Feather Flight: I Never Knew Your Strength (part 23)
An AU Kuja fic, shonen-ai, language
*****
*****
Two of the cannons were up and running again, even if they never did look or smell like new again. The generator on Cannon-1 finally gave up its ghost shortly after sunset the day the siege ended. It exploded in a spectacular footnote to the day’s excitement, sadly killing two of the men on their way to investigate the odd noises it was making. The second cannon’s gun-deck was trashed after an almost direct hit towards the end of the fight. They’d jury rigged a platform out of a jeep and some scaffolding during the battle to keep things going, but a week later, it was time for a more permanent solution.
Clay couldn’t help but be hands-on with his new recruits. The engineers were pulling in teams to lift the new metal decks up and tie them in place for the welders. He shed his jacket and moved to give the group on the right a hand. Several of the sweaty faces were familiar to him, the hardened survivors of the cannon’s original crew. He could still smell the aftermath of the bomb blast that had killed their teammates. Grimacing at the thought he grabbed and pulled with the others, his additional strength giving it a bit more stability while the younger cadets moved in to stake the cables down. The men fell back with a collective sigh as the burden of the platform was transferred from their arms to the inanimate anchors on the hillside. Clay patted one or two of them as he moved, leaning against the blackened base of one of the turrets as he examined the camp below their little hill. There was a new and irregularly shape artery carved through the middle of the dense sea of tents. Quaintly coined ‘the Digger’s Road’ no one had been willing to re-pitch a tent where the monster had once lurked, and so its path remained a visual scar on the camp. It was one of a few left behind after a week’s worth of days of relative quiet. The siege was done and the battles that had occupied them since had no heart in them.
// And with the outer perimeter walls beefed up with the wreckage of the tents, not to mention tens of thousand Selwe shells… They’ve found that we’re even more entrenched than before. //
He chuckled humorlessly at the thought. The digger’s mammoth carcass was one of the last pieces of debris to go. Its lower half had been easy, already on the edge of camp. Ibat-kai had set up an impromptu contest among his more able-bodied men to figure out a way of rolling the worm-like body carefully into position. Good luck to any of the enemy trying to burrow through or clamber over that enormous armored beast. The smell was unfortunate, but hardly off putting enough to make it unusable. If anything it was one of the few things that the dry desert winds did in their favor, quickly parching the insectile shells and making them nothing more than useful building materials.
Looking down, he could still see the clearing at the center of the camp around the last remaining bit of ‘debris’ that needed to be hauled away. The digger’s head-- and the first five segments of its blasted body-- still lay where it fell; waiting for vehicles and men to finish more critical duties before coming to tow it away
// And now the rebuilt southern watchtower is dubbed ‘Kuja’s Keep’ … alliterative, sure… but hardly accurate. Then again when Nazer heard it I thought he was going to blow a gasket, so I guess it was good for a /little/ laugh, if just not in his presence. //
It was no joking matter that their commander was running pretty close to the edge. Clay grimaced, remembering just why it was he had been keeping so assiduously to the high ground and his guns for days on end. Every time he went down into camp for a meeting he felt the need to walk very softly around the normally cheerful and forgiving man. On the close of their tenth day after Kuja’s remarkable battle, and the delicate mage was still firmly surrounded by doctors, not getting worse, but definitively not getting better. It made for an anxious situation for everyone, the men who had seen enough to hope, the doctors who could do little more but be spectators, their kai who dearly wished for someone other than himself to blame.
// Everyone else in camp thinks I’m a bloody hero, but him? Noooo… I’m still ‘that asshole who nearly killed my lover’ or whatever else is going through that pea-brain of his. //
// Some of the responsibility is mine perhaps, I brought him here… but I wasn’t the one who thought of it damn it, and I wasn’t the one who let the digger get in… and I /wasn’t/ the one who tried to blow the poor man up, so why can the bastard cut me a little slack! //
Frustrated, Clay checked his watch and realized that he would need to hurry to be on time for the day’s briefing. He was quietly grateful that he wouldn’t have to face it alone. Ibat-kai was still the voice of impartial reason in the camp, and with Nazer’s mood swinging so wildly for the past several days, the old general had practically taken over, leaving his protégé to vent his anger on the field where it could be described as devastatingly effective. The men didn’t know how to respond to their general anymore. On the one hand he was as surly and unapproachable as a bear at mid-winter, on the other he seemed determined to re-write history in his favor this time; taking on the very same armies that had once defeated him and actually succeeding in gaining ground against the horde.
// Hell if he keeps his kill-counts this high for another few weeks he may single-handedly depopulate an enemy brigade. Who’s to say he can’t plow right on through to the Tower and knock it over just for spite? //
Scanning the horizon came as second nature as he hitched a
ride down the hill. Far to the east the black monolithic building stood firm
and in the valley between the alien army remained fairly substantial
looking. It would be weeks yet before
more stingers could be bred or imported from elsewhere however, and their
digger was definitely irreplaceable. The
only question that continued to plague the generals was where the alien
// I guess I’ve finally become another of Kuja’s ‘fans’ after all… //
*****
“I completely froze, old man. Just locked up like a broken wind-up doll…”
Laro shook his head, hating himself for the confession but not able to keep such a vital bit of news a secret. “If I hadn’t, I would have been there. I’d have been able to keep control of the situation.”
“The situation was so far out of anyone’s control it’s a marvel we survived it at all.” The older general calmly disagreed, chewing on the end of a cigar he had been expressly forbidden to light.
“I can’t face another
Glancing around their quiet corner of the hospital tent, Everet gathered his thoughts and grimly wished he could smoke. Thinking and smoking just naturally went together. There would be no smoking however while he was sitting next to their little sleeping beauty for fear of compromising the poor man’s lungs, and Laro was stubbornly refusing to budge from the mage’s side during the little ‘free’ time he allowed himself.
// So it’s either go think and smoke by myself, which is hardly productive… or Think without smoking here… which is nerve-wracking. // He promised himself a good long smoke later, and pushed the need aside.
“So what do you want to do, Laro-boy… Retire? Quit? Go back to being a little grunt or play nurse until life stops being difficult again? It’s not going to change anything.”
