Chapter 20: Chapter 20: Departure
Vancil bowed his head respectfully towards the two remaining escorts from his position on the open hangar of the ship, "Thank you for your service, and the service of your comrades."
The two of them bowed deeply in unison, gesturing outwards with one hand while the other was folded behind their backs, "May you be found once again."
Vancil's eye twitched slightly at that but he didn't say anything else. Turning with a flourish of his cloak, his fist pressed against the door control button. With a loud whir the hangar of the ship was bathed in a sudden darkness before it was brightened by the interior lights. His gaze flicked to the small box which had previously contained a set of rations, the Storm Petals shining in his eyes with a meaning deeper than beauty. He checked the container once more, making sure it was secured tightly and that the Storm Petals wouldn't be disturbed too greatly.
He nodded in satisfaction before climbing the ladder into the cockpit where Kandria waited. She sat in the co pilot seat, her legs kicked up onto the console which she had turned on and prepared for Vancil. She was looking out of the viewport towards the whirling sky above, seemingly lost in thought as she ate the ration bar which had once inhabited the secured container below. Subconsciously Vancil touched at the small interior pocket within his cloak where the flower she had given him now rested.
Kandria's head turned upon hearing the loud noises of his metal boots and gauntlets reaching the cockpit, "Are we done here?"
Vancil nodded neutrally as he took his seat, hands grasping the controls, "Done. Now we're off to Aaloth."
Kandria kept her eyes on his face for a few more moments, almost causing him to break the neutral mask he had created. Thankfully she turned back to look at the controls before buckling in properly. Vancil sighed internally in relief, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly as the ship began take off.
And, unlike when they had first rammed their way through the Storm, this time was far calmer. Instead of being battered around like a box of things to play with, the silver yellow streaked ship glided through the gale force winds with ease, as though they weren't there.
"She's letting us go easy this time." Vancil stated to Kandria, who had been looking around in confusion at their easy passing.
Kandria's head whipped around to Vancil in bewilderment. He was quite sure she had figured out that the Storm was actually alive, after all, it was the most logical conclusion to the series of illogical happenings it brought about. As if to prove its own existence a playful blast of wind knocked the entire ship to the side causing a few alarmed beeps from the console before the ship resumed its calming voyage.
"But…why though?" She asked as she eyed the windows warily, as though they would shatter and she would be carried outside.
Vancil only shrugged, "Well, no one's really been able to figure out exactly why the Storm does what it does. If I had to guess? It wants me to tie off my loose ends."
A half truth really. Sure, the Storm could be wanting him to give his sister a burial, but it would have known that when they were first entering the planet. One thing he did know of course, was that the Storm had near omnipotence on Kavir, so it obviously knew his intentions. The only thing that had changed since coming to the planet was the flower that rested in his cloak.
He would tell Kandria eventually what it meant. He wasn't quite sure how he would do it, but he'd figure it out. Improvising was his thing after all, and there was no way he could have planned for something like this.
As soon as the ship burst through the outer atmosphere and into the cold emptiness of space, he immediately began punching in the coordinates for Aaloth. Being near the Storm with the things it knew…it stressed him out. He ignored the amused look from Kandria at his hurried actions. Vancil finished the preparations in record time and braced himself as the engines began spooling up.
He gave a grateful smile to the humanoid form of grey cloud that gave him a thumbs up from outside the ship, thankful for its encouragement. His hid whipped back in a double take just in time to see the form waving before he was forced back into his seat as the ship entered hyperspace.
*****
Kandria shot a concerned look at Vancil as the ship exited hyperspace, she didn't know why but he seemed to be particularly on edge ever since they had entered and exited hyperspace, always glancing nervously out of the viewport as though he expected something to show up at any moment.
Before she had the chance to inquire into his twitchiness however, he spoke up, "Let's uh, get down there."
That shocked Kandria. He sounded almost fearful. Not fearful for his life of course, but more so similar to the way one might fear confessing to a horrible truth. Her mouth thinned. Or perhaps he was just fearful of seeing the memorial of his sister. He hadn't seemed to be not that long ago, but he also hadn't seemed like the kind of person to be respectful to strangers. She supposed her view of him had changed quite drastically.
She remained silent as Vancil lowered the ship into the atmosphere. Unlike with Kavir, there was nothing knocking them around like a ball of yarn, and the turbulence was normal. As in, instead of having to blast through at full speed before being gently let down, it was simply the normal occasional shaking that got through the shielding.
Aaloth was a forest planet now, but from the footage she had seen in passing during the Great War, it certainly hadn't been. From what she had seen in the coverage that was broadcast across the galaxy, the landscape of the planet, or at least most of it, had been reduced to a bloody wasteland of mud and dirt. The planet, despite being placed along the Outer Rim and generally out of the way had been highly coveted by both sides of the war. The strangest part however was that it was never stated exactly why they had wanted control of the planet.
It wasn't in a particularly strategically important position, the only planet of worth being nearby Ryloth which even then was dwarfed in importance by other worlds in the galaxy. In retrospect it didn't make much sense. The sides certainly hadn't come for its resources as they had both absolutely decimated it with no care for the preservation of its environment.
Her eyes widened as she briefly glanced over the charter history of the ship. Kavir was close. Very close. Closer then Ryloth even. It was the only reason why both sides would have wanted control over Aaloth. Easy access to Kavir. Kandria had seen with her own eyes the importance and power of the planet. A frown replaced the look of realisation.
If both sides had meant to access or even control Kavir, then that meant that they had both willingly thrown the millions of people to their deaths. Even the Republic. She flinched at the conclusion.
The ship landed gently in an open area of grass. A quick glance at the planetary map displayed on the screen in front of her revealed this to in fact be the only clearing for miles as well as another land mark which had been highlighted by Vancil.
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