Chapter Text
Zol-class Freighter Courageous
Star Date: Day 22, Month 10, 4777 UGY
The Phantom Knight groaned as he awoke in his cell. He had been stuck in here for the past what he figured two days by his body's count with nothing but mysteriously appearing rations of food and water twice a day. It was decent food, better than military rations, absolutely not what he expected from being in a brig on a private ship. The atmosphere of the room was starting to get to him, though. It was ventilated, he wasn't choking on stale air, but the only light being artificial grated on one's nerves.
As if reading his mind, the front wall of the Phantom Knight's cell shifted, revealing the armoured form of a Sheikah warrior in front of him. The warrior watched the Phantom Knight silently, twirling the deactivated handle of an energy dagger slowly. With his faceplate covering the entire lower part of his face, only the Sheikah's brilliant red eyes and blonde braid wrapped in what looked like metal-infused fabric were visible as far as features went.
"Let me guess, you're here to interrogate me?" The Phantom Knight chuckled. "It's not going to work. We Knights of the Armada are trained to withstand any and all torture, to expel such weaknesses as pain from our bodies to keep the will and majesty of our lord and leader, the Great Grand Admiral, from those who would do it harm. I am Rejad of Crayk and I declare that I will not be broken by you!" The Sheikah continued to watch him silently, his red eyes burrowing into his skull.
Rumors and myths around the Sheikah said that they were able to shoot lasers from their eyes. Maybe the rumors were true and this one was trying to activate his powers and blast Rejad in the head, killing him in an instant flash of pain. Rejad's mind began to swirl with the various fears that the silence gave way to. Maybe that Zora would show up in here and feast on his flesh, those creatures were savages, after all. Maybe the Twili would arrive and offer up his soul in her people's dark rituals, all to appease a horrifying eldritch god that didn't exist. This Sheikah might be the least of his concerns, they were noble warriors with a code. Perhaps he could get a good death out of it after all.
"Fine, fine, I'll tell you what you want to know, just please kill me when you're done with it!" Rejad sputtered in fear. Silence gripped the air again as the unblinking gaze of the Sheikah continued to burrow its way into Rejad's heart and soul.
"What brought you to Rauru Station?" The Sheikah finally spoke after what felt like an eternity.
"The Grand Admiral heard whispers about this old Hyrulean treasure. Didn't tell me more. There was supposed to be a contact on Rauru Station, but I never met him. He wasn't there," Rejad explained.
"Who was the contact?" The Sheikah asked.
"Some old spacer named Sahasrahla," Rejad answered. The Sheikah's eyes flashed with a spark of recognition as he stepped away from the cell. "Now kill me, please. There are things in this world far worse than death and if you don't kill me, I will face them. The Sheikah walked away, the wall of Rejad's cell shifted again, leaving him once again in solitude. "NO! PLEASE! WE HAD A DEAL!"
Sheik walked onto the bridge of the Courageous, folding his arms as he leaned against the doorframe. The captain spun around in his chair to face him, standing up to greet his third in command. The captain wore a blue naval tunic underneath dark brown armour that protected his upper torso and left shoulder, light brown pants, and dark brown boots that reached just beneath his knees that looked older than the rest of his attire. The captain adjusted his ponytail, ensuring the tie holding it in place was tight.
"Get anything good out of him?" The captain asked.
"I did, Link." Sheik's mask adjusted slightly, evidence that he was smiling underneath. "Took less time than I thought, they don't train Phantom Knights like they used to." Link scoffed in agreement. "He said that there was a contact on Rauru Station, but he couldn't find him. He did end up getting a name, though. Sahasrahla."
"The old man, huh?" Link's eyebrows flicked up. "Yeah, that's a chat I can go have. I'll need to bring Mipha along, she'll be able to get me into Ruto Station with less customs problems than I'd usually have. We'll take the Epona, you're in charge until she and I get back."
"Roger that, Cap." Sheik winked at Link, who let out an amused huff of air.
