Meredith was strangely calm even though she had been detained by soldiers of the same cause she served.

She felt as though she was blanketed by something that kept her reassured and so she sat in a plain cubic room silently.

She had been separated from her unit and had been led into the detainment area of the VIH headquarters which was three floors underground.

The soldiers had also taken her unit’s helmets and weapons but she didn’t speak out about it.

Instead, she waited.

The walls of the room were made from reinforced concrete and the door was a solid steel Slab although Meredith was confident she could break out if she tried but the goal was to ease the tension and to avoid unnecessary escalation.

A holographic display suddenly appeared in front of her and it showed a faceless man.

[Name, Rank, Unit Number and Mission Code!]

The man yelled.

“Meredith, Captain, Unit R-044, Mission Code: E-A-S-I-I-T-G.” Meredith recited.

[Identity confirmed! You mentioned that you had undergone additional augmentation in your report and that your new energy signal is rated Nova but that shouldn’t be possible. For humans, at least. Explain yourself!]

“We received these bodies as a gift from Admiral Ardi. She used her own hands to shape our new selves and I fear I am ignorant of how exactly she managed to pack our frames with so much power. I also can’t even begin to describe how much stronger than us she is.” Meredith confessed and what followed was a brief but blaring silence.

[Is Archon Ardi aware of your current circumstances?]

“Yes.”

[Shit.] The man accidentally blurted out.

[Has her stance on us changed as of when you landed?]

“I asked that she wait.”

[Wait for what?]

“For when I decide whether we are in danger.”

[And do you think you are in danger?]

“Am I?”

[The only thing I can say is that you will receive no harm from us although we will have to place you under heavy surveillance. Will that be a problem?]

“Not at all.”

[Good. Then please leave your cell and follow the guards outside.]

The transmission ended just as the heavy steel door opened.

Meredith stood up and followed the two men outside out of the detainment area which was a dimly lit collection of cells that lined a long corridor.

She was then taken to a separate area, via elevator, which was a brightly lit and open space wherein several scientists and technicians worked.

Standing next to a large cylindrical machine were her men, pilots included although they were being monitored by armed men.

Meredith was taken to them and she greeted them with a nod before turning to the head scientist who asked that she enter the glossy white cylinder in the corner of the room via its open side.

She did as instructed and the cylinder’s door slid closed shortly after.

A series of beeps and drones then filled the cramped space.

“Again?”

Meredith heard the scientists muffled flabbergast.

“Each of their energy signals is exactly the same but… the precision required to archive this… Archons truly are terrifying.”

Meredith bit her teeth a little.

The cylinder then opened, allowing Meredith to exit to see that the lead scientist, a man named Doctor Ojo, was receiving a transmission which she wondered if she could decode.

[I can plug you into their conversation if you like.] Ardi offered but Meredith shook her head internally.

[I don’t think that’s necessary. Also, is it alright for you to be focusing on just me?]

[You are currently interacting with my Higher Processes and I can interact with trillions of points of focus so feel free to make use of me.]

Meredith’s brow furrowed.

She understood what had been said but found it a little hard to believe.

But it made sense coming from the being who deflected dozens of gravitational waves so Meredith eventually accepted it.

“Alright, you have been cleared for general access but your Raptor privileges have been temporarily suspended. I hope you can understand our reasoning.” Ojo weakly smiled.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“I do but… what are we supposed to do until we get them back?”

“You are to remain on-world and await further instruction. Your barracks are still available to you on Red Rock and you are free to use the Hawk-14.”

“Roger!” Meredith gave the Doctor a sharp salute prompting her men to do the same.

“You are free to leave.”

“Umm… pardon me but where are Maya’s ashes?” She asked as her men readied to exit the room.

“Oh- they should be upstairs. You can collect them on your way out.”

Meredith nodded before leading her men out of the building but not before getting Maya’s ashes.

As she retrieved them, she got all sorts of looks that ranged from cautious to downright fearful.

She chose to pay them no mind as she led her men back to the Hawk-14 where Chin immediately scoffed.

“Is that how they’re gonna treat us after sending us on a suicide mission?” She asked as she sat next to Meredith who gently cradled the ashes.

“We should have just used [Ghost Mode] to hide our energy signals”

“That would have been more suspicious.” Meredith sighed as the Hawk ascended.

Its rear hatch closed and it steadily flew northward.

“I know but… if they were already this suspicious, why did they let us go? Wouldn’t it make more sense to detain us, strip us of our suits and maybe even reverse-engineer them? That’s what I’d have done.” Chin folded her arms behind her head as the Hawk flew towards a mountain range of rocks that had a rusty colour to them.

“They most likely would have done something along those lines if I hadn’t informed them that Admiral Ardi was watching.”

“Ohhh… that makes sense. So, what now?” Chin asked as the Hawk approached a facility which sat in the centre of the mountains.

It comprised a series of platforms that held several buildings atop them.

These structures were all supported by a series of beams and columns that made the facility look like a nest.

“We’ll do as they say for now. They are our people, after all.”

The Hawk eventually landed on one of the fifty landing pads and Condor Unit exited their vehicle to be greeted by ten armed guards who stood behind Grand General Ifa.

