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Chapter 8: Prison Break

Beta-Reader: Ant0nius

~Carmesi’s POV~

This wasn’t going to end well.

The fact that the security system had activated so quickly and just in time to separate them from Theo was a blatant display for something unpleasant to occur soon.

The Warden and the General had decided to take a peek at the cameras to see how the ‘Doctor’ was handling this little trip, and now they were perfectly aware of their infiltration.

It had been a possibility mentioned by the human back before they went through with it, a stupidly improbable one considering how ‘careless’ high officers were on a normal basis.

At the same time, Carmesi was also irked by how easily they were pushed into a specific path, sending them further away from the different direction that the young man had been sent to, eventually shredding any chance of meeting again anytime soon.

With a scowl on her face, and her eyes gaining renewed focus at this aggravating trap they were led to, there was no surprise in her face when the Queen started to offer some suggestions to what they could do to solve this situation.

“We could try to break into one of the closed doors. You could try to melt their panels and we could get through to another path.”

A good idea, sadly one the Fox Prime knew wouldn’t work for a simple reason.

“The metal used for the wall is specially made to withstand high levels of cold and heat,” The Fire Crest rebuffed with a hint of irritation directed at the circumstances. “If I could, I would’ve already done that.”

“Then we could go for the vents-”

“If it was just one of us, it would’ve been for the best,” Carmesi agreed with a quick nod. “But I think they already took care of that one too.”

“You mean there could be someone already patrolling those?” The young royal inquired.

“Yes,” The Fox Prime replied curtly. “The only choice we have is to go into the trap and overwhelm them.”

…

“Can we-”

“Of course we can!” They needed to, or else they were going to be killed. It was do or die, and Carmesi wasn’t planning to die in an ice cube of a planet. “We just need to not lose focus. Theo will get there to offer support soon, so don’t despair, princess.”

The brief hint of teasing seemed to actually bring more annoyance and focus out of the fellow Prime, making the whole process easier to manage.

Her eyes scanned around for any Narakhans coming their way, but nothing seemed to suggest this. They had to be all waiting in a single spot, their forced destination.

Don’t lose it. This isn’t the first time you were ambushed like this.

It was like back when she had to train her way to the top, to prove her superiority to those weaklings looking down on her. She didn’t lose back then, she wasn’t planning to lose now that it mattered way more than before.

Ultimately they arrived in a large room. A cafeteria… that was filled with numerous guards and soldiers that had formed small compact groups covering most of the exits.

The door they came from was blocked off by an energy barrier and… they were finally there.

“There are so many of them...”

Sparks exploded from Carmesi’s swords as she brushed their edges onto each other in a display of eagerness.

“I hope you’re ready, Addie. This is where we make a point... and get out of there.”

Unlike before, this comment got a minimal response from the young Queen. Just as they braced themselves for a tough battle, a holographic system was activated and in front of the large battalion.

A figure appeared, a tall Bull Prime with piercing red eyes and a strict posture.

“General,” The Fox greeted tensely.

“Traitor,” The former superior greeted blankly. “I see that you and your new overlord have finally reached the place of your demise.”

“You’re-”

“I’m General Minos of the Empire, Princess Adela,” The man introduced himself while addressing the Coyote Prime erroneously. “It’s a shame that your stay here was so sudden. I would’ve set things differently… less violent, to be more specific.”

They don’t know. They don’t know that Adela is the new Queen- but how does this help us in this situation?

“A pity that you’ve planned to lose all those men to try and hold us back, General,” Carmesi rebuffed without restraint. “But I suppose your shortcomings are finally starting to catch up.”

“Like your little stunt is going to be the end of your existence… or maybe there is something we can do out of this unpleasant situation.”

The sudden twist within that rebuttal got a frown out of both women, yet their guards remained strong as they tried to discern what the high officer was talking about.

“Your tricks will not work on me. I know how you prefer to be a coward but-”

“Not a coward, a pragmatic individual. Someone that believes that suffering isn’t the best choice, and that there are ways to spare a needless waste of potential like yours.”

…He was kidding. He had to. There was no way he was meaning what he was saying.

Anger bubbled at the possibility, but before the Fox Prime had the time to accuse him of such a thing, the General spoke up again.

