─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

SEASON 4 FINALE PART 1

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Location:

System: Arcturus

Faction: None

Planet: Arcturus II

Place: Abandoned Freestar Mech Factory

(Akila for the first part of the chapter)

☆☆☆

Jimin

Five days had slipped by.

Jimin's arm hadn't healed, and it wouldn't for a long time, but he had to do whatever he could for the Rangers. And maybe, as selfish as it was, he could use his powers with his left hand to heal himself. He'd have to hit an able-bodied individual, though. Maybe a First soldier. But would he want to condemn them to that kind of pain? Beyond that, could he even manage to channel his powers through his left hand? It had been ages since he had done that. And when he had, he had triggered a supernova.

Which could kill everyone close to him.

Jimin sat in the cockpit with his feet on the dash, his arm in a sling against his chest, and an empty's pilot seat. A seat reserved for his wife. Well, it was until Sarah entered and stole it. She didn't speak. The stars spoke enough. They twinkled and welcomed Jimin and co. to Akila's orbit. There were silver bullet-shaped ships known as the Freestar's navy floating, too. Soft chatter filled the comm, but they had their side muted. All they could hear was military commands. Nothing that mattered to Jimin.

"How's your arm?" Sarah asked. A question she had asked every day.

"Fine." An answer he had given every day.

"And Y/n?"

"Don't know. Don't think she wants to see me right now."

He hadn't visited her. Sam had. According to Sam, Y/n had never asked about Jimin. He understood. When he had been put in the looney bin, he had wanted to pummel everyone who dared come visit him.

"Can you blame her?"

Sarah glanced at him, her blue eyes brighter than the stars. They were wide from the coffee she had a few minutes prior. Her hands fiddled with the yoke, but since they were stationary, the yoke wouldn't do anything until she shifted gears. But she wouldn't. Flying wasn't for her. Or Jimin. Barrett was their pilot in Y/n's absence. Sam too, but Sam's prosthetics made it more difficult at times.

"You know I don't." Jimin sighed and didn't bother meeting her gaze. "I know better than anyone that it'll be hard, but she'll pull through. Trust me on that. She needed it."

"And we need our pilot. Are you sure this is the best course of action?"

"It's for two more days. She'll be fine."

"If she isn't?"

"Then we help her again," Jimin said, his voice higher than before. He swallowed what he could. It tasted like bile. "Whatever it takes."

Sarah hesitated. "Jimin, she's not you."

"I never said she was."

"You're acting like it."

Jimin scoffed but didn't say anything for a while. He counted stars but lost track after five each time. He tried ships. Again, lost count. It seemed like there were more ships than stars, though.

"You didn't help me," he whispered, and Sarah didn't reply. "I'm not blaming you guys. I'm the captain and an adult, so I'm not asking for babysitters, but all of you sat by and watched me try to kill myself. I'm not making the same mistake with her."

"Jimin." Sarah placed her hand on his shoulder, and that got him to meet her cyan eyes. "Y/n doesn't have superpowers and a drug addiction."

"I didn't have a drug addiction either. That happened after I went through hell. So what's your point?"

"My point is she hasn't killed or hurt anyone. You hurt Jungkook long before your addiction. You were dangerous. She wasn't."

"What if she's a danger to herself, Sarah?" Jimin shrugged her touch away. "She told me she wanted to die. I've been there, okay? I know she meant it. What was I supposed to do? Sit by and spend every day waking up wondering if that's the day I find her corpse? I'm not losing her again. She can hate me all she wants. She's hated me before. At least she'll be alive this time. Hell, maybe she'll even crack a smile."

Jimin glared out the window as if that'd solve anything. He didn't need to justify his decision to Sarah. Deep down, he knew Sarah agreed. The health of Constellation took priority. Even over the members themselves. But he knew not everyone agreed. Cora was confused, Sam thought staying onboard would bring Y/n more peace than any therapist could, and Barrett was terrified. Either because of Y/n's health or because he had to pilot for the first time in a long, long time.

Andreja, though, had no qualms with it. If anything, she supported him and laughed whenever anyone said otherwise. Jin was in the same boat, as expected. And Jungkook...

Jimin didn't want to know what Jungkook would think. Not that he could anyway; his executive was still nowhere. Away on a personal vendetta Jimin understood but couldn't support. His crew took priority.

"Okay," Sarah said after a bout of quiet. "If that's your decision, then I trust it."

Jimin didn't have anything to say. He continued watching the stars' twinkles and the sparks from engines lighting up the otherwise navy blue horizon. Akila added a dust of beige and brown to the palette. He wondered what Taehyung would draw, if he were there. He wondered what Taehyung was drawing, wherever he was. Maybe an afterlife. Maybe he had been reborn. Jimin wondered if becoming Starborn would give him an answer to that.

Starborn Y/n was somewhat stable. A hole through the stomach wasn't an easy treatment, though. Noel was doing her best back in New Atlantis in the Lodge. The Starborn hadn't woken yet. Noel had predicted it could be days or weeks until the Starborn opened her eyes. Jimin made a mental note to apologize for getting her hurt the next time he could.

But she wasn't the only one he had to apologize to.

"I'm sorry." Jimin peeked at Sarah, but she didn't return the gaze. "For choosing you, back when the assassin..."

"Oh, stop. I asked you to."

"Yeah, but why?"

"You may be our captain, but I'm Constellation's chairwoman. If the crew is ever in danger, I'm the one who takes the bullet." Sarah smiled. It didn't reach her eyes. "If you let anyone else die before me, I'll kill you next, Capt'."

"What if it's me? I'm the captain. I should be at least second to die."

"Including you." She waved him off and met his stare. "You're a Constellation member, too. I'd die to protect you. No matter how pissed at you I may get."

"Ooh, how pissed are you right now? On a scale of one to ten?"

