A/N: Major huge apologies for anyone who was waiting for a quicker update. I'm moving down to university at the end of the month so I've been mega busy with that. Really, really sorry! Will try to be way more efficient in the future. Anywho, here's a hefty two chapter update to make up for it. Peace.

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Chapter VIII) The Stars Light Up Our Targets (Part One)

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"Don't fight shy of adventures; I'd sooner you lived dangerously."

Alexander Dumas, "The Three Musketeers."

-

The gentle throbbing of mana engines filled the silent night air as the Dawn Sabre made its way across the ocean towards the mainland – the destination of Mizuho still some distance away. Colette stood on the sparsely populated top deck of the vessel, feeling the cool wind caress her face as she looked up at the stars, held fast in the grip of the inky darkness. The blonde haired girl fiddled idly with one of the beaded bracelets around her wrist as she stifled a small yawn from a non-existent audience. Amazing how, just a few minutes earlier in bed, tiredness had eluded her!

She stretched her arms high above her head, taking one last look at the clear night sky before turning to go back down below deck – only then seeing Rochelle heading towards her location.

"Hi!" Colette greeted the young Felesian with a smile, and tried to stifle another yawn. "What's up? Couldn't you sleep?"

Rochelle shook her head, grinning. "Nah, not really babe," she took position beside the former Chosen, and leant over the railing to look at the dark sea far below the ship "What about you?" The Felesian was smiling wickedly, "Still avoiding the captain?"

"What?" Colette felt her cheeks warm slightly at the comment, "O-oh, no – I couldn't really sleep either." She felt her thoughts drift away for a moment, then smiled. "Isn't it exciting? It's like we're on a big journey!"

"Yeah, soon we'll be at Mizuho…" the Felesian trailed off, her tail twitching slightly. She couldn't tell whether it was because of the tone in the younger girl's voice, but Colette sensed that the young girl seemed sad for some reason.

"Is something the matter?"

"Huh? Oh, no babe…not really, it's just..." Rochelle rubbed absently at the clothing covering her upper left arm and paused. "Um…" she sighed. "Oh damn it…no, there is something…wrong. Colette, can I…can I show you something?"

Colette nodded, feeling quite glad that the Felesian was opening up at last. "Sure, what's up?"

Rochelle didn't break her gaze from the horizon. "And…if I show you this…you promise you won't…hate me?"

"What? Of course! No-ones going to hate you." The former Chosen sat herself down on the deck and smiled reassuringly at the Felesian. "Hehe, we're friends after all."

Rochelle sat down opposite Colette and looked up at the stars for a few moments. Her eyes were moist and shimmered in the moonlight as she blinked and took a deep breath. Then, keeping her gaze on the wooden floor beneath them, the young girl rolled up the sleeve of her left arm.

Colette gasped, despite herself. Attached to the skin of the Felesian's upper arm was an Exsphere. It was surprising large, the ruby red crystalline structure embedded into a gold coloured border – the whole thing glistening in the silvery light. Despite the Exspheres unusual position, it looked strangely familiar to the young Chosen, but she couldn't think from where.

"Rochelle…you have an Exsphere?"

"Yeah," The Felesian replied, looking fiercely at Colette. "And I don't want to you to say anything to anyone about it, okay?"

"But…why didn't you just tell us?" Colette felt confused at her friend's defensive words.

"Are you serious?" Rochelle snapped, looking back at the horizon. "I've heard how people talk about these things, and about those who use them. I heard Lloyd and Regal and…Big Sis too. They seemed really…angry when they were speaking about those who abuse Exspheres. I don't even know how this, this thing,got on me…but…they're gonna hate me for it, aren't they? They're not gonna want me around."

Colette didn't know what to say for a second, and during that time Rochelle swallowed and fixed the former Chosen with a teary stare. "…I-I'm sorry babe," she whispered. "I shouldn't have yelled…I –"

"It's fine, don't worry about it." Colette interrupted soothingly. "Nobody is going to hate you just because you've got an Exsphere. After all, a lot of us have them ourselves."

"Yeah, I know that – but you guys use them to prevent other people from abusing them. I don't remember but…what if I…was one of these people?" Rochelle looked around as a pair of crewmen walked past and hastily pulled her sleeve back down. "I don't want to lose you guys. You're the only friends I've got."

"And we always will be." Colette smiled at the tearful girl. "I don't think you're a bad person, and I don't think you've ever abused the power of your Exsphere."

"I wish I knew for certain. Maybe…I should tell Lloyd and Big Sis…but what if…" Rochelle began pawing at her eyes and looked down at the floor. "It would really help if I could get to this Triela place y'know? All I've got at the moment is the hope that the people there can help me."

Colette thought about the hidden village for a second, then brightened. "Ceiridwen seemed agitated when we asked her, right? Perhaps she had some problems there? She seemed a nice person, I'm sure she will help you if we explain it to her."

"Do you see everyone as a nice person?" Rochelle asked, sounding half-amused and half-irritated.

Colette smiled cheerily, ignoring the sharpness in the Felesian's words. "Well…I think there is goodness in everyone, even bad people. Ceiridwen was friendly enough to us, even though she didn't help us, and I'm sure we could all be friends."

