A True Hero

11 - Silent Knight

Meta Knight

I paced back and forth in front of the window seat. If it were not for my mask and gloves, I would've been at my fingers.

"Don't work yourself up," Jecra said, noticing my anxiety, but I still noticed a hint of fear in his voice. "Sergeant Cosmos said they were okay."

It had been over a week since Nikki had left, and a distress call intercepted the day after they left said her ship was attacked and Arthur was fatally wounded. Not only this, but they had to drop the soldiers onto Minoa instead of landing the ship because of a surprise attack from NME. We were all tense; battleships like the Opportunity rarely sent distress calls. To add to our stress, the Captain had called all warriors connected to anyone in the ship to the lobby for an announcement about it.  The room buzzed with excitement and nervousness since he was visiting us personally. On top of it all, my promotion had been pushed back because of this announcement.

"I haven't heard from Nikki, or Chrys, or Arthur..." I worried, wrapping my cape around myself. It had become a habit of mine whenever I was anxious or deep in thought.

"The last call we got said they were recovering from the attack. If Kit Cosmos says they're fine, I would trust it," Amai said. She and Jecra were sitting next to each other in a window seat.

"Do you think they won or lost the battle?" I asked but was cut off by sudden music over the intercom. Music wasn't a rare thing to hear in the army; it was used for celebrations or funerals. But this music? I listened to the lyrics.

The cannons rested silent. The gas cloud rolled no more
as Christmas brought us respite from the war.

"Merry Christmas, soldiers!" a gruff voice cheered. I nearly fell over in surprise. The Captain was wearing Galacta Knight's armor and his pink eyes were squinted in a grin. He thrust the lance into the air, and green and red lightning rose from the ground around him.

"C-Captain?" I stuttered, my arms falling to my sides. Jecra's and Amai's mouths hung open in astonishment.

"I have a wonderful announcement for you all," he laughed jovially and climbed atop a table before continuing. "The crew of the Opportunity, with the help of the soldiers based at Minoa, defeated Nightmare's forces!" Cheers erupted around the room and a smile broke out on my face. "Calm down, calm down!" the Captain yelled. "Don't be too quick to celebrate; the casualty count isn't in yet. They are hurting, and I wanted to give them and you a small gift. All of you in here are connected to them in some way, so I'm giving you a weekend to go and visit them if you wish. It begins now, and all ships are available for travel." Cries of joy thundered in the room as we celebrated. The Captain looked satisfied, so with a swoosh of his cape, he cried, "Merry Christmas!" and vanished into the air.

I turned to Jecra and Amai as soldiers exited the room. She looked at Jecra, who nodded at her, then both turned to me. My eyes turned green as nodded and left the room to I gather my things. Jecra hurried to join me.

Upon entering our room, I strapped my sheath to my side and sloppily made my bed. After reorganizing my few belongings, I reached under the bed and pulled out a small box. I glanced at Jecra, who was busy with his own bed, and opened it. Inside was a small charm I had been carving for the past few months. It was made of hardwood, painted gold, and shaped like a dragon with spikes on its head that resembled fire. It was Nicolette's clan symbol.

She wouldn't admit it, but I could tell she was still hurting from the loss of her family. She often woke in the dead of night, crying and calling for help. I understood survivor's guilt; I myself was still plagued with it. There was an aching part of me that understood her and wanted to help her by giving her a piece of her old life and a piece of her new one. Also, I just wanted to give her something. Why? I don't know.