If you guys are reading this far, I'd wish you'd leave me a review, as I'd love to hear if you guys are enjoying it. I hate to assume that people are reading it, and I don't want to keep writing if no one's reading, so drop a word. I'd be very grateful (I'll return the favor, guaranteed.)
The low hum of a ship's moonstone engine reverberated through his chamber's thin steel walls as Vyse once again came back to reality. A type of haze seemed to surround him as he struggled to rise, but this fog quickly parted once he was on two feet. He looked back down as his cot; there was a dried bloodstain where he laid. Inspecting his side, he noticed his now filthy and unsanitary bandage hanging from his injured wound, now with a reddish-brownish pallor. "Great, now where am I?" Vyse was bewildered by yet another change of location and, grabbing his weapons from his bedside, exited into the hallway.
The dark, grimy hallways were silent with the exception of the monotone of he engines and the repeated drips that could be heard in the darkness. Dim, failing lights struggled to throw light as Vyse slowly and cautiously made his way down the corridor. "This is just creepy." Vyse whispered to himself, trying to conceal his presence from whoever might be lurking about. He looked ahead and could distinguish a door, ornately decorated, at the end of the corridor. Vyse drew his blades and, with focus and drive, opened the door.
"HIyyyyyyyyyah!" Vyse leapt through the door with fervor, expecting enemies from all sides. There were none, but only the eyes of his dearest, Aika and Fina, standing together, staring at him with eyes of amazement and joy. As soon as Vyse had sheathed his swords, they both ran to him, arms open, and forcefully embraced him.
"Vyse! You're okay!" Aika shouted with jubilation as she rested her arm around his shoulder.
"We didn't know if you were going to wake up." Fina added, she two resting her tearful face on Vyse's arm.
"You didn't have to scare us like that, you idiot!" Aika reprimanded him playfully as she gave him a soft punch on the arm "You nearly scared us to death!
" Heh, sorry?" Vyse said, abashed. "Better safe than sorry, I guess."
"Don't worry, you're not in danger."
Vyse looked up to address the voice. Standing before him was the man he could vaguely remember from the arena. "I'm Aetius. I was there when we…you guys made you're escape from Nasrad. Do you remember?"
Vyse simply nodded. He did recall a figure, wielding a bow, decimating the guards as he lost consciousness. This must have been the man who, in part, saved not only his life, but those of Aika and Fina as well.
"To clarify things, Vyse, we are currently on board a Valuan cruiser and we are set to land in Valua within the next half-hour. I'm not sure if you recall, but when we escaped the arena we made our way to the docks and commandeered a small Nasrean warship.
Aika quickly interrupted, and continued the narrative. "We knew that the south Dannell strait was too heavily guarded, so we decided our only chance was to try and brave the north Dannell strait. Avoided cannon fire, we entered the rift, but our ship could not hold strong under the pressure."
Fina then started, her voice tinged with remorse, similar to the others. "Our ship began to break apart… you…were still slipping in and out of consciousness. We held on the ship and you as best we could, but before long we were slaves to the wind and were thrown onto a nearby sand plain. We were all knocked out at that point, with the exception of Aetius here. He said that he rounded up our bodies and waited for help and somehow, by the grace of the moons, a Valuan ship arrived and picked us up."
"The ship was probably on a good will mission to Nasr." Aetius added, "But probably changed its objective once they found us lying helplessly in the desert."
Vyse couldn't help but remain silent as he pondered everything that had been said. To think, all of this was done with only himself as a burden. He never knew the strength of Aika and Fina alone, and was even more amazed by the commitment of this Aetius, this stranger, without whom Vyse and his friends would probably never live to see the moons again. He was intrigued, and even somewhat awestruck by this man and his actions. He only hoped that in the future he'd be able to repay him for his courage.
"Begin landing procedures, we'll be docking soon!" The Valuan captain yelled into his communication tubes as his pilot kept a firm grip on the wheel. "Glad to see you're okay, master Vyse. We'll be docking in a minute so you guys can go and get ready to disembark.
The group may there way to the loading zone and happily stepped onto the dark and cracked land. A small group of soldiers stood waiting at the docks, and amongst the group, Enrique arose, ready to greet them.
"Vyse! Aika, Fina! You're alive!" Enrique greeted them with excitement and a slight sense of surprise. "I had feared that you had been lost after the…misfortunes in Yufatoma."
