After receiving the IP communication from Commander Vladykin, and still waiting for answers on Professor Mistika's review... Yuri decided to return to Elgava.
Taking the Void Gate closest to Populara, Yuri found himself in a very familiar place. Following the starlane from Deviagorsk, they turned left at Nerekhta, before finally ending at the Elgavan capital, Zvenigorod.
During their trip, they were hounded by the Novgorod Pirates again, who continued trying to ambush them.
He found himself rolling his eyes.
There wasn't anything that they could do to severely hurt them. Despite this though, they found themselves with their guards up, remembering their first meeting with Ogar Telegov.
Once the port entry processing had been taken care of, Yuri and company found themselves outside Central HQ. Announcing themselves at the gate, they were quickly shown to a room, where Oleg Vladykin was already waiting.
"Thank you for coming here Yuri."
"You wanted to see me? What's going on?"
"Yes. Maybe you'd better take a look at these images first before we talk." He replied, setting up the table's hologram monitor.
"Images?"
"They're from that Epitaph probe ship voyage recorder you brought us."
At these words, Yuri found himself sitting forward, staring intently. The monitor lit up the room in a white light, bathing the occupants faces.
Yuri watched as a black screen appeared, dotted with the dark green hulls of ships. As they moved across the darkness of space, Yuri could make out pieces of the Epitaph probe ship floating by.
The silence afterwards became deafening, and no one seemed to speak. It was broken then by Torlo, who let out a low whistle.
"Wh-what in Grus is all that? I've never seen so many ships!"
"Right. And as far as I can tell from the images, their design concept is completely different from anything we've ever seen in the SMC." Ian took off his glasses, wiping them clean with his shirt.
Yuri shook himself out of his stupor, shaking his head as he turned to Vladykin. "Commander, do you have any information about this fleet?"
'At the moment, we've got nothing at all. What we do know is that the Epitaph probe ship came into contact with this fleet and was destroyed by them." He said, looking down briefly. "And one more thing we know... this fleet is heading straight for the Small Magellanic Cloud."
"They're headed straight for us?" Kira asked in surprise, her voice laced with fear.
"Where do you think they're from?" Yuri asked.
Vladykin shook his head, before a voice answered from beside him.
"Lugovalos."
"Huh?!"
Surprised by Nia's reply, he looked at her in slight shock. She looked kind of pale... but he supposed, it could be a trick of the light.*How in Grus does she know who these people are?*
Nia's eyes were focused on the hologram monitor, and it was only after Yuri had turned to her, that she spoke. "Advanced troops from the Lugovalian Empire. I know it."
"Do you recognize this fleet?"
"Commander, exactly what do you guys plan to do about this?" Nia asked him, ignoring his question.
"We're readying a scout detail, and it's classified top secret to avoid a public panic. We'll be coming into contact with people from an unknown galaxy, after all. Of course, if they turn out to be a hostile race, we'll be prepared. We plan to dispatch a fleet with heavy hitting power at the rear guard."
As if expecting the answer, Nia smiled. "Oh, you do, do you? Well isn't that special? And exactly what size fleet are we talking about here?"
Vladykin's eyebrows furrowed together, and he stroked his chin in thought. "I haven't been told exactly, but... I imagine we'll err on the side of caution and send at least 5,000 ships."
"5,000 ships?!"
"Whoa!"
Tatiana and Torlo's surprise was clear, as was everyone else's. Nia seemed to be the only one not affected.
He found himself wondering why.
"Yes, well, it will be our first contact with them. We need to show them the power of the Interplanetary Union of Elgava."
Nia's fake hollow laugh rang through the room, and Yuri found himself staring along with the others.
"You really think you can show 'em your power with only 5,000 measly ships?"
"We're fully mobilizing one-third of the Central Elgavan Forces! I think it's more like overkill, quite frankly." Vladykin said confidently.
Yuri watched his friend's nod. "Yeah, I know. I know. That's what they all said. That's what all the nations that fell to Lugovalos said..."
Yuri watched as her expression turned deadly serious, staring at the Elgavan Commander.
"Okay, now you listen to me. I'm gonna tell you exactly what you need to do. Send word to Kalymnos and Nova Nacio immediately, and get ready to intercept 'em with the combined forces of the entire SMC! If you do all that, then maybe, just maybe, you'll be able to drive 'em back."
It was Vladykin's turn to let out a quick short laugh. "Don't be ridiculous! It's not like they're from a neighbouring galaxy! They've been on a very long expedition. It may look like a large fleet, but I'm sure most are support ships. They couldn't have enough battleships with them to pose an actual military threat!"
His words seemed to hold some truth, his years of experience shining through. Despite this however, Nia wasn't convinced.
"What makes you so sure about that?"
"It's just common sense! I've watched Elgava come into contact with and assimilate many races of people." They both sounded right, but Yuri still wasn't sure. "That's how it grew to be the size it is today. My experience with these sorts of things tells me I'm right about this."
"Uh huh. But I'm telling you, you can't use your past experience to judge the strength of a completely unknown enemy. But it's no use. You're beyond help."
Nia turned, looking to leave.
"Nia, wait!"
"I'm going back to the ship." She told him.
"Wait!" He called out again.
It didn't matter though, she was already out of the room.
"She's gone."
Yuri turned a questioning look to the older man. "Commander Vladykin?"
"That's all I have for you at the moment. Oh, one more thing actually. I showed you those images because you were the ones who brought us the recorder. But please say nothing of this to anyone. I'm afraid it would start a large-scale panic if it ever got out."
"All right. I understand."
The door to her quarters swished open, and she shook her head in a rage.
It was pointless. They weren't listening.
No one ever listened.
Not until it was too late.
Her own family had died to those monsters. Her people exterminated in a flash.
Her anger burned white hot, just like the blast that had killed them. She had sworn to herself that she'd avenge them, but as she looked on it now, she didn't think there was anyone else that could challenge them.
Still. She had to try. Just as her people had.
Taking a seat at the computer monitor in the corner of her room, she ignored the mess around her, flinging away some underwear from the screen.
Entering the nationality code, and the ID number, she found herself waiting in suspense.
Soon though, a familiar voice on the other end of the line picked up.
"Long time no see Lady Nia."
Semias could clearly see the grim expression on the young woman's face... she wasn't even bothering to hide it.
"What's wrong?"
"EVERYTHING!" She shouted, throwing her hands in the air. "How can they all be so stupid?"
Semias watched her for a second, before realization crossed his face. "Ah! I see! So they decoded the voyage recorder after all. It didn't go well, did it?"
Seeming to calm down, Nia turned to her long-time friend and ally. "What do we do?"
"Well, as it happens, I've already decoded the data myself. If you want to meet up, we could discuss it further."
"Is it bad?"
The serious look that crossed Semias's face was all the answer she needed. "Grus! I thought we'd have more time."
"We have to work with what we've got..." He told her. "Now then, I suggest we meet up..."
