Manhattan, New York
Terra, Earth's Solar system
Milky Way Galaxy, Charlie Quadrant
Neutral Free zone
January 15th 2019
Two Weeks earlier
Orion stepped out of the shadow, shadow walking through the use of the enchanted cloak she wore. She wasn't a fan of the cloak, but as a member of Sector Zero, she had to wear it. It was an essential item that was used for infiltration and assassination. She thought back to the fight she just had with the russet colored hair Pleiadian. Emily Legens. She was a friend of Leonard Haravok and Arexander Pendragon. Orion was aware that out of the three childhood friends, there was nothing impressive about the girl. She wasn't from a named blood family or from a noble lineage, and she was the most average Pleiadian that you could find anywhere in the Federation. But Mallus…that bastard had some kind of interest in her. She had discovered that interest not so long ago, so when Orion had found the girl in the Research lab that she was supposed to get rid of…she couldn't resist fighting her. What a letdown the fight had turned out to be. She had put on a decent fight but if Orion had wanted to finish the fight from the beginning, she could have. Orion for the hundredth time was marveled at the inside of the building that she had just entered. The outside looked like any ordinary downtown building in New York, a tall skyscraper that overlooked the tiny insignificant lives below them. But inside of the building was a different story. To be able to expand the space, making the inside of the building look more spacious than it did from the outside, required powerful magic. There were markings, lines of them spread across the walls, floors, and ceiling of the room. Red light flowed through the lines, each of them converging at the monolith structure that was in the middle of the room. The Monolith was silver and metallic with various runes and symbols telling a story that Orion didn't fully understand. Across from the monolith, looking out the window was the person Orion had come to see. Her Master. She was wearing a red-furred jacket, and black pants with red boots, and her white hair fell behind her back. Orion moved away from the monolith towards her. She could see all of lower Manhattan, the tiny dots of the humans very visible to her.
"Master…" Orion began but she held up a finger. Then she pointed towards the city.
"What do you see when you look at them," Her master said.
"I see the humans of this planet," Orion said.
"And…"
"I see their ignorance that makes their lives so comfortable," Orion said. "Sometimes I wonder what my life would be like if I was one of them…"
"I'm disappointed in you, Freya," The Master said. Orion's face was contorted with a surprised expression, though it would be hard to see it due to the Mask she wore. It had been a while since she had heard her name come out of someone's mouth. Not the alias she used as a member of Sector Zero. "Take the mask off. You're not around enemies here," Orion compiled, taking the mask off her face, pale skin with indigo eyes, silver hair, and pointed ears that marked her as both a member of the Fae and Elven race.
"Sometimes I wonder if it was the right idea to put you among them," Master said wistfully. She spoke of the Pleiadians from the Federation within Sector Zero.
"It's bore results hasn't it," Orion said.
"Yes…it has," Master said. She bought out a crystal ball that projected glyphs of information Orion had sent to her. The intel about Mallus's experimentation progress, the situation in Litvain, and the fate of Lamentias. There were so many things happening.
"We were able to make the attack on the base look like an abomination attack," Orion said.
"And the subjects…" Master asked.
"We used the failed subjects, of the projects to carry the task out," Orion said. "In the end, they fought for the cause and died for it as they desired,"
"Their sacrifice won't be in vain," Master said. Her heterochromia eyes of blue and red squinted with the same conviction that Orion had always admired.
"Sector Zero is nowhere close to where we are, but they were nearly there," Orion said.
"Which is why I have told Sophia to move on to the next phase," Master said.
"The next phase…" Orion said. She looked at the people that were strolling around down below them. She had no compassion nor care for them, but she could imagine the chaos that was about to be unleashed on their lives. "Isn't it too soon? We don't even know if all of humanity is compatible..."
"It is a necessary gamble," Master said. She turned away from the window and moved to the monolith. Orion followed her. Although she didn't have to commence with the next phase, the Herald, Orion's master could feel that if they take too long, they would miss an opportune time. The shadow war between them and Sector Zero across the galaxy was taking most of Mallus's attention. But if he were to focus his full attention on them, then it would be too late. "Every piece that we need is already here. Now is the time to move them according to the path that Fate dictates,"
"The ritual," Orion said.
