Epilogue Books

The book hit the floor with a loud thump, and that was all it took to bring Aeka out of that peaceful slumber.

It was a scream at first, and then she shouted.

"Nanda ittai!?" Before falling with an audible thump onto the floor, blankets, the manga, were strewn all about as Aeka scrambled almost comically towards the nearest bookshelf. There was the look of sheer terror as she tried to run; with being on the run for almost a year, and watching as her bodyguard's head was blown clean from it's shoulders by an Umibozu sniper, PTSD was in full swing as the young woman collided full run into a bookshelf, bringing it and it's content of books raining upon her lithe form.

She broke out into a cry of pain, before she sat crumpled on the floor.

"Watashi wa ie ni kaeritaidesu." She managed to get out between a few quiet sobs before she saw Jane in an aisleway, and she turned away to try and hide the tears and the embarrassment

"Gomen'nasai, Gomen'nasai desu." She said as she quickly tried to pick up the books, shoving them every which way while staying turned away from Jane. "Gomen'nasai" She said again. She looked pensively at the food that was being cooked, before she frowned visibly, but still trying to keep turned away from Jane and Phil.

"Gomen'nasai" She said again and again, like a broken record she kept repeating the words, while trying to find the right place for the books she knocked down.

She was still in her dirty BDUs, BDUs that she had looted from a military stash house back in Aslund, the musty smell of fear and old worn military fabric was distinct from the smell of old books.

"Gomen'nasai" Aeka affirmed yet again, bowing profusely to Phil and Jane. Something seemed off about this Princess, the way she acted was furtive and fearful. She did not enjoy the grace that her sisters and brother enjoyed. Her life was filled with pain, a negligent father, an abusive brother, and a life lived in constant abuse, torture and agony at the hands of a man who would smile to strangers, and then turn and subject her sister to some of the most horrific abuses imaginable. The scars were faint, but present, the faint scarring on her wrists that had long since healed.

Everything had spilled from her pockets in the brief freakout, papers, currency from several different alien governments, and a bright red passport with a brilliant yellow chrysanthemum emblazoned on the front, and asian style text.

Jane was too shocked to immediately respond. She could see the pure fear all over the girl's expression as the panic took hold of her actions. But as Aeka began to pick up the books, Jane hurried forward, wondering what she could do to help calm her fears. "No, no, don't worry about it," she said. "I'm so sorry." This was all her fault. It must have been the sound that triggered the terror. "Please, no." Jane didn't want to be bowed to, as if she was the one who needed an apology, when it was Aeka that deserved Jane's apologies. "It's okay. It's okay." Jane's mother used to have nightmares -- nothing even nearly this bad -- but Jane would hold her until she calmed down. The same instincts were taking hold of Jane now, but she didn't want Aeka to feel trapped or overwhelmed, so she took the young hands instead, thinking she could pull away if she didn't like the contact. "You're safe here. We'll take care of you. I promise."

Jane glanced at the papers all over the floor, so many different coloured bank notes and languages that she didn't understand. What kind of life must this girl have had?

She had let herself go, emotions taking over in the place of modesty and a lifetime of mannerisms drilled into her by her family, and those in the aristocracy.

She quickly regained her composure as Jane embraced her. "I'm sorry." She said, heaving a sigh. "I should get going, I don't want to impose any more than I already have." She said, trying to push away. "I have to go to Shintenchi, there I will be able to find my Half-Brother, and put a stop to this madness."

The musty smell of sweat, mud, and everything else the young woman had to wade through wafted through, overpowering the smell of books. She hadn't had a chance to clean up, and had been wearing the same clothes since the bunker. She reached down and grasped the bright red passport.

"I'm sorry to have troubled you." Now with her composure regained, she took in a breath and looked up to Jane. "I cannot endanger you or the owner of this place. If I am found, the Umibozu will leave no survivors.. I don't want that to happen; I must leave."

[duplicate]

The aforesaid owner rose from behind the counter, setting a stack of books down by the register and giving Aeka a look of concern. "It wasn't really any trouble having you here, and we were never in any danger from your friends, I assure you, but if you insist on leaving so soon..." A small silver coin, tarnished with age and worn so that any image it once bore had long since been made obscure, appeared in the shopkeeper's hand as if by magic, though this time it was likely legerdemain. He pressed it to the counter, and although it should have made a hollow click, it let off a quiet ring. "Take this and only use it when you have a desperate need to avoid notice. You will still be visible, just not noticeable."

Jane stood back, letting Aeka compose herself and watched Phil present the coin. Jane's expression was creased with anxiety. "Where will you go?" she asked. If the girl left this place, what would happen to her? Jane couldn't bear the thought of sending her out to her death when Phil had said that this place was protected. "I don't mind you staying here," she said, concerned that Aeka was putting herself in unnecessary danger because she thought Jane would mind.

