Chương 91: Chapter Ninety: Optimism

"Perimeter ships pulling away!" the Communications Officer shouted, his clear voice filling the bridge. His announcement prompted a few mutters from the other officers and their staff. The childish antics of the Ainese Navy had irritated the Vengeance's professional crew. Or at least, a small part of Serena's mind thought that was what they were muttering about. In all honesty, her hazy mind was a little preoccupied at the moment.

"Steady as she goes, Captain?" the navigator asked.

"Mmm," Serena hummed. Did we really…? her mind asked itself. Did I really…?

"Captain?" Perhaps Amelia was mistaken? No…

"Captain?" Should I sit down? I should probably sit down.

"Captain!" a loud voice barked. Serena turned to see her First Officer, Dagon, looking at her with an expression of concern.

"Are you… Well?" he asked softly.

"You appear to be a little drained of colour, Captain." Serena blinked thrice. When did she get to the bridge again? The rational part of her mind fought valiantly against her fugue state.

"I'm… quite alright, Dagon," she said. Ah, that wasn't right. She was supposed to use titles on the bridge. Now his forehead had furrowed even more! Serena looked around, but for some reason, it was difficult to focus. Her talented and loyal officers were looking at her strangely. Aiden and Finella were pretending to be occupied but kept stealing glances at her. Maybe she wasn't well, after all.

"Steady…" Serena cleared her throat.

"Steady as she goes!"

"Steady as she goes!" the helmsman echoed.

"Aye aye, Captain!"

"Bearing one eighty!" the Navigation Officer shouted.

"Southbound at twenty-four knots! Sails full and by! Three hundred and forty klicks 'til we reach Cirranis perimeter! Seven hours and forty minutes!" I think you should sit down, Serena's mind told her. She blinked again, frowning slightly. Seven hells, now she was referring to herself in third-person! She needed time to process what Amelia had said. She needed… she needed some air.

"Carry on," she commanded the room. She turned, catching Dagon's eye.

"I'll be back soon. In your command, First Officer."

"Aye aye, Captain!" Dagon bellowed as he saluted her.

"Captain leaving deck!" Serena walked through the corridor. Her throat felt tight. She needed some air. Throwing back the large bolt on the thick metal side door, she stepped out of the ship's superstructure and onto the side deck. Her hair immediately began fluttering about in the roaring wind. She gripped the railing, watching the portside sails bulge happily as they ate their fill of Kraken Kur's southbound tradewinds. That was better, she could breathe now.

She closed the door behind her and made her way to the ship's stern. Turning the corner, she found a spot between a steam exhaust and the access ladder to the ship's upper aetherscope where the wind seemed calm. There, she took a moment to look out to the horizon. Shrinking by the second, she could see the mountains of Kraken Major become smaller.

With her ever-present red aura and Amelia's wards, she could even make out the continent itself, hundreds of clicks to the north, only faintly visible against the horizon. And underneath them all was the glowing orange blanket that formed the foundation of their world, the lumina. There it lay, simmering gently, covering an untold number of secrets beneath its opaque density. Ah… Secrets, was it? Serena took a deep breath, checking no one would hear her.

"Fucking hells!" she shouted into the wind!

"Christ! Fuck! Ah… I'm… I'm so…" Embarrassed! she finished silently.

"Ugh," she groaned in a manner entirely unbefitting of someone of her station. She leaned back against the ship's structure, letting her back slide down until she was crouched. Here, she could hold her horns while almost curling up into a ball.

"I should have known, right?" she asked herself, squeezing her horns hard.

"It was obvious, wasn't it?" She closed her eyes, muttering a quick prayer. For a minute, she stayed still, enjoying the relative peace and quiet as her heartbeat slowed down. The noise of a door and approaching footsteps made Serena jump to her feet. Ah, of course. Obviously, she would come looking for her.

"Hello!" Amelia chirped, peeking around the corner.

"Thought I would- oomph!" Her sentence was cut off as a clump of her hair—black due to her disguise—caught in her mouth.

"Pleh!" she spat, shaking her head until the hair was free.

"I brought you some coffee! I thought you might… need it. I was worried…"

"Yes, I'm quite alright, thank you, Amelia," Serena said, collecting herself.

"Mmm…?" Amelia leaned forward, examining her.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I am. I just needed some space." Serena reached out and took the cup of coffee. The wind whisked away the fragrance before it could reach her nose, but a quick taste confirmed it was the luxury Jimari coffee she'd grown used to. I'm just trying to distract myself, aren't I? she thought.