"Please. No scale could ever measure how much you make me want to rip my hair out."

Jimin chuckled, and so did she. It felt like the first laugh he had since Taehyung passed. And then Jungkook left. And Y/n, though that had been Jimin's choice. It was for two more days, then they'd bring her home.

"Good to know I'm still good at something."

"What's that?" she asked, and he smirked.

"Getting on your nerves."

"Been that way since you started fighting pirates."

"And breaking the law. The one thing you told me not to do." Jimin peeked at her with a quirked brow. "Why'd you keep me on Constellation after that? You had every reason to kick me out."

Sarah laughed. "Why do you think? Y/n told me a sob story about your life and made me feel bad for you. I don't know how she did it."

She was a kind soul. That was why Y/n always managed to get Sarah to fold. To get Jimin to fold. Somewhere inside Y/n was the old Y/n's soul. The one who had given a crap ton of credits to the homeless in the Well, even as naked bodies, bodies she hated, flashed themselves to her. The one who had played with Jimin's hair and assured him his childhood hadn't been his fault.

And Jimin had taken that soul from her. All because of his powers.

"Yeah," he said, his voice hiccupping over the single word. "She's persuasive."

"Is that why you married her? She convinced you with that smooth talk?"

Jimin chuckled. "Something like that." He went quiet for a beat, clearing his throat. "Have you ever been in love?"

"Of course. I've lived a long life."

"But no partner right now."

"No, I suppose not. Haven't had one since the Colony War." Sarah lowered her head, her voice growing softer. "I broke it off after that."

"Why?" Jimin didn't know if he should ask her that. That was private information, after all, and it wasn't like he and Sarah were best buds. Still, he couldn't take it back. Part of him didn't want to.

"I didn't deserve him. After all I've done."

"All you've done? What, helping people? Being one of the best UC commanders-"

"Best?" Sarah interrupted with a snort. "I led my troops into a trap and fled before I could look for their bodies. No true commander does that."

Jimin didn't know what to respond with, so he shut his mouth. He didn't know what Sarah was talking about. Then again, it wasn't like Jimin had read many history books.

"Well..."

Jimin wanted to continue with some profound, deep phrase that'd stick with her. Instead, all he was left with was silence and the soft chatter on the comm. The comm chimed not long after. He didn't know if that saved him from comforting Sarah or halted an otherwise peaceful conversation.

He flicked the switch to hone in on the signal. "Captain Park here. Who is this?"

"Captain, it's Alex. I cracked your slates. Touch down and meet us immediately," Ranger Alex said, which had Jimin confirming and shutting the comm down again.

They knew it was only a matter of time until Alex cracked those slates. Jimin didn't know how he felt about not having Y/n with him, though. She was his ace pilot.

And the Rangers did a lot of flying.

"Duty calls," Sarah said, standing. "I'll get Barrett to land us."

Yeah, cause Jimin wasn't going to do it.

"Sure. Thanks, Sarah."

Jimin watched her go and wanted to say something else, but he didn't know what that would be, so he stayed silent and sat alone in the crimson light of the cockpit, observing silver ships as they flew by. Akila was there, and the Rangers' headquarters was somewhere on the surface. Soon, he'd be there, debriefing what Alex found. It could be amazing news, or it could be shit. Jimin didn't know which would be worse. But oh well.

It was time to get to work.

☆☆☆

Well, shit.

Jimin had to fight the First with one arm and no powers. Not that he would have used powers anyway, but if an emergency arose, he'd have no solar flares.

Shit.

"Any questions?" Namjoon asked as Jimin sat with the other Rangers in the low-light meeting room. Alex stood next to the sitting Namjoon with the decrypted slates. The slates Jimin had retrieved had amounted to something after all.

"Yes." Jimin cleared his throat, and all eyes turned to him. Too many eyes. Every Ranger was there, prepping to storm the mercenary base and confront the leader of the First. "Do I have to participate in the space battle? My pilot's unavailable."

"You're a Ranger," Autumn said with knitted brows. "You should be the pilot."

"I'm not a traditional guy, Autumn." Jimin leaned back in his squeaky, black-cushioned seat and quirked a brow to Namjoon. "Plus, I have a kid onboard and an assassin always tailing me. Could pose a threat to the others if he follows us there."

"We need all the guns we can get. Leave the kid here with Sam's dad. Stay in the back and provide supporting fire, and make sure to watch the radars in case that assassin of yours shows up. Or you can tell your pilot whatever she's doing is not as important as taking down mercenaries who are killing farmers."

Jimin gripped his knees under the table. His sweaty hands dug into the dark fabric and left damp stains there.

"She's unavailable, sir. Trust me, it's more important than this." Jimin paused to scowl. "Besides, she's not a Ranger. You didn't offer her that role. I'm the only one on my crew who should risk my life, so you should be damn grateful they're selfless enough to help your quest."

Namjoon rolled his eyes. "I don't have time for this. We have our first lead in months. Everyone, gear up and head out. You have your assignments."

Yes, assignments. Almost identical assignments. Everyone would go into space, blow up the First's ships, and storm the base below. The slates combined revealed the location was Arcturus II, some backwater system no one had any reason to jump to. That made it perfect for hiding a base. No faction was affiliated with it, so that freed it from any laws or governments, too.

The other Rangers left the meeting room while Namjoon sat at the head of the table and scrolled through the data Alex had given him. Jimin remained, and Namjoon glanced up.

"What are you doing? Go."

"I'm injured. Why do I have to participate?"

"Because those dead farmers would love to only be injured. As long as you're breathing, you're going on this mission."

Jimin wanted to spit in Namjoon's face, but the man had a point. Those farmers had died. Jimin hadn't. He owed them. Hell, by that point, he owed the universe.

Besides, he had broken his arm and fought through it before. Back when Hobi had been alive.

Jimin stood. "As you wish."

