DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, nor the Disney and Square Enix characters. Please support the original works.
Chapter Twenty Two: Framed
Sora squinted at the young woman standing before him.
"Terra?" he repeated, searching his brain for where he had heard that name before. "Terra Branford?" His eyes widened. "Oh! You were the girl that turned into magicite!" Sora smacked his hands on the side of his head, his smile so wide it might have stretched beyond his face if it were possible. "And you're human again! Locke did it! He restored you back to your true form!" Sora pumped his fists. "Wait till I tell Donald and Goofy. They'll be so happy!"
Terra reached out and ruffled Sora's hair. "You haven't changed. Still as excitable as ever."
"I can finally thank you." Sora turned, waving his hands at Kairi and Riku. "Guys, remember when I told about how I got sucked into a black hole and a pink light saved me? That was her."
Kairi learned up on her tip toes, getting real close to Terra's face. "And you saved us again. We really owe you."
Terra stepped back. "It was nothing," she stuttered.
Riku put his hands on his hips. "Not everyone can fly. Well, outside of Neverland that is. Thanks for catching us out in space. So, where is this Locke guy? We should say hello before we get going."
Terra blinked. "Get going?"
Sora rubbed the back of his head. "As much as I want to stay and catch up, we really have to get back to rest of our team. A lot has been happening since my last adventure."
"Wait." Terra grabbed Sora's arm. "Don't go. Please, stay in Montressor Space Port. I need your help. We have to meet up with Mr. Hawkins."
"Hawkins? Wait. James Hawkins?"
"Yes."
"What's going on?"
Terra bit her lip. "It's Locke. He's been thrown in prison."
"What? Why?"
"The authorities think he stole something from a wealthy merchant. They're going to sentence him in three days."
"That's crazy! Locke's a treasure hunter, not a thief."
Riku stepped forward. Terra jerked, moving back. If Riku were offended by her reaction, he didn't show it. He simply said, "Time isn't on our side, right? Can you fill us in while we move?"
Terra pressed her hands on her chest. "You're staying? You'll help?"
"It's the least we could do. You saved us."
"I...Thank you. This way."
Though she were thin and dainty, Terra was also tall and had a long stride. Kairi and Sora jogged to keep pace with her and Riku. Terra strolled through the busy port, ignoring all the deck hands, merchants, solders, and odd looking aliens that were running errands, fixing up ships, or making shady business deals in the alleyways. Sora and Riku ignored the sights, as the Sora had seen it all, and Riku couldn't see it at all. Kairi, on the other hand, was torn between keeping pace with her friends and gawking at all the strange creatures. The smell of ship polish, plasma pod exhaust, and space whales filled the air, making Riku wrinkle his nose. Sora, though, breathed in the nostalgic scents, thinking about his last space adventure with Jim.
"Yesterday," Terra explained as they walked, "a wealthy merchant had an emerald stolen from his treasure vault. Since a few people had seen Locke with my magicite, they blamed him."
"Were there any witnesses that could prove his innocence?" Riku asked.
"No. I was about to meet up with Mr. Hawkins and go down to the prison cells to get Locke's half of the story, but that was when I spotted the three of you falling through the sky."
They made it to the harbor and there was nothing to stop Kairi from pausing to stare at the sails, masts, and hauls of the floating ships. Riku rolled his eyes and kept right on walking, but Sora stopped next to Kairi so that he could look at the starry eyed smile on her face.
"I want one," she whispered.
"Right?" Sora said. "Blows our tiny raft right out of the water."
Riku turned around, putting his hands on his hips. "Haven't you two been on a gummi ship?"
Sora and Kairi rounded on him. "It's not the same!"
"How is it different? You see one ship, you see them all."
"Every ship is different," Sora insisted. "Gummi ships are awesome, but there's nothing like flying through space, feeling the solar wind in your hair."
"You tell him, Sora." Kairi pressed her palms against her cheeks. "I want to ride one so bad! You guys got to be on Hook's pirate ship. I never got to fly on an old-timey ship. I never even got to fly in Neverland. It's not fair."
Riku groaned. "Enough gawking." He stomped back to his friends and began pushing them away from the ships. "We're falling behind."
Despite Riku's words, Terra had paused to wait for the trio to catch up. She led them toward a massive rectangular structure. The building's windows were narrow slits, so thin that one couldn't even stick their arm through them. In front of the only door were a pair of barrel chested robots wearing law enforcement uniforms.
A young man, in a navy blue uniform and white trousers, walked out of the building. He passed by the two guards, and ran toward Terra. As he got closer to the group, his expression changed from concerned, to confused, to full on excited.
"Sora! Long time, no see!"
"Hey there Jimbo."
