Ch. 25 Realizations and Rest

The derelict spaceship's wreckage lay sprawled across the forest floor, now gradually overtaken by nature's relentless forces. The once-proud vessel had been reduced to a twisted metal skeleton and scorched remains. Rust had taken hold of the exposed surfaces, giving the ship a rugged and aged appearance. The edges of shattered hull plates jutted at odd angles, like broken bones piercing through the skin.

Moss and creeping vines had woven a tapestry over the wreckage, their vivid greens starkly contrasting the dull metallic hues. The foliage had begun to encroach, softening the craft's rigid lines with ivy and emerald moss tendrils. Thick layers of pine needles had accumulated in the crevices, further obscuring the remnants of the ship's original form.

Amongst the debris, one could spot fragments of shattered Heptaglass and shattered consoles, remnants of a time when the ship had thrummed with life. Now, it was an eerie fusion of technology and the natural world, an abandoned sentinel from the past gradually absorbed by the relentless embrace of the forest.

Ralios's anxious chuckling was abruptly cut short as the sound of the door down the hallway creaked open, its rusty hinges groaning in protest. He fell into an uneasy silence. With no better option, he began a cautious retrace his steps back towards the room where the previously sleeping Aelorian lay.

As Ralios cautiously reached the hallway, he came to an abrupt halt. A man stood a mere twenty feet away, his jumpsuit a patchwork of mended tears and stains. His feathers were a light shade of brown, and his eyes, a vivid green, were fixed squarely on Ralios. He clutched an Aurum Beam-caster in his trembling hand, the pistol that had clearly seen its fair share of wear and tear. The weapon's state was questionable, leaving Ralios uncertain whether it would even fire if aimed. The Aelorian remained silent, his wide eyes in shock as he gazed upon Ralios.

The Aelorian aimed his beam-caster with slightly more confidence, his voice trembling as he asked, "Are... are you real?" Ralios, taken aback by the question, raised his hands in a gesture of peace to show he was unarmed. "As far as I know, I'm very real and completely unarmed," Ralios responded, nodding toward the man's worn weapon.

The Aelorian's expression remained a mix of disbelief and caution as he slowly lowered his beam-caster. He examined Ralios more closely, still unsure if this was some elaborate hallucination or maybe a ghost. "I'm Knight Harper," he finally replied, stepping a bit closer. "Who are you? How did you get here? I haven't seen another person in cycles."

With his hands still raised, Ralios replied, "My name is Ralios, and I'm not really sure... it's... it's really hard to explain." He attempted to scratch the back of his head, momentarily forgetting he was still wearing his EVA suit. "Do you have a place we can sit and talk? I'm exhausted, and I'll need to sit down if I'm going to stay coherent."

Knight Harper blinked a few times before responding, "Uh, yeah, just follow me." He holstered his equally worn beam-caster and gestured for Ralios to follow him down the opposite end of the hallway.

As they were walking, the metal plates under their feet creaked and groaned with every step. Ralios couldn't help but feel a little uneasy walking through its ruins. Ralios broke the silence first. "So what's the ship's name?"

Still following Knight Harper through the derelict hallway, the cracked walls revealing tangled bundles of wires and exposed pipes. The Aelorian seems hesitant initially but then begins to speak, "The story of this ship... it's complicated."

Knight Harper elaborates as they continue walking, "This vessel, the Galahad, is in a bit of a sorry state, a generation ship sent out to explore the stars. But something went wrong; she was torn from the sky and dropped on this planet – at some point, we lost contact with our home world Sylvaria and were unreachable."

Ralios blinked for a moment, thinking to himself, "Sylvaria? Wait, I had just heard about that planet from V.A.N.D.E.L."

Knight Harper leads Ralios into what appears to be a makeshift living area. The room is dimly lit, filled with worn furniture, and a small holographic display flickering in the corner. He sits, gestures for Ralios to do the same, and continues. "I was in stasis when it happened. I was shunted out when emergency power shut off 3 cycles ago, and when I came to, there was no one else just the logs they left behind. I figured I missed the rescue ship, or maybe something out there killed them."

With a sigh, he continues, "I've been ripping through the Galahad for supplies, surviving as best I can. The technology has deteriorated, and I'm slowly running out of options."

Ralios listened with a grim look hidden behind his helmet.

As Ralios sat there, absorbing Knight Harper's story, he decided. Slowly, he reached up and removed his helmet, exposing his face. "I'm sorry to hear that, Knight," he began, his voice muffled from the helmet's removal. "I'm sorry, but I don't have a ship anymore, either." He placed his helmet beside him, revealing his face as he did so. The action seemed to take Knight Harper by surprise; his eyes widened in shock, leaving Ralios to wonder if he had said something wrong.

As Ralios exposed his face, he couldn't help but wonder, "Of course, I was probably the only hope of this world; I must have just crushed him." He winced at the thought of shattering Knight Harper's hopes. But then, something unexpected happened. Knight Harper asked, "Wait, are you of House Valorian? I had no idea. Please pardon my impudence." Ralios watched in stunned silence as the Knight bowed his head and, to a great extent, his entire body in a gesture of deep respect.

