Fanfic: Destinies Intertwined by Fate, Chapter One out of Twenty

[star_ocean_fan]

Title: Destinies Intertwined by Fate
World: Till the End of Time
Chapter: One out of Twenty
Chapter Title: Beginning the Search for Luther and Fayt
Summary: For Fayt Leingod and Luther Lansfeld, the end of the final battle is only the beginning. Worlds collide as the rebuilding begins.
Disclaimer: I do not own Star Ocean 3 or the characters from the game. They belong to Square Enix and Tri-Ace. I do not profit from the writing of this story. All OCs presented within belong to me, and I will protect them zealously from any and all unauthorized use. Please ask me first before writing them into your stories. Thank you.
Warnings: Some chapters will contain adult content and adult themes. Other warnings include yaoi, or, for the anime-lacking in their lives, at least one male/male relationship, some language (Fayt is no saint), implied torture and hints of sexual assault, science fiction and fantasy elements, momentary scenes of intense and graphic violence, and potential character deaths, be they of the original character or main game character variety. Also, Albel and Luther can both be dickheads when the mood strikes them.
Author's Note: I'm going to treat this like I'm at fanfiction.net . . . there will be implied adult content as opposed to actual adult content. Not that there isn't any adult content in the story itself . . . I'm just covering my behind when it comes to potential minors finding this journal and reading something that perhaps their parents don't want them to read. :) That's all.

 

Six months later . . .

Maria felt a slightly contented sigh escape her, and her eyes closed partway. Strong hands glided over the bare portions of her flesh, the touches as light and as gentle as a feather. Lieber's body felt wonderfully and delightfully and sensually warm against her body, his breath ghosting along the length of her neck, and his touch ignited fires of passion she never knew could exist within one person. Lieber had gone out of his way for this particular moment, the consummation of their relationship where she submitted to him for a single night, by decorating her quarters – their shared quarters now – with dozens upon dozens of red candles as well as dozens and dozens of red and pink roses. He even added a few oil burners filled with a rose oil essence for an olfactory effect, nearly drowning her senses with visions and scents of red and roses. Maria's mind, when she first saw the amount of candles and flowers in her quarters, refused to comprehend everything she was seeing. Her little sanctuary aboard The Diplo often felt cluttered since she and Lieber now shared the room, as if all four of the walls were closing in on her, threatening to squish and smother her. Maria said nothing about the amount of flowers and candles and the fragrance of roses in the air. Lieber wanted to impress her, to give her something no one else had ever thought to give her, and it touched her heart to know he cared so much. To prove he was serious about their relationship and how he was willing to do anything for her, her lover changed the linens on their bed, replacing micro cotton polyester sheets and blankets with red silk sheets with an amethyst-coloured embroidery and a deep violet down feather comforter, a fact Lieber seemed to be particularly proud of, as if no one else would ever think of doing such a thing for Maria. Lieber then pressed a button on her computer console, the silence of the room and surprise ended with the sounds of a piano playing a romantic melody, and he started to kiss her, a little tentative at first despite the number of times they had kissed during the course of their relationship, but he started to become bolder with each kiss. His tongue often flicked out, gliding along her lips before delving into the recesses of her mouth, caressing its roof and dancing with her tongue.

As they kissed each other, Lieber started to touch her, to tug in a gentle manner at her clothing. Maria found herself touching Lieber in return and tugging at his clothing the way he tugged at hers, the material slipping away to reveal muscular and well-defined, well-toned, smooth to the touch flesh under the tips of her fingers. She never truly understood how wonderful physical contact could feel, though she had imagined a thing or two about intimacy since her sixteenth birthday, after she learned the truth about her powers and the truth about Fayt Leingod. Of course, she often envisioned herself enjoying sexual activities with her fellow victim of forbidden scientific research and fantasizing of dominating Fayt the way Lieber allowed her to dominate him in the bedroom. Even at the tender and yet painful age of sixteen, Maria knew she would never submit very often to any man and allow him to do whatever he wanted with her. She was not a doll, and she was not a trophy. She would be in control at all times. The only time she would submit was when she was ready to bear a child and even then she would remain in control, whether her partner (Fayt) liked the idea or if he did not like the idea. She was no servant. She was no follower. She was the leader, and leaders needed to behave as such.

The moment she thought of Fayt, what her fantasies were, and how things had not turned out as she had hoped and planned for her life, Maria refrained letting out a sigh. Indeed, she pushed every thought of Fayt, every fantasy she ever had of him, out of her mind. She lamented the fact she would never know what her relationship with Fayt would be like, but, at the same time, Maria refused to let the what-ifs and the could-have-beens and the should-have-beens dominate her life. A part of her doubted Fayt would ever let her dominate him. Most men were peculiar about penetration and what a woman's role in a relationship was supposed to be. Fayt was raised in a traditional home from the time of his birth until the Vendeeni attack on Hyda IV. He probably possessed those traditional notions of a woman's role due to his upbringing, and Maria found the thought to be disturbing at best.

A well placed kiss to her throat brought Maria back to the present, back to the fact she and Lieber were about to engage in sexual intercourse where she was finally going to allow someone to penetrate her, and she finally let out another contented little sigh(1) . . .

"I love you, Maria," he whispered. "I love you so much. You have no idea of how much you mean to me. Thank you . . . thank you for giving me a chance. I swear to you I will never leave you and I will never disappoint you. Ever."

The words Lieber spoke to her were nothing unusual. He always said such things to her when they were finished with their physical gratifications. Hell, he confessed his love to her even when they were not riding each other the way surfers like to ride the waves of the oceans. Maria did not doubt his words for a single moment. He confessed his love for her, something she had always suspected about him, shortly after the defeat of Luther Lansfeld, the Owner of Sphere 211 and the Creator of their world and universe, and Lieber swore to her he would do anything and everything he could to prove his love for her. With Fayt's disappearance within moments of Luther's defeat dashing her hopes and dreams for her life, Maria found herself wanting someone who would do exactly as Lieber promised her he would do for her.

"I know," Maria replied. "I . . . love you, too, Lieber."

In her own way, Maria knew she loved Lieber as she had just told him she did. After all, any man who bent over and allowed himself to be repeatedly taken by a woman wearing a vibrator was worth keeping, in her estimation. Lieber not only allowed Maria to peg him, as it were, but he also begged her to take him in such a manner. He knew it was one of the only ways he could please her. He understood she was the one to dominate, not be dominated, and Maria not only loved Lieber for his understanding, she was grateful for it as well, which had led to this one time where he could dominate her in bed instead of the other way around. It just did not stop her from wondering every now and again what could have been if Fayt had not disappeared.

Lieber shifted himself in that moment, distracting Maria yet again, and he withdrew from her body. With a soft, barely audible sigh of relief, Maria closed her eyes and brought the sheets up higher to cover her chest. She felt more than a little hungry from having sex with Lieber, and she wanted to rest for a little while as well before she resumed her duties on the bridge of The Diplo.

There was a time when Maria had considered leaving Quark. The final battle with Luther Lansfeld was over, and their world, what those in the four-dimensional realm referred to as the Eternal Sphere, was safe from harm and destruction at the blond-haired man's hands. Or was it his fingers? He certainly could type faster than what Maria could, if how quickly he typed in the delete commands was any kind of an indication, and Cliff often referred to her as the second fastest typist in the universe. Either way, the Eternal Sphere (the name lodged itself into her brain and refused to leave) was safe from Luther Lansfeld, programmer genius extraordinaire and clinically insane Creator. Her job with her powers of Alteration was done. No one needed her to command Quark any longer, and it was only a matter of time before the various universe organizations, such as the Pangalactic Federation for example, to learn of her powers of Alteration. They would seek her out, use whatever measures they deemed necessary to obtain her, and abuse what she originally saw as a curse (and now saw as a gift) given to her by Professor Robert Leingod and his research team. Maria knew the potential was there for such an instance to happen. Everything that had happened to Fayt, Robert Leingod's only child, his son, was proof not everyone in the universe could be trusted with such a secret. The last thing Maria wanted to do was put her crew, her friends, at risk simply because she could not let go of her leadership status.

