Outside, near the Blackjack

A few hours following recovery, the party set out to return to Vector, in hopes that they could finally topple Gestahl's cruel regime. A couple hours of sleep was better than none. As they trekked through the plains, they encountered a pair of Wyverns and a Ralph. Nothing the team couldn't handle at this point. Ahsoka wanted to try out her latest spell, Doom. She casted it on one of the Wyverns. A grim reaper appeared, clutching the beast's soul and taking it with him, cackling along. A second later, the afflicted Wyvern fell to the grass, very much dead. Obi-Wan casted Fire 2 on the unsuspecting foes, frying them in the process. They kept on their route until they finally reached the capital city of Vector.

Vector

The first thing the party noticed upon entering was how deserted the streets were of Imperial citizens. The majority of the buildings save Gestahl's Palace was in flames. Many Returners and Narshe Guards were going around, looking for survivors. Even Arvis and Banon were present.

Terra approached the former. "Arvis ? What happened here ?"

He looked a bit stressed out. "I'm guessing the Espers did their work and flew off to unknown locations. It was like this when I got here myself."

The party dared to enter the Imperial Palace. As they arrived at the first flight of stairs, a guard met with them. "The Emperor is expecting you… This way…"

Ahsoka leaned towards Terra. "What do you think he'll do ? I doubt he'd push for peace so easily…"

Terra whispered back to the Togruta. "Keep your eyes peeled for anything unusual. Otherwise, act proper."

They were led to his throne room. The Emperor had a saddened look on his face. "I've lost the will to fight…"

A familiar man in a raincoat appeared to greet them as well. "It seem the Emperor has had a change of heart…"

Everyone brightened up at Cid's appearance. So he held his word about having the Emperor stop the war. "The Espers came to save their friends. When they learned the others had perished, they went berserk and trashed the town… Never will I forget their shrieks of rage…"

A couple of Sentry Guards dropped their weapons to the ground. "We're hanging up our weapons and armor for good."

Emperor Gestahl stood up, staring at the Returners. "The power of those Espers… I had no idea… They'll shred the world ! We must get them to understand that we are no longer at war."

Cid turned his back on the Emperor. "No Human is going to make them sit down and listen…"

The Emperor was about to head out to a door leading to the extravagant dining room. "But for now, my friends… let us feast and rejoice !" He left the party.

Cid returned his attention to the group. "There are some people here who would prefer to keep fighting. Please, before we dine, talk to as many soldiers as you can. Make them understand." With that, Cid left off to the dining room as well.

In these fleeting moments, the party addressed a total of 24 soldiers. The majority were relieved that the war was over. Others were still intent on fighting. Some outright assaulted the party with little provocation. None were a match for their advanced abilities. After Terra and the others made their point, they returned to Gestahl's throne room and waited to be admitted in the dining room.

A guard came to guide them. "This way, please."

Emperor Gestahl sat in the middle chair of the opposite side of the large table. At his left and right stood two Sentrys on each side. Cid joined to sit with the Returners. They were offered assorted meats, vegetables, wine, ale, water, etc…

Gestahl began the awkward conversation. "Imagine ! All of us together, sharing a meal ! First, we must have a toast !"

Obi-Wan stroked his beard. "We must not show any preference to either side. We must remain neutral." "I propose that we make a toast… to our hometowns !"

Gestahl seemed surprised at Obi-Wan's suggestion. "Well then… to our hometowns !" Everyone raised their glasses.

Gestahl had to bring up the unpleasant topic of Kefka. "As you know, Kefka was jailed for his crimes. What should we do with him ?"

Ahsoka raised her hand, wanting to speak. "Your Excellency, he has committed some real atrocities. Pardoning or even executing him would be pointless. I say you leave him in jail."

Gestahl nodded in agreement. "Hmm… Well then, let's let him stew in his cell for a while. Then we'll decide what to do."

He let out a loud sigh before continuing. "I truly apologise about the poisoning of Doma. No one dreamed Kefka would use poison."

Terra gave a look of utter disgust. "That was inexcusable ! You don't do that to people, regardless of the trouble caused by adversaries !"

Gestahl definitely felt ashamed of Kefka's actions. "I'm so terribly sorry ! Kefka is being severely punished and we're cleaning up the poison. By the way, in regards to General Celes ?"

