Hey guys. I am so so so sorry that it has taken me so long to update. There were a myriad of factors involved. I got married just over a month ago. Work is always busy but ultimately, I simply not the inspiration and the will to continue writing this for a while. Not that I don't want to write this story. I am still very passionate about it and I want to get back to it, but my inspiration has not entirely returned yet. Luckily, before it ran out, I had the first drafts of chapters 11 and 12 written up. I edited Chapter 11 this week and here it is. Again, I am sorry it took so long and I really hope you guys understand and you enjoy this still. As a treat and a gesture of gratitude for your continued interest, I will try to have Chapter 12 up very very soon, maybe even as soon as tomorrow. After that, I am honestly not sure when the next update will be. I am writing the first draft of Chapter 13 but progress is slow. Please bear with me and maybe a few reviews and/or messages might spur me on. Thank you as always and enjoy.
Chapter 11: A New Threat and A New Journey
April, 2170 CE
Torfan, Citadel Space
Torfan was a small, unassuming moon orbiting a gas giant, just inside Citadel Space. Not far from the border with the Batarian Hegemony, it served as a base for pirates, criminals and mercenaries, mainly of the Batarian variety. The moon had been hollowed out long ago, though no one was really sure when or by whom, though the enduring theory was that it was done by the Protheans – not that any archaeologists would ever be allowed on Torfan to study it. Most of the outlaws' bases were honeycombed in this hollow celestial body, with a spattering of the groups operating on the surface. The Council did not know they were there and it had to stay that way. It was a perfect place for his conquest to begin.
The hooded man walking the halls was mostly ignored by those he passed. He drew a few stares, likely because of his height – easily over 7 feet tall – but went about his business unmolested. It wasn't long before he came to the door to one of Torfan's many bars and pirate dens. This is where the pirates came to relax and drink and tell tales of their exploits and ill-gotten gains. Fights were common, and murders, only a little less so. The Batarians were a brutal, angry people and this brutality and anger he planned to take full advantage of.
The door opened and the man stepped inside. At the edges of his vision, he could see a typical bar set-up to his left and previously-broken tables and chairs to his right, with plenty of revelers scattered about. But the hooded man had no interest in these. In the center, an open area for performances and audiences and further back a raised platform with a beat-up throne, broken and splintered from many a barfight and held together with tape and nails. A batarian pirate leader was seated on this throne and was currently enjoyed a sultry show from a scantily clad asari dancer. She was flowing with the music, her muscles rippling beneath azure skin, swirling her hands one way while her hips rotated in another. Every so often, she'd sashay up the platform to loosely wrap her arms around the pirate lord's neck and press her supple body against his, only long enough to give him a tempting taste before slipping out of his grasp to continue dancing. The whole room watched her with slack-jawed, moony expressions, but she had eyes for only the pirate lord.
The cloaked figure received a few half-heartedly curious looks as he strode forward, avoiding the bar and tables, making a beeline for the central audience area. The Batarians were a very similar race to humans, perhaps even the most common to those of Earth. The major physical differences included the lack of head hair, a ridge on their face descending from the forehead and ending at their nose, flat and with eight nostrils. The most obvious difference was their four eyes, unusual even among the various species of the Milky Way.
He reached the center of the room and halted, and it took a few moments for the pirate lord to notice him, being so distracted by the beautiful asari moving around him. In fact, it was the asari who first noticed him. She slinked around behind his throne and draped her arms over shoulders.
"Honey, it seems you have someone who wants to talk to you," she murmured against his ear in a sensual, husky tone.
The pirate leader pulled his gaze away from the asari and saw the tall, mysterious man. "Ugh. Sorry, babe. Business calls. Stay close by though. I am not done with you."
The asari giggled. "Oh, I think I know what you have in mind. I hope you have someplace private we can go for that."
This got a round of hollers and catcalls from around the room, though the cloaked, tall man remained still and impassive. The leader held his hand up. "Settle down! Now, I don't deal with those who keep themselves hidden from me. Show yourself."
"Of course." The man smiled and lifted his hood off his head, revealing a dark-skinned human male with flaming red hair. His beard and eyebrows were styled in a way that they connected with this hair and his eyebrows even resembled an open flame. He had piercing red eyes to match. His intense stare and sly, knowing smile unnerved the pirate leader. "Thank you for your time, my lord."
The pirate straightened himself. He knew he had to be on his guard with this one. "A human? You are brave to come here. We do not take kindly to your species here." Many of the nearby patrons had their hands at their holsters, ready for anything. "Who are you and what business do you have here?"
The man spoke with a deep and dark voice. "My name is Ganondorf and I have come with a simple business proposition for you, my lord."
