They were nearly to the edge of the cliff when the conspicuous hawk finally stopped leading them on, and Gabriel kept a wary distance. It was enough to see the height from the safety of the garden’s previous tier, but it was another entirely to be right up on the ledge. Ren paused as she realized the mediator wouldn’t go any further, and decided to stay put where she was, ready and eager to shoo the bird away.

“What are you even doing here? How did you get here?” Gabriel barked, “You’ve got a lot of nerve showing up like this after giving us shit in the Fragment. Using a mantle, no less! I have so many damn questions and you’re probably not going to answer any of them…”

The hawk looked tired, “…I have flown a very long way, Lugios. I don’t have time to tell you anything but what I came to say.”

“So, then you are on your own network, separate from the World Cloud.” Gabriel continued anyway, arms crossed, “What, did you make your mantle on the border and then fly your ass all the way here?”

“I did just say I’d come a long way.”

“I knew it.” He took a few steps closer, only to stop and take one of them back as he spotted the view past the railing, “…How did you manage to steal our tech? The Eidolon System alone is proprietary software…no one but them is supposed to be able to use it to create whole bodies…”

The bird’s eyes narrowed, and then the whole creature dissolved, reforming as that masked man that the two recognized. He gave Gabriel a severe look, “I’ve been flying my ass all the way here since just after dawn. Shut up.”

Ren nudged him with her elbow, “You’ll catch more flies with honey… Let the man speak, maybe you’ll get something you want out of it.”

Latheroux gave an appreciative head-bob towards the Fafnir, “Thank you. At any rate…I’m here on behalf of Duke Mardu. There are concerning developments in Kitez that he wants to bring directly to the Emperor, and as such, he’s requesting asylum.”

“…I’m not the guy to talk to about giving anyone asylum. I don’t represent Sargon.” Gabriel grumbled, and crossed his arms, “I can’t make that call. Anywhere else, however…”

“It has to be here. The Duke has no ties to anywhere else.” Latheroux answered, “You have to bring his request to the Emperor. Very soon, there are going to be circumstances in Kitez that the Council cannot ignore, and you need to be ready for that.”

“…What kind of circumstances?”

“That’s for Mardu to tell you.”

“Sounds like a threat.”

Latheroux narrowed that one visible eye, “The situation itself is a threat, to the very existence of Sargon and Kitez. Will you take his request or not?”

Gabriel shook his head, “You can’t just come here and expect me to be your personal messenger. I don’t know you, or why you’re doing what you’re doing…or if you’re really speaking on behalf of the Duke. What kind of proof do you have? You’re here using the face of a dissident that we all thought was dead, using a mantle to make a body like only an Eidolon should be able to do. I don’t trust you. Validate yourself.”

Latheroux drew a breath, “I tried to give Prince Aamin and Magistrate Regulus to you, didn’t I? I wouldn’t have done that if we weren’t ultimately on the same side. They’re both a threat to peace and stability in Kitez.”

“How could you have even known that we wanted either of them?”

“…At the border dispute, I was with the Duke in the wings, off-camera from the Duchess. Magistrate Regulus was on the other side. I heard the whole thing. I watched as Lord Xanarken broke the barrier protocol and allowed the World Cloud to flood into Kitez. I stood 10ft away while he manifested aboard our flagship and threatened the Duchess with the most heinous of deaths.” Latheroux explained, and took another step closer, hands loosely clasped behind his back as the thin chains hanging from his waistband jingled against his legs, “I know what Regulus did to you.” He looked to Ren, and gave another head-bob, “I’m not your enemy here. I tried to right that wrong by handing him to you. It's a detriment to both our causes that the both of them lived and fled into Kitez after.”

Ren dared to get closer, “Where is Ianori? Where did the Magistrate take him?”

“That, I cannot say.”

“Can’t? …Or won’t?”

The masked figure turned his eye back to the soon-to-be Vice Eidolon, “You have to bring Mardu’s request to the Emperor today.” He turned back to Ren briefly, “…And for what it’s worth, I am so, so sorry.” He said with finality, and his mantle abruptly disintegrated, vanishing into the ambient air like he’d never been there. A few seconds later, a patrolling pair of guards wandered by on a nearby path, and stared directly at the pair before moving on.

