There were many things he was unsure of. Most of all of them his current plan stood out as daring and foolish in the extreme. Every rational cell in his brain screamed that he could not allow a latent psi-witch to roam unchecked, especially not one that was on verge of awakening. Lucas understood that neither the Knight nor those around her knew that. That was why his plan of earning her trust was a foolish one.

What was he thinking sending her that video confirmation of the kills? Well, he had done it out of habit. The Demons always bombarded Bartholomew with every kind of information so that he could present a clear picture to Virgil. It was one of the reasons why they had been so efficient. But that woman was not his superior, which meant he had made a mistake. There was too much in that file to blow his cover and all he had done so far, and Lucas knew it.

It was Zoë’s reaction that had knocked him back to his senses. Because of the strangeness of the situation he had found himself in, he had become too confident. He had forgotten that those people were just local security for a station they believed to be so far removed from what was happening in the wider galaxy, that they had been bored out of their minds. They were not soldiers; they were not used to the horror of actual combat. At best, all they had to deal with were breaking up fights between civilians.

He sneaked a peek at the girl walking next to him. Too late he realised that he had become too used to communicating only with the others from his squad. Zoë looked just as young as Thessia and Nia, but Discharge alone had over a decade of battle experience. And what of him and Carthage? The two of them were Gen 3s, they had spent over twenty years perfecting their skills at killing others. On top of that, they were conditioned to ignore the brutality of their craft. Of course, Lucas knew that because of his kinds heavily augmented skin, he would never age, in appearance at least.

However, Zoë was a natural human and one that was in a state of shock. He could see it in her blank stare, dazed footsteps and dropped shoulders. He was glad to have her around, but in this state, she was all but useless. He could drug her, but that would only delay the imminent mental breakdown.

“Miss Kurtz, why don’t you tell me more about this Academy you mentioned.” He decided to use the same method he had seen the faithful employ during intensive fighting.

“What?” She looked at him as if he had spoken in another language.

“The Academy, I presume it is some sort of training facility, is that right?” Lucas slowed his step

“Yeah, sort of…” Zoë gave him a faint smile. “It’s a bit more complicated than that.”

“We have time. I would like to learn more about it.”

“Why?” She looked at him with narrowed eyes, most likely coming to some outlandish idea.

“In case you’ve forgotten, I’ve been gone for quite some time. I want to learn more about the galaxy.” He stopped and gave her a warm smile. “And I figured the Academy would be a topic you are quite familiar with.”

“Right… That makes sense.” The girl nodded, confirming his worry that she had misunderstood the reasoning behind his question.

“The name is a bit wrong; you see. What we call the Academy is actually a Citadel class system. It’s just three fortified worlds orbiting a locked binary star. It is the oldest one in recorded history. Before the Liberation War, the Third Empire had used it for the same purpose as us.” Zoë shrugged downplaying the importance of this information.

“How very interesting.” Lucas was not faking this.

Her explanation could be quite relevant to him; however, the galaxy was a vast place and a lot could have been changed after he entered cryo-sleep. The Citadel classification was one defined by Constantine IV Rütter at the start of the Xith invasions in human space. It was obvious the term had been preserved. He shouldn’t be surprised by this, after all, a lot of things from his time had been preserved if he thought about it. Some might have evolved their meaning, but the core idea was still there.

“Why is that?” He could see the doubt on her eyes.

“I was stationed in a similar system for quite some time you see.”

“Ok. I’ve had enough.” She yelled at him, her face blossoming a clear shade of red in its centre. “Are you messing with me? Is this true?”

“Have I ever lied to you?” He chuckled.

“That’s just it. You pretend to be honest, but all you do is twist the truth.” Lucas could see her entire body shake from the rage she was feeling.

“I suppose you will not trust me if I tell you that I have been conditioned to never lie.” Zoë’s shaking head was all he needed to know the truth was unacceptable for her. “Very well. I was at the St. Erebus system. It bears similarity to what you describe of this Academy.”

The girl looked at him with her jaw dropped. His honesty had clearly surprised her or was it that he was sharing something with her, he couldn’t be sure. Lucas could explain it, but he wanted to trust this girl and for her to trust him. If he had to guess, it was because he felt alone without the others and she was the next best thing. Despite everything, she had tried to reach out to him when they first spoke. Because of this, he continued.

“It is, or rather was, a binary star with three planets; Abismo, a barren world of blasted black rock and poisonous atmosphere, Forgestia, a desert world of red and green sands and Senfina, a maze of lush jungles and shallow rivers.” He recalled the three worlds that housed all the facilities of project Osiris.

Lucas had seen Forgestia and Senfina only from space when the Demons had transferred from their home and birthplace in the deep caverns of Abismo. What he did not mention were the massive ordinance complexes covering most of the surface of each planet. But before those defences could be used the attacker had to pass through the ring of orbital stations and their macro cannons and Tyson punch-lasers, making any attempt at an invasion a costly endeavour. After all, there was no such thing as an impenetrable fortress.

