Disclaimer: I do not own Star Ocean or its Characters.

Note: When it comes to foreshadowing, I also believe in using metaphors…so some things aren't to be taken literal.

Star Ocean: The Untold Story

Chapter 5: Back to the Lion's Den

It hadn't been a long walk from Kirlsa to the Training Facility. It was rather short and should have taken the two a lot less time then it did. But there was a small problem. Many small problems that came in the forms of mushrooms and giant bugs.

By the time they reached their destination, Sophia's symbology had grown. Her list of spells had increased. She had learned Antidote, Fire Bolt, Silence and Ice Needles to go with her now efficient Healing ability. She was thankful that Mirage had stocked up on berries and that she was able to use her symbology without fear of incapacitation.

The first thing they noticed when they entered the facility was a Rest Spot – or RS for short. No one really understood how a RS worked or why they existed. Many scientists from all over had researched into them only to finish their work more confused then before. Regardless, Mirage and Sophia used the RS and left the area feeling as if they had slept peacefully for hours and wakened refreshed.

They crept around the gloomy halls, avoiding confrontation when possible and fighting when needed. After hours of searching, Mirage pulled Sophia into what appeared to be a kitchen.

"This isn't going as I had hoped," Mirage said, turning to her.

"You said your partner is here somewhere, right?"

Mirage nodded. "Maybe you should stay here for a while. Let me scout the area a bit and I'll be back when I find something."

Mirage left her alone in the kitchen. Well, she wasn't alone. There were two others there, but both were busy. Sophia decided to see if the two might not need some help.

oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo--oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo--oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Albel stood hidden in the shadows. He was curious as to how this would play out, nothing more. He watched as the two escapees helped the two Aquarian spies from their location on the wall.

When Shelby appeared on the scene it was no surprise to him. He had overheard Shelby earlier. Albel had kept himself tucked away as he eavesdropped on the second in command. He had learned all about his plans to take over as captain.

Albel wasn't pleased, but had decided to see what would happen next instead of pursuing his usual actions. Instead of cutting the man down that instant, Albel had chosen to observe him further.

As he thought back, he almost cursed himself for going soft. He should have cut Shelby down the instant he found out his plans. He stopped cursing himself and mentally cursed that wench. Her and her talk of compassion and mercy. She knew nothing of war and military.

Albel watched Shelby fall to the hands of foreigners. He chuckled as he stepped out of the shadows. "Pitiful." As the word left his mouth, the group under him started their search for the owner of the voice. "Over here."

Their eyes immediately locked on him. The blonde foreigner was the first to speak. "Another one?"

"So this is what Shelby was up to. How pathetic. Always strutting, preening his feathers, but to lose to the likes of you? Huh. Once a maggot himself now, he's food for the maggots."

Albel found Shelby's end fitting. He had schemed and it had ended up killing him.

"That gauntlet... You're Albel Nox!" the Aquarian spoke.

Albel smirked. "So, you've heard of me."

"Who the heck is he?"

"He's the best swordsman in all of Airyglyph and the Captain of the Black Brigade. Better known as 'Albel the Wicked'..."

"Ha..." Albel found the whole scenario extremely amusing.

"Hey, I'm gonna smack that cocky look off your face!"

Albel looked down at the blonde man. Part of him was tempted to jump from his perch and just be done with all of them. "Bah, the maggot talks big. You might have some potential, but you're no match for me."

"What did he just say?"

Albel all but lost his composure. Then a small voice nagged him from the depths of his conscious. He could kill them all right there and then. Even out numbered, they were worn from the fight with Shelby and an easy target. Two words taunted him. Two words rushed to him from last night. The voice in his head clearly belonged to the girl from Venus.

Compassion and mercy.

"I'm not interested in fighting a bunch of tired fools. Easy wins have never been my style. And unlike Vox, I take no joy in trouncing weaklings."

"Who ya callin' a weakling?"

The blond wasn't making it easy on him. He had to wonder if these two were from Venus or somewhere else. They didn't act like the girl. They were ready to fight where she had just asked him earlier not to kill.

Her word still taunted his mind. "Can…can you try not to kill anyone today?"

"Go back to your own lands. This is your only warning, fools."

But the blonde wouldn't let it go. "Come down here and say that!"

Before Albel could react, the red haired Aquarian had restrained him. Once she had him under control, she looked up. "You're gonna let us slip away? That's pretty nice for a guy like you."

What was with these people? They were in enemy territory and once given the opportunity to get away they opted to stay and ask questions.

