Homecoming - Circa 1000 A.D.
Marle sat up in the heavy darkness. As far as she could tell the sun would not be blessing anyone with its presence for quite some time. She overheard two voices speaking urgently upstairs, but she couldn't make out their words. She tapped both her friends' shoulders to wake them and was relieved when they both silently came to their feet, hands on their weapons. Marle followed suit by pulling her crossbow into her lap. Robo was already powered up.
"Oh good, you're awake," Melchior greeted serenely as he entered the basement with a flickering lantern in hand. He showed no concern for their battle readiness. "Your escort has arrived."
"Our escort?" Crono repeated, dropping his hand from his hilt. Marle and Lucca relaxes as well.
A small olive green imp followed their host into the room. It was Edward.
"Edward! But… You said 'she'," Marle objected, turning to Melchior.
"Yes, the old man was expecting Lucille," the imp explained with his usual scowl, which was directed at the blacksmith, "but she is in no shape to moving about in the middle of the night. He shoulda known better."
Melchior seemed completely unfazed by the scolding comment. Does nothing ever get under his skin, Marle wondered.
"Is she okay?" she asked, turning her attention to the grumpy little imp.
"She's fine," he replied defensively. "She's just losing her night vision abilities."
"I'm so sorry," Marle said sympathetically.
The imp shrugged. "It's a natural part of getting older."
"Why are you helping us?" Lucca questioned. "It didn't seem like you liked us very much."
Edward scowled at her, "This ain't got nothing to do with like. It's got to do with what's right."
The human trio glanced at each other, suddenly not knowing what to say.
"Thank you," Marle said finally.
The imp nodded in acknowledgement and gestured for them to make their way to his cart that was parked outside.
They each thanked Melchior for hosting them, for the use of his library, and his aid in their departure.
"It was my honor," he assured them. "Travel safe. Be sure to stop by whenever you have need of a blacksmith."
"You bet!" Crono said.
Robo and Lucca climbed into the back of the cart first and Crono handed them their packs, before he offered a hand to Marle. She accepted his help and stepped up into the partially covered cart before taking a seat on the hard wooden bench.
They traveled north and slightly west. Or at least that's what Crono had said. Marle had no idea which way they were actually heading. The journey was not smooth or comfortable. The cart bumbled and jounced with every crack and pebble on the road and she could feel every jarring unexpected lurch through the rough wooden bench beneath her. Every now and again, Marle could hear the sound of another cart rolling by or of a patrol marching past. But they were never stopped or searched. The princess knew that silence was key, so she just bit her lip and gripped the bench when the patrols were too close for comfort.
"How did we get through those patrols?" Lucca asked Edward when they finally had arrived a few hours later and were unloading their small packs.
"You're not the only ones that can perform a little magic," Edward commented coldly.
"But wouldn't the Mystics see through that?" Marle asked.
"Sometimes, but you have to be looking for it," he explained vaguely. "This is your destination. Follow the roped path and speak only to the crew of the Calypso.
It's a mixed crew so a few extra humans will not be noteworthy. The trip will take about a week."
Crono thanked him and shook the imp's hand.
"Good luck," Edward said tightly. "And next time you're in Medina be sure to pick up your grocery needs from me and stay out of the town proper!"
"We won't forget it," Marle assured him. And then she lifted the imp off the ground in a tight hug. He struggled to get away. "Thank you! Say hello to Lucille for us!" she said as she put him back down. He didn't say good-bye, but continued to scowl at all four of them. Marle's grin widened.
She soon sobered as she followed her friends up the rough path. The golden glow of the horizon promised the eventual arrival of the Sun. She quickened her pace to keep up with the others. She knew it was best they were on board before they could be spotted from a distance. They finally made it over the crest of the hill and Marle looked out over the bay.
Dozens of ships of all sizes dotted the harbor as far as she could see from small private fishing boats and slightly larger pleasure yachts to massive militaristic vessels. The Calypso was easy enough to spot. Swarms of seamen worked to load the cargo ship with giant crates filled with supplies and goods.
They approached a worker and Crono explained that they had tickets to board the ship and asked where they should report.
The man raised his eyebrows at this, but did not comment. He simply gestured for them to follow him.
"Cap'n, these 'uns here have tickets to board the Calypso," the seamen gestured toward their strange entourage, handing his superior their travel documents.
The captain glanced at their tickets and winced. He stared at them for a few seconds before he finally sighed.
"Follow me," was all he said.
They complied. He led them through the bowels of the ship to a small hold that must have been near the engine room because the far wall vibrated violently. Marle eyed the unsteady wall nervously half expecting the barrier to shake itself loose. He tore open a closet and pulled out some clothing. He tossed each of the humans a uniform.
"Put these on," he directed the three of them before turning to Robo. "I can't disguise you so stay here, out of sight. When the rest of you are finished, make your way up to the main deck and you'll be assigned a task."
"Yes sir!" Lucca mock saluted. He smiled faintly before he turned and left them.
"Well, he wasn't very welcoming," Marle complained under her breadth, even as she obediently began changing.
Crono whirled away as she stripped down to her small clothes. Marle blushed as she realized she must seem immodest. She had become accustomed to having an army of attendants dressing her so she had lost whatever shyness she ever had, early on. It had never occurred to her that she would embarrass either of her new friends.
Lucca smirked at Crono's back before she followed suit, turned away, and began changing herself. Marle lowered her own eyes as she hurriedly put on the beige uniform.
"It's safe now," she commented, her cheeks still burning.
-oOo-
Captain Samuel Rostron paced back and forth on the deck of the bridge. How could that blasted blacksmith expect him to smuggle human cargo at a time like this?
The old man had terrible timing. Between the all out man hunt that was taking place in Medina and the political climate of Guardia, it was not good to have extra bodies on board on either end of this trip.
"I figured it was best to hide them in plain site. These inspection crews are trained to find hidden compartments and hideaways. They usually miss the obvious," the captain explained to his executive officer, a mystic by the name of Viren. The blue skinned man had been with him for over a decade. "I gave them uniforms. Hopefully they can blend in with the crew. Split them up and try to tuck them away in corners. Give them simple deckhand tasks that they can learn in about five minutes. They need to be working for the next three hours straight."
"Aye-aye," he saluted lazily and stepped out.
