crawled through the cramped maintenance shaft, elbows scraping against metal, the oxygen cylinder bumping awkwardly against her back.
She continued through the maintenance shaft, at one point she had to lower herself down a vertical run of pipes, she carefully climbed hand over hand, the hum of the facility growing louder the deeper she went.
Eventually the duct opened into a much larger maintenance chamber.
She moved forward carefully, stepping over hanging cables and ducking beneath low-hanging pipes, following the only clear path through the dense web of infrastructure.
A weak hand lifted from behind a stack of fallen pipes. "I'm—" Another ragged breath. "—here."
Tamtey was slumped against the wall. His face had taken on a worrying tint. Every breath was a desperate struggle. His eyes widened with relief the moment he saw her.
She was already kneeling beside him. "Don't talk."
She pulled the vial of concentrated dapophet extract from her satchel. "Drink."
His shaking hands couldn't hold it.
She steadied the bottle herself, guiding it carefully to his lips. "Slowly."
He swallowed. Immediately coughing again.
She set the empty vial aside before reaching for the breathing mask. "This is going to help." She secured it over his face before opening the valve on the air cylinder.
Fresh air hissed through the tubing.
Tamtey inhaled sharply. Then again. And again.
His chest still heaved. But each breath came a little easier than the last.
(Y/n) remained crouched beside him, one hand steadying the mask while the other rested lightly against his shoulder. Her hands trembled slightly despite her effort to stay steady. Every distant sound made her tense. She kept her body angled between Tamtey and the corridor, as if she could shield him from anything that might come.
Her grip tightened faintly on the edge of Tamtey’s shoulder.
Was his body still holding up? Or was it starting to fail in ways he was hiding from her? Or was this the first sign of failure.
The extract helped but it wasn’t a cure. Not for long-term exposure. Not for repeated contact.
Not for someone who kept throwing himself back into the fight without rest.
A quiet knot formed in her chest.
What if his tolerance was getting worse?
What if the next dose didn’t work as well?
What if she wasn’t there the next time he needed it?
This poor, brave, young Sarentu.
She swallowed hard, forcing the thought down as Tamtey shifted beside her.
Slowly Tamtey's breathing evened out. The panic left his eyes. Colour began returning to his face. He took one final deep breath before lifting the mask away himself.
(Y/n) smiled with relief. "I was beginning to think I'd have to carry you out."
"That would have been interesting to see."
She laughed quietly. "I appreciate your confidence."
He pushed himself carefully to his feet. His legs wobbled only slightly. "I have to keep going."
She activated the communicator, voice tight with frustration the moment it connected.
"Tamtey are you trying to get yourself killed?"
"I am doing what must be done."
Her eyes narrowed at him, "No. What you're doing is reckless. You are no use to anyone dead."
"This battle does not end until the base is destroyed," he replied simply. "The sooner it is finished, the fewer will suffer."
Her grip tightened around the device. "That is not an answer."
She exhaled sharply, anger and fear twisting together in her chest. "And what about you? What happens if you don't make it out?"
Tamtey looked guilty. She grabbed his shoulders tightly, holding him in place before he could retreat into his resolve. “I’m going to let you go do what you have to do, but Tamtey… you’re not a martyr.”
"I know." He glanced toward the maze of corridors leading deeper into the facility.
"If I can reach the ventilation controls this ends."
Then looked back toward the way she'd come. "How are you getting out?"
"I have only one option for an escort."
Tamtey looked at her in confusion..
She reached for her communicator.
“Will you be okay getting out on your own?” Tamtey asked.
“I will be,” she said. “Get going.”
He froze for a second. Unsure about leaving her alone like this, she was practically defenceless— no — she was defenseless.
“Go before I change my mind.”
He let out a short breath, then turned to leave.
“And don’t think this conversation is over, young man.”
He glanced back just long enough for a grin to flash across his face before he ran off down the corridor.
Iley folded his wings. Then dropped. The wind screamed past So'lek as the ikran plunged toward the battlefield.
Below, AMP suits advanced through the smoke, their heavy cannons hammering at the Zeswa line while Scorpions strafed the forest canopy.
The ikran levelled out barely metres above the ground.