“I’m sorry…” Zoë lowered her head.

“Why do you say that?” He was confused, this was not the response he had anticipated.

“Just now, your face looked very sad. That must have been your home system.”

“Miss Kurtz, you never cease to amaze me. How very observant of you.” He laughed avoiding further explanation. “I’ll see you all on the other side.” He added remembering his squadmates.

“Mi salutoss fin enla extera monto. What does that mean?” The girl looked at him, repeating the phrase, somewhat butchering the pronunciation.

“It is a farewell, my kind used to tell at the hour of our death.” Lucas said far more sternly than he meant to. “It is a private thing. Now, please continue about the Academy.”

“Fine, be that way.” He could see it in Zoë’s eyes, this was something that would not be dropped.

“The three worlds of the Academy are dedicated to one of the United Republics armed branches; the UR Army, UR Navy and the last one is a military research world. I am not sure if they are the same worlds, because nothing is left of their original landscape.” The girl spoke avidly, forgetting the state she was in when at the start of their conversation.

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“Because of its influence and importance of the safety of the UR, it is home to the command staff and the High Commodore. They are the ones who hold the most control over the Union, because of the arms race we are in with our neighbours.” Fire had returned to her previously glazed eyes.

“And before you think of it, I was not born there. I come from Helsinki III in the Grötter cluster. My dad disowned me when I was ten and sent me to the Academy as a conscript for the couple thousand credits of government support. Despite the propaganda, volunteers are not as common as High Command would like, so unwanted kids are bought and trained.” Zoë said this as if it was the most normal of things, which further raised Lucas’s ire.

“I am surprised to see that the worst of all practices of the Blue Bible Group has survived the ages.” He chose his words carefully not to offend the girl for whom this was a reality.

“It is a good way to support struggling families.” She looked pissed, but overall far better. “Your own childhood can’t have been much better. Look at you, you are my age and you talk and act as if you are a veteran soldier with many years of service behind you. If I decide to trust you, you must have been about the same age as me when you were shipped to a training camp.”

He pondered the comment for a moment. He could try and tell her everything, but that would require absolute trust that she would never betray him. The secrets of his creation were locked behind a psi-kill command deeply rooted in the cortex implant he had in his brain. There were ways around it, he knew that. The safest one was to have her bonded and conditioned to secrecy, something that only a sanctioned psi-witch could do.

Lucas very much doubted he would find such an individual in this age. That left him with the second option – have the AI Zeti provide her with the clearance she needed. However, he was worried that Zoë was just not ready to accept the truth. And there was the small issue that without the guidance of His Holiness, humanity was not ready for knowing the secrets of his origin.

“I have told you before, I am…” He began, but the girl raised her hand clearly meaning for him to stop talking.

“Right, right, I am tired of you repeating the same thing.” She pursed her lips and looked at him intently for a moment before continuing. “Just tell me what is with all that religious crap you are always hiding behind.”

“I beg you pardon?!” He was astonished by her statement.

Saying something like this would have earned her the heretic brand and interment into a labour death-camp or a summary execution if the law enforcer was unwilling to deal with all the paperwork. He had to remind himself that now was a different time and there was no need for him to kill her. On the other side of the spectrum, he was amazed how quickly she had warmed to him. This had to be the bonding the faithful were so fond of.

Lucas understood the idea behind the process and the philosophy behind it, but it was alien to him. The Demons had absolute trust in each other, the indoctrination they had all gone through had seen to it. They also had trust in the Shayatin and Daeva in a similar way, although not as absolute. He had never found it necessary to bond with normal human soldiers. Every interaction he had with them was kept professional and limited.

“It is not religion. It is theological science.” He finally said after taking a deep breath.

“It’s the same bloody thing said with different words.” She rolled her eyes.

He laughed, for the first since waking up he laughed from the bottom of his heart. This must have been how Athena, and Samuel after her, had felt when talking to him about the Church of the Third Hell.

“It is not the same. Theological science is empirical knowledge and rational thinking presented as theology in order to assure the loyalty of the masses.” He mimicked the same tone that Lucifer had used.

Lucas started walking again and motioned for her to follow him. Although he was enjoying the chat, there were tasks he had to complete and problems to solve. Preferably before they turned into disasters.

“Although basic education is mandatory for all faithful citizens of the Empire, it is almost impossible to have it cover everything. As such His Holiness Constantine I, decreed the establishment of the Church of the Third Hell after he became the Blessed Saint of the Garden of Hell.” He was oversimplifying things, but he had never been that interested in the topic to start with.

“What the bloody… well yes, hell, is all that about?!” Her shocked expression was enough to remind him that the gap between them was quite large.

“What do you know of Terra?” Lucas asked.

“Well, it was the capital world of the Third Empire and its fall…”

“Not that one. I am asking about the cradle of humanity – old Earth.” He knew some of the frustration he felt had slipped in his voice.

