It felt weird, setting off from Ermeno without the core parts of his crew. Sure, most of his crew remained unchanged, but the command crew... well... they were all gone.
Where once, each of the bridge's operator stations were filled, now, lay empty seats, or robotic assistants. Two seats remained empty, while Merita had taken up Kira's post on Yuri's immediate left. On top of that, Nia, despite being his First Officer, still retained her position as Fire Control Coordinator.
With Ian, Torlo, Tatiana and Kira all gone, the bridge felt much emptier.
Having left Ermeno and Najbaro behind them, Yuri's fleet had taken the newly opened Void Gate to the Magellanic Stream, which was located on the starlane to CL-665.
Passing into the Magellanic Stream, they emerged into the familiar red tinted space, swirling with yellow nebulae, and sprinkled with stars.
They continued onwards, and Nia made her way towards the centre of the room, eyes narrowed, searching for something...
"She should be around here somewhere..."
Yuri frowned. "Who are you looking for?"
She didn't hear him at first, but then craned her neck slightly, turning her ear back to him. "My backup. Oh, here we go!"
From behind them, emerged a ship, appearing as if from thin air... thrusters burning brilliantly as it came to a stop beside Yuri's fleet.
The communications buzzer sounded, and a channel was opened, with the face of the Merciless Night Queen herself, Celina Sioufas appearing.
"What took you so long?"
"Celina?!" Yuri asked in shock. "You're the backup that Nia was talking about?!"
Celina's eyes narrowed in his direction. "Do you have a problem with that?"
His eyes widened, and he held up his hands.
"No, far from it! I'm just a little surprised, that's all."
The woman grunted in annoyance, before answering. "Hmph. Nia twisted my arm. That wench knows how to get her way."
This set Nia off, who laughed at the other woman's misfortune. "Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! Sorry about the blackmail! I guess you should watch who you choose to drunkenly tell all your embarrassing secrets to, eh?"
Nia's smile never left her face, and Yuri watched as the Captain of the LYKOURGOS grumbled under her breath.
Nia chuckled, seeming to get more enjoyment out of the teasing than was humanly possible.
"Anyway, I guess I'll be a part of your fleet for a while. I hope you're appropriately appreciative."
"Oh, I am!" He replied, but as he finished, he found himself thinking...
I wonder what these embarrassing secrets they keep talking about are.
Meanwhile, in Central Elgava...
High above the planet of Zvenigorod, the Lugovalian ships seemed to spread out, subduing any resistance they came across.
Inside the President's office, Rudak Fomich looked on as Saburov watched the takeover of his beloved nation... Imperial soldiers pouring out into the streets.
"So the invaders have made their way here, to Elgava?"
"Yes sir. All of the regional forces have either been wiped out or have surrendered. We've been utterly defeated." He replied.
"Elgava has been defeated? The glorious Interplanetary Union of Elgava?" He asked, standing there in a trance that he couldn't seem to wake from.
"The Lugovalian Empire is asking for unconditional surrender." He told him. "And they're demanding that you be sent to Lugovalos, sir..."
Eyes wide, the Defense Minister's words seem to break him out of his spell, and he whirled around sharply. "F-Fomich! Please! Isn't there some way to avoid that?!"
Saburov's pleading made Fomich angry, and he clenched his fist before replying. "I wish you'd listened to me before sir. Didn't I tell you to surrender so we could keep our central strength intact? If you had done so, they might be treating you differently right about now."
"No... this can't be happening." The disbelieving President said.
"But it is happening sir! So, your response is unconditional surrender, I assume?"
"I just can't believe this. No... no..."
Not wanting to listen to this anymore, Fomich scoffed. "If you'll excuse me sir. I have to discuss the details of this post-surrender process with Commander Eremon."
Despite the situation, he bowed, before turning to head for the door. He heard Saburov's shouts echoing after him, though he paid them no mind.
Honestly, he was sick of the man. Sick of listening to him.
"Wait... wait! Fomich! Defense Minister!"
He scoffed again, as he found himself walking down the hallway from the President's office... for may what be the final time.
He laughed dryly as he passed some guards.
"Hmph. How unfortunate for our nation that our own leader doesn't understand the right way to go about losing a war."
It was ironic though, that in the end, despite everything changing, some things didn't.
It always ends the same.
Pushing on through towards the Kashtano sector, Yuri found himself ordering the crew to raise the shield output across the fleet.
