Feln and Aaltskog spent many hours talking about his experience during the Resonance and what that meant for their futures. Of all the things he’d seen during that time, she seemed to find his brief glimpse of her at her actual age the most fascinating. They were intrigued by both the possibilities of Resonance and worried about the potential disaster.
Aaltskog had discovered that as soon as the array had fallen and Denxeiter was able to send its own distress beacon, that beacon had included an information packet describing the fact that the Hyper Battle Machine had reached Resonance, and that both Space Knight and Companion had survived to return. This information was sent directly to the Space Knight Academy with Feln and Aaltskog none the wiser at the time. The message was no doubt the reason for the new Commandant’s insistence on seeing Feln and Aaltskog as soon as possible.
Regarding that new Commandant, Dr. Behlen, there wasn’t a lot of information available on him. From what Aaltskog could find out, he had been one of the heads of the Hyper Battle Machine Creation Division. The people who actually built the Hyper Battle Machines were very secretive with many strange rituals and other bizarre things being whispered about by those who thought they’d seen something they weren’t supposed to.
For someone to come from this very secretive organization to head the entirety of the Space Knight Academy was unheard of. Previously, there were three components to the Academy: Hyper Battle Machine Creation, Companion Creation, and Instruction. Ever since the Academy was founded centuries ago, the Commandant had always come from the Instruction Division. What this new development would come to mean, Feln couldn’t be sure of. But he didn't think it would be anything good.
Aaltskog was of the firm belief that at the very least, Denxeiter would be completely dismantled and that if the Commandant and his friends in Creation didn’t find what they were looking for, there was a very real possibility that Aaltskog herself and even Feln might be dissected. Feln had done his best to assuage her fears, but the fact was, deep down he worried about the same thing.
The time had come to shut down Denxeiter’s systems and put the robot back into its rest state. This was the standard operating procedure when a Hyper Battle Machine completed its mission— but even more so in Denxeiter’s current condition.
With so much major damage to its body and internal systems, it was crucial to take Denxeiter out of its active state so that deeper repairs could be made for the trip home to the Academy. The Academy would overhaul all of Denxeiter’s main systems and equipment, replacing what had been lost or damaged beyond repair.
After the Sleeping Ceremony, Denxeiter would be transferred to the Hephaestus for delivery to the Academy. Kesh made sure that nobody from the Space Knight contingent would be there for the procedure, and he also made sure that Feln and Aaltskog would be long gone when the Academy technicians came to recover Denxeiter.
“Thank God for that,” Feln said.
“For what?” Aaltskog asked.
“Just thinking about how lucky we are that the Admiral is running interference to keep us away from that crowd on the Hephaestus. I know we’re gonna have to deal with those Academy people someday— both for Denxeiter and to try to get some answers about Resonance. But right now, I’m in no hurry.”
They were standing on Denxeiter’s chest, looking at the robot’s scarred and damaged face. The half of its helmet that had been destroyed revealed Denxeiter’s actual head underneath; long sensor filament wires could be seen giving the impression of long hair.
“Yeah…” Aaltskog mumbled.
“You don’t sound so certain. What, did you change your mind and now you want to go with them?”
“Gah, no way!” Aaltskog shook her head violently. “It’s just, I hate putting Big Brother into their hands all alone. I wish he could just stay here with us. But he’s in such bad shape… he has to go.”
“Well, yeah…” Feln replied. “You know I feel the same. Probably everybody on this ship feels the same. But as you say, he has to go. He needs a hospital for heavy surgery, and we only have a local doctor’s office here.”
He looked up at Denxeiter. “At least he seems peaceful and doesn’t mind. It’s like he’s already asleep.”
“He pretty much is,”Aaltskog said. “Once the danger was over he automatically started shutting down all non-essential systems. If a Hyper Battle Machine has suffered massive trauma and doesn’t detect any foreseeable danger, it’ll start to shut down to preserve itself.”