“It was glassed or something like that.” The girl’s shrug only increased the pain he felt.

“Oh! Shit!” Zoë exclaimed a moment later and pressed her hand against her lips. “I’m really sorry…”

“Do not worry, Miss Kurtz. There will be enough time to discuss this topic at a later date.” Lucas knew he was pushing her away.

However, gaining her trust was not his main goal, all he wanted was to push her away from the edge of a mental break. Something he had managed to do, despite the obvious differences between them. Now came the harder part, push her right back into the thick of it. He had thought about delaying the last two on the list the Knight woman had given him, but there was a better purpose they could serve.

“We are heading back to the changing room.” He informed the girl. “Call Dougherty and Jackson there. Tell them they need to report for an early shift.”

“Can’t Felix do it?” If she though pleading with him would work, Zoë was about to be disappointed.

“Consider this a task with which you will earn more answers.” He gave her his best smile.

“You are going to have me kill them, aren’t you?” Lucas could see a hint of her fear in her eyes.

“You are quite right, Zoë. Though, I will not leave both of them to you.” He gave her a light tap on the back as the blood drained from her face.

Just pushing her back into action was not enough apparently. He had to give her some explanation, to provide a reason and incentive for her. Taking into account that she had grown in a semi-military environment, he was not able to accept that what they were teaching at that Academy was anything but an imitation of the real thing, that would not be so hard. He was about to do that when the message popped in his view.

< ZETI: PROJECT GOLIATH NEEDS TO BE SALVAGED >

< ZETI: NEW RESEARCH STAFF HAS BEEN INTRODUCED TO THE VAULT >

Lucas took several deep breaths to counter the effects of the battle drugs secreted in his system. The temptation to use the kill code on the AI and be done with it was real. He was very aware of the importance of the research done on Sigma 37, but right now he had other priorities. Securing the station was at the top of the list and he had thought Zeti understood it. It was supposed to be one of the most advanced artificial intelligence created. Either its creators were wrong or it was vastly overestimating his abilities.

“Boss… ah, sir.” The voice of Felix cracked over his feed.

“Helix is enough, Mr King.” He sighed, expecting further complications to his already crumbling plans.

“Yes, Helix, the Knight Protector wants some discreet work done. Dr Kruger usually handles stuff like that and…”

“Felix, that is enough. Inform the good doctor I will place my trust in his choice.” He hoped the big man and the scientist would understand the warning, but just to be sure he spelt it out. “Do not disappoint me.”

“Yes, Helix.” With that, the connection was cut.

“Problems?” Zoë chimed next to him, hope, that the test he had planned for her would be delayed, glittering in her eyes.

“Complications. But they can wait.” Lucas managed to keep his voice level.

“Ugh… Helix, Mistress von Eisstahl demands you meet her alone in training simulator 1B.” Felix’s voice was a clear indication that his plan was gone.

Lucas ran through his inventory, but there was nothing that would help him against a latent psi-witch. Especial not against one that was on the verge of awakening. He could try and subdue her suing force; it would be very unlikely that the woman was both a skilled pilot and skilled in hand to hand combat. But that would only delay his problem, something that was becoming a constant since he emerged from the pod. It was about time he stopped trying to play at being command and started acting like himself.

“Miss Kurtz, where is training simulator 1B?” He placed his helmet back on his head and activated the dormant reactive AI.

“It’s on the upper level of the complex. It will take us about seventy minutes to reach it.” Despite the confusion written on her face, she gave him the answer he wanted to hear.

“How long would it take from the docking station where the Knight’s ship is docked?”

“Forty, maybe forty-five minutes.” A hint of apprehension appeared in her eyes.

“Have you been taught how to hunt a psi-witch?” He turned to face her, studying her expression for any hint that might be of use to him.

“No. I was auxiliary…” Zoë began to explain, but he had heard enough.

“Good. In that case, I will not waste time trying to correct the mistakes that could have been drilled into your head.” Lucas took out one of the self-injecting sedatives he had on him. “Take this and keep it at the ready.”

“What is it? Some sort of custom made chem?” Her curiosity was endearing, but now was not the time for it.

“Nothing so interesting. A standard anaesthetic, it would keep an adult human down for ten to fifteen minutes.” He checked his weapon out of habit. “Ambush is out of the question; however, the target is yet to awaken, making it a manageable threat.”

“Do not go for your pistol. Close combat only.” He jabbed his finger in her forehead to stress the point. “At the current state, the target can be pushed through the Faust barrier if enough stress is placed on it.”

Lucas could see that Zoë understood only half of what he just explained to her. He could only hope it was enough. In the end, he was the one who would be doing most, if not all, of the work. As an afterthought, he decided that a word of encouragement would do the girl some good.

“Consider yourself blessed, Miss Kurtz. You are about to become an expert Hunter.”