Meta Knight and his knaves had set up camp after walking for most of the day. They needed time to think about their next task, and the sun was close to setting. The small group set up camp in a grassy field seemingly void of population.
"Well, this sure brings back memories." Sword breathed. "This is like the times when we camped on all those other planets before we came here."
"Yes, it certainly does." Blade agreed. "But those were darker times."
"It is quite rare to find a place similar to Pop Star." Meta Knight said. "I believe there is no place more peaceful that Pop Star in the Gamble Galaxy."
"Except maybe Ripple Star." Sword interjected. "Ripple Star was left untouched by the war, amazingly enough."
"That was because Ripple Star was well known to be incredibly difficult to find." The blue knight explained. "Many refugees were taken there to hide from the war's influence."
"That was before we began following you, wasn't it?" Blade asked.
The blue puffball nodded. "There were many planets and stars I traveled before you became my knaves. The GSA soldiers were sent to fight Nightmare's forces, or to aid those that were caught in the crossfire."
"…Why don't you ever talk about the GSA?" Sword asked. "You must have done some incredible things to receive such a high rank…but we know so little about you even after all of these years."
"There are some things that are better left buried…Goodnight." Meta Knight replied with a stone-like tone.
He wrapped himself in his blankets for the night, leaving his knaves somewhat confused and hurt by the action.
"…Let's leave him alone for a while." Blade suggested. Sword nodded, following his companion.
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The two sat by a small pond together, the night bringing out the yellow fireflies' glows. They were deeply worried for their superior. He had done so much for them…but they felt so useless at the moment. Sword and Blade wanted to help, but they didn't know how.
"There are some days that it seems so long ago…and other times it seems like it's only been a short amount of time." Blade sighed, looking at his reflection in his water.
"What would our lives be like if we never became Sir Meta Knight's knaves?" Sword thought aloud. "Would we…even be alive?"
"No one could know what might have been. But I believe that it was the best choice of our lives." Blade replied. "We were petty thieves before…all we had was each other."
"All we had was each other from the very beginning. Just Sword and Blade." The darker green knight sighed. "Surviving was a struggle. War and death were around us…we were always hungry and poor."
"Nobody knew or cared whether we lived or died. We just existed." Blade held his hand over his heart. "Nobody knew if we were brothers or cousins, or just two lost boys. We still don't know."
"But…I've always thought of you as my brother." Sword responded. "And it doesn't matter if we are related or not, a family doesn't have to be bonded by blood to be family, right?"
"Right…" The red haired knight smiled underneath the mask. "But…I wonder…Sir Meta Knight was alone too…he was all alone when we met him…"
Sword frowned. "He's always been that way. Sir Meta Knight has been reserved and in his own company. I think we're the only ones he interacts with regularly…except Kirby maybe."
"…Sword, I just had a thought." Blade spoke with a serious tone. "What if…what if Sir Meta Knight can't sleep because something is bothering him…something that he doesn't want us to know."
"I thought that it might be the case, but why wouldn't he tell us?"
"He's a proud man. He doesn't go to others if there's a problem, he tries to solve it himself." Blade answered.
"Well, obviously that method isn't working. How long has this been going on that we know of?"
"About two weeks. Maybe more." The red haired swordsman shook his head. "He's going to run himself into the ground…I don't know what to do."
"Neither do I…" Sword said sadly.
"…Lets's go back. We need to get some rest." Blade suggested.
They returned to their temporary campsite, feeling unsure. They gazed upon their lord, still within the realm of unconsciousness. Only something was wrong. He mumbled a bit and turned around. The blue knight gripped the sheets that covered him roughly in his sleep.
"Is he waking up?" Sword whispered.
"Shhh…" Blade shushed.
Meta Knight began to fidget uncomfortably, much to his knaves' bafflement. He tossed and turned, he breathed harder. The blue knight thrashed around, still not awakening despite his distress. It almost seemed like he was in pain.
Sword and Blade now knew why their lord had been behaving so strangely.
"Sir, wake up! Please wake up!" The knaves said as they tried to rouse him from his nightmare. They knew better than to touch him in this state.
The blue puffball awoke with a start, his breath shallow. He didn't even seem to acknowledge their presence, instead Meta Knight looked at his own hands as if there was something on them that Sword and Blade couldn't see.
"Sir Meta Knight, you were having a nightmare…" Sword informed after giving the knight a moment to catch his breath.
No one spoke. Meta Knight looked at his own feet, refusing to look at his knaves.
"…Is this why you've been acting so strangely? Because of these nightmares?" Blade asked.
"…"
"Sir, why didn't you tell us?" Sword asked.