Now, how was he going to get them into Guardia? That would be far trickier. The Transportation Security Administration searched every box of cargo and every human and mystic alike that set foot onto shore. Even Melchior's forgeries weren't good enough to get a fully mechanized robot through Guardian TSA. He wondered idly if the creature could swim.
"Sir?"
The voice pulled him from his thoughts.
"Yes Leiutenant?"
"The Inspection Team has arrived and have requested that you join them."
Rostron sighed.
"I'll be right there." One thing at a time, he told himself. He had to get through this inspection. And then he had a week to figure out how to get his passengers into Guardia. He cursed Melchior's name again just to make himself feel better.
It wasn't hearfelt. The old man had saved his life so Rostron didn't feel like he could be picky about when Melchior called in the favors. And the blacksmith certainly didn't abuse the privilege. If Melchior was making use of the Calypso, the risk to his crew and his ship was zero or it was a matter life and death for his charges. So… these were probably the humans the mystics were hunting after. Damn!
-oOo-
The captain scowled at the old inspector's bony and completely bare golden back as she tapped her probing stick against every single bulkhead along the narrow corridor. The creatures looked like marble statues so the lack of covering was not at all off putting to the senses. And the captain supposed that if his skin was as tough as the thick hide the gargoyles supported, he wouldn't bother with clothes either. This old lady seemed particularly like she enjoyed being difficult, stubborn even for a marble gargoyle. At the rate she was covering ground, or almost not covering ground, the Calypso wouldn't be cleared for embarkation for another fortnight!
She wasn't going to find anything – there was nothing to find! Not in the bulkheads! And somehow, that fact made the mundane task an even more infuriatingly large waste of time. He idly contemplated strangling the inspector. The paperwork that went along with a dead body could not possibly take longer than this.
He sighed. That wouldn't do at all. The other members of her team would assume she had found something worthwhile and want to search the entire ship again.
"No, no, no!" an alto voice interrupted his thoughts.
The captain moved to the t-intersection at the end of the corridor. Around the corner two crewmembers lay across the corridor, their heads buried into an open bulkhead. The closer of the two wore spit-shined black boots, not having been exposed to the salt air long enough to completely lose their sheen. And the young lad, Tam, seemed obsessed with keeping them pristine even after two months aboard the Calypso. He had not yet accepted that it was a lost cause, but then the captain supposed he couldn't expect anything less from the son of a cobbler.
The other crewmember had to be an engineer. Who else knew how to pry open the compartments? It was probably Naraya, judging from her slight form and the well worn, much more practical brown leather boots. The captain grinned. It was just like her to bully the boy into learning regular maintenance. She was of the attitude that everyone on the ship should be able to diagnose and fix basic problems. It meant major issues almost never occurred.
"You see, this here?" the girl asked. "This bolt has worked itself loose and is now making contact here, off and on with the vibration of the ship, intermittently shorting out the power distribution for this whole system. Lock it back down," she jutted her arm toward the wayward bolt. Tam moved quickly to follow her directions to reconnect the piece of equipment.
"Now flip the power back on," she said impatiently.
"See! Doesn't that sound so much better? None of that nasty vibration that was just draining energy away."
"What is going on here?" The inspector demanded.
The boy bolted upward, hitting his head against the compartment and shot to his feet, rubbing the back of his head. The boy bit his lip when he realized he faced the captain.
"C-Captain!" he stuttered.
"At ease, crewman," Rostron reassured him, suppressing a chuckle. "This is the Custom's Inspector, Ashika. She is checking to make sure we are up to code and following Mystic regulations. Would you be so kind as to explain what you were working on?"
The engineer pulled herself out of the compartment more slowly. His eyes widened as he realized the girl was not one of his engineers at all, but rather one of his refugees. The blue eyes met his confidently not a trace of nervousness or apology in her body language.
"Just some routine maintenance ma'am," the girl reported directly to the inspector.
"Captain, I…" the boy started to explain, clearly in a panic about letting Lucca where she probably should not have had access.
"Tam, please relax," Rostron interrupted, before the boy's apologetic explanation could give anything away. "I see Naraya is attempting to make an engineer out of you. Making any progress?"
"Uh… yes sir," he said.
"You just come on board?" the inspector demanded of the new recruit.
"N-no ma'am! I have been serving Captain Rostron on the Calypso for the last eight weeks," he stammered.
The captain suppressed a chuckle at the boy's comment. By anyone's standards except his own he had just come on board.
"And we're lucky to have him!" his passenger interrupted. "He's adapted to life aboard a ship like a fish to water. And there's some hope for his mechanical skills yet. He demonstrated well above average dexterity with those pliers. I love to see what else he could do with those hands… I'm sure a woman of your… experience knows what I mean," she said with a wink to the inspector.
His deckhand had turned beet red in embarrassment as the girl eyed him meaningfully.
Inspector Ashika did not seem amused. She glared at the impertinent engineer before her. The captain found himself grinning.
"Just what exactly are you implying that I would want to experience at the hands of this… human?" she drawled the last words.
The engineer immediately sobered as if she had just realized her mistake. "Uh, nothing ma'am. I apologize if I offended you."
Rostron was impressed in spite of himself. The girl, who couldn't be much older than Tam, came off as if she had been aboard the ship for years – rather than merely hours. And she was redirecting the inspector's attention away from his inexperienced and newest recruit. Inappropriate innuendo was exactly the tact to take with this stuffy old hag. He appreciated her not wanting his crew mixed up in whatever this was.
She harrumphed before turning back to him. He immediately wiped his grin from his face to face her stoically.
"Captain, you will now escort me to the next deck."
Rostron could hardly believe his luck. She had only been halfway through this level. The girl must have really thrown her out of sorts.
"This way ma'am," he gestured for her to take the lead.
-oOo-
Rostron swayed on his feet naturally with the rocking of the vast ship as he watched the sandy Medina coastline slip further into the horizon. Only when he could no longer see the port did he breathe easily again. It had taken another six hours for the Calypso to receive clearance to embark, but they were finally underway.
"Vir, your report please," he directed toward his executive officer.
"With their sudden and particular attention to detail, the inspection crew ruined one batch of sensitive cargo – those Porrean slugs someone has the nerve to call a delicacy. There's a bit of a monetary loss, but considering the rank smell is gone, I'm going to call that one a win."
"Anything other losses?"
