Author's Note: As of June 27th, 2016, the entire fanfic has been rewritten. That means this chapter, all that came before it, and all that follow it now contain different content that they did previously. You are strongly encouraged to go back and reread the entire fanfic from the beginning, as the revised continuity may confuse you if you jump in part of the way through.
"And that's all Taneal said." Stillman reported to Gran'ma Ben and the Great Red Dragon. The tiny dragon waited apprehensively for a reply.
"Her earlier two reports were much more extensive." Said Gran'ma. "This just seems to be a warning. Do you think they've caught wind of her true intentions?"
"Unlikely." Replied the Great Red Dragon. "We wouldn't be talking to Stillman now if they did. Glaian's siege must be making progress. Either that or the Council hasn't been active much lately." He turned to address Stillman. "Can you still get through Glaian's line?"
"Yes, uncle. No one knows the small cracks and tunnels like me."
"Good, good. Tell Taneal that we need to know the particulars of this 'Everlasting Dream' the Council has planned. And to get more information on who and what this "Nightmare Entity" is."
"Yes, uncle. I'll go now."
"There's no need to tire yourself out so much. Stay a few hours. Rest up." Said Gran'ma Ben.
"No thank you, Queen Rose. If everyone is going to be doing their part to help with the war effort, than so am I. I should be back in a few days at most." With that he sprung back, grabbed onto the wall, scurried up and slinked through a crack in the ceiling.
"Your nephew doesn't like to slow down, does he?"
"He's a good kid. Brave. Tenacious. Loyal. He might be a little excitable, but he knows how to get a job done. I wouldn't have given him my name if he wasn't capable." Replied the Great Red Dragon.
"Speaking of, why'd you give up your name in the first place?"
"It's something I'd rather not discuss, if you don't mind. Maybe when we win this war I'll tell you the whole story." Just then Ted scampered through the same crack Stillman had left through.
"Ted!" Gran'ma Ben exclaimed. "We haven't seen you in weeks! Did the villagers make it to the Temple safely?"
"No." Ted said depressingly as he jumped down onto her finger. "By the time I got there, the flyin' things had arrived and bones began taking people away to the city. I tried to help some people sneak out, but the bones found us n' started shootin' people in the legs to stop 'em from runnin'. Then they dragged everyone onto the ship and took 'em where they were takin' everyone else. I hopped on to see where they were goin'. They threw everyone off in some giant fenced in camp just outside the city walls. I tried figurin' a way out for everyone, but I had no luck. I did managed to slip away through the fence though, and I've been inchin' my way 'round patrols for about a week now tryin' to get in here."
"Well, it's a good thing you did." Said the Great Red Dragon. "Stillman is too large to make a journey to the Temple without being spotted, but no one would notice you. Not even Roque Ja. I know you just got here, and this is all a bit sudden, bit we need you to get a message to Phoney."
"Whatever you need." Ted replied.
"Tell him we're alive and that we need reinforcements. And that he can't trust the Dragon Council. They're planning something big, bigger than anything we've been through before." Before the Dragon could continue however, there was a large crashing sound from the lowered and boarded up gate. Cracks appeared along its surface. The several dozen remaining Venu warriors stood up from where they had been sitting or slouching around the room.
"Alright men! Time's up!" Shouted Gran'ma Ben. Everyone in the room turned to listen to her. "The enemy lies at the door to our innermost sanctum. This is it. Our last stand. Our final hour." She drew her sword from her belt and walked up to raised platform the gate rested upon. She turned around. "Well I for one am not going to spend it lying down!" The crowd began to cheer. The door shuddered again. "When they tell tales of this day, they will sing of how we did not go quietly! They will laude our courage to face death laughing, our strength to fight for our kingdom and our countrymen to the bitter end! We may face death today, but you can be damn sure our enemy will as well! In our blades, our arrows, and our fury! They have taken everything from us! Now it's time we pay them back in kind!" She raised her sword into the air, and everyone else did the same. A raucous cheer erupted from the crowd as the gate shuttered a third time. The cracks in the stone had almost shattered it, and most of the boarding was smashed into splinters. Through the cracks they group could hear faint shouting.
Gran'ma Ben jumped off the platform and slung the bow off of her back. She drew an arrow from her quiver and notched it. The rest of the archers did the same. She glanced briefly back at the Great Red Dragon, who nodded to her and blew a puff of smoke from his nostrils. Ted hopped up into the crack and prepared to flee if things took a turn for the worse.
