When Robin woke up, his head was pounding and he had a dry throat. He blinked his heavy eyes and took a moment to get used to the dim lights in the small room. There wasn’t much to see, just a niche for his bodily needs, a small, empty desk with a chair and the narrow bed he was lying on.

  Wearily he sat up and reached for his head to straighten his hair. That was when he noticed the bulky cuffs binding his wrists together.

  “Suppression Shackles… damn.” He muttered, “Just what happened and where am I?”

  After massaging his temples for some time, his memories slowly returned and he got an idea of how things ultimately turned out.

  “Ugh, shit…”

  Looking around in the room, a heavy, reinforced door was the only exit he could see. He didn’t even stand up to try his luck.

  “A prison cell, really?”

  Robin rested the back of his head on the wall. For a good while he just concentrated on his breathing, trying not to give in to the rising panic or think about his dry mouth and the empty stomach.

  “Alena and Happy escaped, that’s a win. Also, Proto should have left the outpost as well. Maybe they will meet?” He began to arrange his thoughts, “Probably… It’s not like I would know what his plans for the future are. And then there is this Joseph, sent by the Alaris family… Niu really has drawn the short stick with that kind of family. What a mess…”

  He looked around in his small cell once more. There was a little barred window with tinted glass but it either didn’t lead outside or it was night right now - whatever it was, it didn’t let in any light.

  “It could be worse…” Robin sighed as he thought about his situation.

  “‘tsk” He heard someone scoff behind him. When he turned around, he noticed an air grille near the ceiling that belonged to the ventilation system and led into the neighboring cell.

  “Hey mate, why are you here?” He asked.

  No answer came.

  “I’m Robin, you have a name?”

  Again, no answer.

  “Ooookay, it was nice to meet you. Good talk!” Robin scoffed with a shrug and turned his attention back to his situation.

  ‘They won’t overdo it. The UAS still wants my cooperation to work with ?ther and Keeper technology. Also, I have done them a great service and massively supported the UAS without asking much in return. Okay, I may have made them lose an ancient Starborn AI… Ugh.’ He followed his thought but in the end he knew: he had fucked up.

  This would turn into a shitshow. He could only hope the UAS sent someone he knew as liaison.

  It didn’t take him long to find out.

  About an hour after he woke up, the door to his cell opened and two stern soldiers walked in. They didn’t answer any questions and kept cold expressions as they led him down a long corridor. Robin noticed a few more cells but not enough to indicate that this was an actual prison.

  ‘Probably the holding cells of an important outpost?’ He mused, ‘I’m definitely not in Fulan Point anymore.’

  A few corners later, the guards brought Robin into a small room that reminded him of the interrogation room where he first had met Landom back at Seka Security on Rucasur. He was sure that there were monitoring systems in place to check if he was telling the truth.

  “Oh great…” He mumbled under his breath and took one of the two seats.

  Only moments after the guards left, he got a visitor. A thin woman in an impeccable military suit walked in. She had short blonde hair and was reading something on a datapad. Robin’s mood immediately hit rock bottom when he recognized Franny Bolster, the officer of mankind’s leadership in the UAS that was the most antagonistic to him.

  “Greetings, Mr. Tulward. It’s great that we’re finally meeting in person.” The woman said and took the other seat.

  “Uhm, yeah awesome. I’m not sure I’m as thrilled as you are, but let’s see where the day takes us.”

  “Aha, still joking around. I don’t think that you’re in a situation in which that is appropriate.”

  “Well,–” Robin began but was interrupted.

  “This is an interrogation room in one of our secure facilities for high value prisoners. I would like to point out that there are systems in place to validate the truthfulness of your statements.”

  “Okay, where exactly are–” Once more he wasn’t given the chance to speak.

  “Please understand that I am asking the questions, okay?”

  “Uhm,–”

  “Great. So let’s begin. You are Robin Tulward, a technocrafter born on Rucasur. No living relatives.” Mrs. Bolster made a pause to look at him.

  Robin looked back…

  “Oh!” He said after a long silence, “That was a question? You need to work on your wording! But no, that’s not me. Never heard of that guy.”

  There was a high-pitched beep and he saw a notification flash on the datapad.

  “Huh, works like a charm!” He complimented the monitoring system while Bolster shot him an angry glare before she continued.

  “Based on the General UAS Law, §03 b), Terms for Convicts, I must inform you of what you are accused of.”

  “Convicts? Don’t you need a trial f–”

  “Mr. Tulward, I’m asking the questions, do you remember?”

  This time, Robin kept his mouth shut but tilted his head with squinted eyes. There was something going on that he didn’t fully understand.

  ‘I’m probably better off listening to find out what this is all about.’

  Sure, Franny Bolster definitely didn’t like him and may even have had a bone to pick with him, but why was she that confrontational? They would need his cooperation later on, didn’t they?

  “Good, we can continue.” The officer said and picked up the datapad, “As Captain of the Hubble you’ve ignored an official call-back order from your superiors. Even then, you continued with the mission to collect the data from the Keeper artifact but destroyed the important object in the process and only delivered fractured pieces from a database that are mostly useless.”

