Airo overestimated his understanding of the situation.

Exhausted both physically and mentally from the perilous journey through the paraworld's frozen wastelands, he went straight to sleep. After spending numerous weeks inside his power armor, the subtle freedom of movement and the comforts of a real bed utterly defeated him. When he finally woke up, the display on his grid-caster informed him he had slept for almost forty hours – ten over a whole standard day. He checked the local clock and saw Terra Para had the same rotation period as Arceria. Interesting.

He, Kiana, and Zuckeroff had been accommodated in one of the larger caverns near the High Temple. In the absence of draconic inhabitants, the large interior space had been converted into public dormitories. Individual rooms were suspended along the walls in a loose spherical pattern, leaving the central part of the cavern as an atrium. Each room had basic amenities, and was furnished with a small food maker and a computer terminal.

Airo rose from the bed, and staggered into the hycab. He felt like he had crawled out from some deadly battle within an inch of his life. An hour later, after a max-stimulation ion shower and some solid – if plain – meal he was again in shape to think and act adequately.

The door's intercom chimed. Airo went and opened.

Veralla stood at the threshold, looking at him happily. "Hi!" she said.

"Get lost," Airo growled.

"For what purpose?" she asked, perplexed.

He closed the door in her face, and locked the access panel.

He accessed the local mesh, and told Yeoman Cloud to subvert all major systems of Dragon Retreat. The advanced SAI had little trouble bypassing the shrine-town's electronic defenses. Once Airo had control, he checked if what the town council had told him was true. They hadn't lied. Dragon Retreat's industry was almost non-existent. There were a few large-scale fabrication facilities, yet they were tied mostly to the local economy cycle. Volatiles, exotic materials, high-grade refineries – none of those were present in any significant quantities, and they were required for the construction of something as complex as a suborbital shuttle or some other long-range aerial vehicle. Yeoman Cloud suggested some highly theoretical models, substituting parts and production methodologies, yet those were either too improbable to work, or they would've taken forever to create.

Airo tried searching for some other options. He called up available information on the Beacon Highway. The HHI display bloomed with a three-dimensional map of the planet, encompassed by a web of bright dots, each denoting a functional E-beacon. No dots glowed beyond the equator. Dragon Retreat, along with any other settlement in the far northern hemisphere, was cut off from the rest of civilization.

Airo checked one last thing. He tried to establish long-range communication, instructing the SAI to use all of the available network bandwidth. He managed to connect through two satellites, and reached a relay somewhere in the southern hemisphere – with ninety-eight percent signal loss. Seconds later, he was disconnected automatically.

Yeoman Cloud explained the session was overridden by someone else, although it was useless anyway. Even a tightbeam laser was no help. Reason? Probably something to do with the paraworld. Quantum entanglement comms? The shrine-town had no such facilities. Creating and launching a local satellite? See previous information about lack of fabrication materials.

Airo angrily logged off. He thought for a while about what he could do. He replayed the audience with the town council in his mind, and the conversations during the trip to Dragon Retreat. He remembered Kiana's off-handed comment and her reluctance at rejoining the Consortium. That was it. It would be hard to make her assist him, but Airo had no better options.

He prepared to go outside. He paused before the mirror in the hycab. His face and body had no visible scars from radiation burns, and he felt in fine health. He was grimly impressed. Medical aid in the field – and in general – had definitely advanced in the past seven centuries.

Airo donned the power armor, took his katana and the veronite blaster, and left the room.

The cavern was well lit by glowing crystals and bioluminescent panels, and daylight poured from the entrance. Airo took the stepped walkways which led to the ground level, and went outside. It was early morning and people strolled leisurely around, each on their way to their daily routine. Dragon Retreat had an environmental shield stretching across the entire mesa, and as a result the air was pleasantly warm, and the canyons were free of snow and ice. Airo set out to search for Kiana, and his intentions were immediately rewarded – she and Zuckeroff were sitting at a stone table on one of the wide terraces at the cliffside.

He approached and sat at the table without waiting for an invitation. Kiana made a face as soon as she saw him, but Zuckeroff smiled broadly. "Morning, Boss!" he said, raising a beer can in his hand. "Wanna drink?" He jerked his thumb at a nearby food maker, styled as an open-air minibar.

