The children of Earth had never seen a young man such as he. Even though they had once been of Earth, they now considered themselves of space and no longer as the children of Earth. As such, they still found themselves scavenging for scraps, for meager amounts of air and water that they could recycle and keep healthy enough to breathe and drink. Algae was grown to subsist upon, and this was how they lived for decades.
Those children of Earth had never seen a young man who considered himself as being from Earth. He was foreign to those Children, those who called themselves Vers. He wasn't born of Versian, of Martian, soil. And much less would Vers have suffered to let such an impudent young Terran man around Her Highness under normal circumstances. Yet, here he stands, in orbit of the Earth, standing within the presence of Her Highness during her stay aboard the Landing Castle.
"Slaine?" A silver voice calls to him, snapping him from his stupor at the shimmering marble of Earth shining as a holoprojection on the floor beneath his feet.
"Yes, your Highness?" His voice responds more out of instinct rather than intention. His voice, belonging to a young man of sixteen whose green eyes and whose light blond hair would betray him as not being from Vers. Instead having been born on the Earth beneath his feet, and then having escaped to Vers with his father in his early adolescence. To escape from the ruins of the Old Earth, and make a new life for the father and son in the New World of the Vers Empire.
There had been a war, ravaged by the Orbital Knights against the shackled of their forefather's birthplace, to try and free Versians of all strata from the tyranny of the shackles of Terra's Gravity, leaving not a single continent free from its vicious wastes. No one, in the end, had really won — Earth's moon had been shattered, and the Orbital Knights of Vers then cut off from their homeworld, and the war then stopped in its tracks.
That was the first Earth-Mars War. The Heavensfall, and then Old Earth lay in ruins.
And from it, Slaine, and Terrans like Slaine had been scorned for being born on such abountiful planet, rich with History, land, air and water. A planet that Vers looked on with vengeful, jealous eyes, for fifteen years and waited like a viper to lash out at its mother world.
"I was just saying… That no matter how many times I see it, it takes my breath away." That silver voice spoke again. Her voice rang from her throat to his ears with such pristine clarity, that it was hard to not lose himself in the strings of her words when she would talk. "Does seeing the planet of your birth stir up fond memories in you?" She turns to face him. "Slaine?"
"Um. I suppose so…" His eyes flicked from hers, back to where he had cast them against the floor beneath their feet, not feeling worthy to make eye contact with her in the moment.
"Its nothing to be embarrassed about! I've only been away for two months, yet I already find myself pining for Vers." She steps away from the chaise that she was resting against, walking to his left, speaking in such innocent tones about her home world. "Earth… The birthplace of all humanity…" It was her turn to cast her eyes to the holoprojection in the floor — a pristine view of the Earth from orbit, showing so clearly the blues and whites of the oceans and clouds beneath them. But it was in this moment of her not paying attention, did Slaine feel comfortable turning his eyes to her as she spoke. "I have always dreamed of seeing it with my own two eyes."
"I— I see." Slaine says in a small voice. He'd never given the Earth that much thought.
She turns her attention back towards him.
"Tell me, Slaine. They say that the sky here is blue, as are the oceans." She presses her fingers together, and walks a bit closer to him, causing him to tense up in his at-attention pose. Her voice blossoms with excitement as she talks. "I've always been curious about that!" She sways from side to side in palpable excitement, "On Earth, is the air and water colored blue?"
Her Highness has always been this way, curious about the Old World, the machinations and driving forces of it, and this has led her to this place and moment, standing above the Earth, waiting for the appointed day of her visit to its surface.
"It's not, actually." He smiles, his glance never breaking away from her form. "The air and water are transparent, but in thick enough layers that the light refracts, causing the color to turn blue…." It was hard to not get swept up in the excitement and genuine curiosity about something that billions of Terrans might not otherwise think about or take for granted. Something that he himself might not have given a second thought to, until he died. "I believe that's how it works, at least." She fiddles with her hair as she watches and listens to him speak.
She spins on her feet, all the while, he never breaks his at-attention stance.
"Water and air in such large quantities that they bend light… Isn't that amazing? I can't even begin to imagine it!"
Slaine opens his mouth to respond, but is interrupted instead, by the sound of the door to the lounge of the Orbital Castle behind Her Highness sliding open with a hiss.