So'lek launched himself from the saddle. His blades flashed. The first struck the cockpit of an AMP suit with enough force to punch through the reinforced canopy.
The pilot barely had time to gasp before So'lek ripped the blade free and spun away. The crippled machine staggered backwards before crashing onto its back.
An RDA soldier raised his rifle.
So'lek's butt of his blade crashed into his head. The soldier crumpled.
Its enormous fist smashed into the ground where he'd been standing only a heartbeat earlier.
His knife drove into the narrow gap beneath the cockpit.
So'lek twisted his weapon violently before kicking himself free as the AMP collapsed.
Gunfire erupted around him.
He yipped for his ikran. The ikran swept low enough for So'lek to jump into the saddle in one smooth motion. Within seconds they were airborne again.
A Scorpion banked toward them. Its side gunner opened fire.
The burst passed harmlessly beneath them.
So'lek rose in the saddle. He drew an arrow, and loosed it in a single fluid motion. The shaft cut through the air and punched straight through the Scorpion’s cockpit glass, burying itself deep as the pilot jerked forward and went still.
The Scorpion lurched wildly before clipping the treetops and exploding in a rolling fireball.
"So'lek...Honey." (y/n) said over the coms, her voice with a tone of guilt.
His heart stuttered. Honey.
She had never called him that before.
For one utterly confusing heartbeat... He almost forgot there was a battle raging beneath him.
"(Y/n)?" His voice softened instantly. "Is anything the matter?"
Even as he spoke, Iley dived once more.
So'lek caught another RDA soldier in a burst of shots that sent him sprawling before Iley climbed back into the air.
"You know how Tamtey was pinned inside the base because he was in trouble?"
His stomach tightened. "Yes." He scanned the battlefield below. "I am trying to reach him."
He frowned. "Why would I be mad?"
"I need you to promise not to be mad."
"Yawne." He guided Iley between bursts of anti-aircraft fire. "I am in the middle of a battle."
"Say what is on your mind. I promise. I will not get mad."
"I provided Tamtey with medical treatment."
For a single horrifying instant, it felt as though Iley had vanished beneath him.His chest tightened so violently it hurt. His pulse thundered in his ears. "Where are you?"
"In the base." She sounded almost apologetic. "Could you come get me?"
The headache arrived instantly. A sharp pain behind his eyes. His stomach twisted.
He gripped his gun hard his knuckles ached. Fear settled deep into his bones. He swallowed hard. "On my way. Stay where you are."
Iley answered before the words had even fully left him.
The ikran folded his wings tight and dove.
So’lek’s breath came sharp and uneven, his chest tight with something far worse than battle adrenaline. Fear. Rage. A suffocating, clawing panic that made his vision narrow.
His grip tightened on his weapon until his hands trembled. Nothing else mattered. Not even his own life.
At the last possible second—He launched.
Glass exploded as his body crashed through the window in a rain of shards. He hit the ground in a roll, already firing. The first RDA soldier barely had time to turn before a shot tore through his chest.
Another raised his weapon—
So’lek closed the distance in a heartbeat.
His hand seized the man by the front of his armor. Lifted. Slammed him bodily through the shattered window he had just entered from. The soldier’s scream cut off as he vanished outside.
Gunfire erupted down the corridor.
Shots rang out—precise, brutal.
One soldier dropped. Then another.
A third tried to retreat, So’lek caught him, drove him into the wall hard enough to crack it, then discarded him like nothing.
His breathing was harsh now. Unsteady. His heart pounded so violently it hurt.
Every second she remained in this place felt like a blade pressed to his throat.
He would tear this entire base apart. Soldier by soldier. Until he found her.
He lifted his hand to his coms, breath still ragged, eyes scanning every shadow as he moved through the corridor. "Where are you?"
His steps faltered for half a second. "Where is that?"
Another burst of gunfire echoed somewhere deeper in the base. He turned sharply, already moving again.
"Yawne—these human words mean nothing to me."
"I can come to you if need be."
He asked first, instantly, “Are you hidden?”
Her answer came back without hesitation. “I am.”
