Belleza felt frozen as she waited, silently, for Galcian to turn around, to acknowledge her. He always favored the window at the end of the Admiralty's meeting room, peering out over mid ocean. She'd just finished giving her report on the events in the Nasr desert, and most importantly, her failure to complete her mission. Galcian had taken all of it in with stony silence, almost without reaction.
She'd always dreaded disappointing him. He was known to be generous with those who impressed him, and terribly harsh with those who failed. She'd underperformed a few times before in his service, but this was the first time she'd truly failed to do her duty. Belleza could feel a pit in her stomach as she waited still for his reply.
The smile on his face surprised her. There was a glimmer of amusement in his eyes as he turned around to regard her from within his expansive black cloak. "Admiral Belleza, what would you say is your assessment of the pirates who defeated you?"
Belleza had to take a moment to collect herself from her surprise. She'd expect a chewing-out or worse. "Extraordinarily lucky."
Galcian nodded thoughtfully at her. "Lucky does seem to be an apt descriptor. Every time it seemed that you were going to triumph, someone else swooped in to save them." His eyes shut as his tone turned a shade darker. "A trend they also displayed during their escape from the Grand Fortress…"
Belleza felt herself at a loss. What was Galcian getting at? "Sooner or later, their luck will run out." She couldn't manage a better reply, given her failure. Anything to distract herself from that.
Galcian's eyes opened, locked on her. "That is yet to be determined. You say they took your ship's engine?"
Belleza blinked, then nodded. "That's right."
Galcian turned around and strolled back to the window. "Very well then. That will be all, admiral. You may return to your duties."
She couldn't believe it. No reprimand? No punishment? Part of her wanted to ask why, but instead, she turned on her heel and walked out. She knew better than to question Galcian.
Galcian smiled out at the gloomy Valuan skies that ever threatened to encroach upon mid ocean. He had a feeling he knew where these oh-so-fortunate pirates would turn up next.
The Chameleon was not a pretty ship. From its dark green paint job to its bizarre structure to the curious mechanical arm that hung from the underside of its bow, it was a testament to function over form. Every little detail had been planned out by its owner, a symbol of his genius, his hubris, and his pride.
Today, that curious mechanical arm at the ship's fore held a massive red canister which regularly spewed flames into the trees below. The forests of Ixa'taka burned in the Chameleon's wake, leaving only piles of ash and blackened dirt behind.
Vice Captain Jedin observed all of this from one of the port-side windows. It wasn't a pleasant sight, seeing so much greenery go up in flames. She didn't much like admiral De Loco's plan for uncovering the hidden city of Rixis, but she had to admit she had few plans of her own to suggest as alternatives.
Besides, it wasn't like De Loco would listen to her anyways. When she'd first been taken on as his vice captain, she'd been an up-and-coming engineer with stars in her eyes. She'd been expecting to help him change the world with new technology. Unfortunately, since joining the fifth fleet, her main job had been cleaning up after the admiral's messes.
She'd come to realize that while admiral De Loco's brilliance was never in question, his attention to detail was lacking. He'd never had an eye for the consequences of his actions, only for immediate results. The Chameleon was one such example. It flew faster than many ships in the fleet, could take more hits, and could be fitted with any number of specially-designed weapons.
But, Jedin reflected as a blaring siren began to ring in her ears, pulling her attention away from the landscape below, the damn thing practically tears itself apart at the seams every time we fly it. She heaved a sigh as she made her way to the back of the ship. As soon as she opened the door to the engine room, she was hit with a wave of sweltering heat. She quickly removed her helmet before it could get any stuffier, wiping the sweat that immediately began to form on her brow.
One of her subordinates was quick to report. "Captain Jedin! Thank the moons you're here. That damned flamethrower is overheating the engines again!" He had a look of panic on his face. "We don't have any purple moon stones left back here!"
Jedin winced as she glanced at some of the temperature gauges around the room. If the engines got much hotter, the Chameleon was sure to sink. "Couldn't you have requisitioned some from storage?"
The frantic-looking engineer shook his head. "We tried. We were told the rest of the supplies were on lockdown due to our 'wastefulness'."
The vice captain pinched the bridge of her nose between her fingers as a familiar headache began to form between her eyes. "I'll call off the lockdown order. Do what you can to keep the engines from overheating until then."
Her engineer gave her a relieved look as she departed the engine room, heading up a staircase on her way to the ship's main storage space. She could already picture the angry rant from De Loco that had gotten it closed off in the first place. Why are you wasting all of our moon stones? What good are you all if you can't even keep the ship intact?! If you can't keep it running, I'll have you slapped in chains!
She was about halfway there when the ship shook violently. She stumbled to one side, grabbing at the nearest wall as the crack of metal against metal rang out through the hull. Moments later, another siren, faster-paced than the previous one, rang out in the claustrophobic little hallways of the ship. Jedin blinked in surprise. We're under attack?
She could feel the ship veering off-course, hear the engines growing louder as they went into evasive maneuvers. Distant thunder in her ears could only be cannonfire from whoever was attacking them, but she had no time to check who it was as she raced for the storage area. The engines would need those moon stones now more than ever. She came to a set of double doors, guarded by a pair of confused-looking soldiers.
"Jedin?" The nearer of the two asked. "Are we actually under attack? In Ixa'takan airspace?" He looked about as confused as she felt.
"I don't know, but-" She was cut off as the ship jerked under feet once more - another hit. She clutched at the wall for support again as she grit her teeth. "...But we need to get some more purple moon stones down to the engine room, now."
The two guards looked at each other uncomfortably, then back at Jedin. "The admiral's orders…"
"The admiral can go stuff himself!" Jedin barked. "Do you want us to go down in the middle of a flaming forest?!"
The guards stiffened before shaking their heads. "R-right. We'll start hauling every purple moon stone we have downstairs."
The other guard perked up as the two began opening the doors. "You should get to the helm. De Loco probably needs your help."
Jedin nodded her thanks before hurrying off to do just that.
Admiral De Loco was not used to things going awry. His was a temperament very sensitive to nuisances and unforeseen problems, and so it was that he'd taken every precaution he could think of to avoid ever having to deal with such problems.
So when the first cannonball rocked the Chameleon and the alarm began to blare, De Loco was understandably upset. He could feel a flush of anger rising in his cheeks as he considered what he was going to do to the cretins who would dare to attack him, dare to scratch his precious ship.
"Lord De Loco! We're under attack! Looks like an unidentified… fishing boat? Just off the port side!"
De Loco slammed his fists on the console in front of him. "What are you waiting for?! Fire back!"
"We are, sir!" The report came back.
The little admiral growled as his fists remained clenched, aching still from the impact. "And turn the flamethrower on them, too! I want them burnt to a crisp!" A wicked grin split across his face as he considered the thought of his attacker going down in a ball of flames. The thought helped to calm him slightly.
Minutes later, a familiar face approached. "Jedin! Where have you been?" He snapped.
His vice captain's face contorted in a look of displeasure. "I was attending to the engines, sir."
