Unable to release the fear of losing her, Dunban stayed at Fiora's side all night, eventually nodding off in the late hours of the night, though the chair he sat in was dreadfully uncomfortable. When the morning came, sunshine streaking through the white curtains next to Fiora's bed, Dunban twisted in the chair, slowly waking. He sat up and stretched, yawning as he did. Looking at his sister, who was still sleeping, relief poured through him. She made it through the night without any trouble. The rest would accelerate the healing process.

And when Fiora was healed and ready to resume her daily activities, he would send her home to Colony 9.

She would rail against him, that he was sure of. She would protest, rage, possibly scream at him. But it would be no use. There was no way Fiora would be able to talk him out of it. He couldn't risk her getting hurt again. As soon as she woke, the man would break the news to his sister. And he would encourage Shulk to leave as well, though he had no control over the young man's decisions.

The murmur of voices in the distance distracted him from his thoughts. Curious, Dunban rose and pulled the curtain back from Fiora's designated resting area. The noises were coming from Melia's area. He strode across the hall. James and Elrich were posted at the curtain, barring entrance to all who wished to pass through and meet with the Empress.

"Good morning." Dunban said to them.

Elrich grunted in response, as usual. However, James said embarrassed, "Good morning, Dunban." Most likely he was thinking about the previous evening, how he had interrupted Dunban and Melia's intimate moment.

"Can I see her?"

"Yes, of course. She's with Shulk now." Dunban nodded and passed between them, pulling the blue curtain out of the way.

As he entered the space, he found Shulk in a chair next to Melia's bed. Silently, he observed the scene for a few moments. A shade of discomfort passed through him, but he ignored it, knowing it was irrational. He remembered that Melia had once held feelings of the romantic nature for Shulk, but he knew those were long gone. Still, the voice of insecurity recalling past interactions with Senara whispered in his ear, putting him on edge. Clearing his throat, Dunban made his presence known to the two of them.

Their faces turned towards the Homs man. Shulk looked relieved, while Melia's face was devoid of feeling. If Dunban guessed correctly, they were speaking of something unsettling.

"I was hoping you would wake up soon." Shulk said and stood.

"What's going on?"

"I was just telling Melia the results of the survey. And...it's not very good to be honest." The younger man exhaled and sat back down.

"I'm all ears." Dunban came closer and sat at the edge of the bed, next to Melia's feet. He wanted to sit closer to her, by the head of the bed, but he was unsure if that would make her uncomfortable, the display of intimacy in front of Shulk. Or anyone for that matter. Perhaps that was something they should discuss sooner than later.

"Well, yesterday, Fiora and I were finishing up the survey. So far, we hadn't found any pockets of ether in high concentrations at all. But then we landed at the site of Hovering Reef 9, and the ether sensors skyrocketed." Shulk's brow furrowed. "Not a few degrees, but almost one hundred."

Dunban looked from Shulk to Melia, but she did not take her eyes off of Shulk. She sat perfectly still.

Swallowing, Shulk continued, "Fiora and I got off the shuttle to get a sense of it. We searched the reef itself, but didn't see much of anything. But then Fiora went to the western edge and called me over. About twenty feet down, there's this gigantic pocket. I've never seen anything like it. We couldn't see how far down the hole went, the ether was so thick in the air inside and around it. Even being above it, we could feel the ether in the air."

He fell silent, his words seeping through the air, forcing the trio to absorb the gravity of the situation.

"What do we do?" Shulk asked, uncertain.

"Right now, we keep this to ourselves. I will ground all shuttles, save those that receive my approval to fly." Melia said in a low voice. Her gaze rested on her hands in her lap, though he could see she wasn't really seeing them. The High Entia was in her mind, already thinking through the situation, looking for ways to solve the problem.

"But Melia, it's dangerous! We have to do something!"

"I'm not saying that it will stay a secret. We will have to warn the public soon. But I need to announce it in a way that does not inspire mass panic. Because an announcement such as this will do exactly that. Even if we take precautions." The Homs Entia paused, then asked, "Shulk, would you be able to initiate some sort of quarantine of the area?"

"Um...I don't know. It is a very wide area."

"Would you look into it? See if there is some way to seal off the pocket at the very least?"

"Of course, Melia." Shulk got to his feet.

"Dunban, would you go with Kiefer to investigate the crash? See if there is any trace of who may have sabotaged the shuttle or any evidence pointing to him?"

