Chapter 2

By: Zosocrowe

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Ocean: Till the End of Time
I have merely borrowed a couple characters to createa silly fan story.
I have no money either.

11/01/04

Woltar grasped the polished oak banister as he climbed the stairs to his office at a tedious pace. He cursed his old bones and arthritic joints. One of those mysterious "transporters" the off-worlders used so often would be nice right about now. Then again, he wasn't sure if he liked the idea of beaming his body into a billion molecular parts. Those things couldn't work correctly all the time. He shuddered at the thought and decided he'd rather traipse up and down the stairs on creaking knees and sore ankles than have a leg replaced with an arm. Or worse, losing them all together.

He paused at the top, catching his breath. The nearby guard was watching him, but Woltar gave him an irritated looked that said, "Don't even think about it." The guard's beady eyes, visible just beneath his visor snapped ahead and Woltar straightened the lapels of his tailored coat. He might be an old man, but he'd be damned before he let any of his men hand feed him pity for it. He was still lord of his manor and captain of the Storm Brigade.

He cleared his throat as he approached his office. "Have you seen Albel about," he asked the stoic guardsman. A bead of sweat trickled from his temple and he resisted the urge to reach into his pocket for his handkerchief. Damn old age.

"Lord Albel?" the guard asked with a slight shake of his head, "No, I haven't sir."

Woltar frowned and glanced at the guestroom that Albel often used, despite having his own small residence adjacent to the training facility. "Odd," he murmured. "He's usually up by now."

Perhaps he'd actually gone to his own home last night, though Woltar found that highly unlikely. The Nox residence hadn't seen a human being in months; he knew this because he went to look for Albel there once and found the small manor ridden with rats and layered in dust. Albel wouldn't return there unless he had to, and the young lord made sure he had no reason to go there by moving what little items he considered valuable into the basement storeroom of Woltar's mansion.

Still, Albel's absence made him uneasy. Though unpredictable in more ways than Woltar cared to count, Albel's morning routine was fairly consistent. Unless he was away on the King's command, Woltar could count on seeing the lithe young solider pacing outside his office like an irritated panther each morning. There was no real need for the morning meetings, except that Woltar suspected it set Albel's mind at ease somehow. If there was anything the young Nox needed at this moment in time, it was a familiar face that he could at least place a little bit of trust in; though it would be a cold day in the Urssa Lava Caves before the proud warrior would ever admit it.

"Well," Woltar replied to the guard, "if you see him, tell him I wish to speak to him in my office."

The guard sort of winced, the thought of having to speak to captain of the Black Brigade obviously rattling his nerve, but he nodded and replied with a sharp, "Yes sir."

Woltar pushed open the heavy door and let it fall shut with a click behind him. He cast a solemn look at the stacks of parchment sitting on his desk. Never a day's rest, even for an old man such as himself. Ever since the restoration and treaty with Aquaria he found himself doing less "commanding" and more paper pushing. War was bloody, but it was certainly less complicated that all the politics and red tape that came along with alliances.

He sighed and slowly removed his coat, hanging it neatly on a tree-like hat rack. He took his time pouring himself a cup of tea that one of the maids had set out for him, aware he wasn't alone in the room. "You know," he said, stirring the steaming cup with a silver spoon, "you can give an old man a heart attack sneaking about like that, Ms. Zelpher." He smiled warmly and looked to the window, where a slim shadow stepped out from behind the heavy draperies.

The sunlight streaming through the awesome windows glinted from Nel Zelpher's breastplate and rippled along the sheen of her vibrant red hair. A slight smile, not quite friendly but neither hostile, played about her lips. She crossed her arms in front of her and leaned on a hip. "As cunning as ever, Lord Woltar," she replied.

Woltar arched a furry brow and shuffled to his desk. "Cunning? Me? I'm not the one sneaking through windows or hiding in curtains." Nel shrugged and he shook head as he sat down into his high-backed, oak framed chair. "You could use the front door, you know. Our days of sneaking about each other are long over," he said.

Nel moved around his desk and took the chair opposite of him. She crossed her legs casually, but something in her posture told Woltar the young lady was incredibly tense.

"Tell that to your guardsmen," she said, fixing him in a suspicious stare.

A look of genuine surprise passed over Woltar's face. "They refused you an audience?" he asked. When Nel gave him a stiff nod, he leaned back in his chair and laced his fingers together. "I do apologize," he offered after thinking for a moment. "Things these days have everyone on edge. I hope you won't take it as a personal offense."

"I asked to see Captain Nox," Nel told him, "and that's when things got dicey."

