The Koprulu Sector

by TheKopruluSectorUnion

Chapter 64: Jail Break

Skyfall arched a brow as he looked at the Iron Claw’s Headquarters; at least he hoped that it was the right place. Trixie had given him the directions that led him here, but he was starting to question if they were accurate as the building in front of him wasn’t what he had expected the headquarters of such a large PMC to look like.

He had expected the Iron Claw Headquarters to be a fortified military compound with automated gun turrets on the walls and squads of heavily armed guards patrolling the perimeter. Instead, what he saw was a normal looking office building where the only measure of security he could see was an indifferent guard at the gates who waved him on through without even bothering to look at him.

When he stepped through the door, he found himself standing inside a rather opulent reception area where he saw dozens of marble columns positioned along the sides as well as a large logo of a gryphon’s claw emblazoned onto the back wall, confirming that this was the Iron Claw’s Headquarters. He spotted a few cameras ‘hidden’ around the room but didn’t show any signs of noticing them as he approached the reception desk.

“Hello sir and welcome to Iron Claw Securities.” The receptionist said in greeting when she saw him. “How may I help you?”

Trixie had told him about Lyra’s jail sentence and that she still had two days left before she could be released. Skyfall was going to ask to speak with the Enforcer’s commander, so he could ‘convince’ her to release Lyra from her cell a little early but before he could say so, the receptionist interrupted him.

“Excuse me sir, but you wouldn’t happen to be a…Mr Skyfall Fleming, would you?” she asked. Skyfall didn’t know how the receptionist knew his name but nodded to her in response. “Ah good, a Miss Trixie called ahead of you and informed us of your arrival and made an appointment with Commander Gilda on your behalf.”

Skyfall smiled and reminded himself to thank the mare when he went back to the clinic, hopefully with Lyra in tow. He was going to ask if he could see this commander now until the receptionist interrupted him once again.

“Unfortunately the commander is unavailable at the moment since she is in a business meeting. Could you please wait over there until she is done?” she asked as she gestured to the waiting area behind him. “I’ll let you know when the commander is done with her meeting.”

Skyfall nodded to the mare again before he went over to the waiting area. He picked up a random magazine from the stack on the table with his magic and sat down in a seat, which gave him a good view of the room. He held the magazine in front of his face and pretended to read it as he kept an eye, and an ear out for anything unusual.

---

“…and with that, this meeting is now concluded.” said an earth pony in a posh purple business suit as she packed up her briefcase. “I’m certain that Mr Shears will be quite pleased to hear that his investments remain safe in your capable hands. Have a good day.”

After the mare had left the room, Gilda let out a yawn before she got up from her seat and stretched her back. “Ugh, never thought she’d stop talking. It was all 'maintenance cost this' and 'revenue intake that'.” she said as she mimicked the mare’s voice. “Seriously, Uncle Godric, why do I even need to come to these business meetings anyways?”

Godric Iron Claw, a gray and battle-scarred gryphon, sighed as he reclined into his seat at the head of the table. “I’m getting old Gilda, and I’m not going to be the head of the Iron Claws forever. And as my only living relative, one day you will inherit the company and I want you to know how to run it properly once I’m gone.”

Gilda frowned at her uncle. She hated it when he played that card and threw her arms up in frustration, saying. “Fine, I get it! I promise that I’ll try to take this business more seriously next time. Happy now, you old buzzard?”

The elderly gryphon let out a dry chuckle and nodded. “That’s good to know, and yes, I’m quite happy, though you better not talk that way to me when we’re in public. I may be your uncle but I’m also your boss.”

“Yeah sure, whatever you say, sir.” Gilda replied mockingly before her communicator went off.

“Hmm, sounds like you need to get back to work soon don’t you think so, commander?” said Godric in a mildly amused manner as he leaned back into his chair.

