This basically follows up on where we left off.

So clearly, one of the big questions is this: How did the UFE get their hands on activated Aldnoah drives when Alek deactivated every single one except for the one on the Deucalion?

"Your Majesty, there's a problem."

Aleksander grit his teeth. "I know. I see it."

"There are five White Deaths…" One of the operators was clearly terrified, judging by the tone of his voice. In his defense, being scared of the White Death was not irrational. After all, the reputation of the kataphrakt was well-known to all the Orbital Knights.

Aleksander didn't even wait another second before calling out his orders. "Open the hatch now. I'm going to launch."

"But your Majesty, if you go out your chances of surviving are—"

"I will not let the men and women risking their lives out there die in vain." Aleksander snapped. "Open the gates now."

The moment Aleksander launched, he called everyone connected to the Vers communication channel. "This is Emperor Aleksander Vers Allusia. I will draw away the attention of the UFE kataphrakts. While I am doing so, have everyone else finish evacuations and get away. Go!"

Aleksander fired at the group of kataphrakts floating in the air. As they scattered, Aleksander chased after them, all the while trying to get them away from the rescue teams.

"They dare…" Aleksander muttered. "They actually dare to use the Pegasus…"

As one of the Pegasus kataphrakts turned to try and fire at the Hengroen, its pilot suddenly found himself in freefall as his cockpit was separated from the rest of the kataphrakt. He could only watch as the kataphrakt he had piloted was completely destroyed.

"Klancain, have someone locate the UFE authorities and transmit their location to the Deucalion. They have to answer for this." Aleksander ordered as he cut through another Pegasus, once again leaving the cockpit intact.

"Yes, Aleksander."

Aleksander turned the Hengroen around to look at the three remaining Pegasi, which had decided to take a more cautious approach to him. He took a deep breath.

"We need to help Alek!" Inko looked desperate.

Slaine shook his head. "My orders were to bring you to the Landing Castle safely."

The Tharsis was running along the ground to the Landing Castle in order to avoid grabbing the attention of the UFE kataphrakts. Thankfully enough, Castle Mazuurek had done its job in destroying most, if not all of the UFE defenses.

When they were a decently safe distance away, Slaine suddenly received a transmission from Klancain. "Count Troyard."

"Count Cruhteo."

"Can you support the Emperor right now? Your kataphrakt is the closest to his location."

Slaine shook his head. "I have my orders."

"You also had orders to fight for the world that Aleksander sought to create." Klancain shot back. "If Aleksander dies, then the world he seeks to create will also die."

That made Slaine rethink for a moment. On one hand, he had his orders. On the other hand, his first friend was out there fighting three high-level kataphrakts by himself.

Between himself and the man who had the potential to change the world, Slaine felt there was no contest.

Turning to his two passengers, he asked. "What I'm about to do might get us killed. Are you ready for that?"

The two of them nodded, with no words needing to be said among the three of them. Slaine turned back around. "Tharsis, engaging the enemy."

Aleksander was having a difficult time with the remaining Pegasus units, as they took great care to always remain on the move. One on three was not a fair fight in any way, shape or form. Especially when the kataphrakts in question were only a single generation apart in terms of development. Not to mention that Aleksander didn't want to kill if he could help it. If not for the fact that an analytical engine had been installed in the Hengroen, there was a good chance that he would have been shot down a while ago.

Aleksander narrowly avoided another blast of a railgun when his sensors picked up on a spray of bullets that warded off a kataphrakt. Looking down, he was surprised to see the Tharsis flying up to him.

A video link was established. "Aleksander!"

"Slaine? I thought I told you to head to the Castle Mazuurek!" Aleksander almost shouted.

"Your safety comes first, Aleksander! You can't change the world if you're dead!" Slaine shouted back.

Aleksander grit his teeth. Slaine was right, of course, but Inko was still in the Tharsis and he would be damned if he let her get hurt in this fight. "Provide cover fire. I'll take the brunt of them."

Like that, they were off. Aleksander made sure to fly upward so that the enemy units would have to focus their firing angles away from the Tharsis. At the same time, flying higher made it easier to target him. But between almost hitting him and certainly hitting Slaine, he'd take the former.

