Chapter Forty-Eight
"You have to be kidding me. He's interbreeding them?" Erza stared at the image that had been uploaded by Laxus. Sting and Rouge were reading from the transmission as Erza still wasn't fluent in Interstellar Guild.
"Yes. And they spit acid." Sting sneered and Romeo swallowed hard. He and the Dragis had been in the middle of a game of Flip Scale when Erza had found them and stated that there was as transmission that she needed translated. Luckily she hadn't realized it was a game, or she probably would have skinned all three of them.
"Acid…great. Just great." Erza shook her head. "What else does it say?"
"Mard Geer was there in person."
"Lucy?"
"She is safe. He didn't too close. And he never touched her. She called on some of her Guards and they along with some others ran him and his henchmen off."
"Henchmen?" Erza turned and looked at Sting intently.
"Its the word that was used. I'm not sure if it's actual henchmen or something else."
"Good grief. I leave and everything gets exciting. I knew I should have stayed behind."
"Don't say that." Romeo interjected. "You know what you are doing here too. Sometimes you have to trust your friends to do one thing while you do the other thing."
"You are right. I'm just worried." She said and ruffled his hair. "Anything else important to note in there?"
"Uhh…yeah." Sting looked surprised and he clicked something and an image popped up on the screen.
"What the hell is that? Another Mard Geer creation?" Rouge asked in horror and Sting shook his head. Erza stared at the creature intently. It was massive but there was something about it that looked like it was more sentient than a mindless monster at the whim of a madman.
"It's Elfman."
"What?" Everyone asked in surprised and they looked back at the screen and then back to the Light Dragis.
"Apparently he used a Takeoverian spell and turned into that beast. Ended up helping to change the tide in the battle and run off Mard Geer."
"Well whatever gave him magic it wasn't Lucy. She had never met him until we found him and Mirajean injured in the library that day." Erza said and sat down, crossing her arms over her chest. "Maybe the magic isn't from Lucy…maybe its caused by something else."
"What else could cause it?"
"We've been eating alien food. We've been drinking alien beverages. Perhaps that has something to do with it. Changing our biology ever so slightly."
"Negative. The biological markers show no changes." Alfie stated calmly and Erza wrinkled her nose.
"I don't like not knowing why humans are suddenly exhibiting magic." Erza said and bit her bottom lip.
"We'll get to the bottom of it eventually." Rouge reassured her and sprawled out on a bench that he summoned from the wall. "Until then, I think the best course of action is to just prepare for meeting the inhabitants of Solarium."
"And brace ourselves for whenever General Jellal makes his appearance." Sting added and leapt up onto the table nearby and sat with one knee bent and the other leg hanging off of the edge. Romeo walked over and leaned on the wall and crossed his arms and legs.
"But isn't General Jellal on our side? Why do we need to brace for him?"
"You heard what happened with Lucy. What if he tries to force tests on Erza while we're on the way to Solarium? Or worse. No one knows about his Guild or who he travels with." Sting pointed out and Erza's jaw clenched.
"If he tries to kidnap Erza I'll make sure to write a fitting eulogy." Romeo said and shook his head and it made Erza smile. The kid was smart. Crazy and way too eager to grow up. But smart. And funny, even though she doubted that was his intent. She'd spoken with him for a few hours every night to learn more about him. He looked up to Natsu like he's the big brother he never had. Even thought they were from different worlds and had different powers; he looked up to Natsu as someone he wanted to become. He'd explained that Natsu had found him and his father Macao in the ruins of their family home and had saved them from draconics and carried them both back to his Magi-Hover. Taken care of them until he could get them to Wendy on the Guild Station.
When he'd learned that Natsu was a Fire Dragis he had done everything he could to be of help and to repay the debt he felt he owed. But Erza knew that deep inside Natsu had no idea that Romeo felt that way or not.
"I wonder if he'll reach us before we get to Solarium or after." She wondered and flipped her hand and Alfie pulled up a map of the area. No sign of anything around them but space debris. The ship was on an autopilot projectory to Solarium. Erza thought about the others on board. Elders from various groups who they hoped would help to get through to the Giants and get their help. Erza knew that this was more Levy's thing. But she also knew that she'd be useless if the Giants got aggressive. She'd probably end up as a pet or a snack.
