Chapter 23: Bonus 3 – Vacation on the Halberd

It started off as a normal day on the Halberd. Ledo had finished helping Sailor Dee make lunch when he noticed a bowl of dark red fruits he had never seen before on the counter. Their shape reminded him of the sweet potatoes that he and Kirby roasted during autumn, but at the same time, they resembled lips.

"Sailor, what are these?"

The Waddle Dee immediately looked at the bowl.

"Oh? Those? They're Sharrap berries. They're quite common on Green Grounds on the Popopo Islands. I was going to use a few of them to make dessert for tonight's dinner, but I think I may have bought too many. Feel free to take a few to snack on! They're really yummy!" he replied happily before returning to his cooking.

Trusting the Dee's judgement, he took one and ate it. It was the perfect balance of sweet and tart, almost like the cherry limeade juice that the Dee made for him before.

"They're great! Thanks, Sailor!" he said as he took a few more, now holding a handful of the fruits. He needed to eat some fruit to have a balanced diet for the day either way.

"Not a problem!" the Dee replied, continuing to cook.

"I'm going to get back to doing maintenance now, thanks again!" the ensign began to walk towards the door as he placed the fruits in the pocket of his pilot suit, munching on them on his way out. It would be a nice treat to come back to if he had to sortie in Chamber again. The pirate attacks seemed to have grown in frequency the past few days, and every time he was given a request to sortie.

"You're welcome!" That was when Sailor realized something. "Ah! Ledo! Don't take too many of them or you'll...!" by the time he said that, the young man was already out of sight.

He wanted to run after him, but he knew he couldn't leave the kitchen unattended. As a result, he screamed his frustration into an unused pot.

A few hours later, Ledo began to feel a bit...off. There was an itching sensation on his neck, but he didn't know what it was.

"It's probably just a rash, I'll ask Captain Vul to take a look at it later..." he thought, as he knelt down to inspect the inner workings of the advanced pulley system that opened the door above the hanger. He had to be careful not to hit his head on the low ceiling.

"Ensign Ledo."

The young man instantly recognized the voice and backed out. "What is it, Lord Meta Knight? Ah…hello, Kirby, were you two training on the ship today?"

"Hiiii, Ledo! We were! I did super good today and…!" the pink puff smiled, only to be shushed by his mentor.

"Ensign, were you in the kitchen with Sailor Dee today?"

"I was, why?" he looked confused.

"Did you eat any of the Sharrap berries?"

"A few of them. Sailor said that he bought too many and let me take a few, so I grabbed a handful for later."

"…how many did you eat up to this point?" the knight's tone sounded graver.

"Seven, I think? I don't remember, I'm sorry."

"I see…" his eyes turned grass green as he said that.

"…is something wrong, Lord Meta Knight?"

"You may have eaten too many of them…"

"Are they poisonous!?" Ledo shouted as he sat up immediately and hit his head on the low ceiling.

"Ah! Ledo, are you okay?!" Kirby asked, running up beside him.

"No, they aren't poisonous, but you still have to watch how many you eat." The knight then noticed that Ledo seemed to mouth some words. "…I didn't catch what you said. Could you please repeat that?" The young man tried talking again, but no words came out. "Ensign, I can't help you if you can't speak."

"Meta-sensei, I think something's wrong!"

That was when the ensign clenched his neck with a pained expression.

"…ensign, get to the bridge now!"

"Open your mouth a bit more, kid…"

It was starting to hurt, but Ledo knew he had to endure it if he wanted to start feeling better.

"…yeah, his throat is looking pretty red. Part of it might come from a sore throat." Vul was about to reach for his pipe, but immediately stopped.

"I got a sore throat many times, but I never lost my voice!" Kirby exclaimed.

"This isn't a normal sore throat, Kirby. It's a sore throat that was made worse by eating those berries…" Meta Knight shook his head.

"I imagine the sore throat might also have something to do with…"

Before Vul could finish that sentence, a chain was suddenly wrapped around the young man's body. Startled and unable to speak, he was dragged in the direction of one of the walls, stopping just before hitting it. Ledo managed to turn his head and, to his absolute horror, saw that it was Bio Gale.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me…" Vul grumbled.

