When Saedah awoke, he was no longer on the ship. The room was medical with the smell of sterilizers. The walls were adorned with scopes and canisters, and everything else he associated with hospitals. He was covered with heavy, warm blankets to his chin. His right arm lay partially out of the cover, where his nurses would be able to see and access his veins. There was an IV line leading from his right arm to a clear bag hanging from a hook above his bed.

There were other lines trailing from below the blankets to various machines. Blessedly they were all quiet. The ache of waking nerves in his left arm made him flex his fist, but nothing happened. His fist didn't move under the blankets. Using his right arm, he pulled the blankets back.

His arm was gone.

His shoulder ended in a padded mass of gauze and tape. Another tube ran from below the gauze to a pump, where undesired fluids were being pulled and kept from poisoning the wound. That was when the machine started beeping.

"Hey, brother." A deep, quiet voice spoke. Vorn, in regular night clothes, propped the door open on quiet hinges as he entered. He carried a covered a tray that smelled of bland broth with an undercurrent of citrus.

"Hey." Saedah responded, turning his eyes back to the gauze. He touched the skin, needing to ground himself in reality. "Is everyone okay?" Vorn chuckled dryly and sat the plate beside the bed.

"It's good to know you are still the same, mostly." He placed the tray on the table and sat at the foot of the bed. "Troache is dead, but the girls are pulling through."

"I knew about Troache, and I was hoping the girls would be good… but I meant everyone else. Troache said that you'd all run into a problem, then Vector didn't know where you were..." Saedah stretched and adjusted his position on the bed. He hissed as the movements reminded him that he was very, very sore.

"It was nothing. We can visit that particular fiasco later." He scratched at the stubble on his chin before continuing. "I am sorry we weren't all able to come to you."

"The big thing is that one of you did." Saedah adjusted his arm, trying to get the lines out of his way. "And for that, I can't begin to tell you how close it was, or how much I appreciate it."

"Yeah, you should have heard the argument for who was going to that shithole of a planet." Vorn chuckled. "I wasn't there, but I was on the line. It damn near came to blows. Citram wanted to go, but Mac reminded her about a joint effort they were making to pull in a Rogue band, and they both needed to be there for it. So Mac and Citram were out. Then, while Citram was still arguing with Mac, Vidian volunteered. Our boy Vector had to call the she-demon to heel, which - in and of itself - proves the boy is growing up. Vidian is playing politics, and she was needed on Ceurul, of all places. Vector was the only one without prior engagement. The boy is growing up, and I can't tell if I'm proud or sad about it."

"The boys!" Saedah sat up quickly, jerking his IV partially out of his arm. He cursed, trying to get it out with only one arm; the arm it was attached to. He gave up before Vorn could react, using his teeth to remove the needle. Blood oozed down his arm as he untangled himself from the sheets.

"Hey, calm down!" Vorn reached for Saedah's arm. A flashback of Akumini's handlers flickered in his mind, superimposing itself over Vorn's image. They were men dressed in scrubs, yelling the same thing while trying to plunge a syringe into his body.

Reflexively, Saedah stepped into the grasp and rammed his head into Vorn's nose. Only, at the time, Saedah wasn't seeing Vorn. In the same movement, Saedah swept one foot across the back of Vorn's legs, taking him down. With Vorn's hand no longer restricting his use, Saedah pulled the wires off his skin. Caring little that he was wearing only a cloth gown, with the back flapping open for all to see, he darted through the door and chose to run down the right hallway.

A roar behind him gave him little warning before a body collided with his own. The two tumbled to the hard white floor.

"The fuck!" Vorn's voice was gurgled. When the man rolled Saedah over, he paused. One green eye was rimmed in red, the pupil far too large to be focused. The other eye was absent the red ring, and the pupil was almost non-existent. Vorn repeated his question, though in a whisper and without thought. "Saedah!" He yelled more forcefully, a hand to each side of his face.

