On board the Sky Battalion flagship, King Dail orders cessation of fire. A moment later, the fleet's guns fall silent, as does every soldier in the combined fleet.
"Dispatch the Scarves to search for survivors," Dail orders quietly.
"I hope we find Carol alive," Spade comments flatly from the entrance to the bridge.
"Hello brother," Dail replies without turning. "I didn't hear you arrive. How long have you been there?"
"Long enough," Spade answers.
"If Carol has perished, I will bear full responsibility," Dail asserts.
"Not if I have anything to do with it," Spade replies, leaving the bridge before Dail can reply.
On the top deck of the Sky Battalion flagship, Spade rejoins the rest of the Red Scarves. "We have a new assignment."
"We're looking for bodies," Danny guesses.
"At best," Spade confirms.
"You're such an arsehole," Sally growls at Spade.
"I'm a realist," Spade corrects. "Let's move."
Ten minutes later, the five Red Scarves enter the twisted remains of the Bakunawa. For most of their hour‑long search, they find little more than scattered robot parts, broken superstructure, and shattered hull plates, the sheer amount of wreckage drastically slowing them down. But just as the hour mark arrives, they enter the largest chamber.
The sight before them is surprising, reassuring, and worrying in equal measure.
"Is that Carol or Corazon over there?" Sally asks, pointing to the immobile viridian wildcat sprawled on the deck among shattered glass.
"Corazon," Spade answers. "I don't know how she did it, but Carol outsmarted her. She really is a Tea."
Maria and Tai spot the charred husk of a familiar foe. "She took down Merga too," the leopard concludes.
Spade looks over to where Merga is. "No, that's Corazon's work."
"So, where's Carol?" Danny asks.
"That's the million‑crystal question," Spade replies. "Danny, Sally, scour the room. Maria, Tai, see if you can get into the cockpit. I'll ensure Corazon stays put."
As the rest begin their search, Spade approaches Corazon, taking care not to let his guard down. However, the wildcat appears to be out cold, and with both her arms and legs broken in several places, is no longer a threat. Feeling a little safer, Spade kneels next to the wildcat and checks for a pulse, locating a weak but stable one in her neck. She survived… There's hope for Carol yet.
"Hello Spade," Corazon greets quietly.
Spade leaps backwards in surprise, aiming his pistol at the wildcat's head.
"Typical," Corazon sighs. "I can't move an inch, and you're still terrified of me."
"Always pays to be cautious around you," Spade growls, his pistol rock steady in his hands.
Corazon lifts her head and looks the panda‑cavy in the eye. "She's dead, y'know."
"I'll wait for confirmation, if it's all the same to you."
"You mean you don't trust me?" Corazon asks innocently, making an unnervingly good attempt at being cute.
"I think it's time you shut up." Spade holsters his pistol, removes his scarf, and ties it around Corazon's head as a makeshift gag, reducing the wildcat to muffled nonsense.
Suddenly, a double cry of anguish bursts from the cockpit.
Shit, that's not good. Spade dashes to the bottom of the stairs to the cockpit and leaps up them two at a time to find Maria and Tai in the doorway. "By the Ancients…"
The scene in the cockpit is one of utter destruction. Not one panel is left intact, and even the hull is badly damaged, with several holes allowing light through. But it's around the pilot's seat where the worst of the damage is. The seat had collapsed in the crash, and wreckage had fallen on top of it, crushing it further. And sandwiched between the seat and the wreckage is the lifeless form of Carol, trapped and unable to move.
"C… Corazon is right," Spade whispers. "Carol… she's…"
"Please… don't say it," Maria sobs.
Tai tries to say something, but she finds herself unable to speak, instead simply hugging Maria tightly, crying silently.
"I should be the one to tell Lilac," Spade volunteers. "I'm not making that mistake again. I'll contact the fleet and request… what's necessary."
As the trio turns to leave, Maria's right ear picks up a faint sound. "What was that?" she asks, turning back to the cockpit.
"Your ear playing tricks," Spade guesses.
"My ears never play tricks," Maria retorts. "Now shush!"
Spade falls silent, as does Tai.
Maria closes her eyes and concentrates on her hearing, trying as hard as she can to pick up even the slightest sounds. At first, all she can hear is the lapping of the water against the hull, but after a couple of minutes of tuning out as much as possible, Maria finally pinpoints the sound she was listening for. "She's not dead."
"Maria, look at‑" Spade begins.
"She's not dead!" Maria snaps. "I'll prove it!"
Before Spade can reply, Maria walks up to Carol's body and places her right ear over the wildcat's chest. I know it's there… Yes! I hear her heart! "Find her pulse."
"Maria, this is‑" Spade begins.
"Do it!" Maria barks.
With a sigh of defeat, Spade approaches and looks for a pulse. At first, he's not sure if he can feel it, but after a bit of searching, he finds it. "My apologies Maria: you're right, she's alive. I'll call in an extraction team."
"Leave me," Carol breathes. "I… I'm done for."
"Save your energy," Maria advises. "We'll get you out of here soon."
"No… just… leave me," Carol replies. "I can't… recover… from this."
"Lilac has survived worse than this," Maria assures. "I've survived worse than this."
Carol smiles weakly, her eyes flickering open. "You can't… see how bad… it is… down there. Legs crushed… arms broken… collapsed lung… I think… my tail… is gone. Funny thing… it doesn't hurt at all."
"The extraction team is on its way," Spade informs. "They'll be here in a few minutes."
"Typical… doesn't listen," Carol smirks.
"That's Spade," Maria giggles.
"The thanks I get for trying to save your life," Spade sighs in frustration.
"I knew… I wasn't… returning… from this," Carol explains. "At least… Avalice… is safe again."
"And it'll thank you for it," Maria assures.
"I'm sure… it will," Carol sighs. "Are Lilac… and Milla… OK?"
"They'll make full recoveries," Maria informs.
"Good." Carol closes her eyes.
"Carol?" Maria asks.
But Carol doesn't respond.
Maria listens for a heartbeat and is relieved to hear it's still there. "You're not ready to die," she smiles. "You have too much to live for."
A few minutes later, the extraction team arrives on a compact transport. While the Scarves guard Corazon and Merga, the extraction team works valiantly and diligently to free Carol from the cockpit, taking great care to avoid making her extensive injuries worse.
As the extraction team works, two squads of soldiers arrive on a separate compact transport to take both Corazon and Merga into custody aboard the Sky Battalion flagship, miraculously finding Merga is also still alive.
Eventually, after twenty‑seven excruciatingly long minutes, Carol is free from the wreckage and loaded aboard the extraction team's transport.
The Scarves watch as the transport departs for Neera's ship.
"What do you think her chances are?" Tai asks.
"If it was anyone else, slim to none," Maria admits. "But Carol will live," she adds in hope.
"Come on, let's get back to the fleet," Danny instructs.
"You go ahead," Spade decides. "I'm going to do one last search of the cockpit, then catch up."
As Maria, Tai, Danny, and Sally make their way back to their transport, Spade returns to the cockpit. After a couple of minutes of searching, he finds and retrieves the two engraved katana. Carol, if you pull through, I will make sure these are returned safely.