As they journeyed down the main starlane, Vasta's light shone down on them like a big, fat target. The jackals of the Magellanic Stream came out to play, but were no sooner blown away, then they appeared.
The addition of Celina and the LYKOURGOS more than made up for the loss of Cico. More than a dozen times they were ambushed by the pirates and other outlaws who made the place their home, but they never even left a mark.
Soon, they found themselves approaching the very familiar planet of Kashtano, and despite his stomach turning at the thought of Pipra again, he knew he had no choice.
After dropping their names at the front desk, Yuri, Nia, and Celina followed the long hall towards Pipra's office. As soon as they stepped foot through the doorway, Pipra could be seen immediately, looking frantic.
"Did you hear what happened?!"
Yuri frowned, it was definitely a reaction he expected from the public when they eventually found out... though he expected Pipra to be more well informed than this.
"So you already know about it huh? About the Lugovalian Empire closing in on Elgava?"
Pipra's eyes narrowed, and she began freaking out suddenly.
"What are you talking about?! They're not closing in! They've already brought Elgava entirely under their control!"
Nia stopped dead in her tracks, freezing up on the spot at the words that left her mouth.
There's no way... It's impossible! "WHAT?!"
Even Celina looked disturbed by the fact, standing back a bit from the other two.
"Elgava has been... subjugated?" Yuri asked slowly, mind still not processing the information.
If things weren't bad enough, Pipra's next comment definitely did make it even worse.
"And that's not all! Nova Nacio surrendered too."
"WHAT?!"
"I can't believe it. So that means they've got the entire Small Magellanic Cloud under their thumb?!" Yuri asked in disbelief.
This wasn't how things were supposed to go.
They were supposed to rally the troops, gather every last fighter and drive the Lugovalians back to whatever place they called home.
That though, seemed like a long forgotten dream now.
Everything had changed.
"Kalymnos is apparently still putting up a pretty good fight. Nova Nacio decided to save their strength by not resisting though." She added.
"Saving their strength, huh?"
Celina shrugged. "Well, from Nova Nacio's point of view, it's just a matter of the ruler of the SMC changing from Elgava to Lugovalos." She began. "That being the case... they probably decided it was in their best interest to preserve their strength and keep their position within the new system."
"Of all the cold, calculating moves..." He cursed angrily.
After everything he had done to help, this is what they had resorted to.
"There's nothing wrong with being calculating. It's a leader's duty to choose the most beneficial course for their nation." The Night Queen added.
Yuri suddenly switched priorities, and his mouth began asking questions, mind still trying to catch up.
"What happened to Kira and the others? What happened to the Irvest Sector?!"
Pipra shook her head in answer to his questions. "I don't know, but I'm sure it's been completely taken over by now. We're talking about an enemy with something akin to 120,000 ships, after all."
Yuri paled, but in that moment, all he could think about was his sister.
She was there, in Nova Nacion territory... what if they did something to her?
"No... Kira!"
He turned to run back the way they had come, before a firm hand on his shoulder stopped him.
"Where do you think you're going?" Celina asked, voice more stern then she had intended.
"Where else?! I have to go save my sister!"
Shouldn't that have been obvious.
Celina let out a small laugh. "What can one kid do against the entire Lugovalian fleet? If you want to die, then fine. Go ahead and go." She dropped her hand, waving him towards the door as Nia and Pipra looked on in curiosity.
He paused for a moment to think it over.
On one hand, if he left, he risked being captured or killed in the process, and besides, he wasn't even sure where she was.
And if Elgava couldn't stop them, and they had the same technology, well...
He closed his eyes, fist clenching tightly.
"Damn it!"
"Yuri, don't worry. Not even the Lugovalian Empire is gonna just kill off civilians for no reason." She tried reassuring him.
He turned looking directly into her eyes. "Are you sure about that?"
"Yeah, I am." She replied, though Yuri wasn't sure if she was just saying that or not. "By the way Pipra, I've got a favour to ask. You have a device for communicating with the LMC, right? Can I use it?"
"What do you want with it?" The old lady asked in confusion.
"I'm going to ask for reinforcements from the LMC, from Regeinland." She explained. "I dunno if they'll actually send any, but I think it's worth a shot."
Pipra's eyes widened with sudden realization. "Oh, hey, I never thought of that! Excellent idea! In that case, I'll even let you use it for free!"