The two boys clasped hands, pulling each other close for a half hug and pat on the back. When Sora and Jim leaned back, they gave each other matching lopsided grins.
"Look at you." Sora stepped back, gesturing at Jim's navy uniform. "And you cut your hair. Who's a momma's boy now?"
Jim crossed his arms. "Actually, I'm a first mate now."
"For Captain Amelia?"
"The one and only. Graduated the interstellar academy, top of the class, two years early and everything."
"Nice!"
"What about you? Did you find your friends?"
"Sure did." Sora threw his thumb over his shoulder.
Spotting Riku, Jim snapped his fingers and pointed.
"Riku, right? You know, you're exactly as I imagined you to be. Tall, serious, and I bet you have a smart mouth."
Riku snorted. "I see Sora has been talking about me behind my back."
"I got it from context," Jim stated. "By the way, did Sora ever beat you in a race?"
Riku's chuckled. "Not even close. All that boasting about how he was going to run circles around me, and I still have him beat three to two."
"Hey, I got pretty close last time."
"Sure, if you hadn't let Kairi distract you from crossing the finish line."
While Sora and Riku argued technicalities and redefined the rules of racing, Kairi introduced herself to Jim. He looked from her face to Sora and back again.
"Sora, you never told me you had a girl-"
Jim struggled. In a matter of seconds, Sora had forgotten about his argument with Riku. Instead, he had slapped his hands over Jim's lips. Rolling his eyes, Jim stepped back, freeing his jaw.
"Fine, fine. I'll keep my mouth shut."
"Excuse me, Mr. Hawkins. Can you take us to see Locke now?"
Jim gave Terra a tired smile. "I've told you before, you can call me 'Jim.' I really don't mind."
Terra looked abashed. "But that wouldn't be proper."
"Proper-shmopper, I'm not on the Legacy right now." Shaking his head, Jim gestured to Sora. "Never mind. You're here to see Locke right? I can only take two people with me and we only have five minutes. I may be first mate now, but I got into a lot of trouble with the robo-enforcers before my academy days. Some of them still hold a grudge."
Sora was about to turn to his friends and ask for them to wait outside, but then he found himself taking several steps forward. Riku and Kairi had pushed him and, instead of answering his questioning expression, Riku said, "Go talk to Locke."
"We'll be waiting by the nearest dock," Kairi added.
Smiling thanks to his friends' support, Sora followed Jim and Terra into the prison building. When he entered the moist, dark interior, a smell assaulted his nose. Sora imagined that this was what rusted metal and cheesy mold smelled like when they were mixed together. He held his nose as he marched, single file, behind Jim and Terra.
The passageways were narrow, and they passed by cube shaped cells that were stacked one on top of the other. Some of the robot guards turned the large, mental cranks along the walls. Sora watched as the prison cells rotated in response. Some cells moved up, while others moved down in their place.
Locke's cell had been moved next to a narrow window. When he spotted Sora, he turned away from the small view of the outside world. He hugged the boy through the bars.
"Great to see ya, kid." Locke stepped back, ruffling Sora's hair. "Getting taller. Soon you're going to outgrow the clothes I gave you."
"Never mind me, how are you doing?"
Locke shrugged. "It's not the worst cell I've been in. Though I have say, robo-guards don't understand the concept of food. Getting real tired of eating the vitamin heavy slop they give us for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Makes me miss Silver's stews."
"You said it," said Jim, rubbing his belly.
"I really want to catch you up on everything that's happened since we last met," said Sora, "but we're short on time."
Terra clasped her hands in front of her chest. "Locke, can you tell us anything at all about the robbery you've been blamed for?"
"All I know is that I was near the building when the alarm went off. The robo-guards came out right when I was passing by, saw my bag full of treasure, which I had rightfully gathered, mind you, and jumped to conclusions." Locke leaned his head back and groaned. "Threw me in here, took my daggers, and took my gold. You'd think the treasure would have been enough for that fat merchant to release me, but he really wants his emerald back. That, or someone to take the fall for the robbery."
"Was there anything out of the ordinary?" Terra pressed. "Any clue as to who the real thief is?"
Locke glanced at Jim, frowning. "Right before the alarm went off, I saw a hover-cycle fly through the air overhead."
Hover-cycle," Jim repeated. "Those things are outlawed. And expensive. The only people that would dare to use them are the big time pirates."
"Then we head back to town and ask around," Sora concluded. "Sit tight, Locke. Once we get you out of here, you can meet my friends."
"You found them? That's great, kid," Locke nodded at Terra. "Looks like we both found our greatest treasure, huh?"
"We sure did."
"Time's up," said a monotone voice.