At least, that was the plan. Which went straight out the window when Aleksander had to activate the energy shields to block the railgun shots. While the shots themselves didn't do any damage, the fact that there were so many, coupled with the fact that the enemy kataphrakts were relentless, made him fall off balance.

"Aleksander, watch out!"

The Tharsis pushed the Hengroen out of the way just in time, which meant that Aleksander had completely avoided the shots that went by.

The same could not be said for Slaine.

The railgun shots punched through the Tharsis, somehow miraculously missing the cockpit, though the same could not be said for the rest of it. And given how high up in the air they were, the safety of the people inside could not be guaranteed as the Tharsis fell to the ground.

It was at this point that Aleksander saw red.

The former prince had talked casually multiple times about seeing red wherever his family was involved, but those were usually petty little moments. The red that he saw at that moment was a merciless one. One that occurred only when the people he loved had been potentially killed. Up until that moment, Aleksander had been trying to avoid killing the pilots, as shown by the cockpits that had landed safely on the ground. All that mercy went out the window when the Tharsis was shot down.

"Hengroen, AOS, activate!"

Aldnoah Overload System, a feature that was only accessible on the Hengroen due to the fact that it utilized multiple Aldnoah drives. Instead of each Aldnoah drive powering individual parts of the Hengroen like it normally did, the Aldnoah drives would redirect power into a single Aldnoah drive which would then increase the overall power output by roughly four-fold for a very short period of time. After which, the Aldnoah drive would be disconnected to avoid an explosion in the system.

There was a catch, though. Precision was impossible when utilizing this mode, which made avoiding killing extremely difficult. For that reason, Aleksander had decided not to use it.

Unfortunately for the UFE pilots still in the air, Aleksander was no longer feeling merciful. It took fifteen seconds for the Hengroen to destroy the rest of the UFE kataphrakts still in the air. Aleksander then directed the Hengroen to pick up what remained of the Tharsis's cockpit, which was in terrible shape, and bring it to Castle Mazuurek.

It was now a battle against time to rescue them, if they were still alive.

"Well, we've proven that as long as we have the Aldnoah drives, we can begin to stand up to the invading Martians."

"To think that five ninth-generation kataphrakts would not be able to stand up to a tenth generation… Well, with the combat data, we should be able to make up for that difference soon enough."

The UFE board had been crafty in leaving Novosibirsk, taking a different underground tunnel that few people knew about. Once they got to the aircraft waiting for them, they would be home free, able to one day turn the tables and force the Vers Empire to bow to them.

The board chairman was almost ecstatic. "To think that someone would be willing to supply us with those Aldnoah drives… with the ones we still have, the Vers Empire won't last much longer."

As they were about to board the plane, a voice spoke over the intercom. "Do you really think so, chairman? The way I see it, your death is imminent."

That was the only warning that the UFE board had before the hangar exploded in flames, leaving no survivors.

"Targets are now eliminated. Good work, everyone. We'll now head back to the Landing Castle." Darzana Magbaredge ordered the bridge.

Kaoru Mizusaki looked at the base in somewhat wary apprehension. "Do you think things will get worse now?"

"Only time will tell."

Aleksander was sitting beside Inko's bed in the medical bay, looking about as torn as he could be. This is my fault. I couldn't even protect her.

Miraculously, everyone aboard the Tharsis had survived somehow, though none made it out unscathed, having borne severe injuries for the most part. Had Aleksander been any slower in making it to the Castle Mazuurek, they might not have survived.

Aleksander took a deep breath, trying to control himself. He would not cry. It was not becoming of an Emperor of the Vers Empire to show weakness. And yet, he had nearly done so in the last couple hours.

A door opened up. "Your Majesty? The Deucalion has returned with the rest of the rescue team and the prisoners."

"Is anyone injured?" Aleksander asked, his voice a dead monotone.

"A couple of them were, but those were minor injuries for the most part. One of the rescue team will have to have a bullet removed, but they're fine."

"I see. Tell them that they did an excellent job, and to take a long break. They deserve it."

With that, the person reporting left, leaving Aleksander to his thoughts once again. A couple moments later though, the door opened again and the familiar sound of a wheelchair rolling in was heard. Aleksander felt someone else's hand pressed on top of his, though he didn't respond.

"How are they?" Lemrina asked, her voice soft.

