Chapter Thirty-Eight: Battle above Rabanastre
Author's Note: Hey readers! We've reached the third to last chapter. I hope you enjoy it, and I hope you stick around for the last two chapters to see the end of this tale.
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy XII or any FFXII characters. I do, however, own my OC (Celeste von Valen).
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The Strahl weaved in and out of the clouds, flying at a breakneck speed towards Rabanastre. My hands clenched the leather armrests of the cockpit seat, turning my knuckles from a light caramel to a pale shade of white. I could feel my palms already starting to sweat from the adrenaline that was rushing through my body, and I retrieved a handkerchief from my pocket. I was very nervous about what was soon to come, but I knew I had to keep my cool for the sake of the others. "I'm sure shots have already been exchanged between the two fleets, but we can at least jump in and try to board the Bahamut," I told the group as I wiped the sweat from my hands, "Hopefully the Marquis has things relatively under control, or we might run into some trouble." Balthier raised an eyebrow, "By trouble, you mean us having to dodge fire from both sides in order to get close to the sky fortress?" I gravely nodded, "That's exactly what I mean. We'll be right in the thick of it all. I trust your skills as a pilot, Balthier. Get us to Bahamut safely, and half the battle is already won." Balthier smirked at me and pivoted his chair back around, "It would be my pleasure."
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As we approached the airspace above Rabanastre, I noticed that the sky was littered with airships. There were hundreds of small ships racing around trying to blast one another out of the sky, and I saw small explosions dot the horizon. Both sides had already taken a large number of casualties, from the looks of it. I turned my attention to the massive beast ahead of us. Bahamut was much larger in person than I had originally imagined, and I was surprised that it could maintain a hover that far up. "Shit, that thing is massive," I blurted out loud. Suddenly, a large explosion rocked the Strahl and an orange mist filled our entire line of sight. "That Mist is similar to the one we saw after Judge Ghis blew up his own fleet! What kind of weapon is Vayne using?!" All seven of us held on for dear life as the Strahl shook violently from the turbulence. The remains of the fleet ship that had just been obliterated rained down around us as we entered the fray.
Ashe took the intercom microphone from the dashboard and took a deep breathe. "Uncle, it is I! I'm crossing to the Bahamut to stop Vayne!" A mere second later, we heard Ondore's voice replying back to us. "What are you saying? You are too rash! Your duties come after the battle is over!" Wow, I thought to myself. We had fought against Vayne thus far, and we tackled every obstacle that he threw at us. We definitely weren't going to stop now, even if the situation meant life or death. "If we allow them to destroy us here, there will be no after. You must assist our charge." Ondore was just not having it, "Stop! You must pull back! Stop the Strahl." Vaan grabbed the intercom device from Ashe's hands and fiddled with the settings before speaking into it. Suddenly, I heard Larsa's voice instead of Vaan's. I had to give him credit for thinking of a good plan like that on the fly. "Hold it! I mean, w-wait! This is Larsa Solidor! I'm going in with her! So… we're fine! I got the princess covered!" I rolled my eyes and shook my head. He couldn't think of anything better to say than that? That was definitely not something that Larsa would normally say, seeing as he is almost overly posh. Ondore hesitated with his response. Could he see through our plight?
"Larsa Solidor," The Marquis asked out loud, "So you hold him as a hostage?" Why do people always assume the worst? "No, Uncle," Ashe replied in her own voice, "He will fight with us against Vayne!" Vaan changed the settings again to Larsa and told Ondore to leave it us. While we waited for Ondore's decision, Vaan and Ashe both held the intercom tightly. If we got the green light, we could go ahead and board Bahamut without any further trouble from Rozarria. It seemed like we all held baited breaths. Finally, Ondore's voice filled the cockpit. "Understood. Our fate is in your hands." Our celebration was short, and we all started to retake our seats for landing. Penelo leaned down at Vaan's side, ""I've got the princess covered?"" Vaan had a puzzled look on his face, "Larsa would say that." I almost choked on my saliva. Vaan really is pretty clueless. I turned my attention to Balthier, taking in his exquisite form as he piloted his ship. Of all the things that made him attractive, seeing him piloting his ship was probably the sexiest. "We're relying on you for fire support. Give them something to think about. We'll pick our moment and make our move," Balthier told the Marquis as we all buckled our safety restraints.
