Keeping on guard, I finished charging my singularity while gazing around. Stalling suited me just fine. Every second spent on this gave my forces more time for their retreat.

Tohtella Adair spoke with the Hybrid as her puppet,

"Aren't you curious what I mean by that?"

Suspending myself midair with a gravity well, I glared,

"What could we possible compromise on? Genocide? Manipulation?"

The Hybrid waved its hand, Tohtella voicing towards me,

"This is all a necessary evil. It is tasteless, abhorrent work-"

"Work you make other people do for you. Must be nice having the best of both worlds there."

The Hybrid stayed calm,

"I understand your moral stance given your exposure. You've seen little of Schema's system, however. That much was apparent from our few conversations. You're simple-minded and short-sighted, but not willingly. Schema masked what it does, and it has abused your situation."

The Hybrid reached out a hand, "Give me a chance to express exactly how. I'm certain you will find most of what I have to say of value."

She spoke with sterilized words, clean and unmarked by the reality of what she caused. It reminded me of Yawm and his disillusionment with Schema's system, just from a different source.

Still, I listened since she might carry some valuable info,

"Say what you're going to say."

"We're doing this to ensure the safety of our union."

I pointed at Polydra, "You're telling me that doing this for safety is OK?"

"No. It isn't for my safety or anyone in the Adair family. We're competent enough for that if you haven't surmised that already. This process ensures safety for our citizens in the future."

My eyes widened, "Citizens?"

"Yes. We intend to create a nation that will stand against that robotic tyrant. We have the resources to accomplish this after gathering the gialgathens on Giess. They are a necessary, yet regrettable, need for this goal."

I spread out my hands, "Every bounty hunter across the galaxy is hunting you down. No one who allies themselves with you is safe. Period. Killing off a species doesn't fix that."

The Hybrid raised a hand and a finger, but Tohtella's voice rang in my ears,

"You fail to consider the circumstances I'm suggesting. A normal citizen is far less safe within the territory we control. Exiled, unknowns, and others like them will gain protection, however. You should understand that. You were an unknown until recently. All you had to do was kill Emagrotha and Yawm for freedom."

Frustration built in Tohtella's voice,

"You had to face impossible odds, win, then prove your loyalty time and time again. The reason wasn't that you didn't earn freedom earlier. Killing Yawm was more than enough based on current galactic standards for cleansing your unknown status."

I shrugged, "Eh, I figured that much."

The Hybrid bristled,

"Schema calculated how much he could gain from you based on your history. With that data, he leveraged your situation as much as he could."

I waved a hand, motioning her to move on,

"And?"

"And that doesn't bother you even in the slightest?"

I spread out my hands, "You did the same thing."

"My manipulation is out of desperation and necessity, not to gouge those that can be gouged."

I believed her as much as I believed a timeshare salesman.

"Sure."

The Hybrid raised a finger,

"My point still stands. Not everyone can defeat impossible odds as you did. People fail. People die. On a more personal note, most of my family passed in the pursuit of freedom from Schema's system. I worked for decades to the same end. I became a renowned Speaker. Do you know what I earned at the end of that path?"

Tohtella, controlling the Hybrid's body, threw up its arms in frustration,

"Endless work and endless toil. Schema wants everyone to become a machine that accomplishes its goals. I've read on your case files. He intends to use you as a bringer of destruction. Should you refuse, Schema intends to turn you into a mana battery."

That declaration unnerved me even if she curated her words to incite that kind of response. I narrowed my eyes,

"I'm an investment and risk. He wants a payout. That makes sense."

It took me off guard as she replied,

"You're a hardened individual, so you're resignment to your fate is expected. However, the Adair family is offering a sanctuary for those that want to avoid that outcome."

I raised an eyebrow, "How?"

"A nation that protects people with people instead of the consequences of an AI. The Hybrids, they will act as guards and hunt down those that kill members. Detectives will work in conjunction with scryers to find these murderers and bring them justice."

She finished her words with an edge of anger infecting her voice. I narrowed my eyes,

"What makes you think you can control the Hybrids on that kind of scale?"

She lifted the Hybrid's hands, "As you can tell, we've learned to control them well at this point. That is undeniable. Do you know how?"

I frowned and stayed silent.