"It's just, you sort of…" Amelia shook her head.

"Got this far-away look in your eyes. I was worried I… I don't know. I was worried I broke you, or something to that effect." Serena laughed.

"I'm no delicate snowflower. Here, hold this." She handed Amelia the coffee. Then she reached up, held her horns and whimpered." Amelia," she said." I rubbed her face into the dirt! Deliberately!"

"I know," Amelia replied, grinning.

"It was awesome!"

"I slapped her with my tail!"

"I was cheering for you!" Oh, it was becoming too much again. Serena let herself slither back down until her arse was touching the metal deck. As she did, more memories surfaced that she wished had stayed buried. The first was the vivid recollection of Serena's reaction when Amelia was cut and bleeding just before she reached red aura for the first time.

"I almost Spoke Narean against her! I almost attacked her to defend you!"

"Heh," Amelia hopped over, sitting next to her.

"You were so brave! I was really touched!"

"Stop acting like this isn't serious!" Serena complained, not knowing whether to keep clutching her horns or pull Amelia's cheeks. Why couldn't she have four arms so she could do both at the same time!?

"Hey!" Amelia protested.

"Shouldn't I be the one panicking? After all, I cut off her arm!" Serena felt her face fall.

"Oh, by the Empress," she muttered.

"You cut off her arm!"

"Hehe." Amelia's face broke out into a wide grin as she jabbed herself with her thumb." By the Empress, I did!"

"That's nothing to be proud of!"

"It's not a big deal! She didn't bring it up, did she?"

"... She didn't?" Serena asked weakly.

"Nope!" Amelia shuffled over, leaning her body against Serena's side.

"Remember, she put herself in that position. She chose to go to the Asamaywa Academy. You know what that means, don't you?"

"What does it mean?"

"It means you were so amazing that, in an Empire of more than a hundred million demons, she thought you were worthy enough to receive her direct instruction! Isn't that awesome!?" Amelia smiled, nodding encouragingly.

"It-" Serena began. Now she thought about it… Didn't that mean her and Amelia's talents were… recognised? Recognised by her?

"She was there… because of us?" Serena asked.

"Yup!" Amelia chirped.

"Obviously, she'd heard about how amazing and cute I was, and what a ridiculously, overwhelmingly, talented captain-soon-to-be-commodore I was in love with! Who wouldn't want to see that themselves?" Serena felt her eyes widen.

"She knows about us!?"

"I didn't tell her! Well, I did. I mean, she asked me first, and I confirmed. So she already figured it out! Besides, loads of people know! I think she would have access to that information, right!? But anyway, she seemed, uh, very supportive!" Amelia flashed a thumbs up before frowning slightly.

"Bah! I should have told her to change the Demonic Testament so it's more accepting of same-sex relationships. You know, I was reading it the other day. Did you know it teaches that two women together is a 'waste'? Can you believe that!? A waste? As if… if I'm not popping out babies left, right and centre I-" Serena reached out and ruffled Amelia's hair, interrupting her.

Serena's mind was slowly recovering, and the silky smoothness of Amelia's hair and the softness of her cheeks served to restore Serena's rationality further.

"What did you talk about?"

"Oh, you know, the weather, who's dating who at Lani's school." Amelia shrugged.

"Girl stuff." Serena gave her a dry stare.

"Alright, alright! I don't think she intended for me to catch on. It was only during the mock-battle when I had my senses enhanced by Aseco I felt confident enough about what I saw. She was extremely well cloaked, both here and in the Shimmer. Ooh, scratch there…" Amelia moved Serena's hand to a point behind her left ear.

"Ah… Anyway! I always felt this weird connection with her. Not the connection we have, of course. Something else… I asked her about it, and…" Amelia visibly swallowed.

"She gave me some answers." Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings. Amelia then proceeded to explain the conversation she had while Serena waited outside. As her girlfriend dropped bombshell after bombshell, Serena almost couldn't believe what she was hearing. Yet, it made so much sense.

"So that's where your power comes from. And the Emp-" Serena swallowed, forcing herself to utter the words, "and the Empress has her own shard? That's how she's so powerful? Is that why she lives-" Serena cut off, her mouth opening.

"Oh, wow."

"What?" Amelia asked, tilting her face.