"What is going on here?" Mac demanded, leaving an unlabeled room. His hair was tousled and he rubbed sleep from one eye. "V?" The sight he focused on was of Vorn atop Saedah, blood flowing unchecked from his clearly broken and crooked nose, with one knee pinning Saedah's right arm. Vorn wasn't even wearing his tinted glasses. And Saedah was sprawled on the floor, with Vorn's hands to either side of his face. "What-"

"Something's wrong with him. He just snapped and attacked me." Panic quickened Vorn's words. He hardly looked up at Mac before focusing on Saedah again, trying to get a response from his brother. "Saedah, come on man. Look at me."

"He attacked you?" Mac had a hard time believing it, even with the scene before him. He moved over to check Saedah's eyes, sucking in a breath at the disconnected look in them.

"Pathetic... weak little bitch," Saedah's whispered words were distant, but carried an impressive, creepy aura. "Do your worst." The challenge was quiet, but very clear. Vorn and Mac looked at one another. The nurses looked on with apprehension, but the three on the floor did not notice them. Saedah laughed, the hysterical chuckle trailing off as he lost consciousness.

"Smutching hells," Vorn whispered, "What under the suns was that?" He ran a hand through his hair then under his nose to smear away the blood.

"I have no idea." Mac responded in an equally quiet, if shaky, tone. "I've never heard of anything like this." Then he began barking out orders.

When next Saedah woke, he was in another sterile room. This one was bare of all but the gurney and a mirror on the far wall. He snarled, finding that his right wrist was restrained to the gurney. Saedah began yelling at the mirror, knowing someone was on the other side.

"What's the meaning of this!" He pulled at the restraint, cursing his decision to lop off his arm. He hadn't thought about his own team removing it, then tying him down to a blasted bed.

"Saedah, we need you to calm down." That was Citram's voice. "We are trying to help you." Vorn entered the room with a bandaged nose and two beautifully colored black eyes.

"Gods dammit, what the fuck?" The question encompassed multiple concerns. First, why was he in that room; secondly, why did Vorn look like he'd had his ass handed to him? Saedah watched Vorn carefully, suspiciously, as he neared the bed. Vorn was looking into his eyes with concentration. Vorn always looked like he was trying to riddle out the world, but that piercing gaze never left Saedah's eyes. It was uncomfortable.

"What?" He spat. "Untie me."

"What do you remember?" The faux calm and careful consideration in Vorn's voice stilled Saedah's movements.

"About what? Lot's happened." Saedah replied, guardedly. What had happened?

"An hour ago, you attacked me." Vorn remained well away from the gurney, in easy reach of the door in case Saedah somehow managed to get free of the restraints.

"Um. No?" Like hells he'd attack his brother.

"Very much yes." Vorn pointed to his nose. "I don't let just anyone bash my face in."

"No. I woke up, you came in, and… The boys!" Saedah pulled at the restraint again and Vorn stepped back and into a defensive stance. The sound of a lock engaging the door sounded. "What did you do?" He demanded.

"What did I do? You attacked me, ran down the hall, then told me and Mac to 'do our worst'. After you called us little bitches." The whole thing was a gap in Saedah's memory. "What's going on with you?"

Saedah heard the underlying concern. Vorn didn't trust him. What was going on?

"Who are the boys?" The tension in Vorn's voice was nearly tangible. Saedah could feel it weighing on his skin and leaching his energy.

"The kids in Cave Home. The hideout on Phaenna." Saedah abandoned his struggle and laid back on the pillow. "I was supposed to get them off the planet."

"And the reason you went nuts?" Vorn relaxed his stance, but did not move any closer to the gurney.

"I don't remember anything…" The vague memory of being back in Akumini's keep surfaced. "I...gods, I did..." Saedah wanted to cover his face, but the strap wouldn't let him. He wanted to hit something, but his brother already thought he'd lost his mind. He wanted to cry, but fought the burn in his eyes and the tightening in his throat.

It wasn't over. Akumini still had him.

"What's going on?" Vorn repeated.

"Akumini." Saedah closed his eyes. He really didn't want to talk about it. He felt weak and helpless, and that angered him. He wanted to bottle it all in. He wanted to smother it so deep that it died in some distant part of his brain and soul, but he knew his friends would never let him. They would make him talk. They wouldn't force him to talk to them, but they would force him to talk to a psychiatrist, at the least. And the thought of talking to one of those was worse. They had the sickening ability to bare the truth, and the truth was always a vicious beast.