Turning, Sora spotted one of the robot officers rolling down the hall.
"Please vacate the premises."
The officer pushed Sora, Terra, and Jim along. Looking back over his shoulder, Sora called to Locke.
"Hang tight. We'll get you out of here before you know it."
"Not if I bust out of here before you get back," Locke replied.
Once outside, Sora rendezvoused with Riku and Kairi, explaining the situation. The group moved away from the prison building so that they could start conspiring without law enforcement overhearing. Once back in the busy harbor town, Riku began the meeting.
"It sounds like the only way we can clear Locke's name is if we find the real thief and bring him in with the emerald in tow."
Sora pursed his lips. "So we find the seediest, smelliest, dirtiest hub in this place and start asking questions about a pirate with a hover-cycle?"
"Bingo."
"Looks like I'm sitting this one out," said Jim. "I don't think anyone will talk with a uniform nearby. I'll head back to the Legacy and let Captain Amelia know the updates. Meet me there when you get the info."
Thanks to Riku's nose, finding the smelliest pub was a piece of cake. Getting the rough and tough group of hoodlums inside to talk, however, was an entirely different matter. Gathered around wooden tables, drinking, belching, gambling, and doing some rather dangerous looking knife tricks, the pub patrons either dismissed Sora and Riku's questions entirely, or threatened them. Kairi and Terra had no luck either, as the drunken sailors would ask them for more snacks and drinks.
They were just about to give up and walk out when Sora felt someone tugging on his pant leg. Looking down, he spotted a frog-like creature. The frog's eyes were so big that Sora could see his own reflection.
"Oi, want to know about the pirate with the hover-cycle?"
Sora leaned down, whispering. "What can you tell us?"
The frog man brought up his hand, rubbing his thumb and forefinger together. "Me memory's a bit foggy. Maybe some munny might help clear me head, eh?"
Sighing, Sora reached into his pocket and handed the frog some munny.
"Not an easy target ya picked, boy. Only one pirate have the skill n' funds for a hover-cycle. Look for a ship named the Strahl. Strange looking vessel that one."
"What about the pirate? Can you give me a name?"
The frog looked over his shoulder. "Cannot tell ya more. Good luck."
The frog creature hopped away, vanishing into the seedy shadows of the pub. Sora herded his friends back outside. As the team returned to the harbor, Sora explained what he learned. They found the RLS Legacy docked at the port. The ship was as grand as ever, polished to perfection, its golden sails gleaming in the sunlight. There was movement on the deck. Jim was walking after a tall, imposing, cat-like woman.
"Please, Captain. If we could just find the real thief, we can set an innocent man free."
Captain Amelia did not turn to face Jim. She halted suddenly, forcing Jim to stumble as he backed off and straightened his back. Amelia's shoulders were relaxed, her hands clasped behind her back, yet her tone was as sharp as a cat's claw.
"Your concerns have been noted, Mr. Hawkins, but I am afraid my position has not changed. Without sufficient evidence to prove that we have detained the wrong man, we cannot set out. Chasing after an unnamed thief, one we only know of because they were was identified by the suspicious party, would be a fool's errand, and outside of our jurisdiction. Even if it was within my motivation to do, we have been commissioned by the magistrate to escort him and the rest of his wealth off of Montressor Space Port. Mr. Cole will just have to defend himself at the trial."
"But Locke's innocent."
Captain Amelia glanced at Jim over her shoulder. "We've been given our orders, Mr. Hawkins. We must now trust in the judicial system to take care of the rest. I have done everything in my power to ensure that Mr. Cole is given a fair judge, counsel, and trail. Continuation in a matter that favors the suspected thief, instead of aiding the victim, at best, reflects poorly on your professional designation, and, at worst, casts doubt on your integrity. I respect your sense of honor, but we cannot act outside the law. Ready the ship to sail. I will return with the magistrate shortly."
Jim saluted, but his brows were furrowed, and his tone of voice was low. "Aye ma'am."
"Good man."
Captain Amelia walked off the deck. Once she was out of sight, Sora and the others made it to the Legacy and hollered for Jim. The young first mate invited everyone up to the deck.
"You heard?" Jim asked.
Riku pointed to his ear. "Yup. Every word. Seems the captain can't legally do anything."
Sora put his hands on his hips. "Wish Silver was here. Wait! I got it!"
"Got what there, young man?" asked a rather scholarly voice.
A dog-like man came out of the captain's quarters. He adjusted his spectacles and walked up to Sora. He shook the boy's hand so enthusiastically that Sora's shoulder began to ache.
"My, it is a pleasure indeed to see you again. Been on any wild adventures lately?"
"You don't know the half of it, Dr. Doppler," Sora replied.