With their meeting at Central HQ finished, Yuri and company retreated to the nearby tavern, meeting up with the rest of the crew.
Despite their best efforts to keep their faces normal, they failed, and Karlo made it known.
"You people have been acting awfully strange lately." He said, approaching them. "What in the galaxy did Commander Vladykin tell you anyway?"
As the others thought of a reply, Yuri opened his mouth to speak. "I'm sorry Karlo. We still haven't sorted it out in our heads just yet. Could you give us a little time?"
"Yeah, sorry 'bout that. It's not like we're hiding anything from you." Torlo cut in. "I mean, you're our number one guy!"
Karlo nodded slowly. "Okay, thanks. I understand."
As the Efimov heir walked off, he found Larissa standing over him, a worried look on her face. "Yuri? Everybody looks so pale... what happened? And Nia is holed up in her room with the door locked..."
"Don't worry Larissa. We're not sick or anything." He tried reassuring her.
"Well, fine, but... physical illness isn't the only kind of affliction that people can suffer from you know."
The others stayed silent as Larissa looked at each of them. "Okay, fine. You can tell me about it when you're good and ready."
Yuri smiled genuinely. "Thanks Larissa. It's nice that you care about us."
"I wonder what Nia knows about this Lugovalian Empire. It sounds like she's got some first-hand experience." Torlo asked, watching the other teen leave.
"That's what I want to know too. Nia never talks about her past. Have you noticed that?" Yuri asked, curiosity getting the better of him.
"If she doesn't talk about it, that means she doesn't want to talk about it. It won't do you any good to ask her."
"Yeah, you're probably right." Torlo agreed for the first time ever. "But with Nia acting like that... that kinda freaks me out dude."
"Yeah, me too."
Yuri trailed off, letting his gaze fall to his drink.
Elsewhere on Zvenigorod, in the Office of the President of the Interplanetary Union of Elgava...
Someone knocked on his door, and he found himself looking out of the large window.
"President Saburov, Defense Minister Rudak Fomich, at your service sir."
He could feel the man bow, but he didn't turn around, didn't even move a muscle. "Yes. What is the latest on that alien fleet?"
"Yes sir." Fomich started, clearing his throat. "After analysing the voyage recorder, it's estimated it will arrive in our territory in about three months. We are now organizing a negotiation team and putting together a fleet to intercept them."
He nodded. Good
"Alright. I want you to head up the negotiation team as Ambassador Plenipotentiary. Our goal will be to make their star system part of the Interplanetary Union of Elgavas's territory."
"Yes sir."
"But although it's only temporary, this operation will leave us relatively shorthanded here at home."
Fomich nodded in understanding. "I don't think the presentation of public order will be a problem. What I am concerned about, however, is Kalymnos and Nova Nacio."
This caught his attention, and he found himself cocking his head back slightly to hear the next set of words that were about to come. "Hm..."
With Zvenigorod behind them, Yuri found himself in the war room again, surrounded by the same people he had met with during the situation with the Kreios Pirates.
With the others sitting in silence, thinking of the approaching threat, Yuri paced up and down the room... Nia nowhere to be seen.
"Hey, Yuri my man, can ya stop wearin' a hole in the floor? You're starting to scare me." Torlo asked.
"Scare you?! We just found out that an extragalactic threat is heading our way, and Yuri's pacing is scaring you?" Ian asked, staring in disbelief.
Torlo stared for a second. "Extrawhatnow?"
"Oh honestly! Extragalactic: a threat from outside our galaxy." Tatiana almost shouted.
"Hey! Don't yell at me! We're not all as smart as ol' four-eyes." Torlo said in a raised voice.
"G-guys -"
"Oh that's rich! It's easy to see which side of the evolutionary chain you're on... you dumb ape!"
"Oi!"
"ENOUGH!"
Yuri's shout drew all the attention to him, and he found himself beginning to get angry. "I know this is all getting a bit much, with the Lugovalos threat and Elgava's response. But the arguing isn't going to help matters."
"Yuri's right." Selenia spoke up. "We need to find a way to deal with this, and arguing about it just stops us from finding a solution."
"But Elgava's mobilizing a fleet already. That's a good thing. Right?"
"Not exactly." Ogar's answer shifted the focus to him. "Let's look at what we know. Elgava is sending a fleet of 5,000 ships to deal with this incoming threat. But they've got so many problems going on at home, that it might not be enough."
"That's crazy!" Tatiana called out. "Elgava is the greatest superpower in the Small Magellanic Cloud! Surely they couldn't lose."
Pushing the glasses back up his nose, Ian turned to her, the light reflecting off his lenses. "Yes, but think of it this way. Elgava may look dominant now, but if Nia's worried about this Lugovalian Empire, then we all should be."
"Exactly! And if it just so happens that Elgava loses, then what. No other nation will be able to stand up to them." It seemed like the meeting was finally turning around. "Now let's put our heads together and think..."
"Well... Commander Vladykin said some things that could be true. If you mobilize a fleet or invasion force, you have to make sure that they are able to be supplied with food, clothing, medical facilities and supplies." Selenia thought aloud. "Otherwise, what's the point."
"True! But Nia told Vladykin that he couldn't use his past experience to judge this threat." Ian contemplated. "But from what I could see, those ships look like they held some impressive firepower."
"So what... you think they could do without those support ships then? If that's true, then who knows how strong they could be, perhaps they have technology that eclipses that of the SMC."
"Well that's not really a first, is it? I mean, the Large Magellanic Cloud has technology that exceeds our own, right? We saw that in Elgava. They weren't able to find a cure for the servonin in Zakhar's bloodstream." Ian thought aloud.
The bespectacled boy let out a thoughtful grunt, before continuing. "Those images we saw... if they have the technology to build ships like that, I'm sure they can travel between galaxies too."
"Travel between galaxies? Ya mean, without using Void Gates?" Torlo asked.
Ian nodded. "Exactly. Oh, I imagine they use gates too, when they can. But they probably don't have to depend on them." Ian thought aloud. "Those ships are designed to make it possible to move between galaxies, with no need for planets or spaceports along the way."
Yuri nodded, agreeing with him despite the situation. "It's amazing that there's a civilization that advanced out there in the universe, don't you think?"
The seven of them spent the next few minutes in contemplative silence, which Yuri found himself breaking. "There is one thing we do know. Commander Vladykin asked us not to reveal any information to anyone, otherwise it could start a large-scale panic."
"So no talking then. Gotcha."
"Even to the rest of the crew." Yuri added, needing to make it clear. "Anyone outside of this room that doesn't know, can't be told."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. I know there are some people we could trust with this information, but we have been in this since the beginning. Mostly."
Ian shrugged, but knew what the young Captain was thinking.
"I know it will be hard to keep this secret, but I think we need to wait and see what happens first. We'll tell them eventually, but for now, I don't want them knowing anything."
Yuri turned to catch everyone's gaze, earning himself a salute from Torlo.
"Good!"
