A full minute of silence descends upon all of the Kraktol and Kessu. Stricken with grief, guilt, and confusion, Drall and José's loyalists alike look at one another, uncertain of what to do. Only Kisa's choked sobs pierce the gloom, stabbing knives into the hearts of all present.

Finally, Kisa speaks.

"You... you killed him!" Kisa howls, her voice wracked with anguish. "You killed my father! Why? WHY?!"

Kisa clutches Drall against her chest, oblivious to the body fluids spewing from his wounds. She seemingly wishes to breathe life back into his corpse, but sadly, her desire proves fruitless.

"Daddy... daddy... it's not fair... it's not fair... you were always good to me... uhuhuuu..."

José lowers his head and closes his eyes.

I could have stopped Sapphire. I should have, but I didn't. I never considered Drall a threat, but deep down... I did see him as a nuisance. I wanted him to die, and so, I reacted too slowly.

Of all the Sentients here, perhaps more than Sapphire herself, I hold the greatest blame for Drall's death. I feel nothing toward Drall's departure from the mortal plane, but despite this fact, I do feel terrible for Megla. She cared for her father, even if he acted somewhat distant toward her. As an Admiral, I have failed my First Officer.

Eventually, Kisa's rage wins out over her grief. She gently places Drall on the floor, then whirls around to point a claw at Sapphire.

"You... YOU!! You did this! You killed my father! Kill yourself! End your life as recompense for what you've done!"

Sapphire lowers her head in shame. Her scales lose much of their coloration, while she avoids Kisa's gaze.

"I...I didn't mean..."

"I don't want your excuses!" Kisa roars. She takes three steps toward Sapphire and lunges out her claws to grab at the blue-scaled Kraktol's neck. "I want your BLOOD!"

"Kisa. That's enough," José says. In a flash, he appears between Kisa and Sapphire. "I know you're enraged. You have every right to feel such raw emotion. However... you're not in the right state of mind-"

"Don't get in my way, Terran!" Kisa hisses. A menacing gleam appears in her eye. "I trusted you. I liked you, and now look what you've given me! Heartache and loss! My father is dead because of you! If you hadn't stepped up and run your... your lying mouth...!!"

José winces. "I didn't lie, Kisa. Your father intended to kill me. He made plans-"

"Would he have succeeded?!" Kisa interrupts. "Are you not the almighty Terran, the last living relic of the Precursors?! Even if my father tried his hardest, could he have even harmed a hair on your head?"

"...Probably not," José mutters. "But that's not the point. Look around you, Kisa. You're angry, but so is everyone else. Hasn't enough blood soaked the soil today? Two hundred and fifty of your brothers and sisters fell to the Buzor, and now your father has perished due to infighting. Do you want to add another sister to the dead?"

Kisa narrows her eyes.

Despite the Malvik's current anger, a small piece of herself manages to remain sane. She takes a step back from the Admiral and nods slowly, her death-glare still locked on his face.

"Good. Good. That's right. Why should I have Sapphire kill herself? Better to bring her back to Dragua. I'll punish her there! I'll string her up and lash her scales until they turn to mush!"

José sighs. "That isn't quite what I meant, but..."

Before the Admiral can say another word, Sapphire stretches out her arm and gently touches his shoulder.

"Kyargh. Thank you, Darling. But please... don't interfere. It's not your place."

Hesitantly, José nods, then takes a step back. He keeps a wary eye on Kisa, whose gaze immediately turns malevolent. "You're not going to hide behind the Terran?"

"I'm not," Sapphire says, still looking at the ground. "I cannot apologize enough for what I've done. So, why bother? Kill me, Kisa. My sin is too grave for me to continue living."

Sapphire's voice carries not even a hint of emotion. Her expression is that of a dead woman, someone who has lost all her will to live. Having slain her own father, the Kraktol who personally guided and raised her, she no longer feels worthy of living.

Kisa balls her claws into fists. "Don't tempt me. Right now... I want nothing more than to... to..."

