Work Text:
Freighter captain Qanu Xhazra groaned as she awoke from the incessant beeping of her communications device.
"Who in the seven hells...?" She growled, getting up. She was grateful for going to sleep in a tunic and trousers, as opposed to nude as she was used to, the call that rudely woke her up was a visual transmission.
Slapping the button, she began speaking. "You've reached Qanu Xhazra of the Mysidia , what or who did you need to move that it couldn't-" She stopped and stared as she registered the grinning face on the screen. "Thancred?"
"In the flesh, so to speak." His grin left his face, now that 'pleasantries' had been exchanged. "We have a job for you, and it needs to be done soon ."
She blinked, before fixing him with a glare. "I thought I made myself clear, I would come back to the Scions when I was good and ready." She folded her arms. "Besides, I'm over in the Norvrandt system, last I checked Gyr Abania, to say nothing of Othard, are on the other side of the quadrant from me." She narrowed her eyes. "Considering those two systems only recently threw off imperial oppression, shouldn't you guys have your hands full with relief missions and the like?"
"Flame General Aldynn, Lord Hien and others have that well in hand." He replied. "I and a few others came to this system because of a recent report from an agent already here." He moved revealing the room behind him, Urianger was sitting at the table and in front of him....
Qanu felt her eyes widen.
While she had only seen a few pictures of Minfilia when she was younger, they matched the young woman sitting at the table raptly listening to whatever the elezen was saying.
"How...?"
"Cloning." Thancred replied, scowling. "The report stated that a young girl, with the features of a woman we thought dead, was seen in Eulmore." His jaw clenched. "When I infiltrated the city, I discovered her....along with Allagan cloning vats."
Qanu scowled along with him, fists clenched. "And they have publicly said they abhor cloning." She growled.
Thancred grinned mirthlessly. "My thoughts exactly." The grin faded. "They were probably hoping to use Minfilia's powers to their advantage."
"Do you want me to take the kid far away from here?"
Even before she finished her sentence, Thancred was shaking his head. "No, she's decided to see this cold war through with the Crystarium. No, what I would like to request of you, is to pick up our agent. She's been here for a little over a year and a half, and with this and other evidence, we're ready to bring the hammer down on Eulmore." He folded his arms. "When you drop her off here, I will not lie, we may ask for your service to get us where we need to go, but that will be up to you. I'm asking for this as a personal favor."
She thought about it for a second before sighing. "Where am I going?"
Qanu set the Mysidia down in the abandoned remains of a village on the forested planet of Rak'tika. Frowning at the memories surfacing, she stood and left the cockpit, taking her favored half jacket off and grabbing the toolbox, so long as she's waiting, she may as well find and patch the source of the leak that she was on her way to fixing before Thancred called.
Stepping down from the loading ramp, she surveyed the village, more memories surfacing along with phantom screams and cannon blasts.
Shaking her head, she turned toward the rear of the ship, starting from there she ran her hand along the hull, eventually finding the leak source.
As she started working, she heard voices approaching. Huffing she continued to patch the pipe. 'Thancred owes me even more, if I have to bring multiple people.' However, she froze as one of the voices rose, just enough for her to hear them.
"Are you sure there is no way to convince you to stay, Master Matoya?"
'Matoya?' Qanu thought, still frozen. 'Shouldn't she be-?' The next voice caused her eyes to widen and breath to stutter.
"I am afraid not, Runar." Y'shtola. It was Y'shtola she was picking up.
Even more unbidden than before, memories rose, of the fights when she was slowly destroying herself, after her capture and eventual rescue. She had constantly lost herself in memories of being under the Garleans' 'tender mercies.' Only the blackout sleep of drinking too much gave her any reprieve, or so she thought.
Y'shtola was continually trying to get her to talk about the constant nightmares, even tried to curb her alcoholism, but nothing worked, until...
'If you are solely bent on destroying yourself, then you shall do so alone. I cannot keep doing this, please Qanu.' Only hindsight revealed that she was pleading, that had been the shock she needed, to finally get help, which meant leaving the Scions for a time. At the time, however...
'Than leave, you obviously don't care anyway.' Her words had been cruel, intended to harm, and they did. For hours after she left, that conversation played on loop, shocking her out of her self-destruction. She had immediately contacted Krile, who pulled her from duty, and helped her get back on her feet, even suggesting to look for some jobs in the Norvrandt system, until she felt ready to come back. That had been a little over a year and a half ago.
Rapidly blinking back to the present, she realized one of her hands was grasping the chord of the crystal around her neck. This crystal was one of the last good things to come out of her and Y'shtola's engagement, given to her by the miqo'te when they were reunited after Qanu's rescue.
She had sent a message to the other miqo'te, asking if she would like the crystal back, while also telling her to keep its twin, which Qanu had given her before that fateful undercover mission.
No reply ever came.
Luckily, or unluckily, she didn't seem to miss any of the conversation. Her attack must have begun and ended in an instant, despite feeling like it took several minutes.
"But Master Matoya, I-" She instantly knew how that was supposed to end, despite Runar cutting himself off at that point.
"I know, Runar." Her voice was gentle, even melancholic. Qanu felt her heart crack.
She flinched, causing the tool she was holding to bang loudly against the hull of the Mysidia .
'Crap.' She thought, tears running down her face.
Both herself and Runar turned toward the loud bang echoing from within the ruins of Fort Gohn, before Y'shtola focused back on the conversation with the hrothgar.
"I know." She repeated, locking eyes with him. "But, I do not return those feelings. My heart is spoken for, although" She grimaced, remembering the words her mentor, the true Matoya, had for her, for leaving Qanu in that mindset. "I would be unsurprised if she had moved on."
The larger male looked heartbroken, he swallowed. "Tell me true," He whispered, hope coloring his words. "could we ever be?"
"No." Runar shrunk unto himself, and Y'shtola could hold back no longer. She felt him flinch as she embraced him. "You are as a brother to me, Runar. I do love you, but not in the way you do."
After a moment, she felt him return the embrace. They stayed that way for several moments, before separating.
His eyes shined from unshed tears, but still he smiled. "You will ever have a home amongst us, Master Matoya. May the dark guide you."
She fought back her own tears, returning his smile. "And may the shadows bless and keep you. Thank you Runar, for everything."
With that she turned to enter the ruins, closing her eyes and stopping, hearing his own departure. Letting out a breath, she smiled and opened her eyes.
Only to gasp at the ship in front of her, a familiar ship. 'It cannot be...' However the name engraved on the side of the vessel remained.
Mysidia .
Y'shtola's eyes were drawn to the figure coming around the loading ramp, box of tools in hand. "Qanu..." She breathed.
Her-what, fiance, former fiance, friend? Her heart clenched at the thought-looked at her with red-rimmed eyes. "Hello...'Master Matoya.'"