The Novgorod Pirates continued harassing the small fleet all the way to Gorodok, where they had decided to stop briefly.
Almost subconsciously, they found themselves walking into a very familiar-looking tavern.
As soon as they crossed the threshold, the silver-haired teen found himself accosted by Melania.
"Oh Yuri! My favourite guy in the galaxy!" She said in greeting, taking Yuri's hand as they came through the door. "You're back! I'm so glad to see you again. Why don't you stay a while and relax?"
"Oh! Um, thanks. I think I will!"
"All right Yuri, down boy!" Torlo said, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Don't make me jealous now!"
"Uh, what? What the Grus are you talking about Torlo?"
"Kill me now." He heard Kira mumble beside him.
"Oh boy..."
He heard Melania giggle to herself as she walked away. Torlo droned on and on in his ear, and Yuri began to think to himself.
Wouldn't this torture ever end.
Later, as the others paired off, talking amongst themselves, Yuri found himself in a conversation with Ratai.
"Elgava huh? It feels like I haven't been back here in years!"
It was true though.
"And it's really only been a couple months. Do you miss home?" Yuri asked the boy.
"I do. I wonder how my Pops is doing." Ratai said, a faraway look in his eyes.
With their stop off on Gorodok complete, Yuri found himself enjoying a quick chat with Nadja Musin. Approaching the planet Alatyr, she had requested to make a quick stop... not sure when they'd be back this way.
Yuri found himself following the violet haired woman into a familiar science lab, not able to turn down a visit.
"Hi everybody! Long time no see! How's everything going?"
Musin's smile, and happy demeanour was infectious, and soon, they were being greeted by her former colleagues.
"Oh, its Nadja. And you brought along the young Captain? Hope you can stay a while." One started, shaking Yuri's hand.
"Would you like some juice? Or maybe some coffee?" Another asked.
"Oh, nothing for me, thanks." Yuri replied.
He watched the group smile, and laugh and catch up, and he thought...
He was just glad he had decided to come.
"Yuri, can I talk to you for a sec?" Nia asked.
"Sure." He replied.
No one had seen or heard from her since the meeting, and although worried about her, he didn't follow.
He could tell that she needed space.
She had shown up for duty the moment the ship was leaving port, and he found himself glancing her way every now and then.
As they found themselves leaving Alatyr behind, she had come up to him with a request.
"I wanna stop by Deviagorsk before we leave Elgava, if you don't mind." Her face betrayed nothing. "Somebody's waiting for me at the tavern there."
Yuri nodded. "Okay, sure. No problem."
She smiled in thanks, and he found himself watching as she returned to her post.
Entering the tavern on Deviagorsk, they spotted Semias sitting in the corner, sipping on a drink... half hidden in shadow.
"Been waitin' long Semias?" She asked.
"Ah, Lady Nia! No, no. I haven't been waiting long at all."
"Semias huh? So this is who you came here to see?" Yuri asked.
"That's right. He's been analysing a backup copy I had made of that voyage recorder data."
"A backup copy!"
"Yup. I wouldn't trust those Elgavan Forces guys as far as I could throw 'em."
Yuri found himself staring at the two as Nia spoke, taking a seat. "So how about it Semias? Have you finished looking into it?"
"I have? I started by pulling out the most accurate information I could from the data collected at the time these images were taken." He began.
"Great. Okay, let's hear what you found out."
"After cross-analyzing the laser interference data with the gravitational wave data and the inflation data within the image range, I discovered that the main ships of the fleet are in the 1,800 meter range, and that there are several of them."
"1,800 meters?!" Yuri cried in amazement.
"That's almost as big as Valantin's CORSAIR!" Torlo exclaimed. "And they have more than one of those suckers?!"
Nia didn't even seem phased. "That sounds about like what they'd send. For advance troops anyway. Okay, what kind of numbers are we talkin'?"
"Remember, this is only conjecture, based on what I could observe from the voyage recorder. But I'm guessing no less than 100,000 ships." He told them.
The silence following the number reveal was deafening, broken by Kira...
"Oh my..."
"100, 000? That's more than there are in the whole Small Magellanic Cloud, isn't it?" Tatiana asked.
"I'd say there are probably about twice as many." Ian guessed. "And those are only their advance troops. So how big is their main force?"
"Semias, do the Elgavan Forces have all this same data?" Nia questioned, sipping on the scotch.
"They have it, but the result of their analysis was apparently much different than mine." He answered, taking back the bottle to pour another shot. "They seem to have assumed that the ships are old, making the inflation output for each ship over-inflated. According to a friend of mine in the military, they estimate roughly 1,000 ships in all."
"Wow. It's just great how everyone is bending over backwards to underestimate this enemy." Nia replied with a sneer, taking another swig.
"Nia, we have to report this information to Commander Vladykin right away!"
"They've already got the same data we do, right?"
"Yeah, but -"
"And look at the analysis they came up with! They're way off! We could talk 'em until we were blue in the face, and they still wouldn't listen."
Yuri frowned at her. How could she not share what she knew.
"But you have some kind of first-hand knowledge of this Lugovalian Empire, don't you? If it came from you, if you explained to them -"
"I don't really know all that much about 'em either kid. I've already coughed up everything I got." She said truthfully.
"Are you sure about that?" He asked.
Their was no way that that was all she knew.
Semias watched in silence from across the table as Nia turned back to Yuri.
"Yuri, I've got a favour to ask."
"What's that?"
"I want to put the DAISY in the shop for some thorough maintenance." That wasn't what he was expecting to hear. "It's starting to fall apart, and we don't know what's ahead either."
Yuri frowned.
It was her ship anyway. He thought he had no say over the DAISY. "I'm fine with the maintenance idea, but what do you mean, we don't know what's ahead?"
Without answering Yuri, Nia turned to speak to Semias. "Semias, can I ask you to take care of it?"
"Certainly Lady Nia. I'll see to it that the DAISY gets a thorough going-over."
Yuri was honestly getting annoyed now. They had been through so much together. And now, when a threat was heading straight for the SMC, she just closed up.
Didn't he have a right to know?
Ignoring Nia for the moment, he turned to Semias. Nia seemed to be good friends with him. And if anyone would know just what was coming, it would be him.
"Semias, you must've seen them before, right? These Lugovalian Empire ships?" He asked. "Otherwise, how could you just sit here, not freaking out, I mean?"
The older man shook his head, downing the last of the scotch in his glass. "No. I've never seen them before Yuri."
"I... I don't believe you."
"It's true Yuri." Nia jumped in, drawing his attention to her. "He's never seen them before."
"And that's precisely how I can be so calm and not freak out, as you say."
Yuri watched Semias smile, before turning back to Nia.
Something wasn't adding up. How was it that these two knew about the Lugovalian Empire, but had never seen them before.
It just didn't make any sense.
No sense at all.
Approaching the Void Gate past Deviagorsk, Yuri briefly toyed with the idea of returning to the Kalymnos Junction. Mulling it over in his head, Yuri decided that there wasn't any point...
