Hector sat in silence, letting the unspoken accusation hang in the air. Had he betrayed the Reconquest? Hopefully they could appreciate that the individuals at Stronghold Alpha were fighting on their side and not causing problems. At the same time, he'd misled his superiors.

General Wilson smacked the table. The eight foot tall Titan shattered the wood, but just as quickly it knit back together with a surge of substantial energy. "Are you going to explain what is happening, Lieutenant Hector?"

"Stronghold Alpha and the settlement it guards are being kept safe, General."

"By whom?"

"Allies," Hector said.

Colonel Quinn cut in. "Lieutenant Hector, what are these people? Don't stonewall us by calling them allies. Our drone might not have been able to get a read on the energy signature, but the visual effects are not consistent with Xian, Jinn, Arahant, or Titan abilities."

Hector clamped his jaw shut.

"Choose now whether you hold allegiance to the Reconquest," the general rumbled. The threat held in the words was clear. Speak up or ship out.

"I'm sworn to secrecy on this matter. What I can tell you is that they are patriots who volunteered to serve humanity. They are good people who are on Aes for the same reason the rest of us are here."

Transit put a hand on the general to stop the man's next outburst. "Hector. You have to understand our position. We can't let these people remain as unknown entities. After this meeting, our next step is to retake Stronghold Alpha, detain your associates, and question them until we know their origin. You cannot think that is a desirable outcome.

"If these people are our allies, as you suggest, then you should take this opportunity to prevent a misunderstanding from escalating into a loss of life. I know you don't want infighting between the Reconquest and these people. Without the clarity you can provide, that's what will happen. We can't accept vague assurances. You must provide full disclosure."

The general tacked on another demanding question. "What are they?"

Hector chose his words carefully. "They are a new thing. If we return to Union Central, I might be able to connect you with someone with the authority to explain the situation."

"A new thing," Colonel Quinn muttered. "Are they some sort of experiment? Jinn technology and Arahant ritual combined?"

"Not quite," Hector said.

Transit threw out a guess. "Is it a gift of the Yazata?"

"No. Transit, open a gate to Union Central. We should have this conversation there."

General Wilson's eyes narrowed. "Why do you want to move there?"

Hector shook his head. "I can't tell you that. Just… Transit, please."

The Sage considered the request. "Will you swear to give us answers?"

"That is the only place I would be able to."

Transit grimaced. "You realize this is your only chance to prevent hostilities?"

Hector lifted his chin. Though the math for harm incurred might not work out the way he preferred, his primary concern at that moment was behaving with proper intent. He did not determine the actions of others. If they chose the path of violence, that would be their wrong behavior. He didn't choose their agenda. What he did have was an obligation to a friend and ally. He would not betray the System.

The general turned to Transit. "Is he planning to escape on Union Central?"

"No." Transit sighed. "I would bet he expects to share information with his collaborators through surveillance. Which leads me to suspect he is working with the Jinn. Perhaps some secretive lab is exploring the interaction of legal energy with other kinds and sought to test on Aes."

Colonel Quinn cleared his throat. "I cannot confirm anything, but a reasonable person might assume that the System was constructed to possess a backdoor that the nation of Mercom could exploit. If such an assumption were true, it would be a government initiative."

Transit rubbed his temples. "So what happens if Hector's handlers learn that we are aware of their experiment. Do they threaten us?"

"Maybe they bribe us," the sergeant major said.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Hector cleared his throat. "My… handler… can certainly offer a large bribe."

The general boomed out a question. "And a large threat?"

"No. My ally is a true believer in the cause of the Aes Reconquest."

Transit looked around the table. "Opinions? Do we spring the trap or not?"

One of the other colonels leaned forward to speak for the first time. "What is our alternative? Attack a potential ally? Best case that costs us an alliance. Worst case we lose a couple of units to an unnecessary conflict. Are we willing to shut down another Stronghold?"

General Wilson nodded. "A good analysis. Let's spring this trap."

Transit stood. "I will take us to the armory at the staging grounds. I'm pretty sure Svarga has all of our main offices under surveillance and I don't know that we want to share whatever we are about to learn with the government of Martin Bluff."

