Chapter Four

Rex

 The Honorable Knight

Avalor asteroid belt colony

Avalon Solar System

Alba galaxy, Beta Quadrant

Divine Federation 

Ianuarius 7th Y-909 C.E

 The Party was losing its morale as information from the scout came back with terrible news. The situation was more dire than the intel, which had sent a party of seven Paladins from the Startower base. The intel said that the colony Avalor had been struck by Infernals-Abominations from the Infernal realm- and the inhabitants had requested help to deal with it. It was just supposed to be a quick job. A party of seven skilled Paladins would get rid of the horde of Gallas demons. As a Star knight, dealing with Infernal demons was below Arexander Pendragon's level and rank, but he had been passing through the Startower when his Zodiak had intercepted the cry for help. He had become obligated to help instead of ignoring their plight, and he was sure that his presence as a Star knight would help with the Colony's morale. And it had. When they landed their ship on the landing pad on Avalor, the Mayor of the colony had been there to greet them. He was a tall, green skinned Fae with long, pointed ears and silver hair. The Mayor hadn't been sure if their message had reached the Star Tower base, after all, they had been struck with communication issues, so he was glad to see the Holy warriors of Starlight. From what Rex had gathered, the few fighters that they had on the colony had managed to push the horde outside of the interior of Avalor, sealing the entrance. Leaving the Infernals to roam about outside the colony. All the party had to do now was dispose of them, and it had been easy. Rex didn't really have to do much, not with their level of skill. He had begun to wonder why he had shown up for something of this level. But then he got his answer after the last Galla demon was killed, and the Scout of the party sensed a shift within the Odyllic. Rex felt it too, which had him worried. To find out what the change was, He had sent two of the scouts to investigate the surroundings of Avalor. Avalor was an asteroid belt made up of rocks and ice, the colony was built within the main rock with Seriphium steel which had housed the Inhabitants for centuries. The colony had been established by the Royal family of Albion, the Major planet within the solar system, to study the special clusters of green stars within the Quadrants. Since then, the colony had grown to include the Researcher's descendants. From what Rex knew, the colony had spread its territories to the other rocks within the belt connected by a ring of Xeta beam energy. Their party had set up a tent within the entrance of the Main colony, a table of portable Zodiaks set up by their Controller, to receive and analyze the data the scouts sent back and then relay the information to him, the Leader of the party, who then came up with a tactical plan. And the information Rex had gotten was a dire one. The rest of the party members were muttering to themselves, cursing their bad luck. Rex didn't blame them. They were greenhorn Paladins who had been stationed in the Camelot Startower base, which meant that they rarely saw any actions. This Quadrant of the known universe rarely ever saw any Abomination attack, talk less of an interdimensional breach. Which only spoke as a testimony to the might of the Paladins of Albion planet, led by Rex's cousin. Because of that, an attack on the Avalor colony was something unheard of. How did a horde of Gallas demons end up out here in space? Well, the answer to that was what the scout was investigating. According to what they had relayed, there was more than a horde of Gallas demons waiting by the outer rocks of Avalor. They had spotted a group of Infernal devils. Devils equipped with weapons and armors. They were leading the pack of Gallas. It was one thing if it had been Demons. They were of low intelligence, driven by their hunger to feed. Easy to deal with. But a group of lower rank Devils meant something huge. Rex was just glad that the abominations weren't of the Transcendent or Divine Rank. That would require him to go all out, and he wasn't sure if the environment was the right place for him.

"Did they spot any Category HM," Rex said to the Controller. She turned to me, her eyes widening at his deduction.

"Their intel suggests something like that," She said. "There's a large signature, but they're not sure. They've proceeded to get a closer look at the target." Rex took in what she said while he pondered on what the next step should be. His arms were crossed together, his right arm's finger tapping on his left arm. The scouts that had gone to investigate were not only skilled in the Scouting position, they were also skilled Strikers, whose job was to directly attack the enemy. They should be fine, but if there was a group of lower rank Devils, then it wasn't far-fetched to think that there would be a- A wave of shock flowed through the Odyllic, followed by a quake within the ground itself. The Zodiak's monitors turned blank and came back on.

