Explosions At Sunset (Close Comet)

They were Azeroth's last hope. The comet was nearing the planet and if someone didn't act soon, it would impact and kill all life. The journey to this point had been long and difficult. The week of arduous training to fly the rocket, learning how to operate the bomb, digging the hole on the comet. It had all come down to this, and a choice had to be made.

 

Someone had to stay behind to detonate the bomb.

 

Emma's hand was steady as she drew the straw from Lei's fist. She relaxed when she saw the length of the straw, knowing she would be safe. She looked to the draenei next to her who nodded and took the next straw. Lei didn't even need to look at the remaining straw to know it was shorter than Keleosha's. Lei had lost. She would be staying behind.

 

“Well, we all gotta die, right?” Lei shrugged, “I guess I'm the panda that gets to do it saving the world.”

 

Emma went over the instructions for detonating the bomb one last time as Lei put her helmet on and double checked her suit. Keleosha was also prepping her own suit, “I will take her outside.” she said in response to the look she got from Emma.

 

When the airlock opened, both stepped out onto the surface of the comet, “Do me a favor, will ya?” Lei asked, “Tell Alexstrazsa that I'll always be with her. Can you do that?”

 

“Yes,” Keleosha reached forward and grabbed the air hose on Lei's suit, disconnecting it and shoving her back in the airlock before closing it, locking Lei in.

 

“Kele, no! You can't do this! This is my job!”

 

“Take care of Azeroth now. That's your job.” Keleosha replied, “I am the one who damaged the bomb by crashing the rocket. Let me do this.”

 

Keleosha walked to the bomb, watching the rocket take off with Lei and Emma. Her friends were safe now, and soon Azeroth would be too. All that was left was for her to push the button to save the world. She reached for the detonator with a look of determination as her eyes filled with-

 

“Bullshit!”

 

Lei stopped her story and looked across the campfire at Emma who had shouted, “What now?”

 

“Where do I even begin?” the rogue asked, “Are ye tellin' me a goblin-made bomb could split a comet into two pieces that go around Azeroth instead of hitting it? Ye'd need a bomb a billion times stronger than th' one that destroyed Theramore!”

 

Lei waved her hand dismissively, “Details. It's a story, it's supposed to be unrealistic.”

 

Keleosha who was now regretting her decision to sit at the campfire outside Westguard for R&R spoke up, “I do not mind the making of a heroic sacrifice in your story, but what was that about me crashing the rocket? What is it that you are trying to imply?”

 

“Well, you're a draenei so-”

 

“I did not crash the Exodar! I was not even on the Exodar.”

 

Lei shrugged, “You crashed on Draenor.”

 

“That was before I was born.” Keleosha huffed.

 

Emma's dwarven drawl interjected again, “Bout that, why were you, me, an' Blue flyin' the rocket in the first place? Why weren't the goblins an' gnomes who built th' rocket up there?”

 

Lei gave an exaggerated sigh, “I explained this in the story! We had to dig a hole to put the bomb in, and Keleosha is a miner.”

 

“Eight months of trainin' goblins and gnomes to dig a hole weren't enough, but two weeks of teachin' a draenei to fly a rocket to a comet makes more sense? And why were the two of us there? We're no miners.”

 

“Because we're Keleosha's crew! She only works with the best!”

 

Keleosha groaned, “I am regretting working with 'the best' on any future missions. Also, why was the arrowsmith in your story so concerned about missing all of the things?”

 

Emma took a swig from her flask and chuckled, “Ah, now see that's what we call 'irony'. He's a smith that only makes arrows but he misses everything.”

 

“I am not thinking that is irony.”

 

Lei had enough, “You two just don't understand good storytelling! I've woven an epic tale of explosions, patriotism, heroism, and sacrifice and you're nitpicking it!”

 

“Well I thought it was a lovely story.”

 

The three of them turned in the direction of the voice and saw the ghostly arcane image of a blue haired night elf woman sitting at the campfire with them. Almost as soon as they saw her she suddenly faded away leaving only a trace of arcane dust behind.

 

The draenei, the human, and the panda were all silent for a beat, staring unblinking at the spot the vision had been in. Finally Emma said what all three were thinking, “We should probably look into that at some point.”