De Loco turned his head to glare at her though his goggles. "The engines? Who cares about the engines?! We're under attack! You should've been here after the first cannonball struck us!" He clutched at the console as the ship shuddered under the impact of another hit.
Jedin glanced towards the front windows of the bridge, unable to glimpse their attacker. They must've been flanking. "Who's attacking us, sir? The Ixa'takans?"
She felt a tiny chill run down her spine at the unpleasant grin that crossed her commanding officer's face as he stared at the console in front of him. "No, no. Much better than that. Apparently, these are the pirates that escaped the Grand Fortress not too long ago." He chuckled to himself. "Once we kill them, Lord Galcian will be very pleased indeed."
The vice captain blinked. "The pirates?" She strolled forward to the front of the bridge, hoping to get a glimpse of their ship. Sure enough, off to one side she could see an old, green fishing boat keeping pace with them, cannons primed to fire in their direction. As she watched, the Chameleon slowly began to turn towards them.
"Get ready to burn them out of the sky!" De Loco cackled from his console. There were nods of assent from the other officers manning the bridge.
Jedin ran the situation through her head. They were already putting strain on the engines to evade fire. With the flamethrower running…
"And, fire!" The admiral's voice was filled with fiendish delight.
"Admiral, wait!" Jedin called. It was too late, however. Fire spewed from the front of their ship, directed at the little green fishing boat directly ahead of them - and then the Chameleon jerked, came to a stop, and began to sink.
The fishing boat veered out of the way of the column of flames, flying past them and out of sight of the bridge. "They're circling around behind us, Admiral."
"We're getting no response from the engines…"
De Loco sprang up from his seat, red in the face. "What?! Jedin, you told me you had the engines under control!"
Jedin threw out her arms in a placating gesture. "I'm sorry, sir! I requisitioned our remaining stock of purple moon stones to help cool them, but I guess they still failed under the strain…"
De Loco froze at the mention of the moon stones. "You what?!" He was in the middle of beginning another reprimand when the ship shuddered once more under another hail of cannonfire.
Jedin shook her head and hurried to the speaking tube near De Loco. "Cut off the flamethrower and turn on whatever backups we have left. We need to retreat before they destroy our engines entirely."
"Aye aye, cap'n!" The harried voice of the engineer from before came through to her from the other end.
De Loco was in the midst of throwing a fit from behind her. "J-Jedin! I can't believe you'd go against my orders! You let the engines fail, you stole my moon stones, and now we're going to… going to…" He wobbled once on his feet, then slumped into his chair, silent.
Jedin stared at him for a long moment before turning to the rest of the officers on the bridge. "De Loco's out of it again. We need to retreat. Head for moonstone mountain with whatever power we have left."
The backup engines hummed to life somewhere far in the rear of the ship, and slowly the Chameleon shuddered and began to move, pulling away and disengaging from the fishing boat. To Jedin's relief, they didn't give chase.
The upper portion of the Grand Fortress was quiet as ever as Belleza made her way down the halls towards her office, flanked on either side by Damian and Thalia. They, too, were remarkably quieter than usual, and Belleza was left wondering if her dour mood was somehow infectious. She was about to say something to break the silence when she caught sight of someone near the door to her office.
He was leaned up against the wall with arms crossed over his chest, head down. His outfit was remarkably casual for the Grand Fortress - not even a uniform. The only things that gave him away were the purple and gold highlights on his black jacket, and the distinctive golden hair on his head. He didn't seem to notice her or her lieutenants as they approached. Belleza frowned and waved the two of them to stay back as she closed the rest of the distance to him.
"What are you, a mercenary now?" She scoffed as she looked him up and down.
Enrique, prince of Valua, flinched and jerked his head up to look at her. Evidently, he'd lost track of his surroundings while waiting. His eyes fluttered once as he considered her question before shaking his head. "No, of course not." He glanced down at himself, letting his arms fall to his sides. "This is just more comfortable than the things I usually have to wear back at the court."
Belleza rolled her eyes. It was her turn to cross her arms now. "You've been spending too much time in Lower City."
Enrique's brow furrowed as he stared at her. "You heard about that, huh?" Belleza gave him a flat look, and he sighed as he lifted a hand to rub at his forehead. "What am I saying? Of course you've heard about it. You hear about everything that happens in Valua these days."
She gave him a curt nod before narrowing her eyes at him. "Why are you here, Enrique?" She saw him rarely enough these days, and most of their meetings since she'd joined Galcian's Armada had not been pleasant.
He pushed off the wall to stand up straight, staring her down. "I read the report about what happened in Nasr."
There it was. She could feel herself tensing up for a tongue-lashing. Enrique had never approved of her exploits under Galcian, and though she knew he would never use his authority directly against her, it still hurt coming from him. Even after all these years. "Yes, and?" She said, keeping her voice steady.
To her surprise, Enrique didn't raise his voice. Instead, he shuddered and looked down at the floor. "You went down in the desert. You could've died."
The tension faded from Belleza's muscles. This was… not what she'd expected. "But I didn't."
All the breath went out of her lungs at once as Enrique suddenly lurched forward to hug her, his arms going around her to hold her tight. She could hear a few urgent footsteps behind her, and she quickly raised a hand to wave Damian and Thalia off. "I know… but… just the realization of what could've happened… it…" Enrique sounded close to tears.
Belleza stood there, frozen, for a few moments as she processed what was happening. Then, slowly, she let her arms wrap around Enrique in turn, hugging him back. She still didn't fully understand what was going on. This was a far cry from the empty-eyed, distant, frustrated prince she'd been grappling with for the last seven years. Had her brush with death been that big of an eye-opener for him?
Eventually, he let go of her, and took a few steps back. "Sorry." He said, looking awkward. "I didn't mean to make things uncomfortable."
She quickly shook her head in response. "No, no. It's fine. I'm… happy to hear that you care, really. But…" She glanced over her shoulder at her lieutenants, who were looking increasingly agitated. "I think we ought to continue this conversation inside."
Enrique followed her gaze. His cheeks grew pink as he realized they'd been watched the entire time. "Yes, that… that sounds good."
Belleza opened the door to her office for him, and he shuffled inside. "Please stay out here and watch the entrance." She instructed the two who still waited impatiently for her. She thought she caught Thalia rolling her eyes, but the both of them nodded their understanding all the same. That was good enough for her right now. She stepped inside and shut the door.
She found Enrique looking around the room. As an admiral, her accommodations were better than many of those found in the rest of the fortress. An ornate desk, several bookshelves, comfortable-looking chairs, and even a painting of the imperial palace rounded out the office's furnishings. Belleza gestured for the prince to sit in the seat opposite her desk as she sat down in the one behind it. "I assume you didn't come here just to give me a hug?"
Enrique shook his head. His golden hair bounced slightly with the motion. "No. I got… a little carried away. I really am glad to see you safe, after what I saw in the report…" Those bright blue eyes fixed on her again, this time accompanied by a small, but sincere smile.
Belleza ignored the stirring in her chest as he stared at her, opting to give him a polite smile in return. "I understand. I'm happy to be here safe and sound, too." She gave him an expectant look as she finished speaking.
