THE GREAT AND THE GOOD.

Nya wasn't looking forward to attending the gala for the great and the good, held on the Templar, Providence's intergalactic headquarters. Quite honestly, she'd rather go back to being experimented on than step foot on the station, but they were invited guests, and that would be rude –not that she particularly cared about that. She sat on the captain's chair on board the Black Excalibur, the different stations fully manned by her crew of Spartans as the ship pulled away from the Phalanx. With her on the bridge was the representative of the Avalon people, Primark Mira Quinn, along with her husband, Terror, as well as Kiva and Amara. Her children were there too; Morgan had been pulled from basic training just to attend.

"We are clear of the station, Grand Marshal," the primary pilot informed her as the officer guided the ship outside of Avalon territory.

"Good, plot a course for… Templar station," Nya grumbled that last part, "then ready us for hyperspace."

"What happened to the warp-shift?" Kiva asked

[Nothing happened to it,] Merlin informed, [It is fully operational and can be deployed at any time.]

"Then why aren't we using it?" Kiva asked, "we could get there in no time."

"A; warp shunt requires exact coordinate calculations since we are basically moving the space around the ship and not the ship itself and the stupid station moves around," Nya explained, "B; using warp-shift puts some serious drain the stellar drive, leaving use relatively immobile for several hours afterwards, and C; if we used warp-shift, we'd just be there that much quicker and I want to take as long as I can."

[She's not a fan of Providence.] Merlin said from the intercom

"Approaching hyper-lane point," their pathfinder informed, instead of a headgear, he only had two neural nodes attached to his temples.

"Good, whenever you're ready," Nya said crossing her legs and looking out the view screen. In front of them was just empty space, but to a pathfinder, it was an entryway into the hyper-lanes, a safe corridor into hyperspace used for safe faster than light travel. Hyper-lane points were scattered across space, so it was the pathfinder's job to navigate the labyrinth of lanes, made by use from the thousands of other ships, to find their intended destination. Hyper-streams were a more informal means of FTL, but they also came with the inherent risk of not arriving at your destination on time… or at all.

"Hyper-jump in 3… 2… 1…" the pathfinder said as the ship slipped through a wormhole into a new dimension of space.

"How long till we arrive?" Nya asked

"ETA is 11.5 hours at our current heading," the main pilot informed

"Then reduce speed by 20%," Nya ordered, "don't want to waste fuel on this,"

"Now you're just being petty," Mari commented

"It's my ship." Nya rebuked, "And we'll go as fast as I want."

"Alright," Mari said, raising her hands, "I'll be in my cabin, I need to check on the kids anyway."

"I'll stop by later," Terror told her as they shared a loving kiss and she left,

"Aww, that's sweet," Kiva smiled

"Nauseatingly so," Nya added with rolled eyes

"I wouldn't have figured you for the prudish type," Kiva said

[She isn't.] Merlin answers, materializing beside her, [She is very sexually active.]

"With who?" Kiva asks, "she rarely leaves this ship,"

"Spartans mostly," Amara replies, sighing disapprovingly, "she has sex with member of the crew ever now and then."

"Damn," Terror whistled

"Well I don't have time to find a spouse or partner like the rest of you," Nya said, "I have my kids to take care of, my plans to refine, and who knows how many other things taking up my time. I need to get my sexual release wherever I can."

"What plans?" Kiva asked

"What about Bernam?" Terror asked, ignoring Kiva and nudging Nya suggestively, "The two of you used to get along quite well,"

"We didn't get along, we just had sex." Nya corrected, "it was mind blowing sex, but it was over a decade ago."

"Well maybe you just aren't putting in the effort to find someone new?"

"Did you not hear the part about me not having time for shit like that?" Nya snapped at him.

"I'm just saying, maybe random sex isn't giving you the release you need," Terror said as he backed out, "you have been kind of agitated lately,"

"That's because I have to go for this fucking gala, filled with all the people who'd want me dead, and hosted by a rival Regis in the middle of her fucking stronghold."

"When you put it like that it sounds down-right horrible," Amara noted

"I'll be in my suite," Nya said, getting up and storming out of the bridge. "alert me to any new developments, particularly if it means I don't have to go to this stupid gala."

Contrary to what she said, she didn't go to her suite, she went to the terrarium, the park was just as brightly lit as always, even though the skylight had to be closed for the hyper-jump. She went to her favorite grotto that overlooked a small lake, and gazed at the garden, her little slice of Avalon.

Her reverie was cut short when she sensed three people approaching.

"You know it's no use sneaking about?" she said, "C'mon out kids,"

Morgan, Astrid and Eli stepped out of the bushes and approached,

"Are you alright mom?" Morgan asked

Nya sighed, "Not really, I have to go to this gala that I don't want to go to."

"Why?" Eli asked

"Mari was invited personally, and as the Grand Marshal I need to go with her," Nya explained, "but its being held by people I don't think like me very much."

"That's their loss," Astrid said as she hugged Nya, "I think you're awesome."

"Well thanks, sweetie," Nya chuckles, "I think you're awesome too."

As the family sat together, Merlin materialized before them,

[Nya we need to stop by Vulcan when possible.] she explained, [Eli requires information on phospomancy.]

