When all was said and done, seven of the eleven Gearborn ships met their end that day. Along with that were five Valencian vessels that were given a burial at sea. Men had died that day. Far more men had died that day than in a long time. However, even more gearborn had been destroyed.
In the grand scheme of war, the battle had been a success. They had driven the gearborn off without having to pay too heavy a price. Valencia had won its first victory against the tincans since the war. And yet, Ayjax was not happy.
He paced the deck of Torrent, waiting for Finn to commence a meeting amongst the captains of the fleet. Ayjax had some choice words to say to the fellow. The herald had retreated with the rest of its fleet when it departed Valencia for its home sea. However, the fight between Finn and the Herald had cost them another ship. A ship that they didn't need to lose.
However, that wasn't what was keeping him the most worked up. It was the lack of intel. There were supposed to have been 12 ships within the Gearborn fleet, and they had only encountered 11. That meant, somewhere in Valencia, there was an unaccounted-for enemy ship. An enemy ship that they had no idea what it was doing.
"Finn is ready." Torrent cut into his thoughts.
"Finally."
"Don't blow a top in there."
"Me? Never?" He gritted his teeth so hard they ached, which was rather hard for someone of his strength.
He felt a buzz in his head as all of the minds of the captains were once again linked together. The voice of Finn Crest came through. He sounded far more pleased with himself than he ought to have been.
"Congratulations to everyone involved. We have won a great victory today. The gearborn have once again been pushed out of our seas," Finn said, "In the future, we can not allow an incursion like this to happen again. However, we have succeeded in this endeavor, and I have all of you to thank for the success."
An applause echoed through his mind. It was a strange form of applause because it wasn't really happening, but more of a mental cheering.
"We will all be returning to the Fallen Isles now, and we will hold a feast for this victory. It is a great day!"
Ayjax scowled as the buzz in his head vanished. Was this really all the leader of Valencia had to say? He knew the man's hatred for the gearborn went deep. But was he really that unwilling to recognize the problem that still remained?
"Finn has asked to speak with you privately."
"Put him through," Ayjax sighed.
Finn's voice echoed again in his mind, only this time without all the other background noise, "Well, Ayjax, I'd say we have won a bloody splendid victory, don't you?"
"Don't play the fool, Finn, that was an incredibly risky thing you did, and it lost us a ship."
"Us? I don't recall you being in charge of this expedition, Ayjax. Besides, it was a worthy sacrifice to send a message to that blasted creature. He needed to know what it was like to face a Valencian in combat. I have instilled fear in that monster, and he will not return any time soon."
Ayjax scoffed, "I highly doubt that, Finn. That herald is built around fear. He simply wasn't willing to risk himself for no proper gain; that is all his retreat signifies. Besides, don't we have more pressing concerns at the moment?"
"More pressing than our victory? It has been years since we won against the Gearborn. Do you know what the other seas will say about this victory?"
"Probably diddly squat," Ayjax murmured, but didn't say to Finn.
The truth was, the other seas would not care less. True, a victory against the gearborn was a victory, but considering Derrin's presence? They likely knew more about the Gearborn presence than Valencia. That was not a victory.
"I don't care what the other seas have to say, Finn, and neither should you. There was a missing ship, Finn."
"Oh, that. Don't worry about it, Ayjax. The ship has already been spotted, and it will be handled. It went after Rim, of all places."
Ayjax felt a chill cross through his spine.
Rim.
To most, it was nothing more than another small island scattered throughout the sea. However, any true Valencian, any military Valencian, would know the importance of the island. It was the home of one of the most precious items in the entire sea. It was second only to the heart itself.
However, that wasn't the only thing…he had sent the kid to Rim. He had been hoping for him to meet up with Zara because she would be his best chance at finishing his project while he dealt with the gearborn. Instead, he had dumped him straight into the fire.
"Torrent, set course for Rim, now!"
Torrent didn't hesitate. Their ship immediately broke formation and began heading north. Rim was far, extremely far. It would take them close to a week to arrive at maximum speed.
"Ayjax, what exactly do you think you are doing?"
"How can you be so callous in a situation like this!" He snarled, "Rim is far too important to simply ignore."
Even through the mind connection, Ayjax could hear Finn scoff, "Yes, yes. But what can one ship even do? Zara is in control of the island. Nothing those robots can throw at her will stand a chance."
Ayjax ignored him. While it was true that Rim would ordinarily be able to defend itself, it currently lacked reinforcements. The original fleet that was stationed at the island had been pulled to help hunt the geaborn. Instead, Zara had been sent there with some temporary forces. They weren't the typical full-strength Valencians, and most of them hadn't been on the island before.
If a fight came to them, they'd likely be fine, but Ayjax had an ominous feeling.
The gearborn were smart. They were incredibly smart. He had been young in the first war and only became a leader close to the end. However, that had been enough for him to learn about the Gearborn's abilities.
That was enough for him to make a theory. Obviously, he had nothing to back the theory except personal experience, so, it was more of a gut feeling.
But, if he was right, and he wasn't willing to risk it, then the entire fleet had simply been a distraction for the gearborn to get their hands on Rim.
They had played, completely.