There really wouldn't be much to discuss.
"Yuri. We got a message from Aminda Mistika. She says she's almost done with the analysis." Tatiana informed him.
Yuri smiled "Got it. Thanks."
It was perfect timing too.
While the return trip to Elgava wasn't a waste, he thought that they'd been hanging around not doing much.
The not much, consisted mostly of pirate battles, and long talks in the tavern with his crew. Not that this was a bad thing though.
The royal blue of the planet Tineo appeared, and Yuri found himself flushed with excitement. After months of searching for answers regarding the Epitaphs, he was finally about to get them.
If it hadn't been for his friends, and how far they'd come, he wouldn't be getting them...
He had to thank them sometime.
Catching a ride to the Ludoviko Tani Observatory, Yuri's group found themselves in the very familiar spherical observation room.
"Oh, Yuri! Good, you're here. The analysis should be complete in about ten hours."
Ten hours. He thought. At least there's a time frame now.
"Really? That's great!"
"Now, it's getting late. Why don't you spend the night on this planet?" She said, putting her hands together. "I can get you rooms at the Ludoviko Tani Hotel, and have results for you by morning. How does that sound?"
"Wonderful!" An excited Minas exclaimed. "Yuri, I think you should accept Aminda's kind offer."
"All right? Thank you. We'd be happy to accept."
Yuri could feel his friends excitement. He didn't blame them. The prospect of sleeping on the ground for the first time in a long time had them all acting like children.
"Oh boy! It's been forever since we slept on the ground!" Tatiana smiled.
"I'm really excited too!"
"Oh good! Follow me to the hotel then." Aminda told them, leading the group out of the room.
The bedsheets rustled, and Yuri found himself shifting to face the wall. He lay on his left side for a few minutes before grunting.
Hm... I just can't sleep. He thought to himself, sitting up in bed. Maybe I'm too used to sleeping on the ship now.
He turned, placing his bare feet on the cold floor. I wonder if anybody else is awake.
After dressing himself, he stepped out of his room, and found himself facing the curved wall directly opposite him.
Nah, this wouldn't be right. He thought, passing Tatiana's room.
Torlo's room was next, followed by Kira's. He could hear the boy snoring through the door. Smiling, Yuri turned to Kira's room thinking that she was probably asleep.
He came to a stop at Nia's door, head cocked to one side. If anyone was awake, it was probably her.
"Nia, it's Yuri."
"The door's open." Was her response.
The door slid open, and Yuri stopped in his tracks just inside the room. "Oh wow!"
One entire wall in Nia's room was covered with monitors, showing various star systems. Basking in the unnatural blue glow of the screens, Nia was perched atop her bed, a thoughtful look on her face.
"My room doesn't look like this at all!"
"This one looked kind of interesting, so I asked for it specifically." She answered.
"Huh."
Yuri found his gaze locked on the wall, and he sat on the floor at the foot of her bed, arms crossed, knees bent.
They watched in silence for a bit, before Nia spoke. "So what's up kid? Something on your mind? It's kinda late, ya know."
"I couldn't sleep." He replied.
"Yeah, that happens."
The silence continued, and Yuri found his gaze wandering over to his friend. Her right leg was crossed atop the left, arms placed neatly on her knees.
Yuri found his breath hitching in his throat.
She looked beautiful.
He'd always noticed that, but something seemed different this time.
"Ya know, I wonder sometimes if it's a good thing that people figured out how to travel faster than the speed of light." She said suddenly.
"What makes you say that?"
"The light from the stars on these monitors, It all comes from the past, ya know." She replied. "A lot of these stars probably don't even exist anymore. It's pretty trippy if you think about it."
Her gaze seemed focused on a certain spot on the wall, and he watched her fist clench briefly.
I wonder what she's thinking.
"Well -"
"When something is dead, maybe it oughta just be gone, ya know? Disappear without a trace." Her voice seemed tinged with anger, and he found himself wondering what she was talking about. "It's kind of messed up to keep on seeing it like this, just as pretty as it used to be, once upon a time."
Yuri frowned. "But isn't it a good thing too?"
"Depends on how ya look at it, I guess."
The conversation trailed off, and they lapsed into silence.
And as Nia stared at a spot on the monitor, eyes locked on a certain star, Yuri found himself staring at her...
"Welcome! Welcome to Fort Cadmus!" A voice called out above the noise. "Make yourself at home Commander Ioannou. Ha ha ha ha!"
"Thank you for seeing me, Lord Cadmus." The Security Agency Commander replied formally.
The purple-haired Spetses Lord stepped down from the stage, surrounded by a variety of scantily clad women.
"Mm hm. And what is your business today?" He asked, paying more attention to the blonde-haired woman who had thrown herself onto him.
"I'll get straight to the point. We want you to return Katida Lanco."
"Hm? Katida Lanco? And who might that be?"
"Please don't play games with me." Ioannou ground out, annoyed that he wasn't being taken seriously. "We know full well that she was kidnapped by the Kreios Pirates and sent to this planet here. Dardanos, who was controlling the entire band of pirates, confessed everything to us."
Cadmus turned to him, laughing. "All right. You've got me. She's right here at Fort Cadmus as we speak. But you can't expect me to just hand her over for nothing now, can you?"
He'd expected this.
"... Very well. Jozefo Lanco readied this for me to give to you in exchange for Katida. One hundred million credits. I trust we have a deal?" Ioannou asked, holding the currency card aloft.
The Feudal Lord's eyes lit up. "Oh, lovely! And I will accept it with pleasure!."
"And so where is the girl?"
The smile disappeared from Cadmus's face, and he frowned at the Kalymnian Commander. "Oh, no, no, no, no! You're getting ahead of yourself now. The money is fine, and I'm very pleased. But don't you think it's an outrage that an officer of the Kalymnos military has invaded my Autonomous Dominion?"
"What?!" Ioannou cried, face paling. "But you gave me permission to enter!"
"Hm? I don't recall doing any such thing."
The Lord's next move took Ioannou by complete surprise. Before he could react, Cadmus had his blaster drawn, and pulled the trigger.
Clutching his chest, he found himself stumbling backwards, turning in a drunken-like haze. He landed on his chest, grunting with the impact.
"Pappas... Pappas... do you read me?!" He groaned, coughing.
"Commander! What's going on, Commander?!"
Ioannou found his vision blurring, his voice wheezing. "Cadmus has her... Katida Lanco..."
"Commander! Are you all right?! Commander?"
"Oh dear. You just refuse to die, don't you?" He could barely hear the footsteps behind him, then came Cadmus's voice again. "You're making it look like I'm a poor marksman Ioannou!"
"Ngh... Damn you...!"
"Now, say hello to my sword."
Ioannou's eyes went wide, then he felt the sword thrust downwards into his back.
"DIE!"
He cried out in pain, not hearing Pappas's voice crying out as he faded in an out of consciousness.
I'm sorry!
"GAAAAAAAAAGH!"