"Hey, look at me." Saedah reluctantly opened his eyes and looked at Vorn. "You're home."

A chuckle forced its way out of Saedah's throat. Vorn was the only member of the Ghosts who had gone through something similar. He'd only been kept for a few days, rather than over a year, but he knew something about it.

Home.

It was both a terrifying word, and one that brought relief crashing through his system in such waves that Saedah's couldn't breathe for a moment. It was a fight to regain his composure, especially with the Calm out of reach. Despite fighting with all his being, a single hateful tear escaped to slide down his cheek.

Gracefully, Vorn did not say anything. He untied Saedah's restraint and sat at the foot of the bed again, as he had done earlier, and listened as Saedah told him nearly everything, up until the day he was free of the Keep. Saedah left out the worst of it and the things that Saedah couldn't voice with the shame closing his throat.

Some time later Mac entered the room. He had run a full battery of tests on Saedah's blood, trying to find some biological reason for his outburst. When Saedah had questioned why, Mac told him about his eyes.

"It's probably best that you not try the Calm for a while." Saedah only nodded. His brain was fucked up and now the Calm was fucked up. It was terrifying.

"Thats great… Can… Can I get something to help with the…" Saedah touched his head with a shaking finger, feeling the full weight of withdrawal. He really wanted a fix. Mac nodded, having learned of the dependency while on Brymston. Mac approached the issue with professionalism and support, never having questioned it. He had simply absorbed the information and formulated a solution to remedy it, as though it were a simple illness harming his friend.

When Mac had suggested a treatment, with his full support and confidentiality, with no judgement or disappointment in his voice, Saedah had collapsed both physically and mentally. He had clung to Mac and wept. The two were never so close as Saedah had been with Vorn, but something had changed in their dynamic in that moment. Saedah was talking more to Mac than to Vorn. He wondered if that was how it was when Vorn had been recovered, as well.

"I can set up a schedule for you to start." Mac ignored Vorn's confused expression, simply pulling a prepared syringe to administer the familiar serum. Saedah did not offer more when Vorn's confused eyes turned to him.

"When can I have my arm back?" He asked, looking for the silver lining of the shithouse. He relaxed as the drug hit his head and noticed how Vorn narrowed his eyes between the doctor and patient.

"As soon as the mechanics finish repairing it. It was damaged rather badly." Mac showed him pictures of the damage as Vorn leaned in to look.

Saedah could feel the arm there. It felt like he was holding every muscle tense and straight out to his side. It ached. When he explained the sensation, Mac nodded.

"That is called the phantom limb syndrome. With work, it should go away. Though, with the prosthetic attached, you should have no problem." Mac began checking Saedah's injuries, shooing Vorn from the bed as he moved down Saedah's body.

"Where are the girls?" Saedah asked to break the silence. Vorn spoke up before Mac could respond.

"Three doors down. Nyx woke for a bit a few minutes ago." Vorn checked his slate for the time. "She asked about you. She was afraid you had been left behind." He paced the length of the mirror. "Nala is going stir-crazy. She's driving a few of the nurses there, as well. It's a full-time job keeping her entertained."

"It's a wonder we aren't all dead." It really was, and Saedah was amazed that everything had worked out as well as it had. A faint tinge of shame settled in his stomach at the thought of Troache. Vorn nodded and looked to Mac.

"Nala had a few broken ribs and she may yet lose an eye, but the girls will be fine. The surgeons did a good job repairing the damage caused by their crucifiction." Mac turned so that he could see both Vorn and Saedah, looking between the two as though watching how two wild animals would greet one another. The worry was plain on his face, in the creases on his forehead and the tightness of his lips.

Then Vector entered the room and looked at him as though Saedah had shit on the carpet.

"What the frayed hells is wrong with you?" Vector demanded. "I pulled eight shades of stupid for you and you go nuts the minute you wake up."

"And your point is?" Saedah had to force his face into neutrality and keep his tone level. Vector was always speaking before thinking, and he refused to let his frayed nerves lash out at the boy.

