Chapter Seventeen

"Shared enemies make allies out of strangers.” – Quist, Former Champion.

The Milky Way Galaxy - Unknown Space

Coach Williams

"Not exactly the ship I'd expect from the leaders of the Games Division," Coach Williams remarked, surveying the metal cargo hull and noting it looked like a standard freight shuttle for the CNC. Moments after the wristbands were placed on the Coaches' hands, a mini void hole was created for transport between nearby entities. This particular jump was simple—between the ships carrying goods to the newly integrated worlds, a regular occurrence in the new galaxies. Integration naturally led to trade and barter, and while most goods were intended to stabilize these worlds, the discovery of new items for the market always brought unexpected opportunities.

"Another probing comment, huh?" Viggo smirked, then continued, "I think you already understand our situation here."

"Situation?" Williams smiled. "Do tell."

"Let's skip the games. You and I already play too many of those," Viggo sighed. "We have strong evidence suggesting you're not a supporter of the Astral Dominion. This implies you also understand the lengths the AD will go to expand their territories, especially with a young AD prince poised to prove himself and showcase their power."

"Strong words," Williams replied, still wary of the CNC leader's true intentions.

"Strong words, trusted only in the back of a freight ship cruising four light-years from the nearest planet. Let my opinion be known: that scum has no right to infiltrate these newly developed worlds. These people have enough to worry about without facing a hostile takeover after surviving the Games. That's why I'm here with my closest advisor—to get more information. We want to help but to do that, we need to understand you and how you've managed to maintain your presence as a coach despite your troubled past, shall we say."

Williams ignored the man's last words. Trust and candor only go so far in the Cosmos, where intelligence, empathy, and friendship vary across races. Since leaving his home planet, his trust had never extended beyond the teams he led, valued only for the contributions he made on their behalf. If he ever lost that value, many teams would have turned on him to improve their standing.

"Disdain for the Dominion is widespread across the Cosmos. One only needs to witness the true destruction of the planets they inhabit to form an opinion."

"But would that same person risk speaking of this belief in the middle of a newly integrated galaxy with the system's eyes all around us?" Viggo countered.

"And you believe the System cares about… us?" Williams responded, raising his hands to the sides.

"You currently stand as the Coach of a team with the greatest potential we have seen in our recent integrations."

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"Ever," Shukar interjected, receiving a quick look from Viggo. "Sir," he finished.

"I stand corrected. The team's growth potential is the greatest… ever. With the right coaching and motivations," Viggo paused. "And that's not even singling out the young void user, whose actions have sent our reporting teams into a frenzy and attracted the attention of our top advisors in the Interstellar and Void Travel divisions of the CNC." Viggo shook his head, causing his ears to wobble. "Ah, disregard that. Those are my problems. Let me just say that galaxies beyond Earth showcase talents equal to those on Earth, but I don't believe in chance. There's a reason for everything. The System is testing everyone on Earth, both the natives and the newcomers. The System is driving, pushing those to power for reasons beyond mere home defense. If you don’t think I'm putting myself at enough risk by pulling you from the Intermission Layer of those Heroes' quarters, you're not as smart as I think."

Williams let the silence wash over the three. The steady hum of the cooling unit grew louder as he and Viggo stared at one another. Williams had to admit that his barriers of trust were slowly fading. He knew the risk of this conversation all too well but didn't know how far Viggo would go to incriminate himself with the System and his company. To say that the Astral Dominion had no ties to those in power within the CNC would be false. While he didn't expect to hear those words from the newcomer's mouth, Viggo had said enough.

"Tell me, Viggo. These fluctuations—how bad are they?"

Viggo remained quiet but nodded and glanced at his companion, who spoke up, "Bad is an understatement. The broader Cosmos remains unaffected for now, but should the trepidation we see in the Milky Way expand, the impact would cripple our infrastructure and halt all transit."

"Not to mention trust. Trust is knowing that stepping through a void won't send you inside a supergiant star," Viggo added. "We took a risk using our short-range hoppers for this conversation. That risk calculation considered the value the System places on you and the advancement of its Champions."

"That explains the growth in adversaries and Artisans getting integrated," Williams mused. This was new information. Williams's Talent could sense those around him and his environment. He knew something was off, but the extent was a new calculation in his plan.

"The Artisans are involved?" Shukar asked, stunned by the revelation.

"Did you not find me alone?"

"Unprecedented," Shukar murmured, clearly calculating in his head.

"So, I again request. Tell us what we need to know about you, and in return, we will try to help," Viggo sighed. Williams looked at Viggo. Despite his skepticism, the wristbands were wise, and Viggo had said the right things to warrant more information. But one could only be so safe.

"We both know you can't help or interfere in the games. How do you plan on helping?"

"You and I both know help comes in different flavors."

Williams knew the heroes didn’t need help—they had opportunities to seize. They needed to focus on their mission. "Their families. All of them. Find them and share them with the man named Tech. He should have the means to intercept in some form or fashion."

"Done. Shukar, do what you can," Viggo said as Shukar's eyes widened, and he moved to interface via his Nexabot. "Now, it's your turn."

Williams smiled. "Wristbands first."

"No."

Viggo attempted to speak, but Williams abruptly cut him off. "I'm afraid that may be all for now. You both may want to brace yourselves." Williams was the first to act, swiftly moving towards the front of the hull near a bay entrance. Though still skeptical, Viggo and Shakur followed quickly.

Moments after grabbing onto the vent line protruding from the wall, the entire ship halted—halted like a roller coaster screeching to a sudden stop halfway down its primary descent, jarring everything in its path. Viggo's hands screamed as he dug his nails into the vent line, his feet lifting off the ground before slamming back into the wall. Shakur, on the other hand, immediately lost his grip, only to be caught by a hand on his jacket. The relief was short-lived as his whole body slammed into the primary wall, quickly losing consciousness.

Alarms blared as the metal crates violently tossed around the large hull, now haphazardly piled on the opposite side of the room. Viggo and Williams exchanged glances as the lights abruptly went out, plunging them into darkness.

"That had to be an energy pulse of some kind, and a large one at that," Viggo said, his breath heavy.

"Attack?" Williams asked.

"Who would be reckless enough to target a random CNC vessel on the edge of a newly integrated galaxy?" Viggo muttered. Neither answered, their wide eyes meeting in the dim emergency lighting that flickered to life.

"I think you may want to take these wristbands off.”