Rays of Hope Pt XXIII

     Today was the day.  Dressing in some nondescript, but obviously Bahamutian clothing, which could only be described as militant, but comfortable for all types, I made my way out.  Kissing Emily and the girls, I left them to their own devices as I set out.  No weapons, as Ver'Dis had specified a Bahamut killing them.  No armor, as it would a defining feature in finding the Bahamut who killed them.  Changed my hair color and style to a light blonde and morphed it into a standing hairstyle, rather than its usual slicked back and brown.

     My clothing was that of a deep, dark red trench coat, with tailcoats, which flapped annoyingly as I walked, as if they were trying to draw attention, a tight, black shirt, emblazoned with the symbol of the Bahamutian Empire, and some black dress pants.  Though I hated the tailcoat of my trench coat, I knew that it also work to my advantage.  Someone making lots of noise normally wasn’t an assassin out for you.  Wearing an unusual set of sunglasses, with extremely odd, zigzag patterned supports, that had flashy, red lenses, my eyes searched for my first targets, the man’s family.  Might as well get the hard part out of the way first.

     With an ease that terrified myself, I walked over, and vaporized both of them with one hand outstretched, smoke coming from where they had once been.  They never saw it coming, nor did they feel a thing.  People screamed and ran, but many had seen what I looked like.  With that, I disappeared.  It didn’t take me long to find the man.  He had been buying a stuffed animal for his daughter.  It disappeared, along with most of his upper body.  So many had witnessed these killings, it was impossible that word wouldn’t get around that a Bahamut had gone about, killing people randomly.  With cool calculations, I made my way out of the areas.  Taking odd, circuitous routes, I soon evaded the security with Plan C.  Sewers.  Once out of them, and my clothing discarded and turned to ash, I made my way to a bathroom, and cleaned out my hair.  All that was left of the ‘mysterious Bahamutian killer’ was the shirt and dress pants.  No need to waste good clothes, right?  Besides, I already had trench coats.

     With that job done, I made my way back to my family, slightly worried about them because of what I’d done, I found them arguing over food.  Easing myself, slowly, back into a fatherly state, and trying to forget the proceeding events, I tried to ease them down and make a compromise of Suffen Salad of Harae, or Boltid Platter.

     Another day passed, and the investigation started.  By that time, I was heading off-planet.  Despite being a Bahamut, and that being known by the controllers, I was let go, as I was ‘an upstanding and righteous Bahamut’.  How little did they know, eh?  With my new parts replacing my old ones, and my credits back in my room’s small safe, I disappeared into space at Warp 5.

     Once out of the system, I began plotting a course for the Gurpane System.  It wasn’t much of anything, having only recently been claimed by the Humanity Coalition, with much assistance from the Kekkei Monarchy.  As such, a good third of the System was in Kekkei hands for development and colonization.  The other two thirds were in Human hands.  However, these planets would give me plenty of places to let the girls explore, whilst I contacted Ver'Dis.  No doubt he had already been informed by his servants.

     Setting the ship on course, I jumped when I felt a hand touch my shoulder.  So wrapped in my thoughts, I never heard my wife enter.  “Hey, Emily...”  “Sorry, Joseph.  I didn’t mean to scare you” She sat down, and looked at me.  Her eyes looking into mine made me uncomfortable.  “...Why are you so quiet?” “Huh?” “Don’t play dumb with me, Joseph Richard Anderson...  Something is bothering you...”

     I never could hide much from her.  She could read people, just like that.  I sighed, and explained that Ver'Dis had contacted me.  She knew of the Demon who followed me about, but never met him.  That didn’t stop her from having a scathing hate for him.  As I explained his request, I slowed down.  She knew right away.  “...You followed through...” I didn’t need to answer.  She didn’t need me to.  Kissing the top of my head, she said, “You did what you had to...  You protected us from him...” “By sacrificing a loving man and his family...”  Putting her arms tight around me, she hushed me.  “If you didn’t do it, he’d have found someone else to do it...  Someone cruel, and heartless...  At least, with you, they felt nothing as they died...”

     I knew, and I knew that she knew, that wouldn’t help soothe my conscience, but it helped ease the pain just a smidgen.  Petting my head like I was a child, whom had done something really wrong, and couldn’t take the guilt, she stayed with me until I accidentally passed out.  When I came to, I was in the lounge, laying on the sofa, with a thin blanket over me.  Sitting up, I rubbed my eyes, taking off my glasses.  It was dark in the room, so I easily saw the light from my eye giving the room just a small glow, reflecting off the walls and windows.  It was like that of a cigarette.  Speaking of which, I grabbed one out of my coat pocket, seeing as it was hanging on the edge of the sofa.

     Lighting it, and taking a drag, I commented to myself that her cyborg body must be rather strong to haul my fat ass from the cockpit to the middle of the ship.  With a small smile born of weak humor, I got up, forgoing my coat and glasses, and went to my kitchen.  Opening up my cupboard, I grabbed a bottle of hard alcohol, and drank some.  Continuing with this pattern, I got sufficiently smashed and headed back.  Flopping back down, I passed out in a few minutes...