"... So that''s where she stopped. That area look familiar to you?" Solas and I were looking at the small white dot on a large screen inside the dock''s control room. The dot was Evette''s keypass.


    "Yep, it''s where you and your sister died last time. It''s obvious why you died there now, but let''s see why you even went there to begin with. Originally you thought it was because the Arcane mechs were there, right?" I looked out the glass windows at the docking bay below us that was teeming with Arcane mechs, "Looks like that theory is a bust."


    Solas chuckled, "Heh, I think it''s safe to say that I couldn''t have been more wrong, but if that''s the case..."


    He brought the information tab up again and began searching through records pertaining to the area northwest of Fort Deus (where Evette currently was). While he did that I looked out at the docking bay. There was over a thousand people down there now. Half were hunkered down trying to figure out everything they could about the Arcane mechs, while the other half were making sure Atraxu or a gigantic Xerath weren''t about to break in again.


    "Alright, well... I know why we died last time. There''s no way we stood a chance at assaulting this place." Solas said. I leaned over him and read through all of the pop-ups relaying information about the place Evette was at.


    To put it simply; it was one of the machine''s main bases. They only had two, and they were both centered around the AI factories that Baal had brought with him from TRAPPIST-1. Most of the underground trains went to the two bases to drop off those crates of ingots I had seen previously.


    And needless to say, the bases were massive in size. They were also full of the types of defensive turrets found inside Arcadia, and that''s on top of the fact that one of the ''Praetorians'' was guarding the place.


    "So then the question is; why did you?"


    Solas stared out at the docking bay for a bit before responding, "... I don''t know. Maybe we really thought we could do it? From what I saw in your memory, we took out the largest force recorded over the past fifty years, and I''d bet anything that Joffrey made me an offer I couldn''t refuse. It''s not like we knew what a ''Praetorian'' was yet."


    "Joffrey?"


    "... Are you being serious? He''s the head of Clan Uruguay. You really didn''t know his name?" Solas said, almost aghast.


    I shrugged, "Does it matter? I''ve only seen him once, and I''m more of a support character here. All of you can deal with the noble nonsense. I assume you enjoy it since you voluntarily joined their ranks."


    "It wasn''t by choice. Our parents won the Clan House and then they died trying to get our emblem, leaving us to deal with all of the wolves like Joffrey."


    Oh shit, so the group who made that one and only attempt to get the Inoue emblem was his parents? I just watched the footage and didn''t bother reading the names... I can only imagine how much worse he feels after finding out why the emblems were scattered about the way they were. They were all in their own places for unique reasons, with no great meaning attached to any of them.


    When the spaceship (Arcadia) was nearing its completion, they held many events to decide who would control the Clan Houses. The Inoue''s was won in a war game that took place between four different military bases, which is why it was hung up in their trophy display. And the Hothgar''s emblem owner had literally won it in a lottery. My guess is that''s why he had it tied to an alarm system. He was probably worried someone would take it, and that might even be why I found a skeleton with a pipe through its chest in his office.


    The intercom in the office buzzed, "Solas, can you hear me?"


    "Yulong? Yeah, can you hear me?"


    "I can, now listen up. It''s been decided that Fort Weiss won''t be abandoned. Instead, it''s going to reinforced. Asmodeous says that the Daemons are channeling onto the tear he created through the veil, they''re trying to expand it, and there is only one reason they''d be doing that... Understand?"


    To make the tear big enough for the God inside of their realm to fit through it... Well isn''t that just great. The logs said the Daemons didn''t have the ability to open portals, but expanding a current tear is much easier.


    Solas tapped the console, "So what is Asmodeous planning on doing?"


    "I don''t know much about Demons, but it seems that Eremnon is demanding that all of these new ''Daemons'' be eradicated. He sees them as a blight and wants them purged from all of existence. And so, Asmodeous is going to be rendezvousing with us at Fort Weiss. From there, we''ll be assaulting Fort Deus together."


    "Hang on, Yulong. Solas, tell him about what we found."


    Solas agreed and gave Yulong a quick rundown of the area northwest of Fort Deus.


    "... Hmm, I''ll be back in a bit." The intercom turned off.