Then Lieber approached her just as she was preparing to say good-bye to the crew of The Diplo, to Quark, and then she intended to disappear the same way Fayt disappeared. Well, she intended to try and disappear the same way Fayt disappeared. No one knew precisely how he managed to leave Luther's Workspace and through the Firewall as quickly as he had done so. Hell, no one knew how he managed to leave Elicoor II entirely. When they finally left Luther's Workspace and searched everywhere in the Spiral Tower and the Firewall, they walked through the Ancient Ruins of Mosel and journeyed through the Mosel Desert, hours and days ticking by them at an agonizingly fast rate. They took their time during their journey, though, searching for the now wayward embodiment of Destruction, finding relief when they reached the Passage of Parchment and Plenty and resting in Surferio and the trading town of Peterny when they reached the villages. Several days later, they stepped onto the lush green grass of the Irisa Fields, hoping to see some kind of evidence Fayt had at least stopped for a moment. Maria had ordered Marietta to look for any signs of Fayt's whereabouts on Elicoor II the moment they stepped into the dry desert heat of Mosel. It was only when they were walking along the grass and moss covered stone road to the Sacred City of Aquios that Marietta contacted Maria with the news. Fayt was nowhere on Elicoor II, and no one possessed any kind of recollection of how he managed to leave. The Diplo had been in Elicoor II's orbit the entire time. No ships appeared during their journey back to Aquaria, and no one in Surferio and Peterny saw Fayt. It was as if Professor Leingod's son never existed at all, and Maria often found herself wondering how Fayt managed to pull off such a magnificent and mind-boggling disappearing trick. She wanted to do the same thing for herself, or at least she had wanted to do the same thing for herself until Lieber approached her.

It was when Lieber approached her, fumbling over his words, trying to tell her that he loved her and always wanted to be with her, that Maria realized she could not leave Quark. She did love commanding others, though she knew she never abused her powers – there were many examples of such things happening in the Pangalactic Federation and Maria reminded herself of such people when she felt herself overstepping her bounds with her crew. The last thing she desired to do was hurt anyone because she was being stupid and stubborn and prideful – and it started to feel wrong to want to leave the same way Fayt did. She did not want to be seen as shirking her responsibilities to her crew and to the Quark organization. The more she thought about it in those few moments following Lieber's confession, the more Maria believed she had nothing to fear should the rest of the universe learn of her powers of Alteration. Even though she truly disliked the notion and would never allow it to happen, her members of crew would gladly lay down their lives for her in order to protect her from anyone who meant to do her harm. The members of Quark knew the dangers of her staying with them. They knew of the risks, and they accepted the risks. It was a much better option than traveling to some unsuspecting planet where no one knew or had heard of her and putting the inhabitants in danger. It had happened to Fayt on Hyda IV and Elicoor II with the Vendeeni chasing after him. According to Cliff, her counterpart (as she saw him) never truly recovered over the shock of learning the attacks on Hyda IV and Elicoor II by the Vendeeni were because the shark-like creatures were chasing after him due to his powers. Thousands of people were either injured or died in those attacks, and Fayt, the clueless yet noble person he was, blamed himself for those injured or dead. He, according to Cliff and Mirage, especially took the deaths of an Ameena Leffeld and Dion Landers the hardest, so much so he had talked of turning himself over to the Vendeeni just so they would leave Elicoor II alone. Maria did not intend to put herself through such a heart-wrenching and mind-breaking ordeal, and she was grateful Lieber had approached her, fumbling over his words as he confessed how he felt towards her to her. It kept her from making a mistake she knew she would never be able to live with, and she resumed command of Quark and The Diplo within a matter of five minutes. She only wished she could have answers to some of her what-ifs. What if Fayt had not disappeared? Would they be in a relationship instead of her being with Lieber? Maria knew Fayt had feelings for his childhood friend Sophia, but she did not know what kind of feelings they were or if they could have blossomed into a relationship. There just were too many questions left unanswered, and Maria did not like how many questions were still floating around in her mind with no answers to offer her some kind of relief.

"Are you okay, Maria?" Lieber inquired. She glanced at him to find him staring at her and frowning a little, his expression definitely one of concern. Maria smiled at him, hoping to ease whatever worries and doubts he was entertaining about their relationship. For the most part, Maria possessed no regrets for involving herself with Lieber. He had given everything she could have ever wanted and desired in a partner and more.

"I'm fine, Lieber," she said in a reassuring tone of voice. "I've just . . . got a lot on my mind."

It was not too far from the truth, either, what she had just told Lieber. In the six months since Luther's defeat, the worlds of the Eternal Sphere were recovering from the attacks by the Executioners and Proclaimers at a relatively steady rate. What surprised Maria the most by the recovery acts were the reappearances of the Aldian and Vendeeni empires. From what she remembered of the initial attacks, the Aldian and Vendeeni home worlds were completely destroyed by Luther in his efforts to keep his "data" from evolving beyond the capabilities of what the four-dimensional beings currently possessed. To hear they were still around and gaining as much ground in rebuilding their worlds and empires as the Pangalactic Federation and Quark were in their efforts astounded Maria. The fact there were survivors from Aldian and Vendeen also meant there was still a potential for war to still brew between Aldian and the Federation as well as the Federation and Vendeen. It was the last thing anyone in the Eternal Sphere needed, more heartache and despair from people who could not agree to leave each other alone and respect the wishes to either not join or to join one leading military force or another. Because no one wanted another war close on the heels of Luther's attacks, Quark had insisted upon a meeting with delegates from the Pangalactic Federation, Aldian, and Vendeen. It had taken a few weeks of e-mailed conversations, some face-to-face confrontations with the leaders from the Pangalactic Federation, Aldian, and Vendeen, but Quark finally managed to arrange the much required meeting of the delegates. Maria was to conduct the meeting in a neutral location agreed upon by Quark, the Pangalactic Federation, the Aldian Empire, and the Vendeeni Empire. She had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach the meetings and negotiations were not going to proceed in a fashion that would benefit the people of the Eternal Sphere, which was why she had wanted a few moments alone with Lieber. He could distract her from her troublesome thoughts, which was something she felt she truly needed before she dived headfirst into a room filled with hotheaded and sharp-tongued men and women determined to satisfy their needs before their needs of their people.

Maria glanced at her clock, knowing soon she and Lieber would need to eat a little something as quickly as they could, and then clean themselves and head for the bridge of The Diplo. The time for the meeting of the minds was almost upon her and her crew, and Maria wanted to ensure everything would run as smoothly as it possibly could run. There were ground rules she needed to cover with the representatives from the Pangalactic Federation, Aldian, and Vendeen, rules everyone needed to obey in order to avoid all hell from breaking loose throughout their universe.

"That's understandable," Lieber murmured. He leaned towards her, placing a kiss upon her shoulder. His arm slid in a light and loving caress across her abdomen, and he snuggled close to her. Maria noticed he liked to hold her a lot. Cuddling and kissing were also among his favourite things to do with her. "The universe just likes to heap a lot onto your shoulders. It isn't right and it isn't fair, but I understand that someone needs to step up and be responsible. You're always doing that for people, whether you truly need to or not."

"You sound like you don't like the idea," Maria remarked.

"I don't," Lieber answered. "At least, I don't like the idea of you doing this without someone else besides me and Quark to assist you. Why couldn't those . . . others remain with you? You can't keep this up, Maria. I'm afraid it's going to wear you out."

"If you're referring to Fayt and Sophia, they have their reasons for not being here," Maria answered, pushing herself into a sitting position. "Sophia was still a high school student when everything happened. It isn't fair to ask her to give up her education and her family when no one knows about her powers. She still has her parents. I don't, anymore, and I would never ask her to give up the one thing I never had."

"That's quite kind of you," Lieber commented, his frown turning into a slight smile. It was a smile of love and admiration. "And I can understand why you wouldn't ask Sophia Esteed to journey with you. But Fayt . . . no one knows where he's disappeared to or why, even. It's like he's afraid to take responsibility for his father's actions or to even help out with the chaos and destruction that's happened."

"I thought you didn't like Fayt," she murmured.

"I don't like him," Lieber replied with all honesty, "and I never will. However, that doesn't mean I think he should be able to skip out on everyone who cares about him. I mean, no one's heard a thing about him or where he's at since the Creator's demise. It's irresponsible of him, in my opinion. What reasons does he possibly possess for leaving as he did? I really think he should be here, helping his friends out as much as he can and letting them help him with whatever he's dealing with, you know? There are no legitimate reasons for him being so stubborn and prideful as he's obviously being right now. He should know how much he's cared for, by his friends and by his family."

Maria said nothing to what Lieber had just confessed to her. There was nothing she could say in response. To an extent, her lover was accurate in his thoughts and in his beliefs regarding Fayt Leingod. As far as anyone knew, there were no reasons acceptable enough for Fayt to simply disappear and leave his friends and remaining family wondering where he was staying and if he was still in good health. Whatever thoughts and emotions plagued the blue-haired young man, he should have known his friends would assist him through emotional and mental dark times. If he took off to prevent the likes of the Aldian and Vendeeni Empires from capturing him and using him for their own nefarious purposes, Maria understood to an extent. She also knew she would have offered Fayt whatever protection was in her power to offer and to give.

