Chapter 7: New Allies
“Alright, now that we’re away from those very welcoming cultists, perhaps you and I need to talk about why a bag of bolts like you are trying to help our sorry butts.”
Reed said as he shoved the Synthetic with his finger. Jaden crossed her arms and asked, “Reed, is this really necessary?” Reed nodded and replied, “Why yes it is. I want to know if Mr. Metal here is not some double agent or something.” “A double agent is an individual working as a spy for one organization while actually siding with the opposition. You, human, are just one man, no organization. My data core questions your wisdom and paranoia of my kind.” the robot retorted.
“Are you implying that I am stupid?” Reed said as he stood up. The robot answered, “Stupidity cannot be calculated or judged easily but it has its limit human. A slight shock in my data core, however, seems to imply that you have broken that limit.” “Jaden, do we really need this I-know-everything piece of junk with us?” Reed queried. The robot, seemingly offended, flinched slightly and retorted, “I wouldn’t be standing here if I am what you call “a piece of junk”.” Jaden let out a deep sigh of seeming contempt and replied, “Reed, he gave this ship to us. Besides, considering our situation, we could use his help.”
Reed turned to the robot and glared at it for a few seconds. His initial hostility and tensed movements slowly vanished and he gave the answer Jaden wanted to hear, “Alright. I guess you’re right.” Jaden showed a beaming smile, showing her approval, and whispered thanks to Reed. She then turned to the robot and asked, “If you have been looking for me, you should be staying with us for a while. I believe it right for us to know what to call you.” The robot nodded and replied, “I am VX-95, but my master gave me a codename which I believe is easier for humans to address. If you wish, you may call me Vader.”
“Codename? You’re on a mission or something?” Reed asked. Vader turned its inhuman head to Reed and answered, “Yes but the details of my mission are confidential. Only when necessary will I tell you two of my mission.” As Vader turned back to Jaden, he looked down to see her stretching a hand out at him.
“Nice to meet you Vader. You know my name so there is no need for me to introduce myself.” Jaden told him. However, instead of accepting the shake of hands, Vader continued staring at her hand while barely moving. “Why aren’t you accepting it?” she asked. “My apologies Jaden but I am unfamiliar with human gestures.” Vader replied. Reed smirked and commented, “So much for calling me stupid eh? He doesn’t even know how to shake hands.” Jaden pulled back her hand and told Vader, “I don’t know how to explain it exactly but you’ll learn it soon enough.”
“Great. Now that we know our metal little buddy’s name, perhaps we should discuss on where each of us are going from here.” Reed said as he returned back to the cockpit seat. “If you two are curious though, I intend on starting a new life on another planet other than Dissidia or Qurrentine. The people on those two planets are barely hospitable, trust me I know.”
“My mission stays human. I am staying by Jaden’s side and…” “Yeah yeah yeah we know. No need to repeat your epic mission.” Reed interrupted Vader. He turned to Jaden and asked, “What about you Jaden? You seem pretty anxious to get out of Qurrentine.” Jaden frowned for a while before answering, “I honestly don’t know where to head to, but I intend on hunting down Iblisan’s lieutenant, Dark Viper.”
Reed stood up from his seat, shocked to learn of Jaden’s intentions. He asked, “What? Are you serious? Do you even know how powerful that bastard is? Not to mention his loyal soldiers.” “He murdered my father years ago and recently, he killed my family and friends in one fell swoop. I am not letting the same fate fall on other innocent people, even if it means I die trying.” Jaden replied.
“Jaden, I commend your motives but don’t be foolish. He destroyed entire armies singlehandedly. How could you have any chance against him?” Reed retorted. Jaden, maintaining her composure, replied, “It is a chance I am willing to take. Foolish or no, I am going to try. Iblisan’s lieutenant must fall.”
Reed slapped his forehead and sighed with seeming disappointment. He was beginning to get used to the serious, and probably blind, woman who assisted him in getting out of Qurrentine and he could not help but worry for her well-being, considering how young she appears. After all, she aided him while others were trying to kill or capture him. He should probably repay her. Thinking that Jaden have no chance against Dark Viper, even with Vader’s help, he decided to get involved somehow.