“You know, this could all be avoided,” Minos pointed out through the hologram. “As much as I detest to admit this, I know your worth, Carmesi. You’re among the best individuals in your generation… and those close to yours.”

… “What?”

Her confusion wasn’t subjective. Pretty much everyone in this room looked incredibly shocked by that offer, as it was absurd for the Empire to consider giving such a mercy to someone.

Even the warden looked like he had just heard the most insane thing possible.

“While it would be unheard of for a traitor to be given amnesty, I know that your status as the Fire Crest and decent Captain makes you worthy of such a gift,” He continued without hesitation. “The Emperor would accept it if it means sparing resources that could be better used elsewhere. In improving his subjects’ lives.”

“Fat chance, I’m not-”

“You’re afraid of becoming cattle once the war is over,” Minos added with a hint of curiosity, his eyes glinting a predatorial light as he noticed her tense up at that guess. “That once your main purpose is spent, you will be relegated to becoming a trophy wife for some important leader or officer, all for the sake of being kept loyal and all your descendants to be tied closely to the Empire.”

...How?

How did he-

A cold possibility filtered inside her brain. While she hadn’t discussed this to anyone, she researched some specific topics that could be used to make out such a suggestion.

And the Empire could check on everyone’s data in case they suspected rebellious activity.

Gritting her teeth, she felt furious at herself for having forgotten this.

“It’s a legitimate fear. Many women in situations similar to yours are afraid of what comes next to have a decent life within the Emperor’s merciful rule,” He admitted with a genuine voice. “But I believe we can make an agreement. Something that could protect you not only from this foolish mistake or yours, but also give you the chance to have a future you want.”

Her eyes narrowed. “That sounds like a lot.”

“Because I want something equally as important from you, Carmesi,” Minos replied with a nod. “I want you to forfeit your allegiance to the Royal Family of Prism, to swear an oath to never betray the Empire’s way ever again, and to surrender the current location of the ship holding Queen Rehema and the remnant of the rebels.”

…

“And you would-”

“Give you what you want, and restore your reputation to its peak while also removing any hints of what you’ve done in the recent weeks.”

That was a lot. That was an absurd offer that felt easily convenient to her on all fronts.

This. This literally solved every single problem she had been thinking about for the last months. Not only would that give her the chance to back away before the horrible odds stacked in front of her.

She was strong, there was no doubt, but she would’ve to go through that large wave with minimal support.

With Adela depending on her bow and arrow, it was simple to see how this could’ve ended up poorly for them, not even the usage of the Crest to her current limits would still fall too short of winning that predicament.

Would it be bad if she surrendered and accepted these terms?

A capitulation like this was nigh-impossible to wrestle from most military leaders from the Empire, mostly because the Emperor demanded a full implementation of the ‘no mercy’ protocol regarding traitors.

There were just a couple of exceptions, and those had indeed managed to live through some of the worst situations to be put through. Mostly for their strategic importance, or because the Emperor himself was fond of them for a reason or another.

Right now Carmesi was given the chance to walk away from this scene with the legitimate promise of living beyond that day, and to be guaranteed a proper future if she accepted.

And even though part of her mind refused that something so sweet and enticing was an honest chip of bargain in that surrender attempt, she knew better to doubt Minos’ capacity to uphold public promises.

There were too many witnesses to deny this, and no amount of bribery and ‘removal’ would manage to limit the damage it would inflict to his reputation if he ended up known as a liar.

Many young officers aspired to become like him, and a blow to his image of these proportions would create a tremendous backlash across the Empire.

So, the Fox Prime contemplated the offer, ignoring the confused looks she was getting from the fellow Prime at being all quiet so suddenly.

Adela was… a friend. Or something like that.

It would be a lie to say that the Fire Crest knew how friends ‘happened’. Were people labeled as such when they were bearable and didn’t get on her nerves? Or maybe it was something more shallow and far from her to understand.

If she was to betray her new ‘cause’, things would only leave her sad and… she could feel it would feel awkward to think back to that time if she surrendered.

But according to the big picture, this loss was acceptable. Her future was on the line and if it meant having some sad thoughts from time to time for the sake of being spared from that situation… maybe it wasn’t that much of a terrible thought to make and consider.