"We use our innate psionic abilities. We gained those abilities through genetic modification millennia ago before Schema decimated our species. Our current abilities pale in comparison to what we once had. The reason for that is simple; our blood has diluted over time."

The Hybrid tapped the edge of its head, "We've relied on an inheritance that is slowly waning in potency. Our bloodline will fade given a few more generations. Even with this pitiful level of psionics, we still can control armies of these monstrosities, however."

The Hybrid spread out its arms, "And we aim to give this gift to the masses."

Possibilities sprung into my head like fireworks at her words. The Hybrids existed above the eldritch. On the one hand, they endangered every species and living being across all of space. On the other hand, the Hybrids could be used to protect people as well, even those that lacked protection from Schema's system.

Despite her bold claims, her ideas still held a few holes. I calmed myself,

"How do you intend to handle the eldritch without Schema's incentives? Anyone joining your system will be exiled. People won't kill the eldritch without an incentive."

The Hybrid tapped its chest, "With the Hybrids in the manner you see before you."

I scoffed, "You honestly think they'll handle the eldritch?"

"Not by themselves, no." She tapped where her temple would be, "Using our minds, we pilot these creatures. This method will be given to those that earn the right to wield it. Hybrids stand above the eldritch, and they can be used to cull them utterly."

She raised the Hybrid's hand, waving it across the sky, "No one will be forced to risk their lives just to gain even the lowest of status. We will be equals standing with equal protection."

I cupped my chin, genuinely diving into thought, "OK, Schema's not agreeing to this, obviously. Every citizen in your nation will have a bounty, and they will be attacked. You intend to use Hybridized gialgathens to defend them?"

"No. The gialgathens will defend our planets from glassing. From Schema's previous history of handling rebellions, that will be his first course of action. The AI will glass every world that joins us."

I pointed down, "Like the espens on Giess?"

The Hybrid spread out its massive arms, "Yes. Exactly."

My voice grew grim, "And you're murdering an entire species for this?"

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

The Hybrid nodded, "Sacrifices must be made for the betterment of others."

I pointed at her, "Yeah, as long as they aren't your sacrifices? Right?"

The Hybrid leaned its head back, "We have no intention of continuing this method of expansion post Giess. Once several planets are under our control, we'll rely on other methods. To begin this rebellion, we must stand on the corpses of many, however."

She spoke out like a surgeon. Not only was she cold, but she lacked any real exposure to what was being done. She commandeered a puppet to fight for her. She manipulated a race to kill for her. She even offloaded moral responsibility with the classic claim, 'the ends justify the means.'

In a way, she mastered the art of rationalizing evil.

I spread out my arms, "OK, so you've got this nice, idealistic concept. Have you actually accomplished even a trial run of the idea?"

The Hybrid lifted its chin, staring down at me with confidence,

"Of course we have. We're positioned on a planet. How else do you think we have this level of resources."

I blinked a few times, all her claims blowing my mind. At this point, digesting the information required time and some other perspectives like Torix or Althea. Hell, maybe Hod could intuitively grasp this whole mess and give us some golden insights.

Eh, probably not.

Either way, coming to some grand realization at the moment wasn't possible. No matter how honeyed her words seemed, her actions revealed the ruthless monster she was beneath her facade. The dreadnought's hulls held horrors unmatched, and they spoke volumes by themselves.

Even more so, trusting Tohtella's words was idiotic. She lied about everything to me when we met. Everything. In fact, viewing the situation from that lense cleared the case up quite a bit. Tohtella was, without a shadow of a doubt, a manipulative piece of shit. No matter what she said about that fact, it remained just that - a fact.

That simple logic guided me for now, though I intended on gathering my own insights on what Tohtella mentioned earlier. I crossed my arms,

"I'm not sold."

The Hybrid lifted its palms, "You shouldn't be. You should doubt everything I say considering I've lied to you. That's good. I don't want some half-hearted resolution after this single conversation. I want to change the mind of a key player in the coming conflict."

"Wait a minute-" I pointed at myself, "Key player?"

"False modesty is unbecoming of you or anyone for that matter. You matched this Hybrid in combat, alone. That is, by itself, a miracle. That doesn't include your decimation of Lehesion, though that won't happen a second time."

The Hybrid gestured to all of Polydra, "In fact, this entire battle will act as a calling card for your guild overtime. Many of the higher-ranked guilds have been doubting you. Now they will know what you're capable of."