"Enrique, I.." Vyse quickly tried to respond, but was quickly cut off by Enrique. "It's okay, Vyse, I know everything that happened. Their defeated fleet came here in retreat and in search of sanctuary. Don't worry, we've already declared war. We are organizing our fleets, as we are suspecting a Nasrean attack soon. Valua is still weak, but we will not go without a fight."
Enrique stopped and looked behind Vyse to see Aetius, standing quietly. Enrique's eyes immediately strained in disbelief, and he began to talk with trepidation. "Ae…Aetius? Is... Is it you? I thought you had…"
"Enough, consul Enrique." He interjected quietly. "I'll discuss shortly, I promise."
Vyse, Aika and Fina only looked on at the exchange with confusion. "What could he be hiding?" Aika submitted quietly. The other two could not offer up an answer.
"Very well, Aetius, but I do expect you're report. You're new friends here need to hear it." Enrique paused and with a clap summoned a chariot to his side with a spacious coach in the back. "Come everyone, get on board. We have much to discuss, as you have much to see."
The five entered the carriage. Inside it was lined with a fine, dark silk, and two padded benches stood at opposite to each other. Enrique and Aetius both boarded and took the left bench, as Vyse and the girls took the right. With an order from Enrique, they departed.
The ride began in silence; everyone looked to each other to start. There was so much to talk about; the loss at Yufatoma, the captivity in Nasr that Enrique was still ignorant to, or perhaps this issue with Aetius that was still concealed in uncertainty. Fed up with quiet, Enrique at long last began.
"Tell me, Aetius, what has happened during you're absence from Valua. Spare no details, as I have reason to believe that only you could tell me the whole story.
Everyone looked on intently as Aetius took a deep breath and began to speak. "I guess. I guess I should tell you guys everything. I don't want to be an enigma. My name is Aetius, 1st officer of recon of the Modesto, Valuan imperial fleet." Vyse, Aika and Fina were instantly taken aback. They remember hearing of the Modesto, how it was destroyed by a Nasrean fleet outside of Nasrad. They dared not interrupt however, as Aetius was intent on continuing. " The rest of the crew and I were given the assignment of keeping a close eye on Anakin Vera and his rise in Nasrad from a distance and to report this info back to Valua. We were making good progress; spying down from mountains above the city, intercepting transmissions. We were ready t turn back towards home when we were regrettably discovered."
Everyone could see that this is where the story became hard to tell. Aetius went silent for a bit, and with a heavy heart, began again.
"We tried to escape, but outnumbered as we were we could do naught but try and evacuate. We rushed to our lifeboats, but I believe only me and a few others aboard our life craft actually made it off the ship alive. We crash landed within Nasrad itself. I..I remember the bodies littering the crash site. Only my companion and I, Alexia, survived. She and I left the site and took up residence in an abandoned building, the stench of mold and decay unbearable. We had nowhere to go; we survived on what little food and supplies we could find or steal incognito from local markets. We kept this up for weeks until one day… Alexia…"
"Aetius, are you okay?" Fina asked with eyes compassion as Aetius struggled to remain strong.
"Yes, Fina, thank you." Aetius began again, with a sense of resolve. "Alexia didn't' come home one night. Donning a Nasrean garb over my Valuan suit, I went to the market only to find a group of soldiers over a body. There she was, massacred in the light of day, without pride or honor, in the presence of women and children. I was now alone."
An eerie gloom then took control on the carriage, as everyone who heard Aetius' words quickly succumbed to it. "Aetius," Vyse began, "I'm so sorry. I had no idea."
"How could you have?" Aetius responded with despair. "I…I loved her. I had known her since we were children. I fell into a depression, but then arose with resolve. I promised her I would have revenge on Nasr and Anakin, who I knew had given the order to attack her and my ship. I knew I was in no position to do anything, so I continued to lay low. That's where you guys come in."
Enrique's interest quickly doubled, as perhaps now he would learn of what had befallen Vyse and his companions.
"You see, Enrique," Aetius now spoke directly to him, as to explain why Vyse, Aika and Fina had been in Nasrad. "These three were apparently captured by the Nasrean fleets in Yufatoma and were brought back to Nasrad for execution."
" I feared as much." Enrique said calmly. "It's a miracle you are here before me today."
"Perhaps, Sir, but I shall give the details. Upon hearing of there arrival, I saw my chance of escape. They needed me to help liberate them, but I too needed them, as well." Aetius now directed his speech towards the three sitting on the bench across from him. "I need you guys. I can't fight Nasr alone, and I think I can actually make a difference if I help you guys." His voice was tinged with a sense of desire and hope, as if he was asking for something.