Airo shook his head. "I will pass." He noticed both officers had discarded their Consortium uniforms: Zuckeroff wore a colorful local garment which was already rumpled and looked out of place on him, while Kiana had put on some kind of ultra-stylish clothing, all sleek edges and flowing cut, and where her wardrobe exposed russet skin, subdermal tattoos pulsed with neon light.

She folded her arms. "What do you want?"

"I need your assistance," Airo said.

"Oh? What happened with the military tribunal and not being part of Sol Force anymore?"

"Sol Force?" Airo asked.

"The official name of the Galactic Stellar Consortium's suprastellar administrative organization governing the armed forces, Commander," Yeoman Cloud chimed in helpfully.

"You know, for an official who claims to be from the upper echelons of the Paladin Division, you seem strangely clueless," Kiana said. "Probably no one at the office told you where you work?"

"I have both identification and clearance," Airo said coldly.

"Yes, you do," Kiana said. "Which makes it so inexplicable. I've tried hacking into Sol Force in the past; I wanted to strut around as a Paladin, too. Instead I was thrown into interrogation simulspace, and given a one-sided deal: work for the system, or face rehabilitative psychosurgery. So how did you do it?"

"Is that why you did not contact the Consortium?" Airo asked. "You wanted to get away from them?"

Zuckeroff slurped from his beer can. "Well, actually we–"

"Quiet, gamebrain!" Kiana cut in. She turned to Airo, arms still tightly crossed. "You're an enigma, Commander. I don't think you're from Sol Force at all. In fact, if I didn't know better, I'd say you're a time traveler, or an alien from another galaxy. Void it, you could be a H'raal agent, for all we know."

"Or perhaps he is a Templar who pretends to be a Paladin!" Zuckeroff burst out, worry and amazement written on his face.

"It's possible. A bit far-fetched, but not any more so compared to the other options," Kiana said conversationally, as if Airo wasn't there.

"Boss, are you a Templar in disguise?"

"Honestly, gamebrain, you're dumber than anyone expects."

"Look," Airo said, trying to be patient, "think what you want. However, I need to contact the Consortium."

"Well, go right ahead," Kiana said. "Don't let us stop you."

"I tried," Airo grated. "And I cannot. The remaining infrastructure cannot overcome the paraworld's interference. You, however, can create a working connection."

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

"Huh, can I? And what makes you think that?"

"Cease obfuscating. You are a Conduit, specialized in Technotics. You admitted so yourself. You repaired my armor with willpower alone. You said yesterday you boosted the comm tower's signal. You have the ability to contact the Consortium."

"Okay, I have it," Kiana snapped. "So what?"

"So do it," Airo said. "Help me contact them. When they come, you two can do whatever you want – stay here, go with them, I do not care. As soon as an extraction team comes, we go our separate ways."

She let out a drawn-out hmmm. "Well, no."

"No?" He glared at her. "Why?"

"Why should I help you?" she asked, spreading out her hand, palm turned upward. "I have only your word on what'll happen. You appeared out of nowhere, you coerced us to submit to you, and you won't tell us who you really are."

"And," Zuckeroff burst out again between slurps, "you had a real dragon with you!"

"That too," Kiana agreed. "Where are Veralla's parents anyway? Or is this also 'classified information'?"

Airo leaned forward, putting his hands squarely on the stone table. "You are not without secrets, either," he said, voice edged with steel. "Do not delve into things that are none of your skyline. Now, I give you a choice: either help me voluntarily." He made a pause. "Or I will force you to do so."

Zuckeroff paused mid-drink, eyes wide. Kiana, by contrast, narrowed her gaze. "Don't try to play tough with us again, gumshit!" she snapped, and slapped her palm hard on the table. Her hand scintillated with a nimbus of blue sparks.

"Woo!" Zuckeroff said, fascinated.

Airo chuckled darkly. "I can break your arm before you even lift it."

"Only if you can move, asshole!" Kiana snarled, and balled her hand into a fist. The nimbus became a miniature electrical storm which enveloped her whole body, and her violet eyes lit up. At the same time, a similar spark cloud appeared on the surface of Airo's power armor. He reacted instantly, reaching to grip and shatter Kiana's arm at the elbow.

