Going through the motions of the morning wake-up went as it usually did, but Gabriel felt as though those very motions were little more than a thinly-veiled façade. The persistent sting of what had happened at the Fafnir Memorial gnawed at his mind, and left in its lingering affect a sense of frustration and confusion.

To distract himself as he left the room he’d been given in the Sargonian Imperial Palace, he pulled up the reports he’d received overnight from other divisions of the Fourth.

* ‘No contact’ from Kitezan Duchy continues without change.

* Flagship remains at Oceanside.

* Magistrates remain at Oceanside.

* Movement around the Palace cannot be detected.

* Military and police presence around Kitezan bases continues to increase.

* SSCF Tuonela remains at Oceanside.

* Defensive blockade within the Eastern district has increased 12%; Kitezan military continues to issue demands for full withdrawal of Luminary forces from the border region. Fourth Wing negotiators maintain Council’s position that Kitez must deescalate first and significantly pare-down its activity in the Eastern district.

* Sixth Wing SkyFortress perimeter has not been breached; no abnormalities noted.

* Stoneface Bluffs site is secure.

* Barricade maintained; media uproar has diminished.

* Local investigations continuing; all building-staff accounted for except one.

Then there were the reports from the Council’s Sargonian contacts.

* Public unrest

* Border-provinces unhappy with SkyFortress presence; requesting withdrawal and replacement with Sargonian defenses. Emperor Iresha has refused this, citing that it was his demand that the Council establish this perimeter in the first place.

* Protests as Council embassy persist but are peaceful.

* Sargonian security forces increasing patrols in border cities.

* One reported attack against Luminary personnel; soldier sustained minor injuries; perpetrator arrested by Sargonian authorities.

* Kitez continues to demand full termination of associations with the Council.

* Economic toll of trade barriers increasing; local businesses expanding into other nations to compensate.

* Heavy tariffs on Sargon by member-states of the Hadiran Accord continue to be discouraging; business leaders requesting Sargon enter into the Accord to relieve these burdens.

* Prince Aamin; location unknown, status unknown.

* Based on reports from the Fourth, Prince Aamin is suspected to be a hostage of the Duchy, as Magistrate Regulus Laurier is reported to have transported the Prince from the border-region to Stoneface Bluffs. Whether he was present at the R&D facility that was destroyed is unknown. Presumed alive until the Duchy states otherwise.

* The Duchy has not responded to a request for comment about Prince Aamin’s status; they will also not confirm if they have him.

* Prince Iresha the Younger; located in Luminary capitol of Agartha, faring well.

* Keeps evading supervision; has been reprimanded for dismissing personal guard but does not appear to be amenable to changing this behavior.

* First Wing minder – J’ard Qiste – also having difficulty with the Prince.

Gabriel could feel the information going in one eyeball and out the other, …I can’t think about anything important. I wish Ren would just talk to me. If she regrets what we did, then fine, but at least let me know. He grumbled to himself, and realized he’d wandered halfway around the palace without realizing it.

“Lord Gabriel?”

All thoughts evaporated in an instant, and he turned to spot one of the Emperor’s personal guards at the far end of the large ballroom, “…Yes?”

“The Emperor, His Imperial Majesty Iresha the Elder, has requested an audience. He invites you to breakfast.”

“…Oh. Sure.” He answered, almost relieved for the turn of events. As soon as he got to that door though, that appreciated distraction suddenly distilled into concern, …I wonder what he wants? I know I got here after-hours, but I didn’t think anyone would’ve bothered him with the details of my arrival…

The doors were opened, and he was allowed to enter; he spotted the Emperor already at the head of a private family table with the morning’s fare set before him. The table looked rather empty, given the decided lack of family available to join him, so Iresha just gestured for Gabriel to pick a seat, “Hungry?”

“Famished.”

The Emperor gestured for an attendant to do something about it, and Gabriel made his way around to take a seat on a corner near the older man. Iresha didn’t stand on ceremony though and continued with what he’d already been eating, “You came back much sooner than I expected. And not a word in advance to warn us.”

“…I suppose it was a bit short notice. My apologies.” Gabriel answered, looking rather awkward there with his full Eidolonic nanotech halo glowing behind his head, and not a morsel to nibble on, “My obligations in Agartha concluded earlier than I anticipated, so I thought I’d just return. The Dawn of Ages is approaching quickly, and I know that Sargon is anxious about it.”

