Cloud

A pigeon, standing casually on the ground. He turns his head curiously. You can see two men in the reflection of his eye. Young men, both with their blades raised. They seem to be ready to attack eachother...

But who? Who was going to attack first? That was the question. Isaac and Haro were waiting.
Looking eachother in the eyes, they were searching for that one sign of doubt or distraction. Though they weren't fighting yet, in their minds they already were. Predicting the first move of the opponent, their counterattack. Still waiting. In the background, Isaac could see Josi standing. he caught a glimpse of her face, scared yet confident. That was the moment Haro had been waiting for. He jumped up and slashed in Isaac's direction, who could barely block the incoming blade. Haro went for another attack, aiming for Isaac's side. Isaac jumped up and dodged the attack. He flipped through the air and landed behing Haro. He swung his katana. Haro leaped back. Isaac was ready for another attack. He ran up to Haro, his blade raised. He jumped up, his katana above his head. Haro swung his blade to block the incoming one. The two titans met. The sound echoed throughout the city. Sparks flew everywhere. They seemed to be still, frozen in time, like a sculpture. Crafted my a master sculptor. Isaac fell to the floor, recovering quickly with a roll. Haro lowered his blade: "Good, very good." He complimented Isaac and raised his hand, Isaac stepped back. "Leave." Haro ordered his men.
"Leave Sir?" The soldier with the highest rank questioned this order. Haro turned around, somehow knowing Isaac wouldn't attack him in the back. "Lieutenant..." He spoke with a fierce tone, "I gave you an order." This display of authority seemed to work. "Sir, yes sir..." The Lieutenant stepped back and relayed the order to his men. "I will take full responsibility."
It was the last thing Haro said to the lieutenant. He turned around and faced Isaac, who didn't exactly know what was going on. Haro just smiled, well...more like a satisified smirk, and turned around. He followed his men with a casual pace. 

"What was that about?" Isaac was puzzled. "A test..." Arisu clarified the situation. 
"A test?" Josi didn't know more than Isaac. "They are testing us, they want to know how strong we are, we just might be a threat to them." Isaac chuckled a bit: "We are a threat to them." The crowd around them was amazed and cheerful. Not many could, or would, defy the reign of oppresion. So anyone who would dare to do such a thing would be a hero. 
This was the first time that the trio witnessed a crowd so happy. And that's when it struck Isaac. If they would succeed, it would bring joy to this...no, all the worlds. They would really make a difference. This was very important, but not only for them. Isaac looked at Josi, cheerful even after a bullet almost hit her. Cheerful, Isaac had to get used to that. 
Isaac noticed he was a bit tired, maybe some rest would do him good. He looked at Arisu, she was tired as well. "Let's get some place to rest." She said. Josi couldn't agree more, Isaac could tell that by the look of her face.

Rain

The hotel-room was nice. The owner was kind enough to grand them 2 free nights, a sign he didn't like the NTA that much. It had three rooms plus a bathroom. Isaac was sitting on the bed of the biggest room. Watching the clouds that were hanging over the city releasing their sorrow. What did he get into? He saw the sun dying out under the build-up of  clouds. 
Gunships, soldiers...
"Hey!" Josi came by. "You look...clueless."
"Well to be honest, I am." There was a faint smile on Isaac's face.
"What did I roll into?" It was more like he was asking himself.
"You can't see it yet..." Josi's tone became serious, "Not many believe in it. But those who do and don't have one thing in common: They will stop them." By 'them' she meant the NTA, she continued: "There are forces at work, they will grow and eventually it will come to..." She waited a moment, she was always...startled if she thought about this...
"War..." 
That last word, it pierced Isaac.
"War? How do you...How do you know this...?" 
"They tell me..."
Isaac turned silent, not knowing what to say, it took a while before "Who are...they?" came out. "They are..." You could see by the look of Josi's face that she'd never thought of this. She didn't know either. "Some kind of...'Higher Force' or something?" Isaac took a guess.
"Something like that." Josi sat down next to Isaac. She waited for him to start talking.
But Isaac remained silent, sighed and continued overlooking the mountains. 
Josi was disappointed with this, she wanted to know more about this strange individual. But all she got were questions, not answers. 
"So where are you from?" She introduced a new subject.
"Listen I don't think...." Isaac tried to stay out of it.
"No, where are you from?" She asked cheerfully.
"Just...just..."
"C'mon you can tell me."
"NO..." Isaac yelled and he stood up.
"Oh...I'm...I'm...sorry." Josi looked down, filled with guilt, afraid she had hurt Isaac.
"No...don't be, it's not your fault." Isaac turned around, repeating his words. He walked out of the room, leaving Josi to see the sunset that was dominated by clouds...alone...
How...?
How could she gain his trust?