"Yeah…I guess you're right…in a weird kinda way." Rochelle leapt up and bounded forward in a single movement to sit beside the former Chosen. Colette winced slightly at the sudden strength in the young girl's arms as she embraced her in a tight hug. "It's really cool babe, how you can be so positive all the time."

"Ah…no, that's just me. Guess I just don't consider everything realistically."

"Nah, I like that – I really do! Maybe one day I can be more like you." Rochelle leaned gently against Colette as she looked up at the sky before changing the subject in her usual erratic manner. "Wow, look at all these stars! Bet you I can count them all before you do!"

"Hehe, you're on!" Colette giggled as she joined the Felesian in staring up, quietly relieved that she had been of some help.

-

"Lloyd look! There are so many stars in the sky!" Presea ran from the door leading out onto the rear of the top deck, awash with excitement. Reaching the railing at the edge of the ship, the pink haired girl peered over at the ocean below them – drinking in the view eagerly despite feeling slightly on edge due to their height.

"Yeah, it's a really clear night." Lloyd replied as he joined her, rubbing his hands together to keep the cool night air at bay. "And look! You can see them all reflected in the water too."

The spectacle certainly was unusual. The clear quality of the star pocked sky was mirrored by the ocean, and the overall effect made it seem that the sky continued far below them as well as above. Presea felt an ecstatic dizziness swell up inside of her at the strange sight. "It feels strange," she whispered. "Like if I fell into it I would fall forever."

She felt Lloyd's hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, I won't let you fall," he said, sounding slightly amused. "It's pretty amazing though – the stars are really bright!"

"This is true. I wonder if the nature of the environment has some effect of the visibility of the stars," Presea muttered aloud. "I've never seen them this bright on land."

"Too bad the Professor isn't here," laughed the young man. "We probably could've got a lesson off her on the subject."

"That would be good," Presea smiled to herself as she shot Lloyd a sidelong glance. "Although the likelihood of a lesson being wasted on you is high."

"Argh, that was low. Y'know, you're certainly turning into a real joker." He rubbed the back of his head as he laughed. "Shame they're at my expense."

"I guess it is just…" Presea paused, staring intensely at the stars as if they were helping her get her thoughts in order. "…I see the value in humour, but until recently I have always felt I lacked the abilities required to be humorous itself." She leant her head against Lloyd's shoulder, enjoying the close contact. "To that extent…I have changed, correct?" She realised her voice sounded hopeful.

Lloyd grinned. "Sure! You've changed in lots of ways." It was his turn to shoot her a sidelong glance. "Still trying to decide whether it's a good thing though, what with me being the butt of all your jokes."

"My ability with an axe has not changed however," Presea's laugh echoed Lloyd's in the quiet air. "So be nice." The pink haired girl felt a happy warmth flow though her body as she traded comments with the young man. "I have enjoyed myself today. This is an…" she searched for the word. "…Exciting way to travel."

"Yeah, this ship rules!" Lloyd's face creased with a frown. "Too bad its captain is an idiot."

Presea looked at the young man as she considered his words. "Quinn is presumptuous, arrogant and overconfident but you…seem to have taken an intense dislike to him."

"I guess…I'm not quite sure what it is about him." Lloyd shrugged. "He just pisses me off."

Presea smiled encouragingly at her partner. "At least you only need tolerate him for the journey to Mizuho. It is a relatively short time."

"Yeah, not long now." Lloyd squinted as he looked into the distance. "Hey, what's that?"

Presea followed the young man's finger as he pointed to a section of sky nearly directly above their position. At first it looked like a tiny star – albeit an exceptionally bright one - except that it seemed to be coming closer by the second. And it was red.

A few moments later, the red light burned its way through the sky above the ship, splintering the top section of the mast beside them. Lloyd and Presea's open-eyed gaze followed the beam of light as it passed through the sky into the distance – never faltering or changing course once.

"Watch out!" Presea looked up at Lloyd's warning to see the section of mast, which had been sheared off, fall down towards them. The pair leapt aside just in time to avoid the flaming debris as it impacted with the deck – shattering the thin wooden floor easily. Presea pulled aside her loose hair as she looked around to see a second red beam pass by, narrowly missing the rear tower of the Dawn Sabre.

"What is that?" Lloyd shouted above the noise that filled the air – indicating that the ship's mana engines were shifting into full speed.

"Is it…magic?" Presea grabbed hold of the railing as the Dawn Sabre shook violently – beginning to wheel tightly through the air. Another red beam tore through the empty sky the ship previously inhabited, dispersing the thin filmy clouds that had moved in from its absence.

"I don't know – but it can't be good." Lloyd looked about at the smouldering wood and sailcloth as Presea hauled herself off the floor.

"No, Perhaps it would be wise to find the captain." The pink haired girl looked up at the tiny specks of burning ash falling around them. "We should enhance our speed!"

-

Quinn burst through the door of the bridge, trying to force himself awake as he did so. The night helmsman and navigator looked around at his entrance, as did Alwyn – who had been performing the night duties.

"Status?" Quinn asked, looking through the bridge window to witness a thin red beam pass across the deck of his beloved ship. Whatever it was, it wasn't welcome.

"Mana cannons by the look of things," Alwyn replied, bracing himself against the navigation table as the ship continued its sharp turn. "Judging by the quantity of shots, we estimate that there are approximately two hostiles."