“Damn it, Ibat. What am I supposed to do? I can’t! I can’t deal with it, ok?” The dark soldier scrubbed his head in frustration. “I’m not who you people think I am…”
“No… No you’re not. You’re just a fisherman with a little bit of luck and good inter-personal skills who got into something bigger than he was…” Smiling, he agreed with his distraught friend. “… I was the manager of a general-store once… up in the lake-country… Did I ever tell you that? I’d done my five years of service to the king, and gone home to sell blankets, and pots, and jars of jam… and then ‘boom’ one night I woke up to find that the next-town-over had been smashed to bits by the arrival of this strange black tower that fell from the sky.”
“… heh…” Laro didn’t look up, preferring to gather one of his lover’s limp hands in his own. “No… You never told me that…”
“That’s because I haven’t thought about it in years.”
Everet sighed. “… At first they turned to me for help because I was the only guy in the area with ‘army’ experience… and then more people came to me because I was modestly successful… the next thing I know I’m personally evacuating an entire region with nothing better than farmers wielding home made spears and being summoned before the king for ‘Bravery and Exceptional… something-or-other…’ I can’t remember. It just happened, you know? Hardly expected the madness to last this long.”
“… ‘Don’t complain about it’ you’re trying to tell me.”
“Well that… but mostly that fisherman or not, you /did/ get this far. Other people never made it through their first year.” Watching his younger friend he gave in to impulse and patted his shoulder in encouragement. “… I recommended you the first time around because I thought you could do the job, and you did. I’d recommend you a second time for the same reasons. Shaking in your boots with terror, you’re still the man for the job.”
“You’re crazy.” Laro’s deeply tanned hands only made the mage’s skin look that much waxier. So pale as to almost be translucent, the poor man’s body was running on little better than water.
// If it wasn’t for the magic, there’d be nothing holding the fellow together at all… he’d just dissolve into sunlight and sparkles like a good mirage. //
It was hard to believe that the silver-haired courtesan had taken on a digger single-handedly and lived to complain about it. If not for the alien’s meddling, Kuja would have even walked away from the encounter.
// Then again, with demonstrated power like that, Laro’s little friend would instantly rise to the top of the Selwe-Most-Wanted… Damn but it would have been fun to be able to pull out ‘surprises’ like that more often. Hell… if he had been able to predict the mentor he could have taken it out too maybe… wouldn’t /that/ have given the Queen a nasty shock. //
The thought reminded him of what he had meant to say. “No
one says that it has to be you to go toe-to-toe with an alien general, pup. Let
me worry about the
“You?” That got the young general’s attention, he looked back to blink in surprise.
“You trying to say I’m too old to play, boy?”
“No sir.” He grinned. “I just don’t want you taking any unnecessary risks to cover for me.”
“We could send the boy, Gerrick… see if he can’t bitch the aliens to death…”
Everet’s joke fell flat with his friend’s suddenly annoyed expression. “I don’t trust him.”
“Don’t be jealous because he’s got a bit more cleverness than either of us. He’s noble born, he can’t help it.”
“It’s not that. It’s just…” Laro shook his head. “Nothing. You’re right. It’s stupid.”
“He knew more about Kuja than you did. Because he was left behind in the capital with the man… He knew, and so was in a better position to help when needed…” Everet chuckled as the other man cringed further down into his chair, knowing he had extrapolated all he needed from the confused reports from that afternoon. “I’m sure that whatever he said or did was tactless, abrupt, and ill thought out, but he probably didn’t mean any harm by it.”
“I…”
“… laro…?”
Whatever the young general had been about to add to the conversation was completely forgotten. It seemed that their steady banter had roused the third resident of the tiny room. The mage’s fingers curled weakly against Laro’s as he struggled to get his bearings. His friend’s transformation was immediate, “I’m here, kitten. How do you feel?”
“… stop asking stupid questions…”
// … Funny how he hates young Gerrick for his sharp tongue, but then can put up with it from his little love… or maybe that’s what he was really jealous about…? That his lover would decide to choose someone with a cleverer tongue? //
Either way, it was beyond his power. Deciding the best thing to do was give his student some uninterrupted time with his companion, he stood up and bowed to the invalid with a smirk. “Master Kuja, I’ll take my leave.” A pale finger flicked in the direction of the door, acknowledging him. “And pup, stay until he sleeps again, I’ll see what our other general is up to and give him his orders.”
“Thanks.”
*****
“Is there any pain?” Laro couldn’t help but pester his lover. The man’s fingers felt so cool against his that it was a little frightening. Dying in pieces was no way to go. The cat-man shook his head slightly, snorting at his persistence.
“… Aches only… That and boredom with the view.” He gestured at the plain white canvas making up the walls of his room. “Take me outside?”
“The doctors would kill me for risking exposing you to some sort of infection.”
“Magic will cure infections readily enough.” Kuja chuckled weakly, “And magic I have in abundance.”
“I hear you’ve been teaching others… How did you manage to turn my poor soldiers into magicians?” He changed the topic, hoping to discourage his lover’s ambition to put himself in harms way. Everyone was in agreement that what the courtier needed was peace and quiet and he wasn’t going to be the fool to challenge them.
// So I challenged medical opinion once, and ‘won’… but he wasn’t half as sick then as he is now… A trip or stumble now may just kill him. //
Masa laughed again, successfully distracted from his complaints. “… I didn’t turn them into anything… they were mages all along… living under the gap in the Net for these several months seems to have awoken that which was forced to dormancy.”
Laro blinked at the interesting new bit of information. “… So there will be more ‘mages’ cropping up among the men?”
When the first scattered reports of ‘paranormal’ activity among his troops had trickled in, hard on the heels of Kuja’s injury, he had thought them just exaggerations. It had been the first time many of his troops would have seen magic in any shape or form, it was expected that they would be excited about it. Apparently the doctors however had seen the results of some of the ‘spontaneous magic’ first hand, and had immediately started directing those who were the source to their resident expert for evaluation and a little primitive training in control.
