Eden's Zero - The Black Moon

by marcus00721

Cosmic Era, Year x495. It is two years after the Kaede War. Shiki and his friends continue their mission of hunting down Ziggy. Legends speak of an ancient star that can lead one to what is known as the Black Moon. The Black Moon can grant power to those who reach it, be it human or android. A fragmented star can lead those to the Black Moon. But what is the price of this power.

6. Chapter 6: Jigan King

"Did you all enjoy the opening act?" Xiaomei asked with a slight smile. "Truly a spectacle, don't you think? Shiki and his crew were successful in liberating yet another planet. But despite the successful operation, things did not go smoothly in the interim. Homura was kidnapped by the android Waltz, and another crew attempted to make their move on the Eden's Zero in the meantime. This is only just the beginning…but I'm currently speaking to you from a different point in time. You'll have to wait and see how these events turn out for yourselves." The narrator smiles, then turns her head to the side.

"Oh…it appears as though I have some more visitors. I haven't had any in a while. This should be interesting." Xiaomei kept that smile on her face. "It may be a little while before I get to speak to you all again, but do wish Shiki and his friends the best in their endeavors."

.

.

Waltz carried Homura to a ship. But not just any ship: this was the ship of Jigan King. The android was the spy of the lead bounty hunter. "You were quite troublesome, but I can imagine making a profit out of you." The injured android spoke to the unconscious woman. She was hoisted over his shoulder, and her wrists were bound to prevent her from suddenly attacking when she woke up. As Waltz traversed the ship, making his way to Jigan…

"Wow, Waltz. You look like shit." A woman spoke, her tone a bit deep and brooding. This woman had long black hair. It was a little messy and her bangs nearly covered her eyes. Her hair reached well below her lower back, and there was one section tied in a braid over her shoulder. Her eyes were yellow, and her left arm was entirely wrapped in bandages. Her outfit? A maid outfit. One with an extremely short skirt that showed off most of her legs, and she had a golden strap around her right leg. "Did that woman beat you?" She asked.

Waltz scowled. He was not in the mood for this. "You've a lot of nerve speaking down on me for being a maid, Blair. Last I saw you, weren't you in rags? Or did Jigan finally decide to put you to use after all your freeloading?"

"This is all I have, no thanks to any of you." The woman known as Blair scoffed and scowled at the android. Blair Elfin was the maid of Jigan King's ship: Fiertia. "What are you doing with that woman?"

"That is none of your concern." Waltz said, walking past Blair. "Tell me where Jigan is, or I'll make you clean the bathrooms again."

"I just finished cleaning them, asshole." Blair grumbled. She certainly wasn't in the mood for this, so she just pointed down the hall. "On the bridge as always. That I just spent the last hour cleaning."

"So you can be good for something, other than getting rid of excess Ether." Waltz spoke smugly while walking off, leaving Blair to stew in her irritation.

"I swear…" Blair growled. Although she stopped growling when her bandaged arm began to throb painfully. She grimaced, grabbing onto her arm as a painful sensation continuously pulsed throughout her entire body. Blair grit her teeth, hissing in pain as she leaned against the wall, squeezing her eyes shut. "Damn it…I'm so hungry…I need to finish cleaning…"

.

Jigan was on the bridge, looking over at the now liberated planet of Iceberg. He wasn't alone; there were two more people with him. Tobias; a tall young man with short black hair, gray eyes, a suit, and a scarf around his neck; and there was a young woman with long blonde hair and blue eyes. She wore a fancy dress and her hair was tied in a ponytail: Hanabi Watson. When Waltz entered the bridge, Jigan slapped his knee and gave a hearty laugh. "Well well! Look who's back and with a prize in tow!"

"You look terrible." Hanabi said with a snicker.

"But since you came back to us, it appears as though things went well?" Tobias said.

"Of course." Waltz said while placing the unconscious Homura in a seat. "This is a member of the Eden's Zero. She had an interesting sword that I think we can make some profit off if we sell her Ether Gear."

The large man, Jigan, stood up from his seat and moved closer to examine Homura. "Hm…she's quite a looker, too. Gahahaha! This was a good find. I knew that icy planet had to have something waiting for us, it was just coming from off the planet! I am so good at what I do."

"…" Homura slowly started to stir thanks to Jigan's loud and boisterous voice. Her eyes opened and she saw an unfamiliar face…multiple unfamiliar faces. She even saw Waltz out of the corner of her eye. She was quickly able to piece together her situation; she blacked out, got kidnapped, and her arms were restrained to keep her from using her Ether Gear. Knowing that she was in enemy territory, she acted out of instinct and sprang forward, aiming a kick at Jigan's jaw. "Release me!"