"Head Nurse, unhand the ensign this instant." Meta Knight ordered, staring daggers at her.

She didn't respond as she leaned the young man against the wall. "Please sit down."

"Head Nurse Bio Gale. That was an order. Not a request." The knight said, this time in a firmer tone.

"Let me do my job, Lord Meta Knight." She replied, coldly.

"MS. GALE! STOP! DON'T HURT HIM!" Everyone in the room turned to look at Kirby.

"That wasn't my intention, Kirby." The tone she used was significantly warmer. Gale turned back to the young man. "Open your mouth."

Not wanting to potentially anger her, Ledo did as he was told.

"There's inflammation in the throat…no petechiae are present…no white spots on tonsils…" she murmured before taking a long swab to his throat. The ensign wanted to gag, but he knew he couldn't without angering her. Upon removing the swab, she placed it in a tube of liquid. Suddenly, the nurse leaned in extremely close, placing the back of her hand on his forehead.

"No fever…interesting…" She closed his mouth. "You haven't coughed at all either…it's likely not strep throat, but I'll run an antigen test to be sure…"

"Strep throat? Isn't that something only young kids can get?" Vul questioned.

"They are more vulnerable to it, but it is possible for adults to contract it as well. Not only that, but Ensign Ledo's medical file indicates that he is just a year over the age range where it is common." Bio Gale turned her attention back to the ensign. "I need you to answer the following questions for me. Are you experiencing a headache?"

He shook his head.

"Chills?"

He shook his head.

"Loss of appetite?"

He shook his head.

"Trouble swallowing?"

He shook his head.

"Interesting…" The way she murmured that caused him to flinch. It was the dark tone she gained whenever she heard about having a new patient.

"Head Nurse, do not." Meta Knight uttered from behind her.

"I'd like you to remove your collar for a…" she cut herself off upon looking at his neck. "…what in Nova's name is…?"

"What is it? Is it something bad?" Kirby panicked.

"…I thought these were swollen lymph nodes, but these are red veins…"

"Head Nurse, we already figured out it was Sharrap syndrome." The knight sighed. The ensign looked at him questioningly.

"Let me explain." Vul cleared his throat. "Sharrap syndrome is what happens when you eat too many Sharrap berries. You develop those veins on your neck and you become unable to speak. It's been a while since I've seen someone on this ship develop it, though." The ensign thought he saw Kirby and Meta Knight advert their eyes sheepishly.

"…these veins are too small for it to be only Sharrap syndrome. There's an underlying cause."

Everyone gazed at the nurse in surprise.

"Do you know what it is, Head Nurse?" Meta Knight questioned.

"I believe it's acute laryngitis. What likely happened is that the ensign originally developed a bacterial infection in his throat and vocal strain from shouting or talking loudly made it worse. If anything, eating those Sharrup berries was a blessing in disguise, since it allowed me to diagnose this before it became worse."

"I had a hunch about it being more than that as well…we've been forced to send him out in Chamber more often recently…" Vul grumbled.

"Ms. Gale, is Ledo gonna be okay?!" Kirby asked with clear concern.

"He will, but he won't be able to use his voice for two or three days."

"So, it's nothing major?" Meta Knight sighed in relief.

"Nothing major, but the only way to treat it is to let him rest." With a heavy yank, the chains holding the young man loosened and slipped off.

"Did you hear that, Ledo!? You're gonna be okay!" Kirby tackled him in a hug, to which the young man didn't know how to react.

"…I thought you'd be thrilled to know that you aren't going to die." Bio Gale looked at the ensign, who had slowly developed a peeved look on his face.

"You think he'd be more thrilled at the fact that you can't treat him." Vul commented.

"…Head Nurse, you mentioned something about bacteria. Do you possibly know where it could have come from?" The blue puff asked.

"I don't know. Where on this ship have there been health violations, Lord Meta Knight?" she responded with a chilling glare.

"I do not understand the logic of your actions."

"Huh? What's wrong, Chamber?" the pink puff asked upon hearing that.

