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Luke's radio crackled. Too much noise from the surrounding chaos, wild signals from mechs exploding, laser guns frying circuits, screams on the air. And they said space was silent.
"No, fuck it Jace, I'm going after him!"
"I forbid you. Luke, do you hear me? Don't you d-"
Luke shut the radio off. Vermax Gundam turned towards him as if his brother meant to stop him, but Luke had already fired his propulsion jets, heading for the battle line.
He could make out Vhagar II, that great monstrosity of a mobile suit, thrice the size of their own little fighting mechs. But slow. Slower than Aemond had been when they'd met in person.
He'd been too fast for Luke then, his own martial arts training useless in the end, when he'd felt the steel of Aemond's sword at his throat.
And what had happened after... he'd been so ashamed, after Aemond had stripped him and taken him like it was his right, and then, worst of all, let him live and sent him off with an "until we meet again", that he'd let himself sink to the bottom of the Gods Eye with Arrax Gundam, under the perplexed eyes of Alyn.
He'd spent hours down there in the green darkness, sulking. The thought of his mother, however, as it so often did, had brought him back to the surface.
She was Queen now, elected sovereign of the entire planet, not just the Seven Kingdoms. He had to do this, for her as much as for his Rhaena, his Driftmark. The space colony Aemond had ordered destroyed two years ago.
And Vhagar II turned to face him.
"Have you come to settle the debt, little dragon?"
Luke didn't know how his radio had come back on. Had he done it accidentally himself? Or was something else at work here?
He ignored the more superstitious part of his brain. "Shut up and fight me!" He snapped.
"Feisty..." there was a crackle that sounded like Aemond was chuckling. Luke ignited the double-sided laser trident and charged.
"Do you even know how many people died for you?!" Luke screamed, as he whirled the trident overhead and brought it down.
And Aemond... didn't fight back. The impact as he and Vhagar collided would have thrown Luke from his seat if he hadn't been strapped in. When he opened his eyes he could only see the cracked armour of Aemond's mobile suit, steam blasting from it, humid air and hydraulic fluid dispersing, debris floating away.
His screen flickered, and suddenly, he was face to face with Aemond, though the other pilot was larger than life, close to the camera of his cockpit.
"I knew you'd be the one to get me."
From his voice, the way his breath was coming hard, Luke could tell Aemond's cockpit was leaking air.
"Why aren't you wearing a space suit?!" Luke shouted. "Damn you, do you want to be a martyr?!"
Aemond smiled. "I knew you'd understand. Give my love to your mother. And Helaena. Tell her-" Aemond's single eye flicked to the side and narrowed. "Shit."
Luke didn't have time to ask what was wrong when he was violently jerked forward, the display showing once more the black of space, and Vhagar II, one giant arm outstretched, floating away. Aemond had shoved him.
Luke drew in a breath, meant to shout at Aemond again. And Vhagar II... just exploded.
Luke was hit by a part, some part of it, and was sent spinning, before his thrusters balanced him out automatically.
Suddenly, everything was silent. Silent after all.
In disbelief, Luke stared into the empty space where Aemond had been. Nothing was there now. Nothing but stardust.
It was only when his gloves met the glass of his helmet that Luke realized he was trying too wipe at the tears on his face.