He leaned forward in his chair, clasping his hands together in his lap as his expression grew more intent. "I'm starting to take a stand against my mother."
Belleza blinked. "You're what?"
Enrique grinned, and this time it was a touch more rogueish than polite. "I understand now that she will never listen to reason. She may as well be Galcian's puppet. At first I thought I was alone in thinking this, but…" He looked down at his hands. "I've been talking to others in her court. Her counsel, some of the heads of the noble families, even some of the guard… There are a lot of people who disagree with the direction she's been taking Valua in."
The admiral leaned back in her seat, looking skeptical. Sure, there were always going to be dissenters in the empress's court. Even Gregorio, one of the most decorated admirals in the armada, disagreed with her. But that didn't mean… "So, what? Are you going to revolt against your own mother? Stage a coup?"
Enrique's eyes widened, and he quickly shook his head. "What? No! That wouldn't accomplish anything…" He took a slow breath and wiped a hand across his face as he searched for the words he needed. "It's just… these members of her court… they represent the people of Valua, rich and poor. If enough of the populace disagrees with her…"
Belleza arched an eyebrow. He did have a point. "I suppose it's possible. If enough of Valua's population stood up against the empress's warlike tendencies, it might be enough to sway her policy. It could even spread to the military, if the movement became widespread enough." She found herself genuinely intrigued by the thought.
"Exactly!" Enrique said. "If we could engender popular dissent throughout Valua, we could change the course of the empire without a drop of blood spilled!"
It was heartening to see the prince in such good spirits. She almost wanted to agree with him wholeheartedly. But there was a problem. There was always a problem… "I don't imagine you'll see that kind of sweeping agreement amongst the population anytime soon, though. The people of Lower City have more pressing matters to worry about day-to-day, and the people of Upper City may well profit from another war…" She gave Enrique a sad smile. "Everyone involved, from the court all the way to the bottom of Lower City, would need a damned good reason to dissent."
Enrique, however, didn't seem discouraged. "They need a motivator. Someone to show them that this isn't the only way to do things." She thought she saw a twinkle in his eye as he regarded her with a confident smile. "Belleza, I think I have a plan."
Belleza finally sat forward in her chair. "Do you, now? And what is your plan?"
Enrique took the opportunity to sit back. "Actually, I think I ought to be getting back to the palace. I should start putting things in motion."
Her expression grew agitated. "Don't tease me, Enrique."
The crown prince smiled innocently at her. "I'm not teasing you, Belleza. But I would like to see you again."
Part of her wanted to scream. All of this intrigue, just to… "Please. We don't see each other enough these days." She wasn't lying. As irritating as it was to be denied the information she craved, she'd welcome the excuse to see Enrique again. Especially now that something within him - whatever it was - had changed.
She wanted to see what he could do.
Enrique stood up out of his chair with a nod. "I'll be back as soon as I can be, then." He winked at her. "I promise." With that, he turned and left the room, leaving Belleza alone with her thoughts and the fluttering in her chest.
She turned to glance at the painting on her wall, the palace where she'd lived with him seven years ago. The home they'd been making for themselves. Then she looked down at her desk, where countless confidential reports waited for her eyes alone. Atop the pile was a dispatch from Lord Galcian.
As she began poring over its contents with her usual methodical eye, she felt a niggling in the back of her mind. She had decisions to make.
Moon stone mountain was as busy as ever. Slaves toiled away in the lowest tunnels, machines buzzed and whirred away to maintain the security systems, and in the upper reaches of the mountain, admiral De Loco fielded the ceaseless accusations of an insufferable buffoon.
"I can't believe you let those pirates play you for a fool!" Alfonso laughed, almost in tears. "The great Lord De Loco, brought low by an engine failure!" The blonde-haired admiral clutched at his stomach as he broke down laughing once more.
De Loco twitched and grit his teeth as his finger hovered dangerously close to the button that would activate the trapdoor underneath the floor where Alfonso now stood. It would be so very easy to feed him to a thresher… "I'll remind you, Alfonso, that you fared no better against them. In fact, if I recall correctly, your failed attempt at subtlety is the reason you were confined here in the first place." He retorted with a sneer.
Alfonso's laughter died out quickly, replaced with rage. "They blindsided me while I was capturing the silvite girl!"
"They blindsided me, too!" De Loco snapped. "And at least I didn't kill my own vice captain and abandon ship like a frightened crylhound!"
Alfonso's eyes narrowed. "You dare?"
De Loco rolled his eyes behind his goggles. "Of course I dare! We're in my facility, you twit! You're lucky I let you stay here in the first place! I could kick you out in an instant!"
Alfonso opened his mouth to speak, then closed it. De Loco thought he caught a few tremors run through the blonde-haired admiral before he shut up and took a seat. "Fine." Alfonso said. De Loco smirked at him.
"Why don't you go make yourself useful? You can motivate the miners with stories of your family's fabulous wealth. Or maybe you could go groom that disgusting beast you call a pet." De Loco snapped. He just wanted Alfonso out of his control room. Having him there was nothing but a distraction.
"What, I can't help out here?" Alfonso leaned forward, peering at the console De Loco was looming over. "What do you even do up here? You just push buttons and stare at screens all day. The miners are probably doing more than you are."
De Loco slapped Alfonso's hands away from the console. "Don't touch that! This is very delicate machinery! I don't need your clumsy, greasy hands getting all over it!" He growled as he leaned closer over his console, glaring at Alfonso through his goggles. "Every machine and system in this mine depends upon my input. I made this moon stone mine ten times more efficient in my tenure here, and I did not do it by letting careless idiots fumble with the controls!"
Alfonso leaned back in his chair with a sullen expression on his face. "You're a terrible bore, De Loco."
"At least I'm not an insufferable fu-" De Loco was interrupted as an alarm went off nearby. He quickly hopped out of his seat and hurried over to a portion of the floor that had been replaced with glass. "Oh my. What's this?" He grinned wickedly as he spotted a group of four very familiar figures walking through the hallway below. "I'd hoped they would come. I really hoped…" He chuckled under his breath as he hurried back to the console and began pressing buttons in a frantic pattern, leaving Alfonso baffled.
"What's going on?" He asked.
"Don't you pay any attention, you oaf?" De Loco spat. "The air pirates are here! They've come to the mine!" The engineer giggled gleefully as he watched their progress on the screens, arming his traps one by one. "This entire place is a death trap for those who aren't welcome. Will it be the spikes? The crushers? The security bots? Oh, I hope it's the spikes…"
"The pirates are here?" Alfonso stood up, looking at De Loco with wide eyes.
De Loco gawked at him. "Yes, you idiot! Do you ever listen?"
True to De Loco's words, Alfonso seemed not to be listening. "This is my chance! I'll rout these filthy pirates and put myself firmly back in Lord Galcian's favor!" He turned and hurried out of the room, muttering something about getting Antonio ready.