“That’s actually part of why I called you over.” The Emperor continued; the attendant returned with coffee, juice, a bowl of oatmeal, and a sampler of fruit and cheese. As it was all set down for the Vice, Iresha reached for a cloth napkin to dab the corners of his mouth, “I’ve mentioned my concern about Sargon’s security, given what’s happening with Kitez lately, and I know that Lord Rylen’s blockade is doing plenty to dissuade the Kitezans from doing anything – at least openly – but…”

Gabriel listened carefully even as he doctored the oatmeal with a few spoonfuls of brown sugar and some hot cream.

“…I can’t help but worry that it’s being bungled anyway.”

“Your Majesty?”

“Not by you lot, but by Mardu.” Iresha clarified, “It’s been a long time since I spent any significant amount of time with the man, but one thing that keeps bubbling-up from my memories is the fact that he’s…a little bit cognitively delayed?”

Gabriel was very unsure how to answer that, so he stayed quiet, just stirring as his heart pounded.

“Are you certain he can handle this?”

“…It’s a simple-enough plan. All he has to do is get on a ship.”

Iresha wasn’t convinced, and sat back in his tall seat, “…I think it’s leaving too much to chance. Mardu isn’t subtle, and he spills his emotions like milk. If anyone has the idea to ask him what he’s doing, I don’t think he’d be able to finesse his way out of revealing himself. If this whole thing is supposed to be covert, leaving it up to him to figure it out is probably a bad move.”

“He seemed a bit naïve when I spoke to him at Oceanside, but he didn’t come across as incapable.” Gabriel defended, “He was in his late teens or so when you last interacted with him, wasn’t he?”

“Regularly? Sure, but he wasn’t a stranger until I called the Council in, and Kitez backed away from me.” Iresha answered, “Far’nah may have been the primary mouthpiece of the country, but Mardu was still personable. He just didn’t talk matters of state.”

“What do you suggest then?”

“Taking out the variables. …I think I should take a more direct role in this process.”

Gabriel had a spoon up and his mouth open, but he paused there, then lowered it, “You want to participate?”

“Much as I have faith in the Council’s ability to discourage the Duchess’ vitriol, Sargon is taking a big risk in its clandestine agreement to hide Mardu until things over there calm down.” Iresha explained, “I didn’t like the idea of being secretly involved from the start…and I like it less now. It’s too risky. But if I negotiate for his release myself…then there would be no cause for concern, because Far’nah would already know.”

Gabriel gave the man quite the look, “Supposing the Duchess would even let him go, knowing where he intends to settle. If she refuses, it would make things even harder. Not to mention…Sargon has been antagonizing the Duchy for the last two years now. Far’nah holds all the pieces on the board…there’s nothing you could offer her in exchange.”

“Spoken truly like a man of the Fourth.” The Emperor shook his head, and slouched back in his seat, “The Council has nothing to offer Kitez but blood. I refuse to believe that, in spite of everything, Far’nah would still spit in my face when I reach out to her. …I’m going to do what I can to get Mardu here in one piece, and figure out what’s going on with my brother, since it seems as though I’m the only one particularly perturbed by his lack of presence. Inviting you here was just a courtesy to let you know it’s happening. The Fourth will not be involved.”

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

Gabriel could only sigh, “…If you’re set on this path, then I can’t stop you. The Council is only here on an advisory-basis and, while we have had our heated exchanges in the past, it’s ultimately not our place to command your actions. However…since it was mine and Xanarken’s plan to start with, at least let me talk to him first. Rylen, too, probably…”

“I don’t need the consent of the Eidolon to negotiate on behalf of my own country.”

“No…but you don’t get to make deals with Kitez alone when the consequences impact all three of us. The blockade was put into place at your request, to protect your son – and your people by proxy - while he’s in Agartha, and odds are good that Far’nah will mention it as part of those talks. Even if we’re asked to be silent, we ought to be allowed a seat at that table.”

.

Rylen looked over the water-filled pit that was, until rather recently, a fully-functioning R&D facility. The ruins of what the Aegis hadn’t exploded looked like a system of caves in the cliffs, and the First Wing soldiers who were poring over the site seemed as termites.

The surface of that still water broke as an unusual creature emerged; it looked like a white fox – ears tipped in red – but when it continued to rise, and hovered above the artificial lake, it was clear that it was the Eidolon of the Fifth that had breached, and not some mythical nine-tailed beast. Etienne made her way up to the ledge of the crater, and hovered serenely in front of the First, “I found seven more. I’ve marked them for your crews to collect.”

Rylen gave a solemn nod, “Very well.”

