The Force's Shepherds
Chapter 130
The Signal
Sparks flew throughout the massive ice cave. Bright, Feroxi sunlight from the mildly warm summer filtered in through some of the frozen air holes poking through the ceiling. It still felt cold, but now the chill was at least bearable. It was warm enough for Morgana to no longer worry about keeping a charm on her person in order to fend off the cold. At the same time though, it almost felt too warm. Snow melt occasionally dropped down from the ceiling, which put her and her follower's delicate work at risk. Much of their work, from piecing together the massive metal panels to bundling the wires the Ark needed, required Thunder Magic. A fickle type of magic when around large amounts of water, and it made their work especially perilous.
Thankfully though, most of the major Thunder work was now on the interior of the Ark. The shell, and many of the inner workings within, were finally complete after years of hard work. The Ark no longer looked like a large hunk of metal. It now looked like a sleek shard. A dagger meant to knife through the air, the atmosphere, and whatever lay beyond.
Morgana rested her hands on the railing along the icy stairs that led to her personal chambers. Her emerald eyes focused on the Ark as her followers rushed around it, going about their work. Not long ago, Alfred discovered how to generate fresh air without needing to open up the ark at all. An enormous breakthrough for the project.
Morgana long hypothesized that the further up into the sky one wandered, the less air there was to breath. She recalled studying the effects of high altitude flights among Wyvern Riders when she was a mere mage and researcher with the Grimleal all those years ago. Strange altitude illnesses, loss of consciousness, death: all very common results for such flights. She was grateful she studied such a thing for the Plegian military. Now her notes on the subject proved vital. Alfred might not believe in her hypothesis fully (he thought there still had to be air that high up, otherwise, how could eagles fly that high?), but she was determined to take the extra precaution. The Ark needed to be sealed. Not a shred of air could be allowed to escape once generated within the vessel. It took a complex system of engineering, charms, and enchantments to accomplish the task, but it was all coming together.
Finally. She thought as she exhaled slowly.
She turned to the stairs and started to descend. Alfred was busy working on the Artifact, trying to see if he could glean any more secrets from the strange machine. Aversa often lingered near him, avoiding Morgana entirely. After how their last… conversation went, Morgana could not blame her. In a rare moment of fury, the powerful witch allowed her powers to come bursting forth. Powers not tapped into in over a decade. It shocked her when she came down from the power's high and found the bannisters to her bed turned into splinters, the glass in her windows shattered, and the furniture shifted several feet away from their original position.
Aversa needed to learn her place. She pursed her lips as she reached the bottom of the steps, left hand falling from the cold railing as she glanced back up at the Ark, Perhaps I did go too far.
Aversa was a far different child than Robin was. Morgana recalled Robin being a very quiet, young boy. He preferred to indulge himself in tomes, novels, and works of great knowledge. Her mother's son, no doubt. Under her watchful eye, he became a capable mage and a caring soul. The former common amongst the Grimleal, but the latter an extreme rarity.
Her adopted daughter, on the other hand, reminded her far too much of Validar in his youth. Ambitious, prideful, drunk on their own sense of power and superiority. There were merits to such behavior. The ambition and cunning made her a dangerous opponent to her foes, which meant mages and enemies who knew themselves to be weaker often avoided confronting Aversa entirely. She had raw talent, and the ambition she had caused her to study in depth… but only on the things that would accelerate her rise in the ranks. Robin would study the finest minutiae of a spell until he was certain he had it right. Aversa would figure out a Thunder, then attempt to jump to a Thoron. Her children were polar opposites, and Morgana loved them for it.
Now I have only Aversa. Morgana though, a heavy sigh slipping from her lips as she tore her gaze from the ark and marched towards the chamber where the artifact rested, I will not lose her too.
Her black robes swept out behind her as she entered the Artifact's chamber. When she entered, she noticed Aversa sitting on a stool, looking over Alfred's shoulder as the elder mage prodded against the inner workings of the artifact. The younger mage recoiled at the sight of Morgana, quickly averting her dark eyes as the Witch strode into the chamber.
She fears me now. Morgana thought, a pang of sadness running through her like a cold knife, I'm not sure if that is a good thing.
Morgana cleared her throat as sparks spat out of the area where Alfred worked, "Alfred?"
A sharp thunk, followed by a quick howl and a biting curse, caused Morgana and Aversa to wince in unison. Alfred pulled his head out from the bulbous main body of the artifact, one hand rubbing the back of his head.
"Pardon me, Lady Morgana." He winced. A sharp hiss slipped from his lips as he poked the growing lump on his head, "I did not hear you come in." He glared over at Aversa, "You couldn't have warned me?"
"She said something before I could." Aversa shrugged.
"Mmm… sure she did." Alfred grumbled as he peeled heavy leather gloves off his hands and tossed them onto the workbench behind him. A good natured smirk on his lips betrayed his actual feelings towards the younger mage.
At least she is getting along with someone.
"How goes your work?" Morgana asked as Alfred turned his back to her, probably so he could fiddle with some of his instruments on the work bench behind him.
Alfred adjusted his spectacles, "Relatively well." He spun back around, a metal rod in hand, before bending at the waist to inspect the Artifact's inner workings closer, "Those curious blueprints were quite the find. I wonder why they were placed in this thing? It certainly throws my theories about the purpose of our little artifact into question."
"You don't believe it to be some sort of investigative machine?"
Alfred sighed as he studied a clump of strange metal chips within the Artifact, "It could still be, but perhaps that is not it's only purpose? I'm not entirely sure anymore. Those blueprints make it seem like it is an information unit of some sort. Perhaps something a civilization would use to make first contact?"
Morgana's eyes widened, "A civilization? But who would send something like this?"
"From beyond the stars maybe?" Aversa shrugged, speaking up for the first time, "It's not like anyone has anything like this in their lands. Unless mythical Jugdral is somehow centuries ahead of us."
"Decades, not centuries, I hope." Alfred argued back with a wag of his finger. He ducked his head down to the Artifact again as continued prodding the inner workings, hoping to trip up another good surprise, "It took us just over a decade to reverse engineer this in order to properly build the Ark. Speaking of which, how is that project coming, my lady?"
A small smile graced Morgana's lips, "The final seals and enchantments are being put in place. With any luck, we can test the engines soon, assuming we have some sort of power alternative. Have we made any progress on that front?"
Alfred grimaced, "Afraid not." He sighed as he gestured at the Artifact's long, metal appendages, "I haven't been able to find any source of propulsion in this thing. The only clues we've had have been those plans made of blue light that have been projected from this device here." He tapped a small knob on one end of the Artifact's body, "Beyond that, nothing. Quite frankly, it frustrates me."
"It would frustrate me too." Morgana sighed, biting back a curse.
The only surefire way to power the Ark, that she knew of, was with magic. The problem was that the Ark required an obscene amount of magic in order to function. Magic in amounts that no human could naturally wield or produce. Even a small group of exceptionally powerful mages could not power the Ark, and there was not enough room within the Ark's cabin to hold the amount of mages necessary to easily power the ark. A bad miscalculation on her part, but if the machine was made any bigger, then it would require even more power.
