Dragon Bound

Chapter 46

Reunion Part 1

The members of the revolution group made it safely back to the ship in scattered numbers, that part didn’t really go as planned, this was because there was just an endless sea of agents streaming in for the attack, and the dragons amongst them gave a seemingly endless chase as well, because of that, the team that was supposed to cover the group for the retreat were quickly overwhelmed and more people from the group still had to join them to support them.

They were now fewer than was planned that was here on the ship, but first thing first, they put the dragon queen in a state of rest after pulling her a warm and refreshing bath, and her wounds were treated, she actually looked worse for wear before the clean up, having skinny and pale skin where she should have a lush of brightly gleaming skin, and there were many scars on her as well, Ryoka logically guessed that since she must have had to heal herself over and over again from the numerous operations performed on her for experiments and harvesting, her healing ability would have been on a constant use which would have worn it out over the decades she had spent there.

One look at the dragon queen and it was obvious that even her mental state wasn’t all there anymore, she stared at the space with a dreamy look, she seemed catatonic even, hardly able to reply or respond to conversations accurately before drifting off into space again, Ryoka actually now knew why she had been so persistent in her dreams, urging her surpass her limits, to breakthrough, to connect, only that she now knew it was draugh fuh that she had wanted her to activate, but then she had been late in discovering it and the dragon queen was probably too far gone to be saved by now.

“Commander, we have to go now, we stand the risk of being discovered if we stay any longer” one of those on board said to Ryoka who stood at the stern of the ship, looking up in expectation of the other members, she couldn’t even remember the guys name but she nodded to him, this confused him because he didn’t know if her nod meant she agreed and they can start going or if it was just a sign that she’d heard him.

Arcturus, Caleb, Darius, Adrian, Letty, and a few more members, none of them were here, Ryoka gritted her teeth and squeezed the railing she held so hard that it started to bend, she couldn’t use draugh fuh anymore for now, she had almost fainted while they were escaping and she was in dragon form, shifting back to human had left her totally drained of all her strength, both physical and mental, she tried to use draugh fuh, to activate it so that she can reach out to the others that are still out there, to tey to protect them, but every time she tried, she would only fall into a dark endless pit that threatened to swallow her up , so she would always come out breathing hard.

“Ryoka, you have to give the order for the retreat, we have to go now, the extraction was successful now we need to leave before the whole mission is put in jeopardy” Christine said from behind Ryoka, she had been part of those that had tended to the dragon queen as she was brought in on the ship.

“How is she?” Ryoka asked her disregarding the whole statement she made, it wasn’t as if she herself doesn’t know that the mission stands a whole lot of risk at the moment, but was she really about to abandon almost half of those that came on the mission with her?

“She isn’t in a good place, physically and mentally, it’s really bad, it might take a miracle for her to recover enough from it at this rate” Christine replied, she couldn’t help but glance to the sky as well like Ryoka was doing, she knew they were still expecting a whole lot of people, Adrian and Letty were among too, it was really bad, but then they all knew this could happen, and the priority still remains the dragon queen and they really need to get her out of there probably to an hospital or at least to the physiciany they had amongst those that were back home at the estate base.

“So, it might all be pointless after all” Ryoka said weakly on a sad note, “Pass on the order to retreat and head home please” she said and sighed heavily, she started to think if she had really made the right choice, she thought if Arcturus was here now he would actually be telling her ‘I told you so’, granted the mission had every iota of danger that was promised and more, it was probably even a blessing that they were this much that came.

Tears streamed down her face as she thought of them all, from those she really didn’t know all too well to those she knew as well, she’d give anything for Arcturus to be here now just so to say he told her so, the duty oriented Caleb, the mischievous Adrian and her newly found romance Letty, she believed she was already in love with Letty, it made her heart ache all the more, especially when she remembers how she had gotten into that rage filled mode when she saw her in trouble and being hurt, she had shouted ‘Don’t touch her!” and at that point nothing else but her mattered.

