The Koprulu Sector

by TheKopruluSectorUnion

Chapter 65: Fall From Grace

On the rooftop of an office building, unbeknownst to its occupants, Seeker looked at the Iron Claws’ Headquarters in the distance through her binoculars and became apprehensive when she saw the squads of heavily armed guards in power armor patrolling the building’s perimeter.

Sovereign, are you there? Seeker mentally called out. She waited for a minute before a mental image of Sovereign appeared before her.

“Yes Seeker, I’m here and I see that you’re almost at where my friends are. Can you see them? They should be somewhere on the upper floors.”

Seeker looked through her binoculars and soon saw some movement through one of the windows on the building’s third floor. She zoomed in on the window and spotted one of Sovereign’s friends through the window, looking in her direction.

“I see them. They’re on the third floor and appear to be fine for the moment but I’m kind of curious, how did they get into this much trouble anyway?” Seeker asked out of curiosity before she felt another migraine coming on.

“That’s not important right now.” Sovereign said dismissively. “You should concentrate on getting my friends out of there, isn’t that right, Seeker?”

“R-Right…” Seeker weakly replied.

“Good. Now tell me, can you teleport yourself over to my friends from where you are?”

Seeker took a moment to look at the distance between her and the building before she shook her head. “No, it’s too far for me to make it, only a Prelate from the Dark Order could teleport such a long distance in one go. I’ll have to infiltrate the building on hoof but even with my invisibility, it’ll be difficult to get that many guards on my own.”

“Not on your own, eh? What if we created a distraction to get the guards’ attention, would that help?” Sovereign suggested.

“Well…yes, I suppose it would but what do you have in mind?” Seeker inquired.

“You just let me worry about that.” Sovereign assured her. “Just be ready to move on my signal.”

“Understood, but what is the signal going to be?”

“Oh you’ll know it when you see it.” Sovereign said before he faded away, leaving Seeker alone on the rooftop as she turned her attention back on the Enforcers, waiting for the promised signal.

---

Inside the building’s reception area, the Iron Claws were busy securing the perimeter when they heard the sounds of footsteps coming from one of the hallways and it was getting closer. Thinking that it might be the ghosts, they aimed their weapons at the doorway.

“Come on out with your hooves in the air or we will fire!” One of the Iron Claws warned.

“Well, I don’t don't know about hooves…” A gruff voice said before a gryphon, accompanied by a pair of security guards, came through the door with his talons half-raised in the air. “…but I would really appreciate it if you don’t shoot me.”

The Iron Claws recognized Godric and immediately lowered their weapons before one of the officers approached him. “I’m really sorry about that, Chairman. We didn’t know that you were still in the building.” The officer said apologetically.

“Don’t worry about it; you were just doing your job. Though I doubt my niece would be pleased if you had really shot me.” Godric said jokingly, though none of the Iron Claws laughed for obvious reasons. “Anyways, do you mind telling your men to let me through? I’d like to leave now."

“Of course Chairman, right away.” The officer said as he gestured for his men to stand aside. The Iron Claws obeyed as they hastily stepped to the side, making way for Godric and his guards who walked past them as they made their way out the door.

When he passed through the door, Godric raised a brow at the number of Enforcers patrolling the area. “That’s a lot of guards just to catch a couple of ponies. More than half of the station’s garrison must be here right now.”

“Well sir, we are dealing with Ghosts after all. Better safe than sorry, I’d say.” One of his guards spoke up.

“Yeah, guess you’re right. Still, I can’t help but feel having this much firepower in one place is going to bite us in the flank.”

“You’re worrying too much, sir. Just let us handle the Ghosts and everything will be back to-” The guard was interrupted when they suddenly heard the sounds of something heavy fall. They turned their heads and saw that several of the Enforcers had dropped to their knees.

“Argh…my head…” Said one of Godric’s guards, before he fell to the floor as well and pressed a hand against his head. He had the same pained look on his face as the others, which made Godric suspicious as it was too much of a coincidence for so many of the guards to suffer headaches simultaneously.

However, just as quickly and sudden as they occurred, the headaches just stopped, much to the relief of the affected Iron Claws as their squad mates went to check up on them. Following their example, Godric approached the fallen guard and offered him his claw, which the stallion accepted as he was pulled up from the ground.

“Are you alright?” Godric asked.

“Yeah…I think so...” The guard weakly replied, his head still dizzy from the migraine. “I don’t know what came over me but…” He stopped midsentence when he looked up at Godric and unexpectedly cried out in fear before he pulled away from Godric and fell back to the ground.

“Is something wrong?” Godric asked as he took a step forward, which caused the guard to jump as he quickly backed away from the gryphon, “What’s the matter with you?” Godric said as he took another step closer but was surprised when the guard suddenly pulled out his pistol and pulled the trigger.

---

“That must be the signal Sovereign was talking about.” Seeker muttered to herself when she saw the Iron Claws start fighting amongst themselves through her binoculars. She wanted to know how Sovereign did this but remembered that Sovereign’s friends need her help. She secured the duffel bag around her shoulders before teleporting herself down to the alley below. There, she saw that no one else had taken notice of the fighting taking place at the Iron Claws’ headquarters yet as they were still going about their business as usual.

Though it won’t be long before they realize what was happening and start panicking, which was all the more reason for her to leave before that happens. With that in mind, she turned herself invisible and walked out into the street where she started making her way towards the Iron Claws’ Headquarters.

---

The Iron Claws’ command center was in an uproar as everyone was rushing to figure out why their own men suddenly started shooting each other and to stop it as soon as possible. Unfortunately, with so many of the officers on site being amongst the first casualties, reestablishing control was easier said than done.

Gilda growled in frustration as every attempt they made to contact their men so far had been met with either static or incoherent nonsense about there being zerg on board the platform, when there wasn’t even a single zergling in sight. She had a sneaking suspicion that the Ghosts were behind this ‘attack’.