Ralios, once again raising his hands, said, "Uh, no, friend. I'm not of noble birth or anything like that," he replied with a somewhat nervous smile. Knight Harper, still confused, looked up at him and responded, "But your plumage and even your eyes match that of the Valorian Family, I'm sure of it. I've sworn my allegiance to their cause since I was a fletchling!"

Ralios sat there, his mind racing, thinking, "Wait, the same family after the tablet is bleached like me? What the hell does that mean?" He shook his head and explained, "It's a big universe, Knight. All kinds of folks out in settled space. I'm just Ralios, nothing noble about me."

Knight Harper gave him a hesitant look as if he almost didn't believe him, but he decided to go along with it anyway. He asked, "How did you get here? And without a ship, you said?"

Knight Harper listened intently as Ralios recounted his bizarre journey and the unexplainable events that led him to this place. Ralios leaned back in his chair, his voice filled with a mix of confusion, fear, and frustration as he tried to make sense of the inexplicable occurrences.

"Well," Ralios continued, "my ship, the Tailwind, was damaged. I was being chased and had to do an emergency jump into emberspace. While it got me out of immediate danger, my ship was already damaged, and emberspace ripped it to shreds. I ejected myself and was floating through space, and... well, I went to sleep, I guess. I saw this flame in my dream, reached out, and touched it. When I did, I woke up standing over you."

Ralios shook his head, his voice trembling, "I know I sound insane, and you might be thinking I'm some pirate looking to trick you, but I swear I'm not. I've had a really terrible day, and a lot of things I can't explain have been happening to me, and I don't know what's going on."

Knight Harper maintained a calm and understanding expression as he processed Ralios's words, showing no signs of judgment or disbelief.

Ralios looked incredulous and tired, "I don't know how I ended up here or why I was standing over you; this has been just one big unending nightmare!" Knight Harper watches as Ralios's desperation begins to grow before speaking up.

"Mr. Ralios," Knight Harper said calmly but sternly, capturing Ralios's attention, "I don't know what's going on with you, and yes, I believe you. I don't believe anyone could have faked..." Harper gestured up and down at Ralios, "...such fear and desperation."

Harper leaned forward, his gaze steady, and continued, "Not to press the subject any further; however, Mr. Ralios, are you aware that the Valorian family also possesses unexplainable talents?"

Ralios was taken aback by the question. He had honestly not heard much of the Valorian family aside from what V.A.N.D.E.L. had told him, and he definitely didn't know about their supposed unexplainable talents. He looked at Knight Harper with curiosity and trepidation, his mind racing with new questions.

Ralios couldn't hide his surprise at the revelation about the Valorian family's unique abilities. He leaned in, intrigued, and asked, "What do you mean?"

Knight Harper leaned back slightly, considering his words, and explained further, "Well, in the Valorian family, once a child of their blood reaches a certain age, their feathers and eyes turn silver almost overnight. Then, they slowly gain talents. For instance, Lord Cassius Valorian has the ability to know when someone is telling a lie with 100% accuracy."

He paused, furrowing his brow as if pondering, then continued with a thoughtful question, "Tell me, Mr. Ralios, were you born with silver feathers and eyes, or did something happen one day and you just changed?"

Ralios attempted to maintain his composure, but he was far from confident that he was successfully concealing his shock.

"Something happened one day, and I woke up like this," Ralios admitted. A smile crept across Knight Harper's face. "Ah, so that must mean you are of Valorian blood, correct?" Ralios furrowed his brow and spoke again, "I really don't think I am, Knight Harper." But it seemed that Knight Harper had already made up his mind.

As he spoke again, "Well, until proven otherwise, Mr. Ralios, it seems we are stuck on this rock together, and as a knight, I am at your service." Knight Harper gave him another bow. Ralios couldn't help but remark in his mind that this Harper guy was stubborn as all hell and decided to give up fighting him on the matter for now, at least.

Ralios rubbed his face, shaking his head, and asked, "This ship is huge. Is there another room that's not too destroyed I could sleep in?" Knight Harper raised his head and replied, "Right, yes, of course. Follow me." With that, the knight led him to another room. While not in as good a state as Harper's room, it was still fine. "I will be out in the forest hunting for the rest of the day. I will return before dark. Just holler if you need anything, Mr. Ralios."

Ralios looked at him, starting to think there were a bit too many honorifics behind the "Mr." in his new title. "Okay, well, I'm going to hit the nest then. Thank you for the information, Knight Harper." With that, Harper nodded his head reverently and stepped out of the room. Ralios quickly went over and secured the deadbolt. As he did, he felt a wave of relief wash over him.

He slowly stumbled over to the bed, laying his helmet on the ground next to it, and collapsed onto the dusty mattress, letting a welcomed, dreamless sleep take him.