She stood up and walked over to the wall and leaned on it as Alfie shifted the wall to the clear window like state. She looked out into the void and sighed. Rouge looked over at Sting who shrugged and they threw hands in what they had learned was an earth-land game called rock-paper-scissors. Rouge lost and he cleared his throat.
"What else is wrong?"
"I just feel like we're missing something. Something important."
"I'm sure that it's nothing. It's just that there's been too much calm, quietness. Which is often a problem on long travels. When things are too calm or quiet you get nervous and paranoid. We've all faced that a number of times. Well except for Romeo."
"Haha." The youth rolled his eyes.
"Maybe you are right. I hope so anyway." She said and turned and smiled at them. "Thanks for helping to put my worries at ease. I'm going to go lay down. If anything happens; let me know."
"Ok. Have a good rest." They waved at her and once she was gone they all melted little.
"That smile…" Rouge shook his head in disbelief.
"I know…" Sting nodded and Romeo shook his head.
"There sure are a lot of really attractive females on earth-land." Romeo murmured and the older two males nodded their heads.
"Too bad the more attractive they are the scarier they are." Rouge murmured softly. Sting frowned and looked at him.
"Not all of the attractive ones are scary."
"Erza, Lucy, Lisanna, Mirajean…" Rouge started to list them off on his fingers.
"Don't forget Cana." Romeo added and Rouge pointed at him and nodded.
"What about Yukino?" Sting said with his hands on his hips. "She's super attractive and she isn't scary. She's like a kitten."
"Okay…one nice attractive female. Still not common." Rouge conceded and made eyes at Romeo that had the kid cracking up. Sting rolled his eyes and turned on his heel.
"I"m going to take a nap too. Since you two have so much energy you can take first and second watch."
"Cheater!" Rouge called out after him but without heat. Romeo yawned and Rouge jerked his head and Romeo tried to shake his head no but another yawn stopped him in his tracks. "Go, I've got this. I'll wake you for the second shift."
"Okay. Thanks Rouge." Romeo slithered off and Rouge propped himself up on the bench and looked around. He headed over to the communication board and looked at the files that were being uploaded by Alfie. All the battles having taken place on earth-land were to be reviewed by everyone in the Alliance as was normal. But he noticed that there was a discrepancy in the battle with Mard Geer. He tried to find the missing pieces but Alfie was refusing him access.
"You are not authorized." Alfie admonished after his fifth attempt to retrieve the missing footage. He jerked and looked at the screen.
"Says who?"
"Laxus."
"Oh." Rouge nodded to himself and he sighed heavily. An idea went off. He moved over and clicked on a video link channel and waited. After a while Laxus' face appeared on the screen and he looked mutinous. Rouge would be terrified except he knew that he was too far away for Laxus to hurt him; and he was notorious for forgetting about faux punishments after a set time frame.
"What in the name of Mavis do you want?" Laxus snarled and Rouge tried to keep his voice even.
"I need access to the missing footage on the Mard Geer battle. Alfie is refusing to let me get to it."
"You ain't got the clearance."
"What clearance?" Rouge crossed his arms. "All battle footage is supposed to be shown for break down and information analysis."
"What was cut out isn't important. It didn't make a difference in the fight."
"Bullshit. Whatever it was scared even the humans with weapons."
"It was just Elfman's Beast form doing things that he would rather people not see. It was his first takeover, and make Takeoverians have said that the first ones are hard to control and can be shameful."
"I don't buy it." Rouge shook his head again.
"Laxus? What's going on?" Mirajean's face appeared beside Laxus' and Rouge saw the sleepiness in her expression. He felt his cheeks start to heat up as Laxus's gaze became more and more murderous.
"Nothing woman…go back to sleep."
"But your being loud."
"Then let go so I can go out into the main part of the Magi-Hover." He hissed and she shook her head and burrowed out of sight.
"No…you're too warm."
"I'll let you go." Rouge signed off before Laxus could say anything and he leaned on the control board. Laxus probably wasn't going to forget about that. He was dead. Beyond dead. He was dead in this life and the next. Although, Laxus and Mirajean were probably pretty evenly matched. He remembered her scaring Evergreen after Lisanna had attacked her and won. She'd scared the Thunder Legion member and that was no small feat.
