2.

They caught up on the "good old days" as Balthier had put it before. And then, Vaan got to business. "Ashe's asked a favor," he said, putting his hands behind his head and putting his weight on one foot. "She wants me and Penelo to go escort Larsa's ship back to Rabanastre for the ceremony in a couple of days."

"Sounds like honest work," He commented, winking and turning away. "Get to it."

"Well, we were sort of hoping you and Fran would come with us?" Penelo asked, putting her hands behind her back. The girl had changed a great deal. A great bit saucier, thought the Pirate to himself. Her braids were now long, she showed more stomach than clothing, and her arms were lined with floral tattoos.

He shrugged. "Doesn't that sound like fun? But unfortunately, Fran and I are living up to the name of Sky Pirates these days. While pilfering may sound juvenile, it certainly has its…reputable…advantages."

Vaan stepped closer. "There's treasure involved."

He stopped short in the cockpit doorway, turning a betraying ear towards the young man casually. "Oh?"

"Yeah!" Penelo broke in. "They're planning on decorating you with all sorts of honors for protecting the Queen and saving all of Rabanastre. You're their hero, Balthier."

"Hero, huh?" He grimaced. "That's all I needed to know. Goodbye, friends." He stepped just inside the cockpit and shut the doors behind him.

"Hey!" Their voices called to him. Vaan continued. "You just don't get it, do you? The Leading Man always has a sequel."

He liked the sounds of that. A sequel. Might be interesting. What he couldn't win he could always mark for a later target. Besides, it would be a chance to give Ashe his gift personally. He at first had thought of leaving it somewhere smashing; but truth be told, he sort of missed Her Highness, anyway. "What do you think Fran? One more show?" When he looked around he discovered that he had locked Fran out as well, and she was probably mad as a Behemoth on the other side. He rolled his eyes heavenward as he opened the door.

Fran was staring him down as if he would be her next kill—arms crossed, feet slightly apart, head tilted menacingly forward. "Nice of you to join us."

"Ah, well. Suppose there is no harm in seeing the lords and ladies again, is there? Practically royalty myself. I am the…"

"…Leading Man…" They all finished. "We know, we know!" Vaan grumbled.

He stood back, slightly aghast.

Penelo patted him on the shoulder. "And we would be lost without you."

Fran walked up, and he pointed a finger at her. "Not a word, Fran. Not a word."

Under five minutes later, he put the carrier airship in tow and they took off for the Royal City of Archades.

--- ---

"You know not what you're doing!" Basch almost yelled. "We should bring this to the attention of the peace committee."

"Those same that would sooner see Lord Larsa dead than the new Emperor? Be my guest, Rosenburg. If they knew about this, they'd greedily snatch it from my hand to save their Blood Prince, Vayne. And I'm sure Lord Larsa would hear me."

"Then why have you not told him?"

"It wasn't ready yet," she replied, giving him an exasperated stare. She leaned over and picked up the turtle, examining it closely. "Look, you've destroyed the poor thing."

He snatched it from her hand, going slightly pale. "Do not do this thing, Nadia. Not with peace being so fragile between the empires."

"This works better for peace, I'd wager," she retorted, snatching it back. "Think about it, Judge Magister. Gabranth comes back, protects Lord Larsa, you return to your beloved Queen, keep her well out of harm, we can have two ambassadors on each side. My son actually has a father to teach him and to love him. And in the end, we might even be able to rebuild our shattered world; Rebuild Landis!"

He shook his head sadly. "You are living in a dream world, Nadia." He meant to walk away, but she stopped him.

Her eyes were angry, almost cold. Her grip on his arm was harsh and unfeeling. Her expression held a pain he couldn't come to terms with. "Tell me, Basch. Did you not save your brother because you couldn't, or because you felt it better for your fragile little Dalmasca?"

Pain stung him deep inside. In his mind, he could see Noah lying on the Strahl's sickbed, clinging to life. He blinked for only a moment, hearing his voice in his ears as if he were there all as before. "…Sorry to leave you, brother…" "I vowed to carry his shield," he replied, gently. "And so I have."

Her arm dropped, examining his eyes as he stared at her. "I see. This is your way of winning his prize, is it?"

"Nadia…"

She turned away to the cylinder, putting her hand against the cool glass, staring at her lost love. "Let me speak to you the truth of the matter, Honorable Basch. If you had not been so lost in your duty and honor, it would have been Noah standing here arguing with me. Your honor failed me in all that was important. I could never go back. I could never love anyone but Noah." She shot him a pained look over her shoulder. "And if he found redemption in anything at all, it was knowing that was true. You do not wish to fail your brother. What do you think he would want, were the roles switched?"