// According to reports, so far there hasn’t been anyone really spectacular, or really anywhere near Kuja’s level… but it’s a start, isn’t it? If we can get even the most basic magic going again… we could rebuild the skills… regain some of what was lost… //
“… I’ve got the ones we’ve found already ready looking for others, preferably before anything else is accidentally burned, frozen, or rained on unexpectedly.” His lover smirked, seeming more alive for the animated expression. “… It keeps me occupied now that I’m a prisoner here.”
“You’re not to exert yourself.”
“And tell me, Laro, what am I saving my strength for?”
“We’ll find a way… someone’s bound to be a compatible blood donor for you…” He scolded.
“In a group of 100 random people, statistics state that two will have at least some low level of active ability at magery, and fifteen will have some dormant capacity in their genetics that can be given to their children. Therefore, in a group of fifty-nine-thousand men, I should expect to find over one thousand trainable magic users, of whom a third of which may be highly effective with practice.” The numbers came out with fluency, proving Masa had given them plenty of thought.
“If anything, the powerful ones are being found first, since they will have the least control over their energies when they get emotional…”
“So the ones we have already, will someday be the best?”
“In theory.” The pale man agreed. “If they don’t blow themselves up in the meantime.”
“I don’t understand, what does this have to do with your blood?” Laro tried and failed to see why the mage had brought it up unless it was his attempt at distracting him from a topic he wished to avoid.
“Nothing Laro. Just… There is a distinct possibility, even within the army alone, of finding a replacement for me on a magical level… or at least, several replacements…” His lover smiled grimly. “… Finding someone similar enough to me /physically/ however is statistically impossible.”
“But…”
“There will be no donor, Laro. Not in /this/ world, at any rate. It’s best not to get your hopes up needlessly. I would prefer to plan for things that /can/ be accomplished, rather than waste time on daydreams.”
// … god… he’s serious… He’s actually making plans for what will happen when he’s… no… how can he be so cold about this… How can he not care…? //
There was no way to fight such candid practicality. He wanted to reach out and shake the slender man until he returned to the ‘Masa’ that he remembered. His lover’s occasional bouts of pouting and prissiness when things didn’t go his way had been frustrating, but at least they were better than calm defeat. Having only learned recently of his mage’s sudden illness, Laro couldn’t help but still be in shock over it, he couldn’t just give up without a fight.
// But how can I keep him from dying… if he isn’t even going to try and save himself… Bastard, does staying here with me mean so little to you? //
“… Laro…?”
The quiet question made him look up in guilt. “Sorry, what was that?”
“You’re distracted.”
“I’m furious.” He admitted honestly. “How could you not tell me…”
“I didn’t want to bother you.” Masa closed his eyes and rested against his pillows. “I knew you’d get all worked up over it, and that nothing would change things… so I though I could spare you the added stress.”
“You honestly thought you could keep such a secret?!”
“I had accomplices, after all…” The mage reached up to caress his face. “More than you suspect, I imagine.”
“Who, Anne? Gerrick? The other doctors?” He frowned. “… how many at the capital knew?”
“… Everyone who mattered.”
“… so I really was the last to know.” Laro closed his eyes and felt the fool.
The silver-haired man chuckled lightly, fingers tangled in his hair. “No, that honor goes to Ibat, I think, but he has less emotionally involved with the affair than you do, so I don’t think he cares.”
“Lucky him.”
“Don’t be bitter, Laro, it doesn’t suit you.”
“Tell me what I’m supposed to be then.” He caught the teasing fingers and lowered them back to the bedding, warming them between his hands. “Tell me what to do, Masa, because god help me I don’t know what I’m going to do… If you go…”
“Win the war, get drunk, go home, get married and have a brigade of children who will grow up to be pirates and rule the high-seas with an iron fist.” The mage replied whimsically. “Or at least that would be what I’d want you to do… It would be a marvelous story. You could name your ship ‘Kuja’s Lament’ or something suitably glamorous, and thus always remember the one who left you behind.”
“Don’t even joke about that.”
“Heroes always ride off into the sunset, Laro… After that they’re allowed to make up their own endings.” Masa’s grin faltered. “Although, cynic that I am, I always figured that the reason they ended the stories there was because the hero’s never outlive the sunset by much. No one wants to hear the part about how the hero gets killed by a run-away ox cart the next morning…”
He had to laugh at that, it was either laugh or cry, and he wasn’t willing to break down quite yet. “… In all likelihood, we won’t even win the war, so I guess the problem is solved.”
“You’ll win.” The mage disagreed bluntly. “And soon.”
“How do you know that?” Laro looked up in surprise. “How can you possibly know that?”
“Because I swore that I would not leave until I made you victorious, sir. And it’s important to me to keep that promise.” The pale man closed his eyes again with a sigh. “No more questions now. I’m tired. If you see Anne on your way out, be so kind as to tell her I wish to speak with her?”
The dismissal was crystal clear. Even a general knew better than to overstay his welcome. Laro stood up with a sigh, holding on to his lover’s fingers for a quiet moment before stooping down to kiss his forehead. “All right. I’ll leave you and your ‘grand plan’ alone for the afternoon… but I’ll be back after dinner, so try to rest?”
“Yes dear.”
Feeling able to offer a smirk of his own, he kissed the pale skin again. “If you’re a particularly good boy, and the enemy behaves for once… I’ll see if I can’t sneak you out for a bit of stargazing too.”
Blue eyes opened, too interested to feign sleep. “… That would be lovely, Laro.”
“Rest!” He grinned. “I’ll see if I can’t trip over your little doctor on my way out.”
The general passed on the message, and stepped out into the sunshine only to stop and take in a deep breath of the fresh air. He felt guilty for it the moment he breathed out, knowing he had no right to complain about the stuffy atmosphere of the hospital when he was only there for a visit rather than being a virtual prisoner of the place. All around him was dusty dry golden rock and pale blue sky, alien landscape for an ocean-man, but still a far cry better than the inside of a tent.
// I’ll get him out of there for the night, even if just for an hour… He must be going stir crazy with nothing but canvas to stare at all the time… //
*****
When neither of her drones returned to report why the secondary engine had malfunctioned, the Queen knew that it wasn’t good. Looking through the ranks of her more intelligent children she picked one of the more sturdy ones, silently hoping that its added reasoning ability would spare it the other’s fate.