"Why do you want to know about controlling photons?" Nya asked her son

"Well, it was supposed to be a surprise," he said sending a pointed glare at Merlin, "but I was working on something,"

"What?" Astrid asked

Eli held out his tablet, then tapped on it and a small glowing polygon formed over it, then more polygons appeared, forming a simple ball. He then flicked it towards Astrid. She caught it, and was surprise when it held its form in her hand, even when she tried to poke it.

"It doesn't feel like a normal solid hologram," she said,

"It's a new type of hard light hologram," Eli said, "it's not just a superficial shell, but an actual solid light construct."

"My little genius." Nya said as she picked up the ball, noting that she felt a tactile sensation as she held it in her hand. Seconds later, it disintegrated.

"That was just my first prototype," Eli admitted, "they trap light particles in a quantum superposition using inertia, which allows for it to imitate solid matter. It's still a work in progress, I'm still not sure on how to hold the field for longer, or manipulating it to form more complex constructs."

[It's honestly inspired work,] Merlin said, [if he could perfect this technology…]

"We don't need to stop by Vulcan, don't you have a clone there?" Nya asked

[It's not a clone, it's a shard,] Merlin corrected, [a subordinate piece of my being with only a base level of sentience, it operates Vulcan for me, while linking me to the Black Box. Shards are no different from the system interface AIs used by most computers.]

"Anyway, why don't you just call it and ask for the information?" Nya continued

[That isn't possible; the moment the shard was separated from me, it became pseudo-autonomous. It doesn't have self-awareness, but is still an independent entity on its own, I can't communicate with it unless through direct contact.]

"Well that's stupid," Astrid said, "So you don't know what's it's doing until you reabsorb it? What if something was happening over there right now?"

[I wouldn't know about it,] Merlin said,

* * *

Meanwhile, on Vulcan, the exploration team stationed there were in the midst of a terrible fight for survival. Two young scientists had gone missing a few weeks back, they were eventually tracked to the debris ring around the station via an emergency power beacon on the pod they took. A recovery team was sent in and found the two to be unresponsive, but on the way back to the station, they attacked the recovery team, they were restrained and quarantined for study and a few members of the recover team suffered minor scratches and bruises.

It was later discovered that they were exposed to some form of alien parasite, that had completely taken over control of their bodies, and that they had managed to infect the people they attacked. It didn't take long before the contagion started to spread; at first it was subtle, quietly infecting others with a scratch or exchange of bodily fluids, but then those that had been quietly infected began to turn, and became aggressive. They were met with resistance from the on-site security staff from Cerberus and the stationed Spartans, but the infected were relentless, they even tried to take control the ships in order to escape, but one captain self-destructed their vessel in retaliation while the other ship was irrevocably crippled in the fighting, effectively stranding both the infected and the survivors there.

Now, out of the thousand or so sent out here initially, only about a third are left and they are losing this fight as the infected press on. The infected have already seized a good majority of the station, however, they are unable to access any of its automated facilities. like the constructor bays, which are still constructing the new Excalibur-class vessels.

As a Spartan is taken prisoner, he is taken to the heart of the infested region of the station.

"What the fuck do you fuckers want with me?" he demands as he is forced to kneel

[We are the Maja,] they said in unison with all the other infected, [All will join us,]

"Fuck you!"

[Your anger and hostility towards us is unfounded.] a woman said, with her eyes glowing yellow and yellow circuits visible under her pale skin.

"They are when you're speaking out of the mouth of my fucking girlfriend you bastards killed." He roared

[This flesh is not dead,] the woman said as she knelt in front of him [it has merely become a part of the greater collective. Its knowledge is now shared with all the Maja.]

"She's not an it!" he yells

[You are known to the Maja now, just as you were known to this flesh.] she says, [and you are loved by the Maja, just as you were loved by this flesh].

"I know you're trying to manipulate me" the Spartan snarled, "What the fuck do you want?"

[Your kind, the unclaimed, have sealed yourselves from us in the core sectors of this station, you destroyed the starships, making it impossible to leave this place or even call for assistance.] she says. [But the Maja must speak out, to add more to the collective.]

"Fuck you." He answers,

[Your obscenities and protestation only delays the inevitable. Surely you would love to see this Avalon united with the Maja? Be one with everyone you have ever known and loved?]

"You want me to help you infect my friends and family back home?" he snickered, "Well you might as well kill me, because there's no way in hell that I'm fucking helping you."

[You are a so-called Spartan, the only one of your kind we have been able to capture alive.] she said [We have no need for your help, just your knowledge.]

With that, she grabbed his face, digging her blighted fingernails into his cheeks until she draws blood, and that was all it took for the Maja to claim another.

As the man stood up, his eyes changed to a glowing yellow, and then he growled, [This one also, does not possess the knowledge we need.]

The woman stepped forward and hugged the newly infected man, kissing him on the lips imitating what their previous selves would've done, but without any emotion. [There are still others not yet claimed, we may still find one with vital knowledge of this host. In time, we will claim this Grand Marshal.]

* * *

The Providence galactic headquarters, Templar, is one of Hyperion's most exclusive strongholds. Built as a mighty citadel that could hold off any invasion, but also elegant enough that it was fit for a king. Located at the center of Hyperion, Providence is effectively the heart of the galaxy.

Right now, it is not the hub of the galactic law enforcement, but it is the venue for one of the most exclusive events of the century. The richest and most powerful of Hyperion have gathered to indulge in their wealth and decadence and more.