Only one creature on the planet could generate enough magic to properly power the ship, and even then, Morgana was not certain one on its own could manage to do it. In the decade she had been working on this humanity saving endeavor, she had only managed to locate two Manaketes. One slipped through her fingers, thanks to the Shepherds arriving as her men tried to chase the little Manakete down in the dunes of Northern Plegia. The other became engulfed in the Valm conflict before also allying with the Ylisseans.
A reluctant breath slipped from her lips.
"If we cannot find a power source soon, then we may need to resort to our last option."
Alfred paused in his work. Aversa frowned as she glared over at Morgana.
"Last option?" The younger mage asked, her dark brow furrowed.
Morgan turned to Aversa, "The Ylisseans have the Manaketes and-"
"No!" Aversa snapped quickly, "Absolutely not!"
"They already showed you mercy once before." Morgana argued back, doing her best to keep her voice calm and level. Losing her temper again would not be ideal. Not when she needed Aversa now more than ever, "Perhaps they will again."
"The only reason I was shown mercy was because I helped that damn Manakete against the Deadlords." Aversa hissed, "Need I remind you that I helped kill their beloved Exalt. Her brother now rules Ylisse, and he has a far more violent temper than Exalt Emmeryn."
Morgana took a deep breath, "Then you reveal your relationship to Robin."
Aversa snorted, "Yeah, like they'd believe it."
"They have to know he is Plegian."
"It doesn't matter to that group." Aversa frowned back with a wave of her hand, "All they care about is their virtues and morality. They will not spare me for bringing them life saving knowledge. They'll capture me, judge me, then execute me. I know that one knight very much wanted to when we encountered each other in Valm."
"One man does not control the minds of others. Least of all a knight." Morgana reminded her, "You have guile, Aversa. This is your time to use it. I need you to go to Ylisse and-"
Alfred yelped as a shower of sparks spat at him. The sparks caused a long, loud whine to generate from the artifact. Lights flickered along the bulbous, black body. The whine turned into a buzz. A pair of long appendages moved on the table.
The Artifact lurched upright, propelled by some invisible source. It's size dwarfed everyone in the room as it hovered in the air, long appendages dangling down from its body like the tentacles of a jellyfish. The very top of its round head rotated until the glossy, glass eye faced Morgana. A few strange noises emanated from it as an antenna jutted up from the top.
"Alfred," Morgana stared down the living artifact, "What did you do?"
"I'm not sure ma'am, but I-"
A low noise sounded, followed by a whine. The hairs on the back of Morgana's neck stood on end. On instinct she dove out of the way, right as a blast of red light flashed from the Artifact. The light shot out of it with a harsh scream before slamming into the ice wall behind Morgana with a violent bang.
Morgana whipped her head around. Her eyes widened when she noticed the burned patch of ice, blackened by the bar of red light that fired out from the hovering Artifact. It continued to burn through the ice, leaving a glowing, charred hole in its wake.
"Alfred, shut it down!" Morgan cried as the Artifact swiveled around and took aim at the older mage.
Alfred froze. Right before the Artifact fired, a blast of dark magic hit it's shell, crumpling it like a piece of paper. The Artifact shuddered, groaned, then fell back down to the table, cracking it when it landed.
Morgana whipped her eyes over to Aversa as the last remnants of a powerful Flux faded from her daughter's hand.
"Shut down." Aversa breathed, face paler than normal.
Morgana gave her a small nod before turning to the ghost white Alfred. She moved around the table and quickly placed a comforting hand on the old man's shoulder.
"Alfred," She shook him, "Talk to me."
Alfred's wrinkled mouth rapidly opened and closed, "I-I-I-" A trembling hand reached up, removed his spectacles, then set them to the side as he stared wide eyed at the machine, "I have no idea what just happened."
Alfred gulped again and slowly approached the Artifact. Sparks spat out of the ruined shell, and small flames licked at the insides of the. A look of despair fell over Alfred's face.
"It's…" He sighed, bowing his head, "I can't study it any further. The secrets were locked within, and now they're gone."
Aversa remained eerily quiet off to the side, trying her best to not be noticed, but Morgana still glanced at her anyways.
"An unfortunate outcome," Morgana breathed, "but in the end," She ran a hand over the ruined shell of the Artifact, the metal heating up against her palm before she finally pulled it away and turned to Aversa, "it was necessary. Now though, we have a problem."
"A problem?" Aversa echoed.
"The Artifact still held knowledge within it, obviously." Alfred waved an exasperated hand at the ruined machine, "And it clearly had some form of propulsion, otherwise it would not have moved the way it did. We won't be able to figure out how now because it is basically scrap metal." He ran a hand over his aged head, fingers running through the wispy white hairs on his scalp, "I'm at a loss, Morgana."
"But all is not lost." Morgana replied, drawing both Aversa and Alfred's gazes, "I'm sending both of you to Ylisse."
"Bad idea!" Aversa exclaimed quickly, "Really, really bad idea. Especially for me. Just… send Alfred, the Ylisseans won't try to kill him at least."
"Maybe," Morgana nodded, "But they might also write him off as a raving madman. You give his story credibility."
Aversa snorted, "Yes; me, the Ylissean enemy, gives Alfred credibility."
"You do." Morgana argued back, "Because they know you are not insane. The Manakete you helped knows you are not crazy, and if you can reach her ear they may just listen to you. We need a Manakete's magical reserves in order to power the Ark." Morgana spun on her heel and marched to the exit, "Get it done."
As Morgana strode out, she could hear Aversa grumbling quite loudly to Alfred. Alfred seemed about as enthused about going to Ylisse as her daughter. Morgana felt hesitant about such a move as well. It opened up an entire world of risk for her and her small group of Grimleal heretics. If one Plegian spy heard about her work and her location, it would undo everything she had worked so hard to achieve. With the Ark so close to completion, the risk needed to be taken. Her son might have died on the slopes of the Demon's Ingle, but she doubted Grima would be slain by fire and ash. They all needed to be ready to escape.
Even if it meant speaking to old enemies.
Sumia paused in front of the closed door to the Pegasus Knight's barracks, one hand raised, ready to knock. It felt strange to have to knock on this door. For one, this place used to be like a second home for her. When she was just a soldier, a Shepherd, she could come and go as she pleased. She never had to announce herself. She would just arrive and join her sisters in the Pegasus Knights as they relaxed after a hard day of training. Often she would spend her time beyond this door with Cordelia. The screw up and the genius, both equals at the bottom of the totem pole in the Pegasus Knights.
Now I'm Queen. Sumia thought as she looked down, unable to see her feet at the moment, And Cordelia became the Wing Commander.
Until she wasn't. Valm robbed Cordelia of who she was, of what she became, and of what she loved. Flashes of Charlet hit Sumia's thoughts. The horror of watching her best friend spiral down to the ground after being shot down hit her like a punch in the gut all over again. Ever since that day, Sumia struggled to see Cordelia. Not just because of the war, but because Sumia partially blamed herself for Cordelia's condition.
During that battle, on that horrific day, Cordelia was more focused on making sure Sumia stayed safe in the conflict rather than watching out for her own safety. The Wing Commander was shouting at her, warning her of oncoming arrows, guiding her through the hailstorm of projectiles, when she was shot down and nearly killed.
Sumia bit her lip as it quivered. Both of her fists clenched tight as she struggled to reel in her emotions. This was going to be one of the few times she had visited Cordelia since, but she couldn't stay away any longer. The Wing Commander was always going to be her best friend, and it was time for Sumia to speak to her again.
