(no subject)
Title: Acts of Insurrection (7/20)
Authors: butterflyweb and nemesis_cry
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: OT5
Warning(s): violence, graphic sex, language
Summary: It's been six months since Changmin crashed on the remote planet known as Elysia. Five months since Yunho and Junsu found him. Four months since Jaejoong was shot by a man he and Yoochun both trusted. Now training as the Empress' men, former soldiers and former rebels have shed past allegiances in service of a common goal. But the tide is turning--and not in their favor.
Banner credit: luvmeanddespair
A/N: Thank you for all your wonderful feedback for the first part. We hope you enjoy this one!
Prequel: Acts of Contrition
Acts of Insurrection: One; Two; Three; Four; Five; Six
Chapter Seven
He hangs half-upside down in the the ship's power hold, balancing his weight precariously on the narrow ladder and running a final serious of checks on the repaired equipment, the handle of a pocket welder clenched between his teeth. Everything checks out and with a nod, Changmin rights himself, tucking the tools back in his belt and shifting until he can scale the wide-set series of rungs, climbing out and onto the deck.
The Cerberus is almost back in fighting form. Will be, once the final parts arrive. Running a greasy hand through already dirty locks, Changmin wonders if the other man ever showed. He knows Junsu has the tendency to get caught in what he's doing, but it's been hours now.
"Hull patched up okay?" Yunho asks in one breath, stripping down to a bare chest and bare arms. There's a spot of dark engine grease on his shoulder, as if he's been fooling around with ink in a schoolroom.
"As okay as can be expected," Changmin nods, hiding a smile as his eyes slide from Yunho's expression to his chest and back up again. Not the time and certainly not the place. Doesn't mean he can't appreciate the view. "How do our engines look?"
Yunho makes a so-so motion with his hand, jaw set even as he scratches absently at it. "She put a hell of a lot of strain on them but they'll pull out. Boat's not star-worthy till we re-route the main power couplings. They were blown to pieces. It wouldn't have happened if we'd been more cautious."
If we'd been allowed to do our jobs, comes the unspoken addition.
"Junsu's buying us the parts we need," Changmin amends. "He's so late, he's probably fallen in love with the damn models." It's spoken without heat, without conviction, and still he bites his lip in thought, hesitating.
Yunho knows him too well to miss it.
"He's not back yet?" he asks, arching an eyebrow.
Changmin shakes his head. "It's been awhile. No one's heard from him." It sounds so much starker when said aloud.
Yunho lays a heavy hand on his shoulder, grip tightening as if to say he'll look into it. He'll fix it. Changmin isn't sure he believes him. It's instinctive and strange for a thought but he can't help it.
"I'll see if I can't find us a landspeeder. He might need a hand."
A nod, tugging at the protective goggles hooked around his neck. "Should I get Jaejoong? Yoochun?" But Yunho's already shaking his head. There's no need to raise the alarm, not yet. It could be nothing. It wouldn't be the first time Junsu got excited about engine parts.
Then again, it could be something. Expecting the worst isn't going to help.
Yunho meets him ten minutes later, shirt tucked out of his pants. His hair is still tousled but all marks of grime and grease are gone. Changmin betrays a smile as he slips by his side. It's like Yunho to be as methodical as he was in the Guard. For his part, he admits to taking full advantage of the lax conditions a rebel life dictates; a part of him had always chafed under military regulations, no matter how habitual they'd become.
"Do you have the coordinates for the hangar?"
A nod. "Never thought I'd learn my way around on Elysia," Yunho sighs, driving the hovercraft through the jungle. It wasn't so long ago he went looking for someone else on this planet. There was no reason to hope for a happy ending then.
There is silence between them over the thrum of the craft's engine and the rush of passing wind. Changmin stares ahead until his eyes begin to water from the force, then shuts them briefly.
"He's fine," he announces to no one in particular. He has to be.
Yunho nods. Memories mingle and shift before his eyes: Jaejoong bleeding in Yoochun's arms, blood on Changmin's hands. And other, happier: Junsu laughing with Changmin, blushing because of something Jae said. Yoochun kissing his neck as they prepare for war... Some of it is fantasy and some of it is sheer invention of a man already doomed, but there's truth to it too.
The hangar looks like a great big gray turtle, the aluminium panels turned to rusty metal for lack of replacement. Their old base makes for a better docking point and everyone agrees. Everyone who isn't small traders who have yet to realize that the tide has begun to shift. Junsu's landspeeder is nowhere in sight.
"It looks deserted," Changmin says without thinking, biting his tongue against further words. He leans forward, trying to peer through the dense foliage. "Maybe on the other side." He won't assume the worst. Not yet.