The sound of someone making their way in the entrance interrupted the three individuals in their conversation. Unlike most visitors to the bookshop this one made little to no sound of footsteps, and only the door itself was heard. The being now turning it's back to the room in order to properly close the door was well over six feet tall, seemed to be male, and was oddly barefoot of all things. Once turned back around more of the humanoid's features could be seen. The man was caucasian and had a rather handsome face, yet his hair was dark and messy, showing how lazy the being was. His clothing, a dark long sleeve shirt and basic cargo pants, showed more of this fact. His eyes were also strange, but to each person they might look different depending on his reaction to them. So far, they would remain a dull grey. Now inspecting the scene in front of him, the male wasted no time and whisked his right pointer finger through the air in a circle, and all the fallen clutter begins to gather in neat stacks on the ground unless some other magical means prevented this.

Now stepping around the entire scene without saying a word, the tall man moves to the apparent clerk or owner and shoves his hands deep into his pockets, bringing out a small brass object with white glass bulbs at the tips of its twisted design. Holding it out to the owner he opens his palm fully and he object begins to float and rotate in his hand. He spoke in Galactic Basic since it was the easiest to understand. "Do you know what this is? If not you're wasting my time." The object was in fact a Voltaic Key, used to manipulate and create EM Fields and control magical artifacts. He only seemed to care about his business, and had no care nor time to care about anything else.

Aeka looked to the coin with a brief hint of trepidation. She pondered for a few moments. Perhaps she could stay for a little while? Just long enough to rest, maybe the Umibozu wouldn't find her here and seek to look elsewhere.

She took in a deep breath to compose herself; at that moment she decided to tell Jane everything.

"My brother, Shimizu has poisoned our father to make him ill and die; then he can ascend to the throne." She said, moving to rest against one of the bookshelves. "He also.." She trailed off and looked to the floor, swallowing hard before rolling up her BDU Shirt and underlying camisole to expose her bare abdomen. The body was emaciated from months without adequate food, but all along her body were scars, with one that seemed more recent than the others.

This odd scar was the size of a ping pong ball, with faint tendrils of scar tissue running out across her abdomen in a web like fashion.

"I was shot with a high powered weapon; my bodyguard took me to this bunker where I was healed; but the Umibozu killed her so I had to flee."

There was another, fainter scar that betrayed something far worse; the way the scar moved along the large web like scar was akin to a surgical incision, which ran from under her naval, to the belt and waiste of Her BDU Pants. A few more surgical incision like scars dotted her abdomen.

"My Brother, Shimizu is not the true crown prince, my half brother Yosho is the real crown prince. He lives here; on Terra in Shintenchi. I have to find him so I can overthrow Shimizu, before Shimizu has us both killed."

She looked at the coin, and nodded, reaching out to take it.

"If it's not too much trouble; I would like to rest a few days. Get some new clothes; clean up.. I promise I too will assist you however I can; and when I have brought my Half Brother back to the Empire; I will make sure you are compensated." She said, her spirits elevating some. "I am sure I can find something in the Imperial Archives on Niihama, that would make this affair well worth your effort."

At that moment she jumped at the sound of the door opening, her eyes moving to the front door as the stranger walked in.

Anyone could be an agent of the Umibozu, and so she watched from behind an assortment of books, before turning her attention slightly back to Jane.

"Thank you for helping me... I am truly humbled." Aeka said, bowing briefly, before going to her jacket and rummaging through.

She produced a small blue crystal, which was intricately engraved with alien symbols. Aeka held up the crystal in front of Jane, and then she let it go, the Crystal began to float there, silently as if to defy gravity. "It's called a Skystone, I picked it up on one of the outlying shogunates before I left Axis. They bring good luck." She said, pushing the Crystal towards Jane. "For your kindness."

Jane looked at Aeka's scars with a mixture of shock and horror. She stared as the young girl explained her story, unsure how to react at first, but felt the tears building in her eyes. She was so thin and damaged. Jane had lived such a sheltered life that she had never really come across anyone so abused and the sheer number of scars on Aeka broke Jane's heart. She whispered her inadequate reply, "I'm so sorry," but not knowing what else to say, as Aeka continued.

"I'll help you," Jane said, "in any way I can." How could she not after seeing what Aeka had been through? Jane saw Aeka's suspicion at the man that entered and felt it too, but the man seemed okay. Suddenly, with a wave of his finger, he tidied up the mess in the shop and Jane jumped, still not used to being surrounded by so much magic. But she was going to have to get used to it, she knew.