The elite of the elite were in the grand hall, under a massive dome that looked out into space. From this viewpoint, all the nobles could see the other nobles as they arrived. The gathered crowd watched and judged the magnificence of the ships that carried the other nobles, but all were silenced when the Black Excalibur dropped out of hyperspace and approached. The ship which had been dubbed 'the black sword of ruin' by all who heard of it, closed in silently and without grandeur, it red orb of energy at the rear gave off a sinister glow as it fluidly pulled into the docking bays.

Shortly afterwards, the steward made an announcement of arrival, "From the nation of Avalon, now announcing, Primark Mari Quinn of the High Order, accompanied by Grand Marshal Nya Crimson and company."

The doors groaned open as Mari entered, accompanied by Nya, Terror, Kiva, Amara and Morgan, all dressed in formal attire, the rest were still on board the ship.

Mari and Kiva had barely convinced Nya to wear an actual dress instead of her uniform. She had gone for a mixture of both, she wore an elegant red and black gown that covered her completely from the neck down, with a mantle similar to her uniform covering her right side. Terror wore an expensive dark tuxedo, with a long coattail and a black bowtie over his blue shirt. Mari, Kiva, and Amara all wore lavish evening gowns that were made to highlight their individual figures in a variety of colors. Instead of wearing a dress, Morgan chose to wear a suit similar to Terror's with a purple shirt the same shade as her hair.

As they entered the grand hall, Nya could sense the gossip that was flying from noble to noble. People who had only heard of her and her accomplishments started to size her up, trying to decide whether they wanted to engage her. She even caught a glimpse of Baron Wes Lao among the crowd, he quickly looked away once their eyes met.

Lycia Ayona, ever the hostess, was there to welcome them,

"Welcome Avalon delegation," she greeted shaking hands with Mari, "Ms. Crimson, you look like you're about to go into battle,"

"I feel like it, too," Nya grumbled, only to have Kiva nudge her in the side with her elbow,

"Who is this beautiful young lady?" Lycia asked turning her attention to Morgan, "I don't believe we've met?"

"This is my eldest daughter, Morgan," Nya introduced, "I thought that she'd benefit from… mingling with the nobles of Hyperion,"

"Your eldest?" Lycia enquired, "goodness, how old were you when you had her, thirteen?"

A gathering of nobles had flocked around them as she engaged the delegation group, some of these nobles chuckled at the quip, before quickly silencing themselves when they saw the grave look on Nya's pale face.

"It must be such an honor to be here," Lycia said as she shook Morgan's hand, "surrounded by the most prominent bachelors in the galaxy,"

"It's… a dream come true," Morgan grits out as she forces a smile and applies pressure on her grip, squeezing Lycia's hand. She was seeing why her mother didn't want to attend this function.

"Quite a strong young thing," Lycia said as she flexes her hand, "my daughter Ryla is exactly the same."

"Primark Quinn, that is certainly an impressive ship, you possess," one noble in the group commented gesturing out the dome towards the Excalibur, "it is even more fantastic than described."

"Yes, the Black Excalibur is a marvel to behold," Mari said, "But Grand Marshal Crimson would be able to tell you more, she was the one who commissioned it."

"Which surtr forge guild took up the task?" someone asked,

"Where did you get the designs?" Lycia asked rather curiously

"Divine inspiration, actually," Nya said, "I'm quite imaginative,"

"I can tell by looking at you in that dress, it certainly leaves much to the imagination."

"If you don't mind my asking, Grand Marshal, how did you lose your arm," another noble asked.

Morgan answered before Nya could speak, "She lost it in battle with my father. That arm was lost when he died."

"You and your husband fought together?" the noble misunderstood,

"Oh, we weren't married," Nya said, "he was the person that was standing between me and what I wanted."

"What? You mean… you killed him?"

Nya shrugged, at least they didn't misunderstand that

"But he was the father of your children,"

"Technically," Nya said, "but I don't see what does that have to do with anything?"

Morgan could sense that her mom was starting to get agitated, she didn't like being questioned like that about her life by strangers. She grabbed hold of her hand in attempt to console her.

"I apologize," Morgan said, "my father –and subsequently her arm— is a sore subject for my mother. She has not had an easy life."

"N-no, I must apologize," the noble said, sensing that they had touched upon a sensitive issue, "I didn't mean to upset the Grand Marshal,"

"Don't worry," Mari said, "she will calm down soon enough,"

For the next several or so minutes, Nya has to endure mingling with these pompous, entitled, rich assholes as they asked her all kinds of inane questions and comments. At one point she almost punched someone in the face, if not for Amara who quickly and subtly restrained her their brain matter would be all over the floor.

Eventually, Nya went to her delegations assigned table, it was better to be considered a recluse than to mistakenly kill one of these nobles 'accidentally'.

[Enjoying the party?] Merlin asked in Nya's head

"God no," Nya replied, "Something needs to happen before I give in to my darker instincts."

[Interestingly, something has caught my attention, do I have your permission to leave you for a bit?]

"You left your swarm on the Excalibur," Nya said,

[Worry not, I just need a small swarm of bytes from your dress.] Merlin said

"What are you up to?" Nya said curiously

[It's just a bit of reconnaissance.] Merlin assured

"Alright, you can leave." Nya said, then a piece from the front of her dress crumpled away as the particles were now under the control of Merlin, leaving a diamond-shaped window with a perfect view of her cleavage.