"Hmm. Well, Ganondorf." The pirate lord would indulge this human. "What is it you propose?"
"Simple, really." Ganon moved forward a few steps, closing some distance between them. "You give me your men and you get to enjoy a great bounty once I am finished with them."
The batarian was confused by the way Ganondorf phrased his request, which he had said more like a statement than a request. "Do you mean you want to hire us out as mercenaries? If so, you are in the very wrong place. We don't hire ourselves out to humans."
Ganondorf laughed out loud, a deep, throaty laugh, that irritated the pirate. "No, sir. I mean you step off your broken throne, give it to me, and you get to enjoy great rewards so long as you and your band of merry men follow my orders."
Was this human serious? He was demanding leadership of his gang? The batarian was surprised by the brazenness of the request. He had had plenty of coup attempts, but never by a polite, yet demanding, request. What was this human playing at? "Not gonna happen and if you don't leave now, my men will gladly toss your ass out the nearest airlock." Many of the batarians on either side of the room drew a variety of weapons, careful to change positions to avoid the coming crossfire.
Ganondorf was not fazed by this and made no attempt to move. The pirate lord nodded over to two of his comrades. Weapons drawn, they moved to either side of the human. "Take him out of here! Out an airlock preferably." The batarians moved to secure the man but before they could get close, Ganondorf raised his arms toward them.
The two batarians started to float as though the artificial gravity was turned off, and they cried out in alarm as they felt themselves losing control of their own bodies. Their weapons clattered to the floor and yet no one else made any move against the human. The sense of awe in the room was palpable. Ganondorf grinned at the now wide-eyed batarian leader and nodded over his head.
The batarian leader began to lean forward to yell when he froze, the familiar cold of steel against his throat. He had no time to react before the blade quickly retracted, opening his throat with a bloody spray. He couldn't breathe; blood was filling his airways, and he tried to cough, but it was useless. Blood spattered from his mouth as he helplessly reached for the gaping wound and tried to press his hands against it, to staunch the loss of blood. He gasped and choked, and tried to turn to the asari for help, but a hand shoved him off his broken throne and onto the floor.
The batarians in the room held their fire in paralyzed terror. Ganondorf looked over at the body before him, the life in it fading fast. "I am sorry, my lord. It is a shame we could not do business. Well done, Veira."
The asari dancer knelt down to the dying man, wiped her blade on his clothes and spat at him. "That was too good for you, pig." She rose and gestured to the two helpless batarians suspended on either side of Ganondorf. "What about those two?"
Ganondorf threw a glance at the batarian on his left and then at the one to his right. The terror was clear on their faces. "I am sorry, my friends," Ganondorf told them. "Your former master has inadvertently chosen you as my examples. Know that your deaths are for a far greater purpose than you could imagine."
His fingers curled into loose fists. The batarians both started to scream. They felt immense pressure build inside their very being nearly instantly. The pain was unbearable and the terror grew as they used their eyes, the only thing they could still move, to try to find some way out of this. The two eyed their comrades with a single plea: Help us! All the while, their fellow pirates looked on but made no move to help. Fear of what this fiery-haired human could do kept them in place.
Ganondorf did not plan to make these men suffer long. Just enough to make a statement and that statement had been made. He clenched his fists tightly. The screaming stopped and the now-lifeless bodies fell to the floor. The flame-haired man turned toward his audience. Their weapons where still trained on him but no one dared make the first move, fearing the first to do so would be the next victim. "I certainly do apologize for that… spectacle. I believe that it might make negotiations easier."
A single brave batarian approached Ganondorf but still maintained a cautious distance. His gun was still raised at the man. "You son of a bitch. Why would we ever listen to you after what you have just done?"
Ganondorf's red eyes viewed the sole batarian with mild irritation. "Do you not recognize true power when you see it?"
"We have seen biotics before, often used against us by your kind. Humans," the batarian spat the last word.
Ganondorf laughed. "Biotics? Did you see a blue glow?"
The batarian said nothing and simply scowled at the flame-haired human.
"You still don't get it, do you?" Ganondorf's laughter was cut short like a knife slice. "I am no mere human. I have existed far longer than any mortal. I am beyond ancient. My power is unmatched and my strength is unparalleled. I am imbued with the power of the goddesses themselves." Ganondorf again raised one of his arms, lifting the batarian up in the air, and drew him closer.
When the batarian's face was mere inches from his nose, he spoke again. "I am Ganondorf, and you will serve me or you will die." The man smiled menacingly. "Of course, I do not offer nothing to return. You and all of your comrades will have riches, power, and revenge. I sense revenge against Humanity would be particularly sweet to all of you."
The batarian could not help but admit that that sounded pretty damn good. "Why? Why would you fight the humans?"