“Commander, an urgent message for you just came in.” One of the operators called out. “Chairman Godric was shot.”

“What!?” Gilda shouted before she shot up from her chair and landed right in front of the operator who she asked in a low growl. “What happened?” The operator didn’t reply as she quivered under the gryphon’s glare. “Tell me what happened. Now!” Gilda demanded, shocking the operator out of her stupor.

After she regained some of her composure, the operator replied. “Chair-Chairman Godric was present when our men turned on each other so he was caught in the crossfire…But, he’s still alive and is currently being escorted back into the building by one of the security teams.”

Gilda stepped back and let out a sigh of relief, happy that her uncle was still alive. She turned to the operator and told her. “It’s too dangerous for us to evacuate him right now. Tell them to take the Chairman to the medical bay on the third floor to treat his injuries and keep him safe.” Before flying back to her seat, much to the operator’s relief as she carried out Gilda’s orders.

---

“There, that should keep them busy for a while.” Lyra said wearily as she watched the Iron Claws shooting at each other through the window. Planting the images of zerg inside their minds had been a relatively simple task, but doing it on so many minds had left her mentally drained.

Thankfully, just like with Seeker, she didn’t need to put too much effort into maintaining her link with their minds. As long as she remained conscious, the mercenaries will keep believing that they are surrounded by zerg and react by shooting them, unwittingly gunning down their own comrades in the process.

All this fighting should draw most of the Iron Claws’ attention and make it easier for Seeker to get past the mercenaries while they’re busy dealing with the chaos below. She turned away from the window and sat back down into her chair as she ran a hand through her mane, which had grown knotted during her stay in the jail cells.

“Ouch!” Lyra yelped when she untangled one of the knots. “First thing I’m going to do once we’re out of her is take a nice long shower.” She said before turning her attention back to Seeker, who was almost at the headquarter building. She stopped when she saw Skyfall coming back into the room with two mugs of coffee in his hands, one of which he offered to her. She guessed that he must have found the office’s break room nearby and brewed up some coffee for them.

“Thanks.” Lyra said as she accepted the mug and drank from it. She smiled as the coffee warmed her up while the caffeine gave her a much needed energy boost. “Just so you know, I’m still mad at you for not telling me about the Khalai being here. It’s going to take more than a nice cup of coffee to make me forgive you.”

Skyfall rolled his eyes at Lyra before he took a sip from his own mug and looked out the window. He watched as the mercenaries under Lyra’s influence gunned down their own comrades, which reminded him of what happened back on the pirate ship. He hoped that there won’t be a repeat of what happened at the end.

He snapped out of his thoughts when Lyra swatted him over the side of the head, causing him to spew out his drink. He wiped the excess fluids off his mouth before he turned around and glared at his partner, demanding an explanation.

“I know what you’re thinking but you’re worrying over nothing. That only happened because we left our guard down. We’ll be more careful this time, I promise.” Lyra assured him. “Once we get our gear, we’ll sneak past the mercenaries and the Khalai, get back to the ship and warp out of here before anyone finds out.”

Skyfall was skeptical of her plan and of its success, but she has never led him astray before and he trusted her judgment so he nodded to her in agreement, albeit hesitantly. “Great! Now while we wait for Seeker to get here with our gear. Also, mind getting me a refill?” Lyra asked as she levitated her empty mug over to Skyfall.

The stallion raised his eye at Lyra who simply smiled sweetly at him in return. “Come on Skyfall, don’t be like that. Help me out and I might just forgive you for not telling me about the Khalai.” Skyfall snorted in response but relented to Lyra’s request as he took her mug into his own magic and walked out the door.

While going to the break room, he heard the door being opened as a security guard entered the room. “Okay, this has to be the medbay-” the guard froze when he saw one of the Ghosts that he been ordered to be on the lookout for standing in the middle of the room with a coffee mug floating next to his head.

The guard opened his mouth to call for backup but didn’t get the chance when Skyfall drew out his pistol and fired three shots into the stallion’s chest. The guard stumbled back before he fell against the door, causing it to fly open where Skyfall saw a surprised looking gryphon accompanied by several more guards who pulled out their weapons when they saw the dead guard at their hooves.

Armed with only a pistol and a baton, Skyfall knew that he wouldn’t stand a chance against that many guards out in the open so just before the first shot was fired, he disappeared in a burst of teleportation magic. He then reappeared back inside the private office where Lyra was startled by his sudden entrance.

“Skyfall, what is going on?” Lyra demanded and received her answer when she heard a gunshot seconds before the window separating the office from the rest of the room shattered, showering the two with glass shards.

Skyfall quickly reacted and used his psionics to erect a barrier in front of them just in time to stop the glass shards as well as the barrage of bullets that followed the first one. The bullets were stopped dead in their tracks when they struck the invisible barrier but it took all his concentration and willpower just to maintain it.

Fortunately, he was saved when the guards suddenly came under fire forcing them into cover. Skyfall turned around and saw Lyra firing her gun over his barrier at the retreating guards. “I sent you out to get some coffee, but instead you came back with a bunch of guards?!” Lyra shouted as she shot one of the guards in the back. “If we make it out of here alive, you and I are going to have a long talk about attracting unwanted attention. Got it?”

Even though he wasn’t looking forward to the ‘discussion’, which would probably be just Lyra giving him an undeserved lecture, Skyfall nodded to her in reply before turning his attention back to maintaining the barrier when he noticed that the guards were firing at them again.

---

Seeker silently moved down the hallway as she made her way further into the Iron Claws’ Headquarters. Thanks to the distraction Sovereign and his friends created for her, she was able to get past the guards and get into the building completely undetected.

Following the conveniently placed signs on the walls, she made her way to where a stairwell that should let her get to the upper floors was located. She picked up her pace when she saw the door to the stairwell at the end of the hallway but skidded to a halt when a group of Enforcers came around the corner and headed her way.