Still, no one truly knew the reasons for Fayt leaving so suddenly and so unexpectedly as he had done those six months ago. Until he resurfaced or some galactic super power like the Pangalactic Federation or Quark found him, no one could ask the young man his reasons. Maria exhaled a soft breath and slid her legs out from underneath the cover of the satin sheets. Fortunately for her when Lieber moved to one side, he moved to the side closest to the wall. Her feet touched the cool, metal floor, and Lieber spoke again.

"You're thinking I shouldn't be so rash in judging him, aren't you?" he asked. He, too, let out a soft breath. "I know I shouldn't, but sometimes it's so hard not to judge him. He took off without saying a word to anyone as to why. From what you told me, he only said he needed to go and then he was gone without a single trace. Personally, I'd like to know how he got off of Elicoor the way he did. It still baffles me to this day, you know what I mean?"

"I certainly do," Maria murmured, rising to her feet. With the red satin sheet still wrapped around her slender frame, she headed for her shower. She heard more than she saw Lieber following her, knowing he wanted to join her. Not that she minded him joining her in the shower. Some of their best moments were in the shower, the water hot and steam filling the air.

They had just reached the door to Maria's private bathroom (each crew member's room had a bathroom, mostly to avoid arguments over who needed to use the facilities first over another) when the intercom came to life. Over the private speaker, they heard Marietta's voice.

"Captain," she said, "we're nearing our rendezvous point with the delegates from the Pangalactic Federation, Aldian, and Vendeen."

"Thank you, Marietta," Maria said. "Are we the first ones here?"

"It looks like it, Captain," Marietta replied. "Shall I inform you if anyone else arrives? I know you're a bit . . . busy right now."

"That won't be necessary," Maria answered. "I'll be on the bridge in the next twenty minutes. Thanks, Marietta."

"Roger that, Captain. See you in twenty minutes."

The intercom clicked out, and Maria stepped into her bathroom with Lieber right behind her. As quietly as she could, she inhaled a deep breath. The anxious feeling in the pit of her stomach had returned in full force, roiling around like water over finely polished stones. Before too much longer, she would be standing in a room filled with loud, overbearing, and very demanding delegates of various ages and walks of life. It was not something she was anticipating with the highest of hopes, and, thanks to Lieber's words about Fayt, she found herself longing for her friend's companionship in such a trying and difficult situation.

'Stop it,' she told herself, turning on the water to her shower. 'It won't do you any good to wish for him to be here when it's obvious he can't and wouldn't want to be here in the first place. I've got to do this on my own, whether I like it or not. I'm not his follower, anyway.'

With such thoughts to console her, Maria prepared herself for what promised to be one of the longest meetings in her known universe's history. Fortunately for her, Lieber sensed the bleakness and sourness of her mood, and he did not attempt to seduce or pleasure her as they showered, washing away the scent of sex and sweat from their bodies. A little blood mingled in with the soap and the water, but Maria knew it to be normal. Lieber had bled some after she had taken him their first time together, and so she paid no more attention to it.

When they were done with their shower, both Maria and Lieber dressed quickly. The food replicator had some sandwiches ready for them, and they devoured their simple meal as if they had gone a day or two without eating. Then they were walking out of Maria's quarters and towards the bridge of The Diplo, Maria holding her head high and her back straight. She and Lieber stepped onto the bridge of The Diplo in fifteen minutes instead of the twenty she had told Marietta.

"Are we still the only ones here?" Maria asked as she sat in her chair.

"Negative, Captain," Mirage supplied. "The Pangalactic Federation and Aldian ships have just arrived. It looks the Vendeeni are right behind them." The blonde-haired Klausian woman turned towards Maria, her expression grim. "Are you sure you're ready to deal with this?"

"We don't have much choice, Mirage," Maria said. "If we're going to help keep the peace, we need to be here. Is the transporter ready?"

"That's an affirmative," Cliff supplied. "We're just waiting for our guests to tell us they're ready for us. So who you taking with you down to the planet's surface?"

"I believe you and Mirage will suffice," Maria answered. She refrained from sighing. Though her quickie shower had invigorated her, Maria still felt the faint hints of exhaustion creeping up on her, and she wanted to curl up under the covers of her bed and take a long nap.

'Not now,' she said. 'When the meeting is over. That's when I can take my nap . . . and maybe, just maybe Lieber can give me a massage before I do close my eyes. I love it when he helps me to relax.'

Her thoughts were interrupted by Marietta announcing the arrival of the Vendeeni ship and the incoming transmissions from the Vendeeni, the Aldians, and the Pangalactic Federation. They were preparing to transport their representatives to the planet's surface – the planet itself was called Fendelvia and it lacked, fortunately for Quark and the delegates from the other military super powers, any kind of humanoid habitation – and Maria quickly laid out the ground rules for all of them to follow. Begrudgingly, the leaders of the ships agreed to the terms, and Maria walked to the transporter room.

Five minutes later, Maria sat in a plush yet still distinctively uncomfortable high back chair. Behind her stood Cliff and Mirage. Their expressions were stoic and unreadable, their postures were rigid, and their arms were folded across their chests. Out of everyone in her crew, Mirage and Cliff were the most intimidating, which was why Maria had chosen them to accompany to Fendelvia's surface. Around Maria sat the delegates from the Pangalactic Federation, the Aldian Empire, and the Vendeeni Empire, and already the air felt tense and thick. There was no love lost between the super powers gathered, and Maria knew it. She only hoped things would not become too violent to where lives were lost in the heat of the moment and war spread throughout the universe. When each of the delegates had seated themselves, their guards standing behind the delegates the same way Mirage and Cliff stood behind Maria, the discussions started, and it was the Vendeeni delegate who spoke first.

"We have no need for introductions. We know who we are and why we are here. We Vendeeni are also not going to 'beat around the bush', as you humans like to say," she said. Maria could only guess the shark-like alien was female. There was a feminine quality to her voice that lent to such thoughts, but Maria tried not to let the vocal quality deceive her. In the course of her travels, she had met some men who sounded much like women. "We have but one demand to present to our fellow delegates, and we advise that each of you heed to this request."

"And what is this request?" the delegate from the Pangalactic Federation asked. He sounded a bit miffed by the Vendeeni delegate's attitude, and Maria could not blame him in the least. They were here to talk about borders and peace treaties and how each super power could aid each other during this time of recovery and rebuilding. At least, that was Maria's understanding for that was what Quark wanted to do.

"It is quite simple, really," the Vendeeni said. To Maria, it sounded like she was smirking as she spoke. She could not be sure, though, thanks to the bag-like masks the Vendeeni liked to wear. "All we want is for you to hand over Fayt Leingod to our leaders on Vendeen. Comply with this request, and we shall leave your outposts alone. Do not comply with our request, and we will not hesitate to destroy you."

"That is preposterous!" the Aldian representative declared. "Why in this universe would anyone want to hand over a powerful weapon such as Fayt Leingod over to the likes of you? That would be suicide!"

"And how would it be suicide?" the Vendeeni inquired. As far as names were concerned, Maria found herself drawing a blank, and she wished the Vendeeni delegate had not jumped directly to demands. The protein from her quick meal had yet to kick in, and Maria felt a little light-headed. "It would be far more dangerous for anyone to not comply with our demands. We will not hesitate to wage war to obtain Professor Leingod's son. Can you really afford to take such a chance? Innocent lives will be lost. This you already know. That is why we are here."

"I'm afraid I agree with Tirnosh," the Pangalactic Federation representative said. "It would be more suicidal to hand over Professor Leingod's son to you than it would be to risk war. His powers are unrivaled. You could use him to destroy us and our people. That's the very last thing we want. Min'nah, you said it yourself. We're here to prevent further chaos and confusion in our worlds. We have no guarantees you would not use Fayt's powers against us. It's not a chance I'm willing to take."

"We don't even know where Fayt is," Maria added. "And I couldn't simply hand him over to you, even if we did know where he's hiding. His greatest fear was that he would be seen as a weapon and not as a person. I won't make that fear of his come true for him."

"We think you do know where he's hiding," Min'nah retorted. "You're just saying you don't know where he's at so you don't have to hand him over to us." The Vendeeni delegate leaned back in her chair and folded her arms across her chest. "And the truth of the matter is this, Ms Traydor. Fayt Leingod is a weapon. His father broke every law of the universe when he gave him the powers of Destruction. Because of that, he is a threat to us and to all living in this universe. It is because of his father's rash actions that brought the Creator's wrath upon us. We will not allow it to happen again. Besides, how do we know that Quark or the Pangalactic Federation will not use Fayt's powers against us or the Aldian Empire?"