“Then stay where you are. I will find you.” He was trying to read the human markings his eyes narrowing as the unfamiliar system refused to align with words he knew.* What is this mess hall? Did humans really need somewhere to make mess when they're making a mess of most of the planet?*
“…This is not clear,” he muttered.
“It is clear,” she shot back. “You’re just not looking at it right.”
“I am looking at it correctly.”
“No, you’re not. You’re reading it like its terrain, it's words follow the arrows... Do you not know how to read So'lek?”
“Yes,” he said, “but what is processing?” These words made no sense to him. He could read them but what they meant was a whole other challenge,
So’lek frowned, shifting his focus as he tried to interpret the signs. He could hear her moving faintly through the comm, the subtle sounds of a broken corridor around her.
“Tamtey destroyed the pipes in there,” she said finally. “It is filled with toxic gas.”
“So if I go there… it will be closer to you?”
Then the sound of an explosion hit through the comm far more horribly than a punch from an amp suit,
So’lek’s entire body went rigid. Alarms screamed faintly through her end of the line. Dust, impact, chaos.“They found me!” her voice snapped.
His breathing changed immediately—no longer controlled, no longer steady. His heart beat jumped, he thought it would have leapt right out his mouth. “Can you get out?” he demanded.
“(Y/n). Answer me. Where are you?”
It clawed at him. The worry scratching at him as if it was carving him from the inside out. Terror filling in its place, a cold suffocating terror.
“(Y/n),” he said again, lower now, voice roughened by he sheer terror for her life. “Where are you?”
“I’m out,” she finally answered, breathless. “I’m heading out the shafts and down toward administration.”
he broke into a run through the base, weaving scattered debris, his focus narrowing to a single misson
“Which way is that?” he demanded.
“I don’t know, I’m following the emergency lights—”
“(Y/n), you know how to read. Stop and work out where you are so I can come get you."
“Oh, I’m sorry, should I stop being chased and consult a map?”
Another explosion echoed behind her.
So’lek’s pace quickened. "Maybe you could head back near processing," he suggested
“The toxic gas hallway?” she snapped.
“NO.” He turned a corner hard, nearly losing footing. "I mean near it. The general area."
"There's many areas, where abouts are you?"
“I don't know. Stay where you are.”
“I HAVE AMPSUITS AND SOLDIERS CHASING ME.”
His entire world seemed to stop. For a fraction of a second, So’lek did not breathe.
His grip on his weapons tightened so hard the metal was cutting through his gloves and into his skin. A cold, violent surge of fear flooded him so fast it erased thought entirely.
His ears flattened instinctively, his posture going rigid as his mind tried—and failed—to cwork out where she could be in this maze
“(Y/n)…” His voice dropped, suddenly unsteady in a way he would have never allowed anyone else to hear. “How many?”
But even as he asked, he already knew it didn’t matter. One ampsuit or 10, she was still in danger.
His breathing turned shallow, sharp, as if the air itself had become too thin.
Every instinct screamed at him at once—run faster, find her, kill the threat, protect— But he didn’t know where she was And that helplessness made his fear spike into an almost painful intensity.
His hand trembled once. Before he forced it still.
“Stay alive,” he said, voice roughened, stripped of everything but urgency and fear. “Do not stop moving. I am coming.”
So’lek could hear the familiar echoes of ampsuit gunfire and ran in its direction. “(Y/n),” he called into the comm, already moving faster. “I hear them. I am close.”
“Good,” she replied, strained. “Because I am very much not having a good time right now.” Another burst of gunfire cracked through the comms.
So’lek’s pace broke into a full sprint.
He vaulted over debris, skidded past a collapsed wall, eyes scanning every opening, every shadow. The base was a maze of human steel and broken light, but the sound guided him.
“Where are you?” he demanded.
“I don’t know—still moving—still running—” A sharp metallic impact cut her off, followed by a grunt and the scrape of something heavy against the floor.
So’lek’s chest tightened violently. “(Y/n)!”
“I’m fine,” she snapped immediately, too fast to be convincing. “Just—just keep coming.”
He didn’t answer. He only ran harder— faster.
—and nearly collided with her.
(Y/n) stumbled straight into him, breath torn from her lungs, eyes wide with shock as she skidded to a halt.