Ren looked out at the spot Latheroux had just been standing in, contempt in her eyes, “…He knows. I know he knows. Why else would he be apologizing to me specifically like that?”

Gabriel stared as well, but his gaze went straight through it, “…Asylum…? Circumstances we can’t ignore…?” He echoed dubiously, “I feel like I’m being played.”

“What are you going to do…?”

He rubbed his brow in consideration, “…I may have the costume but I’m not officially Vice Eidolon until Xanarken says so. I have to talk to him first.”

“He’s not answering your calls though. If this has to happen today, maybe you should just do it.”

“…Maybe.”

.

Seth beamed as he watched Iresha wander around on the bridge, with J’ard just beside – and two Sargonian guards lingering at the doorway to the back-hall. The Prince was enamored by the whole thing, and glanced back at him, “…I didn’t want to be impressed by this thing, but I guess there’s nothing for it. It’s really a marvel.”

“Right!?” Seth agreed eagerly, “I heard that your dad wants to see my brother’s armor up close. Maybe you’ll get a chance, too. It’s really cool.”

“What’s it like for you, anyway?” Iresha wondered, coming on the circular path around the bridge as it wound its way back to the doors, “Being a Cadet, I mean. I never even thought to ask before.”

“Well…being a Cadet is just a fancy way of saying I’m a student.” Seth answered, and as the Prince got closer again, they set out towards the elevators with their entourage following behind, “Everyone at the College is a Cadet.”

“But you’re even younger than I am. It was already a special case that I was getting to go.”

“People younger than me go if they develop an affliction.” Seth noted, “I think the youngest I’ve seen is 14.”

“And you’ve been there since you were…?”

“Oh, when I was nine.”

“Ahuh.”

“Guess I’m a special case, too.” Seth admitted sheepishly, “I try not to think about it. Doesn’t do anyone any favors to nitpick on little stuff like that.”

“Must’ve been strange, though.” Iresha noted, and watched as J’ard went around on their right to click the down button for the elevator, “Being so young and surrounded on all sides by people twice your age or more.”

“That’s always been true though. I grew up around the Fafnir and aboard the Aegis, even back when my dad was Captain.” Seth shrugged, and pulled his glasses off. He held them studiously in his hands for a moment before offering them, “Like having these. I don’t have a vision problem, but the glasses are the only way minors can access the World Cloud, and I’m so used to wearing them that it feels weird when I don’t. I can’t ever remember a time where I didn’t have a pair.”

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

“Are you gonna get the implants next year?” The Prince wondered, and slid the glasses on over his own nose. He was shocked at how much stuff was now visible, some of it overlayed onto the Aegis’ halls like it was always there, “Whoa…” He could see the status of the elevator as it rose up from a lower floor, as well as the exacting image of… “Lord Rylen…?” He pulled the glasses off and realized the Eidolon actually was there, standing a bit further down the hall, staring quietly.

“Eh?” Seth quirked his head, and looked in the same direction, “Oh! Sir!” He quickly saluted, “…What…brings you this way?”

“A moment, Cadet.”

Iresha offered back those glasses, and the elevator dinged with its arrival. Seth took the spectacles back and stepped away, “Just go on, I’ll catch up later. See you. Uh…Your Majesty.” He bowed his head and skipped away.

Iresha’s eyes followed the younger teen until the entourage ushered him into the elevator, “…Is he in trouble?”

Rylen kept his eyes on the Prince in turn, but as Seth approached, he gestured into his office, and followed in after him. The door slid closed, and the First got right to the point, “Are you sure you don’t want to have anything to do with the Inquisitors.” He spoke simply, more a statement than a question.

Seth was a bit surprised, then nervous, “…Yessir. I…”

“No need to explain further, unless there’s something new to add.” Rylen said, a bit more curt than his normal tone. He wandered over towards his desk, and with a few clicks on a panel embedded within that black glass top, the room darkened, and the oval recess in the floor lit-up, the seats around its inner perimeter glowing with that emphasis, “In a few more hours, the Fourth is going to announce to every Captain in the First and the Sixth that he’s raising-up a mere mortal to our same ranks. Or, near as close as to be irrelevant to say otherwise.”

