One or the Other

[Miles]

Hello.

To my shame, this is a fanfiction. It has been something I have been mulling over for some time now and it is simply not going to stop distracting me until I write something about it. This story is, what I like to call, a closed story; a story that has limited potential and thus will be quite short (I don't know if there is a technical term for it, not that it matters, in all honesty. Most fanfictions are closed stories, mostly because you are working within restraints that limit creativity, but that is more of an opinion than a fact, I guess).

I came across this concept of a story recently and thought it was interesting, but just how good of a story this will be I can not say. But here's to trying, right?

Here is the prologue. Enjoy.



Prologue


“What is the situation?” the Rocket Knight asks his scouts. “The fortress is practically empty, defended by a mere skeleton force. Now is the best time to attack.”

Nodding in acknowledgement, Sparkster sends the orders through to his forces via intercoms within their helmets. “All squadrons, launch the attack!”

“Stay in formation and focus on your assigned targets.” The Rocket Knight added as he thrust himself upward and led the charge from the front. In the distance ahead stood the imposing fortress to the most notorious war criminal in history, Axel Gear, and within seconds of beginning the approach, the fortresses defence systems detected the army and began to fire at the Rocket Knights. “Do not break formation!” the Knight barked to his forces, “Parry the attacks! Focus on your targets!”

The Rocket Knights began to fire magical projectiles to neutralize incoming attacks with their swords; they stayed in formation and worked together to concentrated their defensive assaults on the more powerful cannon and laser fire, which was becoming more and more intense as they continued to home in on the fortress. Even when Rocket Knights where hit, dropping from the sky, they continued onward regardless, knowing that this might be the one and only chance they could have to send a devastating blow to their enemy.

Once the army finally reached the fortress, which was now the biggest monstrosity that Sparkster had ever seen, individual squadrons split up into strike teams to launch heavy but fleeting attacks on anything that could fire anything. Sparkster’s own squadron was to penetrate the fortress and do what he does best; destroy the base from the inside out. In truth, the other Rocket Knights were nothing more than support for Sparkster, but he could not reach the fortress without an entire army to exhaust the fortresses defences.

Sparkster, flanked by four of his Rocket Knights, concentrated his attacks on weak points on the fortress to create a breach to exploit. After finally hitting a target which created a sufficient entrance, the Rocket Knights rushed in, swords charged, and blasted their pathway clear of any obstacles or enemies. To their surprise, the fortress was practically deserted except for the occasional Dark Knight that they would stumble across, but lone enemies are no match for a team of five Rocket Knights.

Working their way through the fortress, they made it to the Mechanical Core of the fortress, the source of all the fortresses power. Knowing Axel Gear, Sparkster suspected the Core to be rigged to some sort of weapon, and he ordered his Rocket Knights forward cautiously, keeping themselves behind cover. Suddenly, alarms rang out and, within moments, the Core transformed into an enormous robot with four arms blandishing swords.

The Rocket Knights, through Sparkster’s directions, focused their attacks on disarming the robot before making pit shots at the main body. Firing a surprise blast from its glass eyes, the robot targeted an area behind one Rocket Knight in cover, which caused that Knight to be thrown across the room and fall to the ground unconscious. Outraged, Sparkster roared as he charged his sword and forcefully dismembered the robot, jetted up to thrust his sword straight into the robots neck to decapitate it, and then, to finish it off, he jumped onto the head, while charging his sword, and unleashed a powerful downward strike right onto the head, shattering it into countless pieces.

Panting with exertion, Sparkster turns to his Rocket Knights, who stand in awe, before he rushes over to his downed companion. Kneeling to his comrade’s side, Sparkster checks to see if the Rocket Knight is still alive, and he was, thankfully. “Knights,” Sparkster looked to the three of them, “take our friend here and get clear of the fortress. It won’t stay floating for very long.”

“But what about you, sir?” one of his Knights piped up. “I will be along later.” he paused, “There is something I have to do.”



Walking into Axel Gear’s personal quarters, arriving first in a lounge, with an office on an elevated level, Sparkster searches the room for the book that Axel stole many years ago. The Knight hoped that his adversary would leave the book in his quarters somewhere, but, as he continued to search, he suddenly heard a strange sound coming from Axel’s bedchamber, which seemed chillingly familiar. Walking up through the office, approaching the door to the bedchamber, Sparkster listened in and the sound was unmistakable.

Cautiously opening the door, Sparkster was greeted with the sobering sight of a dead woman within a pool of her own blood. The strange sound, now loud and clear, came from the open cot next to the four-poster bed, and lying within was the tiny body of a newly born baby girl. Sparkster, becoming painfully aware of the fact that this fortress was starting to descend from the skies, carefully picked up the baby and jumped up to the open, glassless window above the bed. Looking down on her with pity, pity for knowing who her father must be, he made a silent pledge while the small girl lay within his metallic arms.

“I don’t know who are you or who you might become,” he thought to the baby, “but I, knowing your father and knowing what he would inevitably twist you into, will never allow you to fall under your father’s all-consuming self-destructive influence. I do not relish the idea of depriving you of your father, even if it is Axel Gear, but a life without him, and his nest of vipers, must be better than one with him in it.

“All that I can do is apologize for something I know you did not chose, or may not chose would it be your choice, but with this being my choice I must do what I believe to be right. I just hope, when you are old enough, that you will understand my reasoning.”