Since she was invisible, the guards couldn’t see her so she pressed herself against the wall to avoid being trampled under their metallic feet. She watched the Enforcers as they ran past her and down the same way she just came from. She guessed that they were running off to deal with the situation outside the building.

Once the Enforcers were gone, Seeker continued her way to the door at the end of the hall. She looked behind her to make sure that no one else was out in the hallway before she opened the door and went through it where she saw the stairs, which she started climbing.

It didn’t take long for her to reach the third floor but when she opened the door, she heard the faint sounds of gunfire in the distance. Worried that Sovereign’s friends might be in trouble, she followed the noise until she came across a gryphon and a security guard standing by the door where the gunfire was coming from.

“I’ve called in for backup like you asked, Chairman. They should be here within twenty minutes.” The guard told the gryphon.

“Good. The sooner they get here, the sooner we can apprehend the intruders and stop our men from tearing each other apart.” Godric said before he let out a hiss and reach for his bleeding wing. “Damn that hurts.”

“Are you sure you don’t need some painkillers, sir?” The guard said as he pulled a syringe filled with painkillers out from his first-aid pack and offered them to Godric.

“Yes, I’m sure. Besides, the pain keeps me focused.” Godric said, refusing the syringe. The guard nodded and put the syringe away before a cloaked mare appeared out of nowhere and decapitated the guard right in front of him. Godric watched in stunned silence as the guard’s head fell off and hit the floor, followed by the rest of his body.

“What the hell!?” Godric finally cried out just before Seeker launched herself at him. He raised his gun and pulled the trigger, stopping Seeker as she fell to the floor but she was unscathed as she got back up and resumed her attack as she swung her warp blade at him. Godric cried out in pain as the energy blade left a large gash in his chest before he dropped to the floor.

With Godric taken care of, Seeker turned off her warp blade as she headed into the room but stopped when she felt something grab one of her hind legs. She turned around and saw that the gryphon wasn’t quite dead yet as he tightened his grip on her leg.

“You’re…not getting…away that easily…” Godric said through ragged breaths.

Seeker didn’t want to waste anymore time so she stabbed her warp blade into his chest, putting him out of his misery. After she pulled her blade out of the gryphon’s chest, she pried his claw off her hind leg and entered the room where she saw several guards shooting at something at the far side of the room while taking cover behind upturned desks.

Her eyes widened in surprise when she realized that they were shooting at Sovereign’s friends who appeared to be barely holding out against the barrage as they hid behind a barrier made up of void energy. She dropped the duffel bag by the door before igniting her warp blade and charged at the nearest guard.

The guard didn’t see her coming until she ran him through the back with her warp blade. He cried out in pain before he died but the other guards didn’t react as they were too focused on Lyra and Skyfall to notice. Seeker took advantage of this and proceeded to silently kill one Iron Claw after another as she made her way over to Sovereign’s friends.

The Iron Claws eventually realized what was going on and tried to stop her, but with her invisibility and ability to teleport, they couldn’t pinpoint her location. All they could do was shoot at where the next guard died and hope to get lucky and hit her though all they kept doing was shooting up the furniture while Seeker continued thinning their ranks.

They followed this strategy without success until there were only five of them left. The remaining guards changed tactics and formed a circle, thinking that they could cover each other’s backs. Unfortunately, their plan backfired when Seeker appeared in the middle of their circle and swung her warp blade in a full 360-degree spin. As five guards fell to the floor in a bloody heap, Seeker dropped her invisibility and deactivated her warp blade as she walked over to Lyra and Skyfall, the latter of whom dropped his barrier when he saw that she had dealt with the Iron Claws.

“Are you two alright?” Seeker asked.

“Yeah, we’re fine.” Lyra replied. “I thought you weren’t going to get here in time but I’m glad that I was wrong. So did you bring us our stuff?”

“I left it by the door. Let me go get it.” Seeker said as she went back to the door and retrieved the duffel bag before hoofing over to Lyra. “I suggest that you change quickly cause I heard that more guards are on their way.”

“Perfect.” Lyra said as she unzipped the duffel bag and took out her suit and rifle before passing the bag to Skyfall who started to strip but stopped when Lyra coughed into her hand. “While I wouldn’t mind seeing you in the fur, can you tell me where the break room is? Some of us would like to get changed in private.”

Skyfall rolled his eyes and pointed to the far side of the office where the break room was.

“Thanks.” Lyra said before turning to Seeker. “You go keep watch outside. I don’t want us getting ambushed with our pants down.” Seeker nodded before she vanished in a trail of black mist. Lyra then headed for the break room, leaving Skyfall to change in peace.

After he was done changing into his suit, he reached into the duffel bag and brought out his canister rifle as well as an HFB to replace the pistol and baton he had been using so far. He then saw Lyra, now dressed in her combat suit, coming towards him.

“Well partner, ready to blow this joint?” Lyra asked. Skyfall nodded and followed her lead as they went out the door where they joined up with Seeker. They then turned themselves invisible before heading down the hallway where Seeker said a stairwell she used was.

---

Gilda ignored the Enforcers asking her to slow down as she ran down the hallway. When she heard that the Ghosts had been spotted on the same floor where her uncle was, she rushed out the command center and took the Enforcers standing guard outside with her and she wasn’t stopping until she was sure her uncle was safe and sound.

Unfortunately, her hopes were dashed when she turned around the next corner and saw Godric slumped against the wall. She ran over to her uncle and knelt down to check on him. She gasped when she saw the bloody hole in his chest but she refused to accept that he was dead as she grabbed him by the shoulders and started shaking him.

“Come on you old buzzard, wake up! Wake up and tell me that you’re alright! Please!” She begged but received no such response as Godric’s head slumped forward.

Gilda eyes started to water when she realized that her uncle was gone but stopped herself from crying when the Enforcers finally caught up to her. “Commander, please don’t go so far ahead. The intruders could still be-” The Enforcer stopped when he saw Gilda holding Godric’s body and stayed quiet out of respect.