“I can’t believe I am doing this.” he whispered to himself.
“If you’re going to hunt for Viper, you can count me in.” Reed told Jaden. Her brow rose with awe and she asked, “What? Why? This is my problem, not yours. I don’t want to get you involved.” “Listen, I’ve met many young women in my time and somehow, they always ends up dying or suffering a bad fate. To think that I am letting yet another one die because of my selfishness is quite haunting. I don’t care if you like it or not. I am staying with you.” Reed answered.
“Well…um…thank you Reed. I must say, I don’t expect you to be willing to help me out.” Jaden said. Despite her unwillingness to let others get involved in her matter, Jaden felt that Reed’s help could be valuable, considering how he managed to defeat a large number of Iblisan’s cultists alone. The sense of appreciation surged through her body and she could not help but show a smile contagious enough to make Reed return the smile. However, Reed was not certain that the three of them could kill the powerful Energy Bladesman.
“You’re welcome Jaden but trust me, even with Vader or me on your side, it won’t be enough. We need a lot of help.”
“The human is implying that an army is to be formed to defeat this Dark Viper.”
“Yes. Vader’s right. We need an army. And please, start calling me Reed. I am sure people are smart enough to know that I am a human.”
“An army? Are you two serious? How are we even supposed to form an army?”
“Trust me Jaden, nearly the entire universe has a problem with Iblisan and Dark Viper; especially the Mannihilators.”
“Mannihilators? Who are they?”
“Mannihilators: A group of humans who break off from the Salvagers due to conflicting opinions over the usage of Iblisan’s gift, Magical Energies. These humans feel that humans are not supposed to embrace his gift as it feels like a betrayal to the legendary human warrior, Ariel Silver.”
“Ariel? The Heartless Champion of the Light? She’s one of main my inspirations for becoming an Energy Bladesman. That’s…so ironic.”
“Indeed. Despite the conflicting opinions however, most Salvagers, Mannihilators and Qurrentines worship Ariel. In addition, The Mannihilators are also well-known for discovering Omega Energies and the formation of the Ohmni Knights.”
“Um…yeah…they are everything that Vader said. Iblisan and Dark Viper have been trying to eliminate the Mannihilators since their Ohmni Knights are a huge threat to them. We could try to get their help, but they are known to be hostile to Salvagers and Qurrentines.”
“We don’t have much of a choice. Let us go to their planet for help.”
“Very well Jaden. I just hope I don’t regret this and that this rebellion we are forming won’t be a waste of time. Before we set off however, I want to get some rest.”
“Yeah. Me too. I’ll be in one of the cabins if you wish to find me.”
“I’ll always be here. This cockpit feels rather comfortable.”
“Reed could go and find a place to rest. I am capable of…”
“Oh no. You may be our friend now, but I am not ready to trust your metal ass with piloting this ship.”
“Very well then. I shall be at the briefing room if you need me.”
Jaden smiled despite the seeming hostility that Reed was showing to Vader. She was glad to see that happiness and fun can still exist even within the darkness of a Fallen Angel’s tyranny. She turned and left the cockpit, entering the briefing room which connects to the rest of the rooms. Reading through the signs, she found the cabin rooms and decided to take one for herself.
Unlike the comfortable home that she was used to, the cabin was enclosed and dark. Even with a pair of windows and the stars outside, it did little to illuminate the room. A foldable bed was connected to the wall along with a shelf and a hanger on the opposite side. Looking at the room reminded her of her brothers, whom she sometimes shared her bed with when theirs were being cleaned up. She missed their company, but she steeled her mind as she knew that they are gone. The room was at least a welcoming sight after a tiring journey off the planet.
Before she sleeps, she went to the centre of the room and sat down. The silence made it the perfect place for her to consult with her Magical Energies should she need to. With her eyes closed and her breathes slowed, she reentered her mind, hoping to learn more from her friendly Magical Energies.
