A Fragile Peace

“No sign of struggle. No buildings destroyed. Dammit! Not even a drop of blood!” Kari yelled as she dropped to her knees and banged her fist on the stone ground. “Did they just give up!?”

“Captain, we don’t know the circumstances. We’ve not heard about this at all. Why would a centuries year old nation just be abandoned?” Sorbet stated.

The motley crowd of Blue Stars and Demons stood silently in the square. Nobody wished to say anything. What could they say? The most powerful enemy that stood against the Grand Alliance was the Raygonians and in a matter of one year destroyed two territories in the Primian Empire and have now taken a border nation on the Federation. The crowd felt antsy just standing there until Kari stood up and wiped her face and looked upon them.

“Go into any home, any stores, any building you find and take what you need. Collect loot if you’re short on money so we can sell it before we head to the UKA. Meet back here in three hours,” she ordered. Kari’s crew nodded and walked off in their own directions. Manriki nudged his head in a way that showed approval of the plan for his own crew. Everyone but Manriki, Yumi, Lance, and Kari left the square.

“Let’s go look for Artemeus’ birthplace. Maybe we’ll find something there worth keeping,” Yumi suggested. Kari nodded slowly with a small smile to give ease to those close to her.

As they walked the streets of the empty city, Manriki decided to begin a conversation. He thought on various topics until finally he came up with one.

“So Kari, you’ve got the highest bounty in the galaxy right? That was how Artemeus became the Pirate King. Why isn’t that the same for you?”

“I’m a Pirate Lord. Well, Lady if we wanna get into specifics.”

“Yeah… but so was Artemeus. What’s so different now?”

“Artemeus was a Pirate Lord but he didn’t truly become the Pirate King until his son came of age and took his place as Pirate Lord. Typically the title of Pirate Lord is transferred only by death or permanent retirement to a relative with the highest bounty on their heads at the time of death. Artemeus bestowed his son the title of Pirate Lord but continued to be a Blue Star. However, he had a reputation of never being caught and had himself a bounty of over 10 billion Credits. Artemeus was a tenacious man who’d much rather defy the odds than the law.”

The group stopped as Lance assisted Yumi in getting something which caught her eye: a very expensive looking necklace with a single stone in the shape of a cylinder. Manriki leaned against a wall with his arms crossed while Kari sat down on a stoop in front of a local shop frozen in time. Manriki gave a quick yawn and the two continued their conversation.

“I know that my grandfather was an excellent mechanic and was proficient in many fields of technology. I’d like to know how he made the keys the way he did.”

“Shino told me in a note he left me that Artemeus wanted it that way. He wanted those treasures of his not be found by anyone but a Suzuka. I’d like to know why.”

Yumi walked over wearing her new piece of jewelry to show off to Manriki, to which he gave a slight grin. Yumi beamed happily as she hooked arms with Manriki; in response he blushed nervously. Lance stood next to Kari with his left foot on the wall behind him and his right leg flat on the ground while his hands were buried in his pants pockets.

“So what now?” Lance asked. Kari turned to him with an awed look.

“What now? We’ve still got time. Let’s look for Artemeus’ home. If he’s worth anything as a legend, they’d have put up a statue or plaque or something near-by,” Kari responded with a bold sense of adventure. Lance sighed.

“Come on Manriki. This might be a while. Let’s talk man to man. Give the girls some time to get and know each other,” Lance said quietly. Manriki wanted to nod vehemently, but his eyes spoke louder than any movement.

As the two men walked ahead, Yumi and Kari walked next to each other with at least a foot or two in length between them. Kari looked up at the sky while Yumi looked down as her ears twitched once in a while until finally Yumi broke their personal silence.

“So is it true you fought with the Primian Emperor and Honda Wolfgang against the White Suns at their base of operations?”

“Ha-ha. Yeah… we did. Though Wolfgang would want to forget his most noticeable failure and the Emperor fought only in hopes of getting his treasure back. But Wolfgang can’t forget and Primius lost their treasure. I can’t help but feel as though these things are happening for a reason…,” Kari spoke in nostalgia.

“Why?”

“Wolfgang and his lover survived the Sanwood Massacre decades ago. The White Suns and Black Comets then boosted their activity. The Raygonians have attacked Aquaria, Legon, and now Toluene. And the UKA could now be on the verge of a civil war. I just feel that we could be seeing the end of the fragile peace we’ve seen for a short 60 years.”

The two were quiet for a moment. Yumi turned to her with a smile and gave her some encouraging words. Encouraging in sound at least.

“Peace comes and goes, but war will always be around.”

“How is that encouragement?”

“If I said the opposite, you wouldn’t believe me.”