Disclaimer- I don't own Star Ocean. It is the property of the great Square-Enix and Tri-Ace.

AN: Sorry about how long it took for this chapter. Its been a long month.

Chapter 4 Cold Welcome

"Do you think Mirage got away okay?" Fayt asked, sighing slightly as he felt his body ache from the 'hospitality' of the dungeons.

The blonde next to him waved his chained hands casually, if a bit awkwardly. "She'll be fine. Like I told you, she's a Klausian. I bet she snuck off into town a long time ago."

Fayt could only nod, only half believing the statement, but from what he had seen of Klausian ability, Mirage should have gotten away. "I hope you're right." A familiar rage coursed through the young man's veins, and he greatly desired to punch something. "How am I supposed to rescue my dad trapped like this? I don't know why the Vendeeni captured him, but I doubt they're showing him much hospitality." The implied, like us, was left silent.

The Earthling's mind drifted back towards how he had gotten into another sticky situation...

Fayt found himself in a small, but relatively comfortable ship that was entirely dull gray. Cliff led the way into the cockpit, which was empty save for a single head of blond hair visible at the co-
pilots seat.

"Welcome back." A woman's voice drifted from the co-pilot's seat.

"Sorry to keep ya waitin'." Cliff apologized, "This is my navigator and partner in crime. I leave the day-to-day operation of the ship to her. Mirage, this is our target."

A beautiful blonde woman with a slender figure stood up from the cockpit, meeting Fayt's uncertain emerald gaze with her unreadable cobalt one. She wasn't too tall or too short, and her blonde hair was cropped into a short bob that accented her pale, almost delicate features. A small, genuine smile spread across her face. "Yes. I knew right away. Nice to meet you, Fayt. I'm Mirage Koas." She said, offering her hand.

"N-nice to meet you, too." Fayt stuttered softly, a bit taken aback by her beauty. After a moment, he released her hand and scratched the back of his head, looking down and blushing slighty.

Cliff seemingly noticed the Earthling's reaction to his navigator, and gave small chuckle of amusement. "Fayt, you okay?" Biting back a bark of laughter, he added, "Oh, and listen, don't fall for her; she may look pretty but she's a Klausian. Any funny ideas, and yer liable to meet a swift, yet painful, death."

Blushing furiously, Fayt managed to a stuttering, "Hey, w-wait a sec! Who said I was falling for anyone?"

Biting back the tide of laughter just waiting to burst from his throat, Cliff replied, "Relax! I was just warning ya." And man, if this is how you react to a beautiful woman not interested in you...

Fayt's voice drifted through and intercepted Cliff's train of thought. "I…was wondering. Just how long will it take till we get to your leader?"

"Oh, we'll be there soon." The Klausian replied, waving his hand dismissively. "It's about three hours to the rendezvous point. Mirage, I'm gonna go take a shower. I'm leaving you in charge."

Nodding, Fayt took a seat, shifting slightly to get used to the now unfamiliar feel of space travel.

As Cliff turned to leave, however, Mirage's voice cut in, laced with a hint of worry. "Oh Cliff… It looks like you can forget that shower."

"Huh? What is it?"

"I've just detected a gravitic space anomaly up ahead. I'm bringing us out of gravitic space to avoid it." Mirage replied, a rapid tapping of keys following her voice.

Cliff swore under his breath. "You serious? You think it's hostile?"

Fayt bit back a remark that so far, everything except these two Klausians had been hostile to him.

Mirage sighed, a hint of defeat and resignation barely audible in her voice as she reported, "We're back in conventional space. …Two Vendeeni battleships detected 400,000 km ahead."

Still, Cliff seemed to be as confident as ever. "An ambush, eh? Man, it's bad enough having to worry 'bout Federation ships. …Open up a comm link."

Although Fayt was skeptical that the Vendeen would bother talking, he held his tongue and for a moment, only the sound of Mirage typing away was heard, before she said, "Hold on. Connection confirmed… Okay, the link's open."

Scratching the back of his head, Cliff began casually, "This is the Eagle, a Klausian ship. We don't want any trouble with ya…"

Mirage's voice cut any hope of a peaceful resolution. "You're wasting your time. The enemy ships are already prepared to attack."

Cliff sighed. Damn. "Seems they know who we've got onboard. Escape's our only hope. It'll be tough without using gravitic warp, but we've got no choice… Reverse course! Conventional engines, full power!"

"Roger." Mirage paused. "Are you sure about this?"

Her comrade simply grinned casually and replied, "I've got a hunch."

In his seat, Fayt gripped the chair a bit tighter and prayed to any and all gods he knew of.

Breathing a nearly inaudible sigh of relief, Mirage stated calmly, "We've thrown off the Vendeeni ships."

Beside her, Cliff let out a long, relieved sigh. It had been a harrowing few seconds back there, but the Klausian knew his ship. "Phew… That was close."

In the back, Fayt stayed silent, still shaking slightly from the nerve wracking escape, willing his hammering heart to slow down to a running pace at the least.