“Guess I better get going then. See ya later boss.” Gilda said and went out the door, not bothering to wait for Godric’s response. Once she was outside the meeting room, she pulled out her communicator and answered it. “Gilda here, is it another raiding party?”

“Er, no ma’am. Reception just called in and said that there’s a stallion here that wants to see you about the mare that trashed the Salty Spittoon a while ago. Do you want reception to send him away?”

“Yeah, just tell him that I’m too busy right now and…” Gilda paused midsentence when she recalled the conversation she just had with her uncle as well as the promise she made to him. “On second thought, send him to my office. I’ll be there later.”

“I’ll be sure to pass it on to reception.” the subordinate replied before he ended the call.

Gilda then put the device away and started walking down the hall to where her office was, but her communicator went off again a few minutes later. She grumbled in annoyance when she took it back out and saw that it was the same subordinate from before.

“What is it? Is it someone else coming to see me?”

“Not exactly commander.” the subordinate replied. “The scanners just detected a large ship warping in just outside our defensive perimeter and it’s approaching the station.”

“What kind of ship is it?” Gilda asked.

“I have no idea.” The subordinate replied. “It looks kind of like a Khalai ship but it’s not like any of the ones I’ve seen before. It looks kind of scary to be honest. Should we prepare our defenses?”

“Alright, but don’t open fire unless I say so. If it is a Khalai ship, the last thing we want is to start a fight with the Golden Armada.” Gilda said, “Just keep an eye on it until I get to the command center.”

“Understood, but what about the stallion that came to see you?” the subordinate asked.

“Just send him to the command center.” She said. “I’ll decide what to do with him there.” she then cut the call short and put her communicator away for the second time before she turned around and headed down another hallway to the command center.

---

Skyfall's ears perked up when he heard the phone by the reception desk ringing. He wasn’t close enough to hear what the receptionist was actually saying but when she put the phone down, he saw her waving over to him. He put the magazine down and turned to the mare.

“Excuse me, Mr Fleming. It appears that Commander Gilda is done with her meeting, and will see you now.” She said before a pair of security guards approaching the desk. Skyfall noted that both guards were both armed with only a pistol as well as a black cylinder, which he recognized as an extendable baton in its collapsed state.

“If you would please follow these gentlemen…” the receptionist said as she gestured to the guards. “…They will take you to where the commander is.” Skyfall complied as the guards led him through one of the doors and further into the building.

---

When the Talyn warped into the system, many of the ships in the vicinity quickly gave the massive, and admittedly intimidating, carrier a wide berth as it headed for the world of New Sydney III, or rather the space platform that orbited the Consortium world.

Starsong stood on the Talyn’s bridge as he narrowed his eyes on the space platform. If the information that the pirates back on Hoketa Station gave him were correct, then both the ghosts should be somewhere on that platform. It wasn’t long before one of the terminals on the bridge sounded off.

“Overseer Starsong, the station is hailing us.” the crewman stationed at the terminal said. Since this was his mission and the fact that he outranked Rylus, Starsong had been given full command over the ship and its crew while Rylus served as his second in command.

“Put them on screen.” Starsong ordered. Soon, the image of a disgruntled looking gryphon appeared on the projected holographic screen. She looked surprised when she saw the all templars on the bridge.

“So you guys are Khalai after all. What are you doing with a ship like that? Thought you were raiders for a while back there.” The gryphon asked before she shook her head. “You know what, forget it. I’m Commander Gilda of Iron Claw Securities and I want to know why you’re here in our territory.”

“I am Overseer Starsong of the GAV Talyn. We are on an important mission and are after a pair of Dominion Ghosts who have kidnapped one of our people and we have reasons to believe that they are hiding somewhere on your station. We wish to send some of our warriors down there to search for them.”

Gilda frowned when she was told that there might be Ghosts hiding out on her station. “Sorry Red, but I can’t let you do that. If there are Ghosts hiding out on my station, then my Enforcers will take care of them.”