Basch found it hard to breathe. She hated him with her words, tortured him with her stares. She was finding him responsible, just as everyone else had. The guilt of Landis would forever stain his soul. He was a marked man, whether he bore the identity of Basch or of Gabranth.

"I beg of you. The Archadian Empire put me in charge of the Nethicite—of giving it an honorable purpose if it could not be destroyed. What greater honor than to bring back the man who saved this empire?"

Basch glanced at his brother's lifeless corpse in the lit cylinder, and then back at the woman he and his brother used to brawl over. "I believe," he replied, slowly, even more gently, "that Gabranth would like me to carry out my duties to Lord Larsa. Therefore, I must inform him of what you are planning. If Lord Larsa decides to give you a chance to prove your theory, I would whole-heartedly crave it be my own flesh and blood. If not, I'm afraid we must let the past die with him."

Her eyes went glassy as she stared at him solemnly. Finally, she nodded, turning away from him. "Do as you see fit. Best hurry."

He reached for her hand and squeezed it in his own. "I will be back shortly." His hand touched her cheek for but an instant in reassurance before he marched a steady pace out of Draklor lab.

She sat there a long time thinking over what was said before she finally turned to her lifeless companion. "We must hurry, my love, if we are to make it to Landis before nightfall."

--- ---

The Senate was in a secret session. If Lord Larsa had known of the session, he would have put a stop to it. But as it was, ruling an empire was a heavy burden for a young boy and he couldn't keep his finger on every little thing. They knew this, and thusly took advantage of such a grand chance. The head of the Senators called the meeting to order. "Fellow senators," he said into the dimly lit room surrounding them. "Lord Larsa has not pushed the advance. He has not pursued the Nation's interests."

"Hear, hear," stated one of the more elderly ones. "Rozzaria gains allies every day. Even the city state of Bhujerba has officially signed a treaty of support and provisionary with Al-Cid himself. Should their negotiations escalate, they would draw surrounding areas into their cause and we would no longer have dominion over Ivalice."

"The real question is," Stated Senator Farbner, who carried the most weight in the Senate, "What steps must we take to preserve the empire?"

The leader shook his head slowly. "The Judge Magisters protect Larsa with malicious vehemence. Should we get within even twelve paces of the boy, we would stand no chance to defeating them."

"Then let a Judge take the initiative," Senator Farbner replied, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "One who will protect the Empire at any cost—even that of the life of his Sworn Emperor."

There was a long silence as all the hooded men stared at him in curious disbelief. "You are speaking of assassination; treason!" The one to his direct left interjected. "If we are found out…"

He held his hand up, cutting the other off rudely. "Were you not all speaking of the same just moments before? I cannot be faulted if I am the only one who has the stability to say so aloud. And I do so freely, for I have just the right Judge in mind."

"Who?" Voiced the other.

"He is a recently-appointed Judge, by the name of Ralis." His eyes twinkled. "Now. He is capable of going as close or as far from Lord Larsa as we demand. Incidentally, with the Queen's coronation approaching, he is more than apt to be present. I can assure you—he will do all that we ask. Therefore, we need only to signal our orders. What shall our orders be?"

The Senate fell into a thoughtful silence as they contemplated just what would be the best way to destroy Dalmasca and Larsa's reign in one bold stroke.

"I suggest we remove Gabranth first," stated one. "He is the failsafe to Lord Larsa's reign."

"Agreed. Any ideas?"

"I have one," came the only feminine voice at the table. It was Senator Felisa. She was younger and also the most intelligent of the crew. "It might interest you that my spies within the scientific community have come to a fascinating conclusion. His dear wife, Nadia Fon Rosenburg, has not destroyed the Nethicite as prearranged by Lord Larsa and this Senate. She has left for Landis only a few moments ago. If we could bring her up on charges and confront her there, she may have an….entirely unfortunate accident. Gabranth would be so preoccupied with her death he would be powerless to protect the young Lord."

They all nodded in agreement, save the one in the lead. "It would come to disaster of an innocent woman?" He asked, almost a twinge sadly.

"Well," she replied coldly, "You must make sacrifices for the needs of the people you serve. The needs of the one matter little."

"If it makes you feel consoled," Farbner suggested, "We could keep their boy safe; train him to be a great warrior within our ranks. Who knows? He could even be the next Gabranth—even greater than his father. He would protect Zargabaath, as the law states that the next heir judge will assume rule at the termination of the royal family. Zargabaath is easily manipulated. And what is better is that, under our lead, the boy will be, too."