She waved Nia over, ignoring Celina's comment as they disappeared into the back room.
"You mean you were thinking of charging her?"
Celina waited, arms folded over her ample chest, while Yuri began wearing a hole in the floor... pacing up and down.
Some time later, the two re-emerged, and judging by the less tense expression on his friend's face, Yuri took a guess that it had gone well.
"So what happened Nia?"
'Apparently, we weren't the only ones. They said that, just before surrendering, Nova Nacio asked for help too, via Nacio." She explained, a confused look on her face. "Anyway, they told me they're gettin' reinforcement fleets together now, and they're gonna send 'em out soon."
"Really? That's great!" He said, hardly believing their luck.
"But it's too soon to celebrate." Celina added quickly. "We don't even know if Regeinland can stop the Lugovalian Empire!"
"I sure hope they can." Yuri said, watching Nia.
"Oh, I almost forgot. A man came here the other day looking for you kids." Pipra exclaimed.
Nia turned to face her, a curious frown on her face. "Was it Semias Alastar?"
"Oh, that's right! That was his name. He's probably still lurking around this sector somewhere. I'll bet you can find him if you look around a little." She told them.
"We will. Thanks for the heads up."
"What would Semias be doing here?" Yuri turned a confused look at his friend.
"I asked him to come meet us here actually." She replied, walking straight past him, and out the door... Celina in tow.
"You did?" He called out after her, following the two women back the way they'd came.
Even with the threat of Lugovalos hanging over them, and the potential invasion of the Magellanic Stream too, they decided to stop off at the tavern.
Due to the confusion of the war, there weren't many patrons inside, and most of the deserted tavern was taken up by Yuri's group... much to the surprise of the bartender.
Sitting at the end of the bar, Ratai Faustov appeared to be in low spirits.
"I've been trying to contact my Pops in Volodarev, but..." He trailed off... he didn't need to finish.
Yuri knew exactly what he was going to say, and what he was thinking.
"You can't get through either huh?"
"That's right. He's getting up there in years, and he's kind of a chicken, just like me." He explained. "I just hope he's all right."
"Don't worry. If he's a chicken, he wouldn't dream of going against a Lugovalian soldier, right?" Nia commented reassuringly. "Lugovalians don't show any mercy to people that resist, but they don't just go around killing people for no reason either."
Ratai seemed to relax a little, and he smiled.
"Oh okay. That makes me feel a little bit better. And as long as we're connected by the sea of stars, I'm sure we'll see each other again one day."
Leaving him alone, the two friends continued up to the bar, finding themselves in a conversation with the bartender, who fiddled around with their drinks.
"I decided I'm going to be giving up this tavern pretty soon. I would advise you people to get away as fast as you can too." He told them, giving them a pointed look.
Heading for a table, they began to talk about what was coming, though were quickly joined by Nichjo Lotuso.
"The Lugovalian Empire eh? A worthy adversary..." He began as he sat down, eyeing up the two. "I don't know how much we can achieve against them, but I'm excited to try!"
Nia's face was replaced by serious look. "Lotuso, excited is fine. Just don't go gettin' reckless, ya hear?"
The man grunted. "You don't have to tell me that. I don't want to die any more than the next person!"
She chuckled briefly, and Yuri smiled. "Fine then."
As Nia turned around, obviously searching for someone, Lotuso leaned forward, lowering his voice so only he could hear.
"So, Yuri, you're supposed to meet with this Semias guy, right?" He questioned. "You'd better hurry up, or Nia is going to be cross with you."
As he finished, he motioned towards the woman beside him.
"You're right!" Yuri exclaimed softly, looking over at Nia diagonally to his left.
Lotuso threw the young Captain wink, before leaving the table, and as Yuri watched him leave, he spotted the Kuchin's walking past... and flagged them down.
""Larissa, have you managed to get a hold of the Medic Organization?"
She'd been discussing it ever since the end of the Irvest War, and now, found herself shaking her head.
"Uh, uh."
Yuri grunted in annoyance. "Oh. I'll try to see if I can make it so that we pick up IP communications again."
"Don't trouble yourself over it too much Captain. Whatever happens, wherever we go, the fact that we're in the medical profession will never change." Her father added with a wave of his hand. "We'll still keep tending to the sick and the injured, no matter what."
"Okay. Thank you, Dr. Kuchin."
With a nod, they walked off, and he turned back to Nia, who was watching him in silence.