Mirage frowned slightly. "Yes, but now we're pretty far from the rendezvous point."

Cliff shrugged easily. "Well, it can't be helped. Besides, it won't hurt to make her wait a little longer. Let's take our time."

Finally gathering his voice back to him, Fayt managed an amazed, "Wow, you hunch really paid off."

Grinning, the Klausian puffed his chest out. "Finally, some respect!"

Fayt rolled his eyes and muttered, "Yeah, a healthy respect for your recklessness."

"What is that supposed to mean? A little more honesty would be nice, like; 'Hey, that Cliff sure is something,' or 'You're a genius, Cliff!"

Before Fayt could respond or Cliff could continue, a klaxon cut in rudely, followed closely by Mirage's slightly sardonic comment, "Sorry to interrupt while you're having so much fun…"

"What is it, Mirage?"

"The gravitic warp core is overheating. We should reduce speed immediately. The engine will scram if we don't." The only sign of her distress was the way she bit her lip worriedly as she contemplated their situation.

"What? Didn't I specifically request that ya tell me these things sooner? Get back to conventional space, pronto!" Cliff, on the other hand, was a teensy bit more excitable.

"Roger." After a moment, Mirage said, "Bad news."

"Just great." Cliff muttered, "Now what?"

"Both the conventional and gravitic warp engines have scrammed. The backup engine isn't functioning, either. I'd say we have a problem."

"Damn it!" Cliff swore, his hands knuckling and for a moment, he almost looked ready to strike something before he took in a deep breath and forced himself to relax.

Behind them, Fayt swallowed nervously and wanted to scream. Why did everything have to happen to him? Why was he with strangers in the middle of nowhere, being hunted by a hostile alien race for reasons he didn't even know? Why was everything so damned unfair!

As if trying to distract everyone from the situation and retake control of the situation, Cliff asked quietly "Where're we now?"

"We're currently within Elicoor II's gravitational field." Mirage replied after a moment.

"If all our energy sources are shot, then we can't communicate either… Well, I'm sure she'll figure out something happened to us after we don't show up when we're supposed to." Fayt's brow furrowed as he caught the gist of what Cliff was saying. Someone, apparently a woman, would be forced to pick them up. Was this the leader of Quark?

Briefly, an image of an older, and if it was possible, more serene version of Mirage drifted into his mind. After all, to be leading Quark, that person had to be extremely tough and collected, constantly fending off Federation attacks.

And what would someone like that possibly want with a nineteen year old college student from Earth?

"One would hope so." Mirage replied softly, but her tone made it clear the Klausian believed that whoever she was, that person would rescue them.

"Well, Mirage, come up with something." Cliff said, too softly to be an order, laced with resignation.

Mirage nodded. " I'll see what I can do."

Finally forcing himself to do whatever he could to help, Fayt asked, "What can we do? Aren't all the engines scrammed?"

"For starters, we gotta land before we crash. Then, we wait to be rescued." Cliff replied easily.

"Great plan." The Earthling responded sardonically, rolling his eyes.

"Look, my mission is to bring you to our leader. Until then, I'll watch out for you." Noticing Fayt's expression, he added, "Trust me! You're safe as…" Cliff struggled for an expression, "As a turtle in its shell!"

Unconvinced, Fayt muttered, "A turtle dropping out of orbit…"

"You say something?" Cliff asked.

"Nothing."

A silence descended on the Eagle, until Mirage's voice broke it.

"We'll be entering into Elicoor II's atmosphere in another 30 seconds. Get ready for a bumpy ride, you two." Looking back at them, she added wryly, "And keep wagging those tongues and you'll bite them off. I wouldn't want either of you to die of blood loss."

"Well... that was pleasant." Cliff muttered, shaking the cobwebs out of his head.

Staggering himself to his feet, Fayt glanced at the monitor and sucked in a breath. "Just our luck., we landed right in the middle of a damn city!"

Shrugging, the Klausian replied, "Not to mention we're out a power and the helm is out of whack. You should be happy to be alive, you know."

Knowing Cliff was right, Fayt sighed. "I guess this is no time to be worrying about the UP3. What do we do now?"

"We seem to be surrounded by a group of local soldiers now. What will you do?" Mirage asked, as if this desperate situation didn't even phase her, which it probably didn't.

Fayt was torn between wanting to scream at the unfairness of his situation and admiration of the woman's unshakable demeanor, finally settling on an uneasy medium of silence.

Cliff, meanwhile, scratched his chin and voiced out, "Not much we can do with the Eagle scrapped like this. Fighting our way out isn't really an option… Well, at least we're still in one piece!"

"For now, maybe…" Mirage replied.

"Oh well. Let's just step outside and see what happens."

Fayt bit back the reprimand that was waiting to burst from his lips. The idea was such a gross violation of the UP3... but on the other hand, so was violently crashing into the town square of an underdeveloped planet.

As if noticing his charge's demeanor, Cliff assured him, "Don't worry. I've gotta hunch they won't kill us right away."

"Another hunch?" Fayt asked with a hint of sarcasm, cracking a small smile.

