Pixels sparkled in the air, collating to form a map of Noctilum. It hovered above the holodesk console, one specific digital crystal blinking red amidst a sea of green and blue. The piece that identified the found piece of the Lifehold.
"Looks like it's from the starboard side of the White Whale," Vandham explained as he threw up an image of the White Whale next to the image of Noctilum. The image was of the ship when it was still intact prior to its crash on Mira. Dunban felt a flare of rage in his gut at the sight of the image, but he pushed it down as quickly as he could. Now was not the time to be plagued by memories.
"Starboard side...that's part of the research wing?" Vera asked from her seat at the long table, leaning forward to get a better view of the images.
The subtext was not lost on Dunban. She meant that the piece was not from the west side, which contained the sleeping passengers, the rest of humanity as they knew it.
Disappointed, Dunban turned away from the BLADE leadership crowded around the conference table and images and looked out of the large window at the rising sun on the horizon. It wasn't what they needed. Granted, whatever research that lay in the databanks of this piece of the ship would be helpful nonetheless, but finding their people was the priority.
"Regardless, it's important that we get to the ship piece before the Ganglion. We cannot allow them to obtain any of our technology." Nagi declared. "Dunban and Elma, your teams will investigate. Be ready to leave in an hour."
"I'd like to go as well, sir. I'll assign myself under Elma." Irina said, flicking her eyes to Elma, who nodded in agreement.
"Alright. Take care and good hunting."
Without waiting, Dunban hurried out to the elevator, simultaneously pulling out his communicator and texting his team. Despite the fact this was not the piece of the ship they were looking for, bringing back any piece would lift the spirits of the people living in NLA. And he felt it was his job to do so, especially when the odds were so extravagantly stacked against them.
When he got to the ground floor he jumped into his Jeep and sped back to the house. One thought ran through his head as his vehicle zoomed past the landscape of the city: what would his team do if they met the Ganglion on this venture?
No doubt, battle. But how many would they bring with them? Would they have too few troops to match the Ganglion's strength? He hoped it would be the opposite, but he knew that this was a false hope.
Bursting through the door, he already found the home to be a hub of activity. Tyrea — in battle armor — was in the kitchen, pouring coffee into four mugs. Fiora lugged her equipment down the stairs from her bedroom. Zain — in his military uniform — was meditating.
No sign of Melia.
Looking up at him, Tyrea gestured to a full mug on the counter. "Coffee, dear sir?"
"Um…thanks." He took it, eyeing her with skepticism.
"By the way, we're coming with you." Tyrea mused as she took a mug and sipped it, replacing the coffee pot back in its maker.
"Excuse me?" He sputtered.
"I'm — we're coming with you," a voice insisted behind him.
He spun around to see Melia striding towards him in her battle armor, wearing a determined expression on her face.
"Are you sure? This won't make things harder on you?" He asked, attempting to keep his eyes on her face instead of tracing the curves of her body within the blue casing surrounding her body. Shaking his head, he hoped she would understand the subtext of his words.
Melia shook her head. "If I am going to illustrate to my father that this is an alliance worth pursuing, I need to demonstrate we can be good allies. And the best way is through battle."
Power. It was the ultimate currency in these times. Despite the morbid nature of the conversation, he couldn't help but smile. It was...nice to have someone understand perfectly the dire nature of the circumstances without questioning it.
"Mmm, I love what's happening here." Tyrea chimed in, leaning over the counter leering at them of the top of her mug.
Melia dropped her smile, staring back at her sister. "Did you pack?"
"Yes." Tyrea rolled her eyes.
"I'll just suit up and then we'll go," Dunban responded. He jogged up the stairs and into his room. Slamming the door, he shed his clothes, wincing as he took off his shirt. He glanced at the mirror on the wall and rubbed his left shoulder. Now was not the time for a flare-up.
A knock caught his attention and he snapped his eyes to the closed door.
"Dunban? Can I come in?" Fiora called.
Quickly, he slid on the lower half of his battle armor suit. "Yeah."
