I have heard your pleas, however, my professors have not. I have a
killer workload, and they're kind of insisting that I work on my original
stories. You know, the ones that count towards my final grade. 300 page novel
type thing... I have two years to get it perfected. Yei. What's difficult
is that the world, race, and language is my own. That's a lot of work, Jack.
So, I do apologize for the long delay, but I'm not a meanie! Really! I'm a
nice person! I want to get my chapters to you, honest! I just can't write
them as often anymore. Well, without further ado, here's the laest installment.
~Enjoy!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kaminari no hikaru naka yori haru no yuki
{In the light from the [flash of] lightning, [I see] the snow of spring [falling].}
(a haiku by Issa, translated by me)
Zidane sat cross-legged in the middle of his room with his Ultima weapon on the floor before him and a cup of tea cradled in his hands. Tea was the only alternative he had to water, and even that was only to a certain extent. A teabag did not secrete much flavor after twenty-some uses.
Zidane, however, was not paying any attention to his drink but was rather focusing all of his energies on the unwanted passenger aboard his ship. It rarely moved. It generally rested at the heart of the ship, where the instant control connections unit resided. There was no question in Zidane's mind why the creature sat there. It was the prime spot to control the majority of the Impossible. There was even little question how it was controlling it from there. Terran technology had long ago created a trans-dimensional material that was used to create telepathic commands from the user's wishes and then convert them into the energy that moved the ship. Since this material itself was created from life-source, it seemed reasonable to Zidane that someone had managed to create a living, thinking creature of the same substance. The energy between the two was nearly identical, confirming his suspicions.
No, the question in Zidane's mind was how he could stop it. The instant control connections unit, normally a fail-proof system, ran the majority of the ship. And since the thing could keep the unit from responding to him, he was truly bound.
Recalling his energies unto himself, Zidane heaved a mighty sigh then took a sip from the tea in his hands. Stone cold. His eyebrow twitched with annoyance as he glanced away from it. It was then that he noticed that his Ultima weapon had changed color.
Well, actually, it was returning to its usual crystal blue from the places that still glowed bright orange. Once it had returned completely to its normal state, Zidane cautiously removed his tail from its resting place on the Ultima weapon's handle and picked it up with his hand so he might examine it. It definitely looked like his trusty twin blades. It even felt like them. But, unless he was going insane, it had been the wrong color a few seconds ago. At this point, the genome was willing to go insane.
The teacup assumed the weapon's place on the floor so Zidane could turn it over in both hands. It was blue. Oookay… I was sitting here feeling out the Thing and my weapon…ah. Zidane began focusing on the intruder's energy insignia again, all the while idly watching the Ultima Weapon's blade. It began glowing softly, and then it became orange. Calmly, Zidane shifted his focus to the blade's energy. It was identical to the energy of the instant control connections unit.
"So this is the hidden power of Ultima," Zidane murmured as he touched the blade with his fingers. They slipped right through it, causing him to break out in a grin. "Sweet."
It did not take Zidane long to figure out what to do; he had never been one for indecisiveness while considering moral dilemmas. He strapped the Ultima Weapon into place on his back, straightened his semi-protective gear, and strode out of the room, leaving the tea to its own devices.
Zidane marched straight to his destination: the engine room. He lazily trailed his fingers over all the buttons that would not respond until he came to the main power core. Everything was reading normal; it has no idea that its alter-dimensional system had been replaced with living energy. It would know that something was wrong soon. Zidane smoothly pulled out his twin blades and locked them into place opposite each other, focusing their energy into the orange version. Then, without further ado, he attacked the wall. The blade slid straight through the wall like a ghost, until the handle connected with the wall. The handle and wall made a grating sound as he dragged the weapon through the connections, causing bits of anti-presence to float about. Every light that could turn red did so, as Zidane pulled his weapon out and turned his attentions to the self-destruct mechanism.
"What do you think you are doing?!" the empty voice said as an empty hand reached into Zidane's shoulder.
"I thought I told you not to do that!" Zidane whirled around, his orange Ultima weapon cutting a neat streak though the non-presence. It flailed backward, "howling" in pain. Zidane calmly went back to the controls, and before long the five-minute countdown began, and every warning the Impossible had began going off. The only connection left to the self-destruction systems was the manual way: the good old-fashioned buttons. Satisfied, he replaced the twin blades in their sheath. "Get out of this, if you can."