Quinn frowned as he searched the sky in front of them, "Two, eh? And there was me thinking we would have a nice, quiet trip. Have we estimated their locations, Vorne?"

"We believe one hostile is directly above our location, and another is 90 degrees west, 500 metres," the navigator replied, plotting out co-ordinates on the map before her. "It's hard to be certain though with all this cloud."

"Okay, well…we will use the cloud to our advantage for now – use it to hide us until we can work out where our adversaries are. Oh, and have Pietro ready some of the smoke shells." Quinn scowled as he continued to scan the sky before him. "If it's not Pirates then our guests have made one or two enemies we don't know about."

-

"Captain Merendez, the Dawn Sabre is attempting to flee and our weapons are still recharging. Shall we pursue?"

Ardell Merendez looked out of the bridge window before him and shook his head, a smile forming on his lips. "No, maintain our position above the cloud layer – our old friend Quinn is trying to lead us into it and thus reduce our visibility."

He turned to his second in command, feeling the satisfaction that having the element of surprise gave him. "Contact the Juniper and have them try to flush the Dawn Sabre out towards our location. Make sure our cannons are recharged too." Merendez raised a hand to his cheek, running a finger over the long scar that marred his otherwise flawless, if pale, skin. "You won't be getting away this time, Quinn."

-

"Colette! Colette!"

The young lady felt someone shake her by the shoulders as she struggled to open her eyes, her head throbbing violently in pain. The moment her vision swam into focus – revealing the star smattered sky and large tongues of flame caressing the mast and sails above – the former Chosen realised she was lying on her back. She felt something heavy move off her legs, and fought off waves of thick nausea to see Rochelle shifting a large piece of wood. There was concern on the Felesian's face as she threw the debris to one side and ran to kneel beside Colette.

"Colette babe! Are you okay?"

She tried to answer, but the nausea remained, and for a moment she thought she was going to be sick. The ambience of panic surrounded her, but her senses seemed muted – and the sounds of people running back and forth shouting orders was muffled beyond recognition.

"Colette!" Rochelle placed her hand on the former Chosen's brow, wiping it timidly.

Colette took a deep breath before nodding, wincing at the pain inflicted on her by the movement. Rochelle bit her lip, and as the Felesian withdrew her hand, Colette saw it was slick with her blood. The young woman suddenly felt very sick.

"What…what happened?" She tried to sit up, but even greater pain and dizziness consumed her. The former Chosen felt herself shaking as Rochelle gently forced her to lie back down.

"Something's attacking us," replied the Felesian – having to shout over the muffled noise of combat. "This crazy red beam hit the side of ship, and some of the debris fell on you."

Attack? Colette blinked back the dizziness, using the word to focus her thoughts. After a few moments she felt the sickness subside briefly. "What…about Lloyd and Presea?"

"I haven't seen them." Rochelle looked pale and scared, her hair windswept and damp with sweat and, like her clothes, with the former Chosen's blood. "I was gonna go look for them, but I wanted to make sure you were all right. Oh Colette, you are okay, aren't you? You…you shouldn't move."

"It's…okay." Colette sat up a little, rolling over so she was on her hands and knees. "I'll be fine – we have to go see if they're all right."

"No, please Colette. You have to stay put. You're…you're cut real bad. I'll go try to find you a doctor – okay?"

At the Felesian's words, Colette raised a shaking hand to her forehead and felt the sticky dampness of blood on her skin, pouring from the wound on her head like a small stream. As she brought the hand down to look at it, she felt the nausea return. The blood, no – everything, seemed so bright. Colette watched the blood rain down and puddle on the floor between her outstretched hands.

"Oh…" she managed, before the dizziness took over, causing the young lady to fall to the ground as she momentarily blacked out.

"Colette!" She felt Rochelle drop down beside her, but her eyelids were too heavy to open. Colette allowed herself to be rolled onto her back by the Felesian, who addressed her in a trembling voice.

"Okay…I'm…I'm going to do something that might help you, okay? Then I'm going to get you a doctor. D-don't…don't open your eyes until I say so."

Colette heard the words but had trouble interpreting them. She felt her head loll one way then the other as Rochelle placed her hands on the wound. The former Chosen didn't know what the Felesian was doing, but felt a cool sensation envelop her forehead – the pain and dizziness receding slightly.

"O-okay, can you open you're eyes? I'm going to try and bandage the wound."

Colette's eyelids parted slightly and, through blurry vision, she could see the young girl rip a section of her sleeve away to use as a makeshift bandage.

"Please stay here babe," Rochelle pleaded, ducking instinctively as a red beam crackled through the air far away from the Dawn Sabre. "I'll find Lloyd and Presea okay? And you a doctor. I won't let you down."

Colette nodded, only dimly hearing the young girl's words and trying to fight off the urge to slip into a welcome unconsciousness.

-

Presea's lungs were bursting as she dashed through the ship, one deck below surface level. Dodging nimbly past organising crew members, she followed Lloyd towards the bridge. Although the destructive beams of red light had ceased temporarily, their legacy remained – a tightly suppressed panic rippling through the decks of the Dawn Sabre.