Namjoon didn't say anything, so Jimin departed and rushed through the headquarters. He made it back to dusty Akila and, after a while, his ship, where he had to almost claw Cora away from Sam. Sarah offered to stay behind and keep an eye on Cora, which got Sam to calm his tits... for all of ten seconds until Sam wanted to stay, too. It took five minutes, but Sam convinced Jimin to stay and keep Sarah with him, leaving Sam behind on Akila to watch Cora while the rest ventured into the stars to find the culprit behind the farming attack.

Barrett jumped them to Arcturus II, and it was a forest planet. A quick scan told Jimin it rained almost all day long and had high temperatures. Like home.

Namjoon, who was joining the battle as well, had transferred all the needed files to everyone's ships. Jimin, in the co-pilot's seat, scrolled through the data the slates had. Trade routes. Private communications between mercenaries and a "Paxton Hull." Coordinates for certain drop off points.

And the mech factory.

Arcturus II was home to an old mech factory the First had used during the Colony War. The slates claimed it was where they were located and operating out of. It was their best (and only) lead. That was why Namjoon rallied the troops. Every Ranger was there, himself included. Jimin, too. Despite his injury.

"Captain, I'm moving into the backline position and scanning as you said," Barrett said, parking near the back of the planet's pull and watching the other Ranger ships pile in. All of them jumped in at once and had open comms with each other. That meant Jimin heard everything every ship was saying over the comm.

When in space combat that required open mics, the rule was to never speak unless it was vital communication. What Barrett had said was vital communication. So far, so good. No laws broken, though Jimin's track record didn't bode well.

"Nothing on radar yet," Jimin said, knowing the others could hear him. "Barrett, ready defensive measures." Jimin flipped the comm to the entire ship. "Buckle in. Things might get rocky." Then, he flipped it back to the main channel and prepared for a fight. He doubted the First would go down without one.

They closed in far behind the rest of the cavalry. No one spoke. Some coughs broke the silence, but otherwise, space dominated the soundscape. Stars twinkled like the ones by Akila had, and the mass of rock before them had a dark green body with splashes of blue. Not as blue as Sarah's eyes, but blue nonetheless.

"Captain," Barrett said, breaking the quiet, and right after, a beep sounded off. It was the radar; two dots entered. Three. Four. "We have movement coming from the planet. Does anyone have visual?"

"I do," Namjoon replied, his voice never missing a beat. "Looks like a dozen."

Jimin knitted his brows. "Not a lot for a fleet."

"They're the First. One ship can take us out. You have my permission to fire. Don't let them get the first shot."

Jimin nodded despite how Namjoon couldn't see him, and flashes of light tore through the darkness of the void. Each ship twisted and turned in the endless horizon, shooting different color lasers into the abyss. Magenta, burgundy, gold—countless hues to cover the canvas.

The ship vibrated and hissed from the evasive maneuvers and attacks of his fellow Rangers. The dozen First ships became ten thanks to their quick reflexes. Or, more accurately, Namjoon's orders. He had served with the First, after all. Maybe that gave a glimmer of hope that they'd survive the encounter.

"We have two performing a flank," Barrett said, tightening his seatbelt. "They're coming after us. We'll create space. Can someone get them off our tail?"

"On it," Namjoon answered, and Barrett yanked the yoke downward to send them tumbling into a chasm.

Jimin gasped and squished against the seat. His face felt flat and spread, revealed to anyone who peeked. His eyes almost jumped out of their sockets as he took in the view. A chasm. An endless pit of blackness. And a freefall. A fall down, down, down. Was that what Y/n had experienced? An endless void consuming the depths of her mind and figure? Except Jimin had a ship; all she had had was a boost pack and the hope that her husband would save her.

The ship rolled and weaved through the stars as sparks grazed the shields. The two pursuing Jimin's crew were as fast as them, but Barrett did his best to roll and soar in the open air. There was no cover, though; no cover meant no places to hide. Their survival relied on Namjoon taking the enemy's distraction as an opportunity to strike.

Jimin shut his eyes and let out shaky breaths. In his mind's eye, he practiced tying his shoes. One lace after the other. Like Hobi had shown him. He wondered if he'd see Hobi sooner than he thought, but right as he did, Barrett laughed and cheered, ripping Jimin back to reality.

Outside the cockpit window were bits of metal scattering across the stars. Bundles of red and orange conjoined to create explosions. All originating from the two ships that had been pursuing them.

Namjoon got those bastards.

Barrett smacked the top of the dash and pumped his fist. "You're one helluva pilot, Marshal."

"Stay focused. Keep leading them away, if you can."

"Right away, sir."

Barrett continued his weaving. Vomit curled against the inside of Jimin's neck, and he tugged at his scarf with his functional hand. His broken one ached from the rapid movements, but he had no time to wince or express his discomfort.

The cannons persisted. The fight went on for longer than Jimin fathomed. It had to be an hour, maybe more. The First wouldn't go down, and they didn't take the bait Barrett set. They lost one Ranger named Helga who had also been injured going into the fight thanks to a rocky encounter with the Shaw Gang, AKA one of the deadliest gangs in the Freestar Collective. Despite the injury, she pushed through. For the farmers.

The last three First ships retreated, and Namjoon's ship led the way to the surface. Jimin had a chance to count, and not counting Helga, who had perished, there were nine Ranger ships. Ten counting Jimin. One of those ships was Lillian Hart's.

Cora's mother.

Thank God Sam wasn't there. He'd throw a tantrum if they made eye contact. Or maybe spill about his new legs, if he hadn't contacted Lillian to tell her that before. It wasn't like they talked every day.

Barrett parked the ship and crushed trees in the process, same with the other Rangers. The mech factory wasn't far, and Jimin ran a scan on the environment. No toxins in the air. No need for suits. They'd wear them anyway to become more bullet-resistant, but they wouldn't die if their helmets were compromised. No dangerous flora or fauna either. A neutral planet. Perfect for building mechs.