“Oh…is that why Mr. Gabriel’s uniform changed?”

Rylen was a bit confused, “You didn’t know already?”

“No, sir?”

“I see.” Rylen looked aside briefly, then back at the teen, “I need you to be more quickly informed about things.”

“Sorry, sir…if someone doesn’t tell me, I’m stuck with only knowing what’s on the public channels.” Seth pointed at his glasses, “Limitations of being a Cadet. I knew Lord Xanarken was going to make an announcement, but not what for.”

The Eidolon tilted his head quizzically, and approached, hand out, “May I?”

“Oh…sure. Uh…I mean, yessir.” The teen pulled them off again and offered them forward. It was odd to see Rylen wearing glasses on his mantle.

“Do you want the implants?”

“Yessir, but-“

“I’ll allow an exception. You’re not that far off from 18.” Rylen handed the spectacles back, “Make the appointment with the Aegis clinic, and have them CC me on the documents. Once your parents sign-off, I’ll approve it myself.”

“Sir…is…there something going on?” Seth wondered carefully, and folded the glasses into his jacket’s front pocket, “You seem to be rushing things…”

“I need to find something for you to do. I’m considering making a…special position, just to put you into it.” The Eidolon explained simply, “It’s no High Negotiator rank, but…you’d be something of a protégé. Directly to me.”

Seth felt all the blood drain from his face, and it took everything he had not to squeal with excitement, “…Really, sir?”

“The Second Wing has been without a guiding hand – and employees – since the start.” Rylen continued, “Technically the Inquisition division is a Second Wing asset, so…even if you’re not interested in donning their uniforms, you could still manage them and guide their research.”

Seth felt his knees get weak, but he did his best to keep from descending to the floor, “I…don’t understand. I’m not even a full Knight yet – or afflicted - and you’re offering me the Second Wing?”

“Not fully, and not yet. You still have work to do, first…and to be frank, the fact that you’re not afflicted by the Limitless makes you a better candidate than if you were.” Rylen corrected, “Twenty years ago, Gabriel was nothing but a peasant-boy that Xanarken plucked out of the woods. In twenty years, imagine where you could be; your pedigree is impeccable, you’re literally a genius, and I need you somewhere important where you can put that big brain to good use. So…my proposition is thus.” The Eidolon put his hands together and folded them towards the teen, “When Xanarken pulls all of my Captains aside, and whips them into a furor over Gabriel’s promotion in the Fourth…I plan to add my voice to the chaos and tell them you’ll be raised up as well, for the First. Then, at the end of the week - when the Aegis is done ferrying Prince Iresha to Agartha – it’ll take you to the R&D facility where the Fibonacci is docked. Once there, you’ll be given access to all of the data that the Inquisition has compiled from the bodies of the Warp Magi we brought back from the south. You won’t have to be in their presence and you won’t have to do any of the dirty-work yourself.”

“I…uh…” Seth stammered. His head was swimming with the overload of information.

“Is that a yes?”

Those teal eyes looked up at the Eidolon cautiously, “What about Prince Iresha? I was supposed to be something of an attaché to him at the College.”

“He’ll have plenty of other support.”

“Oh…”

“Well?”

“Y-yessir!”

“That’s the spirit.” Rylen stepped forward to offer his hand, and the anxious teen took it into his own, getting a single shake out of it to seal the deal, “Now, go on. Come back here when the announcement’s about to start. You’ll get a front-row seat to the spectacle.”

“Yessir!” Seth answered excitedly, and took off with unbridled enthusiasm.

Once out of sight though, Rylen looked up, closed his eyes, and let out a long sigh, “…That was rougher than I meant it to be. I need to sleep-off the rest of this hangover, or my tag-in will sound more like a punishment than a promotion…”

.