“Apologies for the cold reception, Captain Meredith.”

“They were simply following protocol. I understand.”

It looked like the general wanted to say something but chose to instead nod.

He then turned around and led Meredith and her men towards the forty-fourth platform atop which sat Condor Unit’s barracks. A large boxy concrete structure which had a hanger specifically for the Hawk-14.

“I’m surprised you came to see us in person, Grand General.” Meredith scoffed lightly.

“I wanted to assure you that I shared your frustrations. The Raptor Division is full of unsung heroes and it irks me to no end seeing you treated like this.” Ifa said as the large steel doors of the barracks slid open, revealing a surprisingly cosy open-plan space that consisted of a living room, a kitchen area and an entertainment area. Six bedrooms were upstairs along with the communal bathroom.

Meredith offered General Ifa a seat in the living room but he raised his hand.

“Unfortunately, I won’t be staying for long. I have business elsewhere but you can rest assured, I will not allow them to cast you aside or cage your mighty wings!” Ifa declared prompting all of Condor Unit to stand attentively.

“Expect orders directly from me soon.” He said before leaving the barracks.

“Huh…” Chin sounded as Ifa walked away from their home.

“Why do you think he was being all chummy? You think he wants a favour from the Admiral?”

“Unlikely. The Grand General has never been one for scheming and politics. He most likely wants to restore the people’s trust in us which will, whether he wants it or not, increase their trust for Admiral Ardi.”

.

..

Archons couldn’t get drunk but Tsotsi wished he could.

[Approaching target, boss.]

One of his men reported.

The Gilded Suns company found itself on a moon-side facility in a star system on the edge of Epsilon’s territory.

Their target was a man who had hidden himself in an abandoned research facility.

A man who was known to have worked with the Dark King.

Doctor Zwei.

While Tsotsi was interested in knowing just how the Dark King had made Ardi, he also wanted to know where the reclusive ruler was in the first place and so he tracked down the one man who might have known.

Others had probably tried to find the doctor as well but anyone who even approached the moon was met with heavy fire from standard projectile turrets and laser turrets dotted across the moon’s surface but it wasn’t anything the Gilded Suns couldn’t handle.

Ten of his men shuffled across an open field of crashed ships, space debris and pale dust that was lit dimly by the surrounding floodlights.

Their target was a building which marked the entry into the facility.

Tsotsi’s men were heavily augmented and armored so it’d take more than torrents and lasers to take them down.

They were well-trained and skilled meaning they tactically disabled the turrets before they even landed with any hazards or traps having been disabled simultaneously.

Tsotsi wondered how they would fair against Ardi and shuddered.

He had heard about how she had forced the Council of Fingers into stepping away from the Celestial Conflict and how she was planning to reach out to the Starlight Coalition via a small third part just off her territory.

This information wasn’t leaked or pried out of her men.

She boldly stated it as if daring anyone to interfere.

It was only a matter of time before those two got involved and by then, it would be too late for anyone.

Tsotsi hated it.

He hated Ardi for being such an enigmatic and unreasonable force.

He wished dearly for someone to kill her but word was going around that she was building an army even though she already had one.

Tsotsi let out a low groan.

“Everything alright, sir?” His Lieutenant, Shun, asked.

Tsotsi turned to the young man who stood next to him and focused on the metallic implant that went horizontally across his face.

It made it seem as though his cheeks and nose were made from metal and this was because that part of his face had been severely damaged when he was just a baby.

Tsotsi remembered the day he saved Shun.

It was after he pulled off his first Archon kill, although he found it distasteful to eat E-Souls.

He found the boy in the rubble of the collapsed building he’d carried out his hit in and, for some reason, saved him.

He had Shun patched up and hired him as one of his first human soldiers. One he would mentor.

Now he had twenty loyal men, each of whom he considered his apprentices.

If Tsotsi had a mouth, he would have smirked at the fact that he, an Archon, a galactic bureaucrat had turned into an assassin for hire with a rag-tag team of humans.

“Sir?”

“Mmm? Oh, it’s nothing. I just realised that I am quite fortunate.” Tsotsi sighed making the young man tilt his head questioningly.

“How come?”

“Because I can die without regrets. Anyway, how far?”

[We’ve made it to the heart of the facility and it looks like the target doesn’t plan on resisting any further. We’ll bring him in shortly.]

“Copy.”

It wasn’t long until his men returned with a scrawny, dishevelled man who wore a shirt that hung on his thin shoulders and pants that were held up by a string.

A pair of sharp grey eyes hid behind a pair of thick greying brown brows and his long hair and beard hid most of his terrified face.

“Greetings, Doctor-“

“He’s on an exo-planet near Sagittarius A! I’ll show you the coordinates!” Doctor Zwei squealed.

[Is that so?]

An unfamiliar and distorted voice asked via the speakers on the bridge.

Tsotsi and his men immediately assumed battle-ready stances.

“Identify yourself!”

[Someone who values knowledge above all else I am also someone you have been looking for. The first Archon. A relic of the past and the vision of the future. Q.]