Chương 100: Chapter Ninety-Nine: Duty I

Serena felt herself frown. She leaned forward in her leather-bound chair and examined the two strips of paper Finella had placed on her desk. The Northern officer wasn't the only officer in her quarters. Aiden, Thorne, Allston, and Yamaga were also awaiting her response. Amelia was nearby; she was lying down in their bedroom behind a closed door to the side. Her girlfriend had said she needed to rest and process recent events. Serena would have a discussion with Amelia and Anathor shortly.

For now, her attention was focused on their more immediate problems.

"They didn't tamper with it?" Serena asked, nodding towards the paper.

"No." Finella shook her head.

"You can see it matches almost perfectly with our own." The Northern officer pointed at the Indefatigable's paper aetherfield record.

"The small offset and variation you see at the peaks can be explained by the aetherscope needing calibration, which makes sense if the Indy really was circling the tri-cone. The interference would throw off the ferrocrystal plates."

"And this?" Serena pointed to the section on the record when the Vengeance had screamed. The needle had scratched its black ink right to the edges of the paper. It was an aether pattern that she'd seen in books before. It was the same pattern that formed when a ship got too close to the lumina or was caught in a lumina storm.

"This is us?" Serena asked.

"That's my understanding, Captain," Finella said.

"After the Vengeance somehow blasted them with it, our aetherscope returned to normal while theirs was blown completely out of alignment. That's why it's nothing but noise after. They were, as Captain Bastet said, blind."

"And their backup messenger?" Serena asked. Finella produced a third slip of paper. After laying it down alongside the other two, she said, "Here, Captain. It was affected by whatever it was we did, but to a much lesser degree. The backups are designed for reliability over sensitivity. They're useless in detecting anything other than directional aethergrams, but, in this case, that reliability meant it wasn't thrown out of alignment like their main 'scope. At least, not as much. See here?

There is more noise than there should be. And here"—Finella traced a section on the paper—"is the message you sent." Serena took a moment to think. After finishing her conversation with Menes in the cargo hold, she had him stay in one of the cells with the rest of his crew. While Serena watched over him, she'd sent Finella and the Vengeance's new squad—with the exception of the cadets—down to the Indefatigable to investigate. After they returned, they painted a picture both grim and confusing.

Confusing because the initial investigation matched Menes' story. His sword and the weapons of his crew showed no signs of recent use. The blood found throughout the Indefatigable's steel corridors, along with the bullet casings and the marks where aura-enhanced blades had cut through the metal, all pointed to one conclusion: the crew of the Indefatigable had been boarded and fought a fighting retreat throughout the ship to the lifeboats, which had all been ejected. And grim…

grim because it meant a heavy cruiser's company lost against whatever they were attacked with. Not only was the possibility of this Blackhorn with his black-crystal weapon a disturbing thought, but there was a very real possibility that the Indefatigable's crew were struggling to survive on some rock floating somewhere in the Southern Passage. Normally, she would have set sail for the Andalus fortress the moment the weather cleared and formed a rescue mission.

However, Menes had blown a hole in that plan with one comment. The Blackhorn controls the Andalus fortress, he had told her. Explain, Serena had ordered. The fortress commander leaks information to the Blackhorn. Ship schedules and cargo. The Blackhorn shares this information with the pirate factions under him and lets them do the dirty work. Sometimes, pirate vessels dock at the fortress under forged paperwork to repair and use the fortress's facilities.

The commander looks the other way as long as his purse stays heavy. It was a monstrous allegation and, considering the situation, not something Serena could decide on immediately. After Finella had returned with her initial assessment, Serena had further sent down Allston and Thorne to examine the ship's weaponry, cargo, and engines, before gathering them all in her quarters. As indicated by Menes, the Indefatigable had been mostly stripped bare.

Only a token amount of munitions and miscellaneous cargo had remained. Someone had cut into the ship's armoury with aura and ransacked that as well. Most of the documents in Captain Matthews' quarters had been taken. The ransackers had missed the secret compartment in the captain's desk, and it was here that they found Captain Matthew's diary that painted a troubling picture of events. Serena turned to her air tactician and asked, "The diary writings. What do they tell us?"