"Ah, here you are." A gruff voice from the doorway speaks, and there's a part of Slaine that instinctively wants to flinch at the voice. It's the owner of this Orbital Castle.
"Count Cruhteo!" The Princess' cheery voice spins to face the man entering the room.
"The hour has grown quite late." He says, "Please return to your bedchamber, Princess Asseylum."
There's a certain way of respect in the count's voice that just feels foreign to Slaine. Maybe its his non-noble blood, but the respect doesn't feel the same way as his own does. Slaine finds himself straightening his back at this, standing all the more at attention in the presence of his Count.
"Oh? Is it that late already?" The Princess smiles, turning her glance back to the holoprojection of the planet below, "The view from this veranda makes it all too easy lose track of time." Her Highness turns to face Slaine once more. "Then I shall turn in, Slaine. Let us continue my lessons tomorrow." There's a levity in her voice, like tomorrow is all the more certain because she's decided that it will be, and part of Slaine wants to believe that because she has willed it, it would be that simple.
"O-of course. It would be my pleasure." Slaine stammers, a moment, not having expected to be addressed so informally by Her Highness.
She begins to leave the veranda behind, her footsteps so light to his ears that if Slaine didn't see her move, he wouldn't have been entirely sure that she had at all.
Both Slaine, and the Count bow as she leaves. As her footsteps fade away behind the hissing of the door to the veranda, Slaine catches the heat of the glare from the Count as he follows Her Highness to leave the room, his own bootsteps ringing out through the room in a manner befitting a man of his stature and station. Confident, assertive.
Slaine remains in a deep bow until he's left alone in the Veranda, and the lights above are shut off, leaving him alone with the glowing of the holoprojector still giving the image of the Earth below.
The Hyper Gate changed humanity. Discovered on the moon by the crew of Apollo 17, it enabled the transit from Earth-space to Mars-space to occur near-instantly, and without the costly process of interplanetary transit.
The colonization of Mars, would only be heightened by the discovery of the technology known as Aldnoah.
The Vers Empire was formed on Martian Soil.
The man who initially activated Aldnoah, would have done so by accident, and then would be the only person able to activate any other pieces of Aldnoah technology, as the activation factor was then burned into his very genes.
That man, Rayregalia Vers Rayvers, would, after declaring independence from Earth, establish a feudal system, centered around those who have the activation factor for the Aldnoah technology. The technology, would not ever really be understood — but would enable the Vers empire to spread across Mars, and would enable the creation of thirty-seven clans of so-called Orbital Knights, would would then set their eyes upon the Earth.
Vers, would declare itself a new race, separate from that of the Terran-bound humanity. And where there was suffering on Vers, the fault was placed on the blame of Earth. For Mars does not have plentiful air, and water. Its soil is dead, and its valleys barren. Earth does not, and would not ever suffer from such lack of material goods.
So a war effort was whipped into motion, spearheaded by that of the Orbital Knights of Vers. Who would wage war, using the Hyper Gate, on Earth — in an attempt to annex territory, if not the whole planet, for the Vers Empire.
They would fail.
The Hyper Gate would spiral out of control, and fracture the moon.
Pieces of the moon would fall into Earth's gravity well, and were big enough not to be destroyed during their reentry.
This event would later be known as the Heaven's Fall. And would change the course of history.
Slaine Troyard is a migrant from Earth to Vers. He escaped Earth with his father, Dr. Troyard, and would later be adopted into the Clan of Cruhteo, one of the thirty-seven clans of Orbital Knights, and be a servant aboard the Castle Cruhteo during the Princess Royal's stay aboard the castle, prior to a goodwill visit to Earth.
His green eyes would always betray him as really being Terran, and not being Versian. He would always be looked down upon.
He would educate the Princess about the customs and culture of Earth, about its lush lands and bountiful oceans. Doing his best to try and prepare her for her mission to the planet beneath their feet.
He was positioned as an educator, in an attempt to scare the Princess off her chosen path, yet with each new strange thing she learned, she instead grew more fond of the Earth, and wanted ever-more to visit it. She would also grow closer to Slaine Troyard, who upon her imminent departure from Castle Cruhteo towards Earth, would give her a necklace that he wore, the only gift he had of his mother and father, as a good luck charm for the Princess.
