Chapter 16: The Defector
Cephiro Castle, Main Chamber
Several days had passed, and now the leaders of Fahran, Chizeta and Autozam were gathered together. Joining them were Ferio and the others, as well as the War Wolves and the Magic Knights. In addition, the Black Dragon was there as well.
"Our guest has finally shared what he knows about the Zill and their plans," said Ferio. "I hate to say it, but things are worse than we expected."
"I was afraid of that," said Tarta with a groan. "How bad are we talking here?"
"For starters, the Zill forces are three times larger than you've seen so far," said the Black Dragon. "Three more fleets of ships are waiting far beyond the outskirts of your world, in case they are needed."
"In all likelihood, they're also for added security for when the Emperor arrives," said Kefka.
"That is true," said the Black Dragon. "As you've all doubtless heard by now, the Emperor of Zill will be coming by to personally inspect the progress of the invasion."
"I'd like to show this Emperor just what I think of him!" said Lady Aska. "Why don't we capture him when he comes?"
"Easier said than done," said Jiang. "The Emperor never travels anywhere except by his personal flagship, the Apollyon. It's not only big enough and armed enough to pound a planetary surface flat, but also crawling with the very best soldiers in the Imperium. Top it all off, the Emperor is a formidable warrior himself and possesses insane magical power. It would be suicide trying to come at him directly or otherwise."
"Putting that aside," said the Black Dragon as he turned to Eagle and Geo. "I trust your engineers are still studying the disruptor guns on the Hammerhead?"
"Yes, but progress is slow," admitted Geo. "We've learned enough that we might be able to harden our shields against them, but not by very much. We still can't figure out how to completely negate their effects."
"There's a very specific reason for that," said the Black Dragon. "The disruptors can only be cancelled out by a specific metal alloy, and neither you, nor Fahran or Chizeta has access to this metal. It's only utilized by the Zill themselves, in the construction of their ships."
"So what you're saying is, we'd need Zill ships in order to fight on equal footing," said Zazu, starting to look downhearted.
"Well that's just great," snapped Tarta. "Where does that leave all of us now?"
"Don't you know anything else, anything that might help us?" asked Clef.
"That's about all I know," said the Black Dragon. "The rest is up to you. What you choose to do with this information is entirely up to you."
"Gee, that was really helpful," Umi whispered to Raxx, who was seated next to her.
"I don't suppose there's any chance we can convince you to stay?" asked Ferio. "With your magical skills, it could go a long way to helping us against the Zill in the coming battles."
"You couldn't afford me on a full-time basis," said the Black Dragon. "I'm not here to aid your cause or the Zill's, and I'm not here to be a hero."
"You really are just a common mercenary," said Lafarga, his arms crossed. "A pitiful waste of your talents."
"I've heard it all before," said the Black Dragon, his voice going lower. "But, I'm going to tell all of you exactly what I tell everyone who thinks they can judge me. The last time I got caught up 'caring' about others, it cost me everything and everyone I had. Now it's just me against the world and the world has it coming."
"How can you be so cold?" Hikaru suddenly shouted, getting to her feet and drawing everyone's attention. "You don't think we've all lost people we care about? You don't think we've been hurt by the world, that we haven't experienced loss? But we're still here fighting, doing what we can to protect whoever we can! But you, you have all that power and experience, and you just gave up without a fight!"
An angry hiss of breath escaped his mask as the Black Dragon turned and took a few menacing steps towards Hikaru. Kefka instantly stood between the two of them, glaring at the battlemage and clenching his teeth. Umi, Fuu, Lantis and several others also stood up, ready to intervene.
"Listen to me, you naïve child," growled the Black Dragon, "you don't know real loss like I do! You still have friends, family, and a world to call home. I have none of that! My whole world was literally taken from me, leaving me alone in the universe! You, who grew up in a safe little bubble, has no idea what I've gone through! You stand there trying to lecture me, well get this through your head! The only thing that matters is survival, the survival of yourself and nobody else! There are no heroes in this world!"
"You're right," said Hikaru, "I don't know what it's like to lose all of that. I have my family back home, I have my friends here, and I have something worth protecting. And every day I worry about losing them, especially now with this war on. But I don't let that stop me from doing everything I can to protect them. And if I were to lose them, I'd keep on fighting in their memory. Because I couldn't live with myself if I just gave up."
She looked up towards him. "What about everyone you lost? What would they think if they saw you like this? Living like this, doing the things you do, especially for people who want to do to Cephiro what someone did to your home? It would probably kill them to see you in this state."
He went quiet, the only sound was his breath from behind the mask. For a moment he just stood there, breath hissing, as if he had turned to steel. Finally, he spoke. "I will... consider your request, Prince Ferio," he said. "For now, I need time to think. I will take my leave now." He turned and left the room.
"I don't trust him," said Lady Aska. "He gives me the creeps."