Everyone once again nodded in solemn unison as the lead shook his head. "Very well. Long live Archades."

The haunted echo rang off the walls as they prepared for their bloodbath.

--- ---

When Basch got through telling Larsa of Nadia's plan, he felt somewhat guilty. By all rights, he felt no one should determine whether his brother lived or died but the fates themselves. If they chose him to die, he would die. If they chose him to be raised again, he should simply look away and let such things happen. Then again, part of being in Gabranth's oath was that he relate all matters that might interfere with Larsa's reign. He could protect not only his physical being, but also his stature in the Empire as well. However, he did miss his brother very much. He couldn't help but think back on his last moments of redemption. It was a shame to waste such a good heart. And on top of all that was how he felt for Nadia. Genuinely, he knew she was a good woman and she wished only the best. He had always respected her and cared for her a great deal. Now that his brother was dead, he felt it his noble duty to protect her interests, as well. He was torn between honor and desire, valor and aspiration.

Lord Larsa looked troubled as he stood. "You must escort me to Draklor Lab immediately. We will get to the bottom of this."

He nodded curtly. "My Lord."

On the way over, he was very distracted, all told. He had always been envious of Noah for some reason. He figured at some point not long after that it was because he was jealous of their carefree relationship. He had forever been quite taken with the little orphan Nadia. His father had come up from behind him one day as Basch worked, smoking his pipe. 'She's a fine young lass, that Nadia,' he told Basch. When he glanced at him in appalled surprise, he blew out his smoke nonchalantly and walked away, continuing over his shoulder, 'May the best man win, I guess.' Basch sighed, muttering low enough where Larsa couldn't hear: "I guess the best man did win, Noah."

Before he realized it, they were standing at the entry doors to the Lab. "Shall we proceed?" Larsa asked. The doors slid open silently, and they walked in to an empty lab.

"What?!" He wondered aloud, running up to the cylinder his brother had been in. It was open, and the body was missing. He bowed his head, a thousand thoughts running through his mind all at once. "He's gone," He informed Larsa, and then more to himself, "What are you thinking, Nadia? Where are you going?"

"The Nethicite's gone, too," Larsa replied from the side of a sealed cupboard. "Took the whole lot, it looks like. Any ideas where they've gone?"

Basch's eyes closed, and he slowly raised his head. "Yes. I do." He strode by Lord Larsa quickly, exiting. Larsa was forced to walk after him as fast as his young legs could keep up. "It's not supposed to be like this, Noah. I'm supposed to be protecting her, not chasing after her for the sake of an Empire that stole her hopes away. I am sorry." He forced the thought out of his mind, focusing merely on the task at hand, distancing himself from the endless memories. "And I have just the transport."

--- ---

The battle was not going as expected. Their valiant young men were falling faster than they could keep up with. The enemy was everywhere—polished helmets shining in the moonlight. Basch wiped splashed blood from his eyes and spun just in time to catch a soldier barreling in on him. The sword caught him just in the sternum and pulled through neatly. He winced as he jerked it away; the body fell just in front of him. He heard someone cry his name in the far distance, and turned to see his equally blood-splashed brother waving to him. "Nadia!" He yelled, pointing behind Basch. Noah flipped a man over his shoulder and broke his neck by twisting his head with his boot. "Get her out of here!"

Basch turned, to see Nadia dragging off a wounded Landian man. She was looking about her, watching for any signs of an attack upon her person. She wasn't about to leave him, though, and continued to struggle with the body that was almost twice her size. She had a streak of blood across her cheek, apparently from falling once across the injury by accident. "Nadia!" He screamed, racing towards her. "What in the blazes are you doing out here? Get to the cellars, now!"

"This man is wounded! I won't leave him!" She yelled back. "My abilities could save him!"

"I won't have you die here!" He bellowed over the roar of the armies in battle.

"Then help me!" She never did stop, making her way backwards to the cellars.

"Look out!" He shoved her to the side as an Archadian advanced. His battle-axe swooped between them just as he managed to duck. He parried the next blow with his sword, high enough to hold the axe at bay with his left hand and stab with his right. Nadia shrieked as the body fell almost on top of her. "Alright, alright!" He grabbed the man's other arm and managed to fairly toss him down the nearest cellar. "Get down and stay down! These men will not hesitate to kill anyone. Women are easy prey for their hounds."

Her eyes went round just before he slammed the door down over them.

Hours later, he had made his way only a mere sixteen feet from the cellar, close enough to keep an eye on his quickly tiring brother. Around him, sixty-three more men had fallen.