Ioannou's cry of pain caught Pappas off guard, and he took a brief step back.
"Commander! Come in, please!" He called out desperately. "Commander! Commander Ioannou!"
The frantic chatter around him continued, and he turned to an operator. "What the Grus is going on?"
"I'm not sure sir!" Was the answer.
Pappas knew of course, he wasn't stupid. If it was true, and Ioannou was either dead or captured, then things had now fallen to him to make it right.
His mind wandered back to Yuri and his group, but he shook his head. Ioannou and he had sworn not to include them in this, they'd done more than enough already.
Not that he couldn't use their help though.
Turning back to an operator, he began shouting orders. "Try to locate Ioannou using that tracker. I want a confirmation on the Commander's position and current status."
"Yes sir!"
"And you..." He said, turning to another. "Get me in touch with the Sector Security Agency, I need to talk with them... NOW!"
As they all met up in the hallway outside their rooms, Tatiana stretched, and yawned. "What a great sleep!"
"Try to yawn a little wider next time." Torlo said sarcastically, a teasing smile on his face.
"Shut up, Torlo. You're bugging me."
Ignoring the others, Kira turned to him. "Did you have a good sleep Yuri?"
"Me?" He asked in surprise. He had mostly been focused on something else... or someone. "Yeah, I slept pretty well. It's kinda nice sleeping on the ground for a change."
"Hm..."
She had noticed the little look her brother seemed to shoot towards Nia, and the small smile he grew as he tried hard not to blush.
"What's the matter Kira?"
"I don't know. You just seem a little different this morning." She answered.
"Different? Different how?"
"I don't know. Just different somehow."
From out in front, Professor Gavriil Minas appeared, clapping his hands to get everyone's attention. "Come on now people. Aminda should be done with the analysis. Let's hurry over to the Observatory!"
"Oh, right!" Yuri said in sudden realization. "Let's go, Kira."
As they made their way down the halls, Yuri found himself walking beside the child-like Professor through the halls.
Entering the lobby of the Ludoviko Tani Hotel, he found it full of scientists and researchers.
"Oh, it looks like they're holding a CMW Research Society Convention."
"What's CMW?" Yuri asked.
"Oh, cosmic microwaves. They can be observed everywhere in the universe. They say that studying these microwaves can give us information about conditions in the very early days of the universe. I'm not a member, but I always read through the papers presented at the conventions. Would you like to read them with me?"
"Me? Uh... no thanks."
And as they passed through the entrance door, Yuri found himself thinking...
He was a little hungry.
Despite the protests of the Minas, the rest of the group had taken Yuri's words into consideration, and soon, the table was laden with food.
As they dug in, Yuri took a bite from his plate, turning to Ian as Torlo spoke up..
"Yo, Ian! How come every time we visit Tineo, you always make yourself scarce?"
The boy in question blushed. "Yes, well... Whenever I get the chance, I like to pay a visit to the Ludoviko Tani Observatory. I could live in that library for a hundred years and still not see everything I want to see!"
Torlo answered with a quick bark-like laugh. "Geez, you sure are a study geek Ian!"
"And you spend too much of your time in sloth and laziness Torlo." Ian shot back. "If you don't start expanding your horizons and pushing yourself now, you'll never amount to much in life."
"Grus, you sound like my mom! I'll never amount to much if I die from overwork either!"
Yuri and Tatiana rolled their eyes at the constant bickering. They were used to it now.
Listening to the conversation, Palmo jumped in as the topic of conversation died down "I'm an Alumni of the Nacio National University in Tineo, you know."
"You are? What did you study there?" Ian asked in surprise.
"I actually majored in literature. Deciphering ancient texts." Was his reply. Several raised eyebrows were directed at him.
"Huh. I never would have guessed that about you." Tatiana answered in fascination.
This had obviously happened to him before, and he didn't bat an eye.
"That's why I'm so fascinated by the inscriptions they say are carved on the Epitaphs. Did you ever find out what they meant?"
"No, not yet." Yuri replied.
"No? Well, don't worry. I'll bet Ms. Mistika will figure it all out one day soon enough."
Yuri nodded, as he fell silent.
Yes. He hoped so too.
Entering the Observatory again for the third time, they quickly found Aminda Mistika, who had a big smile etched onto her face.
"I've been waiting for you. I have the results of the analysis."
Yuri didn't think that Gavriil Minas's smile could get any bigger.
It did.
"That's wonderful! And? What do they say? Did you find out anything? Come on Aminda! Out with it my girl!"
She'd dealt with these kinds of things before. Rolling her eyes, the woman held up her hands, speaking gently.
"Professor, Professor! Take a deep breath, I'm getting to it."
"Hurry up then!" Was his response. Nothing would deter him.
With a wave of her hand, Aminda led them down the connecting walkways, and towards the platform in the centre of the room.
As she fiddled around with the computer, the three big monitors began flicking through various things. As they took seats around the monitor, Aminda turned to face them, presentation rod held aloft in her left hand.
She cleared her throat, and began to speak. "Ahem. Let me tell you my conclusions first. I believe it's highly likely that there's some sort of connection between Epitaphs and Dead Gates. I detected a faint Higgs boson reading from the samples you collected at the ruins."
As she spoke, her lab coat fell open, revealing a black and tan bodysuit beneath... brown belt around her waist.
"This is none other than the Drone Higgs mechanism, the eleventh Higgs boson, that we have detected a number of times in our observations of Dead Gates."
The monitor, as well as Professor Mistika, continued spewing forth information that made their heads spin.
"A-ha! That all but proves my theory, doesn't it?"
"Precisely. It seems your trip to Mytilene was extremely worthwhile Professor."
Torlo's confused expression was punctuated with an equally confused. "Um..."
With everyone's confusion obvious, Yuri turned to the old man on his left. "Excuse me, Professor Minas, but can you please explain it so we laypeople can get it too?"
"In other words, it's just as Aminda stated at the beginning. There's a definite connection between Dead Gates and Epitaphs!"
"And that's not all." Aminda continued. "By observing the Drone Higgs mechanism, we may be able to pinpoint the locations of Epitaphs."
"What?!"
"Wow... I think I'm just starting to realize how big these findings really are." Ian said to himself.
Yuri was starting to realize the same thing too. Then, he found another thought running through his head. If it was true, and there was the possibility that they could locate Epitaphs... then that meant that he could finally get his Epitaph back.
There was just one problem though:
Valantin.
"Ms. Mistika! Have you observed these Higgs boson thingies at any other places before?" He asked, face unusually serious.
"Ordinarily, I would say it's not that simple. But this time, it just might be. We detected a strong reading in an area just recently." She replied.
Yuri's calm demeanour broke. "Where?! What area was it?!"
"In the Dominion of Spetses. We've gotten faint readings from there before, but lately, these readings have been especially powerful."
Spetses! What a coincidence.
"The Dominion of Spetses, huh? Of all places..."