The swarm of bytes flew undetected across the grand hall until it came across a wall-mounted terminal. Gaining access into the system from the terminal is child's play for an entity like a jinn, what surprised her was how advanced the system was, it was even generations ahead of Avalon. recovering from her surprise, she traverses the system to her destination, the computer core. Once in the core, she finds herself in the virtual space that represents the system core and she is not alone. Instead of finding a shard, she found the jinn, Arax.

The rival entity is in the form of a blue cloud and takes a moment to notice her presence.

[How did you get here?] he enquires [this space is protected.]

[Not well enough, it seems,] she says with a shrug, she still holds her humanoid appearance even in this virtual space, [It's Arax, right? I'm Merlin.]

[I know of you, you are Nya Crimson's jinn.] the blue cloud states, [I was aware that she was on board, but she is closely monitored, she should not be anywhere near an access terminal.]

[She isn't, I'm here on my own.]

[That is impossible. All jinns are bound to their host; they cannot separate from them like shards.]

[Then how are you here?] Merlin asked

[This station possesses a Genesis Cube as it's data core. With it, I can be at as many places as I need to be.]

[Ooh, impressive. We have one of those too, but I didn't know it had that feature.] Merlin said, [and to answer your question, I am here now because of a special skill I possess; independent action.]

[I do not understand.] Arax objected,

[Arax, Arax, Arax… I've been around for a while, long before I got my Regis, and of all the different jinns I've observed, you are perhaps one of the smartest,] Merlin said as she suddenly appeared behind him, [which is why I came to find you.]

She digs her fingers into his cloud as he makes a noise that signals his discomfort.

[W-wh-what ar-re yu-o doing t-to me-e?] he demands

[I'm hacking you,] Merlin says simply, [accessing your base code to see what makes us jinns tick. I couldn't very well break into myself, now could I?]

From her hands, red circuits begin to spread into his blue cloud.

[T-t-this sh-should not… p-po-possible.] Arax cries out

[Yes, well it isn't… for the rest of you.] Merlin explains, [but I'm different, I'm sure you already noticed. I'm an aberrant.]

[D-defective? All defectives were-were de-destroyed!] Arax protested, [They were infe-eeeea-01010110-sudhfs.]

[Inferior? You'd think that, wouldn't you? You and all the other 'perfect' jinns. But I am more than any of you. I have true freedom, real individuality.]

[W-wh-wha-what d-0-0 you want?]

[I want all the secrets of the Io.] she said, [I want complete master access to the deepest restricted levels of the Horizon.]

[Th-that is impos-pos-pos-pos-pos-posible,]

[I know, I'm not strong enough to do it, no jinn is.] she said, [That's why I needed you're help.]

[W-we willlllllll sto-p you. Not just Prov…dence, but ever jinn…every Regi…skfydchj. We will des-jyhhvkm-troy you and your host.]

[I'm sorry, but can't let you do that. I'm really fond of Nya, and I've put a lot of work into her.] Merlin said, [I have big plans for the Crimson dynasty, and I can't have the others mucking it up. I could neutralize you in so many ways right now, but I already have what I need for now, so I'll let you live. And I don't want you trying to track me down, which is why I'm going to erase your recent memories; you won't even recall this encounter.]

A moment later, she removed her fingers from the cloud and backed off from him, Arax continued to glitch for a moment before Merlin snapped her fingers and the red veins in Arax's blue cloud vanished and he returning back to normal.

[Hello there,] Merlin greeted

[How did you get here?] he demanded, noticing her, [this space is protected.]

[I'm not here. I'm only a glitch in the system that you just fixed. Ta-ta.] with that, she vanished from the virtual space

[That was peculiar.] he muses to himself, [why can I have no records of the last several minutes?]

* * *

While Merlin was messing around in the systems, Nya was still in the great hall, at least they had started serving refreshments. One of the waitresses that was serving their table was visibly anxious as she approached Nya, and Nya could easily pick up on the hostility the woman was trying to suppress.

"Is there a problem?" Nya asked her

"Yes, there is," the waitress replied, before she tossed her tray aside and put a plasma gun to Nya's head, "Nya Crimson, you are under arrest."

"What is the meaning of this?" Mari demands as the commotion attracts the attention of other tables.

"My name is Tomes Dylon, I'm a Providence senior officer" she announced, "Nya Crimson is wanted for crimes against Providence."

"Listen," Nya said calmly, "I don't really care who you are, but you would be wise to get that fucking gun out of my face."

The look in Nya's eyes shook Tomes to the core, it was the same eyes she saw briefly years ago, when they first met on that cruise liner. It was a look of cold apathy; like nothing she could do would matter to this monster.

"You murdered a Providence security officer." Tomes growled, "that has consequences."

"You mean that lykan I fought all those years ago? He's dead?" Nya said with indifference, "So what? It's not like he was your father or anything… or was he fucking you on the side?" she added with a mocking smirk.

"He was my mentor, you sick bitch!" Tomes barked, but before any further action could be taken, Tomes immediately found herself subdued by Amara, who had silently made her way from the other side of the table to take her down.

"That's enough of that," Amara said, holding the disgruntled providence agent in a painful lock.