“Do not interfere in matters that do not concern you, Commander.” Starsong warned. “You have no idea how dangerous these Ghosts truly are.”

“I’ll take my chances, Overseer.” Gilda retorted.

Starsong sighed as he became frustrated with the gryphon’s stubbornness. “Very well, if you insist on risking your lives then at least allow my own warriors to come aboard the station. We have our own score to settle with those Ghosts.”

“Fair enough.” Gilda said as she shrugged her shoulders. “Just don’t get in our way, and we’ll do the same for you. Now why don’t you tell me what these Ghosts of yours look like so we know who to look for.”

Just as Starsong was about to describe the ghosts to Gilda, the door to the command center opened up as two security guards entered the room, followed by a brown stallion who froze when he saw Starsong on the monitor.

“We’ve brought the guy that wanted to see you here like you wanted, boss.” one of the guards spoke up.

“Good, can ya wait a minute? I’m kind of in the middle of-”

“It’s him!” Starsong suddenly shouted as he pointed at Skyfall. “He’s one of the Ghosts we’re after!”

However, before anyone could react, Skyfall lit up his horn and unleashed a burst of magic, which sent everyone in the room flying as a few of them were slammed against the walls. He took a brief moment to look up at the monitor and smirked at Starsong before he ran out the door.

“What are you knuckleheads waiting for? After him!” Gilda screeched as she got back up to her feet. The guards immediately got back up and ran out of the room in pursuit of the runaway stallion. She then turned to face the monitor where Starsong was staring down at her.

“My warriors will arrive on your station within the hour to apprehend that Ghost ourselves. Until then, try to keep that stallion and his companion from leaving the station…or else-”

“Or else what?” Gilda growled in response.

“Or else I’ll be forced to take drastic measures of my own.” Starsong finished before he turned away from the holo-screen and signaled for the crewman to cut the transmission. After that, he turned to Rylus. “Overseer Rylus, I’ll need your help to assemble a team to capture those Ghosts.”

“Understood, I shall gather my best warriors and lead them on the hunt for these Ghosts.” Rylus said as he bowed his head to the High Templar.

“No, I need you to stay here on the Talyn and ensure that no ship leaves that platform until we catch those Ghosts. You’ll need to assign someone else to lead the mission in your place.” Starsong said.

“I…I understand, Overseer.” Rylus said as he reluctantly accepted Starsong’s decision. “But who should I choose to lead my men?”

“If I may be of some assistance...” Moon Fang spoke up as he appeared before the two stallions. “…I would like to volunteer myself to lead our warriors.”

Starsong was surprised that Moon Fang would volunteer himself to lead the mission as members of the Dark Order have never worked together with warriors from the Templar Order due to their differing ideals and was uncertain if he should grant the snow white stallion’s request or not so he deferred to Rylus.

“What do you think, Overseer?” Starsong asked, turning to Rylus. “You know Moon Fang more than I do. Is he capable of carrying out the task before him?”

“I can’t think of anyone better to take my place than Moon Fang.” Rylus replied as he gave a slight smile to the robed stallion.

“Very well Moon Fang, you may go to the platform in Overseer Rylus’s place. It’ll be some time until the shuttle is ready to depart so use that time to prepare yourself until then.

“Yes sir.” Moon Fang said as he bowed to the two Overseers before vanishing in a puff of white mist.

---

Lyra was sound asleep in her cell when the alarms across the entire facility went off, startling her awake from her bed. She looked around for the cause of the alarms going on, but only saw her prison guard, Hoops, standing outside her cell, looking around the cell-block in an anxious manner.

“Hey, what’s with the alarms? Is it a fire?” Lyra shouted to him over the blaring alarms, but Hoops just ignored her. “Hey, I asked you a question or did you go deaf too when I smashed that bottle over your head?”

“What did you just say?” Hoops growled as he unconsciously moved his hands over the stitches on the back of his head.

“Oooh I hit a sore spot, didn’t I?” Lyra said tauntingly.