Slowly the door creaked open. Without ceremony, she strode in and plopped down onto his bed.
"Yes?" He asked as he pulled the top portion of the armor from his closet.
"So this Lifehold piece..." She trailed off, tilting her head to the side as she spoke.
He shoved on the armor on, first on his right arm, then his left, but gently, hoping she wouldn't notice. "It shouldn't be a difficult mission."
"But two teams are going in case the Ganglion show up."
In the mirror, the man glanced back at her, but she was at her feet. He could feel the tension emanate off of her as she fidgeted with her feet.
His brow knit together and he took a seat beside her. "That is correct."
"Do you think they'll show up?" She whispered.
"I don't know." There was a tug at his insides; he wanted to allay her fear, give her comfort. But he wasn't sure he could without lying. And that was the last thing he wanted to do. He took her hand. " I'll be there right next to you. Nothing is going to happen to any of us. We have Elma and Irina backing us up and you know how skilled they are."
Squeezing her hand, Dunban hoped it would be enough.
Swallowing, Fiora nodded. "You're right. Thanks."
"I mean it, Fiora. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."
Sniffling, she wiped the small tears that dotted the sides of her eyes. Dunban felt a pang of guilt reverberate inside him. But her next words were delivered without a waver. "So like, did anything happen last night?"
Of course. He should've known there was an ulterior motive to her visitation.
"Fiora, we have a mission." Dunban released his sister's hand and stood, resuming dressing in his armor. Despite how excited he was still about last night, he wasn't going to discuss it, especially not with Fiora. It was a private matter between himself and Melia until they knew what were going to be the next steps. At least, he supposed. Tyrea — he was sure — could be an indomitable force like Fiora and demand her own set of details.
"Oh, so something did!" Fiora squealed and jumped up from her spot on the bed. "Tell me, tell me! Especially if I am going to die."
"Hey, you're not going to die. Don't even talk about that." He barked at her, glaring at her through the mirror.
"Sorry…" She averted her eyes again, this time glancing at the door. No doubt wanting to get away from him.
He sighed. They had been doing so well, and he had to go and blow it up. Dunban knew it was a joke, but he couldn't laugh about it. Things were too serious. The thought of Fiora gone from his life after already suffering so much loss was unfathomable.
"No, I'm sorry." He shook his head, thought the words fell flat on his tongue.
"I get it. It was a bad joke." Fiora sniffed.
Finishing with his battle armor, Dunban studied his sister in the mirror. She hung her head and had begun fidgeting with her feet again. Inwardly, he sighed. There was only one way he could remedy the situation, and he was not the least bit happy about it.
"If you must know…" he shook his head, already regretting what he was going to discuss now.
"I do! I do!" She clapped, her fervor returning in an instant.
"We did have a nice time last night."
"Oooh, what did you do?"
"We just spent time together."
"Did you guys kiss?"
"Fiora."
"Oh my god, you did!" She jumped up and danced in a circle. Her brother felt his cheeks flood with heat. "I am so proud of you, Dunban! I am such a fan of her and this relationship and oh my goodness I cannot wait for you two to get togetherrrrr!"
"Okay, that's enough." He waved at her to stop, but couldn't help but smile.
"Are you going to go on a second date?"
"Fiora, I can't think about that now." He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms over his shoulders. Nevertheless, amidst all the chaos that was currently happening, he couldn't help but wonder the same thing.
"But you want to." She wiggled her eyebrows.
"Yes, I want to." He covered his face with his hands and relented. "But we need to go."
"Talk later?"
"Maybe." He grunted and opened the door.
"I'll take it." She winked and skipped out.
"What was all the shrieking?" Tyrea sipped her coffee as Fiora and Dunban jogged down the stairs.
"I'll tell you later." Fiora winked.
Dunban felt his stomach turn inside out. Good god, he immediately regretted the conversation.
"Let's go." He didn't wait for a response and e marched out of the home to his Jeep, deliberately keeping his eyes from Melia.