Jigan was a much larger man than Homura was and his reaction time was quick. So he caught Homura's leg and held her by it, causing her to dangle upsidedown in his grasp. "Feisty one, too! Now you just relax, missy. Surely you're aware of your situation….besides, your injuries look pretty bad, don't they?"

Homura glared towards Jigan. But he was right. It was probably best to comply. "Very well…"

"Good girl." Jigan practically tossed Homura to the floor, before Tobias strung her up to keep her tied and standing. "Now, how about you tell us you who are and your connect to the Eden's Zero."

Uh oh. Homura was not in a good position. Keeping secrets? Not her forte. "…My name is Homura Kogetsu. I am the Valkyrie of the Eden's Zero. That is all I can tell you." While Homura spoke, Waltz went off to go repair himself.

"And? Tell us the secrets of the Eden's Zero?" Hanabi spoke from her seat with a widening smile. Blair walked into the room shortly after Waltz left, standing in the corner and watching it all go down.

Homura shook her head. It was a good thing Witch never told her, for she could never keep a secret. So the lack of knowledge was better than no knowledge at all. "I'm afraid I cannot tell you, for I don't know. And that is the truth. Now, unhand me."

Jigan was displeased. Homura's defiant glare annoyed him. "I think you're lying to me. You know more than you let on. I want details on everything you know, Homura. Otherwise it won't be pretty for you. We already intent to pry your Ether Gear from your body…if you don't talk, I can't promise your safety."

"I would be careful if I were you." Homura responded. "I do not break easy. And my crew will save me, that I can promise you."

Jigan shrugged his shoulders. If this was the game Homura wanted to play, then he knew how to oblige. "Okay then, we can make this work in our favor. But I need you to understand one thing, Homura. I am Jigan King, the strongest bounty hunter the Kaede Cosmos. When I amass enough power, even someone like Elsie will be powerless before me. Do you know how I've gotten this far? I've done whatever it takes to get people to talk, and if they're useless to me, I throw them aside. Blair, come here."

Blair knew where this was going. The woman let out a sigh and slowly approached Homura, extending her bandaged arm outward. "Fine…"

"Wait!" Hanabi spoke up, causing everyone to turn in her direction. "Waltz just uploaded some interesting data to our mainframe. Those drones he used on the planet recorded a few things…and I think you'll like then. Captain."

"Oh?" Jigan motioned for Blair to stay her hand, which she did. "What's the report."

"A few days ago, something exploded in the Kaede Cosmos. Numerous fragments of this something flew out in all directions, some of them even going into the other cosmoses. Interestingly enough…" Hanabi said. "One of these fragments landed on Iceberg around the same time as the Eden's Zero's liberation mission took place. It looked like this…" Hanabi posted an image from the recording. It was the black fragment that Weisz picked up. In fact, the recording even showed him picking it up.

"…Hm…?" Tobias stroked his chin. "That black fragment…could it be?"

"The Black Moon Star?" Jigan whispered under his breath.

"The…" Homura said.

"Black Moon Star?" Blair finished.

"The Black Moon Star is key to finding the Black Moon! A source of unparalleled power for anyone who can reach it!" Jigan was suddenly very excited.

"It appears that the Eden's Zero is in possession of the fragment as we speak." Hanabi crossed her arms. "I don't know if they were looking for it, or found it by chance. Either way, this could work for us. Instead of torturing this poor woman, we can use her as a bargaining chip. The Eden's Zero is going to hunt us down, that's inevitable. So, why don't we lure them to us, take them out, and take the Black Moon Star fragment they have?"

"A wonderful plan!" Jigan laughed loudly. "We need to send them a message!"

Tobias walked towards Homura and began to examine her kimono pockets. Homura naturally kicked at him. "Where do you think you're touching, villain!?"

"Relax. I'm looking for your communicator." Tobias rolled his eyes, but Homura did manage to kick him in the face. He grunted and staggered back; everyone around, excluding Blair, withheld their snickers. "Blair, search her!"

"I think you got this." Blair crossed her arms, looking away. "Just because I'm dressed as a maid doesn't mean I'm going to do whatever you tell me."

"Go on, Tobias." Hanabi said with a teasing smile. Tobias just groaned… "Why me…"

.

.

It had been a little over a day since the events on Iceberg. Rebecca, Weisz, and Happy fully recovered and now the crew was on the bridge, gathered around the Black Moon Star fragment Weisz found. Rebecca was still a little down, since she felt like she could've stopped Homura from getting kidnapped. "…" She wasn't sure what to say either.