Sparkster looks out as the clouds in the distance ascend with considerable speed, “Plus, it would be cruel to leave you on a fortress which will soon be nothing but a pile of rubble.” Sparkster revved his rocket pack and jetted up, away from the fortress, as he turned and watched the fortress fall past the misty clouds below, he looked down to the baby girl again.

“Come on, little one.” Sparkster concluded, “Time to take you to your new home.” The Rocket Knight powered up his rocket pack and blasted off back to the Empire.

~~~

Sparkster kept his word and brought the child with him to the Empire. Unsure as to what he should do with her, he brought the child before the King to confide in him, which became nothing but a tragic mistake. The King, faking sincere concern for the welfare of the child, convinced Sparkster to leave the child with him while the Rocket Knight made preparations to adopt her.

Once alone with the child, the King called up Axel Gear visual communication device and explained that he was now in possession of his daughter. The King threatened that, should he refuse his ultimatum, Axel will never see his daughter ever again. The King asked for one thing, and one thing only; peace. Axel, now deprived of his main base of operations, would retreat from the Empire and never return. Should Axel keep to his word, and never attack the Empire, the girl will be handed back to him at the age of sixteen, a term to the deal the King insisted on to ensure Axel was serious about peace.

The King’s plan was to render Axel Gear powerless, using Axel’s own daughter as a bargaining chip to stop him attacking the Empire. The King believed that Axel’s Dark Knights would eventually become frustrated with his restraint and abandon him, and without an army to defend him, the King thought Axel would become vulnerable enough for the Rocket Knights to finish him off once and for all. It did not work out as the King expected.

Axel was furious over the King’s audacity, but he did want his daughter back. Axel accepted the deal with a warning: if that girl does not arrive at his base, beyond borders of the Empire, on her sixteenth birthday, that he would assume his daughter to be dead and launch a campaign of slaughter across the Empire to avenge for his daughter’s death. The King received the message with a chill before cutting the line to conclude the meeting.

Once Sparkster returned, the King told him everything without reserve. The Rocket Knight was shocked and appalled over this betrayal, and he did not know what was worse; that the King had so little faith in the Rocket Knights to deal with Axel Gear and his Dark Knights, or that the King so casually signed a baby girl’s moral death warrant. There would be no telling what Axel would expose his own daughter to, especially considering he would want to “strengthen” and “prepare” her to succeed him as leader of the Dark Knights.

Despite everything, the King did allow Sparkster to adopt the girl to keep her safe, but warned him not become too attached. After some thought, Sparkster decided to call her Erin, for no other reason than he thought it was nice.

It became common knowledge that her father, her biological father, is Axel Gear, and being the daughter of the most feared and despised man in the world does not make life comfortable. The only solace she had was her adoptive father, who, admittedly, she did not see as a father but rather as her hero. He told her how he found her, that he rescued her from Axel’s fortress when she was just a baby. From that moment on, she practically worshipped the Rocket Knight. Erin was clever, quiet and isolated from her peers, she became dependent on Sparkster. He was all she ever had worth holding on to, in her mind, and she never wanted to be apart from him. Ever.

When he finally told her, that she would be forced out of the Empire, forced away from Sparkster, it broke her heart. She was inconsolable for days, hardily ate anything for weeks, and missed so many lessons from school that Sparkster decided to pull her out of school and homeschool her instead, making her dependency on him even worse.

~~~

As you might have guessed, Axel Gear did not weaken after his deal was struck, in fact, if anything, it made him more determined than ever to crush the Empire into dust, but for as long as his daughter remained within the Empire, he cannot attack the Empire, but he could prepare.

Instead of targeting the Empire, the Dark Knights focused on previously untapped regions and nations across the world and, with an army that had been refined to deal with Rocket Knights, the unsuspecting nations of Elhorn were powerless to stop them. Soon enough, the Dark Knights were pulling in more profits from protection rackets and pillages than they ever did when attacking the Empire. The Dark Knights became truly powerful, and without the Rocket Knights to keep them in check, their ranks bloated with troops eager to serve and take their share of the spoils.

With the Dark Knights more threatening than they had ever been before, the King lost his mind to fear, and betted the future of the Empire on one girl and Axel’s word. Sparkster, determined not to allow Erin to fall into Axel’s clutches, decided to put her through the Rocket Knight training personally and tutor her on the methods he uses to control his darker emotions. He wanted to keep her safe, he wanted to ensure she would have the best chance of retaining her own mind when the King throws her into the vipers nest, and Sparkster did everything he could to prepare her.

When that dreaded day came along, her sixteenth birthday, Sparkster decided to spend as much time with her as possible, to capture as many happy moments with her before the inevitable, knowing that he might never see her again; or, at least, the Erin that he knew.

* Author's Note - Feel free to comment.   *

[William Swiftfoot]

*Is preety much going *SHIIIIINNNEEEEEYYYY* as he ready it, being a major fan of the series.*

[Miles]

Hello.

Here is Chapter One. Enjoy.

*Is preety much going *SHIIIIINNNEEEEEYYYY* as he ready it, being a major fan of the series.*

Glad you enjoyed it, Kenku.


Chapter One


Erin, watching the sunrise over the landscape, ponders over what to expect tomorrow. Today is the only day she has left to be with her hero, Sparkster; the one person she has been inseparable from for as long as she can remember.

