Chapter 3: A knight's vow.

I listen to my "father's" last message to me the night before the scouting mission, I thought for a while, knowing that I can't escape destiny just like my father. Only I won't die from a wound, but from heartache. Sounds funny when I think that… the black stone shedding tears for what can never be, a union half broken… for her heart was someone else's and that I would be in a dream world if I didn't see it that way.

"Master John I have never seen you cry over a trivial matter, as my inventor said theirs many fish in this big black ocean."

"Ben it won't be the same you know as much as I do that my feelings are meaningless, I am the black stone this massive void of space washes away with every motion."

"And I am the sand always shifting never gone."

"That you are Ben, that you are."

The rest of the night I prepped my Garde it will be ready for ANYTHING that dares to attack from the shadows, even this can't distract my mind from the thought of her… in this sick twisted galaxy has a sense of humor I guess and I am the joke it laughs at.

The next morning as the team left Tsumugi, Tanikaze, and me watched the status from a small computer and we just watched. When things went bad I sneered and let loose a sigh.

"Tanikaze, Tsumugi I will see you both at planet nine."

"Right."

We all launched and while they did a clasp formation I just kicked up all five cores and speed full power and reached planet nine at the same time they did, although the two 18 cores were fried… again.

"Tsumugi you and Tanikaze focus on the Gauna up here I will find and retrieve Izana and the squad leader."

"Are you sure there could be hundreds down there?"

"Yes I am sure my Garde survived thousands of Gauna it can fight a few more, and keep your eyes peeled Ben had picked up a Crimson Hawk Moth."

"Master John the signal was lost in orbit of planet eight I doubt that planet nine has any threat from the Crimson Hawk Moth."

"Better safe than sorry."

I head into the planet's atmosphere and hope for the best. However a massive particle beam hits Tanikaze and Tsumugi, this makes me angry and I try to get a message to them.

"This is John, Tsumugi, Tanikaze respond please respond!"

All I get is silence

"Survivors detected Tanikaze and Tsumugi are alive and well."

"Good job Ben, good job."

"Red Death detected its engaging Tsumugi! And Gauna approaching Tanikaze's position."

The last time I made a choice like this it ended hundreds of lives, now I have five, Tsumugi and her "Pilot" and I my other hand Tanikaze, Izana, and the squad commander. This time… I choose both, I will not allow anyone to die here unless it's the Gauna!

"Ben take the Garde save Tanikaze I will go in my hybrid form and save Tsumugi."

"Master John if you change you will die!"

"Fine! Than what do you think I should do?"

"Save Tanikaze than Tsumugi, after words let her know your feelings."

"Fine than partner let's do it your way."

I rush to Tanikaze and with the power of my Garde helped him defend himself, but I had to admit there were far too many Gauna, they just kept coming and we finally went to help Tsumugi. And just in time too.

The Red Death had her pinned and was eating her particles I sent Ben to help her while me and Tanikaze dealt with her, now keep in mind it sounds easy two verse one but it became two verse two, when Big O showed up.

"Tanikaze run, I got the big guy take care of that Hawk Moth!"

"Master John it's him!"

Big O was even bigger than last time easily half the size of Sidonia, and his beast like body made tremors as his hydra like body walked, his 3 red snake like heads told me why, he wasn't Big Oliver anymore, he was just a hybrid that's mind was lost to the serum. As the saying goes "Live by the serum, die by the serum."

"Ok Oliver going to guess you ate or killed Jack so I won't ask."

"RAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Mouthy as always."

My Garde could withstand a heavy mass round impact and even throw it back but Oliver gave it a few hundred tons too much.

"Left and right arm hydraulics are failing!"

"Thanks for the update, finish charging the blasted gun already!"

If I don't kill this beast quickly he will destroy the Garde than kill Tsumugi, that got my blood boiling.

"You listen well Oliver as long as I breathe you will never even lay a scale on her or Sidonia I am the lost knight of the Freedom! And you will never bring anymore hate down on anymore innocents or hybrids! For as long as I live so will freedom! And unlike you I still have a brain big enough to know how this ends with you dying and a new dawn of freedom for Tsumugi, for Tanikaze, and for humankind!"

"Umm Master John I know your busy and all but you just said that on open channels… so Sidonia heard that… so did Tsumugi."

"I am sorry brother but you must die so she will live."

"Rail gun ready to fire."

When I squeeze the button I can almost see some level of human conciseness telling me, "Thank you brother" as his entire body is blown away when the Kabi round went into his core.

"Tanikaze you good?"

"He needs help with this thing!"

"Roger that Izana on my way."

I try to get the Garde up but all I hear is scraping metal.

"Ben status!"

"Left and right arm hydraulics are shot left leg down to 10% right leg down to 15%, primary core is offline we are on the micro cores and they are down to 50% we needed at least 60% to break orbit."

"Well… crap."

"How long will it take to regain that power?"

"15 years if we move from his spot to help Tanikaze or Tsumugi."

"Well than Ben, time to disappear after we save him and her."

"Yes sir I will ready the hyper sleep and cloaking devices."

"This is Knight John in route to assist."

With what's left of the Gardes power I rushed to Tanikaze… just to find out they got impatient and destroyed her already.

"Hey Tanikaze… take good care of Tsumugi and Sidonia, end this war once and for all, and live you hear me when I come back in 20 years I don't want to see you dead or a walking corpse you live and fight for what you believe in make this hybrid proud to call you a brother in arms, and be a gentlemen and unlike this coward tell her how you feel already."

"John…"

The channel goes dark as power fails and the Garde falls forward.

"Master John primary power has failed communications… lost."

I don't know what happened afterwards but they left and saved her, and I know as, long as she lives a part of me no matter how small will survive the long sleep, and the bitter sweet dreams I have of my past, my want-a-be future, and the words I never said would be enough for now.

20 years later…

I wake once again on the ninth planet of the Lem system, Ben wakes too, we leave orbit and send out a message.

"This is Garde unit 100847, lost knight of Freedom John calling to any Sidonia Garde or personal please come in."

… nothing but static, but I track a hybrid life sign to the seventh planet and crash land miles from the source it hybrid life sign.

"So Tsumugi lived to see this, good to know."

"Sir what about Tanikaze?"

"We will see."

When I reach the colony I am greeted with concern and suspicion at first, but force my way inside.

"Hey Tanikaze, Tsumugi, remember me!"

My hybrid ears must have deceived me when I heard a "Mommy and Daddy someone's calling you."

I see a bit older Tanikaze, and someone I never saw before.

"Master John this can't be Hoshijiro, maybe from a Crimson Hawk Moth?"

"Well Tanikaze seems I missed quiet a lot during my power nap."

The next few hours Tanikaze, Tsumugi, their daughter Nodoka, and I talk. Mostly about the war's end and Sidonia's new journey. The part about Ochiai I laughed at and commented how I warned him, and later apologized to Tsumugi for Kanata's death and I bashed my head on the table when she said that she died but was brought back using some of Ochiai's research and was saved.

"Just 30 years later John died happily upon finding his surviving brothers and sisters and bringing them to join the Lem-7 colony, died at the age of 900, including hyper sleep and augmented lifespan."

"Ben… don't make up stories like that, I am still alive and kicking thank you!"

"Uncle John you're weird."

"I am not weird Andrew!"

"JOHN!"

"Sorry Xena!"

"JOHN YOU BETTER RUN BECAUSE IF I CATCH YOU YOUR DEAD FOR YELLING AT MY KID!"

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Remember Master John, fear a hybrids wrath."

"Thanks for the tip!"

The end?