Viren shrugged. "Nothing of any significant value. We are about a day behind in maintenance because the human half of the crew constantly had to prove they are actually on your payroll. We covered for the passengers by giving them the identity of another crewmember and placing them on the opposite side of the ship so they were unlikely to meet the same inspector. I'm fairly certain we got away with it. You were correct, they were looking for people we hid away in secret compartments – not out in the open with uniforms on. But we're four hours behind on the route. Though Amon and Naraya believe they can make up that time out on the water."
The captain shrugged. Four hours was not hugely significant – not for a cargo ship.
"The crew integrated the new 'crewmembers' well. They did not react or question the new faces."
Rostron nodded at this news. This was not the first time he had taken on 'passengers'. They would question and argue with his decisions later, to his face – not in front of the inspection crew.
"And the four of them made themselves genuinely useful."
The captain smiled thinking of Tam's unexpected maintenance lesson.
"Four? There were only three humans. I told the mechanical one to stay out of site."
"Aye, that he did sir… in the cooling system. Apparently he modified some of our systems…"
"What?!" he asked sharply.
Viren immediately held his hands up. "Calm down sir! It was a good thing. Apparently engine efficiency has been increased by eight percent."
"Eight percent?!" the captain repeated, dumbfounded.
"Aye. Amon is beside himself going through the new system – he says it's a completely revolutionary design."
"Where is he now?"
"He's currently in the engine room hold, trying to blend in with the equipment. I'm sure he's failing miserably."
The captain considered this new information. Just who were these passengers that Melchior had sent to him? It was time to give his guests a more proper greeting.
"Would you please relieve our guests of duty and have them brought up here?"
"I don't know sir! Those railing have never looked quite so shiny! Maybe we oughtta let them keep working to show the new deckhands what real rust chipping looks like!"
The captain smiled, pleased at the subtle gesture of support from his second in command.
"They did do rather well," the captain agreed. "Send 'em up. And include the mechanical one too."
-oOo-
Rostron entered his waiting room to find his four peculiar guests standing in a row at full attention, almost as if they really were a part of his crew. He found this to be oddly touching, though he privately wondered if it had been Viren's idea as these four were unlikely to understand the significance of their formation.
"At ease," he said immediately. The three humans immediately loosened. "My name is Samuel Rostron. I want to apologize for the lack of welcome earlier. Master Melchior never gives proper notice with these types of things. I only had a few moments to stow you away before the inspection crew arrived."
"It's alright Captain," the blond began graciously. "We understood what was going on."
"I saw that. You handled yourselves well and my executive officer tells me that you performed your tasks admirably, that I would be lucky to have you on the actual crew," the captain complimented them. They were still young enough to beam under the praise he noted. Just as well.
"We've had practice washing rusty fences," the redhead said dryly.
Rostron chuckled at the drawn out resignation in the lad's voice, which suggested he spoke the truth.
"Unfortunately, I suspect that keeping you would end me in a heap of trouble at some point or another. So let's stick to the one trip for now," he said. He held out their 'tickets' for their passage. "Am I to assume these are your real names? Crono, Marle, Robo and Lucca?"
"Yes sir!" Marle confirmed.
"And am I allowed to ask exactly what you are Robo?"
"I am an android designed to support my human counterparts in any way that I am able."
"I see. I hear you do your job rather well!"
"Thank you for the recognition sir."
He turned his attention back to the three humans.
"While you're on board, I would recommend you stick to the uniform. It will make you less memorable for the crew if anyone comes asking."
"Makes sense," the redhead agreed.
"Let me give you the grand tour," he gestured for them to follow him. He led them through the bowels of the ship, showed off the cargo bay, took them past the engine room which he knew they had probably already seen, and finished off with the top deck, galley, and their cabins. These were the important locations they would actually have to remember.
"Here are your cabins. Ladies on the left – you have a better view. Gentlemen, you can take the cabin on the right. There are lavortories at either end of this corridor. Simple fare is available in the galley around the clock. A proper dinner is served at eighteen hundred, Zenan Standard Time. With weather as beautiful as this, most of the crew choose to picnic up on deck. But be sure to stay away from where the deck hands are working.
"We will meet again tomorrow to discuss your situation. Welcome aboard the Calypso."
-oOo-
Marle and Lucca unpacked their small bags into their cabin. It didn't really take long seeing as neither one had a whole lot with them to begin with and the room was tiny. It consisted of a bunk bed on the right hand side, a small circular window straight ahead and an even smaller closet to the left. The dark wallpaper of navy blue made the room seem even more oppressive.
Once everything was in order, the girls made it back up to the main deck to find Crono and Robo waiting for them.
"You guys what to get some food?" Crono asked as he approached.
Marle nodded eagerly.
"Naw," Lucca said. She was in fact starving, but she figured Crono wanted some alone time with the princess. And the sooner he got it, the less annoying he would be. "You guys go ahead. I will keep Robo company."
"Shall we?" Crono asked, offering the princess his elbow. She took it with a giggle as she went with him willingly.
Crono turned back and mouthed her a 'thank you'. She waved in acknowledgement. He now owed her triple! Boy, she was going to have to come up with something really good to get back at him for all this.
She glared darkly at their retreating forms feeling suddenly very conflicted about their budding relationship.
"Robo? Can you keep a secret?" Lucca asked, once her friends were out of sight.
"I can restrict access to my memory of this conversation," the robot intoned.
"That'll do nicely," Lucca grinned. Then she turned more serious contemplating what to say. She did not know where to begin. How did one explain one's feelings to an android?
"Marle and Crono… have romantic feelings for each other."
"As I had hypothesized."
"Hypothesized?"
"Yes, I have been observing their behavior. Marle will often look at Crono until he looks at her and then she will turn away. The surface temperature of her face and her heart rate increases. Crono has also been making a point of sitting next to her and touching her when we are not directly observing. This data suggests that the two are interested in a romantic relationship with one other with an 89% confidence level.
Lucca burst out laughing. "I'm sure they'll both be disappointed that they've been so obvious. Anyway, earlier, before we found you, Marle had assumed that he and I were together."
"This only had a 32% probability."
"That high? You'll have to tell me what that number is based off of some day, but right now just listen okay?"
"Audio receptors have not been turned off," his synthetic voice actually sounded puzzled. She grinned.
"I told Marle that I wasn't interested in him. And I meant it. But now, I find myself totally and completely jealous! And I am doubting what I told her. And I don't know what to do! Or if I'm just being ridiculous."
