The man woke up with his body on soft cushioning. Sounds of intermittent beeping entered his ears as he realized he couldn’t move his arms or legs. He looked down towards his feet to see that he was covered with a blanket below his shoulders, and thick straps kept him bound to the structure he was on, a gurney.
Am I dead or alive? The man thought. If this is hell, it looks far too comfortable for someone like me.
A subtle vibration was constantly moving through him, making it evident that whatever room he was inside was not static or fixed to the ground. He was inside of a vehicle soaring silently through the air.
“Usurper Gareth Koppel,” someone had entered his small room, which was a holding cell outfitted with medical amenities. “You’ve awoken.”
A soldier in black armor that was considerably bulkier and more intimidating than that of most was standing at the foot of his bed.
“So the prestigious Team Zero has stopped my fall from the heavens? How amusing.” Gareth rolled his eyes, his voice slightly muffled due to the swelling in his mouth caused by Rhona’s blows.
“During your absence, you were charged with abandoning your post, and the additional charges of causing bodily harm to a member of the Royal Family and the Military have been brought upon you. That is what I was ordered to tell you.”
“Tell me something I don’t know.” Gareth sighed.
“The combination of these three charges will guarantee a death sentence, Ser Koppel.”
“What’s the point of telling me that when I can’t fight you like last time? I’m no thousand-man killer. Not anymore. Did you say that to rub salt in the wound?”
“It’s good that you remember that. You are no longer the man you once were, Ser Koppel.”
The Team Zero member, like all its units, had a voice distorter built into their suit and a larger than normal armor to prevent their gender from being discerned. This was how elusive they were. They took orders directly from the General and only submitted to her. But that brought the question of what had happened to her.
“What happened to Rhona?” he asked. “Did I… kill her?”
“I’m not obliged to share the status of one of our enlisted with you, given that you are a detainee.”
Gareth found something off about this particular soldier. It was almost like they were trying to show as much empathy to him without breaking the rules. It was as if the person in the armor knew him.
“I’m not asking about your damn General; I’m asking about my sister. Please. I’ve got to know.”
The Team Zero soldier tense hands relaxed somewhat at their sides. With a barely audible sigh, they answered Gareth.
“I’ll ask Lieutenant General Salomon for permission to tell you,” they said. “But I can’t guarantee an answer.”
“Salomon?” Gareth was curious. “As in, Fabian Salomon?”
“You’re correct.” the soldier bluntly responded.
Why wasn’t he the General instead of Rhona? Gareth asked himself. Surely even the Central Council would’ve seen his competence and levelheadedness into consideration.
“I see. How much longer until we reach Titan?” Gareth asked a final question.
“16 hours,” the soldier answered. “We’ve opted not to use Light Pillars considering who you are and what you may do in the event of an emergency, but I trust you will cooperate.”
They were right. Even though Gareth’s Reserve and strength were gone, he still retained the intelligence that allowed him to use it to its full potential.
“It doesn’t look like I have much of a choice.” Gareth sighed.
“We will alert you when we land.” the soldier said, walking through the automatic sliding doors out of the holding cell, activated by sensing Reserve. “Oh. And I may not see you after this, but you should expect a visitor at your cell not very long from today.”
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“Those three kids,” Gareth whispered to himself once he figured the soldier was out of hearing range, referring to Anwen, Stefan and Leon. “They better be okay.”
A thought entered his mind. If he was worried they would be okay, then why would hope for their safety? That was like entrusting their lives to some other entity and hope for the best possible outcome. No, that wasn’t true. He’d trained Stefan to fight the Empire, Anwen to protect herself and encouraged Leon to use the power of Reserve to heal.
A slight smile appeared on his lips.
“They’ll be fine.”
--
Two days had passed, and more hours than were liked were spent in the Central Council meeting room roaring and bickering between councillors. Or, those that were still alive. About half of the Council had been invited to the Shargara conference and of those 15, six had made it back to Titan. The room, in which thousands of meetings under Karesti administrations had occurred was the most tempered it had ever been. Finally on that afternoon, it seemed some of the councillor’s questions would be answered.