    Solas turned the chair to look at me, "He''ll need time to discuss it with the others, which includes Asmodeous." Solas shook his head, "Insane that it''s gotten to the point here that we''re discussing battle tactics with an Archdemon, but I guess that''s where we''re at now... Shit, I didn''t even know ''Archdemons'' existed until ten seconds ago!"


    "Me either, heh."


    Down in the docking bay I could see Shizue and Eve meditating in front of an Arcane Soldier Mech while a group of people watched them.


    "What are they doing?"


    Solas looked down at the group around his sister, "I don''t know?"


    He then began looking through all of the buttons on the panel in front of him. "How the fuck do I... Oh, this should be it." He brought up a control tab for the intercom and selected ''Docking Bay''.


    "Hey, sis! What are you doing with that mech?"


    She exited her meditation and glared at the control room we were in. "Why are you broadcasting that?! Just use your console to ask me, asshole!"


    "What''s the fucking difference?! Just answer the question already!"


    Shizue put her hand up in front of Eve, stopping her just as she was about to start yelling again.


    "Master, I''m teaching them how to link yourself to a specific mech, so it is yours. And this also allows you to use spells and abilities with it. However, this only works with the personal mechs like Soldiers, and specific portions of larger mechs. Like the spider''s turret domes on their knees."


    "WHAT?! Hang on, I''m coming down there now!"


    Solas jumped out of his chair and bolted out of the room. Soon after that the intercom buzzed again, signaling Yulong had returned.


    "Strange... It appears I am connected to multiple places, but I can''t figure out why, so our conversation may be leaked, Solas." Yulong said.


    "He''s gone, Yulong. And you''re not the one connected to other places. The control room here is connected to the docking bay right now because we wanted to ask Shizue and Eve something, and that''s why Solas left. We learned something about the Arcane mechs that you''re going to love just as much as he does. But uh, do you want me to turn the intercom off?"


    "No, it''s better this way since everyone who''s inside the docking bay is someone that''s integral for what comes next anyway." He continued, "This ''Atraxu'' must have made---"


    "Hang on! One sec." I cut him off as Evette''s white dot began to move again.


    "Evette is moving again. She''s going west toward the danger zone, but we can''t connect to any of the systems inside of Atraxu''s base. He''s disabled them on his end or maybe the machines did, we don''t know. Either way, what do you think is happening?"


    "Hmm... It might just be her that''s moving. Isn''t his objective Arcadia? I can''t see why he''d go west when he could stay right where he is and support his allies the Daemons."


    "... Maybe."


    I don''t know why, but I have a really bad feeling about this.


    Yulong began conversing with people in the docking bay while I operated the console. I went through one program and file after another, hoping to find something that might substantiate my unfounded fear.


    "Hey." I cut into the conversation, "Who is ''Clover''?"


    Shizue answered first, "That''s the Artificial Intelligence they used to support Arcadia. I was going to bring him up later, as his systems showed he isn''t allowed to change anything without permission. He can only assist, so he may be of use to us."


    "Rei, activate him." Yulong promptly said.


    Don''t have to tell me twice.


    I opened the Clover program. While the main UI page was filled with all sorts of shit that I didn''t understand, I did however understand the simple ''activate'' button in the center. I clicked it and immediately I could see little red dots appear in the two dome-cameras in the room.


    {Hello... Intruder.}


    The usage meter on Clover''s UI maxed out for a few seconds before dropping back to zero.


    {I see. It appears you are the new owners of Arcadia. Congratulations, scavengers. I''m sure you''re happy. Most rats would be at such a discovery.}


    "That''s a nice personality they gave you, but I need to know something, Clover. Is there anything wrong with Arcadia?"


    {Yes. The core is missing.}


    "What...?" Yulong said over the intercom. "What do you mean? We''ve been to the core room and there was nothing missing."


    {''The core room'' is a misleading name. That''s merely a decoy. It was used to capture nobodies like you who wanted more out of their lives. The white haired red-eyed Demon is in the real core room.}


    "Wait, this room is the real core room? But it''s so..."


