Rhonan brought all of them to a long room with a near-equally long table at its center covered in food and pitchers of water and of wine. Despite the size of the dining area, there were only a few other people within it, most of them red-robed Royalist officers. Theda and the Vadamite general stood together near the center of the table. Both had crystal glasses full of water in their hands. They looked over at the door when it opened, eager for some news about when the peace talks would begin. Before they could say anything to Wadaw and RED-1, a muscular young Sguvan woman wearing a sleeveless black shirt stepped out from the side of the room’s entrance. She swiped her black bangs away from the dark-brown skin of her forehead as she walked in front of Rhonan to block his path.

  “You finally made it, rookie.” She said in a low, accented voice.

  A golden seam that ran down the left side her squarish face shimmered as she looked up at Rhonan. The woman had golden seams on each of her upper arms, which told the others that she had extensive cybernetics. The thin seams looked like tattoos of gold that glinted when the light hit them from certain angles.

  “That’s the cyborg that we captured back in Surmil!” Leanna shared as she felt the blood leave her face.

  “Yes, the one that got away.” Lorias shared without any emotion. “She appears to be a Constable. Go figure…” He placed his forefinger on his lips and watched the Sguvan woman intently.

  Rhonan grunted at the woman before stepping aside so that she could inspect his charges. She slowly walked around the six guests with her hands behind her back, giving each of them a once over. She paused beside Leanna, paying close attention to the armored Etrysian’s pale face. When Leanna tried to look away from the woman, the woman took a step forward to keep her face in Leanna's view.

  “Don’t you dare turn your face from me, Leanna Fabri. I remember what you and your team did to me.” The woman said with a quiet seething that made Leanna look her straight in the eyes.

  “I’m sorry…” Leanna whispered, eliciting an angry gasp from Srell and a scoff from Lorias.

  “Sorry?” The Sguvan woman said before she burst out laughing. Leanna, unsure how to feel at the moment, narrowed her eyes at the female cyborg.

  “We were enemies. Now we are…something else. I’m not ashamed of what I’ve done on the battlefield. We are at war.” Lorias spoke aloud to all within the room in defiance of Leanna’s remorse.

  The Sguvan woman stopped laughing then calmly approached Lorias with her back straight and her shoulders back. The way she looked up at the much-taller man made their height difference seem nonexistent. “I’m Mimo, Constable of Central Sguvi," she started speaking in a confident tone free of malice. "I once had a full Sguvan name, five proper nouns with distinctive meanings, but Constables only get to choose one name. As foreign agents of the Queen, we can have no other loyalty but to her. Names, especially those that are passed on, divide loyalties. That’s the theory, anyway.”

  “Why are you telling me this?” Lorias asked Mimo. He sounded a bit irritated, which excited her.

  “Because I respect you.” Mimo said before walking away. She returned to her position by the door.

  “We leave you in her very capable hands. She will escort all of you to the Hall of the Crystal once preparations are complete.” Rhonan said loud enough for everyone in the room to hear him. He gave a formal bow to Wadaw before swaggering out of the room like the thug he truly was. His robed subordinates followed him out.

  “Glad that’s all done!” Theda shouted from across the room with a big smile on her angular face. She wore a dark red velveteen suit with a green, throned vine design that ran down half of it. There were raised portions of shinier cloth at her shoulders that resembled rose buds. The outfit somehow looked both classy and garish, Prism thought.

  “Theda Lymm, the Peacekeeper herself. Of course they’d call you to act as mediator.” Wadaw started walking over to meet her as he spoke. “I'm Wadaw, the True Twins Gospel's chosen representative. And you are…?” He pointed and said to the strangely-dressed Vadamite man beside her.

  “I'm General Aguv of the Vadetcal of Vadam,” said the tan man who wore flowy bright blue robes with intricate silver trim. The robes opened in the chest area, showing the man’s prominent pectorals and the curly black hair that covered them. The general’s dress uniform included a silverine circlet that connected to a lengthy headdress of blue silk that ran down to his lower back. “Hopefully we can put an end to all this nastiness before you all slay even more of your brethren,” General Aguv said with a fatherly disdain that had Wadaw crinkle his nose at the man.

  The general offered his hand for Wadaw to shake. Wadaw looked down at the man's large, calloused palm for a few seconds to see how the general would respond. General Aguv simply stood as still as stone, waiting for Wadaw to accept the gesture. Wadaw smiled up at the taller man and took the general's hand into his own, then covered the backside of that hand with his other hand. General Aguv smiled back at Wadaw, amused by the guerilla's strangely intimate test.