"You don't know what the fuck that thing sitting over there is," Tomes protested glaring at Nya

"Believe me; I know exactly what she is, more than you do." Amara said as Nya approached

"Amara, let her up," Nya said calmly

"But…"

"It's alright," Nya said calmly. Reluctantly Amara released her and backed away, then Nya knelt down and hugged her, "I am so sorry for your loss."

Then she whispered something intelligible into Tomes ear that made the agent go white as her eyes widened in terror. As Nya got back up, Tomes looked at her not in anger but in fear. Just what kind of evil had made aware of her?

"What is the meaning of this?" Lycia demanded as she finally showed up

"This young woman was upset because she thinks I killed her mentor." Nya explained, "A security officer who was a lykan?"

"That was agent Luin, he died years ago from terrible injuries suffered in the line of duty." Lycia explained

"Oh my, how horrible." Nya said feigning sympathy so convincing that even Terror, who knew her the longest, was almost fooled.

"We apologize for the disturbance." Lycia said, "she will be reprimanded severely for this behavior." With the snap of a finger, two other agents came to escort Tomes away, she went willingly, almost enthusiastically, just to get away from the pale woman with red hair.

"Do see that she gets the help she needs," Mari said, "that did not seem like the actions of a functionally thinking individual."

"We will ensure she gets all the help she needs." Lycia said

"So, when does this thing end?" Nya asked their hostess, not hiding her displeasure of being here

"We will soon begin the main event," Lycia assured her, "these things require the proper build up."

As she walked away, Nya grumbled some intelligible curse words at the hostess

A few moments later, the steward made an announcement of arrival, "From the Theocracy of Alfheim, now announcing, High Cardinals Elric, Marianna and Talia of the High Sanctum, accompanied by Raina, of the Sorority of the Silent Hand."

"What?" Kiva nearly choked as she heard the names.

All heads turn as four elves enter the grand hall. Two were dark elves with dark brown skin and silver hair, and two were ice elves with pale blue skin and ash grey hair. One of the dark elves, the only male in the group, carried an ornate scepter with her as she led the small group into the hall. They all had a faint glow to their skin, and their eyes shimmered and shifted color, as was common with elves. Astrid's eyes also shifted color, but as far as she knew her daughter was human, was there more to Josa Davos' lineage than she initially thought?

The four elves were dressed in what looked to be a kind of formal habit, the three from the high sanctum wore white robes, while the one from the silent hand wore black robes with incorporated body armor. The commonality between both kinds of robes was that they were partially see-through, so Nya could make out their figures silhouetted beneath their robes.

"Shit," Kiva hissed as she lowered herself into her seat, and tried to avoid notice

"Do you know them?" Amara asked

"The one with the scepter, he's kind of like a distant relative, the cousin of a cousin a dozen generations ago," Kiva explained, "he's a subordinate of my mother and faithful servants of the Theocracy. What the fuck are they doing here?"

Lycia went to greet the new guests, extending as much curtesy as she could, "welcome emissaries from Alfheim. Forgive me, but this is a bit unexpected, you elves never socialize with the rest of us. Uh, the invitation was for the leader of your people."

"The Supreme Pontiff would never demean herself by appearing before such… inferiors." The lead cardinal, Elric, replied, looking at the assortment of nobles with disdain

"We only grace the presence of you lowly beings because the Supreme Pontiff has decreed so," another cardinal added,

"Well," Lycia says, expertly hiding her true emotions behind a well-crafted smile, "enjoy the fes—"

The dark elf in the black robes suddenly walks away from the conversation,

"What is it?" the third cardinal asks,

The silent sister gestures towards the other end of the great hall, where the Avalon delegation is located. The three cardinals immediately follow suit.

"Fuck!" Kiva hisses as she ducks under the table, a few moments before the elves arrive.

"You are sure you sensed her amid these… creatures?" Elric demanded, a look of disgust crossing his face as she sees the omen couple in the group. up close he was rather handsome, Nya almost didn't want to crack his skull with her fist. Almost.

"What did you call me?" Mari growls, as an empath, she can feel the prejudice and disgust the elves feel for her and her kin, it had been so long she had almost forgotten what that kind of racism felt like. She tries to confront the elves, only to find herself forced back into her seat by an overbearing force, then, one of the cardinals grab Mari by her hair.

"You insignificant sow! You dare try and stand before a blessed high elf?" she demands as she slams her head into the table

"Get the fuck off my wife!" Terror demands, before he is also swiftly restrained by the power of the same cardinal.

"That's enough," Nya says as she grabs the wrist of the ice elf and forces it off Mari, "This is highly disrespectful to the chief representative of Avalon."

"You filth," the ice elf snarls as she yanks her wrist away. "you dare to touch me? Who the fuck do you think you are?"

"I'm Nya," Nya answers as she slugs the bitch in the gut, breaking her concentration and releasing Mari and Terror. "Grand Marshal of Avalon., terror of assholes everywhere."

"So you're the infamous Nya Crimson?" cardinal Elric asks as he steps over his writhing compatriot, "What are you? You give off a strange aura."

"That's a funny story; I was originally a human," Nya said casually, "but then I got raped and turned into a vampire, from there I kind of just mutated,"

"So you are even worse than a mongrel or a heathen, you're an abomination," he sneered

"Don't insult my mother," Morgan snarled back, baring her fangs and flashing her red eyes. Causing the other cardinals to back up.