"I do not have an answer for you Lucca. Most of human behavior remains a mystery to me."
"You could have fooled me!"
"Emotions are especially illogical."
"You pegged Marle's and Crono's feelings for each other."
"That was identifying and labeling them. Understanding what causes or motivates them is a different field of study altogether."
"I suppose it is."
"Being able to predict how a human will react to a situation is exceptionally difficult for me."
"You and me both!" she exclaimed. They fell into silence and Lucca found herself staring across the deck. A team of three crewmen were hauling a crate the size of a carriage with an intricate pulley system that must have given them a drastic mechanical advantage. Either that, or the crate wasn't truly that heavy.
She countered that thought immediately. It was definitely heavy. The labor force had all stripped down to their undershirts. One of them was even topless and they had worked up quite a sweating sheen in their efforts. Lucca found herself grinning at the view.
"It would appear that you do not have a strong romantic attachment to Crono," Robo observed.
"What?" Lucca jerked her attention back to the mechanical creature, her cheeks burning red.
"You were staring at the sailors in a fashion that suggests you found them attractive, which would indicate you do not have a romantic attachment to Crono."
She stared at him blankly. That was quite the pronouncement for someone who was not able to predict human emotions.
"I guess you're right," she finally agreed. "That answers that question. I guess I'm just terrified of losing my best friend. I feel neglected and lonely."
"I can be your friend, Lucca."
Lucca smiled at the metallic creature, "Robo, you already are."
She wasn't sure if she imagined it, but it seemed as if his glowing eyes brightened slightly, just for a second.
"Alright, I think we've given them enough of a headstart. Let's get some food!" she declared, marching forward.
"I do not require oral sustenance."
"Well, I do! So keep me company?" she begged with a wide smile.
"Certainly."
-oOo-
Crono and Marle returned to the top deck with their picnic provisions acquired from the galley below. Lucca and Robo were nowhere to be found. Crono wondered how they had managed to miss each other in passing. He had been certain that Lucca would only give him a ten-minute head start. He decided not to question it.
They sat cross-legged on the deck directly, behind a railing that overlooked the ocean. The deep blue waters spread out infinitely in all directions. The colors and swirling patterns below reminded him very much of Marle's aura. He looked up at her, watching the breeze and ocean spray batter her bangs and ponytail in unpredictable ways. He could imagine the swirling colors of her aura shining out from her interacting with the blues and greens of the ocean and sky behind her. The setting complimented her completely.
She caught his attention, and smiled shyly.
"What?" she asked him.
"Nothing. Just enjoying the scenery," he said not turning his attention from her.
She blushed a delightful shade of pink and looked away.
"So tell me about some of your adventures," he prompted.
"You mean, besides this one?"
He nodded.
"There's not really much to tell. Life as a princess is pretty dull," she said staring at her hands.
"What about the time interrupted your father's sparring session and demanded to be trained yourself?"
"No fair!" Marle objected with a laugh. "You probably know half of my life story! And I know almost nothing about yours."
"What do you want to know?" he responded with a grin.
"How did you get to be so good with the sword? You're so much better than most of the trained knights."
Crono looked away, staring into the endless blue ocean.
"I had better motivation, a better teacher, and lots of practice," he said softly.
"Crono, if you would rather not talk about it I understand," Marle said gently.
"No, it's okay. It's not a secret.
"We used to live in Choras. I was pretty young, but those times were some of my favorite memories." He grinned. "My sister would…"
"Your sister?!" Marle interrupted. "I didn't know you had a sister."
"I don't," he said, the smile vanishing. "Not anymore anyway."
"Oh… I'm so sorry."
"I was the youngest. My sister was quite a taskmaster with quite a temper. I was particularly skilled in irritating her."
"So what happened?"
"Someone broke in. My sister protected me. She hid me in a basket and covered it with blankets. I hid there a long time. She told me not to make a sound and so I did not. I didn't see anything. But I heard it all."
He stopped suddenly not able to continue.
"We don't have to talk about this Crono," Marle suggested softly.
"My mother eventually found me," Crono continued. "But my sister hadn't made it. She tried to help father and fight them. Both he and she were killed."
"What was her name?"
"Eliana."
"Pretty name," Marle commented.
Crono nodded in agreement and they fell back into silence staring into the blue depths below.
"It was a robbery?" she finally asked.
"No, I don't think so. My father was a peacekeeper and I suspect someone came to get revenge for someone he had put away, but I'm not sure. I've never been able to get my mother to talk about it.
"I was only five. I was frightened of the sound of blades and screams for a long time. My mother arranged for me to get training with a master. She wanted me to be able to protect myself I think. And to overcome my fear. As I got older, I realized that I had the same goal. I wanted to always be able to protect those that I cared about. I never wanted to be huddled helpless in a corner again while the people I loved were threatened.
"How long have you been studying the art?"
"Since I was six or seven. If you think I'm good, you should see Master Chiva! I worked at it for six hours a day when I was young. And for another two hours he taught me to read and basic arithmetic. Those lessons turned into ethics and philosophy. He always insisted that to train the body, but to neglect the mind was to make an incomplete warrior. Man, I wish I could talk to him about all that's happened."
"Why can't you?"
"He went home indefinitely. There was a death in his family."
"We could probably go visit him."
"Naw, he's all the way in Choras."
"Crono, come on! We can travel through time! What's an ocean or two?" She teased. He grinned.
"I'm sorry you lost your family," she said sadly.
He shrugged. "It happened a long time ago."
"But that kind of pain never goes away completely… My mother passed away when I was young."
"Yeah, I know," he commented softly.
"Of course you do. One doesn't really forget the death of the queen. It's really not fair," she mock complained once again.
"Still, it must have been hard on you."
"To be honest, I don't remember it that well. I don't remember her that well, but I know that my father was never the same after. He stopped caring about things," she said sadly.
-oOo-
Lucca and Robo made their way down to the galley. She filled up her plate with onion soup, biscuits and gravy, and some kind of fish. She was surprised to discover they actually had some fresh greens. She didn't suppose fresh delicate vegetables held up very well on a ship in the middle of the ocean. But then, they had just left port.
She managed a single bite before she was interrupted.
"So what'd you do?"
Lucca looked up from her food to see two mystics, a naga-ette and an imp on either side of her.