“You better shut your mouth before I do it for you!” the stallion shouted as he turned himself around to face her cell, his hand holding onto the handle of the extendable baton strapped to his side in a threatening manner.

“I’d like to see you try.” Lyra retorted as she continued goading the stallion. “I bet that your friends would love to hear how you got your flank handed to you by a mare in chains.”

“That’s it! I’ve just about had it with you.” Hoops shouted as he took out his baton and press a button as the baton extended itself to its full length. “I’ve waited a long time for some payback for what you did to me.” he said as he unlocked the cell and entered it.

However, before he could even step one hoof into the cell, something hit him hard over the back of his head. His eyes rolled into the back of his head as he fell unconscious and hit the hard metallic floor, face first. Lyra looked up at her would be rescuer and was shocked to see Skyfall standing there by the cell door with a baton in his hand.

Skyfall smirked when he saw the cuffs shackling his partner’s forelegs together as well as the inhibitor ring around her horn, and was going to make a joking remark about Lyra’s new ‘accessories’ when she cut him off.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Lyra demanded as she walked up to him. “You were the one that set off the alarm, weren’t you?” she frowned when the smirk on the stallion’s face turned into a sheepish grin. “You idiot! I would have been let out of here in a couple of days and now you’ve just messed it up! What do have to say for yourself?”

Skyfall blinked blankly at his partner, as he didn’t expect her to yell at him for trying to break her out and was going to explain the situation concerning their Khalai pursuers finally catching up to them when Lyra, much to his surprise and bewilderment, pulled him into an uncharacteristically affectionate hug.

“But I’m glad you’re alright…” she whispered before she suddenly pulled away and coughed into her hoof. “…now can you help me out of these things? The guard you knocked out should have the keys.” She said as she reminded him of her restraints.

Even though he was still shocked by Lyra’s earlier behavior, Skyfall nodded to her before going over to Hoops’ unconscious form and found the keys on his belt, which he promptly used to unlock the hoof-cuffs and the inhibitor ring as both objects clattered to the ground.

“Ah, that feels so much better.” Lyra said as she stretched her limbs before she lit up her horn, happy to be able to use her magic again without the threat of electrocution. She took Hoops’ precision gloves and weapons off of him for her own use. “Alright, let’s get out of here before the rest of security finds out what's going on.”

As the two Ghosts left the cell, Lyra stopped when a mischievous thought popped into her head. “Wait, there’s something I have to do before we go. Just give me a couple of minutes.” she said before she went back inside the cell.

Skyfall rolled his eyes when he realized what she was doing but let her do as she wished and waited for her by the door. It wasn’t long before Lyra came back out of the cell with a devious smile on her face.

“There…” she said before closing the cell door and locking it. “…all done. Now we can go.” she said before she left the cellblock, Skyfall not far behind.

---

“Will someone shut those friggin alarms off!” Gilda yelled as she gritted her teeth at the noise, which stopped when one of the command staff turned the alarms off. “Finally, thought I was gonna go deaf with all that noise.” Gilda muttered under her breath. “Alright, how are we doing on the lockdown?”

“All non combat personnel have been accounted for and evacuated from the building and all the exits are being secured as we speak. No one is getting in or out of the building without your permission.” one of the operators replied.

“Good, now what about our Ghost friend?” Gilda inquired. “Any sign of him yet?”

“I’m afraid not, commander. Neither the cameras nor the security teams searching the building have found any sign of him yet. But it’s only a matter of them till they do find him.”

“They better find him or those Khalai are gonna be pissed.” Gilda said. “What about his companion in Cellblock G?”

“Let me check…” the operator said as he typed away at his console. “…strange, the guards over at the cellblock aren’t responding.”

Gilda’s eyes widened when she heard the news and got up from her chair before shouting out. “You moron! The Ghost is breaking his friend out! Send a security team down there, now!”