"Now then, what you brings you to the space port?"
"We're looking for a ship called, 'The Strahl,'" Terra explained. "Have you seen such a vessel around?"
"I'm delighted you asked. You see I've been cataloging the ships that come and go in this harbor. Bit of a side project to help Captain Amelia keep track of how often ships arrive early or late." Doppler pulled out a leather bound journal from within his suit jacket. "The captain does enjoy my astrological advice you see. Let me just take a look at my notes here." He flipped through the pages. "Ah! Here it is. The Strahl. Strange vessel, doesn't look like any ship I have ever seen."
Dr. Doppler held up his journal. There was a sketch of the Strahl on the left page. Sora squinted. Doppler was right. The Strahl didn't look like any of the old-timey ships in the port. In fact, it looked more like a machine. Dr. Doppler had drawn the ship from many angles. From the top, the Strahl resembled a mechanical moth.
"According to my logs," Dr. Doppler said as peered at his journal, "the Strahl left the harbor two days ago, heading due northwest at three thousand knots."
"Thank you, Doctor. Your notes have been very helpful," said Terra.
"Of course, miss. By the way, Jim, have you seen Amelia? She was supposed to meet me here."
"She went to get the magistrate."
Dr. Doppler sighed. "That's the captain for you. Doesn't wait for anyone. Not even her own husband."
Sora choked. "Wait, you're married to Captain Amelia now?"
"Indeed I am," Doppler said proudly. "Well, Jim, I'll see you at take off."
Dr. Doppler disembarked the ship, leaving Terra, Riku, Sora, Kairi, and Jim to huddle together to come up with a plan.
"You heard Captain Amelia," Kairi said. "There's legally nothing we can do. What now?"
"Correction," Sora grinned evilly, "there's nothing she and Jim can do."
"I just know this going to be another crazy scheme," said Riku.
"Amelia knows me and Jim, but not you, Kairi, and Terra, right? Amelia can't launch the ship, but, what if, let's say, someone were to, I don't know, 'kidnap' me and Jim, and hijack the Legacy?"
"Then I could come with you under the guise of being a hostage, and we can launch the Legacy without technically breaking any rules," Jim concluded. He gave Sora a wry look. "You realize that I'll have to arrest you if we get caught, right?"
"Then we had better make sure we don't get caught," Riku said.
Kairi squinted at her friend. "You're actually agreeing with this? Just like that?"
"You got a better plan?"
Kairi shrugged. "Not really, just a suggestion. We're going to need a big distraction to keep Captain Amelia out of our hair long enough to get this ship moving."
"I can do that," Terra said. "Get things ready for take off. I'll catch up with you in the air."
Terra jumped off the deck, vanishing into the harbor. Jim issued orders. Sora, Riku, and Kairi ran around the ship, opening the solar sails, releasing the ropes holding the ship to the harbor, and pulling up the anchor. At the helm, Jim issued a few directions to Kairi. Meanwhile, Sora let Riku tie him up with some rope.
Just as Riku tied the last knot, Jiminy popped out of Sora's hood, landing on the boy's shoulder.
"Now hold on you two! I'm not so sure that committing a crime, even a fake one, is such a good idea."
"It's for a good cause," Sora said, "and we really do need the ship."
Jiminy's fists tightened around his umbrella handle. "Can't we just talk to Captain Amelia? I'm sure your word would sway her opinion. Jim could get into real trouble if you're caught, and he's worked so hard to get to where he is."
"Desperate times, desperate measures, Jiminy," said Riku.
The little cricket glared to at the older boy, only to be disappointed when Riku shrugged.
"We don't have time to argue about it. Besides, we all know that we have to hurry and get back to Master Yen Sid. The sooner we get this done the better."
Jiminy jumped up into the air so that he could get a good look at Riku's face. He opened his umbrella at the height of his jump, and slowly floated down.
"I still don't like this," he stated, "but I can agree that there are bigger things we need to focus on. So, good luck."
Jiminy went back to hide in Sora's hood. By this time, Jim had finished giving Kairi the tutorial on how to handle the ship. He jumped down to the center of the deck and let Riku tie him up. Riku then dragged Jim to the port side of the ship.
Captain Amelia was walking down the board walk with a fat lizard man by her side. Dr. Doppler was right behind them, pushing a laser-cage cart that had several treasure chests and burlap sacks inside it. Just as the captain and her entourage were close enough to board the Legacy, there was an explosion that shook all the ships in the harbor.
Amelia turned, jaw dropping at the sight of a nearby storeroom bursting into flames. The heat was so intense that both Riku and Jim grit their teeth on the deck of the Legacy.
