Chapter 12 - Bikanel Island
Gian looked around for signs of Tara but there were none to be found. The desert expanse appeared to be endless. After refreshing himself at the oasis, he resumed his search.
After hours of walking, the guardian was no closer to finding anything. He paused and dropped to his knees, fatigued, wondering if he was to die in the desert.
He heard a hovercraft off in the distance. He looked up to see the hovercraft headed straight for him. When the vehicle stopped, a familiar face emerged from within.
"Hello Stenn," the guardian spoke.
"We meet again, Sir Gian." The guardian noted that the Al Bhed Commander's weapon was trained on him.
"Are you going to tell me what this is about now?" the guardian asked.
"I will tell you everything. But first, tell me why are you so bound and determined to protect her?"
"Isn't it obvious? She's my summoner," Gian stated, "and she's also the woman I love. If you were in my place, you'd fight just as hard to protect her."
Stenn lowered his weapon. "Yes, I suppose you're right. Get in."
The hovercraft began to move. Gian watched the desert scenery move by rapidly, while he listened to Stenn's voice."
"We don't think it's right." Stenn began to explain.
"You don't think what's right?"
"We don't think it's right that summoners have to sacrifice themselves so the rest of us can live in a short time of peace. So we protect them."
"You kidnap them."
"In a word, yes, if you want to look at it that way. We want all of Spira to be safe, including the summoners." Stenn looked over at Gian, gauging his reaction.
"I get why you're doing it. But protecting the summoner is my job. Why can't you just let me do what I'm supposed to do?
"Can you really protect her when the time comes?" Stenn questioned. "Can you really protect her from the final summoning? Can you really protect her from the Final Aeon who's going to kill her once Sin is gone?"
Gian shrugged. "I don't have all the answers yet. I will find them though. I have to..." His voice trailed off.
"Oddly enough, I believe you, Stenn continued. "That's why I'm going to help you. I'm really not your enemy, you know."
"Where is she?" the guardian asked.
"She's in the Summoner's Sanctum, in a place we Al Bhed call Home."
The hovercraft arrived at the outskirts of a rag-tag gathering of shacks and buildings.
"Here we are. This is Home. This is what The Order of Yevon has done to us," Stenn explained. "All we've ever wanted to do is rid the world of Sin, and live in peace. But Yevon has so vilified us that we're banished to the farthest reaches of Spira - forced to live in this desert, isolated."
"You have to admit that it's at least partially your own doing. You defy Yevon's teachings. You use the forbidden machina!" Gian exclaimed.
"And what's so wrong about that? Truly, why is it so wrong? Did you every really ask yourself that? Or do you just shun new ideas because Yevon says so? Are we to live in the dark ages forever?"
"You make a good point. I guess I never really looked at it like that."
"Come with me. Time for you to meet Cid, our leader." Stenn pointed towards a large man across the yard in front of the shacks. "He's the one you have to convince. For what it's worth, I believe you."
Gian took a look at the Al Bhed Commander. "Thank you, Stenn." He offered his hand to the Al Bhed. Stenn smiled as he shook it.
Gian noticed Cid's glare as he approached the Al Bhed leader. Cid then glared at Stenn.
"Stenn, why'd you bring this Yevonite here, to our home?"
"Ra ec y vneaht." Stenn replied.
Cid glared at Gian for what seemed like an eternity, then spoke. "Stenn chooses his friends very carefully. So what do you want?"
"My summoner, and the woman I love and have sword to protect. You have her, and I want her."
"And what'll you do if I give her to you?" Cid asked. "You'll drag her off to Zanarkand and make her fight Sin, won't you? You'll force her to sacrifice herself so you can live in peace. Too many summoners already have died to bring about this peace that never seems to come. So forget it."
"Cid, I love Tara more than anything She's everything to me. I'd die myself, if it meant saving her. I'm not going to let her die. It's true that I haven't figured everything out yet, but I will not let her die. I swear this to you!"
"All I hear is a lot of talk," Cid continued to glare. "Show me action!"
"What would you have me do?" the guardian questioned. "If you know something I don't, now would be a good time to tell me. All I know is that even if it costs me my own life, I swear to you I will not let her die!"
Cid continued to glare at the guardian. Finally, he turned to Stenn, "Ku kad dra cissuhan." Turning back to face Gian, Cid spoke once more. "Boy, if you ever forget those words, I'll make you pay dearly for it."
Tara sat alone inside the Summoner's Sanctum. She heard the door being unlocked and she prepared herself, not knowing what was about to happen. She saw Stenn's face as the door opened, but it was a different Stenn than she expected. The Stenn she saw had a smile on his face.
"Come with me," Stenn spoke.
"Where are we going?"
"Sir Gian is here," Stenn replied. "I'm taking you to him."
"Seriously?" the summoner questioned.
"Yes," Stenn continued. "Lady Tara, I was wrong, and I humbly apologize. A lot has happened, and to be honest, nobody is really sure what to make of any of it. Lady Tara, we Al Bhed want Sin gone as much as you do. While I can't speak for every Al Bhed you may encounter, I believe in my heart that you and your guardian really do have Spira's best interest at heart. And I feel it's my duty to help you in any way that I can."
"Why did you kidnap me?" Tara questioned.
"I think kidnap is perhaps too strong a word," Stenn explained. "We Al Bhed want all of Spira to be safe, including the summoners. We... I... have no ill will toward you or your guardian. We were just doing what we felt was right. And I was wrong. And I intend to fix that, no matter what it takes."
"You're really serious, aren't you?" Tara was surprised at Stenn's sudden shift in personality.
