Avanna and I reached the Forward Operating base after another night to break for camp. The construct was waiting for us there, pylon in hand as Captain Telest as the other Guardsmen began to strip the base down. Telest let out a sigh of relief as Avanna and I approached, running up to us after gesturing to the IG’s to continue their duties.
“Ser Terrid, Lady Avanna, I’m glad to see you’re both alright. When you hadn’t checked in yesterday, we all got panicked. You’d imagine our shock when that big thing came up with that package and your “all clear” code.” Telest spoke, “Apparently Vos has called for a recall of all forces back to the Seleucia. Something about an emergency signal.”
“Hells, if she’s called for a recall it can’t be good. Get me a line to the Seleucia now.” I ordered.
Telest reached into his pack and pulled out a communicator, a holographic image of Captain Vos flickered to life, “Telest, I told you not to contact me until... ah, Good, they’re back! Terrid, you need to get back to the Seleucia NOW! An Ankarii fleet just entered the system and long range sensors confirm they’re on a trajectory for Novux-em!”
“Understood! I’ll be transferring any command priority I have to you in this matter Captain Vos. You’re the Naval expert here, not me.”
“Copy that, YOU HEARD THE MAN, I’M IN COMMAND NOW! I WANT ALL ARTILLERY WEAPONS PRIMED...” the hologram flickered off as I handed the communicator back to Telest, with a swift salute he returned to his duties. The construct stood off to the side, the pylon in its grasp as it greeted me silently, handing it to me.
“This unit cannot leave the facility. This unit requests one more thing regarding Paradox Key to lifeform.” the construct pleaded, “Should no feasible way should exist to travel to ‘The Library’ in a dangerous situation, please find way to dispose of Paradox Key, firing Paradox Key into the nearest stellar body would be advisable. Good luck helpful lifeform.”
The shuttle ride back to the Seleucia was tense, like as if the air was an extra 100 pounds heavier. I kept the pylon close to me as Avanna sat across from me. Even being this close to seemed to make her feel uneasy, Like it were leaking it’s radiance of interference. Chatter came form the shuttle’s communicator, only barely paying attention I managed to catch bursts of chatter, a lot of naval codes and terms I wasn’t overly familiar with. A ready command went out as squads of small strike craft flew into formation await Captain Vos’ order to engage. It was another few hours before we landed in the Hangar, a platoon of guardsman and scientists were ready to escort Avanna and myself to R&D to take the pylon off our hands and begin studying it’s effects on us.
The researchers didn’t sped too much time on me, whatever effect the paradox key had on Avanna I was somehow not affected as severely. Shortly after they had cleared me from medical I rushed to the bridge, the tension in the air across the ship was tense as possible, alarms blaring, displays with station directions lead the crew to their necessary positions, the doors to the bridge flushed open as I’m greeted to a series of holographic windows surrounding Kassandre Vos, the faces of squad leaders in their fighter craft cockpits while the feed of the enemy fleet was zoomed in, giving us a better view of the situation.
There were Ankarii craft, a few fighter squadrons, two frigates and a cruiser, a fairly normal detachment, the problem were the three ships at the front of the fleet. Seiran civilian transport ships. Each of them were C Class in size, which meant an esitmated 9000 innocent people were at risk. But it was unlike the Ankarii to use hostages, they never wanted ransom, they would only ever kill civilians, then an ensign spoke up “Captain, there’s a communication going out on all channels and frequencies, coming from the cruiser!”
“On screen.” Kassandre ordered, her cluttered wall of screens moving to the side as a figure, flanked on both sides by Ankarii raiders, sat in their captain’s chair, was a Seiran.
Another of the Traitor Knights, one of our ace naval officers, Jitt Resdin. A middle age man, a look of smug superiority and disdain on his face as he spoke to all those who would listen, “Hello crew of the Seleucia, I am, Jitt Resdin, the man who drove an entire fleet through a category 6 ion storm! How are you all doing this fine day? Don’t answer, I don’t care. I’m looking for Terrid Korvo, so if you can hear this Terrid, I heard you found what we missed the first time we were here! That’s fantastic, Lord Eragus was quite disappointed when we had to make that early retreat thanks to the facilities defence systems. Be a good dog and bring me the Paradox Key, for every ten minutes after, we’ll ventilate a civilian ship. Don’t keep me waiting.”
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
I stepped up to the command platform, signalling to an ensign to put me through, “I’m here Jitt. Leave the civvies out of this.”