"The preparations for it are almost done," Master said. "Decades worth of looking for the seal, and it was here the whole time. I can almost see it…the task which we Vysileaf have worked towards for millennia is about to be achieved."
"And then…"
"And then we will usher in a new age," Master said. "An age of Greatness"
****
Bedlam Church, New York
Terra, Earth's Solar system
Milky way Galaxy, Charlie Quadrant
Neutral Free zone
January 15th 2019
Rex's feeling towards what he had to do was not as bad as he thought it would be when Titus gave him the assignment. He had made tough choices before, but this was the hardest one that he had to make in a while. Or at least he thought it was. His thoughts went to Leon, who had made a difficult choice… a choice that led him to be banished but at the same time had prevented war between the Federation and another ruling system in the Universe. Rex couldn't compare the two because what he was doing went against the natural order. Project Starseed went against what the world was supposed to be and tampered with forces that shouldn't be messed with. Will the gods be angry at him for his actions? In Agartha, Annunaki-the worship of the Divine Emperor-was the major religion but for the Pendragon Family, a family of Dragon slayers, they worshiped and revered the Mighty War god, Mars. He was the Household god for the House of Aries, the Celestial house to which Rex's family belongs to. There were various War gods across the Pantheons that existed but Mars was the General of the Divine army and the one the Divine Emperor trusted to carry out his orders. He was an honorable and just god. A champion for the weak. A warrior, a hero, and a protector. And his actions were actions that Rex had once tried to emulate. But reality was different. Many may judge him for what he was doing, many may indeed call him a monster for what he did. But his ideals forced him to commit these sins. Though Rex considered all lives to be precious, for his justice and his ideal, sacrificing a few was something he could do. Did that make him a monster? Did that make him despicable that he could boldly do it? It was not an answer he would like to hear. But a part of him was rebuking himself. A part of Rex cursed his soul and called himself all kinds of ill words. But that part was just a tiny voice against his desire. The goal Rex had worked towards for most of his life was almost there. He would just have to endure a little bit more. Hmmph. It made him laugh sometimes how far he could go. How far he would go. In a way, Rex was kind of like Leon. His drive to find the Fallen Stars was similar to Rex's desire for justice for his Father. Rex was put in charge of overseeing the release of the virus within the human city by Titus, so he was forced to watch as the Fallens released their virus within certain areas around the city. According to Dr. Ahmad, the virus should begin infecting not only humans within days but also denizens of the Hidden World. This was according to the data they had gotten from their previous experiment. After the virus had been unleashed, which took a whole day to release, Rex was back in the Hidden base of the Fallen stars. He wasn't prepared for the situation that was going on when he got back. Guards were running around, loud voices could be heard, and it sounded like people praying. He stopped outside a door, where two huge guards blocked his path. The door opened, and a pink-haired man came out. He signaled for me to come inside. Rex moved past the guards inside the room which was occupied by Titus, the Pink-haired man called Henri, and a woman of average height though she was beautiful. Beautiful with green hair and emerald eyes. Her shape was curvy and sensual, though he could sense the power that radiated around her. In the middle of the room were projections of people in a white hooded cloak, a metal pin fastened around their right shoulders.
"You're sure that you can confirm it's her," One of the projections said.
"There's no doubt about it. I felt her presence within the Odyllic," The Lady said.
"If she was alive for all this time, Why now of all time," One of the projections said. "It's been years since you lost the girl and James Sinclair. Why are you only sensing her presence now,"
"I don't know. Maybe the protective enchantment that hid her finally wore off, I do not know why," The green-haired woman said. "James was truly careful in protecting her presence from me."
"Does it matter," Titus said. "The Herald foresaw this happening and now the Crown is within our grasp,"
"Speaking of the Herald, where is she," The third and final projection said.
"The Herald is on one of her many Pilgrims as she always is. Searching within the complex web of Causality is not so simple," The Lady said. "She has left all decision-making towards me,"
"Is that so," the first projection said.
