CHAPTER 16 – CHANGING WAYS
"People often think the opposite, but I Awakened after the refugee crisis on Orelia.
Up until that point, I had spent the better part of a century training consistently for decades, trying out an astroload of methods, implants, spiritual teachings, mindgeneering, and other dragoncrap in an attempt to become a true Conduit. Even when I was deep in the storm of blood which was the Mu Duus fubar in 789 RE, seeing both mind-scarring horrors and awe-inspiring deeds of selflessness and courage on a daily basis for months, I still remained a mere mortal.[...]
Yet once that dramatic episode of galactic history passed, I found myself working temporarily as an astrologer on some backwater T4 world. It was then, during a particularly quiet night, when I paused in my work to check the sky instead the VR index, and as I lifted my eyes toward the heavens, I became Aware."
– Shonjo Tsunami, "Memories From The Crusades", Datalinks
The message Captain Riley had sent over the QE comms was simple: Union task force went into a zone with reported heavy Revenant activity. If they keep course and you hurry, you may be able to reach them in time. What followed was a string of coordinates, indicating direction and approximate planetary location.
Airo read the message while he rushed toward the skyship hangar, Zuckeroff clanking at his side. He simultaneously held a curt discussion with Yeoman Cloud, inspected the cargo and crew manifests in case Elder Darkovitz had missed something, and played out various scenarios in his head on how to approach the situation. The commlink buzzed quietly with mission-prep chatter, the power armor's interface was cluttered with data, and refugees still crowded the hallways in their late-night revelry; Airo barely registered when he crossed the living quarters and ran past his room. But he did notice.
He stopped suddenly. Veralla.
"Hey, Boss! What's wrong?" Zuckeroff asked, coming to a halt a few paces further.
Airo didn't reply. His eyes were fixed on the irised door, yet his mind was concentrated on the person beyond it, and his soul was still further focused upon something even more distant. Veralla has no place in such a crucial operation, the rational part of him thought.
Yet was he going to leave her again for days on end? Was he going to continue to spend his time alone, dwelling on the meaninglessness of his existence? So what if she was a dragon? She was the nicest and brightest person whom he'd ever spoken to since he'd been awakened from cryostasis to receive his 'second chance'.
Startled, he realized he missed her.
"Boss?"
"Go ahead, Zuckeroff. I shall join the crew shortly."
"Yes, sir."
The astrior continued down the hallway. Airo stood a few seconds more, then opened the door and entered the room. Veralla was still on the human-sized bed, her shadowy form gently pulsating in rhythm with her silent breathing. He went to her and called softly, "Veralla."
A pair of amethyst orbs appeared as she opened her slit-pupiled eyes. "Airo!" she murmured with hopeful voice.
"Yes, I am here," he said, crouching to meet her gaze. He took off the power armor's gauntlet from his hand, and tentatively reached to pat her head. "I am here."
His simple gesture had instantaneous effect. She let out a quiet sob and turned her head, pressing her cheek firmly against his hand.
"Will you stay tonight here?" she pleaded.
"I cannot. I must leave immediately."
She hrrr–ed miserably, saying nothing.
"Yet I want you to come with me."
She lifted her gaze suddenly, eyes glinting with both tears and anxious joy. "But I... I do not want to see you kill more people," she said despondently.
"No, I will not kill any more. This time, saving is what I will do."
"But... you said so before, and yet... you still killed..."
He fell silent. If only things were so simple. Yet... perhaps he should take a first step eventually... And perhaps that was what it must be.
"Veralla, I am going to save a group of Union soldiers. If this operation succeeds, it will give us a chance to stop the stellar civilizations from being at war. Then I will not have to kill anyone anymore, because they all will be fighting together against the Revenant. So I promise you: no more killing. Please, come with me."
She blinked away the tears. "You promise?"
"I promise," he nodded solemnly.
"Then, yes, I will come," she said and smiled, her sharp teeth giving her a fierce expression despite the gentleness in her voice. "I will gladly come, Airo."
***
It was an hour before sunrise, and the sky over the snow-laden landscape had begun to lighten. There was very little to indicate the surrounding area had been a battlefield just mere minutes ago; the only signs were scattered husks of defensive drones and weapon scorchmarks in the snow, alongside few residual energy particles Veralla could feel with her draconic senses. The Revenant left no remains when destroyed, and she could not even pick up any lingering traces of their auras. It was as if they were instantly and completely absorbed back into the Great Cosmos once they expired, their only legacy being the aftermath of their murderous marches.
Vorzii was hovering high above in the sky, keeping watch over the area. Down on the ground, a team human-dragon pairs of Radiant Knights was spread in a wide half-circle some distance away, ready to take flight at a moment's notice. Another human-only team of Knights were clustered together, currently facing a similar contingent of power-armored Union soldiers, while the main Union forces, featuring heavy armaments and armored vehicles, were positioned farther away in case the negotiations went awry.
Veralla stood beside Airo, who was currently speaking with one of the soldiers, presumably their leader. The leader's features were completely obscured by his bulky power armor, yet by the sense of his aura, Veralla could tell he was not exactly happy with the present situation.
"So understand, Major Trahaearn, that this war is initiated neither by the Consortium, nor by the Order of the Radiant Knights," Airo said, whose expression was also hidden beneath his own armor. "These beings are called Revenant, and they are created by a renegade Knight named Tungust Ferrtau."
"Ferrtau? I know him," Major Trahaearn said. "He's the Lightbringer, the greatest hero this deusforsaken galaxy has ever had. And you want me to believe he's behind this war? You can't be serious, Commander Airo."
"Ferrtau has gone rogue, Major. That is why I called him a renegade. He is no longer a Radiant Knight. His motives are still unknown, yet his actions more than speak up for themselves. Just look around."
"Uh-huh. And what if this is some elaborate plot the Order has created to strike back at both the Union and the Consortium? We weren't on the best of terms with you Knights after the Starblaze ended."
"Times change. We are here now. We will give you veronite and means to fight the Revenant. All we will ask in exchange is to help us defeat the real enemy, just like we asked the Consortium to do the same."
Major Trahaearn did not reply immediately, and seemed to think over Airo's words. "You did save us, that much is apparent," he admitted at last. "Void damn, I never imagined I'd be working alongside dragons again." Veralla could not see the major's face, but she was sure he was looking at her. "Did you know their firebreath can completely kill a person? They can't be restored even from a backup afterwards. I lost many comrades during their fucking independence war. Hate the winged monsters with a passion."
Veralla huddled closer to Airo, her wing touching his arm. "I can relate to your feelings," Airo told the Union major. "I, too, have suffered because of dragons in even older times. However, this is not about us or them. The Revenant do not discriminate. This is about standing together in the face of shared disaster."
"Shared disaster," grumbled Major Trahaearn. "It's like the Starblaze all over again, deus..."
"I have heard that one before. From a Consortium captain, no less."
"...I see. So, explain to me once more, Commander, why you didn't go straight to system HQ with this issue? Certainly it'd be easier than stalking and accosting random field officers and convincing them one by one to join your cause."
"You think you are the only one around who is stubborn, major? Let me start from the beginning."