Go investigate where the others went.
The male, one of her less favored consorts, stood up gracefully and cleaned his antennae before moving to leave, his limbs tapping against the metallic floor in a steady pattern. He was handsome enough, she decided. Not clever by any stretch, but docile, and well formed. If he had the sense to survive whatever the drones did not, then maybe she’d reward him somehow. He disappeared around a rounded and artfully patina-ed bulkhead, reluctantly setting off into the unknown.
A board near her fourth-hand showed a layout of the ship. According to sensors it was intact, but still something had obviously gone wrong. After such a long journey in the relic, she was grimly amazed it held together at all. This ship could not make a second interstellar journey, even if she had the fuel to do so. Planet fall was necessary, and frustratingly, still too dangerous to attempt.
… The aggressive fauna
must be eliminated…
Her other advisors dipped their antennae in agreement.
Feeling a little cold was nothing new, nor was the constant dim. Rationing her resources as best she could, there had needed to be a certain sacrifice of comfort. Usually her command chamber was just as bright and toasty warm as her personal rooms, and the massive egg storeroom adjacent. The rest of the ship was plenty tolerable for her attendants, if a little cool for her. Sadly that was no longer the case. There simply wasn’t enough energy left. The egg chamber received priority, as it must. Her rooms were a little drafty but still acceptable, the rest of the ship was verging on positively cold. As the eggs didn’t really care if they were kept in darkness, their beauty was left in shadows, the rest of the ship operated with as little as possible, meaning that her children moved about not just cold, but half blind as well. Looking over, she caught one of her navigators quietly chafing his wings to generate warmth. He promptly stopped when he realized he was being observed.
Where is he now?
The mantis-like alien turned back to its console, trying to
get a reading. Approaching
the aft compartment my queen.
Does he see anything?
Nothing yet… but he
reports… cold, my queen. A deep cold. He suspects the
engine has malfunctioned and shut down. There is no central heat currently
being supplied to the chamber because it was thought the engine would provide…
He doesn’t want to go further for fear of becoming trapped…
Call him back before he freezes… She scolded gently, understanding what had happened to her drones. They wouldn’t have known to complain about the temperature, had simply identified the problem and gone in to fix it. Their frozen corpses would be found later. The queen tried not to feel guilty about not sending a more intelligent scout with them. Drones were expendable after all.
Reroute power to heat
the area, and once it is safe, dispatch a repair crew to restart the engine,
and replace the temperature sensors in the compartment.
Her attendant bowed and obeyed, chattering softly as he worked. Several long minutes dragged by with the sounds of mechanical clinking and groaning, the ship slowly flexing as fuel was spent and portions warmed up. There was something mournful about its inanimate complaints. She busied herself with the hologram of the planet below, studying the near constant fluctuations of energy she could feel from the gap in her perfectly ordered system. The Kuja creature was obviously still alive, there was no doubt about that. Her servant was reluctant to make a second attempt, calmly stating that it would be too costly for a single aberration in the herd.
The fact that this ‘aberration’ had occurred at all was the worry. Where had such a powerful anomaly come from? And more importantly, could he spread his knowledge through the others?
For the moment at least, her barrier held. There was only a limited amount of energy being allowed down to the surface of the little planet and her remaining nodes were well protected, no matter what the pesky animals thought. The bulk of their little army was all gathered in one place, conveniently allowing her servant to gather his forces there as well. There would be no risk, she felt confident in pitting her entire drone output on the event. Every child currently on the planet was marching towards the little mammal army.
You’ve taken on one of my armies and survived, little warm-bloods… but how shall you fare against three?
With the resistance finally crushed, the rest of the continent could be wiped free as well, leaving the entire world safe for expansion once the colony was founded. No more cramped burrow on an already overpopulated planet, no more chilly ships. She would be able to stretch her wings at last. It was a day to look forwards to.
An uncoordinated clatter made her turn to see her consort’s return. Her other servants drew back in surprise at the sight of the young male. His previously flawless chitin was marred by frost-scars, dark irregular patterns burned into his shell by the cold. The male’s clumsy movements proved he was still thawing out from his near brush with death. She wondered how far into the freeze he had dared push himself before allowing himself to complain. Apparently he had gone farther than she had anticipated.
You were very brave.
Startled by her praise, her youngest courtesan hung his
head, knowing by now the reason why the others recoiled. I… I
cannot feel my antennae…
Even as he spoke, the left one snapped off and tinkled to the floor, where it shattered into several chunks. Her attendants hissed in alarm.
Take him to the egg
room to warm properly… and make him comfortable… She goaded one of the
others to assist the damaged male.
Turning to look at the rest of her consorts, she picked one of her
favorites at random. You will trade
couches with him so that he can sleep in my chamber from now on.
Her courageous scout might be too damaged to mate again, but
he would be warm for the remainder of her time in space. It was the best reward
she could give him.
*****
It wasn’t exactly brilliant strategy, but he and Ibat had finally settled on a course of action. He felt strangely relieved once he got his orders to march, needing the action, the distance from the constant drain of the hospital tent in order to keep a grip on his sanity. There was nothing he could do in the camp anymore; too tired to reason out a better plan, too stupid to aid the doctors and new mages in curing his lover; too impatient to sit quietly like a good general ought to. He had a feeling that Masa was glad to have him out from underfoot as well. The dark man tried hard not to feel guilty about that too.
// He knows I’ll be careful, and he’ll be fine there by himself… they have him completely stable… so it’s best for the both of us that I go… do something useful… isn’t it? //
Laro looked over his shoulder at where one of the cannons, resting on the bed of a massive truck, was nestled in the center of his small army. It was risky to take one beyond the fortifications, but if all went well, they’d soon have it in a new position, allowing it to act as cover for when the rest of the camp slowly abandoned the rocky heights. With the digger gone they could push through the lowlands as fast as they wanted. Ibat was moving his forces in a westward arc, hoping to flush out any waiting ambush and trap it between their two armies.