De Loco watched him go, feeling some of his irritation finally fade with his departure. "Moons above, finally." He shook his head in disbelief as he continued readying his defenses. "Maybe I can get him killed, too…"
It was finally done. Piastol breathed a sigh of relief as she lowered her carving knife away from the small statue she'd whittled away from a single hunk of wood.
A small, flat base was impaled with the tip of an elegant-looking blade. The blade flared out as it drew nearer to the hilt, looking menacingly jagged as it pierced outwards into two pronounced spikes at the guard. She'd been unable to find a good means to paint it silver, but the weapon was still unmistakably his.
She didn't know why she'd felt compelled to make this. Perhaps seeing that strange sword wielded against her had branded it into her memory. The moons knew she'd had enough nightmares about it in the past few days. Maybe this would allow her to break free of that fear.
She picked up the little statue and bundled it up in some cloth before throwing her hooded cloak on and drawing it tight around herself. Maybe Loretta would like this, or maybe she wouldn't. Either way, she didn't want to hang on to this particular work of art. If need be, she'd toss it over the edge of the island.
It was raining as she strolled through the normally-busy streets of Sailor's island. Normally being the operative word, she noted, as the streets proved to be almost barren today. Perhaps it was the rain, she mused. The few people she passed by on her way to Loretta's shop seemed bundled-up enough for her to guess that might be the reason.
The familiar jingle of a bell greeted her as she stepped inside the shop, but Loretta was not at the counter. Piastol frowned as she stepped up to it, setting her bundled-up creation on the countertop as she waited. When nobody came after a minute, she leaned over the counter and softly called out, "Loretta?"
Finally, she heard footsteps in the back room, and around the corner came the shop's familiar proprietress. She didn't look well at all, however. Her hair was frazzled, and her features fraught with worry. "O-oh… Emilia…" She put on a smile for the younger girl as she set her hands on the counter. "It's good to see you again."
Piastol's frown deepened as she stared at the woman behind the counter. "Is everything alright here?"
Loretta's eyes flickered to the bundle Piastol had brought, before tracking back to the girl's face. "...No, they're really not. We've been robbed. Me, and most of the other stores around here." She shivered as she stared down at the counter to avoid letting her customer see the sheen of unfallen tears in her eyes. "The guards can't do anything. I'm not sure what we're going to do…"
A scowl crossed Piastol's features. Pirates, no doubt. "What happened? Who robbed you, Loretta?" Her fingers curled up into fists at her sides as she barely contained her fury.
"I-it's this new pirate… I don't know where he came from, but he calls himself Lapen." Loretta's voice was raw. "Lapen the Loose Cannon. He's got this big, terrible machine that he rides around in. Guards can't break the hull at all, and it's got such horrible weaponry…" She swallowed uncomfortably, evidently frightened just picturing it. "He paraded through town, got what he wanted, and left. Said he'd be back soon…"
Piastol looked over her shoulder at the door. "How soon?"
Loretta shivered. "Later today, I think. I'm sorry, Emilia, sweetie, but I don't think I can afford to pay you for your work anymore…"
Piastol shook her head, letting her hood fall back to expose her white-and-blue hair. Her face was lit with anger. "Keep the statue. I don't need payment. I'm going to take care of this wretched pirate." She turned and headed for the door.
"E-Emilia?" Loretta called from the counter, looking between her and the bundle she'd left behind. "Please, don't. He's dangerous…"
Piastol didn't let the mousy shopkeeper see the vicious scowl that had spread over her lips as she pushed open the door. Rain pattered against her hair. She didn't care. "Don't worry about me, Loretta. This is the work I was born to do. The only thing I'm good at." She let the bitter irony of those words wash over her as she stepped out and let the door shut behind her.
The alarms had been blaring for what must have been half an hour now. Alfonso was slowly being crushed by an uncomfortable realization.
He was lost.
He'd always spent his time in the upper reaches of the mines, where De Loco's offices and the officers' quarters were. Down here, in the mines proper, he had no idea where he was going. He'd nearly fallen into traps a dozen times now, and he was about to reach the end of his rope when he caught sight of someone familiar.
"Captain Jedin!" He hurried over to the woman in question, who gave him a confused look as she leaned away from the speaking tube she'd just been listening to.
"Admiral Alfonso? What are you doing down here? Shouldn't you be up top with De Loco?" She asked.
He quickly snatched her wrist, speaking to her frantically. "What, and miss my chance for glory?" He snapped. "You know your way through the mines, Jedin, and I don't doubt De Loco's been keeping you apprised. Where are the pirates? I need to get to them, now!"
Jedin glared at him, yanking her wrist out of his grip and rubbing it uncomfortably. "I know where the pirates are, yes. They're down in one of the lower levels, where the prisoners are held. They're freeing one of King Ixa'taka's men."
"Excellent! Take me to them! And hurry!"
Jedin stared at him incredulously. "What? Why do you need-"
"Just do it, damn you!" Alfonso barked. "And while you're at it, tell one of the men upstairs to get Antonio II ready and send him down as well!"
The captain glared at him, but nodded. "Sure." She leaned into the speaking tube. "Can one of you please take Antonio II down to the bottom levels? Prisoner level 3, to be precise." She muttered. A muffled voice came back to her, and her lips spread into a smirk. "Oh, is that so? Perfect." She leaned away from the tube to address Alfonso again. "Alright, everything's in order. Follow me, Admiral."
"At long last, sweet revenge…" Alfonso mused delightedly as he moved to follow her.
A surprisingly short walk later, Alfonso and Jedin stopped in front of a large set of double-doors. "This is it." Jedin said, gesturing to them. "The air pirates should end up in the room on the other side any minute now."
Alfonso rubbed his hands together with gleeful mischief. "Excellent! Now, where is Antonio?"
Jedin smiled at him. "The boys up top reported that Antonio II is feeling very sick today, and won't be able to make it." She snapped off a smart salute. "Best of luck, sir." With that, she turned to leave.
"What?!" Alfonso growled and grabbed Jedin by the arm, pulling her back. "You don't get to pull that with me, soldier. If Antonio isn't coming, then you will be helping me instead."
"I… I don't know, sir. I'm not the best fighter." Jedin protested.
"Can it. You'll do." Alfonso hissed as he pushed one of the doors to the large room open, dragging the frustrated engineer along behind him.
It was an unusually spacious room for the mines. Almost completely empty, oddly. Alfonso couldn't remember ever coming here before. The floor and the walls were all done in metal, and he noted red stains on the floor. Perhaps he didn't want to come here again after he was done with those pirates.
Moments later, the doors on the opposite side of the room opened to admit four pirates, followed by an older man with dark skin wearing a robe. Alfonso scowled as he immediately recognized three out of the four pirates. He delighted in seeing the surprise on their faces as they caught sight of him, too. "Hey!" The red-headed pirate shouted. "You're that guy! That guy who tried to kidnap Fina!"
She didn't even remember his name? Alfonso could feel his eye twitch with irritation. He drew his sword, the soft song of metal sliding against scabbard echoing through the room. "I am admiral Alfonso of the Valuan empire, and for your trespass today, I will kill each and every one of you!"
