Vanbrook’s gun turned towards the Squad, and he couldn’t stop it. Despite Vanbrook's height and large frame, he was off balance as he fought Traelby's influence, and Raivyn was able to grab his collar and drag him into the cover of the boulder looking him dead in the eye. Fear rose in Vanbrook’s mind, but so did something else.

Van, I’m going to fight him but I need your help. Can you feel me? The thought was clear, but it wasn’t his own. It was Raivyn’s.

Y- yes. He thought, not sure if she could hear him.

Okay. Focus on me, okay? Don’t fight him. Focus on me.

If I stop fighting him I’ll kill you.

No. I won’t let that happen. Focus on me. My influence will overpower his if you focus on me.

Vanbrook obeyed, the split second drawn out into an eternal agony, filled with fear he was about to kill this woman he admired so much, fear of the “BANG” that would ruin everything.

But the bang never came. The gun flew from his hand as Raivyn’s psychic presence kicked out Traelby’s. In the cave, Traelby reeled back. A well placed shot from Doc’s rifle took out the last soldier standing in the cave entrance. By Doc's count that left two additional soldiers within the cave.

Then something truly strange happened. The two remaining soldiers, a male and a female, rushed from the back of the cave, clamping something around Traelby and pushing him to the ground.

They stood up, each with a foot on Traelby’s shocked, prostrate form.

“Triflin and Kiflin, at your service,” said the male.

“He’s Triflin and I’m Kiflin,” said the female.

Traelby looked at them with wrath in his eyes, only to receive a shock from the device he was being held by, which looked like a set of insect legs holding his arms against his sides.

“These T-shackles are specially bred to resist psychic powers and deliver a little bioelectric shock to the wearer if they try,” said Triflin, grinning.

“Uh- thanks,” said Reclan, at a loss.

D’Jarric stood aloof, still ready to fight. Doc’s rifle was still up. Raivyn came around the side of the boulder, taking the situation in.

“What’s this about?” she asked.

“We’re turning ourselves over,” said Kiflin. “We don’t believe in the so-called Kingdom. We want to be free like you are, and we’re willing to be prisoners first if that’s what it takes. Consider Traelby here as a kind of… bargaining chip.”

“That’s Sir Traelby, you traitorous scu-OOF!” Triflin cut Traelby off with a swift kick.

Vanbrook was still sitting behind the boulder, the after effects of the psychic attack still wearing off. Trembling, he scooped up his pistol and stood up, rounding the boulder and kneeling by Traelby in an instant. He pushed the muzzle of his pistol into the back of Traelby’s head, crushing his face into the ice.

“Vanbrook!” shouted Raivyn. “Enough!”

“This monster needs a bullet in his head,” he said, seething.

“Agreed, but he’s our prisoner now, so he’ll get what’s coming to him after a trial, okay?”

“Fine,” said Vanbrook, standing up slowly and holstering his pistol. “Of course you’d stick up for a fellow freak.”

Silence reigned for a moment. Then Traelby cackled.

“Enough!” shouted Raivyn again. Her voice was strained. "Reclan, you and Vanbrook go north. Find the coordinates. Doc and DJ, you’re with me. We’re going to help Drixen and secure these three. Triflin, Kiflin, you’re up front with Traelby. You watch him, we watch you. Any funny business and you die. Understood?” They nodded.

The group split without any further word.

Aboard the shuttle, Drixen woke up with a start. He found himself slumped over the controls, dried blood staining the dash. Everything flooded back in. He’d passed out just after contacting Talon Squad. Without thinking twice he called them again.

“Talon Squad, this is Drixen, do you copy?”

“Drixen,” said Reclan’s voice. “This is Talon Squad, good to hear from you.”

“Yeah, I feel pretty bad, but I think I’m alright. Did you handle the Astralbians?”

“Uh… yeah,” she started. She filled him in on the fight and the current situation, leaving out the dust-up between Vanbrook and Raivyn.

“Oh, uh, okay,” he said, trying to absorb it all. “I’ll pass that on to Jasken.”

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“He’s apprised of the situation,” she said, “I just got off the horn with him. He said he wanted updates on your condition as soon as possible, so maybe give him a call.”

“Will do.”

“Okay. Well, see you before too long, then.”

Drixen hung up and dialed the Wingspan.

“Drixen!” shouted Captain Hunt when he heard the man’s voice, “Cowgirl is going to kill you, almost dying again like that.”

“Oh, I do this to keep her on her toes, that’s all,” said Drixen.

“Is that so, Textbook?” said a smoky, slightly annoyed female voice from over the comm.

“Oh, uh, hi Kaihla,” he said.

“A word with my pilot, if I may?” said a very different, commanding voice. There were a couple rushed “yes, sirs” and then a beat of silence.

“Drixen, this is Admiral Jasken.”

“Hello, sir. Sorry I didn’t reach out sooner, I was, uh, unconscious. Frankly, if I hadn't been under the shuttle's vents I would have died of exposure.”

“Understood. I am sorry to hear about Trikac but glad to hear your voice. Now, I hate to ask anything else of you right now, but what do you know about flying a star tree?"