Ahsoka spoke in defense of her disappeared comrade. "Celes is one of us ! She helped us infiltrate the Magitek Research Facility in an attempt to save a few Espers…"

Gestahl frowned at the revelation. "Kefka was lying ! General Celes realized the war was stupid before anyone else. That's why she joined the Returners. Any other questions for me ?"

Ahsoka raised an eye marking and crossed her arms. "Why'd you start the war ?"

Gestahl scratched his head, thinking on how to answer her. "My desire for power got the best of me. Now, I've come to my senses. With your permission, I'd like to talk about the Espers…"

Obi-Wan raised his hand. "Excuse me, your Excellency. I have a question of my own. Why do you want peace now ?"

"I feel we need each other's help at this time… Anything else before we move on to Espers ?" He answered quickly.

Terra raised her hand. "I have one. Why did we have to talk to your men ?"

Gestahl took a sip of wine before answering. "Some of my men refuse to embrace peace. I felt they would understand if they met you face to face. Nothing else, then ? Let's move on to the Espers… My Empire has been decimated by the Espers that emerged from the Sealed Gate. They're acting spiteful ! Unless they are stopped, they'll rip the world asunder !"

Terra nodded at his statement. "Yes, the Espers have gone too far."

Gestahl moved the conversation further. "After the Espers went on their rampage, I knew I couldn't go on with my war. I asked myself why I started it in the first place. By the way… about those questions you asked me… which did you ask first ?"

Ahsoka scoffed. "That's easy. I had asked you Why'd you start the war ?"

Gestahl knew that he was dealing with intelligent people at this point. "Right. Anyway, more than anything, I want peace. This is my true dream, I want you to understand that !"

Cid rose up from his chair, stretching himself a bit. He looked to the party. "You seem a bit tired. Care for a rest break ?"

Ahsoka rose from her seat, stretching herself and making her bones crack. "Definitely ! Sitting for so long really makes me drowsy." The others followed suit. They met up with the Sentries alongside Gestahl. They wanted to test the Returners' skills. "We've heard you four are the most powerful of the Returners. Won't you fight with us for a couple of minutes ?"

Terra seemed willing to try out her fighting skills. "Sure !" With that, the party fought against the Special Forces. They were defeated rather easily thanks to Mog's Love Sonata Dance causing an Elf Fire on one of the Sentries. Another was downed by Ahsoka's casting of Bio while the last one took Terra's casting of Bolt 2. After the battle, everyone was healed up. The Sentries were very impressed. "Wow ! You guys sure are strong ! Maybe you can defeat the Espers."

After the battle, everyone took their respective seats and the conversation resumed.

Gestahl cleared his throat. "Is there anything that you wish to hear me say ?"

Ahsoka raised her hand. "That you war is truly over ?"

Gestahl smiled at the Togruta's suggestion. "I understand. I've ordered this war to be over ! Now, I must ask for a favor. After devastating my Empire, the Espers headed Northeast towards Crescent Island. They must be found ! We must tell them we're no longer their enemy. After all I have put them through, it is up to me to set things right. That is why, I need to borrow Terra's power. Only Terra can bridge the gap between Esper and Human. We must make for Crescent Island aboard the freighter from Albrook. Will you accompany me ?"

Terra didn't hesitate to give her answer. "Yes."

Gestahl let out a sigh of relief. "I'll have my finest warrior accompany us. General Leo !"

A man, wearing some green armor and sporting a buzz cut, ran into the room when called. "Your Excellency. Fellow people." He bowed before everyone.

Ahsoka quickly turned to him. "You're the guy I saw at the Imperial Camp near Doma, the one with the principles ! Nice to meet you."

Leo gave her a shocked look. "I'm General Leo. Nice to meet all of you. I'll be waiting for you in Albrook." He soon rushed out the door and towards the entrance of the capital.

Gestahl rose from his seat. "We must find the Espers and come to terms with them ! You are our last hope !"

Several minutes later, the Emperor and his Special Forces left the dining area, allowing the remainder of the Returners (except Setzer) to meet and plan their next move.

Locke immediately volunteered to go on the mission. "If Terra goes, I'll go."