Yunho flies the craft around the building, feeling a hollow grow in his stomach as it's revealed to be similarly deserted on all sides. There's barely a sign that there's ships inside. He starts to wonder if they didn't send Junsu on a fool's errand. Still, he would've radio-ed in to tell them they're all idiots. He wouldn't have just... vanished.
"Maybe inside," he suggests instead, killing the engine.
Changmin nods, running a hand through his hair in agitation, climbing out of the small craft. "We could've just missed him."
It's possible. Elysia is one big jungle of a planet where it's not drowning in one big ocean and Junsu always complains about sight-seeing.
Yunho grabs his sidearm only as a precaution. The metal door is hot under his palm, but he's used to heat by now. The younger pilot mimics the action, unfastening the holster on his thigh, drawing out the small weapon. Two grips are stronger than one on either of them and so both wrap their fingers around the metal latch, the doors archaic enough to still be manual. Gritting his teeth, Changmin lets out a small grunt as they pull, hissing at the strain in his muscles and the scorch against his skin.
"Think... Junsu would've closed up behind him?" Yunho asks and it's only half joke.
Within, the hangar is silent and empty. There are no whole ships, only parts and wreckage.
"Check the cortex," he tells Changmin, frowning.
He does as told, moving to the small computer embedded in the wall, accessing the log. His forehead creases with confusion, fingers tapping at the screen. "This...this shows no incoming shipments for months now."
No shipments, no parts. No parts...
Yunho runs a hand through his hair. "Junsu wouldn't have wasted his time here." He'd have left within minutes. "What about ships? Anything set down here recently?"
He taps a few more keys, frown deepening as a tangle of worry starts to unfurl in his stomach. "A H-class. Newer make. Set down two days ago." He inhales sharply, eyes darting to Yunho. "Unregistered."
"A hovercraft?" Not powerful enough to travel off planet, but good enough if you're trying to cover long distances through ungovernable jungle. "We landed two days ago," Yunho notes uselessly, not hurrying to dismiss coincidence. "Just a guess... did it leave today by any chance?"
Changmin's hand moves over the screen. "A couple of hours ago." Silence. "Yunho..."
The odds that Junsu would flaunt the rules and hitch a ride are impossibly small. Yunho makes no effort to hide his concern.
"Radio the others. Tell them Junsu is missing."
Authors: butterflyweb and nemesis_cry
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: OT5
Warning(s): violence, graphic sex, language
Summary: It's been six months since Changmin crashed on the remote planet known as Elysia. Five months since Yunho and Junsu found him. Four months since Jaejoong was shot by a man he and Yoochun both trusted. Now training as the Empress' men, former soldiers and former rebels have shed past allegiances in service of a common goal. But the tide is turning--and not in their favor.
Banner credit: luvmeanddespair
A/N: Thank you for all your wonderful feedback for the first part. We hope you enjoy this one!
Prequel: Acts of Contrition
Acts of Insurrection: One; Two; Three; Four; Five; Six
Chapter Seven
He hangs half-upside down in the the ship's power hold, balancing his weight precariously on the narrow ladder and running a final serious of checks on the repaired equipment, the handle of a pocket welder clenched between his teeth. Everything checks out and with a nod, Changmin rights himself, tucking the tools back in his belt and shifting until he can scale the wide-set series of rungs, climbing out and onto the deck.
The Cerberus is almost back in fighting form. Will be, once the final parts arrive. Running a greasy hand through already dirty locks, Changmin wonders if the other man ever showed. He knows Junsu has the tendency to get caught in what he's doing, but it's been hours now.
"Hull patched up okay?" Yunho asks in one breath, stripping down to a bare chest and bare arms. There's a spot of dark engine grease on his shoulder, as if he's been fooling around with ink in a schoolroom.
"As okay as can be expected," Changmin nods, hiding a smile as his eyes slide from Yunho's expression to his chest and back up again. Not the time and certainly not the place. Doesn't mean he can't appreciate the view. "How do our engines look?"
Yunho makes a so-so motion with his hand, jaw set even as he scratches absently at it. "She put a hell of a lot of strain on them but they'll pull out. Boat's not star-worthy till we re-route the main power couplings. They were blown to pieces. It wouldn't have happened if we'd been more cautious."
If we'd been allowed to do our jobs, comes the unspoken addition.
"Junsu's buying us the parts we need," Changmin amends. "He's so late, he's probably fallen in love with the damn models." It's spoken without heat, without conviction, and still he bites his lip in thought, hesitating.
Yunho knows him too well to miss it.
"He's not back yet?" he asks, arching an eyebrow.
