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Chapters
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
 
 
 

Stargazing - REVIEW THIS STORY

Written by Cat Smith
Last updated: 01/02/2007 02:01:11 AM

Chapter 4

Space spread out, dark, cold and bleak before him. It was lonely, so lonely a person could go insane. But Bishop was happy. He felt... he felt like he belonged. For the longest time, living with the X-Men, he had felt like an outsider. Bishops brown eyes narrowed in pain. The X-Men... he couldn't believe it. They were really gone. Killed by the same dark death that spread out in front of him like a roiling wave ready to take him too.

Bishop was half glad he wasn't on Earth, with no idea of what the future would be, now that his was no longer going to happen. That was a strange thought - the life he'd lived, the friends he'd made, his sister's death, the Witness, Fitzroy and Mountjoy all would never happen. It made him feel lost, but at the same time proud. Sure, the good things from his future weren't going to happen - but neither were the bad, and most of it was bad.

Hearing a footfall behind him, Bishop's focus changed, from thru the glass to onto it, so he could see the reflection there.

"Deathbird." She was the reason for him feeling so... whole. He'd never met a woman like her - an indomitable will, strong, fearless, and absolutely fascinating. He couldn't seem to get enough of her. With a slight smile, he wondered if this is what Cyclops feels for Jean, what Gambit feels for Rogue. The smile dropped away from his face. What Gambit _felt_ for Rogue. Ignoring the now-familiar pain the knowledge of his friends' death brought, he turned to see Deathbird gazing at him.

"How well you have healed... still, there is something bothering you." Her voice was harsh, the word-endings abrupt, and her tone commanding. If an eagle could talk, it'd sound like that. She walked up to him, purple feathers quivering with her footsteps, the movements of her leg muscles visible under her skin-tight metal suit. "You must cast your troubles aside. We have an empire to rule."

Bishop looked at her in slight shock. "The empire is your sister's."

The way he said the words was such that any other person would have shied away. Not Deathbird.

Her eyes narrowed, and she made a little sound like an angry hawk. "The throne is rightfully mine! my sister cannot rule the empire. She has shown that with her pathetic 'protection' against the Phalanx! My people will not be safe until _I_ rule!"

Looking at her long and hard, Bishop thought it thru. She _did_ have a point. The Shi'ar did need protection at this fragile time, and Deathbird could provide it to them. But who was to say if that protection would be any better than Lilandra's? With a sigh, Bishop realised that he... liked Deathbird, and he would help her. Besides, if he was with her, he could stop her hurting anyone. Realising the irony in his last thoughts, Bishop smiled. It was not so terribly long ago that Ororo had been telling him why he shouldn't kill, and should reign himself in.

"I will help you fight. But, you must promise no innocents will get hurt."

With an impatient scowl, Deathbird folded her arms. "There are always casualties of war! If anyone gets in our way..."

"If any of your people get in your way!? You will not have much to rule at this rate - your people will all be dead."

Now Deathbird was glaring at him angrily. "I... How dare...!?" With a deep breath, she ground her teeth together. "Very well. No innocents will get hurt."

Bishop nodded curtly, and followed Deathbird as she went out of the Observation Room. Walking along the gloomy corridors, Bishop wondered, as he always did, why he and Deathbird seemed to be alone on the station - he knew from the X-men's reports that some Shi'ar were loyal to Deathbird, and helped her to try to overthrow Lilandra. His answer came when he entered what seemed to be a large, busy hanger. Shi'ar were all over the place, fixing things, taking messages. As they saw Deathbird, they gave awkward little bows, and scrambled away as quickly as they could.

"This, Bishop," started Deathbird, pride shining in her eyes, "is the Kythrida. It means 'prowess', in your language."

Bishop followed her gaze to a large, but chirpy-looking ship. He guessed it was the Flag ship of the attack. With a frown, he noticed the very extensive and deadly looking array of weapons. Following his gaze, Deathbird clicked her tongue and simply said: "Defence." She started walking towards the ship, and Bishop felt he had no choice but to follow. The interior corridors of the ship were rather more pleasant than the one's aboard the station. They were lighted in a warm yellow glow, and the walls were curved rather than straight edges and 90 degree angles. Immediately feeling more comfortable, Bishop began to relax as Deathbird showed him around the ship.

Later, Bishop lay on the bed in his allocated quarters and stared at the ceiling. The Kythrida seemed a very good ship. The bridge had excellent facilities. Navigation and helm control, along with information centres for the uninitiated, and very important communications. The Kythrida, he'd learned, was indeed the flagship, and from here, Deathbird gave all the orders of what the 30-ship-strong fleet was going to do. In case of an emergency, Deathbird carried around a mobile teleportation clip, that would allow her last minute teleportation onto any of her ships.

With a sigh, Bishop shook his head, trying to get her out of his mind. He tried to look at the day from an unemotional point of view, but every time, a picture of Deathbird entered into his head. he was infatuated with her, though he would never admit it too himself, or anyone else.

Bishop stood and walked off to get a drink, to see if that would make him more sleepy. When he returned to his bedroom, his jaw dropped. Deathbird was laid on his bed, in a filmy see-thru purple garment, that showed alot of everything off. He knew he shouldn't look, but he couldn't help it... she was beautiful.

She smiled at him. "Well, my brave warrior. Won't you wish me luck?"

She walked over to him and kissed him, and Bishop responded to her in the only way he knew how.

 

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