[This is how the former Lady Shi Huang and her unofficial ward are reunited after the planet starts blowing up.]

Shi coughed and covered her nose and mouth with a heavy sleeve. That last quake had thrown her and she couldn't see any signs of the others she had been with, they must have fallen through. A trench stared at her, a gaping void that brought horrible possibilities to the forefront of her mind. She shook her head and focused on the real issue, she didn't know where Lyle was. She needed to find him, she had vowed to take care of him, never mind that the vow hadn't been aloud. After all, if you couldn't uphold your honor in private of your own mind then how could
you hope to uphold it in life with others?

"Lyle! Lyle! Where are you, Lyle!" Shi coughed some more but kept going. The fumes were getting more and more noxious, but she would persevere, Lyle needed her. And that thought was what kept her going, even past the point where the notion of honor might have failed in pushing her body past its human limitations.
-
He was so close to the surface, he could taste it. And yet, he didn't have the strength to try to find a way to climb out of the fissure. If only he were a little bigger! Lyle stared up at the crack of sunlight above. He could have sworn he heard his name. He was weak and tired from all this fighting and explosions and escaping. He just wanted Miss Shi. She would have known how to survive all of this. He just wanted to lay here and die a little quicker. But the voice came again, and it really sounded a lot like Miss Shi. "Missus Shi?" He called back, weakly but hopefully. "Miss Shi! S'that you?" He tried to pull himself up to try to look up through the fissure in the ground but his legs shook and he collapsed back down. "Missus Shi!" He yelled back with all the strength
he could muster.
-
She froze, "Lyle? Lyle! If you can hear me yell something!" She started digging through the rubble with her bare hands where she had thought she heard Lyle's voice. Te damn boy had become like her own son, not that she had ever had one before to compare it too, but either way he had wriggled his way into her heart a bit too easily for her to be entirely comfortable with. But She was determined to find him and keep him with her, because no matter how uneasy she was at the speed which Lyle had endeared himself to her he had become essential to her (dare she say it) happiness in life. Blasted boy! Had to get buried under rubble, once they got off this dying planet she would give him a thorough talking to about not almost dying.
-
"Em here, Missus Shi! Missus Shi!" Lyle completely forgot about wanting to die. Missus Shi was here! He still couldn't understand why she treated him so kindly, but he had to admit, it was a change he appreciated and needed. Lyle needed Shi now. His little heart had latched onto the ne
kind person in his life, and he wasn't going to let go easily. Lyle crawled over to the place that Shi's voice was coming from. She seemed to be moving the rubble away. She was going to save him! He scrabbled wildly at the rubble on his side. He had to get through this barrier between him and Shi!
-
Moving through the rubble and shrapnel and other sorts of horrid things that kept her from her boy as quickly as possible was the one thing on Shi's mind, well, that and her elation that it was Lyle after all. Oh, her boy was safe!
"Lyle, can you hear me? I need you to try to move away the rubble in front of you, meet me half-way boy. I will get you out of there, just help me..."Her voice trailed off, she never asked for help. She didn't need it, she never did, and yet...

"Lyle," Shi whispered, unshed tears of relief, worry and elation closed up her throat. He was ok, he was alright. He was alive. It would all be ok as long as she had him, it would all be worth it. She had a reason now. A reason to live, to keep going, her life wasn't without meaning- it was to take care of this boy now. He needed her, that's all that mattered any more.
-
"Yes, Missus Shi. I ken. I'll do m'best!" Lyle regained his stubborn will to live. He forced himself to sit up and tug at the chunks of rock and metal that blocked his way to Shi. She was the closest thing to a mother he had. These mere rocks couldn't keep him away from her! Even so, Lyle was suddenly glad that he was half-starved and half-grown. He wouldn't have to move as much rubble. He worked hard to make those cracks of sunlight widen. He thrust his hand into one of these cracks as far it could go, reaching for the woman he had come to love. "I jest wanna see ya, Missus Shi," he said, in almost a whine. "'Ow much more d'we 'ave to move?"
-
"Jest wanna see me, eh?" Her cultured voice gained a sort of cockney accent as she mimicked his words. For some reason she found that profoundly funny and she laughed, giving his procured hand a quick squeeze before starting her digging once more, even amidst the explosions and screaming. She removed a rather large piece of metal, probably from a house somewhere, and she saw half Lyle's face. His eyes staring at her, her relief was so profound that looking back on it she wouldn't be able to understand how she didn't just burst into tears then. He was unhurt but for a few scratches and dirt smudged all over his face, but that was more than likely from before all this mess.