"Lloyd, we need to take the right turn up ahead," she shouted – the words triggering memories of the Altamira race from not so long ago. Given the current situation, Presea wished she was back there again.

Running up the stairway to the bridge, she joined Lloyd to burst through into the busy room.

"What's happening?" Asked the young man, gasping for breath.

Quinn, looking much more serious than before, remained facing the vast window. "Pirates."

"What?" Presea had heard many rumours of the criminals who now stalked the skies as well as the seas, but she was nevertheless amazed at such a prospect.

"The Cala Sinestre most likely. A pirate organisation," replied Vorne without looking up from her charts. "They are, in fact, the largest and most powerful of all the pirate groups currently in operation."

"Damn," Lloyd scratched his head. "What do they want with us?"

"You're guess is as good as mine." Quinn looked round, his eyes narrowing in thought. "They target ships carrying Exspheres, so it could be that. Or, more likely, they just don't want us to reach our destination."

Mizuho. Presea looked out of the window. "The attacks have ceased. Have they left the area?"

"Unlikely," Alwyn looked across at Presea, and a good-natured smile formed on his lips. "More likely than not they're just waiting for us to leave the safety of the thick cloud cover."

A thought came to Presea at those words. Surely it would be a waste of time and resources to have more than one ship simply waiting for them to emerge from cover?

The pink haired girl looked at Quinn. "Unless there is more than one hostile," she offered. "Would it not make sense for them to try and chase us out of the cover in the direction of more of their forces?"

"She's got a point, Captain," added Vorne. "We estimated at least two ships."

Quinn's brow furrowed. "It is the most likely manoeuvre – unless, of course, it is the tactic that they want us to think they will use." The captain paused, idly flicking a strand of hair as he worked out the possibilities. "Ah, the hell with it. Pietro has loaded the smoke shells, right? Set a routine patrol course within the cloud layer – if they are sending a ship in to look for us then we can at least surprise them by coming for them first."

"Uh…right…" Lloyd frowned.

"Hey, have a little confidence in your captain!" Quinn laughed as he walked over to the window. "We'll be fine – the Dawn Sabre is a tough ol' ship." His face remained impassive as he surveyed the ravaged deck below. "Hey Alwyn, get Ceiridwen and her boys to repair some of that damage on top deck."

"Aye Captain." The elf turned to relay the order. " She'll just love that."

-

Rochelle leapt over a hole in the deck, using a section of rigging to aid her in clearing the still-burning gap. The wind buffeted hard against her face and she brushed her rebellious hair away from her eyes, glanced hurriedly at the numerous figures running about on deck. Not one of them looked like a doctor.

Suddenly, the clouds to the left of the Dawn Sabre parted, the thin vapours swirling like a vortex as the slim hull of another ship moved steadily forwards towards its location. A small whine began to fill the air as a number of red lights began to glow in the many portholes on the approaching vessel. Rochelle noticed they were the same colour as before and, putting two and two together, realised that they were weapons ready to fire.

-

"Captain! Ship approaching. It looks like the Juniper, sir!"

The warning had been entirely unnecessary, for Quinn could see the ship heading towards them through the bridge window. He also saw it was about to fire.

Grabbing hold of the communications pipe, Quinn flicked the switch to the Munitions Hold.

"Pietro, open fire with our smoke shells and have the mana cannons ready to fire. Levell, get ready to turn hard to port the moment our ship fires."

The ship rocked slightly as the first barrage of mana beams from the Juniper flew by, several of them hitting their target and smashing into the front of the Dawn Sabre. Quinn winced as wood and flames joined together in a destructive dance – his beloved ship shuddering under the barrage. A few seconds later, a round of shells was launched from the Dawn Sabre – and Levell, the night helmsman, quickly guided the vessel in the direction specified by his captain. The Dawn Sabre rotated on the spot as large quantities of thick grey smoke erupted across the clouds, the ship turning so that one side was facing the Juniper.

Judging by the row of glowing mana balls forming, the enemy was readying their cannons to fire again. Quinn grabbed the communicator, hoping that the Dawn Sabre's weapons were ready.

"Pietro, fire at will."

-

A series of high-pitched whines culminated in a thunderous roar of energy as the Dawn Sabre mana cannons unleashed their wrath on the smoke screen – and the Juniper within. Colette came dizzyingly to her senses as the deck shook violently with the ship's discharges. Steadying herself using the mast she had been sitting against, Colette climbed to her feet – the young girl's head still swimming as she looked across at the thick smoke cloud beside the ship.

The billowing grey substance swirled as more mana beams pierced it. A bright tint began filtering through the smoke, causing it to glow red, yellow and orange from the flames that appeared to be bursting forth from the mass. As she tried to stop her mind from losing itself in the vast, star studded sky, the former Chosen saw several, desperate looking, beams of red mana shoot from the smoke towards the Dawn Sabre, but the majority of them missed the turning vessel. Quinn's ship unleashed its own volley in reply, and the sound of explosions sounded from within the thinning smoke blanket. Squinting, Colette could make out the silhouette of a vessel in serious trouble – flames billowing from it in all directions as it began to lose height.

-

"Captain Merendez, we are receiving word that the Juniper has suffered significant damage, and is unable to sustain flight."

