Author's note: I don't own Star Ocean Till The End Of Time

The True Nature Of All

Chapter 14: Dangers From Afar

Minutes felt like hours to those who awaited word on if the pair would live. Fayt stayed by their side the whole time, as did Nel and Roger. Cliff wanted to rip something apart for the pain caused to these people he would gladly call friends and allies. However, when the doctors finally breathed a sigh of relief, however it brought none to anyone. They wanted proof positive that their friends would be alright. He merely shook his head, "They need rest right now. However, they are out of the danger zone."

That seemed to satisfy most people who left to go to an adjoining room to question the 'good' Dr. Leingod. He winced, knowing full well what was coming. "I had to do it son, however, I never thought this day would come. I know you won't believe me, so I plead with you for reason, go to Moonbase with me. All will be explained then." However, a voice would not let things lay as they did.

"Explain why you called Airlia Mirabel without asking her name first!" Fayt said as Nel and Roger became defensive. What did the doctor know about their best friend? He flushed even deeper about the topic; however, none of it mattered to the blue haired boy. He had a crush on the Princess, even though he knew that she loved her knight far more deeply than anything else in the world.

He wasn't about to have his friend's life jeopardized because his father was simply being stubborn. "I'll say no more than we must all go to Moonbase to confirm what I suspect is happening."

A low growl met their ears, "If I heard you correctly, you're bringing my Princess to this Moonbase place, I'll be going with you too. I'm not about to leave her in the care of those who can't protect her." Fayt looked up in surprise, Albel had recovered from his attack, however, he was still weary of the new man to the group. Nel and Roger looked at Albel, "I'm going back to her room where she sleeps. If you wish, you may join me."

Roger left to accompany Albel, however, Nel stayed behind. "I will remain behind in her place. I'm going to Moonbase with the rest of you, but someone must stay in this room with her best interests in mind."

Albel grunted as he went back into the room she was sleeping in. She hadn't moved since he last saw her. He took a stool and sat down at her side, grasping her hand with his good one. "Don't leave me Princess…" At this he let out a sardonic chuckle, "Your father would never forgive me for it." He bent over and kissed her tenderly on the lips. When he sat back up, he saw her eye lids flutter, and then open and he smiled gently. "Welcome back my Princess…" How he enjoyed saying those words. He wanted nothing more than to sweep her in his arms and hold her until everything faded away and nothing remained but his love for her. She remembered what he had said to her before falling unconscious, however, she had to wonder… Did she dream it all?

"Roger, could you excuse us for a moment?"

Roger smiled brightly as he said, "Sure, I gotta tell them you're awake anyways…" He left the room, skipping happily now that he knew his friend was ok.

Airlia looked at her knight sharply, as if she was trying to read his soul. "Did you mean what you said back there?"

Albel flushed, he had hoped she wouldn't remember that. "Uh… I had hoped you wouldn't remember that because I wanted to take you out somewhere nice before I broached my feelings, not when it had seemed like I was on my deathbed. Yes… I meant every word I said. I love you, my Princess Airlia Bohnleid."

Her face dropped a few shades, becoming as white as the sheets she had been laying on. "You're not just saying this? Oh, you have no idea of how happy I am right now!" Airlia flung herself off the bed and into his arms without a second thought as she kissed him with all of the passion that she felt in her body and soul. "I love you too. Don't scare me like that ever again!" Albel smiled as he looked at her, nodding his head.

They walked to where the others were, Airlia smiled brightly at the fact that her other two friends from Elicoor Two were with her as well. However, her face became hard as she slid right into her familiar defensive posture to ask her questions without end, "Who do you think I am Dr. Leingod?"

He swallowed tightly and tried to think of a way around it when Mirage came through the doorway. "Maria, we have a transmission from the Aquaelie coming through. Should we take it in the conference room due to the size of the group?" Maria nodded as they went there.