"Yes," the Lady said. "And I decide that things should continue the way they have been. The Fallen Stars have things in Terra well under care. The remaining Inners should focus on their sector and continue the goal of the Octagram Society. Right now, our people in Litvain should be returning with the supply. Talos. Litvain is within your territory, so pay more attention to the transport vessels."
"Very well, If you say so," the second projection said. And they were gone. The Lady turned to me, tears were watering her eyes, a look of happiness made her look like a child who just discovered their favorite toy.
"Arexander, it's good to see you," She said as the projections disappeared after her dismissal.
"And you, My Lady," Rex said.
"I suppose you're unaware of why things seem so hectic right now," The lady said.
"I was wondering why," Rex admitted.
"She's been discovered," The Lady said. "Our lost treasure has been discovered, thanks to the grace of the Great Mother,"
"Who's been discovered," Rex said.
"Samantha Sinclair," The Lady said. "That which was hidden from me has finally revealed itself. And now, things can proceed as they should have twenty years ago after the Uprising."
"We have to hurry, there's no doubt that the High Guardian or Sector Zero might have made a move already," Titus said.
"I want Arexander involved with the securing of my blood," the Lady said.
"Are you sure it's wise to entrust the boy with this level of mission," Titus said.
"Pendragon has proven himself well enough by now," The Lady said. She turned and smiled at Rex, her lips revealing a cruel smile. "Do this well, and your reward shall be glorious."
"I won't fail you," Rex promised.
****
Lies! Lies! Lies! Lies! Lies! Lies! Lies! For the past eight years that was all Rex had been doing. Lie. He was back on the scene where the Virus had been released, a metropolitan city that was once full of humans, but was now empty of them, as their leaders responded to the unknown pathogen that had been discovered, and they tried to do something about it. Rex was on top of a tall tower, a skyscraper, on the very edge of the tower looking down on the street. The purple night sky was filled with shining stars, the dark clouds shifting away for the half-moon to light the heavens. The Humans were getting sick, their frail body attacked by whatever the Fallen stars had concocted in that lab of theirs.
Rex had heard that their leaders had passed a law quarantining the entire city, even for those parts of the city that the virus had not reached. Taking steps to make sure that the Virus did not get outside the city, and to the rest of the world. All sorts of transportation in and out of the city had been banned. The city was in an effective lockdown. Rex would have thought that they would take their time deciding that. If he was right, this city was one of their most important and lucrative center hubs for their economy, but to shut everything down. The Octagram's influence within this planet must be really deep. From what he had learned from his time with the Fallen Stars, this planet, Terra was no ordinary planet. And neither were it's inhabitants. Somehow, Fallen Star had become an organization that has managed to grow its influence beyond this planet. But to other planets within the Neutral free zones and the Federation itself. Rex had been shocked to learn the level of power the group had obtained. From an extremist group that attempted a revolution twenty years ago, now they had the power to influence an entire quadrant of the known world. His mind went to the situation that was going on in the Planet Lamentias. The conflict had reached a level that it was becoming worse than the Uprising on Agartha. Rex thought back to those days as a kid. His memories of those days were pretty vivid. Tension between the eight races and Pleiadians was at an all-time high. To the point that fights between the Aristocrats and the common people had gotten so bad. It was around the time he had lost his father to a mission he had been on. Rex's mother died giving birth to him, so he had no one in Agartha. There had been a family in Albion, the Queen who ruled the planet. But that was on the other side of the universe, far away from Leon and his family. Rex remembered Admiral Jonathan Haravok visiting him. He stood under the rain, after the funeral, asking him if he wanted to live with him and his family. Asking if he wanted to become their family. Rex was just a little child, no older than five years of age. And he had to decide his future. In the end, he went with him, joined the Haravok family, and trained with Leon under his father for the few years he was with them. And then the uprising came. His father had led the rebellion against the Federation. Jonathan Haravok died saving Agartha and the Divine Federation from major damages and leading the Council during that time though it was for a short time. He died a hero, and Rex's Father became a villain. Rex had no choice but to leave Agartha, to be placed under the care of his family in Albion, but that was not enough to escape the taint of being a traitor's son. The Blood of the Fallen flowed through him, even though he was a prince, even though he had been the crowned heir to one of the major planets within the Federation. Growing up, hatred for his father had driven him to become the best Paladin in Starlight. He would follow the example of the god, Mars, and become as just, respectable, and mighty as he was. He would drive the stains of his Fallen father from his blood, from his family's honor. But one fateful day, Rex learned the truth about his Father…. a truth that nearly drove him to the brinks of despair-
"Ruminating," a voice said. Rex stood up shocked at being caught unaware. Standing behind him was Mallus. He was here, watching Rex as he had been unguarded. Rex cursed himself for letting his guard down. This man was a killer, a trained Assassin skilled in various ways of murder. He could have killed him during that moment. If for a second, he doubted his loyalty, Rex would be dead now. So careless of him.
