Two silhouttes, both veiled in shadows, gathered in a room overlooking a dismal city.
"The most auspicious course of action on apprehending him has eluded our minds. We seek your input, my lo-"
"There will be none." As this second figure interrupted, the atmosphere instantly became more oppressive.
"W-what? My lord!"
"Cali has carved out his own path. Now, he will walk down it. What nebulous future awaits him is his to discover. You have but one mission..." The larger, more menacing figure said with acerbity.
At once, the head of the smaller figure rose obsequiously.
"Ensure his arrival at said future." He ordered, peremptorily.
With only a subservient nod, the smaller figure rose and ambled away.
All that could be heard then was a sinister chuckle...
♦
Chapter 1 - Arche[]
I had been in quandary as to whether or not my choice to bid farewell to the empire was a good one. It was then, in moonlight's embrace, that I vacillated no more. I found them oddly soothing - the rhythmic chirping of the crickets, the torrential flow of the water crashing against the riverside. Things anyone remotely Chiss would look down on with disgust.
Here, resting on the seat of my Carrion Spike, I feel at peace. Free from the limiting expectations and duties hitherto placed on me and free to enjoy life to my heart's content. Suddenly, a bird chirped right behind me, and I flew out of my seat in shock.
"Dear Hux!" I shouted in surprise. The bird was indigo, with a lithe physique and a long beak. "Oh, dearest me..." I perused the landscape for any sort of shelter, and found a seemingly abandoned shack at a convenient distance. I put my Spike in "STASIS MODE", and opened the door to traipse toward the shack.
"Smells like sewer. Let's hope I haven't found Tegelen..." I commented on the pungent stench that permeated the shelter's interior. The shack itself, however, seemed like a nice place to reside in... for vagrants. It had an old-fashioned stove, one window overlooking the steep hill, and a surprisingly clean bed. The walls and floors were made of rotting wood, and reinforced with stone.
"Ugly..." I thought. As soon as I made contact with the bed, however, my reluctance was no more. Its embrace welcomed my body and kept it warm. It pretty much instantly cured the insomnia sleeping on the hard, uninviting Valencian beds gave me. With the moonlight as my blanket and the ambiance as my lullaby, I fell into a deep sleep faster and more willingly than I ever had before.
"......."
Chapter 2 - Boon[]
I was woken abruptly by a raspy yell invading my ears. I bolted up angrily and, when met by a still-empty abandoned shack, I quietly poked a hole in the rotting wood to take a peek outside. Although I succeeded in making a concealed point from which to investigate, I also wound up with greenish liquid on my hand. The weather outside was slightly inclement, so I pulled my hand back in lest I ruin my clothing with foul-smelling rain.
From what I could see, however, there were four figures - one notably shorter and more stout than the rest - stood outside. The other three, towering at about six feet, jeered at the smaller man. Even through the newly-formed thick fog, I could conclude from the shape of their silhouettes that the three were in fact Chiss infantry.
"Traitors..." I thought with disdain. I rose from my comfy bed, livid. With Glyph Gun drawn, I sidled along the wall, just long enough to be able to peek outside but remain inconspicuous.
"How'd ya steal this Spike, vagrant!"
"He must be in league with ta Second Advent! We must see ta his execution!
"Do ya think we'll get promoted fa our achievement?" They all said, interrupting each other. It made me cringe internally.
"I'm clueless as to which you fellows want! A-all I was doing was gathering some provisions, and when I-I returned, I saw this, uh, apparatus outside my abode!" Added the smaller man in defense, clearly unsettled, interrupting the others' obnoxious cackling.
"Appurrratis!" Said a traitor loudly, with an irritating drawl. I had had enough of the charade.
"Can't you all keep it down? I'm trying to sleep here..." I interrupted, standing now in clear sight at the doorframe. From the looks on their face, I could conclude they didn't know who I was.
"Look, it's his fellow tree-hugger!" Quipped one of the soldiers. The smaller man ran to a nearby tree, and for good reason, as I'd hate to see him be caught in the midst of what was about to happen.
"I take some offense at your comment, but more at the fact you've forgotten me. Let's give your memories a nice jog..." With that, I managed to surprise the inexperienced infantrymen, and I took the opportunity. Using my elbow, I smashed the nearest soldier's visor, cracking it. Adding to the damage was a clean uppercut, and I grabbed the now-blinded soldier and threw him to the ground. As he hit the mud, his combat knife flew up at me, and I made sure to grab it.