"Excuse me?"
"You don't have to worry," the imp reassured. "If the captain vouched for you, we got your back. We was jus' wondering what you did to trigger an all out man hunt like that! Hasn't been one of those since… when do you reckon Seli?"
"Oh you was jus' an impling when old Slasher was in charge. There was a manhunt every other day!"
"That's what I'm sayin' Seli! Ozzie's not like that. He's an open-minded tolerant feller. So what'didja do to set 'im off? Gots to have a fantastic story you do!"
"Nothing terribly exciting," Lucca said as if she was sorry to disappoint them. "We just got into a fight at Flea's Market in town. My friend may have overreacted a bit by drawing live steel, but the whole thing was just a huge misunderstanding."
Both of their mystic companions wilted in disappointment.
"That's it? Flea is always making trouble! Sorry you got pushed into having to run over that idiot."
Lucca shrugged. "It happens. My friends and I are pretty practiced in getting ourselves into and out of trouble."
"Well, welcome aboard," the one called Seli said. "If you need anythin' at all, I'm just down the hallway. You gotta know that not all Mystics are like that perverted old man!"
The girls were barely away before an impossibly tall dark skinned man clapped down heartily on Robo's shoulder cervos.
"You sir, are a genius!" he exclaimed. "You have revolutionized my whole cooling system!"
"It was my pleasure sir," Robo said politely.
"Mind if I sit?" he asked as he proceeded to do just that before offering a chocolate colored hand to Lucca. "Name's Amon. I'm the chief engineer around these parts, though your metal man here apparently puts me to shame."
"You and me both," Lucca agreed with a smile, though she privately panicked at the realization that Robo had been improving systems on board the ship.
"Lucca, you have many of your own mechanical achievements to be proud of," Robo argued.
"See how well trained he is?" Lucca bragged to the engineer, affectionately patting Robo's shoulder.
"To what training are you referring to Lucca?"
Amon and Lucca both burst out laughing.
"Don't worry about it Robo," Lucca finally managed. "Just remind me that we have to work on idiomatic expressions later. Actually, you should ask Marle. She can probably explain it better."
"I hear you're pretty good with a toolbox yourself madam Lucca," Amon commented. "Did the captain finally book us some useful passengers?"
"Any three year old could have detected that short," Lucca said with an eye roll.
"Man, I wish! I can't get half the fools around here to tell the different between a pipe wrench and a set of wire cutters."
"I know exactly the type you're talking about! My father hires these apprentices…"
Lucca spent the next half hours swapping stories of incompetent underlings.
"He didn't!" she hissed. "That would flood the whole engine!"
"Exactly. The captain was furious!"
Lucca groaned in sympathy. "How long did it take to flush it all out?"
"Two days,"
"Two days?! Two days of just sitting stranded in the middle of the ocean?"
"We survived. That's what we do," he said smiling.
"You both might find you avoid a lot of these problematic scenarios if you employed a completely automated technical labor force," Robo suggested.
Both engineers turned to him in stunned amazement.
"Tell me where I can find one!" Amon exclaimed.
Lucca shook her head praying her android friend would remain silent.
"Hey Amon! It's time to stop flirting! Your shift started fifteen minutes ago!"
Amon winced as he rose to his feet.
"That's my partner in crime, Naraya. I got to run. It was nice to meet you Lucca, Robo," Amon said with dancing hazel eyes. "If there are anymore systems either of you want to take a look at I am completely down. Just let me know!"
"I may take you up on that!" Lucca agreed brightly.
He casually saluted then departed. Lucca turned on Robo immediately.
"Robo… what did you do?" she asked sharply.
"I upgraded the Calypso's cooling system. The old system was not penetrating to the core of the heating rods. During a real emergency, the system would have been inadequate to contain the rapid heating and the lives of the crew would be in danger."
"You can't just go around upgrading systems Robo!" Lucca chastised.
"Why not? I was programmed to prevent the loss of human life wherever it is possible to do so…"
"But you're in the past!" she hissed. "Anything you change here, could affect the future!"
"But isn't that exactly what we are attempting to do? Change the future?"
"Not the technological development of the entire planet! How will this impact your future oil crisis if you give people more advanced technology and reasons to use more oil?!"
"I would imagine that increasing fuel efficiency would result in a reduced level of oil consumption. Would this not, perhaps at least, push the oil crisis to a later date?"
"Robo! What am I going to do with you?"
"I do not understand the question, Lucca."
She sighed. "Just don't go around giving the people of this time advanced designs and technology anymore okay?"
"Certainly Lucca, if you think that's wise."
-oOo-
Lucca had thought that filling herself up with food would have made her feel better, but the rocking of the ship was playing havoc with her digestion system. She lay very still on the bottom bunk of her bed concentrating hard on suppressing her gag reflex.
Lucca's stomach lurched to the side and she clutched it convulsively.
"Are you okay?" Marle asked as she entered the cabin.
"Yeah," Lucca said catching herself. "I don't mind motion – it's just so unexpected on a ship, and I can't see what's causing it. And I didn't help matters by overeating."
"I'm sorry," the princess said sympathetically.
"Don't worry about it. I'll be fine," the inventor waved away her friend's concern. "How was your date?" she asked after a pause. The princess blushed.
"It wasn't a date," she insisted.
"Two people eating delicious cuisine alone together with gorgeous vistas… Sounds like a date to me," Lucca teased. If anything the princess' blush deepened. "But then, maybe a princess has a different definition…"
"Stop it!"
"I'm sorry. I don't mean to tease," then Lucca paused. "Well, maybe I do a little. But I just want to make sure that Crono was being a gentleman and not boring you to death."
"No! He was wonderful!"
"Oh good," Lucca said dryly. Leave it to Crono to find a match so completely socially unsuitable for him.
"He had a sister?"
"He told you about Ellie?!" Lucca asked, bolting upright and immediately regretting the action as her abdomen flipped uneasily.
"We were friends for three years before he told me any of that," she said softely.
"Maybe the topic just never arose," Marle insisted.
"Right," Lucca said skeptically.
Marle fidgeted self-consciously. Lucca took pity on her and changed the subject.
"Does the royal princess prefer the top or the bottom bunk?" Lucca asked tossing her roommate a pillow.
"Uh… wouldn't you prefer to be able to get up easily if you're feeling sick?"