There was a great explosion. The gate shattered inwards, but the monks maneuvered swiftly around the flying rock.
"Fire!" Shouted Gran'ma Ben. The archers let loose a volley of arrows. "Charge!" She shouted as she drew her sword and leapt over the platform. All of the warriors charged right behind her with blades drawn out through the gateway. What they saw, however, halted their advance in its tracks.
The grounds of the outer camp of Old Man's cave were littered with the corpses of bones. Guns and armor and supplies were strewn about all over the ground haphazardly. Outside the outer gates were half a dozen exploded and abandoned vehicles. And standing right in front of them was a lone bone woman wielding a rocket launcher and a light machine gun. Some panicking soldier fired an arrow at her head. She moved slightly to the side and let it whiz past her harmlessly.
"That wasn't very nice." She shook her head. "After all the trouble I went through to kill everyone for you, you go shooting arrows at me. Oh, no matter. I was wondering when you guys would come out. Even after I had finished the cleanup you didn't show, so I just blew up the door and hoped that would coerce you out. It seems I was right."
"What the hell is going on?" Asked Gran'ma Ben as she lowered her sword.
"You must be Queen Rose Harvester. I'm Nibet Trenya." She threw her gun down onto the ground and offered out her hand. Gran'ma Ben pretended to take it, and then swiftly put her sword at Nibet's throat and forced her to the ground.
"Phoney warned me about you. He said you were a trickster. He said I should kill you on sight."
"He did, did he? That's understandable. I did try to kill him once." Gran'ma Ben pressed her sword into Nibet's neck. "But I didn't want to." She blurted out. "Glaian put this crystal in my tooth that stole my memories and forced me to follow his orders. I actually work for one of Phoney's Secretaries, Julius Freeman, and I've come here to rescue you and tell you about a counterattack we've formulated."
"Come up with a better excuse next time, girl." Said Gran'ma Ben as she prepared to slit Nibet's throat. But she hesitated, looking around at all of the dead and dying bodies lying on the ground.
"Wait! Stop!" Shouted the Great Red Dragon as he bounded to the front of the group. Gran'ma released Nibet and let her get up, but kept her bade close to her throat all the same. "What did you say Glaian implanted you with?"
"A small blue crystal called a nightmare egg." She answered, not taking her eyes off the sword at her throat.
"She's telling the truth."
"How can you be sure?" Asked Gran'ma Ben.
"Look around. She clearly killed all of these people. She dropped her guns and didn't resist being threatened even though she's clearly a seasoned fighter. Plus, she mentioned nightmare eggs. Thought I never encountered any myself, I heard they were built by the Councilman to steal memories." Gran'ma Ben's sword didn't waiver. "Let's at least hear her out."
"Fine." Gran'ma Ben lowered her sword. "But I still don't trust her." She signaled to the men, and they all slouched back inside the broken gate, both disappointed and relieved. The Great Red Dragon, Gran'ma Ben, and Nibet walked back over to where Ted was perched. He jumped back down onto Gran'ma Ben's finger.
"Spill it." She said to Nibet.
"Julius Freeman and I are currently imbedded within Glaian's army. We've caught wind of a grand ceremony Glaian is hosting tomorrow night where he's going to christen his new generals and parade around some propaganda to build up moral and zeal among both the soldiers and the people back in my home country. If we attack the city then, and make him lose face, he'll lose sway with the people and his own army. This war will be over in a matter of days."
"What do you propose we do, exactly?" Asked the Great Red Dragon.
"We take a small strike team in a gunship and attack the ceremony when the guards are all distracted. At the same time, Phoncible's forces should attack the human concentration camp and Glaian's major strategic positions, before joining us in attacking Glaian himself. If all goes according to plan, we should be able to take down his whole base of operations in one night."
"Have you already told Phoney about this plan?" Asked Gran'ma Ben.
"No. I was hoping one of your men could make the trip."
"I can." Piped up Ted. Nibet gave him a strange look for about half a second. "Just tell me what to say. I was about to head over there anyway." Nibet told him the particulars of the strategy. "Alright. I'd best be off then." Ted jumped back onto the ledge of the crack in the ceiling and bounced away into the afternoon sun.
"Can we trust a bug to deliver such an important message?"