"Come in, Scout Alock, Scout Zeloks…" 

"What is it," Rex said.

"I'm not getting any response from the Scouts," Controller Zuse said. She was an average height woman with strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes, the signature trait of those of the House of Aquarius. Her entire body was filled with jitters that Rex could also sense from the remaining four Paladins behind him.

"Are they dead?" Cleric Vogel said. She was the healer of the party and the only one trained in using Holy magic. 

"It's too early to jump to conclusions," Rex said, though the truth was that they were probably dead. If his intuition was right, there was a chance that there was a Category HM within the area, which would explain why a horde of Gallas demons had attacked the colony and why a group of lower Devils had shown up on the radar. Which meant there was a high chance of there being an upper Devil. Those Scouts could easily handle Demons or lower Devils, but an upper Devil, which was as close to a Full breed Celestial- Rex, wouldn't put his bet on them. But there was also a chance that they might be alive. A slight chance…

"I've tried requesting for back-up from Camelot base…but something's interfering with the signal," Zuse said. The Category HM was the only explanation. His right arm fell to the long sword by his side. If there was a chance that an upper devil was here, then it was up to him to get rid of it. 

"Cleric Vogel, you're with me," Rex said. " The rest of you set up a perimeter around the tent and defend it."

"Captain, you're not planning on going out there," Jessie Vodel said. He was of a large build with auburn hair and of the same House as me, which made him perfect for the Defender position.

"Yes, I am," Rex said. "And Vogel is coming with me 'cause there is a chance that Scouts Alock and Zeloks might still be alive," Rex was also considering the fact that the Family of Alock and Zeloks were nobility within the planet of Albion that supported his family. He didn't want their family to be struck by grief, something the universe could use less of. Rex was draped in a black combat suit padded with armor around his chest area, shoulders, elbows, and front legs. Luckily the quality of the armor has become quite light and durable enough. He stepped out of the tent and out into the vacuum of space. Rex turned to see if Vogel could handle the absence of oxygen, but it seemed the coat of Od around her body was in good shape. It wasn't as perfect as his, nor was it as strong, but it was enough to provide her body with the oxygen that it needed. It also protected them from the coldness of outer space. 

"Let's go," Rex said. She nodded as they lifted off from the rock, letting the absence of gravity pull them and then using the coat of Od around their bodies to begin leaping from rock to rock. They landed on a huge block of Ice, as large as an Island, and perched on the ice was a pack of Gallas demons- hyena looking creatures with black flames crested around their head. Rex pulled his sword, and with one style, he mauled through the pack like they were nothing. Black blood flowed through the vacuum, the decapitated body turned into ash. Rex could sense more Infernals further down the belt. But also at the edge of the belt was something trembling within the Odyllic.

"If we find Alock and Zelok alive, focus on healing them and retreating," Rex said.

"But Captain, you can't-"

"Do not worry about me," Rex said. His tone was enough to stop the Cleric from arguing. She knew his rank and level, and she knew he far outclassed her and everybody within the area, so If he should die, then everyone was doomed. They continued leaping from one block of ice to another, and then the closer they got to the edge, the ice began to reduce and large swaths of rocks and Devils, on top of it, began their attacks. Rex easily cut through them with speed and strength, not bothering to use much Od against them. The Devils- sharper and more intelligent than the Demons, humanoid in shape and cloaked in darkness in their lower torso with grey colored skin in the upper torso, some of them had bat-like wings and long tails- fell before Rex, red flames emitting out of his sword as he skewered through them.

"Captain, over there," Vogel said. She pointed towards a large crescent shaped rock that was on the very edge of the belt. Small chunks of rocks were breaking off it that would eventually become meteorites. Rex spotted two shapes fleeing a swarm of Devils equipped in armor and wielding weapons. It was like a small army. Rex and Vogel landed in front of the two shapes, and sure enough, it was Zelok and Alock. Zelok was carrying Alock's body, his combat gear was shredded, chunks of flesh were missing from his body, but the warrior was ignoring the bleeding, his attention focused on surviving the army that had been chasing him. Alock's body lay on his back, heavy and lifeless, a large hole on his body had stopped bleeding, and the blood mostly dried on Zelok's back. Seeing them, Zelok had a hopeful expression on his face as the strength left his leg, and he fell on the rock. Before his coat of Od faded, and both bodies could float away, Vogel chanted out a spell, and a white barrier surrounded both bodies.

