Author's Note: So, I thought this up earlier and had to write it out. It will be one of the only two multi-chaptered stories I'm submitting for a while (both pertaining to Final Fantasy XII, the other is a Balthier/OC (check my profile for details)), and, of course, it's Bashe! Which I just adore. So, yeah, it'll be completed routinely bi-weekly via one chapter installments on every Tuesday and Friday. Glad you're here and I hope you enjoy the ride!

By the By: This is slightly AU (only in the overall progression of events) due to the fact that I'm only halfway through the game right now. So if something's amiss, just disregard it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy XII nor any of its corresponding characters, settings, etc. This applies to all current and upcoming chapteres. I only own the slow decline of madness that I've found myself in from writing a 12,000 word story in a single evening.

"Rat's Lair"

The soles of Ashe's shoes slopped silently along the cobblestones of the Garamsythe Waterway. The like noises of Basch's boots dictated his presence directly behind her. Sword drawn, she weaved through the labyrinthine mess of platforms and walkways as if she had been there hundreds of times prior.

"How do you think the others are faring?" Ashe ventured to ask.

"I'm sure they're doing very well," he assured her, knuckles flexing around the hilt of his axe. "I've been told Vaan has done this before."

Ashe nodded. "The night of the fete. It was foolish to think they wouldn't be expecting an attack by the resistance."

Basch said nothing, but cleared his throat and changed the subject. "How did you acquire a contact in the consul's palace?"

She shrugged. "After Archadia claimed Rabanastre, the servants of the palace were permitted to continue working there. Plenty of them accepted, and also became spies for the resistance. We've had an ear on the goings-on ever since. However, the tradeoff is that they're not allowed to leave the palace. In order to get the map, we have to go to them."

Basch understood, remembering the purpose of their endeavor: to sneak into the servants' quarters within the palace and acquire a map for the resistance. Ashe's voice interrupted his redundant train of thought. "Usually, we'd be able to communicate and transport scripts by carrier birds, but the consul's placed a strict order on that recently." She smirked. "I believe he's becoming uneasy."

"I can hardly blame him," Basch muttered. They rounded a corner, stepping into the darkness for a moment with but the sound of their boots on the damp ground and the occasional screech of a bat to accompany them. Stepping back into the dim firelight, they stopped cold. Before them stood a company of imperial guards.

"Ah, Princess Ashe," a voice as smooth as black marble cooed from behind the congregation. "You never cease, do you?"

Ashe's teeth gritted as she held her sword in front of her, planting her feet squarely and preparing for a confrontation. "To think, you honor me again with your presence, Vayne."

The dark-haired man stepped through the assembly of armored men, demeanor coolly relaxed. His eyes sparkled with menace. "Come to pay your respects to your consul?"

To Basch's surprise, Ashe spat at his feet. Vayne glanced distastefully at the toe of his shoe. "Hardly," she retorted.

The consul chuckled. "I see." Waving a hand, the handful of guards on either side of him kneeled, revealing yet more behind them with drawn bows and steady firearms. Whirling around, Ashe and her companion were faced with another small company of guards, each wielding glaives, crossbows, and guns. Despite herself, Ashe winced.

For a moment, the only sounds filling the air were the metallic clank of armor against armor, and the click of pistols' safeties being switched off. Again, Vayne's deep snicker broke through the silence. "Now, this is familiar."

Ashe prepared to lunge at him, but Vayne was suddenly guarded by another faceless man in heavy armor. "Coward!" she cursed. "Fight me yourself!"

"I think, considering your position, your wisest move would be to put down your weapons," Vayne drawled, ignoring her.

Ashe's eyes narrowed, and she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Basch. "He's right," the captain told her. "We've no other choice."

Knuckles white with fury, Ashe slowly knelt and placed her sword on the ground at her feet, watching Basch do the same from the corner of her eye. Vayne laughed again, and Ashe felt that if she was forced to endure that vile noise one more time, she would snap. "Remind me to never overerestimate you, princess."

Ashe glared but said nothing. Giving a curt nod, Vayne motioned for the guards to overtake them. Both Ashe's and Basch's arms were quickly seized by imperials, and she was forced to kneel. Vayne approached, looming over her. "As I recall, the last time we had you on an imperial ship, it exploded."

"What of it?" she spat.

He sniggered again, a noise that to her was like nails grating cobblestones. "Twice we've tried to capture you, and twice you've eluded us. I see no point in delaying your punishment for Nalbina any longer."

Ashe was about to reply when she felt a fist impacted squarely in her abdomen, expelling her oxygen. She coughed for a moment, completely surprised. Behind her, she could hear Basch struggling and cursing Vayne's name. Ignoring him, Vayne brought another punch to Ashe's stomach, and another, and another. After a short while, he paused, observing his fingers. "You know, I don't normally like to sully my hands with such degrading work." He looked at her, eyes dancing wickedly. "But for you, I would gladly make an exception."

"Imperialist swine!" she yelled, before she felt his knee lodge itself between her ribs. A loud crack resounded, and she bit her tongue until it bled simply to spare him the satisfaction of hearing her scream. Blinking and biting back painful tears, she only allowed herself to wince as he continued, lying blows to stomach and face. The beating seemed to go on for an eternity before Vayne nodded to the guards and they released her. She landed in a crumpled heap, unable to move.

"Bastard!" she distantly heard Basch scream. She supposed that he had been subjected to the whole thing, and absentmindedly wondered exactly how long it had gone on.

"Really," Vayne drawled. "It is almost dirty for a traitor to accuse me of such a thing."

Ashe couldn't see, but she recognized the sound of a sword being unsheathed. She could only stare blankly at the far wall, damp and moldy, as she heard Basch curse him again, before he was interrupted by the sickening sound of metal slicing into flesh. Droplets of blood flew across her field of vision, and the sound of a heavy man collapsing echoed through the passageway.

Seeing only his feet, Ashe observed as Vayne turned to leave. An imperial halted him, asking, "Sir, are we to just leave them here?"

Vayne shrugged. "They'll never be found." The finality of the statement was hollowing, and he turned heel and began coolly wandering off. Obediently, the company of twenty-something guards marched after him in two uniform rows, leaving the former princess and her captain to die among the rats.