"The boys are fine, you dross." He shot Vorn a look of disappointment. "We went back as soon as I sent the data over to HQ. You woke up twice and demanded that I go get them." Vector curled a lip at Vorn and shook his head. Vorn raised his hands and scowled at the younger soldier.

"He attacked me before I could tell him, and then we weren't sure about a few things." Vorn smiled nervously, but refused to meet Saedah's eyes. What Vorn meant was that they hadn't been sure which team Saedah was backing.

"So, how long till I am released for duty, doc?" Saedah asked, needing to veer the conversation in another direction. Any other direction.

"As soon as we get you out of bed. We need to discuss some things from your drives. Like how in the seven hells you got your hands on it, in the first place. But let's get everyone together, first. And get you dressed." Mac pat Saedah's shoulder, then passed him a capsule. Saedah swallowed it dry, not willing to wait for either Mac or Vorn to fetch a drink.

"What about the Keep? Survivors. Therin was there." Saedah leaned back, trying hard to relax. "There were also some others… the girls. Are any of them on record?" They'd talked about this once, already. But the refugee records hadn't been completed during their stay on Brymston.

Vorn and Vector looked to one another.

"I can look through the logs. Do you know their names?" Vector brought up his com, "Therin… didn't show up on this report, but I will find out what's happened."

"The girls are Desiree and Freya." Saedah sat back, drowsy. "And a nurse… her name…"

Saedah stood in the unmarked uniform lined with Conclave-designed nano fiber and armored plates. It was odd to see himself in the mirror. His hair was much shorter than the last time he wore the uniform. He'd not sported a shaved head since he was strong enough and skilled enough to defend himself. He'd been, what, ten when he first refused to allow anyone to cut his hair. Usually, an elder male of the family would grant the right of the braids. Saedah hadn't had that luxury, so he'd demanded it on his own, years after his peers bore several braids of their own.

It was still odd, still shaming, to see himself without even a single braid. That was in addition to the empty sleeve, neatly folded and pinned to his shoulder. In all, his ego was microscopic. It was fitting that his ego mirror his confidence and self-esteem.

Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!

"You look a hell of a lot better. What happened that would make Akumini want to repair you?" Vector asked, entering the room fully encased in his Skin. "I was at the fight… I guess it was Nyx's second 'viewing'. You looked like hell, man." The boy was rambling.

"I fought well, and people paid for good fights." Vector looked at him as though he knew Saedah was leaving something out, but at least his verbal filter actually worked for once and he blessedly didn't push the issue. Instead, he greeted Hans and gave the cat a thorough rubbing and scratch while he continued.

"Just as well for us, though. We were worried about rehab." Vector indicated Saedah in the mirror.

"Yeah." Rehabilitation. Vector didn't know about the addiction. A throaty, excited gurgle saved Saedah any further discomfort as Tam barged in.

"You know the Raze! This is so cool!" Vector ruffled Tam's hair as he ran to appraise Saedah in the uniform. "Where's your Arm?" he asked, barely controlling the squeal of excitement trapped in his throat. He circled Saedah, looking him over with a critical eye. Before Saedah could answer his question, he continued in an offended tone, "You never said you were Conclave."

"I had my reasons, kid." Saedah replied, seeing Rines edging into the room. Tam had adjusted well, but the sheer number of people on base had Rines on-guard and jumpy. Saedah would have been willing to bet the opposite for Rines and Tam, and had assumed Tam would have had a much harder time adjusting. What a surprise it had been for Rines to be the one who had panicked.

"We thought we were dead when he-" Tam pointed a damning finger at the Leviathan. Vector only held his palms up. "-came barging into the cave, gun out, all suited up and yelling for us." Tam continued talking excitedly, leaving nothing out of his retelling of their first exposure to off-world travel and admission onto base. This was their second real reunion since leaving Phaenna. Saedah had been unconscious when the boys crawled into Vector's bed with him, but when the boys were finally cleared to visit him in the medical ward, they'd had spent hours telling and retelling their amazing adventure. "And when we get here, the other Ghosts take us to these Spector people. Forgive the language, but suns and holy hells! Who are you, really?"