"C'mon! Trust me! Didn't we make it here safely? I tell you, my hunches are always right!"

"How about that time when we almost crashed into that asteroid because of a…hunch?" Mirage said wryly.

"That was one time. It didn't count." Cliff muttered, a tiny bit petulant.

"One time!" Fayt nearly cried out, throwing his hands in the air.

"At any rate, I don't think we have any other choice." The Klausian responded, a hint of annoyance in his voice as he stood and neared the door, eyeing the crowd in the screen.

"What do you think they'll do?" Fayt asked, stepping next to him.

"Well, we'll probably be taken prisoner." Cliff said slowly, putting his arms behind his head carelessly.

"You say it like you don't even care." The Earthling commented, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, but only you and I will go out." Cliff replied, glancing at Mirage. "We'll have Mirage wait until later to make an escape." Turning to face the other Klausian, he said, "Mirage, stay until nightfall, then leave under the cover of darkness."

Mirage nodded. "Right. That shouldn't be a problem."

"But Mirage… All alone?" Fayt said quietly.

"You're forgetting she's a Klausian. She'll be fine. I pity the soldier that tries to take her in." Cliff assured him.

"Want me to come rescue you?" Mirage asked, both wry and worried at the same time.

Cliff waved his hand in dismissal. "Nah, no need. There'll probably be too many of 'em, anyway. We'll think of something… You scout around and find a way to contact the Diplo. Don't put yourself in danger trying to hook up with us. They should be able to home in on our position as long as we make contact. They can come get us then."

"Roger." She responded.

"All right, time to go." Cliff said, glancing at Fayt, who nodded.

"Fayt… Be careful." Mirage said, smiling slightly.

"Thanks. You too, Mirage." Fayt smiled back.

The female Klausian turned towards her comrade. "Cliff…" She began, but he cut her off.

"I said it'll be okay." Cliff turned away from her, and added after a moment of silence, "I'm counting on you."

"Okay… Be careful." The two nodded at Mirage before exiting the ship.

Less than five minutes later, Fayt and Cliff had been beaten into unconsciousness and dragged off to the dungeons.

Later, in a meeting room within the castle nearby, the ruler of the country and his general's conversed about the... unusual incident.

"Well, what was it?" King Airyglyph XIII demanded brusquely. A brown haired, rather intimidating but not overly large man with stern features well matching his country's cold climate. His clothes were regal, and yet at the same time seemingly suited for a battlefield. Currently, his stony-like face was etched with a deep frown.

"We believe it to be a new Aquarian weapon, Your Majesty. We have the two crew members locked up in the dungeon." An armored guard, much like those seen in medieval Europe, responded.

"Very well. Continue with your investigation, and step up the pace of the invasion of Arias. If the enemy has indeed brought a new weapon into active service, then time is of the essence." The king commanded, nodding.

"Your Majesty!" The guard saluted, and left.

Sighing and slumping into his chair, the king turned towards his oldest advisor as he rubbed his eyes tiredly. "What think you, Woltar?"

"If this object that has fallen on our city is truly a new Aquarian weapon, then we are in trouble. Aquaria has shown an admirable ability to wage war of late." Lord Woltar replied, his tone sagely, matching his dignified, sagely appearance.

"Lord Woltar appears to lack confidence." A second voice interrupted, laced with bravado and pomp. Younger than Woltar, his silver hair and beard making him look as dignified as his elder, but his well built frame indicated that he was a powerful warrior. This man was known as Lord Vox. "Airyglyph has your Storm Brigade cavalry, Albel's Black Brigade heavy cavalry, and my winged Dragon Brigade for good measures! They stand no chance against our legions, Sire. Their weapons have proven themselves little threat to us. Anything they throw at us, we return in spades."

"Pride comes before the fall. Surely a measure of prudence would do us no harm." Woltar countered, and turned towards the final occupant of the room. "Right, Albel?"

This last man was the most peculiar looking and out of place. His black hair was tinged with yellow at the ends, and his eyes were obscured by his bangs. His hair stretched back with two ponytails that ended around his waist. He had a slender, almost feminine build, and he was dressed in a shirt that did not fully cover his torso. Adding a final touch to this odd portrait was a metal arm that was in the place of his right arm.

Leaning back slightly, the man known as Albel snorted and said dismissively, "If they're the enemy, we kill them. If they aren't, we dispose of them. Simple!" The voice was laced with arrogance, annoyance, and bloodlust.

Giving him an almost pitying look, Woltar shook his head and replied, "If only things were as simple as you say…"

Once more interrupting, Vox added, "Regardless, we have yet to see any evidence the object is a new Aquarian weapon. My men have already begun to interrogate the crew members. They'll talk before long." The smirk was evident even if you were blind.

"The Inquisitor? He always seems to enjoy his work a bit too much…" Woltar said, a bit of worry in his voice.

"He is the best." Vox countered.

The octogenarian sighed wearily. "As long as they do not die before they talk. We are not barbarians, you know. Even prisoners have certain rights, you know." He reprimanded.

