- Preparations for the Protection

After carrying out what had become his morning routine, which consisted of eating 'a generous serving of nutritious Braneal,' a bran based cereal that apparently had many health benefits; showering and brushing his teeth; and getting dressed into proper clothes, Gus decided to wake up the others.

It was still very early, being an hour before he would usually wake up and about three hours before classes would start normally in the mornings. But this was not a normal morning, not for the Reapers.

'It would be interesting to know how today is going to go,' Gus thought to himself. Over a third of the class would be missing, considering two of the five squads would be away on mission. Gus wondered if the lessons would be affected in some way, or if they would be the exact same as always. Would they have assistance to catch up, or would that be something they would have to do on their own?

Gus was always one of the earlier people among the Reapers to wake up, so he had expected a bit of a reaction from some people in his squad who he knew to be late risers, specifically Kyle and Claire. But he had not expected all of them to be against it, despite what they were up to today. Behind every door he knocked on, lay an angry version of his squadmates.

It was not like they were unaware of what was happening, since he had told them all once they returned to the house after their loss to the Ironforged.

'Perhaps I should pay more mind to that, as well.' After Jet had given him that mission last night, all thoughts about the game fled his mind. But, they had indeed lost, despite taking home a huge amount from eliminations. Overall, Gus was content with the result, but he wondered if a different approach could have brought victory.

Once they were all ready, Gus led them down to the shuttle bay. On the way, they encountered Jet. Although he was not sure, Gus thought that he seemed a little off.

"Gus, come with me before you go. I wanted to talk to you about the mission," he said to Gus.

After they took the elevator down, Jet led Gus back to the corridor where they had first met upon the station. As he entered the corridor after Jet, he glanced left, towards the room he had looked to the last time he was there.

Just like last time, the mirror was still there. And, just like the last time, it projected surroundings around Gus that were impossible to be real. Although, there was no jungle this time. Instead, there was what appeared to be a facility, similar to the station Gus was in right now. But it was explicitly different. The surroundings were different, the colours in the mirror were clearly changed, despite their tone and application being different, and the layout of the walls that appeared behind Gus were different in the mirror.

"What is this thing?" Gus muttered.

"It's an artifact, of sorts. We retrieved it from a planet called Peegel, one of the inhospitable ones from the Emerid system," Jet said from behind him. "It's due to be sent to Linthol for research, but they still have not asked for it. I'm not too sure what's happening, but for now we're keeping it secure aboard the academy."

"Why does it show a different surrounding to what is really here? And, why is it different? I remember last time I was here, I saw a wild jungle background. Why does it now show something similar to this place?"

"I've got no answers for you there. We're still waiting on Linthol, like I said, and until then we won't have anything but speculation. Now, back to more pressing matters, I called you here for a reason."

"You did?" Gus asked, pushing the thought of the mirror to the back of his mind and focusing on the mission he was to undertake within a matter of hours, "Was it to do with the mission?"

"It was," Jet answered. "Look, I'm going to be honest with you. I don't like the Kneebenders, and I guess you don't either."

"Can't say I'm a fan," Gus agreed. "But, people should be allowed to have their say."

"Yeah. With certain things, for sure. But not with other things. Not with things like this. The people are allowed to think what they want, but when you begin to turn people to the side of the enemy in a war, then perhaps you should shut your mouth, or have it shut for you."

"What are you getting at?" Gus asked.

"Nothing, nothing. Well, you have to protect them, after all. But I just want to suggest that they are undeserving of your protection, of any protection at all. All I ask is that you think from your own perspective out there, and not the perspective of the Kneebenders. Think about the people who have died through the war, and the people they wish to dishonour with their ideology. Is that something you would stand for? Is it something you could stand for?"

"I get what you're saying," Gus replied. "But I don't think I can agree with it. Even if they're wrong, people are entitled to their own views on different things."

"Sure, but some people are not. Some people simply should not exist. Some ideology should be dead, but instead they feel like they can corrupt the minds of others, and can convert them to the cause of pacifism. If things go too wrong down there, and it is between your lives or theirs, choose your own. Not that I expect you to need to, of course."