I pulled the blanket over Shaku then quietly made my way out of the room. Once I made it outside I had planned to go looking for the Empress and Wessex. Luckily for me I didn't have to go far to find either of them.
"I thought that maybe it would have been best to let you rest first." The Empress said when she noticed me walking towards her.
"With everything that is happening around me I doubt I could rest. So instead I came looking for you to find some answers." I said as I began to walk beside her.
"Fine then, I'll just get straight to the point. Wessex and I have decided that once all your tasks are completed that you will be returned to me. That being regardless of wether or not you find your family on that colony ship."
"Isn't that a little unreasonable." I said moving over to stand in front of her.
"No Tadao, what is unreasonable is to throw away your trust in people that have proven themselves to you time and time again. What is unreasonable is stealing from those people and drugging someone that was their friend. I'm sorry but from everything that I've seen so far I would say that I am still being far too fair to you." The Empress said in her professional tone.
"I-"
"I know I may have presented to you a more childish version of myself. However, I take my job very seriously Tadao. So everything that you have done to hurt my people is my fault. Being that I was the one who brought you aboard, trusted you, and was even vulnerable with you for a moment. I'm sorry but this is what we decided." She said slowly dropping her professional tone as she spoke. To apologize in a tone that sounded more like the Empress I knew.
Before I could even come up with the words that I wanted to say in my head she walked around me. Paying me no more attention and just walked away. Leaving me alone in this alley at night to attempt to fully grasp the situation.
My heart was racing and it felt like my stomach was spinning. I thought I was spinning for a moment there too. I gripped my shirt. My chest felt like it caved in and my lungs suffocated. I couldn't breathe.
"What is this? Am I dying? Could there be a possibility that someone tried to poison me? I want to take this mask of, I can't breathe." All of these thoughts raced across my mind as I struggled to walk.
I walked aimlessly through the city. I didn't even know where I was anymore. My mind was such a mess that I had lost myself in it.
I didn't know how but I ended up stood in front of Sun Slayer. I opened the Gargoyle and sat inside the pilot's seat. As I sat there with the Gargoyle closed my heart rate finally began to slow down. I was calm again after a few minutes of being sat there. I had calmed down so much so that I ended up falling asleep in there.
When I opened my eyes again I was faced with a wall of eyes surrounding me again. All staring at me as I stood in the center of them.
"Don't worry you're still alive." Said the Gargoyle's first pilot as he walked into view.
"I thought I was going to for a second there." I said remembering everything that happened before this.
"What you just experienced was a panic attack. Though from what we over heard I wouldn't put it past you." He said sitting down in front of me.
"Pfft, panic attack? I've gone through hell and back, why would I just now be having a panic attack? I'm a soldier after all."
"You're human Tadao." He said with a look that suggested that he was dissapointed with my response.
I didn't know how to feel when he said that. I could feel it in my heart that it was going through every possible response. From feeling relieved, sad, angry, but the second it felt vulnerable it was like it turned off.
"Whatever, just tell me what you pulled me in here to tell me." I demanded.
He stood up and looked at me in the eyes. There was almost a deadness behind his eyes as if he has seen more than I could even comprehend. He had the stature of a kid no older than his teens but his eyes. His eyes told a whole different story that sent chills down my spine.
"Don't go to the colony ship." He said almost ordering me not to go.
"What?"
"When you've accomplished your end of the deal for Wessex you should leave the planet with Empress Zu. Going to the colony ship with Wessex is far too dangerous." He said elaborating.
"Why? I need to see if my family is on that ship. Besides, if they aren't then I can look for clues while I'm there as to where they are. What exactly is on that ship that is so dangerous anyway? I doubt there is anything that could defeat Sun Slayer on there."
"It's not you who will be in danger Tadao. You'll become the danger if you find what's on that ship." He explained.
"What the hell does that even mean? Stop being cryptic and just tell me already!" I demanded grabbing him by the collar.
He very slowly lifted his hand up to my face. So slow that I watched it move like I was in some sort of trance unable to take my eyes of his hand. Then once it was level with my forehead he flicked it. Sending my flying backwards until my back hit the wall of eyes.
After that I was jolted awake. I looked around myself and realized I was still inside the Gargoyle. Which brought me some relief to know.