"That's why one of her titles is the Shard of Infinity. I thought it was a metaphor for her long life!" Serena shook her head.

"It was in our faces the entire time!"

"Mmm!" Amelia nodded happily.

"So whatever god-like being is in here"–Amelia rapped her knuckles against the deck–"we both got a chunk of its power after it was shattered! And because shards attract other shards, that explains why I appeared on the Vengeance! Fate brought us together!" It was a lot to take in.

"You said she implied she had some kind of… restriction?" Serena asked.

"Something like that. She was quite vague about it. Bah! What's it with old people and being mysterious? You would think a granny like her could be a bit more forthcoming to the younger generations, wouldn't you?" Please don't call the Empress a granny, Serena thought desperately. Before she could vocalise her thoughts, Amelia continued her rant.

"No wonder she and Anathor are friends! Maybe she learned it from him!"

"She and Anathor are what?"

"I know, right!? When you came in, Anathor and I were having a very interesting discussion! Let me tell you…" The next few minutes were another series of shocking discoveries. Although, somehow, Serena handled these a lot better.

"I guess he's opening up," Serena said.

"He was always so hesitant to talk about himself. Look at you…" She ruffled Amelia's hair.

"Finding all these answers that people have been searching for for centuries! You have a talent as an investigator, don't you?"

"Heh," Amelia puffed out her chest.

"Leave it to me!" She then wriggled close to Serena, resting her head on her shoulder. Serena tilted her head so it was resting against Amelia's. They stayed like that for a minute.

"I still can't believe I met her," Serena said.

"I would say she wasn't what I expected, but I suppose she was acting? Someone with her experience must be able to disguise themselves perfectly." She nodded to herself.

"It makes sense. She must have been holding back during the fight. I hope… I hope I made a good impression."

"You definitely did! Also… do you think she made one?"

"What do you mean?"

"An impression. With her face. In the dirt." Serena burst out laughing.

"Please," she intoned.

"Have mercy. I'm delicate right now."

"Like a snowflower?"

"Shut up."

"Sorry," Amelia chuckled.

"These events… and these revelations. Neither of us can speak about them loosely, understand?"

"I know."

"Good."

"You know, she never did answer my original question."

"What about?"

"Whether Katalin of Driss was a real person, or a completely invented personality."

"Ah," Serena muttered. Now she thought about it, she wasn't sure either way. She'd heard about the famous Northern swordmaster for years. Despite Katalin living as a recluse, surely the Empress wouldn't pick an identity so well-known? Or perhaps that was the idea? To hide in plain sight? Regardless, the Empress herself had suggested Serena's next Word should be Taruna. Serena couldn't disappoint her expectations, and would have to begin communing with the demonic god as soon as possible.

It was a slow process to construct the highly personal formation to commune with a god, requiring years of trial and error. Could she do it in half a decade? With Amelia's healing that kept Serena's mind clear and sharp, could she do it even quicker?

"Well," Serena said, coming back to Amelia's question.

"If we ever visit the North, we can pop in for some tea and find out, can't we?"

"Mmm!" came the cheerful reply. They rested for a minute. Serena listened to Amelia's calm breathing and the beating of her heart. The warmth of her body was comforting.

"The view's amazing," Amelia said softly.

"Yes, it is."

"Anathor said we were passing a place called Kraken Kur, is it those mountains there?" Amelia asked, pointing towards the shrinking mountain tops.

"Kraken Kur is the name of the archipelago," Serena answered.

"What you see are the peaks of Kraken Major, the largest island. To the southeast, you'll see Kraken Minor, the second largest. We were originally going to follow the island chain, passing the cities of Saranai, Loronai, and Cirranis. But, due to Customs not wanting us in their airspace, we're flying straight south to Cirranis, where we will turn west, past the industrial city of Ranna and make a brief stop at Andalus."

"Andalus? What's there?"

"A military fort. Probably the most isolated place in the entire Eastern Terra-Firma. At least, if you don't count the remote, strategic aetherscopes dotted around the place. It stands at the entrance of the Southern Passage. We'll be stocking up on fuel there before we make the trip. It's where we're meeting up with the Indefatigable and its sister ship."

"I see." There didn't seem to be any more questions forthcoming, so they simply sat there, taking turns sipping coffee while watching the mountain-tops of Kraken Major fade into the distance. How strange that such a short conversation with Amelia had already calmed her frenzied mind. In such a short time, Serena had gone from feeling overwhelmed and horrified at herself to feeling rather… Optimistic. As Serena left the bridge, Finella stayed quiet in her seat at the communications and sensors station.