"Ted's a reliable ally. He'll make it in time." Said the Great Red Dragon. Gran'ma Ben just scowled at her.
"Boy, won't this be a fun time." Nibet muttered to herself. "Alright. I'll just go call Julius and tell him the operation is on track." She walked back outside leaving Gran'ma Ben to discuss this new turn of events. When she was out under the open sky, she pulled out her communicator and began to call Julius. Suddenly she heard a voice behind her.
"Betraying the lord now, of all times? After everything he did for you? For us?" Nibet turned around and saw herself standing in the field of corpses. She dropped her communicator as Julius came on the line.
"Nibet, you have a report to make?" He asked. Nibet just stared at her copy. She blinked, and her double was gone. She shook herself out of the shock she was in and picked up the communicator.
"Yeah, I'm here."
"Is something wrong?"
"Nope. I just spaced out for a second. Queen Rose's group is on board. Now I just have to hear from Phoney. We sent a messenger ahead and told him to contact us, among other things."
"Good. Keep up the good work." He cut the conversation short. She put her communicator back on her belt and immediately began thinking about the vision she just had. She couldn't be crazy. It was just another one of Glaian's mind games. Probably a failsafe if the egg was removed. Yeah, that was it, a failsafe. Not her own thoughts. Something she could deny. She reassured herself and walked back to the cave. As she reached the gate, she thought she heard laughter. Her own laughter. She whirled around, but nothing was there. She calmed down, and walked through the threshold.
Admiral Satranik Haenkos was sitting at the head of a large table in the middle of the UHF chambers. It had been almost twelve hours since Glaian's announcement to the world, and every country currently interested in securing colonization rights had their ambassadors present at the meeting. The Y'threni, the Rhumenese, the Wadralians, and half a dozen smaller powers all had members sat around the circular table to talk plans for mapping out and dividing up the newly discovered land. The Admiral didn't like it, but it was the only way to get their help. She agreed to their terms. When it looked like they had been discussing amongst themselves long enough, she interrupted to put the meeting back on track.
"Alright, you've spent enough time working out colonization details, can we get back to the matter at hand? I still need troops and supplies to drive Glaian's out of my country. If you want the rights to the land, I need at least a division of soldiers from each of you, two from those who can spare them." The room fell silent. Eventually, one of the ambassadors piped up.
"You expect us to send you fifteen thousand men apiece for the rights to some land in the middle of nowhere?"
"Those were the terms we agreed upon, Michalis. If you're government isn't comfortable with them, you're free to leave. Mine will more than happily pick up the slack. Just know that you would be forfeiting your rights in the new land grab to my government." Retorted the Y'threni Foreign Minister. The other ambassador got up and left the room without a word.
"Is there anyone else who would like to go back on their word?" Asked Admiral Haenkos. No one else spoke up. "Good. How soon can you all have your troops ready?"
"The UHF defense force is currently comprised of several divisions provided by each member nation's army, navy, and air force. According to our terms, you will be allowed to pick and choose from this list as you see fit, and they should be ready to execute orders in less than twenty-four hours." Reported the Wadralian Ambassador. "Is there anything else that you require for your plan? Anything… Specific?"
"Yes, there is. The Rhumenese have a large espionage satellite network. I'm going to need access to their latest prototype: Project Thunderbird."
"Surely I don't know what you mean." Said the Rhumenese Councilor apprehensively.
"Did you think that my government was so inept or self-assured that we didn't monitor human affairs? We've known about Project Thunderbird since the incident two months ago."
"Slow down." Said the Wadralian Ambassador. "What is Project Thunderbird?"
"A satellite mounted large scale EMP." Said the Rhumenese Councilor in defeat. "We built it to take down the network of anyone who tried to invade us. It launched in secret last year."
"And it is the reason the Rhumenese are so confident they can handle Glaian's forces if they decided to invade. Unfortunately, it also happens to be what took down the entire Rhumenese electrical grid two months ago." Admiral Haenkos turned directly to the Rhumenese Councilor. "But we all know a bone was involved in that incident. If he isn't already, Glaian will find out about your little secret sooner or later. They only time it will be useful is right now. I've already had my forces insulated against the blast, but Glaian's aren't. If we launch it right before our invasion, his men won't stand a chance." The Rhumenese Councilor stood up and began shouting.
"This whole meeting is a farce! I will not hand over control of my country's best line of defense to the people it was designed specifically to keep out!"
