But ultimately, he failed.

"We need you to take refugees on board!" a desperate woman pleaded. "Please! My daughter doesn't deserve to die here! Help us!"

"But…"

"Even if you can only take one! Just one person!"

Dear Tim hadn't had time to wonder about how anyone managed to contact him using the airs.h.i.+p's own short-range communication crystals. Those things only worked for the air traffic control tower and the royal palace. But of course, Tim couldn't know that. He only heard the voice, and the desperation.

That was why, ten minutes later, a rope was lowered and a girl was reeled in.

[Is that how humans pick their mates?] Mikai observed with interest. [Reeling them in with a fis.h.i.+ng rod? Like fis.h.i.+ng?]

"Not exactly." Tim grimaced. "Although maybe it's not that different from fis.h.i.+ng. But no, the fis.h.i.+ng rod is definitely not it. Actually, before that… she's not my mate."

[She looks about the same age as you.] Mikai mentioned.

Well, that much was true. She was covered up from head to toe, and wore a headscarf to boot, but based on face and figure, she was in her early teens. Very early teens.

She arrived and saw all the lynxmice, saw Tim and Mikai facing her with fireball staves, and arrived at an immediate conclusion. "You! It's you who raided the harem!"

"Nice to meet you too." Tim grimaced. "I'm afraid we're going to have to tie you up for the duration of your stay. But you'll be fine, so long as you don't cause us trouble."

"No, no trouble." She raised both hands, eyeing the fierce lynxmouse pointing the fireball staff at her face. "Thank you for helping me."

They had her tied to a chair nearby and then sat back to watch the fireworks as Fal'Herim went to war with itself.

But the girl had other plans. "Hey… you don't work for the Queen Mother, do you?"

"What makes you say that?" Tim asked, guardedly.

"That was her strongest battalion that just got blasted to bits in front of us, and you didn't lift a finger to help them." She explained.

"Right…" Tim grimaced.

"So… the Crown Prince. Might he be willing to make an alliance with us?" she asked, then.

"What?" Tim blinked. "Who's 'us'?"

She stared at him. "You don't recognize me?"

More explosions lit up the city as Tim and his refugee/prisoner/fis.h.i.+ng prize looked deeply into each others eyes with a mix of confusion and surprise.

No, wait, that's not the point!

"She's princess Asda." Salim explained, from where he was tied to the mana input port. "The Second Queen's daughter."

"Second Queen? That's the one wanting to free the slaves, right?"

"Right." Salim nodded. "How else would she contend for power? She doesn't have much of an army."

"It's not about power! It's about humanity! The slaves deserve to be freed!" Asda exclaimed.

"And the fact that there's enough of them to take over Fal'Herim isn't really an issue?" Tim asked. "If freeing the slaves were really a priority, she'd have done it ages ago, woudn't she?"

Salim stared at them both. "How old are you two, again?"

"Old enough to marry." Asda shrugged. "You're one of the sand people, yourself. You understand."

"I studied in Itarim. Child marriage is one of the things I disagreed with. Too many old men bullying little girls."

[You don't seem like an old man, to me…] Mikai observed Tim.

"Drop it." Tim warned Mikai, ardently rebuffing the very thought of Asda being of marriable anything. "Keep your head on straight! We have a battle going on!"

[Are you talking to me, or trying to convince yourself?] Mikai sniffed, scorning Tim's façade.

[Remian!] Tim called for help, mind-to-mind.

How? He wasn't too concerned with that, right now. Actually, it felt almost natural; Remian had been mind-talking him and the lynxmice, and they'd been mind-talking him for a while now, and he didn't even realize it or notice when it started. After so much mind-talking, replying back just seemed like a normal thing to do.

Remian however, jumped in shock and almost created an accident with the military frigate's main cannon. [T-Tim!? Mikai? What's going on?]

[Tim has a girlfriend!] Mikai exclaimed.

[What?]

[He's been picking up girls in Fal'Herim!] Mikai explained sagely.

[NO!] Tim blurted.

[Literally fished her off the streets.] Mikai nodded to himself. [Reeled her in with a fis.h.i.+ng rod.]

[That's not what happened!] Tim protested. [Her mother begged us to take her to safety!]

[Who? Who's 'her'?]

[Asda! I didn't know she was the Second Queen's daughter!]

[Your girlfriend is the Second Queen's daughter?]

[She's not my girlfriend!]

[Could have fooled me…] Mikai whistled mentally.

[Tim! What have you been doing with the Second Queen's daughter?!]

[Nothing! I just tied her to a chair!]

A gasp. [And…!!?]

[And nothing! We've just been talking!] Tim decided to change the subject. [She's talking about an alliance.]

[Really? On behalf of the Second Queen?] Remian considered it seriously. [That's the one we like, right?]

[You can go like whatever queen you want, but that's the one who wants to free the slaves, yes.]

[Now who's fis.h.i.+ng for girls?] Mikai asked, confused.

[Apparently her military force is somewhat… wanting.]

[So she'd free the slaves and ask them to fight for her? I'm not sure that's better than the other factions.]

[Salim is. According to him, the Queen Mother's troops are going around killing them outright… just to stop them from maybe joining her.]

[And the Crown Prince?]

[Only kills armed slaves. Unarmed slaves are unharmed slaves.] Tim hesitated. [But I don't think he'll take kindly to us liberating the Harvest Sun clan.]

[Or the High Rock clan, who's next in line.] Remian agreed. [Bring Asda out to meet us at the south gates. We'll talk.]

[But the south gates are under the control of the Queen Mother's forces!]

[Not after we're done with them, they're not.]

***

The south gate tried very hard to fend off Remian's approach, but they couldn't even slow Spike down.

BOOM! The Red Fang's main cannon started the siege on the gates themselves, followed by Spike's roar, and DD's charge.

BANG! The south gates burst open despite the guards' best efforts, sending the men flying and DD's herd charged in. They trampled the guards, gored the archers, stampeded their formations and basically flattened all resistance while the wolfcats came in and cleared the weapons platforms.

[Bring up the Sky Barge.] Remian ordered. [Land our troops.]

Well, they weren't really troops. The Sky Barge was loaded with water, food, and wolfcats. There were only about twenty Adventurers, teenagers from the Harvest Sun and High Rock clans.

Or, in other words… freed slaves and to-be-freed slaves.

[We're here.] Remian told Tim. [Ready for Asda if you are.]

[We're coming.] Tim said. [And then she's all yours.]