Directly ahead of them was another rocky stretch, and then a clear run straight into the base of the craggy tower. Its top twinkled briefly with the rising sun, the light catching on the crystal shard embedded in its uppermost chamber like some sort of beacon. He tried not to think about the terrible cost he would have to pay in order to claim it. At least he could look forward to his wily paramour’s expression when he gifted the mage with his latest little bauble.
// It may not be a diamond, but he seems to like them well enough. And really, it’s the size of the man’s torso, so he can’t complain it’s not big enough… //
The Selwe army was quiet. Drawing back slowly as they moved, the bugs seemed content to wait for their next order to attack. Laro frowned at the strange behavior. He had been expecting them to charge him all morning, as soon as he had cleared the perimeter. It didn’t make any sense that they would simply observe his troops and yet do nothing to halt his progress. It implied they were ‘thinking’ again. The general really wished they wouldn’t. He was far more comfortable with the aliens when they weren’t plotting multi-stage sieges or sneak attacks. If time had taught them one thing, it was caution. This round they were taking no risks, hence the plans for a new camp, and the massive beam cannon trundling along with them.
// Nice and easy… expect the worst… Then dish back to them just as good as they dish out. //
Keeping an eye on the tail of his column for stragglers, he nodded in contentment. Things were going according to plan. The rest he would simply have to leave to the wind to decide.
*****
”If you’re not busy sir, I have a message for you.”
Clay looked up from trying to sort out a mass of wiring and promptly grabbed a live one. He cursed loudly as a jolt went through his fingers and jerked his hand away from the control panel. One of his subordinates had the balls to snigger. “Go ahead and laugh, you’re the one who’s going to be fixing it.” He smirked back.
“That’s harsh, general.”
He patted the officer on the back to wish him luck, and still shaking the buzz from his fingers, stepped off the generator’s platform to see what the news was. The lieutenant saluted cleanly, and then stood there looking confused. “Yes? What is it?”
“Begging your pardon sir, but Master Kuja… the mage… he told me to tell you… that if you have a minute today, if you could stop by and see him. He says he wants to talk to you about something…”
Clay blinked and wondered what the hell the invalid was up to. The message was practically begging to be gossiped about.
// Hardly his crisp, impersonal best… but then maybe his illness is finally affecting his brain? //
He hadn’t set foot near the hospital since the courtier had been whisked there to heal. With Nazer constantly lurking around the place, it had seemed a foolish way to volunteer for another black eye. The first one had been painful enough that he saw no need for a repeat.
“That’s the message? All of it?” He tried to clarify.
“Yes sir.”
Sending the shrugging scout on his way, the general scrubbed a hand through his hair and sighed. There was nothing for it but to go down and see what the insufferable man wanted. “Oi. Captain.” He called back to his group on the cannon. “You have the watch. I’ll be back in an hour.”
“Yessir.” The man shot him mildly interested look before resuming his observation of their engineer. The officer seemed to have discovered the live wire in the case the same way he had a moment ago. The distant ‘yeow’ made him grin.
// Petty, but still, mighty funny. //
The man’s grumbling made him smile all the way into camp, nodding to the few officers remaining that he knew. With large chunks of both armies on the move, he was marginally in charge of the camp. It wasn’t like one of the more experienced generals wasn’t an hour away if god-forbid he couldn’t handle the paper pushing by himself.
Clay ducked into the large tent and made his way through the small flocks of patients and orderlies to the back. It was ironic that having one particular ‘sick’ person on hand meant that the others could be treated and released far quicker. So far Kuja didn’t seem to mind the chore, and as it was not judged detrimental to his health, he was allowed to cast the small healing spells as he pleased.
// Probably loves playing up the ‘holy martyr’ thing for all it’s worth. //
He couldn’t help but feel that his wily adversary was once again pulling the wool over the world at large. If the man could have found the energy or opportunity, he had no doubt Kuja would have spun the situation to his advantage in the blink of an eye.
// I charge fifty per miracle, stand in line please, no shoving…. Oh, if you pay a hundred you get expedited service… Gifts? Oh no, couldn’t possibly… well alright, just so long as they’re expensive… leave them on the chair would you? Thanks awfully… Oh General Gerrick, just in time… do you think you could fan me? My crowds of adoring followers make the place rather stuffy don’t you know… I’d have Nazer do it but he’s busy peeling my grapes… //
The young general schooled his expression into something a little more formal as he ducked into the mage’s quarters, not wanting to have to explain to the nurses why he was bursting out laughing at the sight of sick people.
They could bleat on and on about the new ‘savior’ of a mage all they wanted, /he/ at least would stand firm. Kuja might do good things, he might do great things, he might if pressed even agree to some selfless things. That didn’t change the fact that he would probably be a bastard about it right till the end though.
// … and ironically… that too is part of his charm. //
Approaching the low bed, he bowed floridly to the man of the hour. “Hail Kuja, sage, oracle, and… hmm… I have no idea.” He looked up and grinned.
“Given your tone, general, I think I’ll fill in the last adjective for myself…” The courtier replied dryly.
“Oh wait, I know…” Clay smirked. “Sage, oracle…. And brat.”
“Oh, very clever.” The pale man drawled. “Your wit is perfectly suited to the schoolyard, Gerrick. Still at least you’re here… just in time too.”
// If he asks me to hold a fan, so help me I’m kicking him right in the ass, I don’t care if he’s an invalid.//
“Yeah yeah. Some of us work for a living you know.” He procured a stool and sat down so as to be on the same level as his host.
Kuja simply snorted, sitting up fully in bed, a rare display of vigor from him. “Yes. I hear your repairs continue apace. Will the second cannon be ready for dispatching today? I hear the third is still being held up by trestles and ties…”
“Once the last of the shorted wiring is worked around the sergeants will try to get the monster back on its transport truck… We hope to have things resolved by nightfall.”
“Excellent.” The mage rested his arms atop his knees and gazed at him steadily. “I’m glad to hear it. That means that you are fairly ‘available’ starting tomorrow for a new chore?”
Clay blinked. “Chore? What the hell do you want me to do now? I’m already under the thumb of your surly lover and Ibat-kai, I’m not exactly a free agent.”