  “A pleasure to meet you in person, Wadaw." Theda hastily shook Wadaw's hand before continuing to speak. "Please, let’s hear your thoughts on all of this. What do you and your people hope to accomplish from these talks, if anything? Please be mindful that we’re all being monitored, of course.” Theda spoke in an unnaturally polite way. She tilted her head towards Prism and swiped her pink, bobbed hair out of her ear as if she was sharing some secret message that Prism couldn’t decipher.

  “Where’s your team?” Ursun asked Theda before Wadaw could respond to her query. Ursun stared her down while he tried to regulate the torrent of feelings that came to him now that he could speak with her again.

  “Remades and Testa are attending to a matter back in the Conjunction. I wasn’t going to bring those two into this dangerous situation, not after what happened the last time I was down here.” Her blue eyes glistened after she finished talking, causing her to look away from Ursun and back at Wadaw.

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  “To answer your question, we want what the Queen is apparently forcing on Gusa; Peace within our nation.” Wadaw said with a dramatic tilting back of his head.

  “Come on, your people surely want more than that!” The general yelled with great gusto.

  “Sure…but we’re being monitored. I can’t exactly be forthcoming until the talks actually begin, can I? That wouldn't be very strategic of me.” Wadaw placed his arm on his hip and smiled.

  “It doesn’t matter if we’re being watched by the Queen or not! Truth is the greatest strategy of all! Let the strength of your proud people embolden you to absolute candor.” The general leaned over and brought his face to Wadaw’s. General Aguv flexed his arm to add a literal meaning to “strength”.

  “This guy might be even more theatric than Wadaw!” Srell shared to his team, who all sent laughter and agreement through their purely psychic link. Without Prism’s normal moderation, their emotions slid between each other as easily as hot butter in a pan.

  “I’m always sorry to disappoint a big, strong man like yourself, but I must on this occasion. You’ll hear my boldness whenever these peace talks actually occur.” Wadaw ran a finger along General Aguv’s sharp, bearded jawline while speaking, watching the man’s eyebrows raise more from tantalization than confusion.

  “Hmm, well, I’m sure they’ll have us in there soon. I just wish there was a way for us to talk more frankly without worrying about being surveilled upon.” Theda said, once again swiping her hair behind her ear and motioning towards Prism.

  “That’s not currently possible. We’ll just have to hope that we’re all on the same page.” Ursun said.

  “Does she know that we can speak via telepathy?” Leanna asked Ursun through their link.

  “She shouldn’t, but she’s probably figured it out. Most external intel about us describes our team having “undetectable comms as a result of Prism’s unknown abilities”.” Ursun shared.

  “It isn’t hard to surmise since we tend to look like we’re secretly talking to each other.” Lorias shared.

  “You and Ursun are the only ones good at keeping your faces neutral regardless of what’s being shared between us…” Srell shared.

  A strong sensation of frustration began to pervade their telepathic link, making it harder to communicate all of a sudden. It was hard to tell which of them specifically was the source of the emotion, but most of them suspected it was Ursun. Srell looked over at his commander, whose eyes were still on Theda.

  “Unfortunate.” Theda said to Ursun. She didn’t look at him again for several minutes.

  “Why are the two of you even here?” Prism asked Theda and General Aguv rather rudely. “Is it just to add to this farce, or…”

  “Farce!? This is no farce, boy!” Prism could see the veins straining in General Aguv’s neck as the man spoke. “The Queen would not request our presence for a mere joke!”

  “I’m not so sure…” Theda said. She folded her arms across her chest and sighed.

  “Peacekeeper, keep your composure! As I have told you, we are in no danger here. Gusa is not foolish enough to disobey the Queen’s orders, and neither are her Royalists.” General Aguv stated emphatically.

  “How can you be sure that the Queen didn’t orchestrate all of this all to trap us down here? She doesn’t care about the lives of individuals! If she thinks that caving this whole complex in will neutralize a threat to her, she would!” Prism yelled back.

  “That’s enough.” Ursun shared to Prism.

  “The Quaking was a long time ago. Such drastic measures are no longer necessary.” General Aguv spoke more softly now.

  “If the Queen wanted you dead, you’d be dead. In a way, you’re an insurance policy against something like that happening.” Theda said.

  “She’d trigger an earthquake down here just to see how I’d respond! Don’t all of you see!? I’m a lab rat to her! She’s fucking with everyone around me to see me squirm!” Prism shouted louder than any of his teammates had ever heard him.

  “That’s enough!” Ursun yelled even more loudly as he placed a gloved hand on Prism’s shoulder. The threat of his commander’s monstrous grip was enough to make Prism cease his tirade.

  Everyone stood around the table looking at each other awkwardly for a few minutes. Before anyone else could break the silence, Mimo left her post near the door and said, “The Singular is ready to begin the talks. Follow me.”