Aleksander's reply was slow. "Inaho's injuries were the least severe out of all of them. He should be up any minute now, seeing as he lucked out with only a broken arm and a concussion. Inko's were much more dangerous. Broken ribs, broken arm, a punctured lung, and multiple lacerations as well. It's a miracle she's still alive."

"Will she make a full recovery?" Lemrina asked, worried.

"She'll heal, but the doctors aren't sure how much of the damage will be permanent, or when she'll wake up." Aleksander said bitterly.

"And Slaine?" Lemrina asked.

Aleksander was quiet. "His are the worst. The doctors are still working on him. Even now, there's still a chance that he could die."

Lemrina gasped in shock, fear taking her face.

"I'm sorry." Aleksander closed his eyes.

They sat there in silence for a little while longer before the door opened again, Klancain coming through this time. "Aleksander, something just came up. Princess Asseylum was found to have left the Landing Castle and returned."

Aleksander stood up. "When did she leave?"

"A little while after you started making plans with the Deucalion for the rescue mission."

"I see. Where is she now?"

"In her room. She hasn't said anything at all."

The Emperor of Vers turned to his half-sister. "Can you look after them for a little while?"

Lemrina nodded. "I will."

Aleksander walked out of the room, Klancain following him. "Aleksander, you look terrible. At least get some rest first. You haven't looked right since those three were brought in for treatment."

"I'll get some rest after I talk to my sister." Aleksander snapped. Stopping for a second, he apologized. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that. Klancain, did I make the right choice in going about this operation? Is my judgement compromised by my emotions?"

Klancain was silent as he pondered his answer. "When I first heard of your plans, I was worried that your planned peace with Earth would compromise Vers. When you began appointing people to positions, I was a bit more assured. Appointing Count Mazuurek as an ambassador was the ideal choice for forwarding your plans, while appointing Sir Harklight was ideal if you were looking for changes domestically as well. If there was ever anything that made me doubt you, it was this operation. Not only did you put yourself at risk, you also risked men and women's lives to rescue prisoners that we may have been able to make negotiations for. Despite that, you acted for the people, and though the operation itself was questionable, we had few casualties and were able to take away the UFE's bargaining chip. That is commendable."

"But those few that were injured were the ones I cared the most deeply about. I should be satisfied with the results, but I'm not. Is something wrong with me, Klancain?"

Klancain shook his head. "You have every right to be sad, Aleksander. But that does not mean you should let it bring you down. You have to take the opportunity while you can, find what you can do with the current situation. Do I believe your judgement is compromised by your emotions? Yes. But only where seizing opportunities is involved. In other things, someone might have done a better job than you. But you were the one there at the time. You made it work, despite all rationale saying that it wouldn't. Princess Asseylum asked me a while back where I stood. At the time, I told her that I hadn't made a decision as to where I stand."

He turned around and took a knee. "I have my answer now, Aleksander. I will serve you until the day I die. So long as you do not stray from your ideals, I will support you."

When the count finally looked up, it was into Aleksander's face. It wasn't smiling, but it held a determination there.

"I should go see Asseylum now."

Klancain almost missed the "thank you" as Aleksander walked past him.

Key word being 'almost'.

Asseylum looked out the viewing area that she had from her room. She had left the Landing Castle for a small while, finally making it back. To her surprise, everything seemed to be over by the time she returned to the Landing Castle. While she wondered as to why, she hoped what she did had helped Earth.

When the door opened, Asseylum turned, not surprised in the least to see her brother. "Aleksander."

"You were the one who supplied the UFE with the Aldnoah drives, weren't you, Asseylum?"

Asseylum glared at Aleksander. "I couldn't let you just destroy them. I had to help."

"Had you waited a little bit, you would have discovered that the mission we came up with was a rescue operation that focused on having as few casualties as possible." Aleksander was blunt.

That made Asseylum uneasy. Had she made a mistake? Maybe, but she had reason still. "Even so, we had no right to continue attacking Earth. We've destroyed so much already, why should we destroy more? Besides, the Aldnoah drives will only be of benefit. And maybe if you hadn't been so attached to Inko, you could have thought of a better idea."

"Is that what you really think?"

Asseylum flinched. What did Aleksander know?

"Asseylum, come with me. There's something you should see."

Asseylum decided to walk along. "Was the rescue mission a success?"