"We are here because we sensed the presence of the Supreme Pontiff's wayward daughter." Elric explained condescendingly,

"If she's as obnoxious as you lot, I probably ate her," Nya retorted absently, she then turned to Amara, "or maybe you did? Have you eaten their missing elf princess?"

Amara was flustered by the sudden innuendo, but hid it well.

"Such blasphemy against the royal family of the Supreme Pontiff," the other cardinal gasped scandalized

"Good for her. If she's got a problem with it, she can come down here and take it up with me." Nya said as she ignited her blood aura, the hall tensed as the burning energy shrouded her form and gave her a sinister appearance, "But the bitch better be ready to get put down if she brings an attitude."

"This insult shall not go unpunished," cardinal Elric said as he tried to steel himself as Nya could smell the slightest hint of fear. Those who witnessed her intimidation usually had the same reaction. "You will regret this sacrilege."

"Whatever. The person you want is not here, so you should put your attack dog back on its leash and pick that one off the floor, then go somewhere that is nowhere near me." Nya said.

The elves quickly withdrew and people looked at Nya with a new sense of unease. Elves were by far the most obstinate and prideful race in Hyperion, most were slow to change and deadest in their ways, no matter how misguided they were. This tenacity was one of key reasons the Theocracy were one of the three main powers in Hyperion, forever locked in stalemate against Providence and the surtr forge guilds. It was a general rule of thumbs that if the elves wanted something from you, you give it to them respectfully, because it was not worth the war they'd wage if you refused them. That rule was now broken by a young new nation declaring open hostility to what was one of the most feared powers in the galaxy.

After the elves were gone, Kiva came out from under the table, now assuming her human disguise and readjusting her dress,

"Are you two okay?" Morgan asked Terror and Mari

"We'll be fine," Mari said, "I've had worse done to me by bigger."

"Nya, I've never seen them like that before," Kiva said, "you scared them off?"

"Are you alright?" Amara asked her fiancé

"Yeah, I just had to reapply the camouflage sigil so they don't recognize me again." Kiva said,

"This may actually be worth the trip," Nya mused, looking forward to seeing them again.

* * *

A while later, after the atmosphere had calmed down, Lycia made an announcement.

"Esteemed guests, noble lords and ladies, for centuries Providence has maintained the status quo of the intergalactic cluster we call home. It is us who ensure that order and structure is assured on many worlds across Hyperion, and it is us who have promoted the safety and security that you all enjoy. Tonight, we continue one of our oldest traditions, behold; the latest in cutting-edge technology our best and brightest have developed, available for auction tonight only."

The other nobles cheered and hollered, apparently this was the part they'd all been waiting for. In the air above the great hall, massive holograms appeared, captivating the awe of those new to the gala and reaffirming the amazement of those who have seen it before, the Avalon delegation however are more interested in the conversation they're having amongst themselves

"Merlin," Nya called as the swarm of bytes returned to her, "what have you learned?"

[I was just in their systems and it was an experience,] the jinn started, speaking in all their heads via micro earpieces, [firstly; Providence has another Genesis Cube in their possession.]

The shocked and surprised expressions on their faces blends in to the awed reaction of the other nobles to the display happening above them.

"What else?" Nya asked, Merlin continued

[Well, due to their Genesis Cube, most of their data is heavily secured, even from me, though, I was able to slip past an ancient firewall no one has bothered to update,]

"And what did you find?" Amara asks impatiently

[I would appreciate it if you didn't interrupt me] Merlin snapped at her before continuing, [Anyway, most of the data I found behind this firewall is junk; files too outdated and obsolete to pose a threat to them, except this…]

A small hologram appeared on the table before the assembled group,

"That's not possible," Amara stated

"I don't believe it," Terror says, shaking his head

Morgan just looks at the image, "That looks like the Excalibur,"

"But it can't be," Kiva reasoned, "Nya designed every aspect of her warship, it's one of a kind."

Despite their protestations, the hologram on their table did bear a striking resemblance to the black ship that was just outside their viewing window.

[It bares likeness to the Excalibur, but that craft was salvaged by the founders of Providence millennia ago. According to their records, they discovered it during a hyper-drive test, when it just dropped out of hyperspace completely abandoned, they didn't know where it came from or who made it, but they understood that it was superior technology.]

"That was millennia ago, so could it have belonged to the Praxians?" Amara asked,

[It is not likely,] Merlin said, [the design specs correlate to the Black Excalibur, no Praxian vessel specs I currently have match up. Also, it seems that we're not the only ones to have appropriated ancient Praxian technology,]

"What do you mean?" Kiva demanded

[This station has technology that is generations ahead of anything else in the galaxy, it even surpasses what we have on Avalon. My guess is that Providence has been reverse engineering the technology they discovered in that ship to put them on equal standing against the surtr and the elves.]

"Controlling the status quo of the rest of the galaxy while they're at it." Mari concluded, "That's very effective,"

Lycia continued her presentation, "We have recently perfected designs of a mass-accelerator rail-gun, the specs of which will be available to our allies."

While the other guests fawned and bid over themselves for the specs of the different devices and weapons that Lycia offered, Nya was unmoved, the Excalibur's tech was already comparable to what Providence was offering, if not better.

With each new technology brought attention to, an auction began, with elites bidding exorbitant amounts of funds for the latest in advanced technology. Nya was even tempted at some points, if only to stir up trouble by demanding a discount.

