The Sky is Endless

by Alexander W Meurant

  "Guess you are here to see what's going on. The big man is Prince Harald. Don't think you have ever met him. He is Phidel's younger brother. And I reckon he is a loud and boisterous fool. Complete opposite of his sister" Keran stated, his tone rather aloof as usual.

  "Careful Keran. If they hear you, you could get punished" Niall stated and locked his gaze on Keran's face, a hint of anger in his eyes. He opened his mouth to say something more but was cut off as he heard his name called by Phidel. He turned his attention to her, noting her beckoning gesture as she bade him to join her at the command table.

  "Sir Belford. This is my younger brother Prince Harald. He is the twin of Prince John. He arrived just now with his own fleet, accompanied by Major Barlow" she stated, gesturing for Harald to greet Niall as well. Niall looked the man up and down. By all accounts Niall was large, being a tall young man. And yet Harald was a slight bit taller, and a hell of a lot more solid. Niall placed a smile on his face and bowed low to the Prince, remembering the man was the fourth child of the emperor, and along with his twin brother John, shared the same mother as Phidel and as such shared the same coloring of hair and eyes as his sister.

  Straightening up Niall looked Harald in the face, noting a dark look upon the Princes face. Niall surmised the Prince was a stickler for ceremony and like many nobles in the homeland, most likely hared the same disdain for giving commoner's the title Niall now held.

  "Sir Belford. My sister has told me much of you. Practically sings your praise. Perhaps we shall talk later. For now we must plan" the Prince stated and let go of his sisters hand, instead sweeping it over the table in a grand gesture.

  "I had originally been on my way to an island in the south sea, currently being used as a supply base for the Federation's south theatre of war. Capturing would have hindered their naval efforts considerably. But alas, news of this north fleet found its way to me and I decided to join my sister here in Pagua. My fleet consists of my flagship, a battleship carrier class, two other battleships and five cruiser's complete with their own escort fighter squadron's" Harald stated, is voice loud and near deafening, to the point he drowned out all other noise in the command center. Niall looked around quickly and noted a large number of uncomfortable looks on many faces. Even Phidel seemed a little irritated, a tight lipped, and somewhat forced smile blanketing her features.

  "Since Major Barlow told me what was happening en-route, I have decided to place myself and my entire fleet under full control of my sister, Princess Phidel for the duration of the battle" Harald announced, his back ramrod straight, his large shaggy head slowly turning to look around the room, his large golden beard almost jiggling. At the declaration many of the staffers eyes widened and a polite round of applause started, only to quieten rather quickly. Niall watched Harald, noting the man's evident pleasure. Niall wondered just what was going through the large man’s head.

  "My brother, I thank you. This strengthens my battle power considerably. I will put your forces to good use I assure you" Phidel spoke up and then turned back to the table, gesturing for Niall to flank her right side, so that both men stood either side of her. At this action, a gentle thrum picked up again as staffers went back to work.

  "So Sir Belford, your friend Major Barlow unfortunately could not maintain a hindering force to the fleet under Admiral Raus. Clovis' fleet appeared and his fighters chased the Major away. There was little he could do to maintain the mission. On returning to Pagua, that is where he met Prince Harald" she stated and leant forward, tapping a hand on the map near the north coast.

  "I had been in the area anyway, having intended to resupply here as it was" Harald interjected, apparently having an opinion on everything. Typical royalty. Niall actually cringed a little. It would take a while to get used to the man he thought.

  "That does not matter anymore brother. Also, you mention John was joining the war as well with his own forces. Was he coming here as well" Phidel asked, turning her gaze to her brother briefly.

  "No. He will not be joining us here. He has gone to fight in the east. In the Kratsch territories" Harald stated and then fell silent, appearing to look at the table as well, his fingers gripping into the tables edge somewhat. Niall just frowned and flared his nostrils in irritation. He could clearly see the actions made by the twins were simply moves to become renowned as commanders, with the sole purpose of strengthening their own claim to the throne should they ever choose to exercise it. As they had never participated in the empires wars until now, reputation had to be their only motivation. Especially seeing as they had other siblings whose names were known worldwide.

  The more reputation they had, then the stronger their claim would be for when Emperor Alden were to die. Even if the Emperor did name an heir soon, it was likely the declaration would be ignored by his many children, and it would then be entirely possible that the empire would deteriorate into another civil war, sibling fighting sibling.

  The Last civil war had been fought and won over thirty years ago by Emperor Alden himself, and at the age of fifteen, he had personally killed his two elder brothers to secure his right to rule.

  Niall was sure that a civil war would be disastrous in the current age, as instead of being torn between three brothers, the empire would be shredded by the seven children of Alden. And if the empire was still at war with any of the other world powers, the empire could very well be destroyed.

  "I see. Well, no matter" Phidel stated, seeming just a little downcast. Niall surmised that she enjoyed the company of the twins, even if others didn't. She looked hard at the command map and then scowled.

  "Well, now that you are here brother, things will be far easier. Get some rest, both of you. There may not be much sleep to go around over the next few days, so enjoy it while you can. I know I will" she stated and pushed away from the table.