He turned away from the boards and controls and walked to the wall that was still showing the expanse of space. He stared out and felt the call of the shadows. They whispered to him of promises and wants and desires. He knew how to tune them out. He couldn't remember much of his parents or his Shadow Dragis clan but he did know that from an early age he and the other Shadow Dragis his age had been taught how to filter out the whispers. Most of them were lies and broken promises. Ways to lure the weak willed and simple minded into the darkness.
Not only was he aware of the limitations of the voices; he had Sting to always show him the way back when he did fall too far into the shadows. Normally the Shadow and Light Dragis didn't build such close relationships but the two of them had been different. Friends from the moment they had met. Always off on adventures and getting into trouble. Having fun. He smiled.
"Incoming message from Fairy Tail Guild Station." A voice stated and he turned and watched as General Makarov appeared on the screen. He walked over and answered it.
"Ah, good evening Rouge. Where is everyone?"
"Resting. I'm on first watch." He answered and stood waiting for whatever his general needed to share.
"Good good. Any sign of General Jellal and his ship?"
"Not yet. But from the rumors; you don't know he's near until he's docking."
"Yes. I've heard that rumor as well." General Makarov nodded solemnly. "Be extremely watchful of him. The other generals threatened Bob and his members were prepared to kidnap Lucy to save him. I'm not sure if Jellal was a part of the threats or if his crew would be threatened or not to do the same."
"He has a crew? I've always assumed he somehow managed everything on his own."
"His guild is small, but make no mistake. They're fierce." General Makarov shook his head and looked at him. "How is Romeo?"
"Fine. Once he realized Erza wasn't going to skin him for a belt he relaxed." Rouge grinned thinking of one of Erza's threats. "He's a good kid. He just wants to prove himself. He looks up to Natsu and feels like he and his father owe him and the Guild Station more than they're paying off by merely living there."
"He is too impatient. One day he'll be able to do more."
"Again, he looks up to Natsu. Patience isn't that Dragis' strongest gift."
"That is true." Makarov grinned widely. "Well, just keep me notified of everything as it happens."
"Will do sir." He nodded and the transmission ended. He sighed and turned back to the view. "Will do."
"Rouge!" Sting's voice echoed through the ship and Rouge moved, shifting through the shadows quickly, to join him and Erza within seconds.
"What's going on?"
"We have been locked onto." Erza said and pointed out and he looked. Sure enough on the screen he saw another ship docked to theirs at the air hatch points. He sighed.
"General Jellal truly can latch onto a ship without being noticed. His skills weren't just rumors."
"Doesn't look like it." Sting agreed and sighed heavily. He was tense. He hated waiting and Rouge was sure he was ready to run to the air hatch and climb through to the other ship.
"How do we hail the ship?" Erza asked and Rouge moved his hands over the console.
A female appeared on the screen, her long black hair tied back with some material they couldn't see. She looked to be around Erza's age maybe older or younger; her face didn't give away anything. Not even her thoughts.
"What do you want?"
"Your the ones who latched onto us lady!" Sting got indignant and Erza didn't even look his way when she punched the back of his head. His head jerked forward and bounced off of the console and he rubbed on the sore spot in front.
"Mind your manners." Erza snarled and looked at the female on the screen. A small smirk appeared. "We just want to know when your General plans on coming aboard. And if any others are going to be joining him."
"He's resting currently. Once he's rested we'll all come over."
"Fine. Message us first. Something tells me you all probably have the means to open our ship without our approval; but if you do…don't expect it to not be an act you'd regret."
"Noted." The female said and nodded. "You must be the human Erza."
"That I am. And you are?"
"Ultear." The female said and grinned.
"Until later Ultear." Erza motioned at Rouge and he ended the transmission.
"That was weird." He murmured and Erza nodded.
"Alfie, have you noticed anything weird since they docked?"
"There is something trying to infiltrate the ship's basic binary." The AI announced. "I have trapped it in a loop. I am not sure how long it will last."
"Can you create a mirror copy of the binary that will lead to infinite loops?" Erza asked and there was humming.
"I cannot make infinite loops…but I can make a copy and several loops. It would surely put them in an unhappy state for some time."
"Do that then please. And let me know if they try any more physical or aggressive means of gaining entrance."
"Of course." The AI hummed and then went silent. Sting and Rouge looked at her.