"What's the intel?" Link asked.
"Something about a treasure that once belonged to the Hyrulean Royal Family. Sounded valuable," Sheik explained.
"Ooh, my attention is gotten." Link chuckled. "I'll be back in... Hopefully not long, but you know how the old man can just go on and on and on."
"So the morning," Sheik said.
"Yeah."
Ruto Station
Link and Mipha walked down a seedy hallway lined by merchants and attempted pickpockets. One particular vagabond eyed the two, but an adjustment of Mipha's trenchcoat to reveal one of her blaster pistols made him look away immediately. Mipha's head tail then flicked towards one of the buildings, a tavern with a bright sign in some alien language or another. The bouncer was a Zora with slender features and long barbels on his face. Mipha leaned against his counter, smiling just enough to flash a tooth at him.
"Iui minku pipi ukheai ea miʻoe nkeaiileanki chi ikhaoʻu i nkumu uiʻoe me meachea?" Mipha asked in a Zora tongue. The bouncer scanned her up and down, looking out of the corner of his eye
"ʻIao, chichiʻea wioe nkumu uiʻoe." The bouncer tapped a button on his table that lowered the energy barrier for Link and Mipha. The two walked in, being hit with the sounds of music, patrons yelling, and glasses clinking against tables and teeth.
"Go find the old man, I'll try not start a bar fight." Mipha nudged Link's shoulder. "I make no promises."
"Why are you like this?" Link asked, shaking his head. Mipha shrugged with both her hands and her head tail. Link sighed and walked away, searching around the tavern for some back pathway or another. He eyed a set of shelves that looked like they were meant to keep people's eyes away from the walkway hidden by them. Link slipped around the bar and walked behind the shelves, reaching a doorway covered by a curtain. He walked into the backroom of the tavern, ducking his head below the curtain as he did. He found an old man with a long beard sitting in a plush chair surrounded by various trophies and treasures. The old man chuckled as Link walked in.
"Ah, Link, my dear boy!" The old man chuckled heartily as he walked over to his visitor, pulling the captain in for an awkward hug.
"Hello to you too, Sahasrahla," Link replied. "Sorry this isn't a pleasure call, I've got a little something to ask you about." Sahasrahla's thick eyebrows perked up.
"Well, I am an information broker these days, so that would be logical." Sahasrahla joked. "What can I help you with? I was just speaking with a Ravio of the Lorule Rebellion recently, perhaps something in that realm?"
"Wrong planet in that system, actually." Link took a seat across from Sahasrahla's table. "I was told that you've got something in the department of the old Hyrulean Royal Family."
"And just how did you find out that I might have such information?" Sahasrahla asked, stroking his beard. "It's not something I've exactly paraded around."
"Mmm, a little ghost told me." Link winked at the information broker. "With that said, I understand you have a score for us." Link leaned back slightly, crossing his leg onto the knee of the other as he put his arm around the back of his chair, a sly grin on his face.
"Yes, yes, I have something very very interesting for you, I think, yes." Sahasrahla nodded, puttering around his office while looking for something. "Uh, you see, it's quite the interesting find, I think. Are you familiar with the legend of the Hyrulean Royal Family's secret weapon?"
"The Light Arrow?" Link scoffed. "Really, that's all this is? Yeah, I grew up with my ma telling me bedtime stories about it. It's a myth." Link was about to stand up when Sahasrahla gripped his shoulders.
"My boy, what you must understand is that there's always a bit of truth to legends and even when false they can be most informative." Link settled back into his seat, prompting Sahasrahla to let him go. "I don't for a second believe in a superweapon or some great dreadnought or an army, no no. I think that this whisper of this Light Arrow is all a farce, all meant to keep people looking for something that isn't what they think it is. They expect some grand thing, but it's not." Sahasrahla set a tome in front of Link. The captain leaned forward, examining it with squinted eyes. "All mentions of the Light Arrow refer to it not as powerful, but as valuable."