She would carry that charm with her for the rest of her life.
The Orbital Knights of Vers sat in orbit of Earth for fifteen years, waiting for their day to come. The day where they could rain their will upon the soil of Earth, and plant the flag of the Vers Empire on its mountains.
It would come during the Princess of Vers — Princess Royal Asseylum Vers Allusia's goodwill visit to the United Earth facilities in Japan, and her assassination on the day of her arrival.
The so-called death of the Princess, would whip the Orbital Knights into a frenzy, many of whom would immediately drop their orbital fortresses — their Landing Castles, onto Earth, targeting anywhere there were population centers, occupying and annexing large parts of United Earth Territory. Places like New Orleans, Mozambique, Seattle, São Paulo, and many other cities would be targeted.
Including the site where the Princess of Vers was struck down — Shinawara, Japan.
Sir Trillarm, supported by Slaine Troyard, would be sent down from the Castle, into Shinawara, in an attempt to occupy the lands, and place the metaphorical flag of Cruhteo on the lands surrounding the site where the Princess was slain, in an attempt to show sorrow for not having dissuaded the Princess from visiting Earth, and her untimely death.
The assassins of Princess Asseylum Vers Allusia would not be rewarded for their treachery in the way they believed they would. They would instead be rewarded death. The logic, of which was held by Sir Trillram, would be that these rats were the ones who assassinated the Princess, and should they ever speak of their acts upon return to Vers, they would be branded as traitors, and as would Trillram, Count Saazbaum of the Vers Orbital Knights, and any followers of the Saazbaum clan.
Inaho Kaizuka would be a relatively normal, if not quiet young Japanese man, living with his elder sister, Warrant Office Yuki Kaizuka, in Shinawara, Japan, during the outbreak of the Second Earth-Mars War.
During his evacuation from the city, due to the impending landing of Castle Cruhteo in the city and the ongoing fighting in other city centers around Japan, he would find two young girls wandering the city streets, believing them to be foreigners, he would approach them, and in an attempt to communicate with them, instead be thrown to the ground by the elder of the two young girls, who would — in quite excellent Japanese — demand directions to the nearest Vers embassy.
Inaho would, despite being pinned to the ground, remind the two that there weren't any, nor had there ever been, any Vers Embassy on Earth, much less in Shinawara. He instead, let the girl pinning him to the ground in an equally as impressive arm-lock, that there would be an evacuation vehicle coming by to pick him up soon, and that both the girls were more than welcome to come with — despite obviously being foreigners.
Meanwhile, while Inaho and the two young girls are evacuating from the city towards the pier, Yuki Kaizuka would be engaged in combat with a Martian machine known as a Kataphract. A massive, multi-story tall humanoid machine, piloted by Sir Trillram, who would be attempting to slay a young girl known as Rayet Areash. This combat situation would eventually boil into the evacuation route, and Yuki's own Terran-made Kataphract, the KG-7 Aerion, designed to counter the Martian threat, would be damaged, and Yuki, along with Rayet, would be evacuated after a brief incursion with Sir Trillram's Nilokeras.
Later, back at the safety of the Shinawara High School, away from the Nilokeras, Inaho, his classmates Inko, and Calm, would devise a plan to counter the Nilokeras, using the Terran Military-Youth Training Kataphract — the KG-6 Sleipnir.
They would, the following day, engage with the Nilokeras, and through the brave actions of the girl known as Seylum — whose ethnic region couldn't quite get pinned down by anyone — and Rayet, would defeat the Nilokeras, and be reunited with the local United Earth Forces, including the military instructor from the Shinawara High School, Lieutenant Koichiro Marito.
During this engagement, temporarily, the girl known as Seylum, would reveal herself to be the Princess Royal of Vers, Asseylum Vers Allusia — stunning the pilot of the Nilokeras, shocking Rayet, and seemingly unsurprising Inaho.
Following the demise of the Nilokeras, the Sleipnirs, piloted by Inko, Inaho and Calm, would be loaded aboard an UEF Landing Craft, and brought to the aircraft carrier known as the UFS Wadatsumi.
Shortly after their departure from Shinawara by sea — a meteor bombardment would occur on Shinawara, just a few days prior to the Castle Saazbaum's landing on the city.