"How did you come up with that idea?"
"From a tv show I used to watch."
"A what now?" Rouge asked and Sting perked up.
"Yukino mentioned those. They were recordings of actors and actresses telling stories that you could watch regularly or whenever you wanted."
"Oh…" Rouge nodded and went over to the bench and laid out on it. "Wake me up when it's important."
"It's important." Erza said instantly and grabbed his shoulder and pulled him upright. "Go wake up Romeo. I want him prepared like the rest of the ship and crew."
"Fine." Rouge faded into the shadows and she stared at Sting.
"What?"
"That is still weird." He grinned.
"We feel the same way about all you humans. So don't make it something that only you feel." He said and she nodded.
Lucy looked at the screen and sighed. Erza had sent a message that they had been latched on to by Jellal's ship. She sighed heavily. Erza felt uneasy and was working with Alfie to keep them from being able to open the hatch door without their approval. But she didn't think it would work. Alfie had also given a less than impressive percentage.
"What's going on?" Bixlow asked and she turned and he held out a mug of something. She sniffed it and took a ship. It was coffee. She grinned. "Erza said Jellal's ship latched onto theirs. They're probably a day out from Solarium."
"And the sigh?"
"They're trying to break through Alfie's security settings to open the hatch door from their side. Erza had Alfie create a mirror copy of the binary for a trap. But she isn't sure how long it will hold them."
"Oh that will be fun. I wonder how they'll react to being played like that."
"As long as they don't attack physically and push Erza too far; they should survive." Lucy grinned into her mug and he threw his head back and laughed.
"Yeah. I don't envy them getting on Red's bad side. I know everyone says General Jellal is a threat; but I think that Erza may be his match."
"She's a power to be reckoned with." Lucy agreed. "I just hope they don't hurt her…or the mission to Solarium."
"We're all hoping for that." He said softly.
Erza walked down the hall and stood outside of the hatch doors. Alfie had alerted her that they had gotten out of the mirror copy and were starting to mess with the binary. She had told the AI to let them through; hiding as much of the coding as possible.
Rouge and Sting were at opposite ends of the hall and Romeo was hiding out as well. The rest of the crew were in their rooms waiting. She didn't want anyone in the line of fire where they could be hurt. She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall; one foot on the wall with her leg bent. Slowly the hatch door opened.
"Welcome." She nodded as the three forms came out fo the door. They stiffened in surprise. "What? Thought you were sneaky going into the binary?"
"So you are more than a pretty face." Ultear lowered the hood of covering and looked around. "But welcoming us alone is risky."
Erza smiled slowly and pushed off of the wall and flipped her wrists. A bright light engulfed her for a second before disappearing. She was no longer in her simple skirt and white shirt. Instead she was in head to toe armor; multiple swords floating at her back with one in each hand.
"Heaven's Wheel Armor. That hasn't been seen in nearly seven millennia." A male voice whispered in awe. Erza's chin lifted.
"That's so cool!" A younger voice piped up and the hood fell back to show pinkish-purple hair. Another female face created her and Ultear rolled her eyes.
"Meredy, show some decorum will you?"
"But it's Heaven't Wheel Armor!"
"We are aware." Ultear stated dryly. "That is impressive. But foolish. That armor takes tremendous magic to summon and wield."
"Well, we can always test how long I can last fighting with it."
"Not now." The male said and slowly removed his hood. Erza froze. The male was attractive. She was mesmerized by the red mark on his face. It was almost like a tattoo but something about it told her it wasn't.
"Spoil sport." Ultear faked a yawn and winked.
"You must be General Jellal. I'm Erza. Erza Scarlet."
"It's a pleasure."
"I wish I could say the same but unfortunately with recent events I'm not so inclined."
"Surely the wish to appear with an upper hand can be forgiven. We know so little about people from your planet."
"That is one thing. The fact that you and the other generals threatened the General of Blue Pegasus into kidnapping Lucy for forced testing is another."
"What now?" Jellal's face hardened and the air in the hallway cooled dramatically. Ultear and Meredy immediately were pulling out their comms and other devices and checking information.
"It's true. General Makarov recently sent out a transmission that the team sent to kidnap Lucy failed." Meredy's voice was small.