"Man, I miss that lightning shit Y/n used to do," Barrett said after they landed and turned the comm off. Before that, Namjoon had given orders to meet outside as fast as possible. He had sent a drone to investigate their surroundings and ensure no First soldiers were on their way to ambush them.

Jimin unbuckled, as did Barrett. "Lightning shit?"

"The conduction grid thingy you got from the pirates? We would've wiped the floor with the First if we had that. Y/n made it into a weapon, remember?"

"Oh, right."

Yeah, that was Jimin's fault. He had blown up their last ship with no chance of salvaging any of their gear. He had attempted to block that night out of his memory.

"Doesn't matter," he added, clearing his throat. "I need to get out there. You can protect the ship, right?"

"Of course, Capt'. Come back alive."

"That's the plan."

Jimin departed the cockpit in time to find Jin there with his arms crossed and his foot tapping against the metal floor. Jimin slowed his pace, but before he could speak, Jin scoffed and interjected.

"I'm coming with, whether you like it or not."

"What are you gonna do? Throw a biology book at them?"

"Oh, please." Jin rolled his eyes. "I was the head of the UC's Xenowarfare Department. I fought Terrormorphs for a living. Let me come with."

"Same with me," a female voice said.

Jimin glanced to the side and saw Andreja uncloaking herself, revealing her spot against the white wall. Walls Taehyung had cleaned before he passed.

"Alright. Your cloak is great utility. Can you keep yourself cloaked and be our scout?"

"As you wish, Captain."

She fled to the back of the ship to gear up, and Jimin turned his attention to Jin.

"If you can bear the idea of hiding that face of yours behind a helmet, you can come."

Jin rolled his eyes one more time and retreated to the back of the ship, leaving Jimin in the messy hall. Everything was "clean," but items were on the floor. Trays, utensils, and crates. All from the jostling they had endured from the space battle. Some vent covers had come off, too, revealing leeches Jimin stomped on as he passed by.

He went to his quarters to free Marbles from her little seat. He had a special seat designed for her so she wouldn't get thrown around during battles. Marbles meowed and clawed at Jimin's thick jacket. Yes, there was a mission, but Jimin allowed himself a greedy moment to kiss her head and set her in her playpen. He had one in the corner of his room. It was Marbles' favorite spot on the ship.

"Captain?" Sarah asked from the doorway, and Jimin stroked Marbles one last time before he stood and turned to her. "What would you like me to do?"

"You, Barrett, and VASCO need to hold down the fort. We don't know what the First is capable of. They could come here and try to sabotage us or blow up our way out to trap us. Barrett's keeping an eye on infrared and scanning for any life. VASCO's guarding the door. You bounce back and forth and oversee them. Sound like a plan?"

"Of course, sir. Best of luck to you."

"And you, Sarah."

Jimin geared up after that. One spacesuit, a pistol, and his magshear he managed to hold with one arm. Adrenaline didn't mask shit. Every tiny ache and discomfort rocketed through his body, and he forced himself to limit the showcase of pain to an occasional wince and clenched jaw.

Two minutes later, his mini squad was ready. Suits were on, flashlights ready to face the night sky and forest, and weapons loaded with plenty of ammo. Jin, Andreja, and Jimin departed and convened with the Rangers, who took a moment to kneel on behalf of Helga and thank her for her service.

One of the Rangers was Lillian Hart. None of them aside from Jimin's crew wore suits, and he didn't know why Freestar warriors were so suicidal.

"We're ready," Jimin said to Namjoon, who nodded.

"Good. My drone says we have a clear shot to the factory, but I don't trust that. The First always has something up their sleeves." Namjoon would know. He had been one. "I want Emma and Jaylen taking the left flank. Diego and Ben will take the right. The rest will go down the middle, and Alex, stay back and man the drone. You'll be our eye in the sky."

"And I have a robot watching over our ships." Jimin motioned to VASCO, who waited at the front of his ship. "Just in case the First tries to sabotage us or something."

"Smart. You can stay in the back due to your injury."

"Sir, I'm wearing protective gear while you aren't for whatever stupid ass reason. I'll stay in the front. My teammate here, she can cloak. She'll go with one of the flanking teams and keep us updated."

Andreja turned invisible, and Namjoon's eyes bulged.

"God damn, that would have been useful years ago. Alright, she can go. Pleasure to meet your team. Let's go get these farmers their justice, yeah? Everyone, you have your assignments."

And they executed them. They approached the mech factory through the dense trees of Arcturus II. There were no loud sounds outside of their clunky footsteps crunching the tall grass and mud. It was raining, as expected. The moonlight illuminated their trek to the stone pathway leading to the factory.

The factory was smaller than Jimin expected. Then again, he couldn't see how far back it extended. It was metal—that he expected—and had giant sealed doors in front. The pathway was large enough to fit a mech, though the factory itself remained hidden by trees. That made it near-impossible to make out a layout of the place.

"Nothing on the drones," Alex said from the back, and he had protection from Jin, who had an AA-99 on the ready.

Namjoon slowed by the massive door that had two sides, making it two separate contraptions. He moved his head up, and Jimin followed his gaze to the camera mounted in the corner of the mass of metal.

"Marshal, there you are. With Captain Park, I presume?" a male voice asked over the intercom attached to the camera.

Jimin, behind his helmet, brought his brows together. "You know me?"

"Who doesn't? You're the new deputy. But are you sure the Freestar is who you want to work for?"

Well, they had kicked him off his home planet. Then again, that had been Jimin's decision. To protect someone. Someone who probably didn't deserve it, but it was too late. He had made his choice. Maybe it'd make up for all the harm he had caused.