***

To the north, Vanbrook and Reclan walked for nearly three hours in stone cold silence. Finally, Reclan couldn’t take it anymore.

“What was that about back there?!” she demanded.

“What?” asked Vanbrook, still stewing over it all.

“You called Raivyn a freak,” the Dromean said, pressing the issue.

Vanbrook shook his head. “Yeah. Traelby was… in my head. She pushed him out.”

“So now you’re mad at her?”

“I was freaked out, okay?!” shouted Vanbrook, throwing up his hands in defeat. “It’s over. Let it go!”

Reclan quieted. “I don’t think it’s over for Raivyn,” she said after a few more minutes' silence. After that, the frigid wind’s howl was the only voice in the valley until they reached the next unexplored cave.

They put their packs down and Reclan fired up the few remaining drones she had, sending them in to scope out the cave. Vanbrook watched the screens with Reclan for a bit, then got up and moved around some. He practiced some of his sword drills. He put standard ballistic rounds back in his revolver.

His mind was still reeling and he hated it. He had gone up against psychics before, but they were rare. He’d never met one as powerful as Traelby before, except maybe Raivyn, and she’d never used her abilities on him. Before today. But she wasn’t a freak. She was a gifted and hardworking warrior, just like him. The experience had been traumatic, but that wasn't actually Raivyn's fault. He’d have to let it go. Surely if he just acted like nothing happened it would blow over just like all the other jabs and snipes before it.

“You have got to be kidding me!” exclaimed Reclan in a hoarse whisper.

“What?” asked Vanbrook out loud. Irritated, she motioned for him to shut up and come look at her screen. Walking over, Vanbrook saw what had her worried.

The screen showed the drone’s view of a massive chamber deep in the cave. The cairn they’d been searching for was right there in the middle of the floor. But something else was in the room as well; something enormous, coiled and snoring. It was hard to judge the overall length from the drone footage, but the massive serpent-like creature curled up on the cave floor looked to be about five feet thick at its widest point. Covered in coarse white fur, it had a lion-like mane around its head and a wolf-like face, teeth bared as it snored violently.

“Oh, you have got to be kidding me,” echoed Vanbrook quietly.

Back aboard the shuttle, Drixen had dozed off again when the call came in from Doc Manford.

"Hey, Ace, want to open up and let us in?"

Drixen woke with a start and opened the shuttle doors for the squad and their guests. D'Jarric had a wave tuner device in his shoulder, Raivyn had a distant and stormy look about her and Doc wore the same aloof presence he always did. Traelby was quietly taking everything in and grumbling. Only Triflin and Kiflin looked happy to be there.

"Welcome aboard. The prisoner can go in the hold." Drixen pushed down a panic-driven desire to pull his raygun and blow the Astralbian away then and there. He knew the others were bringing him back, but seeing him again so soon shook him. He pushed the feelings down and moved on, leaving Traelby's judgment to others. "We'll have to move some supplies out. I'm afraid I'm no use lugging crates around. I’ll… also need help with Trikac," Drixen’s face fell with the last comment.

"DJ, let's secure the prisoner. Then we can bring Trikac on board," said Raivyn. She took Traelby by the shoulder and shuffled him towards the hold.

Drixen eyed the two Astralbian soldiers. "My name is Drixen. Admiral Jasken of the Blue Griffon Fleet welcomes you, and looks forward to speaking to you. You're going to have to be debriefed thoroughly and submit to a gamut of tests and other unpleasantries, but before that you're going to teach me to fly a star tree so we can get our new prize back to the fleet."

Triflin and Kiflin grinned excitedly, but Kiflin's smile faded suddenly. "They won't separate us, will they?" she implored. Drixen looked at them intently and noticed for the first time how young they were. EM beings didn't age like biologicals, but you could see it in the eyes if you knew what to look for. He also noticed how similar they looked; one male, one female, but cut from the same cloth.

"I don't know," Drixen said honestly, "but if you are and everything checks out, it won't be for long."

They looked relieved.

"Are you two… twins?" Drixen asked.

"Yes!" said Triflin excitedly.

"I didn't know that was possible for Astralbians."

"Yes," said Kiflin. “It's rare, but it's possible. There are many analogues between our races. The Progenitor works in patterns."

Drixen raised his eyebrows. He didn't expect that kind of talk from Astralbians.

"Yes," Triflin answered the unasked question. “We recognize the Progenitor. That is one reason we are fleeing the Kingdom. Service to the royal family is the only accepted form of worship, and we reject such bondage. No mortal is our god." The twins struck defiant faces, standing with their chests out and chins high. The twins' unified motions cut a comic picture, but Drixen nodded his approval and kept the amusement off his face.

"Well you can discuss theology once you're on the star tree," Doc said lazily, "but right now I need to evaluate my patient."

***

Up north, Vanbrook and Reclan were in the room with the giant serpent, slowly and quietly dismantling the cairn. They both tried to watch the serpent as they lifted stone after heavy stone. Reclan moved a large rock, finally revealing a small, black cylinder. In her excitement, she grabbed it and yanked it from the pile, causing a number of rocks to tumble from the cairn and scatter noisily across the floor. Vanbrook grimaced. They both turned to the wolfish face, seeing with horror that its eyes were opened.