She remained silent as Serena's footsteps faded down the hall, where soon the sound of one of the outside door deadbolts sounded. A moment later, there was a loud clunk as it was slammed shut.

"What do you think that was about?" Officer Adachi asked quietly.

"What was what about?" Finella questioned innocently.

"The captain," he said in a low voice.

"You know, she looked…" he trailed off with a shrug.

"Maybe it's her time of the month?" Finella teased, breaking out into a grin as Officer Adachi's eyes widened in surprise, only to narrow as he realised she wasn't being serious.

"Officer Bright," the stern voice of the communications officer interrupted their conversation.

"It's that kind of talk that got you exiled, remember?"

"And beaten black and blue!" someone yelled out from the other side of the bridge, prompting a round of laughter.

"I'll beat you black and blue," she mumbled, glancing at Dagon. The Southerner was discussing something with the air tactician, and if he had heard her comments, he seemed content to ignore them. Phew. Dagon was always a little tricky for Finella to read. He hadn't been Serena's First Officer when she last served on the Vengeance, so she wasn't sure how much his promotion had changed his behaviour.

"Shouldn't you ask her?" she whispered to Officer Adachi.

"You said you were her friend at the academy, right?"

"I'll pass," he said.

"Looked like women's business." Coward, Finella thought with amusement. She wasn't sure what to make of Officer Adachi yet, but he seemed easygoing. He must be decently competent for Serena to allow him on her bridge.

"I'm sure Lord-Prospect Thornheart will handle any health issues," he continued, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small book.

"Here's the codebook for this month," he said.

"Given your recent deployment, I take it you're all up to date on modern practices?"

"Not a problem," Finella said, taking the book.

"My last superior made sure things were done properly. You should have seen the aetherscope we had up there! We even had one of those fancy aethermaps. That thing could pick up a flying fish hundreds of klicks out! Still"–she tapped the instruments in front of her–"me and this beauty go way back. I haven't forgotten how it works. Does she still have her quirks?" Seeing the communications officer nod, Finella continued, "Right. Look here. When you adjust the frequency, if you go past…"

Finella made sure Officer Adachi could handle the equipment. By the time they were done, Serena reappeared. The colour had returned to the captain's face. Perhaps that wonderful, coffee-giving human had healed her? Speaking of coffee... Finella stood up, walked up to Serena and gave her a quick salute.

"Permission to train the new recruits, Captain!"

"What did you have in mind?" Serena asked. Whatever had concerned her earlier seemed to have vanished. Serena's face was full of colour, and she seemed focused again. Perhaps she really had been healed?

"Take them on deck and see what level they're at!" Finella replied earnestly.

"Those that are inexperienced with the sword, I'll have them shooting discs!" Serena blinked before nodding.

"Alright. Carry on, Officer."

"Aye aye, Captain," Finella said before exiting the bridge. A few minutes passed as she navigated her way through the familiar corridors. It was weird to be back on the Vengeance. After being exiled, she never thought she would return, especially to a captain who seemed so much more… relaxed. Finella was sure that human was at least partially responsible for the captain's change in personality. She popped into the mess hall, where she hassled the kitchen staff to make her an extra-large coffee.

The Head Chef glared at her, but that man always glared, so she ignored him.

"My tongue still remembers the Jimari coffee from yesterday," Finella said to herself with a tinge of sadness.

"Ah, I hope that human will make me another one… I'll do anything…" Humming quietly to herself, she made her way to the officers' quarters. There, she found Officer Mori meditating alone amongst the hammocks. Finella slowed her footsteps, taking a moment to examine the orange aura emitting from the young woman. It still had reddish hues, but it would soon develop into a solid orange.

"Won't be long till you're passing me," Finella said. Officer Mori squeaked in surprise. Her eyes snapped open, and she scrambled to her feet to perform a salute.

"Officer Bright!" she quickly exclaimed.

"I didn't sense you approaching!"

"Don't be complacent," Finella said, returning the salute.

"At ease." She looked around. The quarters were empty.

"Where's the rest of my squad?"

"Officer Song and Officer–"a small frown appeared on the young officer's face–"Song were-""Just call them the twins," Finella said with a wave of her hand.