"The Indefatigable and the Myrmidon set sail from Ishaq on the first," Yamaga began, reading from papers in his hand.

"Captain Matthews reported no problems, but highlighted that the Indy was detecting more unidentified lift engines shadowing them than usual. On the twelfth, he noted worsening weather and feared he may have to delay his arrival at the Andalus fortress." Yamaga cleared his throat, turning the page.

"On the fifteenth, they were surprised by the sudden formation of a storm system, likely the same one that became the tri-cone. Captain Matthews writes that the Myrmidon's captain underestimated the storm's power, and the frigate was swept away to the north in an uncontrolled spin, presumed lost. Matthews intended to conduct a search for survivors, but…" Yamaga tapped the paper.

"There are no entries after that."

"So sometime between the fifteenth and today, the nineteenth, the Indefatigable was attacked." Serena paused, running the dates over in her mind.

"How long would it take pirates to loot a heavy cruiser? Allston?" she raised a questioning eyebrow at her chief engineer.

"In this environment? With their jury-rigged hulls?" Allston rubbed his chin.

"Two, maybe three days. Unless they sailed the Indy to some kind of base of operations where they have cranes." Serena nodded. Munitions were heavy. Crystal fuel was heavy. Moving cargo was a monumental task, even when a ship was docked. Looting the Indefatigable would have been a dangerous and time-consuming endeavour. However, if Captain Matthews and his crew were overwhelmed by not just the Blackhorn but multiple warriors as well, then they would have been able to lift the cargo themselves using their auras.

"Officer Adachi," Serena said, grabbing Aiden's attention. She laid a map of the Southern Passage on the desk. Tapping the map, she asked, "What do we know about nearby pirate bases?" Aiden shook his head, pointing to where Yamaga had indicated the area where the Indefatigable had most likely been attacked.

"Nothing this side of the passage. The north side is too close to the Shattered Isles for extended lift-engine activity. It would attract too much attention from the arcwhales in the area. As far as we know, all the pirates have their bases established deep in the south side, on static, lumina-locked islands." Serena examined the map before concluding, "Assuming they didn't take the Indy to dock, and looted it in open air, then this would have taken two to three days.

This means the initial attack would have taken place on the seventeenth at the latest. Now, the last recorded location by Captain Matthews in his diary was here"—she tapped the map—"and the Myrmidon was seen in an uncontrolled northbound spin, then the search grid would have been in this general area." Serena circled an area on the northern side of the Southern Passage with her finger.

"The lack of entries in his diary during the search makes me suspect the Indy was attacked sooner rather than later. So if we decide to search for both them and the Myrmidon's crew, we would expect to find something in this area." Serena punctuated her statement by circling a smaller area on the map. The room was quiet for a moment until Yamaga asked, "Do you believe this so-called Captain Bastet, Captain? We don't know for sure if these are Captain Matthews' words. Like you said, it could be a trap."

"Mighty suspicious that he wants us to avoid returning to the fortress," Allston grumbled to the nodding approval of his colleagues.

"All this"—the chief engineer waved his hand at the documents—"tells a story. A story where we feel a desperate obligation to save our stranded brothers, while we can't ask for help from the most logical place. They're relying on our sense of duty to blind us to the danger."

"Even if it is a trap," Thorne said, "the Vengeance can handle some pirates."

"Maybe that's what the Indefatigable thought," Yamaga countered. The air tactician turned to Serena, his forehead creased with concern.

"I can't help but feel a sense of disbelief and concern at the reports of this weapon of shadow that can supposedly cut through aura. I've never heard of such a thing. If it did exist, how would pirates have access to something we don't?" Serena couldn't help but glance at Aiden, who also knew about what Menes was referring to. She, along with Amelia, and Anathor were the only souls on the ship that had seen the black moon crystal Chesterfield had shown them in Shimashina.

While she wasn't allowed to inform her officers of the exact nature of their mission—that they were hunting down shards of the Vengeance's soul to repair it—she was given some discretion in disseminating other bits of information.