"We have to move enough for you to get out. After you climb out here and I can see you properly again we are going to hop the next ship we see and get out of here. The planet's going to explode, far too soon for my liking, I must say..."
-
Lyle flushed a bit. He could tell she was imitating her, and if it had been anyone else, he would have flown into a rage. He couldn't help the way he spoke. He'd never been educated, and he spoke what he'd picked up on the streets and the pirate ships. Shi's squeeze told him that she didn't mean any insult. He trusted her. She was taking him with her away from this horrible place! Lyle was elated.

He was so glad to see her again. He gave her a small, shy smile. "Em small. "f I ken get m'head through, I ken wiggle through easy 'nuf." He rubbed at his eyes. They'd started to get suspiciously wet. Must be the dust.

Lyle tugged at a clump of bricks. If he could just move this, he's had enough room to wiggle through for sure!
-
Shi saw Lyle trying to move the bricks and it seemed from her end that it would make a hole big enough, if what he said about his head was true. If not they could make the hole bigger anyway. So, she assisted in removing the objects, all the while, and without her knowledge, a soft smile was on her face as she gazed at her boy's sweet and determined face.

"Well that is not acceptable one bit, a boy your age should be bigger, though I suppose that is through no fault of your own," She spoke more to herself than Lyle but her voice was easily loud enough for him to hear. "We will have to fix that, no ward of mine will be underfed. It would be most dishonorable..."

With a final heave between them the brick moved, a larger section than she had thought had opened up and it seemed to be easily big enough for his head and shoulders to fit. Shi stood and quickly dusted her knees off and bent over to offer a hand for Lyle to pull on for leverage out of the hell-hole he'd been stuck in for Kami-knows how long!

"Come on, my boy, we only have so big a window!"
-
Lyle was a little bit lost about what Shi was saying. Was he underfed? He supposed he wasn't fat like the rich, soft children in big houses, but he hadn't realized that his smallness was due to not eating enough. He liked what she was saying though. It held promise that they would stay
together for a while longer.

Lyle grabbed onto Shi's hand and held it tightly. He stuck his head out and wiggled through the hole. There was plenty of room for his head, but it was a tight squeeze for the rest of him. With a determined thrash, he managed to squeeze through the hole to Shi.

He immediately flew into her arms and buried his head in her billowing robes. "Missus Shi, em so glad t'see ya." He wrapped his skinny arms around her and held on tight like he was never
going to let go.
-
Shi froze a second, she wasn't prepared for him to touch her so suddenly but she wrapper her arms around him and enveloped the boy in her robes and body, as if doing so might protect him from the world that had hurt him so much. Shi hadn't missed his confusion when he heard her say he was underfed.

"My boy, my boy. We need to leave now... otherwise, we may never be able to. Come!" She pulled out of the hug but kept hold of his hand and dragged him along behind her whenever he didn't move quickly enough for her paranoia.
-
Lyle stumbled along as best as he could. His legs were cramped up from laying there under the rubble for such a long time and he felt weak and tired. Lyle stubbornly forced himself to keep up so Shi wouldn't be bothered by dragging him along so much.

"'Can y'really ... find a ship... t' take us?" he gasped a little breathlessly. Lyle resented himself for being so damn weak. If he was stronger he would be able to keep up with Shi and not be exhausted like this. He believed that Shi could do anything, but he wanted to hear her reassure him that they were going to get out of this safe and sound.
-
Shi turned her head and flashed him a downright devious smirk. "Who ever said anything about finding a ship to take us anywhere? We can do it ourselves. There will be a lot of abandoned ships in the harbor, after all..." She felt him lagging and slowed down a bit, not really enough
that he would notice overmuch but enough that she wouldn't feel so bad about nearly dragging him after he'd been stuck under the ground for however long.

"There, you see that one?" Shi pointed to a small ship that had two junk sails and looked like it could be managed easily by four or five people, though it would be doable between the two of them if they had to. Hopefully it would have provisions left on it, "It looks a lot like my first ship. I know exactly how to handle it... You ready?"
-
Lyle stared at it for a bit. "Y-yess'm! Jest tell me what t'do, 'n I'll do et!" He was determined to work hard for Shi. He gripped her hand a little tighter and forced himself to run the rest of the way to the ship.