There was a curiosity in her eye that Woltar didn't particularly like. The girl was as quick as her father had been. He'd have to be very careful how he worded this conversation. "So it's Albel you seek?" he asked, his voice growing quiet. "I believe he is around, somewhere, though I can't be certain."

"So you don't know if he's here or not?" she said; her tone was suspicious as the look upon her face. "The King told me about the same thing, then sent me here. It struck me as strange that he, of all people, wouldn't know the whereabouts of one of his key commanders." Nel really couldn't care less how Airyglyph ran its military, but she was irked by the obvious run around she was getting. Since when did the notorious Albel the Wicked become a national secret?

Woltar stared at her for a long moment, his intertwined fingers tapping out an irregular beat on his knuckles. Finally, he smiled slightly and chuckled. "May I ask why you require an audience with Albel? I don't mean to appear like I'm prying, but Albel has been very...busy as of late. He's asked me to take care of any small details that arise." It wasn't exactly a lie. The young captain was busy with various things, though none of them pertained to national politics or military business.

Nel's brow folded into a frown. For some reason, it appeared that the Glyphians were trying hard to hide their Black Brigade Captain away from the rest of the world. Woltar's ruse wasn't concealing anything from her. The King had reacted the same way Woltar did when she asked to see Albel; he feigned ignorance and then shuffled her off elsewhere.

She wasn't about to be shuffled again. "Really, I have no obligation to tell you, but since it appears I won't see Albel until I do, I'll let you win...for now. I could care less about whatever you're trying to hide, but the Queen has sent me to ask Captain Nox for some assistance in a matter."

Now Woltar's bushy brows arched high on his forehead. "Indeed," he replied, now clearly interested in what she had to say. "To ask Lord Albel for assistance--it must be of great importance!" He couldn't think of any reason Aquaria would need a man as ruthless and unbiddable as Albel. He wasn't their cup of tea. Not one bit.

Nel leaned forward, placing both her feet on the floor. "If you consider Fayt being in danger 'of great importance', then yeah," she said, her eyes holding Woltar's in a serious glare.

"What?" Woltar started, dropping his hands to his desk, his wrinkled eyes widening. "Master Fayt is in danger? What has happened? I thought he was living peacefully in Peterny?" He certainly hadn't expected something of this magnitude. To be truthful, he'd thought Ms. Zelpher had perhaps come to pay a visit to her old comrade in arms--but that was probably just senility setting in.

"He was," Nel continued, "but he took a trip to a planet called Roak to visit that girl, Sophia, and her mother for a few weeks. When he returned, the ship's transporter had a 'glitch'--I think that's what they called it--and he was sent to an island just off the coast of Greeton."

Woltar nodded slightly. Those transporter things weren't as reliable as he suspected. "Still, why don't the off-worlders fix this? Fayt is familiar with this 'transporting', so why don't they just pick him up and then send him where he needs to go?"

Nel shook her head and scowled angrily. "They won't do it. They contacted us long enough to tell us where he was and that they were already behind schedule. We could either get him ourselves or he could wait for them to send another ship, which wouldn't be available for another two weeks."

Woltar was outraged at the information. He clenched his fists amidst the parchment and shook his head in disbelief. "They are still angry that Master Fayt refused their offer to work for their new government. This is a slap in his face for that transgression." It was so obvious it was disgusting.

He had to admit, at one point in time he was astounded at how easily Fayt gave up all the comforts of his advanced lifestyle and chose to live on Elicoor, a primitive world full of uncertainties and harshness. Yet as the years passed, Woltar began to understand that perchance the comforts of technology weren't quite so "comfortable". In fact, as Fayt explained it, life was far more complicated with all the gadgets and inventions. People on advanced worlds were lazy and focused on the material things in life. They'd forgotten what it was like to feel pride in working hard for something. They'd forgotten how to cherish their families and friends because there was little fear of death from illness, war, or starvation. They'd forgotten how to live like people should live, by embracing their lives each day; Fayt wanted no part of that world any longer. He loved Elicoor for its simplicity and purity, so he asked if he could remain on the planet, and no one contested.

Except the new Federation government. They wanted Fayt to join them in their research and development department. They offered him a high position job and plush benefits, but he declined. The only job they were really asking him to do was be a guinea pig and he'd had enough of that. He decided that no one else should be made to suffer the burden that he, Maria, and Sophia carried within them. All three refused and that rankled the new government's hackles. They subtly threatened, bribed, and blackmailed, but nothing worked. There was nothing they could do and all that was left was petty stunts such as this.

Pathetic.

Nel sighed, totally understanding Woltar's anger. "I suspect you're right. Since Fayt declined and we offered him amnesty, they don't feel obligated to respect him. Now that he's a citizen from a lower class world, that is..."