"The rumours that Cadmus, the Feudal Lord of Spetses, possesses an Epitaph has been floating around for quite some time now. Lord Cadmus the First, the previous Feudal Lord, and Cadmus's father, is the one who founded the Dominion of Spetses. They say that he found an Epitaph during his travels as a spacefarer."
"Very interesting..." He mumbled.
Looking up, he noticed a very thoughtful look on the old Professor's face, as he began mumbling to himself. "If only we could equip the ship with a device that could take Higgs boson readings..."
"If we had something like that, finding Epitaphs sure would be a whole lot easier!"
"Hm... I'm afraid implementing something like that would not be simple to do." He told Yuri truthfully.
"Even with all the resources we have here at the observatory, it's still very difficult to detect the Higgs boson. I can't imagine scaling it all down to a size that could be installed on a ship."
"But it's certainly something to think about. There must be a way, somehow."
"Now you've got me thinking about a way to install this sort of detection device on the ship. Now, what would be the ideal way to detect the Higgs boson? Observing distributions of gravitational waves?" Minas said to himself. "Observing field charges when symmetry is lost? Or maybe even some sort of device that can detect the Higgs boson itself directly?"
"Um... huh?"
"The Drone Higgs mechanism is the name of a theoretical framework under which mass is given to every particle in the universe. It easily loses symmetry and disappears. Here at the observatory, we infer the presence of the Higgs boson through the indirect observation of distortion in gravitational waves that occurs when the Higgs boson is generated. As a scientist, I consider it a great honour and privilege to be able to detect the Higgs boson like this firsthand. And it's all thanks to you that I was able to!" She said with a hint of excitement.
After finishing off the conversation, Yuri and the group left Aminda and Minas to ponder the scientific ramifications of what had been discovered.
Approaching the Lanco Hotel, Yuri could see Belen Pappas sitting in the lobby, head in his hands.
Pushing through the entrance door, Yuri found himself shouting. "ENSIGN PAPPAS!"
Lifting his head out of his hands in surprise, Pappas spotted the group, shaking his head as he stood up. "Oh, hi there."
Tatiana frowned. "You look pretty upset. Is anything wrong?"
"Well..." He rolled his head from side to side, as if debating whether or not to reveal the information.
A few minutes later, after an explanation of events, Yuri found himself speaking for the shocked group. "COMMANDER IOANNOU?!"
"No, it can't be..."
"CADMUS! that son of a -" Torlo exclaimed.
"Ensign Pappas, can't the Security Agency do anything about it?" Tatiana asked.
"No. I'm afraid their hands are tied." Pappas answered dejectedly.
The silence hung in the air for a few seconds. "But what was Commander Ioannou doing there by himself anyway?"
"That's right!" Nia said in annoyance, stepping forward. She'd had enough of the tip-toeing. "It's time to spill the whole can of beans Pappas. We don't have time to play."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Yuri winced, watching as Nia's eyes burned while she cracked her neck. He almost felt sorry for him. "I SAID DON'T PLAY GAMES! You guys have been acting squirrelly with us ever since we helped ya with that Kreios Pirates thing. Just what are you hidin' from us exactly?"
The two stared at each other, before Pappas caved.
"Fine. I'll tell you everything I know. We owe you that much, after you put your lives on the line against the pirates. But you have to keep everything I tell you strictly confidential. Is that clear?"
The stern look, and hint of warning from Pappas, found Yuri answering. "Yeah, of course."
"Okay. Here goes." He said with a deep breath, and a sigh. "Yuri, do you remember that time we first met in space?"
"Yes, let's see. The Kreios Pirates were attacking that private passenger ship."
"That's right. Well, Nikolao Garni, the Lanco family steward, was aboard that passenger ship. And Jozefo's granddaughter, Katida Lanco, was on that ship as well."
Ian frowned in recognition. "The granddaughter of the President of Lanco Warship Manufacturing?"
"So that's what that was all about, huh? What the Kreios Pirates were really targeting that day was the girl?" Nia asked.
"That's right. And they got what they were after too. Ever since then, we've been trying everything we can think of to get her back. We've been calling her Prisoner X."
"It all makes sense now." Ian said to himself. "No wonder you resorted to cooperating with a pirate like Celina Sioufas! You must have been pretty desperate to do that."
Pappas nodded. "We were. But after we heard Warden Glaucus's confession, we knew we were too late with the pirate operation. Katida had already been shipped off to Cadmus under the human trafficking scheme they had going on."
"And so that's why Commander Ioannou went to Cadmus, to negotiate with him."
"That's right."
"What are you going to do now Ensign Pappas? Do you have any plan?" Yuri pressed him.
"Well, like I said before, the Security Agency's hands are tied. Besides, Cadmus is protected by the powerful fleet his father built up, and he never leaves that planet of his. Without Commander Ioannou, this operation is pretty much over."
"This is horrible..." Tatiana said, amidst the silence.
"I'm going back to Kalymnos. And I'd advise you people to just forget about this whole thing."
"Hey, wait a minute!"
The dejected look on the Ensigns's face was one he hadn't seen before. He was usually so confident. So cocky. But now, he wasn't.
Without looking back, Belen Pappas walked away. Head down, hands unmoving by his side as he exited out the front door.
"I can't believe Commander Ioannou is dead."
They were back in the war room again, just the eight of them. After their very informative conversation with Ensign Pappas at the Lanco Hotel, there was a few things they needed to talk about.
With the room secure, and everyone in attendance, no one could find anything to say. The silence stretched out for a time, before being broken by Yuri.
"I can't believe Cadmus killed him though. I mean, why bring all that trouble down on himself like that?" He asked the room at large.
"Well look at it this way, Cadmus is the Feudal Lord of Spetses, right?" Nia began. "So that means... it doesn't matter whether he gave Ioannou permission to be there... in the end, it's his word. And besides, no one else has any jurisdiction there, so..."
"We can't just do nothing though..." Tatiana jumped in. "I can't believe Ensign Pappas would just give up like that."
"Well it's out of their hands now anyway." Selenia replied. "And besides, there's nothing we can do about it... even if we wanted to. It would just attract the wrong kind of attention, and that's something we can't afford."
"She's right." Ogar spoke up from beside her. "With this Lugovalian Empire looming over us, we can't afford to be stupid. If we do this, there isn't anything we may be able to do to crawl our way out."
Yuri, who had trailed off after his input, had a sudden revelation. "Nikolao Garni."
"Huh?"
"Nikolao Garni: the Lanco family steward." Yuri said. Seeing that his audience wasn't following his train of thought, he explained. "When we first came to the Lanco Hotel, Pappas was there with Ioannou, but he's dead now. They weren't the only ones though. Captain Valso was too, but there isn't a way we would be able to get close enough to him without some letter of introduction."
Yuri, held up a forth finger. "But Nikolao Garni was also there. If there's anyone that would have information we can use, it would be him."
Nia's mouth curved upwards into a thoughtful frown. "Well... last we spoke with him, he was at the tavern nearby. He might still be there. I mean... if he's looking to get Katida Lanco back, he won't go back to Jozefo empty handed... right?"