The Strahl dodged enemy fire, and weaved around the fighter ships towards the sky fortress. Balthier was quite the pilot under immense pressure, and his carefree attitude had shifted to a more serious one. "Quite the welcome!" The sky pirate exclaimed as the Strahl once again shook from turbulence. "Careful!" Balthier shouted at no one in particular as he jerked the controls downwards to avoid a collision with an Imperial ship. This dog fight was intense, and my heart rate was madly out of control. Hopefully, the adrenaline rush would last until we faced off with Vayne. "One follows!" This amused Balthier to no end, "Ah, you want to dance?! Then let's dance!" The leading man was living up to his name, and he zigged and zagged away from our pursuer. "A new partner," Fran cooley stated as another ship quickly approached us from the bow. "It's not easy being this popular, you know," Balthier shouted above the noise of heavy gun fire. I felt the airship jerk wildly, which was followed by an explosion from behind. The two enemy ships had collided, leaving us with enough time to circle the fortress and safely land.
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As soon as the hatch door was down, all seven of us came barreling out at a sprint. Vaan was first, but he stopped just outside to usher us forward. "Come on! Come on!" He exclaimed as he frantically waved his hand for us to hurry. We all rounded the corner and continued through the large red and black bay door. "Vayne will be in the fortress's command tower," Balthier told us, "I saw something of the like on our way in here. Right above our heads." My gaze trailed from Balthier's face upwards towards the extremely high metal ceiling. "We need not fight all the Empire to win. If we can get to Vayne, we can put an end to this war," Ashe said. "Let's get going then," Vaan replied as he rubbed the back of his head, "Find Vayne, whenever he's perched, and knock him off."
I nodded very solemnly as my eyes shifted from one face to another. Here we were, at our last obstacle. I knew that this journey would eventually come to an end, but I never expected myself to feel this way. While I had originally held a connection with all six of the people standing before me, everything suddenly felt very surreal. Those original connections were now dust in the wind. They were so one-sided, and they lacked depth of any kind. I had never really seen their eyes sparkle or their facial expressions until now. I had never before flirted with Balthier or whispered secrets to Penelo. It was like a whole new experience. I had grown very close to these six people, and they had become my only source of happiness in such a short time. I couldn't imagine my life without them, especially the infamous sky pirate. My eyes locked with his for what seemed like a lifetime. I could see the florescent lights pinging off his irises in all the right ways, and at all the right angles. His eyes reminded me of the deep end of a pool, and every time I looked into them, I tried harder and harder to swim to the very bottom. My heart yearned for him, even now as I stood just a few feet from him. Hopefully, one day, we could be more than just partners.
A thought suddenly struck me, and I inhaled sharply. What would happen after our battle with Vayne? I had been so caught up in this world that I was just now realizing the intensity of the situation. Would I be sent back home to live out my life as a car accident victim, torn from the life I so desperately wished for? Or would I stay here, and live out my days as a citizen of Ivalice adventuring to my heart's content? My chest painfully ached at the very thought of returning back to my world. This reality, which I initially thought was a vivid dream, would become just a fleeting memory. Something I would never be able to experience this way again, even if I did dream about it. The harsh truth stung more than anything. I could feel the pricking sensation of tears ready to burst forth, and it was so hard to keep myself together at this moment. I would lose everything that I had worked for in this world. My friendships with Penelo, Basch, and Vaan. My mutual respect with the princess. Fran's tolerance. Balthier's admiration.
All of it would just disappear, and it would be like none of it ever existed. Ivalice would go on without me, and my world would continue to tell the tale of the six heroes just as they have since the game was released. Balthier would be here, and I would be in another dimension. It made me so sick to think that I would just lose all of that if I were sent back. The very thought of it all was unbearable. "We have to get moving, Celeste. Come on!" I heard Vaan shout to me. I took a quick look and realized that everyone had started to move without me, and I dashed over to the group. Despite my current state of mind, I needed to get my head in the game. Vayne wasn't going to show us any mercy, and the battle with him was going to be very grueling. Focusing on the mission ahead was the last thing I wanted to do, but I knew that my friends needed me with them to fight. The battle in my head needed to take a backseat to the battle that loomed before us.