Lucca shrugged, but she was surprised at Marle's consideration of her condition.
"I'll keep the bottom then. Thanks Marle!"
-oOo-
"Would you prefer the top or bottom?" Crono asked his artificial companion.
"I do not need to lay down to get rest so you should take whichever is more suitable to yourself," Robo explained.
"Oh! Do you need to sleep at all?"
"Periodically taking time to compress memory files and repair defects is helpful for maintaining continued smooth operations, but lying down is not necessary for this action."
"How often do you need to do that?"
"For optimal efficiency, once every 72 hours."
"For how long?"
"Approximately 4.38 hours."
"Wow, that's a good deal you've got going there."
Crono lay down excited that this time next week they'd be back in Truce.
-oOo-
Viren glared at the notepad in front of him. He hated taking notes, especially when it had to be in code. He had people for that. But the captain had insisted that the fewer members of the crew that knew what exactly was going on, the safer they would all be. It was hard for the blue skinned mystic to object to that. And Rostron would never admit it, but he had a tremor in his hand that made it impossible for him to write down anything other than a scrawling completely illegible signature. So it was up to him to take down all the details so the two of them could devise some kind of plan to get these kids into Guardia.
Viren preferred smuggling contraband. Worst case, you ended up dumping the product and life went on. You couldn't do that with human cargo.
"So do you have Guardian citizenship that can get you through customs legally?" the captain questioned the four passengers.
The human trio glanced at one another nervously.
"I thought not," the captain said with a sigh.
"We are citizens!" the blond girl insisted. "We just can't go through customs."
Which meant they were wanted fugitives. Viren wouldn't hold that against them though. Almost everyone was a wanted fugitive in Guardia these days. If Truce didn't supply half their cargo he was certain the captain would have chosen to skip the port altogether.
"Are you set on Guardia?" Viren asked. "Getting you into Choras would be far easier."
Marle grinned at Crono. "Told you," she whispered.
"It has to be Guardia," the redhead insisted, not reacting to his companion's dig.
"Very well," Viren said, exasperation clear in his voice.
"Are you familiar with Truce?" Rostron asked after a moment.
"Which part?" Lucca asked.
"The port? Surrounding countryside?"
"Crono and I," she said pointing to him and herself, "are natives to the area. We can definitely find our way around."
"Can you swim?"
Lucca bit her lip as she glanced at Robo.
"I can function normally in salt water for very short periods of time," the metallic creature filled in.
"How short?"
"Five minutes."
Viren winced. With a rocky coastline they wouldn't be able to guarantee getting out of the water within ten.
"Very well. I think we have enough information," the captain said. "Thank you for your time."
"Thank you for your time," Marle insisted.
The passengers then filed out one at a time.
"Your thoughts Vir?" the captain said not turning toward him.
"There's not a lot of options. I think we're better off with the whole ship scenario, sir."
The captain winced. "I was afraid you'd say that."
"They're fugitives sir. You can't risk taking them through the port."
"Very well," Rostron agreed with a signed sigh. "Make the arrangements. I have no problem with the crew assuming that it's a drill. Just inform Amon and Naraya to make the necessary arrangments."
"Aye-aye cap'n!"
-oOo-
Blaring alarm bells startled Marle upright. Her head made hard impact with the ceiling and she cursed.
She jumped down from the bunk. Footfalls and accompanying shouting could be heard outside the door. Lucca threw the door open and cornered the first deckhand she could find.
"What is going on?!" she demanded.
"That's the signal to evacuate! You need to report to the nearest life vessel!" he insisted urgently.
"Why are we evacuating?" she asked instead, not budging.
The crewman shrugged. "It doesn't matter. When the alarm sounds, you move!"
And he pushed past her and left both of them standing agape.
Lucca moved toward the door across the way to their friends' cabin and banged on the door. There was no answer.
Another crewmember came charging toward them down the hall.
"What are you still doing here?!" he yelled. "You need to head up to the main deck to board your life vessel," he directed.
"Come on Lucca!" Marle ordered. "Maybe they're already up there."
The main deck was a nest of controlled chaos. Uniformed men and women, both human and mystic, ran to preassigned evacutation points. As boats filled up, they departed immediately. Crono and Robo were no where to be seen.
What had happened, she wondered, that would require the whole crew to abandon ship?
"You there!" a mystic woman with pointed ears and green scales gestured for Lucca and her to approach.
"You're on the priority list. You need to be on this next boat."
Marle moved obediently forward.
"I will not leave without my friends!" Lucca objected hotly.
"Ma'am, I need you to get on this boat," the mystic said calmly, not at all perturbed by Lucca's temper. "I have no idea where your friends are. I'm sure they're being evacuated onto another life vessel."
"Lucca," Marle said reassuringly. "She's just doing her job. She probably can't help us. Crono and Robo'll be there. Don't worry."
Marle did not enjoy the boat ride. While the large cargo ship had rocked unpredictably on the ocean waters, the small life vessel dropped two feet only to soar back up with each and every wave. The passage was made worse by the pre-dawn twilight so she couldn't really see what was coming next. Luckily, the journey to land turned out to be a short one.
They landed, and Marle was unceremoniously thrown into the knee deep freezing cold water with directions to head straight to shore. Lucca followed behind her miserably.
The two of them wandered through the hastily set up camp looking for Crono and Robo. Every moment that went by without seeing them caused her throat to tighten and her stomach to swirl.
"We never should have left," Lucca said guiltily. "Crono can sleep through almost anything."
"I doubt you can say the same for Robo," Marle said trying to be reassuring, though she did not feel confident herself.
It was Crono's shouting voice that led the two girls to him. He sat on a cot. It looked like he had just awoken, but he was shouting at Robo.
"I thought that you weren't allowed to harm humans!"
"No permanent damage was done to you," Robo said calmly.
"You ever pull a stunt like that again and I'll…"
"Crono!" Marle called.
He turned, relief evident in every muscle of his body. She threw herself at him and he enveloped her in a hug. Just as quickly let go so he could give Lucca the same treatment.
"I'm so glad you're okay," he whispered to them both.
"What happened?" Marle asked. "Why were you just threatening Robo?"
"When Crono refused to evacuate without you I stunned him and carried him aboard the vessel. Emergency protocols should be followed for minimal loss of life," the android stated in explanation.
"We'll have to establish some of our own emergency protocols," Lucca said calmly as she draped an arm over the robot's shoulder.