"You cannot win, so you just destroy everything?" the creature looked absolutely stunned as it watched its final minutes tick away.
"In the end, I don't suppose I'm all that different from my brother," Zidane smiled then walked straight through the negative mass before him and towards the door. He glanced back into the room once more before he left, "Rock comes out from under paper."
1:00…0:59…0:58…0:57…
Everything on the Impossible was dead, waiting to scatter its dead pieces across the vastness of the universe. But Zidane was not finished. Not yet. He stood on the deactivated teleporter in the center of the ship, desperately trying to ignore the seconds telling the world goodbye as he just as desperately searched across time and space for one energy source.
"Dagger…"
~~~~~
In the company of several nobles, Shido Mart waited for the scouts to return.
"There's no getting through that barrier," Madame La Salle remarked.
"Cowards," another complained. "Hiding behind their technology; they think they're so advanced?"
"They won't hold much longer," Shido said. "Patience."
"So what is this plan you intend to put forth, Lord Mart?" Frederick deGranville stepped to the fore.
"Patience," Shido repeated. "Let's hear from our scouts first."
The majority of the nobles of the old Mist Continent had brought all of their guards and state forces to the Outer Continent in order to form a rather impressive offensive. They were encamped out on the plains a fair distance from the Guardian's barrier. It took a while for the scouts to return.
"Sir!" the head one saluted. "The barrier is a perfect circle centered on their capitol building. It will probably go down if we strike them there, Sir."
"Very good," Shido nodded and stood. "I shall return in a moment."
~~~~~
"She's still alive?" the voice cackled from the tiny communicator.
"I haven't seen her with my own eyes," Seraphim replied quietly, "but I trust my sources."
"And Raven's still missing?"
"Right."
"That's probably for the best. We should leave her with an heir."
"That's why I let the princess go," Seraphim replied even more quietly as he glanced about cautiously.
"Good show. Everything's in order, then. Now understand, your only chance is to finish Bran Bal in one go. Leave any alive, and you'll have to hunt them down later, no doubt at the expense of Gaian lives."
There was a pause as Seraphim closed his eyes and said nothing.
"You will destroy all of the Terrans, understand?" the voice persisted, but was interrupted by the sound of a dog barking. Immediately, Seraphim shut off the communicator and slipped it into his pocket. The flap of the tent gave way to the hulking figure that was Lord Shido Mart.
"Come in," Seraphim said sarcastically as the noble dropped the flap behind himself.
"Ah, Master Shade," the man seemed obliviously pleased with himself, which let Seraphim relax slightly. "The time has come for your moment of glory."
"Again?" the albino had reassumed his normal disinterested tone.
"But this time you will be proving yourself before others," the noble clapped the younger man on the back and continued to express his pompous nature: "There will not be a noble in Lindblum who will not be impressed by your power."
"Goodie."
"This way, my boy," Shido led the way out of the tent.
"Did he just call me 'boy'?" the mage muttered to himself. They made their way to the head tent where all of the other nobles were waiting. Shido marched right into the center of their assembly and introduced his reluctant follower.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is Seraphim Shade, master of the magic arts. He will be removing our barrier today." Seraphim pretended to stare at said barrier and pay no attention. It amused him to notice Shido's discomfort with his silence. "Ah, the scouts say the source of the barrier is in the capitol."
"Yeah, the place furthest away from the perimeter," Seraphim nodded and rolled his eyes. Another brief moment of discomfort ensued. The albino enjoyed it.
"You can destroy the capitol of New Bran Bal, even with the barrier intact then?" Count Frederick deGranville stood and approached the mage.
"I'm not promising a thing."
"You're too modest, Master Shade," Shido interrupted, attempting to sound jovial…or something. Of course I'm being modest, you bastard. You want to display my power in front of the nobles so they too will call for my destruction once they have no further use for me. I am not stupid.
"This will be difficult. I'm not promising anything. I'm going now." Seraphim retreated to find some privacy in which to do his work, although he did hear some of the murmuring as he left.
"Has a bit of an attitude, does he not?" deGranville remarked to Mart.
"Most powerful men do…"
Just great…Seraphim seethed as he climbed a small rise and sat down. He had not been planning on meeting the other nobles face to face, although he had thought Shido might pull the stunt. But the pomp and introduction… The albino rolled the stone around in his hand. Bringing this summon to its full potential would drain him, leaving him completely vulnerable afterwards. There would be no guarantee for his life once the barrier fell.