"…There was no reason." The blue knight replied.
"No reason?! We've been worried about you!" Sword yelled. "You've been suffering like this almost every night and we could have done something!"
"Sword, there is nothing that can prevent a nightmare. It is out of my control, as well as yours." Meta Knight replied before lying back down.
"Sir Meta Knight, this is why you didn't want us to accompany you." Blade said, stating it more like a fact than a question.
"There is no reason for your concern. The nightmares do not occur that often, I simply do not feel like sleeping at night."
Meta Knight really disliked lying, especially to his knaves. But he simply couldn't have them prying. They would start asking questions and demanding answers. Answers he didn't want to give.
"Now, I believe that it is quite a late hour. You should sleep as well. We must continue our journey tomorrow. We will be going to Candy Mountain's peak, where Dyna Blade resides. Goodnight."
The Star Warrior turned away from the two knaves, covering his masked face with the sheets. Meta Knight was stubborn, but they knew he was definitely hiding something. Reluctantly, Sword and Blade returned to their own makeshift beds. The two drifted off to sleep, despite their suspicion towards their lord.
-
The soldiers of Sector H were awaiting their first official day as members of the GSA. Sir Arthur was supposed to give them their assignments…only he didn't show up. So instead, most of the small group spent their time waiting in Beta's shop.
"Okay, you guys know the rules." Beta began. "No touching the machinery, no playing with the equipment. If something says it's explosive, then do not touch it. Are there any questions? No? Good."
"Where's Sir Arthur? He told us to meet him here, but he's late." Jecra said, lying on the small couch in the room upside down.
"He will arrive at any moment in the future, Jecra." Dragato answered, somewhat irritably. "And stop that."
Jecra groaned and shifted to lying on his back. Nonsurat was busying himself by admiring the armor in the room, while Dragato and Yamikage seemed far more interested in discussing what their assignments might be.
Meta Knight simply sat on one of the stools near Beta's counter in silence. He felt a bit impatient, yet excited at the same time. But they couldn't get their first assignment until Sir Arthur arrived. Even so, if he wasn't there then that must have meant that the green knight was doing something important.
"Hey, has anyone seen Falspar?" Beta asked.
"There are a number of possibilities concerning where he could be." Dragato answered. "Although past examples show that it probably will lead to trouble."
"AAAAGH!" A familiar voice screamed.
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Falspar ran down the halls and into the shop at a breakneck speed. It was the fastest they had ever seen the green puff run. His expression was one of pure terror, he waved his arms in panic. The puff with the mohawk slammed the door and locked it, then placed a heavy crate in front.
"They're going to kill me! They're going to kill me!" He screamed before diving headfirst behind Beta's counter.
"Who's going to kill you?" Jecra asked, brimming with curiosity. "Garlude?"
"Worse!" He answered, before trying to wedge himself in one of the cabinets of the counter, with unsuccessful results.
"Worse than Garlude?" Jecra said incredulously.
"Falspar, what have you done this time?" Dragato asked, hands on his hips.
"Dragato, no matter what I've said, I've always sort of liked you…and sometimes I use your shampoo when I run out. And I was the one that accidentally broke the oven. Thought I would get that off my chest since I'm about to die anyway." Falspar confessed, as the purple puff clenched his fists in anger.
"Now hold on, buddy." Beta grabbed Falspar by the arm before Dragato could lay a hand on the red haired puff. "Who's trying to kill you?"
"The Iron Fortress…" The green puff replied in a grave tone.
"The Iron Fortress!" Jecra spat in alarm. "Oh Falspar, you're dead! You're already dead!"
"Falspar, of all the soldiers in the building to set off…" Dragato shook his head, voice containing a hint of worry. "It had to be The Iron Fortress."
"Who is this…'Iron Fortress'?" Meta Knight asked.
"You mean you don't know?" Nonsurat asked quietly.
"He doesn't know because he took the training portion with Sir Arthur!" Falspar explained. "The Iron Fortress was with us during training with Kit! Oh, Meta! I'm going to die! There are so many things in life I haven't gotten to do!"
"Falspar, it's gonna be alright…maybe…" Beta stammered. "Now where can we stuff you that you won't be found? What did you do anyway?"
"So I was walking in the hall. And then I said, 'How's the weather up there?' That's it! …Oh, dear mercy!"
Suddenly, the door was flung open. The crate flying across the floor as if it was a plastic bottle. Standing was a round shadowy silhouette with glowing red oval shaped eyes without pupils. The figure stepped into the room, revealing themselves to be a puffball.
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This puffball had black colored skin like Beta, and red feet to match their eyes. This soldier was covered almost head to foot in sharp pointy armor, even the white gloves had small little spikes on the knuckles. The shoulder guards red with silver spikes on the sides and a red cape with small holes in the fabric.