The silence was broken when Gilda’s communicator sounded off. She leaned Godric’s body back against the wall before she wiped her tears and brought out the ringing device and answered the call. “Gilda here…what is it?”

“Commander, our men just reported in that the Khalai’s forces have arrived and seemed to have joined the battle. What do you want us to do?”

Gilda took a moment to gather her thoughts before she said. “Stay out of their way and let them do their thing but whatever you do, don’t shoot them. I don’t want an incident with the Khalai.” She turned off her communicator before the operator could respond and put it away. She then turned her attention back to Godric and saw his gun lying there on the floor.

“I’m gonna borrow this for a while.” Gilda whispered to Godric before she picked the gun off the ground and turned around to face the Enforcers. “I want two of you to secure the area. The rest of you, come with me. We’ve got some Ghosts to bust.”

---

“Aaah! Stay back!” An Enforcer screamed as he fired his gauss rifle at Moon Fang but he vanished in a puff of white mist before he suddenly appeared right in front of the mercenary and plunged one of his warp blades straight through the Enforcer’s visor and into his head.

Just as he pulled his warp blade out of the helmet, he suddenly came under fire from another Enforcer but was saved when one the Templars fired his psi-casters at the mercenary, forcing him on the defensive. This gave Moon Fang the opportunity to close in for the kill. He gave the Templar a nod of thanks, which the warrior acknowledged before they returned to the battle.

When he and his men had arrived, they were surprised to see the Iron Claws fighting each other to the death. With discretion being the better part of valor, he ordered the Templars to stay out of the fight until he could get a better grasp on the situation. Unfortunately, some of the mercenaries spotted the Templars and started shooting them, forcing them to retaliate.

They quickly realized that not all of the Iron Claws were hostile towards them when they saw some of them were actually helping them fight against their more hostile counterparts. However since they had no way to tell friend from foe, he and the Templars had to pick their battles carefully to avoid antagonizing their new allies.

Moon Fang just killed another Enforcer when he saw a gryphon flying at him with a submachine gun in one claw and a large pistol in the other. Thinking that she might be hostile, he readied his warp blades for an attack but was surprised when the gryphon fired her guns in his direction but she missed him completely. That is until he heard a startled cry coming from behind him.

He turned around and saw an Enforcer armed with an HFB standing behind him shielding himself from the gryphon’s shots with his arms. He quickly dispatched the Enforcer before turning his attention back to the gryphon who flew overhead as she fired on the rogue mercenaries, picking them off one by one.

They responded by turning their guns on the gryphon and tried to shoot her down but she was too fast and agile for them to land a hit. While they were preoccupied with the gryphon, they were caught off guard when they suddenly came under fire from the other Iron Claws.

“Protect the commander!” One Enforcer shouted as he fired at the rogue Iron Claws.

Not wanting to be outdone by the Iron Claws, some of the Templars switched their psi-casters into energy blades and charged the rogue mercenaries while their brethren supported them from the rear. With the Iron Claws and the Khalai working together, all of the rogue Iron Claws were soon dealt with.

Unfortunately, many Iron Claws had lost their lives to the battle; even the Templars had suffered a few casualties of their own. Moon Fang was tending to their wounded when he saw the gryphon from earlier approaching them. Now that he got a closer look, he recognized her as the gryphon that had spoken with Starsong.

“Are you their leader?” Gilda asked, gesturing to the Templars behind him.

He nodded silently in response.

“Good. Cause we need to talk.”

---

Aboard the Talyn, Starsong stared at the space platform as he wondered how Moon Fang’s mission to apprehend the Ghosts was going. He didn’t know how Moon Fang will fare against the Ghosts but Rylus trusted him to lead the Templar warriors in his place and that was good enough. Though that didn’t stop him from imagining things going awry.

He shook his head before let out a soft sigh. He knew that it was useless worrying over something that had no control over. All he can do right now was to wait for Moon Fang to report back and hope that it was good news. His ears twitched when he heard one of the terminals sounding off just before the crewman stationed there answered it.

“Overseer, I’m receiving a transmission from Moon Fang.” The crewman called out.

“Put him through to my terminal.” Rylus ordered as he put up a holoscreen before Moon Fang’s face appeared on it. “What’s the situation, Moon Fang?”

“Not good.” Moon Fang replied before explaining himself. “I’m afraid that the Ghosts have escaped.”

“What, how did this happen?” Starsong asked in disbelief.

“I don’t know how they did it but the Ghosts somehow turned the mercenaries against each other and must have slipped away in the chaos. I suspect that it might be some form of mind control.”

“This is most troubling news. For now, focus your efforts on locating the Ghosts and capturing them. The Iron Claws know the station’s layout so enlist their aid if you can.” Rylus ordered

“Yes sir.” Moon Fang replied before ending the transmission.

Rylus turned to Starsong and asked. "Were you aware that the Ghosts had that kind of ability, Overseer?” He waited for a response but didn’t receive one. “Overseer?”

Starsong had a deep frown on his face as he had mixed feelings about the fact that the Ghosts could control the mind of others. This meant that Seeker might not have truly betrayed them and was merely under the Ghosts influence, but it also meant that she would have no qualms about killing fellow Khalai. Getting her back might not be as easy as he had thought.

“Overseer Starsong, are you alright?” Rylus asked again and got a response when Starsong blinked his eyes at him.

“Yes I’m fine. I was just shocked to find out that the Ghosts were even capable of using their powers like that, but this just means all the more reason for us to stop them from leaving that station.”

“Should I assemble another team and have them secure the docks?” Rylus offered.

“No, we can’t risk your warriors falling under the Ghosts’ control. We’ll have to think of another way of stopping them.”

“Very well, but how do you propose that we go about doing that?” Rylus asked. “We can’t send in our warriors and my ship doesn’t have enough combat drones to cover all the docks.”