Fifteen minutes later, the group arrived at the east gate of NLA. Elma was already with her team packing their speeder while, Shulk, Reyn, and Riki stuffed equipment into the trunk of their speeder. Rather, Shulk and Reyn did while Riki supervised by pointing out the most optimal way to organize the equipment in the trunk.
Hopping out of the jeep, Tyrea and Zain strode over to their vehicle and began preparations.
"Dunban." His heart fluttered at the sound of her eloquent voice. A small smile played on his lips and he turned to see Melia glowing in her armor, her arms crossed behind her back. "Could we...speak?"
"Of course."
Neither moved for a second, then prompted by an invisible force, together ambled away from the others, just out of earshot.
"I am aware that we informed your people that our...weaponry that we brought with us to NLA was limited." She hesitated, twitching her nose back and forth. "But, if need be, we do have greater capabilities to fight off the Ganglion."
He laughed. The implication that they had "smuggled" weapons into NLA was more than amusing. Dunban enjoyed thinking about how they had outwitted Maurice. "I assume this is Tyrea's doing."
"Perhaps." She smirked. Dunban's heart somersaulted; he liked how the smirk curved her lips and the glint in her eyes turned mischievous. "Regardless, we are prepared and I wanted to inform you in the event you wished for more firepower."
"Thank you for that."
A moment of silence passed between them. They stared into each other's eyes. He wondered what she was thinking. Feeling. Everything in his body itched to be closer to her. He wanted to reach out to her and pull her close. Kiss her again and again. He hadn't forgotten the taste of her lips and the feel of her body against hers. Dunban wondered if it was the same for her.
"I did also want to simply say hello." She said in a low voice, looking up at him from beneath her lashes.
His breath hitched in his throat and he managed to respond, "I'm glad to hear that." He took a step toward her, closing the distance. The urge to kiss her grew within him, threatening to overwhelm him. His body tingled with the anticipation of holding her close, though he felt a modicum of self-control hold him back. "I can't stop thinking about last night."
"I...neither can I." She whispered. "I know this isn't the most opportune time to speak…"
"After?"
Her face broke out into a smile. "Yes. I would like that very much."
His heart soared.
"Dunban? We're ready to leave." Shulk called.
"I guess it's time." He said, not taking his eyes from Melia's.
"So it is," Melia answered. "I shall see you at the site."
He nodded and they went to their separate vehicles.
Two hours went by as the caravan of the two BLADE speeders and the High Entian vehicle sped across the Miran landscape. With every acre they soared over, Dunban's head buzzed with the possibility of encountering the Ganglion. He hoped it wouldn't come to that. But he knew that the possibility was slim. If they had found the signal on their radar, he doubted that the Ganglion hadn't.
Finally, after another hour, the caravan closed in on the point that their GPS directed them towards. As the vehicles crested over the hill, the piece of the Lifehold came into view. It was unmistakable: its gray metal hull sticking out of the ground at an angle, glinting in the sun.
The vehicles slowed to a stop, not a few feet away from the metallic structure. One by one, the passengers hopped out of the vehicles, making small talk as they did.
"I knew you cretins would come. It was only a matter of time."
The voice called out over the air, cutting through the simple conversations and the ambient noise of the Noctilum landscape. Dunban's body tensed and he looked towards the lifehold to see a humanoid alien flanked by a legion of Prone soldiers step out from behind the ship's piece. Given the alien's figure, Dunban assumed that it was female. Her skin was gray, her eyes wide. She wore bronze battle armor that looked like a tortoiseshell. But what was most distinctive about her was the two tentacles that originated from her elongated head, reminding Dunban of an amphibious creature from Earth.
"Who are you?" Dunban called, slowly taking up his gun in his hands. From his periphery, he could see everyone grasp their own weapons, ready for the impending battle.
"My name is Goetia, but you won't live to remember it." She sneered. Her eyes passed over the assembled group and she laughed. "Humans and High Entia. The irony is not lost on me."
What did that mean?
"No more talk. Leave now or prepare for battle." Elma called out. "You are outnumbered."