Ardell smiled cruelly at his vice-captain. "It is of no concern – the Juniper has served its purpose. It would never have been victorious against the Dawn Sabre in the current conditions, but at least it has revealed our opponent's whereabouts, correct? Fire all mana cannons at our opponent and bring us in close. When we are within range, have the Locusts attack." The captain sat back in his chair and ran his fingers through his long, silky black hair. "This time, show them no quarter."

-

Vorne turned to look at the captain, her young but experienced face unable to hide her jubilation. "Captain! The Juniper is retreating! It looks heavily damaged."

Quinn grinned at Lloyd, "See? Have a little faith next time, okay?" The brown haired man turned to take his seat, looking relieved despite his outward confidence. "Alwyn, any news on the other ship?"

Before the elf could reply, the Dawn Sabre was rocked by a series of blasts as numerous beams of mana hurtled downwards, spearing through the top deck of the ship and shattering another mast. Quinn swore viciously as his vessel lurched sideways, sending numerous charts, books and other utensils crashing to the floor.

Presea grabbed hold of a table to steady herself and looked out the window. "Our assailant appears to be above us."

"I knew that." Quinn looked slightly irritated as he picked himself up off the floor. "Emergency manoeuvres," he shouted, picking up his hat. "We're a sitting duck here."

"Locust's approaching," shouted Alwyn, who had managed to remain on his feet throughout the barrage. "Lot's of 'em."

"Bastards," Quinn massaged his brow. "Though I can't say I'm surprised. Launch our own vessels, the Halberds – but make sure they stay close to the ship. We haven't got nearly enough pilots to cope without the support of the Sabre." He looked wearily across at Lloyd and Presea. "Don't suppose either of you two can pilot a small, single man, ship?"

"Yes," replied Lloyd hastily, and once again Presea could feel the atmosphere in the room grow tense. Looking quickly about, she realised she wasn't the only one as Alwyn met her gaze. The elf smiled and rolled his eyes.

Quinn stared at Lloyd for a moment, as if he was assessing him. "Learn not to be so reckless, kid." But the captain nodded. "Well, we're pretty desperate for pilots so I guess you'll do – Vorne, go take our young firebrand down to the launch bay and get one of the other pilots to show him the ropes." He turned his gaze to Presea. "What about you little miss?"

Presea felt very self-conscious as everyone's gaze fell on her.

"…I have had little experience with piloting vessels of any size, so I do not think I would be of much help. Plus, with my arm still slightly injured, I would be performing at a much lower capacity than usual." The pink haired girl looked to Lloyd for reassurance, feeling slightly useless.

The young man's eyes met hers and he smiled, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, don't worry about it Presea. It'll be fine."

Presea looked across at the window, seeing a large amount of vessels, each no bigger than a Rheaird, bearing down on the Dawn Sabre – the tiny flecks of light making them look like moving stars. Watching them all advancing made her very nervous about Lloyd's safety, and she looked up at him – feeling slightly nauseous.

"You will…be careful, right? Minimise any reckless activity and…come back."

Lloyd laughed, but the pink haired girl could tell it was his way of reassuring her. "Don't worry, I'll be careful. You make sure that there's a ship left to come back to, right?"

Presea smiled, still feeling her stomach turning in nervous knots. "I will do my best."

"Hmph, will ya listen to the kid?" Quinn looked across at Alwyn as Lloyd left with the navigator – scowling in mock irritation. "Can pilot a ship and he thinks he knows it all. Well, lets move then people. Presea, my little darling, you can take over from Vorne while she's gone." The Captain brushed a lock of hair aside and winked at the pink haired girl. "Don't worry, it'll be a breeze."

Presea looked at all the charts and maps and blinked. "A-affirmative."

-

The top deck was in ruins after the recent assault from above – small flames running loose around gaping holes in the deck and up the wooden structures. Rochelle steadied herself as the ship shook again, its mana cannons firing upwards at an unseen target. The Felesian found her gaze staring up at where the beams vanished from sight through the clouds, and had to force herself to tear it back down to deck level. Smoke irritated her reddening eyes as she scanned the people running about, but she still couldn't find anyone that looked like they could help Colette.

The Felesian sighed and continued her dash across the surface of the vessel, her lungs feeling as though they would burst at any second. Fear sustained her, lending stamina to her weakening body, but it was the well being of her companion that forced her to continue on, even as more beams of mana struck the ground around her – sending pillars of flames and smoke spiralling upwards.

The young girl heard a low groan as she leapt past a smouldering pile of debris near one of the destroyed masts. She paused for a moment, her ears twitching as she tried to work out if it had been real or not before it happened again – slightly louder this time. Bounding over to the pile, Rochelle gingerly lifted some of the lighter pieces and saw the injured form of Ceiridwen lying underneath. Both surprise and concern propelled Rochelle into action, and she tore away the remaining debris and rolled the older Felesian onto her side.

Ceiridwen coughed and opened her eyes weakly as she was moved, wincing slightly as Rochelle checked the wounds on her legs and side.

"Heh…didn't expect…to be rescued by you…" she whispered, coughing again.

"You kidding?" Rochelle closed her eyes and shook her head. "You can be a selfish jerk all you want, but me? Well, I'm a nice girl and I'll help you regardless." She remembered Colette's words earlier, and realised she was being a little harsh – so she tried to soften her remark with a warm smile. " 'Sides, if I don't save you, how are you going to tell me how to get to Triela?"

