At the end of our session, Rhea and I were both exhausted but satisfied that we'd created enough material to truly shake Drexel's world. As we cleaned up and got dressed, Rhea looked at me with newfound respect.
"You know, I never thought I'd be doing this – not just working with the man who wants to kill my son but actually enjoying his company," she admitted, her eyes lingering on me for a moment before she turned away. "But I have to admit, you're not as bad as I originally thought."
I chuckled softly, putting an arm around her shoulders. "We may be in a strange situation, Rhea, but sometimes life throws us curve balls that we didn't expect. And if there's anything I've learned in my time jumping between worlds, it's that sometimes those unexpected turns lead us down paths that are ultimately better for us."
I just told her what she wanted to hear, but I was only doing this to get what I needed, and now I did.
"What can you tell me about the others? How can we use them to affect Drexel?" I asked since she would know her kids best.
Rhea thought for a moment before answering. "Well, Drexel has always been closest to Tala and Jace, the eldest siblings. If we could find a way to make, them turn against him or at least doubt his intentions, that would have a significant impact on him."
I nodded in agreement. "That's a good start. What about the others? Elara and Brax?"
"Elara is an interesting case," Rhea said, her eyes narrowing slightly as she considered her youngest daughter. "She's incredibly intelligent but also somewhat detached from the rest of the family. She tends to keep to herself and focus on her work. However, if we can prove to her that Drexel's actions are putting the entire family at risk, she might be more inclined to side with us."
"And Brax?" I prompted.
Rhea sighed. "Brax can be… difficult. He's fiercely loyal to the family, but he's also stubborn and hot-headed. It won't be easy to sway him, but if we can show him that Drexel's actions are tearing the family apart, there's a chance he might reconsider his allegiance."
I rubbed my chin thoughtfully, taking in all the information Rhea had provided. "Okay, so we need to find a way to highlight Drexel's destructive behavior and how it's affecting each of his siblings individually. That should be enough to sow seeds of doubt and create rifts within the family."
Rhea nodded, though it was clear that discussing these strategies pained her. "Yes, although it breaks my heart to even consider turning my children against one another, I understand that this may be the only way to save them – and end Drexel's hold he has over all of us. None of us will leave because we know he would just hunt us for sport. He has only gotten worse coming here."
I placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "I know this is difficult for you, Rhea, but remember that our ultimate goal is to save your family and give Drexel a chance at redemption. Sometimes, we have to make tough choices in order to achieve the greater good."
Rhea took a deep breath and nodded, steeling herself for what lay ahead. "You're right. Let's do this – for my family and for Drexel."
After that, I left Rhea in the bedroom and headed up to the front of the ship, closing the door. As I did, Aquaria appeared.
"Seems you have collected more than enough footage, but that is good. Two or three could be forced, but that many will leave no doubt. I am really happy that you are being so thorough with this mission for me. Seems like you two are going to create the perfect storm," Aquina said, and she did sound happy. I had to wonder if being an AI helped her be more understanding?
"Yeah, I am hoping that we can get the wheel rolling with everything, but I am worried about Ziri'ak. Since the last attempt, when I took Rhea, they have made no move." I said, and then asked, "do you have any new information about them?" I asked.
"No, but my estimation is that they are most likely using this time to upgrade their troops to be able to fight you better. You have fought them twice now with no problem, but they will have footage of how you move. Not only that but the types of weapons and armor you have. The next group that you fight will be much tougher, and the longer we give them, the stronger they will get."
I frowned, realizing the implications of Aquaria's words. "So we're essentially racing against the clock here. The longer we take to execute our plan, the stronger Ziri'aK's forces will become."
"Exactly," confirmed Aquaria. "We need to act quickly but also intelligently. We shouldn't rush into anything without a solid plan in place. Otherwise, we risk jeopardizing everything we've worked towards."
I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of responsibility on my shoulders. "Alright, let's go over our strategy again and make sure we haven't missed anything. Then, we'll figure out the best way to approach each of Drexel's siblings and start putting things into motion."
Aquaria nodded, and together, we went back to planning every detail of our mission. With Rhea's insight into her children's personalities and motivations, we were able to devise individual strategies that we believed would be effective in turning them against Drexel.
As we prepared for the next phase of our mission, I couldn't help but feel a mixture of anxiety and determination. There was so much at stake, and if we failed, it could spell disaster not only for Rhea and her family but for countless others who would cross paths with Drexel in the future.
I mean, they were all clearly criminals, but they were not my targets. Not only that, but I couldn't kill them. I also remember something about getting extra mana for doing good stuff. I was a good but kind of bad assassin for the greater good of everyone in the known and unknown universes.
That's what I kept telling myself.
With time ticking away and Ziri'aK undoubtedly growing stronger with each passing moment, our window of opportunity was narrowing. But despite the challenges ahead, I remained resolute in my commitment to bringing Drexel down and working toward his ultimate redemption.
And as I looked at Aquaria, I knew that I had an unwavering ally by my side – one who would stand with me through whatever obstacles we faced. Together, we wouldn't just complete this mission; we'd kill the fuck out of Drexel and send his family on their merry mercenary way.
Everyone was a winner except for Drexel. He was getting the short end of the stick.
It was time to start Project "Piss In Drexel's Cereal."