"Patrols have returned, and for the fifth time they reported no sign of the pirates. There has been no sighting of a wreckage, either - I think it is safe to assume, my Lord, that all was destroyed by the storm."
"You will assume nothing, Ramirez. Perhaps I did not make myself clear - I want their bodies confirmed, and I want that Crystal. Continue the plans for the attack on Nasrad, and do not return here until you have carried out my orders."
"Yes, Lord Galcian."
"Now come here." Alfonso stepped away from the door, having no desire to hear any more, and set off down the hallway toward his private quarters; when he was safely behind a closed and locked door he collapsed upon his bed, staring blankly up at the ceiling.
He had known that Galcian had dispatched Ramirez's fleet to destroy Lawrence and the other pirates, but there was nothing he could do to prevent it; open opposition would only get him killed. Now three days had passed since the attack and there had been no word, but he wasn't fool enough to believe for a moment that no news was good news. Likely their corpses had fallen into Deep Sky during the storm; the only consolation was that, were those events true, the Green Moon Crystal had fallen with them.
Alfonso closed his eyes, feeling slightly ill. Aiding Lawrence in secret had been his only hope; now he was alone again, without allies and without a plan. There was only one thing left for him to do; it had been swimming along the fringes of his mind since he had first decided to defy Galcian, but it was desperate and reckless and promised little hope of success.
He would steal the Delphinus, the new prototype belonging to Prince Enrique, and escape alone.
It was foolish, of course; Galcian would know immediately where he had gone and follow, but Alfonso didn't even really care. He wanted to be rid of Valua's newfound corruption and demolition, and die in the place of his choosing. And if he could take a few Valuans down with him - well, so much the better.
But when to commence with his daring escape? Alfonso pondered this for a long time, watching the Yellow Moon rise slowly outside his window. If what Galcian and Ramirez had been discussing was true, and Galcian really meant to attack Nasrad soon, then he had already been given a bona fide opportunity. It sounded as though Ramirez had been placed in charge of the upcoming siege; Galcian would likely be occupied with all the proceedings, and that meant that Alfonso's two biggest thorns had already been removed from his side.
Yes, it was a good plan, the First Admiral assured himself, and closing his eyes he slept.
It was many hours later, in the dead of night, that Alfonso woke suddenly with a very different plan flawlessly formed in his mind. Still in his uniform (now slightly wrinkled) he sat up, blinking furiously, and started working through the little intricacies, instantly wide awake and mind reeling in a frenzy. He had overlooked two major details in his planning: the Red Moon Crystal, now in Galcian's possession, and the engineer's son Hans, who was even now being tortured in the Grand Fortress. Hans was an Air Pirate - one of the few still alive, to Alfonso's knowledge - and would be able to get him into contact with others who would be willing to take up arms in the fight against Galcian, and if he could get the Red Moon Crystal out of Valua... or destroy it...
Alfonso's heart was racing with the madness of his thoughts. He was a traitor now, he knew, for all his blathering about blind loyalty to the Empress he was really out for himself and no other, but it didn't seem quite as bad if he was turning against a tyrant like Galcian. Treason, though, was a crime against the crown for which the penalty was most certainly death...
"What does it matter? I'm going to die one way or another," he muttered to himself. "It's just a matter of time, and how many people I can trick."
He couldn't hinge his thoughts on the hope that the Green Moon Crystal wasn't retrievable; he needed a definite guarantee that Galcian's plans would fail, and for that, he needed one of the other Crystals.
And the Red Crystal was already in the building, in halls he knew better than anyone.
"Tomorrow it will begin," Alfonso decided, and though he lay down again it was a long time before sleep found him.
Author's Note: Sneaky sneaky Alfonso... Thanks for all the reviews, you guys.
Desert Lynx: Haha, I am, in fact, a she. Thanks.
Derek Barona: It thrills me to no end that Sensenic Morray is getting a warm welcome here in the SoA fanfiction section. I appreciate it. Let's try not to fight on my review page, though. :D
Kasysty: Not discontinued, I'm just a great big slack-ass.
Hunter-Killer360: Yeah, after such a long hiatus I was worried my fans would just quit showing up. The thought was pretty depressing... Thanks for sticking around.
Paosheep: A new reviewer! Glad you like. Hopefully the updates will come at a more frequent pace from now on.
Meowzy-chan: You'd BETTER be sorry. ::glare:: jk... It'll actually be awhile before Lawrence and Centime meet up with Domingo and Ilchymis, and longer still before that particular issue is addressed. Be patient, though! It'll happen.