He'd never been on a boat like this, but he was determined to learn and work hard. Hopefully, that would make up for whatever inexperience he had. Lyle wondered a bit at the lack of crew though. Would they really be able to work this ship? He looked up at Shi. "Is et jest the two o' us?"
-
"As far as I know, boy, as far as I know..." The thought reminded her of when she left her home for good. It had been just her and the boat. It was a wonder she didn't go mad, really. There is a reason people interact with each other, and it wasn't because they wanted to.

"We will be fine though. This type of ship will be easy enough to handle by ourselves. Would you check down below? Look for supplies like food and water. Hopefully they will be fully stocked, it looks like this one has been in port for a day or two at least. There should have been a restocking by now if that is indeed the case..."
-
"Aye, cap'n!" Lyle figured Shi was going to be the captain of this boat now, no matter how small it was. He darted own below and after a bit of exploring, found the galley. He rummaged around in the stores. He'd spent enough time in ships to roughly estimate how much rations a certain amount of people needed. Luckily, this ship had been recently restocked, and there was food and water enough for two for at several months. The supplies were obviously intended for a larger crew. He ran back up to report to Shi.

"I foun' supplies. There's 'nuff food n' water t'last us a good month 'r two t least, Missus!"
-
Shi smiled a bit at his enthusiasm and her new title and made her way to the helm. She would have to override the current codes, but it shouldn't be too hard. The state of the ship's interior spoke of rather uneducated sailors. Besides, she had the old Royal Code, when in doubt,
go full out. Overkill? What overkill...

"I'm glad. Untie the knots over there and we will cast off in a matter of minutes."Shi nodded to the starboard railing. The knots were abysmal, it was surprising that the boat hadn't already drifted off, actually. She didn't move her eyes or hands from the coding and within a span of six or seven minutes, had overridden the ships codes and had replaced them with her own specialty ones. Ones that could not be overridden by the Royal Code and would take a good deal of effort to undo.

Her keen eyes scanned the docks for the last time, looking for something, though she wasn't entirely sure what it was...

Sierus scattered heavily after learning Reuben was not here - his son wasn't here after all. He'd left the captain, and his crew in the dust. He'd rejoin his astranged family later.... But he had to fulfill his obligations as a father first. And he planned to make his wrongs right this day! After his wicked display in the prisons, he didn't have much to persuade his way through the crowds, they simply let him run through them. His one arm jammed people out of the way as he mashed through them, moving his feet desperately. "Pardon me! Excuse me! Crippled pirate; comming through!" He shouted, trying to make it easier on himself as he waded through the underground cavern-type deal, running to the surface of the city. It was a bit of a climb... But it didn't matter. Once he was on surface level, the pirate looked around, his lone eye scanning the buildings around him. It hit him like a club - he didn't know his way around this blasted town!

With a quick look around he sighed, dashing down the major street that everyone seemed to be flooding down. He mashed his way through the crowds, looking for guidance via signs. Anything that would help him! But he was moving in the tide of peoples so fast, that he couldn't do much than ride the crowd! Although up ahead, he could see another intersection, where people were dispersing, running their seperate directions.... Sierus squinted hard, and indeed saw a sign up ahead! Each one of the arrows pointed towards a different location, with the most lives flocking towards the residential district. Sierus read the sign, and looked at the crowd flow.... He talked it over in his head. He didn't know where he was going to start... but if Reuben wasn't HERE, where was he?


Although, as a scream from the paniced crowd of, "We're all gonna daaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeee....." Sounded, he figured his first priority was life. And the docks were his best bet. He'd be able to...'borrow' a small vessel, and navigate to safety... and THEN he could search for Reuben. Sierus bolted down the street that lead to the Docks, which... were surprisingly uncrowded. He wondered why exactly noone thought to go and flee via a ship! Maybe because they were too busy fighting crowds... or maybe they went home to round up their families... Either way, Sierus had to make the best of the situation, and flee while he could. The ex-pirate saw the docks come into view as he dashed towards them harder. Of course, he was still miles ahead of himself in thinking...