Well, someone in this entire city must have recorded some of the fights or maybe streamed it live. That made sense. I tilted my head,

"Then you should realize that I don't take kindly to this whole genocidal, ruthless bullshit your pulling. You're just justifying evil, and I'm not falling for it."

Tohtella showed no remorse as she spoke,

"You assume the worst of me. I fight for more than myself. I embody an ideal and illustrate my character with my ambitions. You're just a gifted individual that acts in his own self-interest, the same as anyone would."

I pointed at her and me, "Let's quit talking in about airy concepts and ground this conversation a bit, shall we? Let's look at our actions instead of our intentions for just a second."

I raised a finger on my hand, "I saved my home planet. I'm working on saving the gialgathens. I even killed a planetary threat in Yawm. You organized a few worlds before culling a species and creating horrific, cybernetic terrors that outdo even the eldritch."

I shook my head, "Where's the debate here again?"

The Hybrid's many mouths seethed, "You're simplifying something complicated to disguise your stupidity."

I spoke with a voice like stone, "Really now? It sounds like you're complicating something simple to mask your hunger for power. Why don't you even try reasoning with Schema?"

"You think we haven't tried? If there's one avenue of change, it will not come from Schema. The AI is defensive, set in its ways, and cowardly. It's been programmed to want the eldritch to remain a problem. It's as if Schema's treating a patient in a hospital." The Hybrid took a step forward,

"Schema has a cure, but it wants the patient to remain sick and need its care. Schema then leverages this need to demand whatever it wants. We are those patients, trapped in that hospital, all of us dependant on a crooked system to sustain us."

The Hybrid raised a hand, "This is an alternative, a different way of accomplishing the same goal. Instead of treating the symptoms of the disease known as the eldritch, we'll be curing it. Surely you can understand that?"

I frowned, "You can close dimensional gateways and organize them like Schema does?"

The Hybrid's eyes narrowed, "We will wage war with Schema until we've won. It will be bloody, but at least we won't be at the mercy of some cold, unfeeling machine."

I grimaced, "No. They'll be at the mercy of a cold, unfeeling psionic that can twist their minds at will."

The Hybrid took a moment to collect itself, pinching the imaginary bridge on an imaginary nose. With a sigh, it raised a palm, "Then think on it and gather information on the subject. This will not be the only time we meet given your persistence in being a nuisance."

"Oh, so I'm a nuisance?"

"Yes. Very much so."

"Damn. I was hoping I was at least a pain in the ass."

The Hybrid leaned towards me, "You're as charming as always...All we're asking is that you stop your interference with our plan. Nothing more."

I leaned down, ready for her retaliation, "Then you'll let us leave?"

The Hybrid's many mouths frowned, "Of course we won't. You're making a dent in our collection quotas which must be met. Release the stolen goods, and we will allow you to leave without any grievances between us."

The Hybrid steepled its twisted fingers, "Or are you declaring war with our new nation?"

"A new nation, huh? What's it called?"

"Elysium, the sanctuary for those that have been forgotten and abandoned by Schema. We will offer refuge and resources to those that need it. To any that aim to stop us, we will respond with force."

Tohtella meant what she said. Using any means available, she intended on rivaling Schema's influence and eventually usurping him. If anything, her goals seemed alright. Help unknowns, exiles, and some others who Schema persecuted. At the same time, the execution of her goals bordered on insanity.

It made her stated goals hard to believe. If anything, personal gain and revenge twisted her ideas beyond recognition. That was my gut reaction, and I trusted my instincts. I raised my hands,

"I understand that you're trying to do the right thing, but you're going about it all wrong. Just, just take a second and look around you. This is what you're doing. This does more damage than good. That's obvious."

I raised a fist, "Yawm acted like you do. He believed that the ends justified the means no matter the cost. You're smarter than Yawm, and an Old One hasn't warped you into his plaything over time." The golden radiance of Lehesion ebbed off the Hybrid's frame. Knowing the source, I murmured,

"At least, I'm hoping that hasn't happened to you yet...Has it?"

The Hybrid's many eyes twitched as Tohtella lost her patience. The Hybrid raised a hand,

"Enough talk. Understand this - you're making an enemy you don't want to make. Powerful forces support us, and powerful factions fear us. We will cast a net across many worlds, and we will not be stopped. Not by you nor anyone. This revolution will not be a whimper. It will be a roar that will echo across time."