"Ensign Ledo is in a state where he is unable to speak, yet all of you continue to communicate with him."

"You can tell a lot about someone through their body language and expressions, tin can. It's something you're not good with." Vul replied.

"I must agree with that statement."

Suddenly, an alarm was sounded.

"An enemy attack? Why now?!" the knight grumbled as he picked up a phone on the bridge and pushed a button beside it. "Attention, all crew! Prepare for combat immediately!" he turned to his vice-captain. "Captain Vul, status report on the enemy!"

"Yeah, you're really not gonna like it…" the avian replied.

"I don't care! Tell me!"

"Moving at high speeds…low chance of hit with our current weapons…maintenance is unfinished…everything's matching up with the checklist."

Meta Knight gazed at him in shock.

"What does that mean?" Kirby asked.

"It means sending out Chamber is our best option." Vul replied.

Gritting his teeth, the young man stood up and began to run towards the door, only to be stopped by the avian.

"Kid, there's no way you're going out. You can't give Chamber orders in your condition, so you're not gonna be able to fight."

Ledo replied with a glare.

"Ensign, I understand your determination, but I feel it would be better if you left this to me." The young man looked questioningly at Meta Knight.

"I feel a certain level of responsibility for your condition as your superior. So please, leave this to me." His eyes turned green as the young man stared at him in stunned silence.

With a burst of gravitational energy, Chamber was launched out of the inner hanger.

"The enemy consists of several unmanned AI units." The mech analyzed.

"No need to hold back then, right?"

"Affirmative, Lord Meta Knight."

Ledo, currently stationed in the cockpit seat, gave an understanding nod towards him.

"I'm so sorry, Lord Meta Knight! I should have been more careful with the berries!" Sailor's voice yelled over the intercom.

"Don't worry about it, we'll discuss this later…" the knight responded while his ensign shook his head.

"Come on! Let's take them down already!" Kirby exclaimed, receiving a concerned look from the young man. "Sorry, I'm a bit nervous. There's a chance we're gonna get thrown around if we lose our grip on the chair, and that scares me…!"

"If you're that nervous, you could've remained on the ship, Kirby." Meta Knight replied.

"No way! I'm not gonna pass up a chance to ride in Chamber! Besides, I wanna help Ledo, too!" his student pouted.

"I have confirmed that command of this craft has been temporarily transferred to you from Ensign Ledo. I await your orders."

"Alright! Then let's go with an all-out attack!" Kirby gave a yell.

"Understood." Chamber began to charge forward, causing Ledo to flinch into his seat.

"Chamber, stop!" Meta Knight ordered.

"Understood."

The mech stopped moving.

"Meta-sensei! How are we supposed to beat up these guys quickly if we don't attack them!? The sooner we take them down, the sooner Ledo can get back and rest, right?!"

"I understand your sentiment, Kirby, and I feel the same way, but charging forward like that is too risky of a strategy."

"Don't act like you've never done that before!"

"Don't act like your impulsiveness never did anything wrong."

"META-SENSEEEIIIIIIIIII!"

The ensign looked back at them with a look of annoyance.

Meanwhile, on the Halberd, Captain Vul and Sailor Dee were listening to the conversation that was happening within the cockpit.

"…do you think they'll be fine, Captain Vul?" The Waddle Dee asked.

"They should be." He replied.

The conversation continued. "Yelling like that won't change anything. You do know that, right?"

"Well excuse me just wanting to finish this quickly!"

The vice captain took a drink of coffee.

"Will they really be fine though…?"

"Chamber, the harpoon."

"Understood."

The machine gave a ready stance as the knight gave a slight laugh.

"Meta-sensei?" Kirby questioned in concern.

"Soulless dolls of the aerial ship pirates! You have gone far enough! Now, you will know the power of the Meta-Knights!"

"Correction: Kirby is not a member of the Meta-Knights."

"Yeah, I'm not!" Kirby pouted.

Ledo could only give a sigh in response.

"Dodge to the right!" The ensign looked back at Meta Knight in a state of panic as the mech moved to dodge.

"Now, BRING OUT THE DRILL!" the pink puff exclaimed, receiving a panicked expression from the young man.