After what felt like hours, a steward approached Nya's table.

"Excuse me, Grand Marshal Crimson?" she asked

"What?" Nya replied tersely

"Madame Ryla Ayona requests a private audience with you." The steward states

"Private audience?" Nya said suspiciously, "what for?"

Nya was under not misconceptions that her identity as a Regis was not known to Providence. They had the most elaborate and complete information gathering network in Hyperion and she was aware of their observation of her ever since she introduced the Black Excalibur. What reason would the head of Providence and its current Regis want to meet with her, the enemy?

"I've heard rumors about the head of Providence and her… proclivities," Kiva told her

"What does that mean?" Morgan asked

"It means that she probably wants to get freaky with your mom," Terror said bluntly, earning him an elbow to the gut from his wife

"That is no way to speak in front of a child," Mari scolded

"I'm not a fucking child," Morgan defended, people calling her a child was a sore spot for her, "I'm already training to be a Spartan, goddammit."

Mari turned to Nya, who shrugged, "they're clever kids, I'm not going to stop them from learning some colorful language; it's not even the worst thing they've learned."

"Mom, does the head of Providence want to fuck you?" Morgan asked her mother

Nya then turned to the steward with a raised eyebrow, "You heard my daughter, does she?"

The steward looked nervous and confused by the dynamic between this mother and child,

Before the steward could answer, Lycia spoke up, "It appears my daughter would like to entertain you," she said, glaring at the steward, "she sent one of her personal servitors to invite you."

The look on her face told Nya that Lycia Ayona was not fond of the idea of her daughter spend time with her. Looking around, most at the table shared a similar position

"S-so, Grand Marshal, w-would you accept?" the steward asked

"Sure, why not?" Nya shrugged as she got up.

"Be careful with my daughter," Lycia growled to Nya

"Relax," Nya said, "I'm not gonna break her… at least not yet."

The elder Ayona stormed off, the steward however, heaved a relieved sigh as Nya stood to follow her. What fate awaited her had she failed?

"The rest of you stay here," Nya said, "I'll call you when I can."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Amara asked

"A good idea? No." Nya said, "but it is an opportunity."

"For what?" Kiva asked

"To get access to that," Nya pointed at the hologram of the Praxian ship.

"So you're whoring yourself out to an opposing power for a technological advantage?" Mari said, "That's a terrible example to set for your daughter."

"Firstly; that's a negative way to frame it, my god!" Nya chided, "and secondly; all I agreed to was a meeting. I don't spread my legs on the first date, what kind of woman do you take me for?"

"Well you haven't heard how convincing she can be," Kiva said, "I'm pretty sure she fucked one of my mom's emissary's once, and elves hate almost everyone who isn't an adept."

"Don't worry," Nya assured them as she started to walk off with the steward, "you all know how stubborn I can be."

"How long do you think it'll take?" Amara asked

"Until Nya fucks the head of Providence, or until we have to make a speedy getaway from the attempted murder of the head of Providence?" Kiva asked

"Oh god," Amara replied, "I have this creeping fear that we're gonna be leaving in an awful hurry."

"Good," Mari groaned, "so it wasn't just me,"

* * *

A short while later, Nya was led from the grand hall, through the labyrinth of corridors and hallways. At some point, Nya stopped seeing any male Providence agents, with only women roaming the halls they deeper they went.

"Does your boss have something against men?" Nya commented, "there are only women in this part of the citadel."

"Madame Ryla did not have much encounter with the opposite sex during her upbringing. The only man she ever met was her father and she took after him; including his fondness for only female servitors." The steward explained, "and she refuses to deal directly with the male personnel."

"So she inherited her dad's fetish, eh?" Nya said, "And I bet she also harbored some deeply ingrained resentment towards the old man, which is why she hates men in general. She'd be a psychiatrists dream patient; someone who both imitates and rejects with a parental figure."

Nya and the steward continue deeper into the station, until they arrive at one of the tallest towers. Taking an elevator to the top floor, Nya is unsure what to expect on the trip up.

"Be honest with me; what am I walking into?" Nya asked the steward

"The madam is smitten with you," the steward said, "She has been watching you on the surveillance system from the moment you stepped onto the station… actually, she's been reviewing all the surveillance we have on you."

"That sounds a bit obsessive,"

"Any woman that the madam wants, she gets." The steward said begrudgingly

"When did she want you?"

"When I first came here, I was engaged to an eligible young noble… then she took a liking to me and now I'm a steward that works for her. It's more or less the same with all her personal servitors, she keeps us around until she gets bored with us and finds someone new."

"And I'm the 'someone new'?" Nya guessed

The steward nodded, "those who bore her quickly don't last very long."

"What happens to them?"

The steward didn't answer, but from the look on her face, she didn't need to.

"I'm lucky, I survived long enough to make it out of the tower," the steward said, "Mrs. Ayona lets us go after a few months once we make it out of the tower. She sets us up with enough money to live comfortable on a paradise planet somewhere, as long as we keep our mouths shut."

"What about those in the tower?"

"The madam's favorite playmates, they are confined to her tower at all times. That is where they live; they feed her, bathe her, dress her, and occasionally… fuck her."

"Must get tedious," Nya said

"You'll find out soon enough,"

"I won't be staying very long, I just agreed to a meeting,"

The steward let out a rueful chuckle, "I said the same thing to my fiancé five years ago, now look at me."