Following the demise of the Nilokeras, Sir Trillram would find his way to shore, and would reprimand Slaine Troyard for not doing enough. Slaine, whose Sky Carrier was damaged in the fighting with the Terrans, would be shocked.
Yet, he would not be shocked that he was being reprimanded for not doing more in spite of the damage done to his Sky Carrier — he would instead be shocked at the fact that the Princess of Vers — his Princess — was alive. Trillram, in a fit of rage, would reveal that he is just as surprised too, considering that he was part of the conspiracy to kill the Princess. Proclaiming to Slaine, that his whole clan would be branded as traitors, if the word got out.
Slaine, steals the gun from Trillram's waist, and shoots the Sir dead.
Trillram's body is not ever recovered, following the meteor bombardment and subsequent landing of Castle Cruhteo, on Shinawara.
Upon his landing of the castle in Shinawara, Count Cruhteo finds out that Trillram was defeated, and the Nilokeras destroyed.
Slaine, disturbed by the knowledge that the Princess is still alive, but not trusting anyone — does his best to inform the Emperor of Vers, that his grand-daughter, the Princess Royal, is still alive.
He sneaks into the audience chamber aboard the castle, and uses it to manifest his consciousness and being on Mars, and makes his way to the Emperor's bedchamber to make his case.
The Emperor would listen, and thank him for his report, dismissing him and promising that justice will be brought.
Following Slaine's departure, the presence of another Count, Count Saazbaum — the ringleader of the conspiracy — would ask the emperor; "Is it not how I detailed it to you, your highness? The Terran traitor among our ranks?"
The Emperor, would agree, and not only renew, but further the declaration of war against Earth.
Slaine would be branded, instead of Count Saazbaum, as a traitor, and would be pursued off of the Castle by security forces, escaping using a Sky Carrier, and following after the trail of the ship that he knows was carrying the Princess.
Cruhteo orders the destruction of the Sky Carrier, but in a sudden intervention, is stopped by Count Saazbaum, who instead wishes to know where the young man is going, insisting that they track him from Orbit.
Cruhteo abides by this, and orders a continuous track of the Sky Carrier as it operates.
The Wadatsumi approaches the island of Tanegashima, the place where Lieutenant Marito lost his friend John Humeray during the First Earth-Mars War and Heaven's Fall. The man continues to experience PTSD related symptoms, that are only heightened when he is around, or attempts to control the KG-7 Aerion he is assigned to.
Tanegashima is seemingly abandoned, asides from a Martian Kataphract, which engages the Watadsumi, giving it critical damage before the Terran Kataphracts can engage and destroy it. The Hellas, piloted by Countess Femieanne, appears to nearly destroy the Wadatsumi, using its unique abilities to its advantage, when suddenly, an unknown Sky Carrier appears, and saves the Wadatsumi from imminent destruction.
The Wadatsumi would use this to its advantage, escaping into a discovered well dock in the island, and leaving behind three Terran Kataphracts, piloted by Inaho, Inko, and Yuki.
Inside the well dock, the Wadatsumi, would be abandoned by all hands and its civilian refugees. And inside this seemingly classified facility, the crew would instead find something else they never bargained for. Something that Lieutenant Marito recognizes from the last time he was here at Tanegashima. A Martian Kataphract, buried deep within the rock of Tanegashima. Nina, one of Inaho's friends, points something out, deep within the cavern, that shakes the entire congregation of military crew to the bone.
Outside, working in tandem with the 'Bat', piloted by Slaine Troyard, Inaho Kaizuka and company would engage and destroy the six arms of Hellas, and engage the Kataphract directly, until it enables its final transformation, where the main Kataphract itself turns into an entity not unlike one of the six arms. Fortunately, Inaho and Slaine manage to weaken the Hellas, until it finally is taken down by a missile barrage, from inside the rocky landscape of Tanegashima.
A massive, flying ship emerges, colliding with the Hellas, and weakening it finally, to where it is defeated by a KG-7 Aerion sniper aboard it, piloted by Rayet Areash.
