The Star-Jumper settled onto its landing struts in the comrcial hangar bay of Varros Pri with a familiar hiss of decompressing hydraulics. The air here was different from the Citadel—thinner, carrying the sharp tang of industrial cleaner and the underlying musk of countless alien species. The constant, low hum of starship traffic was a permanent feature.
The ramp lowered, and three figures descended. Reia led the way, her posture rigid, datapad already in hand as she scanned the bustling port. Evelyn followed, her eyes taking in their surroundings with a cautious, maternal warmth. Silas brought up the rear, stretching his arms over his head with a loud groan.
"Finally! I was starting to get space-cramp in there."
"Your discomfort is noted and filed under ’irrelevant,’" Reia said without looking back, her fingers flying across her datapad. "The Helios spire is in the central district. We move fast."
"Hey, we’re the ’Omni-Stellar Slayers,’" Silas grinned, puffing out his chest slightly. "We’re basically celebrities here. We are attention."
Evelyn placed a gentle hand on his arm. "Which is exactly why we need to be careful, Silas. Let’s just do what Reia says."
They moved through the crowded streets, a trio that sohow both blended in and stood out. Reia’s icy focus, Evelyn’s serene grace, and Silas’s loud, restless energy created a bubble around them. Soon, the gleaming, impossibly tall spire of Helios Division rose before them, a monunt of polished chro and shimring blue glass.
The entrance was guarded by two stern-looking security personnel in sleek, grey-and-blue armor. Their hands rested on the stun batons at their hips.
"State your business," one of them said, his voice filtered through his helt.
Reia didn’t break stride. She simply produced a small, black data-card from a hidden pocket and held it up. A complex, shifting Helios logo holographically projected from it for a split second, alongside clearance codes that flashed too fast for the naked eye. The guard’s helt scanner beeped once, softly. He glanced at his partner, then back at Reia.
"Clear. Proceed."
The massive glass doors slid open silently.
As they stepped into the vast, cavernous lobby, all cool marble and softly glowing light fixtures, Silas leaned toward Reia. "Hey, what was that? What did you show them?"
Reia slid the card back into her pocket. "None of your business. Focus on the task."
"Co on, just a little hint?" he prodded, reaching out to playfully ruffle the perfectly straight hair at the nape of her neck.
Reia’s entire body went rigid. She didn’t flinch or yell, but the temperature around her seed to drop several degrees. She slowly turned her head, her pale eyes locking onto his with the force of a plasma bolt. "Do that again," she said, her voice dangerously quiet, "and I will recalibrate your nervous system to believe your fingers are on fire."
Silas yanked his hand back, chuckling nervously. "Right, right. Focus. Got it."
They headed for the bank of elevators that led to the executive levels. But their path was blocked once more. A man in an expensive, tailored suit stepped out from behind a reception desk, a fake, polished smile on his face. It was Renick.
"Well, well," he said, spreading his hands in a gesture of false welco. "The legends themselves, gracing our humble corporation. I’m afraid CEO Selyn has a very full schedule. She’s not accepting unscheduled visitors."
Reia’s eyes narrowed. "Our arrival was scheduled the mont we entered the building. She will see us."
Renick’s smile tightened. "With all due respect, that’s not how this works. You can’t just barge in here because you’re... famous. There are protocols."
Silas, who had been fidgeting, felt his limited patience snap. "Look, pal, we’re not here for a tour. We need to talk to her. So how about you stop playing hallway monitor and let us through while we’re still being nice about it?"
Renick’s eyes flicked to Silas, a flash of irritation breaking through his corporate calm. "And what exactly are you going to do if I say no? Cause a scene? I have twenty security teams on speed-dial."
A slow, dangerous smirk spread across Silas’s face. It was the sa grin he got right before doing sothing profoundly stupid and incredibly effective. "Nah, nothing that ssy." He cracked his knuckles. "I was just gonna pick you up and move you."
