With the Fourth Wing’s ‘High Negotiator’ on board, the somber flight back to Trazad felt like a post-mortem, and not even for the Empress. With time enough to do a little more investigating though, once the Prince was safely given a room to stay in, it was incumbent upon Gabriel to figure out what idiocy had led to the moment at hand.


    “I want you to look at the petition,” he instructed his trainee, “See if you can figure out how Aamin managed to convince the Empress to submit it, and then come here with him.”


    Ren looked at the nanotech data-nodule floating above the senior mediator’s palm, and reached her own above it; the nodule glowed, then dissipated through her fingers, signaling that she now had access to whatever information was contained on it, “Will do. What about you?”


    “I’m going to see how Iresha went from being suspended in the air with an SD-helm on, to being able to blow up half of the detainment bloc. He shouldn’t have been able to.” He answered, “We’ll meet back somewhere in the middle and compare notes.”


    “Yessir.”


    Gabriel watched as the younger woman stepped away, hands gesturing subtly as she accessed the data on her personal HUD. To Ren’s eyes, she could see a digital overlay ahead of herself, and with the slightest finger-flick, she could zip through anything from the World Cloud’s common web-based networks, to her own private archives - and in this case, the digital folder she’d been given to look through. He turned back the other way once she was far enough, and followed one of the SkyFortress’ security managers to their surveillance room.


    The first thing he was shown, just to get it out of the way, was the way Prince Aamin had scuttled out and gotten off-ship.


    “We have what’s left of the armor he discarded, if you wanted to give it back to the Emperor for some reason,” the soldier said.


    “Thanks. Let’s see that footage from the cells next.”


    “Yessir.”


    The overhead displays changed, and new images manifested, showing the doors to those three special rooms, and the one with its door open, and an easy line-of-sight to where Prince Aamin was making his case. From another view, the younger Prince Iresha, suspended from the ceiling as part of his ‘sensory-deprivation experience.’ Finally, a third view, from the other end of the main hall, showing the entrance that the Empress was about to walk through.


    What Gabriel heard sounded like the desperate, pitiful pleading of a jealous man who’d been cut from the line of succession by the existence of a first son. On the other hand, there was a hint of actual terror in the man’s voice. He didn’t say anything as the footage continued to play though. Empress Rani stood in front of the doorway, and both Gabriel and his attendant felt a nervous chill go down the back of their necks, since they knew what was coming. The how of it though was the question on everyone’s minds; that would come up soon enough.


    Aamin had continued to push for the pair of Inquisitors to do more than they were willing, and as soon as they stepped out of the corridor to leave the brig, another soldier came in to replace them. With a fresh set of ears to hear his complaints, Aamin went right for him. Rani stepped back though as this new soldier said he was going to release the teen, and Aamin started struggling with him to prevent it, pleading and arguing that it was the wrong move. Rani tried to split the two up, but the soldier was more than capable of prying off the clammy fingers of a pampered royal himself, and went in through the open cell-door. Within, Iresha had no way of knowing what was going on or where he was. Gabriel put his left arm around himself, perched his right elbow on it, and set a finger to his lip; this was it. As soon as the soldier touched the teen, and the smallest bit of the SD-helmet was pulled out of place…the Prince would have been flooded with sensation. A second later, the inferno blasted out from him, and the cameras - inside the cell and immediately outside of it - were incinerated and went offline. The only thing left was the camera on the far end of the hall, showing Aamin flailing against the conflagration that had flash-friend his left side a second time. Somehow, he’d managed to get just close-enough to the open cell-door that when the fire burst out, half of him was covered. Rani took the glut straight-on, as did the soldier who had gone into the room. The other two bodies were the guards who had been posted near the exit. Iresha had taken a few seconds to acclimate himself to his surroundings, but before he could do anything about them, Ren appeared and put him on the ground.


    Gabriel huffed a laugh to himself, and shook his head, “She didn’t even hesitate. I wonder where she learned moves like that?”


    The security manager gaped at him and tilted his head in confusion, “…You really don’t know?”


    “I’m sure she was fun to spar against in bootcamp,” Gabriel dismissed, “Who was it that went into the Prince’s cell?”


    “That was Sir Kashi Sheridan.”


    “Do you know if he was trained in the use of SD-helmets?”


    “Why do you ask?”