Ceiridwen blinked, her eyes heavily glazed. "What…?"

Rochelle flicked her tail and shrugged, "Ah, don't worry – I'll win you round…someday." The Felesian turned at what sounded like large numbers of Rheairds flying though the air. It took a few moments for her eyes to come to terms with what they were seeing – numerous small ships bearing down on their ship, and a fair few leaving the Dawn Sabre to intercept. The whole event was becoming both extremely confusing and exciting, and the young girl took her mind of the conflict as best she could by making sure Ceiridwen was all right.

The weakening wood of the deck creaked slightly beneath them, and Rochelle's ears twitched as she assessed the situation.

"I can't leave you here missy," she said. "Let me try and get you back to where Colette is, okay? At least the doctor can treat you both at the same time."

When I find one that is, she added silently.

-

"The locusts have engaged the enemy, Captain," reported Merendez's second in command. "The Dawn Sabre appears to be providing limited support to its small ships."

Merendez nodded, not taking his eyes from the view of the battle the bridge window afforded. "Either Quinn is laying some kind of trap we haven't picked up on, or he is not on form today. Oh well, ready the boarding hooks and take us down to engage them."

-

Lloyd jerked at the controls of his vessel and the craft responded instantly, narrowly avoiding the small blasts of mana from the attacking locusts. The small ship, though enclosed, responded similarly to a Rheaird – albeit much more sensitive. The young man tried to target a Locust, but his mastery of the firing system was still low, and his shot missed the mark completely.

Thin clouds whipped by as Lloyd turned the vessel around, once again just dodging a well-aimed shot. The young man gritted his teeth. This was going to be tough.

-

"Captain, early reports indicate that enemy locusts suffered significant losses during the first attack wave. Our own ships have also sustained fairly heavy casualties.

Presea shuddered at Vorne's words and looked up at the young navigator. "Excuse me…but does the report specify which vessels have been lost?"

Vorne shook her head but smiled sympathetically. "I'm afraid not, but…don't worry – your partner seemed to get the hang of the Halberd quite quickly. I imagine he's fine."

"Indeed," Quinn looked down at Presea. "A rather feisty character, and reckless to the point of carelessness…but he's got guts. I hear Lady Luck admires that."

The pink haired girl nodded, and looked down at the floor – feeling only slightly reassured. Please let them be right, she thought.

"Captain, look!"

The helmsman's cry broke Presea from her thoughts, and she joined Quinn in looking through the window. Above their position, a black ship the size of the Dawn Sabre split the clouds wide open as it descended towards them.

Vorne squinted at the sight. "That's…the Aria."

Presea felt ill at ease not knowing what was going on. "The…Aria?"

The navigated nodded, looking concerned. "Yeah, the second biggest ship in the Cala Sinestre fleet. Its captain is Ardell Merendez, an old friend."

Quinn shook his head, unable to hide his irritation. "So, Zao's sending his right hand man after us." He turned to look at the pink haired girl. "Knowing Merendez, he will try to board us. This will hopefully work in our favour – although I'm thinking it might get a little rough. I hope your friends are somewhere safe."

Rochelle and Colette! Presea realised with a surge of panic that she had no idea where her friends were. She hadn't seen them since before the attack, and anything could have happened…

She shook her head, turning to leave the bridge. "I am going to look for them," she said, remembering that she'd first have to detour to the guest room to retrieve her axe.

Quinn looked at the young woman and nodded. "…Understood. Alwyn, you have the bridge."

The elf smiled knowingly, "Yeah, sure. Same as always eh? Pretty damsel in distress and all that!"

"N-no, it's not that at all." Quinn shook his head as he straightened his hat. "If fighting breaks out then I don't want any non combat personal getting in the way. Besides, Merendez might be leading the boarding party."

"You are…coming too then?" Presea felt very restless just standing around now her friends' safety was in question, and she wanted to hurry. "We should maximise our speed."

"Sure, sure. Alwyn, have Pietro ready the non mana cannons but don't have them on display until we're ready to fire. Oh, and get Lowell to activate the mana nullifier – but make sure he filters it right, so that only the weapon systems in the area of effect are affected."

Alwyn laughed quietly and pointed to the door. "Quinn. I got it. Now get outta here!"

The ship shook a little as the first of the mooring ropes fired down from the Aria, breaking through the top deck and attaching themselves to the Dawn Sabre. Quinn took one last look before leaving the bridge. Whatever happened, it was going to be close.

-

"Crap!" Rochelle stared wide-eyed at the large spike of metal that had suddenly buried itself into the deck beside her. There was a clicking sound, and the rope attacked to the top of the spike became taunt, and the huge vessel that had appeared through the clouds above them started to descend rapidly.

Several other of these spikes had found their way onto the top deck of the Dawn Sabre and Rochelle looked up to see what looked like figures – attached to the ropes by their belts – sliding down towards Quinn's ship.

This isn't good, she thought, resting the now unconscious Ceiridwen against what was left of the mast next to her. Beside the pink haired Felesian, Colette was still struggling with staying upright, although she tried to help settle Ceiridwen as best she could.