The stone rolled over the scar in Seraphim's right hand. He stopped and stared at it for a while. The wound had healed the moment the ancient ivory carving had been placed into his hand, but it would never truly heal. However, it had been worth it, and now he had an idea. Smiling he pressed his right hand to his heart and whistled softly. The ground beside him began to bloom into more and more beautiful flowers until Unicorn appeared out of them.
The two white creatures looked each other in the eyes. Seraphim's smile grew as he noted that the once sapphire colored eyes of the eidolon were beginning to show a definitely purple hue. He was the dominant in this binding.
"Now my friend, in the past you have taken my power to achieve greater feats. Today, we will practice the opposite."
~~~~~
The control room was flooded with Terrans and their buzzing systems of information. The room cackled with tense energy as they desperately monitored their newfound enemies while attempting to keep their city running smoothly. Only one in the room was not partaking in the frenzy that was just a step down from panic.
Mikoto stood calm and blank-faced as ever as she watched an array of monitors around her. These all displayed the tents full of armies and a couple espied several scouts as they made their way around the barrier of the guardian. Her unblinking gaze was not so focused on these monitors as they first seemed, for she noticed the yawn that the Crown Prince stifled as he stood next to her.
"Go home and get some rest; this no longer concerns you," she said to him.
"Oh, but it does," Tabito replied, trying to ignore the heaviness in his eyes. "It concerns me greatly. I would not be able to rest, even if I left, Oba-san." He had not slept well since he spoke with Eiko, not that he had slept well before that. Shido Mart was the culprit, or at least on of them; and the man was now leading an attack on New Bran Bal.
"Maybe you should go catch some sleep in Mikoto's office," Geomo nudged him.
"Thanks, but my sleep net has been shredded for a long time."
"You're in the way," Ketto muttered as he came up behind them. "And you've already outlived your usefulness."
"Thanks, Ketto," Zeru snapped. "Now we'll have to tie him down to keep him from turning himself over to negotiate a treaty."
"Don't worry about me," Tabito forced a smile. "I'm beyond acting against Mikoto's wishes."
"That's good to know," the governess said.
"We could still take that way out," Ketto said to Mikoto. "Anything's better than waiting."
"Patience," she replied. "The fleet will get here in time." The fleet, the entirety of which had been deployed on a search for the missing ship Impossible, had been recalled a few days ago.
"In time? They're spread out all across space! The Gaians are right here."
"Patience," she repeated, but then turned to the airship control center. "How much longer until they return?"
"The closest ones should be trickling in within two weeks!"
"The Guardian will hold," Mikoto said after a moment. Before any of the advisors could reply, a technician at the airship controls shouted:
"We have contact with the Impossible!"
"What?!" Tabito shouted first of all, although the others joined in soon after and began running towards the one who had called out. Tabito slammed to a stop behind this one's chair and leaned over to watch the monitors.
"It's out on the edge of the Yorashi clusters—"
"Is that far?" Tabito asked breathlessly.
"Yes," the technician nodded. "Really far. So far that there is a bend in time between here and there. We don't know when this happened…or is going to happen."
"Every red light you have is on," Mikoto remarked with more emotion than Tabito had gathered from her the entire time he'd known her. Too bad that it had to be urgent fear.
"The Impossible is completely shot," the technician shook his head. "Broken doesn't even begin to describe the malfunctions that are occurring. The ship's leaking quasimatter from the inside. What's more, the self-destruction unit is activated. It has three minutes and five seconds left."
"You must do something!" Mikoto's voice even began to rise. "You cannot let that ship destroy itself!"
"A hundred thousand apologies, Lady Mikoto," the technician shook his head, "but even if the ship was still in a good enough state that I could take control of it from here, the lapse would still prevent me from effecting it in time. I can't do anything—"
"But watch," a small tremulous voice broke in. A silence followed this that spread across the room as all eyes trained themselves on Tabito's ever paling face as he gazed at the blinking red lights. The silence was so great that the countdown beeps echoed across the entire control room.
0:00
The red lights blinked out. Tabito's body jerked back as if he had been shot, and then stood still as death itself. The only sign of life in him as he stood there—head down, fists clenched, skin pale as the clouds—was the sporadic trembling in his arms and shoulders. Breathing did not seem to be coming easily to him, for now the only sound in the room was the tiny sporadic gasps for air he made.