While they made small talk, they were eventually content to sit in silence, leaving Yuri's mind to wander.
Suddenly he turned to her.
"Nia?"
Her head came up, and she spoke. "Yeah?"
"After this war is over, let's just keep on traveling." He began.
He wasn't sure where it had come from, but this was something he wanted to do...
Something he had to do.
"What do you say? We can sail the cosmos and keep looking for Epitaphs. Let's see how far we can get!" He finished.
Her curious frown turned into a smile, and she nodded, raising her glass.
"Yeah, you can count me in kiddo. I'd be interested to see how far you can get too."
Yuri smiled back, knowing that as long as he had Nia by his side, things would turn out to be just fine...
Yes indeed.
With Pipra's information that Semias was indeed in the Kashtano sector, it was just a matter of locating him.
They stopped first on Kranio, coming up empty, but soon made their way to Subpremi. Entering the tavern, they spotted Semias Alastar at one of the tables at the back.
"So it looks like Semias managed to get this far safe. Let's go see what he has to say." Nia spoke first to Yuri.
"It's a miracle he managed to get here all the way from Elgava." Yuri added, following Nia over to the man in question.
Nia shrugged, sidestepping a few drunkards on the way. "Semias has always been real good at getting away. He's got a long history of it, in fact. Well, whenever you're ready."
"Right!"
Semias looked up at that moment, and a grin split his face as he saw the three approaching.
"Ah, Lady Nia! I've been waiting for you."
"Sorry to make ya come all this way Semias."
"Oh, don't mention it! Anything for you, milady." Semias smiled in reply, not at all bothered. "But what's this? What a surprise! I see that Lady Celina is with you as well!"
Lady Nia? Lady Celina? Yuri wondered. Just how in Grus do these three know each other?
Celina grunted at the name, but left it alone. "Hmph. Well, the situation being what it is, you know, I decided to cooperate just this one time."
The two women exchanged knowing looks, as Semias laughed. "Ah ha ha ha ha! You haven't changed a bit I see."
"Okay. So, where's my ship?" Nia asked, rubbing her hands together.
"Don't worry, it's here. I towed it." Semias reassured her. "I actually ran into a Lugovalian fleet on the way. It was quite the precarious situation for a while there... Thankfully, I know of a few hidden starlanes here and there.
"Hidden starlanes eh?" Celina asked, eyebrow raised.
"Yes. There's a little one that leads here to Subpremi from Sector 3, for example. Quite convenient that one."
"You're always full of surprises, aren't you Semias?"
The small smile that Celina produced didn't shock Yuri as much as he thought, it was just completely unexpected.
"And what intel do ya have on the Lugovalian Vanguard fleet? It sounds like it moved in pretty fast." Nia added, getting down to the crux of the problem.
Semias nodded grimly as he replied. "Yes, after crushing the Elgavan Interception fleet, they rushed in and overran the Small Magellanic Cloud like a tidal wave! It's only a matter of time now before they have the entire SMC under their complete control."
"Well, it's easy to see now how they managed to get half the cosmos under their thumb. Do ya know who the commander is?"
Nia's question made Semias wince, before becoming evasive. "Well..."
Celina's eyes narrowed in suspicion, and she prodded the older man before Nia could get a word in.
"We'll know soon enough Semias, so you might as well tell us now."
Semias sighed, as if it was the hardest thing in the universe to do.
"Well... all right. Their commander is –"
Just as he was about to spit out the name, a sudden stir began to travel through the patrons who were surrounding the monitor in the corner of the tavern.
"HEY! Look at this!"
"What's going on?"
Up on the screen, drawing the attention of all inside, was a handsome blond-haired man, who smiled before he spoke... voice smooth as velvet.
"People of Kashtano. I am Niall Eremon, Commander of the Vanguard fleet of the Lugovalian Empire. Our fleet is currently seventy light years away from the Kashtano Sector." He introduced, before continuing to explain the situation. "In the name of the Lugovalian Empire, I demand a conference with the trade leader of Kashtano for negotiations. Opposition will not be tolerated. Any who resist will be annihilated. I repeat. Any who resist will be annihilated."
Yuri heard gasps of shock from both Nia and Celina, the latter of whom, began to almost hyperventilate in surprise. "I can't believe it..."
"Their commander is Niall Eremon?! Is this really true?!" Nia asked, whirling around to face Semias.