“Oh good, my favourite pup playing hero,” he sung flamboyantly, “How good to see you! You heard my demands. Bring your, oh so heroic, self over here with the Paradox key and I’ll let the civilians go.”
“No, neutral ground. This systems been automated for years,” I responded flatly, “The outpost orbiting the moon of Novux-Yeb, That should far enough from both our fleets so that no one gets the upper hand.”
“Hmm... fine. But come alone.” Jitt spoke, closing the communication with a huff. The bridge fell quiet as i felt everyone’s eyes burn into me. Finding the Paradox key only to then have Jitt and a fleet of Ankarii ships appear out of the ether weakened if not completely destroyed what little trust they had in me to begin with.
Kassandre broke the silence, “What’s the plan Terrid?” her voice patient and welcoming, “What do you need?”
I let out a reassured sigh, “Send the Paradox Key to a shuttle. I have an idea.”
Jitt was brilliant, shrewd and a little too full of himself. He LOVED bringing a plan together, but they were almost always predictable to anyone who knew him, and one gambit he loved, was the double cross. I knew to set this up perfectly, “I’ll be going alone. Jitt will have his Ankarii with him, but he doesn’t know what the Paradox Key can do. Vehylin didn’t. Which means they don’t know it interferes with energy and disables psionics. Once I get him talking and he lowers his guard, I’m going to open the pylon’s shielding and blast as many of them as I can with it’s disruptive effects.” I flexed my arm, extending the pile bunkers impact rod from my palm, “For some reason I can still use my pile bunker in it’s area of effect, I’m going to make use of that.”
The bridge began to buzz with activity again after I explained my plan, the fighters on stand-by as I slid the impact rod back into place. “I’m only going to ask this once, and if you hesitate to answer me for even a second,” Kassandre drew her service pistol, aiming it between my eyes, “I will paint this privacy screen with your brain. Was this your doing?”
I answered by grabbing the barrel on the gun and pressing against my brow, staring her down and answered with a single word, “No.”
The tension hung in the air, her finger on the trigger ready to end me in an instant as we played this game of trust. Her grip on the gun loosening as she took her finger off the trigger, “Alright Terrid. For what it’s worth I believe you. Things don’t look good for you, you know. Suddenly after you find this Paradox Key, a fleet of Ankarii ships comes out of nowhere.”
“I know, it’s making me look bad. We dealt with another Knight in the facility, Vehylin Kaer.”
“The Infiltration specialist?”
“Yeah. Not much left of her to speak of though.” I said jokingly, “She mentioned Jitt was also in the system, guess this was what she meant. How did we not know he was even here?”
Omega-5 chimed in, “I don’t know how I didn’t catch this before hand, all the data we’ve been getting from the relay outpost was being spoofed, I’m guess the Sigma’s in charge of those systems must’ve been assuming was corrupted due to all the solar storms. This is honestly embarrassing for their entire tier.”
A private turned to us, addressing Kassandre, “Permission to speak ma’am?”
“Granted, Private Yur.”
“Ma’am, I do not feel comfortable taking orders from nor seeing you defer to Terrid.” The private spoke, “He clearly cannot be trusted, this fleet only appeared after he found the item on the planet’s surface.”
“That is a valid criticism of the current situation, especially since all we have to go on is his word...” Kassandre spoke before being swiftly interrupted.
“If you cannot trust Terrid, then trust me.” Avanna interjected, “Terrid Korvo is a man of his word. I trusted him with my life. He had every opportunity to take it while we in the depths of the facility and yet he didn’t.”
“They let you out of Sick bay?” I asked confused.
“Hardly, I let myself out.“ she snapped, “And I will stand by your decision no matter what the outcome will be, and should any member of staff take umbrage with that, they can address ME.” Avanna’s demeanour, despite her clear exhaustion, was focused, direct and curt. A silence washed over the bridge as the private who spoke out against me lowered their head and turned back to their console.
“If it makes the crew feel better about this.” I spoke, breaking the silence, “I’ll keep my communication channel open at all times, however what I have planned may interrupt my communicator for a few moments.”
I left the bridge, making my way to the lift. Omega-5 greeted me with her holographic display, explaining that everything was being prepared, the Pylon was being moved to a shuttle and the nav computer was set for the station at Novux-yeb. I requested one last thing, a last minute addition from her. Jitt had all the bargaining power, but I knew he was arrogant. He’d try and back me into a corner, I needed something to level the playing field.