"That was not something I agreed to or even condone." Jellal swore and shook his head.
"I believe you." Erza said and was aglow before the armor disappeared. "The reaction from you three couldn't have been planned. Come on. We usually have something to eat around this time. You can join us and we can talk."
With that she turned and started to walk away. Ultear shared a look with Jellal and he shrugged and turned to follow her. As they walked down the hall, they watched as Sting came out of a ray of light bouncing off of the wall. He nodded and Meredy blushed and looked up at Ultear who was glaring at the back of Erza's head.
As Erza sat down at a table; a pot appeared and a set of mugs. "What is that?"
"It's called coffee. It's a normal beverage on Earth. Many of Fairy Tail have found it to be quite delicious." She answered Meredy's question and inhaled the smell as she lifted the mug to her lips. She set it down. "Alfie, can they drink it?"
"So far I see no indication that it would hurt them. Although the one called Meredy may be like Wendy and find it very invigorating."
"Well noted." Erza said and offered to pout some while she took a sip. Jellal nodded but the other two refrained and looked around.
"Is that Alfie person invisible?" Meredy whispered to Ultear after a few seconds and Rouge chuckled, making her jerk around as he appeared from the shadows behind them.
"Alfie is the AI for the Fairy Tail Guild Station and all of it's Magi-Hovers and intergalactic ships." He explained and grabbed a mug of coffee for himself. They nodded and watched as he sat down and propped his feet up on a stool that appeared from the floor. He yawned and sipped the coffee.
"You all aren't scared of us. That's refreshing." Jellal mentioned calmly as he cupped the mug in his hand.
"Rumors don't mean much to me." Erza said calmly.
"And we aren't concerned as long as Erza is here. She's scarier than we are." Sting said and Erza's lips quirked.
"You command respect and yet seem amused by it."
"I don't command respect." Erza shook her head. "I just want to do the best that I can in the situations I find myself."
"Humble too." Ultear murmured.
"We did come to see if we could run some tests; but we will gladly wait until this mission is over. And perhaps later on Fairy Tail Guild Station if you'd prefer." Jellal offered as he looked around. "We do not want the same energy aimed at us as was aimed at the other generals. There is no reason to force anything."
"No there is no need. We'd gladly have tests ran as long as they were not overly invasive. We also want answers. But we do find the others lacking a lot of integrity for that stunt."
"Understandable." He said and finally took a sip of the drink. He blinked and looked from it to her. "This is…incredibly interesting. It's tart but sweet, and strong. And I feel something…"
"Energy surging a bit?" She asked and he nodded.
"Thats the caffeine."
"What is caffeine?" Ultear asked.
"Caffeine is drug on earth-land that stimulates the activity of the brain and nervous system. It's a natural occurring drug that is found in over sixty plants. It was identified by humans and studied and deemed useful and addictive." Alfie stated calmly and Sting chuckled as Meredy looked around.
"The AI answers when it isn't called upon?" She asked in surprise.
"I have been told that interaction is favored by the humans. And their invisible air files show many forms of AI from their world pre-invasion showing the ability to interact autonomously as well."
"It's also been trained by Lucy." Erza added onto Alfie's explanation with a grin. "She treats Alfie like any other member of the Guild Station so she's also become more human in that respect."
"Interesting." Meredy said and beamed. "What are invisible air files?"
"We had a system of information sharing before the invasion that allowed information and files to be "stored in the air" through processing servers. I guess enough are still operational that it's in Alfie's favor."
"I have also made copy of the air files should the original system fail after learning more about them." Alfie stated and Erza looked surprise for a moment before nodding in acceptance of the statement.
"You aren't surprised that the AI…"
"My identification is now Alfie." Alfie interrupted Ultear whose eyes narrowed. Sting and Rouge snickered and looked away.
"You aren't surprised that Alfie is doing things on its own?"
"Not particularly." Erza shrugged. "I'm not going to question Alfie or it's thought processes. It's only shown the desire to help us."
"And if the intentions changed?" Jellal inquired and there was a loud humming.
"My programming is the aid and protection of the Fairy Tail Guild Station and its inhabitants. I will not change my programming."
"We know Alfie. He was merely wanting to know what would happen if we had a rouge program." Erza deflected. "But your intentions are not in question."