"I don't like the look of this," she said, staring up at the descending invaders.

Rochelle watched the former Chosen pick up a long piece of wood, and wished she had kept her bow with her – although it probably wouldn't be too useful in the current situation. "We'll get killed if we stay here."

"Why? We haven't done anything to them!" Colette looked deathly pale, but she appeared as though she was fighting off her tiring mind successfully. "Um…can you carry Ceiridwen? We can try and make our way to the bridge or below deck. If anyone…attacks us, I can try to hold them off."

Rochelle looked dryly at the makeshift weapon Colette was holding. "What, with a crappy piece of wood?"

Colette laughed a little, and it slightly disturbed Rochelle that her friend could find humour even in this particularly bleak situation. She must have hit her head bad, thought the Felesian.

"Well…I might get lucky? Here, see…oops." The former Chosen gave the wood a test swing but lost her footing on the damaged deck and the weapon flew from her grasp. Rochelle watched the wood as it sailed through the air and struck the broken section of the nearby mast. A large metal pole was jolted loose from the impact and dropped down onto the deck below, severing through the mooring rope attached to the metal spike. No longer attached to the Dawn Sabre, the rope swung violently in the wind and, a few seconds later, four of the invaders were shaken loose – falling past the ship and disappearing into the clouds below.

Rochelle stared blankly at Colette. "Um…"

"Oh no," The chosen stumbled to the railing to look over the edge. "I hope there's water below to break their fall."

"…I don't think that's going to help much, babe." The Felesian knelt down to examine Ceiridwen. "Hey, she doesn't look too good – and neither do you! Come on, we better get outta here."

-

Lloyd pressed the button to fire for the third time but there was still no response. Looking round the best he could at such high speeds, the young man noticed that all of the other ships seemed to be having similar problems, and he wondered what was going on.

As if in response to his unvoiced question, the communicator in his vessel crackled into life.

"Attention all Dawn Sabre craft, this is vice-captain Alwyn speaking. The anti-mana field has now gone up, rendering all mana weapons useless. Use the newly installed green button beside the rearming one to switch to the shell cannons. This presents us with an advantage over our opponents, as they are not fielding non-mana weapons – although the cannons do have limited ammunition, so use them wisely. That is all."

Lloyd found the green button and thumbed it, guiding his vessel around to rejoin the, now one-sided, battle.

-

Presea felt her lungs reach bursting point as she dashed up the corridor leading to top deck, Quinn right behind her. Neither Colette or Rochelle had been in the guest rooms and she was feeling very concerned about their welfare. The axe felt heavier than normal and her injured arm struggled with the weight of the weapon.

As she neared the door, it flew open and two young men entered. Given the name pirates, Presea had been expecting some kind of obvious give-away in their physical appearance or clothing, but the only way she knew the men were hostile was by their drawn swords and fierce expressions.

The pink haired girl continued to run, sweeping her axe sluggishly up in a wide arc in front of her. The first man in, clearly surprised, tried to parry but Presea's weapon smashed cleanly through his, and embedded itself in him with a sickening thud. The second man tried to respond, blocking two of Quinn's thrusts before the captain's sword found his chest. Neither Presea nor Quinn faltered during the exchange, leaving the bodies behind as they emerged onto the top deck of the ship.

Presea surveyed the area, pausing for the first time since leaving the bridge to catch her breath. The cool night air roared ferociously around the vessel, and the pink haired girl inhaled it deeply – feeling the wind refresh her a little. The deck was a sea of carnage – the crew of the Dawn Sabre trying to hold off the invading pirates from the enormous ship above.

"Bastards. Merendez is going to pay for this." Quinn's jaw looked tense as he glanced around the deck – as if he was clenching it or grinding his teeth in fury at the situation. "Can you see them?"

"Negative, though the combat is making identification difficult." Presea found herself staring up at the sky whenever a small vessel flew past, wandering if it was Lloyd.

Wandering if he was even still alive.

There is nothing you can do at the present time that will of any help, the rational part of her brain told her. Presea closed her eyes, accepting the statement grudgingly, and lowered her gaze.

"We should make our way to the far end of the deck, to see if they are there," she said flatly, massaging her sore arm.

"Yeah…" Quinn was frowning at her. "Uh, you sure you're going to be okay?" The brown haired man pointed at her arm. "That really doesn't look too good you know."

"It…was damaged yesterday, but it will be fine. At present my abilities are impaired by around 35, but it will get worse the more time we waste not looking."

"…Right…" Quinn looked as though he was going to object, but didn't. "Don't take any risks though – If it gets too bad then you're going to the sick bay, right? Now, let's go."

-

"Would somebody like to explain to me what is happening?" Ardell watched the battle with growing unease at the amount of time that was passing without any clear sign of victory.

He didn't like unease.

"Sir…it looks as though something is affecting all mana weapons in the area. We and our locusts cannot fire our cannons, but neither can the Dawn Sabre and her ships."

"What is causing such a phenomena?" Ardell didn't know why he was asking – he already knew the answer and found himself biting his lip with fury. Quinn.

"We are not sure sir." The vice-captain's voice shook as he replied to the question. "But our locusts are suffering heavy losses, and two, no three, of the seven mooring ropes have been severed. It…it seems that the Dawn Sabre's Halberds are still able to fire."

