Final Fantasy Frontier 95 (Patreon)

Contrasting Andrew's expectations, he and the others weren't taken to the Leviathan as 'expediently' as he expected. Instead, as it was late in the evening, they were each placed into individual holding cells to await their 'trial' the following morning.

Fortunately, while he couldn't pop over to see her due to the frequent checks by the guards, Andrew was able to pass the time conversing with Penelo, assuring her everything would be okay. At the same time, he used the Correspondance Menu's camera to look around the airship they were on, a Shiva-class light cruiser, one of several making up the Leviathan's escort.

Though it would derail things quite a bit, Andrew was seriously tempted to commandeer the Leviathan. The aptly named Dreadnaught-class ship, its length exceeding half a kilometer, was the flagship of the 8th Fleet. If Andrew wanted to leave a lasting impression on Ashe and her compatriots in the Resistance, forcing the oversized airship to crash into the sea was a good way to go about it. 

With such thoughts in mind, Andrew eventually directed the camera to the Leviathan, exploring its interior in search of both Ashe and the most probable 'hiccup' to his plan, Larsa. If the young Prince was onboard the Leviathan, which was extremely likely, he couldn't simply scuttle it. Larsa was integral to his plans for the future, so Andrew might need to take him hostage to compel the Leviathan and the 8th Fleet to stand down as the others made their escape...

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After a long night without food or water provided to them, Andrew, contrasting nearly everyone else, wore a relaxed smile as they were led via chain-linked manacles to board the Atomos that would take them to the Leviathan. Fortunately, he happened to be placed near the back of the procession, his shackled hands mere centimeters away from Fran's perky posterior and Penelo following close behind.

Though it was very tempting, Andrew resisted the urge to 'inadvertently' touch Fran's backside as they were shepherded aboard the Atomos and forced to sit. Penelo subtly leaned against his arm for support, so Andrew once again assured her that everything would be okay before keeping her distracted with casual conversation until they docked at the Leviathan and were directed through its halls to their destination, passing through a pair of translucent sliding doors to reach the monstrous airship's equally oversized bridge.

Seeing the woman standing in the middle of the room, flanked by several armored guards and a figure wearing ornate golden armor over red pants, the corners of Andrew's smile curled upward slightly. He planned to stick with his resolution of not 'forcing' people into the position of Proxy, but he couldn't help imagining how things might develop. Ashe lacked the charm of some of his other women, but she gave the impression of a desert rose starved for water but still capable of pricking people with its thorns...

"The prisoners, my lord...!"

Reacting to the soldier's exclamation, those that hadn't already looked back to see who had entered the room turned their heads and bodies. This included Ashe, who, upon seeing Basch, exhaled a surprised gasp before appearing progressively more furious as the group, now freed of their chains, was marched closer.

Seeming to exceed the threshold of her outrage, Ashe began to stomp toward Basch, prompting him to say, "Majesty—" before she slapped him hard across the face, exclaiming, "After what you've done! How dare you!"

Narrowing her eyes, Ashe balled her hand into a fist and practically hissed, "You're supposed to be dead..." Meanwhile, Basch, now bearing a prominent red mark on his left cheek, remained stoic as he turned to meet her hate-filled gaze in solemn quietude.

With a voice tinged by amusement, the figure wearing ornate golden armor, known throughout the Empire as Judge Magister Ghis, Commander of the 8th Fleet, mused, "Come now, come now. Have you forgotten your manners?" while waltzing over as if he were the king of the world.

Stopping a little to Ashe's left, Ghis added, "This is hardly the courtesy due the late Princess Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca."

While Balthier, Fran, and especially Vaan reacted with shock, the latter stepping forward to parrot, "Princess...?" in disbelief, Andrew rolled his eyes, starting to feel annoyed. He experienced an uncanny sense of deja vu witnessing the events play out, but more than that, he wasn't fond of simply standing off to the side feigning helplessness when he could very easily shake things up...

'Patience...' Andrew told himself, directing his attention to the display in front of him, depicting a young, somewhat androgynous-looking youth with long dark hair wearing aristocratic attire, consisting of a bell-sleeved blouse with gold-detailing, a dark tunic with similar trimming, navy shorts, thigh-high boots, and white gloves. The youth, Larsa Ferrinas Solidor, was presently seated in his quarters, a spacious metal room with extravagant decor. More notably, his eyes were glued to a somewhat unwieldy tablet-like device, the display of which depicted the events currently playing out on the bridge.

"Stop being so stubborn...!"

Reacting to the sound of Vaan, of all people, telling people to stop being stubborn, Andrew tuned back into the conversation, raising his brows as the sandy-haired youth added, "Keep on like this, and you're gonna get us all killed!"

"Don't interrupt!" barked Ashe, her tone sharp and expression filled with a surprising amount of disdain.

'Did I miss something...?' Andrew asked himself. He vaguely remembered that Ashe was a bit 'standoffish' near the start of the game, but he didn't expect to see her exuding such enmity toward one of her former subjects, especially one as young as Vaan.

Following an awkward silence, Vaan muttered, "What...?" as a ringing hum began to echo through the bridge. Then, as the eyes of everyone turned to him, Vaan reached into the fold at the front of his trousers, pulling out a glowing orange crystal, causing Ashe to gasp.

"Vaan. That stone..." muttered Basch, his pupils contracting to the size of pinholes as he had just tried to use his knowledge of the stone's location as leverage for negotiation.

"I-It was in the palace treasury..." stammered Vaan, suddenly getting the distinct impression he had fucked up.