"What's Zelok's condition?" Rex said.

"He's lost a lot of blood, and most of his rib cages are broken," Vogel said. "But I can administer first aid to keep him alive, but we have to take him to a Healing center to deal with the poison." Infernal poison was a deadly substance that self-healing couldn't heal. If it was Rex, there was a chance that he could heal from lower Devils or Demon's poisonous attacks, but Upper Devils…he would need a healer for that. The army was getting closer to them.

"Begin immediate treatment. Once you've finished treatment, return back to base with Zelok," Rex said.

"I can't carry two bodies myself, even with the barrier," Vogel said.

"I never said anything about the dead body," Rex said.

"But Captain…"

"What!" Rex replied.

"Zelok sacrificed his life to bring Alock's body…We… We have to honor his efforts and br…bring Alock's body back for his loved ones," Vogel said as the swarm got closer. She was right. It was the honorable thing to do. If it was up to him, he would love to bring Alock's body back. He knew the family from his time growing up in his cousin's Kingdom. But reality made it obvious what the right choice was. Vogel was not strong enough to carry two bodies with her barrier through the vacuum of space right back to the tent, and Rex needed to concentrate on wiping out this little army to get to the Upper Devil. Vogel could not be on this rock by the time he was done with the Upper Devil. He turned to the body that was within the barrier.

"Let it go," Rex said.

"Captain…"

"I said, let go of it," He said. She hesitated, but then the barrier she had placed on Alock's body was gone, and then it floated up, moving away from the rocks as the vacuum of space froze the body. Before it could leave his sight, Rex sent a blast of flame that turned the body into ash. Vogel said nothing but took out her cross from around her neck, kissing it.

"May the Divine King watch over you," She said. She didn't wait for Rex to tell her to leave. She turned back to Zolek, lifted the barrier with him in it, and jumped out of the rock, heading back to the tent. A shadow moved above Rex, heading for her, but he moved in front of it, cutting an arc through the vacuum, dissecting the head of the Devil. Rex hovered above the swarm of the Devils, his blade engulfed in red flames. He let his Odic force pull their attention towards himself. One attack spell was enough to deal with all of them.

"Flame construct-Dragon's claw," Rex raised his left arm as it morphed into a claw of huge red inferno, and then he brought it down upon the army. He watched as each of the Devils were engulfed in flames. If Vogel had still been here, the force of the attack would have been enough to deal damage to her and Zelok. Rex decided to try his best not to decimate the entire rock mass, to avoid some of the debris harming the colony. His job was to protect the colony, which meant maximum Od control. He landed outside the crater where the army had been and began to walk towards the source of the trembling within the Odyllic. As he got closer, the quake within the Odyllic grew stronger, the flow of ambient Od grew more erratic than it normally was in outer space. He finally got to the point of origin from where the Infernals had emerged, a pitch black hole that seemed to have carved itself within the rock, the darkness within the hole seemed to be forever. Rex could feel a gush of air flowing out of the breach, toxic hot air that would have burnt him if it wasn't for the thin coat of Od around him. Miasma from the Infernal realm was already leaking into the Physical realm. This was extremely bad. If the Miasma spread beyond this galaxy, it could corrupt the Novabeast that lived within Stars, turning them into Abominations. This Category HM, also known as "Abyss' ' was worse than he had imagined. Gateways such as this just didn't pop up out of nowhere. Something of this size required the involvement of something like Dimensional magic. Rex saw something move within the darkness just as the ground beneath him shook. Something was coming out of it… it happened so fast…he got out of the way just as something collided with his former spot. After the dust cleared, Rex saw a huge fist slammed on the ground. The arm was larger than him, maybe half the same size as the rock mass he was on. He heard the zooming noise of something else, and another arm shot out of the darkness. Rex hovered above the Abyss, watching as the head of the Upper Devil broke out. Its head was large with six sets of eyes arranged over the face, its mouth was fitted with serrated fangs. It let out a howl filled with power meant to paralyze anyone nearby. Normally sound should not be able to be perceived in space, at least that was what conventional science would tell you, but If one was Od-sensitive like Rex was, then perceiving the wave of sound was quite possible as the sound could travel through the medium of the Ambient Od within the vacuum of space. But the howl didn't affect him.

