“You want me to what?” Adrian asked incredulously. He’d thought the issue of his confinement had been resolved, not an ongoing debate. Thus far, he’d tried very hard to avoid any actions that might make the soldiers reconsider his newfound freedom. And now it was going to be taken away. Again.

Rann winced. “It’s just for a little while,” she placated. Adrian’s reaction was to be expected. If she were in his shoes, she doubted she’d fare any better. “Once the Elders are gone, you’ll be let back out.”

“And how long will that be?” he asked indignantly. “Hours? Days? Weeks? You’re just after admitting you don’t know how long they’ll be visiting here for! Face it, Rann. Jyn’s using this as an excuse to finally get his way. I’ve been entirely pacifistic so far, even with your asshole of a captain breathing down my neck everyday. Doing anything to your leaders is a fantastic way to get myself killed or locked back up in a cell permanently. The risk of me doing anything is minimal. It’s in my best interest that this meeting goes well.”

“The risk might be minimal, but from our perspective it’s still non-zero. That’s not something we can afford with such important people. This is serious, Adrian. If anything happens to them, and I mean anything, we’re all in deep shit. It’s not just your ass on the line here.”

“So that’s it? You just shove me back in a cell at your convenience with no promise as to when I’ll come out and expect me to cooperate with you?”

“This time you don’t have a choice. We’ve let you be so far, but there will be consequences if you don’t cooperate.”

The look on Adrian’s face darkened. “Is that a threat, Rann?” he asked in a low, serious voice. A strong gust of wind blew through the small clearing, the trees swaying violently for a moment. “Think very carefully before you answer,” he said, his words ringing clear as day in the stillness left behind.

“Don’t you take that tone with me,” Rann said hotly. “I’m the messenger. I’m just here to let you know how things stand.”

“This is the last time,” Adrian said softly, meeting Rann’s gaze. His silver eyes seemed to ripple, flashing dangerously. Rann dismissed it as a trick of the light and held his gaze with conviction. “There will be consequences if you threaten me again.”

The pair continued to lock stares. Rann’s frustration showed on her face whereas Adrian wore a carefully neutral mask, one that took great effort not to break. “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that,” Rann said in a razor sharp tone.

“You’d better not, Rann.” Adrian let his threat hang in the air before turning around.

“Where are you going? We’re not finished here yet.”

Adrian paused, but remained facing the tree line. “Yes, we are. I’ve understood everything I need to know. I’m going on one last walk before I get shoved back into a cell.” He disappeared into the forest, ignoring Rann’s protests.

“Shit,” Rann swore. “That didn’t go well.” With a heavy sigh, she returned inside to see how Reya was taking the news of Adrian’s confinement.

“— does not belong in a cell!” Reya roared as Rann opened the door.

Not well, apparently.

Reya, Tassie and Jyn were standing by the couches where Rann had left them when she went outside to speak with Adrian. Nobody noticed her arrival. “Even you can’t deny that he’s a security threat to the Elders, Reya,” Jyn said calmly in the tone of someone who knew they’d won.

“You’re the only reason he’s a threat to begin with,” Reya countered. She’d heard the speech before. About how Adrian was a threat to them all. A menace just waiting to hurt them. Yet for all that, not once had Adrian proven those points.

“You know that’s not true,” Jyn said. Reya fixed Jyn a level stare. He spotted Rann and smirked. “Even Rann thinks so,” he added, throwing her under the bus. Reya whirled around, seeing Rann for the first time.

“You actually believe this nonsense?” she asked. Her disbelief was written all over her face.

“He’s an unknown, Reya,” Rann said. “We can’t afford to take any chances with the Elders here. I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but in this case, Jyn’s right. Our priority is to protect the Elders from any source of danger, no matter how small. Adrian is that source this time.” Rann opted not to tell the others about Adrian’s reaction to the news, knowing that it would only add fuel to the fire.

“I can’t believe you! All you see in him is danger. When will any of you see him as a person?” Reya turned to face Tassie. “Are you on board with this too?”

Tassie raised her hands. “Don’t look at me. I’m completely against the idea. I think confining him again is a great way to turn him hostile.” Rann grimaced at the accuracy of Tassie’s statement. There would be no undoing the damage done to their relationship. Maybe Adrian would have taken the news better if Reya had been the one to deliver it, she pondered.

Jyn looked around, noting Adrian’s absence. “Where did Adrian go?” he asked. “Don’t tell me you let him out on his own again.” He looked at Rann’s guilty face. “Dammit, Rann. We’ve been over this. He is not to be unsupervised. Especially now that the Elders are coming. We can’t afford to have him running loose.”

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“He’ll be back later,” Rann said without conviction. “Probably,” she forced herself to admit. Jyn swore and once again berated her for her lack of professionalism. Rann allowed the harsh words, knowing it would calm the situation if Jyn had an outlet for his anger. She didn’t appreciate being that outlet, but it was better than Adrian being the one to receive it. She suppressed a shudder at the thought. That would definitively kill any pleasantries they had with Adrian.

It was only several hours later that Adrian made his reappearance. He entered the house quietly and without fanfare. Reya was the first one to notice his return. She greeted him, getting the others’ attention. Conversations paused as the group took in Adrian’s soft smile as he addressed Reya, striking up a small conversation with her. His spirit wasn’t in it, however, and it showed. The normal jovial mood he had when interacting with Reya was muted.