"Because Fayt is his own person, capable of deciding what he wants to do," Maria said quickly, anger bubbling within her chest and rising to the surface. "To use him in such a manner would break him of his spirit and his will to live, and I will not allow such a thing to happen."

"I don't think you understand, Ms Traydor," Min'nah said. "This isn't up for negotiation. We want Fayt Leingod handed over to us. We know of his powers and what he's truly capable of doing. Do you think we have forgotten about the loss of our ship to his powers? I can guarantee you that we have not forgotten."

"And I don't think you understand what we're saying," Maria replied. "We can't simply hand Fayt over to you. He isn't with us at this moment in time, and I doubt he'll be returning to us in the near future. I'm sure he's not forgotten the death of his father at the hands of Captain Biwig. Do you really think he'll willingly oblige you and simply turn himself over to your tender mercies? Did you ever stop to think about that?"

"As I said, this is non-negotiable, Ms Traydor," the Vendeeni delegate said. "If you wish to avoid war, we require Fayt Leingod. We know he is hidden away somewhere. We're just not sure who is hiding him, if it is you and Quark or the Pangalactic Federation. I suggest that you hand him over as soon as you can."

"And if we don't?" Maria prompted.

"Then we will not hesitate to attack every single Quark and Federation outpost we come across," Min'nah replied. "The choice is yours. Hand Fayt Leingod over to us or suffer the consequences."

* * *

Blair inhaled a deep breath then let it out after holding it for thirty seconds or so, her eyes glued to the monitor in front of her. Six months had passed in the Eternal Sphere, six months of agonizing repairs and sensations of loss for the many worlds, but there was still not much she could do to assist those who had fought against her brother and won their freedoms from his rule. Blair wanted to be of some kind of assistance to the races of the Eternal Sphere, often utilizing her brother's Workspace to find whatever way she could to help. Unfortunately, thanks to Luther's commands during the final battle with Fayt Leingod and his friends, the systems connecting the Eternal Sphere to the residents of the Lost City and Arkives and Gemity were unstable and inaccessible ninety-nine point ninety-five percent of the time. The best she could do was watch and wait for her team to tell her when she could gain better access to the gaming world or at least extend communications to Maria Traydor and her group.

As far as Blair could tell when she did watch the activities of her friends from the alternate reality, the people of the Eternal Sphere really did not require much assistance from her or her team when it came to rebuilding their home worlds and their military strengths. Humans, Klausians, Aldians, and Vendeeni were very resilient and adaptable when adversity appeared and threatened to destroy everything they held dear. If anything, from what information she could gather, the people in the Eternal Sphere were becoming stronger and rebuilding with a fervor that rivaled Luther's passion before he started to lose his mind. It pleased her to see how well the residents of the Eternal Sphere were faring, but there were still some troubles plaguing her heart, her soul, and her mind.

The first thought, and the most troublesome, that worried her was her brother's whereabouts. Since the final battle with Fayt Leingod and his friends, Luther had completely and utterly disappeared without so much of a single trace. His vanishing act enabled Blair to take over the company, Sphere 211, which also allowed her to keep the Eternal Sphere safe from the programmers still loyal to Luther. It meant keeping as many of the connections severed as possible until her team could lock out Azazer, Belzeber, and Berial completely, and keeping the connections severed kept her from contacting Maria Traydor and the organization of Quark. However, for Blair, the benefits of keeping the people of the Eternal Sphere outweighed the disadvantages, and she gladly accepted those benefits any day. Blair just wanted her brother found so he could be brought home and receive the medical treatment that he quite obviously needed. Blair feared his disappearance could mean trouble for anyone unfortunate enough to cross him and anger him so she searched everywhere for her wayward brother. He was nowhere to be found in Arkives, the Lost City, Gemity, or anywhere in the four dimensional world. Even Sphere 211's competitors, those who stood to gain from his disappearance, did not know of nor did they possess the missing Luther Lansfeld. What truly worried and scared Blair was that, if Luther was not in the four dimensional realm as she originally believed, he was in the Eternal Sphere. Her brother was no fool. He could still access his computers from anywhere in the Eternal Sphere and type in the commands he needed to keep his presence hidden. He could also erase any traces of his tampering with no one becoming the wiser for his actions.

When that final battle Fayt and his friends and Luther started, Blair initially believed her brother had projected his likeness into the Eternal Sphere. After all, it was impossible for someone in the four dimensional realm to physically enter any section of the Eternal Sphere. The idea behind the gaming world was to create a place where people could live out their fantasies within the safety of their homes. The Eternal Sphere was designed to be the perfect virtual world. The way Luther had written the codes and programs made it impossible for anyone in either world to actually enter the other world. She could only watch in horror as her brother's bloodied and bruised body disappeared before her eyes, and it was in those final moments, as Fayt stared in mourning at the fallen Creator, almost as broken and defeated as Luther, that Blair realized something was terribly wrong. Somewhere, somehow, the rules Luther had set forth were broken, shattered beyond all recognition, and Blair could not believe her brother had actually entered the Eternal Sphere in order to destroy it. To her, it was still physically impossible for anyone to do be able to do such a thing, but the emotions were no less sickening as she watched, unable to assist either her brother or Fayt and his friends.

However, that was before Professor Robert Leingod and his research team discovered the Time Gate and the way for those in the Eternal Sphere to enter the four dimensional realm. That was before Luther issued his proclamation of doom to the residents of the Milky Way system because of Professor Leingod's research. That was also before Fayt Leingod and his unusual band of friends actually entered the four dimensional realm, scaring many of the residents living in Arkives and injuring many members of security. The small ragtag group of misfits also managed to lay a great world of hurt upon Azazer, Belzeber, and Berial as they fought their way through Sphere 211, only to find Luther had left for his Workspace before they could reach him. They eventually learned they had to travel back to Elicoor II to reach Luther's Workspace, which was now in the Eternal Sphere, but they did not allow the knowledge to deter them. If anything, the knowledge only strengthened each individual's resolve. The small band of friends were determined to stop Luther from causing further damage to the Eternal Sphere, where their homes and their families and their friends were located, but Blair thought she saw something more in Fayt's eyes when she gazed into them.

It was just after he and his friends reached the top of the Sphere 211 building. Everyone but Fayt had already entered the terminals that transported each of them back to the planet Styx. The young, blue-haired man remained a minute longer, and Blair found herself holding one of his hands in both of her hands. The moment their hands touched, she felt the warmth radiating from him. She sensed his silent strength, and she knew he and his friends were no mere artificial intelligent beings. They were not toys or mere programs to be taken lightly. They were living, breathing presences, and any doubts she possessed about defying her brother evaporated like a drop of water in a desert. There was just something terribly, terribly wrong with Fayt. The brief moment their eyes met, Blair saw the darkness and the sadness lurking behind the determination. For someone so young, he harboured many secrets, all of those secrets black and terrifying. His "happiness" and "clueless" behaviour were simply fronts on his part, a way he probably believed he needed to be in order to give his friends the hope and the courage they needed to carry on with their unified quest. It did nothing to quell his inner strength, though Blair doubted Fayt realized just how strong he truly could be under the right circumstances. He reminded her of Luther to an extent, and Blair could not help but smile as Fayt disappeared into the terminal, heading for his home and joining his friends in what they hoped would be the end of their adventures.

"Good luck," she had said, her arms folded across her chest. At that time, she truly believed Fayt would be the one to bring Luther back to his senses. The two were very much alike, in both their appearances, their beliefs in what was right and what was wrong, and in their mannerisms. If Luther was not too far gone mentally, he would be at least reasonable and responsive to Fayt Leingod and his requests. Blair believed, even to that very moment, Luther favoured Fayt above all other Eternal Sphere beings. Things had not turned out the way Blair had initially hoped for, and she now was left searching for Luther.

She was also searching for Fayt Leingod. Like Maria Traydor and those who had been with Fayt at the time of the final battle's end, Fayt Leingod's disappearing act astounded and alarmed Blair, so much so, it chilled her to her core, and it was the second thought that haunted Blair as much as not knowing Luther's whereabouts bothered her. From what she could tell, the young, blue-haired man somehow managed to rip some kind of a hole through space and time and distance when he left Luther's Workspace and the Spiral Tower. Where the embodiment of Destruction ended up, Blair could not say. At around the time he pulled off such a fantastical and unusual and alarming feat, every terminal and computer linked to the Eternal Sphere malfunctioned. It probably did not help his disappearance followed less than five minutes after Luther's equally alarming and unusual and fantastical vanishing act. Blair wanted answers. She wanted both men found so they could be kept safe from themselves and from those who would use them for whatever purposes. Luther was mentally unstable. Fayt also was mentally unstable, if the way he ran from the Workspace was any kind of an indication, and with the two of them running around loose in the Eternal Sphere . . . it meant disaster to Blair if either man or both men lost control of their emotions.