"I hate to break up the reunion," Viren whispered into their ears, "but we only have a limited time window before the Guardian authorities have this whole area cordoned off."
Marle stared at the executive officer in disbelief.
"There's nothing wrong with the ship," she realized out loud.
"There will be if you're still here five minutes," he said harshly. "And I would ditch the uniforms as soon as you are able."
Marle seized the executive officer in a hug.
"Thank you!" she exclaimed. "For going so far out of your way for us. I will not forget it. Please be sure to deliver our gratitude to your captain and crew."
-oOo-
The Guardian authorities arrived quickly. His crew had only been on shore for about forty minutes. They sectioned the area off and began by searching each crew member and matching each individual with the Calypso's roster.
He, as the captain, had been immediately isolated for questioning.
"Can you tell us why you abandoned your ship?" the official asked, not once looking up from his clipboard. The man was dressed perfectly as if he were in a stateroom and not out in the middle of a forest along the coastline. His navy blue uniform was perfectly pressed. There was not a hair on his head out of place and his thin spectacles lay perfectly on the bridge of his nose. Even his shoes were so well polished that Tam would have been envious.
"I was told there was a meltdown in progress," he said glaring at his ship that was floating abandoned on the water.
The official followed his gaze. "And you would risk an explosion so near the Guardian coastline?"
"The lives of my crew were at stake!" the captain insisted jumping angrily to his feet.
"Sit down, captain," the official urged. "We are just trying to get to the bottom of what happened."
The captain grunted.
"Let's inspect your crew shall we?" the official invited Rostron to follow him.
Rostron moved through his crew with pride. They took the indignity of being searched obediently, but not without slowing the officials down.
"Why on earth, do you need me to take off my shoes?" Seli demanded even as she proceeded to do as instructed.
They were approaching Naraya in a heated conversation with one of her underlings. The captain breathed a sigh of relief. Her timing as always was perfect.
"You mean to tell me that you pulled the alarm over a power surge?
"I guess so…"
"You guess so?" she demanded.
"I mean…Yessir, I realize now that it was a power surge," he said meekly.
Naraya sighed dramatically before her eyes widened when they landed on him. She marched to him directly as if she didn't notice the official shadowing him. She could have been an actress.
"Captain," she greeted tightly.
"What happened?" he asked.
"Nothing sir," she reported.
"Then why are we standing on this beach instead of on deck?" The captain asked tightly.
"My fault captain. I left Leo in the engine room. He would have been fine under normal circumstances but there was a strange blip in the reactor and he panicked and pulled the alarm. The two seniors were not there to keep him cool."
A Guardian soldier approached and turned to the official that had been following him.
"All of the crew is accounted for sir," he reported.
"Thank you leuitenant. Send your full report to my tent," he ordered before turning back to the captain.
"It seems as all of this is just a misfortunate overreaction captain on all our parts. I would however, like my engineering team to inspect your engines, just for safety of course. The potential explosion could be environmentally catastrophic to Guardia's coastline," the official said smoothly as if it was a precaution and a suggestion. Rostron understood that it was an excuse to search his vessel and mandatory if he wanted his crew to be released.
"Of course Commander. Whatever we can do to put your Guardian hearts at ease," Rostron agreed amicably.
"Captain!" Naraya objected. "I don't want a team crawling unsupervised through my engines!"
"You'll have to forgive my chief engineer. She takes a certain parental pride in the Calypso and with that comes some overproctectiveness as well. Would you mind terribly if your own team partnered up with yours? I'm certain she's as eager as yourself to inspect the ship's systems."
"Of course," the official agreed readily. "They'll need to be ready at my tent in five minutes."
Rostron nodded with a smile and the official marched away, finally allowing Rostron to move about unescorted. The inspector vastly underestimated his crew if he didn't believe Naraya couldn't have her team assembled in that short span of time.
"Captain?" she questioned.
"Get your team. Keep them from looking at the new cooling system too closely if you can," he ordered.
"Yes sir."
Rostron glanced passed her as she marched away to the forest where his "passengers" had vanished. He was really going to have to talk to Melchior about these favors.
Viren approached from behind.
"A penny for your thoughts sir?"
"I want you to deliver a bonus to everyone once everything is running smoothly again. I want to thank you and everyone for jumping through all these hoops to help me repay my own life debt."
His chief engineer shrugged, "It's nice to have some adventure in our lives once in awhile. Plus, they were good kids."
The captain smiled. They were at that, and he suspected they were a lot more than they seemed. The android was going to save him a fortune in fuel expenses.
"And if you're willing to go to such lengths for a few strangers everyone knows what you'd be willing to do for your crew."
-oOo-
The boy peeked through the multitude of scarves covering his face at four figures that had just turned the corner. The group was too small to be a Guardian patrol. But they were moving so openly after curfew. Didn't they know that was a great way to become fodder for the guillotine?
The boy moved to intercept the four strangers. He would hear about this breach in procedure later from his cell leader, but he couldn't let these people just be arrested, a fate he himself understood better than most.
"What's wrong with you?" he hissed from the alleyway as the group walked by.
"Excuse me?" one of the girls asked. She had a crossbow slung over her shoulder – at least they had weapons.
"You can't be strolling through town around after curfew!"
"Curfew?" a young man asked. The boy glanced up recognizing the voice, but he couldn't really make out the face of the young man that brought up the rear. His mind immediately dismissed the thought. It wasn't possible.
"Oh come with me," the lad growled waving for them to follow him.
He led them into the back door of his dad's shop.
"You can't be outside after curfew!" the boy lectured once they were inside, not sparing them a glance. He began hanging up his multitude of scarves that had been covering his face and his cloak. "You don't want to be caught by one of those patrols. Trust me."
"I'm sorry!" the older boy apologized. "We haven't been in town…"
The boy finally turned around to address the people he had just saved directly and his lecture died in his mouth.
"Crono!" the boy exclaimed, recognizing the red haired young man immediately. "You're alive!"
"Fritz?" Crono asked with a smile clapping the younger lad's back. "You made it out?"
"Yeah! Thanks to you!" the boy grinned and then immediately turned solemn. "Crono, you can't be here. The princess is still missing and they say you're to blame even though they also say you were executed. There are patrols every two hours and 'random' searches within homes that aren't random at all. And we're due."