The man introduced himself as Commodore Wittcomb, his beard was apparent and brown, his eyes, being brown, were able to show much, and it was kindness and concern that dominated in the Princess's opinion. He smiled, "Dr. Leingod, we must use the weapons that you have amassed. The Federation needs it to combat the new enemies that fight and destroy all in their paths."

Dr. Leingod shook his head, "We can't just use the weapons just like that. They have to be triggered properly, they are still unused to it, and so they are left defenseless for far too long to be of any use right now…"

Airlia shot the doctor a dirty look as the man responded, "This may have dashed the Federation's hopes."

Maria still looked doubtful, "What do you mean? What do you know that we don't?"

The man shook his head as he said next, "I can't tell you over the comm. link. Can you come over to my ship?"

Maria looked at the man on the screen skeptically, "If that's okay with you. Quark and the Federation aren't exactly friends."

Wittcomb smiled with a nod, "The Aquaelie is my ship, and on my ship, I decide who is friend or foe. And if anyone objects, they can visit the brig while you're here."

Maria relaxed slightly as she said, "We'll be there shortly."

He smiled as Fayt asked, "Commodore... I have a request." The man looked at Fayt with bewilderment clearly written on his face.

He asked carefully, "What is it?"

Fayt spoke clearly, Airlia agreed with the request, she had to know what it was about her that made the doctor call her what he did, "We want to go to Federation Station #5 - Moonbase. But they would never let us near them on a Klausian ship. I'd like to ask you to take us there in the Aquaelie. My father insists that we must go there, that he won't answer our questions until we've been there. Please…"

The Commodore smiled as he responded, "Right, understood. We'll transmit a homing beacon. Bring only the minimum number of personnel required."

Fayt bowed respectfully saying, "Thank you, Commodore."

The man looked at Maria again, "Then we have a deal?" Maria nodded as the Commodore spoke, "Oh, and about Earth... You had better brace yourselves." The look on the man's face spoke volumes to the Princess as the transmission faded away.

Sophia repeated one of his last phrases, "Brace yourselves?"

Fayt asked aloud, "Wonder what he means?"

Cliff shook his head as he said, "I suppose we'll find out when we get there."

Airlia shook her head, "Why do I get the feeling that I have a good idea of what he means and that I wish I didn't?"

Albel looked at her, comfort in his gaze as he stood closer to his lady still. Roger looked at everyone as Maria spoke next, "Only we will go to Aquaelie. Stand down weapons and wait until further notice. Mirage and Marietta take care of her while we're gone."

Robert Leingod spoke next, "I'm going with you all. I want to be sure of my suspicions before they get too far out of hand…"

Mirage smiled as she nodded her head, "Roger."

Marietta spoke again, "Captain...I mean, Maria... Don't worry about us; we'll take care of things here. We have Lancar and the others to keep us company. Be careful." Maria smiled her thanks as everyone gathered to be teleported to the Aquaelie. When they got there, there was a slim build man waiting for them. His dusty sandy hair and glasses made him seem overtly intelligent.

Airlia smiled brightly as he introduced himself, "Please forgive my manners. I am Lieutenant Fields. I serve under the command of Commodore Wittcomb. The Commodore has bade me to show you around."

He saluted everyone as they gave their names to be less confusing to everyone. Maria smiled politely as she asked, "I see. Thank you. In that case, I apologize for the rush, but could you please take us directly to the Commodore?"

He smiled with a nod, "Very well. Please follow me." The group followed the lieutenant to the north and stepped into another transporter. There they went west to the end of a hallway to the conference room. Meanwhile the sounds of panic could be heard, even if they were muffled. Airlia also heard the music that was playing overhead and listened to it. The song sounded so official that she figured it kept everyone at their best, trying to keep their moral up as high as possible. When they went inside, they saw the man sitting there at the opposite end of the table. He smiled as he gestured for everyone to sit down. Albel chose to stand to ensure that everyone knew his stance was to protect his Princess.