Following the defeat of the Hellas, the Bat and the Orange Kataphract communicate, the pilot of the Bat realizing that it must be powered by Aldnoah, and questions if the Princess is with the Orange Kataphract, who Slaine dubs 'Orange'. Orange responds, asking what Slaine would do with this knowledge, and Slaine questions what the Terrans are going to do with the Princess. Before either can respond, Inaho makes a decision, realizing that despite the enemy of his enemy not being his friend — he still can't trust him. Disembarking from the Sky Carrier, he disables it, and the Bat crashes into the sea outside of Tanegashima.
The floating ship, during the fight between the Hellas, Orange and the Bat — is revealed to be powered by Aldnoah, to the ship's crew and staff.
None of them posses the Activation Factor required to turn on the ship, and seemingly, all hope is lost.
Until Seylum sets foot aboard the bridge of the ship.
Several weapons are drawn on her, as she disables the nearest soldier, and pronounces that she is, in fact, the Princess Royal of Vers. She proves this by enabling the ship's Aldnoah Drive, and powers it on — much to the surprise of everyone aboard the bridge.
The UFE Duecalion, commanded by the former crew of the Wadatsumi, departs Tanegashima, with Inaho, Inko and Yuki aboard, and continues to make their way towards Russia, where United Earth Headquarters are.
During their cruise to Russia, the Princess is attacked in the shower, by the traumatized, disheartened and angry Rayet Areash. Who reveals herself to be the daughter of the Martian Spies who killed the body-double that sparked the war.
The Princess is incapacitated, and goes into cardiac arrest, causing the Deucalion to lose altitude and become stuck on an ice shelf as Inaho attempts to resuscitate the Princess. After several minutes of prolonged attempts, the Princess finally comes to, but the Aldnoah Drive powering the ship remains dormant, due to the fact that her heart stopped.
Rayet declares that all Martians are the enemy, and attempts suicide using a stolen firearm before stopped by Inaho, who jams the slide of her firearm open, preventing it from firing.
The Princess apologizes for all that she's done, wracked by sorrow for the travesty that her presence on Earth has caused, and breaks down in tears following the incident.
Inaho has no words to say to either Rayet, or to the Princess, instead, returning the stolen firearm to its owner, the Captain of the Deucalion, and returning to his post.
Slaine Troyard is tortured for his so-called crimes and perceived traitorous to the throne by Count Cruhteo. Revealing nothing, Slaine is tortured to the point of death, all the while, the Count receives reports from his men about findings regarding the island of Tanegashima, the destruction of the Hellas, and the hidden Martian Kataphract buried there. Realizing that the Deucalion, the Martian Kataphract for which the UFE Deucalion is named, was stripped of its Aldnoah Drive, and that Slaine alludes to something about a flying ship, and the destruction of Hellas, something that would only be possible through the use of Aldnoah. Of which, the Terrans should've been unable to activate the Aldnoah taken from the Deucalion.
The Count realizes all too late the meaning of Slaine's words.
The Princess is alive, and Slaine was doing his best, with no support, not knowing who to trust, to keep the secret that the Princess was alive.
The Castle Cruhteo is attacked by a Martian Kataphract, the Dioscuria, piloted by the Count Saazbaum, who kills Cruhteo, and retrieve's Slaine's battered body from the Castle Cruhteo, taking him to his own castle, still in orbit.
Upon Slaine's awakening in the castle, he is greeted by Count Saazbaum, his rescuer, claiming to have done it out of an obligation to Slaine's late father. And informs Slaine of the death of Count Cruhteo.
Saazbaum commends Slaine for concealing the Princess' survival, despite the odds and despite being tortured.
"How did you know that she…?" Slaine asks the Count, who stands over his bedside.
"Count Cruhteo is no traitor. Quite the contrary, he is a true knight, who has sworn fealty to the princess… Whereas I am the traitor who plotted her assassination."
The Count Saazbaum sits across from Slaine Troyard, two plates of food set out, one for each of them. "Do not worry, it is not poisoned… Had I wished to kill you, I would've done it long ago."
"Milord…"
"Yes?" The Count asks, taking a bite from his cooked bird meal. Slaine, despite the affirmation that the food isn't poisoned — does not eat.
"Why are you so determined to fight Earth?"
The Count swallows, and takes a drink before answering; "It is a lord's duty to his vassals to fight to expand his territory."
"Just for that?"