She took a deep breath and rapped her knuckles against the heavy oak door. There was some shuffling from within, and the door slowly creaked open, revealing a set of icy, blue eyes, a shock of white hair, and a wide grin.
"Hello Henry." Sumia said with a soft smile.
"Oh, hello Sumia!" The Dark Mage said, throwing the door to the Pegasus Knights barracks wide open for her. He twirled his head around, "Hey, Sevvy, Sumia is here."
A second set of footsteps stomped their way.
"What did I tell you about calling me Sevvy?" The disgruntled redhead from the future grumbled as she approached. Her red hair stuck out in strange directions, and her eyelids rested half lidded, indicating she had just woken up.
"You love me for it." Henry smiled back, undeterred by the girl's abrasive tone, "What brings you here, Sumia?"
Sumia's smile widened. As much as Henry made the other Shepherds nervous due to his more… eccentric tendencies (more than once she heard reports of him bringing in dead cats to examine for his spells), she enjoyed his company. He was one of the few Shepherds, the few people in all of Ylisstol, that still viewed her as just Sumia. Not Queen Sumia, not your majesty, just Sumia… the Pegasus Knight. She was not sure if that was because Henry knew that she appreciated such a gesture, or because he just did not care about royal titles (she suspected the latter). Regardless, she was grateful for the informality.
"I'm here to visit Cordelia actually." Sumia answered, "I um…" She ducked her head a little bit, "It's been a while since we hung out."
"It has?" Henry replied.
"Mom's been kinda out of it for a while." Severa yawned as she turned on her heel and retreated back into the barrack's main common room, "But she should be good to go now."
"Thanks to me." Henry beamed.
"Thanks to Libra." Severa deadpanned.
"Also me and my remedies." Henry replied quickly, that grin never leaving his face. He stepped out of the way and gestured for Sumia to come in.
"Thank you, Henry." Sumia smiled.
"Cordelia is up the stairs." Henry told her as he swept back over to the small kitchen within the common room. Sumia smelled eggs cooking on a skillet, "First door on the right."
Commanders's quarters, good. Sumia nodded to herself. She said another thank you to Henry before quickly marching up the steps.
She was happy Cordelia resided in the comfortable Wing Commander's quarters still. Henry and Severa likely had to force her to do so, but it was still a very good thing. The privacy and comfort it afforded likely did wonders for Cordelia's mood and recovery. It kept her away from the ogling eyes of the Pegasus Knights, both fresh faced and veteran. Allowed her some peace and quiet that she desperately needed. With Henry guarding the door Cordelia would be allowed to recover as much as she could without any sort of disturbance.
Thank Naga for that.
Sumia knocked quietly on the first door to the right, at the top of the stairs. A quiet voice called back, beckoning her to come in.
She carefully cracked the door open, and her heart shattered.
Cordelia looked like a shell of her old self. Her eyes appeared sunken, her face gaunt, her entire body looked brittle and frail. Even with half of her body hidden beneath heavy blankets, Sumia could see the toll her injuries and situation had taken on her. Even her hair did not seem as vibrant as it was before.
Her appearance looked even worse due to the shades being drawn in the room. It was as if Cordelia, the powerful Wing Commander, was determined to hide from the rest of the world.
"Hey." Cordelia said, her voice like a quiet whisper in the dark room. She struggled to sit upright, but eventually managed to prop her broken body up onto her pillows.
"Hey." Sumia replied meekly. She quietly shut the door behind her, "It's um… it's been a while and- and it's way too dark in here."
Before Cordelia could protest, Sumia strode over to the window and threw the curtains open. Warm, morning sunlight rushed into the previously dark, cold space. As soon as she threw the curtains open, Sumia noticed some color rush back to Cordelia's cheeks.
"Better?" Sumia.
Cordelia quietly laughed, tucking her chin while shaking her head, "If anyone else did that, I'd be quite upset with them."
"Is it because I'm the queen?" Sumia laughed with her.
"Partially." Cordelia replied, her lips parting into a small smile. She glanced to the window and sighed, "You know, I can't even leave this bed. At all. I only feel that sunlight when the sun rises, but once it grows later in the day, it's all shadows in here again."
"Well," Sumia took a seat at the foot of Cordelia's bed, "Maybe we need to move the bed around then? I can get Henry in here and-"
Cordelia chuckled some more, "I'm sure he'd do it, but have you seen him?" She let her head rest back against the pillows, "Unless he can magically grow some muscles, he won't be able to lift this bed." Cordelia narrowed her eyes at Sumia, "And you can't strain yourself right now."
Sumia smiled nervously. She ran a hand through long brown hair, "So, you've heard already?"
"It's a poorly kept secret among the palace maids that come in here and clean." Cordelia replied, "How far along?"
Sumia felt her cheeks heat up, "Well, Lissa believes we're nearing four months now."
"Ha!" Cordelia threw her head back, "Couldn't even wait till the Valm war ended, could you two?"
"Would you?" Sumia shot back, cocking an eyebrow.
Cordelia inclined her chin, "Touche." She let out a wistful sigh, "You probably exercised more patience than me. Is this one Cynthia? Or are we about to meet a different future kid in the- er- well, future?"
Sumia laughed lightly, "I'm hoping it's Cynthia, because I think two would be enough for me. Even with the help of palace maids, Lucina on her own is a handful. But now Cynthia too? And with how rambunctious we both know her to already be?" Sumia shook her head, "Naga help me and Chrom."
Cordelia chuckled along with her friend, "A bunch of handfuls aren't they?"
"You have no idea! I mean I'm sure you'll know once… you…" Sumia trailed off as a wave of melancholy washed over Cordelia. Sumia cleared her throat, "I'm sorry."
"No, no." Cordelia waved her hand, "You have nothing to apologize for, Sumia. We were just talking like we used to do. It's just-"
"Things are different now." Sumia nodded.
"Very," Cordelia exhaled. She looked down at her hands as she picked at her fingernails, "Everything is so different. Even Severa admits as much."
"So does Lucina." Sumia nodded, "So much… loss, and in such a short amount of time."
Cordelia nodded, "I don't know how many funerals I haven't been able to go to now." Sadness filled her eyes, "So many of my soldiers, my sisters in arms, lying in the ground… and I wasn't there…" She choked on her next few words, "I couldn't even go to Ricken, Miriel, Gregor, and Stahl's funerals. And- and I've known them for as long as I can remember."
Sumia scooted up the bed and wrapped her friend in a warm hug. As she embraced her, Cordelia burrowed her face into Sumia's shoulder as some tears started to sting her eyes.
"I'd cry more," Cordelia whimpered, "but I think I'm out of tears."
"I'm so sorry." Sumia sniffled, "If I hadn't distracted-"
Cordelia instantly yanked back, "Don't you dare."
Sumia blinked, shocked at the red head's sudden fury. Cordelia's voice shook as she spoke.
"Don't you dare blame yourself." Cordelia swallowed hard, "What happened to me, could've happened to you. Naga forbid if that ever happens, I would be beside myself with grief. You have a family to worry about and I- well-" Cordelia took a deep breath, "I probably won't have one of my own anymore. Neither Libra, Lissa, or any other healer can give me any absolute answer on that. And it's… hard. I can't fly, I can't even walk, I'm… useless. But none of that, none of it, is your fault, Sumia." Cordelia sat a little stiffer, "It's those damn Valmese mages who were doing their jobs. It was a stupid war that did this, not you."