Commodore Wittcomb stood to bow to everyone before saying, "It will take a while to reach Moonbase. Let me explain the situation in the meantime. The two of you in particular have been on Elicoor for some time and probably know little of what is going on." Fayt nodded as he requested to have everyone filled in about the situation at hand…

The Commodore grimaced as he began, "The Earth and the entire galaxy are facing an unprecedented threat. I unfortunately do not mean the war with Vendeen and Aldian. I imagine you are also aware of those powerful bursts of energy?"

Maria nodded as she filled in the first of the series of blanks to follow, "Yes, exceeding magnitude 3, right?"

He nodded, his left earring shaking in the process, "They were aimed at Earth. The planetary defense shield managed to partially block the attack. But it still caused considerable damage." He paused at Fayt's blatant look of dismay as he confirmed the unspoken question, "It was too much for the planetary defense shield. We also have reason to believe that those energy bursts were a message, a declaration of war."

Fayt looked dubious at this as he spoke up, "Declaration of war? What alien power has the ability to mount such a devastating, long-range attack?"

Again, the Commodore nodded as he spoke, "A new power, previously unknown to us, emissaries of an entity known as the Creator. They call themselves the Executioners-Enforcers of the Creator-come to sentence us to our death."

Airlia spoke out next, voicing a shared question by many, "The Creator? What do you mean by the Creator?"

The Commodore looked even more severe as he said, "Yes, it is not uncommon for dictators to claim divine origin. Their message states that our science has delved into forbidden areas, and thus the Creator has decreed our annihilation."

Cliff declared the obvious, earning looks from everyone, "That's insane."

Albel spoke this time with a deadly glare in his eyes, "Sounds like an invasion to me. So where is this weakling so I can deal with him to keep my princess safe?"

He smiled as he spoke, "I'm relieved to know that we're not the only ones who believe that. We believe that is correct. They are, without a doubt, a power to be reckoned with. They have technology far exceeding our own."

Cliff spoke again, "So in other words, we'd better say our prayers."

Sophia turned to Fayt with a muffled whimper as Wittcomb touched something to display a planet and he said, "Take a look at this."

There was a display of what Airlia thought was Earth as several beams came towards it from an apparently distant point. Commodore Wittcomb continued to explain, holding his hand up to halt any interruptions, "This is the Earth. And this shows our attempt to use our space stations to trace the route of the energy blasts. Their energy blasts passed through an unknown dimensional space-faster than the speed of light. The blast traveled through neither subspace nor gravitic space. This alone hints at the capabilities of their technology. Shockingly, the energy pulses were released from an uncharted region over 50,000 light-years away. The data stunned us. Several of our analysts rushed to get their eyes examined. A declaration of war has been made. Surely it will not be long. An attack by a fleet of such power would spell trouble for the Federation. And it seems Vendeen was attempting to capture and use the Federation's secret weapon. They would consider any offer of cooperation with the Federation an insult. That is what I've been told. Apparently, Dr. Leingod and his team developed you after they detected the Executioners' presence years ago. But frankly you do not look like much of a weapon to me. How can a man of flesh and blood fight a fleet of starships?"

At this point, he brought his hand down as Maria spoke out blankly, "Yet it was I who destroyed the battleship Invisible."

The brown haired man clearly looked uncomfortable as he said, "What? You did that!?" At Maria's nod, he grimaced.

Maria expanded the explanation, "Yes. Like Fayt, I too, am the product of Dr. Leingod's genetic engineering."

He nodded as he said, "I see. Is that so? Only upper echelons of the Federation were privy to Dr. Leingod's top secret research. But if what you say is true, if there is another, then we may have a chance."

Maria shook her head, "Unfortunately, our powers are still unreliable. We can't just invoke them whenever we want."

Wittcomb asked for a more in-depth explanation, Maria's response stunned him, "Exactly what I said. Neither of us can fully control our powers. Nor can Princess Airlia," Maria indicated the brunette, "She had the power to shield her world apparently within her, and it reflected the blast from the Vendeeni and destroyed one of their ships."