There was a calmer humming and the three newcomers all got very quiet and shared looks. Jellal cleared his throat and set his mug down. "Humans are weird."
"We know." Erza couldn't fight the smile. "We have an entire field of study about how weird we are."
"You even study that?" Meredy asked and Ultear smacked the back of her head. Erza lost it and started to laugh and turned away and held her finger up.
"That means to give her a 'minute' of time to collect herself." Sting quipped and looked bored as stared at his nails. He'd purposely grown out his nails to form his dragon claws before they had let the newcomers on board. They looked at him and then back to Erza. She had pulled herself back together and was once again calm and collected.
"Sorry. I forget how strange we are to other races."
"When you are used to your own world, any other views must be interesting to experience." Ultear murmured and Erza nodded.
"That and we aren't sure why things we do are interesting or weird. Because to us its just how it is."
"That is understandable to a degree." Jellal agreed. She nodded and lifted her mug to lips and sighed as she took a sip. She set it down and he leaned forward.
"Why are you sad?" Meredy and Ultear shared a look behind his back but didn't speak. Sting and Rouge shared a look and Erza tilted her head to the side.
"We didn't find out that there was coffee on the guild until right before we all split up for missions. I was thinking how much I miss sitting around with my friends, drinking coffee and just enjoying ourselves."
"We all miss the peaceful times." Jellal sat back and sighed.
"So why are you all really here?" Erza asked and they stared at her. "Come on. Following us all the way to Solarium for no particular reason other than to meet the "new alien race" is a bit weird. Not to mention that you all aren't qualified to perform tests to figure out how it is I can use magic…so that also isn't a valid reason. So…why are you here?"
"She didn't miss a beat." Ultear muttered to Jellal who had a small smile on his lips as he looked her over. Rouge and Sting had tensed and were waiting for the answer.
"The truth?"
"No…lie to me. I want a reason to draw blood today." She said and moved her hand before they could blink and had a sword at his throat. He looked down and then back at her. He tapped the sword's blade with a finger and eyed her.
"Pulling a weapon on an Alliance General is an act of treason, punishable by death."
"As far as I can tell, you are a threat to the people under my watch on this ship. Therefore I will stand at the gates of hell to keep them safe. So bring it." Erza never moved as she spoke. Meredy and Ultear shared a look and slowly stood up. Erza didn't pay them any mind. Jellal's eyes didn't falter or look away from hers either.
"You would die for them wouldn't you? Even though none are your people."
"They are my people." Erza deflected. "General Makarov said that our planet's people were a part of Fairy Tail which means if they are from the Guild Station they are my people. And I would live and die for them. So don't think I am cocky or afraid."
"Your conviction is refreshing."
"Your inability to answer my question is vexing."
"Five jewels she makes him bleed." Sting bet quietly and Meredy's eyes widened. Again, the two people at the center of the conflict didn't acknowledge anyone except each other. Ultear took a deep breath she shifted her footing and there was a whoosh and twin clangs. Rouge and Sting stared as containment cells enclosed both females. They tried to get out but they were intended to trap draconics so there was nothing they could do.
"Traps?" Jellal asked sounding a bit put off.
"Insurance policy." Erza's tone was bored.
"Insurance?" Jellal asked truly not familiar with the turn.
"Insurance is a product of protection. To ensure financial and physical protection in the case of unforeseen accidents, dangers or injuries." Alfie stated softly. "And I chose to use the containment cells, there was no order prearranged for it."
"Your AI is very protective."
"Fairy Tail protects its own." Erza didn't bat an eye and Jellal leaned back, held his hands up.
"Which is why I'm here."
"Which is why exactly?"
"I have proof that some of the other Generals have been persuaded by Mard Geer to join him. And I needed to know if Fairy Tail could be trusted. I know now that if there were any on the guild trying to converse or side with him, your AI would have outed them already."
"Most assuredly I would have." Alfie beeped in a quick tone that sounded angry. "I have seen too many sckowls of footage of the damage he has done."
"I needed to know; and figured a small envoy would give me the means to find out. But I was expecting to have to use Meredy and Ultears skills." He looked at his fellow Guild members and looked back at her. "Can you free them?"
"That is up to Erza." Alfie bleeped and went silent. Her eyebrow rose and he sighed.
"Please. I promise we'll behave."