The man in question winced, an, I tried to warn you, look on his face. "Yes, I'm afraid so."
"Damn it!"
Yuri looked on, puzzled as to the reaction the two women were exhibiting.
"So that's the Commander of the Lugovalian fleet? Who is he Nia? It looks like you know him."
"Well, she did, a long time ago." Celina answered.
He noticed Celina's tense body language, and gritted teeth... a half sneer on her face.
"A long time ago?" Nia whispered, mind wandering back to a time she could barely remember...
As if in a trance.
"You'd better not ask." Celina added quickly, almost returning to normal from a moment before.
"Huh? Oh, okay..." He responded, a little distracted.
Just what in Grus is going on! He wondered.
In the aftermath, a heavy gloom seemed to settle over the four of them, and just as Yuri couldn't bare the silence any longer, Nia piped up.
"C'mon! Let's get going to Pipra!"
"Huh?"
"Niall is gonna talk to her and demand a surrender, right?" She asked. "That's the one thing we can't let happen."
Seeing where Nia was headed, the Merciless Night Queen rose from her seat.
"I agree. If we lose the Kashtano sector, we lose our only possible base of operations for a counter-offensive when the Regeinlandic reinforcements arrive. And that's our only hope."
Yuri looked back and forth between the three. "But how are we going to stop it? Knowing Pipra, she'll cave in right away."
"We'll think of something." Nia told him, before rising to her feet. "Let's go!"
"Okay!"
He followed them as they made their way to the door, Nia in the lead, Semias and Celina a step behind.
"And we're short on crew members Semias. Do you mind if we get you on-board with us?" She asked without looking back.
"Of course not milady."
Gathering the crew didn't prove to be too difficult of a challenge, as most of them had taken to hanging out in the ship's messhall.
As they stalked up the spaceport corridor, Celina dropped back a little, falling into step with the young Captain, and lowering her voice some...
"Yuri, you need to keep watch over Nia at all times."
Startled, Yuri turned to look at Celina.
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
The woman's silence was answered with silence of his own, as the two stared at one another.
Yuri gave in suddenly. "All right. I will. I promise."
"Good." She nodded. "If we manage to survive this war, I'll be able to explain someday."
Yuri nodded. "All right."
They continued walking, and up ahead, Semias Alastar and Nia Lochlain were talking hurried, and in low tones, so as not to be overheard.
He could hear small snippets of their conversation, and he concentrated hard.
"...Royal House of Riberia... you know... So you have to..."
Nia seemed to get angry, before responding.
"...Don't you think I know... That's why..."
Knowing that they wouldn't want to have anyone listening in, he shook his head.
I guess I'd better leave them alone.
At that, a sudden thought ran through his head, and he turned to stare at Celina.
Hm. I wonder what Celina's embarrassing secrets are?
Thinking about it later, he was probably staring at her a little too long, and got himself caught out.
"What? It's not polite to stare you know. Keep your eyes to yourself kid."
Yuri startled, and found himself apologizing
"Oh, sorry. I was just wondering what your secrets were."
"Do you want to die right here? Right now?" She asked, staring at him intensely.
"Uh, no ma'am!"
He quickly backed away, turning to his left and making his way down the docking bay... sending a shiver down his spine.
Leaving the tavern, Semias and Nia continued on ahead, forgetting about their friends following behind.
"Grus! Damn it! Grus!" Nia cursed. "I can't believe Niall Eremon is the commander, I just can't."
"Well it's true. Although, I know its hard to believe."
"But he couldn't be alive! He shouldn't —"
Semias turned his head to face her. "And I agree. But sitting here dwelling on that fact won't help the situation." He continued, trying to be reasonable. "What we need to do now is focus on launching a counter-offensive. We need to think outside the box on this one."
He paused for a moment.
"But if things don't work out, we need to consider leaving the Small Magellanic Cloud to fend for itself." He added. "These aren't your people. You owe them nothing."
"I know that. But I can't sit by and watch as it happens again. I cant keep running." She had a pained look on her face, and her eyes blazed with fire.
Semias seemed to recognize the look, and continued speaking.
"But you can't be so reckless either. You're the last of the Royal House of Riberia." He told her. "Your life is worth more than even that kid you know. You survived for a reason, and you can't just throw away the sacrifice that people made to keep you alive. So you have to be smart."
As he finished his rant, Nia had had enough, and turned to face him, getting angry.