She lightly touched Denxeiter’s scarred surface. “It’s only because he feels safe and is able to do this, that I feel safe and can let him go alone.”
Her voice growing softer she said, “But it’s the Companion’s duty to activate the Sleep so that he can truly rest. Otherwise he’s pretty much sleeping with one eye open.”
She straightened and said, “Okay lets do this.”
Turning back to Denxeiter with a raised voice, she said, “In the name of His August Majesty, Gaius Imperius Siegfried Francesca III, Emperor of the just and noble Francescan Star Empire, and Protector of the Solemn Seal of the Promise of The Ancients; blessed be his name; I say unto thee, the 34th Hyper Battle Machine of His Imperial Space Knight Arsenal, Denxeiter… Sleep!
“Thou hath superbly performed thine duty as the weapon of the Emperor’s wrath and we are grateful. Know that as thou goeth to sleep, that the Space Knight and Companion are honored to have served with thee and eagerly await the time when next we three are united in duty to the Empire. Until then, sleep the sleep of the righteous.”
She clapped her hands once and as before, her palms began to glow. But this time, the glow was softer, and instead of slamming her hands down on Denxeiter, she pressed them gently. “Good night, Big Brother.”
Denxeiter’s one good eye brightened briefly before the light slowly faded and then died out. The low hum of the Machine’s main engine slowed to silence and the heat that radiated from its body disappeared.
Aaltskog shook her head and sighed before turning to Feln. “Promise he’ll be okay?”
Feln nodded. “I promise.”
No sooner had Feln and Aaltskog left the hangar, than personnel from the Hephaestus arrived to begin the transfer of Denxeiter from the Tannhauser. When Feln found out they were accompanied by the three young Space Knights, he was even happier that he and Aaltskog had made their escape. They stayed in their cabin with baited breath, waiting for something to go wrong and to be forcibly removed by the Space Knights.
But their worries never came to pass and after a couple hours, Kesh arrived at their cabin to assure them the Academy personnel and Space Knights had all left… with Denxeiter. Feln saw Aaltskog’s little shoulder blades drop as her tension began to melt and his own shoulders did the same. Even so, he didn’t breathe completely easy until all the Space Knight vessels had entered space jump and left the system.
To keep upbeat as the days went by, they spent plenty of time talking about their wedding; the actual date, who to invite, where it would be held, and many other things. Aaltskog insisted that Kesh give the bride away and that Valisia be her maid of honor. Kesh would be performing double duty as Feln’s best man. That they had new friends to replace all the ones they lost during their years fighting the Aldonis was a relief, and creating the guest list and figuring out who would sit together during the reception had provided endless amusement.
“We totally need to sit the Prince next to the Chief,” Aaltskog said.
“Chief? You mean from maintenance?” Feln asked.
“Yeah, could you imagine? A guy who’s covered in grease every moment of his life next to the Prince, who seems so spotless, that even dust is afraid to get on him.”
“The Prince is supposed to be a real mech head though. They might hit it off.”
“He is? Oh, then I know who we can fix Valisia up with!”
“Good Lord…”
Conversations like this gave Feln a sense of contentment and it helped him try to forget the terribl
e conflict they’d just been through. But nearly every night after Aaltskog had gotten to sleep in his arms, he’d lay awake and think about all that had happened. He’d been affected by seeing plenty of people die in his battles against the Aldonis, but when it came down to it, the Aldonis was just another civilization with citizens and soldiers. They were simply the other side to the same coin the Francescans were on.
But the Union was something much different and more horrific. He’d never forget the sound Katashka made as her body was possessed; Valisia begging Katashka not to leave her and to hold on for help; seeing Katashka’s body after the possession and how they used her psychic image against him, and heartbreakingly against Valisia.
And he’d never forget the feeling when Katashka’s spirit left and bid him farewell.
The loss of so many others would sometimes come crashing down on him so hard that he’d get sick to his stomach. Achren, Zalk, Lenz, the thousands on the Uhlinder, the destroyer crews who stayed behind with him, the colonists, the people who’d been killed by friendly fire when he ordered the Artemis to fire blindly. These and so many others.