Being raised by a national hero was something quite special; everyone showed nothing but the greatest respect and admiration for her adoptive father, which is far more than what could be said for their attitude toward her. She was practically despised by everyone she met, especially the war orphans whose parents were murdered by the Dark Knights; they just could not understand why Sparkster would feel such compassion for that maniac’s spawn rather than those that have truly suffered.

However, though he was a national icon, he never married nor had children of his own. Erin asked him about that once, considering his ever-advancing age, and he merely replied; “I have no need to rush.”

She giggled silently, thinking back on all the moments she has had with him; one in particularly being the first time Sparkster took her to a theme park. While there, Sparkster decided to take her on one of the rides, the Rocket Knight Rollercoaster. Though enthusiastic at first, once the rollercoaster got started, Erin suddenly panicked and became hysterical. Her adoptive father merely took Erin’s hand, catching her attention, and said to her in his gentle tone, “Don’t forget that I am still here, Erin. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“Yeah, I know… but…” she croaked.

“You don’t have to be scared while you’re with me.” He comforted her, “No matter what, you will always be my little baby girl and I will always be there for you for as long as you want me to be.”

Erin looked up to her hero, tears streaming down her face, and was reassured by his tender smile and calming demeanor. “Let me be the one to do the worrying for the both of us. You can always trust me with that, alright?”

She may not have been his biological daughter but he loved her as though she were. Parenthood did not exactly come naturally to the Rocket Knight, and he knows he made glaring mistakes throughout, but he did the best he could and comforts himself in knowing that he was there for her in ways that her biological father would never have been. He hopes that this will simply be enough in the years to come, and cringes at the idea of what would happen if it were not.

Erin, hearing pattering from behind her, turns to find her adoptive father entering the room with their breakfast. The two exchange a smile and sit down together to eat, as they always do.

