"NDS: Book 11: Chapter 78: The Final Strike"

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Clive took his seat quietly at the guns checking over his equipment and how many shots were left. He knew that while the beam cannon would be fired from the bridge where the unit had been installed, he would still prefer to have a backup plan ready. The truth was that he was restless. It had been ten minutes since Jet and Emilia had gone below and no one had really spoken or followed after. Everyone just took their battle stations. Sakura remained at the helm with Adven patiently standing beside her checking the systems as if he knew how the craft worked, but he had no clue about anything, and everyone excluding Gallows knew more about the craft. He and Gallows were on about the same page. Gallows excelled at the helm, but Adven knew more about the guns, so they were practically even.

Gallows as a matter of fact, was found in the kitchen eating up a lot of the food. He figured that if this really was IT, he would at least go out on a full stomach. Carole had sat quietly watching him, and mulling over her own thoughts. Her skin was pale, but she did not seem weak at all. Still, it did seem like her heart died when she met with Emilia on Eon, and was informed of Clyde's demise. She still had some heart left though, but nowhere to place it at the moment.

Virginia however, sat on the floor of the bridge as she had thoughts of her own. Her gaze lingered on the path down the stairs where Jet and Emilia were. She just kept questioning why Jet would talk to everyone, but forget her of all people! She has been with him from the start, and so she thought at least that she should come before Emilia or Sakura who he had little bond with. Or maybe…it was reversed, and it was her that Jet had no bond with.

Adven left the helm and noticed Clive's right leg that was stuck between a small opening. However, Clive wore a calm face. It was bizarre because had Adven left his leg in such fashion it would hurt all too much. To have a leg stuck between a tight spot in a diagonal position. "Doesn't that hurt?" He wondered.

Clive noticed his leg and moved it out of the spot. He grinned at Adven nervously, "Must have been too caught up in my thoughts." The older man remarked.

Adven left a suspicious look as he just accepted the reason and moved onward. Clive watched him and then returned to his work while fixing his glasses. It was then that Jet came from the deck below. "Everyone to their places." He said. "It's time to get this over with."

Clive sat properly at his spot as the rest sat down in seats that best suited them now. It was only Sakura, Virginia, Carole, and Jet on the bridge now. Emilia's voice came over the intercom of the ship. "The alternate engines are equipped and engine power is building up to full." She reported from the engine room. "We should now be as fast, or even faster, than Nobuo-Eon, or whatever that thing is called."

Jet's finger hit the intercom on the bridge. "Good. Gallows, disconnect the harpoon and Sakura, get us ahead of Nobuo-Eon."

The craft rocked as the harpoon left Nobuo-Eon's backside and Sakura slowly began to ride alongside of Nobuo-Eon, picking up speed. It was then that Virginia moved awkwardly beside Jet. "Um, Jet…"

He looked to her. "I'm sorry. I gave orders like I was the leader." He apologized. "That was, what you were going to scold me about, right?"

She shook her head. "No, it was…just…I mean, back then, when you were saying good-byes…you said something to everyone, but you…forgot me." She looked away sadly. "Is it because you don't like me?"

"It's…not that, Virginia." He replied slowly. "I, I…just couldn't…say what I wanted to say to you."

"Oh?" She questioned looking upward towards him. "Then, can you…tell me now?"

He stared at her a moment as he thought it over. "This is important to you, so I guess I can." He took a deep breath. "Virginia, you've…always been here for me, and you kept talking like a chatterbox. In the end you were very annoying." He commented with a grin as she frowned with furrowed brows of anger. "But…you always believed in me, and you made me a promise to get back my memories. Which you haven't really done for me at all." He looked at her with more resolve as it seemed his thoughts caught up with him. By now Carole was watching them intently, but neither knew it. "You're a good cook, and a great leader, and you can even beat up those that I can not. You can even defeat me, as you proved when Auriol controlled me. But listen, those lands we saw in our Twilight realms, the grass, I intend to take you there." He paused as he grabbed each of her shoulders firmly with his hands. "I want you to live there, even if it takes a lifetime to get there, because…you see…I want to spend that life with you." He took a breath. "Virginia, I'm a cold person, but you've warmed me. Now I have reached the point when your ideals have embedded themselves into nearly all of my actions. Whether I never said it, or will again, I love you, Virginia."