  Robin didn’t say anything and just kept listening. He had expected these accusations, even if it hardly was his fault that the monolith didn’t hold any interesting or complete data.

  “You didn’t follow the official invitation to meet with the UAS officers on Rucasur and instead fled the planet. Last but most importantly, you broke into a closed UAS outpost, resisted apprehension, attacked and heavily injured UAS soldiers and helped a criminal AI to escape.” Bolster continued and looked at him, seemingly expecting him to protest.

  Robin only nodded without commenting. This didn’t come at a surprise and, if he had to be honest, was mostly correct. There was no way to sugarcoat his actions at Fulan Point.

  “For the sake of completeness, I want to add that there are investigations about your involvement in the explosion on Gaunus. It was you who brought a weapon of mass destruction to the facility which later claimed the lives of more than 400 people.”

  “What?” Robin gasped in shock. He had heard Timothy mentioning something about an accident at the testing site but hadn’t found the time yet to check the news. Things had turned out much worse than he had feared. But still, how was this his fault?

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  “You want to pin Ramones incompetence on me? That’s low, even for you!” He growled.

  Bolster wrinkled her nose in displeasure. “We don’t know all the details yet. But you are still one of the prime suspects.”

  “Pah!” Robin spat, “Is the lie detector offline or is it not configured to point out when someone spews such bullshit?”

  “Mr. Tulward! It’s not up to you to decide how this goes. We–” Bolster said, her voice raised, but this time it was Robin who interrupted her.

  “No, I think you try to play a game and hope I don’t know the rules. And while I unfortunately really don’t know them all, I understand enough about this. You want to beat me down with a fuckload of stupid accusations and use that to make me sign whatever contract you have prepared to put me on a leash. That is not how this works. The only substantial offense you have is my actions at Fulan Point. But you know what? No one was critically harmed and I’m pretty sure that the list of everything I’ve done for the UAS easily outweighs the loss of one mischievous AI.”

  “I think you’re overestimating your value for the UAS.” Bolster scoffed.

  “Maybe, but I don’t think so.” Robin shrugged, “So, why don’t we talk about how this is going to continue if we don’t come to an agreement?”

  “That is not–”

  “It’s infuriating when someone doesn’t give you the chance to complete your sentence, isn’t it? So tell me, Mrs. Bolster, who is the one that can help mankind and the UAS to work with Keeper technology? How many people have you at hand that are able to sense and even manipulate ?ther? Let’s put this into the balance and see how it pans out!”

  That finally broke the officers stern facade and Robin saw surprise and shock flash over her face for a second. Maybe he was stretching the capabilities of his G-Anomaly a bit, but he was sure to get there at some point. Sure enough for the monitoring system to accept his statement.

  “You can do that? How? Since when? What did you do?”

  “Really?” Robin laughed, finally in control of the situation, “That is not how this goes, right? You have put your cards on the table and so have I. We probably both have more hidden in our sleeves, but for now I have the better hand. So, why don’t the guards take me back to my apartment where I can get some food - which would be my first since arriving here - while you have a discussion with Eston and Khánh about who will continue these negotiations.”

  Now it was Franny Bolster’s turn to squint her eyes. She was probably weighing her chances. When she came to a decision, she stood up and nodded.

  “Fine, you can leave for now.” She said and taped her datapad. Robin noticed that the cameras in the room stopped blinking.

  “Don’t get too cocky, Tulward.” Bolster hissed as she reached for the door, “This isn’t over. Eston might still try to shelter you, but don’t believe for a second that he has the power to get you out of this.”

  She knocked on the door and before the guards opened, she chuckled.

  “You really messed up with your little stunt at Fulan Point. We have everything we need to put you in a deep hole for the rest of your life!”

  Then the door slid to the side and she left.

  Robin was guided back to his cell by the two soldiers. He was lost in thoughts as he walked through the corridors, trying to figure out where this would all lead from now on.

  ***

  While Robin finally got a proper meal and planned his strategy for the next interrogation, a dark spaceship flew through the depth of space at high speeds and with direct course to Trov L, one of Gaunus’ moons.

  Soon, it passed the first long-range scanners and early-warning satellites. However, even though this ship was not registered at the UAS or had announced its passing, no one came to intercept the intruder. In fact, no one even noticed the alien looking ship.

  Only when it closed in on the moon, it began to slow down. There, in the middle of the void just above Trov L, rested an enormous spaceship that was bigger than almost any other in the fleet of the UAS.

  In one fluid motion and without anyone noticing it, the much smaller black ship flew around the IGD Eschaton and descended to the moon’s surface. Just before it touched the rocky ground, four of its thrusters lowered and became legs that carried the ship.

  After a smooth landing, the ship used its new legs to clumsily walk deeper into a nearby valley and took shelter under an overhanging rock. When it stopped, its black hull perfectly blended into the shadows and became one with the darkness.

  After a few minutes, two figures in armored suits stepped out of the shadows and began to ascend one of the surrounding hills.

  “No wonder Robin was so amazed by the Destroyer, that thing is a freaking monster!” Niu said while she stored the keystone that allowed them to enter the Keeper ship, then she followed Alena up the slope, “By the way, Robin is going to kill us when he learns that he missed the first walk of the Keeper ship.”