Knowing that he only had this one day left, Sparkster intends to make it rather special. Though he has trained her to be a Rocket Knight for the past three years, he has barely scratched the surface as to how much he could teach her. With only so little time to work with, he was forced to strip down the training to its bare essentials from the start, and he planned her last lesson to be the most important as well as the most memorable yet.

~~~

“Alright,” Sparkster began, walking into the Rocket Knights’ Armoury with Erin, “since you have improved well over the past year, I felt that you would now be ready to try something more… real.”

Rocket Knight Armour is perhaps the most advanced armour in the world. Their armour would first appear incomplete, with only the front section assembled, but when the Knight steps into place, within the armour, it automatically reacts to its occupier by releasing the back section of the armour, which folds out from within the front. The armour, therefore, mounds itself to the shape of its occupier and even compresses to fit around the Knight perfectly. When the section meets down the centre of the back, including the arms and legs, the armour seals itself to become pressurised and secure. The rocket pack is the last item to be equipped, which would usually be mounted on a wall somewhere close to the armour, and all the Knight would have to do to equip it is back up toward it until the pack claps into place on the back. The helmet is the only part of the armour that can still be worn in the traditional manner.

Sparkster and Erin both get themselves into their armours, ready for battle, before they both jump up to the launch pad and blast off together.

“You still haven’t explained here we are going.” Erin tells Sparkster via intercom. “Don’t worry about it. Just follow me and you will find out soon enough.”

Travelling across the Empire by rocket pack was only a luxury reserved for the Rocket Knights. Rocket packs were fast but also surprisingly agile; Rocket Knights during missions could easily dodge incoming fire or use their enchanted swords to parry attacks. Also, using the rocket pack to launch sharp, sudden attacks has always been a popular choice with the Rocket Knights, but it is also the most difficult technique to master. Some have preferred to simply master swordsmanship instead, as well as focusing on their magically charged attacks, to defeat their enemies.

As they reached the frontier regions of the Empire, Sparkster suddenly darted down to a small shack, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, to which Erin followed suit.

“What are we doing out here?” Erin asked. “Since the peace deal forbids us to attack Dark Knights,” Sparkster explains, “we had to find another means of testing our recruits’ ability to fight our sworn enemies, so I decided on a radical move.

“When we defeated Axel Gear in the past, some of his Dark Knights abandoned him; claiming that they lost respect for their leader. I decided to hunt down these Dark Knights and, instead of imprisoning them, we offered them to act as authentic opponents to test our recruits. This is the home of one such Dark Knight, he is preparing for battle as we speak, and this is why I have brought you here.”

Erin heard the creak of a door and, as she turned, found a Dark Knight, wearing black and purple armour, approaching them with a sword in hand.

“Sparkster,” the Dark Knight spoke, his speech muffled slightly due to him wearing a helmet, “what do I owe the pleasure?”

“The same as before; I will supervise.” the Rocket Knight requested, “You do not need to be gentle; this battle needs to be as realistic as possible, meaning we require your best.”

“You want be to fight this… lovely young woman.” the Dark Knight leered. “You may be interested to know that this girl is my daughter!” Sparkster barked.

“Ah, so this is the girl we all know about.” He realises before adding; “You’ll be in for a shock when you meet my former employer, milady.”

“We can discuss this later.” Sparkster ordered, “After the battle.”

The Rocket Knight turns to Erin, “Since you don’t have your own sword yet, I would like you to use mine.” Sparkster drew his sword out and handed it to her with the blade pointing down.

“Really? You honestly don’t mind me using… your sword?” She asked, carefully taking hold of the hilt. “Of course I don’t mind, you can’t use duelling swords in this fight. Only a real Rocket Knight’s sword will do.”

The sword was much heavier than the duelling swords she was used to, but she could deal with it. She took a moment to ponder over all the enemies Sparkster defeated with this sword; all the campaigns he fought in and all the countries he has visited with this sword at hand over all the years. This sword would probably remain as an iconic relic of the Empire’s greatest hero long after everyone alive today have passed on. One could not help but savour the moment of holding real history.

Erin finally gets herself into position, and so did her Dark Knight opponent. After a moment of awkwardness, the Dark Knight threw his first attack, and the battle began. Erin started simply parrying the attacks, watching her opponent’s movements and noting particular patterns but, as the Knight applied more pressure, she was tasked with maintaining her defence.

She then decided to press him out of frustration, throwing as many attacks at her opponent as possible; approaching him to try to force him back. Reacting to the stress, the Dark Knight charged his sword and launched a beam attack. Erin jumped up using her rocket pack and, while he was surprised, propelled herself at him, forcing him to jump backward. Erin quickly jetted herself forward, clashing against the Knight before resuming the duel, applying pressure, and thrashing at him ferociously. She finally managed to overwhelm his defence, driving his sword upwards, before using the opportunity to disarm him by thrusting into his arm, cutting upwards and knocking his sword from his hand. Roaring in pain, he knelt to the ground, clasping his arm, before Erin pressed her sword against his neck to conclude the duel.

Sparkster laughed, “Great work, Erin. I am impressed with your progress.”

“You’re not bad, kid.” the Dark Knight growled, “But do not think you will win so easily against the real thing.”

“What do you mean?” Erin queried. “I might have been a Dark Knight once but that was long before you were born. I would think, after all these years, they would have found new tricks and methods to use that I would not know about. You have defeated a Dark Knight who was at his prime twenty years ago, so don’t get too excited about your capabilities, kid.”

The Dark Knight struggled to his feet and he walked back into his hovel, slamming the door behind him, leaving a downhearted Erin with her adoptive father. “Ignore him, Erin.” Sparkster came to her side and drew her close, “You did well, and some of our recruits had a far worse time with him when they came here.”

“But… what he said…” Erin looked to him with a catch in her throat. “Oh, don’t worry about that. Dark Knights are sore losers, they always have been, and I guess they still are even after all these years. Forget about him.

“There is still one last thing I want to do before we go.” Sparkster searched himself, “I wanted to give you something, something I cannot give you when we’re in the city, and I will hand it over… once I find it…”

Sparkster, taking back his sword, hands Erin a small rod-like device with a button on the tip. “What is this?”

“Press the button and find out.” Sparkster suggested. As she pressed the button, the rod changed and transformed in the same way as the Rocket Knight Armour does, folding out from within a confined space, until it shaped into a thin, light blade.

“A… sword?” Erin looked at Sparkster, confused. “It’s a… particularly useful device if you ever get yourself into any trouble.” Sparkster clarifies, “I used this device just after Axel Gear killed my predecessor; I was not always the best Rocket Knight and I would occasionally get myself captured or imprisoned. I had this about my person during those moments and, with it, I managed to fight my way out with ease.

“It was also given to me by my predecessor.” He confessed, “He was also my adoptive father, as you know, and I guess it is somewhat fitting I would give this to you now. I want you to have it when you leave tomorrow, and I want you to use it should you ever fall into any trouble.”

Erin, teary-eyed, wraps her arms around Sparkster, “Thanks…” she manages to chime out. The Rocket Knight, suddenly feeling emotional, wraps his own arms around her and draws her close. “You’re welcome, Erin.”

Sparkster was the first to break the moment, dragging himself up from their hug. “Come on.” He said, trying to remain positive, “Let’s go home, we still have a schedule to finish.”

~~~

The remainder of the day they reserved for themselves. Sparkster took her to the theatre to watch her favourite play, took her out for her favourite meal, and finally spent their last hours reminiscing at home until they fell asleep together in each other’s arms.

In the morning, the two frantically prepared for the long journey out to Axel Gear’s base. A day that should have been one of Erin’s happiest became the most dreaded and feared day of her life. The King, with a large contingency of Rocket Knights, arrived at Sparkster’s home to escort the two to Axel’s base, far beyond the borders of the Empire. The King did not trust this momentous task to Sparkster alone, the King distrusted the Rocket Knight and believed he would ultimately decide to back out of the deal, so the King came to ensure that he did as ordered.

Sparkster had already asked Erin whether she would prefer to flee instead, giving her the freedom of choice, but she refused to run. She knew the terms of the deal, and if she did not turn up, Axel Gear and his Dark Knights would roll in and obliterate the Empire. She would prefer to sacrifice herself rather than risk the wrath of the Dark Knights being unleashed across the Empire, giving them an excuse for killing countless numbers of people.

The rolling hills, grass meadows and peaceful forests of the Empire gave way to the disserted and uninhabitable lands beyond the frontiers. They continued to travel through the wastelands, ruined towns and old battlegrounds, littered with the relics of past wars. The hellish existence outside the Empire continued until they found an enormous fortress towering up into thick, black clouds circling overhead into a storm.