As Carmesi slowly grew more interested by the proposal, something within her mind started to fight back against that desire. Something that called upon her stubbornness, her pride, and her sense of self-worth.

At first she wasn’t sure what was mustering this much attention out of her, but then she felt it again, this time almost searing her mind.

Like a flame.

Her Crest… was ‘speaking’ to her?

It wouldn’t be the first time she would get a ‘gut feeling’, but this was different than before.

No, it wasn’t her Crest. It was something a little more personal to her than she wanted it to be.

A call that she had ignored just for the sake of saving her hide now that the situation had gotten a little too unpleasant.

Something that she had already thought about, but hadn’t seen reason to see it applied to a practical scenario.

“_ For a time… For a time I thought this to be just a dream,” Carmesi admitted quietly, her body ready to collapse after that brutal match with the still-smiling human. Not like she wasn’t smiling herself despite her own injuries. “To fight, to laugh and… to be there to do this with others.” _

“_ You sound… like you wanted a friend,” Theo accused kindly, and his words brought a sense of resolve that had once lacked. _

While she couldn’t find a reason to fight for a friend like Adela… the Fox Prime had plenty of reasons to keep her word with the cheeky human.

Didn’t she swear that she was going to gamble her life for this chance at living better? To not accept anything less than victory?

Even if surrendering sounded like such a delicious choice to take, it wouldn’t be what she wanted.

The young woman wanted more, she wanted to win her future. The Crest of Fire didn’t need it to become a bargaining chip for the Empire to use against her.

Carmesi wasn’t going to stand for this!

“General… you’ve said some precious words with that offer of yours,” The Fox Prime admitted without restraint. “But I think you’re overstepping your boundaries in believing that you can give me something so bland and disappointing.”

The Bull Prime looked surprised at that comment.

“Let me ask you this, Earth. Do you believe that Fire will ever accept anything short of absolute victory over its enemy? That it will stop for some bread scraps that you’re appraising as golden nuggets? Don’t make me laugh!”

…

Minos sighed.

“I suppose that’s a no,” He calmly addressed. “A pity, I expected some intelligence from you, but… I expected to be disheartened in such a manner. Truly a dismay and-”

His hologram wavered and the lights started to flicker before he had the chance to conclude that sentence.

“Warden, what is going on?”

The elder tried to understand the situation, but he was as clueless as he could be as he scrambled over his terminal.

“A moment of your attention,” A voice calmly spoke through the audio system within the cameras around. Addie perked in recognition, while Carmesi grinned madly as she knew what was going on now that she heard this ‘notice’. “The management of this Prison has recently been taken away from the horrible and greasy hold of the Empire and temporarily been handed to more competent administrators. As of now, the security system is compromised, same for the planetary shield… and anything that can stop prisoners from leaving the prison by the hangars, since all ships have been rendered accessible and without any password to use the main commands.”

More people started to move in panic around the Warden’s office.

“On an unrelated note, Carmie, that was a good speech. I dig it.”

The Fox Prime’s smile faltered into a minor scowl at how the human addressed her in such a manner. Still, he wasn’t humiliating her beyond that.

“All doors have now been unlocked, and the green lights that are now activated on the floor will lead you to the Hangar, we will see all there and-”

“I don’t think you will leave this place,” Minos boomed in clear irritation. “I suppose you’re the strange being that was with the Princess and the traitor.”

“...I suppose I’m speaking with Captain Minos.”

“It’s General.”

“Apologies, Major,” Theo ‘corrected’ himself. “With the stress of taking over the prison while also escorting this special prisoner out, I believe my mind has been quite… uninterested in giving you ‘proper’ respect.”

Instead of growing angry at this disrespect, the Bull Prime’s attention was taken away by another detail.

“You- You found… Love?”

“To be fair, I stumbled close to where Gracie was living and… she wanted to say something to you, Sergeant.”

There were some minor noises before another voice quipped, this one belonging to a woman. A particularly angry one at that.

“Y-you lied to me!”

Minos tensed up, surprised and… afraid.

“Grace-”

“You said that you were helping people with my blood. That you were curing illnesses… and now I discover you mostly used it to force the truth out of those that didn’t think like you, that wanted to live away from that- that tyrant’s rule!”

