Chapter 28
A couple hours before the ritual at the Cradle...
Panther drove his Hyoodin back to the Palace of Azer, the imposing gates opening again, allowing him entry back into the courtyard. The black limousine was back again, Panther arriving in time to see Queen Kula walking down the stairs from the palace's entrance to the waiting car, flanked by two of the Retinue: Nidi and Hanzu. Though she had no other escort, Panther knew those two were all she needed.
"Pull up over there." Sable indicated towards a nearby empty spot.
Panther did as told, Sable unbuckling her seat belt and opening the scissor door on her side. As she stepped out of the car, she turned around to lean on her open door, grinning at Panther. "Thank you for the ride." She let out a laugh. "I can hardly believe it! What a wonderful time to be alive! We've waited generations for this night, and now it's all about to come to fruition! This day will be talked about for centuries or even millennia to come! Panther, the next time we meet? Thaal-Ja will have risen, and we will rule this planet! Nothing will be impossible! The future will be ours to decide!"
Panther did his best to return a smile and pretend he was happy, but it was out of pure survival instinct. He imagined his face looked ridiculous if he could see it from Sable's viewpoint, but lucky for him she was too excited to notice.
"Anyway, I'll see you again soon. Maybe then, maybe we can..." She glanced towards his crotch, her grin twisting into a wicked smile.
Panther's cheeks flushed with heat, his pants under his robes growing tighter, as his body cried out for him to take her right there, like it had so many times before with other women.
Yet another part of him, almost as primal as the part telling him he needed to mate, told him deep down she was nothing but bad news and to stay far away from her. Sexual desire and terror crashed together like ocean waves in a storm, creating a dizzying array of emotions inside Panther's head. Bile rose in his throat, the jungle cat choking on it.
Fortunately, Sable wasn't paying attention. "Oh dear…" She looked off to the side. "Our ride's about to leave. Farewell for now, Panther." She winked at him, her tail swaying seductively behind her as she left.
Panther couldn't take it anymore, looking away from her.
Just in time too, as the vomit went back down. He sighed, letting himself ease back into his seat. A minute or two and he'd be able to recover—
Something slammed into the passenger's side window.
Panther whirled around, almost falling backwards out through the driver's side door. Jima pressed her silver gloved hand against the glass, the snow leopard Retinue glaring at him, almost like death itself. She pointed a finger at the door's lock. With reluctance, he pushed it.
Jima opened the door, sliding into the passenger's seat. "Drive," she spat out. "Turn around and leave the palace grounds."
Panther managed a small nod, turning the car around and back through the front gates.
As they exited, Jima said "Right turn. Left at the end of this street."
Panther complied, turning the car around the corner and past another one of the lavish mansions within this giant dome. What the hell was this now? "Where are we go—"
"Sable's residence. No more questions."
Jima guided him back towards the downtown chamber. It wasn't long before they made it to a massive skyscraper, its dark glass twinkling in the fading lights of the fiber optics. If this building's condos were like the ones in Corneria City, they would go for millions of credits.
Apparently Sable had called ahead. A red-suited valet waited for them at the front door, Panther parking next to him. As the valet whisked away the car, Jima grabbed Panther by the arm, dragging him through the building's luxurious lobby, an elegant fountain in the center of the red-carpeted room. Rich flower arrangements adorned the corners, resting on black pedestals. Soon they were in a private elevator, Panther not enjoying the close proximity. When they arrived at the right floor, nothing waited for them there but a simple door..
Jima opened it for Panther. "Inside."
Gulping, Panther stepped through the door.
She slammed the door closed behind Panther, leaving him in darkness. A moment later, lights illuminated at a gradual pace. As the room came into focus, it reminded him of the Onyx. Dark, earthy colors for the walls, along with yellow-orange lights that gave the impressions of torches or lanterns in a deep cave, evoking the actual cave this building was in.
Panther strode across the burnt orange carpet, walking to a set of curtains on the far wall. The curtains parted, light spilling into the darkened living room. Gerrant's downtown chamber spread out before him, glistening like a sea of stars in outer space. Puddles from the artificial rain shone underneath the lights. He still wasn't used to the sight of the roof of a cave overhead, plus more buildings reaching downwards. Made him feel sick.
Turning around, he glanced over at the nearby couches. One couch looked odd compared to what you'd see in Lylat. Instead of a normal couch, this one was shaped like a shallow bowl with a rounded bottom, like a hammock. It appeared you were meant to lie in it, curl up, and get nice and snug. Being a feline, that sort of position would be immensely comfortable. Panther suddenly noticed how tired he was after his first crazy day on Thaljista. He struggled to keep his eyes open, and he was unsteady on his feet. Melting into that couch would be like heaven.
Yet he hesitated. Was now the best time to sleep? Thaal-Ja would rise soon. What if Thaal-Ja turned out to be an unstoppable monster and instead of obeying Queen Kula it destroyed Thaljista? Maybe it'd be better if I got out of here, before I find out the hard way. Panther tried the front door, and it was locked. No surprise there. He glanced at his glove. Maybe he could cut through it? But what would be his next move? It wasn't like he knew where to find a ship to escape this place. Was his Wolfen nearby? Or had Sable turned it into scrap so he couldn't leave?
The only person he knew would help him here was Giichi. But Giichi was locked away at the palace as well. What's he doing right now? Is there a way I could contact him?
Panther sat on the lip of the couch, hands on his hips. He was still having trouble processing what he'd learned today, like when he met the Carusos.