"Otherwise, we'll both be confused."

"Right," Officer Mori nodded.

"The twins were summoned by the quartermaster. Officer Aikawa and Officer Ishitani went to seek out Amelia, I mean, Miss Liona, for magic training!"

"Speaking of our new icemage in disguise…. Are you close with the human?"

"We're, ah, friends," came the reply.

"At the academy?"

"Yes."

"Hmm," Finella murmured, rubbing her chin.

"How would you describe Miss Liona, Officer Mori? In as few words as possible, if you please." Finella was quite interested in what kind of impression someone close to Amelia Thornheart might have of her. Perhaps through Officer Mori, she could further understand why the Hellfire Captain had cooled her horns. And, apparently, had her heart captured. Officer Mori looked thoughtful before frowning.

"She's, uh, not exactly someone that can be explained in a few words, Officer Bright." Finella chuckled.

"I thought it wouldn't be easy. Ah well," she gestured to the young woman.

"Grab your sword. We're getting the others and going on deck." At her words, Officer Mori scrambled to get ready and, after a few moments, followed Finella through the ship. They stopped by the common crew quarters, where Finella picked up the two non-warriors of her squad.

"Come on, you two!" she barked.

"Let's see how well you can shoot!" With the man named Noburu and the woman named Seonmi following, Finella made her way to the ship's armoury. On the way there, she bumped into the returning twins, whom she quickly corralled into her group. Coming around the corner behind the twins was a familiar set of horns and marbled skin.

"Tomes!" she called.

"Just the pair of horns I need. Mind giving me access to the armoury?" Tomes scratched his head.

"What do you need?"

"Uh…" She looked over the group.

"Five rifles. Two hundred rounds."

"Mmm," Tomes hummed, stepping past them and unlocking the heavy steel door guarding the ship's weapons.

"Anything else you need for this little mutiny?" Finella laughed. Although judging by Officer Mori's expression, along with the panicked faces of the twins and the other recruits, they didn't seem to realise Tomes was joking. Tomes and Dagon didn't do their little onboarding routine with them, did they?

"There ain't a mutinous bone in my body," Finella answered with a smile.

"At least, as long as the ship's supply of coffee hasn't run out." Tomes laughed as he passed her the rifles.

"I see you haven't changed," he said.

"The same Officer Bright you know and love," she answered, handing the weapons to Noburu and Seonmi. They lack experience, Finella thought, noticing how they held them. It was as if they weren't yet used to the weight of a long gun. Serena had mentioned they'd only gone through an accelerated cadet course. Her captain hadn't explained exactly why these two recruits were so important that they needed to be part of an otherwise elite warrior and mage squad, but she guessed they must have some hidden talents.

She'd have to ask Serena about it next time she could find some time with her. Regardless, Finella had her work cut out for her, didn't she?

"And a pair of shotguns," she requested.

"Going fishing?"

"If we're lucky. Our prey is clay for now. Give me… fifty targets and a hundred shells."

"Two shotguns. Fifty clay target discs and a hundred shells. Sign here." Finella signed the armoury logbook.

"Don't drop any guns over the side of the ship," Tomes warned.

"It creates a massive paperwork headache for me and the captain."

"If I do, I'll throw myself over after them, don't worry, Tomes."

"Mmm," Tomes hummed.

"Right, you lot, come on then." Finella led her fledgling squad away.

"Finella," Tomes called.

"Yeah?"

"Good to see you back."

"It's good to be back… I think?"

"Come to my office tonight. My brother's planning to challenge Lord-Prospect Thornheart, or should I say, Miss Liona, to a game of cards. Win back some of his losses." Tomes scratched his chin.

"A fool's errand, if you ask me."

"Oh?" Finella raised an eyebrow.

"She plays cards? She's good?"

"She's incredibly lucky. It's rather funny if you're not the one losing money against her."

"Is that so?" Finella was an expert at every card game under the moons. In the aetherscope installation, playing cards was one of the main ways she passed the time. Well, that and shooting clay targets. Either way, she'd won enough coffee rations from Mangs, Faren, and the rest of her old friends that she was confident this human would pose no threat to her skills. Wait a minute, Finella thought. Couldn't she win all the Jimari coffee? She could, couldn't she!?

"I'll be there!" Finella called back cheerfully.

"I can't wait!" Despite her reservations regarding her return to serving under Serena… The future suddenly seemed very optimistic.