“Y-yes ma’am!” the subordinate hastily replied before he relayed her orders to the rest of the men.

Gilda let out a sigh before she sat back down into her seat and decided to have a smoke as she brought out a fresh pack of cigarettes from her jacket and pulled one out with her beak. She then proceeded to light it only to find out that her lighter was out of fuel.

She put the empty lighter away and searched her pockets for another lighter or even a match but found nothing and was about to ask one of her subordinates for a lighter when someone else presented her with a lighter that had the Iron Claws’ emblem stamped on it in gold.

“Need a light?” A gruff voice right next to her asked. Gilda turned around and was surprised to see her uncle, Godric, standing next to her with a smile on his face and a smoking cigar in his beak.

“Unc-Chairman Godric, what are you doing here? Why haven’t you evacuated with the rest of the staff?” Gilda said while giving her command staff a dirty look.

“I was.” Godric said as he gestured to the two security guards standing by the door. “But when I was told why we’re evacuating the building, I had to come and check on the situation for myself.”

“Well, you don’t. What you need to do right now is leave and get to safety. It’s too dangerous for you to stay here.” Gilda said to her uncle who chuckled in return.

“You don’t have to worry about me, commander.” Godric assured her as he patted the large pistol holstered by his side. “I know how to take care of myself.”

Gilda grumbled at her uncle’s stubbornness before she said to him. “Please uncle, it’s been years since you’ve been in a fight, there’s no way you can win against those Ghosts. You should just get out of here and let our men handle this.”

The elder gryphon was going to argue with Gilda until he saw the worried look in her eyes and let out a sigh. “Very well commander, I’ll leave, but on one condition.”

“Name it.” Gilda said before Godric tossed something at her. She caught the object in her talon and looked at it. It was Godric’s lighter.

“That’s my favorite lighter so make sure you give it back to me after you take care of those Ghosts, is that clear?”

Gilda realized the significance behind his request and nodded to him. “Alright, I’ll keep it safe until then.”

“Good to know. Now I think it’s about time I go.” Godric said before he headed for the door where his guards moved into position beside him, “See you later.” he said to Gilda before he left the command centre.

“Commander…” the subordinate from before spoke up. “…the security team has arrived at Cellblock G.”

“And what did they find?” Gilda asked impatiently.

“Um…well, they found all the guards stationed at the cellblock unconscious and cuffed to the toilet …” the operator gulped before he continued. “…and the prisoner has escaped.”

“What!?” Gilda roared, causing the entire command staff to cringe in fear. “Of all the-” Gilda paused and calmed herself down before she continued. “The Ghost already has what he came for so he’s probably going to make a run for it. Recall all Enforcers in the area and have them reinforce the security teams at the exits.”

“Commander, I don't think that pulling so many of our forces away from their posts is such a good...” the operator said before he saw the glare she was giving him. “Yes ma'am, right away.” the operator quickly replied before he carried out his orders.

---

The main entrance of the Iron Claws’ Headquarters was abuzz with activity as the security guards assigned there set up a perimeter in the reception area to ensure that nobody leaves the building without the commander’s permission. However, while the guards were busy keeping watch over the doorways for signs of movement, they failed to realize that they were being watched themselves.

From his hidden perch on top of one of the many decorative columns lining the sides of the room, Skyfall had a good view of the room and his partner who crouched on a column on the opposite end of the room. There were about a dozen guards in the room with most of them were armed with pistols and batons while a few had light caliber rifles.

Hmm, the ones with the rifles could be trouble but nothing we can’t handle. Lyra mentally muttered into Skyfall’s mind. Get ready to fire on my mark.

Skyfall nodded and brought his pistol up, aiming it at one of the rifle-toting guards while Lyra did the same with another. Lyra was about to fire her gun when the door leading outside opened up as a squad of Enforcers in power armor marched into the room.

Shit, they called in reinforcements. There’s no way we can take them on with these peashooters. Let’s pull back for now and figure another way out.