"Tabi…" Geomo started, as people began to return to their stations, but turned and returned to his own.
"Mikoto…" Zeru held her shoulders for a moment before she too returned to her place, her face as unreadable as ever.
Tabito was not certain how long he had stood there before his brain began registering thought again. By then, he had dropped to his knees, shaking all over as he held himself tightly. He could not even feel his own hands. Dad, you were always there for me…"No matter what, I'll always be proud of you." …always looking out for me… "Not one member of the Terran race would be able to look Zidane in the eye if we allowed something to happen to you." … What am I without you? He could hear voices in his head. Old voices he wanted to forget.
"Can't you behave yourself?" Beatrix snorted.
"You may be the Prince, but you're obviously half scoundrel!" Steiner shouted.
"I suppose the subjects will be happy when their king is bowing to them," Stephen remarked to someone.
"You disappoint me," said Mikoto.
"Why don't you pick his wife, your Majesty? She'll obviously be the one ruling when you're gone," said a noble girl's father.
"Respect is something that is earned," Garnet said. "You haven't earned it."
"If you can't strike with conviction, you don't belong anywhere near that throne," Amarant taunted.
"He has the instincts of a coward!" Lance shouted.
"You can't do anything right, you know," Raven sniffed.
He felt a sharp pain on his head. "Don't give me that," Zidane withdrew his hand. "I know you have the heart to do much better than that."
Tabito pulled his hands away from his ears as he realized that he had recreated the pain in his head with his own fingers. He stared at his hands awhile. They did not look like they belonged to a prince. They were strong, nimble, and relatively calloused; they were the hands of a thief. He buried his face in them.
"Lady Mikoto!" another technician called out urgently, fear crowding her voice. "We're picking up traces of magic from the front! Summoning magic! And vast amounts of it!" Now there was panic. Tabito glanced up to find that he wasn't the only one on his knees anymore.
"Everyone calm down!" Mikoto shouted. "Locate this summoner. We'll finish him before he's done."
"That won't be possible," Ketto called out. "He's out on the bluff, and the summon is well underway." Silence fell upon the control room, excepting the ones that were still whimpering.
"We're all going to die," the words fell from Zeru's lips.
Something within Tabito snapped.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yeah, I'll try to get the next one to you faster than this one came. I'm finding it's just better not to promise anything... *runs and hides*
~Enjoy!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kaminari no hikaru naka yori haru no yuki
{In the light from the [flash of] lightning, [I see] the snow of spring [falling].}
(a haiku by Issa, translated by me)
Zidane sat cross-legged in the middle of his room with his Ultima weapon on the floor before him and a cup of tea cradled in his hands. Tea was the only alternative he had to water, and even that was only to a certain extent. A teabag did not secrete much flavor after twenty-some uses.
Zidane, however, was not paying any attention to his drink but was rather focusing all of his energies on the unwanted passenger aboard his ship. It rarely moved. It generally rested at the heart of the ship, where the instant control connections unit resided. There was no question in Zidane's mind why the creature sat there. It was the prime spot to control the majority of the Impossible. There was even little question how it was controlling it from there. Terran technology had long ago created a trans-dimensional material that was used to create telepathic commands from the user's wishes and then convert them into the energy that moved the ship. Since this material itself was created from life-source, it seemed reasonable to Zidane that someone had managed to create a living, thinking creature of the same substance. The energy between the two was nearly identical, confirming his suspicions.
No, the question in Zidane's mind was how he could stop it. The instant control connections unit, normally a fail-proof system, ran the majority of the ship. And since the thing could keep the unit from responding to him, he was truly bound.
Recalling his energies unto himself, Zidane heaved a mighty sigh then took a sip from the tea in his hands. Stone cold. His eyebrow twitched with annoyance as he glanced away from it. It was then that he noticed that his Ultima weapon had changed color.
Well, actually, it was returning to its usual crystal blue from the places that still glowed bright orange. Once it had returned completely to its normal state, Zidane cautiously removed his tail from its resting place on the Ultima weapon's handle and picked it up with his hand so he might examine it. It definitely looked like his trusty twin blades. It even felt like them. But, unless he was going insane, it had been the wrong color a few seconds ago. At this point, the genome was willing to go insane.