"I'm just a man, Tam. Rines, can you come here for a sec?" The boy jumped at his name but moved to Saedah. The boy's uniform was a match to Saedah and Tam's. "You are both too young to be here, and I know it's a lot to take in." Saedah turned to address Rines. "We aren't going to send you to fight, and no one here is going to hurt you." The boy nodded, but still held the wide eyed look of someone who just had their entire world shaken and destroyed. "If you need to talk, call me. If you need a break from everything, a bit of time to reset and get your bearings, let me know. Don't overwhelm yourself."

"I will, Saedah…. Sir." He mumbled the last, causing Vector and Saedah to chuckle. Saedah ruffled the boy's hair.

"Get out of here you two. Don't you have classes?" They nodded and tore down the hallway, toward the BEB, or Basic Educational Building. The two had looked at him with total admiration when he gave them new ID Badges four days prior. Saedah had still been bed-bound at that time, but had arranged everything with a few calls and favors redeemed. The badges identified them as students with a shared dorm room. There had been a moment when the boys had panicked at the price, but Saedah insisted it was covered.

"Consider it your compensation for having been shot." The three had laughed, "Just don't tell anyone that, ok?" After telling the boys how to buy food and supplies with their IDs, he gave them another card that would be charged with an allowance. The kids had awkwardly hugged him, trying to avoid the bandages and wires, and vehemently professed their thanks.

"Do well, learn as much as you can, and make this gift count." He'd told them. They were determined to make him proud, and that was more than enough.

Again, he was glad that things had turned out as well as they had.

"Come on. We have everyone but Val." Vector smiled, watching Saedah adjust the folded sleeve and pin.

"Where is she?" His eyes caught his own reflection in Vector's visor.

"Playing diplomat to the Ceurs." He shrugged and sniffed at Saedah's questioning look. "Yeah, our girl is growing up. She's actually a decent politician, to be honest. She's keeping everyone in neutral tempers, if you can believe it."

"Why isn't Citram there?" Vector marked the absence of the Tramp monicker, but didn't mention it.

"She is Tidral. Even if the Ceurs are on our side now, there is no way they would take the advice of a Tidral."

"How is she handling it?" Even though he'd been home for several days, he was still woefully behind on everything.

"She basically force-fed Vidian everything she knew of Ceurul. All of the traditions, taboos, social structures, everything she could." Vector grimaced at the memory of Citram trapping Vidian and quizzing her on Ceur topics. "Quite often the words coming from Vidian are directly from Citram. I think she is just happy to have her home planet out of Triad hands."

"So, how secure is Ceurul?" Saedah propped his Slate up and swiped through the reports, of which numbered in the thousands. "I feel like I am out of the loop on everything. I don't know anything." There was no way he could ever hope to catch up. Hans nudged his leg, picking up on Saedah's mood.

"It's gotta be frustrating, I know. Especially for you. But we'll get you there." Vector pat his friend's shoulder. "Let's go fill you in on at least one thing."

On the way, Saedah stopped by the room Nyx and Nala shared. Nala was away in surgery, having yet another operation performed in hopes of saving her right eye.

"Hey troublemaker." She greeted. Her eyes bounced off the pinned sleeve back to his eyes. Other than the tightening around her eyes, she gave no outward indication that she found anything out of the ordinary.

"Me? I hear you've been harassing the staff." As she did not mention his arm, he did not mention the sheets of creamy ointment and clear wrap on her skin, or the obvious scars of skin grafts disrupting her patterns. He really felt bad for her. Her body had rejected the stimulant, and Saedah was glad she'd refused it back on Phaenna.

She scoffed, but forced a smile as she continued, "They have Troache ready for the ceremony. I wish we could take him home, but I don't think his people would appreciate it."

"He had family here." Vector said softly. "We liked him, and we appreciate what he did. His name will go up on the Wall."

Nyx stared at him with watery eyes. Saedah could see the understanding on her face. The wall was a spanse of thick black marble in the entrance of Conclave HQ that bore the names of those who fell to keep a Ghost standing. All who fell in Conclave were recorded on the pale marble that made the walls and pillars of the entrance hall, but the names on the solitary section of black stone…Those were the names that Saedah and the other Ghosts carved with their own hands. Those were the names that haunted their dreams, knowing they lived because another had died.

It was considered a high honor.