It seemed that there would be no private interaction between the two of them this morning. It disappointed him, as he wanted to ask how she was feeling, but he knew this was more important. She looked at him, expressionless. Her armor was up; her mind was on state matters, as it should be.

Rising from his seat, he nodded and departed, Shulk following him out. Dunban's mind was racing; what if an unsuspecting Entia stumbled upon the ether pocket? Even worse, fell in and transformed? A Telethia reappearing would incite mass panic. It could even start witch hunts of Entia by Homs Entia, to prevent more Telethia from being created.

That was not a possibility he wanted to imagine.

At the very least, as Shulk was investigating the possibility of a quarantine. Hopefully the young man would find a way to do just that.

He froze, his mind stuck on a single thought. The area needed to be sealed off now. Even if the shuttles were grounded, teleporters were still accessible by the High Entia. And someone could teleport all the way out to the Hovering Reef 9.

"I'll see you later," Dunban said to Shulk and walked back towards Melia's makeshift quarters.

He strode between James and Elrich without waiting to be announced and stopped suddenly.

His eyes widened at the sight of Melia's exposed back. The sight of the bare, alabaster skin cause a flash of desire to roll through him. But the scars on her back from the flames softened the emotion inside of him, turning it to concern. Her skin had been seared horizontally; as if someone had clawed the flesh from her back. They were still red from injury, healing slowly. A mixture of worry and anger rushed through him. Did the injuries still hurt? Was she in pain?

Then his eyes noticed a small marking at the base of her neck. A tattoo?

Stop.

He had to let her know he was there. He couldn't sneak out now. He coughed.

She cast a glance over her shoulder at the noise and stopped at the sight of him. Eyes wide. Her face flushed and she wrapped her arms around her naked upper body.

They stood staring at each other, silently, neither knowing what to say or do. Stunned.

Finally, red in the face, Dunban muttered, "Apologies. I will await you outside." And he strode out of the room, eyes glued to the floor.

He put his hands to his face, cursing himself. He was absolutely mortified. Why hadn't he checked if she was receiving guests before going in? What had he just done? She probably thought he was some sort of pervert. How could he possibly backpedal from this?

After a few minutes, he felt a tap on his shoulder and removed his hands. There she stood in front of him, fully clothed, still wearing an expression of embarrassment on her face.

"Dunban–"

"Melia, I'm very sorry for the intrusion. That was...I'm truly sorry." He blurted. The humiliation left him tongue tied, unsure of what to say, as he didn't want to dig himself deeper into the hole he was already in.

She nodded, slowly meeting his eyes, her face flushed. "What was it you wanted to share with me?"

So she was going to avoid the subject entirely. He didn't blame her. What was there to say? It was his fault in the first place. Exhaling, he said, "I thought it might be prudent to restrict access to the Hovering Reef 9. At least the teleporters between the reefs."

"Yes, that is a good idea. I will take care of that."

They fell silent, the awkwardness permeating the air between and around them. The sight of her nude back flashed in his mind and he pushed it away.

"I'm very sorry, Melia."

"It's alright, Dunban." She bit her lip and added, "No harm was done."

Somehow, he didn't believe that was the case. But he wouldn't argue with her. "Okay." He nodded. "I...will see you later then."

The Empress nodded and he turned away from her, making his way towards the exit of the clinic, his ears still burning with embarrassment.

"There's nothing in the logs." Kiefer said as he scrolled through the maintanence records. Dunban had joined Kiefer in the shuttle dock, located just under the landing bay.

"And you talked to the mechanic already who checked the shuttle before Shulk and Fiora left?"

Kiefer nodded. "He said nothing was wrong. And he didn't see anyone suspicious or out of place in the dock yesterday."

Something was missing. The shuttle didn't just crash on its own. "Let's go back up to the crash site. Take another look." Kiefer grunted and led the way towards the teleporter that would beam them up a level. A few minutes later, the Homs and Homs Entia stood in front of the wreckage. There was little remaining of the shuttle. Pieces were scattered all over the runway, burnt black, many unrecognizable.

"What did you find yesterday?"

Silently, Kiefer strode over to the tail of the shuttle, or what was left of it. Pointing to the rudder, there was a small circular object attached to it.

"What is that?"

"A transponder. It should turn on and send out a distress signal should anything happen to the shuttle. It is connected wirelessly to the shuttle's computer system." He plucked it off the metal and handed it to Dunban.