Woltar closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. "And they call us 'primitive'. Simply amazing. At least we know how to honor those who we owe our lives...no, our very existence to." He looked at Nel then, his wizened face softening somewhat.

Nel could feel her cheeks redden and she bowed her head. She knew what he was thinking, that she was one of those so-called honored people, but he was wrong. What she did was her duty. Fate, no pun intended, had dealt her the card and she played it. She had no doubt that the others felt any differently than she did. She cleared her throat. "Well, there's not much we can do about their government, but we can help Fayt. Aquarians take care of their own," she said, raising her chin with pride.

"As do us Glyphians," Woltar added, meeting her eye. They shared a moment, the knowledge that Fayt was neither Aquarian nor Glyphian, but an Elicoorian. He held no alliances anymore, nor would either country force him to ever choose. Once he became one of them, he'd vowed to protect Elicoor with his powers from outsiders seeking conquest, revenge, or whatever calamity that might come their way from the reaches of space. He asked for nothing in return, other than to live in peace among friends. The least they could do was offer him what feeble protection they could provide.

"So," Nel broke the silence, "May I speak to Albel now that you know the situation?"

Woltar sighed deep and heavy. He leaned back in his chair and laced his fingers once again, while his brow puckered. He couldn't deny her an audience with Albel now, though he wasn't quite certain why the captain was so important to this mission. It made more sense to send in a handful of the Queen's soldiers to extract Fayt. He suspected that Lady Nel was leaving out some important information. "I'll certainly pose the question to him, but I must say, taking someone like Albel along on such a simple mission is like...say...bringing a dragon to a dog fight...So let me put it bluntly, Ms. Zelpher, why Albel?"

Nel smiled slightly and crossed her arms. "Nothing gets past you, does it old man," she said.

"I've lived too long to be easily fooled, young lady," he said, chuckling with good nature.

Nel snorted lightly at his confidence. "Fine. If it means I get to speak with Captain Nox, so be it." She leaned forward, all amusement seeping from her face. "Fayt has been taken captive."

Woltar's face fell and paled. "What?" he whispered.

"Yes. He was found by the Greetonites and taken captive. Thinking this would be a simple mission, we sent a group in right away to retrieve him. Apparently a rescue was far too risky, considering the technology of Greeton, so they hurried back to the Queen with this information. That's when she sent me to find Commander Nox."

Woltar couldn't believe what he was hearing. For the longest time, Greeton had remained a solitary nation, avoiding the rest of the world as if it didn't even exist. They weren't regarded as a threat, though everyone knew that a war with them was something best avoided. Hearing now that they'd taken Fayt into custody was bleak news indeed.

"Certainly they aren't a threat to Master Fayt," Woltar said. "With his powers..."

"Fayt's power is unpredictable. He controls it better now than he did when it first manifested, but he won't use it to protect himself. You should know that, Woltar," Nel cut him off, shaking her head sadly.

Woltar almost rolled his eyes. What was it with the youth of today? You could place a golden egg in their hen house and they'd over look it without glancing twice. It was enough to drive an old man to his grave. Though he did give Fayt some credit; that boy was at least aware of his golden egg, he just refused to pick it up--unlike some other people Woltar knew. "I see," he finally said. "I suppose I have no choice then. We must tell Lord Albel…but…"

Nel frowned at the weariness in Woltar's voice. He said Albel's name as if he was drudging through thick sludge, and if she didn't know any better, the old man suddenly looked very tired. She knew Albel was a troublemaker, and she didn't particularly like then haughty man, but she couldn't help but wonder why there seemed to be so much secrecy surrounding him these days. Now that she thought about it, there'd been little to no news of him over the past few years. In fact, she'd only seen him on two or three occasions shortly after the incident with Luther. It was like he disappeared completely from the face of Elicoor.

Woltar stood and reached for his cane, which was propped next to the edge of his huge oak desk. He gave Nel a smile, though she could see it was forced, and offered her a hand. "Shall we go see if Lord Nox is awake?"

Nel's eye's widened. It was at least an hour to noon. She couldn't possibly believe Albel, a commanding officer, would still be a bed at this time of day. She also knew, from her travels with him, that the man rarely slept and always rose at the break of dawn. "Is he sick?" she blurted out, too astounded to be ashamed of her rudeness.

Woltar looked over his shoulder and arched a brow. His lips twisted into an odd half smile half frown and he replied, "Hmmm. I never thought of it that way." With that, he continued out the door with his usual slow, shuffling steps while Nel followed behind him, puzzled by the cryptic remark.

Thanks everyone for reading and reviewing! I really appreciate it!

This chapter was revised and edited for errors on 4/10/05