As all this happen within, at most, two seconds, one other soldier was still shaken. I dashed behind him and took him captive just as the alert soldier released a barrage of plasma bullets from his JB-007. My new shield did a wonderful job of deflecting these, and I stabbed him in the shoulder - a little-known Achilles Heel of theirs - before launching him head-first down a steep hill. This other poor soul had pushed his weapon to overheating, and had therefore eschewed long-range force in favor of his combat knife.
He rushed blindly, clumsily, and headfirst, placing his fate right in my hands. I halted his advance with a clean punch to the top of his helmet, and ripped it off. He looked up at me, out of breath, with stunned eyes. "No way... that's impossible..."
Before he could reach for his combat knife again, I broke his arm and, still holding on to it, made him do an entire aerial rotation into the mud, covering his pristine battle armor with filth. On the verge of unconsciousness, he looked up at me in helpless denial, not much unlike how I've heard a wounded gazelle does to a savage lion in his last moments.
"Well then, soldier... consider the impossible done."
Now, with the treacherous intruders dispatched, I could see the plump man was coming my way. He was wearing spectacles, had dark hair, and looked like a penniless Chiss farmer. Except he was entirely human.
"You've saved my life, fellow, and for that I am indebted..." He began as he picked up his satchel from the mud. "...but I must ask: what species are you? You're not human, and not Chiss." He finished. My mixed heritage always makes me find myself being the one to introduce himself first.
"The answer's in the middle... I guess you could say I've rejected both." I replied, feigning dejection. In truth, I found joy in being an outcast.
"Ah... don't suppose you're a "common thief slash hero", Mr... uh..."
"Zoomer is fine. Say, it's raining hard out here. Let's go back into your house."
As we entered, I could see now that the cabin was, indeed, nice. The kitchen was clean, and inside the open cabinets I could see an assortment of pots, kettles, silverware, and a few frying pans. On the counter were two beakers, and the old-fashioned stove had four pads on which to cook. Quaint, but still pretty somehow.
"Excuse my bad manners, please. The name's Nefi. Nefi from Hawarden."
"Hawarden, Nultsia?" I've heard so many myths about the place that I dread it despite never having seen it.
"None other. The motherland's great, that she is, but it's a bit too urban for me. I rusticated here not too long ago. Until those Chiss scum occupied the Terástios peninsula, I lived the dream. Do you happen to know why they've come..."
"It's all a traitor's folly. The democratization of fear is bound to backfire..." I explained as Nefi poured a strange fluid with a rich brown color into a small cup. "Nultsian tea. The very finest." I hadn't realized how thirsty I was.
The tea was warm and it soothed my parched throat. The taste was something indescribable by words - "heavenly" is as close as I can get. It was ambrosia, in stark contrast to the undercooked Chiss rations I'd been issued in the Hand. The cup was empty in a flash.
"So... what drove you to escape?" Nefi inquired. "Not much difference between what drove us both, really. Polaris just didn't meet my needs. Malum's betrayal was just the straw that broke the camel's back. Say... where can I find more people?"
"I was pretty sure you'd ask. You don't seem like a man of the countryside. Just south, on the banks of the great lake Antell, is a small town of the same name. You're bound to meet someone there... but power there was usurped by Malum..."
I couldn't help but grin at the thought of more action. "Not that I doubt you can take them down. Best of luck to you." He added.
"I wish you the same. Here." I gave Nefi a Chiss combat knife. "They'll be a wake in about six hours, but their gun clips will be fried by the rain long before then..." I assured him, turning for a second to look at the now-torrential downpour.
"Let's hope it doesn't come to that. I cringe at the sight of blood..."
"So I've heard. In that case, just lock your door and stay silent. They're neither smart nor strong enough to break in. Don't die on me. Oh... and thanks for the tea."
I turned around and began walking out of Nefi's cabin. I'll miss his comfy bed, that's for sure, but what I've missed and craved for longer than sleep is action.
"Hey, Zoomer..."
"...?"
"I hope you find a home someday."
I gave a genuine smile for the first time in too long. I realized I'd miss the hospitable Nultsian, too, as I strode into the rain and toward my Spike. The seat was warm and inviting to my skin, and I gave the area an unspoken farewell before securing myself. I switched the system on to "FLIGHT MODE", and resumed my journey farther from the foggy streets of Valencia and closer to my foggier-yet future.