  “We would have to get him out of there first. I think that should be his and our first priority.”

  “Just saying, he won’t be happy. Circumstances be damned.”

  “Hurry up, I want to get off this moon as soon as possible.” Alena said and finally reached the top of the hill, “There it is!”

  “Wow, that looks well protected!” Niu gasped when she spotted the cluster of buildings. They were in the basic UAS style, like Fulan Point or the Apex outpost, however there was a huge wall around the complex. Between the buildings were poles with cameras and other technical equipment.

  “Surveillance systems with cameras, motion detection and heat signatures.” Alena explained, “The wall is mostly there to be used as the foundation for the shield that protects the facility. There are only two entry points.”

  “This is madness. Why is this place so well protected? Who do they keep locked up in there?”

  “I have no idea, but hopefully our captain is among these mysterious prisoners.” Alena said and then had a rare moment of hesitation, “You… Do you trust the AI?”

  “Proto? Sure! He seems to be nice.” Niu said with a shrug.

  “Nice? So that’s what we’re betting our lives on?” Alena scoffed, “If this doesn’t work, we’re running directly into the enemy’s arms.”

  “Yeah, but at least they wouldn’t need to take us far… assuming we are important enough to be kept here, too!” Happy giggled.

  “Really?”

  “Sorry! Shall we?”

  “Yeah, let’s go.”

  Together they headed down the hill and towards the next entry to the facility.

  ***

  Robin was suddenly jolted awake when a loud alarm rang through the facility that made his ears hurt. The little light in his cell, which had become his home for the last two days, dimed down even more and his passive energy sense sent an uncomfortable itch all over his body.

  “Burn in Plasma!” He cursed and scratched a particularly itchy spot, “What the heck is happening? Did they just raise a shield or something?”

  As if to answer his question someone cut off the alarm and made an announcement over the loudspeaker.

  “Unknown hostiles approaching the facility! All staff members immediately evacuate to position A2, all security forces meet at positions B1 and B6 and prepare for contact!”

  “Someone is launching an attack? Are they for real?” Robin gasped in shock.

  There came another scoff from his elusive neighbor in the next cell but he ignored it. Instead, Robin strained his ears, hoping to pick up anything. However, he got nothing – no shouts and no shots, no sounds of fighting at all.

  Time slowly ticked by and he nearly expected someone to raid his cell or anything, but there was just a heavy silence that made him feel even more caged in the little room. Only when his passive energy sense suddenly eased up, could he relax to some extent.

  “They turned off the shield? Was it a false alarm?” He wondered but was interrupted when someone opened the reinforced door.

  “Mr. Tulward, your presence is requested.” A soldier shouted as he entered the cell.

  “It is? By who? What is going on out there?” Robin asked.

  “I’m not capable of answering that, Mr. Tulward.” The soldier said and nervously shifted from one foot to the other.

  “Yeah, I thought as much. But still, you are more talkative than your comrades before.” Robin said and stopped before following the man out of his little cell, “You are also much more nervous. Are we in danger? Is the outpost under attack?”

  “No one attacked us. Sir, I’m… you should talk to my superiors about that.”

  “Sir?” Robin gaped, “Mate, I’m pretty sure I’m a prisoner here and you are my guard. Sir? Really?”

  “Please, Mr. Tulward, there are people waiting for you.” The man said, visibly sweating now.

  “Do I have a choice? Can I stay here?” Robin asked but ultimately went along when the man shook his head.

  “Fine, lead the way.”

  For the third time Robin was led through the corridors of the facility. Last time he had another meeting with Franny Bolster. She once more tried to push her agenda, but less forcefully and she opted for a dialogue, not for an interrogation. They once more came out empty handed and Robin still didn’t even know what kind of deal she wanted to propose, but he saw it as a good sign that she took a step back.

  Maybe now the UAS would send someone more appropriate for the negotiations. It had been a stupid idea in the first place to send someone who had a personal grudge with him. But hey, that was probably how politics worked.

  “Where are we going?” Robin asked when they entered a new hallway that he had not seen on his last trips.

  “We are on our way to the office of the commanding officer.” The soldier said without slowing down.

  “Not an interrogation room? That’s a win! Okay, and who is this commanding officer?”

  “Sir, please direct your questions to my superiors.”

  “Fine, I…” Robin complained but didn’t finish his sentence. They just passed through a small hall that was full with armed soldiers that looked ready for battle. At least equipment-wise, the men and women themselves were nervously whispering in hushed voices and he saw more than a few faces that looked shocked like they had just met a Burlag in the wilds.

  Before Robin could pester his guard with more questions which he wouldn’t answer anyway, they came to a stop next to an unassuming door. The guard knocked once and then hurried back the way they had come as quickly as he could without losing his military stride.

  “You may go in, good luck!” He shouted over his shoulder and vanished behind the next corner.

  “Wow, that’s not suspicious at all…” Robin muttered, “Well, since I can’t take a peek with my mutation thanks to the Suppression Shackles, I should just get over it. I’m really curious who they sent and what emergency made all these professional soldiers lose their shit.”

  With a swish, the door slit open.