" I AM BALIA! HERALD OF THE GREAT DEMON KING OF ELIGOS OF THE INFERNAL WORLD, AND I-" Rex simply responded by letting out his Odic force, the pressure of it got the attention of the titanic Devil. Its six red eyes landed on him, hatred and disgust were plainly written on those eyes.

"Thank you for letting me know your name, O'great Herald," Rex said. "And in return, I will give you my name.."

" I DO NOT REQUIRE THE NAME OF A FLEA-"

"Actually, this flea feels it is only right that I tell you my name," Reex said as he put his sword back into its scabbard at his back. "The name is Arexander Pendragon of the House of Aries. My friends call me Rex."

"DIE, YOU INSOLENCE FLEA," Balia's arm surged right at Rex as he leaped off the platform. He conjured within his feet Od, which acted as a platform for him, and then he flew right to the Devil. He evaded both arms swiftly, holding his other sword by his waist, his right hand on the hilt. He took in a deep breath and then exhaled, concentrating as he got closer to the Devil's huge face.

"Dragon Art-Vertical Slash," Rex chanted as he pulled out a single edge Longsword, engulfed in red flames and dealt a vertical slash at the Devil's head. The attack happened faster than the Devil could react. A long gashing line spread from the head down to the waist that came out of the Abyss, and then the body was separated by the line, black blood gushed out, raining down on the rock. And then the body was gone, disintegrated into dust. Rex landed back on the rock, putting his sword back into its sheath. 

"Whew! That went better than I expected," He said to myself. The truth was that the thing that he had easily killed had only been the incorporeal form of the Devil that had been struggling to travel through the Abyss. If the Devil had managed to completely emerge, it would have gone straight to feeding on the colony and then the stars around the area. Which would give it the strength to maintain a physical body for itself, allowing access to its full power. Rex was pretty sure he could handle an Upper Devil of its level, but the fight would have taken longer than he would have liked. Now, all that was left was the Abyss. If left alone, more Infernals would crop out, or Balia could return again after it healed from his attack. Normally a Cleric would be the one to use a Sealing spell to close the gate, but Vogel wasn't here, and Rex was sure she wasn't strong enough to close one of this size. Luckily for him, he knew a couple of Barrier spells that he could use to prevent anything from coming out of the Abyss. 

"Purify that which has been depraved, through the path the Divine king has paved, and let the Holy flames be engraved- Flame construct- Shroud of Mars," Rex recited the level two spell, including the Incantation, since his skill with Barrier spells wasn't that great. Six balls of flames manifested and flew to the edge of the abyss. And then each of the flames connected, forming a hexagon shaped barrier around the Abyss. He watched as the spell he had constructed took shape and form, strengthening itself against anything that would try to cross over. The Barrier would simply burn them to ash. While this was only a temporary stopgap, when he returned to the base, he would have to request a more experienced Cleric than Vogel to seal the hole. After a couple of seconds, Rex began to breathe heavily, the weight of what had happened was gradually sinking in. He turned to stare at where the Colony was, now safe from elimination. They should thank whatever gods they worshiped that he had been passing by. He should go inform them that the danger has passed by. But before that, Rex took in the view of the green star, a large luminous body of Celestial energy, the reason behind Avalor's existence and the reason why it had also been in danger. For two centuries, that star had laid there dormant, not responding to whatever signal Avalor had sent. There was only one reason why it was not responding. It was still maturing, still learning, developing. But it would not be long before that fetus of a Celestial would gain sentience, and then someone like me would be called in to eliminate it before it would become a threat to the entire Star system. He suspected that the Miasma from the Abyss might infect the Celestial, and if it lost to the infection, it might become an Infernal. 

"We'll just have to wait and see," Rex said.