"I thought Orion would be here," Rex said.
"She's busy with other things," Mallus said. His head turned towards the city, probably taking in the view of it. "This is my first time on this planet, you know Agent Krios."
"Is that so," Rex said.
"Yes, it is. I have heard tales about the monkeys of this world," Mallus said. "Stories about how uncivilized, savage, and ugly they are. But to see for myself how true it was. Reality is really cruel. The history of this world is but a small droplet against the vastness of the Divine Federation. And yet-"
"The potential of this planet is too great," Rex said. "The concentration of Od of this planet makes it worth it's ugliness,"
"Exactly," Mallus said. "A resource that these animals can't tap."
"I take it that Lamentias-"
"Has run its course," Mallus said. "Do you have it," He went straight to the reason why Rex had been standing here, waiting for Orion. Rex pulled a bag from within his cloak and handed it to him. Mallus took it from him and pulled out its contents. Two vials of the serum produced by Octagram. The liquid within the vials was responsible for the situation going on in the city.
"It seems whatever plan that the Fallen stars are on is proceeding faster than I thought," Mallus said. "The very fact that they would sabotage our attempt to reach the final phase before them makes them desperate."
"I thought it was just an abomination attack," Rex said. To be honest he had no idea how the Fallen stars had attacked the base. The attack was something Titus had kept from him.
"So they would like us to believe," Mallus said.
"Can Sector Zero reverse engineer it?" Rex nodded at the serum. To be honest, Rex didn't feel right handing over a dangerous weapon like this to Mallus. But there were bigger things at play here. Ever since the uprising, and the defection of so many Paladins from Starlight, the amount of Awakened that had appeared had gone down. Many in the Federation believe it was an ill omen, that the gods had withdrawn their favors due to the actions of the Oath-breakers. As much as Rex didn't trust Mallus, if he was successful in reverse engineering it, there might be a chance for Starlight to gain more Awakened Members.
"Yes, but it won't be that easy," Mallus said. "This planet requires a cleansing. If Octagram succeeds, the outcome won't be good for the Federation"
"What do you want me to do about it," Rex said. He knew what a cleansing meant. it was the same fate that befell Lamentias.
"I'll leave the cleansing to Nabu," Mallus said. "As for you, I would like you to help with the termination of this target." Mallus handed Rex a drive, a tiny piece of equipment that he plugged into his Zodiak. A hologram image of a girl appeared before Rex. She was beautiful, with green hair, light brown skin, and a great resemblance to the Lady. Was this the lady in her youth?
"You want me to kill the lady-"
"That is not the leader of the Fallen Star. But her daughter, Serafina." Mallus said. "That girl is a threat to the order within not only the Federation but Starlight also. Her existence goes against the doctrine of the Divine Emperor." The Divine Emperor, eh? The Divine Emperor was the foundation and linchpin of both the Federation and Starlight. How could this girl be dangerous? Whatever she was, both Sector Zero and the Fallen Star were desperate to get their hands on her. Mallus snapped his hands and then a wall of shadow appeared behind him. From the shadows, two masked figures dressed in a black cloak appeared. They both wore a fish-shaped mask and with their cloak it was hard to tell what their body looked like. But Rex already knew who they were. Sinutu and Anuntium. Two twin brothers who were conjoined together as a result of a genetic mutation in their family bloodline. Mallus must be serious if his sending these two. They specialized mostly in infiltration thanks to one of their abilities. Rex sighed seeing them here on this planet. Here we go again. Rex glanced at the image of the girl, the offer of both parties swarming within his mind as he felt Mallus's presence vanish.