Snorting, Vox replied incredulously, "You speak absurdities. Prisoners have no 'rights.' We'll hurt them until they squeal. If they die as a result, then so be it. You've grown much too soft in your old age, Woltar." He sneered.

"Compared to you, that may be true. I'm willing to do what's necessary, but I think your men have a tendency to take things too far." Woltar shot back.

"What's the big deal?" Albel demanded, annoyed. "Just find out whether they're enemies or

not. If that's too much trouble..." He glanced up and looked at them, his crimson eyes glittering like rubies as he smirked. "I'll be happy to take care of them." His voice was laced with bloodlust and eagerness as he tapped the hilt of his blade.

For a while, no one could follow up to Albel's statement, until Vox finally said, "We know what we have to do, m'Lord. Don't worry, if we do kill them, we'll make sure they cough before they croak, eh?"

"I certainly hope so." Woltar sighed.

King Airyglyph XIII nodded, having watched the exchange between his generals in silence. "That will be quite enough. Now is not the time for us to haggle over such matters."

"Indeed it is not." Vox replied, nodding.

"Vox, continue your interrogation." The king nodded at him, before turning to the other two. "Woltar and Albel, return to your posts. We are counting on your knights. You are the pride of our great kingdom. But for now, let us dine and discuss no more of this."

"Yes, Sire." Woltar and Vox affirmed. Albel said nothing.

And that's how he ended up in this mess, Fayt recounted, sighing.

When Fayt awoke from the... hospitality of the dungeons, he groaned, and tried to move, before discovering his hands were literally tied behind his back. Cliff had his hands in manacles in the front.

"Why did you let them catch you, anyway? I mean, you could've gotten away, right?" Fayt asked after a moment, glancing at the Klausian.

"Nah…it would've been too much of a hassle." Cliff replied, shaking his head. "I couldn't just leave you there, anyway, and I kinda wanted to see what was going on first hand."

"So? You find anything out?" The Earthling inquired.

"As a matter of fact, I did."

"What?"

"The whips on this planet hurt, too."

Fayt snorted at the poor joke. "Say, do you know what Aquaria is?" At Cliff's confused look, he explained, "The interrogator kept mentioning it. He kept referring to the Eagle as a 'new Aquarian weapon.'"

Cliff gave a brief humph, before he commented, "Must be the name of their enemy."

"They think we're spies?" Fayt nearly demanded.

"I'm thinking you got that right." Cliff attempted to move his arms, and groaned in frustration. "These restraints are pretty solid. Damn… They're too tight, I can't move at all…"

"That's why they call them 'restraints.'" Fayt replied wryly.

Cliff gave him a mock glare. "Semantics."

Shaking the last vestiges of unconsciousness from herself, Sophia groaned softly. Where was she?

Flashes assaulted her psyche. The devastation of Hyda. The separation from Fayt. The Vendeen capturing her escape pod. Being knocked out by something.

The brown haired Earthling shook her head, trying to rid herself of the drowsy feeling that plagued her.

"Is she awake?" A cold, impersonal, alien voice ordered.

Another answered. "Yes sir."

Sophia looked up and sucked in a breath. The Vendeen officer was smiling ferally at her, in the same way that she recalled sharks seemed to look as they went after their prey. The rumors that the Vendeen were descended from sharks obviously had some truth to them.

Stepping slowly towards the girl, who tried to pull away and found herself bound by energy restraints, the officer said slowly, "Tell me everything you know about Fayt Leingod."

The Earthling shook her head and struggled against her bonds.

Smirking softly, the Vendeen stepped close, so close that Sophia could smell the rancid breath that smelled like blood. Softly, the alien said almost gleefully, "Then I'm afraid I'm going to have to hurt you."

The screams of the young woman rebounded about the chamber, but no one paid any mind to it.

Cliff pondered his situation. For him, this kind of thing was regular, almost routine. That was the price you paid for being a resistance group against a government that spanned light years. But the kid...

At this point, the Klausian had a definite respect for Fayt. Few people he knew of, Klausian or otherwise, could, without training or warning, handle this intense situation. Being separated from everything you knew, being tossed across the galaxy by people you didn't even know, chased by an enemy you barely knew existed? It was a wonder the kid hadn't fallen apart yet.

Then again, Cliff considered, perhaps Fayt was on the verge of a breakdown. And if she was right about the Earthling, then this kid might just crack under the unbelievable news he would receive if, or hopefully, when the Klausian delivered the kid to Quark's leader.

Fayt shivered slightly, and glanced at himself. Apart from a few cuts and tears, he was still wearing the same clothes from Hyda, almost five days ago. Five days? Fayt asked himself, shaking his head. It felt like another lifetime, someone else's dream or fantasy.

"Hey, cheer up. Somebody'll show up to spring us outta this place soon enough. Then we'll be on our way, you'll see." Cliff said, his calm voice infuriating the Earthling.