The pirate with the blue jacket and red hair - Vyse, Alfonso recalled - Crossed his arms, evidently unimpressed. "Uh-huh. And who are you?" He asked, turning his attention to the woman standing alongside the admiral.
She looked surprised to even be noticed. "What? Oh. I'm Jedin. Captain Jedin."
Vyse nodded and set a hand on one of his swords. "I see. Are you sure you want to fight us, captain Jedin?"
Jedin stared at Vyse, then looked to Alfonso, then back at Vyse. "Not really, no."
Alfonso looked at Jedin, aghast. "What? How can you not? They're intruders! They're stealing prisoners of the empire!"
Jedin set her face in her hands. "If you would just think ahead, even once…"
"Enough of this time-wastin'." the older pirate in the back stepped forward and lifted a heavy-looking mechanical arm. "I'm punchin' a hole through that door ahead, an' if anyone's in front of it, I'm punchin' a hole through them, too. I ain't givin' the guards a chance to surround this room."
Vyse quickly set a hand on the man's mechanical arm, pushing it down. "Calm down, Drachma. We've handled ourselves fine thus far. I think we can at least humor this Alfonso guy."
Drachma glared at Vyse with his one good eye. "I am not gettin' trapped in this mine because you can't resist givin' that fop of an admiral a fair fight."
"Why, you-" Alfonso began.
"Who cares if he's a fop? He's obviously got a stake in this. It's not like he'll actually win." The redheaded girl said with a grin.
"How dare y-"
"No! I ain't lettin' you ruin our escape! You idiot kids are always tryin' to get me killed!" Drachma boomed.
"Enough! You die now!" Alfonso roared, rushing forward towards Vyse. He didn't care if the man had his back turned. He'd have his revenge, come hell or high w-
A clamorous "thud" echoed through the room as Drachma backhanded Alfonso. The admiral went flying across the room to land on the floor with another painful-sounding thud. He groaned once, sat up halfway to stare goggle-eyed at Vyse, then collapsed. Jedin simply stared at where he'd fallen.
Vyse sighed. "Well, that settles that." He turned to Jedin. "Is that door unlocked?"
Jedin gave him a flat look. "Yes, it is." She slowly turned her gaze up to the concealed windows at the top of the room, giving a small shake of her head.
From a hidden chamber above the room, De Loco was throwing another fit. "J-Jedin! Leave the room! Now! Get out! I need to turn on the trap! Gaaaah!" He resorted to pounding on the glass as he screamed down at her.
The pirates didn't appear to notice. Vyse and his fellows walked past Jedin and the collapsed Alfonso on their way out. Vyse spared the engineer a small smile. "Poor guy." Aika said as she passed Alfonso. The dark-skinned priest was the last one out, and the doors shut behind him.
Jedin gave Alfonso a long-suffering look before walking over to him. "Hey! Are you alive?" She waved a hand in front of his face.
Alfonso's eyes opened, blinking deliriously as he stared up at her. "Wh-where am I?"
"Oh, good. You're not dead." Jedin said flatly. "Look, do you want to redeem yourself?"
Alfonso narrowed his eyes seriously at her, but the effect was somewhat diminished by the way his eyes rolled in their sockets. "Mommy?"
Jedin let out an exasperated sound before setting her hands to either side of Alfonso's head. "Moons, assist my healing." Soft green light emanated from her palms, flowing into Alfonso, and after a few moments his eyes focused properly on her.
"What… what do I need to do?" Alfonso said. His voice carried a note of pleading.
Jedin gave him a searching look before sighing and hauling him up and onto his feet. "Come with me."
"Loose Cannon" Lapen felt like the king of the world as he flew through the skies towards Sailor's Isle in his masterpiece of engineering. "Gunarm", he called it. One part tank, one part airship, one part drone dispensary. Ever since he'd completed Gunarm, he'd become the incontestable ruler of mid ocean's pirates. None before him had ever cowed Sailor's Isle like he had. His return visit would just be icing on the cake.
Gunarm slowly descended from the sky onto one of the docks that jutted out from the southern end of Sailor's Isle, and as soon as Lapen took a look around, he saw someone waiting to greet him. "Hello there." his voice, laden with condescension, boomed out from Gunarm's speakers, making him sound more like a machine than a man. "Are you my welcoming party?"
The woman in question didn't look welcoming. She didn't look like a guard or a civilian at all. In fact, she looked familiar. She didn't say anything, but instead stared at him with icy blue eyes, twirling a menacing-looking scythe in one hand. Lapen chuckled. "I didn't think so. You look more like the kind of trash I crush beneath my treads."
Gunarm slowly lifted one arm, the barrel of a massive cannon slowly sliding out to its full length to point in the girl's direction. "Any last words?"
A distant part of Piastol, in the back of her head, had to admit that Lapen's machine was impressive. She could see how he'd have cowed the whole island into submission with something like that.
But she didn't have room left in her heart for fear anymore. "Lapen the Loose Cannon, the angel of death has come for you."
Lapen's derisive chuckle was as mechanical as the rest of his voice. "Great. Die." The innards of the cannon's barrel blazed with yellow light, and half a second later a massive pulse of energy tore through the air in a line that left a massive hole in the wall of the town facing the docks.
But Piastol was not there anymore. She'd already dodged to one side and closed the distance to Gunarm's chassis, letting loose a flurry of arcing slashes with her scythe's blade against its flank. Unfortunately for her, Gunarm's hull proved quite resilient, and she left only scratches on its metal exterior. A massive metal arm came flying at her, and she ducked only barely in time to avoid being sent flying off the docks.
"Sorry, girlie, but Gunarm ain't some toy you can break." Lapen taunted as Gunarm swung around to face her. Piastol's eyes went wide as it lurched towards her, and she tumbled to one side. One of Gunarm's treads just barely caught her foot, and she let out a cry of pain as she stumbled back and away, hopping on one leg.
"Too slow!" That booming mechanical voice came again, and Gunarm spun around once more to slowly advance on the hobbled bounty hunter.
Piastol narrowed her eyes dangerously at the advancing mech. "Deathhound!" She called. Seemingly from nowhere, her ferocious feralisk pet dove on top of Gunarm's body, scratching, clawing and biting at its hull, eventually making an effort to pry open the door at the top of the mech.
"What the hell?!" Lapen growled. "Frocks, get him!" Three smaller, conical yellow machines poured out of an opening somewhere on Gunarm's back to begin harrying Deathhound with small blasts of energy. Gunarm thrashed about in an attempt to dislodge the pesky mutt, and it began to look like Gunarm was winning.
Pistol had her opening, however.
She'd begun studying silver magic a few years after the sinking of the Aquila. Something about it reminded her of Ramirez, and it had been a way for her to both hone her skills as the angel of death, and to remind her of who she was trying to emulate. Even now, years later, she still couldn't call herself a master of silver magic. But she was better than most.
She could feel the magic energy flow through her as she forced herself to a standing position, focusing on the distracted Gunarm. "Moons…" She murmured, letting the power fill her. "Eradicate my enemies!" Her eyes flashed silver as all that power unleashed itself, forming hundreds of silvery needles in a massive hemisphere around Gunarm and his frocks.