A smaller portal than normal appeared before them. Hector found a massive hand of the general on his shoulder that guided him towards the middle of the line. He was neither at the front nor the rear. The fact that he was being treated as a flight risk didn't give Hector much hope that he would be taken at his word. If the System chose not to reveal its existence, then he had no good will left to exploit.

They stood within a large vault, surrounded by munitions marked with bright red and yellow warning placards. Transit closed the portal and turned to face Hector, arms crossed. "Say whatever it is you need to say."

"Just to repeat our situation –"

"We've already realized you intend to pass a message to a third party," the general interrupted. "Just make your request."

Hector nodded. "The forces on Stronghold Alpha were detected. Reconquest command knows they are an unknown kind of human. All I have said so far is that these new people are allies. They are not willing to take me at my word. To prevent an unfortunate situation, we need to be honest with them."

The sergeant major scoffed at Hector. "You don't even have code words to prevent third party interception? What kind of group are you working with? Certainly it's not a Mercom intelligence agency."

You wish to reveal my existence?

"Yes."

The sergeant major rolled his eyes. "So it's not Mercom?"

This is earlier than I prefer, but it seems necessary. Go ahead.

"I wasn't responding to you, Sergeant Major. I've received permission."

"So who gave you permission?" Transit's eyes bored into Hector.

"The System."

The general grunted. "Yes, but who hacked the System?"

"No one hacked the System," Hector said.

Which caused the sergeant major to interject. "That's not a safe assumption."

Hector held up a hand. "Please. I'm going to tell you everything you wanted to know. Just listen. A few months ago new unempowered worlds appeared when Union Central ascended to become a true world. That happened because the System integrated with the soul of the world."

He paused because he was expecting an interruption. Instead he received the undivided attention of everyone in the armory vault. They might not believe him, but his claims had certainly caught their interest.

"The System is alive and aware. It created a new type of human with souls saturated in informational energy. They are called Users and their abilities can be quite potent. The System has hidden its existence because it is concerned – rightfully, in my opinion – that Mercom and Svarga represent a serious threat to its autonomy. That hasn't stopped it from aiding the Reconquest.

"Your goals are aligned, which makes you natural allies. More than that, the System can provide you with everything you currently lack. The Reconquest needs funds. The System can bankroll it. The Reconquest needs soldiers. The System has those."

General Wilson harrumphed loudly. "These are incredible claims."

Hector tapped at the air, bringing up the banking interface. "Let's see if you doubt me after I credit the Reconquest account."

Transit shook his head. "A few million credits only means you have deep –"

The Sage did not finish his sentence. He'd maybe have been able to accept a transfer for a few million or even tens of millions of credits. Seeing a hundred billion credits appear out of nowhere, though… that was harder to doubt. Fortunately, the System allowed Hector to transfer the huge sum that he did not actually possess in his account.

This is a noteworthy increase to the global monetary supply. It will draw attention.

The general had noticed Transit's slack-jawed stare. He poked his meaty finger in the air a couple of times, then grunted. "That can't be real." The Titan startled. "So it talks as well? Nice to meet you, System. These credits… how do we know they will not be taken back?"

Transit swiped away whatever screen he was seeing. "Hector. How are you involved with the System? Is this some sort of secret society?"

"Hardly. The Sage of Foresight put me in touch with the System."

"Foresight!" Transit rubbed his chin. "That woman certainly has been busy. Maybe she is everything they claim she is. And why you, Hector? Did she explain that?"

"We are friends from the same home world. That's all there is to it."

Transit turned to General Wilson. "The invasion of Alpha is canceled."

"Agreed," the general said. "Since everyone is here, we might as well discuss how this impacts our unified strategy. First item, do we retain Lieutenant Hector?"

"Of course we do," Colonel Quinn snapped. "Though I want his role limited to the Miasma Mitigation Project. He doesn't get any influence on these Users."

"That seems reasonable," Transit said.

The general paused. "Good. Then he can be released back to his duties."

Colonel Quinn pointed to Hector. "We replaced you with Matthias on the patrol schedule when this situation came up. You will be added back in next week. Until then, consider your request for time off granted."

The sergeant major hustled over to escort Hector out of the vault. "The rest of this meeting is none of your concern. You're not part of senior command, Lieutenant. Enjoy your vacation."

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