The mask resembled a skull almost, with two openings at the top for the soldiers horns. Candy corn colored horns with two points on each one. Most interestingly, this puffball had hair. Black hair tied back into a messy ponytail. This puffball clearly was bigger than any of the other puffballs in the room, and seemed far stronger in terms of muscle.
And despite the soldier's formidable size, strength, and gruff exterior…
This soldier was female.
She growled in a frightening manner, her eyes locked on Falspar. The green puff squeaked, visibly shaking. The formidable woman stepped closer and closer to him, with each step her armor clanged loudly.
Meta Knight rose from his spot, then stood in front of her path to Falspar. The black haired puffball narrowed her eyes in slight confusion, then a chuckle of amusement escaped her throat.
"So, you're the guy Sir Arthur chose, huh? I was expecting someone a little more impressive. Now move aside, I got business to take care of."
The blue Star Warrior still didn't budge. Even though he wasn't very fond of the red haired puff, Meta Knight had a strong sense of justice. He absolutely would not turn a blind eye in this situation, in the case there actually was a chance that this puffball would harm the green puff.
The black Star Warrior smirked. "You got something to say to me, little man?"
Before Meta Knight could react, the woman held her hand above her head. A large spear, far larger than anyone in the room had seen before, materialized in her gloved hand. The spear was well polished and sharpened, and small red glowing lines ran along the spearhead. Her weapon seemed unnatural, almost as if it wasn't made by a regular being.
Falspar shook violently in fear, he looked like he would faint at any second.
Still, Meta Knight showed no signs of fear or hesitation, despite the heavy weapon in his sights. The tension was so thick in the air, it could be sliced in half with a knife.
"Gisela, quit playing around with the new boys! We have more important things to do!" Another female voice had entered the room.
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Now standing in the doorway were three other puffs, all apparently in the same sector as this 'Gisela'.
The puff that had spoken was colored orange, with fiery red hair styled like twin drills. Her red feet covered by what looked like metal high heels tapped impatiently. Her green eyes held a feeling of superiority, high maintenance in a way.
Her mask was certainly a strange one. The shape seemed most akin to a large pair of sunglasses, like a masquerade mask, instead of wearing armor that should be suitable for war. The puff's light purple cape flowed around her, while she held a chain whip in a gloved left hand.
The second puff looked a bit older than the others, her lemony yellow skin stood out in the room as well as a pair of purple eyes. There wasn't a strand of hair on her head, and on her orange feet were what looked like gladiator sandals.
The yellow puff held a staff in her hand, the cape she donned was a calming deep green. On the woman's mask was a kanji symbol carved onto the forehead, which translated to 'peace'.
The third and final puff in the group was colored a light pink, with curly light blonde hair that stopped at her back. She wore no armor, and her eyes were a pretty blue. Red feet shifted from side to side nervously, the pink puff's eyes drifting from Gisela to Meta Knight anxiously.
"Gisela, I said, come on!" The orange puff barked, rattling her chain whip for emphasis. "We were finally given a high class mission to Halfmoon, and you weren't even there when Sir Arthur gave us the announcement! And when I found you, what do I see? You playing with a couple of new boys!"
"Wasn't playing with em'!" Gisela shouted. "You got lucky this time, you needle-noggined idiot!"
Falspar hid behind Beta and Meta Knight, the green puff whimpering.
"Well, if you're finished, it would be lovely if you would cooperate with your team! We're going to Halfmoon, in case if you weren't listening!" The red haired girl huffed.
"Yeah, yeah…I heard ya, Candy." Gisela brushed off her ranting with a bored tone.
"Candeloro! My name is Candeloro!" The orange puff fumed.
"Easy." The yellow puff spoke in a gentle calm voice. "There is no sense in getting so angry. Halfmoon has been dangerous during this time. We can't accomplish anything if our team is constantly fighting amongst each other. We need to save our energy for the enemy."
"Yeah…" Candeloro sighed. "I know Shenandoah…but sometimes Gisela is just…just…ugh!"
"Hey, I'm still here…I'd watch it if I were you." The black puff narrowed her eyes.
"You have no power over me!"
"Neither do you, princess!"
The two began to bicker, only for the pink puff to quietly interject. "Girls…the ship is leaving in three minutes."
"Oh my gosh! Letty, why didn't you say something?!" Candeloro grabbed the blonde puff by the arm followed by a yelp from her as she dragged Letty towards the ship station area. Gisela and Shenandoah sprinted closely behind them.
Falspar breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm…I'm alive! I'm alive!"
