Bastian
Chapter 188 - Until The Day You Die

✧Until the Day You Die✧

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

“It’s the hot weather, don’t worry, drink plenty of water and rest, you’ll be right in no time,” Count Xanders said.

   Odette lifted her head to look at him. She was still so very pale, but luckily there was no emergency. Maximin had brought Odette to lay down on the sofa, propping her head up with a soft cushion.

“Can I stop by the kitchen and get you some water?” Maximin asked as he tied the curtains.

“No, Sir Xanders. Let me do it. I don’t want to trouble you.”

“It’s okay.”  Maximin stopped Odette from getting up “It would be my honour if I could help. So, rest comfortably.”

After leaving sweet words of comfort, Maximin went to the kitchen. After giving her trouble by constantly showing her teeth at her guests, Margrethe finally became calm.  “You can’t do that, Meg. You have to be polite.” Odette lowered her voice and scolded the dog. Margrethe quietly retreated to the side of the pupies who were playing around on the cushion. 

 Odette couldn’t help but laugh. All those sleepless nights were taking their toll, and with the heatwave, Odette found it hard to eat. At that time, Maximin came back from the kitchen and gave her a glass of water.

It can’t be. She knew it couldn’t happen yet she couldn’t relax, and Maximin’s question made her even more agitated

   “Do you have any sort of medicine here?” Maximin said, still concerned about Odette’s paleness.

   “No, there is no medicine.” 

   “Then I will get you some.”

   “Thank you, Sir Xanders,” Odette said, feeling embarrassed when she remembered there was medicine in the bathroom cupboard.

   She tried to concentrate on what Maximin was saying, but was having difficulty in understanding while her mind was elsewhere. Now that she thought about it, her chest was sore and there was a throbbing in her abdomen. It was a familiar sensation.

   “I’ll be going back to Ratz in the next week or so.”

   Odette snapped back to reality as Maximin changed the subject. She looked at him with wide eyes.

   “Is the Royal Botanical Gardens closing then?”

   “Yes, I am nearly finished up there and was on my way back.” Maximin sighed with a bittersweet smile.

   The scale of the war was increasing day after day. All the universities and research facilities in the empire were having to close in order to free up funds. Most students and teachers were drafted, making normal operations impossible.

   Maximin was lucky in that he suffered from asthma and so, was not drafted. Instead, he was conscripted into specialist service. He joined the military scientific research team. One of his duties was to catalogue and preserve the knowledge of the botanical garden.

   “Come with me, Odette,” Maximin said. “Countess Trier is very anxious. If I leave, she might force you to go with her instead.”

   “But I…”

   “It’s wartime. Staying alone, out here, is not healthy for you. Hasn’t your life here already gone its distance?” There was a firmness to Maximin’s voice, like he was not going to accept any excuse. “I’ve arranged a separate residence for you in Ratz. Don’t worry about being indebted to the Countess.”

   “No, Sir Xanders, I can’t do that.”

   “I’m not saying the offer is free. You can buy the house from me. You’re in a position to do so, now.” Maximin did not give Odette time to argue.  He blocked her rebuttal with words he had prepared in advance. It’s Bastian Klauswitz who taught him this.

Two days before leaving Rothewein, Bastian came on a bicycle and knocked on his door. Maximin obediently accepted him, knowing he had a purpose for his visit. And it’s true, he asked Maximin to look after Odette, as they were soon to be divorced and he had no rights to protect her anymore.

“I will respect Lady Odette’s wishes.” 

Bastian’s voice rippled through the room like a gentle brook that summer evening. Rays of sunlight spilled through the window, splashing the study with a radiance that illuminated the weight of unspoken understanding between them. It wasn’t until after war had broken out that Maximin had come to know the reason why he had asked for his help. 

Bastian requested that Odette be given the utmost refuge if things escalated geopolitically; making preparations for her accommodation within the capital and entrusting travelling responsibilities to him.

 “I know its a big decision to make and I will allow you time to think it over, before I really must move on to Ratz.” Maximin soothed Odette, who was anxious, with a kind smile. 

Bastian Klauswitz must have sensed war coming when he suddenly appeared and asked him to stay with Odette. 

‘Can you keep what happened today a secret until the day you die? Can I trust you?’