As they finally neared the eerie fortress, they found a bridge that crosses over a gorge to the gates, and an icy fog that quickly moved in made the Rocket Knights twitchy and nervous. This was finally it, this was the moment Erin has been waiting for since she was born, the completion of a peace deal struck over her life. If only it could have been avoided.

* Author's Note - Feel free to comment *

[Virmir]

When you said fan fiction, wasn't expecting it to be something I knew about!

This is a pretty interesting take here. Really like the setup! One thing that jumps out me is you flop back and forth between present and past tense. Take some time to change everything to past tense and the story will flow much more nicely.

I've only played the first game, but from what I recall Axel was more a henchman/right hand man to that pig robot emperor guy... though I have no idea what happens later on in the series, so dunno if he becomes virtually his own emperor as you have him set up here. He he he

Looking forward to reading more!

[Miles]

Sorry I have not posted anything in a while, but better late than never, right?

Virmir - This fanfiction does not really follow the game series, but, if I had to describe how it fit into series, I would more say that this is something of an alternate history/reality of that game-world. I also found this on Youtube if you are interested in the storyline for the game series (the first game, at least). I kind of miss how game manuals used to have these descriptions for us to read. Click Here

Anyway, here is the next chapter to the fanfiction, and you might find it a little darker than the other chapters so far. Enjoy.

Chapter Two

The King’s carriage finally stopped after the long journey through the wastelands, and the carriages sudden jolt snapped Erin out of her frightful daydreaming. A Rocket Knight came to the window of the carriage, with only the top of his helmet showing, and told the King that they had arrived at the fortress.

The King ordered Erin out of the carriage, to which she complied, and once she jumped down onto the dusty derelict road, she caught sight of an enormous fortress stretching high into a swirling cloud formation with a strange firestorm raging where the fortresses tower enters into the clouds. Before Erin could analyse the fortress further, two Rocket Knights grabbed her on both sides and shoved her forward, ahead of the battalion, toward the bridge.

“Walk!” the King ordered, standing like an iron wall of resentment while flanked by two Rocket Knights against her. Erin, paralyzed by fear, could not move.

“If you do not start walking…” the King demanded, “…then you will be cut down where you stand and we will dump your corpse at the entrance to this monstrosity. Either way, you are going across that bridge whether you like it or not.”

The King’s threat did not help her nerves, and after Erin remained fixed to her spot, the King signaled the Rocket Knights to draw their swords.

“What do you think you are doing?!” A commanding voice bellowed out from behind the King, to which one Rocket Knight then burst past his fellows and came to Erin’s side.

“What do you think you are doing, Sparkster!” the King barked at him. “You have been ordered to remain out of this. Stand down now or be executed!”

“Can you not see that she is petrified?” Sparkster turned to the battalion, “How would any of you feel if you were the ones to be sent into this den of wolves? Erin is sacrificing yourself so that the rest of you might live tomorrow, and given that she has decided to stand and face this horror rather than turn and run away is nothing but a testament to her bravery.”

Sparkster stepped toward the battalion, “Rather than threaten her with death, you should all be standing behind her for this is something none of us would wish upon anyone…” Sparkster then stopped and looked straight at the King, “…but, like what happens so often these days, she has been forced to accept a fate by those whom should have known better.”

The King glared at Sparkster, and Sparkster glared back at the King before the Rocket Knight returned to Erin’s side. “I will lead Erin across the bridge safely.” Sparkster announced, “No one should have to take this path alone.”


While walking across the bridge, which was longer than expected, Erin continued to deteriorate into despair. This dreadful set of circumstances; to be torn from everything she had ever known, to be deprived of the one person she had ever loved, to be placed at the mercy of a mass murderer and war criminal; was nothing short of a nightmare. Erin, clutching Sparkster’s hand, began to splutter with tears before she finally broke down there and then on the bridge.

Sparkster had to think quickly before she completely lost it. The Rocket Knight, feeling slightly incensed, clasped his adoptive daughter by the arms and told her in a striking tone, “Erin, you have to get a grip!

“All of the training and preparation that we have been working through, since the day I told you about the peace deal with your father, has all been leading up to this moment.” He reminded her, “Returning to your father is unavoidable, we both know that, and we both know what you have to do from this moment forward. You have to steel yourself, and be ready to face whatever happens to you after today. If you do not, if you allow yourself to show weakness to your father and his minions, then… I doubt we will ever see each other again.

“But this does not have to be the case, Erin.” Sparkster pleaded to her, which drew her attention up to him from her despair, “We can be together again, Erin, but for that to happen you will need to be strong and pull yourself through whatever challenges you come to face. I would have protected you if I could, but the best I could do was to prepare you as much as possible for this day, and I have done all I can to ensure that you will survive whatever lies ahead.

“I know with absolute certainty that Axel Gear will not keep his promise for peace, he will come after the Empire eventually, and he will want you by his side, as his heir, when he launches his invasion. His invasion of the Empire will be the moment when you choose your side, and choose your future, but you must survive until then. Everything we have done together has been my desperate gamble to ensure your survival.

“And, when Axel Gear invades, it will mean everything to me if you chose to fight by my side, as my daughter...” Sparkster relaxed and afforded himself a smile before concluding, “…but that will have to be your choice.