 ****

Camelot Star Tower base

Avalon Star system

Divine Federation

Ianuarius 7th Y-909 C.E

 The Zodiak broadcasted the Senate meeting across the Star Tower, repeating the same tireless meetings between Senators from different planets within the Federation as they argued back and forth over the same arguments that they had been having for the past five days. This was their fifth meeting, and they were still on the subject of what to do about Lamentias, one of the hundreds of planets within the colony region of the Federations within the Neutral Free Zone. Lamentias was a mining planet that was valuable to the Federation due to the supply of both adamant and seriphium ore within the planet. But over the years, the natives of the planet had begun to protest over how they were treated by the Federation. The local Inhabitants, the Lamenian humans who bore no Pleiadian blood, were treated harshly, jobs that should be for them were given to the privileged, and food and resources that should have been for the people were allocated mostly to those higher up in the caste system. Things had even become worse after the Uprising, after Starlight lost most of its power, unable to keep the peace in the outer reach or even beyond that. Rex was aware of the protest that had begun on the other colony planets, Lamentias wasn't the only one. But it was the loudest one. The tension between those of lower status and the elite was becoming worse. After the uprising, conflict had broken out in the Outer regions, conflict that Starlight had spent most of their power putting out while dealing with the Abomination threat at the same time. Things had smoothed out, and now they were beginning again. The Fallen star had really done a number on the Federation and Starlight. Rex shook my head, trying not to think of the terrorist organization..or the part that his family had to do with it. He had just recently returned from the Infernal incident on Avalor colony, which was close to the Main planet in this Star system, Albion. After he had slayed the Upper devil, he had returned to the colony and other members of the Party, only to find that Zelock hadn't made it. He hadn't been surprised to learn of his death. That was the nature of their job. Now Rex was back in his quarters, taking a shower to deal with the guilt that was plaguing him. After he showered and dressed in a red shirt and black pants, Rex went to the patio of the room that had been given to him. The patio had a window that showed the confines of outer space, the view held his breath just as it always did when he looked upon it. A nebula of different colors scattered across the endless space. To think that there was such beauty in the universe, and yet the cries of conflicts could be faintly felt across it.

"Ziron cut the broadcast," Rex said. The monitor turned off, and the image of the senate meeting was gone. He was tired of listening to it. Rex wanted to do something about it. Something about the chaos in the outer region. Or even the colony planets. He wished he could help those people who were suffering. But Rex knew that wasn't his job. His true purpose was more complicated than just him going from one region to another as a Star Knight. Though the Stellar Council had appointed him the position, it hadn't been given to him happily. There were people within the Stellar Council who didn't trust him. Rex's ties and association with the Fallen stars, due to his Father, made life within the Federation hard. Whenever one learned he was the son of the former leader of the Fallen Star, the poisonous glares he would get were like tiny blades stabbing him from behind. His school years had given him the strength to get over it, especially with the help of his friends. The ache within his heart at the thought of his family made him take a breath. He bought out his zodiak and looked at the image that it was set to. They were just kids when this image had been captured. Back in the Academy days, when things had been simple. Emily was in the middle, her arms around him and Leon. We were laughing, dressed in the black uniform of Helix Academy. Rex left the patio and went to the office within the room, where his report for the incident was waiting for him. As a Star Knight, his responsibility as a Paladin had increased, meaning that the ones he answered to within Starlight were the Council members only. But reporting about an anomaly within the Beta Quadrant wasn't something he was sure the council would take seriously. Not when there was… He sat down on the desk as he began to finish his reports. He had just finished signing his name on it when a fly appeared out of a mini-hole. A Firefly. He raised his arm towards it, and the fly flew on top of one of his fingers. He felt the message enter his brain. A message that he had been waiting on. And after the fly was gone, a shadow appeared. Luckily whoever was within the shadow didn't notice the fly. And then the darkness warped away to reveal a woman of the same age as him. She had black hair with black lips, and her pale skin was covered under a black robe that glistened with silver star patterns.

"Krios," Hekate spoke his secret name. He stood up from his seat and gave a nod to her. He was shocked to see her, his expectations had been of the Masked man whose identity was the most secretive thing in the universe...

"Hekate," He said. "I was expecting Master Mallus-"

"Master Mallus has requested your presence within the Citadel," Hekate said. 