"I am not equipped with a drill, Acting Ensign Kirby."

"Huh?! Really! Meta-sensei, we need to get Chamber a drill quickly!"

Ledo wanted to yell at him but remembered that he couldn't.

"My naïve student, anything can be a drill if you're brave enough…Chamber, the harpoon!" A chill went down the ensign's spine upon hearing that.

"Understood." With a spinning charge, several of the robots were destroyed.

"Wow! That was so cool!" As Kirby exclaimed that, the ensign was already beginning to regret his decision.

"Now, Chamber…!"

"Meta-sensei! It's my turn! I want to fight alongside Chamber as well!"

"Kirby, we aren't taking turns. This is an actual battle. I believe that you've fought enough battles to know that one mistake could cost you your life…"

"That's no fair!"

Ledo only looked back and forth between the two in annoyance.

"I assume that it will take time to make a decision. Until then, safety has been set as this unit's highest priority."

That didn't make the young man feel any safer.

"Incinerate them, Chamber!"

"Understood." Lasers shot from various parts of the machine's body. They were forced to dodge another attack.

"Ah! Be a bit more gentle!" Kirby grumbled.

"Incoming call from King Dedede."

"You have got to be kidding me…!" Meta Knight growled as he answered it through Chamber. "What do you want?!"

"WOULD IT KILL YA TO SAY "HELLO" ONCE IN A WHILE!?"

"Hi Dedede!"

"AND THAT PINK LUMP IS HERE, TOO!? THE HECK ARE YOU GUYS DOING RIGHT NOW!?"

The mech dodged several more attacks at a fast pace while the group's conversation continued.

"Whatever you want to call me about, now is not the time, Dedede!"

"Ooooooh, I get it. You're busy now. Got it."

"Of course, we are! The Halberd is under attack!"

"Oh…sounds rough…yo, princess, how ya holdin' up there?"

Ledo only clenched his head in irritation.

"Ensign Ledo is unable to answer."

"Huh. What about you, tin can?"

"I am in top condition, King Dedede. Kirby and Meta Knight have been temporarily given control due to Ensign Ledo being unable to pilot due to losing his voice."

"Huh? Princess lost his voice? That must really suck for him…WAIT!? DID YOU JUST SAY THAT MK AND THAT PINK LUMP ARE PILOTING YOU?!"

"Affirmative."

"Huh…alright, I'll just call later then. Tell princess I hope he gets better soon." He hung up.

"Ensign Ledo, King Dedede has said that he wishes that you get better soon."

The ensign rolled his eyes.

"Take 'em down, Chamber! Use the beam!" Kirby yelled. The beam sliced through the enemy forces like butter.

"There are so many of them…" Meta Knight uttered, looking around to see that more enemy units have appeared on the battlefield. "It seems they're even more serious about taking us down than usual…"

"Are these the same pirates that have been attacking you guys the past few days, Meta-sensei?"

"Yes, they have. It seems they're playing for keeps this time, judging by the number of enemies there are..."

Another enemy unit fired upon them, forcing Chamber to dodge quickly out of the way.

"Enemy strength has increased by about 150%. Tactical retreat is recommended."

"They'll only follow us back to the ship!"

"Then, what should we do, Meta-sensei?"

The knight let out a low growl as he racked his brain. Ledo gritted his teeth and turned to Kirby. He then tapped the side of his head, hoping he would get the hint.

"Can we even use that right now!? And wouldn't that just make him mad?" the pink puff leaned closer to reply with that. The young man gazed over at his superior before shaking his head. "…okay, but I'm warning you…he's gonna be super mad!" With a pout he backed away.

"How did it go again…oh, right…Chamber! Maxi…"

A large laser firing past them cut him off, destroying several of the enemies in front of them.

"Cannons online! We're going to provide you cover fire!" The voice of Sailor Dee spoke through the intercom.

"Your help is appreciated!" Meta Knight replied with a nod.

Just as that response was given, a heavy attack sent the mech spinning and forced both puffs to grip onto the young man tightly.

"Minimal damage received. Continuing combat."