He ate a quick meal and retreated to his room for the rest of the evening, making himself scarce. His bedroom door shut with a soft click as Reya stared at the staircase he had ascended not moments before. Rann walked up beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“I’m sure he’ll be fine,” Rann tried to say reassuringly. Beor and Eimir now occupied the table and were playing cards, while Kell and Tassie were watching a movie. Jyn sat quietly in the recliner reading on his data slate.

Reya shook her head. “Look around, Rann,” she motioned. “What do you see?”

Confused, Rann did as asked and saw nothing out of the ordinary. “Nothing much,” she replied, unsure of the point Reya was trying to make. “Everything looks pretty normal.”

“Exactly. Everything is normal. But you know, Rann, normal is something that was denied to Adrian for a long time. Even the most mundane things. What feels normal to you is probably something Adrian appreciates in ways we never could. I was much the same when I was freed. Now we’re putting him right back where he started and denying him all the simple pleasures we afford ourselves. We both know that if Jyn had his way, Adrian would never get them back.”

“What do you want me to do about it?” Rann said in frustration. “This time it’s bigger than what Adrian wants. We can’t accommodate his every wish, especially not when the Elders are visiting.”

“It still doesn’t make the situation any less difficult,” Reya said sadly. “I hope this doesn’t come back to bite you in the ass.”

----------------------------------------

The video played on Nessah’s data slate yet again. No matter how many times she viewed it, she ended up with more questions than answers. Irric’s discovery several days ago had prompted an emergency meeting between her and Cyrix to discuss possible courses of action. Sadly for Nessah’s growing headache, there was no clear-cut answer to her ever growing problems.

Nessah reached down into the drawer at the bottom of her desk and pulled out the decanter filled with alcohol. She poured herself a glass and played the video again while she drank. With the Elders on her doorstep there was no way she was going to be able to keep this a secret. She couldn’t afford anymore accusations that she was withholding important information from the Tribunal.

Her ponderings were cut short when a transmission from Cirrus interrupted her most recent viewing the video. Putting her glass down on her desk, Nessah accepted the call. Cirrus’ face appeared onscreen.

“General Nessah,” Cirrus said pleasantly. “I’ve arrived with my retinue and am preparing to board the vessel that will bring us to our destination. When will we be leaving?”

Nessah frowned. “Elder Cirrus, I regret to inform you that your retinue won’t be accompanying us on our trip.” Cirrus flashed a displeased expression at the thought.

“Why not?” she asked. “Surely, you’re not suggesting that I travel without my guard detail?”

“I’m not suggesting that. I’m telling you that. Your guard detail will not be accompanying us to the safe house. The goal is to keep Adrian’s existence a secret, not reveal him to more people.”

“My detail was hand-selected by me. They wouldn’t dare leak anything they learn.”

“Quite frankly, I don’t care how well vetted they are. They’re not coming or you’re not coming. That’s the choice I’m giving you. Elder Orryn has already agreed to these terms and is preparing to board as we speak. As soon as the supplies are done being loaded onto the ship, we’ll be leaving.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” Cirrus sputtered in outrage. Elders were not ordered around by a mere General. Such a folly was preposterous. Cirrus expected to have her way, as she always did.

“I would. You have a choice to make, Elder Cirrus. These are exceptional circumstances that require the utmost secrecy on our part. We absolutely cannot afford a leak of any kind. The more people that know about Adrian, the higher the risk of someone talking about it when they’re not supposed to.”

“Fine,” Cirrus said through gritted teeth. Her desire to see Adrian was ever growing, and she couldn’t wait any longer. “Just point me to the ship so that I may board.”

“I will come escort you personally. Please remain where you are and I will be with you shortly.” The call ended and Nessah sighed. Another problem to add to her plate. A message came from Tassie informing her that the supplies were fully loaded and that they were ready to go. Nessah packed her data slate as well as a few other essentials into a briefcase and made her way to where Orryn was waiting.

Collecting the Elder proved to be a simple affair as she hadn’t left her office since arriving. Finding Cirrus, on the other hand, was a different matter. Cirrus had opted not to wait for Nessah, forcing her to call Cirrus directly to ask for her location.

She was already waiting for them at the ship. How she knew where to go was a mystery to both her and Orryn. A problem for another time, Nessah decided. The pair found the wayward Elder waiting for them just outside the ship, a smug expression on her face. Her guard detail surrounded her, ensuring that no one got close. They allowed for Nessah and Orryn to pass.

“Are we ready to go?” Cirrus asked impatiently. Nessah guided the Elders onto the ship, leaving Cirrus’ guards behind. They were greeted by Rann as they boarded, who then guided them to the bridge. Tassie and Eimir were already there, working on clearing the ship to leave the docking bay.

“Cozy,” Orryn commented as she stepped into the room. “I imagined it would be bigger than this.”

“We’re only a scout-class ship,” Rann explained. “We have plenty of room for what we need, but no more than that.” She motioned towards empty chairs, inviting her superiors to sit down. “If you would rather, I can escort you to your personal quarters to use for the duration of the trip.”

“How long will the trip take?” Orryn inquired.

“Approximately seven hours.”

“So long?” Orryn turned towards Nessah. “Where are you bringing us that takes seven hours to get to?”

Nessah gave her a sharp smile. “The Kaldros mountain chains.”

“That doesn’t take seven hours to get to,” Cirrus pointed out. She’d been expecting a far shorter flight and was unimpressed by the travel time required.

“It does when you want to remain undetected,” Nessah replied. Tassie shouted out that they were cleared for take-off. The ship rose off the ground so smoothly that none of the passengers noticed. Nessah and the Elders each took a seat at a different workstation at Rann’s instructions and soon they were off.

It was time to meet Adrian. Nessah hoped everything would go smoothly.