Isaac moved slowly through the corridor, hands in his pockets, thinking things over.
How...?
How could he trust her?
How could he trust anyone for that matter?

"So tell me, why haven't you brought her here? I told you to eliminate her companions" 
The Emperor shifted his weight.
"My Lord, I cannot win without knowing their strength." Haro sat on one knee. The room was as clean as always. The white marble reflected everything. It was strange, Haro sat here almost everyday and he was still surprised how clean this place was. 
"Well then, how strong are they." Haro didn't expect that the Emperor would take it so well.
"Stronger than I assumed. The young man has quite the willpower." Haro knew this wouldn't be a satisfying answer. Though his superior didn't seem to be unsatisfied. 
"How many men do you need?" He asked.
"My Lord, with your permission I would like to create my own team." This request was odd, but Augustus knew it would go well.
"That is good, do you know where they're going?" The Emperor showed a smirk.
"I have a pretty good idea, My Lord." Haro didn't share the Emperor's happiness.
"Good....good...now leave." Haro stood up, bowed and was glad he could leave.
He would never get used to this. Again, the silver, 8 meter doors opened and Haro left the room. 

Arisu sighed, finding a new vehicle was hard. Especially when you didn't have alot of money. She hid under the roof of a busstop. Rain was falling from the sky. Thick crystals broke apart as they had their first and final meeting with the ground. A layer of water was forming on the streets, reflecting the city lights that were turned on one by one. Arisu was actually happy with this little shower. She listened to the drops falling down. It was relaxing. She closed her eyes as all the noise around her made way for the sound of the rain. She sat there for maybe 5 minutes, waiting for the rain to stop. "Hmm..." The sound of an idea. She was sitting in a busstop. Strange actually, it was so obvious. But a bus? A bus would be too small, too slow, maybe a...train? Ofcourse...
She stood up and walked back to the hotel. 
The rain coming down on her shoulders.
     
Moonlight

Eventually, the clouds made room for the stars to come out. The tiny diamond dots scattered over the black sky made a peaceful and serene scenery. Isaac sat on the roof of the hotel, clearing his mind. Ilia's two moons were hanging quietly in the nightsky, as if they were now  
overlooking the world. They probably don't think we're doing it good down here. Isaac's thoughts were as quiet as his surroundings. If he would close his eyes a bit it would be like he was flying in outer space. He sighed and enjoyed this quiet moment. 
"H-...Hey..." Josi came to the roof. Her voice was hesitant, she was still afraid she had done something wrong. "Are you alright?" She asked while sitting down next to Isaac. "Yeah I think so..." Isaac's eyes, they were...Had he been crying? Josi knew she wasn't going to find anything out about Isaac...for now, so she just joined Isaac, looking at the stars, the moons.
"Pretty..." She said. 
"Sure is..." Isaac agreed.
"There you are!" Arisu came up the stairway.
"Hey, find anything yet?" Josi wanted to leave this small city, though she did think it was too bad that they had to.
Arisu pulled three traintickets from her pocket. "Sure did." She said with a satisfied smile.
Isaac turned his head: "When does our train leave?" 
"11 O'clock sharp." Arisu looked at her watch. 22:42...Her eyes wandered up and they became fascinated. "Wow..." She was also impressed by the nightsky. She sat down right next to Josi and Isaac. And so they looked, their thoughts going their own way. They all had a smile on their faces. 

An hour passed. Arisu yawned: "I'm gonna get some sleep..." She stretched her back, said "Goodnight." and left the other two. A breeze came up, the leaves from the dozens of trees started to wave gently in the air. It was getting cold and Josi could feel that. Isaac noticed and handed Josi his coat. She looked at Isaac. Isaac his eyes were saying "It's okay, take it.". Josi her smile was a nice "Thank you." Strange, she was so open, so...free. The coat was warm and soft. 
"You know..."
"Hmm..?"
"I'm from Earth..."

Cold Steel

Josi opened her eyes. Morning showed its face through the window. She got up and looked around, wiping sleep from her eyes. Isaac was busy putting his shoes on. "Hey sleepyhead." He said. "What time is it?" Josi asked, stretching. "Around...10:30." Isaac answered.
"Really? Oh no...we're going to miss the train." Josi's sleep was immediately gone. "Relax, we'll be on time." Isaac didn't know what the fuss was all about. Josi ran into the bathroom, Isaac looked out the window scratching his shoulder, Josi washed her face as fast as she could, Isaac yawned. It took 15 minutes for her to finish. The second she came out of the bathroom, Arisu walked in holding a bag with sandwiches. "Coming?" She asked. 
"Sure." Isaac stretched his back. "Just a minute." Josi was putting on her shoes. "Are we late?" She asked. "No it's 20 past 10." Arisu answered. Josi looked at Arisu, then at Isaac who was chuckling. "You...!" Josi didn't seem to be very happy. Isaac laughed. 
"Did I...miss something here?" Arisu was oblivious.