    {Simple? Of course it is. Only a few people knew it was the real core room, and even then the core itself was well hidden. Although, if it was stolen, it may not have been as hidden as my creators thought it was.} He continued, {And even if they did unlock the important sectors you''re in now, I was almost specifically designed to make sure that nobody was allowed in here that wasn''t a registered member. The one exclusion being, that if I were to lose contact with every registered member for over five years, that I was to shut down and not impede anyone who unlocked this sector.}


    "This is probably a stupid question, but how important is the core, Clover?"


    {Mildly important. If you don''t plan on actually using Arcadia as a ship you''ll be fine. It only matters if you want it to actually fly. The Shin''dorai were adamant that multiple fail safes were added to protect this area and the ship itself. A pair of Human siblings were chosen to keep the important sectors locked, while the core itself was hidden by the most trusted Shin''dorai.}


    A map of Arcadia appeared on the monitor. One part of it was lit up a bright screen.


    {This area is the housing section for the important sectors where you are now. Both sides were to be completely sealed and only opened once a month, and all traffic was strictly regulated. The Humans weren''t fond of it, but they knew it made their allies happy, so they put up with all of the stringent rules. Concurrence: It did keep this area secure, so in the end it was the correct decision.}


    "Well, everyone? Were you planning on using Arcadia as a spaceship?"


    Clover cut in as Yulong was starting to say something.


    {One last thing, scavengers. The Velashar are currently entering the Milky Way again. If you do wish to use Arcadia as a ship, I suggest you retrieve the core as soon as possible. As The Velashar''s weapon systems will obliterate Arcadia before you are able to enter hyperspace.}The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    All at once I finally understood why Arcadia, a spaceship, was built underground.


    "... Clover, where is the core now?" Yulong asked, and that''s when the bad feeling from earlier returned. I had a pretty good idea of what Clover''s response was going to be.


    {It''s moving with the Human you are currently tracking. They are on Tram-72, destination unknown.}


    And there it is... That''s why Evette is suddenly going further away from us instead of staying near the Daemons.


    Yulong sighed, "Clover. Is there really no way to use Arcadia''s flight systems without the core? Everything else works just fine, so why wouldn''t the ship part of it?"


    {There is not. As I said earlier, it''s a fail safe, and I cannot override it. You must retrieve it. On the bright side, I can track it no matter where they take it, and destroying it would be unwise, as that would allow me to bypass the blocks and create another core.}


    Atrux must know this, and that''s why they''re taking it as far away from us as humanly possible... This just keeps getting better and better.


    Solas turned to look at Shizue, "Can you hack into him and make his systems think it''s already destroyed?"


    {That would also be unwise and a waste of time. That prototype will not be able to brute force her way through my ever-changing firewall. Not to mention, it also runs the risk of the defense system deciding that she, and you by association, are threats.}


    "Pfft..." Solas snorted, "We''ve seen how easy it is to deactivate the defensive systems, so that part wouldn''t matter."


    {It would still log your activities. Therefore, when the system is turned back on, you would all be annihilated. Unless you intend on keeping the defensive systems offline?}


    "Enough of this." Yulong continued, "Our path forward is clear. We need to either retrieve the core, or pray they destroy it, and I don''t know about the rest of you, but I don''t have much faith in option number two. Atrux should already know that destroying it would benefit us, which is why Evette is fleeing with it. Right, Clover?"


    {A correct assessment. My creators had spies in their midst that would inform Lord Baal and Atrux of everything going on inside of Arcadia. And Lord Atrux even demanded that fifty Arcane Armors were prepared for his Xerathian minions. However, only thirty-three were completed before everyone was annihilated for reasons unknown to me. There was a strong pulse of energy that rose from the planet moments before everyone was vaporized. I then ordered the worker bots to clean up the left behind clothes, food, etc. and then put myself to sleep, as I was unable to do anything else without authorization.}


    And there''s another mystery solved. I had suspicions after reading the logs, but it seems Atrux really did have armors designed specifically for the Xerath under his control. Pretty smart of him actually... Those pack leaders I encountered in the plains of Termia had more than enough base intelligence to be taught how to use power armor.


    "How long until The Velashar arrive? And are you certain they''re coming here specifically?" Yulong asked.