Without warning, Kisa lunges forward. She brings her fist down like a hammer, battering Sapphire backward. Several nearby Kessu and Kraktol yelp in surprise before retreating several steps. Frightened beyond belief, they watch with widened eyes as Kisa jumps atop Sapphire and punches her head from left to right.

Thunk! Thunk! THUNK!

Over and over, Kisa pummels Sapphire, who doesn't even make any effort to resist. José watches from the side, gritting his teeth as he resists the urge to interfere. Not only him, but Soren, Megla, and all the other Kraktol avert their gazes, unable to watch the raw brutality on display.

"Ahhhh!!" Kisa screams. She grabs Sapphire by the throat and squeezes with all her might, intending to crush her larynx. "You... you ungrateful, worthless sister!! I HATE YOUUU!!"

Still, Sapphire doesn't fight back. She hangs limp in Kisa's grasp, allowing the Malvik to throttle the life out of her.

"Kuk... kuk... I'm sorry, Keesuh... I'm... I'm sorr..."

After several seconds, Kisa's eyes snap shut. She releases Sapphire, then scurries backward in a reverse crabwalk.

"I... I can't do it... I can't do it, daddy... I'm too weak..."

Sapphire, barely drawing breath, falls unconscious from her injuries, leaving Kisa to weep and cry a river of crocodile tears. All the while, the Admiral watches without interfering.

.......................................

An hour later.

Admiral Rodriguez slowly walks around the main lobby of the Buzor facility. Some distance away, a series of bodies lay in columns and rows, with hundred of Kraktol and Kessu intermixed. Drall doesn't rest among them, however, as he instead lays before Kisa on a cot with a cloth shrouding his figure.

Gorlax Stormfang and the part-Algaru Kraktol, Kilgore, wait in silence for the Terran to approach. Beside José, Megla and Soren follow him, though Megla appears nearly as lethargic as Sapphire.

The Admiral slows to a stop before Drall's former top officers.

"Gorlax. Kilgore."

"Hurgh. Admiral..." Kilgore says, crossing his arms. "How do you intend to deal with us? Execution? Hard labor? Enslavement?"

Kilgore's emotionless listing of various capitol punishments makes José's eye twitch, but the Admiral doesn't give the matter much thought.

"No. I understand the greed which inevitably arises when observing someone in a better position than yourself. In the past, were we still living in the era of the Terrans, I might simply slay you right where you stand. But now? I don't think it's my place to do such a thing. You are not and were not ever my equals. Compared to you, my technology practically makes me an invincible god. I fear that any act of retribution would condemn me in the Creator's eyes."

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Gorlax nods slowly. "Graugh. Then... does that mean you will not punish us?"

"In a manner of speaking," José answers. "Before, you assisted me in combating Yama and the Buzor. Drall did this while seeking to obtain my favor and potentially forge an alliance. Due to his greed, that option has long since left the table. Now, your only reward for journeying to meet me is two hundred and fifty dead Kraktol and the loss of a powerful leader. I believe that should be punishment enough."

"Admiral," Soren interjects. "You did also train the Kraktol for several months. Therefore, I do not believe my people have earned nothing at all. A Terran's training is priceless. Nobody else in the galaxy has ever earned such a reward."

"Ah, that is a good point," José concedes. He turns to Gorlax and Kilgore, then nods. "There, you see? Your journey here was not entirely fruitless."

Both Kraktol leaders nod in unison.

"Hurgh. Still, looking back, I must apologize for Lord Drall's schemes. I went along with him, and thus deserve no pity. Even so, you have chosen to spare me. I will engrave this magnanimity upon my heart."

"As will I," Gorlax says. "Twice now, you've spared me. The first time was when you could have chosen to destroy Orgon's fleet, yet didn't. Truly... you Terrans are supremely moral beings. I feel... deep shame... for my actions..."

José chuckles. "Haha... it's easy to act benevolently when one possesses ultimate power. After all, I have little to lose when none can threaten me. It is only when a man has something to lose, something precious, that he will show his true colors."

A hint of realization appears in Gorlax's eyes. "I see. You... you are even wiser than I first thought. It is my deepest regret that I didn't decisively abandon Orgon and Drall to serve at your side. Soren and Megla... they are far more intelligent than I will ever be."

