Taking Risks

A few weeks after my thirtieth birthday, we got would that Balthia had some colonies planning a total revolt. I volunteered to go on the mission to Balthia to capture Robearo while much of Balthia's military was distracted. As my wedding was being planned, it was decided that Meouraela would take my place in the wedding. I had no great desire to participate in a sham of a marriage, but Meouraela thought this was the best time of her life. She made a lot of progress in her mannerisms and I had no doubt she will play the role in a sufficient manner. If anything, she'll be too happy, which isn't suspicious for a bride.

The mission was undertaken by myself, my father, my teacher Farik, and two covert ops agents. Farik had to continue his duty of teaching, which was kept to simple meditation that I use to control just my own perception of time. Before we left for the mission, he had to see my mother who undoubtedly put some sort of geis or binding on his mind in case he was compromised in the course of the mission. At the very least, I know my mother put some sort of spell that changed his eye movements.

Most of my time was spent with my father in disguised as male Aggrons. If Alliance intelligence was any good, they would know my father would be attempting something. However, the wedding should have completely tricked them into marking me off as a possibility of being on a mission. Before we ever drop our disguises to sleep for a night, my father would set up antiscrying and eavesdropping measures. We would usually sleep in our own rented room, such as we did this night.

"Sheiaral, we can drop our appearances now," my father said.

"That took longer than usual. Do you think the counter agent would be concentrated at this dock? We're not that deep into Balthia."

"It's an important trade station. This is where shipment are sent across the ocean. With the revolution going on, many military vessels go through here now."

"Do you think the revolution will succeed?" I asked.

"The popularity of succession is very much overstated. Most people would rather go about their ordinary lives than participate in a gunpowder based war and many of the colonies didn't revolt. It's only a matter of time before Balthia sends enough troops over the ocean to squelch this rebellion."

"What about the natives? There are many tribes that are mostly dark type. They could change the balance in the war."

"They don't care much for either side, and they'll side with Balthia if they are smart. As much as it would be good that Balthia will lose its abilities to finance their own wars, the colonies won't be able to break free."

"I'm not as familiar with colonial politics. Are the Balthian nobles over on the mythic continents as bad as the Balthian nobles on the mainland? There last few kings have really done a horrible job keeping the noble estate in line. The kings and nobles care about nothing except indulgences, and the influx of new goods only made them worse. The priests are just as bad sometimes."

"It's about taxes actually. There is almost no presences of nobility, and they act as little more than tax collectors. The colonists seem to be more unruly as time goes on. It's not unreasonable to come to conclusion that the barbarians' culture is starting to appeal to the commoners, although such a trend was hardly predictable."

"Well, I think the colonist are going to have an advantage with negotiating with the barbarians. Their medicine is actually quite effective from what I heard. Disease is always the victor in war, so if they don't have to fight diseases, they're certain to win."

"What you heard may be myths, or exaggerated truths," Dad reminded me.

I lain down on the cheap bed and faced upwards. I put my hand up and observed the simple device I had on it. It was a ring, with a wire holding up a metal weight. It was a pendulum ring. Such as device could be devised by a ratatta child and yet because it was created to battle a single latios, it was made with the finest craftsmanship available to our military. This was actually an antique from a war were Robearo was an well know combatant. Maybe a couple dozen were made and passed around to various commands. I lazily watched it go back and forth with it losing no noticeable amount of momentum or speed. I haven't even practice my time illusions with it. Should I try to make it speed up or slow down? Of course, it was supposed to be used defensively to detect and appraise time illusions. My teacher didn't even get a chance to figure out how to use such a device to train my own powers.

"Fortunately, it's looking like you won't need to use the ring," Dad said.

"What? Why are you so certain we won't encounter him?"

"He's probably halfway to the mythic continent by now," Dad said. "I can't confirm it with the intelligence we gathered, but he may be one of the top commanders in suppressing the revolt. This means we don't have any reason to muck around this country anymore."

"But, we've gone so far to complete this mission."

"I'm calling it off. Securing passage across the ocean is just too risky. We'll arrive five weeks late and there's probably going to be an intelligence leak at some point."

I got up and activated my disguise and walked out of the room. "Ralon!" My father addressed me by my undercover name. "I'm not going to let you throw your live away for this mission." He followed me out of the building.