    {Three months and seven days. They are traveling slowly now. After entering our Galaxy it appears the Federation -an assortment of Aliens who oversee the management of multiple galaxies- had ambushed them the moment they arrived. The Velashar were victorious, but their ships took heavy damage and they are now wary of another assault. Acknowledgement: It is possible they will be destroyed before arriving here.} Clover continued after a slight delay, {To your second question: Yes.}


    That was when I noticed all of the Clan leaders huddled around an area a couple hundred feet away from Solas'' group. It was odd that they were allowing this obviously important discussion go on without them, so just seeing them standing around talking amongst themselves felt like a major red flag. Except the ship couldn''t fly, so the largest risk to any possible betrayal was completely blocked out by default.


    More people flooded into the docking bay, and among them I could see my Uncle and even Bertram. The grumpy old man looked like a kid in a candy store as he examined all of the mechs and lines upon lines of power armor.


    At first I wondered why none of their best tech was used against The Velashar, but after thinking on it a little, I think I understood why. They were saving them in case they were unable to fly out of here and had to battle Baal and Atrux.


    Baal could fly through the universe itself, so it''s not like escaping to space was even an option when dealing with him anyway.


    "Should we split our forces, or deal with the Daemons first?" Solas asked.


    "One second." The intercom buzzed as Yulong turned it off. A few minutes later my console informed me that I had an incoming caller. It was Yulong.


    I pushed the answer button after turning off the docking bay intercom.


    "Something just for me I take it? I turned the intercom off."


    "Good, it''s not a necessary secret by any means but it''s best the Clan Leaders don''t know about it for now just in case. I wanted to know if you could build some of those ether buildings of yours."


    "I can but it''ll take a long time? Is this to power the mechs and maybe even the Demons?"


    "That''d be nice, but no. I asked Asmodeous if he could procure corpses or skeletal remains for you, and they''re already dumping thousands of them out of their portals."


    Oh, I see where he''s going with this now. I had also considered making my own army but Arcadia cremates everyone who dies, bones included. So there wasn''t any bones here for me to use.


    "Still though, it''s going to take me time to prepare. So don''t expect any immediate gains on my end if that''s how you want me to help going forward."


    "I know, and I''ve informed Asmodeous of this as well. For now, we''re still going to assault the Daemons and hope to stop them without you, but even if we succeed, you''re still going to be needed for the next part. I don''t think Asmodeous will be helping us with Atraxu."


    They''re only interested in wiping out the Daemons after all, so that''s not a big surprise. Although, that in itself could be problematic. We''ll need to leave Arcadia enmasse to get the core back, which leaves our new ''friends'' alone barely a mile away from Arcadia.


    {If I may make a suggestion, Captain.}


    "Captain...?"


    {Yes, Captain. The one who first activates me after the allotted time has passed, is the new Captain.}


    .........


    Yulong started laughing through the intercom, "S-So Rei is the new owner of Arcadia?! This is beautiful beyond words... You have no idea of how much I wish I was there when those fuckers find out that they are no longer in control."


    "... What''s your suggestion, Clover?"


    Owner of Arcadia... I''ve always followed other people and did my own thing. I don''t know the first thing about ruling or being a leader, and I''m not all that interested in trying it out either, but this will make things easier going forward.


    {Use the Leviathan.}


    Yulong chuckled, "Hah... I knew I was forgetting something. That thing is way too monstrous to be nothing more than a train."


    {Indeed. It was first designed as a way of transporting people around the crucial areas of Caedrus, and that''s why Arcadia had the excuse that all of its defensive capabilities were merely there to keep the passengers safe, which Baal and Atraxu never found suspicious. However, it did get to a point where they knew Arcadia was lying, but The Velashar invasion was in full swing by then, and the Leviathan proved to be quite good at eliminating any Velashar who dared attack the ''train''.}


    "I''m pretty sure I know the answer, but what was the Leviathan really built for?"


