Author's Note: The first scene is dedicated to a friend from the Animesuki forums, written a long time ago in memorial of their friends. May they find rest.

Chapter 15: Consequences

A wind blew through the eaves, making the trees creak softly, breaking the silence of the field in the gentlest way possible. It was only right that such a place be silent. Quiet, orderly rows of stones that marked obvious plots, with short inscriptions on each one. While the weather was clear and the wind cool and gentle without biting, there was no one in the field now. It was just the type of day that made sense for visiting, unless the visitor actually wanted more dreariness than was already inherent in visits to the Sukime Cemetary.

Arriving at the ornate gate that separated the empty field from the hustle and bustle of everyday life was a figure in all black. His cloak was long and was slightly ruffled in the gentle wind, revealing a plain black shirt underneath. The black hair on top of his head was long and stringy now, to match the equally unkempt beard that masked his lips and chin. His clear blue eyes were in stark contrast to the rest of his coloring. After a moment's pause, a black boot stepped into the field, as if stepping into the unknown.

A second and third step seemed easier for the figure, and he headed along the long straight and stuck path that took him right up the center of the rows of markers. He clearly knew precisely where the target of his walk was, and he headed there without any more hesitation, though doubt was more of a question with him. A slight hitch in steps spoke of some unspoken fear. Turning smartly left along the seventeenth row, and taking precisely twelve steps to the tenth marker in the target row, the man let out a breath in a gusty sigh that coincided so well with the breeze that it couldn't be heard even by the marker below him.

"You're really here."

The words almost broke a pact; a bird in the lone tree in the exact center of the field was startled by the sudden breaking of the sacred silence that had permeated the field. The man didn't seem to notice his blasphemy. Nor did he notice that another mourner had entered the cemetery shortly after his words broke the air.

"I thought it would be... a lie... but some part of me knew... that if I came here..." He had to swallow. "It would be real. It would become real." He closed his eyes.

"I don't want it to be real. You were the person that made it possible for me to get this far." His words were coming easier, the doubt seemed to be draining out of him into the air that had collected so much before. "Without you, I... I know I made a breakthrough, but I feel like I'd be done if you were still here to help me. You knew the best place for this research, and the best way to do it so that I wouldn't be bothered by... anyone." The breeze picked up, ruffling his cloak enough that it opened completely. He absently pulled it back across his body when the breeze died. "I know, I... wasn't the best for you. But you went with me even though it was probably not the best idea for you at the time. I... never thanked you for that. I want you to know how grateful I am to you.

"And how I'm giving it up. I'm not going to do this to you anymore. I realized that you wouldn't want me to. That you wouldn't want me to waste my life seeking revenge for something that... for something that isn't even something I should be worrying about. Something that is actually taken care of. The person responsible is long dead. I..." He cut himself off abruptly.

The other mourner had settled her own trek at the graves in front of the scruffy man. She was dressed in all white, including a wide-brimmed hat. A white glove reached out to gently brush a blade of grass from the top of the stone marker to her left. The one on the right she simply touched delicately. The unkempt man found himself unable to remember whether he had anything else to say. The young lady filled the silence.

"Lance," she said to the one on the right. "Lexa." The one on the left. "You're here. And yet you're not, I know. You're... I sincerely hope you're in a better place. I certainly know whatever place it is, it's a better place now that you're there." She chuckled to herself, but it was slightly strained. "It was far too early; you had so much to do... I'm trying not to say the selfish thing, but I do miss you and wish you were here for my sake too, but you two were so much bigger than that, and I hope you know that. I hope you know that you touched a lot of lives... not the least mine."

She placed a delicate hand on both markers. "I love you both dearly, and I wish you the best of rests."

With that, the lady rose and turned around to face the man who had remained silent through her speech. She bowed slowly and deliberately to him with a small smile on her face. "They're never really gone, you know. Not really."

The man cleared his throat. "I disagree. Lisa is gone. For-Forever."

"Not here," she said, placing a hand over her heart. "They'll live on forever here. Just like you would in her."

He looked away from her steady gaze. "I... she's gone. She was my help, my support. I don't know how I've made it this far. As it is, I... I barely muddle along..."

"And yet you're still here," the young woman pointed out, her white dress billowing in another sudden breeze. "You're still muddling along."

"I've made so many mistakes," he said. "I... screwed up. I'm not the kind of person she'd want me to be."

"Then change," the woman said calmly. "Strive to be the best you can be; someone she can be proud of. Someone that is you, the person she loved-" he flinched, but she continued right through it "-and also grow. No person remains the same; everyone grows. Let your memories of her help you grow. Then she truly will exist here." She pointed at his chest.

