Hrake walked briskly through the halls of Gred Palace, Dhraka at his side. Worrying news had come to him via ripmed and he needed to see King Hrynkak immediately. Seeing the hall was empty, Hrake took the opportunity to speak candidly to Dhraka.
“You have been an excellent first ma- um- second-in-command,” he said. “However, if you want to return to your job as a ranger, I will not stop you. I know you took the position under… uncertain circumstances.”
Dhraka’s cheeks flushed a darker shade of aqua. It was not unbecoming.
“I- wish to stay in your service,” she stammered. “In service to the Gredite Navy, I mean.”
“Then you will,” said Hrake. He paused. “I have always admired you, Dhraka. I hope you can-”
“Hrake!” called Hrynkak, emerging from the throne room, escorted by a compliment of guards. “You wanted to see me, eh? Well then, come join me for lunch. Your first mate is welcome, as well.”
Drhaka flashed Hrake a weak but deeply felt smile.
“We would be honored, cousin,” answered Hrake.
Following Hrynkak to the palace’s smaller dining room, reserved for more intimate meals rather than the major affairs held in the larger banquet halls, the two sat down and were served hot tea and fresh fruit.
“So,” said Hrynkak after everyone had been served and was sipping tea from wide, bowl-like cups. “What did you wish to discuss?”
“The situation on Griffonia is dire, King Hrynkak,” said Hrake.
A pained look crossed Hrynkak’s face. “I saw the reports. It is quite upsetting, but there is little we could do about that.”
“Little,” agreed Hrake. “But not nothing. I would like permission to take the Drihn to Kirakna to be part of the allied armada being gathered there.”
Hrynkak sighed. “When I commissioned the Gredite Navy, I hoped that there would be more time for it to grow before being thrust into the fray. I have not forgotten that the Griffon Republic was there for us when our civilization was under threat, but I am not sure that we can reasonably repay that debt now.”
“I will respect your decision, my King,” said Hrake. “But I pray you will consider my request.”
“Of course I will, my beloved cousin!” said Hrynkak. “There is no one whose opinion I value more. But you are a warrior, and I am a king. You desire to help your allies, which is noble, but I must consider the good of my own people first and foremost. I do not relish sending half my Navy and my best warriors away from them.”
“If I may, your Highness,” said Dhraka.
“Dhraka, we are in private, and I have known you since before you could hold a hammer,” said Hrynkak with a smile. “You may certainly speak freely here.”
Dhraka nodded her gratitude. “Your Highness, these ‘Drakmundi’ who have attacked Griffonia are their technological superiors. Griffonia is, of course, our ally. If Griffonia falls and is not rescued, how long will it be before the Drakmundi reach Hruduk? And who will be left to defend it? If we combine our arms with that of the Republic now, we may stand a chance of beating back our enemy. If we do not, we may find ourselves serving them for a thousand years, if we are not snuffed out entirely.”
“Well said, Dhraka,” said Hrynkak. “I will consider this. For now, though, let our talk turn to other matters. Enjoy this meal while you can; my oldest son will soon be due for a break from his daily lessons and will come and eat everything in sight.”
Hrake laughed and scooped a hearty serving onto his plate, remembering all too well having an adolescent appetite.
***
Talon Squad filed into Dekken’s office. It was below decks, tucked away between the fabrication shop and the engine room, the walls nearly hidden by filing cabinets and tool chests, all secured so that space battles and zero gravity conditions wouldn’t turn the room into a blender of deadly projectiles. Dekken sat behind a desk, a data tablet set out in front of himself and well-ordered but towering piles of schematics and papers on either side. Raivyn was surprised to see Lady Rewna and Captain Yulun of the Bombard standing over his shoulder.
“You called, Officer?” asked Raivyn, walking in first.
“Yes,” said Dekken. “We're just waiting on- ah, here he is now.”
“Gang's all here,” said Drixen as he walked into the room.
“Welcome, Drixen,” said Dekken with a nod. “Alright, now that you're all here: something’s come up, and I’d like you to deal with it,” he answered. “The majority of our forces are gathered here on Kirakna, gathering allies and readying for the counter offensive, which has left large swaths of the galaxy at the mercy of pirates and raiders. The Koomites, in particular, have been making problems for us. We need a show of force.”