It was those two thoughts alone, the thoughts of either Luther or Fayt or both losing control and unleashing various amounts of destruction, that drove Blair into action. Her concerns for her brother and for Fayt really left her with very little in the course for actions. Until she learned how Luther managed to physically enter the Eternal Sphere, Blair could only settle for watching a screen, scanning and hoping to find some kind of hint as to where he was hiding. There was one other course of action left to her, and she had kept holding off, trying not to place such a heavy burden on the shoulders of Maria Traydor and her crew on The Diplo. Unfortunately, she felt like time was no longer on her side, and she could not afford to delay with requesting Maria's assistance. Her request for assistance would be monumental for Maria Traydor, and Blair expected the blue-haired woman to deny her. She brought her attention back to the activities playing out on the monitor.

From what she could gather, the meeting between Quark, the Pangalactic Federation, the Aldian Empire, and the Vendeeni Empire was not going quite so well. Blair leaned forward and turned up the volume so she would not misunderstand anything the representatives were saying.

"I don't think you understand, Ms Traydor," the representative from Vendeen was saying. "This isn't up for negotiation. We want Fayt Leingod handed over to us. We know of his powers and what he's truly capable of doing. Do you think we have forgotten about the loss of our ship to his powers? I can guarantee you that we have not forgotten."

"And I don't think you understand what we're saying," Maria replied. "We can't simply hand Fayt over to you. He isn't with us at this moment in time, and I doubt he'll be returning to us in the near future. I'm sure he's not forgotten the death of his father at the hands of Captain Biwig. Do you really think he'll willingly oblige you and simply turn himself over to your tender mercies?"

"As I said, this is non-negotiable, Ms Traydor," the Vendeeni delegate said. "If you wish to avoid war, we require Fayt Leingod. We know he is hidden away somewhere. We're just not sure who is hiding him, if it is you and Quark or the Pangalactic Federation. I suggest that you hand him over as soon as you can."

"And if we don't?" Maria prompted.

"Then we will not hesitate to attack every single Quark and Federation outpost we come across," the Vendeeni delegate replied. "The choice is yours. Hand Fayt Leingod over to us or suffer the consequences."

"Oh dear," Blair murmured. "This is getting serious. Far too serious."

She watched as the meeting came to abrupt halt, and the delegates from the Pangalactic Federation, the Aldian Empire, and the Vendeeni Empire disappeared before the talks could escalate into violence. Their ships immediately left the vicinity of the planet Fendelvia, and Maria Traydor and her entourage of Cliff Fittir and Mirage Kaos returned to their ship, The Diplo. Blair typed in a few commands into her computer and listened as each of the commanding officers ordered their executive officers to start a search for the wayward Fayt Leingod. At the same time, she typed in the commands to allow a projection of herself to enter the Eternal Sphere, and she called Azazer, Belzeber, and Berial to the nearest Workspace. She needed to talk to Maria Traydor about finding Luther as well as Fayt, and she believed she discovered a way to not only convince the other woman to help her but to offer the Quark captain piece of mind about Fayt's safety. It seemed a little underhanded, something she would not normally do, but her time was running short. If her time was running short, then the Eternal Sphere's time was running short, and Blair knew Maria would understand once it was explained to her.

The moment Maria stepped onto the bridge of her ship, Blair typed in the final commands to open the lines of communication. With a bit of hope in her heart, she heard the one called Marietta say, "Captain, we have an incoming transmission. The source is unknown."

"Unknown?" Maria echoed. "What do you mean unknown?"

"I mean it isn't from our recently departed guests," Marietta replied. Her eyes were wide with alarm as she spoke. "It . . . it appears as if it's coming from . . . I don't know where it's coming from!"

* * *

Min'nah was not a happy representative from Vendeeni. She despised the fact she had been forced to speak with such technologically and intellectually inferior beings as she deemed anyone from the Pangalactic Federation, Quark, and Aldian to be. As far as she was concerned, the Vendeeni did not require the aid of others to rebuild their home world. They were more than capable of rebuilding their empire and their military strength to what they were before the Creator's attack. Indeed, they could surpass their previous accomplishments, if their scientists and architects and leaders set their minds to such tasks. She stormed to the bridge of the ship, displeasure radiating from her in large waves. Her fellow Vendeeni immediately cleared a path for her, well aware of what would happen to them should they not remove themselves from her presence.

However, despite her disdain for such lower creatures like the Aldians and humans, Min'nah understood why her leaders wanted her there for such an "important" meeting. The leaders of Vendeen wanted Fayt Leingod. They wanted to know how come he had been so receptive to the Destruction gene. They wanted their scientists to study the boy, to poke and prod at him to discover the reasons for the receptiveness to the gene and for the reasons why his powers exceeded beyond what anyone could have expected them to truly become. According to the data their first ship to enter Elicoor II's orbit sent before it simply vanished, Fayt Leingod's powers were immense, so much so that he could quite possibly destroy a planet with a single thought. They had started their analysis the moment his powers were triggered, and the data immediately transmitted itself back to the Vendeeni home world. Many of the Vendeeni scientists believed the data itself to be horrendously flawed and corrupted, however, and they required, demanded, the actual subject be brought to them for further study and analysis. They considered it to be no loss when the initial analysis of Fayt Leingod's powers was destroyed in the Creator's attack. Those were her leaders' reasons for her presence at the . . . conference with the Pangalactic Federation, the members of Quark, and the representatives from the Aldian Empire. They wanted Fayt Leingod, and they wanted the universe to know they still would stop at nothing to obtain the universe's greatest living weapon. When they were done with their studies, their poking and their prodding, and their analyses of Fayt Leingod, they would then terminate his life. In their estimation, Fayt Leingod was truly a threat to everything they held dear, and they wanted him dead. It would be the only way to fully restore balance to the universe.

As Min'nah stormed her way towards the bridge of The Terminatus, the conversation from the meeting entered her mind, and a few of the words spoken sparked the beginnings of an idea. A wicked smirk graced her features. She needed to tell the captain of her idea, and he would need to relay it to their leaders. It was a most promising idea, one guaranteed to work . . . providing they did not choose the most incompetent of their warriors to carry out the task. Even with the superior technology and intellect the Vendeeni possessed, there were still some who could botch even the best of plans. Biwig had been one such individual, but that was now the past. The Vendeeni needed to secure their future. All heads turned towards Min'nah as she stepped onto the bridge.

"They refused to meet our demands, didn't they?' the captain inquired in their aquatic tongue. Min'nah nodded then she shrugged her shoulders in indifference.

"They say they do not know where Fayt is hiding," Min'nah replied, taking her seat. "I do not believe them. I think they are hiding him until the moment is right for them to attack us. They have not forgotten the attack on Hyda IV, I am sure, and they most definitely have not forgotten how Professor Leingod died at the hands of Biwig."

"They say Biwig tried to kill his son, and Professor Leingod pushed his son out of harm's way," the captain said, his tone as light as air. "A battle ensued where Fayt Leingod participated, and it was Fayt who delivered the final and fatal blow to Biwig. Professor Leingod died not too long after, his son holding him in his arms. I do believe such a memory would forever burn itself into a young human male's mind."

"For a young human male, I am sure such a thing is quite the unforgivable sin," Min'nah said, keeping her tone as equally light as the captain's. "Just as I am sure the kidnapping of his mother would be the same."

"Ryoko Leingod?" the captain murmured. "We tried that once before, but we only managed to get our hands on her husband at the time."

"We were also able to capture the Esteed girl some time later," Min'nah said. "They were the perfect bait to lure Fayt Leingod to us."

"That they were," the captain conceded. "I believe I know where our conversation is going, and I do not believe it will work, Min'nah."

"And why is that?" Min'nah inquired. "You have not heard what my intentions truly are, my dear captain. How can you say my plan will not work when you have not heard all of the details?"

"Because we do not have the resources nor enough soldiers to launch an attack on Earth," the captain said. "That is where Ryoko Leingod is believed to be staying. Since the Creator's attack, the Pangalactic Federation has increased its patrols around the planet and many of its major outposts. We cannot afford to attack Earth. Not in our current state, anyway."