"What?" the blond girl asked in shock. "But…"
"His comment would suggest that a patrol will arrive sometime this evening to inspect…"
Fritz jumped at the synthetic voice that spoke from the strange metal suit. He had assumed that the creature was in some kind of armor, but maybe he was completely mechanical.
"Not now, Robo," the helmeted girl interrupted. The gold man immediately stopped speaking. Fritz continued to stare at the metallic creature.
"What are you?" he finally managed.
The rhythmic pounding of his sister thundering down the stairs forestalled any attempt at explanation.
"Fritz!" she hissed, "We can't take in refugees! Not tonight! You know that!"
"Elaine," he greeted, "This is Crono."
Fritz watched his sister freeze, staring at the stranger that had become a household hero and celebrity. Then she seized the stranger into a hug.
"How can we ever thank you for bringing back our Fritz?"
"Uh…" Crono said awkwardly. "It was nothing. Don't worry about it."
"It was not nothing," she objected. "I'm sorry though, this may seem terribly rude and ungrateful, but you can't stay here."
"Yeah, Fritz told us," Crono assured her.
"They can't go out either Elaine!"
"We'll have to smuggle them out through the tunnels."
"Tunnels?" the girl with purple hair asked. "What tunnels?"
"It's not really a tunnel," Elaine explained. "It's a code name."
"I'm a member of the resistance," Fritz declared proudly.
"Ummm…. That's something you're not supposed to advertise," Elaine admonished.
"But it's Crono! He's like public enemy number one! Who's he gonna tell?"
"That's not the point Fritz!"
"What's going on in here?"
"D…Dad!"
"Crono…" the older man said softly. He came forward and took Crono's hand firmly in his own. "As the young man who rescued my son you will forever have my gratitude and be forever welcome in my home and place of business."
"As the traitor and escaped felon that kidnapped the princess, I cannot afford to let you stay here," he continued, his voice full of regret.
"Crono is no more guilty of kidnapping the princess than I am of thieving!" Fritz objected.
"Are you certain?" his father asked gently, gesturing to the girl with the blond ponytail. Fritz gasped in recognition and wanted to kick himself. He had just admitted to being a rebel in front of the princess!
"I am certain," she spat furiously. "Crono is most certainly not guilty of kidnapping the princess."
His father bowed his head in acquiescence. "Unfortunately, we do not live in times where the truth of events seems to count for much," he countered sadly.
"You can't turn them in father!" Elaine burst out. Fritz felt his blood run cold at the mere thought. His father remained stoically silent evaluating his options.
"Dad," Fritz begged. "Crono rescued me from the dungeons. You can't send him back there."
"You're absolutely right, Fritz. I was not considering turning them in to the Guardian Authorities – simply that we cannot play host tonight. You will need to smuggle them out. This is an exceptionally dangerous time of day, but we cannot wait."
Fritz and Elaine bolted into action, dressing all three of their sudden guests in sets of dusty scarves.
"Hiding your face clearly identifies you as a member of the resistance," Elaine explained. "So if the guards see you with your faces covered, they'll definitely chase you, but it also means that no one knows who you are so witnesses can't turn you in. And seeing as you both are probably the most wanted individuals, I wouldn't recommend letting anyone see your face."
They turned to the mechanical man and froze.
"Your disguises won't do much to camouflage me," the robot said. "I have my own methods of self defense should they become necessary."
Fritz nodded. "Alright then. Follow me," he ordered.
He led them through alleyways and cellars and finally to an underground facility. Fritz tore off his own scarves and his companions followed suit. The guards let them pass without comment.
"Where's the commander?" he asked.
They pointed down the hall. Fritz darted forward, his body finally loosening in relief now that they had made it to the base.
"Liedermark," Commander Degen growled. "What are you doing here? You're due for inspection tonight."
"I'm sorry sir. I had some important guests that I could not risk being discovered. My father thought it best to bring them here," he said gesturing to the companions behind him.
The commander's eyes widened as they landed on the people behind him.
"Sieze them!" he ordered.
Four guards immediately moved forward.
"But sir!" Fritz objected.
"Back off!" Lucca cried raising her gun from its holster. The princess hesitantly pulled out her crossbow. The guards froze.
"You think you can hold us if we choose to leave?" she challenged.
"Lucca," Crono said softly. He had never drawn his blade. "Stand down."
Her eyes glared into his, but she lowered her weapon and the princess followed suit. The guards relieved them of their weapons and put them into restraints.
The commander stared at Crono, hatred boiling from his eyes. Fritz was amazed that Crono met the man's eyes. Fritz had to turn away.
"Do you know all the pain you've caused?" the commander accused.
"Sir!" Fritz objected. "Crono didn't start this! It had started before the princess ever disappeared the first time!"
"Silence Liedermark!" Degen shouted.
Fritz clamped his mouth shut, certain that he could only make things worse.
"Search their belongings and put them in isolation," the commander ordered.
"Sir, they may be of use to the cause if you would just listen," Fritz objected again.
"I don't know if you noticed Liedermark, but that's the princess! You think we would just let her go free?!"
Fritz had nothing to say to this, but he felt the fool. He had meant to help these three even before he had known who they were. Now that he did, that desire had only grown, and he couldn't help but feel he had made a complete mess of things.
Notes:
Sorry this took a little while longer than I suspected. With some amazing inspiration I finally put together what I want Crono's backstory and journey to be about. This changed my next story arc completely, which required some re-writing of this chapter as it leads into this story arc. My changes of course have lead to some minor continuity errors, mostly just in details and mostly centered around what was said in the trial. I do plan on going back and fixing these. I suppose this is why professional authors actually finish a whole novel or story before any of it gets published! To make sure the whole thing is internally consistent! ^_^
Inspiration for this chapter came from a lot of places. First I need to shout out Immatreal, and author that you can find here. She has written some amazing pieces in various fandoms and most importantly a long piece on writing tips posted on her profile. I'd give you the link if ffnet would let me. And I don't know if my writing has actually changed all that much, but it has made me more aware of what I'm doing so now I can do it consciously, which helps a lot when I get stuck. So go check it out if you're writing something! And second shout out to Maronett who after a long back and forth conversation about one of her stories and one of my reviews motivated me to finally get this one finished!
Anyway, thanks for reading. Let me know whether or not you're enjoying it! Suggestions and thoughts are always appreciated.