The man was speechless.

The woman gave him a genuine smile. "I don't think you need to worry so much. You sound like you know precisely what you need to do. Don't you?"

He nodded.

"Then do it. Not for her; for you. Because she'd want you to grow."

"You are... very wise, ma'am."

The young lady shook her head. "No... I just have loved and lost, like you, but it seems like you never had a friend tell you what you needed to hear. I did. My friends..." She sighed, but her smile only flickered before returning at full genuine strength. "My friends helped me 'muddle through' until they could get through to me that I needed to continue on and remember the lost with a smile... with laughter among the tears."

He looked down. He felt chastened.

The young lady lowered her head so that she could see his eyes. "You're getting there. It doesn't feel like it, but you'll be okay again soon enough.

"Goodbye... and good luck." She walked stately away.

He was struck dumb, unable to answer even with the automatic response to such well wishes. He watched the woman walk all the way out of the cemetery. Time had no meaning; it took equally a moment, an eternity, and about two minutes all at once. But the time did pass and she was out of sight on the other side of the gate, leaving the man as the only standing occupant of the wide field.

He turned back to the grave in front of him. "I know... I know what I should do... I did... horrible things without you to guide me.

"It's time I let you guide me again." He placed a small necklace with a small replica of a golden staff with a green jewel at the top on the top of the grave and situated it so that it would stay. "Lock."

And then he left the graveyard. He thought that he'd disappear for a bit while he figured out how to complete his next step, but…

He blinked in surprise. The red-haired Enforcer was sitting on a bench just across the street. She didn't seem to be looking at him, but it was obvious she knew he was there. As the street was not well-traveled by motor vehicles, it was easy to simply cross the street immediately. He walked right up to her, but then stopped silently. He didn't know what to say.

"I guess you're not going to try to modify my memory this time?" the young woman asked. The man blushed. "I'll take that as a no."

"No... I'm turning myself in."

"Alright," she said, standing up and brushing herself off. She was in a casual outfit that made a lot more sense in this world than his trenchcoat, but she didn't seem to notice. "What changed?"

"I..." He didn't really feel like going through it again quite yet. "I came to my senses."

She sighed. "We'll need more than that, but we've got lots of time before we get back to Mid."

"We are a bit out of the way," he remarked, trailing off. He was encouraged when she smiled at him. He bowed to her slightly. "I'm sorry for all of the trouble I have caused you."

This seemed to placate her a little. "Well," she said, "Shall we?"

"Yes," he said. He held out his hands. She took his wrist and then the two of them disappeared from the street. A soft breeze blew by before anyone noticed they had left.

"Jon."

Jon reacted as he always did when Naomi woke him up.

"We're hailed," Naomi said.

"How long was I out?"

"One hour."

Jon sat up. "What, now the Admiral wants to talk to us?" Maybe he had found out about Harlaown's help. Dammit.

"Horace."

Jon stopped cold in the middle of putting his arm into a sleeve.

"That's... unexpected..."

"Come," Naomi said, and then she jumped onto the ladder and left him alone to put on the rest of his clothes, which he did with speed. This hail was clearly important, if... mind-bendingly strange.

When he got to the Com Room, he found that the call had already been taken, but no one was speaking. Horace's grumpy face was showing on the primary screen. Jon summoned his best fake smile and fake enthusiasm. "Horace!" He said, bringing the attention in the room and from the screen directly to himself. "I'm sorry I wasn't in here when you called. I haven't been getting enough sleep lately-"

"I know precisely why you weren't here, Harlian." Horace wasn't interested in pleasantries. Oh well, always worth a try. "I'm here to tell you that we have a few... rogues among us in the mission to follow you up."

"Rogues?"

"Agents of ours that did not follow our direct orders to ignore you."

Horace was covering his ass... but why? It's not like Jon was going to believe him. "That's nice to know." Jon had to give a small hand signal back to Ifil, who had made a strangled noise.

"We apologize for the trouble that this has caused you. We'll relieve you here, and you may return. Your payment is waiting for you back on Kalim. Just ask my secretary."

Lying out his butt. Why? "Why even send us if you were following us up?"

"You could get here faster, of course."

Jon had to resist rolling his eyes, and hope that Ifil had at least some self-control behind him. "Look, Horace, I know that we've never really seen eye-to-eye, but I don't really understand what you are trying to accomplish here."

Horace stared blankly back at him. "Trying to find out what the signals are."

"Not about that," Jon said, shaking his head. "And you continue to treat me like a moron. Did you really think that I would just roll over and head back after you tried to kill my crew?"