Sumia bowed her head, avoiding Cordelia's gaze as her words hit her. She nodded a little.
"I understand." Sumia breathed, raising her eyes again, "But I am still so sorry."
Cordelia took a deep breath, steadying her own emotions, "Me too, because I probably won't be able to go to that ball you and Chrom are all excited about."
That made Sumia laugh out loud, "You don't worry about that. You focus on you, right now. Leave me to deal with all the politicking, nobility pleasing, and pegasus knights matters. I want you to focus on getting stronger." Sumia leveled her gaze, "Promise me you will."
Cordelia sighed, "I will."
"That includes eating whatever Henry is cooking up down there." Sumia sniffed the air, then wrinkled her nose, "I thought it was eggs, but now I'm not so sure."
Cordelia giggled, "I thought he was a great cook after he gave me a wonderful chocolate cake not long ago, but it turns out that was all Gaius. Henry enlisted that thief for help."
"Awwwww," Sumia smiled widely, "somebody likes you."
Cordelia blushed a little bit, "Maybe he does." She picked at her nails some more, "I'm not really sure why."
"I know why." Sumia smiled back, "He likes you because you are beautiful, capable, strong, and-"
"Apparently a touch violent," Cordelia chuckled, "Given my initial feelings about Lucina before we found out she was your future daughter."
Sumia laughed as well, "Don't worry, I felt the same way." She slowly caught her breath, "So, Cordy, you are going to the ball."
Cordelia frowned back at her, "I can't-"
"You can, and you are." Sumia protested, rising from her bedside, "Getting out of this room might help your mood. Besides, I contracted Gaius to make that cake you loved so much."
Cordelia remained quiet for a moment, "How much cake?"
"As many as he could bake." Sumia chirped back.
A reluctant breath left Cordelia's throat, "Well… why let such a delicious opportunity go to waste?"
Sumia clapped happily, "Wonderful! Oh, I'll have to get you fitted for a dress. The ball is only a day or two away now. Hm… it's gonna have to be a rush order and-"
"Sumia..."
"Then there's the matter of figuring out how to move you around? Would crutches work or-"
"Sumia."
"Maybe if we lugged you around in a wheelbarrow?"
"Sumia!"
"Yeah?" Sumia blinked, unfazed by Cordelia's loud shout.
Cordelia could not help but shake her head and laugh at her friend's boundless energy. Cynthia was certainly her daughter. The few times Cordelia interacted with that bubbly girl was enough to leave her exhausted for a month. A small smile crossed her pale lips.
"Henry's whipping something up to help me move around. He's enlisted Laurent to assist him. Something about a rolling chair?"
Sumia reeled, "That's- that's brilliant!"
"I thought so too." Cordelia nodded, "Maybe there'll be a way I can move around on my own with it. It'd be nice to not have to stay in bed all day anymore."
"Definitely." Sumia squeed, "I'm so excited now!"
"So what's this ball all about?" Cordelia asked, nodding at Sumia's ever so slightly swollen belly, "Official announcement?"
Sumia sighed, "Yup, the nobility would be offended if Chrom and I did not do this. Gods know I would love to just have a day to breathe and not have to worry about any of the queen stuff."
"Once the whole Halidom knows about the coming princess, you'll have plenty of downtime." Cordelia replied with a smile, "I'm sure Chrom will see to that himself."
"Oh, but then he has to shoulder all the responsibilities on his own and… and I can't just let him do that. I mean without Robin…" Sumia bit her lip as she brought up their fallen friend's name, "Without Robin," She shook her head, laughing quietly to herself, "Chrom can barely keep track of his own shoes when they're on his feet; let alone all the royal duties." A long sigh left her lips, "Naga, I still have a hard time believing he's gone."
Cordelia nodded in agreement, "It's hard to believe any of them are gone."
"Yeah." Sumia glanced out the window and froze, "Oh no!" She surged to her feet.
"What?" Cordelia asked.
"Maribelle is arriving today." Sumia cried as she rushed to the door.
Cordelia sucked in a sharp breath as Sumia threw the door to her room open, "How much is ready for the ball?"
"Absolutely nothing!" Sumia exclaimed, pausing at the door as she looked back at Cordelia, "And you know how Maribelle gets about these things."
"Naga help you and Chrom." Cordelia chuckled.
"It'll certainly take an act of Naga." Sumia breathed, "Maybe if I bribe Tiki with something, she can help out?"
Cordelia laughed at that, "Worth a shot. But stop delaying, get going. I'm… I'm not going anywhere right now."
Sumia gave her a sad smile, "It won't be that way forever, Cordy." She slowly started to shut the door, "I'll come back to visit as soon as I can."
"I'll be waiting." Cordelia replied just as the door closed.
It clicked shut, and once again, Cordelia was left alone in her room with nothing but her thoughts for company. She sighed and glanced to the window as the rising sun slowly lumbered into the sky, sending rays of sunshine further into the shadows of her room. The broad smile she put on for all her visitors faded away despite the warm sunlight.
She tore her gaze from the window and back down to her legs. Her feet stuck up under the heavy blankets and sheets, but she could not feel the scratchy cotton against her skin. No matter how hard she tried, she could not feel anything below her waist. Desperately, once again, for what felt like the millionth time since she first received her wounds, she tried to wiggle her toes. She hoped for a sign, prayed for any sort of shift in the sheets wrapped over her feet.
Nothing.
The Pegasus Knight sank further into her pillows, giving up her attempt. As she sank back, the door opened and Henry barged in.
"Eggs and toast!" The Mage happily declared.
Cordelia smiled to herself, You were wrong, Sumia. He was cooking eggs.
Henry set the plate down on her lap, and she looked down at a couple blackened slabs of bread and… and…
Okay… maybe they aren't eggs.
"Mari, if ya'd please take a breath-"
"I mean, how in the name of Naga, Grima, and whatever mythical entities there are, can they possibly believe that such ludicrous levels of laziness is acceptable!" Maribelle raged towards Donnel as she glanced out the window of her carriage as it passed through the gates of Ylisstol, "No streamers, no trumpets, no… anything! It's as if the city has no clue that a royal ball is actually being held!?"
"A most unfortunate situation, indeed." Dooku nodded as he sat across from both of them, one leg crossed, his aged eyes glancing out the window every few moments, and with every moment, his frown deepened.
"Perhaps y'all are overreacting a little bit. I mean," Donnel scratched the back of his head, fingers raking through his carefully combed lavender hair, as he felt a furious glance from Maribelle pierce him, "maybe us common folk don't really care all that much?"
"Us common folk?" Maribelle leveled her gaze at her fiance as fury danced in her eyes, "Us common folk?"
Dooku uttered a heavy sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose, "All of those etiquette lessons..."
"Need I remind you, Sir Donnel, that I am a distinguished duchess, and have been a part of nobility since I resided in my mother's womb. And you," She jabbed his chest with her finger, "are my fiance and a member of nobility now as a result of that." She huffed and folded her arms, "Such a high class affair should be celebrated by the lower classes. Why, it is a sign of prosperity and peace throughout the halidom. Do you think Chrom and Sumia would be having a royal ball if there was a war going on?"
