BETRAYAL

Finale Part I

"So, do you want the bad news, or the really bad news?" Shae asked, popping out of the compartment underneath the floor of the ship. She had been trying to repair the Sabre while Iris and Westfall were talking above her near the entrance of the ship. Westfall turned around. "Well, let's try the bad news with a little optimism," he smirked.
"Well," Shae replied, lifting herself out of the compartment and onto the same ground as her friends. "We've got a busted power converter, a bunch of debris in the vents and the backup engines need charging."
"Damn," Iris muttered.
Shae smirked and hopped back down to continue her work.
"Can it be fixed?" Westfall asked.
"Well, I think I can get us enough power to leave the atmosphere... But after that, I have no guarantee it'll hold together."
"We'll take our chances,” Westfall said.
"Yea, better than staying here," Iris agreed.
"Where are you going?" Iris asked Westfall, as he walked out of the ship.
"I'm going to find Semilar's guards, they should be near his monastery."
"You shouldn't go alone," Iris told him.
"Iris," he said over his shoulder, "stay here with Shae, and watch over the ship. When I find them, I'll let you know."
"But-" Iris insisted.
"Please, Iris?" He said, cutting her off.
"Fine," she sighed. "But be careful," she said, and dragged a foldable speeder bike from a compartment in the ship and assembled it for him. He hopped on, and drove away, a trail of dust flying up behind him.

                          - - - -

Semilar stood above Dovaa, as she lay in her modest tomb, buried in a cave that was blocked of by a giant bolder.
"Sleep well, my child," he murmured, as he placed the sword of Asconia under hands that were folded on her stomach.
"Sleep free." A small tear slipped down his cheek as he closed her tomb and exited the cave, closing the entrance behind him.

                                - - - -

Iris stood guard at the foot of the ship, slowly sipping from a cup of coffee that she was lucky enough to salvage from Westfall's bag that he had left on the ship from when they first crashed.
She could hear Shae clanking around with the repairs, until eventually she couldn't.
She thought nothing of it at first, until five minutes later Shae was still silent.
"Shae?" Iris called back.
No answer.
Frowning, Iris walked up the ship and peered down the hatch.
And, there was Shae, curled up in the tight compartment, asleep.
She held a wrench in one hand, and she still had safety goggles over her eyes. God, she's adorable when she sleeps, Iris thought to herself.
She must have sensed that someone was watching her, because she blinked her eyes open and looked around sleepily. In only a few seconds, she spotted Iris above her. "You awake yet?" Iris said, laughing at Shae's confused expression.
Shae went to rub her eyes but she forgot that she was still wearing safety goggles and her hands knocked against the plastic. Iris laughed even harder.
"Shut up, it's not funny!" Shae said with a small smile.
"Here, this should help," Iris said, handing Shae her cup of coffee.
"Where'd you get this?" She asked, taking the cup from Iris.
"Found it in Captain's bag. He must have forgotten it."
Shae took a sip of the coffee and almost spat it out. "How the hell can you drink that?" She said, coughing on the cold coffee.
"It's an acquired taste, I guess." Iris chuckled.
Suddenly, a green light flashed on the communicator on Shae's wrist band.
"Hey, you fixed it!" Iris smiled.
"Yup" Shae grinned.
"Hello?" Shae asked, pressing her finger to the communicator.
"Shae, is Iris there?"
"Yea, she's here, Captain." Shae replied. "What's wrong?"
"Okay, good. I found the guards, but they won't let me in without you two."
Iris and Shae exchanged confused glances.
"So, I need you to disable the ship."
"But I've almost finished-"
"Shae, please listen," Westfall interrupted.
"Sek'loniir is going to take our ship at the first opportunity he can, I'm surprised he hasn't already. You two need to get over here as quickly as possible, I think there's an extra bike somewhere."
"Yes, Captain." Shae replied.
"Where do we meet you?" Iris asked.
"Travel North back the way we came until you reach the memory chamber.
It's in the huge monastery that Semilar spends most of his time on. You'll remember it when you see it."
"See you there." Iris said, and Shae released her index finger from the communicator.
Shae hoisted herself out of the hatch and walked over to the cockpit. She grabbed the power cell from under the dashboard and the security key.
"There," she said. "Ship's going no where without that."
"Good," Iris said. She looked around, squinting. "..Where the hell is the other bike?"

                              - - - -

Sek'loniir stood over Dovaa's tomb.
"So cold..." He muttered, tracing his fingers over the dusty lid.
He opened the coffin and gazed down on her.
"It's so ironic, sister," he continued, wrapping his fingers around the hilt of the sword that lay vertically on Dovaa's torso. "You were the only one I truly loved..." He delicately extracted the sword from her, and held it up to admire it.
With a wave of his hand, he closed Dovaa's tomb and exited the chamber, glancing back somberly before flying off into the night.