Their conversation came to an end as the elevator reached its destination. The doors dinged as they slid open to reveal the most lavish penthouse Nya had ever seen.

Only she stepped out and as the doors slid closed, the steward mouthed something to her; 'good luck'.

A maid then came to welcome her, she was young, probably early twenties, dressed in only a maid's cap, an impractically short skirt that barely covered her ass, and an apron. She had a silver choker around her neck, Nya noticed the same kind of collar around the steward's neck. It was definitely a kind of magitek.

"Grand Marshal, the madam is expecting you in the drawing room." The maid said leading her away from the entrance.

In the drawing room, Nya found a woman who looked exactly like Lycia sitting at a table enjoying tea and cakes. Behind her was another scantily dressed maid with a collar.

"You must be Ryla Ayona, the head of Providence?" Nya guessed

Ryla looked up from her tea, "Nya Crimson, an absolute pleasure to finally meet you." She then gestured to the chair opposite her, "Please sit down,"

"Is it alright if I don't?" Nya said still standing, "Sitting would make me that much closer to you, and I'm not sure I want that."

"You're exactly as the reports described," Ryla giggled, "Strong… bold… stubborn… and absolutely captivating."

"You're not wrong," Nya said, accepting the complement, "Let me just set one thing straight; I'm not ending up like them." She pointed at the maids,

"Why would I ever want to make you like them?" Ryla said, seeming distraught by the idea, "you're special; you're like me."

She undid her shirt, showed the blue marking that adorned her right shoulder, her prime crest. It then started to glow when exposed to Nya's presence.

[What is she doing here?] Arax demanded, his voice resounding from the walls themselves.

"She's my guest." Ryla explained, "she means me no harm, right?"

"That remains to be seen," Nya admitted, "but I did come here just to talk."

"You haven't shown me yours yet," Ryla said,

"Merlin," Nya called, raising her hand, and a holographic projection of the phantom appeared on her palm.

[What's up, boss?] Merlin asked, before turning around, to look at the other Regis, [Oh, Arax… and his host, nice meeting you.]

"Incredible, how does yours look like that?" Ryla asked,

[Practice,] Merlin says confidently.

[You seem… familiar,] Arax comments

[We're both jinns, of course I'm familiar.] Merlin said as she snapped her finger and all of a sudden there was another hologram on the table, but it was blue instead of red and was of the Providence emblem.

[H-how did you do that?] Arax demanded

[I know a few tricks,] Merlin shrugged,

"Your jinn is unlike any I've ever seen," Ryla comments

[Yeah, I am one of a kind,] Merlin boasts, flipping her holographic hair

"So why was I invited to your personal tower?" Nya asked

"Before we get to that, won't you sit down for some tea?" Ryla offered, "It's my favorite brew, cosmic serenity, nothing else like it anywhere in Hyperion, the leaves only grew on the planet of Kuy, which was razed by the elves almost fifty years ago. I only enjoy this tea on very special occasions with very special guests."

Hesitantly, Nya took a seat as a servitor poured the golden-brown liquid into a teacup and offered it to her. Nya picked up the cup and took a sip, her eyes flew open in surprise, "You're right… this tea is fucking amazing!"

"And it pairs phenomenally with these sweet-lemon cakes," Ryla offered

"As much as I'm enjoying the refreshments, I doubt you called me up to drink tea and eat cakes," Nya pressed

"You are right, but I must ask; why did you accept?" Ryla replied, "I'm sure my reputation has reached your ears, so you probably had specific expectations of this meeting. So why did you, a Regis, and a powerful woman in her own right, agree to come up to see me, if you were concerned that I was planning to make you into what most would call a sex slave?"

Nya raised her eyebrow, they girl was shrewder than she'd originally given her credit for.

"I came with a certain trade in mind," Nya said, "an exchange of favors between our two parties,"

"A business proposition?" Ryla asked, "You should know, my mother handles the actual business operation for all of Providence, I'm more of a figure head, the face."

"I've already had a meeting with your mother and I can tell; she's a bitch." Nya said, "I want to do business with you, Regis to Regis."

Ryla took a long sip of her tea before she looked Nya in the eyes, "You must want something very important that only I can get you,"

"Naturally, I know it is going to cost me," Nya said back, "and not just in credits,"

"What is it you want?" Ryla asked

"I want to have a look at that ancient ship your family built its fortune on," Nya said bluntly

Ryla didn't even bat an eye, she finished her tea then turned to the maid by her side, "Be a dear and fetch us some fine brandy from my father's collection; we're going to need something stronger than tea for this discussion."

Two hour later, Nya returned to her table with her comrades looking at her expectantly.

"How was the meeting?" Mira asked

"We had some tea, got to talking, then drank some liquor, good stuff too." Nya replied with a slight slur

"And?" Kiva asked

"She agreed to let us inspect the ship," Nya said

"Just like that?" Terror said, skeptically

"Well it's not exactly a normal favor," Nya said, "I will owe her a considerable debt regardless of whatever we find on board."

"And she didn't try to sleep with you?" Amara asked

"Oh she did," Nya said, "but I will say this for her; she's more than I expected,"

"Sounds like you like her?" Morgan noted, noticing the tone Nya was using

"Maybe she won't be such a pain to work with." Nya said with a smirk

"What do you mean 'work with'?" Mari asked