Jim nodded at Kiari. "Now's our chance." He turned to Riku. "Hope you have some good acting skills."
Riku cracked his knuckles. "Please. I was made for this role."
With his soul eater in hand, Riku grabbed the ropes on Jim's chest. He hauled his "prisoner" forward. Holding his blade under Jim's neck, Riku stood by the deck's railing. He waited for the signal, eager to make his debut.
At the helm, Kairi turned the wheel and pressed some buttons on the control panel. The ship began to lift away from the harbor. When they were a few feet above the air, there was a roar from below.
"My ship! Mr. Hawkins, bring it down immediately! That's an order!"
"Sorry Captain!"
Riku shoved Jim forward, dangling the boy's upper half over the railing.
"Your ship and first mate are mine now!"
Jim wriggled in his restraints, kicking his legs. "Let me go, you grey haired idiot! I'll have you arrested for this!"
"Shut it!" Riku pressed his soul eater close to Jim's neck. "Could easily throw you off this vessel and save myself the trouble of a hostage! Ms. Purple!"
"Aye, Captain?" Kairi yelled at the helm.
"Take us up!"
"Yes sir!"
The ship rose higher.
Just a little further and the solar sails would catch the light. They would be off before Captain Amelia could do anything to stop them. The only problem was that the captain was a stubborn woman. She left the blazing storeroom to Dr. Doppler, who had found a nearby fire hose and was dousing the flames with a torrent of pressurized water. Amelia ran to a skiff and undid the ropes. Soon she was up in the air, chasing after the Legacy. Just as she got within range, Kairi appeared above her. She pushed Sora before her, slamming him onto the shrouds.
"Captain Amelia!" Sora yelled in mock desperation.
The Captain's eyes widened. "What are you doing here?"
"Forget about us! Get the pirates! You must let justice prevail!"
"Yap, yap, yap," Kairi rolled her eyes. "That's enough out of you."
She shoved Sora behind her and then turned to Captain Amelia's skiff. With an evil grin, Kairi said. "So not sorry about this ma'am. Firaga!"
Amelia swerved. Her skiff avoided the fire spell before it could hit the sail. Too bad the fire spell had been a distraction and Kairi had thrown a lightning spell right after it. Amelia's sail and engine were blasted with holes and she had no choice but to back off before her boat came apart. Silent vengeance burned Amelia's cold, green stare as she watched the Legacy vanish into space.
Amelia returned the skiff at the harbor. She went to Doppler's side. Once the storeroom fire and the magistrate were taken care of, she would get her ship back. If she had turned around, she would have spotted the spec of pink light flying through the air, chasing after the RLS Legacy.
At the helm, Riku and Kairi did a high five.
"Nice job, Ms. Purple. We are home free."
"Fine acting to you too, Captain Grey Hair. Now I know who will play the villain the next time we have theater class."
"Sora's right though. We have to work on what we name things." Riku stretched. "Kidnapping and hijacking a ship, huh? Pretty sure I just landed myself back on Santa's naughty list."
Kairi's snorted. "Why are bringing up Santa?"
"Oh, right. You don't know. Sora and I met Santa Claus."
"Cool. Tell him I want a lion stuffed animal for Christmas."
Riku blinked. "You still believe in Santa?"
"I never stopped believing."
Riku barked out a short laugh. "Of course you didn't. What? Next you're going to tell me that you believe in the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy too? Maybe the three of them are on a team together."
"That sounds awesome."
This statement was said by both Kairi and Sora. Though the boy was on the deck below, he had overheard the conversation, and had yelled his two cents. Rolling his eyes, Riku gently pushed Kairi. She responded with a cheeky giggle.
At the main mast, Sora and Jim untied themselves by pulling the single rope that Riku had knotted too loosely. Once free, the two boys climbed to crow's nest. There, Jim used a telescope to chart their course. He issued orders to Kairi below, and she turned the helm, adjusting their dirction. Jim looked back toward the crescent shaped space port they had just escaped from.
"Doesn't look like anyone is following us, but we shouldn't slow down. If I know Captain Amelia, she'll be hot on our tail. We'd better keep the ship going around the clock."
"Still can't believe we got out that easy. Although..." Sora gave Jim a rather judgmental look. "'Grey haired idiot?' You couldn't come up with a better insult?"
Jim put down his telescope and raised an eyebrow at Sora. "What about you, Mister 'you must let justice prevail?' Good thing you let Riku and Kairi do most of the acting. That cheesy line alone would've gotten us busted."
Jim and Sora glared at each other for all about two seconds before the two of them burst out laughing.
"What's so funny?" asked a voice from above.
Looking up, Jim and Sora watched as Terra flew down from the sky. She balanced herself on one of the sails, her pink glow fading from her body and hair.