"And who would that 'somebody' be?" Fayt asked caustically. "You told Mirage she shouldn't bother coming in after us, and it's not like we know anybody else. And I doubt your leader's found out about what happened to us yet…"

"They're here already." Cliff interrupted.

Before Fayt could question him, the armored soldier guarding their cell gave a low grunt and fell over, a small knife imbedded in his back. A heartbeat later, a cloaked figure leapt down from the ceiling, and landed easily.

"Is this a friend or foe..." Cliff murmured, "I can't tell." The two got up and walked to the front of their cell, where the figure stood motionless.

"You have two options: accept my conditions and live, or refuse, and die here." A woman's voice said, cold and harsh. As her words reached their ears, she tossed off her cloak. "It's your choice." With the disguising cloth gone, it revealed a striking crimson haired woman clad in loose clothing suited for quick movement. She wore a scarf that covered her neck and mouth, her metal breastplate glistened in the torchlight, and at her back were two sheathed knives. The woman looked at them impassively with emerald eyes that seemed like ice.

"What kind of options are those?" Cliff demanded, and Fayt nodded in agreement.

The woman rolled her eyes. "The correct choice should be obvious."

"So, what're your conditions?" Cliff asked.

"I want your help. That's all." She replied simply.

"Our help?" Cliff raised an eyebrow.

"That's right. You two were riding that lump of metal that fell on the town, correct? We want your technology." The woman said, her tone even and business-like.

"You need our help, don't you? You can't afford us to say no." Fayt's voice cut in, and when the two turned towards him, the Earthling had a challenging half-grin on his face. "Don't you?" He asked cockily, raising an eyebrow.

The woman said nothing, looking surprised.

"Am I wrong?" Fayt asked again.

Cliff glanced at the Earthling, a hint of respect in his eyes. This kid's smarter than I thought.

The woman glared at Fayt. "That's right. If you do not agree, I will take you by force."

Fayt simply glared back. There was no way he could, or would give that kind of technology to an underdeveloped planet.

Cliff, on the other hand, had no such reservations. "Give us a moment, all right?" He said, and then took Fayt by the shoulders to the other end of the cell. "Shut up."

"But she wants our technology! What were you planning on teaching them?" The Earthling demanded.

"C'mon, you saw this civilization's level of technology. Look, all they need is a little college physics and I don't know about you, kid, but I was paying attention in class." Cliff explained patiently.

"Damn... we're going to get in so much trouble for violating the UP3." Fayt muttered, but realized he had no other choice in the matter.

Cliff groaned good-naturedly "Man, what a square! Then again, maybe that's your redeeming feature, huh? Straight as an arrow just like…well…" He snapped his jaw shut and trailed off, as if he had revealed something he wasn't supposed to.

"Just like who?" Fayt asked.

"Huh? Did I say something? Never mind, kid." Cliff replied, feigning ignorance.

"I'm minding." Fayt shot back caustically.

"Forget about it!" The Klausian said in dismissal. Listen, based on what she said, we must be in Airyglyph right now, and this place is at war with her country, Aquaria. You with me so far?" After the Earthling nodded, he explained his plan. Since chances were that both country's want the Eagle's technology, then they had to cooperate with someone. "Besides, if we have to cooperate with someone, it might as well be that hot chick over there, know what I mean?"

Behind them, it was obvious that the woman caught that last comment, and she blushed and glared at them.

"You're insane." Fayt said in disbelief.

"Well, okay, let's say that was a joke. Either way, we can do whatever we want once we're outta this place. We'll just wait for our chance and make a run for it. We're not doing much better here in prison with our hands all in shackles. And if we die here, who's gonna rescue your dad, huh? I figured you'd want to meet him in this life, not the next."

Fayt almost threw his hands in the air, but knew that what Cliff said made sense. "All right, you win, for now."

Cliff nodded, and turned back towards the woman. "All right, we discussed it. We'll help you. Now get us outta here."

"Then we have a deal." She agreed. "I'm Nel Zelpher, agent for the Sacred Kingdom of Aquaria, as you gathered."

After some introductions, Nel cautioned, "Step back from the bars." Raising her hand towards the keyhole, she closed her eyes for a second. When she snapped them open a second later, a burst of lightning leapt from her palm, and struck the lock. After another moment, she kicked the door open.

Cliff whistled in appreciation, while Fayt was confused heavily. "What was that light?"

Nel raised an eyebrow. "You've never seen runology before?"

Fayt shook his head, but Cliff seemingly ignored the incident. "Thanks for getting us outta there. Now, uh…can you use that little trick of yours to get these off us, too?" He said, gesturing towards his manacles.

Nel went behind the Klausian, and cautioned, "Don't move." After a few moments, her dagger had released them from their captivity.

As they thanked her, Nel waved her hand. "No thanks needed. I'm just doing my job. But I'm

going to hold you to your part of the bargain." Her eyes turned ice hard. "You said you'd cooperate with us. Don't think you can just wait for your chance to run, either, because I won't let you. If you try… I'll kill you." Her tone made it clear she was not bluffing.

"She heard us!" Cliff muttered.