"Why are you running farmers off their land?" Jimin asked instead of answering the question.

"Captain, if you want those answers, you're going to have to fight for them. This is your last chance to turn back. The truth isn't what you want."

"It is. Open up. I'll give you that fight."

The male voice didn't respond, and Jimin shifted to Namjoon, who beat him to it.

"Paxton Hull. The old commander of the First. I used to serve with him, back in the Colony War."

Jimin didn't have time to reply; the doors creaked and parted. The two flanking teams had no way in except the front doors, so their plan reverted to sticking with the team, but they'd take the sides when they entered. Or high ground. Either or.

Inside was a dark but enormous room. It had a ceiling so high Jimin would need a boost pack to touch the top. There was the base floor with a dark amber hue due to the low lighting, and then the second "floor" that was a catwalk looping around the square, wide room. There were no mechs. No people, either.

"Anything?" Namjoon asked Alex, who shook his head.

"Life signs are deeper inside. We'll have to make our way through."

"But that doesn't mean there aren't any-"

Whirr!

Namjoon got cut off by gunfire, and he pushed Jimin behind one of the countless crates crowding the room. Plenty of cover, sure, but turrets were shooting at them. Turrets with armor-piercing rounds. One hit from a turret would pierce his suit and kill him. The suit was useless against something with that kind of firepower.

"Flankers! Anyone got an eye?" Namjoon shouted over the chaos.

"Second floor!" Andreja called back.

She cloaked, and Jimin had no clue where she went. He winced and cradled his poor arm. Namjoon stayed behind the crate with him, and Jimin lost track of the other Rangers. Everyone was pinned down. Except Andreja. And a minute later, laser fire overpowered the turrets, and the turrets exploded.

"Clear," Andreja said, her voice echoing.

Jimin gathered his courage to leave cover, and he saw she did, in fact, destroy all the turrets. A quick count told him there had been five of them. She must have taken them out while cloaked.

"There is a door this way." She motioned to the top of the stairs. "I will hack it. Come."

The Rangers followed Andreja to the far smaller door. It was metal, like everything else, but it was human-sized rather than mech-sized. Andreja hacked it open with a digipick he didn't know she had packed. Then, they continued, and what awaited was a staircase leading to natural terrain: gray rocks and mining lights in an otherwise dark arena.

"Where are we?" Jimin trailed off and remembered to stay quiet, though he knew no lifeforms were anywhere nearby. Alex would tell them. The drone was there, inside and scanning every nook and cranny to ensure no one would sneak up on them.

"Mech factories work with the natural terrain. They need raw material to exist, so we mine straight down."

Jimin nodded to Namjoon's explanation, and he scratched at the neck of his suit. He didn't know if it was him, the suit, or something else, but the temperature kept raising the deeper they went. He thought it was supposed to get cooler underground, not the other way around. It was hot even for Neon standards, and that had him sweating. Or maybe that was from his arm pain. Or the stress of the situation.

Silence carried on as they traversed the new scenery. It was a narrow mine with orange doors leading every which way. Alex led them, though, pointing to where the life signs were rather than the other paths.

They passed carts of minerals, mining lasers, and toolbelts on the ground. Jimin's suit filters prevented him from smelling anything other than his minty breath, but he imagined the air was oozing with a dusty scent. Dust particles flew through the space, after all.

They twisted and turned down a few more paths before making it to one last staircase, and after going through that, they stepped into a blend between the natural and the artificial. Lava pools were underneath catwalks, and turrets lined the pathways. It was an enormous room with chain hooks hanging from the ceiling, carrying various mech parts. Some half-destroyed, others full but in dirty conditions.

On the other side of the long catwalks was more gray. The natural terrain, and where they needed to go, was on the other side of the lava pools. None of the turrets were enabled, but the Rangers shot them out just in case.

The catwalks were like bridges to the other side, and the Rangers approached. There were three of them, positioned above the lava, and Namjoon inspected them. He poked them with the muzzle of his weapon, but nothing happened.

"Life signs are in the next area," Alex said, the drone whirring and moving ahead of them.

"Right. Prepare for a fight." Namjoon went to cross, but Jin stormed forward and dragged the Marshal away. Namjoon whipped around with a glare. "What the hell?"

"Stop. This doesn't feel right. Why would they throw all their ships at us in orbit but then not meet us at the front doors? They're luring us in. It's gotta be a trap."

"No shit, but do we have any other option?"

Jin motioned to the chains dangling from the roof. "Use them to swing across."

Namjoon laughed. Then, his face fell. "Wait, you're serious?"

"Of course." Jin stepped away and made everyone keep their distance from the bridges. He went prone and fired a single bullet under the bridge. It was safe to say it exploded, and the entire crew jumped. Jin stood and swung around to face them. "Explosives are attached underneath the bridges. If we cross them, we either die from the explosion or from falling into the lava. The chains sound like a good plan now?"

"How do you suggest we do that?"

"Andreja, any ideas or tech you have that can help?"

Andreja revealed herself in the corner and pointed to the staircase leading to a small control room mounted aboveground.

"I believe we should smash the windows and jump."

Namjoon scowled. "Are you crazy?"

"Do you propose an alternative? I will go first to demonstrate."

Andreja climbed the stairs and went to the small control room, breaking its glass and hoisting herself up. She jumped the short distance to one of the chains and used her body's momentum to swing herself, landing on the other side not long after.

"Captain." Andreja pointed to Jimin. "You may use your gravity dash ability to cross. The others should jump."

"This is insane," Autumn muttered, and Jimin agreed, but he knew they had no choice.

He knew he was screwed either way. Using his powers was a no-no, but what other choice did he have? With a bum arm, jumping onto that chain would be impossible. But activating his powers wasn't easy either.

He shut his eyes and concentrated on the symbol he needed. Meditation helped him control himself. In-battle, though? That was different. It was all spur-of-the-moment. Anything could change.