Crazy to think he had a whole extended family this far from home. And they were nobility, to boot. Not that it mattered much to him personally, what with Casimiro had said before. Apparently Granddad wasn't too fond of Dad. Panther was not surprised though.
Father liked to sleep around like me. Or Mother said that about him, when I was younger. That is...if I could get her to talk about him at all. So his name's Atur? He glanced out the window. Mother refused to even tell me that. She said my father promised her the galaxy if they would be married, but after their first night together he was gone without a trace...resulting in me.
In spite of how Panther himself had turned out like his father, he felt no shame until now. Life hadn't given him much to begin with, growing up in a single parent house with a poor mother trying to make ends meet, hence why he entered a life of crime.
But being in a place like this...waiting for someone to come and have their way with him… He would be lying if he denied treating some women like this. Life had taught him he would not get anything unless he went out and took it for himself. But those women, is this what they felt like as they waited for him?
He'd never expected to meet a woman like Sable, so domineering and forceful like this! He was a man after all; he was supposed to be the one who took charge in the relationship. To be put in a position like this...he found it humiliating, but also enlightening. It makes a little more sense now. Why people look down on the things I do. Who would want to feel the way I do right now?
He glanced into a bedroom, spotting a large bed by one of the windows overlooking downtown. Sable would probably take him there, once she got back… His loins rose in response, but soon lowered as he gave it more thought.
I'm not even sure if I want to have sex with her, with what I know now. He paused for a moment. Did he actually think that? He shook his head. How did it come to this, if even I am thinking these things?
Hours passed as Panther sat on the edge of the strange bowl-shaped couch, wanting to sink into it and go to bed, but he couldn't. What would he wake to if he slept now?
Looking at the front door, he imagined Sable walking through it and stripping herself as she made her way across the floor to him… That sounded so hot, and yet… What'll she do if I refuse? What if I can't get it up because I'm too scared? He grit his teeth. Damn it! This is so unbecoming of the great Panther!
A loud clunk sounded at the front door, Panther snapping his head towards it. What the hell was going to happen now? He stood, preparing himself.
The door whooshed open so fast it crashed into the side wall, startling the jungle cat. Sable was there, marching across the carpet, and she was pissed. But when she spotted Panther, her rage appeared to vanish for a moment. The two locked eyes, Panther too afraid to say anything, as Sable stared at him.
"Oh...you're here."
Panther gulped. He wasn't sure if he should ask this question, but… "Did...did it go well?"
Sable glared again, though she wasn't angry at Panther. "Wolf is such an uncouth man. I cannot believe you worked for him for so long."
Panther's eyes widened. Where did that come from? Nonetheless he sensed he was walking through an emotional minefield with Sable right now, so he remained quiet.
"One day…" She waved her finger around. "One day they're all going to pay. Wolf is on the list now, next to the others."
The list? Panther raised an eyebrow.
"I'm going to bed." Sable pushed past Panther, headed for the bedroom. "See you in the morning." She shut the door, leaving Panther alone in the dark living room.
He stared at the door blankly. What happened just now? He'd thought for sure she was going to strip him and tie him to the bed or something. But now she'd decided she…wouldn't? He was relieved, yet also...what an anti-climax, in both senses of the word.
All the same, if she was in such a mood, he presumed something had gone wrong during the ritual to raise Thaal-Ja.
Her plans are ruined. So what is she going to do now? Panther glanced at her door.
What is she going to do with me, for starters? It sounded like this ritual succeeding was important to her plans, as far as her using me to marry into the Caruso house. Are those plans up in smoke now? What happens to me if she decides she can't use me anymore for that? Am I going to end up like the other people on her so-called list? I'm thinking you don't want to be on it.
Beyond that, what's Giichi's side in this war going to do now? The Separatists were desperate to get their hands on that staff before we arrived at this city. What if they still think Thaal-Ja could rise at any time, and they attack again to prevent that from happening? I could be caught in the middle of a warzone with no way out, and the Separatists might think I'm a Royalist too. I could end up dead or in a POW camp for who knows how long if everything really gets out of control.
Panther ran a hand over his head, as he looked out over the city. Aside from the strange sight of the cave's ceiling, everything here appeared like a regular city, no hint of the war in the background. But that was of course a false reassurance. This place was a powder keg, and he didn't want to be here when it went off.
He glanced at the front door again. It didn't look like there was anything special about it, beyond a simple lock. Should he try to sneak out, like he was thinking earlier? At the same time though, the door looked blurry in his tired vision, plus his brain was too exhausted after the day's events to formulate even a simple plan about what to do next. Also, this was a city he'd never seen before, and since it was underground there would be only a few exits, and those were probably being watched because of the war. Even if he got to his Hyoodin and drove off, what if he were stopped on the way out? It was fast, but he didn't have the skill to drive it fast enough to outrun a police force.
As much as I want to leave, I have to be patient and wait for a better opportunity. He glanced towards the strange couch again. While it looked weird, it was calling to him right now, beckoning him inside. He took off his robes, crawling into the depression, feeling nice and snug there. Mmm...this was as comfortable as he thought it would be. He found his worries melting away quickly, even though the walls of the cave felt like they were closing in on him before.
Tomorrow. He could start thinking about how he'd get out of here tomorrow...
~X~
Giichi yawned, rubbing at his eyes for the seventh time in the past half hour, fighting to stay awake. He couldn't sleep now. How could he, when the world was about to end?