"They'd probably be on the front lines of that war." Donnel admitted sheepishly.
"Preciscely!" Maribelle frowned as she looked out the carriage window. Her frown turned to horror as she caught sight of the palace walls, "Naga above there isn't a hint of decor up!"
"Mari-"
"Not even on the palace walls, and… why are we stopping, what is going on? Why?"
Dooku cleared his throat, "I am making a stop here at the Academy, my lady. There are several people I must speak to, and I believe they will be here."
Maribelle blinked, "Those aren't the palace walls then?"
"That's what I was trying to tell ya, Mari." Donnel sighed wearily, one hand rubbing his eyes, "We ain't at the-"
"Why didn't you say something sooner?" Maribelle asked as Dooku uttered another weary sigh and exited the carriage.
He carefully shut the carriage door behind him then smacked the side of it, signaling the driver to continue on his way to the Exalt's palace. As the carriage rolled away, Dooku could both hear Maribelle fretting, and sense Donnel's own exasperation and exhaustion. He shook his head as he watched the carriage disappear down the road on the short final leg of their journey from Themis.
Whatever insanity compelled the boy to fall in love with the Duchess, I will never know.
He sniffed and turned to the Academy gate, which was thrown wide open for all to enter. Several mages lingered in the shadows of the gate, huddled into small groups as they discussed either their latest experiments or lessons. Dooku paid no mind to any of them. They deserved neither his time or attention. In fact, in his opinion, only one mage within these walls earned the right to speak to him, and that was the mage he was searching for.
He could have stopped at Kenobi's personal abode in order to speak to Lady Tharja; but he had a feeling that, due to his delayed arrival from Themis thanks to Duchess Maribelle's fretting about proper appearances, neither Tharja nor Kenobi would be in their shared residence.
Kenobi's location was mostly a mystery to him. Dooku thought about detecting the Jedi Master through the force, but he also enjoyed the look of despair and regret on Kenobi's face whenever he drew near, and felt it would be better to enjoy surprising the Jedi Master instead. If Kenobi was not going to be at his residence, the next best place would be the Academy, where Tharja taught her Dark Magic classes.
He entered the main hall of the academy. Not an unfamiliar space for him, he had visited this immense building before. Even though he had seen far more impressive architecture throughout the galaxy, there was a sense of… for lack of a better term, magic, and wonder. It reminded him of how he felt as a young man upon returning to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant after a long mission. Those were days where the Jedi were actually Jedi, peacekeepers and not warriors, and where the Sith were nothing more than a terrifying legend. Life felt simpler then.
He could understand why Kenobi enjoyed this city, this planet, so much. This place represented a dream of a simple, quiet life. Something any warrior, regardless of mentality or circumstance, thirsted for.
Unfortunately, I am about to shatter that dream.
The dream for him shattered already. For a few months, he found some peace running the city of Themis. It was a job that he actually enjoyed, and he was exceptional at it. It was a way for him to channel his ruthless efficiency into something anyone, Jedi or Sith, would consider quite constructive. Now, Themis was a booming city. Trade flooded in from all corners of Archanea, all corners of the world even. He had even heard rumors of traders possibly coming from some faraway land called Jugdral, a land not even mapped out by the Archanean cartographers. Maintaining those gains involved careful planning and proper pressure on the right nobles, and he was exceptional at both of those things. It was a dream of a better life.
Gone now, because of visions that started plaguing him only a few weeks ago. He could sense the Dark Side of the Force in utter turmoil. It thrashed about unpredictably, and rejected his attempts to discern anything from its murky waters. The only time the Force unveiled anything to him anymore, was in brief visions that would interrupt him as he worked. As a Deadlord, he hardly needed sleep, although the longer he dwelled away from his creator, the more weary and weaker he felt (a still disturbing development that he kept very close to the chest). So these visions would hit him abruptly during the day or night, often at the worst possible times. Each vision was exactly the same.
He saw Ylisstol in flames. Sections of the city leveled to the ground by blaster fire as strange black and red banners flapped in the wind from the stone battlements. Soldiers in polished white armor, as clean as fresh snow, marched through both Ylisse and Regna Ferox as those same banners swept over the land. Strange starfighters with small cockpits and hexagonal foils for wings would shriek overhead. Most disturbing of all, the vision always ended with one lone figure, garbed in black armor and a black helmet, staring down at him, a red lightsaber ignited. He would hear the thing's rhythmic breathing, then he would hear Grima's dark laughter, then it would end.
Dooku turned down a corridor and made his way towards one of the smaller auditoriums on the main Academy floor. As he made his way through a sudden surge of students exiting the furthest auditorium in a furor of excitement and noise, he pondered the visions further.
He was no fool. He knew exactly what these visions meant, and what they were warning him of. They were visions of the future. A future of fire and ruin, coming not from Risen, or an Emperor in Valm, or even a Mad King in Plegia. The danger came from beyond this planet's atmosphere, in the form of an enemy Dooku had been warning Kenobi about since they both met up over two years ago.
The problem, now, was that he was unsure if they were true or not. The Dark Side of the Force had begun to actively spurn him, the Light Side of the Force rejected him long ago, when he turned his back on it. He was stuck in a strange gray area, where his power and focus ebbed and flowed based on the Force's whims. A precarious position that he loathed, but could not find a way out of it no matter how much meditation he did. Because of his precarious position, and utter lack of foresight in this instance, he now sought out the assistance of a Dark Mage and a Jedi Master.
I'm never going to hear the end of this.
Dooku entered the auditorium all of the students were exiting. He chose correctly. Tharja stood near a lectern that overlooked rows of benches and tables. The lectern had several pages of notes lying on top of a heavy tome. An inkwell rested on the corner, sitting precariously close to the edge. Even when teaching, Tharja liked to take notes.
Her dark eyes noticed him as she spoke to a pair of students lingering to ask her a few questions. With a dismissive wave of her hand, she shooed the two urchins away. Both young mages rushed past Dooku, a flurry of blue robes and large hats. As soon as they left, Tharja folded her arms and frowned at Dooku.
"He has no idea you are here." She grumbled.
"That was the point." Dooku replied with a wry smirk, "I do enjoy causing Kenobi some misery. If I cannot give him the same amount I once did, then perhaps I can cause some petty misery instead."
Tharja rolled her eyes, "Why are you even here?" She asked as she strode over to the lectern and began to gather her materials.
Dooku arched an eyebrow, "Are you unaware of the royal ball happening tomorrow night?"
Tharja froze. A heavy sigh, followed by a long groan, slipped from her lips as her shoulders sank and her forehead hit the lectern. The inkwell wobbled on the edge of the wooden surface, but the dark mage did not care.
"I forgot all about that." She muttered.
An amused expression crossed Dooku's face, "I figured someone like you would be most excited. Kenobi's attendance is no doubt required, and you will be there to be the pretty thing by his side."
"Keep wagging your tongue and I am liable to cut it out." Tharja growled as she plucked the inkwell and set it at the center of the lectern so it would not fall over, "Do you want to know where Ben is or not?"
Dooku furrowed his brow, "You sound quite upset."
"I'm seeing you. So yes, I am a touch upset."