"Assume," Serena began, "that such a thing exists." As her officers frowned and looked at her, she added, "Secrets from Intelligence. Keep it close." Once her officers nodded, Serena continued, "Menes' description of the weapon… shadow and darkness and its ability to defeat aura… this is specific information that matches what I know. If this Blackhorn is associated with the Darkblades, then his having access to such a weapon is plausible." Serena cleared her throat.

"So the aetherfield record matches his words. The reported capabilities of the pirates match information few know about, and explain how the Indefatigable may have been defeated." Serena turned to Thorne and asked, "You examined the turret pods. Anything in the guncards?" Early in the war, it quickly became clear that, in the never-ending pursuit of ballistics development and battlespace analysis, accurate information on exactly when and where a ship fired its main guns was needed.

The solution for this came with the introduction of the standard turret pod—the guncard s. This integrated system used some of the explosive gases from a fired shell to stamp a card that recorded the time, direction, power, and elevation of each firing. If the Indefatigable engaged with pirates, which, judging by the lack of gun covers on her guns, she had, then the guncards would detail exactly when that engagement occurred.

With that information, they could—"Card racks were empty, Captain," Thorne said, prompting Serena's mouth to open in surprise momentarily.

"Empty? Are you certain?"

"Aye, Captain." The guncards were stored in a rack behind a nondescript panel in the turret pod, out of sight and mind of its occupants. If someone didn't know where to look, they wouldn't be able to find them. If the Indefatigable's attackers took them, it would mean their leader, or someone else on their side, had experience with Imperial standardised turret pods and therefore knew not to leave the information of their engagement behind. Serena leaned back in her chair. She slowly began tapping the armrest.

The rhythmic motion helped her put her thoughts in order.

"Is there anything else about what Menes said that we can verify or disprove. Other than the fortress. Is there anything we missed?" A thoughtful silence descended on the room as everyone pored over the few documents, records, and maps they had. After a minute, Aiden spoke up.

"The Nefertari," he said.

"His Ishaqian frigate?" Serena questioned.

"What about it?"

"He said he named it after his wife," Aiden said.

"So his wife is called Nefertari." After Serena motioned for him to continue, Aiden explained, "He claims his surname is Bastet. That makes his wife Nefertari Bastet!"

"... Who's Nefertari Bastet?" Finella asked. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

"She's the, uh…" Aiden cleared his throat and tried again.

"She's a diplomat. A well-known one, if it's the same Nefertari Bastet I'm thinking of. She's an officer for the Southern Delegation to the Houses of Parliament. When the political landscape shifted after the East demonstrated its communion with Suijin, she and her colleagues were extremely critical in Parliament over it. You know how the South is when it comes to the Suijin problem…" Aiden rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"They feel entitled."

"So he's married to a diplomat?" Finella crossed her arms, frowning.

"Doesn't sound like something you would lie about. It's too easily checked. Same thing about his claim of Cascadian Lordship. We can verify that at the registry at the fortress. Could even use their aethergram office to get an updated list to double-check."

"The fortress we're conveniently not supposed to return to," Allston grumbled.

"It's not such an outlandish lie if he believes we'll never be in the position to verify it."

"I share your concerns, Allston," Serena affirmed.

"Despite the possible danger our brothers may be in, we have our duties and our due diligence. As unlikely as it may be, I cannot risk throwing this ship into a situation where we might lose the only healer aligned with Cascadia, and along with her, the only ship capable of swimming in the lumina. Our enemies, whether pirates or Darkblades, cannot be allowed to have access to these capabilities." As she spoke, Serena realised she'd settled on a course of action.

"Lifeboats have a week's supply of food," Serena continued.

"If any of the Indefatigable's or the Myrmidon's crew survived, they should be able to manage on whatever rock or island they found. The skies here are packed with fish." She looked at her officers in turn, before stating definitely, "We'll return to the fortress. I'll meet this commander myself and make a judgment on his corruption. Only then will we decide what to do from there. Understood?"

"Yes, Captain!" came the chorus of replies.

"Officer Bright, return below and set up a watch for our Arakian friends. Give them some supper and some blankets. Make sure they know Anathor is watching them. Talk casually with Menes if he wants to. See if he provides any more information. Don't let him know we're returning to the fortress. Make sure you and everyone else are extra careful not to let slip that Amelia's onboard. We'll wait until morning and the worst of the weather passes."