Starsong stepped back and took a moment to consider his options. Under normal circumstances, they would either send down a detachment of troops to secure the docks or have the platform go into lockdown mode, which would seal all the exits out of the station, including the docks.

But, with the platform being so old, it might take quite some time for it to go into lockdown mode, which would give the Ghosts the opportunity to make it back to their stealth capable ship and escape. He looked up and stared at the platform briefly before a thought occurred to him.

“Open a communications channel to the port authorities and tell them to evacuate the docks. Do whatever you have to do to convince them.” Starsong ordered as the communications officer did as he was told.

“Do you have a plan in mind, Overseer?” Rylus asked.

“Yes, we’re going to blast the docks so the Ghosts can’t leave the platform on their ship, or any other ship for that matter.” Starsong replied. His words left Rylus and the rest of the bridge crew baffled.

“Overseer, you can’t possibly be serious.” Rylus said incredulously. “You want us to open fire on a platform full of innocent civilians?”

“Yes, I am. Once the docks have been evacuated, have the plasma batteries fire on the docking bays. This should isolate the damage to the docks but there will be no loss of life if everything goes accordingly.”

“But sir, the Iron Claws might see this as an act of betrayal and retaliate. You’re putting the lives of our men at risk.” Rylus objected. “Please Overseer, reconsider. There has to be some other way.”

“Now is not the time to grow soft on me.” Starsong said sternly in return. “Believe me, this is the best course of action to take if we want to ensure the Ghosts’ capture. If you have a better idea, now is the time to tell me.” Starsong said as he waited for Rylus to respond.

Rylus tried to think of a plan to capture the Ghosts without having to fire on the station but turned his head down and looked away when he couldn’t think of one on such short notice.

“I thought so.” Starsong said before he turned to the crew. “Helmsman, move the ship into firing position. We’ll begin bombardment on the docks once they have been evacuated.”

“Yes…Overseer.” The helmsman responded hesitantly as he moved the Talyn into position.

---

“How is the evacuation coming along?” Starsong asked.

“The port authorities say that the evacuation is now complete.” The crewman replied.

“Excellent. Now lock all plasma batteries onto the docking bays and prepare to fire on my command.” Starsong ordered but frowned when the crew didn’t do as he commanded. “I just gave you all an order. Lock the plasma batteries onto the docking bays, now!” the Overseer said impatiently.

The crew looked to each other for a brief moment before they reluctantly turned their attention back to their terminals and carried out their order but was interrupted when Rylus suddenly shouted. “No! Belay that order!” causing everyone on the bridge, including Starsong, to turn around and face Rylus.

“What is the meaning of this?” Starsong demanded angrily.

“I’m sorry sir, but I can’t in good conscience allow you to risk so many lives just to capture those Ghosts.” Rylus said as he approached Starsong.

“And there is no way that I’m going to let you from catching my quarry when they’re right within my grasp! Now stand down!” Starsong demanded.

“No, I won’t.” Rylus stated defiantly as he stood his ground.

“You forget your place, Sub-Overseer.” Starsong sneered. “Guards, take him out of my sight.” He ordered but was confused when none of the Templars, not even the ones that belonged to his own crew, moved to apprehend Rylus. “What are you doing? I just gave an order.”

The Templars remained where they stood.

“You forget whose ship you’re on, Overseer.” Rylus said as he approached Starsong. “Overseer Starsong, due to your willingness to open fire on civilians, I deem you unfit to command and strip you of that authority. Take the Overseer off of my bridge.”

The Templars acknowledged the command and moved in on Starsong, but when they got near him he suddenly blasted them with a burst of psionic energy, knocking them away from himself. He then stood up on his hind legs and charged his gauntlets with more energy.

“I’ve lost half of my crew to those Ghosts and I’d rather be damned to the Abyss than let them get away again!” Starsong yelled, causing everyone to grow wary of him. “If you won’t help me catch them then I’ll do it myself so I’ll say this one more; Stand down!”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that, Overseer.” Rylus replied as he gestured for the other crew members who sought to aid the fallen Templars to stand back before he got up on his own hind legs and extended psi-blades from his psi-casters. The bridge fell silent as the two stallions narrowed their eyes at each other.

Starsong took the initiative and launched a bolt of psionic lightning at Rylus. The young Champion reacted and used one of his psi-blades to absorb the lightning bolt before he redirected the energy into his other psi-caster and fired his own bolt of psionic lightning as it flew straight at Starsong.

However, as a High Templar, Starsong was far more experienced with psionic magic. He conjured up a barrier just before the lightning bolt struck, which created a bright flash of light that blinded everyone on the bridge. When the lightning dissipated, he opened his eyes just in time to see Rylus before he slammed a hoof right into his face, which sent him sprawling to the floor.

Rylus panted as he stood over Starsong’s unconscious form. Redirecting the psionic attack had been both taxing on both his mind and body. He was fortunate that Starsong hadn’t fired a second bolt as it would have knocked him out. He saw the Templars slowly getting back up to their hooves before approaching him.

“What should we do with him, sir?” One of the Templars asked, gesturing to Starsong.

“We’ll let mother and the other Matriarchs decide what to do with him when we return to Hoketa. Until then, take the Overseer to his quarters and confine him there until further notice.” Rylus ordered.

“Yes sir.” The Templars said as they held their hooves over their chest and bowed to him before they picked up the unconscious Overseer and carried him away.

Rylus then turned to the rest of the present crew and said. “Despite his dishonorable actions, Overseer Starsong is right about us needing to capture those Ghosts. They’ve killed our brethren and it’s our duty to bring them to justice. So I need all of you to stay alert and monitor the station, especially its docks for any signs of them.”

The crew was reluctant in continuing the disgraced Overseer’s mission for him, but they trusted Rylus’ judgment so they returned to their duties as they carried out their orders and started searching for the Ghosts’ whereabouts on the station.