He couldn't move.

The power armor had locked up, becoming as implacable as a skin-tight prison of nanofabricated metal and polymers. Airo struggled furiously. "Release me at once!" he growled. The other people on the terrace saw the commotion, and hurried to leave the area.

Kiana faced Airo with a grim expression, her fist spewing bolts of static. "Zuckeroff," she said without moving, "point a gun at him."

"Um, Ki, you sure about–"

"Do it!"

"SAI, override the controls!" Airo commanded, teeth bared. "System failure," the power armor speakers replied mechanically. "You blackguardly traitors! No wonder you want to desert the Consortium!"

Zuckeroff fumbled through the folds of his clothing, and produced a high-powered maser pistol. He pointed it at him, and Airo saw the astrior's hand was steady despite his uncertain expression. Kiana continued to glare, concentrated on maintaining her Conduit power.

"Now," she said, her eyes bright with unearthly light, "time for some answers."

"Or what?" Airo taunted.

"Or Zuckeroff shoots you," Kiana said.

"Fine."

Silence. The morning suns played off the canyon walls, and the terrace's smoothed, ochre stone blocks gleamed under their light rays.

Kiana balked. "Fine??" she repeated.

"Um, fine?" Zuckeroff asked, dumbfounded.

Airo waited. He said nothing else. He was again possessed with calm detachment.

"Uh... Ki?" Zuckeroff prompted.

"Shut up, I'm thinking!" She met Airo's implacable stare, and suddenly became angry. "Deusforsaken void-blooded psychopath! You really are waiting for us to shoot you!"

Airo kept silent.

"For Great Cosmos' sake, say something, you uplimal half-breed!" Kiana shouted. The sparks around her intensified. "You want to die? Is that it!? That's why you took us into the warpstorm? You have a deathwish or what??"

Airo said nothing.

"Uh, Ki, maybe we were wrong about this?" Zuckeroff asked. "Maybe he's a Paladin after all."

"Don't be ridiculous, gamebrain! He's a spacer out of a vacsuit as much as us!"

"Well, what are we gonna do now?"

"Release me," Airo said quietly. "Help me contact the Consortium."

"Or we just blow your CPU," Kiana turned back to him, seething.

Airo's mouth widened into a humorless smile. "You cannot kill me in cold blood. That much is evident. And I will not give up in my pursuit of... the mission. You can either continue this stalemate, or you can cooperate."

"Or I tell Zuckeroff to call the town council, and tell them to throw you in a cell. Without your fancy toys."

"This is a valid leverage indeed," Airo replied sourly. "So, it appears we have to negotiate. What do you want in exchange for your assistance?"

"Answers," Kiana shot. "Tell us who you are and what the void is happening, and we'll call your precious cavalry."

Airo sat paralyzed by his power armor, and realized he was on his own. Even if he contacted the Consortium and asked for their support in his dubious capacity as a special agent, it was entirely possible their reaction would be similar to Kiana's; which meant he would be truly without allies in his quest for revenge. Fury smoldered in him at that thought. For a minute, he wondered why somebody had woken a living relic like him from cryostasis and sent him to kill a man who had lived for centuries. Perhaps he should learn more about the circumstances of his revival.

Then he remembered Zenassa and her final moments, and everything ceased to matter.

He desired only vengeance.

Let us see if the half-truth will be sufficient.

"Deal," he told Kiana. "Ask what you want."

"First, tell us who you are," she said. "I know you aren't a Consortium Paladin."

"No, I am not. I was awakened from cryostasis several standard months ago, and sent on a mission to this planet in exchange for my freedom."

Kiana and Zuckeroff stared at him. They glanced at each other meaningfully, and turned back to him. "Cryostasis? Seriously?" Kiana asked, her luminous eyes looking odd in her confusion. "They still use that tech?"

Airo tried to shrug, but the power armor prevented the motion. "You wanted answers."

"What about the armor? The Consortium ID? Your Omega-level clearance? Where did those come from?"

"The... benefactor who set me free gave them to me. It was my... cover, I guess," Airo said.

"Somebody who can pull strings in the Paladin Division just casually gave you one of the highest levels of authority in the galaxy?" Kiana asked, incredulous. "How did you come to Terra Para, anyway? Interstellar travel is expensive as fuck. Don't tell me guy also gave you an FTL starship."