“What do you have in mind?” asked Raivyn.
“I need you to head over to Hittania with Captain Yulun aboard the Bombard,” he answered. “The Koomites have been aggressive about expanding their territory, and we now believe that they were responsible for the destruction of the Vahsing, in an effort to drive a wedge between Wyven’s Astralbian faction and the Griffon Republic. To show them that they failed, you will be traveling alongside Lady Rewna to find and destroy the Koomite raiding parties harassing our settlers on Hittania.”
Raivyn nodded. That explained the presence of the Lady and the Captain. “Alright, when do we head out?”
“As soon as the remaining Telton refugees have boarded the Bombard,” replied Dekken. “Kirakna simply doesn’t have the landmass to support all the refugees it’s been receiving, and Riventius has been complaining about the lack of trees here since we arrived. He assumed going clayside meant the familiar comforts of home.”
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Vanbrook cracked a grin. “That kid's a pain in the butt. I like him.”
Dekken’s antennae turned up slightly in an involuntary smile. “Be that as it may, I'll be happy to have him settled somewhere semi-permanently.
“Talon Squad, go ahead and get your gear packed onto the shuttle, you'll be taking it along. Drixen, your squadron will be going as well. We don't expect a massive Koomite force, but a few fighters won't hurt.”
“We'll get to it then, Chief,” said Vanbrook.
Raivyn cocked her head and looked sidelong at the swashbuckler for a moment. Despite everything, he’d really found his footing as a leader among the squad. If only he would take charge of his emotions the way he could take charge of combat.
As they all filed out of the office, Reclan leaned over to Vanbrook. “We sure about trusting Rewna?”
Vanbrook shrugged. “Guess we'll find out.”
***
Darvik looked around at the inside of the Keep. The stonework of the cathedral ceiling disappeared into the shadows as the building was only lit by dim emergency lights.
The entryway was filled with Marines who stood, jaws set, facing the blast doors. At the back of the room, a tall set of carved wooden doors opened, and Prime Minister Stritka and Executor Grak-Yurp stepped out, joined by a tough-looking group of Specialists.
“Prime Minister and Executor on deck!” shouted Grepk, snapping a smart salute. The rest of the Marines turned to face Skritka and mirrored Grepk.
“At ease, Marines,” said Skritka. “You as well, RTS. Glad you made it. And brought a civilian with you.” He reached out to shake Creddik’s hand but Trebor stepped in between them.
“He's actually a suspect, Sir,” he said. “You may remember reading about the Puppeteer in the papers?”
“Ah, I see,” said Grak-Yurp, nodding thoughtfully. “I daresay now is a golden opportunity for citizens of… questionable reputations to turn their lives around and prove their value to their nation.”
Creddik nodded, his eyes still wide with fear from his experiences outside. “I’ll, uh, keep that in mind, sir.”
Skritka turned to the Marines. “Captain Grepk, Fang Squad will relieve you and your Marines for now. Follow me to the Undercity and report to the Commandant directly, and we'll make sure you can all get a hot shower and a warm meal. Agent… Trebor, is it? You, your suspect, and your agents can follow me. We'll familiarize you with our temporary home.”
As they entered the doorway, Trebor surreptitiously stabbed Creddik with a small needle.
“Ow!” cried Creddik under his breath.
“Just a little something to keep you from puppeteering our noble leader,” whispered Trebor.
Creddik silently nodded his understanding. For now, he was going to have to play along.
The group walked through dimly lit stone halls, decorated with carved wood and heavy tapestries. Darvik had seen the inside of the Keep before, notably during a field trip his class had taken to the city when he was in school. That felt like an eternity ago. Today, however, the Keep really felt like the fortified castle it had been built as, not the ornate hall of government it had become.
Reaching the end of a long hallway, Skritka stepped into a large elevator with the others. Rather than simply hitting one of the buttons to reach the corresponding floor, he put a key into the panel and then punched a code into a keypad.
“They don’t show you this on the standard tour,” he remarked wryly. “But I trust you’re all familiar with the Undercity?”