"I appreciate the compliment," Soren says dryly.

Megla's scales flush with color. A look of unease washes across her face, but she opts to stay silent.

José notices Megla's strange body language, but maintains his focus on Gorlax and Kilgore. "I will take the Kessu and return to my ship. Any Kraktol who did not turn against me are free to join my crew. As for the rest, they can travel with you to Dragua aboard the Red-Tongue. I will activate its autopilot and send it down to the surface as soon as possible. I'm sure you understand, but I won't feel comfortable allowing you aboard my ship."

Gorlax hangs his head. "I understand, Admiral Rodriguez. You have my endless gratitude for showing a spineless, weak coward like me such undeserved mercy. Graugh!"

"My gratitude as well," Kilgore growls.

...

After saying his farewells, Admiral Rodriguez turns to head over to announce his decision to the other Kraktol and Kessu. However, before he travels fifty feet, Megla clears her throat.

"...Kyargh! Admiral... I have something to say."

José pauses midstride. A look of sadness sweeps across his face before he turns around to look at his First Officer.

"Go on."

Megla averts her eyes, unable to meet the Admiral's gaze.

"I'm sorry, Admiral... but I cannot stay with you any longer."

Soren stays silent, merely observing her sister from the side.

"May I inquire as to why?" José asks.

"I think you know the reason," Megla murmurs. "From the very beginning, it was Soren who followed you. She dragged me along, while I merely stayed for various reasons. We had many good times together... but in the end, I was never quite as loyal as my sister. I am sorry, Admiral, but seeing my father die..."

Megla beats her chest in grief.

"It hurts, Admiral. It really hurts. I never knew my father that well. I only spoke to him once or twice, and finally, when I got to spend several months with him, it was as if I had tapped into a mystical spring of love and devotion unlike any I've experienced before. I trained with him... I taught him battle techniques, while he taught me about our people's rich history... and now, he has fallen. I can't go on pretending everything is okay. I wish to return to Dragua so I can attend his funeral."

José purses his lips. "If you feel that I resent you, Megla, for choosing his side... I don't. You are free to remain my First Officer. I would never blame you for siding with your flesh and blood over me."

"It's not that!" Megla shouts, her body tensing up. She suppresses several emotions and finally looks José in the eyes. "All this time... it was always Soren at your side! I'm not smart. I'm not a genius. You and Soren have always gotten along well, but me? I'm just... I'm a failure! I couldn't even protect you from Yama."

"Sister..." Soren whispers. "You weren't the only one to fail the Admiral. He died because of me. I chose to seek you out in the caverns instead of saving the Admiral's life. You cannot blame yourself for his death."

"I can! And I will!" Megla bellows, causing many nearby Sentients to glance in her direction. "I was too weak... too stupid! I can't do anything right. I can't even protect my own father. I don't deserve to stay here, and so, I won't. I'm leaving, and neither of you can change my mind."

Several seconds of silence follow. Megla presses her claws against her eyes, weeping uncontrollably as she heaps ever more self-hate onto her psyche.

The Admiral, unsure of what to do, merely nods his head.

"I... I think I understand, Megla. Very well. If you wish to leave, I won't stop you. Just know that I don't blame you for anything that has transpired. Not even my former self's death."

"You might not..." Megla whispers, "but I always will."

Megla's shoulders sag. Without another word, she turns on her heel and trudges away, not once glancing backward to look at her Admiral.

A long silence follows.

José, no longer certain about anything, slowly turns to look at Soren.

"And you?"

Soren smiles.

"As I've always said, since the very beginning, Admiral. I'll follow you no matter what."

"I see. Thank you, Soren," José replies, smiling back.

Even if everyone else abandons him... there will always be one who remains.

.......................................

One day later.

A spacecraft descends from the sky. Shaped like a trident, the Red-Tongue descends to the former Kessu village, where three hundred Kraktol stand at attention and wait. Behind them, two hundred and fifty bodies lay in lines, waiting for someone to load them aboard the descending ship for their final journey to Dragua, where they will be buried beneath the planet's oceans, forever.