"I wish I could come with you. I want to help where I can." She motioned to the door, her eagerness to leave the bed apparent. "But…"

"...Mac wants you to stay in bed for another day, at least. The extremes were very rough on your body." Vector stated, looking at the projection at the foot of her bed.

"I am well aware, and thank you for your care." She nodded deeply to Vector. It was an awkward move, with her seated on the bed. The motion was supposed to be a bow. It was the first Saedah had seen of her traditional Pteroisian manners.

"It's what family does." Vector's eyes were tight, remembering the stressful hours of Kitty coached him through treating Nyx for the severe dehydration and high fever of sun poisoning. The same with Nala, though to a lesser extent. The neofei hadn't reacted so badly to the environment, a perk of her species. Her injuries were another matter, however.

"Still, it would be nice to have some Mavens in on your plans." She could probably use something to occupy her time. Saedah remembered sitting in his cell with nothing to do but remember. "We might be able to offset some of that unluck charm you have there." She indicated Saedah with a lazy wave of her bandaged hand. Now Nyx was teasing his name, too. Great.

"I'm sure we'll manage." Vector said, turning to leave. "But we need to get going. We'll be back to fill you in when we can." He waved and Saedah followed.

When Saedah entered the dark room, lit only by the DebCon in the center, the three figures around the console silenced mid-conversation and looked up at him. Their expressions were a mix of amazement and regret.

"What?" he asked, checking the corners for signs of a trap.

"How did you get all of this?" Citram asked, virtually drooling at the wealth of information.

"Phaenna. The idiots had no active security on their direct link to the databases." He shrugged and took a seat between Vorn and Vector.

"Rines and Tam told us that you went to fight and never came back. It was during that time?" Vorn verified, pulling up several digital sheets that bore his handwriting.

"Yeah, then a lot of things went sideways, and I ended up in a trench." Saedah mumbled, rubbing at his shoulder before taking a seat and scratching Hans' head. The cat settled beside his chair, resting his head on Saedah's foot.

"And I found you outside the base, just sitting there-" Vector started, startling Saedah.

"Vector!" Vorn hissed through clenched teeth, glaring daggers at their youngest member. "… Suns." It was obvious Vorn knew Vector crossed a line.

"So, this changes everything." Citram pat the edge of the DebCon, needing to change the conversation, and causing the flat image to project into the air for all to see. "Over the past few decades, the Triad force has maintained a steady size, experiencing almost no growth. Now their numbers are on a steep rise. They are mobilizing. They have plans listed for our system, though most are only partially formed. Its enough to get a defense set up, though. We wish Kitty had been with you. It would have been nice to have a shard planted in their systems to keep a feed for us." The glee in her eyes was unsettling. She looked ghostly, lit as she was by the glow of the DebCon.

"They have somehow marked our departments across Ico'Mera, Lon'Byal, and Panthra." Mac noted, highlighting the planet names on a report in front of him. "all of them, even the safe-houses."

"And they have three of the six Litigion septs in their pockets. Look at this:" Vector announced, pulling a virtual folder from a stack and opening it. Numerous files lined the DebCon projection in columns. He enlarged one and highlighted the column of names and houses. The title was 'Payroll'. He opened another folder and enlarged several communications, "They've even started reporting Nyx as a rogue, enemy of the state. Her sept has been commandeered, and they've placed a 'safe' Crest in her place."

"Wait, she's a Crest?" Saedah asked, appalled. The Crest was the leader of the sept, and they'd been fighting nearly every sept since the beginning of the Conclave. The fact that she'd been one and helped him was a miracle unto itself. The fact that she'd done so and then been deemed a Rogue and unseated as a Crest as a result of that help was not a surprise, but… it bothered Saedah.

"Yes. Well, was..." Vector deadpanned, locking gazes with Saedah through the projection. "Moving on… The Mavericks have reports against her that should never exist." He showed Saedah the reports of the crimes claimed against her.