The teacup assumed the weapon's place on the floor so Zidane could turn it over in both hands. It was blue. Oookay… I was sitting here feeling out the Thing and my weapon…ah. Zidane began focusing on the intruder's energy insignia again, all the while idly watching the Ultima Weapon's blade. It began glowing softly, and then it became orange. Calmly, Zidane shifted his focus to the blade's energy. It was identical to the energy of the instant control connections unit.
"So this is the hidden power of Ultima," Zidane murmured as he touched the blade with his fingers. They slipped right through it, causing him to break out in a grin. "Sweet."
It did not take Zidane long to figure out what to do; he had never been one for indecisiveness while considering moral dilemmas. He strapped the Ultima Weapon into place on his back, straightened his semi-protective gear, and strode out of the room, leaving the tea to its own devices.
Zidane marched straight to his destination: the engine room. He lazily trailed his fingers over all the buttons that would not respond until he came to the main power core. Everything was reading normal; it has no idea that its alter-dimensional system had been replaced with living energy. It would know that something was wrong soon. Zidane smoothly pulled out his twin blades and locked them into place opposite each other, focusing their energy into the orange version. Then, without further ado, he attacked the wall. The blade slid straight through the wall like a ghost, until the handle connected with the wall. The handle and wall made a grating sound as he dragged the weapon through the connections, causing bits of anti-presence to float about. Every light that could turn red did so, as Zidane pulled his weapon out and turned his attentions to the self-destruct mechanism.
"What do you think you are doing?!" the empty voice said as an empty hand reached into Zidane's shoulder.
"I thought I told you not to do that!" Zidane whirled around, his orange Ultima weapon cutting a neat streak though the non-presence. It flailed backward, "howling" in pain. Zidane calmly went back to the controls, and before long the five-minute countdown began, and every warning the Impossible had began going off. The only connection left to the self-destruction systems was the manual way: the good old-fashioned buttons. Satisfied, he replaced the twin blades in their sheath. "Get out of this, if you can."
"You cannot win, so you just destroy everything?" the creature looked absolutely stunned as it watched its final minutes tick away.
"In the end, I don't suppose I'm all that different from my brother," Zidane smiled then walked straight through the negative mass before him and towards the door. He glanced back into the room once more before he left, "Rock comes out from under paper."
1:00…0:59…0:58…0:57…
Everything on the Impossible was dead, waiting to scatter its dead pieces across the vastness of the universe. But Zidane was not finished. Not yet. He stood on the deactivated teleporter in the center of the ship, desperately trying to ignore the seconds telling the world goodbye as he just as desperately searched across time and space for one energy source.
"Dagger…"
In the company of several nobles, Shido Mart waited for the scouts to return.
"There's no getting through that barrier," Madame La Salle remarked.
"Cowards," another complained. "Hiding behind their technology; they think they're so advanced?"
"They won't hold much longer," Shido said. "Patience."
"So what is this plan you intend to put forth, Lord Mart?" Frederick deGranville stepped to the fore.
"Patience," Shido repeated. "Let's hear from our scouts first."
The majority of the nobles of the old Mist Continent had brought all of their guards and state forces to the Outer Continent in order to form a rather impressive offensive. They were encamped out on the plains a fair distance from the Guardian's barrier. It took a while for the scouts to return.
"Sir!" the head one saluted. "The barrier is a perfect circle centered on their capitol building. It will probably go down if we strike them there, Sir."
"Very good," Shido nodded and stood. "I shall return in a moment."
"She's still alive?" the voice cackled from the tiny communicator.
"I haven't seen her with my own eyes," Seraphim replied quietly, "but I trust my sources."
"And Raven's still missing?"
"Right."
"That's probably for the best. We should leave her with an heir."
"That's why I let the princess go," Seraphim replied even more quietly as he glanced about cautiously.
"Good show. Everything's in order, then. Now understand, your only chance is to finish Bran Bal in one go. Leave any alive, and you'll have to hunt them down later, no doubt at the expense of Gaian lives."
There was a pause as Seraphim closed his eyes and said nothing.
"You will destroy all of the Terrans, understand?" the voice persisted, but was interrupted by the sound of a dog barking. Immediately, Seraphim shut off the communicator and slipped it into his pocket. The flap of the tent gave way to the hulking figure that was Lord Shido Mart.
"Come in," Seraphim said sarcastically as the noble dropped the flap behind himself.
