They stayed to watch Beowolf depart with the Morporkian army, the foot soldiers being carried on wagons the reserves had brought with them. Thunderchild offered him a few words of advice on commanding the forces.
"Just keep them together, don't let any in-fighting start and stay in control…but don't, whatever you do, be too harsh with them."
Beowolf nodded and mounted his horse, Thunderchild then turned to the soldiers standing behind Beowolf, clasped his hands together behind his back and shouted.
"Troops…Attention!"
The forces by and large stood to attention, some didn't but Thunderchild overlooked that, it wasn't his responsibility now and he was sure Beowolf could handle any discipline problems he should come across.
"You are now under the control of Commander Beowolf, you shall obey his orders as well as you obeyed mine. Once you arrive back at Al'Jazerra you shall take the same boats you arrived on back to Ankh-Morpork. Once again, thank you very much."
Thunderchild nodded to Beowolf who turned his horse around and spoke to his new command for the first time.
"You heard him men! The journey ahead may be tough, plenty of Jara's monsters are still loose in the desert, we will be aided by the Klatchian forces as far as Kitrit where they will disperse for their own bases, I expect you to treat the Klatchians as your comrades in arms, any hostility will be disciplined," Beowolf's harsh face then broke into a grin "Lets show them how well disciplined we are! By the left, forward march!" He turned around and briefly waved to Thunderchild before leading the vast Morporkian army away behind him, row upon row of horses marched, some men marched on foot, the others stood in wagons being towed by horses. All of them saluted Thunderchild as they passed, bringing a tear to his eye as he returned the salutes.
Once the army had disappeared into the distance a second batch of riders armed with scimitars rode up to Thunderchild, Al-Ghip-Jot was leading them.
"Khit-Ghot-Jip, you have performed great services for the Klatchian nation, this will never be forgotten. Although you were not born Klatchian…consider yourself a Klatchian by heart." He adjusted his turban and drew his scimitar, holding it high in the air he turned and yelled to his riders.
"Come comrades, the Morporkians need our help in the desert once again!"
His horse reared up into the air and neighed noisily, once it landed on all four hooves again, Al leaned towards Thunderchild and quietly said:
"Take care my friend, we will meet again some time I know. Good luck on your journey, keep following your guiding light and you will not stray far."
Then he galloped off, followed by the riders, the sand kicked up by their passing making Thunderchild close his eyes lest they become irritated.
When he opened them again the riders were gone, galloping into the afternoon sun which bore down so steadily on the rest of them. He turned and walked to where Domino was talking to the genomes, he laughed quietly when he thought to himself.
I've talked to my kind, now she is talking to hers
And he moved closer to listen to her speech.
"…while many of you will feel dismayed that you have been mislead once again, do not feel disheartened, for you have come through and proven that light can find its way into the darkest of places. We genomes are a hardy race, we were designed to be as much, and although our child-like qualities mean that those who would use us for evil sometimes can turn our hearts…our thirst for learning and being able to differentiate between what is good and what is wrong means that at the end of the day, our hearts run their true course, as Mikoto said at the death of Kuja, although his path was darkness he showed us that we can break away from what he fell into, that instead of being a weapon of evil we can be ourselves…whatever that may be.
It's been a long journey for all of us, and I think we've all learnt that while some humans, or indeed Terrans, can be treacherous and some paths lead into danger but there are those who hear our calls for help and have the strength of heart to aid us, to shine a light on our darkness." As she said those words she looked straight at Thunderchild and smiled warmly
"I think that's the most I've ever heard Domino speak!" yelled Zidane from the side of the crowd, many of the genomes laughed then, making Thunderchild start in surprise, he didn't know they were capable of such emotions yet, and it was while he looked around the genomes around him, male and female alike, smiling and laughing at Zidanes joke, he realised that despite their origins they were well on the way to becoming…human.
Zidane stood up next to Domino and looked towards the Black Mages gathered around the edges of the genome audience.
"And I think," he began "That our thanks should also extend to the Black Mages whose lives have taken such a similar path to ours, for let us not forget that the mages are our responsibility, Kuja created them as weapons of war, such as Lawrence and Garland created us, and it is therefore our responsibility to teach the mages what we have learnt ourselves on our long and sometimes difficult journey."
The genomes around Thunderchild murmured in agreement and many looked over at the mages, an almost comradely look in their eyes, as though, despite the difference in species, they realised just how alike they were.
Mikoto jumped onto the small stage Zidane and Domino stood on and nodded her thanks to them.
"I think Zidane and Yugami are the most learned of genomes around us, and you should take their words to heart for although we consider our tale to be one of trials and tribulations, we should consider that their story is fourfold more difficult than ours and if it was not for their courage then we would still be a lost and confused people, blinded in our loyalty to our creator. Let us not forget also, Yugami's husband who has had a difficult journey but has not faltered, he is an example to us all. Thank you…Thunderchild."