"Did we recover all the prisoners? Yes."

"I see."

Aleksander glanced at his sister. "Asseylum, do you know anything about the kataphrakt known as the White Death?"

Asseylum looked at Aleksander, confused. "I heard Count Valerus mention it, but I don't know anything else about it."

"The White Death is a kataphrakt that is officially known as the KG-9 Pegasus, the most advanced UFE kataphrakt in existence, and the ultimate weapon against the Vers kataphrakts. During the two years that you were asleep, the Pegasus was singularly accountable for the destruction of six different clans, as well as also being the kataphrakt that killed Count Saazbaum. It was powered by a single Aldnoah drive. Its service ended when it was shot down and the pilot captured by the joined effort of three counts. The pilot was me."

"So that's why you were on the Moon Base?" Asseylum asked.

Aleksander nodded. "I was assumed dead after the attack in Russia. Slaine had me captured and brought to the Moon Base to confirm my survival."

"Why are you telling me all this?"

"Because when you gave the UFE those Aldnoah drives, they were used to power five kataphrakts, which were mass-production versions of the Pegasus."

Asseylum look horrified as she began to understand what Aleksander was talking about. "Did anyone from the rescue team—"

"Not yet. But that's not to say that someone might."

They finally reached the medical bay, where the viewing window was clear. Asseylum's eyes teared up as she saw Inko and Inaho lying unconscious in their beds.

"Will they recover?" Asseylum asked.

"Inaho is expected to recover fully, Inko on the other hand is uncertain." Aleksander said.

Asseylum noticed Aleksander's hand tightened into a shaking fist where it was hanging at his side. "I'm sorry, Aleksander."

"Save your apologies for later, Asseylum." Aleksander directed Asseylum to another door labeled 'Intensive Care'.

"Who's in here?" Asseylum asked, almost too afraid to hear the answer.

"It's Slaine. Out of the three seriously injured people we had, Slaine's injuries were and still are the worst. The doctors don't know if he will live."

Asseylum was starting to lose her composure. "H-how did they…"

"The rest of the rescue team made it away safely because I launched in the Hengroen to fight off the Pegasus units. Slaine came over to support, and while he was pushing me out of harm's way, he got caught in it himself. And because Inaho and Inko were in the kataphrakt with him, they were severely injured as well. The kataphrakts were destroyed, but this was the cost."

Aleksander continued. "Without the advanced UFE kataphrakts, we would have been able to make it out without any casualties at all. Instead, this happened. You wanted to help, Asseylum? This is what your 'help' did. You injure Inaho, you cause permanent harm to Inko, and you may have quite possibly gotten Slaine killed. Because you're my sister, I will let you off this time. But only this once. If you get in my way again, I will not hesitate to strike you down. Especially if you are my enemy. So tell me, dear sister, was it worth it? Was giving the UFE the Aldnoah drives really worth this?"

Asseylum couldn't take it anymore. She curled up and started crying. "I-I never meant to— t-this wasn't supposed to—"

"Asseylum Vers Allusia, I told you to grow up. And yet, for all that I told you, it feels like you haven't matured even a little bit. You still hold on to what you believe you care for, simply because you have been told so. Stop letting your heart guide you and focus on being rational. I once said you would have made the better ambassador. Clearly, I was wrong. You're free to go. That's all I wanted to say."

Asseylum's legs gave way. "I'm so sorry."

"I told you to save your apologies." Aleksander walked off. In all her despair, Asseylum didn't hear her brother tell the guards to give her some space.

A few moments later, a door opened and Asseylum felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning around, she saw Lemrina.

Lemrina's smile was sad. "Aleksander is hurting as bad as you are right now. And even though he doesn't show it, he blames himself for their injuries. For not being strong enough to protect those that he cares about."

"And I'm to blame for that." Asseylum said bitterly. "I should never have interfered."

"Your Majesty, we're receiving a transmission."

"Put it through." Aleksander ordered.

Aleksander was treated to a face that he had never seen before. "My apologies for not contacting you earlier, Emperor Aleksander Vers Allusia. I am Louise Almark, president of the United Earth government."

Aleksander nodded. "And what exactly does the president of the United Earth government want?"

"We are willing to negotiate with you in regards to establishing peaceful relations with the Vers Empire."