He'd shoved his desk chair against the western wall of his palace apartment, the armrest against the stone wall. This was the closest wall of his quarters to the Cradle, hundreds of miles away. If Kula had succeeded, the quakes could be sensed even from here. It would make little to no difference to sit here as opposed to anywhere else in his apartment, but he did not want to miss even the smallest tremor.
Through his windows, he'd watched the fiber optic lights illuminate the royal chamber in the golden glow of the morning sun. Surely they raised it by now, if they've done it. But I haven't felt a thing. Giichi pressed his bare pawed feet against the floor, the tile still.
He pulled a hand out of his jeans pocket and scratched his side through the red Cornerian Technical Institute T-shirt he wore, having discarded his formal robes in favor of something more comfortable. Sis had been kind enough to stock his closet with fresh clean jeans, even if they were considered a decadent Cornerian fashion trend here. He'd fallen in love with them during his time as a student in Corneria City, and always wanted to have some on hand ever since.
In fact, Giichi looked around his room, amazed at how Kula kept this place exactly as he'd left it. Considering he hadn't been here for many years, the apartment had a time capsule quality to it. A large poster for Grand Tourer 4 was on one wall, displaying decade-old supercars driving towards the camera. 4 was the newest game in the series at the time, but now they were on 7.
The computer on his nearby desk was similarly outdated, even though it had been brand new before. Sadly, it wasn't connected to any outside networks. Ditto to all other electronics in this room. Apparently Sable or Kula knew what havoc he could wreak if he was given a line out of this place… No surprise there though. That would've been too easy, wouldn't it?
Nearby rested a work station with various bits and pieces of computer hardware and gadgetry, along with all the tools necessary to assemble whatever he wanted, all of it neatly organized into boxes and drawers the way he liked it. He'd assembled a lot of little trinkets there, alongside the software he'd written on the machine nearby.
A line of Cornerian comic books detailing the adventures of Action Hacker filled a shelf next to the work station, though Giichi had long since grown out of reading them. Guess sis still thinks I'm her kid brother. You know, those comic books are even from before I left to study at CTI. He rubbed his face. Damn, that was even from before the Lylat Wars, when I was sixteen. Even though this is my home, I've lived here for only one year straight out of the past twelve years or so. Rest of the time it's only been on Cornerian summer breaks, when I wanted to come home that is...
Most of the walls showed photographs from his tours of the various Lylatian planets, during his student days there. Surfing at the beaches of Zoness, before it became polluted. A little skiing here and there on Fichina...though with his desert-attuned body he hadn't enjoyed that trip much. He'd also toured some of the ancient ruins on Titania. Those supposedly dated back millions of years, though it didn't interest him much. There were enough desert ruins on Thaljista to last him a lifetime already.
His favorite picture showed him and his student friends from CTI, goofing off as they ate dinner one night at Panda Swift—a popular fast food joint on Corneria. They'd taken the photo after an evening out at the movies in downtown Corneria City. All these people… It felt like a million years ago when he met them. Bob the otter, who he worked with in comp-sci classes; Jenny the sheep, who he'd taken some extracurriculars together with; Alex the red panda, a foreign exchange student like Giichi himself, albeit Alex was from the much closer planet of Fortuna. Still, the two bonded over being expats on Corneria all the same.
Last there was Phoenix, the red fox, and Giichi's roommate… Now Phoenix was a bit of an odd one, albeit only in hindsight. He seemed normal, but one day the guy vanished for some reason. No one knew how or why he'd vanished, not even the university staff or the police. And in hindsight, it was a little uncanny how much Phoenix resembled Fox McCloud, looking at this photo now. Guess I didn't notice until now since I only knew Phoenix before Fox McCloud became a household name in Lylat. Wonder what happened to that guy…and what a weird coincidence. Could he and Fox be the same…nah. I don't see it. I did meet Fox himself when I was visiting Corneria's military academy, and I know they're not the same guy.
Giichi noticed someone else in many of the photos: Nail. He stood in the background of most with his usual blank, stern look. Giichi used to goad him to smile in the past, but Nail's smiles always looked...off. Forced. Unnatural. Frightening. It wasn't long before Giichi decided to stop asking him. So now, thank goodness, none of the pictures here had Nail trying to do a smile. Even in the pictures where he wasn't in frame, Nail was the one who took most of these photos anyway. It was almost humorous how omnipresent his bodyguard was, regardless of the circumstances. A smile appeared on Giichi's face, until he remembered.
He was my bodyguard… Not just my bodyguard, my best friend too... Giichi rubbed his face, tears coming to his eyes. Hard to believe it's only been a little over a week now. He looked at another one of the photos Nail was in. His face froze. Hold on... I just remembered something important.
Giichi jumped out of the chair, running towards the door out of his room, pushing it aside so hard he almost slammed it into the wall. He jogged through the hallways, trying to find one particular door. Turning another corner, he stopped in front of the door he was looking for. This white door looked like any other one in the hall, though Giichi frowned when he noticed the bronze plate on the door said 'Storage'.
The door was locked. Grumbling, he glanced back and forth down the corridor. Humming echoed from one of the hallways, as a house cat butler stepped around the corner, wearing a blue suit as he glanced at something on his portable device. The butler had bright orange tabby fur, along with green eyes standing out prominently.
"Hey, Alash!" Giichi called out.
The house cat almost tripped at the sound of Giichi's voice, stumbling to catch his phone before it fell to the ground. Alash looked up, eyes wide as he hurried to put away the phone.