Thunderchild blushed and bowed slightly, some of the genomes around him gasped as they noticed him for the first time and realised who he was. Domino smiled at him and winked, he grinned and winked back at her.
"Now, if you would like to follow the Black Mages they and yourselves will return back to Gaia…and although I cannot be with you on this journey, I will return to see you when I get back…we all will."
The genomes turned and walked off with the Black Mages, leaving Thunderchild standing alone near the foot of the stage. Domino jumped down and ran over to him, straight into his welcoming arms.
"That, my dear, was absolutely wonderful." Said Thunderchild
"Naaaah." Dismissed Domino with a cheerful shake of her head
Thunderchild laughed and kissed her, when they drew apart Thunderchild turned to watch the Black Mages create a portal similar to the one which had brought him back to the Discworld, the genomes marched through the portal in twos and were then followed by the Black Mages, as the last one went through it cast a counter spell which destabilised the portal, and as it stepped through the portal it collapsed behind it.
"Now, that's everyone taken care of," said Zidane "Would you care to explain to me the concept of 'flying' to Terra."
Domino giggled as Thunderchild shrugged
"Well, it's quite simple Zidane…how do you think I got to the Discworld from Terra?"
Zidane paused for a moment and then realisation dawned on his face
"Your space ship…but I thought it was damaged beyond recovery?"
Thunderchild shrugged
"I don't know, I can't remember anything after the crash landing until I was found by my foster-parents." Thunderchilds voice wavered slightly when he mentioned his foster-parents, Domino knew that he must still be hurting from their death.
"And just where is this ship of yours?"
Thunderchild held up the scrap of cloth he had been closely examining since finding it in the box he had recovered from the wreckage of his foster parents home.
"This is a map leading to my ship…my…foster parents figured that one day I might remember and want to go home…little did they realise the circumstances of my departure…but still, this is where they found me, and my ship is in this cave nearby."
Nagy took the map from Thunderchild and looked at it intently, after a moment Thunderchild took it back and turned it up the right way for him.
"So…where is it then?" he asked after a while
Thunderchild pointed to the west, far in the distance there was a rocky hill.
"In that hill." He said
Proeliator rode up with the rest of the horses
"Well, come on then," he said "Time's a wastin' and we need to stop Jara."
Thunderchild grinned at Proeliator and leapt on the back of Shamara who whinnied happily to see her master again.
"You heard Pro…let's head on out." He said
Domino and Zidane quickly gathered some provisions and then mounted the same horse, Zidane still being unsure how to ride something that was totally different to a Chocobo, Thunderchild grinned as he realised that he was about as adept at riding a Chocobo as Zidane was riding a horse. Nagy was the last to mount up after collecting his provisions, Thunderchild and Proeliator already had theirs packed in saddlebags on their respective horses.
Together they rode off into the desert at a gentle pace, each and every one of them silently preparing for the final journey to Terra where they knew they had to stop Jara once and for all, for Thunderchild it was time to prepare to see his home in ruins, he already had had a glimpse of destroyed Terra but now he was going to see it for real…and quite likely it would be his resting place too.
They reached the cave within six hours, while Proeliator and Nagy began to set up camp Thunderchild stood at the cave entrance.
"I wonder if it's in there?" he thought out loud
"Of course it is." Said Domino as she stood next to him
He nodded and began to walk forward, Domino followed him but he turned around and stopped her.
"No…it'd be better if you stay here, there's no telling what auto-defences my ship has against intruders…much I still cannot remember."
Domino seemed disappointed but relented and let him continue on his own, she walked back to the camp and sat down with Zidane.
"So…how does it feel to be going back to Terra after all this time?" he asked
She shrugged
"No difference really, why, what were you expecting?"
He laughed and shook his head
"Nothing ground breaking from you Dom, I'm just remembering when I went back, when I met Mikoto and Garland. It seems like years ago, it's hard to think it's only been one year."
Domino nodded
"Quite an adventurous year at that, what with the whole Lawrence thing." She said
"Yeah, well, you sent him packing."
She nodded and hoped that they would be able to defeat Jara too.
Thunderchild stumbled into the darkness, cursing at his throbbing ankle which had unexpectedly encountered some rocks towards the entrance to the cave, he drew his sword and called upon fire, sure enough the flames began to dance along the sword providing him with the light he needed to see his way.
The cave was wide but the rocks were jagged and treacherous in some places, looking to his right he saw something caught on a rock, he walked over and took a closer look.
It was a small piece of metal, not even the size of his hand, loosening it from the rock he held it up to his sword and shed more light on it.
"Du-du-ray-ni-um…Duranium." He slowly uttered the name of the metal, the memories coming back further.
Venturing further into the cave he soon came across a large cavern with a small stream running through the middle, and there, at the back of the cave in a pile of rubble, was his ship.
She was just as he remembered her, albeit somewhat more damaged than before, the cockpit windows at the front, the swept forward red wings at the side and there written in Terran on the side just underneath the cockpit windows.