The Homs turned it over in his hands, feeling its groves. It was mostly untouched from the crash. It shined silvery in the sunlight. For being a piece of electronic equipment, it felt smooth. Too smooth. Not like the steel it would be made out of. "This is..."

"Ceramic."

"Someone replaced the transponder with a fake."

"Yes. Theoretically, a person could rig the shuttle's navigational system to malfunction. This would lead to a most certain crash. The distress signal would not go off, and the shuttle would be lost to an 'accident'." His tone was even, but his face contorted in anger.

Dunban too felt a growing heat inside him as he thought about how Fiora had been in the shuttle, doomed to fail. Whoever this person was, Dunban was going to make sure he answered for his actions.

"But we don't know who replaced the transponder."

"No."

"Then that means the transponder was changed after the inspection, while the shuttle was waiting on the runway."

"That is one way. Alternatively, the person could have changed all of the transponders on each shuttle. I'll tell the mechanics to check immediately." Kiefer walked towards one of the crew members, leaving Dunban to contemplate other possible scenarios for sabotage.

His mind began to brainstorm around the question of who had the skill to replicate the transponder with such technique. Surely it would take some time to create a counterfeit device. And someone would have to have access to equipment to create the shape, fire it into its shape, then paint it. The process alone could take at least a day or two. Maybe that was the next step. Identifying where those facilities might be and checking to see if they had logs of visitors.

As they walked back to the Great Hall, Dunban observed small groups of High Entia clustered together inside the Great Hall, speaking in hushed tones. A few excited gasps and shrieks were emitted from a group of Homs Entia women to the right as he and Kiefer passed .

The confusion on his face was evident. Kiefer looked at him and said, "The news of the Empress' rescue of the Homs girl has spread."

"What are they saying?"

"From what has been spoken near me, most are impressed, as they should be."

"That's good to hear." A small smile appeared on his face. She deserved every ounce of praise.

"Despite the recent events, the people know nobility when they see it." He grunted and said, "But there are those who believe it to be nothing more than a publicity stunt."

Dunban clenched his jaw but said nothing. There would always be those who would not be satisfied. At the very least, most recognized Melia's courage. And that was something, as she was fighting an uphill battle to regain the favor of the public. If anything good had come out of the shuttle crash, it was this public illustration of Melia's true nature, one of kindness and selflessness.

Later that afternoon, Dunban headed back to the clinic the check on Fiora. When he arrived in her makeshift chamber, he found his sister awake, with Melia sitting at her bedside. Fiora spoke in excited tones, though Melia kept the tones of her voice mellow. He stopped as soon as he saw the two of them, unsure. "I didn't mean to intrude."

His sister turned to him, rolling her eyes and said, "You always say that. You're not intruding. Come join us." She patted the bed side next to her, opposite of Melia.

Cautiously, Dunban took the offered seat, glancing at Melia, who avoided his gaze. The memory of the morning's run-in was still to strong to release just yet.

"How are you feeling?" Dunban asked as he walked to Fiora's bedside.

"Much better. The healers say I can get out of this bed the day after tomorrow, thank goodness. I'm getting bored just lying here."

"Good. When you're better, you're going back to Colony 9."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"It's not safe for you here."

"I will let you two have some privacy." Melia said hurridely and glided out of the room without waiting for a response, avoiding eye contact with him. How much longer would this go one for?

"Is something wrong? With you and Melia?" Fiora asked.

"We're not talking about that. We're talking about you, and how you're going home when you are discharged. I will drag you onto that shuttle myself if I have to."

"Well, you're going to have to. I'm not leaving." She crossed her arms over her chest, a defiant glare in her eyes.

"This is not a discussion. You're going and that's final."

"No, I will not! Melia needs my help here."

"I will still be here."

"That looks like it's going well," Fiora snorted.

"Do not argue with me, Fiora. I will not take no for an answer."

Fiora shook her head, obstinate. "I'm not going. I have something to do. Melia asked if I wanted to help out at the orphanage and I said yes!"

"She did what?" He could feel a bubbling of rage growing inside of his gut.

"I think I would be really good at it. I love kids. And with Miriall gone, Melia needs someone to take over."

"She had no right to ask you that." His voice dangerously low.

Dunban could feel himself close to exploding, his hands balling into fists as his thoughts raced through his mind. Why in the hell had Melia asked her to do such a thing? Fiora had almost been killed by the saboteur. Didn't she realize that Fiora was a walking target? And now she wanted to put her in the middle of everything?

"You're not my keeper. You're my brother. And I expect you to let me make my own decisions and support them."