Torlo smiled, looking around at everyone. "Ya know... I like all this sneaking around and plotting. It's fun."
Tatiana found herself nodding. "I agree. It's like having our own secret team... Yuri's Circle."
Yuri's Circle. That actually sounded pretty good.
Yuri smiled. "It's official then. From now on only we will know everything. And from now on, we will speak to no one else about what we see or hear. And our group will expand no further unless it is decided."
Looking around the room, he found a mix of serious, and excited faces staring back at him.
"Welcome to Yuri's Circle."
Walking inside the tavern, Yuri spotted Nikolao Garni, the Lanco family steward at the back.
"Oh, hello young people. I'm very, very sorry to hear about what happened to Commander Ioannou."
"Ensign Pappas told us what happened. He was murdered by Cadmus while he was trying to save Katida Lanco." Yuri replied.
"Yes... he took the negotiation role upon himself, hoping to improve the relationship between Kalymnos and our nation." Garni answered with a brief pause.
Yuri frowned. "Huh? What does Katida Lanco have to do with the relationship between Kalymnos and Nova Nacio?"
"Well, I'm sure you're aware that there is quite a bit of tension between the two nations." Garni asked the nodding group.
"So I've heard."
"Mr. Lanco was always troubled by that fact, and so he tried to do something about it. He began a campaign of promoting economic and cultural exchange between Kalymnos and Nova Nacio."
With the group's attention solely fixed on him, he continued.
"To help further that aim, Miss Lanco and I were sent to Kalymnos as part of an economic delegation."
"And then the ship was attacked by the Kreios Pirates, and Katida Lanco was kidnapped?" Torlo asked. "That's cold!"
"Yes, indeed it was. And then Cadmus began threatening Mr. Lanco, insisting that he put a halt to his campaign of exchange." Garni finished. "We believe that was actually the objective of the Kreios Pirates and Cadmus all along."
"But I don't get it. Why would that Cadmus want the tension to get worse, maybe even turn into a war?"
"Who knows? I hear Cadmus is a dim-witted second-generation Feudal Lord that's never even stepped foot off his own planet." Nia said with a shrug. "I doubt a blockhead like that could even come up with the idea of stirrin' up a war on his own."
As they all talked around him, Yuri stayed silent. The beginnings of a plan starting to form in his mind.
"What are you thinking Yuri?" Kira asked.
"Hm..." Yuri answered, before turning to face the Launcher on his left. "Nia, remember how you told me about Article 11 of the Space Pioneering Law?"
"Hey, there ya go kiddo!" Nia said with a wide smile. "You're getting used to the way things are done in the sea of stars, aren't ya?"
"Huh? What are you two talking about?" Kira asked.
Turning to the younger girl, Nia explained. "Article 11 of the Space Pioneering Law: The Feudal Lord of an Autonomous Dominion must bear all responsibility for the defence of his territory alone. In other words, if an Autonomous Dominion is attacked by pirates or private citizens... the Feudal Lord has to handle it himself, without any outside help."
"But -"
Catching on, Ian joined in. "Yuri, you couldn't possibly be thinking..."
Turning to face him, a serious expression on his face... Yuri spoke. "That's right. We invade the Dominion of Spetses with our own fleet!"
"Yuri..."
The shocked silence was broken by Torlo, who almost smacked Tatiana as he stood in excitement... waving his arms. "Okay, now you're talkin' my man! We gotta kick the Grus outta that guy! Get him back for Commander Ioannou!"
Garni appreciated their help. But he didn't think that they realized what a big mistake they were about to make.
"But wait a minute people! Cadmus's military strength is by no means paltry, you do realize this!"
"That's right! We're talking about an entire dominion here! Do you really think we can wage war against an enemy like that?!" Ian asked sensibly.
"Official organisations aren't free to do anything. That means it's up to private citizens like us." Yuri said with conviction.
"Master Yuri..."
He admired them. They certainly weren't afraid.
"No way! I'm absolutely, positively against it! Just because you've fought a handful of pirates and won, now you think you can do anything. You're overestimating yourself!"
"Ian, it's not a matter of overestimating myself. You saw the images of that Lugovalian fleet too, didn't you? The Elgavan government may not realize it yet, but the day is going to come when we're going to have to stand against them. And when that day comes, we can't afford to have the nations of the Small Magellanic Cloud waging petty wars against each other."
"But..." Ian watched Yuri's silent pointed look. "All right! All right! You win! If you've thought it all through to that extent, I'm behind you Captain. But I still say a frontal attack isn't going to work." He replied. "Let me watch how it goes and see if I can come up with a plan."
Yuri smiled. "Thanks Ian. I'm counting on you."
"Yeah, well... don't!"
"Thank you for doing this for us! I vow to one day repay you for all you've done!" Garni said, taking Yuri's hand in a grateful shake.
"No, you don't owe us anything. We're doing this for ourselves."
"That's right Gramps. Besides, we haven't really done anything yet!" Nia said, knocking back a shot. "You can thank us when it's over."
"Yes ma'am." He replied, finishing off his drink. Standing up, he bid them farewell, explaining that he had other business to attend to.
"I haven't seen Aminda that excited about something in a very long time." He heard Minas speak up.
"You thought she seemed excited?" He asked.
"I didn't really notice." Torlo added.
"Yes, well, she's not usually the type to overly express her emotions. Most of the time she tends to be somewhat quiet and aloof."
"Results of the Epitaph analysis? What was that again?" Leo asked, confused. "A new metal to be used for a module or something?"
"What's the matter with you Leo?! Epitaphs are legendary relics that open the way to new areas of space." Yuri watched as Rhea faced her boyfriend with an astonished look. "The whole reason Yuri and his crew are traveling around like this is to look for them and solve their mysteries! Haven't you been paying attention?"
"Oh, yeah. Right, right. And that's why we're going to the Ludoviko Tani Observatory, right?"
Yuri watched as Rhea rubbed a hand over her face in annoyance. "Oh brother. This guy kills me! I wonder if a good knock to the head would straighten him out!"
"Now, now Rhea... try to settle down okay?" Yuri tried placating her.
Yuri looked over to Leo, who had a confused look on his face. He really couldn't believe this guy was a genius.
On the way back from the bar, he found Dr. Kuchin watching the news on the monitor... but Yuri wasn't really paying attention.
"When I was young, I went to the Dominion of Spetses once with the Medic Organization."
It was a revelation that Yuri wasn't expecting... not that he knew the man all too well.
"What was it like?"
"Back then, it was a very nice country, and the region was stable. That nation never would have done anything like this in those days. Just what happened to Spetses, I wonder..."
"Yuri, there's somebody here to see you."
Tatiana's voice called out across the bridge, as Yuri sifted through some information.
"Huh? I'm kind of busy right now, getting ready to ship out." He replied, not turning away from the screen.
"I'm sorry to bother you." A voice said.