Reed spins his seat around, hoping to occupy his time. He reflected on his reasons to assist Jaden and wondered if he will ever live to regret it. Still, her slender body, choice of clothing and silky black hair was enough to convince him that he should not let her die. He swore that she was the prettiest woman he had ever seen, although her blindfold ruined it all and he was still questioning whether or not she was truly blind. He remembered seeing her took off her blindfold and the brilliant blue glow that was released from her eyes blinded some of the cultists they fought. He thought that the glow was probably the actual reason why she wore the blindfold, though that will only mean that she was suffering from Magical Overflow. He decided not to dwell on the thought too much, only to recall that he’s all alone.
With Vader and Jaden out of the room, he could not help but feel abandoned and the boredom that comes with it makes him anxious to speak to either of them, even Vader. He stood up and trudged to the briefing room to see if Vader was there but strangely, he was not. “Lying metallic bastard. Still, how could a robot lie?” he asked himself. He then went to the cabin rooms to find Jaden.
He searched through each room and found Jaden sitting very silently in one of the rooms and facing away from him. She was breathing very slowly and her seeming obliviousness to Reed’s loud footsteps made him wonder what was going through her mind. He went inside and called her twice, though without any replies. As he looked around, he saw her blindfold on the floor next to her. Strangely, no light was seen erupting from her eyes to the wall in front of her. Feeling rather curious, he walked to her front to see her eyes but to his disappointment, her eyes were closed. It then struck him that she was meditating, an action typical with Energy users to calm themselves and to prevent Magical Overflow.
Just as he was about to walk away, Jaden’s eyes slowly opened, halting him in his tracks. He expected to see her glowing eyes again but as he remembered his previous encounters with other Energy Bladesman, he crouched in front of her, waiting in anticipation to see her real eyes without its glow since her emotions would be very calm in the meditation trance. When her eyes were revealed, Reed’s heart almost skipped a beat at the sight of her eyes.
Her iris was of a brilliant sky blue color, with a black outline and a black pupil in the centre. It was relatively large and it shined with the dim lightings from a star outside the window. Surrounding the iris was a pale white sclera and the dark makeup around her eyes, which was usually covered by her glow or her blindfold, only intensified her beauty. Reed’s body was barely moving and his mouth remained opened at such a gorgeous and rare sight. He tried, but failed to speak. He had no idea that a beautiful pair of eyes was hidden behind the blindfold and the glows.
Jaden blinked her eyes several times as she regained control over her physical body. As her sight began to recover, her glow returned and the intensifying light caused a blurry figure in front of her to recoil. Metallic thuds were heard along with groans which sounded similar to Reed’s voice. “Reed? Is that you?” she asked. Though she had no answer, her sight was back to normal and she could see Reed, lying on the floor while he rubbed his eyes.
Jaden snatched her blindfold and wore it, covering her eye glow. She stood up and reached out for Reed to help him up. “Are you alright? Did my glow hurt your eyes?” she asked as Reed struggled to stand up. He replied, “I’m…I’m fine.” “What are you doing in my room? I was meditating.” she asked. Reed answered, “I…was just seeing if you are…making yourselves at home. I guess I was in the wrong position at the wrong time.” “Yes you are. You almost lost your sight to my glow. Sorry about that though. I have no control over it.” she said.
“Don’t worry about it. I…um…am going back to the cockpit. I’ll be there if you…need me.” Reed said as he walked out of her room, albeit like a drunk. Jaden watched as he walked off and began to wonder, “Is it just me or is he stuttering over his words a lot? Must be my eye glow blinding him but still…what was he doing crouching in front of me and staring at me as I meditate? Strange man.”
“Wow. I have never seen any eyes like Jaden’s. It really sucks that it was glowing constantly, well unless she was meditating. Now I can’t help but think of her eyes. Not to mention that sexy body of hers. Suddenly, I feel very lucky.”
“Reed, why are you speaking to yourself? Is this normal human behavior?”
“Mind your own business Vader.”
“Very well.”
“Speaking of business, where were you? I thought you said you would be here in the briefing room.”
“Mind you own business Reed.”
“Hey!”
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