"Eternes!"
All the needles plunged inwards at once, ripping into the frocks and Gunarm's hull with equal measure of ferocity. Even solid steel couldn't stand up to honed silver magic. The frocks simply fell atop Gunarm's body and rolled to the ground. Gunarm thrashed back and forth, sparking and seizing, until at last it went still.
Piastol shuddered and fell to her knees, drained of energy. Deathhound hopped off the collapsed mech and came close to nuzzle against Piastol's arm. She could see a faint green light emanating from him, and the pain in her crushed foot began to subside. "Th-thanks, Deathhound…" She murmured. "But we're not done here yet."
She fixed her gaze intently on Gunarm's brutalized remains. She rose to her feet, hesitantly, and found that she could at least walk. That would be good enough. She covered the distance to Gunarm's corpse, climbed atop it, and pried open the door at the top before hauling a young man out of it. He was dressed all in violet, with short blonde hair cut in a punkish style. He was cut all over, but alive. He was lucky she hadn't been aiming for him, but for his robot. "Lapen?" She snarled as she held him aloft with one hand, by the collar of his coat.
"W-what the hell are you?!" He pleaded.
Those words. Always they reminded her of the first time she'd adopted her moniker. It upset her how often she heard them. "I'm the angel of death, and I've come to take my due." She said softly as she drew one of her knives from her belt, twirling it as she prepared to finish the job.
"Emilia?"
Piastol froze. That voice was familiar to her, not to mention the name it had used to refer to her. She slowly turned her head to look back over her shoulder.
Loretta was watching her. Not just Loretta, but surely what must've been half the population of Sailor's Isle had poured out onto the docks to watch her. All of them now stared at her, wide-eyed, as her blade hovered mere inches from Lapen's throat.
She turned back to Lapen to see him staring at her in raw terror. A few images flashed through her memory of Ramirez stalking towards her, poised to finish her off. Was this what she looked like then, too?
Piastol shuddered and let go of Lapen's collar. He promptly fell onto his ass atop the mech he'd terrorized the town so effectively with. "Loose Cannon Lapen…" She murmured.
"What? What now?" Lapen spoke in a confused, panicked voice.
Piastol took a deep breath before raising her voice. "Loose Cannon Lapen, I am hereby placing you into the custody of Sailor's Isle. They can decide what to do with you."
Lapen looked baffled. She didn't care. She turned around and hopped off the corpse of the mech before walking away. A trio of confused, but relieved-looking guards hurried past her to restrain the pirate she'd left behind.
Loretta looked like she wanted to speak to her, but Piastol walked past her on her way to her ship. She didn't know what to say yet.
Deathhound followed her as she disappeared into the crowd.
Jedin's personal ship may not have been large or powerful, but it was quick, and it was quiet. It hissed through the skies of Ixa'taka, careful to stay in the pockets of mist that seemed to perennially haunt this region of Arcadia.
In the distance could be seen a familiar green fishing boat, and Jedin made sure to keep it in sight at all times as she traveled. Alfonso leaned over her shoulder, watching intently for lack of anything better to do. "Are you sure they're heading to Rixis?" He asked, concerned.
Jedin didn't look at him as she spoke, instead staying focused on her pursuit. "Where else would they be going? They want the crystal as badly as we do. The difference is, they might have the cooperation of the Ixa'takans."
Alfonso grumbled to himself as he leaned against the console. "And you suppose that will make the difference?"
The engineer scoffed. "Their ancestors are the ones who hid the damn city in the first place. If anyone alive knows where Rixis is, it's the Ixa'takans."
"I guess." Alfonso admitted. He didn't like being led along by the nose like this, but at this point he was willing to take whatever opportunities he could get.
"Look. They're descending…" Jedin pointed ahead of them. True to her word, the pirates' ship was making a slow descent towards the forest, diving between a trio of massive pillars of natural rock. "The jungle is particularly dense there. It'd be the perfect place to hide an entrance…" She mused as she set their own ship to begin descending, following the pirates' path.
Alfonso kept his mouth shut and instead focused on getting ready. Jedin seemed to appreciate this, flashing him a smile as she was allowed to focus completely on her work.
A few minutes later, the little ship set down in a clearing a short ways away from where the pirates had landed. Jedin and Alfonso waited in the hold for fifteen minutes more to give the pirates a head start before forging onwards into the forest after them.
It was a surprisingly short walk to the entrance. Once they were on the ground, it stood out like a sore thumb - a massive face assembled from close-cut stones packed together. Its mouth stood wide open to admit them. "The gates of Rixis…" Jedin said in mild awe. "I was beginning to think they didn't exist."
"If you didn't think they existed, you made a rather reckless judgment call in following those pirates." Alfonso said, amusement in his voice as he strolled past her. "Let's go. We don't want to give them any more of a head start."
"Right behind you, sir."
Rixis was covered in mist. Moreso than even the rest of Ixa'taka, the blanketing clouds made it almost impossible to see into the long distance. After the long elevator ride that brought them to the plateau where the city slept, Jedin was left staring once again as she looked around. "I can't believe how high up we are. The Ancients must've taken ages to build that elevator…"
Alfonso grabbed her by the wrist, tugging more gently this time. "Jedin, I know it's an architectural marvel, but we're here for a reason."
Jedin snapped out of her thoughts and nodded. Together they set out into the mists. Already, they could pick out a few fresh footprints in the dirt, and they began to follow them deeper into the ruined city. Jedin couldn't quite contain her fascination, and she spent much of the walk simply looking all around her at the collapsing city that the ancient Green Civilization had once called home.
They had ascended onto a raised terrace and begun to delve into the ruins of several old buildings when Alfonso heard a noise that disturbed the city's otherwise deathly silence. He stopped in his tracks, holding up a hand to stop Jedin, too. "Did you hear that?" He asked.
Jedin blinked at him. "Hear what? I was a bit distracted." She sighed and looked down. "Sorry. What kind of sound was it?"
Alfonso narrowed his eyes as he looked around. "Almost like the rushing of wind, but… not quite like I've ever heard before."
Jedin looked confused. "I mean, we're pretty high up. It's not inconceivable that the wind-"
"Look out!" Alfonso pushed her forward, and they both stumbled a short ways as a dagger whizzed through the space Jedin had been occupying moments ago. They managed to regain their footing just in time for a curious-looking figure to emerge from the mist.
It was clad in a red coat with brown pants, and its features were completely concealed through the combination of a large, flat hat, goggles, and a scarf covering its mouth. In one hand it twirled a knife with a rounded edge. Alfonso drew his blade and leveled it at the advancing figure. "Stay back."
The figure kept strolling casually towards them, twirling its knife. Alfonso growled and rushed forward, slashing at it, only for it to vanish and reappear a few steps to his left. It made an odd, distorted sound before tossing a small black sphere of metal at Alfonso's feet.
"Move!" Jedin shouted. Alfonso stumbled back in time just for a fiery explosion to bloom from where the little sphere had been tossed, engulfing a portion of the room from floor to ceiling.