When had she gotten into a fight with a Triad Hunter and a Destroyer? The report indicated that Nyx had been followed from Akumini's Keep during the initial Triad-Maverick partnership negotiations. Was that the same trip to the Keep she had spoken with him; that first meeting? She never mentioned having had to take on a flaming Destroyer. Or actually crippling the ship. She had made very powerful enemies that day, and Saedah thought twice about goading her in the future. The woman wasn't exactly scary, but he'd not be pressing her buttons quite so hard.

With this information, Vector's hesitance in acknowledging Nyx's offer for Maven help made sense, in hindsight. It seemed that Nyx, herself, might not know of her new Rogue status, or the fact that her sept was taken from her.

"Look here -" Vector brought up another report. "This isn't something anyone would have a record for…" Vorn made a noise of protest, interrupted by Vector's energetic verbal steamroll. "Yeah, yeah," Vector waved Vorn's protests aside. "The information is correct, but how did they get it? This was stuff she did under our flag, in the Pegasus - no offense Saedah. This is exceedingly alarming, and considering this is my department? I'm pissed." Vector was often too high-strung for his own good. It was only when he had a clear directive that his serious side surfaced. When he was with his Spectors, Vector was a completely different person. No one would ever take him for the 17 year old he was.

No, Vector was 18... 19 now? Saedah had missed his birthday, too. He'd missed a lot of birthdays.

"They're using her as the carrot in getting the Mavericks and the rest of the Litigions to join their attacks against us." Citram added, enlarging another of the files. "The Litigion is nearly equally divided on this. The Mongers, both the Blood and War septs, are with the Triad. The Votary sept of the Rovers are as well, though the Berserk Rovers have declared neutrality. the Chauvin Mavericks have ceased their assault, though we haven't been able to determine why." Vorn opened his mouth, but got little more than a syllable out before Citram continued. "The Chauvins sit at the border and only move in when we get too close. They don't engage for long; only until our forces pull back. I've no idea why they have refused our attempts to parley." It wasn't looking good for Letigion unity, but it was a lot better than facing both them and the Triad. Citram had not mentioned the Maven Mavericks.

"What about the Mavens?" Saedah asked, looking through the papers. "Her crew." Nyx had spoken of them several times, and he feared that Nyx had lost much more than just one person.

"They've been absorbed into the Courtiers, until further notice. they're calling themselves the Maven Courts." Citram reported with a raised brow. The woman read too much into everything. The Courtiers were something like ground special forces. Vector had his Spectors, Vidian had her nameless crews, and Citram had her Courtiers. Who better at intel retrieval than pirates? It made sense, sort of.

Vorn cleared his throat to inform everyone he was not to be interrupted again.

"We are being publicly blamed for the trade collapse in Minor, after decimating Aelmihtig on Higarin - Long story, Saedah, not the time" Vorn steamrolled right over Saedah's questions. With only a brief flash of shock on his face, Saedah simply dropped his raised hand and shut his mouth. Hadn't that been the strike on DuraCore? Vorn continued. "We took over the planet and that put traders on high-alert, ending that trade route into Minor. And then Ceurul joined the Conclave and completely removed Triad access to even more pivotal trade centers. After we took out the center in our attack on Akumini, trade to Hypnos and Morpheus has stopped. No one wants anything to do with the area. If Morpheus can't protect its own moon, how could any trader justify the risk? It was made all-the-worse when Central's broadcasting stations portrayed us as starving terrorists, attacking the Hypnos center just to feed ourselves. It's actually caused the stock markets to plummet in Superior." Vorn spoke, pulling yet another file to overlay the Maverick reports. Citram interjected before Vorn could add more to his evaluation.

"They are doing their damndest to make us out like desperate, starving ruffians spawned from savages in the RRECs." Citram had to take a deep breath to continue. Her cheeks were turning a deeper shade of red with each moment, a testament to the anger she was fighting to subdue.

"It is working." Mac added, unnecessarily.