"Ah, Master Shade," the man seemed obliviously pleased with himself, which let Seraphim relax slightly. "The time has come for your moment of glory."
"Again?" the albino had reassumed his normal disinterested tone.
"But this time you will be proving yourself before others," the noble clapped the younger man on the back and continued to express his pompous nature: "There will not be a noble in Lindblum who will not be impressed by your power."
"Goodie."
"This way, my boy," Shido led the way out of the tent.
"Did he just call me 'boy'?" the mage muttered to himself. They made their way to the head tent where all of the other nobles were waiting. Shido marched right into the center of their assembly and introduced his reluctant follower.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is Seraphim Shade, master of the magic arts. He will be removing our barrier today." Seraphim pretended to stare at said barrier and pay no attention. It amused him to notice Shido's discomfort with his silence. "Ah, the scouts say the source of the barrier is in the capitol."
"Yeah, the place furthest away from the perimeter," Seraphim nodded and rolled his eyes. Another brief moment of discomfort ensued. The albino enjoyed it.
"You can destroy the capitol of New Bran Bal, even with the barrier intact then?" Count Frederick deGranville stood and approached the mage.
"I'm not promising a thing."
"You're too modest, Master Shade," Shido interrupted, attempting to sound jovial…or something. Of course I'm being modest, you bastard. You want to display my power in front of the nobles so they too will call for my destruction once they have no further use for me. I am not stupid.
"This will be difficult. I'm not promising anything. I'm going now." Seraphim retreated to find some privacy in which to do his work, although he did hear some of the murmuring as he left.
"Has a bit of an attitude, does he not?" deGranville remarked to Mart.
"Most powerful men do…"
Just great…Seraphim seethed as he climbed a small rise and sat down. He had not been planning on meeting the other nobles face to face, although he had thought Shido might pull the stunt. But the pomp and introduction… The albino rolled the stone around in his hand. Bringing this summon to its full potential would drain him, leaving him completely vulnerable afterwards. There would be no guarantee for his life once the barrier fell.
The stone rolled over the scar in Seraphim's right hand. He stopped and stared at it for a while. The wound had healed the moment the ancient ivory carving had been placed into his hand, but it would never truly heal. However, it had been worth it, and now he had an idea. Smiling he pressed his right hand to his heart and whistled softly. The ground beside him began to bloom into more and more beautiful flowers until Unicorn appeared out of them.
The two white creatures looked each other in the eyes. Seraphim's smile grew as he noted that the once sapphire colored eyes of the eidolon were beginning to show a definitely purple hue. He was the dominant in this binding.
"Now my friend, in the past you have taken my power to achieve greater feats. Today, we will practice the opposite."
The control room was flooded with Terrans and their buzzing systems of information. The room cackled with tense energy as they desperately monitored their newfound enemies while attempting to keep their city running smoothly. Only one in the room was not partaking in the frenzy that was just a step down from panic.
Mikoto stood calm and blank-faced as ever as she watched an array of monitors around her. These all displayed the tents full of armies and a couple espied several scouts as they made their way around the barrier of the guardian. Her unblinking gaze was not so focused on these monitors as they first seemed, for she noticed the yawn that the Crown Prince stifled as he stood next to her.
"Go home and get some rest; this no longer concerns you," she said to him.
"Oh, but it does," Tabito replied, trying to ignore the heaviness in his eyes. "It concerns me greatly. I would not be able to rest, even if I left, Oba-san." He had not slept well since he spoke with Eiko, not that he had slept well before that. Shido Mart was the culprit, or at least on of them; and the man was now leading an attack on New Bran Bal.
"Maybe you should go catch some sleep in Mikoto's office," Geomo nudged him.
"Thanks, but my sleep net has been shredded for a long time."
"You're in the way," Ketto muttered as he came up behind them. "And you've already outlived your usefulness."
"Thanks, Ketto," Zeru snapped. "Now we'll have to tie him down to keep him from turning himself over to negotiate a treaty."
"Don't worry about me," Tabito forced a smile. "I'm beyond acting against Mikoto's wishes."
"That's good to know," the governess said.
"We could still take that way out," Ketto said to Mikoto. "Anything's better than waiting."
"Patience," she replied. "The fleet will get here in time." The fleet, the entirety of which had been deployed on a search for the missing ship Impossible, had been recalled a few days ago.
