Minmin

My homeworld. I hadn't been here much. Only sometimes when my parents were on leave did we come here. We used to come to visit my grandparents on both sides, but my mom's parents had died when I was small and my father's parents died a few years ago.

I stepped out of the Shadow with my friends. The Awakened One was with us. His shadow lumbered over all of us. The sun was shining overhead, but it was dulled slightly like it did before the rain season started. The air was cool and still.

G.E.F. ships were all around us, either already landed or just landing. The Shadow was docked in the closest spot to the open field that had been designated for today's events. My fellow Starwatchers filled the field in furry colors of reds, creams, whites, browns, blacks and merle.

As there were on the last several colonies, security checkpoints were setup all around and the incoming Starwatchers had to pass through a large Aether field and be checked for bombs and weapons. Most colonies were not setup with Aether field capabilities and those that were, they were limited to the docks. The Starwatcher homeworld had more options, but it was still quickest and easiest to setup the Aether field near the docks since they already had the equipment at the docking bays. The Aether fields were only setup at the security checkpoints, but since no one could get in except through the checkpoints, it was fine.

There was a large platform set up in the grassy field. We were being ushered onto it. Several Starwatchers waited for us on the platform including the President and - . I stopped moving. My mind couldn't process what my eyes were showing me. Shel put his hand on my back and guided me forward. My feet moved with Shel's guidance. It certainly wasn't at my brain's command as my brain had shut down. Only Shel seemed to notice. My other friends continued on.

Not even Shel could compel me forward when he reached us. Bars. The love of my life. I had thought when he first started sending me messages that my infatuation with him would wane a little when I saw that he wasn't perfect. The opposite happened. The more he shared with me and became a real person instead of an idol, the warmth in my heart for him grew. The messages for his part were completely friendly and innocent and I had matched my messages to be the same, but that hadn't stopped my heart's growth of affection.

And now he stood in front of me. In all his handsome magnificence. He walked right passed my friends with his sky blue eyes solely fixed on me. He extended a hand out to me.

"Minmin, it is a great pleasure to finally meet you. You've made our people incredibly proud."

I blinked at him. I heard his voice in person. He was truly in front of me. My heart beat too fast in my chest while my head went completely blank. My hands and feet tingled. It was suddenly extremely hot for this time of year on Minidtin. Now the rest of my friends noticed. I swallowed. I should say something. Anything.

Silence as Bars stood in front of me with his hand stretched out in my direction. The enthusiasm on his face changed slowly to confusion and he looked up at Shel. He didn't retract his hand.

Shel nudged me. My hand shot out and took Bars's. Bars smiled at me and my insides burst hotly as a sun just formed inside my heart.

"I'm glad to meet you too," I managed to say.

I was in a daze as we continued walking to the President and the others on the Starwatcher council. I tried not to stare too obviously at Bars as the President addressed the crowd. It was difficult to concentrate on the President's words. Something about being proud of us maybe. He said something about the miasmids, but who cared when Bars was next to me?

Except Bars's expression changed as he looked at the President. He seemed angry. And my friends - Shel, Esther, Vai and Owen - all stepped forward. Vai even grabbed the Starwatcher President and pulled him away from the old fashion microphone that Starwatchers used mostly for show.

What did the President say? What had I missed?

"Does he have the Corruption?" Shel asked Vai.

Owen stepped up to the mic. "My friends," his voice boomed over the Starwatcher crowd. My fellow Starwatchers were close to mayhem. They drowned out Owen's voice.

"Not currently," Vai said to Shel. "But he did until very recently."

"No!" the President screamed out and kicked at Vai's leg. Vai easily sidestepped the kick.

One of the Starwatchers from the council pushed Owen away and said to the crowd, "They are deceiving you. The miasmids offer peace. Peace of mind, peace of spirit, peace of the body. There is nothing to fear from them. We should welcome them. Let yourselves be open to - "

Owen pushed him out of the way. "The Corruption take control of your mind," he said to the crowd. "They take away your free will. They offer pain and slavery."

The crowd was in chaos. Vai held the President's head between his hands. I knew what he was doing. He was healing him of the Corruption. The council members tried to attack us. A ring of fire immediately formed around Owen and they couldn't touch him. Shel, Esther, Lieutenant Tanpo and Warpaint easily fought off the others as more from the G.E.F. joined us and held the council at bay.

I looked at Bars. His head whipped from the crowds to the council and my friends and back again. His fists were clenched at his sides. Did the Corruption have him to? My heart split and split again. He had been the main thing to keep me from falling apart when the Corruption took my parents. He didn't know it, and it was wrong of me to put so much of my happiness on someone I hadn't even met, but I had and now I was beginning to crumble at the thought that the Corruption had him too.

Bars turned to me. His sky blue eyes bore into me. The dull sunlight glinted on his cinnamon fur.

"Open my light," he said to me.

Relief flooded through me. It would be impossible to open his light if the Corruption had him. He wouldn't ask me to. He was still my Bars. I meant Bars. He was still himself.