There were rare times when fighting the Aldonis had made him feel like he couldn't get out of bed anymore…that he just wanted to recoil from the world and be by himself. But those times were uncommon and Aaltskog had always been there to bring him back. But he wasn't so sure about his feelings since fighting the Union. Or maybe he’d been affected by those losses to the Aldonis more than he knew and the Union had just pushed him over. He wanted to do his duty and help those who depended on him, but it would be a long time before he’d get those feelings out of his head, if ever.
A week later and the last bits of the rescue fleet were preparing to jump out. While the rest of the surviving ships from the stranded fleet had already left, their crews and colonists returning to worried family members, the Tannhauser had stayed behind. She would leave when the rescue fleet left.
Another fleet had since arrived to finish securing the system. It was accompanied by a star base to provide a permanent support center for the fleet as well as the research crews scouring the system for any important scraps of the enemy or the array that might have survived.
The Prince had given any survivors of the original two fleets pulled by the array four months of vacation to help in their recovery from the trial they'd gone through. Over the protests of the Space Knight Academy, Feln and Aaltskog were extended the same privilege. The Prince didn't seem to trust Dr. Behlen either, but with nothing concrete, could only temporarily foil his plans by doing things like keeping the two away for official business and a vacation by Imperial Edict. It would be during that vacation that they’d get married.
It was the last day before the Weiß Speer and Tannhauser were due to begin the jump back to the home system of the Empire. Siegfried had invited Feln, Aaltskog, Kesh, Larkin, and Valisia to a small party with some of the members of his crew before they parted ways. As they arrived on the gigantic royal flagship by shuttle, they were all amazed by what they saw.
The hangar they landed in was lit by giant chandeliers and huge statues of figures throughout Francescan history ringed the perimeter. A small gilded hovercraft parked next to the shuttle and whisked them from the hangar and down a giant hallway into a large open space. Feln realized the space was actually a type of city. The hovercraft was flying on a cobble stone street and on either side were large sidewalks where people walked back and forth between small row houses, offices, and shops. As the hovercraft passed by, they all bowed or curtsied respectfully and some children cheered.
“Do they even know who we are?” Valisia asked.
“Probably not,” Larkin said. “But you can tell this is normally a two-way street and they have the other lane closed off so we can use the whole thing for ourselves. Between that and this fancy rig we’re flying in, those people figure we’re someone major.”
“I think they do know a celebrity is present and are dying for the admiral’s autograph,” Feln said, looking at Kesh with a wink.
“I shan’t be surprised,” Kesh said mildly and lightly waved to the crowds causing Aaltskog and Valisia to giggle.
After a few minutes, the city scenery gave way to trees and it seemed like they were driving through a forest.
“Hey, you think the trees are organic or artificial?” Aaltskog asked Valisia.
“After all this, they’ve gotta be organic,” Valisia answered and Aaltskog nodded in agreement.
The road opened to a clearing in front of a large white marble house. As the hovercraft came to a stop and lowered to the ground, smartly dressed royal guards came to attention. A young cadet jogged up to the hovercraft and opened the door. “Welcome honored guests. Please allow me to assist you,” he said as he held out his hand to Larkin, who was sitting nearest the door.
“Thank you, kind sir,” she said as he helped her out. Valisia and Aaltskog did the same with Feln and Kesh bringing up the rear.
As the young man led them inside the house, the royal guards bowed. He turned to Feln’s group, “The Prince is so happy to have the chance to bring you here. He practically lives on this ship, so you are in many ways truly visiting him at home.”
As they walked inside the giant foyer, they were greeted by a statue of Gustav II and Kriemhilde I. “Hey, our Kriemhilde looks just like her,” Aaltskog exclaimed, and it was true. The facial features were practically the same and although Kriemhilde II had a more gothic presentation, she wore her hair like her ancestor in long braids that fell in front of her chest.