"Who said anything about attacking Earth?" Min'nah said with mock innocence. She held her hands up in feigned shock. Then she let out a laugh. "Believe me, my dear captain, I have no intentions of suggesting an attack on Earth. It would be most suicidal when we do not possess the supplies nor the soldiers needed for such an endeavor."

"Then what are you suggesting?" he asked, his tone coy and curious. She definitely had his curiosity piqued, and he leaned forward to learn more.

"Well," she began, "we do have a small ship capable of slipping by the Pangalactic Federation ships. The cloaking device on it is far superior than what any scientist or engineer from Earth or from Aldian could dream of ever designing. All we truly need is a small team to sneak by their defenses and retrieve Ryoko Leingod. I am certain when we have her in our possession, the Pangalactic Federation and Quark will realize we mean business, and they will bring Fayt Leingod out of hiding. At the same time we capture Ryoko Leingod, we search for Professor Leingod's research logs and bring them back to Vendeen as well. Then, once we have Fayt Leingod in our possession, we release Ryoko Leingod back to the Pangalactic Federation. Or terminate her as well. Either way, she really is of no use to us."

"So you are suggesting we kidnap Ryoko Leingod, but not using brute force," the captain murmured. He rubbed his chin as he mulled the idea over and then he nodded, seemingly satisfied with her idea. "A mission of stealth . . . I wonder why it was not thought of the first time we tried to capture the Leingods and their son. It certainly would have saved us a great deal of trouble. I am most certain we scoured every inch the entire galaxy searching for Fayt Leingod the last time we tried to obtain him."

"It did not help Quark interfered with our business. They were able to reach him before we could and learn of our plans to obtain the boy," Min'nah retorted, unable to disguise her disgust. No one in the Vendeeni Empire understood why Quark had become involved in the great search for Fayt Leingod, but then no one really cared, either. They only knew Quark had interfered with their business, and they did not intend to allow such an indiscretion to go unnoticed and unpunished. Already plans were in motion to eliminate the leaders of Quark one by one, starting with Maria Traydor and the crew on The Diplo. "It was mighty clever of them to hide the Leingod boy on that underdeveloped planet. However, what Quark does not know this time will not hurt us in the least. Do you not agree?"

"I do agree," the captain said, "and I believe our leaders will be interested to hear of your plans. They may not like it at first, but when they hear it is a mission of stealth and not military strength, I am sure they will agree it is a sound plan. What of the Esteeds? They assisted the Leingods in their research. What should we do about them?"

"It is a mission of stealth with a small team," Min'nah replied. "As much as it would benefit us to capture Professor Esteed and his family, it would also be detrimental to our plans of stealing Ryoko Leingod away from her home on Earth. I am sure the Leingod home will have some form of security to protect the remaining Leingod. The team will not be large enough to divide and try to take four people hostage. They would never make it back to Vendeeni space safely. We dare not chance it nor do we dare to become too greedy in our efforts to secure our possession of Fayt Leingod. For this moment in time, the Esteeds are inconsequential."

The captain turned around to face the screen, and he gave the orders to secure a connection to the Vendeeni home world. Min'nah leaned back in her chair as they waited for their leaders to answer their hail. She and the captain did not have to wait long, and the two of them explained as quickly as they could about her idea to sneak into Pangalactic Federation territory, specifically Earth, and capture Ryoko Leingod. They also explained why the Esteeds needed to be left out of their plans (for the moment, anyway), and then they were done talking. The leaders of the Vendeeni were silent afterwards, each one mulling over Min'nah's idea.

"I must say, we have tried this once before," the first leader said, breaking the silence. "It did not work then when we tried to obtain the Leingod boy. We do not have any guarantees it will work this time, either."

"We understand your concerns," Min'nah said. "Believe me, it is a concern of ours as well. However, we feel we do not have much choice in the matter. The leaders of Quark and the Pangalactic Federation are claiming they do not know where Fayt Leingod is hiding away."

"That is such a blatant lie," another leader quipped in, huffing in annoyance. "I do not believe they do not know of his whereabouts. He is too important of a weapon for anyone to lose track of him in such an irresponsible manner."

"We believe the same thing," the captain of The Terminatus said. "That is why we have told Quark and the Pangalactic Federation of our plans to start attacking their outposts should they refuse to bring the boy to us. I am also agreeing with Representative Min'nah's plan of capturing Ryoko Leingod. Should the weapon learn of his mother's capture, he will be more than willing to come out of hiding in an effort to keep her from harm. They did remind Min'nah of Professor Leingod's death at the hands of Captain Biwig. It is almost assured the weapon has not forgotten his father's death, either. He will not want another family member's death hanging over his head like that. Humans are strange creatures that way."

"Perhaps they are strange that way. Perhaps they are not so strange from us," the first leader said, his tone low and soft. "Either way, we cannot afford for our plans to go awry. We need the weapon secured and soon. The moment he is terminated in front of the Time Gate, the better off our world will be. The Creator's wrath may be delayed, but we know this silence from his Executioners will not last for much longer. We will dispatch the team as quickly as possible. In the meantime, begin your search for Fayt Leingod. If he is found, we will release Ryoko Leingod back to her people, but Fayt must be our top priority. Find him and bring him back to us. Our survival depends on it."

* * *

"Blair," Azazer said. "I have the Vendeeni conversation recorded. It is as you feared. They are planning to enter Pangalactic Federation territory to kidnap Ryoko Leingod. Also, I've opened a line of communication to the Quark ship for you now. It's now stabilized."

Blair nodded to him, not failing to notice the hints of disgust laced in Azazer's tone. Since Luther's defeat and disappearance, he, Belzeber, and Berial were the least happy with Blair taking over Sphere 211 and carrying on her brother's work. After all, Luther's ideas were more than valid, in Blair's estimation. They were quite profitable for the company, enjoyable for the players, and they kept their positions as lead programmers, only losing certain access rights to the Eternal Sphere itself, once she and her original team stabilized the systems. If only the computers were still reliable for people to use . . . Blair shook her head of the thoughts and reminded herself the Eternal Sphere needed to be kept safe, and she required Belzeber, Berial, and Azazer to help stabilize communications with Maria Traydor. She stood up, her back straight, and walked to the monitor where Maria Traydor's image was displayed.

"Blair!" Maria exclaimed. "This is a pleasant surprise! How have you been?"

"Hello, Maria," Blair said with a nod. She kept her expression schooled. Now was not the time for happy reunions. "I wish I could say that I'm fine, but it would be a lie. I also wish I could say this is a social call, just to be sure everything is all right, but it isn't that, either. The truth of the matter is . . . I need your help."

"My help?" Maria echoed. "What do you need my help for and why?"

Blair inhaled a deep breath and tried to calm the butterflies (as they used to say) fluttering about in her stomach. So far, Maria sounded curious. It was a good sign, but it would not last once the words left her lips. She had cut straight to the point. Now was not the time to lose her nerve.

"I need your help looking for Luther," she began.

"Luther?" Maria interjected, blinking. "You mean he isn't in the four-dimensional realm?"

"No," she said, shaking her head. "He isn't anywhere in our world, and we've checked even the places he'd be least likely to visit. Our competitors don't even realize he's missing, which is a good thing for us, but it won't stay that way for long. I'm hoping we can find him somewhere in the Eternal Sphere."

"But you said he projected his likeness . . . I remember you saying to him what he was doing was dangerous," Maria said. "And you said with his likeness projected . . ."

"I know," Blair agreed. "I know I said that because it's what I thought he'd done, and I didn't want to see him hurt. He is my brother, and I do love him. However, Maria, I was wrong. Luther's likeness was not projected into the Eternal Sphere. He really was there, fighting you. Somehow, he managed to break all of the rules he set forth for the Eternal Sphere, entered it to reach his Workspace where you fought, and now we can't find him. Please . . . can you help me?"

For several seconds, Maria said nothing, and her expression remained, neutral unreadable to Blair. She wanted to believe the younger woman would understand her position. Luther needed to be found, and he needed to be found quickly before he could harm himself or others. Given his mental instability, Blair feared even her worst case scenario wouldn't be anywhere near what her younger brother was truly capable of doing. It was also the reason she feared to use against Maria should the other woman refuse. Several long seconds of silence ensued, feeling to Blair as if it were going to last. As it continued, turning from seconds into minutes, her anxiety levels started to increase, and Blair felt as if she would vomit from waiting.

'Just breathe,' she told herself. 'Just breathe. She's going to refuse, and she'd be within her rights to do so. Luther did try to destroy her, her friends, and her home. No one can blame her for hating him.'