Following Lyra’s lead, Skyfall put his weapon away and started moving along the top of the columns while making sure to stay in the cameras’ blind spots as he silently made his way back to the air vent from where they had entered the room

When they got to the air vent, Skyfall removed the cover and stepped aside so Lyra could go into the air vent. After she went into the vent, Skyfall climbed in after her and put the vent cover back in place before he turned around and followed Lyra who was waiting for him.

After navigating their way through the building’s ventilation system, the Ghosts eventually found a private office where they could hide from the security teams and figure another way out of the building. However, even though they were supposed to be laying low, Lyra suddenly kicked over a nearby rubbish bin in frustration.

“Goddammit, what’s with all that security?” Lyra said out loud. “I mean sure, I broke out of my cell but come on! Why are they going to that much trouble just to catch us unless...” she paused when she thought of something. “They know we’re Ghosts, don’t they?”

Skyfall nodded to her hesitantly and was going to explain to her that the only reason the Iron Claws knew that they were Ghosts was because they were working with the same Khalai Templar that was after them.

“Save it, I don’t want to hear any excuses out of you.” Lyra warned before she pulled back the blinds and looked out the window and saw more Enforcers outside the building. “Damn it, there’s no way we can get past that much security with what we have. If only we had our gear, then we could just-Wait, that’s it!”

Wondering what Lyra was going on about, Skyfall was going to ask her when she cut him off.

“Be quiet. I don’t have time to explain, just go and keep an eye out for security while I get us out of this mess you landed us into.”

Skyfall opened his mouth to say something in his defense but just gave up and walked out of the office to secure the area. Lyra then sat down into one of the more comfortable chairs in the office and looked out the window and in the general direction where the docks are supposed to be and took a deep breath.

“Ugh, doing this from so far away is going to be a pain in the flank.” Lyra muttered to herself before she took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

---

Hidden in the shadows, Seeker watched with great interest as a group of Iron Claw Enforcers arrived at the docks. The dockworkers stopped whatever they were doing and made way for the armed guards as they marched towards one of the docking bays in the distance. She was about go and investigate when she heard Sovereign’s voice in her head.

Seeker, I need your help.

Sovereign? Is that you? Seeker asked. Why were you so quiet these past few days?

Look, I don’t have time to explain, but the Ghosts that captured you are back and my friends are in trouble. I need you to go get their things and get it to them. Can you do that for me? Sovereign asked.

Of course, Sovereign, you can count on me. Seeker replied.

Good, now hurry up. My friends really need their gear.

Understood. Seeker said before she teleported away.

Seeker later reappeared back inside the shuttle where she followed Sovereign’s direction to the lockers that held the equipment that she needed to retrieve for Sovereign’s friends but paused when she saw the two canister rifles inside the lockers as well as the armored suits hanging inside them.

“Umm, Sovereign, these don’t look like any Khalai weapons I’ve seen before. They almost look like the equipment one of the ghosts used against me.” Seeker winced when she suddenly felt a strong migraine overtaking her.

What are you talking about? Sovereign’s voice asked. You’re just seeing things. Look again and tell me that those aren’t Khalai weapons.

After the migraine subsided, Seeker took another to see that the canister rifles were gone and in their place, she saw two disruptor rifles and that the armored suits had been replaced with the familiar black robes of the Dark Order. “Sorry Sovereign, my mistake. I’m just a little tired.”

It’s alright Seeker, but you can rest later. Sovereign said, You need to get these to my associates quickly before it’s too late.

“Understood.” Seeker said in return before she started taking the weapons and robes out of the locker and putting them inside a nearby duffel bag. Once she had gathered everything that Sovereign told her to get, she zipped up the bag and slung it over her shoulder before shrouding herself in a black mist and vanished into thin air.

---

Lyra let out a groan as she leaned back into the chair and rubbed the base of her horn with her hand. Reestablishing her mental link with Seeker over such a long distance had put a bigger strain on her mind than she thought it would and reinforcing her dominance over her had made the migraine even worse.