"Aye aye, Captain!" Finella exclaimed with a salute.

"Allston," Serena said, turning to her chief engineer.

"I'm not splitting our crew to take the Indy back with us. I want you to spike the lift engine and"—she turned to Thorne—"I want you to spike the guns. I want them backfiring on anyone who tries to use them while we're gone."

"Aye aye, Captain," echoed Thorne and Allston.

"See what you can do for our upper aetherscope," Serena instructed Allston.

"Take the ferrocrystal plates and whatever other parts you feel like we might need from the Indy. We'll utilise the fortress's equipment to perform repairs." She turned to Yamaga and said, "Find my First Officer and tell him I want the Vengeance moored against this island. I'd rather not burn a night of crystal if I don't have to. Now"—Serena looked at Aiden—"other than Officer Adachi, you're all dismissed." With a final set of salutes, Serena was left alone with Aiden.

"Aiden," she intoned.

"I know what you're going to ask, so before you threaten and/or glare at me with that look, let me just tell you straight. I don't know!" Aiden put his hands up as he quickly talked.

"If this Blackhorn fellow and this possibly corrupt fortress commander are part of Intelligence's plans, it's beyond my pay grade. All I know is we were instructed to dock in Ishaq and await further orders."

"Await further orders"—Serena's eyes narrowed—"from whom?"

"No name was given," Aiden explained with a shrug.

"Someone'll approach us, I imagine. That's how they like to do things."

"I have a horrible feeling," Serena began, tapping the table, "that whatever we're going to do in the South, whatever shard we're hunting… It's going to be connected to these pirates and this Blackhorn."

"A feeling?"

"Call it instinct."

"What does your instinct tell you about the Arakian captain in your cell?"

"Hmm…" Serena reached up, tapping her horn.

"My instinct tells me, unfortunately, that he may be telling the truth. I'll know for sure after visiting the fortress. Damn it"—she squeezed her fist—"we should have pushed harder to get a truth-teller. I should have gone to Oshiro directly about it."

"Too late now."

"Unfortunately. Now I'm forced to listen to whatever comes out Menes' mouth. It would be easier if I could just stab him," Serena said honestly.

"Maybe if he's stabbed by a female captain, it might straighten his mindset out." Serena clicked her tongue.

"Tsk! Who does he think he is, to act so surprised that the Vengeance's captain is a woman!? Bah! I knew Southern culture was more direct, but to think he would blather on like that in his situation!"

"Speaking of solving problems by stabbing…" Aiden paused, a nervous grin forming on his face.

"If the fortress commander is corrupt… If he is working with Darkblades… What would you do?" It was a good question. What would she do? As she thought about it, Serena realised she hadn't reflexively rejected Menes' claim that the commander was corrupt. Before the events of the Asamaywa slums, where Serena had experienced firsthand the rot and poison that had seeped into the lower rungs of Eastern society, she wouldn't have entertained the idea for a second.

A commander of a military fortress, falling into corruption and passing information to pirates and darkblades? It was laughable. At least, it would have been if she hadn't already witnessed the corruption and consequences of Lord Kanamori, whose estate was now legally in Amelia's hands.

"I'll… think about it," Serena said finally. She gestured to the door.

"I need time to think. You're dismissed, Officer Adachi." When Aiden had left, Serena was alone. For a few minutes, she did nothing but look over the map and think, making sure she hadn't missed anything. Then, when she was ready, she looked to the bedroom door and called for Amelia. It was time for her to deal with another set of problems. Amelia was relaxing, half asleep, when Serena's voice caught her attention.

"Amelia," Serena called from beyond the door.

"Coming!" Amelia replied, climbing off the hammock and stepping into Serena's office. There she saw her girlfriend, looking every bit as commanding and authoritative as ever. What wasn't to love? Her neat black and gold uniform, her sharp crimson eyes, her perfect horns… Despite what had happened earlier, the sight of Serena was already making Amelia feel better. It's like seeing her heals me, she thought, as Serena turned away and looked at the stuffed moose's head.