Jedin contained her relief long enough to draw a flintlock from her hip and aim it at the figure. She pulled the trigger and her shot blazed towards its position, but again, it disappeared, only to reappear, this time behind her. It raised its knife, intent on gouging her.
Jedin got one step away from it before her hair stood on end, and the smell of ozone filled her nostrils as a crackling current of lightning tore into the attacker's torso searing much of its clothing and leaving it staggering and twitching in place. Jedin quickly drew a knife and rushed at it before driving the tip into its belly.
All at once, the figure seemed to melt away, its clothing falling into a pile on the floor. That same rushing of wind could be heard, this time by both of them, but nothing new materialized to menace them. Alfonso was panting when Jedin finally turned to glance his way, evidently having exhausted himself with his lightning spell.
"What… What was that?" Jedin murmured, looking around slowly, keeping a firm grip on both her gun and her knife.
Alfonso gave the area on last look around before sheathing his sword. "I'm not sure… a spirit? A puppet?" He shrugged. "I'm no expert on magic, as you might be able to tell…"
Jedin had half a mind to tease him about that, but not after he'd just saved her. "Thank you for the help, Alfonso." She said, bowing her head slightly.
Alfonso nodded somewhat jerkily, not having expected the thanks. He scratched idly at the back of his head. "Sure. Is there anything worth salvaging in the… remains?"
Jedin knelt down to inspect them, rummaging through the scattered clothing. A few seconds later she returned with a single black stone, roughly spherical in shape. She held it out to Alfonso, and he took it to inspect it more closely.
"What is this?" He asked.
"I can't really be sure, but it looks a bit like moon stone." Jedin offered. "But I've never seen moon stone be black."
Alfonso nodded. "Nor have I. We'll take it back to the others later. Maybe… ugh… De Loco can make some sense of it." He turned towards the direction they'd first been headed when they were blindsided. "Let's keep going. Those pirates are way ahead of us by now."
Piastol had once again confined herself to the cabin of her ship. After her fight with Lapen, everyone on Sailor's Isle knew who she was. Without her anonymity, going outside was… terrifying, she'd realized. She didn't want to talk to all of those strangers. She didn't even care about the reward she might receive for capturing Lapen. She just wanted to be left to herself.
She couldn't even get to Lawrence with things the way they were. All she had had for the last two days was Deathhound. And while he was good company, she was starting to wonder if she might simply have to leave Sailor's Isle if she wanted to find new work. She couldn't face all those people. She didn't deserve their gratitude.
A knock on the door forced her to get out of bed. She fully expected to see Lawrence when she opened the door, and was surprised when it turned out to be Loretta instead. She was too surprised even to think to say hello.
The older woman looked simultaneously frightened, and firm in her conviction. "Emilia…" She said quietly, as if trying to break her out of staring.
Piastol blinked, managing to shake herself out of it. "Miss Loretta. Hello." She shuffled awkwardly where she stood. "My name is Piastol, actually."
Loretta drew her shawl a little closer around her shoulders to block out the morning chill. "Piastol, then. I wanted to thank you for stopping Lapen. Since his capture, things have gone back to normal here on Sailor's Island."
Piastol couldn't muster a smile in response, especially not when Loretta wasn't smiling, either. "Like I said… I was just doing my job."
Loretta looked confused, and hurt. "Your job… you are the one they call the angel of death, aren't you? The one who's killed so many pirates?"
The older woman's gaze was becoming painful. Piastol stared at her feet instead. "Yes, that's me. The angel of death."
There was a long silence between them. The wood of the ship creaked gently in the wind.
"I am sorry…" Loretta said, her voice quiet but surprisingly strong, "I'm sorry that you've put yourself through that."
Piastol flinched, then looked up at her again. "What? What do you mean?"
"I don't know why you killed all those people, Em-... Er, Piastol." The older woman frowned. "But I do not believe you are a bad person at heart. I've seen too much good from you to condemn you for the mistakes you've made. So…" She took a slow breath. "I'm sorry for whatever happened to you. Whatever made you feel like you had to kill those people."
Piastol balked. It took her a minute to find her voice. "You don't hate me?"
The shopkeeper shook her head. "I don't hate you. I'm not sure I ever could. But I worry that if you keep your current course, I may someday be unable to understand you."
A shiver ran down Piastol's spine, and not from the cold. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do." Memories flashed through her thoughts, one after another. Ramirez coming into her life. Ramirez teaching her to fight. Ramirez disappearing, Ramirez trying to kill her. Ramirez, Ramirez, Ramirez.
"It's all I've ever known how to do." And then another string of memories. All the times she'd had real conversations with Lawrence. Loretta's kindnesses to her that had kept her afloat for so long. The curious stranger in Valua. Vyse… "And now it's all coming apart…" Her eyes stung as she thought about her last conversation with Ramirez. She'd cried far too much these past few weeks.
A gentle hand came to rest on her shoulder. "You will find your way if you try. I'll be here to help, and I am certain plenty of others will be too."
Piastol sniffled and kept her eyes on the floor. "I don't know… if I deserve that…"
The hand on her shoulder squeezed reassuringly. "Of course you do."
It was enough. Piastol stayed like that, slowly calming herself down and taking deep breaths. Eventually, she managed to look up at Loretta again, though her eyes were a bit red. "Thank you, Loretta."
Loretta smiled at her. "You ought to thank that Lawrence fellow, too. He's the one who told me where to find you."
Piastol smiled a little at that. Lawrence was still looking out for her. "That… sounds like a wonderful idea."
"I think this is it." Jedin said, pointing to a couple of floating platforms that resembled the elevators they'd been using to get around the city. "This is the only way forward."
"Then let's go. I want to see what lies at the end of these ruins." Alfonso agreed, and together they stepped onto the platform. Immediately it began to lift them upwards, drifting steadily towards the very top of the stone spire into which the city was built. They ascended through the cloud layer, the mist slowly fading around them, until at last they were at the very top. Before them stood a massive stepped pyramid, looking just as ancient as the rest of the city had.
"This has to be it!" Jedin said excitedly. "This must be where the green moon crystal is kept!"
Alfonso drew his sword with a scowl on his face. "Yeah, and those pirates have already beaten us to it. Look!" He pointed to the top of the stairs, where four figures were clustered together, staring down at fifth who was standing about halfway down the stairs leading up to the top of the pyramid.
"What are they doing?" Jedin asked, squinting into the distance. As she spoke, one of the figures at the top hopped onto one of the smooth slopes that flanked the stairs, quickly catching up to the figure that was trying to run down the stairs. The sliding figure leapt off the slope into a tackle, pinning the retreating figure under him.
"I got him!" The both of them heard Vyse's voice call.
"Come on, Jedin. Now is our chance." Alfonso hurried forward. Jedin drew both her weapons before following him.
"You there!" Alfonso called. "You're cornered now! Surrender the green moon crystal!" Up close now, Alfonso could see that Vyse had pinned down what looked like an Ixa'takan priest. The rest of Vyse's compatriots were just now walking down the stairs, giving Alfonso a confused look.