The ship lurched forward and started moving forward towards home, they would go dock at a different port entirely from the one the came from, all part of the plan as devised by Letty, the secret mastermind of this operation, more tears streamed down Ryoka’s eyes as she kept thinking of how she’ll never see Letty again.

*

Upon getting back to the estate, most of them were tired and walked dejectedly inside while the others supported those that needed support, what was on their minds was how they would report that the casualty was even more than they had expected and anticipated, those that they couldn’t account for also had relations amongst those they were about to go meet, how would they face them and tell them their loved one is just gone?

The situation actually weighed more on Ryoka though, she was the commander after all, as made by everyone, which meant she was responsible for everyone those at home and those she took on the mission, but she had a plan though, she had been devising this since she was still on the ship, once she could use draugh fuh again, she would search for all those that were missing and those found still alive would be saved immediately, there would be an immediate action plan of attack launched to go rescue them, the WIC wouldn’t expect that so it would be the best way to go, although Ryoka was sure they had been spontaneous enough for the WIC to know to expect anything from them, after all they had almost been ready for them on this mission even.

As the group got closer to the building though, they started to hear noises, a commotion of sorts and a whole lot of chattering, Ryoka and those who were able to move well quickly rushed in ahead for the fear that they were currently being attacked, but when they got in, they found a surprise instead, a wonderful surprise.

Letty, Adrian, Arcturus, Caleb and Darius, and as well as some of the others who were thought to be left behind were there, the commotion was a partly excited chatter of the conversation being held about the mission and its success, Ryoka would later learn that they lost three people, two died over there and the over was brought home before he died, but seeing that it wasn’t the whole fourteen that weren’t accounted for brought tears of joy to her face, she rushed and hugged them all together as many as could fit in her arms.

She gave Letty alone a hug though and wept into her shoulders, “I really thought you were all goners yunno?” she said while chuckling in Letty’s shoulders as well, she didn’t want to leave her for fear that what she was seeing wouldn’t be real and Letty would just disappear again, but they were in public and she still had to look like the commander she had been made to be, so she broke off the hug and cleared her throat.

“I guess you guys headed straight out here uhn? Rather than come to us” Ryoka said suddenly pulling up a stern expression so as to fit into her leadership role, she didn’t want to be seen whimpering and weeping like a weakling, it was bad enough that the mission almost went sideways and out of hand, she really doesn’t want to be seen as a weak and incompetent leader.

“It was all Arcturus' idea, he figured out a plan right on the spot that could help us escape and as well get them off your trail, since coming towards you at that point would give off your location, so he devised a plan to help us escape over and through the mountain regions, the battle to get them to get off our trail though was determined by Darius and Adrian their flames proved to be just a bit too hot for them to handle and before their dragons could recuperate, we had already gone far away” Letty answered to Ryoka.

“Well Letty here as well as Caleb also fought like solid soldiers to ensure we break free of their clutches, it was hard going, but we made it and I only had that idea because I had researched well on the mountain regions to see if it was passable or not and so I found a route that could be used, I guessed the WIC and their agents wouldn’t know about it and turns out I was right” Arcturus said, he actually felt guilty as well because he had only researched about the mountain regions because he didn’t believe in Ryoka’s escape plan and so he made one for himself, he had made the resolve that there was no way he would willing allow himself to be captured by the WIC ever again, but now the knowledge ended up being useful for the whole lot.

“Well, we are not the only surprise you have here for today” Caleb started to say “The other teams are back from their rescue and gathering missions, we got here as well just a few hours before you arrived seeing as our route was shorter than yours, an then upon arriving, we got to finding out that there was someone who had joined the cause back again” he said and moved sideways.

Ryoka was baffled at Caleb’s words and who the person in question was but she didn’t stay baffled for long as the others behind Caleb as well moved sideways and cleared a path, and at the end of the path, stood her father, he must have hit the showers and freshened up because he looked just like he does every morning when he is about to “go to work” fresh and with a clean cut, it didn’t even look like he had been captured except for the fact that he had gotten lean and there were dark circles around his eyes.

“Hey Ryu, miss me?” he said to her.