“Your Kriemhilde?” the cadet asked.
“Er, Kriemhilde II,” Aaltskog said.
“Ah, so you’ve met my cousin,” the cadet said. “Fascinating creature.”
“Your cousin?” Feln asked, before something dawned on him. “You’re Aristide.” He quickly bowed and stammered, “Forgive my insolence at not paying you your due respect, my Prince. I didn’t know it was you.”
The others also bowed and Feln was surprised that even the usually solid Kesh was flustered at not realizing who the cadet was.
“Please, please, stop,” Aristide said. “Stand up. I don’t blame you for not recognizing me.”
“When I last saw you, your hair was very long,” Kesh said. The others nodded in agreement.
“And you seem so much more…seasoned now,” Larkin said.
Aristide smiled, “Thank you. When I decided to join the regular Navy, I wanted to be treated like anyone else and was happy to cut my hair at the start of a new life. But alas my brother is afraid I’ll get into some mischief so when he needed a new aide, I found myself being transferred here.” He sighed. “So much for being treated like anyone else.”
“But you get to spend your time on this magnificent ship, Your Highness,” Valisia said.
“Very true. And I suppose there are worse things that could happen to my career. But I do so hope that one day my brother will trust me to spread my wings a bit.” He took Valisia gently by the arm. “Until then… I know that you’re one our top Alden pilots. I would love to hear some of your stories from the front lines.”
Seeing this, Feln remembered that although only seventeen, Aristide had been a notorious romantic falling in and out of love with various ladies of the court. No doubt, Siegfried was worried about something similar happening in the military and wanted his little brother closer so he could keep an eye on him.
And although royalty, Aristide was still a cadet and yet here he was taking an officer by the arm to fraternize— something very much against the rules. Feln shared a look with Kesh and Larkin and could tell that like him, they had decided they weren’t about to quote military law to the third in line to the throne.
Obviously not even thinking of the rules, Valisia swooned at the attention paid her by the expert charmer and said, “Y-your Highness, it would be an honor to talk with you. But I’m afraid you’ll be quite bored.”
“I beg to differ.” He looked at all of them. “My brother an
d I have spent many hours viewing the combat data and footage you’ve recorded. You are all heroes of the Empire and I stand in awe of you.” His gaze shifted back to Valisia, “Including you, my dear.” He kissed her hand, and she giggled nervously.
“That will be quite enough, cadet,” a stern voice called out. Siegfried entered from a large room and they all bowed, Aristide included. “Thank you cadet, you’re dismissed,” Siegfried said.
Aristide stood bolt upright and gave a crisp salute. “Yes, Your Highness.” He turned on one heel and exited the foyer as Siegfried sighed and shook his head.
“Please rise,” Siegfried said and they all stood straight.
“And please, relax. This is meant to be a friendly visit, not an inquiry.” Feln relaxed as much as possible in the presence of the Crown Prince. He noticed the others were also having a hard time being at ease. All except for Kesh who seemed like everything was normal.
“I have to be strict with my brother,” Siegfried explained. “I’m sure he’ll be a great sailor and perhaps a great leader, but for now, as you can see, he slips into his old ways too easily unless I keep at him.” He looked at Valisia. “He will be punished for his behavior toward you.”
When Feln considered how businesslike Aristide was when he first met them at the hovercraft and how quickly he began to hit on Valisia, he had to admit Siegfried had his work cut out for him.
Valisia began to stammer out rationalizations for Aristide’s behavior, but Siegfried waved them away before saying, “There are so many people eager to meet all of you. Please come with me."
He led them into a large room decorated with beautiful paintings and models of various Francescan weapons through the ages from the earliest battle tractor used in the Second Lesser Wystran War to the Weiß Speer itself. There were many officers present from various races in the Empire and they all stopped talking and bowed as Feln and his friends entered. Cadets brought trays with wine glasses to Siegfried and all his guests.
Francescan War Chronicles 1: Space Knight Denxeiter Page 38