"The Citadel," Rex said. This was troubling. That was his exact thought of this situation right now. It was rare for Hekate to step out of the Citadel without the permission of Master Mallus, not to mention to summon an Agent. Why didn't they just send a message through the secret network if Master Mallus couldn't request for him?

"Is there a problem," Rex asked.

"You do not ask questions, you do only what is requested of you," Hekate said as she took some steps backward. The shadows that she had appeared from spiraled into a gateway, the only way to get to the Citadel opening up before him. Rex sighed. He had planned to rest a little before taking his leave to the Neutral zone, but it seemed something urgent had come up. He prepared himself by donning his ram mask before he entered the portal without questions, Hekate following behind him. Rex felt the world twist underneath his feet, turning upside down, and then it was like it twisted again, and his bearings returned. He was no longer within the Beta Quadrant of the Alba Galaxy of the universe but was now standing in front of a large and tall building that pierced the green sky filled with darkish green clouds. The planet where the Citadel was located was far from the Federation's territory, further even within the Neutral Free Zone, an unknown place that was hard to track down. Rex remembered his first day here, bought directly by Master Mallus, who had recruited him after his Academy days. Hekate walked past him, entering the large door that had been opened. Rex hastily followed her in, walking through the large and wide halls that were filled with utter silence. He wasn't fooled by the emptiness, knowing full well that this hall was equipped with Od cannon blasters that could rip through the best barrier spells and that there were isolated areas occupied by Controllers whose job was to observe and report whatever information they could gather. They got on top of the circular platform in the middle of the hall, which then released a white light that beamed them up to the higher floors. Rex opened his eyes to see the residents of the Citadel, dressed in black suits with the symbol of a tiara decorated with two pairs of bull horns. Carved along the walls of the room was the Great Bull, which they followed to a pair of large doors that also had the image of an armored being sculpted on it. Hekate put her palm on the door, and it opened before her. She stepped aside, making him be the one to step through first. The door closed behind Rex without Hekate entering. In the rooms were other five agents of Sector Zero, the clandestine organization charged with the welfare of the Divine Federation. In the middle of the room, in front of a large screen filled with images of activities across the known universe, was one man. He was seated on a large marble throne, two sets of engraved bull faces serving as the handle of the seat. He wore a black tunic suit with a bull's horn mask covering his face. Rex couldn't sense his Odic force within the Odyllic, but there was an oozing feeling of a sense of order coming from him. He was aware of the stares of the other Agents who stood before him. They all wore masks that concealed their identity, though it didn't matter to Rex since he knew each of their identity beneath the mask…except for the silver haired female standing right next to Mallus.

"Greetings, Krios," Master Mallus said. His voice had no emotions behind it, no sweetness or bitterness to tell what he was thinking underneath that Mask. It was very hard to read or predict the Leader of Sector Zero's action, his mask covering every aspect of not only his identity but his personality as well.

"Greetings, Master Mallus," Rex said. He took a bow before him, feeling the gaze of his fellow Agents. "Might I ask why I was brought here, My Lord? I know that you're quite aware that I was in the middle of-"

"Insolence," hissed the purple masked Agent. Unlike Master Mallus, who was dressed in black, the other Agents were dressed in different colors, colors that corresponded to what House they belonged to. The one who hissed at him was from the House of Capricorn, thanks to the garnet color that he had on.

"It's okay, Nabu," Master Mallus said. Rex would love to imagine that he had smiled, but it was kind of hard to imagine a man like him smiling. "I'm quite aware of your situation. Which is why I needed to talk to you before you returned to your duty." Of course, he knew why Rex had been in the Beta Quadrant. His extended family ruled one of the major planets within the Federation, as such, they had some pull within the Congress. His duty-as Master Mallus puts it- had forced him to head to Albion. He had wondered if any of his actions went against Master Mallus' wishes. He never spoke his mind nor gave a reason why he wanted something done or not done, but there was an expectation to do things as one had been ordered to. Rex's presence in the Alba system went against it.

"There's been a situation within sector 29996," Master Mallus said. Rex paused, surprised to hear that word come from him.

"Situation," He said.