****
Astraeus Tower
Starlight Headquarters
Orbital space station
Agartha, Anu Solar system
Divine Federation
Krios 15th Y-1909
Rex was in Admiral Wilcock's office in the Astraeus Tower in the Federation Quadrant, at least a projection of himself was. He wasn't foolish to leave Terra right when he was supposed to be babysitting a bunch of murderers. He had excused himself from Sinutu and Anuntium, making an excuse that he had to report back to the Fallen star. Since they had no idea what his mission with them entailed, they let him do his thing. But Rex wasn't foolish enough to just make a call to the Admiral out in the open. Before he projected himself, he made sure to erect a simple barrier spell. He wasn't as skilled in the Arcane art, but he knew enough to perform low-level spells. Rex felt nostalgic as he remembered his childhood being here with Leon and Emily. As the Indigo trio of their generation, they had gotten into a lot of trouble over their stay at Starlight Academy. Trouble that would normally see them sent to the Admiral for reprimandation. Leon never much cared for the punishment that the Admiral would hand out. His bravado even against someone as mighty as him had always inspired Rex. Those were the days when they had been so innocent. And then after their graduation, Rex had broken up the group, undertaking the mission that had been given to him by the Admiral. The others were unaware of what he had become. A hunting dog. The door to the office opened and the Admiral and someone else came inside. The Admiral was wearing his black and silver military uniform. The large trench coat with the insignia pinned on his right chest while the other person wore a simple cloak. Underneath the cloak, he was wearing a white long-sleeve shirt and long black pants. He also had on a hat on top of his silver hair. Rex recognized Adonis Yesh, the all-powerful King of Genesis, one of the planets in the Neutral Free zone. Genesis was a Tier III civilization just like any of the planets within the Federation. And they had enough power to even challenge the Federation. Just one planet could challenge the whole of the Federation. It wasn't a novelty as there were other planetary empires in the Neutral Free zones that had comparable power to the Federation. Which was why the Federation would rather be in a peaceful treaty with them than wage war.
"My boy, Arexander," Admiral Wilcock said, still treating Rex like he was a kid. It didn't faze him like he bet it did to Leon.
"Admiral," Rex said. "Your Majesty." Rex gave a bow to King Adonis who nodded at him. He took a seat behind the Admiral's desk while Admiral Wilcock studied Rex.
"You look exhausted." the Admiral said. "Are you resting,"
"Being a double spy is quite exhausting," Rex said. The Admiral smiled. The thought of Serafina Sinclair came into Rex's mind. His mission from both the Fallen Star and Sector Zero hadn't reached any traction. After Mallus had left him alone in the building with those two assassins, Rex had tried to see if the Fallen star had made any effort on their end, but so far they too had come up empty. So Rex decided to report what his current mission was to the Admiral. The Admiral seemed to have something to inform him which was why they were meeting face to face. After telling them, Rex noticed the look on the King's face. The Admiral was also glancing at the King.
"The girl is with our side," the King said. His side. From what Rex knew about Terra, there were three native forces at play within the planet. The Hidden World's ruling government Seasonal Court, the Octagram society which he infiltrated, and the Golden Dawn organization which was responsible for maintaining order in the Hidden World. It was well known that the Queen of Genesis was known around the cosmos as the High Guardian of Terra. Their union was one of the few things that had brought Terra's existence to the intergalactic community. If before Terra was a dump used by the galaxy for its amusement, now it is a dump that courts death to any pirate or marauder that used to enjoy toying with the natïve inhabitants.
"I hear she shows great promises," the Admiral said. King Adonis raised an eyebrow at the Admiral's words. Uh! of course, He had the Diviner working with him. If it was her, then she was probably aware of everything that was happening on Terra with her Heavenly pupil power. Tsk! To think that she would be on the other side. Adonis could only lament at himself for allowing Fate to allow her to fall in love with that damn Pleiadian.