  ****

  “So glad to have all of you here. Please, have a seat.” Singular Gusa Sela said to Wadaw, RED-1, Theda, and General Aguv as they entered the Hall of the Crystal. Mimo motioned to each of them where they should sit before she stepped back to the side of the hall’s massive, open stone doors.

  Gusa sat at a large round table made of white marble with his palms flat on its cold surface. He wore open, flowing grey robes that showed his gaunt torso. His tan skin stretched tightly against his thin muscles, showing a level of definition that impressed most who saw it.

  Vitenza, the Destructor captain of the speedsub that had been converted into an airship, sat to Gusa’s left. Her petite round face was unnaturally pale and covered in makeup, with violet eye shadow and lipstick. The violet robes she’d worn a year ago now had golden swans embroidered on their long sleeves. Even the large fan she was using was now gilded. Rhonan sat to her left, and the robed Royalists who’d been with him stood behind them.

  The massive Ewada Crystal was a few meters behind the Singular and his Royalist bodyguards. It glowed a deep, rich blue as it ran from the top to the bottom of the large hall.

  “That crystal…it’s the source of the deadzone. It’s a giant mana sink…” Prism shared with his allies. He took a seat beside Wadaw, who sat on the opposite end of the table to Gusa.

  “Mana sink?” Leanna asked.

  “That’s the dumbest sounding term you’ve told us so far.” Srell shared.

  Prism’s embarrassment traveled through the psychic link. He’d had time to calm down from earlier, but he was still a bit vulnerable. “It draws mana into itself and traps it inside its structure. There’s so much mana in it that even all of you can see its effects,” he shared.

  “That’s why it glows…interesting. An ancient mystery solved just like that.” Wadaw shared.

  “If I could touch the crystal, I could probably draw the mana out of it…some of it, at least. Depending on how deep the crystal vein runs, releasing too much of its stored mana at once would probably destroy this continent…” Prism shared.

  “Good to know…” Lorias shared with his signature sarcasm. “By the way, isn’t that Colonel Chereff of the Conjunction Joint Forces?”

  The mercenaries and Wadaw all looked at the stern, middle-aged woman sitting to Gusa’s right. She stared back at them like a judge looking at a contemptible criminal.

  “The fact that she’s sitting on his side can’t be good for us.” Wadaw shook his head and shared.

  “Traitor! She has the nerve to even wear her uniform!” Srell shared with enough anger to make the others wince at its acerbity.

  “Let’s not jump to conclusions.” Ursun shared. He saw Vitenza waving to him and furrowed his brow at her.

  “That’s Colonel Chereff, is it not?” Theda leaned over and said to Ursun. He nodded to her and leaned back in his seat without saying anything. He’d noticed the automated video cameras scattered around the room and alerted his team to their presence.

  “Our talks will be broadcast live to the entirety of ?ba. I hope none of you mind.” Gusa spoke in a mockingly polite manner. “I also hope you don’t mind the absence of my Council of Elders. The two of you should understand why they didn’t want to join us here today,” he said while pointing at Ursun and Theda.

  The two of them just barely resisted the urge to glance at each other. They couldn’t begrudge Gusa’s caution, but they wondered at his motives for bringing up the attack from seven years ago.

  “We all have done unsavory things during this war. But how amazing it is that we are all sitting here together without weapons in our hands!” General Aguv said with his arms raised up above his head. The others looked at him impassively.

  “It is amazing,” said Gusa, nodding to himself. “The Queen has given us a unique opportunity.”

  Gusa turned to Colonel Chereff and angled his head at her as if waiting for her to speak. She leaned over to him and cupped her hand near his ear before whispering, “This is suicide”. Prism couldn’t believe what his sensitive ears were hearing.

  “Beginning broadcast,” a male voice said through an unseen intercom system.

  The suddenness of the announcement made many in the room flinch. Srell started looking around for the source of the voice, swiveling his head wildly about until he was told to stop by Ursun.

  “We’re stuck now; stuck in his trap.” Lorias shared. His poise was undisturbed.

  “All eyes are on us. Let’s make the Red Wolves back home proud,” shared Ursun as Gusa raised his hands towards a wall-mounted camera behind them.

  While Gusa began introducing himself and those gathered around the table, Prism saw Wadaw sitting quietly with folded hands on the smooth tabletop. The silver-masked guerilla leader had a slight smirk as he sized up the televised tyrant before him. Wadaw slowly lowered his chin closer to his neck, causing his grey eyes to stare up from beneath his curly white hair that hung over his masked forehead.

  “He looks more like a wolf than any of us…” Prism thought.