Over the next two days, Captain Kid felt a headache befalling him from all sides, as the situation in the world of Terra Nova worsened even more.
With Bernabeu City falling completely under WhiteSaber control, the probability of the rebels gaining complete control over the Empire in the coming weeks rose to a whopping 92%, making their absolute victory a near certainty.
To make matters worse, the morale of the few remaining righteous faction loyalists seed to plumt after facing successive defeats, making many jump ship to the rebel side.
This of-course was an outco that the Unity Empire Governnt back on planet Terra Nova was not too thrilled about, as they increased their scrutiny of Captain Kid's handling of the situation, and demanded that drastic asures be taken to redy the inevitable rebel win.
All in all, with Leo refusing to reduce his gaming ti, Kid found himself in extrely hot waters with the Unity Governnt, who now deed Kid to be 'incompetent' and wanted to place pressure on the universal governnt to change the Arc Ship's command structure, and replace Kid as captain.
"I don't see how any of this is my fault… if they wanted to make the Unity Empire invincible, they should have requested the world setting to be that way from the get-go…." Kid grumbled, as he did not appreciate the fact that he was being admonished despite not making any mistakes.
"Even if I finish this mission without being replaced as Captain, I'm sure my career is going to take a nosedive afterwards.
No new employer would want to hire if they read the feedback that the unity governnt is threatening to give at the end of this trip.
However, if I do end up helping them, I'll break the already fragile ga balance and the universal governnt will fire for excessive interference–" Kid said, scratching his near bald head, as he pulled a few strands out.
He knew he was walking on thin ice, but just couldn't figure out how to navigate this ss safely.
Then, unexpectedly he got interrupted when his private communication device buzzed with a new urgent ssage.
It was a ssage from Mu Fan, the designated point of contact for the Mu Clan in their pursuit to recruit Leo Skyshard.
It was a ssage that Kid had been expecting for days now, however, was disappointed not to have received sooner.
Now, as the notification blinked on his private communication device, a wave of relief washed over him, as the ssage seed to be written in a happy note.
'At least soone is happy with my services…' Kid thought, as he read the letter with utmost sincerity.
The Unity Empire might have been sharpening their knives, ready to carve his career into irrelevance, but the Mu Clan—an influential and resourceful faction—still saw value in him, and was even promising him unimaginable rewards for his cooperation!
'Its a way out…. If I choose them, I can get out of this ss safely' Kid thought, as suddenly he saw a clear path out of the ss he currently found himself in.
"Interesting" Kid mused as he leaned back into his chair and stared at the Mu Clan's insignia displayed on his communicator.
The Unity Empire Governnt was already painting him as incompetent, and even if he bent over backward to fix the ga balance, it was unlikely he'd be rewarded or even given credit.
The Universal Governnt was also watching him like hawks, and any further intervention in the ga world could see him fired on the spot.
But the Mu Clan? They weren't bound by bureaucratic red tape. They operated in shadows and with results, not empty promises or scapegoating, and if he played his cards right, he might not only escape this ss unscathed but erge wealthier and more secure than ever before.
'Who needs the Unity Empire's empty praise or flourishing mission report anyway?' Kid thought, as he decided to go for the side that was offering him more benefits rather than threats.
His lips curled into a sly grin as the plan began to take form in his mind. The Mu Clan was offering him a golden parachute—one tied directly to Leo Skyshard. If Leo beca their prized asset, Kid could ride that wave all the way to comfort and safety.
And so, he made his decision.
"Screw the Unity Empire," he muttered under his breath. "From now on, my only priority is Leo Skyshard and the Mu Clan."
**********
(A few minutes later)
After letting the rush from making his mind cool down, Kid opened the letter from My Fan once again, carefully re-reading all her requests.
1. Lower the mana concentration in Leo Skyshard's quarters to halt his ditation progress.
2. Sabotage his ditation training subtly.
3. Delete all data suggesting Leo might awaken genetic abilities.
The first two points puzzled him. The Mu Clan had expressed such interest in Leo, yet here they were, asking him to prevent Leo's progress. Shouldn't they want him to grow stronger? Wouldn't that serve their interests better?
But then again, Mu Fan's wording had been clear—it was for his own good.
Perhaps there was a delicate tiline at play to awakening his genetic potential that he as an outsider wasn't privy to.
Genetic Awakening was a common process in the upperclassn of the universe that belonged to a special bloodline with bloodline ability running dormant within them. However, for the majority of the universe, they were born without any inherent abilities and hence had no knowledge about the subject.
Kid as a Captain knew that Genetic Awakening was a process that did happen in society and that different factions achieved it differently, however, he was not sure about the Mu Clans awakening thods.
The Mu Clan was an organisation that operated mostly in shadows, and their reasoning often followed logic inaccessible to commoners like him.
Kid sighed and shook his head. "Not my job to understand. Just my job to execute."
With a few quick taps on his control panel, Kid began the data purge. Files containing genetic markers, ditation efficiency logs, and system-flagged anomalies related to Leo Skyshard were systematically wiped from the ship's internal database.
Poof. Gone.
Next ca the trickier part: sabotaging Leo's ditation training.
The ship's environntal controls were advanced, but fine-tuning mana concentration in an individual's quarters without raising suspicion required precision. Kid's fingers hovered over the interface as he adjusted the settings, carefully lowering the ambient mana density in Leo's quarters to a level just above noticeable. It wouldn't stop Leo entirely, but it would slow his progress significantly.
Step one, complete.
Now ca the planning phase. Kid knew that Leo was stubborn and relentless in his training. If subtle sabotage didn't deter him, he'd have to find another way to convince the boy to stop ditating altogether.
Perhaps a fabricated error log warning of 'unstable mana flux'? Or maybe… an ergency maintenance drill requiring Leo to leave his quarters for a few weeks ti?
The more Kid thought about it, the clearer his path beca. He'd play this carefully, inch by inch, step by step.
As he leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples, he felt sothing he hadn't felt in weeks—control.
The Unity Empire might have written him off, but the Mu Clan had thrown him a lifeline, and he intended to hold on tight.
"Leo Skyshard," Kid muttered, staring at the monitor displaying the young player's quarters, "your fate is now tied to mine. Don't ss this up for both of us."
With that, Captain Kid began drafting his next moves, fully committing himself to the Mu Clan's agenda, and unknowingly setting into motion events that would ripple far beyond his control.
In particular, his decision to wipe Leo's genetic logs and warnings from the ship's data was sure to wreak unprecedented chaos on the universal stage when discovered, as anything related to the 'Tiless Assassin' was a topic that invited direct fury of the Gods.
As a low level citizen, one who did not even know about the legend of the Tiless Assassin, Captain Kid naturally had no idea about the chain of events he had just placed in motion, however, for good or for worse, his choice today had irreversibly changed the future of the universe.
**********
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