C571 Insurrection
Amox and Khan weren't worried about their safety, but the situation still forced them to stop and think. The workers weren't strong, and a few rifles couldn't threaten elite third-level warriors. Yet, those weapons weren't pointed at them.
There was more to the matter, and Amox and Khan did their best to gain as much information as possible in those tense seconds.
Weapons weren't allowed in that environment. The station had lodging areas, but the workers couldn't bring guns. It was a security hazard managers had to enforce.
The station's purpose was the only explanation for the rifles' presence. Those weapons probably belonged to shipments the criminals had stolen and kept hidden inside the structure.
That prompt reaction was another important detail. Khan and Amox had barely spent half an hour inspecting the workers' lodgings. The criminals had been ready for an insurrection for a while.
Khan shortly considered leaks and similar issues in the Thilku political team. He also thought about his previous behavior since it might have spooked the criminals and prompted that reaction. Still, he quickly disregarded the matter since it wasn't the priority.
The presence of a few corpses stated how serious the criminals were about their insurrection. The killing wasn't only necessary to keep the other workers at bay. It also sent a message to the political figures handling the inspection.
Ultimately, the criminals had hinted at negotiations, and the hostages seemed to be their currency. It was unclear how much control they had over the station, but the situation in the room made their claim hard to ignore.
'They are probably looking for a safe route off the planet,' Khan concluded. 'Maybe even off the system.'
Khan didn't even consider whether that option was viable. He couldn't join negotiations involving an alien species and systems. He didn't have authority for that. Instead, his thoughts went over approaches that could destroy the stalemate.
The room only had ten armed Thilku. Khan could take care of them in a few seconds, and Amox's help would significantly reduce that time.
Nevertheless, Amox was blocking the passage. Khan would have to push him away or wait for him to leave the path open. Both options involved a delay that would lose things far more valuable than seconds.
Even with an open path, Khan wasn't confident he could prevent casualties. The criminals felt ready to fire at the first sign of violence, which was an outcome Khan wanted to avoid.
Moreover, Amox and Khan weren't necessarily on the same wavelength. The Thilku were quite ruthless when it came to those events. It was very likely Amox was ready to sacrifice the prisoners since they were guilty of getting captured.
A briefing between the two scouts sounded necessary to get on the same page. The station's overall situation was an issue that needed to be discussed too. Yet, moving or talking wasn't an option now.
The criminals didn't like the scouts' collected silence. Khan and Amox didn't look bothered or impressed by the situation at all, which intensified the overall tension.
"[You heard me]!" The armed Thilku spoke again, shouting. "[We have occupied this station]!"
The armed Thilku slammed his rifle's muzzle on the nearest prisoner's head to convey danger. However, Khan was a human, and those threats didn't work on Amox.
"[What do you think you are doing]?" Amox spoke chilling words. "[This station belongs to the Empire]."
"[Not anymore]," The armed Thilku stated, uncaring of the groans coming from the prisoner before him. "[We demand to speak with the city's Lord]."
"[We are here under Lord Exr's orders]," Amox responded. "[You know what that means]."
Lord Exr's name was common knowledge in the system, and the criminals showed decent composure when hearing it. The investigation was happening because of Lord Exr's authority, so they knew about his involvement. Still, a few Thilku shook and lost confidence at the thought of the possible consequences.
Khan understood that reaction. Lord Exr's authoring covered the entire system and even stretched past it. A common worker couldn't hope to attract his attention or interest. Yet, that created some doubts.
'Why did they even choose to rebel today?' Khan wondered. 'Is it desperation?'
The hypothesis that Khan's behavior had spooked the rebels got stronger, but that didn't change his situation. Actually, the slight loss of confidence from a few criminals prompted the Thilku in charge to move on with his plan.
"[We are well aware]!" The armed Thilku responded. "[He can hear our demands]!"
Amox didn't like how casually the armed Thilku had addressed Lord Exr. That disrespect could probably lead to permanent incarceration or death sentences in other situations, but the criminal didn't give Amox the time to think.
"[You can leave]," The armed Thilku continued, "[But the human stays behind. The Lord must value him a lot for sending him down here]."
Amox was about to lose it, and his foot slid forward to prepare a sprint. However, everyone in the room noticed that movement and a series of gasps resounded as more shouts arrived.
"[Stop right there]!" The armed Thilku shouted, waving his rifle at the prisoners. "[I won't hesitate to shoot, and we also have people in the storage areas. The goods are as good as gone if you attack us]."
The prisoners couldn't stop Amox, but the goods posed a problem he couldn't ignore. The unclear state of the station worked in the criminals' favor since Amox couldn't confirm whether the storage areas were in their control, and his hesitation explained how valuable they were.
Ambassador Abores' notes didn't contain many details about the goods, but Khan could learn a lot from Amox's reaction. A violent approach wasn't ideal when the criminals had the upper hand.
"They won't destroy the goods," Khan decided to speak, opting for the human language since the criminals might not know it. "They need them for their demands."
"Thilku don't serve criminals," Amox scoffed in his bad accent.
"We can always retreat and plan an attack later," Khan suggested.
"[Stop talking]!" The armed Thilku warned, but Khan and Amox ignored him.
"Retreat is failure," Amox exclaimed.
"We clean the station then," Khan said.
Amox showed his hesitation again before ultimately explaining the reason behind that feeling. "Me no authority over goods. Me can't make that call."
That short explanation was enough for Khan, which prompted another line out of him. "I'll create a distraction."
"[I said stop]!" The armed Thilku shouted, firing a few bullets at the kneeling prisoners. The first hit an alien's head, while the others inflicted injuries, making the room restless.