This was not going as planned. Ardell paced the bridge, his brow furrowed. "Have the locusts withdraw then!" He snapped. "Zao will have my head if we suffer any more casualties. Fire more mooring ropes, and see if you can find out what's affecting our weapons."

-

Rochelle leapt back to avoid the sword thrust of the pirate attacking her, and hung by her tail from a low section of the mast. Her opponent swung again – leaving himself wide open, and she dropped down onto him – scratching fiercely at his face with her sharp claws.

The pirate cursed and swatted her away, his blow catching the Felesian hard on her jaw. Rochelle tasted blood as she leapt backwards to crouch protectively over Ceiridwen's unconscious form – dropping on all fours with a low hiss. It was an aggressive display, but it failed to take away the terrible fear she felt in the pit of her stomach.

Rochelle noticed that Colette was also under attack by the invaders, using her wings to add more speed and movement to her evasions, using what limited offensive magic she possessed to take the pirates out of action. But there were so many, and Rochelle could tell that her friend didn't have much strength left in her.

Spurred on by desperation, the Felesian leapt aside from her opponent's attack, kicking out at him as she did so. The pirate was ready for her attack though, and avoided it easily. He laughed as he cuffed the young girl round the head, sending her sprawling across the floor with a cry. Rochelle clambered back up on her hands and knees, looking around to see the man's sword bearing down at her.

This can't be happening, she told herself – screwing her eyes shut. Big Sis!

Rochelle's eyes jerked open at the sound of metal on metal and she saw Presea stood between herself and the pirate – their weapons locked together. The pink haired girl cried out some kind of invocation as she pulled her axe to one side – disarming the pirate easily. Rochelle thought Presea would have just disabled the man and moved on, but she was horrified to see her Big Sis continue to sweep the axe in a circular motion. The blade, now glowing with tiny orange flames, made contact with the man's left hip – slicing through his body as if it was made of paper and emerging from just under his right shoulder.

A large spray of the man's blood caught Rochelle in the face, and she screamed at the sudden violence of the act. Falling over herself to get away, the Felesian couldn't tear her eyes from what was left of her attacker. His blood was forming in puddles on the deck, running down the wood towards her.

Rochelle watched the crimson stream glitter in the soft moonlight as it flowed around her boots, and touched it gently with a shaking finger. It was warm, and smelled strongly. She looked back at the body, realising that the guy really was dead.

A wave of nausea flooded through Rochelle and she ran to the side of the ship, heaving and retching – being sick until she collapsed limply against the rails, coughing weakly.

"Rochelle…you are unharmed?"

The young girl felt Presea's arms wrap round her tightly, and she wanted to turn around – wanted to be embraced. But as relieved as she felt, the fear remained. Big Sis, she thought. Why was it so easy for you to…kill that guy? Why didn't you even blink? Or hesitate?

The Felesian felt her tail twitch and she nodded her head, still facing the horizon. "…Yeah." A thought came to her then. "Your axe was glowing…was that from your Exsphere?"

"What?" Presea's arms dropped away and Rochelle began to feel very cold all of a sudden. There was silence for a few moments – save for the sounds of combat. "…Yes. It was."

I knew it. Rochelle nodded. "Then they…they really are bad."

"I do not understand."

The Felesian's body surged with a sudden anger – like nothing she had ever felt before – and she spun round on Presea – her tail lashing the air furiously.

"Oh, don't give me that! Look!" Rochelle pointed at the body of the pirate, trying to ignore Colette, Quinn, and everyone else who were fighting. "Look what you did to him! Look what your damn Exsphere did!"

Presea followed the young girl's gaze, looking confused. "I…took his life to stop him from taking yours."

"Shut up! That's not what I mean!" Rochelle was too furious to pause and wipe the tears falling from her eyes. "Your Exsphere…"

"I would have terminated the invader with or without my Exsphere." Presea moved to place a hand on Rochelle's shoulder, but the Felesian swatted it away.

"You don't know that! It didn't…it didn't even bother you one bit did it? Grandpa was right – they are bad!" She pushed Presea back a step. "Look what yours made you do! I…don't want to be like that – I don't want to be like you!"

"Rochelle…" The pink haired girl looked really hurt, but Rochelle couldn't shake her anger.

"…Is everything all right?"

Rochelle turned to see Quinn and Colette approaching, the latter looking very worried.

"Fine," she replied – wiping her eyes and kneeling down beside Ceiridwen. "She needs a doctor. I'll take her – I'm not gonna be much use out here, that's for sure." The latter part she aimed at Presea, her anger forming a perverse satisfaction as she saw the remark hit home with devastating effect.

Quinn knelt down beside Ceiridwen, checking her wounds. "Damn it, those bastards! Hang in there lass." The brown haired man looked up at Rochelle. "You going to be all right taking her? You know where the medical bay is?"

"Sure. I'll find it." Rochelle avoided looking at Presea, the beginnings of guilt and shame filtering through her anger. She slung one of Ceiridwen's arms over her shoulder and set off down the ship. The sounds of combat were intense, but failed to cover Colette's voice as the former Chosen uttered the sentence that would haunt the Felesian for a very long time.

"Presea…what happened? Why are you crying?"