"It's okay, Aetius, I know what you're getting at,." Vyse smiled wide, and spoke with assurance. "You can travel with us for as long as you want. It's the least we can do for you're help."
"Yeah, man, we'd love to have you onboard. Someone needs to clean the decks." Aika joked and brought a smile to Aetius's face. Something it seemed he may have forgotten how to do.
"Do not be worried, Aetius, you are welcome with us." Fina spoke with warming care that made Aetius feel loved.
"Thank you all so much. I really cannot tell you what this means to me." Aetius now finished his story with a smile and fervor. "As I was saying, Enrique, I made my way to the arena, where I knew the execution would take place. Apparently, Aika here had freed herself already, and together we worked to free Vyse and Fina."
"It was nothing." Aika said with a dismissive sense of humbleness. "Let's just say a creep got what was coming to him."
"Anyway, we entered the arena pit and narrowly got Vyse and Fina out of there. We escaped to the docks, took a ship, and escaped the Nasrean fleets. We crash landed on a desert Island, and from there we were picked up by A Valuan ship and brought here."
"I see, that is most amazing, Aetius." Enrique clapped his hands and the carriage came to a halt. "Don't worry, I have a new assignment for you Aetius, and Vyse, Aika Fina, you're all going to love this.
The group exited and Enrique summoned them into a military compounded. They walked through a few dark corridors to a large door, with two guards stationed on both sides. "Hold you're breath and prepare yourselves."
"What are you showing us, Enrique?" Aika asked strongly, brimming with curiosity.
"Just wait." Enrique responded, and with that, opened the door before them.
The group walked in to a gigantic open room, and they all entered fervently. They looked about the area momentarily, but all quickly fixed their eyes on the central figure that they had been brought to see. Silent awe swept over them, as words were lost to all. Enrique smiled, and then proudly offered them what had already been realized but not yet comprehended.
"Vyse, I present to you, the Delphinus."
Vyse, Aika and Fina cheered loudly as Aetius looked on with amazement. He had never seen this ship before but had only heard of its legend.
"Enrique, are you.." Vyse started, stuttering with awe. "Yes Vyse," Enrique assured him "It's yours once again, and this time, for good."
"Enrique, how can we possibly thank you for this?" Fina asked humbly. "Actually," Enrique began "I'm not just giving you this ship for the hell of it. I do have some specific things that I…Valua needs you to do."
The four looked on, with looks mainly of excitement. They saw a possible adventure before them, though they also recognized the dangers that may be laid before them. "Tell us what you want us to do, Enrique." Vyse began, "We'll do what we have to protect your Valua."
"Okay, now all of you listen closely." Enrique talked slowly and pensively, greatly emphasizing his words. "It's only a matter of time before we are at war with Nasr, this I know for fact. Although most of our rebel navy at Soltis returned to our command, the Nasrean fleet is getting stronger and stronger, and we are definitely undermanned. It's only through strategy and strong leadership that we can hope to prevail. This is where you come in."
"Enrique, are you just giving us this ship to serve in your army?" Aika asked, somewhat surprised. Usually Enrique isn't so strait forward.
"In essence, yes Aika." Enrique stated, now with a little less confidence. "I will appoint all of you senior admirals of my fleet. You guys together are the only ones who could thwart Anakin in his plans."
There was no thought amongst them; within seconds Vyse responded back with force "Of course we'll help you! This is a fight of good versus evil, not just a political fight. Count us in!"
"Me too!" Aika shouted. "I'm in this till the end!"
"I will be of assistance." Fina quietly added. "I will do my best."
"I Guess I'm up for a second tour of duty." Aetius proclaimed with renewed confidence. "Count me in."
Enrique smiled wide, knowing he had done his part. "Great. Now listen, my scout have written some reports that you can find on the bridge. They should give you the information necessary to help you succeed. Once again, thank you. Thank you all."
Enrique and Vyse shook hands, and the rest gave there own signs of affection to him as they one by one entered the ship.
"Aetius, you sure you're up for this?" Enrique asked as Aetius readied to board.
"Oh yeah. Anything for Valua." With those words, he ran on board.
With the start of the engines the group went back to usual stations, with Aetius a bit confused.
"Wait Vyse." He asked, bewildered. "Shouldn't you be sitting in the captain's chair?"
Vyse laughed, and then explained. "I'm a true captain, Aetius. I take the wheel."
Aetius only smiled. He truly admired this man.
As the ship exited the bay, Enrique watched there departure. In his heart, he didn't expect to see them ever again.