The Titans were returning, drawn towards the battleship. They were slowly rising into the air, and those with the Titan class Sio could fly independently without regard for others.
Arlok's condition was deteriorating; he could barely maintain consciousness. He struggled with an overwhelming desire to fall asleep, to escape the pain and torment, but he had been taught differently. To endure and persevere, that's what the Council had instilled in him.
He blinked his eyes repeatedly, and the places he had been in kept changing. Initially, it was the titan's cockpit, then the corridors, and soon a strange table with hundreds of glowing lamps...
"Klaus, what's wrong with him?" Lucy was worried, even after seeing Aria's report with her own eyes; she poorly understood what was said there, or rather, didn't want to believe it.
"By all indications, it's Corrosion, but the degree is unknown, and honestly, I never imagined such a thing was possible with him..." He looked thoughtfully at Arlok's already exposed body.
Only Aria, the crystal, remained with him. Strange wires were attached to his chest, legs, and head. They were conducting a diagnostic of his body, utilizing all the power available from the battleship.
"This is impossible! What nonsense did you just say?!"
"Theoretically—yes, it's impossible. None of the rules I know apply. Arlok was and is an exception, and now, we're witnessing something extraordinary again..." He approached the monitors, listening to Lucy's muttering.
"I've never seen Corrosion this strong; even my blindness in one eye seems trivial compared to this!"
"Yes, blood is a bad sign, especially since no trauma was noticed, apart from the almost healed rib," he pressed something on the monitors and displayed it for everyone to see.
"Just look," she pointed to a certain indicator that was fluctuating.
"The Eden load on his lungs exceeds human minimum standards, clearly..." He abruptly fell silent.
"What is this?"
"Lucy, you understand. Corrosion is a phenomenon that arose in people after Protocol 17, the desire to resemble ancestors brought their diseases along. No matter how many times you cure them, they will manifest anew."
"That's common knowledge, Klaus, so don't drag it out!" She glared at Klaus angrily.
"He has cancer in the chest area..."
"Fine, we know how to treat that, so what's the problem here?"
"Cancer, yes, we can easily treat that, but under the guise of Corrosion, 'Lung Cancer' isn't treatable, just like any other cancer, because they occur incredibly rarely," he looked at the girl.
"And this rarity... is Arlok?"
"Yes."
"Why isn't it treatable?" She restrained her anger; it was evident in her demeanor. Her eyes dropped and fixed on the floor, a way for her to contain her rage - trying to distract herself.
"Usually, this type of Corrosion, the 'Cancer' kind, has a characteristic of stalling at the second stage of cancer, whether it's brain cancer or lung cancer, as in this case."
"So, he'll die?"
"No, not even joking about it - Corrosion will exhaust itself as soon as Arlok manages to suppress it with Eden. But here, another problem arises, one I haven't dealt with..." - he projected an image onto the main screen; it was Aria's report and Arlok's current life indicators.
"Eden, it's as unstable as it could possibly be."
"Let's see," - Klaus began showing 3D images of Arlok, and in some areas, there was a dense black mist. - "These are the places where Eden is unstable."
"Head, abdomen, lungs, and arms..." - Lucy spoke each time Klaus pointed to a body part.
"It could be a coincidence, or it could be..."
"Corrosion?"
"Yes, everything points to that idea. If we take into account 'ordinary' people, Arlok would have a peaceful life without surgeries for just a couple of hours," - he looked at his fingers and calculated something. - "If this is indeed Corrosion and he doesn't regain his strength, he has no more than 3 cycles left in his life..."
A small lock of Klaus's hair fell; he felt not Eden, but just concentrated desire to kill, and it was directed at him.
"Lucy, calm down... I'll try to cure him..."
"No, you shouldn't try to cure him - you must cure him! You have no choice, and I don't care how, you just have to," - she approached him closely, he began to suffocate. - "You have no choice, he'll live for 3 cycles, and you'll die with him!" - the girl left.
She rushed out; she didn't want to see Arlok like that, something inside her was breaking. Her eyes were about to fill with tears, but this wasn't what the girl wanted just before waking her beloved. This wasn't what she wanted from life...
"Did you hear everything, sir?"
"Yes, I heard everything perfectly," - he stood up and now sat on the operating table. - "So, 3 cycles?"
"Yes," - said Klaus, observing the subdued eyes.
"Prepare nanomachines for me and head to the Golden Hall; I want to know what's happening around," - he started putting on new clothes prepared in advance for him.
"Take care of me, I'll return after the court in the Golden Hall; we need to examine everything more thoroughly."
"It shall be done, Grand Admiral," - Klaus bowed, and Arlok left. He knew this battleship like the back of his hand, so he calmly walked to the Golden Hall.
**
Dark prison cells on the way to the Golden Hall; here arrived a tall man in a white doctor's coat.
"Why have you come to me?" - Dietrich sitting behind bars looked at two green eyes.
"Nothing, you just need to administer the vaccine; there are many viruses on board that can be transmitted between people, so please, extend your hand."
"No!" - but the whip squeezed his hand; he resisted, but the green-eyed man injected something into Dietrich first and then Johann. The guys yelled, but then realized it wasn't painful at all and that it wasn't poison.
"What was that?" - both exclaimed simultaneously, looking at Nebel with frightened eyes.
"Just a shot, nothing more," - he turned around and said something in Alliance language: - "Take them to the Golden Hall..." - the doctor himself went further.
**
"You summoned us, sir?" - the knight stood before Nebel.
"Yes, take your squad and fly to this planet. Gather a group of 200 locals, from children to adults, and return."
"You have no right to command us! Your orders are nothing but...!"
"You, Lieutenant Harden, boarded the battleship with a smile, but secretly purchased implants; I remember the reports... So, follow the order, or you'll be in their place, or maybe even worse!"
"Alright!" - among the knights, there were rumors about Nebel; they didn't like him. According to them, this scientist allowed himself too much.