"I am," Stenn replied. "I was wrong. I'm sorry. Please forgive me." Stenn held out his hand.
"Thank you, Stenn." Tara smiled as she shook the Al Bhed's hand. "Let's go."
Gian sat on a bench while he waited for Stenn to return with Tara. He was approached by a young Al Bhed woman."
"Excuse me, Sir Gian. You're from Bevelle, right?" The guardian nodded. "I've heard a lot about you, and it's nice to meet you. I was wondering, do you know a young man named Braska?"
"I don't know him personally, but I do know who he is."
The young woman seemed disappointed. "My name is Larissa. I was wondering if you'd be willing to do me a small favor. If you see Braska at any point, will you please tell him that I miss him, and I hope he comes back soon?"
The guardian nodded again as he continued to wait for Tara. Finally, she emerged from one of the taller buildings. She ran straight into Gian's arms where they stood holding each other, oblivious to anything else. Stenn observed for just a moment, knowing he made the right decision.
The pair joined hands and had begun to leave Home when Cid's voice called out.
"Just where the hell do you think you're going?"
Gian turned around to see Cid behind them.
"What, you gonna just swim back to the mainland? If you're really gonna fight Sin, I want in on it. And I got something that'll help!" Cid headed towards a large hangar building as Stenn was starting to get very excited.
"Gian, come on! You're gonna love this!" the Al Bhed exclaimed.
Tara looked at Stenn, then back at Gian, with an amused look on her face. "The two of you are BFF's now?"
Tara and Gian followed Cid into the hangar, where they saw the single most impressive piece of machina that they had ever seen in their lives.
"What is it?" Tara asked.
"A ship!" Stenn replied. "A ship capable of flying through the air!" The Al Bhed's excitement was off the charts. "Come on, let's go!"
"Flying?" Tara was incredulous. "Through the air?"
"You up for some fun?" Gian teased, as the pair boarded the airship. They took a look around the cockpit, and were amazed at what they saw. Dials, gauges, needles, lever, and knobs, all seeming to have a purpose. Not that he knew what any of it did.
After thoroughly exploring the airship, they returned to the cockpit area. Gian felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see a young Al Bhed boy of about fifteen who spoke to him.
"Dryd cfunt ec payidevim. Ed ec cusadrehk E lyh fung fedr."
Gian looked towards Cid who replied. "He says he likes your sword. He says it's something he can work with. Krato's a metal-worker and he's pretty darn good at it. If I were you, I'd hand it over."
Gian looked at Tara, then handed his sword to the boy. The pair then took a seat towards the side of the cockpit area.
"Where to?" asked Cid.
"Well," Gian thought aloud, "Bevelle was the next stop on our journey. I guess that's where we need to go next, not that I'm looking foward to it or anything."
"Stenn!" Cid bellowed. "Off to Bevelle!"
Tara looked at Gian. "He knows how to fly this thing?"
"I sure hope so..." the guardian nervously replied.
They felt the craft beginning to rumble. They looked out the window and saw the ground disappearing. Then they started to move. Both watched with amazement as the desert expanse moved quickly underneath them. A short time later, the view of the desert was replaced by a much calmer view of the ocean.
Gian looked up to see a smiling Krato standing before him, holding the sword. Gian unsheathed the weapon and was amazed at the work that the boy had done. The sword's blue-ish tint was replaced with a gleaming white glow, and the guardian felt a power throbbing through it, a power he had never felt before. He offered his hand to the boy and spoke.
"Thank you."
Krato shook hands with Gian and tried to speak. He coughed first in preparation.
"You...you..are...welcome."
Gian smiled at Tara. "Those were probably the first words of our language he's ever spoken."
The pair went below decks to take in the view from the observation area. Tara pointed to an extremely large dragon-like figure, horrified by what she saw. "What the hell is that?"
Gian looked to see something familiar. "Evrae. The Guardian Wyrm. The Sacred Protector of Bevelle. We must be close."
The pair were startled as the intercom crackled to life, with Cid's voice.
"You guys, get out there on deck. We're gonna fight that thing!"
Tara looked at Gian in shock. "Who's this 'we' he's talking about?"
Gian shook his head. "You've got to be kidding me..."
The pair emerged from the observation area onto the deck on top of the ship. Evrae towered above them with a visage that was more terrifying than anything they'd ever seen in their lives.
Evrae reared back, preparing to strike. The beast roared loudly, lunged forward, and then stopped. The beast hung in place for what seemed like an eternity as it stared intently at the guardian.
Gian paused, struck with an idea. He laid his sword down on the deck, then looked over at his summoner. "Tara! Put your staff down, and don't make any threatening moves!"
Tara did as asked, and dryly remarked, "The only move I want to make is back inside!"
Evrae continued to stare at the guardian, it's face no more than fifteen feet away from the pair.
"It's me, Evrae! It's Gian!" the guardian exclaimed. "You recognize me, don't you?"
The beast continued to observe the guardian as it cocked it's head to the side.
"We mean you no harm. We won't hurt you. We're not here to fight!"
Tara slowly moved over towards Gian. "Is it gonna attack us?"
Gian looked back towards Tara. "I don't think so. He seems to recognize me. I was in Bevelle for a long time. He's seen me and I think he knows who I am."
The beast leaned back and let out a loud roar. He then simply flew away, leaving the ship unimpeded.
"What the hell just happened?" came from the intercom.
Gian walked over to press the reply button. "He's going to let us pass."
The ship set down just shy of the Calm Lands. It was a short trek to the entrance to the Highbridge, that led to Bevelle.
"I had hoped to never come back here," the guardian spoke as he took Tara's hand.
Together the pair began to make their way down the Bevelle Highbridge.