Still, Jimin let out a grunt when nothing happened. His right hand didn't bother glowing. Neither did his left. Then, he thought of Y/n, and that instance all that time ago, when he had rescued her. When he had gone supernova. Those emotions channeled within him, but through all of it, all he received was a spark that blew out a second later.

Well, shit.

It took him a full minute to do that. In that time, half of the Rangers had crossed. Jin, Andreja, Alex, and a few others. Namjoon was next to Jimin with a quirked brow.

"I thought superpowers was your whole thing."

"My right hand is what I use." Jimin motioned to his arm, which was cradled against his chest. "Sometimes I can use my left, but it's not working. I'm a bit... rusty."

Rusty was the wrong term to use. The truth was, Jimin had been training his powers every day. But that was it: he was training to control and tame them, not use them in tense situations.

"Well, what do we do?"

"I'll use the chain." Try to, anyway. With one arm. "Just catch me if I fall, yeah?"

Namjoon grabbed Jimin's good arm and pulled him back. "How are you going to do that with one arm?"

"I'm stronger than I look."

Jimin swung his magshear over his back and followed the others up the stairs. Ranger Jaylen Pryce went next, and Jimin was after him. He stepped onto the window and felt the glass crunch beneath his boots. Across the way was the shaking chain. It was thick and sturdy, and it wasn't a far jump both to it and to the platform on the other side.

The issue was the lava below. And the heights. Jimin gulped when he saw how far a drop it was. He didn't know if the lava or the heights bothered him more, but he sucked it up, took in a breath, and soared through the open air. It reminded him of Neon. Of all those trainings he had done, bouncing off the various support beams, generators, and rooftops. All with his gravity dash and different powers to aid him through the parkour.

His hand gripped the chain, and his body smashed into it. A grunt slipped by his parched tongue. With all his strength, he repositioned and made the chain move forward. Only a little, but enough to have him leaping from it and hitting the ground in a roll. Jimin flopped over and groaned as he held his arm. It was in agony from the impact, and he grinded his molars until they hurt, too.

"Are you okay?" a woman with a strong Akila drawl asked, placing her hand on his shoulder.

Jimin waved the Ranger off and got up on his own. When he glanced at her, though, he froze upon seeing brown eyes with a little star-shaped mole next to the left lid, high cheekbones, and a sharp jaw. He had seen her in pictures, but the pictures hadn't done justice to how sharp that jawline was.

Lillian Hart.

"Oh, uh, yeah." Jimin got up and wobbled either from the jump or the pain in his arm. "Broken arm, that's all."

"You're a trooper. Thanks for helping out."

"Of course." Jimin stepped away to give room for the next Ranger to hop down, and he didn't bother introducing himself to Lillian. They had too much to worry about.

A minute later, all of the Rangers were ready to go. The gray rocks awaited, and the group pushed on. There were more deactivated turrets camping the entrance to the next area, and Lillian shot them out.

"This is the assembly area. Prepare yourselves for an attack," Namjoon whispered, and he used hand signals to direct the team from there.

Alex remained in the back with Jin as his protection, and the drone pinged over a dozen life signs up ahead. They navigated through the mine until Jimin spotted more metal up ahead. A metal floor along with amber lights, and Jimin heard nothing other than their footsteps and the whir of the drone.

Namjoon went first, and when no gunfire came his way, the rest of the team moved forward and found the amber lights were low, revealing little of the ginormous area. Jimin couldn't smell the air, but he bet it was stale, seeing as there was no dust, but there were dirty metal floors with footprints on them.

No one spoke. They circled the scene and searched for clues, keeping to the corners. Everything was metal. A dark gray metal. It looked a bit brown thanks to the way the amber mining lights reflected on them. Then, the overhead lights snapped on, coating them in white and revealing the assembly portion of the factory in its full glory.

There were three levels worth of catwalks and stone walls in the back boxing in a construction site. Yellow caution signs were out and about, same with empty minecarts. The Freestar emblem was on a banner rolled down the side of one of the stone walls, and the ceiling was higher than any ceiling he had seen before. A mech head was detached and flat on the floor to the right side, and far back was a mouth leading to the next area. An area Jimin could care less about. All because there was one major issue. One part of the assembly that made it stand out from everything else.

It had a mech.

A working mech.

With a pilot.

"Shit!" Namjoon shouted right as the functional mech stepped forward, its footsteps cracking the concrete beneath it and sending mini earthquakes across the terrain. "Get down!"

Jimin hurried over to one of the crates and ducked behind it, but he doubted it'd do much good. A mech could level skyscrapers. What would a crate do?

Never in his life had Jimin wanted to call out to Starborn Y/n more. And never in his life had he been so grateful Y/n wasn't there. If not for the mech scaring her, then for the fact that Jimin was sure he was dead meat. Who the hell could beat a mech without another mech or air support? And, even beyond that, his powers.

Pants and wheezes forced their way out of him, and his ears rang from all the shouts. The drone whirred above and fired little puny lasers at the mech, but there was nothing that could be done. Their best bet was slaying the pilot. But how? That was without factoring in how there were other First soldiers around the catwalk, spraying supporting fire as the mech went in for the kills.

Jimin took deep breaths, but nothing stopped his sweat and quick pulse. Lasers from the mech boomed out and eviscerated the cover next to him, taking Ranger Nia Kalu with it. Jimin had no time to mourn. Although he hadn't known her well, he had met her, and she had helped them with starting the investigation in the first place.

Namjoon shouted instructions over the chaos, but it was almost impossible to hear. Jimin had no clue where Andreja was, but he hoped she was using her cloak tech to gain an advantage. If not against the mech, then at least against the general soldiers spraying suppressive fire.