"Nothing. Thanks for the distraction back at the port."
"You're welcome. Are we on the Strahl's trail?"
Jim pointed into space "We're sailing at three thousand knots. Unless the Strahl changed course, we should catch up to her within a few hours."
Said "few hours" were nothing short of smooth sailing, despite the unending list of chores. Jim had learned quite a bit under Captain Amelia's tutelage. It turned out that he was just as tough on the team as she was.
The ship was spot on, stem to stern. After all, Sora couldn't very well return Amelia's ship in less then stellar condition. He had a feeling that the captain would chase him across worlds just so that he would polish the deck to her standards. Kairi, Sora, and Jim alternated working the helm, since Riku couldn't see where he was going, and Terra had no sailing experience. Instead she cooked and made sure the team took turns taking naps to keep up their strength.
After a few hours of sailing, Jim whistled from high up on the crow's nest, getting the crew's attention.
"I see a plasma trail."
"Is that good?" Kairi asked from her spot at the helm.
"Yes. Most engines leave behind a trail of plasma. It evaporates after a while. If we're seeing it, then the Strahl must be close."
"Which way?"
"Wait! Hold on." Jim looked through his telescope. "Full stop. There's a pod of space whales heading this way. We should let them pass."
Down below, Sora and Riku busied themselves with closing the ship's sails. As they worked, Sora leaned over and whispered to Riku.
"I know we got sidetracked with helping Locke, but I've been thinking about Aqua." Sora swallowed. "I saw her, in her armor, back in Disney Town. I was busy fighting back then. I got so caught up in all of the stuff we have to do, that I didn't think about it until now."
"I ran into her too," Riku admitted. "Back in Neverland. The darkness she emits is so intense that it pins me down. Haven't felt anything like that, not since Ansem, at least."
"What she said about the red eyed heartless has to be true, right?"
"We wouldn't have had so much trouble taking them down if it weren't," Riku conceded.
Sora gulped. "Battles are going to get harder. I hope there aren't too many red eyed heartless out in the worlds. Civilians might be in more danger then before."
"We need to clear Locke's name as fast as possible. We have to get back to Mickey. Maybe Master Yen Sid will know who Aqua is, and what we can do next."
"On that note." Sora dug into his pocket. Taking out the magical parchment Master Yen Sid had given him, he wrote two letters. Once the magical letters had vanished Sora finished up closing the solar sails. "Okay," he grunted, "I wrote a letter to King Mickey and Donald to meet up with us at Master Yen Sid's tower."
"Hey guys?"
Jim's voice was uneasy. He slid down the mast, landing back on the deck. Running to the starboard side, Jim leaned over, looking down at the whales as they flew below the ship.
Terra went to Jim's side, looking down into space. "What is it?"
"One of the whales, it's-"
Riku made a break for the helm. "It's not a whale! Quick! Hard to port!"
Kairi spun the helm as fast as she could, but she wasn't fast enough. Jim and Sora flew up as something hit the ship's keel, hard. Riku managed to keep himself on deck by hugging the mizzen mast. Terra jumped up into the air, chasing after Sora and Jim. The two boys had been thrown up so roughly that they had almost escaped the ship's artificial gravity. A few more feet and they would be flying helplessly in space.
Catching, Jim and Sora, Terra began pulling them down toward the deck. From above, they watched the rest of the space whales quickly pass by, moaning in low notes of panic as they swam with all their might. Something was shining between the whales' bodies, something that was getting dangerously close to the Legacy. Worse yet, whole legions of water core heartless popped up on the deck, surrounding Kairi and Riku, forcing the pair to defend themselves instead of the ship.
When Sora, Terra, and Jim landed back on deck, the entire ship lurched once more. Even the water core heartless momentarily froze. An enormous shadow, twice the size of the Legacy, flew up from under the ship. It slithered and looped through the air, wrapping its long, serpent like body around the Legacy. The creature's skin was the color of charcoal, the blackness only interrupted by pulsing red and blue veins. Near the bow of the ship, the creature's head appeared. A long, thin head, with rows and rows of sharp teeth, looked down at the deck. The creature's red eyes roamed over the panicked passengers.
The heartless' teeth opened wide and a sickening screech ripped through everyone's ears. The water core heartless began their attack, and Sora, Riku, and Kairi switched their attention to dodging. Even as they quickly dispatched the small fry, the giant serpent heartless opened its mouth and aimed a beam of hot, pressurized water at the deck.
Terra jumped into the air, her body glowing as she zoomed around the ship. She got up behind the heartless serpent, magic glowing in her palms. Spears of ice smashed into the back of the monster's head. The heartless turned, directing its water beam at Terra. She looped and served, avoiding the water jet.