“Somewhere in my papers I still have a letter from Riquoi stating that /you/…” The courtesan pointed, “… are to endeavor to grant /me/… every possible assistance in my efforts to hasten a victory in this little war. I mean to collect on that oath, sir” Kuja’s pallor was dramatic, but his attitude was plainly the same as ever.
“… bastard. Alright. I’ll take your needs under advisement, shall I?” He crossed his arms in frustration. “Name it.”
“…I need you to take me to a Tower.”
The demand was nothing if unexpected. Clay blinked, unfolded his arms and still words failed him. He shut his mouth and reconsidered. The mage couldn’t be asking what it sounded like he was asking.
// I… I can’t even begin to list how many reasons why that would be a bad idea… Take him to a Tower? I’d get beheaded for trying to take him out of this tent! //
Pushing his urge to laugh hysterically aside, he leaned forward to speak candidly. “… You… want me… to take you to a Tower.”
“Yes.” Kuja was no fool. His eyes were glittering with a familiar ‘don’t cross me’ sort of way. “The closest one would be ideal.”
“The one Nazer-kai is planning to split down the middle?” Clay clarified grimly. “Do you want to get there before or after that remarkable event?”
“He won’t make it to the Tower. He’ll get bogged down in fighting as soon as he crosses the last ridge.” The calm assurance with which the man spoke was a little unnerving. “Needless to say, I will need to get into the Tower before the structure is seriously damaged.”
“There will still be Selwe crawling all over it. What are we going to do, sneak in the back door? They don’t have one, you know.”
“Most of their forces will be occupied with Laro,” the mage disagreed. “The few remaining can easily be dealt with.”
“You’re going to zap them.” He spoke his thoughts as they came. “That makes sense I guess… How many men were you thinking would come along?”
“None.” Kuja smirked. “You, me, one jeep. Without any extra weight, you should be able to avoid most of the battle, drop me off, and then evacuate the area in good time.”
// oh great… a suicidal drive into enemy controlled territory, directly /behind/ their army, in full view of their Tower, where I will drop off our very own Magical-Homing-Beacon-For-Bugs…. And drive… off? //
The utter lunacy of the idea left him dizzy. The fact that the courtier had the audacity to sit there and propose crap of that level with a straight face only proved that the blood-loss had permanently addled his brain.
“The fuck I will!”
“All I need is transportation, Gerrick.” The delicate man scolded. “The rest I can handle.”
“If I … by some /extremely/ remote chance… I go crazy enough to actually agree to this suicide pact… What the hell would I accomplish leaving you behind to get mangled by bugs?” Clay scrubbed his head.
“I might as well stay with you and take it like a man. Not much point in staying healthy for a court marshal… and you know damn well that if you get so much as a bruise with me involved, I’ll never even get a trial… Nazer-kai will have my head mounted on the front of his jeep.”
“… I’ll make sure your career is intact when I’m through with you.”
“Hard to do if you’re dead.” He snapped back, not feeling at all mollified.
The mage smirked. “You’re just going to have to trust me on this one.”
“You’re insane.”
“I’m going with or without you.”
“You can’t even stand without help.” Clay disagreed.
“Never-the-less…”
Getting into a staring contest with the pale man was no way of wining an argument. He glanced around the tiny little private room, taking in the stacks of reports tucked around the sides of the bed. Anything was better than trying to meet that determined blue-eyed stare head on. He was tempted to go behind the mage’s back and tell Nazer about the hair-brained scheme. Any amount of money would be a sure bet that the general had no idea what his lover was planning while he was away.
// And then Riquoi will have my proverbial balls in a sling for not letting Kuja have free reign… the old man knew all along that we’d be tip-toeing around Nazer in order to accomplish anything useful… The man just isn’t willing to risk his ‘pretty’ on a whim. //
Weighing his options, he had to appreciate just how well caught he was in the middle. No doubt the mage had already realized all of this and was simply waiting for him to catch up. Clay sighed and settled more comfortably into his chair. “Right… well… what exactly do you plan to do if we let you out of here? Or is that some sort of secret?”
“Hmmm no, it’s no secret… but you’re not going to believe me…”
“You’d be surprised.”
“Perhaps I would.” Leaning closer as well, Kuja smiled dryly. “Very well general… /this/ is what I have in mind…”
*****
Ten hours after Kuja unfolded his plan, Ibat’s column of troops stumbled across not just a brigade, the main bulk of a /second/ Selwe army. Radios all over camp crackled to life with reports of a sea of black insects to their west, a sea that was sweeping steadily their direction. Instead of surrounding their enemy, the two Kai’s armies were both too far east, and now working to rejoin each other and put together some sort of preliminary defensive. The tattered Selwe army that Laro had been stalking was nothing more than a decoy for the fresh troops moving in.
The news had been chilling to the genome, but not at all unexpected.
Twenty hours after finally talking his reluctant ally around
to his way of seeing things, Kuja was trying not to
wince as he was helped into a well-padded backseat. The doctor holding his arm steady looked down
and cringed as well, seeing the mark left by his gentle grip. For the tenth time that morning, the genome
silently cursed
// Or both. Both is a very real possibility… Not that I want him to die… but still. //
He felt a little bad about getting the man involved. Certainly the young commander was no paragon of humanity, but he was putting himself on the line for this little adventure. In the end it was simply a necessary evil, he could hardly drive himself, and while magic was an option, he preferred a slightly more stealthy approach. With luck the officer would be able to complete his portion of the mission with no difficulties, which only left him the messy ordeal of cleaning up, should Kuja be successful, or being lynched if he wasn’t.
// Even with my instructions and explanations to Riquoi, there’s no guarantee that poor Mr. Gerrick will have an easy life if he survives. //
Kuja looked around the camp, noting the rather battered and forlorn appearance it had from countless hasty repairs.
// At least I can see to it that he has a fighting chance… And Laro… Laro deserves a chance… //
The soldier had a strange look on his face the day he had left, as if at some level he already knew that they were only just beginning to see the true face of war. The genome frowned, wishing he had said something to comfort his lover. The truth was Laro was probably correct. If the Selwe’s goal was domination, they’d have more than one army, no matter how mighty the current one had been. There would have to be drones enough to sweep a continent. The worry was where were they, and when would they arrive.