"In exchange for?" Aleksander asked.

"The agreement that the Vers Empire assists Earth in rebuilding its homes and improving them utilizing its advanced technologies."

Aleksander nodded. "That is acceptable. However, I have a few requirements that I expect to be met."

President Almark looked serious. "Name them."

"First and foremost, I expect the complete dissolution of the UFE. What happens to the members is not my concern, but I am not willing to tolerate the existence of an organization that has continually threatened the Vers Empire."

"That is understandable. What is your next requirement?"

"Throughout the rebuilding of major cities on Earth, I expect that the embassies will have a level of importance as well. Along with that, there should be a continuous flow of information between Vers and Earth so that we can figure out how to benefit each other."

The president looked thoughtful at this. "I can certainly see the merit in having open communications. Is there anything else?"

"Just one last thing that I believe you should be able to accommodate. I want the UE to supply land where current citizens of the Vers Empire can move to if they do not wish to continue to live under Vers supervision. I'll send you a list of the details later on in regards to the specifics." Aleksander finished up. "I understand if you find this difficult to swallow, but I will not compromise in regards to these three requirements. In the immediate future, Count Mazuurek will be the person you will wish to contact, as he is my official representative on Earth."

"I understand. I will convene with the rest of the government to discuss these conditions. Thank you for your time, Emperor Aleksander."

Aleksander nodded. "Good luck to you, President Almark."

When the transmission closed, Klancain came in. "Aleksander, while negotiations are important, I have to ask you a question. When will we be returning to Vers?"

Aleksander turned around. "Grandfather's funeral?"

Klancain nodded sadly. "I just used the audience chamber. He passed away a few hours ago."

"What about Vers? Is everything still operational?" Aleksander asked.

"Everything is fine. The former Emperor had a few subjects deactivate and reactivate Aldnoah drives so that the infrastructure of Vers would not be compromised upon his death."

Aleksander thought for a few moments. "Once the UE sends their response in regards to the conditions I have laid down, we will launch for Vers in the Hadriacus. In the meantime, Count Mazuurek will continue to handle the diplomatic affairs while we work on reforming Vers."

"And the Deucalion?" Klancain was reasonable concerned. After all, it was a battleship that ran on an Aldnoah drive. Its reputation was just as legendary as that of the White Death.

"I was actually thinking that it wouldn't be too hard to disarm and refit it into the first of many interstellar travel vehicles. The design, while not exactly tethered to non-gravity standards, is rather efficient. It's also kind of poetic, when I think about it. The Aldnoah drive used by the very first Orbital Knight to attack Earth may very well now be at the forefront of peaceful communications between Vers and Earth."

Klancain looked at Aleksander before finally smiling. "I do believe I made the right choice in following you."

A couple days later, Aleksander was in his room drafting up new laws when he heard his door open. He didn't look up. "Has the UE responded yet, Count Mazuurek?"

"I'm not Count Mazuurek..." A familiar voice spoke out, confused.

Alek shot up, turning to face Inaho. "It's good to see you up again."

Inaho smiled, though Alek noticed the cast on his arm. "It's good to see you as well."

Alek motioned to the cast. "How's your arm?"

"It'll heal in a couple of months. Shouldn't you be with Inko?" Inaho asked.

"If I do, I'll end up worrying about her to the point of forgetting about everything else. This is the better alternative. And what about you? I thought you would be visiting Asseylum by now."

"I thought you didn't want me near her?" Inaho asked.

Alek sighed. "True, I didn't want you near her, but I was being an irrational, overprotective older brother. Still am, mind you. Just… be careful right now. She's probably still depressed from what I told her a couple days ago, and I can't be the one to comfort her because of that. She needs someone else to talk with. Lemrina's been visiting every day, but she hasn't had that much of an effect on her."

"What did you do?"

"Inaho, she was the one who supplied the UFE with Aldnoah drives. She's part of the reason that you, Inko and Slaine were all in the medical ward up until now." Aleksander looked at the ground. "I can't just forgive and forget. Not until Slaine and Inko's conditions take a change."

The door opened again as Count Mazuurek stepped in. "The United Earth government's President Almark wishes to speak with you."

"I'll be there in a few minutes." Alek said, standing up. "I'll talk to you later, Inaho."