"There's more to being strong then physical strength." Her words kept coming back to him.

This was getting to be very tiresome. "Don't get me wrong-I just can't be bothered. And taking hostages isn't the way I do business."

"What do you call this, then?" First the blonde and now the blue haired one. Venus was surely ruled by idiots.

"Those maggots did this without my consent. I knew nothing about it. Besides, your escape is his blunder. I've no obligation to clean up his mess."

"But he was your subordinate! You have to take responsibility for his actions."

This was getting very tiresome indeed. "I tire of your lectures, fool. Now leave, or I will kill you." He had tried his hand at showing this compassion he had heard her speak of. If it didn't work, then he would resort to taking actions as he saw fit. Fortunately for the trespassers, they didn't stay any longer.

Albel waited until they had left to jump down. He glared at the body of his former second in command. "What a shame. Brought down at the hands of an Aquarian wench and a couple of foreigners. Pity I was unable to finish you off myself."

He walked away and into the facility. He was thirsty and directed himself straight for the kitchen.

oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo--oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo--oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

It was hot in the kitchen. Sophia took both coats off and rested them near the door so they were accessible if she needed to pick them up and rush when Mirage came back. She tried to straighten the shirt she was wearing. Woltar had offered her a change of clothing, only he did not have a lot of clothing for females. Therefore, she was offered some old cloths that Albel had long outgrown.

Her jeans were replaced by a pair of tight fitting pants, faded blue in color and complete with a belt. The pants were tight but the material was comfortable and still allowed free movement. It seemed to her that Albel had always been slender. She kept her tank top on under the shirt she selected. The shirt was the same purple color that Albel wore and had long sleeves and a button front. She had left the shirt unbuttoned. She liked the way it complemented her tank top. Since she was wearing boys clothing, she let her hair down and clipped it up on one side. Just because she was dressing like a boy didn't mean she had to look like one. That was another reason she left the new shirt unbuttoned.

Before long, she found herself helping the two ladies in the kitchen as they prepared the meals for the soldiers. For the fist time since everything went chaotic, she felt at home. She was so busy with her new task that she didn't hear the door when it opened.

She was cutting up the vegetables when someone roughly grabbed her from behind. Instinctively, she dropped the knife on the cutting board. She was pulled a few steps from the table before she was turned around.

She was confronted by a man she had not seen before. He looked at her and wore an evil smile that made Albel's smirks look tamed. She knew immediately that she didn't like him. Not at all.

"My, my - what do we have here? A new hand maid? I haven't seen you around here before."

"Please, let me go," she pleaded in a whisper.

"Now, there's no need to fear me. All the maids here know me quite well. I think it's time you got to know me too." He grabbed her arms and forcefully jerked her closer. His breath swept over her cheek as he bent his face near hers. "The less you fight me the easier it'll be on you."

Her heart was racing. She twisted a bit, trying to loosen his grip; but he tightened his hold. His fingers dug into her arms. Then she felt the warmth of his tongue as it slid tenderly across the skin at her ear. His breath had started to increase in speed. Her breath was caught in her throat. She felt tears moisten her face.

"Oh, no need for that my sweet." His tongue traveled up her face, collecting each tear. Then his mouth started to plant small kisses along her cheek as he made his way to her mouth.

"VOX!"

The man jerked his face up and away from her. He turned slightly to the side, taking her with him. Sophia held her breath and wished disparately that who ever had interrupted them was there to help. Her main concern was getting the man off of her.

"Well, well…don't tell me this belongs to you?" he said, all of the seduction gone from his voice. His hold eased enough for Sophia to free one arm. She swung hastily away from him before she realized he still had a grip on her other arm. She was now facing the same direction as her 'attacker' and was able to see what had stopped him.

Standing only a few steps away was Albel. He was glaring angrily at Vox. "Hands off, Vox," he growled.

Vox gasped sarcastically. "Oh, don't tell me this is the same girl you were sent to retrieve? The same girl who retrieved you instead."

Albel closed the distance and let out another low angry growl. "The King would not be pleased with your actions, Vox."

"Oh? And what would he say to the fact you brought her here to work in the kitchen?"

Sophia bit her bottom lip. When she had been offered freedom earlier, she had welcomed it without question. Now it seemed her actions were going to get Albel in trouble. Another pain of guilt spread in her gut.

"It w-was my idea to come here," she said in as normal a tone as she could. "I wanted to…to prove my loyalty to Airyglyph and show I would do what I could to help."