"Giichi?" the butler asked. "Oh, sorry. Prince Giichi. I heard rumors you were home from the others and didn't believe it, but...it's true!"
Giichi rolled his eyes at Alash using the title. They'd hardly used titles here back in the day.
Nonetheless it was nice to see a familiar face. "Glad to see you're still here." He stood next to the door, gesturing to it. "Can you open this for me?"
Alash seemed confused as he looked at the door's 'Storage' sign. "Why do you want to go in there?"
"This used to be Nail's room! You remember him?"
Alash's face fell, embarrassed he hadn't remembered. "Oh, right. The...canine."
Giichi bared his teeth, glaring at Alash as he almost let out a hiss.
"I'm...terribly sorry, Prince Giichi. Here, let me get the door for you."
Alash produced a set of keys, unlocking the door. Giichi pushed him aside and opened the door himself. The inside was dark, the light from the corridor making a small square rectangle on the floor. However, the lights soon snapped on, illuminating rows of spare furniture. Chairs, tables, lamps, shelves, and so on.
The walls in here were stark white, the floor low-pile carpeting, the lighting provided by industrial, square-shaped lights. This was it, all right. Nail had specifically requested his room be 'decorated' this way when he moved in. The man didn't care one lick about form, only function.
"Do you need anything else?" Alash asked.
Giichi jumped, having forgotten he was there. Even Alash was surprised at Giichi's sudden move.
"No, that's fine. Thank you." Giichi smiled.
Alash bowed, leaving Giichi in the store room to his own devices.
As soon as Alash was gone down the hall, Giichi shut the door into the hall and locked it. He then opened another door within the apartment. Inside there used to be a spartan-looking bedroom with a bathroom, not too different in design from what you would see in a military barracks. Now the bedroom was full of shelves with cleaning solutions. Giichi moved towards one particular shelf set against the wall, and removed all of the bottles and containers from it, setting them on the floor. Now that the shelf was lighter, he grunted as he pushed it aside, revealing the bare stone brick wall behind it. His fingers felt along the grooves between the bricks. In one part of the wall, the grooves would be a little deeper than the others.
He found the right spot at last, feeling all around one particular brick. Giichi rapped his fingers on it, the sound coming back as metallic and hollow. Pulling on both sides of the 'brick', it came off, revealing it was a facade for a hidden safe behind.
The sand cat grinned. He'd seen Nail put in the code and open this safe a time or two, when his bodyguard thought he wasn't looking.
It was 029, right? Hope no one changed it in the meantime. Typing it in, the safe made a small snick as the lock retracted. All right!
Giichi opened the safe in triumph, excited about what he might find...only to discover it was empty. His face fell. Oh, come on. He facepalmed. Rolling his eyes, he pushed the shelf back where it was, putting back all the bottles and containers roughly where he remembered they were. All the while, he grumbled to himself. Damn it, I thought for sure I could find something in there that might help me.
Sighing, he walked back into the apartment's main room, about to exit, until he turned his eyes to the far side of the space. In spite of not finding what he was looking, all of a sudden he didn't want to leave so quickly. He stopped to look around, as recalled memories of this place.
Where spare, dusty furniture filled the main floor, Giichi remembered Nail had his own gym here. There used to be a weight rack off to one side, along with a training dummy, a treadmill, large kettle balls, a pull up bar, and numerous other bits of workout equipment.
The carpeting turned to bare concrete on the far end of the floor. A large white mat used to sit there...a sparring area. It hadn't been used much. When it had first been installed by Nail's request, some of the palace guards made bets with each other they could take Nail in a fight. 'He's a longnose. We're cats! We're too fast for him!' they said. It turned out they were the ones who were too slow. Even fighting them three or five in a row, Nail had little difficulty defeating them all. They gave up, and Nail's ring mostly lay silent afterwards.
It remained a sore spot among the palace guard. Elite former operatives from the old Azerian military, only the best of the best to protect the Palace of Azer and the royal family, and all of them were beaten and humiliated by a canine.
But in spite of Nail running out of challengers, there had been other times when this ring had been used…
~X~
Giichi breathed hard, a wire mesh mask over his face, along with heavy armor covering his torso and limbs, all of it a dark crimson color. With his light weight and lack of physical strength, he found it difficult to even move in such clothing. A wooden bo staff was in his hands, pointed at his opponent on the other side of the mat.
Nail stood there, towering over him in his own set of matching armor, colored a dark blue cobalt. He held his own bo staff against Giichi's, needing to lean a bit to cross the staves. A lot of people told Giichi how frightened they were meeting Nail for the first time, with his silence, stature, and intense gaze. Giichi had never given it much thought since he was so used to his bodyguard being around him all the time, but with the canine's gaze fixed upon him...the things people said made a lot more sense.
Happy fifteenth birthday Giichi. Nail asked you what you wanted, and you told him you wanted to get stronger and learn to fight like him. You asked for this. But now I think you and I are having second thoughts...
"We don't have to do this," Nail reminded him dryly. "Your family disapproves of it anyway."
The two of them waited, staves crossed, Giichi's heart beating faster. The armor weighed heavy on his body.
"Maybe we could try something easier first." Nail suggested. "Light weights, a punching bag, or even jogging. Your cardio could be better."
"Jogging? Are you serious?!" Giichi did his best to sound angry at the suggestion, though the staff trembled in his hands.
Under his mask, Nail's face didn't change. "You're not cut out for the training I underwent, Giichi. I'm glad you're taking your physical fitness seriously, but I suggest we start slower than this."
