Page 68 of Human Reclaimed
“I’ve already embarrassed myself writing my vows,” I admitted with a laugh. “Talia will never let me hear the end of it.”
Aeon handed me the ceremonial band I would place on Talia’s finger—a ring crafted from a rare metal found only in Planet Alpha’s mountains, inlaid with luminescent stones that glowed like the jungle at twilight.
“She loves that about you,” he said. “That you try, even when the words don’t come easily.”
The colony was already stirring to life as we stepped outside—the central plaza transformed overnight into a celebration space. Flowering vines woven with tiny lights draped from overhead, and pathways had been marked with polished stones brought from the river. The colonists had spared nothing for this occasion—the union of their two commanders, human and cyborg, a living symbol of everything Planet Alpha represented.
As I took my place at the end of the stone pathway serving as our aisle, I looked out at the gathered faces—cyborgs and humans side by side, their differences long since secondary to the community they’d built together. Some had been skeptical when I’d first brought Talia here. Now they waited with the same anticipation I felt, to witness the formal union of what had already been joined in spirit.
My heart thundered as I waited for her to appear. Seven months. From captive to colleague to lover to life partner. The story seemed impossible, yet here we were, writing it together.
“Breathe,” Aeon murmured beside me. “Trust me. You’ll want to remember every second of this.”
I inhaled deeply, the scent of Planet Alpha’s exotic flowers filling my lungs. My thoughts scattered when the soft music began—a melody played on instruments fashioned from local materials, haunting and beautiful in its uniqueness. The crowd fell silent, and then I saw her.
Talia stood at the end of the pathway, a breathtaking vision in white. Her dress, crafted from our fabrication units, shimmered as Planet Alpha’s twin suns caught the material. It clung to her athletic frame before flowing outward with intricate patterns reminiscent of our colony’s architecture woven throughout. Her blonde hair was adorned with tiny blue flowers that matched her eyes, and she wore a smile that outshone both our suns.
Our gazes met, and I felt an unexpected wetness in my eyes. This woman—this warrior with a tactical mind and a fierce heart—was everything I ever could want and everything I never knew I needed.
“You’re crying,” Aeon whispered, sounding both surprised and impressed.
“Must be a tactical moisture release,” I muttered but couldn’t stop the smile that broke across my face.
Talia moved toward me with a confident stride. Each step she took sent my pulse racing faster, and by the time she reached me, I was certain everyone in the colony could hear my heartbeat.
She took my outstretched hand, her fingers intertwining with mine. “Hi,” she whispered, her blue eyes dancing with joy.
“Hi,” I managed, my voice rough. “You’re… I don’t have adequate vocabulary for this moment.”
Her laugh was light and perfect. “Maybe try beautiful?”
“But beautiful doesn’t begin to cover it,” I said, squeezing her hand.
Aeon cleared his throat, beginning the ceremony we’d designed together—a blend of Earth traditions and new ones we’d created for our unique colony. I barely heard his words, lost in Talia’s eyes.
When the time came for our vows, I suddenly forgot every carefully crafted sentence I’d rehearsed all night. The speech I’d written—analyzing our compatibility and pledging my strategic alliance—felt hollow compared to the tidal wave of emotion crashing through me now.
“Talia,” I began, my voice finding strength in truth rather than preparation. “I spent months calculating how to say this perfectly. But perfection isn’t what brought us here. Our story began with my greatest tactical error—thinking a person could be reduced to a resource.”
Murmurs of amusement rippled through the crowd. Talia’s eyes sparkled.
“You taught me that true strength isn’t in control but in surrender. I surrender to you—not as a defeated opponent but as a man who’s found something worth fighting for beyond survival.” My voice broke slightly. “I love your strategic mind, your stubborn heart, and even that look you get right before telling me I’m wrong about something.”
The colonists laughed, and Talia squeezed my hands tighter.
“I vow to stand with you in peace and in battle. To learn from you every day. To be your partner, your backup, your home. And to remind you daily that capturing you was the best mistake I ever made.”
Tears streamed freely down her face now, but her smile never wavered. When she spoke her vows to me, her words wrapped around my heart like a shield.
“Rune,” she began, her voice steady despite her tears. “I came to Planet Alpha as your asset. I stay as your equal. I’ve known many kinds of loyalty in my life, but none like what I feel for you—fierce, uncompromising, and completely voluntary.”
She traced a scar on my hand with her thumb. “You see me, all of me—the strategist, the soldier, the woman who never expected to find peace. And somehow, you love all of it. I promise to challenge you, support you, and love you with the same relentless determination I once used to plot my escape from you.”
By now, I couldn’t stop my own tears from falling. This unfamiliar display of emotion would have mortified my former self, but now I embraced it—another sign of how she’d changed me.
We exchanged the ceremonial bands and Aeon pronounced us married. I didn’t wait for his permission to kiss her. I leaned down and crashed my lips into hers, pouring everything I felt—love, joy, and hope—into that connection.
The colonists erupted in cheers, but I barely heard them. When we finally pulled apart, Talia leaned in close to my ear, her breath warm against my skin.