"Such a lovely way to speak to a friend." Dooku shot back as Tharja smacked her spellbook closed and started striding out of the auditorium. Dooku followed her.
"Antagonistic friend." Tharja snapped back over her shoulder as she stepped out into a now empty main corridor. Sunlight streamed in through the enormous windows along the wall, giving the corridor a warm, airy feeling, "Ben told me all about that strange arrangement."
"Isn't that how your friendships are with every Shepherd not named Kenobi?"
Tharja scowled, "I think after I cut your tongue out, I'll pickle it and use it for some poisons given how much venom is laced in it."
"You could try." Dooku drawled. He sighed as Tharja hardly broke stride. The dark mage was simply impossible to rattle. Hopelessly boring in that regard, "Where is Kenobi? I really need to speak to him."
"And I need some Plegian coffee that Anna hasn't priced at a ridiculous amount. We don't always get what we want." Tharja replied with an indifferent shrug.
Dooku's amusement receded into a long scowl, "Fine, I will find him myself."
Tharja uttered a heavy sigh as she stopped walking, "That'll probably involve you intimidating one of my Urchins. Only I'm allowed to do that." She nodded to a door that led to the Academy gardens, where many plants for both medicinal and non-medicinal purposes grew, "He's walking with Noire."
Dooku nodded, "Thank you."
"Dooku." Tharja said, stopping him in his tracks, "Say anything hurtful to my daughter, and no force in this universe will save you from the pain I will inflict upon you."
Dooku pursed his lips and nodded. This was the one instance he would not talk back to Tharja. Force help the man that dared get between a mother and their child. Even he, a Dark Lord of the Sith and Deadlord, knew that proverb all too well.
He quietly stepped out into the Academy gardens. An immense expanse of plant life that stretched out in a large circle at the very center of all of the academy buildings. A courtyard of wildlife for the students to examine. It took him several minutes before he finally found both Kenobi and Noire, standing near a cornucopia of plants with bright berries on them.
Kenobi locked eyes with him, and the smile he had on his face dropped.
"Naga damn it." Ben muttered.
Noire furrowed her brow, "What is it?"
Ben sighed, "Try to sense it."
Noire pressed her lips into a thin line as she concentrated, "I sense… you're upset, and-" She sucked in a sharp breath, "Oh."
"Yup."
Dooku smirked as he approached both of them, "Good morning Kenobi, Noire." He said with a small nod.
Ben frowned back at him, "You couldn't have announced your presence?"
"And upstage Duchess Maribelle?" Dooku replied, "I don't plan on dealing with that firestorm, do you?"
"You could have done so with the force." Ben sighed.
"You can let someone know you've arrived somewhere with the force?" Noire asked, surprise flashing over her face despite the opaque nature of her once vibrant eyes.
Dooku gave Ben a knowing look while Ben ran a hand over his face, "Honestly, Kenobi, why do you even bother teaching her if you aren't going to teach her anything useful?"
"I am taking her instruction at a slow, reasonable pace." Ben argued back, "Besides, right now is not learning time, right Noire?"
Noire nodded as she plucked a large strawberry from one plant, "Father, daughter time." She waved in Dooku's general direction, "Do we count him as the grandfather in this scenario?"
"More like great grandfather, and not a very welcome one." Ben remarked.
"I'm not that old." Dooku replied defensively.
"Compared to Master Yoda, perhaps not. Compared to anyone else, you are an ancient being." Ben replied with a slight snort, "How many strawberries do we have, Noire?"
Noire jammed her hand into the basket that rested in the crook of her right arm, "Hm… seventeen, no- eighteen!"
"Should be more than enough for a good pie then." Ben nodded. He glanced over at Dooku again, "Don't you have a Duchess to babysit?"
"Don't you have students to teach?"
Ben sighed, "I am not an instructor at the Academy, and my only student is my daughter. Lucina is a Jedi Knight now. She only comes to me for wisdom and advice." He took a breath, "The occasional training session too."
Dooku chuckled as he trailed along with the two Kenobis out of the garden, "No one is ever done learning, Kenobi. Not even a Jedi Master of your diminished caliber."
Ben snorted, "I'm betting I can best you in one on one combat now, Count."
"Oh really? Last I checked, Grievous was not supposed to be such a difficult fight."
"He was difficult for me." Ben justified.
"Never for me."
"He was never trying to kill you." Ben shot back.
"Dad, granddad, please stop fighting." Noire said with a slight snicker, drawing the ire of both men.
Ben uttered a weary sigh, "Always have to ruin my day."
"What can I say, I enjoy doing it." Dooku replied.
Ben nodded, "Naga forbid if I prevent you from doing what you enjoy, no matter how infuriating it is."
"Perhaps Dooku needs a hobby like Gaius?" Noire suggested, "He's stopped pestering you ever since he opened up that bakery with Anna's backing."
"Gaius never got off on causing me misery." Ben replied, "Dooku has enjoyed that for many years. And you know the saying: 'You can't teach an old dog new tricks'."
Noire snickered at that while Dooku harrumphed.
"You are setting a wonderful example on how to respect your elders, Kenobi."
"Noire knows better than to be disrespectful, right?" Ben asked.
"I let Severa be the disrespectful one for me." Noire nodded in agreement, "Besides, I can't outbanter the negotiator."
"Ah, I see you have spun some tales for her." Dooku cut in, "Care to hear how those tales actually happened, Noire?"
Her face lit up, "Embarrassing details about my father? I would love to-"
"Why are you really here, Dooku." Ben sighed while Noire snickered, "I didn't think you would come to this ball. I thought Maribelle would leave you behind to watch over Themis for her?"
Dooku took a deep breath, "You are not wrong, Kenobi. I did not intend to come to this affair. I had many more important responsibilities to worry about, however things have come up that I simply cannot afford to ignore."
"What things?"
Dooku glanced over at Noire. The girl's blank eyes stared straight forward, looking at him, but not up at his face. Burn scars ran over the pale skin around her eyes, and for a moment, Dooku held some sympathy for the girl. That sympathy ran away though as he refocused his mind on the visions.
"I've been having visions Kenobi and-"
"Could- could this really be happening? Truly?" Ben said with feigned shock, "Count Dooku, Sith Lord, ex-Jedi Master prodigy, is coming to me for wisdom?" Noire started to snicker uncontrollably, "Tell me Count, how many Death Sticks have you taken today?"
Dooku seethed, "None, and this is important Kenobi." He glanced around, "Also, this may be a discussion we should have in private."
Kenobi furrowed his brow. He was no longer in a teasing mood as he noticed the seriousness etched onto the Count's face. With a nod, Ben gestured for Dooku to follow him and Noire out of the Academy.
All three walked out of the Academy, through Ylisstol, and out of the city towards Ben's cottage in the forest south of the city. As they walked, Dooku heard Noire ask question after question regarding the Force and the more mystical abilities surrounding it. From his own observations of the questions, he deduced that Noire was seeking a way to use the Force in order to see again. An admirable pursuit, and certainly not an impossible one. However, it was a difficult road to travel, something he made sure to point out to her in a manner that might have made Kenobi frown, but that the Jedi Master acknowledged as correct.
As they neared the quaint cottage, Dooku noticed a blue haired girl with one arm waiting by the cottage door. Ben furrowed his brow as Lucina looked up from her feet.