Darvik shrugged, and saw Skritka take a deep breath. Wrong answer, he thought, and now he was going to hear the whole story.
“Centuries ago, when Humans and Talpidarians first formed the alliance that would grow to become the Griffon Republic, the refugees running from the Astralbians found themselves on the world that would become Griffonia.
“Time was short, and Griffon Keep was built as a fortification to hold off the enemy. Knowing that there was little that could withstand the full might of the Astralbian armada, they chose to build downward, something Talpidarians are accustomed to. A series of reinforced tunnels were built below the Keep, with a few entrances hidden throughout the area, most notably to the natural caves that became the foundation of the ammunition dump now known as the Depot, and another that opens in the hills to the north.”
The elevator reached its destination and the doors opened, revealing a massive open chamber built of the same stonework as the upper structure, though the room was larger than the Keep’s entryway and filled with guards and administrators. The Marines broke off from the rest of the group here and headed off for a doorway with a Griffon Republic Marines flag hanging over it. Skritka led the three agents and the prisoner through the chamber and through another set of blast doors.
“A large residential area was constructed and, as demanded by our founding documents, is maintained so as to be ready for an invasion,” continued Skritka. “In fact, every major city on Griffonia has an Undercity of its own. Granted, these areas, even combined, are not large enough to house everyone in Kerucester by any stretch. The hope is to find a way to evacuate as many of the remaining civilians as we are able to. I fear that time has passed and we will have to make due with the space we have.”
Walking through the blast doors, Darvik was hit with the musty smell of too many people living in too small an area. The constant murmur of a crowd could be heard bouncing off every wall. To one side was a hospital wing, closed off by a wide set of doors, and on the other was an open cafeteria, filled with worried-looking civilians chattering in groups of four or five, many clutching a mug of something warm.
“The rooms are further down the hall, but for now you can just enjoy some refreshments here in the cafeteria,” said Skritka. “I’m sure you could use something after what you’ve been through. I’ll send guards right away to escort the suspect to the holding cells. Believe me, sir, your conditions will be little worse than anyone else’s down here.”
“That won’t be necessary, Prime Minister,” said Trebor. “Creddik is medicated and will not be a threat at the moment. We will get some food here and then escort our prisoner ourselves. I do not know what kind of success our psychics have been experiencing, but Creddik was able to puppeteer one of the beast soldiers.”
Skritka looked taken aback. “Every psychic I’ve talked to said they couldn’t crack them.”
“I’m rather talented, Sir,” said Creddik. There was no smugness to be seen on his face, just calm confidence.
“Congratulations, Creddik,” said Skritka. “That golden opportunity Grak-Yurp was talking about has come knocking. Trebor, I will be expecting detailed information about Creddik’s experiences. Unfortunately, I have other matters to attend to now that the Keep is locked down. May Providence shine on us all.”
With that, Skritka and Grak-Yurp left them. Darvik turned immediately to the cafeteria to see if he could find some rakka bean tea. While his stomach was too twisted by nerves for him to want to eat anything, a warm drink sounded pretty good. Not as good as a stiff drink did, but he’d made up his mind that he wouldn’t be going down that road again.
“Look who it is!” said Yellup, pointing to a lonely figure seated at a table in the corner.
Darvik looked over to see Glynn, her eyes glassy and one of the lenses in her horn-rimmed glasses cracked, but otherwise looking no worse for wear, quietly sipping a cup of tea. He felt like a huge weight fell off his shoulders at the sight of her, though he hadn’t realized he’d been carrying one.
She noticed the attention that she was getting and looked over, getting up and coming towards them when she saw who it was.
“I’m glad to see you all made it,” she said, clutching her tea like she was afraid someone would take it.
“We were out and about when everything went nuts,” said Yellup. “Were you at the Depot?”
She nodded. “We got hit hard. The battle might still be going on now, for all I know. They shuffled the noncombatants off to the tunnels that lead down here- WOAH.” She stumbled back when she saw who was with them. “You got Creddik? That was some lousy timing.”
“Maybe not,” said Trebor. “He seems to have a knack for breaking through the Drakmundi’s psychic defenses.
She shot the Dromean a serious look. “Tell me more.”