“There was no other choice, the Emperor would’ve hurt more people if-”

“There is always a choice,” Theo piped in with a serious tone. “And I feel that you’re just grasping at straws just because you thought that the easy way was the right one.”

“Y-you don’t have a say in the matter.”

“He does!” The woman, ‘Gracie’, rebuffed. “In fact, I believe Theo more than you. He showed me the truth, and he is actually helping those that want to do good.”

“If you follow him, you will not be spared from the Emperor’s wrath!” The Bull Prime remarked fiercely.

…

“T-Then I guess I’ll have to fight too. And this time, I will only seek the truth, Minos.”

The conversation stopped as soon as the communication system was turned off… leaving the Earth Crest to try and salvage the situation by taking care of-

He paused, his eyes widened in dread as he noticed that the two women were no longer in their previous places. In fact, they were no longer close to that cafeteria.

A dark scowl formed in his face. “Why didn’t you stop them?”

“S-Sir, the security system was used to-” One of the officers mentioned, only to be interrupted by a furious glare from the General.

“Find them. I don’t care if there are going to be losses,” The high officer ordered. “The Love Crest can’t leave this facility.”

_ And while Carmesi and Adela raced to the Hangar, a certain human and his newest companion started to make their way to the same destination. _

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My finger moved away from the button that turned off the audio system of the cameras, with my attention moving to address the unhappy state Grace had turned to after dealing with the Bull Prime.

Her pink eyes hinted to the pain and sadness brought by the betrayal from the one she thought she could trust and rely on, and I felt a pang in my heart at seeing her in such a manner.

I thought back to when I first found her. She looked so clueless, so naive… so pure.

There was something about her appearance and her manners that just screamed to be hugged and other things one would usually do with someone as cute, gorgeous, and adorable as Grace.

The Gazelle Prime was sheltered away from what was happening during the war.

From what she could explain to me without derailing the story too much, she was allowed to grow to adulthood… and then ordered to make use of the machine I’ve seen by her bedroom for lengthy amounts of time, the one that I had correctly guessed at being a cryogenic pod.

This last detail confused me for a time as I couldn’t fathom why the Love Crest was forced to undergo years of hibernation… and then I realized from Grace’s remembrance of her early childhood that it was because…

Grace was the ‘original’ Love Crest. The one that came to be right after Prism was destroyed.

I wasn’t sure if her capture happened either shortly after the planet’s end, or if there was a time period where she was away from Imperial ownership.

It didn’t change the fact that the young woman, just barely aware of her powers and her existence, had to be told the truth one way or another.

After that brief conversation that ensued shortly after our respective introductions, it took me a while to convince her to follow me around. She didn’t trust me when I tried to explain to her how this was a prison, and not a ‘hospital’.

She was really taken by the lie that her presence here was to give a happier life to people that were sick beyond normal recovery, and that only her blood was the source of many miraculous medicines that saved hundreds of lives.

It was a good argument, one that took some hard evidence to crack and dismiss. What really saved me from dealing with a reluctant Crest was that near to her ‘room’ was a laboratory that was meant to work the first part of the process that turned her blood samples into the ‘Agápi’ Serum.

Paperwork still littered some of the desks within that room, and Grace was surprisingly capable of understanding much of the words used in the papers.

While her education was limited, some of the books sent to her to keep her satisfied used a form of grammar that was somewhat advanced despite those being mostly fairy tales books.

She denied what was written in there, mentioning that those were just some scientists’ suggestions that led to no truthful discovery.

Then she found more… and more. All documents in that room were filled with reports about the ‘Agápi’, and none mentioned the medical properties of her blood.

Facing so much evidence contradicting what she had been told for so long was enough to make her quiet, confused and… hurting.

She was quick to accept a hug, a long one at that. One of the few things that I quickly learned about the Love Crest was that she was incredibly touchy.

Not in the creepy or lewd manner. Rather, she liked to be close to people, to be at arms’ reach for an embrace or even just press on them to feel their warmth.

At first I ruled it as a symptom of having to deal with the cold of the cryogenic pod for most of her life, but I wasn’t completely sure I had enough knowledge to make that call. Which is why I decided that asking Archie about it once we were out of there was going to be a priority for me.