"… even if I seem to be one?" Ganondorf interjected. "They rejected my leadership and my consul. They spurned my rightful place ruling over them. They will pay for that."
That sounded even better. The batarian spoke quietly. "If what you say is true, you will find many willing allies here, including me. Humanity stole much from my people. However, it may take some convincing, especially after what you did to our leader."
The nature of Ganondorf's grin changed. He relaxed his grip and released the alien. He landed with a certain grace and stood up before the man. "Lower your weapons! This human is a friend!" Many of the batarians in the bar were of similar mind and holstered their weapons as ordered. Others were more skeptical, but did the same for fear of angering Ganondorf. "So… Ganondorf. My name is Edrenis. You said you needed us. What do you propose?"
Ganondorf looked around. The beginning of my new army. "Go to the other groups on this moon. I will speak with them all. I have a plan and I am going to need every man and every ship. Soon, we will take the fight into Alliance space. Those colonies that they claim? They will soon belong to their rightful owners, the Batarian Hegemony."
Edrenis was more and more amazed by this man. To reject his own race. To turn against them so completely. Only a terrible hatred could drive that. And if he was true to his word, the Batarians stood to gain from it. Edrenis was no idiot, of course, and he knew better to think that Ganondorf was doing this for the Batarians and only for that reason. No. There was something else to this. But, if it got him and his people what they wanted, Edrenis would follow Ganondorf… for now. "I will bring them to you at once." He walked toward the exit and pointed at a group as he passed them. "You men, with me!" Drinks was abandoned and tabs or IOUs were quickly settled as they left behind Edrenis.
Veira watched the batarian leave. "You think we can trust him?"
Ganondorf chuckled. "Of course not. But I offered the golden fruit to him and he knows the alternative is a painful death. He will follow me. Still, this Edrenis is worth watching."
"You want me to follow him?" the asari asked.
"No, Veira," Ganondorf replied. He turned and took a seat on his newly won throne. It was not Hyrule's throne but that could come in time. "I have another mission for you. The King of Hyrule is due to speak at a conference on the Citadel. He does not know it yet, but he has a more pressing appointment with me." The dark man grinned with anticipation.
Veira knew what he wanted. Kidnap the king of Hyrule. No easy task but she always liked a challenge. "At once, my lord." She left to board her ship. It was time to change and to get into position. Once set up on the Citadel, all the asari had to do was wait.
Ganondorf watched Veira leave. He knew not to trust her either but the assassin seemed truly devoted to him. A powerful tool indeed but nothing more. Then a hideous smell wafted into his nostrils. "Someone get rid of these bodies!" He grinned at the remains of the batarian leader. "The nearest airlock will do fine."
He watched out of the corner of his eye as the body of the dead leader was taken by his former comrades. Ganondorf then shifted in his new seat of power and thought of what lay ahead. Stage one was complete. Time for stage two of his plan to begin. Ganondorf smiled. It would all finally be his.
'And behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.'
Summer, 2170 CE
Hyrule Castle, Kingdom of Hyrule
The 16-year-old Princess Zelda stood on the battlements above the training grounds. It was a beautiful cloudless summer day and her lessons had ended for the reminder of it. She wanted to spend more time with Link. But that had to wait. The training grounds were busier than ever. New recruits to the knights were at a level not seen since the Second World War. Fortunately, neither the Axis powers nor the Allies ever set a foot on Hylian soil so Hyrule was spared that horror. Mostly. Zelda feared that would not be the case this time around.
These days, Link spent as much time training others as he did training himself. She watched as he defeated opponent after opponent in mock combat. One tried to strike him a stab. Link easily dodged it and whacked the poor lad in the stomach with his training sword. He was down instantly. Another tried charging at him with a rather amateurish high swing. Link simply ducked under the swing and flipped the recruit over his back. He was more than a match for the average opponent. These poor recruits stood no chance.
Link looked up from his latest opponent and saw Zelda. He shot her a quick salute and a smile. He was clearly enjoying himself. Zelda smiled back and gave him a small wave.
Zelda heard approaching steps from her left. She glanced to see Impa approaching her. "He is quite the accomplished warrior now, isn't he?"
Impa looked down and saw Link use his sword's pommel to knock the top of a helmeted recruit's head. Poor lad. "Indeed he is. But as skilled he is with the sword, he still has much work to do with ranged weaponry. As do you."
"Impa. Between my lessons on science, mathematics, diplomacy, galactic affairs, and how to rule this country one day, I have no idea how I have time to sleep. Same goes for Link." Zelda sighed and placed her forehead on the chest high wall in front of her. "Impa, we need a vacation."
Zelda's guardian grinned. "Then you will be really glad to hear what your father wants to tell you."
