"We really need to get back to the mission, David." Sarah explained
"Tracking the rest of the Spades isn't going to be easy." David responded, "We can travel to Yuiruti; they have means of watching different planets."
The duo took the next Ghost Train, soaring through the cosmos, until they reached Yuiruti, which is the Planet of Watchlords. As they stepped off the train, they were towered over by the massive camera that watched over The Spades' Planet.
"This is insane, Sarah; look how big this thing is!" David reacted.
"This camera will help us locate some of the spades," Sarah sighed.
They moved closely to the camera; it had multiple screens that had views of different parts of the planet. One screen, in particular, showed a crowded explorer meeting. Many people stood outside the building, waiting to be let in.
"They are closely linked to a couple of Explorer executives, so we'll probably catch a few of them at this meeting." Sarah explained.
The place was crowded with people shuffling and crawling too enter the hall; David and Sarah were two of them.
"This meeting is for the newest explorers, the class you would have been part of." Sarah continued.
It was filled with many explorers; they seemed like regular, down-to-earth people with hopes and dreams.
A man in a grey shirt and blue jeans approached the two.
"Did you see the line out there? Its massive! I'm Oscar, by the way." Oscar said.
Sarah shrugged and responded, "Yeah, its pretty big."
The three of them conversed for a while until the meeting began.
"Enough laughter; the monthly explorer meeting has begun!" The announcer shouted.
"I believe the institute can be improved by training people from a young age. So they would be stronger and better prepared," someone said.
"This advice is duly noted," the announcer responded, "though if we work with this idea, we may have to call upon The Spades to help out; we don't need our hands spoiled by dirty work."
The commentator explained that their relationship with The Spades allows them to outsource work to each other. They are responsible for the dirty work of the institute.
They break of into smaller focus groups to talk about the plan. Afterwards, a smaller group was taken to discuss the plan, but more specifically, the Spades involvement.
"We'll get the Spades involved; they'll have to gather as many resources as possible, even if they have to exploit other planets." The announcer explained.
"I would like to introduce a member of The Spades, Alfredo Tordin."
A green-haired, green-eyed man walked up to the stage, dressed in black with glasses. He greeted and smiled at the crowd before he began his speech.
"It's nice to be here and meet all of you, but our plan isn't the nicest, but its the most fitting one for our characters. Naturally, we'll target the areas with the least amount of Explorers but still have resources." Alfredo explained.
Some of the crowd seemed shocked by the idea, but David was glad to not be the only one. Very few people left the room, and though the rest still seemed slightly shook, they believed in the greater cause.
"It will allow more ROI for investors in the exploring institution as well as adding a salary for the explorers. We've already lost control of one planet; the time to strike is now. " Alfredo continued.
A lot of the explorers heard about the salary and decided to stay. Eager and excited, Oscar asked about the next steps in this plan. Sarah looked at him, confused, and said, "Wow, you really condone this?"
"Getting a secure salary sounds pretty good to me." Oscar responded.
Sarah quickly dismissed Oscar before continuing to listen to Alfred.
"I'll be travelling to gather Soldium, the most valuable metal to exist, which will help us build our weapon." Alfredo explained, "Your job is to stop any person who gets in our way."
The group was dismissed, and Alfredo thanked the announcer before catching a ghost train to the planet called Weosis, where David and Sarah followed. This planet was renowned for the universe's greatest resource, Soldium. It was a smaller planet than the others, and the towns were much friendlier than Zelsior.
Alfredo wanted to build a weapon of planetary destruction; this would reduce the number of explorers available for service. Explorers will be able to charge more for their services, as well as have more money available for the company.
In one of the bigger towns, Sodder, who is a respected blacksmith, typically collaborates with the exploring institute. He had access to the Soldium. Alfredo went to visit him. Sodder's black beard and unkept appearance made him seem very unprofessional, combined with his average height and dirty hands.
Alfredo handed him an envelope filled with cash.
"Is all of it here?" Sodder asked.
Alfredo sighed and counted the cash. Sodder provided him with Soldium, which is a very gloopy, dark, and sentient liquid. In a deep and calm manner, the Soldium said, "Are you worthy?"
Alfredo walked up to the Soldium, cleared his throat, and stated, "We lost an Alxit, which are territories we control, and we plan on using Soldium at these places to help form our weapon before they are conquered by threats."
The Soldium rippled and murmured, "What weapon do you seek to create?"
"A cannon," Alfredo replied, his voice steady despite the importance of their situation. "One that can destroy planets and put us in greater positions of power."
Sodder was shocked by his answer; he coughed out chunks of doughnut and told Alfredo he was going slightly overboard. Although he was too lazy to question him further.
The Soldium seemed to consider this; it's dark surface shimmered with thoughts. "This is an incredibly dangerous mission. Are you really prepared for the consequences?"
Alfredo nodded resolutely. "The Spades always keep their word, and this mission isn't any different."
Alfredo turned his head towards the front of the blacksmith's shop.
"Pleasure doing business with you." Alfredo said.
As they exchanged pleasantries, Sarah burst through the entrance and grabbed the Soldium while David distracted Alfredo.
"See ya!" Sarah laughed.
Alfredo asked Sodder if he would help in retrieving the Soldium. He refused at first before agreeing unwillingly.
With a stern voice, Alfredo said, "You've pissed me off now."