"As you're quite aware, years ago, we began project Starseed thanks to Orion's effort," Master Mallus said. Rex took a look at the silver haired masked female that stood next to Mallus. Orion was one of the best agents of Sector Zero, the best that Mallus had recruited. Few could beat her, and her skills were exceptional. Rex believed after Mallus, she was the most dangerous within Sector Zero. He knew that because he had worked with her in prior missions. The Mask she wore gave no clue as to what House she belonged to, and for some reason, he had never seen her use any special skills that belonged to a House. Rex knew everything there was to know about members of sector Zero, at least those that he had come across. There was no telling how many members there were because everything about this organization was based on secrets. The opposite of Starlight. 

"But there's been an unusual development within the sector where the Project was being conducted," Master Mallus said.

"What kind of development," Rex said. He didn't like where this was going. He was aware of what sector he was talking about. Sector 29996 happened to be the same location where Rex had been heading next. Things were not looking good right now for him.

"We don't know. But we would like you to find out why." Master Mallus said. "Project Starseed was reaching its final phase, and now we've lost contact with the facility. Doesn't smell right. I need you and Orion to deal with whatever is standing within our way in that sector."

"It shall be done," Rex said. Orion moved away from the throne, passed him, and was heading out. Rex supposed that meant he should follow her. Before he turned, Master Mallus spoke up again.

"Make sure that nothing gets in the way. This is more of a priority," Master Mallus said. "I would go there myself, but I have to deal with the situation in Lamentias and Litvain," Rex gave him a bow and then walked out of the room.

 ****

Downtown, Chicago

Terra, Earth's Solar system

Milky Way galaxy, Charlie Quadrant

Neutral Free Zone

Ianuarius 14th Y-909 C.E

Rex watched as the research base was burnt into nothing due to the spell that Orion had left behind to get rid of the evidence. As the flames burnt brighter, the light expanded, and then everything was sucked into a tiny hole that had broken through the space. Rex's heart had been beating fast when Leon Haravok had gone inside the building. He had not expected Emily to be there also. His instinct had been to help her, but Orion had gone ahead to deal with her, and he couldn't afford to do anything that went against the plan. So Rex had left the building before Emily could sense his presence. After a while, Orion returned, and he could sense the damage on her. According to her, she had dealt with Emily, but Rex could faintly sense Emily was still in the building. Orion went ahead to report back to the Mallus while he stayed behind to watch as the Building would be demolished. Finally, Rex was just about to go in, unable to stand back when Leon arrived. Relief washed through him as he entered the building. If anyone could save Emily, it would be Leon. And sure enough, minutes later, a burst of light flew out of the explosion that consumed the entire building, devouring every last speck of wood. His surprise at seeing two of his childhood friends wore off, and he could take a guess as to why they were here on this planet. They were banished from the Federation and exiled to Helix Academy, but their exile didn't mean they couldn't visit other planets within the Neutral zones. Which meant that Leon was still free to search for the Fallen stars. That idiot was still caught up in his desire for revenge. Rex felt the presence appear behind him, and he turned away from his childhood friends just as the white hood figure appeared out of the gateway. Rex was standing in the sky above them, and the figure calmly walked through the air towards him. He was clad in a white robe, his face covered by a hood. 

"Arexander Pendragon," The Clad warrior said. "How is the mission coming along,"

"Sector Zero believes that it was just an isolated incident," Rex said. Orion and he had reached the facility after the incident had happened, and from the investigation they did, it seemed the accident had happened from within. At least, that was how it was supposed to look. And that was exactly what he had said to Orion, and she had easily come to the same conclusion. Maybe too easily. Titus, the Warbringer, removed his hood from his face, revealing a scarred face and a bald head with light brown skin. 

"Are you sure of it," Titus, the Clad warrior asked. "They're not aware that it was us that released the abominations upon them," Rex nodded. Make sure that nothing gets in the way of this. Mallus' words came back in his head. He wanted to curse him. The man in front of him complicated everything. Rex still couldn't believe that he was in this situation. Three years since he joined the Fallen Stars. Three years just to gain their trust. Sector Zero wanted him to be their spy within the Fallen Stars, and the Fallen Stars believed him to be their spy within Sector Zero. Growing up in the Academy, Rex never thought he would be in this kind of position. His expectations, dreams, and ideals of what his purpose would be had changed as soon as he had gotten out of school. Now his realized purpose required him to be a double agent within both organizations. None of them knew the truth about him, just like how everyone else in the Federation didn't know the truth about his Father. Arexander I Pendragon. The thought of his father had always given him the strength to push through the mud in life, and right now, he needed as much of it as possible. 