"Yes, I agree," said Sang Yung, "he makes me nervous."
"I don't think any of us fully trusts him," said Clef. "Still, if we can convince him to help, he would be a valuable ally."
"Uhh, guys, I hate to interrupt," said Tino, looking at the holo-screen projected over his glove, "but we've got company!"
"What's the matter?" asked Kefka, turning around.
"There's a shuttle on approach to the castle, a Zill shuttle," said Tino. "It's a special model, the kind used by a high ranking officer!"
"You think they're coming here to issue a demand for surrender?" asked Jiang, looking worried.
"I don't know, but they're broadcasting a signal of non-aggression," said Tino. "They're not looking for a fight, they're looking to talk."
"Very well then, let's hear what they have to say," said Ferio. "Kefka, would you be willing to bring them in when they arrive?"
"Of course," said Kefka with a nod. "Jiang, Shakku, you're with me. Let's go see who our 'guest' is."
They left the chamber, leaving the others to wonder what was going on.
"I hope everything is okay," said Hikaru, looking worried.
"I am sure everything is going to be fine," said Fuu. "Kefka and the others know how to take care of themselves."
"Besides, with all of us here, they'd have to be crazy to start a fight," said Caldena. "Especially if they came here alone with no backup."
A few very tense minutes later, Kefka and the others returned with a new face in tow. He wore the black and silver uniform of a Zill Fleet Admiral, along with a shoulder cape.
"Everyone, allow me to introduce Fleet Admiral Harkoss," said Kefka. "Commander of the 9th Fleet."
"Welcome to Cephiro, Fleet Admiral," said Ferio. "How can we help you?"
"You must be Prince Ferio," said Harkoss, turning his head to face him. "I've come with an offer for you and your allies."
"A likely story," said Tarta with a glare.
"Now now sister, we should let him speak first," said Tatra.
"We have little reason to trust you," said Ferio, "but we're willing to hear what you have to say."
"In that case, I'll come right to the chase," said Harkoss. "The fleet under my command is willing to join your little alliance... for a price."
There was a chorus of gasps that went around the room. They hadn't known what to expect, but this certainly wasn't it.
"You're... asking to join us?" asked Ferio.
"Like I said, for a price," said Harkoss. "But yes, I and my fleet are willing to join your side and fight against Rahksha and his forces."
"Why would you want to do that?" asked Lady Aska, pointing at Harkoss with her fan. "Why should we believe you?"
"Our reasons are our own," said Harkoss. "Besides, if I was lying, would I really waltz in here, without so much as a bodyguard or escort, leaving myself totally at your mercy? Ask your friends, the War Wolves, if I'm that stupid or not."
"He's not," said Jiang. "If he's come here under these circumstances, he's being dead serious."
"Very interesting," said Ferio, rubbing his chin. "Well Fleet Admiral, I'll be honest with you. We're in desperate need of the kind of help you can provide. If you're serious, we can negotiate."
"That's good to know," said Harkoss with a small nod. "May I approach?"
"Of course, slowly," said Ferio.
Harkoss approached, taking a seat in a chair Clef summoned for him. "I'll be quite honest with you, Prince. This is a decision I am not making lightly. If even a whisper of this meeting gets back to Rahksha or the Emperor, it means my death. I hope you realize, then, how serious I am about this offer."
"Of course, Fleet Admiral, I appreciate you taking such a great personal risk," said Ferio.
"Please, call me Harkoss," he said. "After all, we'll hopefully be working together."
"Very well then," said Ferio. "What is it exactly that you're offering?"
"I command over two hundred ships," said Harkoss. "Cruisers, support craft, destroyers, even Dreadnoughts. That's not counting the amount of starfighters, either. I know after that disaster several days ago that you need every ship you can get your hands on. Especially in the case of Autozam."
"It's true, we suffered a considerable loss," said Eagle. "And it will be several more days before more forces can arrive."
"What about the rest of you?" asked Harkoss, looking to Lady Aska and the twins from Chizeta.
"We lost the Dreamchild and most of our other ships," said Lady Aska regretfully. "All I have left now is my illusion magic."
"And we don't really have much of a military ourselves," said Tatra. "Just our flying fortress and our guardian Djinn."
"As you can see, we're very much in need," said Ferio. "Tell me, though, what exactly is the price of your help?"
"First and foremost, access to any needed resources from Cephiro," said Harkoss. "Food, water, medicine, that sort of thing. Also, I want full sanctuary for the personnel under my command. We'll all be branded traitors and left with nowhere to go. I want us to be able to resettle here and start our lives over again. If we survive this, that is."
"Your terms are agreeable," said Ferio. "Very well, I accept your offer."
Harkoss stood up and extended a hand. "Then we have a deal?"
Ferio stood and took Harkoss' hand, shaking it. "We have a deal. Welcome to the alliance, Harkoss."