He nodded at the stubbled general as he clambered into the driver’s seat. Gerrick looked back at him as if silently measuring how serious he was. “… last chance to go back to bed…”
“There’s no going back.” Kuja smiled. “Besides, it’s a beautiful morning for a drive.”
“… Right.” Too tense for humor, the officer gunned the engine and muttered a prayer. “… You never did answer my last question…” The vehicle jerked forward, Gerrick’s foot heavy on the pedals.
Slouching lower in his seat, the genome tried not to get bounced around. Ideally he could arrive at the battle at least partly unbruised. The shard was packed tightly into the truck as well, wedged down by his feet for when it was needed. Magic was plentiful even if health was not.
He watched the landscape as they left camp, waiting until they accelerated on the valley floor to answer. “And what question was that?”
“If by some bizarre twist of fate, I survive this and you don’t… what am I supposed to tell Nazer?”
“Hopefully nothing.” He closed his eyes and enjoyed the sunlight. It reminded him of his first long months on the beach. “I wrote to him… Just dodge when he tries to hit you the first few times, and give him the letter when he stops for breath.”
“Ha ha.” Focused on his driving, the soldier didn’t bother to glare at him. His radio crackled with near constant updates on the Selwe Army. Ibat’s forces had successfully gotten out of the way, and it sounded as though Laro was already partially engaged with the enemy, but still managing to perform something of a strategic retreat. He had the cannon to escort back to camp, he couldn’t afford to be hasty.
There wouldn’t be anymore lulls between the battles anymore, just one long crushing grind until all that was left of his friends was dust. It was sensible therefore to go out and meet the challenge head on, catch it before it could gather momentum, and destroy it in a clean sweep.
Kuja looked down at his hands, calm and tremor free for the moment, and then sighed at the sight of his clothes. The wool robe was cozy and comfortable but low on style. He had been so caught up in actually preparing for his trip that he had overlooked dressing appropriately for the occasion.
// … Not like there will be anything worth mentioning left of my clothing when I’m done… probably won’t live long enough to care… hope I don’t… //
Somehow he expected to feel a little more stressed about his plan. Even with his personal expectation of survival at a depressingly low 10%, he couldn’t help but look forward to things. It would be one last golden opportunity to leave his mark on the universe at large. Guarantee that not one but two worlds might possibly remember his name long after the rest of him had gone.
// Here lies Kuja… destroyer of some worlds, savior of others. Hate him or love him, all he asks is that you remember him from time to time. //
Gerrick eventually became
irritated at the constant noise and shut his radio off. They drove in relative
silence over the empty landscape, the general swinging wide to avoid any likely
hiding places for aliens moving to attack Laro.
Hopefully the
Pulling clear of the dry riverbed and onto a flat field, Kuja couldn’t help but lean forward in interest, staring at his target up-close for the first time. The base of the tower was a jagged mound of broken earth and something vaguely resembling black volcanic glass.
// They really were launched from space… like massive spears… or dud missiles that crashed… but never exploded… //
A crude sort of road was cut through the debris leading up
to a singular narrow door, after that it was all he could do to tip his head
back. Up, up and up the Tower was utterly symmetrical, a sort of hexagonal
lighthouse marooned in the middle of the desert. In a strange way it reminded
him of the Lifa tree, save
this structure was one of potentially thousands, where
Someone was apparently aware of their arrival. A small group of drones trundled rapidly down the road to meet them. Gerrick was in the midst of a stubborn streak, willfully driving right at the massive aliens with no sign of stopping.
// If he damages the engine, he’ll be stuck with me for good or ill. //
A burst of Fira cleared the path admirably, and earned him a glare of annoyance. He simply shrugged “To spare your tires, sir. Drive on.”
What had appeared narrow from a distance was actually more than ample for their small vehicle. The surface under their tires transitioned from gravel to smooth polish. Another burst of magic, and the first level of the building was laid to rest.
Kuja admired the lofty and rather minimalist style of the interior as his driver parked the truck and hoped out to prod at one of their still smoking hosts. The massive insect was utterly inert, as were its three companions. Lightening at close quarters was nothing to sniff at. The mage shielded his face from a particularly strong draft of smoke.
The way up was lit with long tubes of light, he watched them flicker wondering if they were a fluorescent-based system or something more arcane, but decided he couldn’t tell without breaking one. The ramp curved upwards, clinging to the wall on all sides, leaving a hollow atrium open to the air and a rather remarkable spiral effect when a person stood in the center and stared straight up. From the levels above, the clatter of alien feet could be heard. The rest of the Tower’s residents seemed to be coming to see them.
Gerrick didn’t bother to look around. He was busy methodically stripping the crystal shard out of the jeep, cursing in a steady stream to cover his fear. “Come /on/. Kuja. They’ve doubtless alerted the others by now… you haven’t much time to master the crystal… if you even can…”
“Of course I can…” He accepted the hand offered, and pulled himself upright, pausing to cast a fireball upwards as he went. It impacted somewhere unseen and above, causing a variety of hissed complaints and at least one victim. The black carapace tumbled down from the third level and landed with a wet clatter.
Kuja eyed the long climb with a sigh. Sadly the ramp was just too narrow to drive, and he knew he didn’t have the energy to walk.
“Now what, do I carry you to the top?” The soldier gave him a uniquely sour look before also turning his eyes upwards. His voice echoed hollowly in the vast chamber, distorted by the distant heights.
// Fair question, I was personally expecting an elevator or something of the like… how inefficient. //
What couldn’t be found could be made.
The genome looked at the floor beneath their feet and back up at the distant roof above and did a quick calculation. The truck would have to stay behind, but then again, he didn’t really feel like lifting it in the first place. Catching a hold of his fidgeting escort’s arm to keep him from wandering off, he placed one hand firmly on the crystal he carried and pulled a generous measure of strength.