"I can't stop now! Razir won't let me hear the end of it if I back down now!"
"Nonetheless, you know what people here think of my presence. It's not going to end well for me if I hurt you."
Though the staff trembled in his hands, Giichi shouted "As my bodyguard, I order you to fight me!"
"Very well."
Giichi didn't even see the attack coming. One second their staves were crossed, the second, the pommel of Nail's staff hit him square in the stomach, knocking him to the ground. He could feel a bruise forming on his chest, as he groaned in pain. The armor spared him the worst of the blow, though Giichi figured Nail could've put a lot more force behind it if he wanted to.
Giichi shambled to his feet, which wasn't easy in this armor.
Nail waited for Giichi to rise back to a stand. "You can go first this time."
Giichi narrowed his eyes. He hated Nail taking it easy on him, like his bodyguard thought this request was a joke like everybody else. Nonetheless Giichi pulled his staff back to strike, and— Again, Nail moved too fast for Giichi to even see what he did. There was a thunk as Nail brushed aside Giichi's staff as easily as a twig, and then there was a hard smack in Giichi's side. The sand cat dropped his staff, a hollow clank as it hit the ground. Even with the armor, it hurt like hell, Giichi's side burning from the hit.
Nail stepped over, crouching next to Giichi, waiting.
"Do you have to be so harsh?!" Giichi hissed at him.
"You told me you wanted to get stronger and be able to defend yourself." Nail frowned, leaning as he rested the tip of his staff on the mat. "And you said you wanted me to come at you as if this were real. Even so, I'm holding back. You know a lot of people are resentful of me living in this palace. I'm putting my employment as your bodyguard at risk."
Nail was not only the first non-cat allowed inside the Palace of Azer, he was the first one allowed to live here too. Years ago, it was a controversial decision on King Ubar's part to allow Nail to join the royal guard, and the arrangement had only held because people had that much respect for the king.
"Ngggh, fair enough." Giichi staggered to his feet, picking up his staff. "All right, we'll take it easier."
A smirk—almost, almost—appeared on Nail's face. Giichi knew he could see it.
As they squared up again, Nail turned the staff around, holding it out with both hands in a defensive stance. "Hit me. I won't fight back."
Even when he promised that, Giichi found himself afraid. Nail's golden gaze never wavered once from Giichi, tracking every movement, every twitch. Nonetheless, Giichi raised his staff again, pointing it at the canine. With a cry, he brought his staff around for a hard hit. Nail deflected it easily, hitting Giichi's weapon so hard it almost flew out of his hands.
Backing up, Giichi tried again, thrusting the staff straight at Nail's chest, like he'd done before. Nail slapped it aside again. Giichi stepped back, going for another swing, though that one was easily deflected too. Frustrated, the prince swung wildly, not even trying to be strategic or thoughtful about his moves by this point. His bodyguard was relentless, parrying every strike with perfect accuracy. The sound of wooden staves clacking together echoed throughout the gym for several minutes, and not once was Giichi able to penetrate Nail's defenses.
Giichi halted his attacks, sweat rolling around underneath his fur as he leaned over, trying to catch his breath. Even this was wearing him out. What was he thinking trying to take Nail in a real fight?
"Take off the armor," Nail said. "You're too slow with it on."
Giichi grumbled under his breath, though he knew Nail didn't mean to say it in a mocking way...not like other people. Shedding the armor, the sand cat jumped on his feet a few times, trying to get the blood flowing. However, this had been the most exercise he'd ever gotten in some time. His heart raced, his vision blurred at the edges, and his light head wobbled on his shoulders. But at least he had better mobility, hopping back and forth on his feet.
Giichi let out a cry, coming around for another hard swing, almost startled at how easily he swung the weapon now. Nail brought his staff to bear, blocking the hit. Giichi recoiled back, not prepared as he almost fell off the mat.
Nail had put a hand to his staff arm, as if to soothe it.
"Did I swing that hard?" Giichi said.
Nail nodded. "You're getting stronger. Armor's helping to train your whole body."
"Really?" Giichi beamed.
"You still have a long way to go. Don't get overconfident."
Though his mood deflated, Giichi still was encouraged by the visible progress he was making.
"Continue?" Nail asked.
The sand cat smiled, picking up the staff again, as he tried once more to land a blow on Nail.
After several more minutes, Giichi took a break, sitting on the edge of the mat as he drank from a water bottle. Sweat coursed through his fur, his heart still beating hard and his head light. By contrast, Nail didn't even look winded, like they hadn't even started fighting yet, albeit Giichi caught glimpses of him rubbing his right arm here and there.
"I'm tired from only swinging that staff around." Giichi wiped a hand over his brow. "I can't believe you did much harder stuff than this every day before you officially became part of the royal guard."
"It was my job." Nail shrugged.
"Well yeah...but… How do you stay so relaxed all the time? Nothing ever phases you! Like a long time ago, you stopped that bomber from killing me, my parents, and my brother and sister. Back when we were visiting the Reglar province, and my dad was giving that speech? When we rewatched the recording, you didn't even blink when that Ibhu lion charged the stage! You raised your sniper rifle, fired one shot, and bam! He was dead! No one saw him coming but you. We all thought you'd gone rogue at first, like you killed a random civilian for no reason." That was the incident that convinced King Ubar to let Nail join the palace guard, in spite of his species.
"It's what I was born to do," Nail said. "Nothing more, nothing less."
Giichi found himself annoyed by how much Nail was downplaying it all. "Wish I could be a hero. Do amazing stuff like that…"
For once, Nail put the slightest hint of feeling into his voice. "No. You don't want to be like me."