Shiki noticed this and placed his hand on Rebecca's shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll get her back. I know she did her best to keep you safe, too."

"Mm…yeah." Rebecca gave a slight nod. She tried to change the subject to the fragment in front of everyone. "So…what is this thing exactly? And why is it radiating such a weird power?"

"I was wondering that as well…" Weisz said while leaning forward in his seat. "I can tell it's a part of something, but that's about all I know."

"It's really pretty." Couchpo said.

"But what is it?" Jinn asked, hoping they would get an answer soon.

"This is a piece of the Black Moon Star." Ivry said while walking in the room with Hermit.

"The…Black Moon Star?" Shiki tilted his head. "I've never heard of that before."

"I….I think I have." Kleene placed her hand under her chin. "I think I remember Drakken mentioning something about it once. It was going to be one of his long-term plans, but since he was defeated, he won't get to use it. I don't know the details beyond his brief mentioning of it."

"The Black Moon Star is the key to finding the planet known as the Black Moon." Hermit explained. "Ziggy talked about it once before. The specifics are blurred by myth and legend, but there is one thing that is beyond a shadow of a doubt. Anyone who can find the Black Moon will obtain power to change the universe."

"WHAT!?" Everyone's jaw dropped.

"That kind of thing really exists!?" Rebecca was floored by this revelation. "And we have the key to that?"

"…" Weisz immediately thought back to Casey. He was right to want to keep that fragment away from him if this was the case. "It exists and it looks like people are already looking for it. Was it that explosion from the other day?"

"Yeah." Hermit nodded. "The Black Moon Star shatters into five pieces. Each shard will lead the way to another until the star is formed. Then it will lead the one who holds the shard to the Black Moon. That's how it goes."

"To think we stumbled upon something like that…" Laguna was amazed. "I guess we have to keep this safe. No doubt people are going to come for this at some point…"

"Can we destroy it?" Shiki asked with his arms crossed. He was serious about it. "If the Black Moon is found by someone with bad intentions, it could be trouble for all of us. If we can avoid it, we won't have to worry about it."

"I'm with Shiki." Weisz said. "The less the cosmos has of this thing, the better."

"It's worth a try. But I don't know…." Hermit stepped back as Shiki stepped forward.

Shiki focused his gravity on the Black Moon Star fragment. It was an incredible crushing force that he put force, trying to shatter the fragment into dozens of pieces. But after a few moments, it was very clear that nothing was going to happen. Shiki let out a soft exhale when he realized his effort was for naught. "There goes that idea…"

"So we're stuck with it…" Rebecca swung her feet in her chair lightly. There was still a lot about the Black Moon Star they didn't know, but they had a grasp of the situation. "Okay. I think we can worry about this once we get Homura back. Are there any updates on her location?"

"None yet." Pino shook her head. "We could track her through her communicator, but it seems like they turned it off."

"Ugh…" Rebecca frowned.

"We'll find her soon, though." Hermit reassured the others. And as they were talking about Homura, they received a transmission. "Huh…? I think she's trying to call us, her communicator is back online!"

"Quick, let's accept it!" Shiki said. The others turned to the screen attentively. What played on the other side? There was Homura, unconscious, tied standing up with her wrists bound above her head. Her injuries from the battle with Waltz weren't healed, nor did her captors even have the decency to bandage her wounds. Everyone gasped and stood up. "HOMURA!"

"Gayahahaha!" Jigan stepped into the frame. "Don't worry about her! She's just taking a little nap. Hello, Eden's Zero! I'm Jigan King, it's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"Jigan!?" Weisz's eyes went wide. "Whoa…the years have NOT been kind to you."

"Eh!?" Jigan's eyes widened when he saw Weisz." What in the…!? Weisz!? How are you so young!? It's been 50 years!?"

"You know this guy!?" Rebecca looked towards Weisz, who let out a regretful sigh.

"Unfortunately. But any good will I had towards him has been thrown out the window, seeing how he has our crewmate captive." He couldn't enjoy the sight of Homura being tied up when it was under these circumstances. Even his perversion wasn't that strong.

"Let Homura go, now." Shiki demanded, glaring towards Jigan.

"I'll gladly do that, but first you'll have to listen to me." Jigan said while raising his hand up. "I am Jigan King, the man who will soon be the cosmos' strongest bounty hunter. Not even the likes of Elsie will be able to stand up to me when I obtain that which I desire!"