"Are you sure about that? It's adorable you think you can hurt me. Go ahead and try." She plucked an object from her belt and tossed it at the group.
"Flash grenade!" Dunban shouted and dove to the ground, shielding his eyes.
BOOM!
Screams pierced the air. Then the sound of gunfire blasted, taking over the sound waves. Dunban jumped up and grabbed the rifle from his shoulders and began shooting at the woman and her soldiers.
Chaos exploded over the battlefield. He looked to see everyone locked in some sort of combat. His eyes zeroed in on Melia and Tyrea who fought off a trio of Prone soldiers. Zain had his own enemy Prone.
As he turned his gaze to the left, a Prone rushed him and he flung his gun to the side and drew his longsword. The Prone raised his arm to slash downward with his own metal sword, but Dunban dodged and stabbed him through his midsection. As the Prone fell to his knees, Dunban slashed his swords through the Prone's neck, decapitating him. Blood splattered the man, and the head rolled to the side, but Dunban wouldn't be deterred. The battle was far from finished.
Looking around, he saw his team fighting off six Prone, outnumbered. He rushed over and joined the squirmish, taking a Prone soldier by surprise by delivering a kick to one of the soldiers who attacked Fiora. The Prone stumbled, dropping his weapon, and Fiora delivered a punch to its face. The Prone wobbled, dropping to the ground on its side. Dunban stood over it and plunged his blade into the soldier's neck. Blood pooled out of the wound and the Prone's eyes bulged, but quickly the light died from its eyes.
Dunban felt a part of his soul crinkle inside himself, but he couldn't allow himself to feel it. And so he buried.
He didn't wait for Fiora's reaction and moved to help Shulk and Reyn, who battled three Prone soldiers attack by attack. Launching himself into the combat, Dunban and the two against the Prone soldiers.
"Shulk, go high!" Dunban called out.
Shulk sliced his sword towards the Prones' heads, but they ducked, just as Reyn body-slammed them to the ground. Dunban swooped in, delivering a stomp to one, and skewering another in the stomach. Without hesitation, Reyn copied Dunban's actions and drove his sword into another Prone's stomach, while Dunban finished off the last one.
The sounds of swords clanging against each other rang out and Dunban turned to see Melia and Tyrea fighting Goetia and the two Prone soldiers that surrounded her. He raced toward them and delivered a surprise attack to the Prone that Tyrea fought, launching forward and driving his fist into the Prone's chest. The Prone crashed to the ground and Tyrea skewered it through the chest.
"I suppose I should say thanks," Tyrea scoffed, though Dunban could see the appreciation in her dark eyes.
He nodded and immediately turned his eyes to Melia, who was engaged in a duel of her own. As he focused on Goetia, the alien met his eyes with a sneer.
"Take your best shot." She called.
It was a trap, he knew for certain. He exchanged a glance with Tyrea, a silent message passing between them. She bolted to her right, moving to help Melia. Dunban carefully stalked towards Goetia, who waited, her eyes following his every step.
Dunban held his breath. It was now or never.
Then Goetia lunged forward, her sword pointed straight at his chest. He blocked at the last second, pushing against her, their swords wrestling for control. She was strong. Really strong. Growling, he strained against her, though he felt his strength begin to give way, pain in his left arm shooting up to hinder him.
Shit. This was not the time.
"Not today, bitch," Tyrea shouted as she jumped forward and kicked Goetia in the side, breaking her contact with Dunban. Goetia stumbled, maintaining a hold on her sword, and backflipped. A sneer spread over her lips and she raised her hand. A lightning bolt shot out of her palm, exploding into him.
Pain emanated all over him as he soared backward through the air and fell to the ground onto his back. Burning exploded from his left side and fire pulsed up his back. He blinked, trying to stay conscious, though the electric pain shot through him.
"Dunban!" Fiora shrieked and rushed towards him.
He groaned, the world spinning around him. The foreground blurred together, friends and allies becoming nothing but combined colors. He gritted his teeth and shut his eyes, trying to stave off overwhelming nausea that threatened to consume him.