His eyes showed his spirit was breaking at the thought of his home being destroyed, "Perhaps Dr. Leingod placed some means of security on you. However, since he is here, perhaps he can remove the security..."

Robert shook his head, "Another reason we need to get to my lab on Moonbase." Wittcomb looked doubtful, however, acquiesced to the request.

However, before much more could be said, a man appeared on the screen. He looked panicked for all that could be heard, "We have a transmission from Federation Station #9. I think you should hear this…"

Wittcomb nodded saying, "Give me a display."

The man looked ready to cry as he said, "Right away, sir."

The display kept cutting out; the words could be barely heard, "Commo..., ...'re under att...k by...a ...oup ...them...lves the... Enforce...! Req...ing immediate-Gah... Th...those aren't ...ips! Wha... are...? Are ...ey gods?"

Suddenly, the transmission disappeared, making Airlia very apprehensive. Nel, Albel and Roger all looked apprehensive of what they just saw… The operator came back on, a few tears escaping that he probably hadn't wanted to show, "We've lost the signal. Report from Headquarters: Federation Station #9...has been obliterated!"

Wittcomb shouted out, his voice silencing any gasps or whimpering, "Obliterated!?"

Male Operator tried to keep his voice from quivering as he asked, "Orders, Commodore?"

He was silent as the operator tried to get a response, knowing every second was precious right at that point. Wittcomb nodded as he said, "Yes, yes, I know. Maintain our present course to Earth."

The man disappeared from the screen as Wittcomb paused to ask the question aloud, if only to himself, "Not a ship? Did I hear him say what I think he said? What could this mean?"

Cliff supplied with the response, "I think he's saying the Executioners are gods."

Nel and Albel shook their heads, Airlia smiled, for no matter what one believed in, they both agreed as she supplied, "There is no god that would kill as they do. They would strike the evil, however, I doubt that there are so many who would be so evil as to deserve that."

Maria nodded as Sophia said, "Whatever they are, and I fear we'll find out soon enough."

Fayt nodded as Lieutenant Fields came back, "We have about a twelve hour flight time to Earth."

Commodore Wittcomb nodded as he said, "Okay. Connect me with Headquarters."

Lieutenant Fields grinned with determination, "Yes, sir! Connecting..."

The Commodore nodded as he said, "This is the Aquaelie calling Fleet Headquarters." Airlia noted that the man was probably as old as Woltar, and hopefully as wise as her friend is. His many pins showed that he had worked for the group for a long time…

The man said, "Hermes here."

Wittcomb spoke again, "This is Wittcomb, sir. What's our situation, Admiral?"

The Admiral spoke again, "You probably already know, but we've lost Stations #8, #9, #31, #36, and #42. The enemy has not been identified, but we do know they are, in all likelihood, headed straight for Earth."

Both men grimaced as the younger man asked, "I see, sir. Our orders?"

Admiral Hermes spoke again, his voice calmer than the man probably was feeling, "Stay your present course. Other ships are being dispatched to block the enemy. Battleships and combat explorers have already been deployed. 162 ships are stationed around Earth, 112 around Station #9, and 215 around Station #20."

The Commodore nodded as he explained that he understood. Then the Admiral spoke again, his words cutting deeply to most of everyone that was present, "Oh, and Commodore? Word is the Enforcers have already attacked and destroyed Aldian."

Wittcomb cried out in shock, "What!?"

Hermes explained further, "They were the closet to the enemy's point of origin. Though we were not friends, I mourn their loss. The same fate awaits us if we don't keep our wits. It's the most powerful threat the Federation has ever faced, yet in the past we've always managed to overcome difficulty. Godspeed, Commodore!" He nodded and wished the same of his friend, the great Admiral Hermes. The transmission disappeared.

Commodore Wittcomb spoke with fierce determination, "We must go to Federation Station #5 at once and carry out our mission."