"Thanks…"

Asseylum didn't even budge when she heard the door open. "I don't want to talk to anyone right now."

"Seylum…" A familiar voice called out.

Asseylum turned around, nearly giving herself whiplash as she became aware of the person who just spoke to her, to the person she considered a part of herself as much as he considered her a part of himself. "Inaho!"

Inaho quickly found himself in her embrace as she clung on to one of people she was worried about, crying all the while.

If there was one thing Asseylum truly appreciated about Inaho, it was that he hadn't changed. Her brother had changed, Slaine had changed, she had to acknowledge that even she had changed. But Inaho remained the same person that Asseylum had met two years ago.

In a world where everything was changing faster than she could keep up, Asseylum couldn't help but hold on to the person that had remained constant, while all Inaho could do was let her cry everything out.

"Nao-kun! Where are you?" Yuki called out.

The crew of the Deucalion had been given permission to explore the Landing Castle for as long as the battleship stayed on it, seeing as they were still technically on the run from the Earth's militaries.

During that time, Yuki had visited her younger brother multiple times. It was only on this day however, that no one had told her that he was up and moving again.

"Can I help you, miss?" A voice asked.

Yuki turned around to see one of the counts that resided in the Landing Castle, a bit taller than her. "I can't seem to find my brother…"

The count lighted up. "Perhaps I can help you? I'm familiar enough with my own castle."

Yuki blinked. "You're Count Mazuurek?"

The count bowed. "At your service. You are?"

"Yuki Kaizuka."

"Kaizuka… would your brother perhaps be Inaho Kaizuka?" Count Mazuurek asked.

Yuki nodded. "You know him?"

"We met when I was a prisoner at the UFE base in Port Aden." Count Mazuurek explained. "He's probably visiting either Princess Asseylum or Emperor Aleksander right now. I can take you there if you wish."

"Please do."

As Yuki followed along, Count Mazuurek noticed that she had an air of nervousness about her, as if they had… it suddenly occurred to him. "Have we met before?"

Yuki smiled shyly. "Well, yes. Not in person, though. I was part of the squadron that engaged you in combat when your kataphrakt attacked our base."

It was Count Mazuurek's turn to be abashed. "Ah, sorry. It wasn't really that much of an attack, to be honest. It felt more like a rabbit chase, with your squadron leading me on, baiting me into that trap and all."

"Yes, I guess." Yuki said.

"Did you know the Emperor as well?"

Yuki smiled. "We knew him as Alek Audet, star student and president of the Student Council at school. He was my assistant instructor for kataphrakt piloting and helped around school quite a bit."

"I see… would you like to talk more about it later? Perhaps over a meal?" Count Mazuurek asked.

Yuki was surprised. "Are you… asking me on a date?"

"A date?" Count Mazuurek asked, being unfamiliar with the term.

"Ah, I guess dating isn't a thing on Vers. I suppose you could call it a light form of courting?" Yuki tentatively explained, blushing all the while. She was never as good at explaining stuff as Inaho or Alek.

It was Count Mazuurek's turn to blush, as he suddenly realized how his actions could be interpreted. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean for my question to come across that way!"

Yuki felt just as awkward. "It's alright, you didn't know. But I think it would be alright to have a conversation over a meal."

Crisis averted.

By the time everything was figured out, they found the door to Asseylum's room open, so they walked in, only to see the princess seemingly resting on Inaho. Inaho for his part looked like he was trying to pick up the princess.

"She fell asleep." He explained. "It would be better if we got her to a bed. Sleeping like will leave her sore."

Yuki didn't let this chance go by. She snapped a picture with her phone before anyone could react. "I'll leave it to you then, Nao-kun."

Count Mazuurek followed her out. "What was that about?"

Yuki grinned. "I like seeing Alek freak out. It's quite entertaining."

"You intend to aggravate the Emperor of the Vers Empire with only a picture?"

"Believe me, you don't even need that much to aggravate him."

"So you're willing to agree to the terms I have set?" Aleksander asked.

"So long as Vers delivers on the promised restoration of our cities and improvements, yes." President Almark replied.

Aleksander nodded. "That's fair. Granted, we'll be focusing more on reforming the Vers Empire, but you can expect us to deliver on repairs. While our manpower is somewhat lacking, we can make up for it with technological advancements."