"Ahaha-!" laughed Ghis, presumably beaming beneath his helmet as he merrily chimed, "Splendid! You've brought the stone with you! This spares us a great deal of trouble."

Seeing Ghis extend his hand, clearly expecting Vaan to hand over the stone, Ashe shouted, "Don't give it to him...!" while attempting to rush forward. Unfortunately for her, the soldiers at her side quickly detained her, preventing her from seizing the stone and making a vain attempt to escape the bridge.

"Uh..."

Turning his gaze from Ashe and Ghis, Vaan stared back at Balthier to see the man shrug before briefly exchanging glances with Penelo and Andrew, blinking in surprise and confusion when he saw the almost 'bored' look on the latter's face.

Raising his brows, Andrew asked, "What? Do you want me to get everyone out of this situation...?"

Before Vaan could respond, Judge Ghis barked, "Give me the stone...!" in a commanding tone.

"You musn't...!" exclaimed Ashe, looking desperate as she attempted to break free from the soldier restraining her.

*THOOM* *CRASH*

Vanishing from where he had been standing, Andrew appeared at Ghis's previous location with his foot extended. As for Ghis, the Judge Magister barely had time to process what had happened before his body was sent crashing into what Andrew interpreted to be the airship's radar system.

Taking advantage of the confusion he had caused, Andrew snapped his fingers, creating a hazy temporal bubble that froze everyone but himself and Penelo due to her being a member of his Party. Then, in what seemed like a blink of an eye to everyone else, he dispatched the soldiers that had escorted them to the bridge, briefly pausing when he sent one attired like a Judge flying into the sliding doors leading to the corridor outside.

'That one was much tougher than the others...' noted Andrew. However, as it wasn't too surprising that a Judge would be more robust than the average soldier, he didn't tarry on the thought. Instead, as the effects of his time stop began to vanish, he snatched the crystal from Vaan's hand, tossing it to the slack-jawed Penelo and saying, "Keep that safe for me," with a playful smile and a wink.

Before Penelo could finish vigorously nodding her head, several violent collisions echoed through the bridge, prompting confused reactions from everyone else. This included Ashe, who, now freed from the restraint of the soldier Andrew had sent flying, landed face-first into his chest as he remarked, "Careful, now," while grasping her shoulders to help her stand.

"Wha—who are you!?" asked Ashe, breaking free of Andrew's supportive hold before looking around the bridge, wide-eyed at the fact that every Imperial present, even a vaunted Judge Magister, had either been killed or knocked unconscious.

"Questions can wait for later, Majesty! For now, we must away this place!" exclaimed Basch, making his way over and extending his manacled hands to Andrew, prompting the latter to remove them.

Seeing Basch approach her, Ashe backed away from him, shouting, "I will not entrust my life to a traitor and a band of thieves! Away with you! I will procure my own means of escape...!"

Shifting her gaze to Vaan, Ashe's eyes burned as she ordered, "You! Hand over the Dark Shard! That is not a prize for a thief to claim...!"

Raising his hands, Vaan replied, "I don't even have it!" with a defiant look. He genuinely had no idea where the crystal had disappeared to, but Ashe didn't know that, her eyes widening and teeth clenching in unbridled fury.

"Your Majesty!" exclaimed Basch, surprising Ashe as he barked at her like a commander addressing a soldier.

With Ashe looking toward him, Basch's expression turned solemn as he said, "I understand the grounds for your mistrust, but I did not kill your father, the King. I will explain the details and bear whatever censure you deem necessary later. But, for now, for the sake of Dalmasca's liberation, we must work together to flee this place."

Seeing the sincerity in Basch's expression, Ashe, though still more than a little angry, hesitated for a moment before nodding her head, responding, "Very well..." Then, turning her gaze to Balthier, Fran, and Vaan, a trio that had helped her when she was fleeing the palace, she added, "It appears I must once again entrust my fate to your hands..."

Before Balthier of Vaan could respond, Ashe directed her gaze to Andrew, narrowing her eyes as she inquired, "And you...who are you? You can't be a member of the Resistance. I would remember someone who stands out to such a degree..."

Adopting a cheeky smile, Andrew extended his hand and replied, "My name is Andrew Ashford Alexandros, but you can simply refer to me as Andrew. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Princess."

Staring at Andrew's outstretched hand, Ashe furrowed her brows and crossed her arms, making it clear she had no intention of shaking hands with him as she questioned, "You were the one who dealt with Ghis and his men, correct? I would task you with seeing me safely to Rabanastre."

Resisting the urge to flick Ashe's forehead, Andrew retracted his hand and replied, "Sure. But, as I told Basch previously, my services aren't cheap. I don't mind working on contingency for now, but if you intend to give me orders and the like, you'll need to come up with sufficient compensation."

Furrowing her brows deeper, Ashe asked, "You're a mercenary...?" before directing a withering glare to Balthier and asking, "Or perhaps another Sky Pirate?"

"I'm done with this conversation," said Andrew, punctuating his statement with a playful wink before looking to Basch and adding, "I'll give you a few minutes before I wake up the Judge Magister and take this ship under my control. I doubt he'll capitulate easily, but if I threaten to sink his precious ship into the sea, it should at least buy you some time."

Understanding that Andrew could teleport to them once his duty was done, Basch clapped his shoulder and said, "Godspeed," before turning to the bewildered and offended-looking Ashe, persuading her to come with them and assuring her that he would be okay on his own...

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