After Derrin finished gagging on his meal, they were finally able to talk.
"So, you're used to this stuff, huh?" Red remarked.
"Shut up," Derrin grumbled.
"You know I've got to ask, you aren't from Valencia, are you? Your accent is totally different."
Derren sighed, "You are correct. I'm from Montrel."
Red tried to remember what he knew about Montrel. It wasn't much. All he knew for certain was that Montrelans lived a very different lifestyle from that of Valencians like himself. He hadn't thought he'd ever get the chance to meet someone from outside Valencia, and in a matter of days, he not only met a Gearborn. but also a Montrelan. His life sure had gotten exciting.
"What the hell are you doing in Valencia then? Not that I know much about travelling between seas, but that is something pretty difficult to do without connections. If you are here, that means you have connections. But if that were the case, then how did you get captured in the first place?" Red questioned.
"You know I shouldn't be answering almost everything that you just asked."
"Why not? Wait, are you part of some secret organization? That would explain why you can't answer anything," he postulated.
"No, I'm not part of a secret organization. At least not really," Derrin reluctantly admitted.
"But you've got to be somewhat important, right? I can't imagine the Gearborn capturing some random guy for no reason. Well, actually, now that I think about it, that's kind of what happened to me, so I guess it's possible."
Red kept talking to distract himself. Having another prisoner in the cells would complicate his entire escape. He wasn't about to just leave someone here, but his entire escape would be much more difficult with another cell to open. Learning what this man knew would be helpful for the time being.
"You don't know why they captured you?"
"Not a chance. If you want me to tell you anything, then you are going to need to talk first. I was here first afterall, so I think that gives me first dibs on information."
Derrin glared at him, "You are a very annoying person, Red."
"Eh, I wouldn't really say annoying. I'd say more of inconvenient."
"Fine. I do want to know your story, and it isn't like mine is that big of a secret anyway."
"Great!" Red replied cheerfully, "So, is this the part where you admit to being in a secret organization?"
"Not exactly. If you want to call my former group an organization, I guess you could, but it isn't a secret. Well, it isn't a secret from those who need to know."
"So, what you're saying is your organization isn't a secret except very few know about its existence, making it a…say it with me, secret organization?"
"Whatever," Derrin shrugged, "As you know, after the war, Gearborn were banned from crossing into any of the other seas. They were restricted to only their native sea."
"Really? It sure seems like this little piece of information is off. We are in Valencia after all…not the Gearborn's sea. Just letting you know," Red replied dryly.
Was he getting a history lesson here? Or was this guy going to get to the bloody point?
"I did notice, Red. That is our group's job."
"Your group's job is to let people know that Gearborn shouldn't be here?"
"No. We hunt down Gearborn who break into the other seas. That is our job," Derrin said patiently.
"That sure seems to have worked out for you here."
Derrin fell silent for a moment, "Yeah, well, we weren't expecting such a strong force of Gearborn. This is the biggest force that we've seen moving within the other seas since the war. We were caught off guard, and my team was eliminated."
"I've been here for a while, and I haven't heard any fighting. You're saying this one ship was enough to eliminate your team silently?"
"Red, I'm not really sure where you are from, but if you've lived in any major cities recently…"
"I haven't."
"Okay, well, in any case. The Gearborn are up to something. That is like old news to any major population center. It's got people worried, and we need to do something about it. That was my team's job. If everyone is scared of the Gearborn again, it'll be a major problem for civilian morale. Which is why the level of the threat has been downplayed."
"This one ship is really just one part of a major collection of Gearborn situated somewhere within Valencia. My team thought it was a single ship when we followed them, but they ambushed us with almost an entire fleet of ships. Somehow, they've managed to avoid Valencian reconnaissance mostly and are building up their power here."
This was really not the information he was hoping for. Gearborn fleets in Valencia? That had nothing to do with him, and if it were up to him, he'd keep it that way. Once he was off this damn ship, he'd gladly stay away from any more robots for the rest of his life.
"Well, that's nice to hear, but I really don't care," Red replied.
"What?" Derrin said in startlement.
"Not sure what you are so shocked about. It really doesn't affect me in any way," Red leaned back against his bed.
"You say that like you aren't currently trapped in a Gearborn ship." A hint of growl made its way into Derrin's words.
"I guess you got me there, but I'm only here because I wasn't quick enough."
"Are you going to expand on that?"
"Sure…once you finish your story."
Derrin grumbled, but eventually continued, "There really isn't much else to say. I survived the ambush and was captured. The Gearborn want to keep their presence quiet for now, so they'll probably torture me for information to see if anyone else knows about their existence."
He turned to look at Red through the bars, "I just can't believe that you are so willing to disregard their presence in your homesea. This could be the start of another war."
Red sighed. Something about this seemed familiar. He was trying to remember something he'd heard about Montrelans, but it seemed like it was just out of reach in his mind.
"Why does it matter? Other people are working on stopping it. What do they need me for? Besides, it's not like there is anyone here for me to fight for, so it doesn't matter to me."
"How can you say that? Even if that is true, don't you have any honor?"
Red burst out laughing. Well, there was his answer.
"What's so funny?"
"I just remembered what Montrelans are known for. Your bloody crazy sense of honor. Well, Derrin. Honor is for men who have nothing better to do with their lives. The rest of us don't have the option to have so much selflessness."
"Is that so?"
"Yes, for me at least."
Honor, bloody, honor. The fact that this man expected him, of all people, to be honorable. That was hilarious. He would gladly stab someone in the back if it meant avoiding a direct fight, just like he'd gladly run away if it meant keeping the Gearborn off his back. If only he'd been smart enough to follow that piece of advice earlier.
"I've told you my story, now what about you?"
"Fine, fine, fine."
A deal was a deal.
"My story is not nearly as honor-filled as yours," Red remarked.
Derrin nodded, "Honor is a good trait to have. It allows others to gain inspiration from you and lets you stand at the pinnacle…"
"I get it, calm down. Honor is very honorable. Nice. Wonderful. Can you please stop talking about honor now?"
"I was just… fine," Derrin replied sadly.
Red ran a hand through his sandy blonde hair. Was this guy really sad that he wasn't allowed to go on a rant about bloody flaming honor? Like hell, he knew Montrelans were strange, but this was just plain weird.
"Good. Storytime," Red said cheerfully.