"Ah! What was that!?" Kirby yelled. The trio looked outside the cockpit to see a large red mech floating before them

"Huh. Seems their boss finally decided to show up." Vul grumbled.

"Sir, do you think they'll be fine on their own, even with our support?" The Waddle Dee gave a look of concern.

"At this point, we can only help as much as we can and hope they can pull through." He replied.

"I wish there was more I could do…" Sailor gave a heavy sigh.

"You're already doing the best you can…allow me to contribute to this." The avian captain walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a large mechanical crossbow. "I've kept my archery and sniping skills in top shape for a reason, you know." He gave a grin.

"Ah! But isn't that too dangerous!?" The Dee uttered.

"Maybe, but it doesn't feel right for me to just sit back and watch." He replied, heading out the door.

From within the cockpit, both Kirby and Ledo could hear a faint panting begin to rise from Meta Knight beside them. Strangely, the young man even noticed that he was faintly shuddering as well. It appeared to be a feeling he had experienced before: the fight-or-flight response.

"Chamber…annihilate." He finally uttered in a dark tone, his eyes turning green. However, his eyes carried a feeling that was more noticeably…disorientated.

"Roger." With that phrase, the Machine Caliber fired several lasers off its body, dealing severe damage to their opponent.

"Dodge!" they moved out of the way of an incoming shot.

"Beam rifle!"

"Meta-sensei, you're acting weird…is something wrong?" before Kirby could get a response, he was jolted into the ensign's lap by the sudden high-speed movement of their machine as Chamber dodged several incoming shots. The enemy before them was looking severely damaged by this point.

"The harpoon! Now! Crush them!" With one final charge, the weapon pierced the enemy, causing the Machine Caliber to fly away to avoid the explosion. The sudden movement jolted both the pink puff and the young man forward.

"Destruction of enemy forces confirmed." Chamber finally said.

"I'm…still alive…" After several minutes of panting and blinking, the knight's eyes returned to yellow.

"Meta-sensei, are you okay?" He could feel that both Kirby and Ledo were staring at him in concern.

"Yes. I just let my nerves get the better of me. I'm sorry." He averted his eyes sheepishly.

Before anything else could be said, they were interrupted by Sailor Dee. "That was amazing! You guys took out those machines so easily together!" he seemed to squeal with that response.

"Yeah! I was so nervous at first, but we did it! The four of us make a great team, don't you think!?" the pink puff exclaimed.

"It really looks like it! While we did give you support later, you four mostly did it on your own!"

"Lord Meta Knight, how's Ensign Ledo right now?" Captain Vul questioned, as he took the headset from Sailor Dee.

Acknowledging the message, the knight looked down at the young man, noticing that his head was lowered into his hands.

"What's wrong, Ledo? We won! Isn't that great?!" Kirby asked, not receiving a response.

"Let's return, Ensign." The knight said, slipping a lemon drop under his mask. "When we get back, I'll make you some tea to help your throat recover." He received a faint nod from the ensign in response. He didn't see it, but a small smile began to appear on Ledo's face.

"It's not that hot, so feel free to drink it immediately."

Meta Knight handed Ledo a filled cup. The young man responded with a nod and began to drink it. While this was a usual part of his post-battle ritual, it was particularly relaxing this time. He just needed to wait for Sailor to return with his usual piece of cheesecake.

Kirby had plopped himself on the edge of the dining room table. "Meta-sensei…I'm starving…"

"You can wait. You're not the one with laryngitis."

"But I'm hungry…"

His mentor gave a sigh in response. "I have a treat for you as a reward for today's training, but you have to act like an adult if you want it."

"Okay…" he pouted in his usual childish manner.

"That's not acting like an adult and you know it."

"Again, Lord Meta Knight, I'm really sorry about earlier…I should've explained it to him…" Sailor Dee bowed deeply.

"You don't need to apologize, Sailor…honestly, I think if anyone should be apologizing to anyone, it should be me to Ensign Ledo."

Everyone looked at the knight in surprise.