"No shit." Fayt replied, his voice wavering slightly.

"I should thank you for calling me 'hot,' though chick' I can live without." Nel added wryly.

"Sca-ree," Cliff murmured under his breath, "Kind of like Mirage."

"So, where are you from, and what is the metal thing you came here in?" The Aquarian questioned.

"We're from a country on a continent far to the east of here. It's a pretty small country, so nobody's really heard of it, but we've got some pretty solid technology." Cliff lied easily.

Nel's brow furrowed. "From the east? One of the countries in Greeton? Not the country that invaded Aquaria…"

Sensing that his lie was being bought, the Klausian pressed on. "That what you call it here? Yeah, that's where we're from. We're engineers."

"What are engineers from Greeton doing in Airyglyph?" Nel asked skeptically.

"Well, the long story'd take all day, so I'll give you then short version. Fayt's dad got, uhh, captured by an enemy country. We were on our way to rescue him in this newly developed, uhh, vehicle, but it broke down on the way, and we ended up here." Cliff explained, deciding that half-truths were the best way to go.

When they mentioned Fayt's father, Nel's eyes softened. "I see… So you are from Greeton. I thought as much. After all, there is no country on this continent with that level of technology. It was an easy conclusion."

"Well, you satisfied?" Cliff asked, but his gaze drifted down the corridor.

"More or less." Nel replied. "What I am sure of is: there's no way we can let Airyglyph have you. You must cooperate with us."

As Fayt asked what kind of technology the Aquarians wanted, Cliff suddenly lunged towards Nel, fist cocked and flying.

A gasp escaped from the agent's lips as the fist flew towards her, and Nel closed her eyes and heard a sickening crunch. After a moment, she opened her eyes hesitantly, and felt no pain. "What the hell was that!" She demanded furiously.

Cliff gestured behind her, where an Airyglyph soldier lay unconscious on the floor. "He was ambushing you," Fayt explained needlessly.

Nel flushed at her mistake. "I hope you two can fight," Nel gritted out, turning towards the corridor where rapid footsteps were heard. "Because otherwise we're about to leave this world."

"Cliff can fight without a weapon, but-" Before Fayt could finish, Nel moved over to the shadows and tossed him something. The Earthling's jaw dropped. "My sword!"

"I got it back for you." Nel explained, unsheathing her daggers.

"Thanks." Fayt replied, and as he spoke those words, the Inquisitor and two soldiers barreled down the corridor.

The Inquisitor, a sadist but a coward, grinned as he saw the boy he tortured earlier, no doubt weak and barely able to fight back. Raising his whip, he felt an almost erotic pleasure flooding him at the thought of causing more pain to the young man. But it was not to be.

As soon as he caught sight of the same man who had brutally tortured him just hours before, that rage that had buried itself deeply into Fayt's soul unleashed itself once more.

Regardless of his aching limbs and exhaustion, Fayt hurled himself straight for the leather clad torturer, who barely had to time to dodge as the Earthling's broadsword sliced the air apart where he had stood a moment before.

Nearby, Nel cross blocked the soldier's sword with her knives, and then lashed out once with her foot, catching the man in the chin, sending him flying backwards. A moment later, flashes of red stained the wall and Nel sheathed her knives.

Beside her, Cliff delivered a vicious uppercut to the chin of another soldier, following it up with a quick barrage of punches to his torso, dropping the Airyglypian in moments.

Fayt's rage had once again overtaken him, and that terrifying, almost god-like power was humming and roaring in his veins, blinding him to all thoughts except one.

Destroy.

The Inquisitor, fat and weakened by a lifestyle of sadism, was no match for the near inhuman, almost demonic speed of the Earthling, and fell prey to Fayt's sword in moments.

And as the lifeblood of the man struck his face, it was as if he had been jolted from a dream, an illusion. And all Fayt could do as he stared at the Inquisitor impaled upon his broadsword was not scream.

"Hurry. They'll be here any minute." Nel's voice cut in through the horror, and numbly, he felt hands take him and drag him down the corridor.

"We'll go out through the ventilation shaft." Her voice was faint, as if drifting from another plane of existence.

"Snap out if it kid. It was you or him." Cliff whispered harshly, but the concern was visible. The Quark agent had seen cases of this before. Battle shock, happened a lot from first timers in combat. Sometimes they would go comatose. Others would snap and go berserk. But from what the Klausian had seen of Fayt, the kid was tougher than he looked, and hopefully would pull out if it.

"One more thing… …Fayt—right?" Nel asked, and a numb Fayt (after an elbow from Cliff) nodded. "You can't go around dressed like that. I don't know if the size will match or not; anyway, put those on." She reached into a bag (presumably her own) stashed behind a stone and pulled forth some armor. "I picked some of this up earlier."

The armor was light, made up of a type of leathery, yet soft as cotton material. It was an ivory color save for the shoulder pieces, which were a metal gray. The waist had a bag attached for supplies. There was also a sky blue glove and an arm guard, and two metal pants that also had boots attached. After a moment, Nel grabbed a sword sheath from one of the dead guards and handed it to Fayt.