Those faintly-glowing red eyes examined the Eidolon quizzically, “…How are you holding up?”

“In the immediate sense, more curious than melancholy. I can’t help but find it strange that you choose that form to go below the water on such a grim mission.”

Etienne shrugged those narrow shoulders and reshaped to her normal mantle, “My kitsune-form is luminous; I can see better in the dark with it. Was never much a fan of night-vision. Would rather just brighten the area.”

“…Fair enough, I suppose.”

The Fifth crossed her arms, and hovered closer to that sharp edge so she could set her paw-like feet down on the rocks, “It’s making me really anxious that no one’s saying anything about the Tuonela. If everyone aboard is truly still alive and in stasis…I don’t much trust the Kitezans to be capable of waking them all up properly. There are protocols, procedures…”

“I don’t disagree, but I do doubt the Duchess’ intention of waking any of those colonists up. The only way they’re coming out of stasis is in an act of war, unless it’s us doing it.”

Etienne whined quietly and lifted her legs to sit cross-legged in mid-air, slouching over her lap, “…I hate how much we’re having to wait to find out…”

“The Dawn is going to start in less than 72 hours. My blockade is still in position. The First is on stand-by, and we’re watching Oceanside – as well as a number of other strategic locations - like a hawk.” Rylen noted, and returned to his pacing along the edge; Etienne hovered behind him and followed, “Kitez is ramping up for something; I can feel it. But it’s out of my hands unless Gabriel screws it up.”

The Fifth looked on skeptically, “…I’ve never known you to be unprepared for something. I feel like you’re waiting for the worst.”

“I am.” He gave a wary smile over one shoulder, “If Far’nah hadn’t parked the Tuonela above the palace, I’d have a clear shot from one of my orbitals. No one’s seen her or the Duke since the fumbled assassination-attempt…and I’m certain she’s using the ship as cover, in addition to staying hidden underground. Gabriel’s certain that the whole thing will be finished – regardless of the manner in which it happens – by the end of the Dawn. By our gentlemen’s agreement, I can only let it play out organically.” He paused though and turned around, opting to walk backwards as he faced the Fifth, “I would ask that you make preparations as well. The First can manage the immediate catastrophe – if it comes to that – but I will not be kind to that place if I have to get my hands dirty. There’ll likely need to be some extensive reconstruction after the fact…not to mention, the landscape restoration that those salt-ruined plains will need.”

“…I hate how easily you can talk about the devastation you’re planning to bring to that place.”

“Only as much as is necessary. If the Kitezan fleet is smart, it’ll see the Sixth Wing approach and surrender.”

“And if they don’t?”

“Then I hope the civilian population is keeping a finger on the pulse of these issues, because I won’t be able to do anything about where those ships fall when I shoot them out of the sky.”

That worried face twitched with brief disgust, “When did you become so comfortable with war-crimes?”

The First paused in his footsteps, hands held loosely behind his back. Long molten-silver hair waved slightly in a gentle wind, and those orange eyes stared intently forward, unblinking, “Do you recall how I bent to your ministrations, much as I hated receiving them?”

“…Yes?”

“I ask you to do the same for mine. Come Hell or high water, I will fix what’s broken in Kitez, and I will bring the Tuonela home. I-”

Etienne tilted her head.

Rylen shook his head, “Speak of the devil; that was Gabriel. There’s movement in Sargon. I should go find out what happened. Have faith in me; I’ll play by the rules as long as everyone else does.” He gave a polite bow of his head and dissolved his mantle, reappearing a few seconds later on the antechamber to Gabriel’s borrowed apartment in the palace. He spotted Xanarken already present, and turned his gaze towards the Vice.

“…Sorry to bring you two in so suddenly.” The youngest started, “The Emperor’s decided to go a bit rogue and is wanting to take-over our plans with Kitez.”

The First and the Fourth glanced at one another, then back to Gabriel, giving a perturbed ‘what’s new’ sort of look in response.

“He’s planning to reach out to the Duchy himself and proffer an official request to negotiate for the transfer of Duke Mardu into Sargonian custody.” The Vice continued, knowing full-well how insane it sounded, “He…thinks that if he makes a formal plea on Mardu’s behalf, it won’t go belly-up if or when Mardu gets here.”

“If the Duchess agrees to let Mardu go, then sure, but why would she?” Xanarken asked, leaning against a tall chair, “The second the Emperor suggests this idea, she’ll know Mardu has value here, and she’ll hold him up like a carrot on a stick. There’s no telling what she’ll ask in return.”