"Are you seriously trying to lecture me right now Semias?! Don't you think I know that. I'm not stupid, but I'm no coward either. That's why I brought him along. He's stronger than you know. Than even he himself knows. He could be a powerful ally one day."
"One day?!" He asked, trying to keep his voice even. "One day when you're dead?!"
Nia recoiled. "How dare you —"
Semias interrupted, and his voice was full of an anger Nia had never seen or heard before. "How dare I?! When I stole you away all those years ago, I made a promise to keep you safe. I don't plan on breaking that promise just to satisfy your petty lust for revenge."
Nia tried to get a word out, but Semias didn't let her. "At least let us unravel the mystery a bit, don't throw away your life on something meaningless."
Nia snarled, before shoving the man out of the way, heading down the long docking tube to the FLAKRUNNER.
As she left Semias behind, her mouth opened to reply, and she spat out one word.
"FINE!"
They left Subpremi, and headed back for Kashtano. With Semias joining the crew, Yuri gave him the position of Chief Navigator, and stayed on the bridge to directly relay the Captain's orders to the navigation team.
Though he wasn't sure what Nia and Semias had talked about, he didn't miss the two ignoring each other.
He didn't push it though, and left them alone.
Upon touchdown on Kashtano, Semias stayed behind, and as he, Nia and Celina headed for the Trader's Guild, the latter paused.
"I don't think I'm going." She said suddenly. "Although it's been a long time, he'll surely recognize me..."
The two women watched each other for a moment, before Nia nodded. "Agreed. Go get the ships ready, just in case things go south.
Turning, the Merciless Night Queen took off the way they had come, leaving Yuri's head moving back and forth between the two.
"Nia? What did Celina mean?" He asked curiously.
Nia's jaw was set in determination, and she barely looked at him when she replied.
"Not right now."
"It's happening! They're finally coming!" Pipra's panicked, gravelly voice greeting them as they entered the room. "The Lugovalian Empire is on its way right here!"
Nia nodded. "We know. That's why we're here. This place is the key in our counter-offensive against Lugovalos. We can't lose it." She told the Kashtano leader.
"Well, what are you suggesting we do? We can hardly stand up to them!' The old woman said.
"We won't know that until we try, right?"
"Are you crazy?! This is an enemy that Elgava and Nova Nacio fell to! What do you expect a little autonomous sector like this to do?!" She asked in surprise, voice rising as she spoke. "Surrender, that's what we can do! The very second they show up, we've got to surrender I say!"
The timing couldn't have been any better, even if they'd planned it. In the space of the two seconds after Pipra finished, a man chuckled.
"Heh heh. Just the sort of wisdom I'd expect from the leader of the Trader's Guild of Kashtano."
The three of them whirled around, coming face-to-face with a group of people. The man in front wore exotic black and white robes, with a purple ascot, and royal blue cape off his left shoulder.
His hands were folded behind his back, blond hair hanging loosely about his shoulders, stone faced expression sticking out.
Behind him, ten soldiers stood guard, rifles at the ready, and from the back of the room, another voice called out.
"Now, this is a sensible woman!"
"Huh?!"
"You?!" Nia's voice was filled with an unmistakable hatred towards the man, and Yuri was baffled trying to figure out why.
"How do you do? I'm the Commander of the Vanguard fleet of the Lugovalian Empire: Niall Eremon. And you are Pipra, leader of the Kashtano Trader's Guild, are you not?"
With his question clearly directed at her, Pipra shrieked in fright, before ducking back behind Nia and Yuri.
Eremon smiled. "There's no need for you to be afraid. Surrender willingly, and I won't resort to violence. I promise. Besides... I've come here to enlist your help, as a guide."
Poking her head out, Pipra's face was awash with confusion. "A g-guide?"
"That's right. I've heard that the Magellanic Stream between here and the Large Magellanic Cloud can be quite dangerous you see." He said with a nod, beginning to pace in short steps. "That's why I'd like for you to help guide us through it. We can't have any of the Emperor's ships lost over petty annoyances, after all."
"W-Well, I –"
Unfortunately, Nia's voice cut her off.
"Don't say another word Pipra!"
Sensing an agreement about to happen, Nia pulled her maser blaster, reaching over to wrap a hand around the woman, placing her weapon to Pipra's quivering old head.
"Either you leave right now, or I blow her head off!"
Nia's ultimatum was firm and clear, drawing the Commander's attention, who frowned at her. "Who the Grus are you? And what are you trying to accomplish?"