    The mediator took a step back from the screen, and moved his arms out so he could set his hands on his hips, “It looks like he just yanked the thing off. You’re not supposed to do that. Those helmets are disorienting in totality; to pry it off all of a sudden would cause a big shock to the system. There’s a dial on the left ear-cup where you’re supposed to gradually add sensation back into the wearer’s awareness. By the look of what Sir Kashi did, he just released the seal, and got blown-up for it.”


    “I see…”


    “Whether it was simple negligence or not, I suppose that Knight will take with him into oblivion,” Gabriel continued, “Maybe he was intimidated by the Inquisitors being there, and was too-quick to follow their directive to give the whole thing up. How old was he?”


    “…I think he was 20, sir. He was a new face on board.”


    “Yeah… I’ll bet that’s what it was, then. Got spooked by the spooks.” Gabriel turned on a heel and started heading for the exit, “Thanks for the footage. Make sure to archive a copy of it separately so the Sargonians can get theirs.”


    “Yessir.”


    The mediator left the room with a contemplative affect, and completely didn’t notice – or perhaps expected, and didn’t care – when the manager shivered and had to reset himself after the encounter. Gabriel tapped his chin as he watched the pattern in the carpet go by under him, and before he knew it, he was in a conference room, and Ren was on the other side of a long table, “Anything?”


    Green eyes lifted, and she nodded. With a wide, upward sweeping gesture, the images she could see on her personal HUD expanded to be visible to her mentor as well, floating in the air above the desk, “Prince Aamin had submitted four previous petitions for the Inquisitors to come grab his nephew, but all of them were denied; he’s not the boy’s guardian and has no authority to release him. However, Empress Rani only submitted one – after all those others – and was approved immediately. From the look of it, and the fact that the wording is the exact same, Prince Aamin somehow pressured the Empress to submit the request on his behalf. It was sent directly to the First Wing, bypassing all of the Fourth Wing checks that were required.”


    “How’d they manage that trick?” Gabriel wondered, leaning onto the table with his fingertips down to hold him up, getting closer to the floating panel with the different petitions on display, “Anyone in their right mind, especially the paper-pushers in the First, would know better than to forward this to the Inquisitor Division out of hand. Yeah, look…there isn’t even a Fourth Wing approval on it.”


    “I noticed. But to answer your question…it’s because Empress Rani sent it directly to Captain Gallifey.”


    Gabriel’s eyes widened, and he pushed back slightly to stare at his trainee over his shoulder, “Th… That- Argh! That’s how they did it!”If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    “Sir?”


    “Gallifey has the authority to call the Inquisitors for any reason, and he knew perfectly well that the Sargonians were my project.”


    “Oh…” Ren’s eyes crinkled slightly, “…You don’t actually think he did this because he should’ve gone through you…do you? Who could have even known that would be an option?”


    That time, Gabriel paused and blinked, “…What do you mean?”


    “I’ve worked with Captain Gallifey before. He’s fairly by-the-books, most of the time.”


    “…Most of the time.” The blonde echoed dryly, only to feel his train of thought get derailed, and he pointed a finger at her, “Wait, say that again?”


    “Most of the time?”


    “No, the part before that!”


    “I’ve worked with Captain Gallifey before?”


    “Yes! That! Explain!”


    Ren stared in perplexed silence, then gestured in disbelief at the man, “…You don’t actually think this is my first post, do you?”


    “What? No. …You have a file, according to some. That means you had to be in the Council somewhere before now.” Gabriel crossed his arms defensively, and looked away.


    Ren just shook her head at him, “You really should read it… It would probably go a long way towards getting this whole thing rolling. You know…with my training.”


    “I will, I will!” He grumbled and threw his hands up, “But not this second!”


    “We’ve been partnered for four months, and you’ve had full access for three of them…”


    “I know…I just-“


    “It’s fine.” She sighed, disappointed, “You probably have your reasons…sir. Anyway…” She looked back up at the display, “My point was…the Captain here isn’t the sort to just skirt the process because he doesn’t like someone who’s part of it. It’s no different than how he answered your hail, even though he didn’t want to.”


    “Then what?”


    Ren considered her words carefully, “…If what I suggest turns out to be true, then you have to agree to let me fly us to wherever our next mission takes us, and you have to read my file on the way.”


    Gabriel narrowed his eyes in thought, but then held his fist out, “Fine, deal.”


    The dark-haired cadet smirked and bumped it with her own, then went back to her idea, “Sargon may be your pet project, but the people involved are still the Imperial Royal Family. If Captain Gallifey was sent a request directly by the Empress, I imagine he’d feel like he was hard-pressed to acquiesce to her without going through the normal channels, because she’s a special case.”