With the big heartless distracted, Jim dove through the water cores, reaching the ship's laser cannons. He aimed at the serpent. A blast of golden energy exploded on the serpent's neck. In response, the creature's red eyes locked onto Jim.
A water jet flew toward him. Seconds before it pounded the boy into oblivion, a sphere of wind surrounded him. The water smashed into the wind sphere, knocking Jim back, but otherwise keeping him from harm. The wind sphere dissipated the moment Jim's back banged against the door to the captain's quarters.
Sora ran up to him then, pulling Jim back up to his feet.
"You all right?"
Jim didn't answer. He shoved Sora to the side, lifted the laser pistol from his belt, and shot the water core heartless that had been moments away from slicing into the back of Sora's head. There was no time for words. Both boys had to alternate between taking down a seemingly endless barrage of water core heartless, while avoiding water beams from the giant serpent.
Even with Terra flying through the air, throwing all kinds of offensive magic, all she succeeded in doing was momentarily distracting the giant serpent from doing more damage to the Legacy. She could not stop the serpent heartless from tightening its muscles, squeezing the ship, and cracking the haul.
Desperate, Terra threw a barrage of flame spells at the serpent. The creature opened its mouth wide, and swallowed the flames, dousing them with the torrent of boiling water that burst from deep within its throat. The hot water sprayed wide, several large droplets burning Terra's legs. Her stamina ran out, and she fell back on the Legacy's deck. Her glow faded, but she managed to stand and fend off water core heartless with her long, razor thin sword.
"The Legacy can't take much more!" Jim shouted, watching as the deck's floorboards began to bend and snap from the heartless serpent's pressure. "Any tighter and it'll crush us!"
But the serpent didn't squeeze. Instead, it opened its mouth so wide that one would believe its jaw to be broken. A mix of scalding hot water and acidic darkness gathered in its mouth, turning into a sphere of black and blue energy. The sphere burst. Hot water and ash rained down on the Legacy's deck and sails, burning through the mizzen mast and making holes on the deck.
Kairi gathered everyone close, casting a reflect spell. Her magic was able to protect the team from the first barrage, but both the serpent and the water core heartless weren't done. Another sphere of boiling water and darkness was gathering in the serpent's mouth, this one twice as big as the first. It threatened to disintegrate the whole ship.
Sora, Riku, Kairi, Jim, and Terra screamed. But it wasn't from the heartless' attack.
The ship had lurched. Each of the passengers banged against something, feeling the nausea of fast, unpredictable movement. Whatever had hit the Legacy had been strong enough to send it hurtling, spinning like a top, through space.
Finally, mercifully, it stopped. While some water core heartless remained on the ship, the serpent had let go. Once they could see straight, Sora and Jim spotted the giant heartless in the distance. It writhed in the air as blasts of red and gold light erupted on its body. Through the smoke and fire, Sora and Jim spotted something mechanical, something shaped like a moth, floating above the giant heartless.
The Strahl.
The heartless serpent must have decided it was sick of getting a beating, because it coiled into a spiral and flew, retreating into the vastness of space. With the biggest threat gone, the team easily took care of the water cores still on the Legacy. The moment the battle was over, the a shadow darkened the deck.
Looking up, Sora saw the undercarriage of the Strahl as it hovered over the Legacy. A man grappled down from the Strahl. He landed perfectly. He stood straight, a dashing smirk on his lips, yet the long crossbow he tapped on his shoulder told Sora and his team that he wasn't there for pleasantries. He was both handsome and stylish, light brown hair, and a confident green gaze. His clothes hugged his athletic build. He wore an embroidered gold and olive vest over a white shirt, leather pants, and sandals.
The golden vested man slowly walked toward Sora and the others. Riku raised his soul eater, immediately on alert.
"Now I wouldn't do that if I were you, young man." The handsome man's voice was deep, husky, and heavily accented. "Is that any way to show gratitude to your savior?"
"Sora," Kairi whispered. "Look at his necklace."
A green emerald, one the size of a baseball, hung off the silver chain around the man's neck.
"So you're the thief," Sora concluded.
The man brought his crossbow down from his shoulder, tapping the the weapon against his other palm. Though it was clear he was making a threat, his body was relaxed. "Well, isn't that a fine thing to say."
"If you really insist that you're not a thief, then who are you?" Jim demanded.
"A vagrant that roams the stars in search of riches, mysterious tombs, and political intrigue."
"Quit with the theatrics," Riku came forward, pointing his soul eater at the man. "Answer the question. Who are you?"
"I play the leading man, who else?"