"It is that great a cause." The Count affirms. "Culture is the sole domain of Earth… Blessed with abundant water and air, overflowing with countless living creatures. On Father Vers, although technology is advanced thanks to Aldnoah, culture has not developed at all. There is no reason that we should not seize this world and its plentiful resources."
"But even so! There's no need to exploit Princess Asseylum to—"
"It's too late." The Count interjects. "The War has already begun… Her Highness will be a human sacrifice." Slaine nearly winces at his words.
"She is innocent!"
"She is royalty." The Count retorts; "Her very lineage is her crime. Fifteen years ago, the royal family whipped the knights into a frenzy and sent them against the Earth. For that, I will make them pay in their own flesh and blood."
Unable to bear the words of the Count any longer, Slaine grabs a butter knife, and lunges at the Count, the tip of the blade resting mere millimeters from the Count's neck.
"Please don't kill her." Slaine asks, although it comes from his lips more like a demand.
"We are a people oppressed under a feudal system centered around Aldnoah. Our impoverished, shabby country looks with scorn upon a world with a vast history." If the Count is at all phased by the knife at his neck, he gives no indication. "Such nonsense. It's only natural that Vers, where the masses had been controlled by saying 'Be envious of Earh, be jealous of Earth, despise Earth,' is so corrupt that only through invading Earth can its great cause be maintained. Your injuries attest to that all to well…" Slaine winces again, the pain from his whippings and burns from his electrocutions hurt all too presently to be ignored in the face of the Count's words.
"The royal family chose war. To maintain order on Vers." The Count brushes away his plate. "And then… The Heaven's Fall came about as a result of that war, and my betrothed, Orlane, lost her life!" The Count's words have a venom behind them that Slaine cannot describe, cannot articulate. The words and venom of a man who has lost much and more in the face of a royal will that he alone could not oppose. He reaches, and grabs the blade of Slaine's knife, spewing blood all along his arm, and down onto the table below.
"This war is my vengeance."
"This war is my appointed task."
With each word, the Count grips the blade that much tighter, yet his eyes give no indication of anger.
"Defy me, and I will show you no mercy. Even if you are the son of the man I owe my life to."
Slaine would be offered a deal, either work with Saazbaum, or flee to Earth.
Any respite given to the crew of the Deucalion is a short lived one. Especially the one they receive at the United Earth headquarters in Russia.
With the knowledge now that the Princess of Mars is alive, and aboard the ship, the mission to get to UE Headquarters was two-fold — one, to restore the chain of command and get the Deucalion in the fight where it needed to be, and two, to use the high-gain transceivers to cut through the interference that the satellite network being disabled had brought, and announce to the universe that the Princess of Vers was alive.
She had delivered her message, although it would never reach the ears of those who most needed to hear it — the people of Vers. The message would be blocked via high-gain interference from the Martians still in orbit, those who were loyal to Saazbaum. And in turn, Saazbaum would use this transmission, to pinpoint the location of the Princess, and drop his landing castle on top of the underground headquarters of United Earth.
This would start the linchpin battle for Earth, fought in the frozen wastes of Russia.
The battle was fought by Mars for the intention of killing the Princess, silencing her forever.
The battle was fought by Earth for the intention of using the Princess to disable the Aldnoah drive of the Castle, deactivating the castle and preventing it, and the Kataphract known as Dioscuria, from completely dismantling the last remnants of United Earth's command structure.
The mission involved bringing the Princess aboard the Deucalion, and ascending into the stratosphere, and then performing a High-Altitude, Low-Opening drop to the Castle itself. Embarking into the castle, and escorting the Princess to the Aldnoah Drive Chamber.
Once at the ADC, she would deactivate the landing castle — and Earth would have won the battle.
This plan would fail almost at every turn, from the Deucalion being damaged in the stratosphere and falling back to Earth, impaling itself into the Landing Castle — to the Princess' escort being injured before he can leave the ship and embark into the Landing Castle.
Until finally, simultaneous to the showdown between the Orange Kataphract piloted by Inaho and the Dioscuria piloted by Count Saazbaum, the Princess would reach the ADC, and successfully disabled the Aldnoah Drive of the landing castle, and of the Dioscuria.
It would be unfortunate, that the battle between Inaho's Sleipnir and Saazbaum's Dioscuria would be interrupted by Slaine Troyard, piloting the Tharsis — the late Count Cruhteo's Kataphract.