"In time? They're spread out all across space! The Gaians are right here."
"Patience," she repeated, but then turned to the airship control center. "How much longer until they return?"
"The closest ones should be trickling in within two weeks!"
"The Guardian will hold," Mikoto said after a moment. Before any of the advisors could reply, a technician at the airship controls shouted:
"We have contact with the Impossible!"
"What?!" Tabito shouted first of all, although the others joined in soon after and began running towards the one who had called out. Tabito slammed to a stop behind this one's chair and leaned over to watch the monitors.
"It's out on the edge of the Yorashi clusters—"
"Is that far?" Tabito asked breathlessly.
"Yes," the technician nodded. "Really far. So far that there is a bend in time between here and there. We don't know when this happened…or is going to happen."
"Every red light you have is on," Mikoto remarked with more emotion than Tabito had gathered from her the entire time he'd known her. Too bad that it had to be urgent fear.
"The Impossible is completely shot," the technician shook his head. "Broken doesn't even begin to describe the malfunctions that are occurring. The ship's leaking quasimatter from the inside. What's more, the self-destruction unit is activated. It has three minutes and five seconds left."
"You must do something!" Mikoto's voice even began to rise. "You cannot let that ship destroy itself!"
"A hundred thousand apologies, Lady Mikoto," the technician shook his head, "but even if the ship was still in a good enough state that I could take control of it from here, the lapse would still prevent me from effecting it in time. I can't do anything—"
"But watch," a small tremulous voice broke in. A silence followed this that spread across the room as all eyes trained themselves on Tabito's ever paling face as he gazed at the blinking red lights. The silence was so great that the countdown beeps echoed across the entire control room.
0:00
The red lights blinked out. Tabito's body jerked back as if he had been shot, and then stood still as death itself. The only sign of life in him as he stood there—head down, fists clenched, skin pale as the clouds—was the sporadic trembling in his arms and shoulders. Breathing did not seem to be coming easily to him, for now the only sound in the room was the tiny sporadic gasps for air he made.
"Tabi…" Geomo started, as people began to return to their stations, but turned and returned to his own.
"Mikoto…" Zeru held her shoulders for a moment before she too returned to her place, her face as unreadable as ever.
Tabito was not certain how long he had stood there before his brain began registering thought again. By then, he had dropped to his knees, shaking all over as he held himself tightly. He could not even feel his own hands. Dad, you were always there for me…"No matter what, I'll always be proud of you." …always looking out for me… "Not one member of the Terran race would be able to look Zidane in the eye if we allowed something to happen to you." … What am I without you? He could hear voices in his head. Old voices he wanted to forget.
"Can't you behave yourself?" Beatrix snorted.
"You may be the Prince, but you're obviously half scoundrel!" Steiner shouted.
"I suppose the subjects will be happy when their king is bowing to them," Stephen remarked to someone.
"You disappoint me," said Mikoto.
"Why don't you pick his wife, your Majesty? She'll obviously be the one ruling when you're gone," said a noble girl's father.
"Respect is something that is earned," Garnet said. "You haven't earned it."
"If you can't strike with conviction, you don't belong anywhere near that throne," Amarant taunted.
"He has the instincts of a coward!" Lance shouted.
"You can't do anything right, you know," Raven sniffed.
He felt a sharp pain on his head. "Don't give me that," Zidane withdrew his hand. "I know you have the heart to do much better than that."
Tabito pulled his hands away from his ears as he realized that he had recreated the pain in his head with his own fingers. He stared at his hands awhile. They did not look like they belonged to a prince. They were strong, nimble, and relatively calloused; they were the hands of a thief. He buried his face in them.
"Lady Mikoto!" another technician called out urgently, fear crowding her voice. "We're picking up traces of magic from the front! Summoning magic! And vast amounts of it!" Now there was panic. Tabito glanced up to find that he wasn't the only one on his knees anymore.
"Everyone calm down!" Mikoto shouted. "Locate this summoner. We'll finish him before he's done."
"That won't be possible," Ketto called out. "He's out on the bluff, and the summon is well underway." Silence fell upon the control room, excepting the ones that were still whimpering.
"We're all going to die," the words fell from Zeru's lips.
Something within Tabito snapped.
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Yeah, I'll try to get the next one to you faster than this one came. I'm finding it's just better not to promise anything... *runs and hides*