"Anathor," Serena intoned. The moose's glassy eyes glowed red. Moments later, Anathor's rich, gruff voice filled the room.

"Hmm… Yes, Captain?"

"Are our guests behaving?"

"For now… I will notify you the moment I sense anything… dishonest." Serena took a slow breath, turning her head to look at Amelia and then back at Anathor.

"I want to talk about what happened earlier, regarding Amelia's magic and the ship." Serena tapped the table.

"What happened, Anathor? When it was disturbed by Amelia's Kanaxai magic after Shimashina, the helmsman only reported it felt sluggish. It's never moved like this by itself. Is it going to happen again?"

"Hmm…" Anathor hummed.

"I did not expect it myself, things are happening faster than they should be, Captain."

"Stop speaking in riddles, Anathor."

"She's waking up, Captain," Anathor explained.

"Or rather… she's woken up. At least, what remains has. Although I do not wish to criticise… This is rooted in Miss Thornheart's magic."

"M-me?" Amelia swallowed.

"Well, I'm sorry! I didn't think preparing Kanaxai would have such an effect! I stopped it the moment you told me to!"

"Ah…" Anathor paused before continuing, "I'm talking about earlier. The potent healing spell you cast throughout this ship after the battle of Port Highwind. I didn't think it was possible, but your magic seeped into the fourth deck and into what remains. It should not have happened, but back then, I did not realise your connection. You have so thoroughly melded with your shard that I didn't recognise it, even though it was right in front of me. I thought…" Anathor trailed off, mumbling to himself.

"What did you think, Anathor?" Amelia asked.

"I thought you were something, or someone, that had fallen from the realms of the Six Heavens. Whether you'd slipped through the cracks between realms or whether the higher gods had expelled you, I did not know. I never expected you to be one of her shardbearers. Funny…" Anathor chuckled, his hoarse voice tickling Amelia's ears.

"It was so obvious, in hindsight."

"So that's why my healing worked on… on her?" Amelia tilted her head.

"Because our souls are so similar?"

"That is my understanding, Miss Thornheart…"

"Well!" Amelia placed her hands on her hips.

"That makes sense!" Seeing Serena frowning at her, Amelia explained.

"After the ship was done screaming, I heard it talk to me." Amelia tapped her forehead.

"In here. Like… telepathy. It spoke in a language I didn't know, but I somehow understood what it was. The ship called me sister."

"Sister?" Serena's frown deepened.

"Mmm!" Amelia nodded.

"When it spoke, it didn't sound like it was in pain or anything. It sounded… warm and kind. That's good, right? I don't think it's still hurting." She turned to the moose.

"Isn't that right, Anathor?"

"I…" the moose began.

"I think so. We've talked about the growing sensitivity of the ship before… I think your healing has been mending her. For months now, the lingering spellwork has been working. It should not be possible, but it has happened. Her awakening has been accelerated. Only… only…" Anathor's voice became solemn.

"Even with your healing, there is no way to repair a shattered soul. What she's become… what she is… is fractured and broken. She hasn't yet regained her ego and personhood. Her actions, her reactions — such as screaming — are instinctive behaviours born from her personality. I believe this is why she sings in response to Aseco's magic, and screams in response to Kanaxai forming. Those actions reflect her when she was truly alive and… unbroken."

"I heard music," Serena said.

"When Amelia healed Noburu's fingers. It sounded like it came from the fourth deck. I think I've heard it before, at other times."

"It makes sense," Anathor mused.

"She used to sing when she… when she…" He broke off, and for the first time Amelia sensed a sudden overwhelming sense of sadness come from the mysterious Formless.

"Anathor," Serena said.

"Who is she, and what form does she take?" Anathor took a moment to reply. The red eyes flashed with a strange intensity as he said, "Ask Elana. It is her secret to tell. Her pain to share. As for what form she takes…" Anathor paused momentarily.

"I do not know."

"You don't know?" Serena's eyebrows raised.

"You see everything."

"I cannot see inside the fourth deck, Captain."

"You cannot?"

"I would need access to much deeper layers of reality than the Shimmer to do so," Anathor explained.

"Unless you use the key, that is."

"... I see."

"So…" Amelia said slowly, interrupting.