Thankfully, maintaining the link didn’t require as much effort so she could rest a bit while watching Seeker running through the dark alleyways behind the buildings through her mind as she followed the directions to the Iron Claws’ Headquarters that ‘Sovereign’ had given to her.

All they had to do now was just sit tight and wait for Seeker to slip past security and arrive with their gear. After that, it would just be a simple matter of using the suit’s cloaking device and walking out the front door.

---

Seeker ran through the empty alleyways of the station’s market district as she made her way to where Sovereign said his friends were waiting for her to get them their equipment. She was about to run across the street and into the next alleyway when she spotted the same guards she saw back at the docks marching through the street.

Not wanting to risk being caught, Seeker stepped back into the shadows of the alleyway and turned on her invisibility just to be safe. She watched as the guards walked past her hiding spot and down the street. After the last of the guards were gone, she stepped out of the shadows but just as she did, a hooded figure appeared in front of the alleyway.

Seeker became tense when the hooded figure looked right at her even though she was still cloaked, before he started heading her way. She assumed that this was one of the Ghosts after her and teleported away from the alleyway and onto the rooftops where she started running.

Unfortunately, she didn’t make it very far when the supposed Ghost suddenly appeared right in front of her. She reacted by activating her warp blade and lunged at the stallion who met the attack with one of his own as a red energy blade collided with her own. The sudden movement caused her pursuer’s hood to fall off, revealing the face of a pale white unicorn stallion.

Seeker was caught off guard as she didn’t recognize the stallion, nor did she expect him to have a warp blade, which he used to push her back before swinging it at her. She teleported away before the blade could hit her and reappeared a few feet away from him, her warp blade position in a defensive stance.

Their fight was cut short when Seeker suddenly found herself surrounded by a group of stallions who had arrived on the rooftop during her fight with the white unicorn. She paused when she noticed that they were wearing the golden armor of Khalai Templars and they were armed with psi-casters, which they aimed at her.

“Wait…You’re Khalai?” Seeker asked aloud. “What are you doing all the way out here in Consortium space?”

The white unicorn deactivated his warp blade before he answered her question. “I am Moon Fang. My men and I are here under Overseer Starsong’s orders to find and apprehend the Ghosts that abducted you and to rescue you, but it looks like you already got away by yourself…very impressive.”

“Overseer Starsong? That’s impossible, he’s dead.” Seeker said in disbelief. “Sovereign said that the Diamond Dogs killed him and the crew when they took over the Radiance. I would have been killed too if it wasn’t for Sovereign and his friends.”

Moon Fang raised a brow at her story, as it made no sense. “Look, I don’t know who this ‘Sovereign’ is or what he told you, but he lied to you. Overseer Starsong is still alive and so is the rest of his crew.”

“You’re lying!” Seeker said accusingly. “There’s no way Sovereign would ever lie to me… he would never betray me…” Seeker then raised her warp blade threateningly, which prompted the Templar warriors to raise their psi-casters in response.

“Hold your fire!” Moon Fang ordered as the Templars reluctantly lowered their weapons. He then turned to Seeker and said. “Please, stay your blade. We’re not your enemy here and I’m not lying to you. Overseer Starsong really is alive and he’s waiting for you back on the ship.”

“Starsong…he’s waiting for me?” Seeker asked hesitantly.

Moon Fang nodded as he slowly approached Seeker but made sure to keep his guard up just in case. “Yes, he is and he sent us here to help you. Please, come with us back to the ship and you can see that the Overseer is alive for yourself.”

Seeker slowly lowered her warp blade before deactivating it and watched as Moon Fang came closer to her. He looked at her and gave her a reassuring smile as he hed his hoof out to her. She was going to accept it when she was suddenly overcome with a massive migraine as she collapsed to the ground, holding her head between her hooves.