Changmin shakes his head. "It's been awhile. No one's heard from him." It sounds so much starker when said aloud.
Yunho lays a heavy hand on his shoulder, grip tightening as if to say he'll look into it. He'll fix it. Changmin isn't sure he believes him. It's instinctive and strange for a thought but he can't help it.
"I'll see if I can't find us a landspeeder. He might need a hand."
A nod, tugging at the protective goggles hooked around his neck. "Should I get Jaejoong? Yoochun?" But Yunho's already shaking his head. There's no need to raise the alarm, not yet. It could be nothing. It wouldn't be the first time Junsu got excited about engine parts.
Then again, it could be something. Expecting the worst isn't going to help.
Yunho meets him ten minutes later, shirt tucked out of his pants. His hair is still tousled but all marks of grime and grease are gone. Changmin betrays a smile as he slips by his side. It's like Yunho to be as methodical as he was in the Guard. For his part, he admits to taking full advantage of the lax conditions a rebel life dictates; a part of him had always chafed under military regulations, no matter how habitual they'd become.
"Do you have the coordinates for the hangar?"
A nod. "Never thought I'd learn my way around on Elysia," Yunho sighs, driving the hovercraft through the jungle. It wasn't so long ago he went looking for someone else on this planet. There was no reason to hope for a happy ending then.
There is silence between them over the thrum of the craft's engine and the rush of passing wind. Changmin stares ahead until his eyes begin to water from the force, then shuts them briefly.
"He's fine," he announces to no one in particular. He has to be.
Yunho nods. Memories mingle and shift before his eyes: Jaejoong bleeding in Yoochun's arms, blood on Changmin's hands. And other, happier: Junsu laughing with Changmin, blushing because of something Jae said. Yoochun kissing his neck as they prepare for war... Some of it is fantasy and some of it is sheer invention of a man already doomed, but there's truth to it too.
The hangar looks like a great big gray turtle, the aluminium panels turned to rusty metal for lack of replacement. Their old base makes for a better docking point and everyone agrees. Everyone who isn't small traders who have yet to realize that the tide has begun to shift. Junsu's landspeeder is nowhere in sight.
"It looks deserted," Changmin says without thinking, biting his tongue against further words. He leans forward, trying to peer through the dense foliage. "Maybe on the other side." He won't assume the worst. Not yet.
Yunho flies the craft around the building, feeling a hollow grow in his stomach as it's revealed to be similarly deserted on all sides. There's barely a sign that there's ships inside. He starts to wonder if they didn't send Junsu on a fool's errand. Still, he would've radio-ed in to tell them they're all idiots. He wouldn't have just... vanished.
"Maybe inside," he suggests instead, killing the engine.
Changmin nods, running a hand through his hair in agitation, climbing out of the small craft. "We could've just missed him."
It's possible. Elysia is one big jungle of a planet where it's not drowning in one big ocean and Junsu always complains about sight-seeing.
Yunho grabs his sidearm only as a precaution. The metal door is hot under his palm, but he's used to heat by now. The younger pilot mimics the action, unfastening the holster on his thigh, drawing out the small weapon. Two grips are stronger than one on either of them and so both wrap their fingers around the metal latch, the doors archaic enough to still be manual. Gritting his teeth, Changmin lets out a small grunt as they pull, hissing at the strain in his muscles and the scorch against his skin.
"Think... Junsu would've closed up behind him?" Yunho asks and it's only half joke.
Within, the hangar is silent and empty. There are no whole ships, only parts and wreckage.
"Check the cortex," he tells Changmin, frowning.
He does as told, moving to the small computer embedded in the wall, accessing the log. His forehead creases with confusion, fingers tapping at the screen. "This...this shows no incoming shipments for months now."
No shipments, no parts. No parts...
Yunho runs a hand through his hair. "Junsu wouldn't have wasted his time here." He'd have left within minutes. "What about ships? Anything set down here recently?"
He taps a few more keys, frown deepening as a tangle of worry starts to unfurl in his stomach. "A H-class. Newer make. Set down two days ago." He inhales sharply, eyes darting to Yunho. "Unregistered."
"A hovercraft?" Not powerful enough to travel off planet, but good enough if you're trying to cover long distances through ungovernable jungle. "We landed two days ago," Yunho notes uselessly, not hurrying to dismiss coincidence. "Just a guess... did it leave today by any chance?"
Changmin's hand moves over the screen. "A couple of hours ago." Silence. "Yunho..."
The odds that Junsu would flaunt the rules and hitch a ride are impossibly small. Yunho makes no effort to hide his concern.
"Radio the others. Tell them Junsu is missing."