This interruption, would result in the three Kataphracts falling through the landing castle and into the ADC.
The hatch to the Tharsis slides open with a hiss.
Slaine Troyard, unscathed, steps onto the upper chest piece of the Tharsis, and looks about at the chamber of the Aldnoah Drive of Castle Saazbaum. Asleep, dormant.
He looks again, at the Kataphract beneath the Tharsis' feet. The Orange Terran Kataphract.
"Milord…" He whispers to himself, his loyalty still torn between that of the Princess, and that of Saazbaum.
He begins to move down the Tharsis' hull, taking care not to slip on its polished edges.
He moves across the outstretched arm, when he hears a familiar, silver voice.
"Inaho!" The Princess shouts in alarm. "Are you alright?!"
Immediately, Slaine's eyes overflow in joy. "Princess Asseylum!" He says, half to himself, half to anyone who would impossibly be listening. Finally, after so long, after enduring so much for her, he's found her. Right here, in this chamber. He continues to move down the chassis of the Tharsis, and he can hear the Princess speak, but cannot make out her words. She speaks to the accursed pilot of that Orange Kataphract.
Part of Slaine, the part not occupied with the joy he feels at the Princess' safety, is overwhelmed with rage that she might care first for his enemy, and not the fact that he himself is here.
There's a gunshot, and an atrocious splatter.
Just as Slaine makes it to the floor of the Chamber, he realizes what he's heard, and sees what has been done. His ears ringing from the sound of the gunshot, and mind spinning in misplaced joy.
The Princess leans against the hatch to the cockpit of the Orange Kataphract, blood seeping from a gunshot wound in her back. She turns, slowly, body shaking in adrenaline and nerves from having just been shot, and makes eye-contact, if even for a moment with Slaine, before her head rocks backwards, and she slumps down against the deck of the Chamber.
It's only then does the sound of the gunshot reach Slaine's ears and mind, and he realizes what's happened.
"You saved me, Slaine." The Count says, weakly, as he leans against the bulkhead of the chamber.
Slaine, however, does not feel like he has saved anyone. If anything, he feels as if he's doomed himself, and everyone aboard the Landing Castle. He claws at his chest, his heart beating faster than his conscious mind could ever count.
"Well done…"
He screams as he draws his sidearm, and fires several shots at the Count's slumped form.
There's winces of pain, and a smearing of blood as the Count goes down, finally slumping against the deck and bulkhead himself.
Slaine fires until his gun jams. A casing having lodged itself in the slide, and refusing to remove itself.
The Count smiles, despite himself. And makes a motion, weakly against his forehead.
A motion, that brings tears to Slaine's eyes.
"Aim for the head."
Something falls to the deck behind Slaine.
He turns, his eyes still streaming in tears, and finds the form of the Terran Pilot, crawling against his injuries, moving towards the form of the Princess.
In an instant, Slaine's tears dry.
He clears the slide of his sidearm.
"Don't." He commands, softly, once the pilot is mere inches away from Her Highness. "That is far enough. Do not touch Her Highness."
He stands, gun pointed at the back of the head of the Pilot of the Orange Kataphract.
"Orange…"
At the familiar nickname, heard so long ago back at Tanegashima. The Pilot turns, and half-faces Slaine. In a moment, the Pilot's face turns from stoically blank, to a grin. As if he's sized up the situation, and already decided the outcome.
In this moment, Slaine notices the blood streaming from the pilot's scalp, and the splatter of the Princess' blood against his face. And despite the darkened room, and the bloodstains across his face. Slaine realizes that this Pilot isn't much older than he is. A child, by any right, but a child turned into something else. A Pilot. A Soldier. A Weapon. Orange has ever been the color of the scourge of the Martian forces here on Earth, and yet — here he is, weakened, yet smirking in the face of the man who holds a gun to his head.
The pilot says one word.
"Komori." Bat.
He turns again, almost as if he's facing the Princess.
Then turns once more, this time, facing Slaine with a closed eye, one presumably shut against a flow of blood trickling down and pooling in the orbit of his eye.
Inaho draws his sidearm.
Slaine hesitates, only for the moment it takes him to realize what it is that the Orange Demon holds.
And then shoots him.
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