Giichi's eyes widened. "But why not? You're amazing!"
"Giichi, I'm not a hero. I am a tool, created by your family and their research. Once I am broken, I will be replaced. Your mother and father have already set plans in motion to replace me with something better." Someone else would've spoken these words with resentment or anger, but Nail was different. Instead, he said it with simple resignation, like he knew this was a long time coming and had already accepted it.
"What do you mean?"
"My replacements are already being bred as we speak. I'll soon be obsolete."
"But I don't see you like that! Far as I'm concerned, you're a friend for life for keeping me and the rest of my family alive!"
"Friend?" Even multiple years later, Nail sounded awkward when he used that word. "I suppose, if you say so." He didn't seem to care either way.
Shortly after Nail joined the royal guard and was assigned to protect Giichi, the sand cat recalled how he'd had to explain the concept of friendship to his new bodyguard. Though Nail understood it on a surface level, he never was fully on board with the idea, just playing along because Giichi insisted.
"Anyway… I wish I could be strong, and…and…decisive. I think that's the right word. Just know exactly what to do, like you always seem to do. You knew the right person to shoot in that crowd instantly, but...but...I have trouble deciding what school I want to go to, when I study abroad in Lylat. There's so many choices."
"That's not the same kind of choice."
"Uh...yeah. I guess you're right. But… Next year, we're going to Lylat, and I'm excited to go, but I'm also kinda nervous about it, and–" Giichi stopped to clear his throat, realizing he was rambling. "Uh...anyway. Mom and Dad keep telling me I've got my whole life ahead of me, and it's time for me to make some decisions about what I'm going to do with it. I could do anything I want since I'm royalty, but having so much choice… It's hard for me to take it all in. And I was hoping maybe, you could give me some advice, you know?"
Nail gave him an aside glance, his face frozen with a mysterious, neutral expression (not that different from his normal face, to be honest). "My life was decided for me before I was even born. I never got to make choices like the ones you're facing now." Though that sounded depressing, again Nail appeared to accept it as if it were normal.
"Do you have anything you want to do though? Any plans?"
"Whatever the House of Azer orders me to do."
Giichi bit his lip. This conversation was all kinds of awkward. Was it a mistake trying to talk to Nail about any of this?
However, Nail appeared to pick up on it too, soon changing gears. "I suppose if I was going to give you any kind of advice on decision making, it's often better to do something versus worry too much about making the best choice. There isn't time to be indecisive on the battlefield. A good solution now is often much better than a perfect solution arriving too late. In your case, the best thing to do would be to review all of the information you have about all of the schools, rate what's important to you, and pick the top few schools to visit based on that."
Nail made it sound so simple, while Giichi had been fretting for weeks about his choices.
"Hmm...well, now that you mention it, I do have a few I know I want to see. I want to go to the Corneria Technical Institute. I also want to see the Cornerian Flight Academy."
"The military academy?"
"It's my older brother Razir." Giichi said. He didn't need to explain more to Nail. Razir had decided he wanted to go into the Azerian military, and from the looks of it he'd eventually become head of their entire armed forces. "Him and my sis Kula… They're both grown up now, doing amazing stuff for Thaljista already. And me… I'm the brat. The youngest. Sometimes I feel like nobody cares about what I do, even though I'm a prince. I gotta make something better out of myself."
"So that's what this is about." Nail said. "You're trying to be someone you are not. That's not going to work. You have to come up with your own ideas about what you want to do."
Giichi glared at Nail.
"I do not mean what I say disrespectfully. As much as you want to be as strong or as fast as me, you can't be me. You don't have the right body type, and you didn't grow up like I did. Instead, you should play to your strengths more. Your skills with technology are impressive, especially at your young age. You're almost like your ancestor Azer, who mastered Cornerian technology to defeat the lions centuries ago."
Giichi frowned at the mention of his family's brutal past, although Nail's answer wasn't surprising. He always did like to frame most things within the context of a battle or a fight. Some people reacted with horror to such things, though again Giichi had grown used to it.
"Maybe you're right. I need to do things my own way." Giichi leaned forward, head resting on his arms. "Technology, huh? Have you tried your shapeshifting glove yet?"
"It's still top secret, so I can't take it away from the testing site. It will have plenty of potential, once it's refined out of the prototype stage."
"Hmm...maybe I could help with that someday."
"I'd be glad to see you do that."
Giichi grinned at Nail. "Anyway, if it's okay with you, maybe we could do some more exercises. And I'd like to visit Corneria's military academy anyway. Can't hurt to look a bit, I guess. Kinda curious to see how they do things there versus here anyway."
"We can do both. Are you rested enough now?"
"Sure, let's get back to it!"
The two stood up again, snatching their staves off the floor.
~X~
There was a sharp rap on the door into the corridor, Giichi snapping his head up. He'd been so busy going down memory lane, he'd sat in one of the dusty chairs littering the store room.
"Who is it?" He trembled, wondering if the palace staff knew about his reason for coming to this room.
"Queen Kula requests you come to breakfast, Prince Giichi," a maid on the other side replied. "Alash told me you were in there."
Giichi let out a sigh of relief, but was also surprised how long he'd been in this room. Strangely he didn't feel too tired, despite not sleeping a wink at all last night. If sis wanted to see him again, maybe this was his chance to find out more about what happened last night.