// Why spend mine, when I can spend someone else’s… //
With a silent tip of his hat to cosmic forces, especially a particularly inexplicable crystal, he deftly twisted magic together. The floor cracked beneath them in a roughly circular pattern, the plates of steel popping off their frames and bearing them upwards as steadily as hydraulics. Kuja took a brief moment’s pleasure in hearing the young general’s swearing pause, and start up again with renewed vigor. Something about ‘lunatic mages’ seemed to have found its way into the unlikely mantra.
They ascended the center of the hollow spiral on a cushion of air, slipping past the amazed aliens trundling downwards to greet them. The walls grew closer as they rose; their smooth black polish giving them impression that they were traveling the bore of some inky black seashell. The almost rainbow sheen caused by the evenly spaced lights added to the mystery. If not for the clatter of anxious drones, the place would have had a cathedral like aura to it. So much echoing space on all sides, the hush was almost a feeling. He couldn’t imagine what a Tower under siege had to sound like. The echoing noise would have to be unbearable.
Kuja kept his eyes upwards, focused on his goal. The spell became easier to support as closer he drew to the second shard. Looking over at the piece in Gerrick’s possession he made note of its strengthening brilliance and clarity.
// It seems my hunch is correct… all the shards… are probably from the same source… remarkable. Convenient for me, at any rate. Very convenient. Why harness the power of one crystal, when I can tap them all? //
Mentally estimating the size of each piece, and then the number of shards in total, he was left with a staggeringly large hypothetical stone. It must have easily been the size of the prized stone-heart of Brahne’s castle. That particular crystal had been home to the magical beast Alexender before it had been defeated by Bahamut. He wished he had the dragon king’s strength now or even his own admittedly gentler silver dragon, riding dragon-back had been one of the few joys of traveling on Gaia without his warship. Trucks were better than walking, or carts, but they just didn’t compare to the elegant comfort of airships. He wondered how the Gaians were faring now that their Mist energy was gone. They were probably enjoying returning to the lowlands too much to care.
“Looks like they’re coming back up.” The general’s comment, remarkably curse free, broke his train of thought.
Kuja glanced down to see that the group of Selwe they had passed were indeed reversing course to chase them back up. They were not nearly as fast on the uphill climb as they were on the downhill however. Progressing vertically as they were he had no doubt who would reach the top first. “The ramp gets narrower as it goes up as well they’ll be one-abreast by the time they reach us. Think you can handle it?”
His escort merely patted the laser gun strapped on his back and looked upwards to anticipate their arrival. “Looks like our ride stops one floor short.”
“I can manage a one floor climb I think.” Kuja tucked his hands into his sleeves. “Once you’ve dealt with the welcoming committee, you’ll have to run the ramp to get back to the truck.”
“I dunno, I might want to stick around, see the show.” The general smiled sardonically. “Supposed to be the highlight of the season, I’m told.”
“… Gerrick, if I am successful in my endeavors; one of the likely results will be the immediate obliteration of the Tower.” The silver-haired man explained calmly. “You’ve been… an interesting companion… in my time here. I would hate to have you killed by falling debris if I can help it.”
“… If you blow up the Tower, what happens to you?” The young officer met his gaze a long moment before realizing he didn’t need an answer. “… Right. Don’t suppose I can remind you that I am firmly casting a vote for ‘Kuja walks away from this one’? Really, you’re a bastard, but like you said… things have been interesting since you came around.”
The genome rolled his eyes. “I’ll take your request under advisement. Do whatever the hell you want, soldier. Just get yourself and your jeep safely out of range of the Tower before you do it?”
“Fair enough.” Gerrick primed his gun and took his position at the top of the ramp. “But just so you know, if it does blow up, I’ll probably be obliged to pick through the crap to find what’s left of you.”
“Try to restrain my well-wishers from erecting any completely-tasteless memorials?”
“Heh. Get moving, mage, you’re not exactly at top speed, you know.”
Kuja laughed lightly and cast two spells in quick succession to float him up and away from his little levitating panel. As soon as their make-shift elevator was ignored, the metal plate shivered in the air and promptly toppled, spinning lazily in the air like a massive platter as it dropped twenty stories to smash into the ground next to the jeep with an impressive sound. Cursing at the unexpected projectile and peering over the edge, the surly general shouted, “You scratched the paint, Asshole!” after him as he glided into the top-most level of the Tower. The genome had to smile at the final irate memory he would have of the man. Somehow it was exactly as it should be.
The shard-room offered an amazing view. Open on all sides to the wind and sky, it felt as though he was standing on the top of the world. Again, he couldn’t help but compare it in some way to the Lifa tree. Overhead the roof was bent in a strange convex. He pondered the shape and decided it had to be a sort of collecting dish to aide the crystal in trapping and amplifying signals. The chiming shard was certainly loud enough, its song clear and sharp from its resting place in the central pillar. Fully linked with the power grid of the Net, it was alive with bright yellow light.
Kuja let his magic fade, dropping him gently on his feet next to his target. Closing his eyes he reached out for the multifaceted gem, feeling the branches of the links coming and going from his nexus. It wasn’t one of the dominant Towers, only four channels in total being routed through the shard on their way to elsewhere. Two of the paths however linked directly to major hubs. His fingers itched with the sheer volume of power vibrating from the distant shards. It wouldn’t take much to overload the system. One little push in the wrong place, one little surge, and it would all tumble down. Of course, such outages could be repaired. What he aimed to do was something far more permanent. Besides, there was still the question of what would be done with the ship floating in orbit above.
// It should have been me. // He sighed.
// Zidane had no taste for killing, it should have been me to be named ‘Angel of Death’… stupid, Garland, very stupid, you always did overlook things that were staring you in the face. //
Reaching out, he placed a hand on the glowing surface, knowing it would alert anyone else listening to the Net that he had arrived. He could hardly go up and knock on the Queen’s door to talk to her. He figured this was the easiest way of getting her undivided attention.
// Knock knock… anyone home? //
The genome smirked at his own joke.
…Kuja…?
The mathematically precise tone of the alien queen’s thoughts flickered through the shard with only a moment’s delay. She was afraid of him.
She had good reason to be.
// Greetings majesty, I have come to ask for your surrender. //
*****
*****
-meant to get further with this, and then realized I was at a good place to stop. Shocking.
--Lunar