"Then you can do so without access to Wadralian trade networks." Retorted the Wadralian Ambassador.
"Or Y'threni corporate backing." Interjected the Y'threni Foreign Minister.
"You cannot be serious!" The Rhumenese Councilor backed up in shock. "You're all siding with this madwoman? Giving away all of our defensive measures?"
"And you would stand alone, clinging to a device you can't keep under your own control as your only means of protection? Think carefully about what's best for your people, Councilor. Don't make rash decisions with their futures on the line. If you do not agree to her terms, then you will be consigning your entire country to starvation and death, one way or another." The Rhumenese Councilor stared around in shock. After a few moments, he brought himself under control and sat back down.
"Very well, Madam President. You will have access to Thunderbird. Don't make me regret my decision." With that, he got up and left the meeting. Silence hung in the air.
"I move that we recess for an hour to let the Councilor clear his head." Said Satranik. The rest of the UHF members agreed, and left the room to their quarters. Only the Admiral was left. As she was leaving, she received a call on her phone. It was her assistant again.
"Yes, Hannah. What is it this time?" She asked as she answered the call.
"Admiral, this is Secretary of Defense Julius Freeman. I've piggybacked on your assistant's cell signal to call you using her number. I am alive, and I don't have much time to talk."
"Secretary Freeman? You're alive? This is great! Where are you? I can send a team to extract you wherever…"
"There's no time for that. I'm embedded deep within Glaian's organization. And right now you've probably managed to secure the Thunderbird Prototype from the Rhumenese to use against Glaian. I've caught wind of a ceremony he'll be holding in about thirty-six hours, around six in the afternoon on coastal time. It'll be a show of force and grandeur. I've been putting together a counteroffensive to launch then. I want you to fire the Thunderbird and launch your invasion as soon as we initiate our counterattack."
"Slow down. This is a lot to take in. How did you even know Thunderbird existed?"
"I haven't been sitting on my hands for two months, Admiral, I've been working."
"That makes sense. Sorry. I just through I had kept that information contained. Moving on, how will I know when you've executed your plan?"
"The whole affair will be televised. Watch it. When everything begins to go to hell, fire the Thunderbird and attack. If we time this right… Shit, another patrol's coming. I've got to go. Remember, thirty-six hours, televised ceremony." He ended the conversation. She stood, reeling in the shock in this new information for a moment. Then she smiled. Glaian had played right into their hands. The best possible scenario had just fallen into her lap. She made her way back to her quarters to think, and on the way, she called up the commander of her forces in the Republic.
"Madam President. What is it you require?" He asked as he picked up.
"Ready your men, commander. We've secured everything we hoped for and more. We launch in thirty-six hours."
"That's one hell of a story." Laughed Phoney. He, Fone, and Thorn were all sitting right inside the entrance to the temple, drinking what little alcohol they had left in the stockpile and catching up. "I still don't understand how you managed to survive being crushed like that."
Fone sat up against the stone wall and exhaled. "To be honest, I'm not sure I did. I don't have any memory of what happened to me after the roof collapsed on top of me, except the visions, but it seems highly impossible that I not only survived several tons of stone falling on my head, but that I walked away with all of my bones intact. I think the Dreaming of the Dragons or something must have had a hand in what happened, because what happened to me sure as hell wasn't natural."
"After everything we've seen, I'm just about ready to believe anything. And I certainly wouldn't put it past the Great Red Dragon and his pals to have some secret assets squared away. Spooky shit. Like Thorn's superpowers. Speaking of which what happened to those anyway?" The mention of her name seemed to drag Thorn back to reality. For the past few minutes while Fone talked she had just been staring at him, lost in her own world. Phoney pretended not to notice.
"I'm sorry. Those, yeah. The Dragons taught me most of those when I was a kid. Secret dreaming techniques and the like. But all of the stuff I could do relied on communicating with the dreaming itself. And, ever since Glaian got here, I haven't been able to concentrate like that. There's too much interference. It's almost like the Dreaming is… preoccupied with something. Almost straining against itself. Every time I try communicating, I get a huge migraine for hours. What do you guys make of it?"
"I think we're all hopelessly in over our heads. It's nice to know some things never change." Said Fone.
"And I think you're all drinking the last of the booze." Said X'lish as she meandered through the doorway, covered in dust, soot, and a bit of blood. Behind her she was dragging the body of one of Glaian's soldiers.