Fayt nodded as he went to ask about his missing mother and Sophia's family, "We are currently searching for the missing professors, Dr. Ryoko Leingod and Dr. Clive Esteed, but with the current military situation, it is going to be very difficult. At the very least, I won't be able to assign any more personnel to this task until the current crisis passes."

Fayt nodded, his eyes bright with tears, as were the eyes of Sophia Esteed. With the Commodore's apologies, they left to find their quarters to rest in. They retraced their steps, this time heading south in the main corridor, that was once they made their way up to the main floor. The girls' corridor was to their right as they headed to the southern end of the ship, and the men's was to the left. Albel walked Airlia to her room to rest. He knew that even though she had slept, it may not be enough to keep her from wearing herself down to nothingness. When he got her there, she was all but asleep on her feet. He swept her into his arms to allow her to begin sleeping sooner. He tucked her into her bed as he stayed by her side to ensure that she would remain sleeping. When Fayt came to check on her, Albel shook his head, signaling that they go outside.

"I don't care if she likes you or not. That is her choice; however, if someone breaks her heart, I break theirs. Remember that."

Fayt nodded as he said, "May I say I shall do the same to you if you break hers?"

For the first time that Fayt could remember, Albel gave him a true smile, "Please do." Albel stalked off, as Fayt asked someone to bring a bed into that room, knowing Albel would not tolerate leaving her side.

Airlia saw her life flash before her eyes as her memories became even more crisp and clear. She could remember who had kidnapped her years ago and killed her friends' families…

She awoke with a start… "Vox… Damn you… May you rot in hell for doing that…" She spoke clearly into the dim room as the lights came on.

Albel was up in a flash at her side, "What are you damning your great uncle for now?"

He asked cheekily as Airlia responded, "He was the one who kidnapped me long ago; with Shelby's help too I might add. They were responsible for Nixie, Talos, Elysia and Kira dying…"

That filled in too many blanks for Albel who was also seething as a knock came to the door. "Yes?" He demanded gruffly.

"It's Fayt, time to go." Airlia shook her head to clear her thoughts as they left to rejoin the group and proceed north to the bridge.

Wittcomb looked exhausted as he spoke, "Federation Station #5 is currently under a state of alert. The Executioners have begun to attack the surrounding area. You cannot transport directly to Dr. Leingod's research lab. That area is protected by transport jamming to prevent direct access. You'll have to transport to the nearest location: the Recreational Zone." Fayt nodded as Wittcomb reminded everyone that the fate of everyone, and everything in every galaxy was in their hands… Fayt's group proceeds to the room that they were first in upon arrival to their ship. It was the transporter room that Lieutenant Fields had greeted them in.

Sophia sighed tiredly as she said, "We made it. Moonbase..." At Airlia's curious look, Cliff filled her in, "Ah... This is the station in Lunar orbit, Federation Station #5. Otherwise known as Moonbase."

Fayt shook his head, "This is where my dad and his team had their research lab. I've only been here a few times. Dad can guide us to the research lab."

Professor Leingod smiled with a nod, "It's to the west, let's get going everyone."

They proceeded to the open when Airlia caught something heading for Fayt's back. When she looked at it she spoke aloud, "Who would throw a rock at my friend?"

Nel pulls out her dagger while Albel placed his hand on his katana, Roger pulled his axe out as a voice cried out, "Say your prayers!" Airlia looked around as did everyone else; there was a child, slightly taller than Roger, her skin was tanned and her hair a bleached blond. Her eyes sparkled dangerously darkening her emerald green eyes. She began to speak again, her voice a higher pitch than most female voices enforcing her childlike appearance, "You ruined our gig! How are we gonna make any money now? It's payback time! Huh!?"

Fayt and Sophia cried out simultaneously, "Peppita!?"

'Peppita' looked as perplexed to see them as she said, "Fayt and Sophia!? What are you doing here?"