---

Since the docks were empty due to the evacuation, no one was around to see an old hatchway being opened and someone coming out of it. Seeker briefly looked around the docks and signaled for Lyra and Skyfall to come out as well, once she was sure that the coast was clear.

“Do you know where we are?” Lyra asked as she looked around the area for any signs of trouble.

“Yes, we’re not that far from where your ship is. Let’s go.” Seeker said as she led them towards their ship was.

When they tried to get into the docks they had found the gates leading there sealed shut, stopping anyone from getting through, including them. Fortunately, during Lyra’s incarceration, Seeker had spent her time exploring the ins and outs of the area and found the old maintenance tunnel which they just used to get here.

They soon arrived at the docking bay where their ship was, but what they didn’t expect when they opened the door was for an Enforcer to point his gauss rifle at them the moment they entered. No one dared to move for fear of being shot on the spot. They were surprised when a cream white earth pony mare with blue and pink mane stepped between them.

“Stand down! They’re not the ones looking for us.” The mare said. The Enforcer lowered his rifle before he stood back. The mare then turned to the three and said. “About time you got here. I’ve been waiting for you to arrive.”

Lyra blinked her eyes in confusion before she asked. “Umm, who are you?”

“Oh, that’s right. You don’t recognize me like this. Let me fix that.” The mare said before she and the Enforcer were both covered in a shimmering green light. When the light faded, Trixie and her Shade Knight stood in their place. “There, much better.”

“Trixie? What? But…how did you do that?” Lyra blurted out, clearly surprised by the transformation.

“Oh Trixie has many hidden talents.” She said vainly before she shook her head. “But nevermind that, Trixie needs to ask you for a favor.”

“Look, I’d love to help you but we’re kind of in a hurry to get out of here so why don’t you tell my partner what you want. I’m sure he can help you out.” Lyra said as she pointed at Skyfall. The stallion’s eyes widened in response and tried to protest but was interrupted when he heard Lyra’s voice in his head. ‘Just take care of this quickly so we can get out of here.’ “Come along Seeker, I’m sure Sovereign is anxious to see us again.”

Skyfall watched Lyra, with Seeker following closely behind, as they headed for the shuttle, leaving him alone with Trixie and her bodyguard. He breathed in softly before gesturing for Trixie to continue.

“Thank you for hearing Trixie out.” The blue mare said gratefully. “Now as you know, the Khalai are currently at war with the Vatican so you can probably understand why Trixie became apprehensive when she saw Khalai Templars on board the station. After all, it would be bad if-”

Skyfall cleared his throat, interrupting her midsentence before he started tapping one of his hooves in impatience, which told Trixie to get to the point already.

“Right…well, Trixie thinks that the Khalai are looking for her so Trixie wants you to take her and her Shade Knight with you.” She said in return. “Trixie doesn’t care where you take her, as long as it’s far away from the Khalai so please…take me with you.”

Skyfall was surprised by the request but even more so by the fact that Trixie had stopped referring to herself in the third person. She must be desperate if she was willing to go with them despite not knowing where they were heading even if it was for the wrong reasons.

What’s taking you so long? We have to go before they find out what we’re up to so hurry up! Lyra’s voice shouted into his head.

Skyfall rolled his eyes at his partner before he turned his attention back to Trixie, who was waiting anxiously for his response. He owed the mare for saving his life and taking care of him while he was in a coma but on the other hand, taking both her and her bodyguard along might be more trouble than they were worth.

However, before he could come to a decision, he heard the sounds of multiple footsteps approaching the docking bay just before a squad of Enforcers lead by Gilda, burst into the docking bay alongside several Templar warriors.

“Hold it right there!” Gilda shouted as she aimed her guns at Skyfall and Trixie, prompting the Shade Knight to stand in front of Trixie protectively. “What the, Trixie? What are doing with them?”

Damn it, they’re already here!? Get back on the ship, now! Lyra shouted mentally at her partner.

Skyfall turned to Trixie who was holding on to him tightly as she looked at him with pleading eyes, silently begging him to take her with him.

Forget it, there’s not enough time. Now get your ass on the ship before I leave without you!

Skyfall looked Trixie straight in the eyes before he gave her a sly smile and shrugged his shoulders just before he pulled away and teleported himself to the open ramp at back of the shuttle just as the engine started up, leaving the mage to fend for herself.

“They’re getting away, shoot them down!” Gilda ordered as both the Enforcers and Templars fired on the shuttle. Bullets and energy bolts hit the shuttle but did little damage to its armored hull. A few of the Templars charged towards the shuttle with their psi-blades extended but Skyfall quickly gunned them down as he fired his canister rifle from the slowly closing ramp.

He briefly looked to where he had left Trixie and saw that she was still there with a look of betrayal on her face, while her Shade Knight fought desperately to keep her safe. Skyfall sighed before he turned his rifle towards the ones going after the Shade Knight and pulled the trigger.

The Shade Knight was surprised when one of the Enforcers shooting at him suddenly fell over dead. He turned around and saw Skyfall giving him cover fire. He didn’t know why the Ghost was suddenly helping him after deciding to leave them to fend for themselves but he knew that staying here any longer would be pointless so he picked Trixie up into one of his arms and made a run for one of the side exits.

“Damn it! Don’t let that traitor get away!” Gilda screeched as some of the Enforcers broke away from the firefight to pursue the Shade Knight but Skyfall pinned them down and gave Trixie more time to escape. He kept firing his rifle until the ramp finally closed shut.

With his conscience somewhat placated, he slung his rifle over his shoulder and headed for the cockpit. When he got to the cockpit, he saw that Lyra was scrambling to get the shuttle into the air. The mare glared at him when he sat down in the co-pilot seat next to her.

“I hope you’re happy cause that little stunt of yours could have gotten us killed!” Lyra fumed, to which Skyfall offered an apologetic smile in return. “Fine, I’ll let that slide. Now help me get the ship up into the air already.”