"X'lish. Nice to see you've made it out in one piece again. Must have been one hell of a fight." Phoney said as he stood up.
"Yeah, though compared to some of the stunts I've pulled out of my ass over the years, this one was pretty tame. Come with me back to the war room and I'll tell you all about it, Mr. President Sir." She saluted mockingly. She winked at him, and nodded her head at Thorn and Fone.
"When we get our country back, you are so court-martialed." Phoney replied as the two of them began walking back into the camp.
"At least I've got something to look forward to. Until then, want to help me tie this guy up and beat him for intel when he wakes?"
"I suppose it couldn't hurt." Eventually they passed out of earshot of Thorn and Fone. They sat next to each other, not talking for a few moments. Then Fone broke the silence.
"I suppose this is the point where we have to talk about what happened."
"You don't want some time to… collect your thoughts or anything?" Thorn asked.
"I think if this takes any more time, I might pop a blood vessel." The silence returned briefly.
"Fone," Thorn said suddenly, "You were dead. That pain doesn't just go away. It sticks to you. It doesn't let go easily. I'm still trying to sort out my own emotions right now. They've been so buried in grief these past couple of months that honestly I'm not even sure how I feel myself."
"Is that your idea of letting me down gently?"
"No!" Thorn shouted, slightly offended. "Bloody stars no. It's just that I think I might need a little more time to put my brain back in order. I thought you'd fell the same."
"Thorn," Fone interjected, "It took me six years to get those words out. This isn't a request you have to respond to right now, but I need you to tell it to me straight. No fluff. No bullshit. No excuses or dodging the question. How do you feel about me?" Thorn didn't respond for a while. "Did I cross a line?" Fone asked apprehensively.
"No. No, it's a fair question. I'm just trying to figure out the best way of putting an answer into words." She was silent for a moment. Then she turned to face him. Sunlight shone through the archway and danced on his face, in his eyes. She got lost in them. Before either of them knew what they were doing, their faces were already next to each other, practically touching. "But maybe I don't really have to." She whispered. She closed her eyes and tilted her head to the side. Their lips brushed. Then, hesitantly, tenderly, they kissed.
Fone's and Thorn's hearts exploded with emotions, but none were strong enough to break the passion of the moment. Their kiss seemed to them to last a lifetime. Everything they had said to each other since their first strange encounter in the hot spring six years ago had culminated in this one moment of infinity. Of pure, inescapable bliss. Of a love finally requited.
Eventually, Phoney came back up to check on them. When he walked into the small passageway leading to the door and found them in each other's embrace, he was slightly taken aback. They didn't seem to notice however. "Ahem." He coughed as he trampled over their moment. "What happened to this being war?" He asked mockingly. Hastily, they moved apart and looked away from each other. Before either of them could speak, he cut them off. "Sorry that was inappropriate of me. I'm just a bit surprised it took you two this long. Honestly I was starting to think that you'd never end up together. But I don't want to have to remind you two that we've got a job to do. People to make pay for everything they've put us through."
"Yeah. Cool." Fone said, barely keeping his thought and emotions contained. Thorn was silent, her face completely red from being discovered, but she nodded in acknowledgement.
"Good." Phoney said. "When Jigafta gets here, you should both head back down to the war room so we can continue the briefing." As he turned to leave, he heard the sound of a gunship's rotor blades powering down as one landed outside. "Speak of the devil." He muttered to himself. Phoney stopped walking back, and leaned against the wall, looking at the archway as Fone and Thorn got up and tried their best not to look like an awkward young couple. After a few minutes, Jigafta poked his head through the doorway.
"Hey, Phoney!" He shouted, not noticing who was standing across from him."We're unloading the stuff now. Come out and take a look. We really stuck gold with this raid." Before he left the doorway, he noticed Fone out of the corner of his eye. Instantly he froze. His stance shifted, and the atmosphere of the room changed to follow suit.
"Jigafta?" Phoney asked. Thorn gulped, sensing that something wasn't right.
"Fone?" Jigafta asked. "Is that you?" His hand unclipped the sidearm on his belt.
"Yeah." Fone said hesitantly. "What's wrong?" Jigafta sighed. His stance relaxed.