Jane tried to focus on Aeka rather than the man and his levitating object. Jane watched the crystal floating in the air in amazement for a minute before wrapping her fingers around it. She couldn't express how much this meant to her. She had never received a present in her life. Her mother bought her food and books and essentials -- she had never been unprovided for -- but she had never been given anything beautiful. Jane felt like it was a marker of her new life. "Thank you," she said, and hoped there was something of her true appreciation in the tone of her voice.

The proprietor twitched an eyebrow in irritation at the intrusion of foreign magicks in his shop and spoke a single word under his breath. The disturbed objects didn't instantly reset to their positions, but seemed almost to be dragging themselves back, inching around until they were arranged just as they had been. "It appears to be a key of some sort, designed and enchanted to..." He slid the half-moon spectacles up his nose and squinted. "To take control of low-level artifacts that haven't been warded against that sort of backdoor intrusion. Now, if you're finished being rude to me in my own establishment, kindly vacate and take your toy with you."

He promptly turned his attention back to the mass market science fiction novel, evidently uninterested. There was, however, a very real sense that the books themselves were now watching the stranger, and while the attention wasn't exactly menacing, it wasn't particularly inviting, either. There was old magick at work in this place. It was in the walls and the foundation, as much a part of the structure as the wood, brick, and mortar comprising it.

The tall stranger got a sense that old magic was infeating the shop in one way or another. The answer he got from shopkeep only confirmed this. A grin broke the man's features as he knew this was the right place. He ignored the shopkeep's grumpness and put the key away, before replacing it with a slip of paper and slid it over the table to the shopkeeper.

"Good, you know what you're talking about. Then you should have or know where I can get this title."

The paper had a single book title on it, reading: Aeturnum Mechanicus: Paleal

This particular volume was rare, infact even outlawed in most systems and described the use of Artifact based magic on planetary scales. If the shopkeeper had a copy it would probably be very expensive, so as motivation the stranger pulls out a black bag from his inner pocket and shakes it, making the celestial ringing sound of magical gems inside.

"I am willing to over compensate you and more if you have it for sale."

"I appreciate it, I really do. I have been on the run by myself since my bodyguard was killed; I'll need someone to help me get to Shintenchi so I can make contact with my brother."

She looked to the ground for a moment, and then to the stranger that had entered; she could sense the magics fighting with each other; no thanks to her genetic enhancements. Something seemed suspicious to her, so she remained hidden behind a few bookshelves, while turning her attention back to Jane.

"I don't want to trouble you with all this; though." Aeka replied. "Really.. I just want to go home, back to Niihama... I don't want the Umibozu to keep hunting me down.. So much weight on my shoulders."

The grumbling book monger marked his place in the paperback and again stood, looking at the scrap of paper. "What could you possibly want with that?"

The stranger's ears perked up when he heard a muffled voice from somewhere else in the store mention Niihama, but he had something more important to finish right now.

It seemed from the shopkeeper's attitude that this business would be best dealt with quickly. "I am also a... 'collector' of knowledge, and Keeper of secrets. This is one book I would prefer remained the latter." His voice got more serious on the last point, showing how important this transaction would be for him.

Jane did her best to ignore the stranger and listened to Aeka with sympathy. She couldn't imagine how difficult a life Aeka must lead and how lonely she must be. Jane nodded. "No," she only vaguely understood what she was getting herself into. She understood that it would be dangerous, but thought she probably didn't understand the full implications. But Jane knew what it felt like to not have a home, to crave somewhere familiar and safe. "I want to help." She couldn't listen to Aeka's story and not want to do anything she could to help her get home and get safe. "Just tell me what I can do and I will." She reached over and squeezed her hand -- a sign of friendship.

"We saved you some breakfast," Jane said, with a quick glance between the shelves where she could just see the back of the strange man. Not only did Aeka look like she needed as much food as she could get, it seemed a good way to get her out of the presence of the man that was clearly causing her more stress.

Wolfinson gave the man a wary look, but nodded. "I'm afraid the volume isn't for sale at any price, but it is safe and being put to good use terraforming dead worlds for colonization in an adjacent reality. Was that the extent of your business today, sir?"

The stranger seemed to be disappointed at first, but when he heard what the book was being used for a smirk came to his face for a brief moment. "I see. You have earned my respect sir. For that the Data Worlds thank you." Only few would know about the planet sized libraries known as Data Worlds, but seeing this man as a scholar the stranger thought he might appreciate their historical significance.

Bringing out one last slip of paper the stranger slides it over to the shopkeep, this one a teleportation sigil of ancient design, with the name of 'Arkvaes' imbedded in it.

"If you ever seek knowledge, my Data World will welcome you." With that the stranger turns to go, rolling up his sleeves in preperation for some form of magic as he walks out the door.

Suddenly, a swirling vortex appears to the northeast. You can see something appear in that direction.