Jumping out of his chair, Giichi unlocked the door, shoving it aside and almost hitting the maid. After she got over the surprise, the maid disapproved of him wearing little but jeans and a T-shirt, though said nothing as he walked past and rushed down the hall. This was the private residence part of the castle, where the Azer clan could have a little privacy from visitors and press. Not as much need to dress up here.
The maid tried to catch up to him, probably to show him where Kula was eating, though Giichi didn't need the help. With his memory, he soon found one of the family's private dining rooms within this wing of the castle. Again, the maid tried to get in front of him, to open the door first. It was silly. He'd lived without royal pampering for most of his life now. He didn't need it now.
"Would you leave me alone? I know how a door works!" He pushed the door aside.
On the other side, a small dining room awaited him, with red wallpaper and white trim along the walls, and more shiny tiled flooring beneath. A simple table with a white table cloth rested in the center. While it was a far cry from the grand halls and cathedral-like banquet halls elsewhere in the palace, this room—much like the rest of the private residence—was a simple place for the Azer family to gather and take meals privately, as if they were a regular family.
Kula sat on the other side of the table, smiling as Giichi entered, though her smile appeared forced. She too appeared to have dressed down, wearing a simple, conservative green dress.
"Good morning Giichi!" She gestured towards the covered plate on his end of the table. "I had one of your old favorites made."
Giichi eyed the plate, nervous as he took the lid off. Inside were a number of small meat strips, resting on a bed of rice and beans. He knew where these strips had come from…
"Maldari strips?" he asked.
Kula smiled.
The maldari was a small desert rodent endemic to Thaljista, something sand cats had fed on for over a thousand years. Albeit centuries ago, it wasn't by choice. It was one of the few kinds of protein they could easily find living in their tiny desert communes, while hiding from the lions. While maldari would be considered peasant food on this planet, the small slices of meat were perfect for a cat of his size, between the flavor and texture. He loved eating them. He hadn't eaten one of these in over a year. It was too pricey to get the meat shipped to Lylat. How strange outside of this place, maldari was a delicacy.
Though he suspected there was some sort of ulterior motive to her being nice to him like this, he couldn't resist the smell. Awkwardly smiling, he said "Thank you."
"Help yourself." She started eating.
Giichi dug in with his hands and claws, throwing the delectable strips into his mouth one after the other. As the slices disappeared from the plate though, Giichi remembered why he'd been in a hurry to get to breakfast. He glanced at Kula.
After her initial smile and friendliness, her expression appeared vacant as she ignored Giichi. She said nothing, but her face spoke volumes on its own.
Giichi put another scrap of maldari in his mouth. "How did it go last night?"
She was startled, looking up. "Uh...how did what go last night?"
He rolled his eyes. "You know… Thaal-Ja?"
A nervous smile crossed her face, though Kula otherwise said nothing, as she returned to her food.
Giichi pressed further. "It didn't work, did it? The staff?"
The nervous smile was gone, her eyes darkening as she looked at Giichi, though she still said nothing.
"Why don't we quit this Thaal-Ja business, sis? If the staff didn't work, maybe it wasn't meant to be. Maybe there's no bringing Thaal-Ja back, no matter what we do. Let's focus on reunification, and rebuilding this planet. We need to stop this stupid war already!"
Giichi expected a harsh response from her, but it wasn't what he got. Instead, the words were muted but firm. "We aren't the first people in our family to embark on this journey to raise Thaal-Ja. I don't want to quit now when we're so close. It is a setback, but our ancestors have dealt with far worse setbacks than what I'm dealing with now."
Giichi narrowed his eyes, clenching the end of the table so hard he nicked it with his claws, though he said nothing. He supposed he could argue further, but Kula still seemed as determined as ever to get Thaal-Ja out of its grave. Nonetheless, what he was hearing was good news...for now.
Thaal-Ja still sleeps under the Cradle. But why? Is something wrong with the staff? Did our family miss some detail over our generations of research? I've got to get more information, but she'll probably keep deflecting. Or worse, there's nothing stopping her from throwing me in one of the old dungeons under the palace if she so pleases. Wouldn't be surprised if Sable has suggested it to her. Kula sounds like she's saying things Sable told her anyway. Sable always was like that, even before the war. Silver-tongued bitch.
He frowned, eating more of his food.
"Did you enjoy sleeping in your old bed again?" Kula asked.
"I didn't use it." Giichi frowned.
Kula blinked, surprised. "Uh...why? Was it uncomfortable?"
"Didn't want to sleep." He glared at her.
Though he didn't say why, she caught the hint, changing the subject again. "Sable told me you were hiding within Star Wolf's gang for months." She seemed legitimately frightened by such a thing. "You lived with those robbers, thieves, and gangsters for that long? How? Maybe I could see Razir doing that, but not you..."
"Nail was there." Giichi clenched the end of the table, glaring at his sister. "He died protecting me from Star Wolf, who you hired to get the staff."
Kula didn't know what to say, and she seemed to have given up on trying to make small talk, so she returned to focusing on her meal. The two ate the rest of their food in silence, Giichi mostly staring at his plate. As he was about to finish, his sister cleared her throat. Her face and hands were dirty from her own meal, given that like most Thaljistanis she ate without utensils, so she reached for a nearby container, out of which popped a steaming, hot moist towelette.
Giichi soon finished his own meal and shoved his plate away, grabbing a towelette himself. He stepped away from the table as he washed his hands, heading for the door.
"Don't wander off too far." Kula wiped her hands. "I've got something I need to show you later today." Her words sounded more like an order, rather than friendly conversation like the rest of the things she'd said.