"We still need to collect her shards, right? If I can't fix this my way …" To emphasise her point, Amelia flexed her bicep.

"We have no choice but to go on an adventure and find all the remaining shards. Do we… do we need to collect them all?"

"Hmm…" Anathor grumbled.

"Once enough shards have been found, the soul will remember who it was and be able to reconstitute itself. We only need to find enough. However… I do not know how many it will take…"

"Anathor," Serena said.

"Can Amelia use large-scale magic on this ship again?"

"I don't think so, Captain. Not until we find more of the shards. Once she's stabilised, it should be possible. I fear her demonic magic might provoke such a reaction. While large-scale human magic, such as Aseco, may be less painful, I'm concerned it'll produce undesirable aftereffects. A shattered soul is a powerful, but delicate thing."

"What about our other mages? Is it just Amelia we have to be concerned about?" Amelia knew Vengeance had lost most of its mages when the Dragon had disbanded their ground forces, but a few remained. Allston commanded a small handful of fire mages, who had enough control over Igni's hellfire to act as welders. There was an ice mage working under the Head Chef who used their magic to preserve meat and other foodstuffs. And, of course, there was Daichi and Hinako.

"Hmm…" Anathor hummed.

"Perhaps some experimentation is in order when we're in safer skies, Captain. I suspect it may be Miss Thornheart's magic in particular, as I felt no response from the Vengeance when the mages were helping moor the Indefatigable."

"Right," Serena said.

"Anathor, after this conversation, share these concerns with Officer Bright. When we're clear of this weather, I want you to oversee their training, making sure the ship can handle their magic."

"Aye aye, Captain." Serena sighed and looked at Amelia with a smile.

"There goes my hope that I could charge into every battle with you warding the ship while putting all the enemy pirates to sleep! Ha!" Serena rubbed her forehead.

"Well… Thank you for that, Anathor. I guess I'll just ask Elana next time I—" Serena swallowed.

"I mean, I'll ask the Empress next time I see her."

"Hehe!" Amelia giggled.

"See! I told you, she's our friend now! You're allowed to be informal with her!"

"It was just… just a slip of the tongue," Serena hastily explained.

"I merely have too much on my mind right now." No matter how much her girlfriend tried to justify it, Amelia didn't miss the reddening forming on Serena's cheeks!

"One idea," Amelia began.

"Couldn't I leave the ship, and perform my magic at a distance?" Amelia thought the idea was reasonable, but Serena shook her head in disagreement.

"In weather like this? In low-sky? Too risky. Remember when you practised withstanding the noise of shellfire on the island near Nai? How I informed you that suppressing Speakers through bombardment can be as effective as injuring them? Even if you're powerful, it only takes one moment of confusion for a catastrophe to happen. If you make a mistake and fly into the lumina, or a sudden change in weather or a lumina storm causes you to enter an uncontrollable spin…" Serena grimaced.

"I won't risk it. I won't risk you. My crew are trained for battle. Let them earn their pay." Amelia didn't reply, only grinning at Serena's concern for her safety. Her girlfriend was a softy, wasn't she?

"We're getting off-track," Serena said, waving a hand.

"I need to have a discussion with you, Amelia."

"Oh?" Amelia tilted her head.

"What about?"

"About you and your role on the ship," Serena said, her eyes and expression becoming serious.

"Given we were at battle stations, I didn't have time to go through it with you first. For that, I apologise." Serena tilted her head.

"But now that the situation is over, we have to talk about the contradiction between your previously stated desires and your actions." What was Serena talking about?

"What do you mean?" Amelia asked.

"Against the Indefatigable, you acted as both an observer and as a combat mage. You attempted to Speak against them. Regardless of your success or not, the Conventions of War are clear in this regard. Because of this… You have to make a decision." Serena's eyes narrowed, and her mouth became tense.

"You were legally an active combatant earlier, and that is a duty you can't pick and choose when it suits you. I had hoped we could avoid this, but it will happen again. You must make a decision, Amelia: are you willing to fight and possibly kill others to protect the lives of your friends and colleagues on this ship? At Serena's words, Amelia swallowed. Could she… kill others?