"You again?" Vyse asked, looking confused. "How in the moons did you get here?"
Alfonso glared at him. "That's not important. Hand over the crystal or you die!"
The older man with the mechanical arm pushed past the others to glare right back at the admiral. "You couldn't stop us last time, and you won't stop us this time, twerp."
Jedin leveled her flintlock at the man's chest. "Take another step and I'll put a bullet in you."
"Ah, so you've decided to take a side?" The man spat in her direction, but didn't take another step.
"This is pointless!" The redhead shouted. "We don't have the crystal anyways!"
"What?!" Jedin's voice was sharp with disappointment.
Alfonso grit his teeth as he looked between each of the pirates before him. "You're lying. You have to be lying. This is the lost city of Rixis. This is where the crystal is supposed to be."
"I swear to you, we are not lying…" The silvite girl said. Alfonso fixed her with a glare.
The tension faded somewhat when the priest spoke up from where he'd been pinned by Vyse. "Th-they are telling the truth…"
All eyes went to him, and for a moment he froze up under the intense scrutiny. "King Ixa'taka… H-he discovered the ruins a while ago. He found the crystal and took it for himself, saying that the gigas would help us drive out the Valuans… He left me here to keep watch over the city."
Vyse's eyes went wide. "King Ixa'taka is going to summon the gigas?!"
"No… no, no, no…" Alfonso twitched as he looked back and forth between the priest, the pirates, and Jedin. "We can't have gone to all these lengths for nothing. They have to be lying."
The priest shook his head frantically. "It's the truth! He-"
His protestations were interrupted as the ground shook beneath them. In the distance, a massive beam of green light spouted forth from the jungle below. All eyes turned once again to stare at it. "The gigas! They're summoning the gigas!" The silvite shouted.
Vyse quickly got to his feet, growling softly as he stared at the distant light. "I can't believe they'd do this to us… We have to get to the Little Jack!"
"Oh no you don't!" Alfonso hissed. "You may not have the crystal, but I can still capture you! You're wanted for crimes against the empire!"
"Admiral…" Jedin protested quietly.
"No!" Alfonso barked.
The engineer persisted. "Alfonso, we have to get out of here. We need to mobilize the men and help Lord De Loco combat the gigas if we're to have any chance of winning."
"I'm taking you in!" Alfonso screamed over another tremor that rocked the ground.
"Not without a fight you aren't!" the old man matched him shout for shout.
"Alfonso, please! We don't have time for this! Your men need you!" Jedin pleaded.
Alfonso's hands shook as he stared at Vyse. The pirate that had taken his pride from him. He could have his revenge at last.
"F-fine!" Alfonso forced himself to let his sword arm fall to his side. "Just go."
The pirates stared at him for a long moment. "Go! Before I changed my damn mind!" He snapped.
Vyse was the first to take the hint. He grabbed the redhead's hand before hurrying past the admiral. The silvite quickly followed suit, with the old man being the last one to go, giving Alfonso a glare as he passed by.
"You did the right thing, Alfonso…" Jedin offered, though she knew it wouldn't do much to calm him.
"Great! That's just great. Now how are we getting out of here?" He shot back, barely keeping his anger in check.
"I have flares!" Jedin explained. "I can signal to one of our ships, and they can take us to the Chameleon or the Cygnus!"
"Fine. Just get on with it." Alfonso growled as he watched the group of pirates board one of the elevators they'd ascended on. He kept his eyes on them until they were out of sight.
"I was wondering where you two had gotten to. It figures you useless prats would disappear just in time for catastrophe to strike." De Loco's voice crackled over the console at the helm of the Cygnus, just as condescending as ever.
Jedin bit her tongue. Alfonso did not. "We were following the air pirates! We found the city of Rixis! Unlike you, Lord De Loco, we took some bloody initiative! And we'd have had the crystal if it weren't for King Ixa'taka!"
"I doubt it was your idea in the first place, admiral Alfonso." De Loco retorted. "You're lucky Jedin has a soft spot for you. Why don't you keep her? I've had enough of her wastefulness."
Alfonso could almost hear the captain gritting her teeth next to him. "Listen here, you little…" He began.
"I really don't have time for this right now, admiral. I'm giving you an opening. Take out the gigas." With that, the channel to De Loco's ship closed.
"What was he talking about?" Alfonso said, turning to Jedin.
"Just… just watch." Jedin said, looking concerned. The both of them turned to watch out the front windows of the helm. In the distance could be seen the massive green gigas, Grendel, marching through the forests towards the assembled first and fifth fleets of the Armada. And off to one side, almost invisible for its smallness, could be seen a little ship flying alongside it. King Ixa'taka, I presume, Alfonso thought.
Almost as soon as he'd noticed it, a massive yellow beam tore through the skies from off to Alfonso's left. It went wide, hitting about half of Ixa'taka's ship, but it was enough. The little ship began to descend towards the forest below, wreathed in flames.
The response from the gigas was almost immediate. It began clutching at its head, thrashing about from side to side. Alfonso smirked, then pushed a button on his console. "All ships, forward! Attack the gigas while it's vulnerable!"
He heard a chorus of "Aye aye!"s come through the console, and he could see his fleet gradually advance towards the gigas, the first round of cannonfire going out to pelt the monster's great green hide.
But this only seemed to have the effect of rousing the gigas from its stupor, and almost immediately it lifted its head, and sent a massive fist hurtling towards the nearest ship. It collided head-on, and the ship burst into flames as its bow was crushed inwards, sinking rapidly afterwards. "M-moons above!" Alfonso swore.
The gigas whirled around and delivered another punch to another ship, producing similar results to the first. Fifteen seconds into the fight and Alfonso had lost two ships already. Then, the gigas turned towards the Cygnus. It bent over and ripped a massive chunk of forest from the ground. Jedin's shout echoed around the bridge. "Evasive maneuvers!"
The Cygnus lurched to one side, but not quickly enough to avoid being clipped by the massive chunk of earth that went sailing towards it. The entire ship shuddered, but thankfully stayed aloft. "Damn!" Alfonso pounded on the console. "We cannot defeat the gigas!"
"Orders, admiral?" Came a voice from the bridge.
"Damn it all…" Alfonso growled. He punched another button on the console. "We have to retreat! We can't afford this many losses!" He leaned closer to the console. "That goes for you too, De Loco! I know you're listening!"
"You can run away with your tail between your legs if you want, Alfonso!" He could practically hear the sneer in De Loco's voice. "But I'm not giving up on the opportunity to test my moon stone cannon! I'll win this battle without you!"
Alfonso frowned as he cast one more look out on the battle, then glanced at Jedin. She looked about as lost as he was. He sighed and turned back to the console. "First fleet, we are leaving! I am ordering a full retreat from Ixa'takan airspace!"
Another failure. Another retreat. Alfonso slumped down into his seat with his face in his hands. "Am I doing the right thing?"
He could hear gunfire in the distance as he waited for Jedin's reply.
"I think you're doing the best you can."