The train was going to departure in a couple of minutes. It was a bit chilly. In the departure hall were several trains, Magnetic-Levitation trains, coming and going. It wasn't that crowded, but the place wasn't empty either. There weren't many that would take a train at this hour. 
"This must be the one." Arisu looked at a train, number 32. She got in, followed by Josi. Isaac took one last look around. Something...something wasn't right. He shook his head a little and entered the bullet-shaped train. 

The seats were quite comfortable. They gave enough support but not too much, so you could sleep in them. They seemed to be velvet and they had a deep blue colour. The inside of the train was mostly light-grey with some metal accents. It had this classy feel. But it was also quiet. Isaac liked it and he sat back to enjoy the ride. "Train departuring, next stop 'Shiro Point'." Shiro Point was a large city that lay on the top of a mountain. This place might seem unusual for a city, but it is handy for merchants and such that would come from different planets. The mountain is around 5 kilometers high, so snow covered most of the mountain. 
Arisu was born there, it was a nice place. The top of every building was covered in white. Snow filled the streets. Arisu smiled, it will be nice seeing her hometown again. 

The train slowly moved forward, soon it reached its top speed, over 600 Km/H.
In the train it was quiet, Isaac seemed to be asleep, Josi was looking out of the window and Arisu was listening to some relaxing music. Isaac opened his eyes, he felt something. He looked out of the window. Josi turned her head. "We're slowing down, aren't we?" Isaac asked, already knowing the answer. He was right the train was slowing down. Arisu also took notice. "This can't be right." She said. "I'll go check it out." Arisu stood up and walked towards the front of the train. 

The train slowly came to a halt as she reached the front. A door was seperating her from the driver. She opened it and the first thing she noticed was blood on the other side of the door. The driver lay on the floor, his throat cut open. She gasped..."Oh no..." She ran as fast as she could through the train. Their seats were empty. She looked around, everybody in the train looked like they had just seen a ghost. Terrified. "Where..?" Arisu asked. An old lady pointed in the direction of the next carriage. 

"Get down..." Isaac said to Josi. She sat down on the train, the steel was cold. But she didn't even noticed. Isaac looked in the eyes of his opponent, his enemy began to speak: "I am Dittrich." He revealed a mechanical arm. It looked like it was made from silver, it was sleek and round, almost a normal arm with a nasty wrist-blade attached on the top. In his right hand he held a small blade, not a katana, it looked like it was custom made. Black handle, It seemed to have a symbol on it. NTA Spec-Ops? "I am the first and probably the last in your path. I have been sent by the Emperor himself." Isaac readied himself. "Now is the time to fight." Dittrich's voice was fierce. 

It went silent as Isaac and Dittrich slowly moved forward. The trees around waved in the morning breeze, the sun was shining, but clouds began to form. A big puff casted a shadow on the train and suddenly it began to get colder. Isaac raised his blade, ready to attack. Slowly he stepped forward. Suddenly, Dittrich began to run. Isaac came in low with his blade, aiming for the left kidney, but Dittrich jumped up. He flipped over Isaac and landed behind him. Dittrich's blade cut through the air. Isaac blocked it, but Dittrich came in with his wrist-blades and he grazed Isaac's side. Isaac quickly leaped back, 2 nasty cuts in his side. Drops of blood fell on the white train. "You are good, young one..." Dittrich complimented Isaac, "Too bad your skills aren't good enough. You would've made a good warrior." Isaac could recognise somesort of Russian accent in Dittrich's voice. Dittrich was good, very good. And for the first time, Isaac didn't know for sure he would win this. "I see your doubt, young one. Don't doubt, just go for it." Dittrich beckoned Isaac with a grin on his face. Isaac hesitated. 
That wrist-blade...Hmmm...Isaac had no experience fighting enemies with such a unique weapon. He would have to improvise. He spun his blade and took a breath. He was ready. In the corner of his eye, he saw someone. Arisu had climbed up the train. "Need a hand?"
"2?" Dittrich turned his head. He laughed. "This is getting better and better." He reached for something. He slowly pulled out a second blade. This one had a white handle, but it still had the same symbol on it. "Good you are here Arisu, I was wondering where you went. Pity it has to end like this." Arisu revealed a slight smile: "It will end alright." She spoke with confidence. She looked Isaac in the eyes; Ready? Isaac looked back, he was a bit surprised. Dittrich knew Arisu, but his look said; Always. 