"Fine, but I trust Alfie to watch your biometrics and if there is a chance you all are going to do something treacherous; she does whatever she wants to stop you."
"Whatever?" Jellal asked and Meredy's eyes widened as she turned to look over at Ultear.
"Whatever. I trust Alfie's decisions."
"Thank you for the vote of confidence." Alfie hummed and released the cells.
"Your AI picked this up for your information system and the Celestial Mage?"
"Yes." Rouge answered for Erza as she sent the sword away.
"She's going to be very interesting to meet." Meredy dropped into her abandoned seat and leaned on the tabletop.
"Do you think we can truly trust this human and the AI?" Ultear asked Jellal as they were now back on their ship. They had shared a meal without any more animosity and had agreed to detach and follow them the rest of the way to Solarium. Jellal turned in his seat and nodded.
"I do. There is something about Erza Scarlet that I feel is beyond reproach."
"You don't think it's because she's the first female to be unaffected by your looks and power?" Meredy asked as she stretched before jumping up onto a perch she preferred to swing from.
"Meredy." Ultear pinched the bridge of her nose. "Jellal, I am not sure if I trust her or the others."
"We have to trust someone Ultear. We are down to the three of us. We need help to end Mard Geer once and for all." Jellal stood up and thew his hands out. "We've all lost people, and we can't lose anymore. But every revolution around the suns brings more who fall to his persuasion. I cannot take it anymore. I cannot bear to lose more former friends and acquaintances to this monster."
"I understand, but isn't it rash to just jump into trusting this human? She has a rare ability and no sure way of how she got it. Furthermore; her friend converted the AI into a nearly sentient entity."
"I am aware, but it was also a Blue Pegasus creation. So is it truly that the Celestial Mage has influence over it; or that they created something that would have eventually started to grow sentient?"
"Fair objection." Meredy nodded and sighed. "She was pretty though."
"Meredy!" Ultear laughed and shook her head and Jellal didn't say anything as he turned and looked at the control panels. They had locked onto the Fairy Tail and created a mirroring trajectory. It would allow the automated system to make any changes that they made so they didn't have to man the controls themselves.
He looked at the ship, and to himself agreed with Meredy. Erza Scarlet was pretty. And she had looked radiant in the Heaven's Wheel Armor; but she had looked even more radiant as she'd sat across from him at the table with the sword to his throat. Her conviction and bravery highlighted more beauty than any armor or magic could have. He thought about the reports from others who had witnessed footage of the humans interacting with the Fairy Tail Guild and he knew that they were also impressed by their ability to adapt. To adapt and overcome.
He closed his eyes. When he opened them, he felt confident that this mission to Solarium would help find answers. As well as allow them to learn more about Erza Scarlet and her powers. It might not teach them how she gained it; but if she truly had the power to control it and use it properly.
"Let's get some rest. Something tells me we won't get a warm welcome when we finally get to our destination."
"Sounds good boss." Meredy flipped down and headed to her room. Ultear started to walk away then stopped and looked back at him.
"Ten jewels that she brings the Giants to heel before she pulls out any weapons." Ultear grinned and Jellal thought about the bet.
"Deal. I think it will take her pulling out something in defense, not offense to win them over."
"Can't wait to see who wins." Ultear laughed and disappeared into her chamber. Jellal walked into his grinning. Grateful that his second-in-command could help find some humor and lightness in the unsure times.
"That was so cool to watch." Romeo said and moved around the room as he talked about everything. Sting and Rouge were grinning, his youthful joy brightening up the area. He stopped and looked up at Erza. "You were so brave to hold that sword to his throat."
"I understand that it seems awesome but it was what had to be done." Erza finally said and looked at him before putting a hand on his shoulder. "But you should know that this isn't about looking cool or brave. It's about doing the right thing. No matter the cost or the sacrifice."
"But you didn't even blink." Romeo stressed and she smoothed his hair out of his face.
"In battle, a blink can be the difference between life and death. Especially since I have no idea what skills or powers they posses. I had to get the upper hand without showing my hand." She knelt to look him in the eye on his level. "I want you to promise to stay on the ship when we get to Solarium."
"What?" He looked wounded. "Why? I've been good and I've done everything you've told me to do."
"Because; with them present; I'm worried they're going to make a decision that could anger the giants."