While she didn't blame the blue-haired woman for hating Luther, which Blair was certain Maria did, it didn't stop the hurt. Luther was her brother, and she did love him as only a sister could. She wanted him back so he could be helped with his mental break. Knowing he was out there, hurt, and knowing the refusal was coming also didn't make her anxiety go away. Finally, Maria broke her silence.

"Are you crazy?" Maria said with a soft hiss. Her green eyes glinted with her anger. "You want us to search for Luther? After everything he's done?"

"No," Blair answered. "I'm not crazy. I'm very concerned about my brother and his well-being, Maria. I'm also very concerned about the Eternal Sphere and its inhabitants. Our competitors don't know that Luther's missing. They also don't realize that our servers are very touch-and-go at the moment. I'm sure the Eternal Sphere is doing just fine without our interference, but that still won't stop our competitors from trying to hack into the servers, especially should they find out that Luther is missing. I know you've seen what our world is like, Maria, but you haven't seen anything when it comes to our competitors. I want to keep the Eternal Sphere safe. Finding Luther is one of those ways I can accomplish that."

"No," Maria said. She also shook her head and folded her arms across her chest. "No. Absolutely not! I'm not looking for that maniac. I'm sorry, Blair. I know he's your brother and that you're concerned about him, but I need to keep my crew safe. Encountering Luther isn't the way to do that."

Blair closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. From the moment Maria spoke, voicing her refusal, her anxiety increased. Her stomach felt like it was doing a hundred flips, and she wanted nothing more than to simply accept Maria's refusal and leave Luther be. Yet, Blair also knew she couldn't do that. Luther's life and the very existence of the Eternal Sphere depended upon him being found and returned to the four-dimensional realm, especially if he still wanted to destroy what he so meticulously had created. Blair opened her eyes, hating herself for what she was about to say next.

'It isn't like this is going to be one-sided,' she told herself. 'We'll be looking for Fayt as well as Luther and keeping Ryoko Leingod safe from the Vendeeni. They can't be allowed to sacrifice people to appease Luther when there's no appeasing, no negotiating with him.'

"You don't realize your danger yet, do you?" Azazer asked. Startled, Blair turned to face him. The security director had risen to his feet and now walked towards the monitor. "Your very world exists only because Luther, the Creator, your Creator, deemed it to be so. He is the only one . . . the only one who can access the mainframes for the Eternal Sphere whenever, and wherever, he wants, even within the Eternal Sphere itself. He can still destroy you."

"I'm sure," Maria said, sneering at Azazer. "Like it would be difficult to keep Luther out of the Eternal Sphere mainframe."

"Actually," Berial said, interjecting himself into the conversation. Blair turned to see him also walking towards the monitor, "we can't keep Luther from hacking into the Eternal Sphere mainframe."

"What?" Maria's voice sounded dead, flat, yet surprised as well.

"The Eternal Sphere," Berial said with the utmost and amazing patience. Blair never heard him sound so calm, so collected. When it came to the denizens of the Eternal Sphere, Berial usually wasn't quite so level-headed, "is Luther's penultimate creation. He possesses access codes, privileges, and superior network hacking capabilities. We can set up as many blocks as Blair tells us to, but it wouldn't be enough. Luther has a back door, and only he knows how to access it. If he so chooses, he can render us incapable of not only contacting you but stop us from helping you with your little set of problems."

"He wouldn't be able to," Maria started to say, but Berial cut her off.

"Yes," he said, "he would. Why do you think Sphere 211 is such a juggernaut in our world? Luther is not only a programming and creative genius, but he's also a brilliant hacker. When he wanted to delay our rivals from launching their new games, he'd shut them down for days while we launched our new role-playing games to the public. They never, ever caught on to how he was operating our company. It's my hope that they never do. In order for them to be in the dark, Luther must be found. We know he isn't in our world. Our competitors' worlds are substandard, something he'd only mess with just to annoy them, and he has very little access to no access to their mainframes. He wouldn't be trapped in any of their programs because they're programs truly are programs. They're not like you or the Eternal Sphere. He is in your world, and if he does get it in his head that the Eternal Sphere needs to be eliminated, you will not be able to stop him a second time. There will be no saving you."

"Not unless we find Fayt," Maria said. "He's able to take on Luther."

"Of course, he is," Azazer said. Blair listened in silence, still awestruck that Azazer and Berial were standing up for her cause and for keeping the Eternal Sphere safe. "He's Luther's opposite in every possible way. We didn't want to believe it at first but . . ."

"But it's the only reason why we can think of for Fayt still being alive and in hiding," Berial concluded. "His life is interconnected with Luther's life somehow. If Luther were dead, truly dead, your friend would have dropped dead within seconds, and no one would have to worry about finding either of them."

Upon hearing this, shock washed over Blair, chilling her in the pit of her stomach. She wanted to vomit even more. She'd possessed no idea that Luther and Fayt were so intricately connected to each other.

"Maria," she began, finally finding her voice. Her throat and mouth felt unusually dry, and she tried to moisten them as best she could. "Maria, we don't intend to not return this enormous favor we're asking of you. We want to help you find Fayt and ensure his safety as well. I understand that Luther isn't the only threat in the Eternal Sphere. Truthfully, he may not even become a threat, but given his extreme behaviour when Professor Leingod and his team discovered our world, I don't want to take any chances. Please. Will you help us?"

"I think you should do it," Cliff Fittir said. Blinking in surprise, Blair tilted her head so she could see the Klausian. He sat to Maria's right, leaning back in his chair and his arms folded across his chest. His blue eyes were closed, as if he were contemplating a great many things, which perhaps he was. Blair knew that Cliff, while exceptionally strong and a capable fighter, was also not an idiot. Quark wouldn't be in existence without him. Still, to hear him say they should help in the search for Luther baffled Blair. Maria, too, appeared stunned, and she turned to her fellow Quark member and friend.

"Cliff?"

"Think about it, Maria," he said, finally opening his eyes and rising to his feet. "Not only would we be doing Blair a favour after all she's done for us, but we'd be helping ourselves. Luther's no pushover when it comes to fighting, and he is as equally stubborn as Fayt when he gets riled up about something. We can make sure our world stays safe and that Luther stays safe. Plus, we could use the help in finding Fayt before anyone else does. I don't know about you, but I'd rather no one find him at all. He's been through hell, and I'm sure he's happy wherever he is right now. But you and I both know the old governments are not going to leave him alone. He's too much of a threat, thanks to his powers. We can use all the help we can get."

"This is insane," Maria muttered. She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. Then she let it out and turned back to face Blair, Azazer, and Berial. "All right. We'll help you look for Luther. As much as I hate to admit, I don't want him running loose in our world and creating chaos. Too many worlds are still recovering from the Executioners, and we don't need any more headaches where Luther's concerned."

"We can start on Elicoor II, Maria," Cliff said. "Maybe Fayt's managed to return there by now. He did like it there a lot."

"We haven't detected Luther there, but Elicoor II was one of his favourite gaming spots. He's spent a lot of time there in the past. I thought for sure we'd have found him there," Blair said, her tone thoughtful, "but then again, he does still have access to the mainframes. He can hide his presence anywhere, if he wants."

"Could he do the same for Fayt?" Maria asked.

"It's possible," Azazer said with some reluctance.

"It would just depend on whether or not they're getting along," Berial concluded.

"All right," Maria said. "We'll start our search on Elicoor II. Maybe we'll find something we missed when Fayt first went missing. We'll start with Luther's Workspace and the Spiral Tower once we're there."

"If you still have Aquaria's Sacred Orb, contact me when you reach Elicoor II."

"You won't be keeping an eye on us?"

"No." Blair shook her head. "I mean, we can try, but if the servers go down, which they've been doing a lot lately, it may be some time before I can contact you. At least if you have the Orb, you can contact me. The communication will come directly to my desk and not overtax the system. Right now, everything's terribly unstable and unreliable. I don't know how the instability is affecting the Eternal Sphere. If everything goes . . . it may not bode well for anyone in your world."

"Still want to preserve us?" Maria asked, a slight smile on her face.

"Yes," Blair said, finally allowing herself to smile just a little. "I'm sure you don't need our help or interference any longer, but I'd still like to help in anyway that I can."

"We appreciate it, Blair. We really do," Maria said. She looked as grateful as she sounded. "We'll do our best to find Luther, and we'll contact you once we've reached Elicoor. The Diplo out."

The screen shut off, and Blair exhaled heavily. She accomplished what she'd set out to do, and she felt a bit better for it. A part of her, though, still wanted to retch at how she had to go about accomplishing her goals. From behind her, she heard someone start to clap.