Skyfall complied as he took over the flight controls and started the lift off sequence while Lyra primed the engines for a quick getaway. The shuttle soon lifted into the air and turned towards the docking bay exit, which was being closed in an attempt to stop them from leaving.

“Oh no you don’t!” Lyra declared before she fired a missile at the door, blowing it into pieces of scrap metal while clearing the way for their escape. “Punch it!” She barked out, after which Skyfall pushed the throttle forward and sent the shuttle rocketing out of the docking bay, only to be greeted by the sight of a massive black carrier, which they were rapidly approaching.

Skyfall quickly pulled the shuttle away before they collided with the carrier. As they moved away from the large ship, they saw several Khalai Interceptors coming out of the carrier, which started chasing after their shuttle, along with a volley fire from the carrier's batteries.

“Guess the Khalai aren’t going to let us go that easily. I’m going to initiate an emergency warp jump in a couple of seconds so you might want to brace yourself.” Lyra said as she started the warp drive sequence, while her partner did his best to avoid the interceptors and the battery fire. “Initiating warp jump…now!”

Both Ghosts were suddenly thrown back into their seats as the shuttle burst forward and entered warp space. Once the initial G-force had worn off, Lyra checked the instruments for signs of the Interceptors and sighed in relief when the sensors didn’t pick anything up.

“Well, looks like we’re in the clear now, partner. All we have to do now is get back to Korhal and deliver Sleeping Beauty to DI. Then we can take some time off to relax.” Lyra said as she got up from her seat. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a date with the shower. No peeking.” The mare said suggestively before sauntering out the cockpit.

Skyfall rolled his eyes at Lyra, after which he leaned back into his seat. With the shuttle still in warp space, there was nothing for them to do but wait until it arrived at their destination. He hoped Lyra would be right and they could take some time off after they return to Korhal and report back to Admiral Hawkens.

---

When Xander Stonehoof, the Dominion’s first Emperor, first became Korhal’s governor, he had commissioned the construction of a complete replica of the throne room from Canterlot back on Equestria so that Celestia could hold an audience here should she ever visit the world. However, this never came to pass due to the Khalai Rebellion and Xander’s subsequent insurrection.

After he declared himself Emperor, Xander took the throne room for his own use. The grand chamber was decorated with red banners bearing the Dominion’s insignia hung from the high ceilings while stained glass windows depicting Xander and his successors lined the walls, though the most prominent window was the one depicting Celestia raising the sun, a remnant from the time when Korhal was an Equestrian colony.

And inside the throne room, Emperor Maximus Stonehoof was sitting on the throne. He wore a military coat signifying his days in the Dominion military, which was partly covered by a red coat with gold trimmings. The Director of Dominion Intelligence, Admiral Hawkens, stood next to him as they listened to the advisors arguing back and forth on how they should handle all the crisis happening across the Dominion.

“We should focus our efforts to aiding the people of Cadia!” One advisor shouted. “They’re our allies and they need our help!”

“We’ve already sent the necessary aid the Cadians require. What we should do now is to investigate how the plans for the Devastator Armor were leaked!” Another advisor shouted as he held up photos of the Diamond Dogs using the experimental suits in the attack.

“We can deal with those later. What concerns me more is how a bunch of mercenaries was able to disable Cadia’s Battlenet so easily. This is too similar to the incident on Torus to be a coincidence.” A third advisor argued.

The Emperor turned away from his advisors, as he couldn’t bear to hear their arguing any longer due the growing headache they were giving him. He rubbed a hoof against his forehead as he waited for the pointless argument to be over and done with.

The advisors ceased their bickering when the guards opened the doors leading to the halls and allowed a red pegasus stallion dressed in the black uniform of Dominion Intelligence, to enter. Everyone eyed the stallion as he approached the Emperor and his advisors. He stopped at a respectful distance from the raised dais on which the throne sat and bowed to Maximus.

“Greetings, Your Majesty.” Moonraker said.

“You may rise.” The emperor returned.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Moonraker said in return before he stood back up and saw Hawkens. “Good to see ya, boss.” He said as he saluted the admiral in a much more carefree manner.

“You know this stallion, Admiral?” The emperor asked as he gestured to Moonraker.

“Yes, Your Majesty. This is Captain Moonraker Fleming, one of the instructors at the Dominion Intelligence academy.” He explained before he turned to his subordinate and asked, “What are you doing here, captain?”

“Indeed, what is he doing here?” One of the advisors demanded, “We’re in the middle of an important discussion.”

“I bear a message for the Emperor.” Moonraker promptly replied.

“What message?” Hawkens asked. “I haven't approved any messages for His Majesty.”

“Silence Admiral Hawkens, let Captain Fleming speak.” The beige pegasus stated, doing his best to remain calm and collected in front of his subordinates. Then he turned his attention to the arrival and asked. “Who is this message from?”

“The Crown Prince, Shining Armor. Your Majesty.” The red stallion replied.

Moonraker’s words had an immediate effect on the emperor as his eyes widened in surprise at the answer while the advisors started murmuring amongst themselves, but were quickly silenced by a raised hoof from their Emperor.

“Play the message.” Maximus ordered.

Moonraker obeyed as he pulled out a small metallic device, a holo-player, from his pocket and turned it on, as a port opened up which projected out the holographic image of Shining Armor lying in a hospital bed, which spoke:

“Greetings father. You must excuse the poor timing of this message, but as I am sure you’re already aware of the attack on Cadia. We have suffered great losses and even with the aid the Dominion is sending, Cadia and its people will need time to recover.” The hologram let out a sigh. ”However, I regret to inform you that these invaders assassinated our Matriarch...and they have abducted Stage…“

The Emperor's eyes widened when he had heard news of Matriarch Cadenza’s death but what worried him more was his daughter's fate. He feared that she had been killed when the Iron Will was reported to have been shot down. While he was glad that his daughter was still alive, his happiness was subdued at the news that mercenaries have kidnapped his only child. However, he calmed himself when the recording continued playing.