"Hmm, the information that you passed along to us has been useful," Titus said. "They were nearly close to the same level of success as we, Octagram, had reached."

"And now they're forced to begin from scratch," Rex said. "What brings you here to me, Titus,"

"The Herald requires your presence in New York," Titus said. "We've reached a new phase, and your assistance is required." The Herald. The supposed leader of the organization that was behind the Fallen Star. The ones responsible for influencing the planets within the colony to protest. Rex still hadn't met whoever it was that led this organization of Od-wielders in Terra. Instead, he had been dealing with this hulk of a man. Rex followed Titus to New York, to the hidden base of the Fallen stars that was embedded there. Titus led him through the white corridor, past guards stationed outside doors. Rex wondered where he was taking him to.

"Are we going to see the Herald?" Rex asked.

"Not yet," Titus said. He turned to him, a growl coming off his hooded face. "The Lady may trust you because of your blood, but I do not trust you one bit, Pendragon," 

"I can tell," Rex said. "I've proven myself, over and over. Proven myself to be the son of the Fallen,"

"Yes, and that is why the Lady believes you have the right to know about this," Titus stopped beside a door guarded by two guards in white armor suits. They saluted us, and Titus pressed his palms to the widescreen by the door. It slid open, and Rex followed the big guy inside the room. It was eerily cold, red light filled the entire room that appeared to be a lab. In the middle of the labs were ten large pods, and watching over them were people in white coats. The lab reminded him of the one back in Sector Zero's base in Chicago. The one Titus had destroyed with Abominations.

"What's this," Rex said.

"Welcome to Project Starseed," Titus said as the scientists turned to them. Project Starseed. That was the same name as the secret project Sector Zero had been performing. One of the scientists walked over to us. He was short and average looking, his head was semi bald with little white hair there and here. He was brown skin, probably Middle Easterner by the looks of him.

"Master Titus, what brings you here," The old man said.

"Dr. Ahmad," Titus said. "This is Arexander II Pendragon. One of our faithful. Pendragon, this is Dr.Ahmad, the lead researcher and alchemist in charge of project Starseed."

"Pendragons, any relation to the Arthurian legend of the British isle," Dr.Ahmad said. Rex carefully observed this human, this warlock that was dealing with magical forces that went beyond mortal understanding.

"Yes, My family name has inspired a lot of myths across the galaxy," Rex said. So have other various Named Families in the galaxy. Their heroic deeds and adventures across the cosmos eventually became legendary, which is why their names were known. 

"Here is every information there is to know about Project Starseed," Titus handed a Zodiak tab to Rex. He took it and read the reports, shock, and revulsion stirring within him. Everything here went against Rex's morals. He managed not to let Titus see the revulsion on his face, doing a good job of keeping his expression hidden. 

"What do you require of me," Rex said.

"Right now, the rate of success is fifty-fifty," Titus said.

"We still haven't fully cracked the code to the perfect serum," Dr.Ahmad said. "What we have is as close to perfect as we can get. Our level of technology is not yet there to create the perfect concoction."

"Which forced us to go to the extreme," Titus said. 

"Like what," Rex said.

"We need to conduct more experiments," Dr. Ahmad said. "In an environment in which we can't control the process like we're doing here. That way, we can see how environmental factors play a role in genetic mutation " It finally clicked on what they were asking of him.

"You want me to release a plague on the humans of this planet," Rex said.

"Sacrifices are required to uphold our great cause," Titus said. "Can you sacrifice your morals, your honor, for the greater good, Pendragon," Rex sighed, turning the tab off. This was exactly the question that Titus had asked of Rex eight years ago. He gave him the same answer that I had given him then.

"No action is too great for my honor to commit," Rex said. "If it is for the greater good, sure I can do it,"

"Good," Titus said.