"Get on with it…" Jinn grunted.

"It's very simple. If you want your crewmate back, then you will hand over the fragment of the Black Moon Star you have in your possession." Jigan's demands were simply, yet the crew of the Eden's Zero were still surprised. They only just finished talking about it, and of course they would be put into a situation where it was important. "I know you know how important it is."

"And it looks like you do as well." Shiki kept his eyes narrowed at Jigan. "You're not with that Casey guy, are you?"

"Who?" Jigan shook his head. "Don't change the subject!"

"That means the robot that Rebecca and Homura fought at least answers to this guy…" Kleene whispered. The others nodded in agreement.

"Did you hurt Homura?" Hermit asked.

"You should be grateful we haven't yet." Jigan said. "We were going to make her spill her guts about your crew, but she continued insisting that she didn't know anything secret or specific. Well, I did manage to get her tell us a few things, or rather, it slipped from her mouth. I was going to sell her Ether Gear to the market until one of my crewmates brought your acquisition of the Black Moon Star fragment to my attention." Hanabi waved in the background to the crew of the Eden's Zero. "So, I'll break things down for you. You must be the leader of the crew, right?" He stared at Shiki.

"Yeah…" Shiki nodded. Based on Jigan's tone, something told him that Jigan already knew this.

"Now then. Three days, we will meet at these coordinates." A map of the Aoi Cosmos appeared. The location was the desolate space where Nero 66 once was. "They should be familiar to you."

Shiki instinctively clenched his hand into a fist. Was this some sort of joke? He remained calm on the outside, but on the inside he was angry. "….Three days?" He inquired, hoping he would get a reason for such a long period of time.

"Three days." Jigan repeated. "I don't want to see you there any sooner or later than that. If you do, well…I'll just show you what happens. Blair, come here."

Blair appeared on the screen, her arms crossed under her chest. "Yeah?"

Jigan stared at Blair with a widening smirk. "Look, Blair. There's a nice feast of Ether just waiting for you. Why don't you give the woman a nice wake up call."

Blair grimaced at Jigan's phrasing. She felt her left arm throb for a second, enticed by the idea of Ether. With a heavy sigh, she walked behind Homura and extended her arm out. Whatever happened to Blair's arm was obscured by Homura's body. But they could all very clearly see something slash Homura's back, drops of blood dripping behind her onto the floor.

Homura shot awake. It felt like her body had a delayed reaction to the pain, but a second after Blair attacked her, she let out a blood curdling scream unlike anything anyone had heard. "G-Gah…AAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Everyone in the Eden's Zero gasped loudly at this display of cruelty. All member of the Fiertia grinned at their shocked faces…except Blair. She was the only one not even looking. Homura felt her body go into shock, trembling as she struggled to breathe.

"Fun fact about Blair. If she scratches someone enough times, they die." Jigan said proudly. "So think about your options carefully."

"HOMURA!" Everyone exclaimed in worry.

"I don't know what that girl did, but Homura is in bad shape…" Ivry reported. As the medic of the Eden's Zero, she could tell that from a first glance. Homura's condition wasn't great, and was slowly tipping into dangerous territory after Blair attacked her.

"You…" Shiki's arm was trembling in rage.

"I'll see you in three days, Eden's Zero. Keep that Fragment safe, and your friend won't come to anymore harm. As long as she and all of you behave." Jigan wore a smug grin on his face. That grin was enough to invoke the ire of the entire crew. With one last wave, Jigan ended the transmission.

"Damn it, Jigan…." Weisz sucked his teeth. Whatever relationship Weisz had with that man, he already threw it in the trash after seeing that.

"Master…" Pino looked towards Shiki with worry.

Shiki calmed himself with a deep breath. He could feel everyone's gaze on him. They were angry and he was too, but as the Captain, his attitude towards the situation would dictate everyone else's. So he had to approach this responsibly. "It's clear to me that this guy expects a fight of some kind, and he picked one with the wrong crew. So here's the plan." Shiki turned around to face the others. Normally, Shiki didn't want to engage in combat with anyone he didn't deem their enemy. But Jigan clearly aimed to antagonize the crew by dangling Homura in front of them like this. "We're going to take the fight to him, get Homura back, and then crush him!"

The others were in firm agreement to this. "RIGHT!"

Their mission to liberate planets was on pause. They needed to rescue Homura and defeat Jigan King and his crew on the Fiertia. That was priority number one. They already lost Witch, and there was no way in hell they would be losing another member so soon.

Shiki stared out into space, his gaze filled with nothing but determination. "Never again. I swear it…"