"I remember saying that I wouldn't force you to fight, but I feel like I pressured you into doing so the past few days. After seeing what you go through when you pilot Chamber firsthand, I can't help but feel a bit guilty for sending you out there like that. I probably didn't seem like it, but I was actually quite nervous during that battle. Especially, towards the end of it all, where the only thought running through my mind was "I don't want to die". I hadn't felt like that in quite a long time, actually…"

Ledo continued to stare in surprise upon hearing that. Admittedly, he was more surprised that Meta Knight admitted it, since it was obvious that the large enemy had triggered a fight-or-flight response within his superior.

"No, that's not the point of this. Forgive me, Ensign. In the end, it appears I couldn't keep my word about that even if I tried…" he gave a depressed sigh.

"Tha…Than…" he turned immediately upon hearing that.

"Than…k…you…" Ledo managed to utter with a gentle smile.

"Ledo! Your voice is back!" Kirby tackled him in a hug, a response that caught him fairly off-guard.

"Ah…Kir…"

"Ensign, that's enough. I don't need you to overdo it while you're still recovering." Meta Knight cut him off.

"…this might be a bit of speculation, but didn't you say the first words he said in our language was "thank you", Lord Meta Knight?" Sailor Dee asked, giving the young man a piece of cheesecake.

The ensign replied with a nod.

"That's correct, and it was addressed to me as well." His superior commented.

This caused the Waddle Dee to ponder a bit more. "It really is strange, huh?" the Dee hummed.

"The mind is quite strange with how it brings up memories." The blue puff gave a nod.

"From this point on, I shall speak for how the ensign feels."

"Chamber?" both the mentor and student questioned.

"The following is the results of analyzing the behavior patterns of Ensign Ledo over the past few weeks and matching it up with data provided by King Dedede…"

"Dedede?" Kirby asked.

"It is assumed that the ensign will reply with words of love afterwards."

"Did…you say…love…?" Meta Knight's eyes began to turn white. Ledo froze in horror upon hearing that.

"Furthermore, the data obtained indicates that the words "tea" and "cheesecake" will be at maximum tactical effect under these conditions. Using all of this, I have predicted the next action of Ensign Ledo and will therefore act for him on it."

The fork in the young man's hands slipped and fell with a clatter on the table, staring in stunned silence at what he was hearing.

"…agitation detected in Ensign Ledo's response. Confirming the success of operational intent."

"…what's going on?" Kirby asked in confusion.

"What's this about operational intent?" Sailor Dee added.

"I am carrying out the act of "joking" as had been lectured to me by King Dedede. At the same time, I have confirmed its usefulness. It will allow me to support Ensign Ledo in a similar way to a successful operation."

"J…Ju…Just…WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU?!" the ensign's sudden shout caused everyone to flinch back.

"Ahhhhhh…Ledo… you shouldn't shout like that…your throat's still recovering…" Sailor uttered nervously.

"But…" he managed to stutter out.

"I will answer Ensign Ledo's question. I am K6821 Chamber. I am Ensign Ledo's Autonomous Support Enlightenment Interface System."

"We know that, though." Kirby commented.

"I am merely answering Ensign Ledo's question."

The young man in question turned to Meta Knight who was trembling in silence. "…Ensign Ledo…I had no idea you held such feelings for me…" he uttered.

"L…Lord…" the words slipped out of the ensign's mouth as he gazed in terror.

"While I respect your feelings, I am afraid I cannot reciprocate them…"

"Lord…Meta Knight…"

"If anything, you are like Kirby, where you are like a son to me and I do not feel comfortable taking our relationship past that…"

"SIR, IT'S NOTHING LIKE THAT!"

"Ah…Ledo! Your voice…!"

That was when the young man noticed that the knight was trying to suppress a laugh.

"A…ARE YOU TEASING ME!?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about, ensign…!" that time, it was poorly suppressed.

"LORD META KNIGHT!"

"META-SENSEI! STOP TEASING LEDO!"

"What are you two saying?"

"META-SENSEIIIII!"

"Aaaahhhhh…the Head Nurse will be furious…!"

This is a loose adaption of the Super Robot Wars Z3.2 DLC episode that focused on Gargantia.

I hope I managed to make the fight scene interesting.