“Regardless as to what happens, never forget that I will always consider you to be my daughter, and that I will always love you, now and forever.”

Erin, feeling better, pulls herself together and stands up with Sparkster. With a deep breathe, and after wiping away her tears, she nods to Sparkster to continue onward across the bridge to face her destiny.


Making it to the other side of the bridge, they find a black gatehouse, seemingly deserted, before a booming voice called out from nowhere, “LEAVE, ROCKET KNIGHT. YOUR PRESENCE WILL NOT BE TOLERATED WITHIN OUR GROUNDS!”

Sparkster, stepping away from Erin, walked backwards into the mist before he reluctantly turned and walked away, leaving his adoptive daughter by the gate.

“AREA CLEAR.” The voice boomed again, “OPEN THE GATES.”

As commanded, the gate rose into the gatehouse while the distinct sound of metal chains and gears rattled in her ears. Erin, sheepishly cautious, slowly walked into the dark and gloomy courtyard; where she found enough war machines, ammunitions, and supply crates to support a whole army.

As she continued, something struck her, and before she could think, she suddenly fell to the ground unconscious.

~~~

Back in the Empire, within the throne room of the Royal Palace, Sparkster argues with the King.

“What is done is done, Sparkster.” The King rationalised, “There is little point in agonizing over this situation anymore since the situation has passed, and our peaceful existence has now been guaranteed.”

“You cannot truly believe that Axel Gear will keep his word?” Sparkster exclaimed, “He is more powerful than any enemy that our Empire has ever faced before, and his influence stretches to all four corners of the globe. He has absolutely no reason to honour your peace deal, now that he has his daughter back, and we are all aware of just how much of a trustworthy character he has always proven to be.”
“You have such little faith, Sparkster.” The King commented.

“I have little faith!?” Sparkster roared at the King in disbelief, “You were the one who struck this peace deal with Axel Gear in the first place. You had so little faith in the Rocket Knights ability to defeat Axel Gear, even after we destroyed a fortress which you and your spied believed to be invulnerable to attack, that you turned on us and used the ideals of peace to stop us from ending the Dark Knights reign of terror once and for all!”

“I did what I had to do, I am the King, and I have everyone and everything to consider; not just you and your damn wars!” The King blustered.

“We had them…” Sparkster attempted to continue, but the boom of battleship engines suddenly and violently shook the palace and interrupted him.

Sparkster, flanked by his knights, looked up through the tall stain-glass windows of the palace just before a menacing shadow fell down upon them all. They knew this darkness to be the unmistakable shadow of Axel Gear’s personal dreadnought.


High above the sprawling metropolis that is the capital city of the Empire, an enormous battleship, which was almost half the size of the city, hovered above the awe-stricken masses.

Underneath the battleship, a compartment opened up and some kind of tesla-coil weapon revealed itself, pointing down on the city. This weapon suddenly activated, and crackled with electro-magnetic energy, before it shot down a ball of energy straight down onto the city. The resulting wave of electro-magnetic energy rapidly coursed throughout the metropolis, causing anything with an electronic circuit to explode, including rocket packs.

As this wave of energy reached the Royal Palace, and penetrated into the building, Sparkster’s rocket pack exploded on his back, as did the rocket packs of his knights, but the explosions did not cause any serious harm.

Then, coming from the Axel Gear’s dreadnaught, as the weapon folded away into the hull, Axel Gear’s voice boomed down onto the people of the Empire using high-powered speakers.


“Greetings, unwashed masses of the Empire!
“The weapon I have used against your city will not harm any of you physically, but it may render your entire city inoperable for some time, which is long enough to allow me to make an example of those that dared to scorn me!
“As everyone within this Empire is fully aware of, your beloved King, your seemingly benevolent autocrat, used my daughter, my own flesh and blood, to threaten me to concede to a peace deal which continues to insult me to this very day.
“I believe I do not have to remind the people of this Empire that doing such a despicable thing is undeniably evil, but perhaps you must be educated on how much of a grave mistake is it to have threatened the most powerful man on Elhorn! Since none of you had the common decency to do the right thing, and return my daughter to me, then the burden of blame falls upon you all!
“If any of you had done that, if any of you returned my daughter to me, then I might have considered honouring our peace deal. However, since you all stood by your beloved King, something our pathetic species seems to do far too often, then you must all suffer as I have suffered. And, as my first act of revenge, I will do the same unto you as you have all done unto me!”

With that cue, the dreadnought’s airlocks opened along the hull before tens of thousands of Dark Knights poured down into the streets. The Dark Knights then started to grab young women, overpowering them and anyone who might try to protect them, before jetting back to the dreadnought with their hostages kicking and screaming in horror.
“Enjoy your new spoils, boys.” Axel Gear cryptically announced, “Do with them as you please. But, as for myself, I prefer something more… regal.”

Sparkster and his knights then heard an explosion on the higher levels of the palace moments later, and Sparkster quickly raced through the staircases and corridors of the palace before bursting into the princesses quarters, finding her draped over Axel’s shoulder while he pointed his sword against his newly-arrived opponents.
“Axel, hand over the princess!” Sparkster demanded, “You have more than made your point.”
“Hardily.” Axel Gear dismissed, “The old man needs to understand what he has put me through for the last fifteen years, what it is like to have his daughter in the hands of the enemy, but this is only just the beginning.
“Though, on an unrelated note, I must thank you, Sparkster, for all that you have done for my daughter.”
“What?”
“Despite the fact I was robbed of the opportunity to raise my own daughter, it was, at least, somewhat better for her to be raised by you, my arch-nemesis, than groveling in poverty in an orphanage, with the rest of your societies undesirables; just as I was, for the most part.
“And once I show my daughter where she truly belongs, she will finally know the power within her bloodline.”
“Erin is nothing like you.” Sparkster agonised, “She will never allow herself to turn into you.”
“So sure, are you?” Axel smirked, “You forget that my blood and my genes flow through her veins, as does the power that I now wield. You might have filled her head with that “moral” nonsense, but she only needs to taste the power that she can possess and she will then be unstoppable. She would be even greater than you, me, and anyone who might try to oppose her.”
“You are insane, Axel!”
“We shall see.”
Sparkster tried to reach for his sword but Axel raised the tip of his blade at Sparkster, causing the rocket knight to freeze, “Enough talk.” Axel concluded, “As you can see, I have plans with the princess, and I fully intend to have a lot of fun with her in the very near future.”

Axel Gear, jumping backward onto the broken wall he blasted through, suddenly turned and jumped off, jetting himself back onto his dreadnaught with the princess.

Before leaving, Axel Gear had just one last thing he wanted to do, “Oh, and do not think I have forgotten that you destroyed by last fortress, Rocket Knights.

“Do any of you have any idea how much they cost? Fortunately for me, I have forty or so fortresses now, each bigger than the last, but still, I think you deserve some special treatment…”

Axel’s dreadnaught, as it turned around, pointed its main guns straight at the Rocket Knight Academy and ruthlessly opened fire on the base, blasting the whole institution into oblivion and scattering debris across the whole city.

The dreadnaught continued to turn until it faced away from the city, and with the rev of its engines, it finally blasted away and left the Empire.

Sparkster and his Rocket Knights, after returning to the throne room and to the King, resumed their argument; but Sparkster had something other than arguing on his mind now.

“Do you see what you have done?!” Sparkster bawled at the King, “Do you now realise what I have been trying to tell you for the past fifteen years?! Axel Gear has kidnapped countless women, kidnapped the princess, destroyed the Rocket Knight Academy, and who knows what else he has planned for us.

“All because of you, Axel Gear is now more powerful than ever before; he has successfully subjugated most of the world under his rule, he commands resources and forces which put any organised army to shame, and he now threatens our people in a capacity he never could before.
“You did all of this.” Sparkster drew his sword, “You and you alone, Your Majesty, have brought doom upon us all!”

Suddenly, the Kings guards drew their weapons, reacting to Sparkster’s aggression, and came at the Rocket Knight; but, in a few quick thrashes, the guards’ armour and weapons cascaded across the floor of the throne room.

“Leave if you value your lives.” He ordered the guards, and they did not hesitate to flee.

“The people of the Empire require someone to lead them in this time of turmoil,” Sparkster continued, “and a traitorous, disgraced King will no longer command any respect with the people, and so I am forced to do what I thought I would never have to…” Sparkster stopped to compose himself before continuing, “With the power invested in me as Leader of the Rocket Knights, I hereby relieve you of the throne as well as all your claims to the throne, and all the claims of your heirs are hereby nullified until this crisis has been averted.”
“What?” the King protested as he was dragged from the throne by Sparkster’s knights, “You cannot do this!”
“I am afraid that you will find that I can, and have.” Sparkster replied before ordering his knights, “Get him out of here!”