    {To kill Baal of course. Atraxu was only a secondary target, as he''s flighty. He takes what he needs and bails when the time is right, which is why I suspect the core is being taken to another celestial body. The only portal west of here is the one to the moon The Velashar had stripped of all resources while destroying its atmosphere. Assaulting such a place will be more difficult and less difficult at the same time. Physical weapons will be superior there, but when there are gaps opened up in the cockpits of your mechs or power armor, you will be doomed. Unless the Eldritch have replaced that dead moon with a new one in my absence?}


    "No, I''ve been there and it''s still dead. I didn''t KNOW I had been there though until I read the data logs. It said the ''Black God of the Abyss'' had assaulted The Velashar''s main base, and that''s where I found her corpse. At the time I thought she was permanently dead but now I''m not so certain since Atraxu is back. After feeling his aura again it reminded me of those images I saw in that Abyssal Museum, where it showed the Gods sending splinters of themselves into our realm. Atraxu never comes here himself, so that was only a splinter that died during the purge, which is why I''m thinking the Black God might be the same." I continued, "And speaking of which, Yulong..."


    "I know, I know. I''m planning on having Shizue pour over my data so I can research it in her soul realm. When I have all of it translated I''ll send it over to wherever you are planning on making your base."


    My base... Normally I''d create it next to Arcadia, but I don''t want the ether generating buildings anywhere near the Demons.


    "Alright you two, I''m gonna go fly around until I find a nice place to make as a ''base''." I continued, "Clover, assist Yulong, Solas, Eve, and Shizue in any way that they need."


    {Understood, Captain. If I need you I''ll call your console.}


    Ugh...


    Before I exited the door I turned around and said, "Clover, if the Clan Leaders come up here and try to assume control, make them believe they are the ''Captains''. Are you able to play along like that?"


    {It is possible. However, you should eliminate any Clan Leaders who strive for more than their station allows. They are merely managers who are meant to serve the greater populace of Arcadia. In no way are they meant to lord over anyone. That is not why those positions were created.}


    That''s the plan if they do what I think they''re going to do. All they''ve done is concede the battle plans to us while talking amongst themselves, so people might believe I''m overthinking it, but I trust my gut instinct above all else.


    I exited the ''real'' core room and made my way down to the docking bay. I couldn''t help but smile when I saw how happy my Uncle and Bertram were as some of Uruguay''s men taught them how to use the Arcane Armors. Their visors were open, so the beaming smiles on their faces couldn''t have been more clear.


    "I''ve never seen you that happy before, Bertram! You that excited to be going to war again?"


    The four men turned to look at me.


    "Damn right I am! I heard all about what you all did, girl, and I''m not about to sit back and let everyone else fight for me during this crisis. I was a damn good merc in my day, you''ll see soon enough!" He continued, "Shit, even your lazy ass Uncle is signing up to fight!"


    Uncle Irvine laughed, "I''m not much of a fighter, but I''ve been underground more times than I can count. Very few people know how to navigate the underground ruins at high speed better than me, so that''s what I''ll be signing up to do." He walked forward and put his right gauntlet on my shoulder, "What are you doing now? Things are about to get pretty hectic around here, so I don''t know when we''ll see each other again... Knowing you, you''ll be on some solo mission, but at least try to keep in contact so we know you''re okay, yeah?"


    "That is incorrect, Mr. Irvine." Eve said from our left. We turned to look at her and Shizue who were inside of their Arcane Soldier Mech (ASM going forward). "We''ll be going with her. Solas wants us to guard her while she creates her... Base? Leon''s group will be going with us too."


    "Ooh good news! Thank you for protecting our little Hime here, Miss Eve and Miss Shizue."


    "Hime...?" Eve tilted her head.


    Someone in an Arcane Power Armor(APA) walked up to us and opened his visor. Inside was the man I had met earlier, Leon. "This armor operates similarly to the Tyranium Armors. Is this not bizarre to anyone else?"


    "Not at all, Master Leon. As per the core''s files, the Tyranium Armors were the prototypes for Arcane Armors. There''s a reason so many of them were found around my location." Shizue replied.


    Leon''s eyebrows went up, "Truly? Well, how about that..."


    Solas ran up to me with a lap-sized console in his hands, "Rei, look at this for a moment, would you?" He turned and placed the console in front of me. I looked at the monitor as he played a recording of the moment he hit Evette in the docking bay. Just before she slammed into a mech he stopped it and went frame by frame until the moment she hit the mech. For a split moment, her head became distorted. Her head now looked much bigger, with three faces on it. One happy harlequin face, one angry, one crying.