Terra turned to him, comforted to have someone by her side. "Locke, thank you."

Ahsoka wasn't going to stay around, doing nothing. "All right if I tag along ?"

Locke patted her on the shoulder. "The more, the merrier. Sides, you're a good fighter, you'll be helpful." He turned to the others. "The rest of you stay here. I smell a rat…"

Edgar also had that doubtful feeling. "Agreed. It's hard to trust the Emperor just like that."

Cyan also felt the same towards the Emperor. "We'll stay here and investigate."

Locke nodded. "Please do. Leave no stone unturned."

Edgar waved to his fellow adventurer. "Right. And you, be careful !"

As Locke was about to leave with the girls, Obi-Wan addressed his "Grand-Padawan". "Now remember, keep vigilant and mind your surroundings, young one. May the Force be with you, Ahsoka."

She turned to him, a smirk planted on her lips. "Anakin taught me well, I can handle anything. I'll see you once we've got the Espers under control. May the Force be with you as well, Master Kenobi."

As the trio exited Gestahl's dining and throne rooms, a Sentry came to meet with them. "Your behaviour at the dinner has been impeccable. And since you were able to talk to so many soldiers, you are rewarded as followed : Our troops have pulled out of South Figaro. In addition, we've also pulled out of Doma. You are hereby given permission to take any treasures from the storeroom in the Imperial Base near the Sealed Cave. Please accept this Tintinabar, a Relic that allows you to recover health with each step that you take. And this Charm Bangle Relic comes from the Emperor himself. It allows you to avoid the majority of monster encounters wherever you go."

Ahsoka beamed up at the last item. "Now that will come in handy !"

As the trio arrived near the entrance of Vector, Locke turned to the ladies. "So… are we going straight to Albrook and meet with Leo… or do either of you have other spots you want to check out ?"

Terra scratched her hair nervously. "You know, we haven't heard from Setzer since the crash. Maybe we should check up on him."

Ahsoka quickly became exited. "Ooh… can we ? Can we ? Can we ? I'd like to test out this Charm Bangle while we're trekking back as well."

Locke had no issues. "Sounds like a plan. Ok, let's get moving."

The trip back to the Blackjack was a lot less intense. Thanks to the Charm Bangle, they encountered monsters a lot less than usual. Several hours later, they arrived at the ship, still downed.

Aboard the Blackjack

The trio looked for Setzer but couldn't see him anywhere.

Ahsoka thought of the obvious place. "He's probably in the engine room, trying to fix things up."

As they entered, Setzer was indeed there, working on repairs. Cid was also present, gawking at the design. "Wow ! What a ship !"

Setzer grumbled while switching tools. "That landing really messed up the engine. It'll take a while to fix…"

Cid was about to reach into Setzer's toolbox. "I'll help. No machine can stump me."

Setzer slapped his hand away. "Don't touch anything !"

Cid tried to send him off. "Go kill time in the casino ! I can speed this crate up !"

Setzer tensed up immediately. "… … You little… ! Get outta my sight !"

Cid slowly exited, shrugging his shoulders. "But I could really make this thing hum… !"

Terra walked over to Setzer, trying to calm him down. "You love this ship, more than anything, huh ?"

Setzer lowered his head, sighing. "Actually, when I was younger, there was something I was mad about…"

Terra blinked, confused. "Huh ?"

Setzer turned to her. "In my youth, I dreamed of having the World's fastest Airship…"

Terra probed for more. "You mean…"

Setzer's eyes began to get watery. "At that time, there was a young girl who piloted the Falcon, the fastest vessel ever made. Sometimes, we were the worst of rivals… but other times, we were the best of friends. We always egged each other to go faster and higher. When she disappeared along with her ship… I felt like I lost my spirit… Poor Darryl…"

Seeing that Setzer needed some "alone time", they left him and backtracked to Albrook.

A shorter chapter than anticipated. A bigger one will be released on Monday, Thanksgiving Day here in Canada. Due to Setzer's ship still on the fritz, Ahsoka's bidding wars in Jidoor will be pushed to a future chapter. Over the next chapter, we meet old faces and new ones. Two very special party members will be joining up the cause soon. One who will get along with Ahsoka quite well over the adventure. Feel free to leave a review.