"You're going to be okay," Fiora pleaded, "Okay? Dunban?" She took his right hand and he mustered the strength to squeeze it. He could hear the waver in her voice, the strain that constricted her throat and tried to keep the tears at bay.
This was the last thing he wanted. For her to witness him hurt.
Grunting, he forced his eyes open to look at her watery ones. He opened his mouth. A blade came into view above his sister, swiping downward. His eyes bulged, voice stuck in this throat trying to warn her.
Another blade blocked it and Fiora whipped around to see Shulk fighting off a Prone. She jumped up and rammed the butt of her gun into the Prone's head. The Prone dropped to the ground unconscious.
Dunban watched as Fiora gazed at Shulk in wonder.
Dunban would have to thank Shulk later for doing what he could not do.
"Enough! I'm done playing with you." Goetia snapped.
Dunban struggled to sit up, Fiora and Shulk rushing to both of his sides to help. Dunban took in his surroundings doing his best to keep the pain at bay. Most of the Prone were dead or unconscious, others on the ground with grave injuries and could fight no more.
But Goetia stood tall, unaffected. She snapped her two tentacles outward, grabbing Tyrea and Elma by their throats. Reyn raced at her from the back, but she shot a bolt of lightning at him. It hit his shoulder and he fell to the ground with a groan.
Goetia laughed, tightening the tentacles around Elma and Tyrea's throats. They struggled, clawing at them, struggling to breathe
Dunban tried to rise to his feet, but pain burst throughout his body. He couldn't allow himself to stay down, not when this fight meant so much.
"Dunban, stop!" Fiora exclaimed, tightening her grip on his shoulder.
But he couldn't listen. Gritting his teeth, he attempted to push himself up, but couldn't manage the balance.
Why? What was wrong?
He looked down at his left arm. Horror washed over him.
It was gone. His entire left arm. At the shoulder, were broken wires and the bloody stump from his original injury.
"Shulk!"
Dunban snapped his eyes back to the battle to see the young man leaving his side and running at Goetia. Lin and Cross came at her from the other side. With a roar, she span Elma and Tyrea around and threw them into her oncoming attackers, all of them falling to the ground.
Goetia surveyed the battlefield. "It's almost admirable. You have the will to fight, but you're no match for me."
"SUMMON EARTH!" A fissure grew under Goetia, exploding underneath her. The tremors rippled forth and she fell to her knees. A flash and Zain appeared above her, driving his blade down into her leg. She screamed and drove a lightning bolt at his side. He grimaced and stumbled backward, one hand going to his side while the other still swinging his sword. Blood pooled from the wound, and Goetia screamed.
However, as he aimed for the wound he already inflicted, one of her tentacles caught the blade and she leered. "Try all you want, but you will lose." With a swing form her tentacles, she tossed him yards away and he skidded backward in the dirt.
"You need better lines," Lin called as she opened fire on Goetia using her canon. The alien rolled out of the way leaving a trail of blood and threw tiny bolts to explode the bullets.
"SUMMON FLARE!" A blaze of flames rocketed towards Goetia, engulfing her before she could react. The alien screamed. The flames continued to pour over her body, orange coloring over gray and blue. The smell of flesh burning filled the air and Goetia's cries rocketed upward. Stunned, Dunban glanced towards the origin of the flames to see Melia holding up her wand, conjuring the fire. Gradually, the shrieks slowly died. Seconds later, the flames dissipated, leaving only a charred corpse.
"Holy shit," Reyn said.
Melia stumbled and Tyrea rushed to her side, giving her a shoulder to lean on. Dunban watched as they spoke in whispers and Melia shook her head. He'd almost forgotten about his pain due to the display.
"Dunban, how are you doing?"
He dragged his attention back to Fiora, who looked down on him, concerned. His heart ached at the sight of glassy eyes.
"I'm alright," he whispered, the pain in his side reigniting. "The armor absorbed most of the lightning."
"But..." She averted her eyes, careful not to look at where his cybernetic arm used to be.
"I know."