This piqued Zelda's interest. "Really? What would that be?"
"Oh no," Impa shook her head. "I am not saying anything more. Go to the King so he can tell you himself. You will find him in his room."
Zelda stole one last look at Link. He had stopped sparring for a moment and was looking toward Zelda, concern etched on his face. The princess sent him one more comforting smile and started to make her way to her father's bedroom.
A short walk later, Zelda was at her father's door, across the hall from her own. Her mind drifted back to those nights long ago when she was young. Nightmares came as they do to every child and she would leave her room to seek comfort from her mother. She remembered little of her now but very much missed the queen. That was another thing she and Link shared and they had many talks comforting each other, especially on painful anniversaries. Zelda wondered what her mother would have thought of Link. What would she have said? That she shouldn't be spending so much time with the boy? That she was happy Zelda had found such a good friend? When to expect her first grandchild?
Oh goddesses. Zelda felt her stomach flutter and stopped that line of thinking right there. She was much too young to be thinking of that kind of thing. Plus, Link had his destiny. He didn't have time for romance. As long as she had him as a friend, she was happy enough with that. She often wondered if his attachment to her was simply out of loyalty or friendship, or could it be something more? Did he find her unattractive? Doubtful. Maybe he was just too busy worrying about his task. Or maybe he is just as afraid as I am?
Zelda was no longer a girl. Yes, she was still a child, a fact Impa often reminded her of, but she was becoming a young woman and Link was a very handsome young man. There were many times of late she wanted to say something to him but she was terrified. Would he reject her? Again, doubtful. At least, not outright. He had never mentioned how he felt. Mom, I wish you were here. She surfaced from the depths of her thoughts and knocked on the door.
Her father's voice rang on the other side. "Niall!" The door swung open and Sir Niall was on the other side. He saw the princess and turned back into the room. "It is the princess, your Majesty."
"Come in, Zelda!" The King's voice came from within. Zelda entered the door held open by Sir Niall. Daphnes was at his desk, a couple of piles of paper on either side. He applied his signature to the document and looked up at Zelda with a sympathetic face. "The work of a monarch never ends."
Zelda chuckled. "Still your work for a while yet, I hope?"
The King sighed. "Yeah. Yeah. Watch out, Zelda. I may abdicate if you are not careful."
"Sure, Father. You'll be plotting my overthrow within a week," Zelda joked.
"Ha!" the King laughed. "That sounds like a bet, my love! Anyway, enough jokes. Niall, Zelda is here so you do not have to worry about leaving me alone. Please find Link for me. I will need his services."
The knight bowed and quietly left, shutting the door behind him. On his way out, Zelda caught him nodding and smiling, maybe even a quiet chuckle. Zelda knew Niall tried hard to maintain his professionalism but that was a herculean task when involving her jovial father. Only they knew the exchanges they had behind closed doors. The King stood from his desk. "So, Zelda. You must be curious as to why I called you here."
"Quite, Father. Impa wouldn't say a word." Zelda grinned. "She didn't want to ruin your surprise."
Daphnes returned Zelda's smile. "Smart woman she is, Impa. You know I am to depart tomorrow for a conference off-planet."
Zelda was aware of this. "Are you asking if I would be able to take of things in your absence?"
The King waved off that suggestion. "No. No, Zelda. I am not that cruel… yet. I have put some thought into this trip, and I have decided that I will not be going alone after all. This conference is very important for Hyrule's galactic affairs, and for Humanity as a whole. It is important for you to begin making a name for yourself. Therefore, I was hoping you might be willing to accompany me to the Citadel."
Zelda's mind went blank. Wow. This was big. "The Citadel?" was all Zelda could manage.
"Yes, my love," the King stated. "You have never been off-world before. I thought this would be a good chance for you to see what the galaxy has to offer, both for you and for Hyrule, and for the galaxy to meet Hyrule's future queen."
Zelda just listened. The King was serious now. "We will not be the only ones going, of course. Primarch Fedorian has already informed me that he will be there. In addition, Doctor Liara T'Soni and Impa will both accompany us, along with Link and a few other knights."
Zelda was going with her father to see the Citadel and both Liara and Link would be coming too. The Princess had seen vids of the great space station but Liara had explained that you could never appreciate its wonder unless you saw it in person. "Of course, Papa!" She ran around the table and hugged her father tight.
The King returned the hug, then stepped back to look at his beautiful daughter. "You have grown so much, Zelda. I have no doubt you will make me proud. Get a few servants to help you pack. We will be gone a week so make sure you have enough, both formal and casual." There was a knock at the door. "Ah, that will be Link now. I'll let you tell him." Daphnes beamed with pride and amusement as he watched Zelda run to the door and tackle-hug an unsuspecting Link.