  "I'll be in my quarters resting if there are any updates. I want to know everything, no matter how small" she declared to all her staff, a few of her more senior officers and advisers nodding, showing they understood. Phidel then turned on her heels and exited the center, two Laegor guards appearing seemingly out of nowhere and falling instep behind her.

  Niall looked to the clock on the wall and blinked, realizing it was now late in the evening and he scowled, having not thought it was so late. He turned to say farewell to Harald, only to find the man now gone, nowhere in sight in the center. For a big man, he sure knew how to disappear. Niall scowled and instead exited the room, making a beeline for his own quarters. Whipping out his phone, he sent a quick text, smirking slightly as one came right back within mere seconds.

  Stuffing his phone back into his pocket, he arrived at his quarters and pushed inside, seeing the sparse military style set up. A few trunks lay around the walls and cot lay in the center of the room. The room had been a storeroom within the sporting complex, but seeing as all the other area's had been commandeered in the early days by the high rankers, it was all he had. It did the job though.

  Stripping his clothes and leaving them in a pile on the floor, Niall just collapsed on to his cot and closed his eyes as he contemplated what the next few days would be like. With the addition of Harald's battle fleet, they now outnumbered Clovis' airships significantly, but they would not be able to engage the forces over the ocean for fear of the vast naval force the enemy commander was accompanying.

  Unable to reach a conclusion, all thoughts of the coming battle vanished from Niall's mind as a light knock sounded at his door. He rolled over and sat up on the edge of the bed as he bid the person to enter. The door opened revealing one of Phidel's young staff officers whom Niall had seen earlier in the day. The one that had blushed profusely as he had passed. Niall just smirked slightly and beckoned for the woman to come inside. She did so quietly and closed the door before crossing the floor towards Niall. Niall smiled to himself once more as he gestured her closer. Being a royal knight certainly had its perks and benefits that was for sure.

  Chapter 18

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  "You will halt your ship for a military inspection, if you do not comply, you will be boarded" came the order over the radio. Swearing out loud, Kasui stomped about the cargo ship in an almost childish rage.

  "Can't this useless piece of shit go any faster?" she raged, "I can't fucking believe they caught up to us".

  "They are in a battleship Kasui, of course they were going to catch us in a contest of speed" Ryan said, trying to calm Kasui's violent rage. As Kasui turned on him, Ryan flinched and held his hands out to ward off the wild woman before him.

  "You're not helping the situation Ryan. Now both of you sit the fuck down and stay calm, because if they start shooting I am going to start flying like a madman" came the yell from the pilot in the cockpit.

  "Fuck you Manny, don't tell me what to do" Kasui shouted right back, a vein twitching in her neck. Still smoldering though, Kasui threw herself down on a bench and simply death stared Ryan intensely as Manny started communications with the airship tailing them.

  "This is cargo ship eighty seven, belonging to the LMG second trade fleet, we have papers to be trading here and as we cannot land in the ocean, you will have to wait until we reach a S.I.R port, over" Manny exclaimed into the radio, sweat visible on his brow even as he sent the little cargo ship streaming through the air at top speed.

  After a few painstaking moments of silence, an answer crackled back over the radio.

  "That is a negative cargo eighty seven. You are to land your ship in the Etruscan's docking bay, over" the voice said, identifying the airship that was chasing them. Manny swore loudly and just turned to look out the cockpit door to stare at the others.

  "What the hell are we supposed to do? It’s a damned battleship. We can't outrun it" he stated worried, his brow furrowed and his eyes flitting between Kasui and Ryan.

  As Ryan stayed silent, apparently at a loss for words, Kasui swore under her breath and stood up. She approached the cockpit, her hands grabbing at the door frame to steady herself in the bucking vessel.

  "How far away are we from the S.I.R border, Manny"? asked Kasui, naming the alliance of island nations west of the Ostian continent. Her eyes scanned the horizon, but there was nothing but ocean in sight. Manny swiveled back to face the front and seemed to think for a moment.

  "At this speed, it will take us two to three hours to reach the closest port. But around fifteen minutes to enter the Republic's maritime territories. The original plan was for us to meet up with a friendly naval detachment that should be waiting for us near the border" responded the nervous pilot as he looked at the radio, knowing their silence was not helping the situation.

  "Can we play for any more time do you think? Delay our pursuers some" Kasui asked, her expression grim as thoughts ran through her mind. Last thing she wanted was to have her life ended as the little ship was blasted out of the air.

  "I doubt it. We are bound to be pushing their patience by now" Manny stated nervously. He opened his mouth to say something when the radio began crackling again cutting him off mid-sentence.

  "Cargo eighty seven, this is your last warning, if you do not comply, you will be boarded" came the abrupt demand, this time from a much sterner voice, one that Kasui identified as Bradley's.

  "That’s fucking Bradley! How does he expect to board this little ship" Kasui hissed angrily. No sooner had she finished those words, the cargo ship shuddered and began to slow down. Both Kasui and Ryan staggered at the drop in speed and Kasui actually cried out as she thumped into the cockpits door frame.

  "What the actual fuck Manny, why did you slow down?" Kasui snarled at Manny, thinking it was all his fault.