Jimin did his best to channel his powers, but all he received were sparks. His left hand flamed out before a solar flare could even fathom pulling through. Deep breaths didn't help. Neither did remembering all his years of training. Years and years of training, of using his powers, yet all he could muster was a flicker of a fire. No life.

"Jimin..."

An echo bounced around his mind, and the deep breaths halted in favor of a hitch. That wasn't any voice: it was Starborn Y/n's.

Y/n? You're conscious?

"Barely, but we have no time to discuss that. I can still feel you, Jimin. I'm always with you."

So you can feel this?

Jimin winced as another explosion went off, that one killing Ben Armistead, the oldest active member of the Freestar Rangers. He had been stationed at the Clinic, yet he came all that way to help with the battle.

"I can, and I think you know you have the power to use your left hand."

No, I don't. That was one time, when Y/n was in danger.

"You've always had it, Jimin, you just don't want to use it. Stop holding on. Let go and embrace them."

The last time I listened to the voices, my eyes turned red, and I killed innocent people.

"And that's a risk you may have to take, but you're not taking it alone. Your past has always held you back, but you fail to see the bigger picture. Your powers may have created that chasm, but your powers are what saved Y/n, too. Your powers saved your crew, you, and have the potential to save the universe. You are not your past. You are what you choose to do with it."

Jimin let his weapon slide off his lap and to the ground. Explosions became rings in his ears. His helmet came off without him realizing his hand had removed it. His glove, which had burn marks and little holes from the sparks he had created, burned off as a sea of blackness invaded his palm. He gazed and gazed at it, his hair soaring by his crusted, heavy eyes and tickling his flaring nose. It smelled like death. Death he could prevent.

But I'm scared.

He didn't know how his mind hitched over the sentence when he didn't speak it, but even the thought of those three words had his eyes burning and his chest tightening.

He heard a laugh in his mind.

"Aren't we all?"

Jimin peeked out from behind cover and saw First soldiers firing down from the catwalks, and he closed his eyes. He pictured it as if it were a canvas, and his mouth shaped an o when he drew out a long, parched breath.

"An anchor, maybe," Taehyung's voice whispered. "Whenever you're thinking of a place, think of an anchor. Like, someone or something that ties you to the place. Maybe it's less about how it looks and more about how it feels. That's what art is. Art isn't about being identical to real life. It's about what we feel."

And then, Jimin teleported to the top of the catwalk.

Time slowed around him, and he wasn't sure if that was from his powers or the adrenaline skyrocketing his senses. There were well over a dozen First soldiers, and Andreja, who was on the other side, was taking them out with her dagger mixed with her invisibility. Though Jimin had no time to focus on her. In front of him was a First soldier who gasped and whipped around with his AA-99 zooming by. Jimin didn't have to think before firing a black beam into the man's chest.

The soldier screamed and writhed on the ground. His arm snapped and hung at an unnatural angle, and Jimin sighed when feeling returned to his right arm. He stretched it, and when no pain came, his hand flexed and lit up with a solar flare.

"That's it," Starborn Y/n said in his mind. "Keep going."

Blue reflected off the writhing man's pale face. He had camouflage gear on and a sidearm Jimin unsheathed and used to end the soldier's life. Then, he unleashed. It was far from graceful or like what Starborn Y/n could do; it was sloppy, painful, and overwhelming, but it was Park Jimin. And for the first time since receiving his powers, they felt like they were him. Never gone and always deep inside him, but him nonetheless. He couldn't get rid of them. He couldn't throw them into an abyss and pray they never return, but he could choose what to do with them.

And he chose to fight.

Jimin zipped up and down the catwalks while the Rangers kept the mech occupied. Any soldier in his way stood no chance. Solar flares melted skin, particle beams tore holes through chests, and gravity shifted under his feet.

By the time he finished his side of the catwalk, he whipped his head up to see Andreja had handled her side and was uncloaked, leaning over the railing with her body pointed toward him.

"Jimin!"

For the first time since he had met her, Andreja sounded... concerned. There was an edge to her voice. A crack, too. That could be due to the distance between them, but as Jimin hoisted himself onto the railing and glanced at the distance between him and the ground, he knew the truth behind what she was saying.

"It's okay!" he shouted over the chaos of the mech stomping around.

Then, he pushed off. Weightlessness hit him first. Gravity came next. Gravity he manipulated. Part of him wasn't sure how or why. Another part of him didn't want to know how or why. But, after a beat, he felt like a ball of flames. His hands were sparking, his hair floating, and he was sure his eyes were brighter than they had been before.

Jimin floated high above the floor. Fly was the more accurate term. He could shift back and forth and move like gravity didn't matter to him.

"I'm in control," he said, more to himself than Andreja. He let out yet another breath. It felt lighter that time. "I have to be."

He fired one solar flare at the mech, and it staggered it. The mech turned to face him. Jimin stayed where he was, and when the mech fired at him, he created a shield around himself to bounce the laser off him. Like the shield he had used to protect Y/n from having the same fate as Sam's legs had.

Without a word, Jimin shot one particle beam through the center of the giant beast—right where the pilot was. It ripped through the heart of the First pilot, and blood spewed out of his mouth. The mech didn't move after that.

Jimin flew up to it and tossed the corpse all the way to the ground, and the body fell so far, it exploded on impact, causing blood and organs to fly everywhere. He took the brief pause to shut down the mech. Then, his brain flashed images of Y/n, and Jimin huffed and solar flared all the controls, and then the arms, and the legs, and the head. All until it became dust.

Jimin soared back down and stagged when his boots hit the ground. Jin rushed to him right as he buckled over and dry heaved. Sweat contaminated every inch of his skin. Vomit threatened to spill out.

"You're okay, kid," Jin muttered, rubbing Jimin's back. "You did good."

Jimin coughed, wheezed, and sneezed before flinging Jin off. "Fuck off, old man."