~~~

Erin, finally starting to regain consciousness, slowly awakened to find herself within luxurious accommodations; seamless and immaculate marble walls and floors, expensive furniture, rugs, ornaments, portraits and all manner of other features. These quarters were even more lavish than those within the Royal Palace of the Empire.

As she dragged herself up in bed, she found that someone must have changed her clothes since she was now wearing brand new and extravagant clothes; something she was rather worried about since someone must have been seen her naked.

The young opossum climbed out of her four-poster bed and followed the open plan layout of her quarters, taking a few steps down, into the lounge where she found a massive open fireplace with a seating area stationed in front of it. Erin suddenly realised that this must have been how her father has lived for all these years; living in a palace grander than that of royalty, and surrounded by all the luxuries money and power could afford him. She also could not help but wonder if this is how she might have lived if Sparkster…

As Erin turned, she jumped out of her fur at the sight of a Dark Knight standing right behind her. “My apologies if I startled you, milady, but your father has requested your presence, and he awaits for you within his personal quarters.”

“And… you are?” Erin asked, catching her bearings.

“I am Raven, milady. Your father appointed me to be your personal bodyguard for the foreseeable future.”

“Why would I need a bodyguard?” Erin queried.

“Some of your father’s men… generally cannot be trusted to behave themselves while within the presence of women, especially his daughter.” Raven implied, “Although Lord Gear has recently taken measures to deal with this… problem, he still does not completely trust his knights, and so appointed me to protect you should anyone try anything… disrespectful.”

“And just how are you any different from the other Dark Knights?” She scrutinized him.

“I’m gay, Miss Gear.” He smugly replied.

“Ah, I see.”

“Shall we?” Raven gestured toward the door to usher her along.