Through the lumbering doors made of giant slabs of depleted Utrium (that is, with their Pool extracted from them using scientific means) two men stepped through. One bore the badge of a lieutenant general on his shoulder, while the one escorting him had that of a lieutenant colonels. If the ongoing squabbling had been heated already, it became fiery after the former made his way to middle-most seat of the semicircular-shaped table. Lieutenant Colonel Antelius remained posted at the door, keeping a watchful eye on the man he was indefinitely assigned to guard.
“You were in charge of the conference’s security!” one councillor cried. “How did mere Terrans manage to cause so much damage to our units!”
“How were so many of those terrorists go undetected? After we detained Kallista Laine years ago, we should’ve expected others with her ambitions to appear!” a councillor got out their seat to yell.
“A war is upon us. Having such blows done to our military will set forward unprecedented consequences!”
“What was the General thinking, doing this with such little outside consultation? Look where it got her!”
“Lieutenant General Salomon, you must answer us—
A fist slammed potently on the surface of the marble table, causing a tremor across it and eliciting immediate silence. Fabian was one of the two strongest Titanians enlisted in the Military, along with General Karesti herself. Although he preferred the desk over the battlefield and was not quite as physically powerful as Rhona, his two extra years in service spoke volumes to a species where few members passed the age of 45.
“The fact that you all let loose in this civil room means that you are unable to function without someone sitting here at this seat. As acting head of this Council, I demand silence of all of you. I do not need to remind you of what could happen if you do not respect the position you were chosen to stand for.”
Of course, his tenure and experience didn’t automatically warrant respect.
“You do so much for the General, don’t you?” a councillor questioned. “You even carry on her policy of not allowing us to speak freely. You can make up for the things you’ve done, Lieutenant General. Just admit that you’re her lapdog and we’ll—
A single hand was raised by Fabian, and Maedoc immediately had his rifle pointed at the man’s head, aimed perfectly at his temple even though the target was 20 yards away from him.
“Count Moen, I’ve noticed patterns of you running that mouth of yours. I wonder just how bold that heart of yours is. Of course, I’ll allow you to tell our brothers and sisters who have passed onto the Great Pizna’s loving arms, if not us. You just need to say it.”
The count tensed up and looked away from the lieutenant general, causing a smirk to briefly appear on the military man’s lips.
“Thank you. Now, as you’ve been expecting these last couple of nerve-racking days, much has happened. The Shargara conference was ambushed by a new terrorist force which we believe to be a different group from the Free Army we faced over a decade ago, and by the usurper Gareth Koppel, the Angel Slayer. We don’t know yet if they are connected. I had Governor Ness of the Terran Territory, a man many of us know and respect, conduct a thorough search of the venue beforehand. He will be punished for his lack of completeness. I believe we can all agree that we did not expect the last remaining member of the Linden family to have been a traitor against his Empire, considering that his family has served us loyally for a millennium,”
The man paused to allow for a dramatic effect.
“He himself mentioned that during his address, which he used to psychologically bring our guard down. If he had been on our side… I’m afraid to say that he could’ve been a useful agent. And that is why General Karesti’s War Council and I have spent the past two days and night coming up with a plan to neutralise both the Terrans who worked under him, and the Anti-Imperialists of Mars who cooperated with them who were only a minor nuisance until now.”
Salomon took a detour from the topic of war, which would’ve riled up more emotions had he continued speaking. He announced that a replacement variation of the Shargara conference would take place, only that it would be televised from within the Military Headquarters itself, the complete address to be co-delivered by Countess Ravn, Councillor in-charge of Colonial Affairs, and Fynn Merx, Councillor in-charge of Agriculture who was both a major general and an earl. The two councillors hid their grins as their names were spoken.
Even after I told them they still find pride in their names being called, Salomon noted, their smiles not unseen from his trained eyes. They’re pacified. I hope they enjoy their one hour of relevance.
Fabian stood up before he exited his seat.
“Thank you for your time. In the meantime, please tell your subjects—your subordinates and tenants—about the events on Terra. I’ve sent you all a copy of a letter you can distribute to them. You’re all dismissed.”
He then left the room with Maedoc trailing just behind him.