I quickly placed one hand on his soft forehead and the other to the back of his neck. I closed my eyes and reached out. I couldn't see his light, but I could sense it. I pulled. It was stubborn. I pulled harder with my white light. His light - I still couldn't see it - stretched as my light pulled. And then it came loose in a sudden rush and his purple light surrounded him. The purple color reminded me of the purple lightning that would sometimes streak the skies during the rainy season.

"If you don't comply," one of the council members screamed as security from the Shadow dragged him away, "you will all die!"

It was the first time any of us noticed them - the enormous pink cloud that drifted towards the crowd. It was high enough in the sky that it would simply saunter over the Aether fields that had been setup.

They were too far away still for mine and Owen's powers to have effect. All of us could only watch on in horror as the cloud settled on the back of the crowd. The Corruption didn't even try to take over the people. They just killed them.

"Not again," Esther whispered. Her voice was filled with anguish and terror.

"Vai," Shel said, "it's too many to heal. Stop trying."

I looked over at Vai. His eyes were closed and his face had taken on that familiar calm that indicated he was healing. But Shel was correct. The Corruption moved to fast - killed too many. There was no way Vai could keep up. Vai collapsed to the ground.

The people in the crowd were defenseless.

"Not again," Esther said, but this time with resolve. She jumped down into the crowd and sprinted towards the back. The Starwatchers in the crowd quickly got out of her way. They were trying to get as far away from the pink cloud as possible so it wasn't that difficult for a path to form.

I remembered what happened to Vai on Doussix. The Corruption had ripped through his shield as if it was nothing. Esther was headed into a similar situation. Alone.

Owen didn't hesitate as he jumped off the platform and ran after Esther. Lieutenant Tanpo tried to push her shield out towards the people like she had before, but the Corruption was too far away and now too spread out. She gave up trying and instead she jumped down and followed Esther and Owen.

"Warpaint, stay with Vai," Shel called out as he jumped down after Lieutenant Tanpo.

"Of course, sir," Warpaint said. The red had already spread over his white, metallic frame. "It goes without saying."

I stepped towards the edge of the platform to follow Shel, but someone grabbed my wrist.

I turned slightly to see Bars. "It's too dangerous," he told me.

Should I be offended or flattered? I wasn't sure. "I know what I'm doing," I said. "I won't leave my friends and my people to die."

He let go of my wrist. There was no hesitation as I jumped down into the crowds and rushed after Shel. I caught up and passed him. I passed Lieutenant Tanpo and Owen and arrived at the back at the same time as Esther.

She released her pink power into the Corruption. The pink cloud thinned where she hit it with her light. It wasn't enough. Not nearly enough. I called on my light and released my white lightning. It zagged into the cloud and jumped from one Corruption to the next and so on until hundreds were dead, but it wasn't enough.

And now they knew we were there.

Thousands upon thousands of Corruption rushed at us. My shield was up, but I felt the little tears as they tried to cut through. It took all my concentration to mend those tears before any Corruption could get inside.

Yellow fire blasted over us, passed us as Owen reached us. With our shields up the fire didn't harm us. It wasn't enough and the Corruption - so many of them - now surrounded Owen as well. And then Lieutenant Tanpo and Shel arrived. Lieutenant Tanpo's shield encompassed all of us. The Corruption could no longer reach us.

They turned away from us and back to the crowds. I hesitated knowing if I used my power on the Corruption now, I would also be hurting my fellow Starwatchers who were defenseless. I wasn't the only one who hesitated. We all hesitated. And in that hesitation the Corruption cut their way into my people. Blood spread out over fur. Screams cut through the space. Starwatchers died.

"Don't hesitate," Bars said. I wasn't sure when he had arrived. His hand shot out towards the Corruption that had settled over the crowds, but nothing happened. He looked at his hand in frustration.

"He's right," Lieutenant Tanpo said. "Your hesitation is killing more Starwatchers than saving them."

Others from the G.E.F. were nearby. Captain Axa didn't hesitate as her power knocked into the Corruption and Starwatchers.

Esther released her power again and the Corruption and Starwatchers were knocked away from her. Owen's fire burst into the crowds as tears streamed down his pale cheeks.

I released my lightning. My heart ripped open as my electricity caught and killed the Corruption, but also the Starwatchers caught in the pink cloud.

Purple lightning arched with mine. Bars's power was the same as mine. The white and purple lightning danced and intertwined - and killed.

The pink cloud was shrinking dramatically as more of us with the light joined the fight against them. Those that were left lifted in the air and tried to speed away.

They were encompassed in purple. The purple light crushed into itself again and again. The Corruption couldn't escape it. They folded into themselves over and over again until there was nothing left of the pink.

I looked at Shel. It was the first time he had ever successfully used his power without physical touch. And it took its toll. He passed out like Vai who was still passed out on the platform.

The remaining living Starwatchers cheered.

But I saw the dead Starwatchers the Corruption killed. The Starwatchers we killed along with the Corruption.