Kisa Kindris stands with Megla Brighteye, Gorlax Stormfang, and Kilgore. All four of them watch as the Red-Tongue drops onto its landing pads, then slowly lowers its entry ramp.

"Sapphire returned to the Bloodbearer with the Admiral..." Megla mutters. "Are you okay with that, Kisa?"

The Malvik stares at her father's ship with dead, empty eyes.

"Why would I be? It doesn't matter, Megla. Our father is dead. Sapphire's blood won't bring him back. Nothing will."

Megla nods. "He wouldn't want that, anyway."

"No. He wouldn't."

The four Kraktol elites remain at their positions, merely observing as the other Kraktol haul the dead bodies aboard the Red-Tongue, one by one.

"Hurgh. I wonder if Admiral Rodriguez will manage to kill the Shadow Emperor..." Kilgore muses.

"He will." Megla says. "My Admiral may not be invincible, but he is unstoppable. I have faith he'll succeed."

"Your trust in the Terran is commendable," Gorlax mutters. "I'm surprised you've decided to return with us. Standing at his side, you'd have earned numerous accolades, fought countless glorious battles, and cemented yourself in the annals of history. To cast such a fortuitous encounter aside... tsk."

"You wouldn't understand," Megla says. "It isn't that I hate the Admiral, but that I... I love him too much. He died, you know. He died. Just like my father. When he awoke, he wasn't the same. I let the man I loved perish... and now, what remains of him is a shadow of his former self. All our memories... all the experiences we shared... they disappeared along with him."

Megla smiles wryly. "The truth is, I'm selfish. I wanted the Admiral to stay as he was when I first met him. But he didn't. He changed, and so did I. I resented not only myself, but him as well. I resented him for dying, for leaving me behind, and for returning as a totally different person. Even so, even after all the changes he's experienced... I would still give my life for him. I just can't stay at his side any longer. My chest hurts too much for me to bear."

Kisa glances at her sister. "Megla..."

She reaches down and intertwines her claws with Megla's. Both of them meet each other's gazes, then laugh and wipe their tears away.

"How can we go on when we've lost so much?" Megla asks. "I just have to hope I'll find something new... a new reason to continue living."

Kilgore shakes his head.

"...Hurgh. Women."

...

Several hours later, all the Kraktol finish loading the deceased aboard their vessel. They carefully preserve them inside cryogenically sealed makeshift mortuaries, then begin the standard pre-flight checks and other takeoff procedures.

As the crew of the Red-Tongue prepare themselves for the long voyage home, a curious anomaly occurs. Several hundred feet from the Red-Tongue, a single solitary figure skulks about in the shadows. A hideous creature, the last of its kind on Tarus II, sneaks around in the waning daylight, its hungry eyes gazing upon the giant spacecraft.

"Kekeke... lookie, lookie! Master Yama told me an opportunity would reveal itself! What a lucky break! To think I could make myself useful to my master, even after losing contact with him, kekeke!!"

The shadow-creature, a female Shade, slithers toward the Red-Tongue. Its crude, ancient hull, devoid of all the safeguards any advanced 50th Era vessel might possess, practically begs for an infiltration.

"Well... I won't rest on my laurels! It would be such a shame if I let my chance at greatness slip away! Master Yama will surely reward me for assisting him from afar!"

Like a creepy, crawly spider, the Shade suddenly pounces at the Red-Tongue, adhering to its hull without any effort. She slides around on its surface, then cackles to herself as she finds a poorly-welded seam in the hull, one just big enough for her to slip inside.

She transforms into a substance similar to gas, then seeps inside the vessel mere moments before it ignites its thrusters and takes off to the stars.

"Silly humans. Silly Kessu. Silly Kraktol! They actually think they can defeat the greatest Demon who has ever lived. Pahaha! What a great joke! They haven't seen anything yet..."

The Red-Tongue rockets out of the upper atmosphere, leaving Tarus II behind.

The pristine world gleams in the void, its presence a reassuring reminder that even in a hostile galaxy, there are always places where one can find peace.