Stoneface Bluffs was still a little damp by late morning, but the river trailing by it from the north was still swollen high on its banks. The waterfall-alcove next to Magistrate Regulus’ side-project roared with the deluge of storm-waters, and above the whirlpool of the large, circular plunge-pool, hovered that same Magistrate’s Sovereign Shadow. The tumultuous waters beneath it were flattened by the anti-gravity drive, making the pond visibly hum with energy, droplets cascading up and down as if vibrated from beneath the surface. With its severed arm fully replaced – and its twin upgraded as well – it was out for its first test-drive. Those mechanical limbs were sleeker than their predecessors, sharper, and more sinister-looking to boot, but it was their reaction-speed that its pilot was most-pleased by, “These things feel like whips compared to the old ones…”

“Sir, there’s a call incoming for you from the Duchy.” A tech’s voice sounded in the cockpit.

Regulus didn’t even flinch, “Put it through to here. Everyone else take a break.” He answered, and waited a moment for the visage of his caller to appear on the surround-screen. Not unexpectedly, it was the Duchess who manifested, “Your Grace.”

“Is this a bad time?”

“Never, Your Grace.” He answered simply, “How can I serve?”

“Tell me how is our guest doing?”

“He’s been walking around. He’s restless. Seeking purpose.”

“And he’s genuine?”

Regulus looked at her oddly for a moment, “You think his ire is misplaced or feigned?”

“I spent four hours yesterday watching my husband feigning interest in the Vindicator. I don’t know what to believe now.”

“I see…”

And thus, the true reason for her call became revealed, “I don’t think there’s going to be a way to reach him. I’m starting to wonder if he isn’t a liability.” Far’nah admitted, and started pacing in her lounge-room, the FlexiGlas display on her wall following her movements, “I think it’s time we raised it up.”

“Is Kitez ready for the response that will get?”

“It’s been ready. The only question now is…how much of the Conclave has a backbone, and how much of the rest are wilting flowers.”

“They all support you, Your Grace.” Regulus countered, “But if you’re wondering how many of them are willing to fight for it…”

“That’s exactly what I’m wondering.” She affirmed, and gestured at the door, beyond which was the throne-room, “Out there is supposed to be a unified government, guided by two rational, well-intended heads of state…and yet I find myself doing this alone. I can’t stage a mutiny against a leadership that I myself am part of…but I wonder if things would be clearer for the Conclave if I seized total control.”

“I would advise against that, Your Grace.” Regulus shook his head, “He may disagree with you but that’s also the role he’s supposed to play. If you agree on everything all of the time, the system put into place by your forebears would be meaningless.”

“It already feels meaningless since he doesn’t stand for anything.” She argued, “…Give me some news; anything at all to minimize my frustrations. What about that project you had with that Luminary tech you captured?”

“It’s difficult to describe…” He started, trying to find the words, “The programming language used by the Luminaries was developed new for the system, and evolved distinctly separate from what was brought here by the colony fleet. Without a database that speaks that software’s language, trying to decipher it is like trying to reassemble a painting that’s been ground to dust.”

“So, the pods are useless to us. We can gain nothing.”

“We know that the Dame’s implants could connect to the nanotech contained in the pods, but not Lugios’. That’s likely because she was given access to it so she could load the rudimentary armor that she fought against me with.” He attempted, “We actually had them installed into some volunteers for testing, but the Luminaries had already shut-off the profiles to those nodes, since their original owners likely received new ones.”

“And?”

Regulus grimaced slightly, though it only showed in the subtle twitch of one eye, “I suppose I’ll get straight to the point… Our theory that the World Cloud is powered – or at least augmented – by the Warp Cores is correct. When the pods were tested against the presence of our Warp Core materials, the nanotech within was either disrupted or repelled. This could potentially mean that-“

Far’nah’s eye widened, “…The Vindicator might be impervious to nanotech infestation. The Eidolon wouldn’t be able to do anything to us while we’re on board, even if they completely cancel the border barrier protocol…or we expand out of Kitez.”

“That’s exactly it, Your Grace. But to test it, we would need the Vindicator above the surface. Nanotech doesn’t work underwater, unless it’s already taken the shape of something before being submerged.”

“That is good news, then.” Far’nah looked rather pleased, “Then it’s decided. Bring your pods to Oceanside. I’ll have the crew make preparations to surface.”

“I’ll be on my way within the hour.”

“Then we’ll see you later tonight.”