Once Grace had tanked the unpleasant truth while being offered sweetness in the form of some silent cuddling, she commented that she was ready to leave and that she wanted to know more about what has been happening during her years spent in this place.

I could feel some edge in her tone, a hint that the usually calm lake that represented her mood was now stirring up towards a stormy setting.

Still, I knew that we had to move and make it through either the second objective or reunite with the two other girls.

There were some guards between us and our next stop, and, before I had the chance to plan out how to take them down without drawing more attention, Grace decided to make use of her powers and… only then I realized why the Empire had been so reluctant to employ her service to a full combat stage.

If Light was improving one’s fortitude, and Fire was a general boost with Elemental Flames, then Love was something close to ‘mind control’.

Sure, it worked more on the fact that it manipulated one’s capacity to feel attraction either to the Crest or to someone else, and then used that Love to compel the targets to do their whims.

In Gracie’s case, the guards were suddenly pulled into a state of unconsciousness, with the Narakhans dropping tired and unable to fight off the immense wave of sleep that took them out of commission.

I was surprised. When I turned to comment about it, I saw how tired the young woman was.

With her powers never trained beyond this point, Grace was pretty much unable to do much with those. Instead, she relied on a basic understanding of fighting with a Bo Staff.

By all means, her only trump card was her ‘mind control’ skill in limited occasions. With that in mind, I decided to take the safest route available for us to take, and we soon arrived at the ‘Control Room’ about ten minutes later.

The place had just two engineers that were quick to subdue as I slammed the flat part of my sword on their head. With just enough strength not to kill while also giving us the time to start doing something about it.

One thing led to another and now we found ourselves starting to make our way towards the hangars.

“Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it?” I inquired as we were both pacing through the empty hallways of the prison, following the green lights on the floor that were leading us to our exit points.

The Gazelle Prime looked distracted, barely taking notice of my query, but then she sighed and looked away.

“Maybe once this is all over. I… I don’t want to be a burden.”

“You’re… You’re not a burden if you don’t feel ready for a fight,” I lamented softly. “You’re just smart enough to understand your current limits.”

She nodded, but… she was still fairly distracted by that confrontation with Minos.

I wasn’t sure how close she was to him, but for her to react like this, it had to be hurting her a lot.

And considering that she was a ‘first’ generation Crest like the Bull Prime, I could see why both would see each other in a good light from the very beginning because of that point.

Our journey to reach the Hangar was an uneventful one. The loud noises of the prisoners rushing to get control of the various ships there was proof that my plan of ‘killing’ the prison was having success.

With most of the guards having been assigned to ‘handle’ both Carmie and Addie, it was easy for a jailbreak to happen and to be successful by me having temporary power over the control room.

The evacuation was well underway as we finally arrived inside the hangar, and I spotted two familiar figures standing by the entrance of an equally familiar ship.

“They are there,” I muttered, drawing Gracie’s attention out of her pondering. Her pink eyes locked onto the two other Primes, and she blinked in surprise.

“You said that… one of them is a queen?”

I nodded. “The one with the bow and arrow...”

Just as I said this, I also took notice of the large gash Carmesi had on her left leg. Something I don’t remember seeing when I sprung the counter-trap.

I spared a worried look, ignoring her attempt to appear strong and confident with her posture, yet her uneven composure as clear as a sunny day’s sky.

“Theo,” Addie greeted tensely. “I suppose she is-”

“I’m Grace… your highness,” Gracie humbly introduced herself, getting a brief frown from Adela at the formal tone to address her.

“W-We can discuss later. We need to go, now.”

I nodded in agreement, taking a moment to approach Carmie and… offer her a hand.

The Fox Prime stared at the extended palm with a frown.

“Fuck no-”

“We need to go,” I pressed, reaching out and forcefully helping her walk through the ship’s entrance. “And you need a check up at the med bay.

“It was a lucky hit from a sneaky coward. I’m fine-”

“Then you will be better than fine once you’re properly healed.”

Her growl was masked by the noise of the engines turning on as we all entered inside the ship, giving Archie the opportunity to finally take off.

_ And now… some ‘debriefing’. _

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AN

Love Crest Get! Gracie officially joins the party… and Carmie is properly reconfirmed as a permanent member. Huzzah!