LotS/The Story/Princess Illaria's Escape/Gallea2

Gallea(2)
“My father’s palace is just over there,” says Telemachus, pointing a stubby finger towards a nearby rise. “Follow me!”

He scrambles back into his mech, and the cockpit closes after him. Lurching from side to side, he manages to stand up.

“Good,” he says. “Backup system’s kicked in. Come on!”

He begins to run, and the three of you follow.

Through Smoke & Fire

Fire rakes the ground behind you as the Centurian ships descend. You need some kind of cover…

As if thinking the same thing, Prince Telemachus begins to throw cylindrical objects over his shoulder. Each one emits a billow of smoke as it hits the ground, and soon the air is filled with it.

“Keep running!” he yells. “They won’t be able to hit us through the smoke!”

You grab the Princess’ arm, making sure she doesn’t fall behind, and sprint for all you’re worth.

Broken Toys

The palace appears ahead of you, like a beacon of salvation. Troopers wearing what must be the local uniform are already scrambling around it, some climbing into the tall turret towers that stand there. Those which have already been manned begin to fire at the Centurian ships.

There’s a scream of anger as a laser blast from overhead hits Telemachus’ mech, blowing its right leg off, sending the severed limb clattering across the ground. The mech falls with a crash.

You and Talia dash over to it, and yank the cockpit cover open. Princess Illaria grabs the prince by the hand, ignoring his screams of protest, and pulls him out. Then you’re running once more, the Princess dragging Telemachus along by his arm as he thrashes around and reaches back as if for his mech.

Just a little further left to run…

Bringing Down the Sky

The Princess runs into the palace, still dragging the whining child with her. But you come to a stop. Talia glances at you.

“Turret?” she asks.

“Turret,” you agree. “Stay with the Princess.”

You sprint to one of the unmanned turrets, and climb up its ladder. A palace guard yells something at you, but by that time you’re already in the seat, and it’s too late for anyone to stop you.

The controls seem simple enough. You aim up at the nearest Centurian ship, and open fire.

Holding the Palace

The ships didn’t stand a chance against the anti-air defenses. Each one litters the ground in flaming chunks of metal. But as you climb down from the turret, you see that Centurian ground forces are approaching, dozens and dozens of troopers.

The guards are pulling back into the palace, a more defensible position. You drop down from the ladder, and follow them.

Inside a vast hallway people are running to and fro, readying weapons and taking cover. A man wearing lavish robes and a crown stands in the middle of all this, yelling instructions. He must be the king.

You find the Princess and Talia, who are standing alongside the defenders. Telemachus towers over them, in what appears to be a new mech.

“Had a spare,” he says as he catches your gaze.

You begin to wonder what kind of father would let his son run around in such a contraption. Then the shooting starts, and you thrust the thought aside.

Colonel Ironside

In the midst of the Centurian forces floats a hoverchair, containing what appears to be a legless man. His uniform marks him out as a colonel. Strange mechanical devices are attached to his back, containing some kind of green fluid.

The colonel gestures with his hand, and a chunk of fallen masonry flies through the air as if of its own accord, smashing one of the palace guards. He repeats the gesture with his other hand, as if conducting a symphony. A fallen flagpole rises up, trembles, then launches itself across the hall to impale another guard. The air around the colonel ripples where laser fire strikes it. It seems different from the field that protected the commander aboard the cruiser. A telekinetic barrier?

His red eyes gleam as he sees the Princess, and he begins to float towards you.

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

The colonel crawls along the ground, dragging himself out of his wrecked hoverchair. The devices on his back are smashed, the spilled green fluid staining his shirt. He looks around as if for assistance, but the remaining Centurian soldiers are being gunned down one by one.

He looks up at the Princess, his face drawn back in an almost lupine snarl.

“Bitch…” he hisses. “Won’t get… away…”

Then you fire, and he lies still.

.....

After the battle, King Salastro approaches you, his guards alongside him, and demands an explanation. He seems displeased, and you can hardly blame him. Fortunately he knows the Princess, having met her countless times at diplomatic functions. Though an independent world, Gallea has cultural ties and trading relationships with the Sian Empire. So he hears her out. Much of what she tells him is news to you as well.

It seems that after your imprisonment the Centurian Collective demanded both you and the Princess be handed over to them, so that they could try you for your supposed crimes. For she was in command of the cruiser, and thus responsible for your actions. The Emperor refused, and the Centurians used that as a pretext for war – claiming that they had been subjected to unprovoked violence, and then denied justice. Their fleets attacked across Sian space, assaulting Sian itself at the same moment they stormed the Child of Heaven.

Prince Telemachus proves to be an unexpected ally. He explains to his father that he found the Centurians trespassing on their planet, and attacked them. He seems proud of his accomplishment, not noticing the horrified expression which crosses the king’s face as he hears the tale. When the prince finishes, King Salastro sends him away with one of the servants, to have his bumps and bruises tended to. Then he turns to the Princess.

“He attacked Centurian soldiers!” he moans, his voice sounding almost decrepit. “They won’t forgive him for that, no matter what I offer them. They’ve gone to war for less.”

“I’m sorry we brought them to your doorstop…” says the Princess. But the king doesn’t seem to hear her.

“They’ll come for him, and our defenses won’t hold out forever…” Then he appears to notice the Princess once more. “Princess Illaria… Where will you go?”

“To TALOS space,” she replies. “We’ll be safe enough there. And we can plan our next move.”

The king’s eyes light up. “TALOS… They could keep Telemachus safe. The Centurians wouldn’t think to look for him there…”

You and Talia share a meaningful look. You don’t like where this is going…

“Princess Illaria, I’ve known your father my entire life. The word of the imperial family of the Sian Empire is worth more than platinum… Promise me that you’ll take my son with you, and protect him until he reaches TALOS space. Give me your word, and I’ll give you and your companions an unmarked ship. And when the Centurians come, I’ll tell them that you’re all still here. They’ll attack, but my son will be safe.”

And so when Prince Telemachus returns, he’s told that he’ll be accompanying you to TALOS space. The boy’s face lights up. His mech was made by TALOS, and he’s excited to see the factory where it was built. He asks his father if he can have a new mech made while he’s there. The king smiles, hugs him close to conceal the tear which rolls down his cheek, and tells him that he can. The sight is enough to make you pity the young prince, and you vow that you’ll do your best to tolerate him.

King Salastro hands the Princess a sealed letter to be delivered to the TALOS officials, offering them a vast fortune in exchange for protecting his son. Then the four of you are taken to your new ship.