"A leading man wouldn't frame someone else for his crime," Sora said. He put down his keyblade and held up his hands in a gesture of peace. "That gem you wear, the one you stole, my friend got blamed for it. He's in prison. Please, if you return the emerald, we can set him free. We don't need to fight and you can just leave. You saved us from that monster. I don't think we have to come to blows over this."
"Noble intentions," the man shook his head, "but I'm afraid they rival my own. The gem stays with me."
"Knew we couldn't trust a thief," Jim said.
"I am no average thief. I am the sky pirate Balthier. And I've grown tired of this futile negotiation."
Balthier, snapped his fingers.
Light rained down from above. The Strahl shined spotlights down on the deck. While everyone covered their eyes, Riku moved to intercept Balthier. The pirate used his height advantage to grab the boy's arm and flip him over his shoulder. Riku landed on his back. By the time he had regained his feet, Balthier had flashed forward, reached into Sora's pocket, and stolen something that looked a lot like a rocket shaped pin.
"Hey, wait! Cornelius gave me that!"
Balthier ran toward the Legacy's port side and jumped right off. Before Sora could look over the railing, a flying, metal motorcycle buzzed upward from below the ship. Balthier waved as he piloted the hover-cycle.
"Consider this payment in full for saving you all." He passed Sora's rocket pin over back and forth over his fingers. "Travel back to the space port, my little shadows. Engaging in chasing me further only puts you all at risk, in matters that are far bigger then your understanding I'm afraid."
The hover-cycle flew up to the Strahl. In a blink, the ship's engines came to life. Once Balthier had boarded, the metal moth cut through space, vanishing into the nebulae.
"How's it looking?" Riku asked when Jim came back on deck.
Jim cleaned his hands with a towel. "Not good. That serpent blew out some thrusters and weakened some components in the engine room. We can still fly, just not as fast. How are things up here?"
"We finished patching up the sails and floors, and fixed the mast as much as we could. We can head out at any time. The only problem is where?"
Jim sighed. "Won't take Captain Amelia long to catch up to us at this rate."
"Well, lucky for us," came Kairi's excited voice, "that Balthier stole the perfect thing!"
She ran up to Jim and Riku, with Sora and Terra right behind her. Holding something in her hand, Kairi waved it around.
"Riku, can you feel this?"
Squinting, Riku concentrated. There was a small, flat pin in Kairi's hand. He could feel warmth emanating from it.
"I feel a light, sure. How is this going to help us?"
Sora tapped the pin in Kairi's hand. "Donald, Goofy, and I were each given a rocket shaped pin from our friend, Cornelius. Balthier just stole mine."
"Don't you remember?" Kairi asked Riku. "Donald's pin helped us find Sora on our last adventure."
Riku thought back to the World of the Forgotten, back when he, Kairi, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy, all met up after nearly a year of being separated. He remembered sprinting after a flickering light as the world came apart.
"Wait, I don't understand. If Balthier stole Sora's pin, then why do you have it in your hand?"
"Donald lost his pin in the World of the Forgotten. But Goofy had traded his pin with Locke, in exchange for supplies," Sora explained.
"And Locke gave the pin to me," Terra continued. "He said it would give me good luck. I saw that Sora was feeling down, so I gave the pin back to him."
"And that's when I remembered," Kairi interjected. "Donald's pin must have been attracted to Sora's. And now we can use Goofy's pin to track the one that Balthier stole." Kairi threw her hand, and the pin up into the air. "I am a genius!"
Kairi's excitement made the light within her glimmer. The pin grew hot. It flew out from between Kairi's fingers, and began to zoom through the air, flying in a straight line through space.
Jim put his hands behind his back. "We have a direction and a goal. All right, Ladies and Gents, no time to waste. We're working double time. Raise the sails, and push the engines up full throttle! We're going to catch that thief!"
Sora, Riku, Kairi, and Terra lined up, saluting. "Yes sir, Captain Jim!"
Jiminy's Journal
Terra Branford (First Appeared in Final Fantasy VI, 1994): Despite her talent with both a sword and magic, Terra is a shy, skittish, yet polite young woman. She was once cursed by the darkness, turning into a green gem called a magicite. Sora had carried Terra's gem in his pocket during his last adventure. Though she's been restored to her true form, she has been separated from her friend, Locke. Terra is not afraid to break the law if it means clearing Locke's name from a crime he did not commit.
Balthier (First Appeared in Final Fantasy XII, 2006): Suave, confident, and cunning, this sky pirate stole a priceless emerald from Montressor Space Port, getting Locke thrown in jail in the process. It seems he only cares for treasure, and yet he saved Sora and his team from getting crushed by a giant heartless. Just what are his motives?