That’s command ended the day’s conversation, and Maximin vowed on his honor to keep his words.

But, in reality, there was more than just the promise. He could see something more stirring behind it, laying deep within Bastian’s soul. However he didn’t question it, believing it was the best decision.

“I will wait for your decision, Lady Odette.”

Once again Maximin made a silent vow, looking into those beautiful turquoise eyes. He knew that the promise he had made may have appeared cowardly to some, but it was a vow he wanted to keep for eternity.

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

Bastian stood at the dock while the search team conducted their operations. The enemy captain, the last officially confirmed prisoner of war, disembarked carrying a white flag. 

Swearing filled the air as Bastian walked by Lovita’s ship, a humiliating defeat for them. Excluding the thirty two dead, there were a hundred and fifty five prisoners of war. Bastian was familiar with Lovita’s typical naval deployments and while he shouldn’t leave out the fact that some of the crew might have been lost at sea, there should have been another twenty crewmen. Bastian was not willing to take any chances.

   The search team had been split into four groups, with Bastian leading the second group right behind the first. He was going to lead a team up to the bridge and command decks, once a path there had been cleared.

   “Compartment one clear.”

   “Compartment four clear, moving to next area.”

   Shouts rang out across the ship and Bastian moved in with his search team. The corridor’s end rest area, laundry room, and food storage were all cleared. After you’ve finished exploring the chapel, he climbed the ladder that lead to the upper floors. He was just about to open the door to the communications room when he discovered the enemy ambush. A chair in front of a desk moved. There was no mistaken it, there was some one there.

   Bastian signalled his squad to halt, raised his rifle and prepared to open fire. Two of his squad were stood, waiting to breach into the communications room from the far door. Bastian raised three fingers, then two, then one.

   At the same time as he kicked in the door, the other two men went in through the far door and together they assaulted the communications room on two fronts. The enemy returned fire at the same moment the search team opened fire. Bastian used the door frame as cover, popping out to take well aimed shots as the enemies hiding under the desk.

   The rest of the squad covered him just as much as he covered them. Bullets whinged and whined off the metal walls, ricocheting down the corridors. The seconds passed in the suddenly hot and noisy confines of the ship. Although Bastian did his best to remain cool and calm, the adrenaline made him sweat.

   Gunshots, screams and shouts from both sides, in the language of Berg and of Lovita. Bastian’s team subdued the enemy one by one, even as some members of his team were shot in return. The Lovita’s soldiers had the better defensive position, forcing Berg to engage from choke points.

   Bastian did his best to shoot at arms and legs, none lethal shots. He wanted to take prisoners, not lives. 

   “MAJOR!” came Lieutenant Kaylen’s piercing shout.

   Bastian had been reloading when he turned away from the door just in time to catch a bullet in his arm. It would have gotten him in the chest if not for Kaylen’s warning. Bastian turned back into the door way and saw the soldier who had shot him, cleverly concealed in the piping of the ceiling. Bastian had to commend the soldiers efforts in squeezing himself into such a tight space. Bastian shot first this time.

   The communications room fell into a deathly quiet almost as quickly as the gunshots had rung out. There was the distinct smell of cordite and blood. The search team moved into the room and quickly subdued those still alive, cuffing hands behind backs.

   Bastian moved from prisoner to prisoner, turning out there pockets until he found what he was looking for: a bloodstained cipher book.

   “Mission successful,” Bastian said, holding up the code book.

   “Are you alright, Major?” Lieutenant Kaylen said.

   “Take the prisoners and disembark,” Bastian said calmly. With the adrenaline wearing off, he was becoming very aware of the graze to his arm.

He crept across the hallway to the captain’s room and rummaged through the desk drawers until he discovered a first-aid kit. He went to the sink and removed his top, the gun wound was deep but not very serious. He wrapped a bandage around the injury and used warm water to wash away the blood from his skin. 

He couldn’t help but crack a faint smile, seeing the ring hanging on his dog tag glinted brilliantly in the waning summer sunlight.

He pulled a cigar from the drawer and lit it. Smoke swirled around him as he left the captain’s office. Silence ripped through the ship like a knife, broken only by occasional gunfire in the distance. Bastian walked through the hallway with his gun clenched tightly in one hand. A pale strip of sea shimmered in shades of turquoise beyond the dock.

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

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