Chapter 10

Inaho's and Slaine's position

If this had been a normal fight between men then Slaine would have won. Mind you crushing your opponent's head would have much more effect than kicking him into the chest and just crushing your opponents' rips. But this was a fight between kataphrakts and the torso was the place where the cockpit was situated. Therefore Inaho was the winner of this final confrontation and now he was aiming the gun of his kataphrakt at his beaten opponent.

"Didn't you say you were out of ammunition some time ago." Slaine asked weakly with blood dropping from his mouth.

"I was out of ammon for my rifle, but i didn't say anything about my gun." Inaho retorted.

"You shooting me with a gun is a fitting end for me, I guess. After all it was me, who has shot you with a gun first. Come on. Shoot me and finish it."

"No. I won't shoot you. I want you to live."

"Why? Why aren't you shooting me. Why? Am I not your arch enemy?"

"I won't shoot you, because Seylum asked me to save you. She wants you to live, because you are still important to her."

"You must really love her If you are willing to risk your life to save a fool like me." Slaine commented with tears in his eyes.

"I consider Seylum an important part of myself just like Yuki, Inko and all my other precious people. If you think that I have feelings for Seylum as your words would imply, so I have to admit that I'm not good at expressing my own feelings or reading the feelings of other people. Even those I have spend much time or most of my live with." 'Yuki and Inko in particular.' Inaho thought.

"Your chances of being together with Seylum were much higher than mine considering you being her childhood friend and your status as a count now. If I hadn't known that the Seylum giving other speeches was a fake, then I would habe believed her, because people can change." Inaho added.

In this moment Slaine broke down and started weeping bitterly.

"Do you mean all my hate for you was based on a huge misunderstanding? That I've ruined my relationship with Princess Asseylum just because I misunderstood her?"

"It would seem so. I don't know if Seylum has forgiven you but she wants you to live."

There was a weak smile on Slaine's face.

"I thank you for telling me all of this. I apologize for everything mean I've said and done to you. If we had met under different circumstances we might have become friends. Please tell Princess Asseylum that I'm sorry for what I've done to her and that I love her." Slaine said.

"But now I ask you to shoot me anyway, because if you don't do it his Highness Prince Valerius will do it for you." Slaine said faintly, while slowly losing his consciousness.

All of a sudden a beam hit Inaho's gun, destroying it and three unknown kataphrakts stood between him and Slaine.

"Sorry for interupting your private encounter, but I still need Count Troyard, therefore I can't let you kill him." The pilot of the large golden kataphrakt said while pointing one of his Sword Kais at Inaho.

'His Highness still needs me? Have I misunderstood him as well?' Slaine thought before fainting.

"I didn't mean to shoot him." Inaho retorted.

"In that case there is one issue less between us. Allow me intoduce myself. I'm Prince Valerius. The Lord Protector of the Vers Empire."

'If that's true then without this man's consent Seylum's plan was destined to fail from the beginning.' Inaho concluded.

"May I introduce myself as well. My name is Inaho Kaizuka, an ensign in the UFE, your Highness."

"Your Highness? You don't need to be so formal towards me. We are enemies after all."

"Yes. But taking your status into consideration it is only appropiate for me to show the proper respect."

"Of course you have a point. But the question now is what are we going to do? With your damaged kataphrakt you don't stand a chance against my Gilgamesh and my other two knights."

"Yes you are right. My calculations also show that I don't stand a chance of winning the fight."

"You can not run. You can not hide. So will you attack like you have done it so many times before, despite your low chances?"

"No. I will not attack."

"So what will you do instead?" The Prince asked curiously.

"I will make the most obvious and logical decision under these circumstances. I will just surrender." Inaho stated casually.

"Why are you doing this? You can not know about the order for surrender from your headquarters as my scanners show me that your long-range communication is out of action." Prince Valerius queried a little bit astonished.

"As you stated my chances for victory are so slim as to be almost non-existent. Besides when I fought al those other Martian Kataphrakts I always had a plan to defeat them or we heavily outnumbered them, but this time I'm the one outnumbered and I have no idea about your kataphrakts abilities and even if I would know I'm almost out of weapons to fight you. Therefore surrender is the best option for me now just as headqurters has ordered. Besides I've already fulfilled my promise to Seylum."

'His promise to Aseylum?' Prince Valerius thought, but then he realized something and understood why Inaho had not shot Slaine immediately.

"I see. But you still haven't answered my question about you knowing about the order, for surrender despite your long-range communication being out of action."

"Alone your presence here is enough for me to conclude that UFE has surrendered. Someone as high-ranking as you are wouldn't leave his post until the battle is decided. Besides even if without my communications I can see that the fightings have stopped. The reason is that I can't see any explosions in the distance anymore."

'This guy is even better than I thought. It's a pity that we weren't able to cross swords. I would have liked to test my piloting skills against his, but I don't fight pointless battles.'

"Okay. Eject your cockpit and you will be taken to my flagship. I promise you lenient treatment as I have promised all my other prisoners. I can even offer you some guest quarters instead of a cell."

"Thank you for the offer, but I have to decline. I would prefer to share the fate of my friends. But have one request, your Highness"

"Shoot!"

"Can you tell me the status of the Deucalion and if you have any information about two people named Yuki Kaizuka and Inko Amifuni, please?

"Wait a minute." Prince Valerius said while keying the information into his computer and after a minute he answered.

"Here I have something. Your ship was heavily damaged in a fight against one of my battle cruisers, but it's still in one piece. But I can't tell you anything specific about the condition of its crew. With regard to the other two people. There is a report about taking three girls prisoner from one of my knights. Two of the girls bear names similar to he ones you have mentioned."

'This means they are still alive.' That took a load off Inaho's mind.

"Thank you for sharing this information with me, your Highness."

"You are welcome."

After these words Inaho ejected his cockpit and the two knights took him and Slaine along.

With that the battle for the moonbase came to an unexpected end with an unforeseen winner.

AN: In the next chapter we will see the aftermath of the battle on Count Mazuurek's Landing Castle and what Asseylum and her entourage will do.

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