Yuri stopped... the voice seemed so familiar to him for some reason. Turning, he spotted the same tall, pale woman he had met at Lanco Warship Manufacturing.
"I've met you before, haven't I?"
"Yes, at the Lanco Warship Manufacturing Branch Office." She replied. "I'm Adorinda Nobelo."
"Nice to meet you. But what brings you here?"
"Mr. Garni told me the story. You're going to try and rescue Miss Lanco. Is that right?" She asked. Hopeful. "Well, I'd like to come along, if I may."
"What? Why would you want to do that?"
"I've known Miss Lanco ever since she was a little girl. I won't be able to rest until I see that she's safe." She said, concern in her voice. "Mr. Lanco gave me permission to take the time off. Please let me come with you! I can work as part of your crew."
Yuri watched her for a second, as his mind wandered back to their meeting a few days prior. Sure, she had been cold, but still.
With the situation they were in, he wasn't about to refuse her.
"All right, fine. Welcome aboard then!"
"Thank you Captain! I hope I can be of some use to you."
Giving them a quick rundown of her skillset, Yuri had Kira show the woman to the messhall, which he had placed her in the position of Head Chef, with Kira now acting as server when not in battle. Due to the new addition to the crew, he had decided to put Radimir as a Chief Responder, under newly promoted Chief Engineer Pachjo Palmo.
As he skimmed through the reports, and with the others distracted, Nia rose, coming to rest against Yuri's console.
"You're really growin' up right before my very eyes kiddo."
"Thanks to you Nia." Yuri replied quickly.
It was true. Sure he had done most of the work, but without her, he wouldn't be anywhere.
"Hey I haven't done a thing. I gotta say though. I can't wait to see how you're gonna turn out." Nia told him.
He was humble, she had to give him that... a little too humble sometimes.
"I guess we'll both have to just wait and see."
As the two talked quietly, Tatiana spoke up, breaking off her conversation with Torlo.
"Oh Yuri! We got a message from Ensign Delis. He says Commander Ioannou's body was sent from Spetses to Nova Nacio."
"Apparently, Cadmus issued a statement that Commander Ioannou was an unlawful intruder into his dominion, and has been dealt with." Ian added, a hint of annoyance in his voice.
"Yuri... We can't just leave It like this. We Gotta stop that scum Cadmus!"
"I know. I'm not going to let him get away with it. Trust me on this."
That's it kiddo. Channel that anger and use it. She thought.
Nia watched Yuri's eyes blaze with an inner fire, and found herself wondering just how far he'd come.
Not bad indeed.
"So how are you settling in?"
As they left the Populara Spaceport, Yuri found himself wondering down to the messhall. His presence there was confusing to the FLAKRUNNER's newest crewmember... though none more so than Yuri's question.
"Fine, all things considered." She answered. "While I know my way around a kitchen, I've never found myself in charge of cooking for a crew of hundreds before... it's a little daunting."
Yuri found himself chuckling, remembering the moment that he had had back in Ropesk, after receiving his first ship. "Yes, I remember the time I purchased my first ship. It felt the same way for me too."
"That's right, you've done this before. How long have you been at this?"
"A few months now." He replied. "Travelling the galaxy at sixteen. Leading a fleet of ships. I often find myself wondering how I haven't screwed up already."
She found herself listening intently, hanging on his words.
"I have to be doing something right. I mean... I managed to bring down three separate pirate groups, and saved a sector from criminals."
Her eyes widened as she watched him.
If this was what he had gone through in the last few months, then there was no doubt he would go far.
Even if he was exaggerating, she could tell that he had seen things that others hadn't. She could see it in his eyes.
He wasn't like any other sixteen year old she had ever met.
"I'm sorry about the other day, treating you like a little kid and all. I never imagined you were the Captain of a real ship and crew."
"That's all right. It's pretty much the standard reaction." Yuri told her. "I mean, how many sixteen year old kids do you see wandering the see of stars?"
"Ah..." Nobelo said to herself. "FLAKRUNNER. Now I understand "
It hadn't made sense before, but now, it was all clear.
She felt bad.
"Well, as long as there are no hard feelings. Do you want some candy?"
"Uh, no thanks."
"How about this packet of tissues then? By way of apology?" She asked him.
"Uh, okay. Thanks." She wasn't really a people person, that much he could tell.
At least she was trying.
Approaching the Riveli border post, they were all eyed sharply by the soldiers stationed there.
"Yuri look. There's Captain Valso." Kira exclaimed, pointing to the Nova Nacion Captain standing just inside the heavily armed gate.
Ignoring the look that he was receiving, and the pointing of guns in his direction, Yuri shouted out the Captain's name.
Turning at the call of his name, he recognized the young silver-haired man walking towards him.
He had to admit, not many people would continue walking while being targeted by a group of heavily armed soldiers.
Valso motioned for the guards to lower their weapons, and waved Yuri's Circle over.
"Ah! It's you. Nice to see you. I heard from Nikolao Garni that you'll be travelling to Spetses. Is that right?"
Yuri nodded, glad that Garni had sent word ahead.
Just as Adorinda had said.
"Yes, that's right. There's the matter of Commander Ioannou, you see. And we want to keep war from breaking out between this country and Kalymnos. I mean, we want to try at least."
Valso seemingly agreed, nodding as he answered. "I may be a military man, but I agree with you on that point wholeheartedly."
"Do you dislike war Captain Valso?" Tatiana asked. "I mean, even though you're in the military?"
"That's a common military stereotype: the warmonger. Some men talk big, but when the shooting starts, they always run for cover." He answered, arms crossed now. "Of course, there are those who actually crave war, to quell their inner anger, or because l they believe it will help somehow."
"Yes, I guess so..."
"But this hatred between us and the Kalymnians has gone on for too long, in my opinion."
"Yeah, I see what you mean."
"Oh, I almost forgot." Valso said quickly.
"What's that?"
"Here's a little something for you. It's a letter of introduction to the Fighter Design Company here on Riveli." He said, handing Yuri the document. "They just sell blueprints for models meant for export to Elgava, but they should help you in your campaign against Spetses."
Yuri found himself smiling. "Thank you for this Captain!"
"No, thank you!" Valso replied. "It is disgraceful that we have our hands tied like this. With all that you're doing for us, it's the least we can do for you."
"Don't worry Captain Valso, we'll do our best." Yuri said, shaking the man's hand.
"Nations actually have militaries in order to avoid war, you know. People rarely go out and purposely try to eat poison or get stung by bees, right?" He asked. "At least, healthy-minded people anyway. Showing the other side that it would be fatal to make a strike is what invariably keeps the peace. So I suppose you could say I joined the military to defend the peace."
"Wow, I never thought of it that way!"
Exchanging final words, Valso watched the group walk off, and he found himself thinking.
They actually stood a chance.
And he hadn't even seen them in action yet. He only had the word of a dead Commander Ioannou to go off.
Though Ioannou's word meant more to him than most.
Dead or alive