A series of cries resounded as a few prisoners stood up. Most criminals prepared themselves to fire while a couple lifted their rifles toward Khan and Amox. However, Khan opened his mouth, and a tinge of mana accompanied his faint voice.
"Fall," Khan whispered, sending tremors through the symphony that reached the various criminals. The latter lost their balance and grip on the rifles, preventing them from firing.
The prisoners used that window to attack, but Khan and Amox didn't bother with the issue anymore. They retreated into the corridor, and Amox sealed the door before nodding toward the lodgings inspected before.
"[Ah]!" Amox snorted, slamming both hands on Khan's shoulders as they crossed the corridor. "[We could have taken all of them]."
"[Of course]," Khan laughed, "[But you don't want to deal with Lord stuff, do you]?"
"[Not at all]," Amox chuckled before putting strength on his arms to stop Khan. They had arrived at the lodging's entrance, and Amox checked the other end of the corridor before pulling up his right sleeve.
Tracing a few lines on the armguard's rune activated one of its communication channels, and Amox didn't hesitate to speak words into it. "[Situation report]."
"[We are currently running away]," A hoarse voice came from the armguard. "[We are both safe, but insurgents are after us]."
"[Same here]," Another voice arrived. "[They almost trapped us]."
"[We tried to negotiate]," A third voice spoke, "[But eventually found an escape route],"
"[We dealt with the insurgents in our section]," A fourth Thilku said, "[But more are on their way. Should we plan a counterattack with the workers]?"
More reports resounded, eventually clearing all the teams. Everyone was fine but in different situations. Some were locked in sections full of criminals, while others were doing their best to avoid being trapped.
"[No, we evacuate]," Amox stated after hearing all the reports. "[Bring as many workers as you can to the surface]."
A series of positive replies came from the armguard, but Amox ignored them to move to the next task. He tinkered with the rune again, bringing up its holograms to type a long code, but his occasional glances at the corridor's end slowed him down.
"[It's fine]," Khan reassured. "[Nothing is coming in our way]."
Khan's words were all Amox needed to focus on his task and finish it in the following seconds. The code went through, and the armguard released a beeping noise before retrieving its holograms.
"[Rescue is on the way]," Amox shortly explained. "[We only need to get to the surface]."
"[Which way]?" Khan asked since he didn't know most of the structure's planimetry.
Amox thought briefly before looking at the lodging area, and Khan promptly moved aside to leave the entrance open. Amox shot forward without adding anything, and Khan followed closely behind.
The lodging area had a single corridor stretching from its other side, and the two scouts crossed it in mere seconds. They didn't use spells, but their natural speed remained awesome, quickly bringing them before another door sealed behind a bright rune.
Amox unlocked the door, but warnings reached Khan's senses and made him grab the red coat. He pulled Amox using as much strength as possible, and the two fell backward, ending on the floor.
Confusion didn't have time to arrive since a few bullets entered the corridor and flew above the two scouts, crashing into the walls. One look at the fuming spots snapped Amox out of his amazement and made him inspect the area past the entrance. A battle was unfolding there, and no one seemed to have noticed their arrival.
Amox couldn't see much from his position, but the battle could involve his companions, so he prepared to charge ahead. However, a foot landed on his abdomen, keeping him on the floor, and a figure soon filled his view.
Khan had stood up while Amox was still figuring out what was happening, and his senses had done the rest. He didn't only confirm that the battle had made them go unnoticed. He had also searched for his companions' presence and found nothing.
Amox recognized Khan standing on top of him and tilted his head to check what he was doing. The rune had moved to the wall after the door slid open, and Khan reached for it to trace some of its lines.
'Come on,' Khan cursed after his first attempt didn't cause any reaction. He even half-crouched to his left to let a bullet fly past him, but his hand didn't leave the rune during that dodge, and Amox could only feel surprised at that scene.
A gasp escaped Khan's mouth when his second attempt to use the rune generated a reaction. The door moved, sealing the corridor and saving the scouts from the battle in the next room.
Khan was so excited that he almost forgot he was still on Amox. The latter also ignored the issue due to the previous surprising scene, so the two spent a few seconds in their awkward position before realizing what was happening.
Amox couldn't help but laugh when Khan jumped past him to land behind his head. He didn't feel any pressure at all, and his smile broadened when he turned and saw Khan's stretched hand.
"[You really learned the symbols]!" Amox exclaimed, taking Khan's hand to help himself to his feet.
"[I only remember how to close doors]," Khan scoffed. "[I'd be lost if I had to open them]."
"[You are one strange human]," Amox laughed.
"[I hear that a lot]," Khan sighed before inspecting his surroundings. "[Is there another way out]?"
"[No]," Amox revealed, adjusting his coat. "[We must fight your way through]."
Khan nodded, but an idea popped into his mind when his eyes met Amox's. He instinctively looked at the tall ceiling before glancing at his companion meaningfully, and the alien laughed loudly when he understood that silent message.
Amox jumped, performing an almost perfect split and slamming his feet on the walls. The gesture had brought him more than a meter above the floor, putting the ceiling in his range.
The alien didn't hesitate to deliver a rising blow to the ceiling, and the metal bent under his raw strength. That surface's resilience excited him, and sparks came out of his hands. However, a bright purple-red glow soon reached his eyes and suppressed any other color in the corridor.
"[Get down]," Khan ordered from behind a smile, showing the glowing sword that had grown from his right hand. Needless to say, Amox laughed again when his guts told him how dangerous that spell was.
To be continued