Nia laughed dryly, echoing off the walls. "Ha! So you climbed the ranks all the way up to Fleet Commander of the Lugovalian Empire, did ya? Don't tell me you don't even remember your old fiancée?"
Wait?! His what? He thought, staring at Nia in shock and surprise.
"Hm?"
Eremon's head cocked to one side as he studied the silver-haired woman, before a look of recognition passed across his face.
"It can't be... no wait..." He paused, looking at her up and down. "I do see it now. Yes, I see the traces of the lovely face that I once knew. Nia."
"Hmph. Took you long enough! But I haven't forgotten you, believe me. I'll never forget your betrayal." She spat again.
"Hmph. The passage of time can be very cruel, it would appear, reducing an innocent and pure princess into a shameless, weathered old crone." He insulted. "But be that as it may..."
He held up his right hand, sneering again as his soldiers took aim. "I have no sentimentality for the past."
Seeing his friend in danger, Yuri jumped in front, pulling his plasmic blade out from the place at his hip. "Nia!"
Eremon looked at him with surprise, hidden behind a cold, calculating stare.
"Stand aside boy."
"I've got a name, and it's Yuri, not boy!" He told him. "And I'm not budging!"
Eremon shrugged. "In that case, you will all have to die here."
Nia's mind raced as she struggled to come up with something, before words began flying from her mouth.
"One false move and Pipra gets it! I mean it! There are starlanes in the Magellanic Stream that are as twisted and confusing as a maze." She blurted out. "Only Pipra here knows how to navigate them. Do ya really wanna try and go without her as your guide?! Cause you can be my guest!"
This gave the Lugovalian Commander pause, and he hesitated.
Pipra nodded in fear as her eyes darted around in their sockets. "I-It's true! Without my help, you'll lose a lot of your ships. I don't care how big your fleet is!"
"Ha." Eremon barked, amused. "Such a transparent bluff."
Suddenly, a man appeared from the back, coming to a stop just behind Eremon.
"Commander! Your Supremeness! Terrible, terrible, dreadful news!"
"What is it Desmond?" He asked his Adjutant, turning only his head slightly.
"Sir! There's a Regeinlandic fleet approaching this sector!"
"Hm..."
*Regeinland! Captain Schneizer came through for us!*Yuri smiled internally.
The man paused briefly, staring at Yuri and Nia, before waving his hand dismissively. Behind him, the soldiers lowered their weapons, before slowly filing out of the room.
"I suppose my hand is forced. I will leave for now. But take care, Pipra. You won't find me in such pleasant spirits on our next meeting. If you possess vital knowledge that we need, we will get it, by whatever means necessary. You can be sure of that."
With that promise hanging in the air, he backed out after his soldiers, the Adjutant Desmond following closely behind.
The three watched in silence, before the door hissed shut, and Yuri gave a sigh of relief.
"He's gone."
Celina's voice made them jump in surprise, and Yuri briefly raised his sword again, before recognizing the woman stepping out from the shadows.
They all threw her confused and questioning glances, before she shrugged. "I thought you might need backup, just in case."
Pipra, who was almost hyperventilating, struggled out of Nia's grasp. "Pheeeeew... What kind of crazy bluff was that? I think you just shaved about ten years off my life woman!"
Nia chuckled as she replied. "Ha ha. Thanks for playing along with it so well Pipra."
The old woman grumbled in displeasure. "Hmph. First you point a blaster at my head, and now you're thanking me?"
Ignoring Pipra's reply, Celina turned to Yuri and Nia, whose weapons had just been holstered. "Anyway, now that Regeinland is on its way, maybe there's hope after all."
"Yeah, well, let's hope they don't succumb in an instant like the others did." Pipra threw in with an annoyed grunt, rubbing the side of her head.
Nia's eye's narrowed as she cocked her head. "I guess it all depends on how many reinforcements they sent. We'll just have to meet up with 'em and see."
"Right. Let's do that." Celina answered, before turning to leave the room.
As the Launcher went to follow, Yuri stopped her with a look. "Nia?"
"Yeah?" She asked, head perking up in surprise.
Seeing that she was distracted, made him stop in his tracks. "Oh... never mind."
Shrugging it off, she continued after the Merciless Night Queen, and as Yuri chased after them... he had a thought.
I'd like to hear the story about this Niall guy...