Cliff and Nel turned to give Fayt some privacy, and the woman narrowly caught a mumbled thanks from the Earthling.

Barely able to know what he was doing, Fayt donned the armor mechanically. When he was finished, he cleared his throat slightly, and the trio set off into the ventilation shaft.

"Sir!" A guard yelled, bursting into the meeting room.

"What is the meaning on this!" Vox yelled angrily.

"The prisoner's have escaped!" The knight reported.

"What!" Lord Vox roared, standing straight up, looking absolutely livid.

"How could this happen?" The king demanded, glaring at Vox, who was busy trying to kill the guard with his eyes.

"That is not the issue now. We must recapture the prisoners at all costs." Woltar cut in smoothly, and glanced at Albel, who had stayed silent through the entire exchange. "Albel, would you perhaps-"

"No." Albel replied coldly, and stood up. "I have no interest in hunting down wounded dogs who pose no threat to me."

"Why you insolent-" Vox began berating, but the youngest Lord simply gave him a dismissive snort and walked off. "Guard!" He barked, and was about to order the knight to attempt to stop Albel when the king cut in.

"Let him go, Vox. That is just Albel's way."

Vox looked as though he wanted to disobey, but reluctantly snapped his jaw shut. But as Albel passed him, he gritted out quietly, so the king or Woltar could not hear, "One day boy, that mouth of yours is going to get you killed. And I'll be the one to kill you."

Albel just laughed his trademark laugh that sent shivers down even Vox's spine, and walked off casually.

Woltar turned towards the king. "Which way do you think they will go, my lord?"

The monarch looked thoughtful for a moment, and Vox, turning from where Albel had left, stated, "They might try to go through the Aqueducts."

To their surprise, Woltar laughed quietly.

"Care to share the joke old man?" Vox nearly snarled.

"If they try to go through the Aqueducts, they will die." Woltar replied calmly, a small smirk developing on his features. "There are things in there that rival even Albel in strength."

What do you know Woltar? Vox asked silently, not fully trusting the octogenarian's words but not dismissing them entirely.

Albel strode out of the castle nonchalantly, clad in what amounted for almost nothing in an Airyglyph winter. But the cold didn't bother the man, not one bit.

Some remarked (behind Albel's back, of course) that this was because Albel's heart was colder than the deepest winter in the country. Those who knew him agreed with the sentiment.

But the cold, nor the escaping prisoners, nor the threat Vox made against him were on the young Lord's mind. Instead, all he felt was what he had been feeling more and more.

Boredom.

This world was so pointless... there was no one, not even that woman from Aquaria, that Crimson Blade, who could stand against him. His infamy, his strength continued to grow, and he was still in his early prime. He was the strongest in the whole world. He was the god of this world, his sword, his mind chose who lived and who died.

And now, now that title meant nothing. There was no challenge in slaughtering weaklings, no revel in the almost overwhelming bloodlust, barely any joy as their blood stained his sword and clothing. Apathy dominated his soul, an emptiness that had grown for many years now, since the death on the one man Albel had ever truly respected and cared for.

Albel sighed deeply and glanced up at the stars, and found them lacking.

"I'm so bored."

After a quick trip through the ventilation shafts, the trio entered the aqueduct, which was frozen solid by the Airyglyph winter. They trudged on, being careful not to put too much pressure on the ice.

Cliff and Nel found themselves walking ahead of Fayt, who had kept taciturn and his head down throughout the entire time.

"Is he going to be okay?" The Aquarian spy asked softly, so as not to alert Fayt.

The Klausian shrugged. "He's been through a lot in the past few days, and this was his first... you know."

Nel nodded. As a commander, she too had seen plenty of new recruits go into shock after their first kill.

"He's tough though. He'll keep it together." Cliff added, and then turned towards Fayt. "Come on kid, keep up."

The Earthling nodded numbly, and moved next to the Klausian, who pulled him aside. "Listen, I know that what happened back there was tough on you. But you can't let it get to you. That guy was sick, inhuman even. I'm not saying he deserved it, but he was going to kill you."

"Maybe he should have. Everything else has already tried." Fayt replied bitterly.

Cliff grabbed his shoulder's and looked him straight in the eye, cobalt meeting emerald. "Don't talk like that! If you die, you'll never see your parents or that girl, Sophia, ever again!"

Nel caught this, and her expression turned thoughtful for a moment, before she looked away.

This threw Fayt off, and Sophia's image drifted into his mind, smiling happily at him. "I have to keep on living... I have to be strong."

"Exactly." The Klausian said, smiling slightly.

Fayt managed a weak smile in response. "I'll keep on going, I can't run away. I mustn't run away, I have to be strong." He mumbled quietly, a mantra that stabilized him, at least for the moment.

The trio continued on, although the mood was considerably lighter. As they reached the end of the Aqueduct, however, Cliff and Nel both stopped.

"What is it?" Fayt asked, reaching for his sword that was now sheathed at his hip.