Jin chuckled. "Whatever you say, kid."

The Rangers gave him space, and Andreja returned from the catwalks to approach him. She helped him up, and he wobbled and had to cling to her shoulder.

"Not bad, Captain." Her accent was made stronger by her suit's filters. "I could have done it without you, but you were a good help."

"Right." Jimin lurched and almost threw up, but Andreja held him in place. He grunted and did his best to keep the hyperventilating under control. "Shit, that took a lot out of me. Please tell me that was the only mech."

"If I were to guess, it was. It's hard to build a mech without support from a major faction," Namjoon said, stepping forward. "And the First doesn't have much support." Namjoon paused to glance at the corpses of the fallen Rangers. He shut his eyes and rubbed his temple. "We'll... have to mourn later."

Jimin shook his head. "It's okay, Marshal. We can give them a moment of silence."

Namjoon gave a shaky nod in return, and the remaining Rangers offered a moment of silence to the fallen. Rangers were some of the deadliest fighters in the Settled Systems. If any of them went down, that was how you knew you were in trouble. They were as selective as they were because they needed the best of the best. Jimin's recruitment was nothing short of a miracle.

After the moment concluded, they walked, quiet, to the next and final area. It was smaller than the assembly area. It was more like a base of operations, where there was an open, rocky terrain with metal walkways surrounding a two-story gray building. The lighting was better, at least. Every corner was lit up. There were no windows on the building, but there were cameras.

"I... I can't believe it," a male voice said over the intercom. Paxton. The leader of the First. "You took on some of the best mercenaries in the Freestar Collective and cut right through em'."

Jimin spotted a door on the side of the building, and he nodded to it. Namjoon noticed and used hand signals to direct the Rangers up there. There were stairs not far, and they began climbing them.

"Captain Park." Jimin stiffened when Paxton said his name. "If we had even one of you in the war, we could have planted our flag in New Atlantis."

Jimin huffed but didn't reply. The thought was both enticing and terrifying. Sometimes power needed limitations. That included the Freestar, as much as Jimin considered himself loyal.

The door opened before they could get to the top, and a man with a half-bald head stepped out. The top of his head was shining, though the sides had gray bushes known as hair. His face was long and pale, with the lines by his thin lips prominent. His chin was square, same with his shoulders. He had on a First uniform meant for higher-ups, Jimin imagined. There was a long coat similar to Namjoon's with washed out yellow patches mixed with light brown accents and dark pants underneath it leading to thick boots that went up to Paxton's knees.

"Paxton," Jimin said, and the man didn't react. He had sharp but slim eyes. Blue, like Sarah and Sam's, but his eyes almost had a natural eyeliner to them with the way the bags shaped them. "Reliving the glory days, huh?"

"What the hell do you know about glory?" Paxton's voice raised, and all the Rangers pointed their weapons at him. He had an AA-99 strapped around him, but it wasn't an active threat. Yet. "That badge gives you power under the law, but it doesn't give you the right to question what I sacrificed for the glory of the Freestar Collective."

Namjoon averted his eyes, and Jimin didn't bother asking why.

"You don't know what it's like to look around and see the faces of warriors who trusted you to lead them as they die screaming. I watched brave men and women torn limb from limb by monsters. I saw mech pilots cooked alive as their machines burned."

"Enough," Namjoon murmured, and Paxton laughed. It was breathy, and it ended with him coughing.

"Marshal, you know what it's like. You were there. You're one of the few survivors. You know those deaths didn't have to be meaningless, but spineless leaders gave up on us when victory was in our grasp."

"What is he talking about?" Andreja asked, and Namjoon tensed his shoulders.

"The Battle of Niira. The last battle of the Colony War. The First were deployed, and we were about to beat the UC when..."

Paxton scoffed. "When spineless leaders called us off. It led to hundreds of us losing our lives as we retreated. The UC never put down their weapons. Our leaders said they would, but they didn't. The UC claimed self-defense, and our leaders believed that bullshit. Or maybe they just didn't want to start the war all over again. We were going to win the Colony War. Don't you see that? The UC wouldn't exist if it weren't for the Freestar backing out at the last minute because of some 'peace treaty' they worked on while we were fighting."

"Is that true?" Andreja asked, her voice going higher than Jimin's ever heard it.

Namjoon's grip stayed tight on his weapon. "Yes."

"Okay, that's enough," Jimin interrupted. "We didn't come here for a history lesson. Tell us who hired the First to seize farmland. And why, of course."

"You really wanna know?" Paxton laughed. "You might not like the answer."

Jimin didn't stutter. "We need to know."

Paxton didn't answer for a long beat. "Last chance, Deputy. You can walk away right now and remain blissfully ignorant, thinking you fight for a noble cause."

"Quit stalling. Tell us what we want to know."

"Fine. Remember you asked for this." Paxton leaned against the doorway, coughing one last time. "I was contacted by a man who said he represented someone wealthy and influential. I refused to work for a shadow client, so he agreed to set up a meeting. Imagine my surprise when someone from your little council showed up."

Jimin knitted his brows. "Who?"

Paxton stared and stared, and Jimin wanted to pummel him for not giving a straight answer, though after a beat, the wait was over, and Jimin found himself wishing he chose blissful ignorance.

"Ron Hope."

☆☆☆

The next chapter will be the final chapter in season 4, and then season 5 begins. Yes, there will be another time skip, though far shorter than the s3 and s4 time skip (which was a year and a half).

The next chapter (probably?) won't be as long, as this was the action chapter, and next is the truth chapter, but idk I just work here. I didn't think this chapter would be more than 7k words, but here we are. So who knows.

Also, the title is a reference to the game, as this mission in the game is called "First to Fight, First to Die." Lol. Sorry if I scared anyone with the title. The next chapter, titled The Hammer Falls, is also a reference to the game.

See you in the s4 finale!