"So Sector Zero is trying to make their move," King Adonis said to Rex. He nodded, telling them about the two Assassin Mallus had assigned to him to help.
"Sinutu and Anuntium aren't your average Pleiadian. They are extremely blessed with the Unique technique of the House of Pisces. Making them skilled at their profession." Rex said. Unique techniques were the application of one's abilities that were engraved on those who were able to awaken both their Celestial blood and a divine mark. It was not something that anyone who was not an Awakened could achieve. Which means these two assassins would be tough to deal with. King Adonis closed his eyes as images began to flash around. He was sorting through them, trying to decide on what to do. After he was done with his calculations he was able to come up with only one outcome. An outcome he wasn't sure of. But if she were to survive it...her growth would be astonishing. But it's too risky. If he was to go through with this, then he would have to intervene. That meant spending more probability. It would be costly. Not that he was lacking in currency, but there was just a chance that a fate rebound could happen. Damn it. Adonis thought to himself. Everything was happening too soon. Samantha wasn't supposed to be joining the Academy yet. According to Adonis and Phoebe's plan, they wanted to make her deal with her trauma with Dr.Dingle before bringing her into the fold. But then her meeting with Leon changed everything. Adonis could smell the influence of someone else's intervention.
"So, What do you say," The Admiral said to Adonis. "If you want...Rex can take care of them before they can even get into Luna,"
"No...No...Actually let him help them," Adonis said. Rex thought the King might have misspoken. He couldn't have suggested that he go through with it. But the Admiral seemed to be grinning.
"I see, "Admiral Wilcock said. "Use them to our advantage,"
"How is it advantageous to let them into your school to kill Serafina," Rex said.
"Her name is Samantha. That's what she goes by." Adonis said. "And you don't have to know. All you have to do is your job. Sam should be able to take care of them."
"You think a girl with no training can kill Sinutu and Anuntium," Rex said. "I am a High stage Supreme Rank. Even I would have a tough time fighting those two together,"
"And what better way to make her grow than putting her life on the line," Adonis said.
"And what should I do about the Fallen Stars," Rex said. "They won't like it that I'll bring those two close to the girl,"
"Have they asked anything about her," Admiral Wilcock asked. Rex sighed. There had been no communication from Mallus or anyone from Sector Zero. Orion had disappeared doing whatever secret mission Mallus had given her, and Nabu was probably off executing those infected by the virus like Mallus wanted. Rex thought the Fallen star would be busy protecting their investment, but Titus was on his ass. He wanted details of his search and was hounding him every chance he got.
"They know you guys have her. Titus wants me to visit your school." Rex said. "Since Leon and Emily are there, I would have a legitimate reason to be there."
"And you should. If you're gonna help those two assassin, then it's better to come to Yesh Academy," The King said. "I'll be looking forward to your visit." Rex sighed, knowing that things on his side were only going to get more strenuous.
"Pendragon out," Rex muttered. And his projection vanished into the air.
****
Moments after Arexander cut the hologram call, Admiral Wilcock burst into laughter, going over to open a drawer where he got out a bottle with two cups. He turned to the King who still had that calculative expression. The Admiral was well aware of what he was planning, though he didn't know the full details. Even with the Diviner backing him, it was hard to know the mind of a being like Adonis Yesh.
"You should have just told him the truth," Admiral Wilcock said. "The girl won't be in any immediate danger,"
"Oh! She will be." Adonis said as the Admiral passed a cup of wine to him. Adonis accepted it and took a sip. He noticed the Admiral's eyes on him. "There's no point to it if there is no risk involved." Admiral Wilcock shrugged as he drowned his wine.
"The situation in Lamentias has reached a boiling point," the Admiral said. "Though the senates are still in a headlock, the purists are about to make their move," The purist. Adonis couldn't help but make a sneer as he thought of those vermins that were in the Federation. As long as they existed, the Federation would always be a threat...
"Then we better make our move before them," Adonis said.