Balthazar finally had a lead on why the knights of the old republic wanted to kill him. He knew that they tried to kill him first as the Blyth's didn't have him under supervision at the PK-170-B moon base and an accidental death was the best way to get rid of another of one of their targets without arousing suspicion.
After he got out of his room, he immediately headed for his room and decided to spend his time going through the manuals that Salazar provided him. He mainly focused on the ones about human body and zoology as Salazar had suggested.
It was soon lunch time and he had ordered his lunch to his room. During lunch he got a message from Winston that Walter would be contacting him sometime today regarding Max. After lunch he decided to take a walk around.
He took his dad's old hover car and went around to his old school, the university he studied in, the market and other familiar places. As he was going around, he realized that the attacks always happened only when the target was considered someone of importance, and nothing ever happened to them as children when they were most vulnerable.
The person targeting the descendants of his grandmother made sure that he could mask the attacks as attempts on the influential personalities in the Blyth family. This implies there is a high chance that this person has also made sure that none of the other in the knights would suspect the attacks to be made on members of his father's lineage and not the Blyths.
Also Walter already suspected Max but in the time frame when the attack on PK-170-B base was successful, he hadn't contacted Balthazar or for the 7 years after that. This clearly showed that he wasn't Walter's priority and he was left out as bait. Thinking through all these, Balthazar realized that he couldn't depend on Walter completely either.
He had to set up an organization or something that he could use as a cover to come here occasionally. He immediately parked the car and used his wrist band to call his sister and asked if there were any properties or lands, he could use.
"The very day you are back home, you are searching for properties?" asked Bolena on the call. "Looks like you have become very materialistic brother."
"I need to set up a base here for the times I work with Walter," said Balthazar. "I have never checked dad's will nor did I care about it when I became a legal adult. But now I need to know what I inherited from him and I need to make good use of anything that is available."
"Ok, I get it. But I don't have the details," replied Bolena. "Grandpa was our guardian and I let him handle it all. Most of what mom owned and used were from grandpa and as we were not legal adults at that time, I think he took back most and are already at use for something or other. Dad apparently had managed to acquire quite a number of them, but most of them are off the planet. It is best to ask grandpa, if he can help you."
"I will do that. One last thing. I got some information regarding the attacks on me. There is a high chance that they might also try to assassinate you. Just take care and don't go anywhere without guard or informing grandpa," he warned Bolena.
"Ooh! You are worried about me? Aren't you all caring and ," started Bolena. But Balthazar cut off her call in the middle as he knew that his sister would go one a rant and tease him. He went on ahead and called his grandfather.
The Patriarch didn't respond and sent him a message asking him what the call was for. A moment after Balthazar told him the reason, he received a list of properties and lands that John owned. As Bolena told him, most of them were not even on asklepian. Only two properties and one large unused plot of land were on the planet.
One was a major mining and processing company and affiliated plants on the other side of the planet. He owned more than 70% of the Vulcan mining consolidate and it was involved in handling many resources from surrounding celestial bodies. "He really was a person who kept a secret life. That would be an ideal place for having an office and a good excuse for random travels," he thought.
The other was a small complex nearby. There is an electronics and electrical instruments shop loaning the bottom half of the complex and the remaining is left unattended for the past 14 years.
There was also a large plot of land in the neighboring city of Entora which could be used to develop something useful. It was in a large city and the land was large enough to be developed into a training center or stadium. Considering the recent attacks by the aliens even a warframe training centre at a peaceful area was viable.
The mining company would be a perfect choice for the first mission, he was given by Walter. But he thought it best to create something of his own as Walter suggested. He had hardly used his earnings and it would be best if he could use these to create something.
Given the past few days, his mind had been focused on stuff such as planetary security, warframes and weapons. He went back to a state of mind when he had been a shadow on the walls and assassinated more than anything else. Asklepian was in a very peaceful part of the human territory. It was far from wars very close to the centre of alliance in a galaxy nicknamed elysium for its peaceful atmosphere.
He had to consider different options suitable for a peaceful area. A mining industry like his father established was definitely a good option. There were various kinds of industries that could be established in a such an area. He also had to check the availability of various resources, the competition and other factors that would enable a successful industry.
Considering these options, he realized that he had also been the vice-commander of a moderately large virtual-gaming workshop. He slowly developed from a complete novice to that post in a time period of 2 years and held that position for 3 years. He had a lot of knowledge of the game vita nova, that would release in 15 days for the public.
He contacted his grandfather for details on the three properties and requested them to be transferred to his name. He got a message to go the alliance registrar office in the city and he would send someone called Alfred to help him along.
As he reached the registrar office, he was greeted by Alfred who helped him through the procedures. Alfred was the manager hired by John Blyth to handle the mining industry. He was an old friend of John and informed Balthazar to come to the head office tomorrow to meet with the board of directors.
He also needed to plan a trip to the Entora city to examine the land there and determine a plausible and profitable use for it. For the rest of the day, he decided to meet up old friends in the city.
First, he decided to meet Robert. Though they always competed and fought as kids, there were rivals and good friends. Due to the relationship between George and John, John always insisted that he be friendly with Robert. It wasn't a most harmonious relationship at first, but later at teenage they somehow bonded.