"Master." She nodded to Ben then glanced at Dooku with wariness in her eyes, "Dooku."
Dooku smiled back, "Your arm is in my personal luggage, Princess. Improved and ready for use once again."
Her wariness faded a little bit, "Thank you. I'm looking forward to having it." She stepped past both men and gave Noire a warm hug, one that Noire gladly returned, "How are you feeling, Noire?"
"Better today. I listened in on Mother's lecture for a bit before Father pulled me out of class." She finished with a snicker, "I think I'll eventually be able to cast a flux at some point, once I get the theory down that is."
"That's wonderful!" Lucina smiled.
Dooku cleared his throat, "I hate to break up this meeting, but Kenobi and I have much to discuss."
Lucina frowned and turned to face both Dooku and Kenobi, "Yeah, well so do I." She spun towards Ben before Dooku could interject, "Master, I need some… advice. The visions I'm having, the ones with the man in black, they're growing more frequent."
Dooku blinked in shock, "You too?"
Ben's face paled, "Everyone inside."
Ben ushered all of them inside then quickly shut the door behind him. He rushed over to the window and glanced outside before drawing the curtains closed.
"It's moments like this that I'm glad Gaius started that bakery. He and Panne don't live on top of us now."
"I kinda liked having them around." Noire sighed.
"Space is a good thing too." Dooku nodded, "I'm assuming you are glad they are not around so they don't report our ensuing discussion to the royal family?"
"Gaius would let something slip on accident." Ben sighed, "He almost always does." He took a seat in his chair while Noire carefully walked to a new chair set up across the fire from Ben. Lucina sat down on a stool while Dooku remained standing, "Alright," Ben breathed, resting his arms on his knees as he leaned forward, "I need these visions explained to me in precise detail."
Lucina glanced at Dooku, but he gestured for her to go first. Lucina cleared her throat.
"It's… growing more vivid now, Master. I see the Siege of Ylisstol again." Noire's face lost color as she also recalled those horrific days in the ruined future, "The city is burning, people are dying, and as usual I expect to see Risen laying waste to everything. But… it's changing. More and more frequently, the Risen are replaced by soldiers in bright, white armor and grimacing helmets. They use weapons similar to what that one Deadlord, Fett, uses. Their attack is always abrupt, out of nowhere, and it catches me off guard every time. In every vision, a…thing, man, I don't even know how to describe it, leads them. I can't recall its name. I can't even remember if its name is ever mentioned, but its sole goal is finding me." Lucina swallowed hard as Ben listened intently, "Every time, in every version of this vision, him or his soldiers succeed in capturing me." Her leg bounced up and down as nervousness filled her, "Master, what does this mean?"
Ben glanced over at Dooku. Dooku grimaced back, arms folded.
"Similar visions, different endings."
"Better ending?"
Dooku shrugged, "For Lucina, maybe? How should I know that? Mine ends with the man in black armor cutting me down." Noire gulped when Dooku said that, "I see the soldiers as well, but on top of that, I hear both a strange artificial breathing intermingled with the laughter of the Fell Dragon."
Lucina's eyes widened, "You- you don't think-" She slumped on her stool, "The Fell Dragon is alive then. Tiki was right."
"Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves." Ben reassured Lucina, "Even if he is alive; Chrom, Tiki, and myself have been working on contingencies to combat him. What we do know for certain, is that since Robin is… gone." He swallowed a moment, "Since he is gone, Grima is severely weakened, and cannot regain his full form."
"But these visions imply he does have his full form."
"Exactly." Dooku nodded to Lucina, "They imply, they do not guarantee. This is why I sought out your opinion, Kenobi. You have not had these visions," Kenobi rose from his seat and moved towards the fire in order to place logs into the fireplace. It may be summer, but Dooku did feel a slight chill in the room as they delved further into the meaning of these strange visions, "So a fresh perspective on the matter would be very much-"
"I've had them too." Ben breathed.
Everyone went quiet as Ben sparked the fire. Small orange flames jumped along the dry logs and tinder, bringing light and warmth to a suddenly cold, dark room. Ben pressed his lips into a tight grimace as he sat back down in his chair, eyes focused on the flames. In that gaze, Dooku saw the look of a lost warrior. A man wandering in harsh memories of war.
Ben blinked and shook his head.
"Mine are not as vivid, but I've had them. Soldiers in white armor, similar to Clones." He pursed his lips, "The man in black armor, with the strange breathing and tremendous power in the Force..." He ran a hand along his chin, "It's no coincidence we are all having these at the same time."
"There is no such thing as coincidences in the Force." Dooku nodded, "The Force is attempting to warn us, Kenobi. The Sith are coming."
Ben furrowed his brow as he drew in a long breath. He thought for a moment, "Maybe…" He admitted, voice quieter than a mouse.
"Then we need to warm my father, and Lady Tiki!" Lucina cried, "An army needs to be raised. We-"
"We can't do that, Lucina."
"Why not!?"
"We have no idea when they'll arrive, or even if they will." Ben argued back, "This could be the manipulations of the dark side. We now know that the Son, the pure embodiment of the Dark Side, has brokered some sort of partnership with Grima." He stared hard at Dooku, "You admit to hearing his laughter in your visions. That alone could be a sign that these visions are just that, visions, and nothing more. Scary nightmares meant to rattle us. Especially given the recency of them."
Lucina clenched her jaw, "Master… mine are not recent." She took a deep breath, "And neither are Luke's."
Ben's gaze snapped over to her, "What?"
Lucina inhaled, "I've had these visions since the Plegian War. I did not think much of them because… well I could not understand them. Not until now, since you finally revealed the truth to me about you and the galaxy. Luke, likewise, had visions immediately after the Plegian war. His mostly pertain to Maul, but in some of them, he admitted to seeing soldiers in white laying waste to Ylisstol. Although, I don't recall if he said anything about a man in black."
Now Ben looked disturbed. One hand ran through his beard while the other rested on the armrest of his chair, fingers tapping the wood his arms sat on.
"That changes things." Ben muttered, "Dooku, this figure in black, what do you make of it?"
"Honest opinion?"
"Do you give any other?"
Dooku shook his head, "I do not." He took a breath, "Unless Sidious has a group of very powerful acolytes, then we can reasonably assume the figure to be a Sith Lord as well. Likely his new apprentice."
"Man in black…" Noire muttered. She turned her head in Lucina's direction, "Did he wear a mask?"
Lucina nodded, caught herself, then spoke, "Y-yes, he did?"
Ben turned paler than a ghost, "You've seen him too?"
Noire nodded, "I did. But… he wasn't invading Ylisstol. He was sitting in some strange chamber. And… he looked right at me. Said I felt similar to someone." She shook her head, "It made no sense to me at all. I thought I might have eaten some bad food or something, but hearing what you all just said… it really gives it meaning now."
"This is no coincidence, Kenobi." Dooku said, urgency in his voice, "Even Skywalker's brat is having visions similar to ours, and he has the most potent connection to the force out of all of us." Dooku stepped forward, meeting Ben's eyes, "The Sith are on their way, or they've likely already found us. We need to prepare now."
"I'm in agreement." Lucina said.
Ben glanced at Noire. His daughter shrugged.
"I think it'd be smart to be ready for such a threat. If what you've told me about the Sith and what they've done is true, if they're anything like Maul, then we need to be ready."