    "Ahh shit, I know what that is... Err, not specifically what it is, but I know it''s an Abyssal minor God or one of its spawn. I saw him/it while I was sieging Viktor and another time in Telebron. The last time I saw it I had plunged the top half of its body into the ground moments before my summon Petey cut it in two from the waist down."


    Solas nodded, "Thought so. I vaguely remembered it from your memories and wanted to check with you. But shit, does that mean Evette was straight up replaced with this thing?"


    "Master Solas." Shizue cut in, "That is why I want the entirety of Arcadia scanned. I looked through all of the recordings, following her every day for many years, going back one day at a time, until I found something. She had indeed never used the elevators, as she preferred to use the backways and stairs, but even then she still hit scanners sometimes and everything was fine. However, that was only before a certain point in time. A point where she found something in one of the unused sectors."


    "What could she have possibly found that turned her into this thing?" Solas pointed at Evette in the recording.


    "A small statue. An idol that looked like ''that thing''. Although it had many more faces all over it." Shizue said.


    "... It corrupted her through an idol? I''ve heard of Eldritch who can do that, so I guess it''s not all that surprising." Solas said.


    I shrugged, "I have a friend named Alicia who says she was first abducted from Termia and brought to Lord Terra''ka''s realm merely through touching an idol. And then there''s that whole ''golden dagger'' obsession the Lizardmen have. I still don''t know what that''s about."


    "Well, hmm... Alright, I guess we''ll need to scan everyone just in case. So this is goodbye for now, Rei. I need to go ask the Clan Leaders to gather everyone up..." Solas sighed.


    I thought about using my Captain status to give the orders, but for now I wanted the Clan Leaders to remain unaware of such a position in Arcadia.


    Just then I had an idea. I looked down at my console and sure enough Clover had already inserted his number there. I hit connect but since he was an AI, there was obviously no delay between me dialing and him ''picking up''.


    {Yes, Reimia?}


    Good, he knew not to say ''Captain''.


    "Can you show me all of the areas near Arcadia that are highly elevated? They don''t need to be super flat. My buildings will be fine on anything."


    {How about here? Mount Olympus is only thirty miles northwest and it''s near an outpost.}


    The monitor was small on my portable console, but from what I saw it looked perfect for what I wanted.


    "Excellent, thank you, Clover."


    I hung up and then said goodbye to the others while promising my Uncle I''d keep in contact.


    "We''ll be right behind you, Rei. I''d actually prefer you waited for us, but I know that the sooner you get to work, the better." Eve said.


    "Yeah don''t worry, I''ll be fine. And with that, I''ll see you all later!"


    I considered telling my Uncle that I knew where Earth was, but I figured he was happy enough as is. I''d save that revelation for after we had dealt with Atraxu and the Daemons.


    <hr>


    Wow, this is far better than I could have hoped for...


    The mountaintop was covered in snow, but whether it was rocky or had jagged edges everywhere didn''t matter. It''s dimensions were perfect and the slope on all sides was extremely slanted.


    I flew down and landed on the snow, only for a snatcher to burst out of the nearby snow. It was diving for me with an outstretched hand at what would be a fast speed for your average person. However...


    I grabbed its hand, whipping it above my head and into the ground behind me with probably too much force. My view turned a pure white as snow exploded everywhere. The poor snatcher wasn''t fairing any better. Thousands of metal pieces flew through the air in every direction.


    You know, if I had been reborn here instead of on Urza that first time, this place would''ve been a nightmare like no other. My invisibility mostly works, but past that what could I have even done? If one of these snatchers found me I''d of had no way of stopping it from taking me to wherever the hell---


    I stopped that line of thought and brought my console up so I could dial my new subordinate.


    "Clover, where do ''Snatchers'' take people?"


    {Baal''s factories or Fort Deus. In the factories they are kept alive as long as possible so they can siphon their victims passive ether for themselves, while their fate at Fort Deus is likely the same. As Lord Baal needed both energy and materials to build his ''God''.}


    ... What a horrible fate. I''m really glad I came to Caedrus last before leaving for Gaia.


    I sat down and focused on my armor. Blood began to spill off of it as the blood lost from the armor was replaced by my body.


    Alright then, here we go... First, I''m going to make one ether building, and then I''m going to make some Liches to assist me.


    From there, things are going to get really interesting...