Don’t listen to them Seeker! It’s a trap! Sovereign’s voice suddenly shouted in her head.

“But…they’re Khalai…” Seeker muttered weakly in response just before the throbbing in her head worsened.

It’s the Ghosts, they’re using illusions to trick you. Sovereign said just as the migraine subsided. There, I just undid their tricks. Now you can see them for what they really are.

Seeker opened her eyes and looked, and saw Diamond Dog soldiers in place of the Templar warriors and Moon Fang had been replaced with the same Ghost that had abducted her back on Raydin IV. She gritted her teeth when she recalled the humiliating defeat she suffered at his hooves.

“Hey, are you alright?" Moon Fang asked before he saw the glow from Seeker’s gauntlet and jumped out of the way just as she reactivated her warp blade and swung it where his head was just a second ago. “What in the void are you doing?”

Seeker merely narrowed her eyes at him before she pulled some smoke pellets from her robes and threw them to the ground, which exploded into a thick cloud of smoke that caused everyone in the vicinity to go into coughing fits.

Moon Fang used his magic to disperse the smoke but as it was cleared away, he and the Templars realized that Seeker had vanished as a faint trace of black mist faded into the air along with the smoke. Moon Fang looked around and spotted her running through one of the alleyways in the distance. He raised a brow when he noticed where she was heading.

“Should we pursue her, sir?” one of the Templars asked.

“No, we resume our original mission and head for the Iron Claws’ Headquarters.” Moon Fang said as he pulled his hood back over his head. “Something tells me that we’ll be seeing that mare again pretty soon.”

---

Skyfall was getting a drink from the water cooler when he suddenly heard Lyra calling out to him from the executive office, startling him as he dropped the cup and spilled the water onto the carpet.

“Skyfall! Get your ass in here, now!”

He sighed before he went over to the office and entered through the door where he saw Lyra sitting at the large desk with serious look in her eyes. He was about to ask Lyra why she wanted him here when she cut him off.

“Did you know that the Khalai are here on this platform and that they’re looking for us?” Lyra asked.

Skyfall nodded his head slowly and wondered how Lyra learned about the Khalai even though he didn’t tell her about it. He was going to ask her how she knew about that when she interrupted him one more time.

“Why the hell didn’t you tell me that in the first place?!” Lyra yelled. “I just found out from Sleeping Beauty that the High Templar you killed is still alive and he just sent another Dark Templar and a squad of Templars after us!”

Skyfall blinked his eyes blankly at the news as he didn’t know that the High Templar had another Dark Templar at his disposal. He was distracted from his thoughts when Lyra let out a groan.

“Ugh, this is one hell of a mess you got us into, you know that? The only thing that could make this worse is if the Iron Claws are working with the Khalai to capture us.”

Skyfall opened his mouth to tell her about the alliance being true but reconsidered when he thought about how mad Lyra would get if he told her. She’d probably even blame him for it as well. With that in mind, he closed his mouth and ignored Lyra’s ranting as he went out the door. She’ll probably figure it out on her own eventually.

Author's Note:

Skyfall just can't catch a break, can he?

Anyways, I apologize for the really long delay in getting this chapter out since we've been going back and forth about what to do with the chapter. One of the dumber ideas I suggested was for Lyra and Skyfall to sneak out in uniforms....Yeah, I know, a real cliche.

Comments

[GalacticTNT]

I kinda just want Seeker to snap out of it... and then kick some ass!

Glad to see you back writing! I kinda missed this story! Great chapter can't wait to see what happens next!!!

[ShadowsInTheDark]

I can for see a lot of hell coming there way. There no way Lyra can keep this up if things keep getting more crazy. XD

[Not so New Brony]

5475484 Gapeagle should be done with the proofreading of the next chapter soon so you don't have to wait too long.

[GalacticTNT]

5475822
Great!!!

[Starlight Nova]

What is this a crossover of?

[Meridiana]

5477419
Starcraft