"Whoo boy…that was a close one." Beta whistled. "If Meta Knight hadn't stalled her off long enough, you would surely be dead."
"Thank you, Meta! Oh, I'll repay you one day…maybe!" The green puff hugged the blue knight, much to his immediate discomfort.
"Oh, I'm just so happy to be alive! Dragato, I take back one fifth of all the rotten things I've ever said about you!"
"My, how generous…" Dragato mumbled in sarcasm, Falspar didn't seem to catch on.
"Your welcome Draggy!"
The purple puff lightly scoffed at the red haired man's idiocy.
"Perhaps I have missed something vital…who were those women?" Meta Knight asked.
"Those four are members of Sector S. They've been in the GSA a bit longer than we have…and they're exceptional." Jecra explained.
"Gisela, The Iron Fortress, is the strength of the group." Beta shuddered. "That spear of hers you got a face full of? That's Gungnir, an ancient magical spear. It's unbreakable, never tarnishes, and never loses it's edge. It's truly legendary."
"Meta Knight, that was crazy! Standing in front of her like that!" The puff with the mohawk said with wide eyes.
"I do not see the reason for an uproar. If Sir Arthur got word of any soldier harming others, he would certainly put a stop to it." The blue Star Warrior replied.
As if on cue, Sir Arthur entered the room with Garlude.
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"I'm sorry everyone! I was giving out assignments, then I was helping Garlude send a message to her family. I'm very late! And…"
The leader of the GSA glanced around the room. He looked at the door, noticing the broken lock a well as the nearly smashed crate on the floor.
"…What…what happened?" Sir Arthur asked in a bewildered tone of voice.
"Sir Arthur, you'll never believe it! I almost died!" Falspar yelled before anyone else could speak.
"Sir Falspar…Beta told you explicitly not to touch anything labeled dangerous in here." Sir Arthur sighed.
"No Sir, it was Gisela." Jecra spoke.
"Gisela? What about Gisela?"
"She was angry with Falspar after he made a truly harmless joke, he meant no disrespect." Beta answered. "She chased him in here, and Meta Knight stood up. She took out Gungnir and-"
Sir Arthur gasped. "Sir Meta Knight, Sir Falspar! Are either of you hurt?"
"No, we have not been harmed in the slightest." Meta Knight answered, somewhat overwhelmed by Arthur's immediate attentiveness towards them.
"Gisela…I-I'm sorry everyone…if I had arrived sooner…" Arthur shook his head shamefully. "And she's at Halfmoon now. I'll have to talk to her when she returns! She always had a slight temper…but she never drew a weapon on someone before! I wonder if there's something troubling her…"
"Sir Arthur, this is my fault." Garlude interjected. "If I hadn't distracted you-"
"No Lady Garlude, contacting your family was important. Do not be ashamed for that. It's my duty to oversee everyone in this army is safe…but…this is so odd for her. Gisela has had a few rages, but this seems so different... Nevertheless, I will see to it that something is done."
Sir Arthur smiled. "Now, for your first mission as Sector H…"
Author's Note: What's this? Two updates in one week? Has Leer got her edge back? Even though this chapter is a bit shorter than the last...but anyway...
Sector S does play an important part to the storyline. They're also the first female puffs that have appeared so far, and soldiers too. It took a while to come up with designs, names, and personalities for them.
Gisela was inspired quite a bit by Kyouko Sakura and Sugilite. She's incredibly strong, and has a hair trigger temper. When designing her, if human I had pictured her as Roman or Greek, having warrior's blood in her.
Candeloro was quite inspired by Mami Tomoe, at least hair wise. I would say she's Dragato's counterpart, also being a tactician and loves to be acknowledged as intelligent and in charge. I'm not sure why, but for some reason I really picture her as being Italian.
Shenandoah was based around monks, generally being the peace maker of the group and keeps Candeloro and Gisela in their places. She's sort of the Sir Arthur of Sector S, wise and understanding. She hardly ever gets angry, and if she does it's certainly a justifiable reason for anger.
Letty...is a bit hard to describe. She was intended to be a bit of a parody on those 'beautiful and pretty princess OCs...' only she's in the wrong story. Now, she isn't obnoxiously perfect or self centered, and she's not royalty or anything. If she was in a typical cliche shoujo story, she would be right at home. But instead, she's in a story where there's a war going on and she had to get involved. She really is quite average compared to her teammates, and because of that, she's really mostly seen as a pretty face. Not a warrior amazon like the others, but Gisela wants to make her into one.
Well, that should be enough for now on the ladies of Sector S. We'll see more of them later, but for now enjoy the chapter. I'll try to update soon.