"Nothing." He took his hand off of his hip and the mood relaxed. "Sorry, the heat must be getting to me. It's good to see that you're back safe and sound." He walked back out through the archway to help unload the supplies. Right after he got to the gunship, one of the dragons that had helped them with the day's raid walked up to him.
"Does he remember who he was?" Said the dragon. She was red, and comparatively small for a dragon. From snout to tail, she stretched as long as the Great Red Dragon did, but her legs were shorter, leaving her at about only half the height. Her body was thin, like a lizard's, and her tail long and barbed. She had a magnificent crest of horns lining the back of her head, and her snout was short but sharp. To top it all off she boasted a magnificent pair of wings, a feature almost unseen among the dragons of the Valley.
"Well if it isn't Breshet the Sky Champion." He said mockingly. She glared at him. "Sky Champion" wasn't a title she was exactly fond of. "Yeah, he does. And he seems to be able to genuinely feel emotions too." The two of them walked over to the other side of the plateau.
"This isn't right. Shouldn't he be trying to destroy the Crown by now? I'm not optimistic enough to believe he hasn't been pulled to one side or the other by now."
"He lacks orders. His lower soul layer is empty. When the veil was pierced five years ago he didn't have any underlying orders, so nothing happened. The Catalyst is trying to capitalize on that blank slot. We have to make a move soon before we can't wrench it out."
"But why? If he already possesses the catalyst, then if he gets to the Crown we can end this."
"Did you lose your head in the last three millennium? You know as well as I do that if he gets anywhere close to Mon'Yaran in the state he's in, we'll be handing that madman the key to destroying all life as we know it."
"Then we should probably find a way to re-fill his soul before the Catalyst takes hold. Assuming what you're saying is true that is."
"And what exactly do you mean by that?"
"You were trapped outside a reliable source of power for three thousand years. Shard reassured me that you're functioning normally, but I'm not so sure. You've already allowed events to degenerate to this state, and now you want us to blindly follow you further. Forgive me for not being entirely convinced you even know what you're doing."
"Damn it! This isn't the time for us to be second guessing ourselves. We're entering the most critical stages. If you don't trust me, we could lose everything."
"I don't think you can clearly see the entire picture. The Council has clearly been raising him like a sacrificial lamb to act as the catalyst's shell ever since he first came to the valley. How do you know they don't already control him?"
"I don't, but right now he's the only shot we have at making sure everyone, anyone, in this valley lives to see a bright future. Or a future at all."
"No, he's the best chance you have at resurrecting her."
"I have enough self-control to separate my personal goals from the success of the plan."
"Assuming that's true, and assuming we can proceed as you say we can, what are we supposed to do afterword? If Mon'Yaran has once again turned his gaze upon this land, then none of us stand a chance against him. How do you plan on destroying a god?"
"With the Spark. Which, thanks to Lorimar's machinations, is now in our possession."
"And taking over the mind of the only person capable of wielding it at its full power!"
"I'll admit, it isn't a perfect plan. But it's the only plan we've got. Give me some time. I'll work out some more specifics as the situation developsIf you don't like my answer, you and the rest can curl up and accept your fates like the cowards on the Council."
"I'm nothing like those rats."
"Then have patience. I'll have a plan soon. And if the Crystal Councilman breaks free within that time, we'll have a much larger window of preparation as long as we keep him focused on Mon'Yaran."
"I don't like this strategy of yours. Waiting for our enemy to ensure his victory before making a move. I can get close to the Council. I can slit all of their throats before they know what's going on."
"Then we'd still have to deal with the First Folk, and without any possible Dragon reinforcements. My way isn't pretty, I know, but it gets the job done. And after years being constantly surrounded by people trying to kill you, you come to just accept that the ends always justify the means."
"Do they?"
"They have to. I won't sit idly by and watch this whole planet die. I'm going to have to take action to stop it, and if that means killing or exploiting my friends and playing them off against my enemies, then so be it. At least some of them will be alive in the end. Plus, if we wait for the Councilman to make his move first, destroying him will be that much sweeter."
"You'd better be right. I'll go tell the others."
"You do that." Jigafta smirked. Breshet bounded back off to another cave where the squad the Council leased to them was staying. Jigafta meanwhile looked back at Fone once more, and thought he saw an ungodly light shine from his eyes. Jigafta shook his head, and walked back to the gunship to resume his work.
"Just hang in there, Jigafta." He muttered to himself. "Just a little more time."