Cliff shushed him softly. The hair was prickling at his neck, and something told him that there was danger-

Right below them, was the finishing line, as a massive crab burst from the ice in front of them, snarling and clacking its claws, looking ready to slice them apart. It was blood red, standing at least five feet taller than any of the trio, with claws that could cleave a person apart in moments. Towering over them, it reared back, ready to cut them down in a heartbeat.

"Oh shit." Was all Fayt could say, and both Nel and Cliff whole-heartedly agreed. As if the word as a starting gun, the gargantuan creature charged them.

Springing aside quickly, Nel reacted the fastest, lunging and slashing with her blades, but to no avail as they struck uselessly against the thick armor of the crustacean. Cliff, who struck next with his fists, could only manage small dents in the armor. Fayt's sword didn't even scratch the armor.

Nel threw herself backwards as its snapping claw lunged for her, blocking a second strike which caused her to be thrown back. Before the crab could strike again, Fayt's sword distracted the beast.

Fayt narrowly avoided being slashed in half as he leapt to one side, but tripped over himself and fell over, his sword clattering uselessly to his side.

"Damn it! The armor's too thick!" Cliff cried out helplessly, trying to knock the crab away from Fayt.

"Move kid!" Nel nearly screamed.

The Earthling stared down the blood red titan, fear gripping his heart and paralyzing him. The creature almost seemed smug, snapping its mandibles in a predatory way.

Unbidden, an image of his time on Hyda IV, of his parents and Sophia, drifted into his mind. But it was thrown away by a single thought.

This really sucks.

The gigantic crab raised its claws for the kill.

I don't want to die. I don't want to die.

Cliff and Nel's voices seemed like a distant stream of music in another room, another world.

I have to live. I can't die here. I can't die here.

One claw began moving to strike, blood red and sharp.

Havetolivehavetolivecan'tdieSophiaMomDadlive

"I WILL SURVIVE!" Fayt roared, and once more, that god-like power swept through his body, a flood of pure power, but this time, he was in control. His rage was his own, and he focused it into a weapon. His will to live dominated even this divine strength.

Grabbing his blade he leapt over the claw with agility and strength that was inhuman, bordering on divine. Roaring his fury that caused both Cliff and Nel to stop and freeze.

"God in Heaven." The Klausian murmured in disbelief. "She was right."

The sheer divine wrath that filled Fayt blinded him to all thoughts except one.

Live.

His blade glowed with sky blue with power, almost misty, ethereal, as if the sword had transcended mortality. "BLADE OF FURY!" Fayt found himself booming out, and his sword swung once, penetrating the steel-like armor of the giant crab and going straight into its brain, and then slicing it from front to back. When he landed, he spun around and delivered a final blow, impossibly cutting the crustacean in half.

The pieces of the mighty beast fell in a messy heap, its lifeblood spilling all over the floor, covering the ice. The stink of death reeked but no one noticed, the boy who killed it numb and the two who watched in disbelief.

Fayt felt the divinity leaving him, and smiled softly as the image of Sophia and his parents danced in his mind, a soft comfort in the aftermath of battle.

I did it... I'm alive.

He blacked out a second later.

Thanks to NaruNaru.O.K., Z.A.G., Lloyd (Irving) Aurion, Tristan Amaryllis, basteng, Captain Tsubasa, Bobboky, Kira Hibiki, Theatre-Sama, Black Magician Jasura, Goldamon X, PersonaJKT, Gester, Tessen, and dark-riku12345 for reviewing!

Q&A

Tristan Amaryllis- Yeah, that's one thing I'm kind of betting on, but I'll try and make sure stuff like that doesn't happen anymore.basteng- That's going to occur later in the story.

Kira Hibiki- Thanks. And yeah, that's what I plan to do, although I might just cut out completely useless P.A.'s, I'm mostly likely going to use them. They help give more insight, like you said.

Black Magician Jasura- Actually, he found out earlier, in chapter 2 or (in the game) in the Federation bunker.

Gester- As I stated before, its been a while since I was at the beginning of the game, and my memory is a bit fuzzy. Thanks for the correction though.

Tessen- As much as I want to get to the part where all three girls (Maria, Nel, and Sophia to make it clear) are there, this is also a novelization, and I do want to cover all the plot related areas. And as for a Fayt/Mirage pairing, I might do a separate one-shot or something.

DreamingRabbit- Stop. Spamming. My. Stories. I'm not going to make a sequel just because you keep begging. Its just annoying.

dark-riku12345- Maria and Nel. And yeah, the sister theory is plausible, but I'd rather not use it.

AN: Finally the plot is moving faster, and Albel and Nel are in the story. Just to let you know, the optional party members will be Albel and Nel. Nel is an obvious choice, and Albel... well, he's definitely my favorite as well as just a fascinating character. Like a pre-series Kenshin. Secondly, as the story progresses, I'll be adding in things that were not in the game to spice things up a bit. I won't be changing the storyline drastically, just making a few changes and additions. Sorry for the delay, again. Thanks for reading and please review!