Dittrich in the middle, Isaac and Arisu on both sides. It began. Arisu was the first one to make a move. She lunged at Dittrich with her blade, he blocked the attack with both of his blades. This left his back undefended. Isaac attacked, but with one powerful move, Dittrich kicked him in the guts. Isaac flew through the air. He landed on the next carriage and didn't get up. Now Dittrich had only one enemy left. He swung his blades, Arisu swung hers, the fight went so fast. Dittrich lunged, Arisu blocked. Arisu cut, Dittrich leaped. It was almost like ballet. Their moves were graceful, fast, powerful. Their blades went right past eachother. Sparks flew everywhere. The sound of metal cutting through the air echoed throughout the forest. 
Arisu was having a hard time blocking both blades. Dittrich seemed to gain the upper hand. His blade nearly cut Arisu her throat as she leaped back. She stepped back as she blocked one attack after another. She didn't know how much longer she could hold out. Dittrich attacked her until, he hit her on her lower right arm. Arisu cried out in pain and with one uppercut, Dittrich knocked her to the ground. Her blade flew to the air. She tried to get up, but Dittrich held her to the ground with both of his blades. "A shame really...I actually liked you." Dittrich came closer. "Hey...that's not the way you treat a lady." A male voice sounded. "Hmm..?" 

Dittrich turned his head. The man pulled out 2 guns, blades attached to them. He swung them around like revolvers and began firing. The spray of lead were blocked by one of Dittrich's blades. Arisu kicked the other blade out of Dittrich's hand and returned the uppercut. Blood came out of Dittrich's mouth and he fell. Arisu managed to catch his blade. DIttrich got up, blocking another round of bullets. The other man ran up to Dittrich, ready to strike with his gunblades. Dittrich blocked the first blade, dodged the other and pushed the man back. The man recovered, firing 3 rounds. Dittrich dodged two, but one hit him in his lower arm . Dittrich groaned. His last blade fell out of his hands. He was defenceless now. He looked at Arisu. She had this despising look in her eyes. He looked at his wrist-blades. Powerful, sleek, sharp. Almost 30 centimeters long. He ran up to Arisu. His eyes were filled with fire. She was going down, no matter what. He nearly reached her. 5 shots...Echoing. Birds flew out of the surrounding trees. Dittrich fell to his knees. His heartbeat slowing down, his vision fading to black. Arisu...her look turned from despise to pity. "You would...pity me now?" Dittrich's last words, journeying one his last breath. His head hit the floor, and life left his eyes. 

Runner

Arisu helped Isaac up. He didn't make a sound, though anyother person would've been in alot of pain. "Thanks." Isaac said, holding his chest. He groaned a bit as he stepped forward. "You alright?" He looked at Josi and helped her up. "I'll never get used to this." She said. 
"Thanks for you help." Arisu approached the strange man. 
"My pleasure."
"Got a name?"
"Robin, Robin Baldwin."
"The Corerunner?" Arisu raised an eyebrow. Yes, this Robin-fellow was the Corerunner. The best pilot, smuggler and racer in the Inner Core. He had dark blond hair, brown eyes and this unique grin.
He wasn't the tallest guy with 182 centimeters and his body wasn't the most muscular. But that grin could make anyone think twice about attacking him. That same grin was also one of the things that made him so popular by most women. Though he was single at the moment, and he was enjoying it. 
"Where are you heading?" He asked. 
"Shiro Point." Arisu answered. 
"That's not very far from here."
Robin looked at Isaac and Josi: "Interesting group you have here." He walked over to Isaac who was still holding his chest. "You alright?" Robin asked. Isaac answered with a nod. 
He looked up. Something was disturbing this forest. "I think we should go." Isaac said.
He jumped off the train. "Agreed." Robin did the same. Arisu followed and helped Josi.
A faint sound of moving mechanical parts came closer and closer. "A Manticora." Isaac said.
"You mean...the Mech...the NTA Mech?" Robin asked. "Yes...I think so." Isaac answered. "So the guy I just shot was...NTA?" Robin asked again, showing a sign of his impulsive nature." "He was..." Arisu replied. "Great." Robin's voice was filled with sarcasm as he turned around. "How much further to Shiro Point?" Isaac asked. "Another...5-6 miles." Arisu already began walking. "Hehe, another walk in the park." 
The group continued their way on foot.

The "walk in the park" turned out to be shorter than expected. Mainly because Josi was eager to see the city. Getting up the mountain was easy, all they had to do was follow the train-track. But finally, after 2 hours of walking, they reached the city.  

Shiro Point was bristling with life. It wasn't the biggest city with 200.000 people, but it was certainly one of the busiest. The atmmosphere in the city was very warm despite the snow.
But Arisu somehow felt something was wrong. There was this supressed tension in the air.
"So, where do we go now?" Robin asked. 
"My home."