He went to meet Robert who was currently serving as surgery researcher in the city hospital. A few minutes after waiting at the reception, Robert came out to greet him. Robert was about 7-feet tall, had shoulder length blood red hair in a ponytail, broad shoulders and a pair of blue eyes perfectly socketed in a handsome shaved face. He quickly pulled Balthazar to his office.
"It has been a long time since I have seen you. You could have called sometime in these 5 years. What happened that you ran away?" he asked Balthazar.
"That is a very long story. Walter may not be pleased if I ramble on it. I would have definitely called you, if it wasn't a risk. Bolena was also really angry about it.," replied Balthazar pushing the blame for his antisocial behavior onto Walter.
"Of course, she would. She complained to me a lot of times about it. Walter is always like that. Everything is a conspiracy or trap with him. You better not do something like that again."
"It wasn't this time. The past week I learnt a lot of stuff. You wouldn't believe half of them. The knights of the old republic are trying to kill me. If not for Walter's doubts and precautions I would have been dead."
"Well.. He has a few good points. He came to meet me today. We actually talked about you. Something related to attempts on my parent's lives and also yours'. Says they actually have a suspect and that he would put in a protective detail for me. He tried to convince me real hard."
"That is a good thing, right?" replied Balthazar.
"It might be considered a good thing. But he always restricted me because of his fears. Why would someone even want to kill me?" asked Robert lifting his hands up in exasperation.
"Because you are George and Jordan's son."
"So what? Father's long been dead, and you know about ma. Walter refuses to even tell me how he came to know of the threat. I want to take Max with me to talk to Walter about it. Maybe he could talk some sense into him. Walter has become very paranoid since dad's death."
Max had always been a very helpful uncle. He had supported them both after their parent's deaths. They never understood why John was unfriendly with Max. He provided them mental support in those dark times. When Walter secretly told Balthazar that if he wanted to work alongside him, he had to leave the family to temper himself, Max was the only one who in contrast to others supported his decision. Only when it was too late, did Balthazar learn that it was all a mask. He was like that just to keep a close watch on them and be their confidant and it worked very well too. He was the perfect mole.
"I am the source of Walters information," confessed Balthazar as he worried that Robert may confide in Max laying waste to his efforts.
"You! You told Walter to improve security on him. Why would they want to attack me? I can understand them trying to attack you. But I hardly have any influence. Even Bolena is a better target than me."
"It is a very long story. Bolena is also a target. It is not a matter of influence or power in the family. Do you have some way to contact Walter?"
"Yeah, it is an emergency channel he set up for me. But I use it quite frequently."
"Tell him that you are with me. And that you wanted to talk to Max about this."
"He wouldn't agree. He already told me to keep it a secret. Don't you have his contact?"
"Neither Walter nor Winston give their contacts to other easy. It is not like you can have a video call with him. Is it?"
"Yeah. You're right."
"Ok. Message him that I intend to explain you the reason you are a target."
"You know about it? Why can't you just tell me. You actually need his permission?" asked Robert. He never expected that Balthazar had a proper reason he was a target. But now it feels like it is some kind of confidential secret as he wants Walter's permission before he reveals it. Now, he was unsure if he wanted to know it as it might be something confidential.
"It is not that I need his permission. It is a courtesy as it is as he promised someone that it would be a secret."
"Ok," said Robert sending a message. Immediately he got a call from Walter. "Is Balthazar there?" asked Walter.
"I am right here," said Balthazar walking into view.
"It isn't necessary to talk about that. There are a lot of other things you could talk about," came Walter's voice sounding frustrated.
"He wants to contact Max, as he thinks their targets are members with influence in the family," said Balthazar coming to the point.
"Ok. Go on ahead," said Walter reluctantly and cut the call.
Soon, Balthazar summarized everything Winston told him and also all that he could to convince him that Max was the mole and against them.
"You must be mistaken. Uncle Max couldn't have done that," said Robert in shock.
"Believe me, I first wanted to contact Max when I first heard about it. But the further I looked into it, the further I was convinced of it. We even expected that the glitch in our systems would be used right after the event. The only reason it would be suddenly preponed to a point during would be to attack someone, who wouldn't be staying till the end of the event."
"That is a lot to take. Max wanting to kill us."
"Max probably doesn't have any reason to kill us. But he did get involved with them to kill our parents. Then, he couldn't get out of it and continues to provide intelligence to them."
"Are you sure that he is responsible for my parent's death!?" said Robert agitated.
"All I know is that John managed to find some evidence and we had intercepted Max talking to the knights saying that after my father, I am next to be killed. He wanted to kill me for sure. The only reason for killing my father at that time is for someone who is involved in the attack on you parents," concluded Balthazar.
As Robert was digesting it all, Balthazar got up. "I wanted to have a simple talk with you. But it went far away from what I had in mind. Max is already under observation. The best you could do is to increase your influence as much as you can to safeguard yourself," he said.
"See you later," he said as he left Robert's office. He had another person he wanted to meet. The one who gave him the chance to become a normal civilian with a steady job enabling him to escape him a life of assassinations and to find some amount a peace in his life. He was a very good friend and the person whom Balthazar felt most obligated and owed to.
He always used to stay at the cyber cafe nearby, cyber drome. He was always into games and movies. It was filled with kids and teenagers most of the time. Rudra became friends with Balthazar at college.