Vox looked down at her in pure displeasure. "Humph, fine." He pushed her forcefully away and straight at Albel. "Here, have your toy back."

Albel caught Sophia. Neither moved as they watched Vox leave the room.

Once he was gone, Albel pushed her from him and turned his angry glare at her. "What are you doing here wench?"

Now there was another dilemma to work through. She couldn't tell him about Mirage. If she did then Mirage would be in trouble. She liked Mirage and Mirage had only been trying to help her.

"I was just out walking. There was no guard at the exit so I figured I was still in town. Then I got curious and ended up here. I-I started to help out because cooking has always relaxed me."

He leaned in and hovered over her. "You are a poor liar." He paused and gave her a hard stare. "You'll come with me back to the mansion where you will be confined to your room until we depart tomorrow."

oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo--oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo--oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

If she had been one to curse, she would have. If she had a short fuse, then her anger would have flared. But she wasn't that type of person. No, Mirage was cool and collective. It was easy for her to hold her tongue and it took a lot to spark her temper.

While the two men had stared each other down, she had managed to sneak undetected into the kitchen. She watched the confrontation from behind a corner cabinet. If not for Albel and his timely appearance, she would have had to blow her cover. She was thankful that it did not come down to that.

But Sophia was back in the hands of Airyglyph. Not only that, but the girl had just offered her help willingly. Well, almost willingly. Mirage knew she was being covered for. Still, as she watched the girl she could see another reason for her comments to Vox in defense of Albel.

Mirage's intuition had always proved more reliable then Cliff's hunches. She knew what was starting to bloom as she watched the two interact with one another. It might be harder to get Sophia to leave then she wanted to think about. Her mission was taking a sudden and unexpected dive. Perhaps Fayt would not be the help Cliff had thought they needed.

Now, Mirage had a decision to make. Should she follow the girl and attempt to free her again? Should she go back to the Eagle and try to contact Maria again? Or should she get Cliff and Fayt before making another attempt at getting Sophia?

She had seen Cliff and Fayt leave the training facility. They were led by the red head and they were carrying the injured Aquarians. It would appear that Fayt and Cliff were caught up in their own situation at the time.

Mirage sighed as she watched the two leave the kitchen. Her best option was to follow Sophia and watch for another opening. If none was provided she would go back to the Eagle and try to contact Maria. Sophia was headed to the castle tomorrow and if things didn't work out tonight, she could get a head start on them.

oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo--oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo--oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Clair nodded to the two engineers. "All right, enough talk. You must all be very tired. I'll have them prepare dinner-it won't take long."

Cliff smiled. "Great. I'm going to get some air. You coming Fayt?"

Fayt shrugged his shoulders and followed Cliff out, leaving Nel alone with Clair.

Clair looked at the empty door way for a few minutes before closing it. "Have you gotten any more information on the girl?"

"It seems they are moving her to Airyglyph tomorrow."

"Hum, we are running short on time. What is your opinion on these engineers from Greeton?"

Nel stepped closer to Clair. "I'm not sure they really are from Greeton. They are knowledgeable and it would still be in our best interest to recruit their aid. But something just doesn't fit right with their story."

Clair looked at the floor. Nel rested her hand on her friend's shoulder. "Clair, I still trust them even if they are lying about where they came from."

Clair let out a sigh of relief. "If you trust them, then they have my trust as well."

Meanwhile, outside the mansion…

"Well, it looks like we're on our way to Aquaria like it or not."

"Yup, but look at it this way kid – we don't know exactly where your friend is. We may run into her along the way. We can still search for her."

Fayt hung his head. "Yeah, guess you're right. Do you think Mirage got out okay?"

"Hey, don't worry about her. There's no telling what she's up to right now. For all we know, she could have already found Sophia."

Fayt dared himself to hope so. "What's up with you two anyway?"

"Huh? What you mean?"

"You and Mirage."

"Me and Mirage," Cliff chuckled. "Oh, nothing like that. We've known each other since we were kids. Grew up in the same dojo back on Klaus, that's all. Why? You got your eye on her?"

Fayt threw up his hands and shook them nervously. "No, nothing like that. I was just wondering. Now I know why you look at Nel the way you do."

Cliff slapped his hand lightly on the boy's shoulder. "Alright, let's go check on dinner."

Cliff and Fayt both chuckled as they stepped back into the mansion.

oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo--oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo--oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Sophia just sat on the bed and watched her hands. They rested perfectly still in her lap; but she still watched them. Her mind ran through several thoughts. Fayt, the Vendeeni attack, Albel, Mirage, Albel, Fayt, Woltar, Albel, the crash, Kirlsa, Albel. No matter what she thought about, her mind turned back to Albel.