Shame combined with embarrassment shot through him. He couldn't tell if the embarrassment was winning out over the pain from his burns, but he knew both were significant.
"Dunban, are you…"
Dunban grimaced inwardly but kept his face blank and looked up to see Melia, startled. A stunned Tyrea was next to her and stared blatantly at his injury: at where his left arm used to be.
A new wave of shame rolled over him. He knew he was incomplete, but the emotions rolling through due to their stares were too much.
It was disgusting. Ugly. A reminder of everything he'd lost in the war and everything he'd failed at in combat. A reminder of the home that no longer existed because of a war that his people had no place within.
And the anger rose within him. His ability to keep it down erased from the pain, it seeped into his veins, core, mind. Everything he saw was tinged with red.
"What...what happened?" Melia laid a hand on his shoulder and knelt next to him.
"An old injury. I'll be fine, Melia. You don't need to worry." But he saw her eyes flick from the arm on the ground and his bloodied amputated stump of an arm.
The last thing he wanted was to be pitied. Pity was a useless emotion. He didn't have time for that. He wanted to catch the bastards that were responsible for his missing limb. For his dead world. For his broken soul and his dead friends.
He wanted revenge.
"I'll go back to NLA. They'll patch me up."
"What are these wires?"
"It doesn't matter." He snapped.
She winced at his tone. He knew that he should feel bad, but the anger was too deep. It was out and consuming everything in him. He couldn't feel anything but the rage. Even in the face of her bright blue, concerned eyes that he rationally knew would otherwise melt his heart.
"You still need medical attention," she replied, examining the burns on his side under the missing arm. She gently placed her hands over the wound and he hissed. "Apologies."
"What are you…?"
She shut her eyes.
She was performing a spell.
"No, Melia. Stop." He needed to feel the pain. He deserved it for everything that he had failed at. He needed it to remind him of why he was still fighting.
Nonetheless, after a few moments, purple light seeped from her hands into Dunban's wound. The pain slowly ebbed away, a soothing blanket of relief replacing it. The light faded and she removed her hands. The initial bleeding stopped, leaving only a bright pink of irritation in its wake.
"You didn't need to do that."
Melia didn't take her eyes off of Dunban, who held her gaze with a blank stare of his own. The desire to hug her fought with the rage that flooded every single one of his senses. "Did you not want it?"
"It's not about that."
"What are you talking about? You were injured."
"You don't know anything about this." He snapped.
A flicker of hurt appeared on her ivory face then disappeared in an instant. A small part of him felt remorse, but not enough for him to apologize. "Forgive me." She stated, her voice cold and formal.
"It's fine."
"Well, given the recent events, but I apologize, but I need to leave," Melia said, rising, addressing the entire group as they congregated around Dunban and herself. "I need to return to Alcamoth and speak with the Emperor."
"Of course. I hope you'll be in touch?" Elma asked.
"Yes. Tyrea will relay our messages going forward until I am able to return." Melia turned her attention to Zain. "Get the shuttle ready to head back to Alcamoth."
"What is going on?" Tyrea demanded.
Gesturing to her, Melia and Tyrea walked a few feet away out of earshot. Dunban could see them arguing, and the remorse that he felt blossomed, growing large enough to start to combat the immense rage that had already embedded itself within him. If he didn't say anything to Melia in the way of an apology, he wasn't sure where they would stand. And half of his body urged him to say so, but the other half burned orange with a response in the negative.
The two High Entia returned to the group. Melia held her hand out to Elma, not looking at Dunban. "Please let the BLADE leadership know that official recommendations regarding the treaty will be brought to you within the next week."
Then she pivoted and walked back to the vehicle, Zain on her heels. Seconds passed and the engine roared to life. Without further ado, the blue vehicle sped away.
As it disappeared, the rage inside Dunban subsided, leaving only guilt and remorse. Gazing back at his missing arm, Dunban balled his right hand into a fist. The image of hurt that appeared on Melia's face burned within his mind. What had he done?
A/N: Gotta have that angst in there...anyway, leave some love if you are so inclined~