Terran Space Defence ForceEcho Squadron
He blinked back a tear at the memories this ship brought back, he could see amongst the damaged caused by the crash another set of damage, caused by the Borg, he just hoped that she was able to fly.
"Only one way to find out." He muttered as he made his way to the door into the ship.
The wind had got up slightly and they had retired into a medium sized tent Proeliator had set up, in the middle of the tent a small stove provided some heat as the desert sun disappeared in the clouds and the temperatures began to fall.
"I think the rains might be coming early this year." Muttered Nagy as there was a low rumble of thunder in the distance.
"If it gets too bad we can shelter in the cave." Replied Proeliator as he helped himself to some stew from the small pot bubbling on top of the stove.
Zidane and Domino nodded, their mouths too full of food to say anything.
The wind whistled around the tent and there was another low rumble of thunder and another but this time it carried on for longer than usual.
"Was it me or did the ground shake a little then?" asked Zidane
Nagy had a curious look on his face
"It did, didn't it?"
The wind died down for a moment and they were able to hear it again, a low rumble getting louder and causing the ground to move very slightly.
"That isn't thunder…" said Proeliator
The two Discworld men looked at each other suddenly, a horrid realisation dawning on their faces.
"Basilisk!" they both cried at the same time.
Grabbing their swords they ran out of the tent, Domino followed them, expecting to come across one of the weak Basilisks from Gaia which had fought and defeated many times around Burmecia. But the creature that she found slithering towards their tent was quite clearly not of her world, it was huge for one thing and it looked a heck of a lot deadlier.
Thunderchild stood alone in the cockpit, internally there was very little damage. As he sat down in the pilots chair, something caught his eye on the floor, reaching down he found a small holograph of Jara…the Jara he knew then, her eyes sparkling as she smiled at him, Thunderchild stroked her face gently with his hand, his age-old feelings for her still there after all that had happened.
FLASH"Make sure you get my good side Yissan!" she yelled at him, a happy smile playing across her face.
"You mean you have a bad side?" he had asked holding the holo-camera up and pressing the record button.
She had laughed and embraced him, he had returned the kiss she so eagerly gave and together they had walked hand in hand down the beach, barefoot in the gentle waves, listening to the cry of the birds around them, savouring their time together.
FLASHThat moment had been sealed in history, trapped like a mosquito in amber, and although this holograph may have faded slightly, Thunderchild knew his memories and his feelings never would.
"Oh Jara…if only history had taken a different course." He said quietly and sombrely, placing the holo in a pocket in his cloak.
Looking around again he saw everything where he remembered it to be, the control stick directly in front of his chair, the engine control buttons and readouts to his right, weapons in front of him and navigation to his left. There was a more detailed engineering space behind him but the engine control section gave him all the information he needed to know.
"Right…engine start up procedure." He muttered as he found the engine heat switch and flicked it from off to on. A warning klaxon sounded a few moments before the engines struggled into life, as Thunderchild heard the so-familiar sound of the engines surround him, he couldn't help but break out into a massive smile as the ship slowly rose up from what had been its resting place for all these years.
"I guess I really should call you the Phoenix after all this." He whispered to the ship as it hovered a couple of feet in the air in the middle of the cave, a couple of rocks falling off its wings.
Thunderchild…please…help! cried Domino in his mind, she was quite obviously in distress, Thunderchild didn't know why and didn't care, his wife was calling him and nothing else mattered.
"Oh well, guess we get to see if you can really fly a little earlier than I hoped."
Domino dodged another spew of acid from the Basilisk, Zidane couldn't dodge it because he had been paralysed by the beasts stare, he fell down and Domino could see he had lapsed into unconsciousness, a little burnt from the acid but nothing too serious.
"Proeliator try to get it from the other side!" she yelled, Proeliator ran around behind the Basilisk as Domino attacked it from its front, the Basilisk was having none of it however and with a sweep of its tail it knocked Proeliator off his feet and set him sprawling in the sand, with its head it did the same thing to Domino. Before she could get up it lunged at her, fangs wide open. She had called to her husband to help them but it appeared he hadn't heard her and now she was going to be eaten by this thing, she was going to die a long way from her home of Gaia.
I don't want to die she thought
Suddenly two bolts of green light shot out of the cave entrance and slammed into the Basilisk, knocking it off its lunge and sending it sprawling onto the desert sand.
With a shriek of noise, something big and white shot out of the cave and rose into the desert sky, sweeping around in a wide arc it came in low again and from guns on its wings, it sent another volley of green light at the Basilisk, blowing the creature into two pieces and killing it outright.
"What in Om's name is that!" cried Proeliator
"That…is Thunderchild in his ship." Said Domino with a smile of realisation on her face.
The ship came over for a third pass, doing a victory roll overhead as it did, then slowly it touched down in the sand a little way from the cave, the shriek of its engines dying down as they were put into idle mode.
Nagy and Domino helped Proeliator pick up Zidane who was now recovering from his petrification and they ran over to the ship to meet its owner, a man who had, after all these years, found himself again.