“That was my thought as well, but he wouldn’t really give me a chance to make that case. He just went straight to telling me the Fourth wouldn’t be involved with this.” Gabriel slouched where he stood; he clearly had a headache pounding behind those tired eyes, “Twenty years ago, Iresha could’ve made a case for getting Latheroux extradited to Sargon…maybe Far’nah would’ve been happy to throw the cretin out, given she probably had pity for the death of the Empress. But the Duke? The whole man? I can’t even process it. There’s just no way. There’s nothing for her to gain by sending him here.”

“She’s going to demand the removal of the blockade.” Rylen noted easily, “And nothing less than the-”

“…Complete withdrawal of the Council and all its ships, people, and tech from within Sargon’s borders.” Gabriel interrupted, “I know, I know. And I also know it won’t happen, but I get the strong sense that Far’nah will ask for it anyway. Iresha knows he can ask us to do anything within Sargon, so unless we’re prepared to become illegal squatters, we should be ready to have to do what he says. Our only leverage here is the fact that the Prince is still in Agartha. …It’s a three-way hostage situation.”

“Assuming the Duke gets here. We may have the Prince, but Kitez has both Mardu and Aamin.” Rylen turned and put a finger over his lips, “Maybe we should consider sending a retrieval party to collect the man, in the event that an agreement can’t be bartered.”

“He’s not our guy to extract.” Xanarken pointed out, “It would be seen as nothing less than kidnapping, even if he wanted to come. He’s the Duke of Kitez…that still means something. We should probably ask him what he wants to do. Maybe he doesn’t want to be haggled-over like a prized cow.”

Both Gabriel and Rylen stared in confusion, “Explain?”

“…What’s there to explain? We ask the Duke if he wants Iresha to negotiate on his behalf.”

“No, no…how do we contact the Duke, to even pose that question?” Gabriel clarified; Rylen nodded, “Nothing going to him would be free from interception.”

“Oh. We pass messages through Latheroux, not official channels.”

The duo stared incredulously, “…Explain.”

“What?” The Fourth looked back at them with the same level of perplexity, “Did you think I would just stand off to the side while you talk to the Duke and not try to set-up contingencies? The both of us got kicked out of the throne room. It should’ve been expected that I talk to Latheroux while we waited.”

Gabriel wasn’t sure how to answer to that, and he turned his eyes towards the First for a moment, Xanarken’s being very careful to avoid mentioning that Latheroux is using a mantle. Rylen must not know… He swallowed a nervous lump, “…I guess it would make sense to have a back-up way of talking to the Duke. So…then we tell the Emperor how we’d like to proceed, and go from there.”

Rylen couldn’t help but stare daggers at his proverbial brother, “I really hate how care-free you are about talking to that rabble-rouser.”

“He seems to have the Duke’s best interests in mind.” Xanarken shrugged, and pushed off the chair to stand normally, hands going to the head-rest in place of his shoulder, “What he did in Sargon had an unfortunate outcome, but I’m not going to look a gift-horse in the mouth. Latheroux is a life-line right now.”

“I’m not just talking about the riots he started, Xanarken.” Rylen puffed impatiently, “The man has had his sticky fingers in everything having to do with Kitez since he got there. His entire reason for being there is because of how much he wanted to keep the Council out. You can’t trust him!”

“…I’m with him on this.” Gabriel arced a thumb at the First, “Latheroux is a manipulator. The second we put our faith in him to be an intermediary with the Duke, we’ll be playing right into his hands. Mardu told me the same thing about Latheroux’s motivations. We can’t just put our trust in him to pass along - and respond with - the truth of the messages, least not when it’s an Eidolon doing the talking.”

“I’ve already asked him. He’s ready to start when we are.” Xanarken crossed his arms.

“Y-…what!? When!?”

“Twelve seconds ago, while you were trying to lecture me on who I can talk to.”

Gabriel’s left eye twitched, “…Unreal… I hate everything about what just happened.”

“We can communicate in real-time.” The Fourth continued, “Latheroux will only be there to hold the proverbial phone.”

“You’re undermining me in a circumstance you made me responsible for.” The Vice grumbled, “Don’t do that again.”

Rylen whistled, impressed, and gestured to fan himself, “Be still, my beating heart…”

The Fourth could only smirk, “Still think making him Vice Eidolon was a bad idea?”

“Oh, absolutely, but I can’t deny that it’s fun when someone other than me tells you off.”

Gabriel deadpanned the two of them, “…And thus, I continue to be an outsider looking in…”