“I myself would have been killed as well if not for the timely intervention of Vice Admiral Twilight Sparkle.” Hawkens narrowed his eyes at the mention of the purple mare. “She arrived with a handful of soldiers and helped us repel the invaders. If she had not come when she did, then my own head would have been on a spike next to our Matriarchs and for that, I owe the Vice Admiral my life and I intend to repay it.”

The advisors turned to Hawkens and asked. “Admiral, did you send the Vice Admiral to Cadia?” But before the brown stallion could respond, the hologram answered the question for him.

“The Vice Admiral had come here on her own when she suspected that the traitor, Karn'Aaziim had allies who would come to Cadia to free him and came to stop them. Unfortunately, she couldn't arrive in time due to the actions of Admiral Hawkens who had delayed her departure from Korhal. I demand that Hawkens be punished for his negligence to his duty.” This caused the Emperor and his advisors to glare at Hawkens.

“Fortunately, I have some good news.” The hologram continued. “Vice Admiral Sparkle has acquired the very device that compromised our Battlenet during the battle, but the hacker who constructed the device is still on the loose. Even as I speak, the Vice Admiral is assembling a task force to hunt this terrorist and their allies down.” Shining Armor then went into a coughing fit before coughing out some blood onto his bed sheets, worrying some of the advisors.

“But as you can see, I'm in no condition to aid the Vice Admiral in her hunt, and as such, I request that Vice Admiral Sparkle be promoted to Admiral and be granted all resources to aid in her hunt. Please father, help me get Stage back.” The recording stopped there as Moonraker put the device away.

Immediately all of the advisors began to speak all at once, offering options to their emperor on their next course of action, but their ideas clashed and the advisors started another heated debate. Hawkens, who had frozen from shock at the last statement, looked over to Moonraker, and noticed the faint smirk on the red pegasus' face, making him suspicious of the message he just brought.

Meanwhile, Maximus had fallen in deep thought, processing everything that he had heard. However, the noise caused by the advisors’ bickering was making the throbbing in his head even worse, up to the point where he couldn't stand it any longer.

“SILENCE!” The Emperor bellowed, causing the advisors to fall silent as his voice echoed through the room. They did as their emperor commanded and fell silent. Hawkens soon regained his composure and approached the throne.

“Your Majesty, there is no way for us to know for certain that this message is authentic. Please permit me to bring it back to headquarters for analysis. I’m certain that the experts can-”

“Are you calling your future emperor a liar?” The Emperor demanded.

“No Your Majesty, of course not but the recording could be a forgery.” Hawkens replied. “So if you’ll please allow me to have that recording, I could-”

“You will do no such thing, Admiral.” The Emperor said as he glared at Hawkens. “How can I trust you not to fail me? You’ve allowed a terrorist into our ranks and because of him, hundreds of my people are dead! And now, because of your incompetence, Cadia was attacked and Matriarch Cadenza is dead as well! But worst of all…my daughter, my only child has been abducted and taken to who knows where, while my son-in-law, your future Emperor was nearly killed and the ones responsible are still on the loose!”

“But Your Majesty, I-” Hawkens said as he tried to explain himself but the emperor cut him off when he slammed his front hoof down on the golden arms of his throne.

“No! No more excuses!” Maximus shouted before he got up from his throne and pointed a hoof at Hawkens. “Admiral Hawkens, for your failure to protect the Dominion and its citizens, you are hereby removed from your post as the Director of Dominion Intelligence.”

“Your Majesty, please reconsider.” Hawkens said as he approached the Emperor but the guards stepped forward and aimed their rifles at him.

“I suggest that you remove yourself from my sight before I change my mind and transfer you to the vespene mines on one of the fringe worlds.”

Hawkens was about to argue in his defense but knew that with the Emperor being so emotional, he could very well carry out his threat. With that in mind, the former director of Dominion Intelligence gave one last bow to the emperor before he turned and walked towards the door. While he was still in earshot, he heard the Emperor address his former subordinate.

“Captain Fleming, please send a response to my son-in-law, and inform him that we will take his words into consideration. Also ask him to thank Vice Admiral Sparkle on my behalf for saving my son-in-law and to tell her that her efforts will not go unrewarded.”

“As you command, Your Majesty.” Moonraker returned as he bowed to the Emperor, before turning around and left the throne room. When he was outside, he saw Hawkens down the hallway and smiled.

Well Twily...looks like you got your wish.

Author's Note:

With this, we leave Lyra and Skyfall until the next time we see them again. As for when...well, I ain't telling. As for Starsong, let's just say he's in for a rude awakening later in the story and leave it at that.

We'll be returning to the Crusaders back on Cadia next chapter and if everything goes accordingly, they'll be leaving that iceball pretty soon.

Also, thanks goes to Kriss for editing and Gap for proofreading.

Comments

[SPudRum]

This is gunna be gud

[Amethyst Blade]

.....I certainly hope you're not going to draw out certain events....Seeker's mind control has last for quite sometimes...the emperor's daughter is captured and brainwashed....a whole lot of shit has gone down and was being dragged out but haven't seen the bombshell droped yet...I guess this is more of something along the line of impatient with event drawed out due to slow update....
Meh..decent chapter...still waiting for more...

[Not so New Brony]

5479195 Drawing out certain events of the story this much was unintended and could have been avoided altogether but they were necessary for setting up future events in the story without confusing you, the readers when they occur.

Again, I apologize for the long delays between updates but we're writing the story while trying to maintain as much canon with what is in Unholyheaven's notes so delays are to be expected. All I ask is for your patience and for you to continue critiquing us since there is always room for improvements.

[Amethyst Blade]

5479342

Tried to find the closest pony song title to wings of liberty...