She stood there staring into his eyes, caught by surprise. "I…I mean…I love you too." She giggled. "Was that why you didn't say anything to me? Because you were embarrassed or afraid?"

"Actually, all of that talk about good-byes was just something that would be an excuse to tell you…but I did get scared, and I didn't bother to tell you, but I," He paused to find his words. "I survived Nobuo, just to tell you that. I had something to tell you, so I had to get rid of him to come back, even just to tell you that."

She closed her eyes, and while she did nothing, gave the impression that she nodded. "Let's make it through this, Jet." She smiled. "So that we can find that land of ours, whether it exists or not. Even if it isn't real, it doesn't matter, because…at least we will still have one another."

"Right."

"Ahem." Virginia and Jet's eyes slowly looked to Carole who coughed to get their attention. The young couple's faces went bright red. "Are you two done yet?"

"Ah, you saw all of that?" Jet nervously questioned.

"Listen, we're almost there. So…can we finish the matter at hand before you two make out and have babies in front of us?"

The couple nodded and Jet stepped towards a console nearby. With a quick press of certain buttons the trigger to the beam cannon appeared as the front of the ship parted to reveal the beam cannon from under. The ship itself was ahead of Nobuo-Eon, and it was now that Sakura reversed their direction and left them facing the front of Nobuo-Eon. The ship went fast, even in reverse.

Emilia watched as the energy rose. "I see…so this was all made…for this battle. For this moment." She looked upwards. "Ed…"

Jet's voice came over the intercom and awoke her. "How's the power?"

"All good here." She replied.

Jet placed his hands on the trigger gingerly as he put all his belief in himself. It was then that Virginia placed her hand softly on his right arm that held the trigger. He looked to her and nodded before facing forward. He had belief in his friends and ship too. It was a feeling shared by everyone in the ship. All doubts aside. "Then, fire!" He roared as he thought of the beam cannon as the Aigert-Lahm B/V 2, and a large beam blast burst forth and hit Nobuo-Eon's front.

"What's that?" The dual-voice of Nobuo-Eon shouted. "Such a pathetic attack. You won't beat…" The beam from the Maxwell Gang ripped through Nobuo-Eon like a hot knife through butter and the yellow beam of hope shot out towards the morning's orange sky. "I-I won't lose!" Nobuo-Eon's cry of pain rang out as he started to ignite with multiple ruptures throughout his body. The back blew apart and Nobuo-Eon was close to erupting into a large ball of flame. But it was also then that surges of electricity wrapped around and flowed through the beam cannon extension of the Maxwell Gang's sandcraft.

The console Emilia was watching burst out of pressure as glass flew about. "It's…too much!" She shouted. "I should have…made it stronger." She noted with regret as the sandcraft burst out with steam from the walls and the engines shook. It seemed she was not as great of a mechanic as she thought she could be.

Sakura quickly jumped from her seat to the floor of the craft as the windows shattered. Jet brought Virginia into his left arm as he let go of the trigger and the two stood as everyone else jumped to the ground around them. All they could see out the window was the yellow of the beam cannon's beam, but they stared into it anyway. The hot air blew their hair and warmed their faces. "Heh." Jet muttered. "So that's how it goes."

What seemed like hours was only a second, and as the last of the sandcraft's beam left Nobuo-Eon's body, the large craft blew. Following shortly after it was the Maxwell Gang's craft. And in the end there was just a large yellow pillow of an explosion, that flung sand and earth to the air and left behind a small crater and cloud.

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Yes, both ships exploded into a white light. Our heroes with it. But what lies in the aftermath of such a collision? Will there be a bright tomorrow, or a rainy heart? Only the tears of time shall tell.