His arm shot out, yanking her hard behind him in one fluid motion. “Stay behind me."
Before she could answer, heavy footsteps thundered into the corridor.
Two ampsuits rounded the bend.
The first shot fired—he was already gone from where he stood, dragging (Y/n) with him as he slammed her behind a broken support pillar.
“Do not move,” he ordered sharply.
Then he was gone again. He launched himself forward, blade drawn, closing the distance before the second shot could track him.
The first ampsuit swung—too slow.
With a brutal strike he drove his blade into a joint seam, forcing the machine to stagger. Then he ducked low and darted behind it to drive his blade into its circuitry in its back.
He twisted, ripping his weapon free and driving it into the second suit’s cock pit. The ampsuit collapsed backward in a heavy crash.
So’lek stood still for a moment, chest rising and falling, scanning for more threats.
“(Y/n).” He turned, searching for her
She stepped out from behind the pillar, breath unsteady, eyes locked on him.
Then So’lek crossed the distance in three strides and pulled her into him , one hand braced firmly at the back of her head.
“You are not allowed to do that again,” he said lowly.
Despite everything, her voice shook with a faint, breathless laugh. “I didn’t exactly plan it.”
His grip tightened slightly. “I know.” But he didn’t let go.
She could hear his shaky breathing —ragged, uneven, like he was still running even though he had stopped.
Slowly, she lifted her arms and wrapped them around him.
“I’m okay,” she whispered against his chest. “I’m right here. I’m okay, So’lek.”
He held her just as tightly, almost too tightly, as if letting go even a fraction would prove her words wrong.
His breathing was still unsteady beneath her ear.
And hearing her say it didn’t make him feel it.
Another explosion ripped through the base—closer this time.
The ground beneath them shuddered.
So’lek’s entire body went rigid again, instinct snapping back into place as his arms tightened around her without thought.
His head lifted sharply, ears angling toward the sound. His heart lurched violently in his chest. She was still in danger.
“Come,” he said, voice low but urgent, already shifting as if to move her with him. “We must get you out of here.”
If anything, it tightened further—like he could shield her from the world itself if he held on hard enough.
(Y/n) shifted slightly in his arms, breath still uneven but steadier now. “Tamtey is fine, by the way,” she said quickly.
An sharp exhale left him “I am glad,” he said quietly.
But his hold on her did not change.
His eyes were already scanning the corridor again, looking for exits and threats.
“But firstly,” he added, voice hardening with resolve, “I will get my mate out of this place.”
The return flight was silent.
(Y/n) sat in front of So'lek as Iley climbed away from Harding's base
So'lek's arm remained firmly around her waist. He hadn't loosened it once.
The wounded were arriving. Zeswa warriors limped into the clearing, some supporting one another, others being carried.
Before his wings had fully folded, (Y/n) slid from the saddle.
So'lek hadn't moved. He remained seated upon Iley, one hand resting against thegrip, preparing to return to the fighting.
Her fingers curled around the front of his vest, pulling him down just enough that she could reach him.
She gave him a soft peck on the lips. When she pulled back, she smiled faintly. "Thank you for coming to get me... and for not being mad at me."
So'lek’s expression softened as he studied her face, she looked so guilty. “I could never be mad at you, I was simply worried,” he said quietly. “And I would prefer that no matter what danger you are in you call for me, so never think that I will be mad for rescuing you.”
His hand rose, cupping her cheek with a gentleness that contrasted the war he was about to return to. “Stay here this time.”
She nodded, already glancing toward the wounded being brought in.
“I have wounded who need me,” she said firmly. “I owe you one, So’lek.”
A faint, almost tired breath left him, like the idea itself amused him. “You owe me nothing,” he corrected softly. “Except maybe a remedy for my headache.”
Her expression shifted—worry flickering across her face for just a moment.
So’lek noticed. His thumb brushed lightly beneath her eye. “I will be fine, yawne,” he assured her. “I will return to you soon.”
Without another word, he turned Iley. The great ikran gave a sharp cry, wings snapping wide as he launched back into the sky.
He returned to battle whilst another begun. And this one belonged to the healers.
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