"I am your guardian. You're not yet 20, which means you're still under my charge."

"Come on, Dunban! Why won't you let me help her? She's my friend."

"This is not a discussion. I will see you later."

Dunban rose from his seat and walked out, flipping the curtain back as he exited, agitated. He would have to have some strong words with Melia.

As the man walked across the clinic floor, he saw across the hall James and Elrich posted outside of the curtained space Melia had occupied the evening before. Dunban stopped in his tracks. He didn't want to end up in another situation like the one earlier that morning. He'd make a point of finding her later that evening. Just as he was about to turn and exit the clinic, a flash of red caught his eye.

Dunban turned back to see what it was. Astonished, he watched as Camar advanced towards Melia's corner, carrying a bouquet of Mystic Dahlias. He clenched his jaw as he spoke with James and Elrich, and they let him pass, with Elrich following Camar inside.

A mixture of anger and jealousy swept through him like a tidal wave. What was he doing carrying flowers to Melia? That was a stupid question; Dunban knew exactly what was happening. And he did not like it one bit, even though he was angry with Melia. A few minutes later, Camar emerged without the flowers, wearing a satisfied smirk. As he walked away from Melia's makeshift chamber, he saw Dunban from across the room and locked eyes with the Homs. A sneer appeared on his lips and Dunban clenched his fists. Then, with a nonchalant shrug, Camar turned and strode towards the exit of the clinic, leaving Dunban in a mix of fury and resentment.

It was half past eight when Dunban traveled through the secret corridors of the Great Hall. As he walked, all he could think about was Melia and Fiora and Camar. His blood rose with each step; the anger bubbling up, close to an explosion point. Finally, he exited the dark stairwell and emerged into a bright corridor, where at the end was a large ornately carved door guarded by two High Entia. Dunban rushed right up to the door and glared at James.

"I want to see her."

James narrowed his eyes, but didn't argue. Instead, he called out, "You have a visitor, Empress. Dunban is here."

There was a moment of silence before a voice called back, "Please let him in."

Without waiting, Dunban stormed into Melia's apartment to find her standing by the window.

"What were you thinking?" He demanded, striding over to her.

"Excuse me?"

"Asking Fiora to work at the orphanage after the crash."

"That's not how it happened." She said patiently, "If you would let me explain–"

"I thought you had more sense than that." He folded his arms over his chest.

"I can see that you're angry, but that is no reason to be rude." She said evenly.

"She's still healing from the crash and you asked her to go to work? That was selfish, Melia."

"Let me be crystal clear," Melia said as her eyes narrowed. "Fiora indicated to me that with the survey done and Shulk focused on finding a solution for the quarantine, she felt purposeless. Thus, she wanted to know if there was anything that she could do in the meantime. I did not bring it up. She wanted to help. She practically begged me to find her something to do."

"And you thought it would be a good idea to offer her a job at the orphanage? After almost being killed by your saboteur? There is a target on her back. Or did you forget that?" He fumed.

She winced but replied, "I said the job was conditional on her recovery. Need I remind you this was your idea in the first place?"

"You should have consulted with me first before you talked to her."

Her eyes softened. "Dunban, I know you are scared, but you need to let Fiora live her own life."

"I don't want her to be here anymore. Not with this villain on the loose."

"That's a discussion you have to have with her. Not with me."

"Do not encourage her anymore. You've done enough damage."

"Damage? You are mistaken. I only presented her with an opportunity that she asked for!" Melia responded with a frown.

"It is too dangerous for her to be here. And she doesn't see that. Apparently, neither do you." He growled.

"Fiora is a rational person. She can make her own decisions."

"That is not for you to decide. You may be the Empress of the High Entia, but that does not give you jurisdiction over my sister's life." He snapped.

"I would never think such a thing!"

"Then why would you want her to stay here in harm's way? Why wouldn't you encourage her to leave and go somewhere where she is safe?"

"Dunban, I think you need to take a breath–"

"Tempting Fiora with the orphanage—what you did was deliberate self-interest. You're putting my sister's life in danger, and for what? Your own needs. You didn't think for a second about the fact that someone wants to kill her in order to get to you. Instead, you decided to use Fiora to fill a void in your restoration plans so you can ignore the fact that you've lost control of your people, your kingdom, and are scrambling to keep it afloat!"

Silence.

"Get out."

"Gladly."

And without a moment to waste, Dunban strode out, slamming the door behind him.