He looked around the docks, grinning.... He saw the largest boat at the docks, bigger than the Daedalus. It aws extravagant, and well built. And noone seemed to be taking it! He grinned. "Lovely! With a ship like that, I could rule the skies!" He said excitedly. "Yes, I'm a little under-crewed, but my veteran hands can make do wi-. Oh." He said, looking down at his shoulder, where his arm had been removed. "Right. Veteran hand. Not many people would be willing to follow that, huh? Aannnnnd that ship looks like it needs at least ten operators!" He said, rather glumly. "Deary me, I do hate myself sometimes..." He said, before chuckling. "One man boat, one man boat, oneman boat...." He murmured to himself, looking down the docks trying to find a ship that he could manage by himself.... Or more, a boat he could stow away on! It didn't matter, he HAD to get out of here. His eyes drifted to a rather small vessel... nodding. "That's about what I can do... maybe there are already people on it! I could find another crew to join!" He said brightly, as if he was expecting something to be grand and lavish.

The boat wasn't terrible, but by far there were better ones.... but what was more, is that he saw a young boy run past! He watched the boy run back to where he was... only to discover there was another person he'd missed upon first glance. And his heart jumped for joy. "Miss Shi! Why, it's so lovely to see you - ... in... a crumbling city. And more or less, you have a boat!" He said happily. "And you surely wouldn't want your one-armed, one-eyed friend to be left out, would you?" He asked with a sheepish grin.

Shi's eyes widened minutely in shock, she hadn't expected to see anyone from the Daedalus. Shi nodded with a curt hum in approval to his request and turned her face to the side. Her face held a frown, she was confused and she didn't like the feeling at all. There was a sort of tightening in her chest, where her heart was (maybe there was something wrong with her), when she saw his smile. No, it must have been his fault.

"Lyle," She called, looking at the boy, a soft, motherly smile on her face unbeknownst to her, "Help Soleren-san on board and have him help you bring down the sails. We must leave now or we might be sucked down with the aftermath of the planet explosion." Her eyes moved to Sierus and held but one order, 'Do what I say and no one, namely you, will get hurt.'

Sierus almost brightened immediately as she approved his staying! It was a big relief - not having to worry about having to fight Shi off. He didn't have his gun with him, and he honestly couldn't say how he'd fare against her without a blade. Alas, treachery was the last thing on his mind as he heard her words, nodding. " No no, fear not! I've been on a ship before, for a very long time, mind you!" He said brightly, raising his finger in the air. "I just need a few seconds to familiarize myself with this particular one." He said, nodding to Shi and Lyle. "I'll prove to be more of a hand than I look!" He said, with a bright, rolling giggle. "Now! Let's get that sail down, aye?" He asked, walking towards the mast of the airship, and looking about it, before finding the ropes.

"Lyle, was it?" He asked, looking around. "I'm sure I can get the knot out, but I might need your hands after all! " He admitted, looking behind him. "I'm strong, no doubt, but I don't think I can keep the sails from jerking out of my hand; and the last thing we want is for them to unravvel completely! So be ready with those hands!" He said boldly, begining to work the knot from the rope...

Lyle moved to do what Miss Shi had told him. He was a bit wary of the one-armed man; he knew that this man was a deadly fighter despite his cheerful demeanor. He'd seen him cut down his pirate fellows. Despite his anxiety, though, Lyle wasn't going to protest Sierus as part of the [very small] crew. Fear and respect were synonymous to Lyle.

Lyle grabbed the end of the rope firmly with both hands and watched with admiration as Sierus untied the rope with just one hand. He was glad that he was needed though, and willingly held his grip as rope came free and immediately jerked hard with the pull of the wind. Lyle grabbed onto the thrashing rope with a ferocious tenacity and hung on for dear life.

"Be careful, hold them down! Make sure you tie them up tight, this will be a swift ship in a matter of moments." Shi barked as loudly as she could, which was surprisingly loud for someone of her stature who looked to be nearly drowning in the clothes she moved in so effortlessly. Shi had already started up the ship, it was in good repair, as she had thought, and she was grateful that she had been correct, it would have been entirely disappointing if they had to abandon ship already.

As soon as the sails were tied down securely she pushed the lever down full throttle and the miniscule, four-man ship jumped jerkily forward. It seemed it was more out of use than she thought, but it would work well enough. Soon Shi had the ship going at a quick but steady pace and felt comfortable leaving the wheel for a moment after tying it off to keep a straight course.

"Well done, Lyle." She said, petting his head in approval and looking on with kind eyes that, if she had seen herself, would have horrified her at such weakness shown so easily to the world for anyone to see.