Giichi turned around to glare at her. He thought to ask what she wanted, but he was too pissed off right now to bother asking. Closing the door behind him, he stormed down the hallway.
The Separatists live another day, but what about tomorrow? What more does Kula need to raise Thaal-Ja? And what can be done to stop her? He clenched his fist. I've got to get that information into the hands of the Separatists!
His tail thrashed behind him, ears curling back.
It's my responsibility! We're here now because of me! I should've been paying more attention to the things Sable was saying to Kula all these years.
Calming down, his tail settled back into a slower sway.
But even if I get the info we need, I have to get it out of the palace. I know we've got some spies within the city, but how will I know who they are and how do I contact them? I was part of R&D and cyber warfare, not our spy unit. Giichi rubbed his face. Damn it… If only Nail were here. He'd know what to do.
'Play to your strengths.'
Giichi blinked. Nail had said that, hadn't he? I know electronics and hacking. I could use that to get the information out. But I know Kula and Sable are already taking steps to stop me. That's why nothing in my room is connected to any outside lines. Even so, this palace is a big place, with a huge networking footprint to match. Palace cyber security can't keep an eye on everything all at once. Also, it's not like this is the first time I've done some illicit stuff in its network. They might have upgraded security since the last time I was here years ago, but I've got nothing but time right now. I might even have a backdoor or two they haven't shut yet, if I can find a way to them. A smile crept onto his face.
~X~
Kula remained in her chair, wiping her hands.
She'd been sure they were about to make their final breakthrough with Thaal-Ja, but now it had all gone up in their face. How were they going to get the gem for Thaal-Ja's Calling from that base back in Lylat? She'd heard Star Wolf had turned down the job offer, and they were supposed to be one of the biggest and most capable PMCs in Lylat. And most importantly, they were willing to take on any job, no matter who the client was or what the morals were. Distasteful, but needed in this circumstance. Who else matched that description in Lylat though?
Plus there was Giichi. She needed him on board for what happened next after Thaal-Ja was raised, but Razir had poisoned him against her. She'd given him his cars, his room, his favorite meals, yet none of it appeared to sway his views whatsoever. Giichi's weaknesses were those things when he was younger, but he was a different person now.
He's matured a lot more than I thought he would over these past several years. Even if he is against me, I'm proud of him. He's learned to see the bigger picture beyond himself now. If only he saw things my way, instead of Razir's.
A maid stopped by, taking away Kula's plate. She barely acknowledged her, giving the maid a nod as she returned to staring at the chair across the table, where Giichi had sat.
I hate I have to use my brother like this, but Giichi is necessary if I'm going to see this plan through to completion. I may have to try alternative tactics if I'm going to sway him to my side.
"Excuse me, Queen Kula."
Kula turned around, seeing Nidi the Retinue standing there. The clouded leopard towered over her, managing a small smile. It didn't look right on her face though. The Retinue had been trained to smile when prompted, but it was through learned behavior instead of genuine emotion.
"Yes, Nidi?" Kula asked.
"I have new intelligence you will find interesting."
Nidi opened a folder and withdrew a photograph. It depicted a scene out in one of the desert wastes...probably in the Outer Territories beyond Separatist and Royalist control. There was little to see but numerous sand dunes, rocky crags visible far off in the distance.
A robed figure stood in the center of the picture, far off in the distance. The person was walking away from the camera, most of the brown cloak concealing their figure, including their head, back, and any tail they might have. Species would be near impossible to determine. Nearby, the corpses of several desert bandits lay about in the sand, blood staining the beige crimson. Apparently the figure had killed all of them, and was now leaving after the fight.
"We picked up this image from sweeps of electronic activity among the warlords, clans, and tribes out in the desert.." Nidi explained. "This photo was taken by one of the bandits who ran instead of fought. He passed the image around to the rest of his tribe, hoping to organize a group to chase after whoever this is."
"It looks like the aftermath of a bandit attack gone wrong. Nothing unusual." She looked back at Nidi. "What's so important about this cloaked person? Who are they?"
"Who they are isn't the most important part. Look at what the cloak doesn't conceal."
Nidi pulled out a second photograph, this one zoomed in more on the cloaked figure, but focusing on the figure's gloved right hand, which was visible. Kula almost jumped out of her seat, seeing what was there.
"Is that…?! That looks like Thaal-Ja's Calling!" Most of the staff was hidden behind the cloaked figure, though the head was still visible. The color of the metal was less bronze, more yellow, like brass or gold. Unlike the one hundred million credit staff in Royalist possession, this staff still had its gem on the top. It gleamed blue in the sunlight, drawing Kula's eye.
Kula turned to Nidi, startled. "You don't think…?"
"We may not have to go back to Lylat after all."
~X~
A/N:For those of you who don't know, Giichi discussing visiting schools is a reference to my Just Gotta Ride oneshot, where Giichi actually is checking out the schools he's talking about. Read it if you'd like a little more background on how Giichi came to study abroad on Corneria, before the Lylat Wars started.
Also in Giichi's room, there are two references to other Star Fox fics I've read:
First, the Action Hacker comics are a reference to K.S. Reynard's Sierra Foxtrot Adventures, a series of one shots. Action Hacker features in one of them. The second fic reference is Phoenix, who is the main character in Elarix's Hunting Party story. Giichi also makes a cameo in one part of that story as a student, and Phoenix's roommate. Go check out both fics, if you like. I enjoyed them quite a bit!