"I told you-"

"And if you expect me to believe that load of crap then you're less intelligent than I thought, Horace." Jon was a little surprised that he had snapped, but since he had gone that far, he might as well finish the job. "Your people were acting stupid and completely ruined an op we were running to catch the perp. Good luck catching him now; I bet the others here have already gotten their hands on him. And we certainly aren't going to be any help."

"Now, see here. You were authorized by us to come out here-"

"I was using you. And since you were using me, I guess it'll all come out in the wash." He looked significantly at Paul, who nodded and left the Com Room to the engine room. Hopefully he had already briefed Riley on where they would be going... and how best to get there. "So, if you'll excuse me, I have somewhere to be."

Horace narrowed his eyes. "You think you can get away from us? In that?"

Jon shrugged. "My record's pretty good, so far."

"Your luck has now run out." Horace reached forward to end the call.

"Good luck!" Jon managed to get in before the image cut off. The instant it did, he flicked the switch for full ship communication. "Be ready for evasive maneuvers. Riley, they're coming after us."

"Great." She didn't sound too worried...

"How much power for weapons, Captain?" Paul always did have good questions.

"None; unless we absolutely have to, we're not firing back. We want to be away from them far more than we want them dead. If a little more power to the engine will help us get out of here, then that's what we need to do."

"Everyone strap in; they're coming."

All of the people remaining in the Com Room strapped themselves in where they were. Jon touched a few buttons on his chair once he was in to get visual of Riley, Paul, and the area around the ship. They were turning about, preparing for thrusters. And then Jon was flattened against his chair as those thrusters hit.

"Riley! I haven't prepped the power to 100% yet!" Paul was more frustrated than angry.

"No time; they were almost in range. You can do it on the run, right?"

Paul grumbled but did not disagree. He was adjusting his well-loved engine and Jon trusted that it would power Riley's escape. Jon merely hoped that it wouldn't cause him to lose his lunch. The ship shook with the hit of one of the lesser weapons on Horace's... he still wasn't sure what sort of ship he had. "Did we ever figure out what ship he had?"

"It's not anything we've seen before," Wendy said. "It's bigger than a Cruiser, though. And it's definitely running an elemental core."

"How?!" Jon demanded with some justice, as the Blur shook again with another glancing impact.

"Earth," Paul said, looking at Jon through the screen. "That's how they're attacking too; exploding rocks. They're deceptively quick. But they're definitely earth. And I don't know how they're doing that."

It was difficult to see what was going on outside the ship with only the one screen in the Com Room dedicated to it, and with all of the sudden changes of orientation that Riley was attempting so that not too much had to be absorbed by the already weakened shields. She was doing great, considering what Paul was talking about.

"We're coming near the TSAB ship now," Riley said. "Any instructions?"

"Don't buzz 'em if you can help it," Jon said. "I know their leader didn't like us much, but lets at least give Harlaown the satisfaction that we were worthy of her trust."

"I'm with you, Captain. Coming about; hold on."

She wasn't kidding. Jon gripped the arm rests of his seat with white-knuckled hands as the Silver Blur spun into a new orientation, dodging two more explosive charges from their chaser before shooting forward a good distance away from the bottom-port of the TSAB ship. The com rang and Jon sighed. He watched the outside screen show the enemy ship definitely launch stone from one of the weapon holes in the front before flicking the switch to answer the call. "A bit busy here — Miss Harlaown?"

"What's going on?" She had her business face on, which Jon thought was understandable.

"We're under attack," Jon said blandly. "And though our escape route was originally through your position, I hope you don't mind us skimming 'round you a bit instead."

She waved this off as an unimportant detail. "Let's not waste time. We're about to leave ourselves, since Teana - Enforcer Lanster - now has the Target in custody. Will your chasers fire at us?"

Given all the help that Harlaown had given him, the only good answer was the truth. "I have no idea, but I would assume yes."

Harlaown ducked out of the screen for a moment and it began to flash red as she returned to visibility. "Any other useful information about them that you can give me, Mr. Harlian?"

He thought for a moment. Was there anything in particular that would help them now? Or did he not even have enough time to give them that? Then it came to him. "They're lead by someone who has clout in their government; they are the type of people that you thought we were initially: official. Don't be the ones to start the war, if there's going to be one."

Harlaown closed her eyes, let out a breath, and then opened them again. "Thank you. I hope to see you again." She closed the channel.

"Captain?" Riley asked from the bridge.

"Punch it! We'll fix our heading once we're out of visual range to both of the other ships."

"Aye-aye!" Riley replied and she even managed to coax a little more speed out of the Silver Blur.

Maybe it would be enough.