Why had she covered for him earlier? That man, the one called Vox was a horrid man. The though of him made her cringe. If something were to happen to Albel, then it was likely that Vox would take over her care. She had asked Albel about him on the return trip.

He was the captain of the Dragon Brigade and a blood relative to the King. Albel's opinion of him wasn't very high. It seemed the two were rivals of sorts. But that wasn't why she had stuck up for him. Something in her truly didn't want to see him hurt. She was so confused.

She was about to lay back and try to take a nap when there was a knock at the door. She stood up. "Yes?"

The door opened and Woltar entered the room. He nodded his greeting and motioned for her to sit. She did as instructed and sat back down on the bed. He pulled the guard's chair from the hall and placed it in front of her. He sat and mimicked her, his hands in his lap.

"Well, my dear, it seems we have a dilemma of sorts."

She swallowed hard. Suddenly she felt like she was back at home being reprimanded by her father. Woltar did remind her a lot of her father. She missed him, but managed to hold her tears back.

"Albel told me what you said in the facility. Still, I must ask you this. Were you attempting to escape?"

Sophia lowered her gaze to her hands. "Yes."

Woltar made a sound of acknowledgement. "Then, let me ask why you told Vox what you did?"

Ah, the very question she had been asking herself. She had an answer, but it didn't make sense to her. How was she to tell him if she didn't understand it herself?

"I'm not really sure," she replied looking up.

He spared her a warm smile. "Yes, I see. Then was it the truth? Do you intend to help us willingly?"

She bit her lower lip. "At first, I wasn't sure I wanted to. I don't like war or death. It really sickens me to know that people die. I never believed in fighting to solve problems. But there's one thing I learned while I've been here. I've seen your country and the poor state it's in and I've heard others talk about it. I've learned that not all things can be resolved with hope and talk. Sometimes, you have to work for what you want and need. So, yes, I offer you my help willingly; though I fear I may not be much help at all."

He reached out and rested his hand on her shoulder. "Any try would be of service." He shifted in his seat. "One more question, my dear, and I'll be done here."

She gave him the best smile she could. "Okay."

"Do all the people of your country use runology?"

"Runology?"

"Perhaps your people call it by a different name. Runology is a secret art handed down by the followers of Apris. The user inscribes special runes into their flesh that enable them to invoke normally impossible phenomenon. Albel told me of how you fought in the Granah Hills. He said you used offensive runology. We also knew you had some use of the secret art after bringing Albel back here when he was poisoned."

She thought about it for a brief second. "Do you mean symbology? Then I would guess we do use a different name for it. But not all of my people are able to use it. I was shocked the first time I tried and succeeded."

"Yes, well that does lead to one more question. How is it you use the secret art but have no runes inscribed into your flesh?"

She thought about his words. In her rush to help Albel, she had completely forgotten that to use symbology, a person had to inscribe the symbol somewhere on their own body. There were a few races that had the symbols already inscribed on their DNA, but those races weren't native to Earth. Even when someone inscribed a symbol on themselves, it didn't mean that they would be successful in using symbology.

Her confusion was evident on her face and there was no way to hide it. "I'm not really sure. I didn't even think about it until you brought it up."

He stood and lifted the chair. Once the chair was back in place he looked back in on the girl, who now stood in the middle of the room. Her eyes told him she had more to say.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry for running out earlier."

He smiled more before his face went limp. "When in the facility, you said cooking helped you to relax. Was this also true?"

She nodded. "Yes, it's something I am good at."

"Then come with me. The maids are currently starting on the preparations for dinner. If you wish, you can aid them."

She smiled a true smile as she followed him into the hallway. As they walked he looked down at her. "You know, I once had a daughter very much like you."

She looked up at him briefly. "Once?"

His eyes shone with sadness. "Let's not mention this again, shall we." His voice was steady and pleasant even when laced with sadness.

"Oh, sorry. I shouldn't have pried."

He smiled warmly at her. "Don't let it worry you, dear. It was a long time ago and since then I have had my hands full with Albel."

Sophia couldn't help but to giggle lightly at his comment.

oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo--oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo--oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-oOo-

(A/N) More foreshadowing (sort of). I'll give you a hint… There's Woltar's daughter, Mirage's intuition, Vox, and the conversation between Fayt and Cliff. Thanks for the reviews. I love writing about Sophia!