"He did."

"Balls," Kiana said. "What a load of dragoncrap. You believe this, Zuckeroff?"

"Well, uh, yeah," the astrior said.

"What!?" Kiana glanced sideways, throwing off blue sparks from her shoulder. "Why!?"

"Well, the Boss did show up out of nowhere when we first met," Zuckeroff said. "And he did say he, uh, had a mission to catch a dangerous criminal or something."

Kiana was speechless for a moment. "Yeah, he did say so," she conceded. She turned back to Airo. "And what about Veralla? Where did she come from?"

Airo didn't reply immediately. "There was a dragon aboard the starship," he said at last. "The beast... she was her mother," he added sullenly. "The starship was attacked shortly after reaching the planet's orbit, and crashed. The dragon died in the accident. I found the accursed creature in its last moments. She swore me to look after her spawn," he spat. "I did. Now I am done with her."

"Another closed-minded dragon hater," Kiana muttered. "Did the Union attack your ship?"

"Possibly," Airo said noncommittally. "Remember, I am not up to speed with recent events."

"Neither–" Kiana began, but caught herself. "Tell us why you were sent here."

"I am here to... track down a certain individual," Airo answered, barely suppressing to say "take revenge".

"Who?"

Did a name mean anything in a galaxy full of people? "His name is Tungust Ferrtau," Airo said, the words bitter on his tongue.

Kiana and Zuckeroff stared in mute disbelief; she with her luminous eyes and crackling aura, he from behind the maser's blunt muzzle. The stone terrace and the surrounding walkways were completely devoid of people, so their voices echoed in the open space when they shouted in unison: "THE LIGHTBRINGER!?"

"The who?" Airo frowned.

"Ferrtau the Lightbringer!" Kiana exclaimed.

"He's, like, the greatest Radiant Knight ever!" Zuckeroff said in reverence. "Well, perhaps after the Grandmasters, but still!"

"I see," Airo forced through clenched teeth. So, the bastard became a symbol. I will make sure to remind him his sins before cutting out his heart.

"Why for the Dude's sake are you searching for the Lightbringer?" Kiana asked.

"I want to k... capture him," Airo said.

Kiana and Zuckeroff stared at him again. Then they burst into laughter. "Apprehend the Lightbringer?" Kiana chortled, struggling to keep her concentration. "Good luck with that. The Consortium and the Union have been trying to eradicate the Radiant Knights for the last two hundred years. You have a better chance attaining escape velocity on this planet by freerunning than singlehandedly taking down the leader of the most powerful Æthereal organization in the galaxy."

"That is my concern, not yours," Airo said icily.

Kiana paused and regarded him. "You're insane," she breathed. She laughed again, almost doubling over. "How... how much do you give him, Zuckeroff? Three seconds?"

"Five," he said, wheezing with amusement. "But they're gonna be negative. The... the Boss will realize he's been beaten five seconds before the fight even started."

Kiana lost control of her concentration. Her energy aura dissipated. Airo's power armor came back online, and he stretched unobtrusively, loosening his stiffened body.

"I have done my part of the deal," he said coldly. "Now help me contact the Consortium."

Kiana regained her composure, and straightened. "Yes, yes," she said, annoyed. "Just remember, no glitches and cheats when the goon squad comes. I can do the same trick I did on your armor to an entire skyship," she added.

Airo didn't believe her – she seemed quite tired from the effort of holding him for so long. Nevertheless, he had no intention of double crossing. While Kiana and Zuckeroff might have some unknown agendas, Airo couldn't care less. As long as they didn't stand in his way, he would rather forget about them.

He and Kiana went to the town's main communication array. It took her several hours, yet in the end she managed to establish a stable connection using her esoteric powers. Airo, remembering the words of Councilor Letira, connected to Kryoon. The city turned out to be the Consortium's central headquarters on the planet. Airo presented his credentials, and spoke with several regional commanders. Despite his clearance, he was surprisingly stonewalled by the people in charge of the local Sol Force branch. In the end, he managed to request an extraction shuttle to pick him up, but he was told his location was within a hot zone, and it would take at least a day for the extraction team to arrive. Airo was fine with that.