Erin stepped out of her quarters, out into the corridor, and found that both ends of the corridor were closed and barred. “Do not worry about that, milady.” Raven assured her, “Your father is most eager to meet you after all these years, and he does not want you to wonder off without speaking to him first. The guards have orders to reopen this corridor once you have entered your father’s quarters.”

Raven then guided his charge along the corridor to the quarters next to Erin’s, “These are your father’s quarters, he has asked me to give the both of you some privacy, and so I will not be accompanying you inside this time, if ever at all.”

Raven opened the door to Axel’s quarters and Erin stepped in, and then she watched Raven slam the door shut behind her.


Axel’s quarters were much like Erin’s: with the lower section being the lounge whilst the elevated section beyond the lounge was a study rather than the bedchamber. Erin cautiously walked through the lounge and approached the study, slowly rising up the steps until her line of sight peered over the desk to where she found an opossum stood wearing black and purple armour.

The Dark Knight looked up from his work, noticing the young girl, and smiled as he looked straight back at the girl. “Erin,” his raspy voice sounded out, “we finally meet at long last.”

“You… you’re Axel Gear!” Erin returned, though she was not sure why she stated the obvious.

“You recognise your father?” He noticed while began to slowly walk around the desk, “But I am not surprised that you perceive me as you do. What do those within the Empire call me?

Axel continued, “I have been given many titles over the years; a crime lord, warlord, terrorist, scourge, tyrant, dictator, war criminal, demon, and countless others. All such names were born of ignorance of my nature and fear of what they cannot control.”

“It is not that simple.” Erin challenged him, “You are responsible for the countless untold misery you unleashed throughout the world. There were children back in the Empire that were made orphans because of you and your Dark Knights.”

“Those are unfortunate consequences, but this world is cruel by its very nature, and it is only those like us, the Dark Knights, who truly understand and appreciate what we must do to survive and thrive in this world.”

Axel Gear approached Erin, “Those unfortunate enough to have an unfair start in life should have the greatest motivation to succeed and dominate than those that had better. Those that do not take the opportunity are weak. Those that do take the opportunity, but fail, are unworthy. But those that do take the opportunity, and succeed, are entitled to whatever they want in this world as long as they can take it.

“Strength, power, and self-determination are born from poverty, injustice, and oppression; I am the living embodiment of that reality, and just how far one can rise in greatness, regardless of what those who subscribe to the narrow-minded concepts of morality think, only depends on your ambition and how much time you have left in this world.

“But I know that is not what you believe, is it?” Axel smirked, “Sparkster would never have allowed you to consider such a philosophy.”
“Sparkster is a good man, who has done more for me than anyone else has throughout my life.” Erin chimed out.
“True, but Sparkster is also naïve, and incapable of understanding other people and their motives.” Axel added, “If he did understand what people are truly like underneath their veil of morality, he would have never confided in the King who ultimately betrayed you, Sparkster, and the whole Empire simultaneously. Moral idealists, like Sparkster, are blind to the corruptive influences that motivate people to commit acts that you would never expect from them, such as betrayal from the Royal Family.”

“But… it is wrong the think the worst of people…” Erin weakly tried to argue.

“But what do you do when those you have trusted betray you?” Axel persisted, “What do you do when no one even cares enough to try to help you?

“Sparkster found himself in this same predicament. The one person he thought he could always trust, the King, betrayed him so that the King would get only what he wanted in this world. If Sparkster had stopped and thought things through, with a more cynical view on the world and its people, all that had happened since that moment he confided in the King might never have occurred. In a sense, Sparkster can only blame himself for the problems his naivety created for him.”

Axel Gear walked up to Erin and placed his hands on her shoulders, “I know it hurts to realise it, but the only person you can only truly rely on in this world is yourself. I learnt that the hard way, and though you could never truly rely on me either, I will, at least, be honest enough to admit it.”

Erin looked up at him and replied, “I simply cannot accept that philosophy.”

“I didn’t think that you would.” Axel concluded, “But I don’t care to try and convince you to see things my way, I am just glad that you are finally back with me, at long last.”

Axel wrapped his arms around Erin and pulled her into his embrace, which was rather strange to Erin, she did not expect him to be anything like this, but perhaps this is his way of trying to turn her to round to his side, but she was determined not going to fall for it…

Axel Gear held her tight, “I somewhat thought that I would never see you again. I lost both you and your mother on the same day…” and Axel’s voice changed to a more sinister tone, “…but when the King called me up and threatened to kill you before my very eyes, I knew what I had to do to protect you.”

“The King… threatened to kill me?” Erin queried. “Yes, he would have killed you if I refused his peace deal.”

“I know that you must think badly of me, Erin,” Axel whispered, “but I do not lie when I say that both you and your mother where the only two… I ever truly loved in my life.”

Erin could not help but wonder, “Wh… what was my mother like?”

Axel pulled himself away from Erin in surprise before she added, “I have never known anything about her, after all.”

The Dark Knight smiled, “This will probably be a long story, but if you want to know then… take a seat.” Axel gestured to his lounge where they could talk; Axel then went to his cabinet to get something for the two of them to drink before he accompanied his daughter in front of the fireplace where he spend the remainder of the day indulging Erin’s curiosity.

* Feel free to comment *

[Virmir]

This has some cheesy dramatic moments, which I am found of. It was a bit predictable in some spots, but still am enjoying where you're going with this. Looking forward to the next part!