"So it's not a weapon at all, it's a treasure of some kind." Link smiled to himself. "I'll get my crew. Where do we start?"
"I would suggest the ruinous debris of the planet Hyrule, of course." Sahasrahla chuckled. "Where else do you start a puzzle than with the first piece?"
Zol-class Freighter Courageous
Star Date: Day 23, Month 10, 4777 UGY
Sheik stepped out of his refresher room with a towel covering him from his ribcage down, his mouth still shielded from sight by his trademark mask that still betrayed the confused look in his eyes. His chest had two surgical scars along his pectorals, scars that looked like they had already spent a few years healing. He scanned the room in search of something, his eyes narrowing when he reached the mass in his bed. Sheik leaned over and picked up a pillow, hurling it at the being under the covers. The pillow hit its target, making Midna pop out with a scowl on her face. The scowl immediately dropped when she saw the sight before her.
"Ooh, hel-lo there, handsome." Midna leaned her face against her hand and grinned. "Good shower?"
"Where's my suit, Midna?" Sheik rolled his eyes, leaning against the wall of the cabin.
"Oh, can't you find it? What a shame, I guess I just have to look at you like this for a little while, then. Such a travesty. I'd help you find it, but I'm still waking up, you know?" Midna smirked. Sheik gave her a blank and unimpressed stare. "It's in the middle drawer over there..." Midna pouted and gestured to a metal cabinet in the corner of the room. Sheik's mask puffed slightly as he let an amused puff of air out of his nose.
"You should probably get dressed too. Captain's telling us about the new job he found this morning, apparently it's a big one." Sheik walked over to the cabinet, opening it up and pulling out his undersuit. "Which is surprising because the tip about the intel came from that Phantom Knight in our brig." Midna pushed her hair back from her horns, the strands twitching in protest as she did. She swung her limbs out of bed, adjusting the oversized shirt she was wearing as she stood up to her full height. The Twili rubbed sleep out of her eyes, which flashed with mystic energy as she summoned a glyph to her hand. With a snap of her fingers, her shirt transformed into her usual tunic and robes.
"I'll meet you there." Midna gave Sheik a slightly smug smile and wink as she turned to him. In the flash of time it took her to get ready, Sheik was only now zipping up his undersuit. Sheik gave her an annoyed wave towards the door, something that made his partner giggle cheerily. Midna walked out of the room, adjusting her robes slightly as she emerged into the hallway. Revali popped out of his room as she did, smoothing out his feathers from the sleep.
"I don't see why this meeting had to happen right away, most jobs can wait a little bit," Revali commented.
"If the pay's good, you can deal with being up an hour early, Feathers." Midna punched him in the shoulder. The pair walked into the central room of the Courageous, finding the rest of the crew sans Sheik waiting. "Sheik's just going to be a minute."
"We can wait." Link leaned on a nearby console. A moment passed and Sheik entered the room clad in his armour. "Great, alright, everyone's here." Link pushed a button on his console, pulling up a hologram depicting a debris field that vaguely resembled a planet. "This was Hyrule up until its war with Lorule and the Phantom Armada a century ago. Sahasrahla has put us on the trail of something called the Light Arrow. Legend states that it belonged to the Hyrulean Royal Family, with most people thinking it's a weapon. However, our source discovered that the exact wording of all records regarding it call it valuable, not powerful."
"So a treasure?" Midna asked. "Sounds interesting."
"Do you think you can open a portal to the surface? We won't be able to get the ship or a lander through the gravity storms." Revali nudged Midna with his elbow.
"If Sheik can get a probe down for me to open a portal to. I can't open them to places I've never been before unless I can see the place," Midna explained, looking at her partner.
"Yes, I can get a Guardian down there for you." Sheik nodded.
"Perfect. Get ready, everyone. This is a big one." Link smiled slightly before looking up at the ceiling. "Fi, set a course for the ruins of the planet Hyrule."
"Of course, Captain," Fi replied.