"But…"
"Romeo, please understand that I wish this was a full sanctioned and peaceful visit but I cannot risk anything happening to you. I need you to stay safe."
"Fine." He sulked and looked at her. He could see the worry on her face so he nodded and held his hand up. He'd seen Cana make promises with that signal. Erza smiled and ruffled his hair.
"Come on."
"Come where?" He asked confused.
"I need a sparring partner for a suit of armor I was reading about in a book Levy found. I want to see if I can summon it and you can help me with it."
"Cool!" He cheered and headed for the training chamber.
"You have a soft side." Sting sang and Erza shrugged and headed after the kid. Rouge punched his shoulder and the two shared a brief look before following them. They weren't gonna miss the chance to watch Erza train. She was intense and interesting beyond belief.
"I can't believe we are in the presence of General Jellal." A female said as she primped herself before he and his crew joined their ship. Over comms they had agreed to set their ship on a locked position in the orbit over Solarium and join the Fairy Tail Guild's ship to land on the planet.
"This isn't a dating event." Erza sighed as she waited for the hatch to open. The female lowered her hands and apologized but her coworkers grinned at her anyway. Rouge and Sting rolled their eyes.
"Sorry Erza." The female said and held her breath. Alfie hummed and they all prepared for the hatch to open. Jellal stepped out first and then Meredy and Ultear followed up last. They nodded and made introductions and then settled in for the landing sequence.
It didn't take long but when they made landfall; they were immediately aware that the mission was going to be interesting. Because in front of them; propped up against the side of a mountain; was an axe. And it looked to be the size of two of their ships.
"We aren't in Kansas anymore Toto." Erza whispered to herself and then stood up. Everyone looked at her while she was looking at the control panel. "Alfie?"
"I have finished comparing the planet's metrics and you don't need any special materials to exit the ship. It is a match for the needs of everyone on board."
"Thank you for the breakdown." Erza said and started to walk out of the area when Alfie hummed. "Yes Alfie?"
"I would request a means of being able to keep track of your wellbeing after you leave my immediate vicinity."
"Is there such a thing?" Ultear asked and a podium appeared with multiple disks on them."What are these?"
"They are disks that I created using protocols from my base binary. Lucy, Natsu, Happy and Gray all have one already attached for security."
"That's reassuring." Erza said and grabbed one and flipped it over in her hands. "How does it work?"
"Attach it to your skin near the most important organs. It will do the rest. There may be a little discomfort but it quickly fades." Alfie said softly and everyone watched as Erza slipped it under her shirt. They watched as her right eye twitched a few times and then she nodded.
"That's all?" She asked in verification after a second.
"Yes. Your metrics are now tracked. Please look at the screen. Anyone who you assign as a healer or tracker can keep tabs on it. As there has not been one assigned as such on this mission; I will be keeping tabs."
"Interesting." Erza said as her metrics showed on the screen. Everyone else grabbed one and held it close. Soon the room was filled with screams and gasps of pain. Everyone looked over at Erza.
"How come you didn't warn us that it was that bad."
"I've suffered worse." Erza said and shrugged and everyone shuddered. Jellal wiped the tears from Meredy's face and looked at Erza. He'd doubled over, where she had only winced. He couldn't believe it. He wondered what the worse was.
"It's in me." Sting's voice reflected his sense of violation that many of the others felt as well.
"Yes. Natsu pointed out during the original attachment that it could be seen as a target by potential enemies. Having it beneath the dermis made sense to protect its location and existence." Alfie hummed and adjusted several screens. "I will be able to track you all over this planet and do whatever I can to assist if your metrics show that you are in danger.
"Gah…trust Natsu to help hurt us from a distance." Sting shook his head.
"I'm more upset that there an underwhelming description of the pain." Several people said and Alfie hummed.
"I did as Lucy suggested and provided a warning. But if I had shared previous reactions I was sure there would be those who refused to use the disks."
"You did fine Alfie." Erza said softly. She looked around. "Take a moment or two to collect yourselves. Let's get cleaned up and head out. I don't want to get explore this planet in the dark."
Everyone agreed. It was still rather early in the morning but they weren't sure how long the day actually lasted ion this planet
"Come on everyone. Let's go find some Giants." Sting cheered as they slowly exited the shuttle.