"Good job, Blair," Belzeber said, his tone one of mockery and condescension. "Have the infidels search for your wayward, insane brother. I like it. It's a good way to remind them that they're merely puppets for our amusement."

"I don't think they're puppets for our amusement," Blair said. From the corners of her eyes, she watched Berial and Azazer, and she watched them with a great wariness. Belzeber wanted to take over Sphere 211 and run it the way he saw fit, which wasn't fit at all. He cared about the money and prestige aspect, not the jobs created for the fortunate few, nor about the Eternal Sphere's inhabitants. The flamboyant man apparently decided now was the time for him to strike and reclaim what he believed was rightfully his, before Luther wowed Belzeber's father with his creative and intellectual genius. Blair found herself more concerned with where Berial and Azazer's loyalties lay, since the three of them had worked together with Luther to destroy parts of the Eternal Sphere gaming program. A door to the room slid open. "In fact, I find them to be highly intelligent people, our rivals in a sense."

"Oh please," the man said, snorting his derision. "Luther had it right in the first place. They're nothing more than pawns for us to use how we see fit. They're entertainment. They're data, a collection of zeroes and ones. Nothing more and nothing less. How can you believe otherwise, Blair?"

"Might I point out that, for being nothing more than data, those collections of zeroes and ones, as you've so eloquently put it, managed to put you, Berial, and Azazer into the hospital." Blair folded her arms as she spoke, radiating confidence when she didn't quite feel it. "Not only did they put you three into the hospital, they managed to damage many of the guard robots and injure the security guards, something they wouldn't have done if Luther hadn't threatened their existence in the first place."

"They just got lucky!" Belzeber snarled out, and, in the blink of an eye, pulled out a gun and aimed it directly at Blair. During the entire tirade, Berial and Azazer remained still and silent. "That's all it was! They got lucky! Nothing more, nothing less!"

"I don't think luck had anything to do with it," Blair said. "The fact that they knew how to fight, that they could use Symbology . . . and that they had something worth fighting for gave them the victory, Belzeber. Their intentions were far more honorable. It's more than what I can say about you."

"SHUT UP! You know nothing about honor! You and Luther both! This company is mine! My family started it, not yours!" Belzeber screamed. "He had no right to take it away from me! NO RIGHT AT ALL!"

"Sphere 211 is Luther's by right," Blair said. "Your father felt it prudent to place Luther in charge when he stepped down as the original Owner. He wasn't the only ones who thought Luther was a better fit for the company. So long as he's still alive, it will always be his until his death or he steps down. While he's gone, I'm the one in charge, Belzeber."

"Heh," Belzeber said, smiling in a sickly sweet way. His finger started to press on the trigger. "We'll see about that."

'This is it,' Blair thought, her gaze never once leaving Belzeber. 'I've done what I can do. The rest . . . the rest is up to them.'

"Goodbye, Blair," Belzeber said. "It was nice working with you . . . while it lasted. I'll be sure to tell Luther the same thing when I see him again."

The sound of a shot being fired rang throughout the Workspace . . .

* * *

He floated.

Why he was floating or where, Luther couldn't say. He simply knew he was floating somewhere, drifting, and it felt . . . pleasant, nice . . . calm and relaxing. He hadn't felt this calm or relaxed in quite some time, not since those anomalies started to appear in the Eternal Sphere gaming program.

'The anomalies . . . how were they able to defeat me? They shouldn't have been able to defeat me,' he mused. 'Yet they did. How?'

An image of sapphire blue hair and forest green eyes entered his mind, the face of the data known as Fayt Leingod. From the moment he saw the young swordsman, Luther knew his danger. He wanted to deny what he felt, what he sensed, and that innate knowledge filling his mind, but it didn't stop the truth from rearing its head. Fayt Leingod was his counterpart, through and through. Luther was the Creator; Fayt was the Destructor. He couldn't exist without Fayt, and Fayt couldn't exist without him. It was with them as it was for love and hate, war and peace, light and darkness . . . sadness and happiness.

'How ironic his name is Fayt,' Luther thought with a wry smile. 'For him to bring as much pain as he has to me . . .'

It wasn't just the pain Fayt managed to inflict on Luther personally. They were evenly matched. In a one-on-one fight, neither of them would win with pure physical and symbological strength alone. Luther believed it was because Fayt had help in the form of his friends that he had fallen in battle as he did.

'No . . . it wasn't because of them that he won,' Luther said. As he lay there – wait . . . lay there? Where was he? – his mind drifted to those final moments, to the look of sorrow and pain on Fayt's face, and to the pure white of angel wings sprouting from the young swordsman's back. 'He won because . . . why did he win? What was it that I was missing in those moments? There was something there, in his eyes, on his face . . . I know there was . . . what was it?'

A burst of warmth alighted on Luther's face, the familiar feel of sunshine, and it broke into his thoughts with the silence and grace of an experienced thief. How long had it been since he'd felt sunshine? Luther sensed the dirt underneath him, the boring of stones, and the tickle of grass against his ears, nose, and cheeks. A light breeze picked up, brushing against his hair, caressing his face, and rustling the leaves on trees. On the breeze were the faint scents of daisies, roses, jasmine, and lavender. Yet his world remained dark.

'Why is it so dark?' he asked. 'I feel sunshine yet it's dark. That's not possible!'

He then waited for the darkness to pass, to leave him so he could enjoy the warmth of the sunshine on his face. It refused to leave him be, and his mind started to warp the blackness surrounding him. Shadowy tentacles reached for him, pawed at him, and tore at his clothing. Mixed with the darkness was an aura, an aura that suggested familiarity, power, and tainted heavily with sorrow, guilt, and self-loathing, and it was close by to where he lay. Luther knew that aura, had seen it, felt it somewhere before, and, out of panic, he reached for it. Why he panicked, he couldn't say other than he didn't want to be lost, alone and forever, in the invading darkness.

"Don't leave me!" he wanted to cry out. He imagined more than he felt his hands reaching for the aura. Despite the guilt, sorrow, and self-loathing coming from the other, there was salvation and safety with that person. The darkness kept grabbing at him, shoving shadows down his throat and into his nostrils yet the warmth of the sunshine, the feel of the breeze and the grass, and the fragrance of flowers never disappeared. He wanted those bright, beautiful things, and he wanted them bad. A heaviness settled over his chest, suffocating him.

'Open your eyes,' a little voice whispered with a sense of insistence and urgency. 'Hurry!'

'Open . . . my eyes?'

Curious by what the voice meant and still fighting his panic, Luther found himself obeying the simple set of instructions. He opened his eyes, willing the darkness away, shoving it away in the hopes of seeing bright light and white, luminescent wings.

At first, Luther could see nothing except a blinding glare of light. He winced and grimaced and grunted at the onslaught, and his eyes watered from the pain. Still, he didn't close his eyes against the offending light and pain. Rather, he raised a hand to shield his eyes and grit his teeth as he waited for them to adjust. When they did, Luther took note of his surroundings.

He lay at the edge of a forest filled with tall firs, pines, and oaks. There were other species of trees as well, but his mind refused to cooperate in identifying them. Grass, tall, green and lush to the touch, obscured his vision, as he lay on his back still, but Luther saw a bright, pale yellow ball of a sun overhead, heading for the trees. The faint outlines of a crescent moon and a half moon could be seen in the pure azure sky, and some clouds, white and fluffy, drifted by in a lazy manner. He lay incredibly still, just staring at the sky, the sun, clouds, and trees above him as well as the grass looming out of the corners of his eyes. Yet the feel of suffocation hadn't left. It continued to persist, much like the darkness had a few moments ago. Still panicking, Luther fought and wondered why he was suffocating when air was obvious attainable to him. The calm and relaxing feel of the floating had long since dissipated.

'I . . . am being defeated again . . . Why? What have I done. . . No . . . No . . . NO! I will not be defeated again! Never, never, never!'

With determination flowing within him suddenly, unexpectedly, but not without welcome, Luther felt a portion of his strength returning to him, and he willed himself, forced himself to gasp for air . . .

 

Since tomorrow is Friday, I plan on starting my character studies. I'll be writing one per week so that way I don't burn through all of the characters before I've had a chance to play First Departure and Second Evolution. (I just don't own that PSP!) Chapter Two for Destinies Intertwined by Fate is still in progress, but I should have it ready to be posted next week.

Up for tomorrow: Reimi Saionji character study, game review for The Last Hope, and Letting Go When the Desire To Hold On Is Strong, a one-shot for an alternate Till the End of Time universe.