"I see. Thank you very much for your help, Emperor. I wish you the best of luck in regards to your future rule."

"Thank you, President." Aleksander closed off communications.

Around that time, one of the operators received a transmission. "Milord, the doctors wish to speak with you at the medical bay."

Aleksander frowned. "I'll be there."

Asseylum had left her room for the first time in a while when she noticed Aleksander making an announcement over the speakers.

"People of Vers, it is with regret that I make this announcement. In the aftermath of the battle with the UFE, Count Troyard was severely injured protecting me. Just less than ten minutes ago, he succumbed to his wounds."

The Princess of Vers froze up, processing the words that her brother spoke. "No…"

"With his passing, Vers has lost another great man, one who fought to his last in seeking to reform the Vers Empire. As one who was born on Earth, it only seems fitting that he be returned to whence he first came. All I ask is that you remember him. Not as the terran who rose up through the ranks hoping to change Vers, but as the man who made the ultimate sacrifice, giving up his life to save his Emperor's."

To Asseylum, it was understandable that Aleksander said what he did. In doing so, he essentially restored Slaine's respect and gave them pause in regards to discriminating against terrans.

It didn't make it any easier for her, though, as she found herself crying once again.

"Are you sure this is the best way to do things, Aleksander?" Lemrina asked.

Aleksander nodded. "Slaine's stable now, but I'd rather not have him back in politics if I can help it. Honestly, he's better off on Earth where he won't have to deal with the Orbital Knights in large masses. Granted, he'll have to take up a new name, but it's better than letting him die."

"But you said that he would fight for you until the day he died… or was that planned?" Lemrina asked, finally catching on to what Aleksander was thinking.

Aleksander tried hard not to chuckle, seeing as his first friend was supposedly dead. "Not really, but when he stabilized, I found a good opportunity that I could take advantage of. This way, he gets out of the eye of the Orbital Knights. As far as the world is concerned, Slaine Troyard will have died protecting his Emperor. In the meantime, he'll be living his life as a normal person, not having to deal with any of the stress that he's had over these last years."

Lemrina looked over to the cot that Slaine's body was hidden under as it was being taken to the Deucalion. "So Dr. Yagarai agreed to take care of him?"

"Yep. He'll be fine as long as he stays out of the public eye for a while." Aleksander said with the slightest of smiles. "You'll be heading down to Earth, right?"

As far as sibling relationships went, Aleksander was much closer with Lemrina now than he was with Asseylum. It mainly had to do with the fact that they understood each other much better due to how similar they were in mindsets regarding their royal blood, though Asseylum's untimely intervention had separated the full-blooded siblings.

Lemrina nodded. "Nina's already offered to help me find a place to stay."

"Hopefully you get used to how excited she can get. Otherwise, she's going to wear you out very quickly."

"I'll remember that." Lemrina smiled just before she was to board the Deucalion again.

Aleksander got down to give her one more hug before he went back inside. "Stay safe, Lemrina. I'll try to make contact every once in a while."

Lemrina returned it. "You too, Aleksander. I hope Inko wakes up soon."

After that, Lemrina entered the Deucalion while Alek went back inside, only to run into Inaho. "You should probably hurry. The Deucalion is leaving in a couple minutes."

"I'm not going back." Inaho said.

"I could probably call them to hold on for a couple more minutes while— what?" Alek suddenly realized what Inaho said. "Please tell me my sister had nothing to do with this."

"Actually, your sister only had a little bit to do with this. I want to help as well." Inaho said.

Alek sighed. "Fine, you can come to Vers with us. You do realize it'll take even longer to get that removed, right?" He motioned to Inaho's analytical engine.

"I have all the data regarding it stored in my computer, so all I need to do is give it to one of the doctors and he can handle things from there."

"Inaho, that thing can literally kill you if you overuse it. Try not to be so reckless. I've already made Asseylum cry once from what she did, and I probably made her cry a second time after I announced Slaine's death. I am not making her cry a third time because I had to tell her that you died. I'd rather not see her cry anymore. And what about Yuki? Did you say goodbye to her already?"

"Aneki is still on the Landing Castle as well." Inaho said.

That made Alek pause. "Exactly why is she still here?"