"Excellent. It's an ideal moonless night," I said.

"You're not going to steal a ship, are you? It's pretty dangerous, even with you strength and powers."

I walked to the pier. "That is not what I had in mind at all." I dropped my disguise in the dark of night and launch off from the pier and flew up into the sky. I put a hundred feet between me and the peir in a couple of seconds. My father followed after me in a panic.

"You're flying across the ocean. Are you insane?" My father telepathic spoke as he chased me.

"Dad, I can do this. I know how big the ocean is. It is possible."

"Sheiaral. You're not doing it here or now. You haven't sleep in at least half a day. No Latios or Latias has attempted this. You have enormous breasts for the Dragon-Father's sake. You're not built for this."

"You're not even keeping up with me. My breasts are secured and I can control the air as well as any other of our species."

"I haven't realized how old I've gotten. I can't keep up with you. I don't want to lose my favorite child."

"I'll take care. Don't worry about me."

"Sheiaral, you're attempting to cross a ocean under you own strength and then possibly fight in a war to capture someone. There is absolutely no way I'm not going to worry." With that last though, he disappeared below.

Robearo awoken to the chatter of sailors on deck, as he usually does. He didn't want to appear lathagic in his old age so he headed to the deck to join the men. Attention unexpectedly turn to him as he appeared on the deck.

"Hey Robearo. That's one of your buddies isn't it," a sailor said pointing up. There was a trail of thin cloud which could only mean one thing.

"Yes, that is a Latios trail," Robearo said. "Its looks quite dissipated, so whoever it was must have passed before sunrise. They must be trying really hard to capture me. Well, if the intelligence is good, then that can only be Tridioius, the Empress's husband. He's missing his own daughter's wedding. He's a dog to the family. To think he'll miss his own daughter's wedding to capture little old me. I didn't think of him being crazy enough to cross the ocean by himself though. He doesn't strike me as a special operations guy either."

"The queen's husband? Isn't he the closest thing they got to a king."

"Not even close. Emperors don't share power with their spouse at all. It is clearly a marriage created so the empress could have children. It is mysterious how her infertile husband died, isn't it.

Robearo lean against the starboard edge of the ship. With his height, he was careful no to fall over. He did not have much against the man he was speaking of, but it was always nice to undermine the royal family.

"I'm pretty sure it's a marriage marked by disdain. Tridioius was always picked on because of his height and considered unmarriageable by every women growing up, despite him being the only survivor of his branch of the family. He thought it was inevitable that he would eventually get married, so he allowed himself to be kicked around until then. He was even denied military service. Only one councilman of military affairs voted for allowing him in the military… me. I thought he might have even joined me in defecting. He knew how corrupt the Latios are, and he suffered through the injustice, and then had three children with the Empress when he had the chance. If more men were like him, then maybe they would have more proper Latios families."

"Wow. You just love sharing their secrets, don't you?"

"Well, there are things so scandalous that Balthia doesn't want me to divulge, but they are pretty much okay with me being loose lipped about more personal things," the latios gloated.

"So, are you sure it's him?"

"No. It could be that the intelligence is bad and not to be trusted. However, I do look forward to such a meeting, if as enemies."

Instead of flying above the cloud, I was now a few feet above the water. What the hell was I thinking of when I tried this? I wasn't even flying fast enough to bother with the effort of pushing air out of the way.

I was cold, tired, freezing, hungry, thirsty, exhausted, and tired. I haven't realized the hopelessness of the ocean.

Maybe I could just rest in the ocean. I'll float. I do have boobs after all.

I lowered my flight a before sense returns. That will soak my clothes and the water will be freezing.

I raise speed and went higher. Come on. You knew this was going to be hellish when you started.

Ocean ocean everywhere. Not an island in sight. Just keep going. Land will appear. I've seen it on maps. I know it's there. Just keep going!

I know I said some of that out loud. The ocean is laughing at me.

"That's it. I'll conquer this with math. One… two… three… four… five…"

I know you are finite, ocean. I shall now you conquer you with my superior education and reasoning.

Even more thirsty. Even more tire. "Ten thousand two." I was not supposed to get this far, was I? Curse you numbers. Curse you ocean. "Ten thousand three." Stop mocking me. Ocean, You'll stop existing before eleven thousand at this rate.