"Adding further insult to injury," Citram cut Mac a stern look. He only shrugged his shoulders, not really understanding what he had done wrong, and not caring to ask. "They are saying that we are holding Ceurul hostage. They think we have an army of barbarians there, occupying the cities, and are claiming that we have the royals at gunpoint." She made a disgusted sound and continued, "There are even reports of open executions for anyone trying to oppose our occupation. I am named here as the usurper, on behalf of Conclave. They list my birth name, then as Tidral, and Penance." She angrily cleared her projection and leaned back in her chair as she watched Vector. Vorn scrolled through the document on his own screen, absentmindedly rubbing at his lip in concentration. It wasn't just Citram who'd been marked. Vidian and Mac were also listed. The report on vidian held a thrill-kill warrant, since she was a traitor and deserter. They knew Raze was an Agamid of a higher caste, and had limited it to three families of his caste. That was becoming dangerous. The only two reports clearly missing identifiers were those belonging to Vorn and Saedah. For that matter, they had made the assumption that Saedah was female.

How he felt about being labeled as female, though, was another topic entirely. Just where did they get that information? I'm not a small person, he thought bitterly. Do I really look feminine? And now he had yet another insecurity to add to his ever-growing list of therapy topics.

"And here, we have the list of spies collecting all this garbage." Vector took Citram's hint, getting to the meat of the matter. He tapped his corner of the DebCon, bringing a side-by-side list of Conclave personnelle and the lists of Triad spies. "Of course, we have no names matching in our databases, but the biometric signatures do match. And look here. Their files all reference this guy: Zerrik Thacker." Vector's grin was vicious. "We finally have something for the Specters to do on a large scale."

"Saedah, this information changes everything. We have counter attack measures ready to put in place. We have defense and evacuation protocols to launch." Citram spoke, indicating documents as she went. "We aren't going into battle together, though. I think that vision was never going to happen." Her words were slow, her tone somber. "Conclave is too big now. We are the pillars holding it all up. I have to get my department to send the relevant warnings and counter attack plans to listed targets, as well as look into a few other issues made apparent here." She motioned to the DebCon. "We need to mobilize our army. We need to get the factories moving at full speed."

It was true. Back in the beginning, they had all shared a vision of standing side-by-side, victorious, at the end of it all. It was unrealistic. They'd all known that for a long time. It was rare enough to have them all together. Even now, as they planned the first real, large-scale battle, only five of the six were together.

"I need to get MedHQ mobilized. We are going to need the whole force in action and aligned to match the counter-attack and defense positions." Mac added, looking around. The atmosphere of the room was suddenly cold. To Saedah, if felt like everyone was saying farewell, explaining why they wouldn't be coming back.

"I already sent out a summons to the Generals. We meet on Na'Boht to fine tune what everyone will need to do work together." Vorn announced, running a hand through his hair.

"I have Specters to get moving and questions to ask." Vector still wore that evil grin, and Saedah realized that Vector wasn't the kid he always considered him to be. Vector was a man forced to grow up too fast and make hard decisions. With that realization, he understood why Vorn had allowed the boy - man - to join the Ghosts in the first place, despite his youth.

"I'll take the girls with me to Ico'Mera. When they are well enough, we will need them at the front lines." Mac was watching Saedah carefully, like he would have a complaint against the girls joining the fray. That would be absurd. Like hells he would keep Nyx out of a fight. She would skin him alive and go anyway. The shadows on Mac's face deepened when Saedah didn't respond. Saedah couldn't tell if Mac was confused, concerned, or merely constipated.

"Saedah, will you join me with the Generals?" Saedah's head jerked to the side to stare at Vorn.

"The what, now?" Saedah choked, eyes wide. The request was shocking and prevented Saedah from analyzing their good doctor any further. The question itself sent more questions of his own flitting through his brain. Confusion must have etched itself into his face, for Vorn elaborated. "I may need another Ghost at my back. Those idiots think they can order me around, sometimes, and with what I intend to do..." The man never asked anyone to join him with the Generals. Vorn kept that single part of Conclave as his burden, only asking for help on the peripheral. "It would be nice to have someone I trust guarding my back."

"If you weren't so open in seeking their council, they might be more inclined to treat you like… I don't know, a feaking Ghost? And not only that, but the first Ghost. The founder. The bad-ass of the bad-asses. The one that could literally drop an army on their doorsteps. They treat you like a doormat…" Vector trailed off as Vorn cleared his throat. Vorn glared at him with an 'Are you done' air about him. A steady thrumming sounded as he tapped his fingertips against the console. "To be fair, it is really unfair how lenient you are with them.