  "It's not fucking me you idiot! Why the hell would I slow down" Manny snapped even as he pushed the little ships engines to the max. He seemed panicky at best and didn’t actually seem to know what was happening. Kasui just looked around, seeing a white faced Ryan and the unconscious youth. Scowling she turned around, fuming that once more it seemed like she was the one that was expected to remedy a situation.

  "Screw this shit, there's a reason we brought these weapons" Kasui snapped as she moved down the side of the cargo bay towards a number of large crates secured to the cargo ships floor. Taking the lid from them, she started rifling through a loose assortment of weapons. She scowled at the condition some of them were in, but she doubted they were actually meant to be used. Looking back briefly, she stared at Ryan and the unconscious youth.

  "Ryan, make yourself fucking useful and take the kid into the cockpit with you" she demanded, anger rising at him as she felt like she really was watching a pair of toddlers. These guys were supposed to be soldiers.

  When she saw her handler comply with her order and drag the unconscious youth into the cockpit, Kasui turned back to the crate of weapons. Looking through them, she selected the strongest weapon she could see, an old crystal converter. The weapon was one of the earliest of its kind and was now majorly outdated. Yet the weapon itself was one of the most damaging creations that a human being could hold with their own two hands. Hefting the lofty weapon over her shoulder she advanced down the cargo bay towards the bay door.

  Picking her one and only lighting crystal from her belt, Kasui placed it in the converter and turned the weapon one. With a whirring noise, it instantly began absorbing the powerful energy. Kasui scowled at the fact she was using the crystal here of all places. It felt like a waste. She had managed to steal the crystal a few months back when she had completed another mission, and she had secretly kept the extremely valuable item from her superiors.

  As the converter finished its absorption, she hit the release switch for the cargo ships back door, and as it opened Kasui looked upon the huge flagship in front of her. She could just imagine the looks on the faces of the crew as they saw a slight dark skinned woman appear with a big gun. Looking out over the ship, she saw a group of people gathered on the observation deck of the craft and swore. There was about eight of them, all standing in a circle holding hands and chanting. Mages.

  "Manny, they have mages on the deck. Using magic to pull us in" she shouted out over the roar of air around the ship. She looked back briefly to see Manny peek back through the ship at her with wide eyes. He said nothing before turning back to the front. Focusing her own attention on the battleship, she aimed her weapon at it loosely. Sucking in a breath, Kasui flicked the safety switch and pulled the double trigger of the weapon, releasing the vast amount of stored energy.

  Instantly a brilliant white flash of light filled the space around her and beamed out over the gap between her and the battleship. With a loud whip crack of noise, the wild blast of energy erupted out of the weapon and the lightning bolt it created whipped out over the front of the battleship. A shriek sounded as the uncontrollable lightning bolt raked down the ships left flank, narrowly missing the bridge. The ships shields buckled and flashed a series of brilliant colors before completely breaking. As the shield burst in one place, Kasui watched as the last of the lightning bolt penetrated the ships armor and cause an explosion on the ships flank, sending streaks of flame and debris outwards and into the ocean below.

  As the energy fizzled out from the weapon in her hands, Kasui grinned joyfully as she watched the battleship tilt hard, the mages on the deck all letting go of one another as they sought to grab onto railings to stop themselves from falling overboard. As the mages lost hold on their magic, the little cargo ship shuddered forwards and Kasui staggered eyes going wide as she teetered on the edge of the cargo bay. All she could see was ocean below her as she fell forwards. She just closed her eyes swearing as she fell.

  Two hands grasped her shoulders and held her there before pulling her back into the ship. Kasui opened her eyes and spun, finding herself face to face with Ryan who was wearing a drawn and weary expression.

  She just stared at him for a moment before becoming aware of a slight burning smell. Looking at the weapon perched upon her shoulder, Kasui saw that the energy converter was completely busted. Gently smoking, the front e
nd was a mass of red hot and twisted metal. Feeling her elation slip, Kasui threw the weapon out the back of the ship with a deep set scowl. She pushed Ryan away and moved over to the cargo bays side and hit the switch that would close the bay door. As it closed she looked out of the door, catching a glimpse of the battleship turning sideways and spiraling down, a dark thick plume of smoke escaping the ship.

  Kasui made her way back down the cargo ship's bay, shoving a white faced and trembling Ryan out of the way before approaching Manny who seemed a bit more relaxed as he pushed the ship to its utmost and sped away from the falling battleship. The pilot looked back at Kasui with a grim smile.

  "Fucking hell Kasui. You owned them. Where the hell did you get a lightning crystal? That was one hell of a trump card" he exclaimed as he lifted a hand to softly punch Kasui in the arm.

  "It’s a long story, one better shared over a few beers back home" Kasui stated as she stooped down and grabbed the unconscious youth that was awkwardly propped against the spare cabin chair. Smiling, Kasui grabbed him by an ankle and started pulling the kid into the cargo bay, his limbs and head smacking on to different objects. Now that she looked at him, he was covered in bruises and cuts, more than a few bleeding freely. Leaving him in the bay, she grabbed a first aid kit from the wall and sat down next to the kid, intent on fixing him up somewhat.