Ben uttered a heavy sigh. As his breath escaped his lungs, he slowly started to nod.
"Perhaps the Force is saying something to us then. I hesitate to believe it due to the clouded nature of the force right now, but… it would be unwise to ignore." He rose from his seat, "I'll speak to Chrom and Lady Tiki immediately. Lucina, Noire, Dooku, you are welcome to wait for me here, or join me and-"
Someone furiously pounded against Ben's door.
"Ben!" All three heard Sully bark from the otherside, "Open this damn door up, Ben! It's an emergency!"
Ben glanced at Lucina. Lucina swallowed hard, one hand drifting towards the sword on her hip. The Jedi Master cautiously approached the door and cracked it open.
"Yes, Sully?"
Sully looked out of breath. Behind her, her horse appeared tired too.
"Just…" She sucked in a breath, "Just got done racing here. Went top speed. Chrom needs ya at the palace. Something… about, er- you recall that Plegian Witch that gave us trouble during the War? The one that helped kill Exalt Emmeryn?"
Ben's brow furrowed, "I do?"
Sully gulped some more air in. She put her hands on her hips and gave Ben a worried look.
"She's stopped by to say hello."
There were no black holes to gaze out upon. No nearby stars sat nearby to illuminate the bridge of the Chimaera. Only the harsh, artificial lights of the bridge kept the area lit. There were no derelict planets, moons, or asteroids to navigate around. The Chimaera sat in the cold blackness of space, drifting slowly between stars as it lumbered away from yet another fruitless search in a worthless solar system.
Nearly three longs years had passed since this mission began. Three long years of searching the most treacherous expanse of space in the entire galaxy: the Deep Core. What was once a maze of black holes, impossible to navigate nebulae, and mythical planets, was now a known, partially mapped, somewhat understood section of the galaxy. Akin to the Empire's understanding of the area beyond the Outer Rim. All of that, all of the knowledge and data gathered, was Thrawn's doing. He made sure to take meticulous notes and logs of each star system, each planet, each route the Chimaera took through this part of the galaxy. Now a meandering hyperspace lane existed where once there was none, and soon Imperial outposts were going to be set up on some of the planets and asteroids they passed by. If this were a simple exploration mission, it would have been a resounding success.
But this was not a simple exploration mission. Thrawn was given a task: Find the Planet where a girl named Lucina lived, and retrieve the girl for the Emperor for reasons still mostly enigmatic to him. In order to make sure this task was carried out to the Emperor's exact requirements, the Emperor sent his fist, Lord Vader, to assist Thrawn.
The Chiss could see the imposing figure that was Vader beginning to lose patience as he lingered near the bridge's blast doors, and he was losing patience as well. Three years was a long time to search for anything, let alone a planet and a woman who may or may not exist.
And now… now the Chimaera's provisions were about to run dangerously low. If they did not turn back soon, Thrawn ran the risk of having to cut rations severely. Something he did not wish to do, as it would harm the morale and worth ethic of his crew. He already managed to ration everything out an extra year longer than the Star Destroyer was supposed to handle, largely thanks to stops on mythical planets like Tython, but there were no such planets nearby now.
The Rakatan map was blank now. They were in truly uncharted territory now, and if Thrawn were to venture a guess, they were likely nearing the galactic center. Despite the broad search, he still found nothing.
This cannot be a fruitless endeavor. He thought as he folded his hands behind him, red eyes gazing out at the far away stars doting the viewscreen of the bridge like little flakes of snow in a black sky, I will not fail this mission.
But he was nearly out of options. His crew, his ship, came before the mission. If he could retreat and properly resupply, he could redouble his efforts. A fresh crew would work far more efficiently than an exhausted, demoralized one. Good shore leave on Coruscant would do wonders for the weary men and women under his command. But if he turned back, he would have to answer to Lord Vader and the Emperor. He doubted his excuses would work then. At best, he would be relegated to some administrative role on a backwater world, where he could never use his talents in the field again. A fate worse than death in his mind, but one that seemed likely if he should fail.
How could this place be so elusive? He thought, How could the Rakatan map be incomplete.
Eli Vanto slowly approached him. His aide cleared his throat and took a deep breath.
"Admiral," The young human officer whispered, "we ran another analysis of the map." He glanced over to the side, near the doors, where the figure of Darth Vader loomed, "Nothing still."
Thrawn sighed and closed his eyes. He did not shake his head. He could not show any weakness in Lord Vader's presence. When he opened his eyes again, Thrawn found himself at a crossroads.
Maybe the Emperor would understand?
Out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed one of his bridge analysts looking flustered. The young analyst pushed back from his monitor and glanced up at Thrawn and Vanto.
"Admiral."
Thrawn glanced over at the young human. The human gulped, clearly nervous. Perhaps it was something trivial that he was bringing up? In which case, it would be good for him to feel nervous. Thrawn was not in the mood to deal with stupidity.
"Um…" The analyst cleared his throat, "I'm um… getting something strange."
Lord Vader's boots boomed against the floor as he strode up to Thrawn. Thrawn glared down at the analyst.
"Define strange." Thrawn asked, voice still monotone and measured.
"Er- well," The analyst paled when he noticed Lord Vader, "It's uh… probably nothing sir but, I'm picking up a reading from a Republic probe droid."
Thrawn raised his brow, "Republic?"
"Out here?" Vanto questioned, "I don't recall the Republic ever sending deep space probes into the inner core?"
"There are many Republic secrets neither of you are privy to." Vader rumbled.
Thrawn did not say anything in response. Both he and Vader were on edge, best not to upset the man, "What were the readings?"
"That's the thing sir, I-I think it's malfunctioned or something. Maybe it's this machine, I don't know." The flustered analyst jabbered, "But it's… it's sending me lifeform readings." Thrawn's red eyes slowly widened, "The planet it is on is nearby too. But… those readings were coming fast, then they were suddenly cut off."
Any hopelessness Thrawn felt was dashed. He glanced over at Lord Vader, a smug smirk on his blue lips.
"Do you have coordinates?" He asked the analyst.
The Analyst looked surprised, "Y-yes sir."
"Helmsman," Thrawn barked, "Input those exact coordinates. We are following that probe droid signal."
Vanto gulped, "Are you sure that is a good idea, Admiral. We are nearly out of provisions and-"
Vader's breathing cut him off as the Emperor's attack dog glowered at Vanto. Vanto swallowed hard and ducked his head. He stepped around Vader and barked Thrawn's orders to the rest of the bridge. As Vanto relayed the orders, Vader drew up alongside Thrawn. They both stared out at the inky blackness of space.
"What does your Force tell you about this?" Thrawn asked, tone level even as excitement built up in him.
Vader was quiet for a moment. The Sith Lord stared out the viewport, then folded his arms. He nodded ever so slightly at Thrawn, and Thrawn allowed a ghost of a smile to cross his lips.
I have found her.
And chapter! LET ARC 3 BEGIN! Everything is mostly in place! It is time to get this show on the road! GAAAAAAH, I'm so excited! This is going to be so good. And you all are probably going to hate me lol. In the words of the Joker, "Here. We. Go."
Anyways, let me know what you all think of this chapter! As always, I hope you all enjoyed it! Have a nice day!
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