"I heard something about being invited to a meal by Count Mazuurek." Inaho said.

"I— you know what? I'm not going to even question it. Too much to think about. If Yuki wants to start a relationship with my main ambassador, I'm not going to do anything about it." Alek shook his head to clear it.

"They want to start a relationship?" Inaho asked, a hint of something in his voice.

Alek turned around. "What do you—" It suddenly occurred to him, a grin splitting his face. "Oh, I see how this is."

"See what?"'

"Oh, nothing of importance." Alek waved his hand in dismissal. "I'm going to visit Inko. Haven't visited her in a bit."

Overprotective Brother Symptom is a very recognizable affliction.

"Hey Inko, are you feeling any better?" Alek asked as he walked to her bed.

As she was the only one that hadn't woken up or been moved, she was the only person in the medical bay. Which left Alek plenty of time to spend just talking to her. Even if she wouldn't respond.

"I brought you flowers today. It was a bit of a hassle getting them here, with greenhouses being difficult to find in these times, but I managed it somehow. Orchids, your favorite. I still remember the one time we went to a greenhouse. You wouldn't stop staring at the orchids the entire time. I think I had to pull you away so we could keep going on the trip. I'll put them here."

After Alek placed the flower pot on the table next to Inko's bed, he continued. "You know, after the battle, when we retrieved you, Inaho and Slaine, I was so worried. I thought you were going to die. I almost lost you. I guess you felt this way when I almost died two years ago, huh?"

"Regardless, you probably want to know a bit of what's going on. We've finally got peace negotiations rolling along with Earth, which is nice. The UFE got dissolved, which I think is great. The Deucalion is heading back to the cities to help begin reconstruction on Earth, with Lemrina in tow. Slaine's also going with them, though he hasn't woken up yet. Hopefully he'll wake up soon, though I'm happy with the fact that he's stable as it is. He deserves to be happy for once. And to top everything off, Yuki might end up in a relationship with Count Mazuurek, which I think might be quite possibly the strangest thing that's happened since I discovered how much of a weeaboo Asplund is."

"Asseylum and I aren't on good terms right now. I said some things she needed to hear, but the way I told her was the wrong way to do so. I still need to apologize to her. She's been through a lot over these last few days, with you, Inaho and Slaine being here and unconscious. I have too, come to think of it."

Alek had to try hard to avoid crying now. "I hope you wake up soon. I really do. I miss you, Inko. Once you're up again, we should watch the stars. They're more beautiful when you see them from Vers than here on Earth."

He kissed her on the forehead. "I'll come back to visit tomorrow, I promise."

As he was about to exit, he heard a small sound.

"Mm…"

Alek spun around to see Inko stirring before finally opening her eyes. He didn't even hesitate before running back to the side of the bed.

Inko turned her head and smiled. "Hey, Alek."

Every last teardrop that Alek had been holding back seemed to flow out all at once as he embraced Inko in a hug, taking in the moment.

Though Inko couldn't raise her arms at the moment, she melted into his embrace, letting him cry out everything. His frustrations, his fears, his sadness, everything seemed to evaporate at once, now that Inko was awake.

For the first time in a long time, everything felt right.

That's a wrap on this chapter. Man, I really need to shorten these. I almost hit two chapters worth of material. The main reason this chapter is so long is because I get bothered if my stories don't have an average of at least 4k words per chapter (I get minor cases of OCD from time to time). The 99k words was bothering me for a while.

On a side note, in terms of word count, Butterfly Effect has actually been the longest English fanfic on this page for a while (the actual longest is a fanfic written in Indonesian). It's also technically the longest fic that doesn't pair together Inaho and Slaine, last when I checked on AO3 (some people have written 400k+ fics on there. My hats off to them). There might be other places, but I haven't found them.

The last couple reviews I got were really encouraging for me, seeing as I was doing a huge deviation from the anime by this point.

A lot of the ideas I'll be implementing in the near future were brought on by someone who spent a long time reviewing my work and criticizing it, and I'm thankful to that person for investing so much time. (I had one scene in mind where Alek stuffs Calm into the Landing Castle's elevator and lets it do an emergency drop to the bottom floor, but I'll probably leave that for The Prince's Records).

Either way, you know the drill. Review and leave constructive criticism where you can/want.

Until next time,

WX