The Hybrid gestured a palm to me, "Right here and right now, you stand at the crossroads of history. I advise you to make the correct choice and leave the gialgathens with us."

At that moment, I sealed the deal on battling it out with these guys. All the semantics aside, my issue with Tohtella boiled down to responsibility. She never faced the consequences for her actions. She let others face them for her. They'd do the same to me.

If I allied myself with them, the Adair family would make me into their puppet like Lehesion. Ethical concerns aside, joining with them exiled me from Schema's system. My entire guild probably followed me if I did that, and that put us in about as much danger as we could be in. Even worse still, I held no faith that Tohtella wouldn't hunt us down after the Adair Family established itself.

We understood many of their motives, and we acted against them on multiple occasions. Even more so, my guild posed a severe threat to their goals. Otherwise, Tohtella would never speak with me personally; it would be a waste of her time. The more I thought about it, the more it looked like she was buying time to gather her forces.

Once gathered, the Adair family might put my guild next on the chopping block. They already culled the gialgathens. Why would humans be any different?

Even beyond all of that, I just didn't hate Schema. At one point I might have, but by now, a lot of the AI's methodologies made sense to me. Schema proved a harsh, uncompromising presence, but he almost always came across as fair. While the AI wasn't perfect by any means, he did a pretty OK job of handling the eldritch in general too. A lot better than I'd do, that's for sure.

Considering these Adair guys made a factory line for converting people into monsters, they had a worse track record than Schema. At least based off what I'd seen.

After considering all the data, my answer to Tohtella was simple.

Hell no.

But, I cupped my chin, pretending to consider her proposition. As I weighed some imaginary options, another message appeared in my status.

Krog Borom, the Harbinger's General(lvl 13,000 | Guild: The Harbinger's Legion) - The evacuation is finished. You can retreat.

I peered at the message, reading it with a quick glance. As I turned back to the Hybrid, it lifted its chin, gazing down at me,

"Well?"

I reached out a hand, jerking a singularity into existence over her body. As expected, Tohtella's fighting prowess lacked in many respects. She responded like a snail, unaware of the danger. The Hybrid's control jerked over towards the experienced pilot in time, however, so Version 2.2 avoided the gravitational abyss.

Despite the dodge, the implosion radiated out with devastation, and the Hybrid stood beside the impact. Lobbed aside like a ragdoll, Version 2.2 clashed against the ground, collapsing structures as it passed through them.

I turned and dove into the ground, using the singularity as a distraction. Dashing through the dirt, I shot out towards the sea. I traversed through the subterranean stone. Meeting where the others congregated, I swam into the waters of Giess.

Massive creatures cloaked in the dark sea swam in the distance, many foreign shapes traversing the oceans. The plant life beneath us owned a lavender hue, the seaweeds and corals contaminated with mana pollution. Several shelled bottom feeders feasted on the carcasses of other species that died from the corruption.

A few strange, glowing crabs mixed in with the bunch of bottom feeders. They wielded elemental energies, casting out living darkness and corrosive light magics. The odd sight caught me off guard, but Giess' wildlife was anything if strange.

Using a well of gravity, I pulled myself towards a deep cave under the sea. Once there, I found a subterranean pocket of air that harbored my allies. Krog, Kessiah, and the Sentinel remained. They positioned themselves near a rip in space-time, a view of Elderfire behind them. As I walked up, I pointed at each of them, "How many did we save?"

Krog sighed, "At least four hundred. The rest are dead."

I took a deep breath, "I'm sorry for your loss."

"While I appreciate the sentiment, there's much we must do. There's no time to grieve. This is war, and those that move first will win."

Krog wasn't wrong. I glanced at Kessiah, and she showed signs of exhaustion. Despite that, something about her changed. She stood taller, more confident in herself despite the fatigue. With that in mind, she spoke between heavy breaths,

"I wish we could've dented their army before we left. At least we saved a few people."

I turned to the Sentinel, "It's not too late if you're willing to take a risk."

The Sentinel pointed at himself, "Me? What do you want me to do?"

I shrugged, "Eh, nothing much. All I need you to do is tag along and make a portal or two."

The Sentinel took a step back, grabbing its spear with both hands,

"Why are you smiling like that then?"

"Because we're going to be leaving them with a bang."