He took a step forward, his intention clear. Renick’s eyes widened, and he took an involuntary step back, his hand darting towards his commlink.
"That won’t be necessary."
The voice was calm, lodic, and carried an undeniable authority. Everyone turned.
Kaela Selyn stood at the entrance to a side corridor. She was just as Reia rembered her—ethereal and sharp, her crystalline hair catching the lobby light, her violet eyes missing nothing. She looked utterly unruffled.
Renick imdiately straightened up, his face paling. "Ma’am, I was just informing these... individuals... that you were unavailable."
"I am available to whover I choose, Director," Kaela said, her tone leaving no room for argunt. Her gaze swept over the three of them, lingering for a mont on Reia. "And I choose to speak with them." She gestured toward the corridor she had erged from. "Please, join in my office. We can speak privately."
She turned and walked away, expecting them to follow. Renick stood frozen, humiliation and fear warring on his face as Team Zero brushed past him.
Silas shot him a triumphant wink as he passed. "Told you."
Kaela’s office was a reflection of her—sleek, minimalist, and deceptively simple. The entire far wall was a single pane of transparisteel offering a breathtaking, dizzying view of Varros Pri’s cityscape. She took a seat behind a desk made of a single piece of polished, dark wood, gesturing for them to sit in the chairs opposite.
"I assu this isn’t a social call," she began, steepling her fingers. "The destruction of the Omni-Stellar headquarters was... a definitive statent. I trust your young charge, Lira, is safe?"
"She is," Evelyn confird with a gentle smile.
"Good." Kaela’s eyes shifted to Reia. "So, what does Team Zero need from Helios? I doubt you’re here to apply for jobs."
Reia leaned forward, her datapad on her knee. "We need information. Not corporate gossip. Deep, historical data. We’re looking for traces of a specific... lineage. A bloodline that predates known corporate history. They were called the Ancients. So refer to them as the Aethel."
Kaela didn’t react with shock or disbelief. Her brow rely furrowed in thought. "The Aethel. That’s a na from children’s stories. Bogeyn used to scare fledgling empires into behaving."
"They were real," Reia stated flatly. "And at least one survived. He has one of ours. We believe he is mobilizing. His goal is revenge on the galactic community for the genocide of his people."
For a long mont, Kaela was silent, her gaze turning to look out over her city. The weight of the statent settled in the spacious room. She wasn’t being asked for help finding a missing person. She was being asked to help uncover the prelude to an apocalyptic war.
Finally, she looked back at them, her violet eyes serious. "Helios has archives. Deep-core data mines that even the Guild doesn’t know we possess. Records salvaged from dead worlds, encrypted logs from derelict ships... fragnts of history the victors tried to erase." She paused, her gaze piercing. "But accessing them cos with a price. And a question."
"What’s the question?" Silas asked, leaning forward.
Kaela’s eyes locked on Reia. "The man who destroyed the Omni-Stellar tower. Marc. And your leader, Lucian, with his... unique talents. Are they Aethel as well?"
The air in the room went still. It was the question they had been hoping to avoid.
Reia didn’t flinch. She t Kaela’s gaze head-on. "The price?" she countered, deftly avoiding the question.
Kaela allowed a faint, knowing smile. "A seat at the table. When this war cos—and it will—Helios will not be caught in the crossfire. We will be inford. We will be prepared. You will treat us as a strategic partner, not a resource to be mined and discarded."
It was a demand for an alliance from a position of perceived weakness, but Kaela’s calm delivery made it sound like the most reasonable thing in the world. She knew the value of what she held, and she knew the caliber of the people she was addressing.
Reia glanced at Evelyn and Silas, a silent conversation passing between them in the space of a heartbeat. They needed that data. Without it, they were hunting a ghost in the dark.
Turning back to Kaela, Reia gave a single, sharp nod. "We have an accord."
Reviews
All reviews (0)