    “Well…that certainly is an excuse, isn’t it.” He percolated on the notion, “…It’s definitely something he’d say. Guess we’ll find out when we get back.”


    .


    The storm had let-up by the time the Bulwark docked in Trazad, near enough to the palace for a royal skiff to pick up the Prince directly. It wasn’t quite that simple, though; the Emperor himself – Iresha the Elder - had come along with it, and he had some choice words for the gathered, “Whose idiotic idea was this anyway!? I was led to believe that the Luminary Council was an enlightened organization, filled with people who have brains in their heads.”


    Gabriel drew in a quick, sharp breath, and steeled himself, then stepped forward with a passable bow, “Your Majesty, this was all a big mi-“


    The older man, still possessing some of his youth’s black hair, though most of it had turned to salt-and-pepper, stepped closer to the mediator and swung his arm out dismissively, “If you say this was a misunderstanding, I will send you back to your master with your tail between your legs, boy!”


    Gabriel kept his mouth open for a second longer, but then shut it again and shrugged, “As you like.”


    Ren felt her breath catch in her throat, How does he keep getting away with it!?


    “Who!?” The Emperor barked again, looking around the hangar, past every one of his personal guards in attendance, and the First Wing Knights who had come to greet the vessel.


    “The person you’re probably looking for will be arriving shortly,” Gabriel noted, and took a careful step back, then gestured with one hand towards a doorway not too far to his right, “I’m sure he can tell you everything about why he carried out this mission.” He then took his place next to his trainee, and clasped his hands loosely behind his back. He wiggled one finger back there though, and Ren – daring to look at him – could see the little lights traveling across Gabriel’s eyes; he was calling someone.


    As if on cue, the door swished open, and through it poured not only Captain Gallifey, but around 10 upper-rank soldiers of the ship, “Your Majesty!” The Captain said in a rushed tone, “We did not know you were coming yourself. I deeply apologize for the delay.”


    “Where. Is. My. Family?”


    In the midst of the hustling group, the young Prince finally made himself known, pushing through and rushing for his father, but not without a rude gesture at the First Wing crew as he went. He then flung himself at his father, and held for a moment as the older man felt the relief flow through him. There was something about the way, not the fact, that his son was clinging to him though, and the Emperor felt a pang of concern.


    “Where’s your mother and uncle?”


    The Prince was tight-lipped, then.


    Anxious eyes lifted to the resident mediator “Alright, Lugios...what happened?”


    Gabriel looked up, “I can only tell you how it ended, your Majesty. The Captain would be the one to tell you how it started.”


    The Emperor turned and gawked expectantly at the purple-caped commander, “Well?”


    “Your Majesty,” Tarrock started nervously, “A few days ago, I-“


    “Wait!” Came a familiar voice.


    All eyes looked up, then over, as the mantle of the Fourth Eidolon quickly manifested nearby, and Xanarken started stepping closer before it was even completely formed, “Eidolon of the Fourth on deck!” One of the officers announced, and the Luminary soldiers – sans Gabriel, who stayed exactly as he was – made their loud in-place single-foot stomps and stood at attention.


    “I’m aware of what happened,” Xanarken started, pausing before the Emperor and offered a bow, “I think this would be best addressed with all concerned parties present.”


    “Who else has to be here?”


    “Me, no doubt.” Another disembodied voice spoke.


    The officer announced a second time, as that new mantle took shape after the last, “Eidolon of the First and Sixth, on deck!”


    Another stomp and salute; again, though, Gabriel stayed as he was – Ren smacked his arm for it, but he refused to budge.


    Those self-same orange eyes of Rylen Vor’antiss looked around the area, and he paused to offer his greeting bow to the Emperor as he went by, but his focus was on the Captain. Once he was near enough to speak in a hushed voice, he asked pointedly, “Care to tell me just what the Hell you were doing with the Emperor’s kid?”


    Gabriel could only smile as he watched the older man sweat; Ren felt a little sorry for him.


    Captain Gallifey answered in an equally-quiet tone, “Lord Rylen, the petition came directly from the Empress, I-“


    Ren was the one smiling then; they were close enough to hear. She nudged her mentor with an elbow, “Gottem.”


    Gabriel turned his head and half-rolled his eyes, “Mmmh…”


    Rylen turned back around again, and spoke on his Captain’s behalf, “Your Majesty, it would appear that the Captain was requested directly by Empress Rani to attend to her interests. He had every reason to believe it would be in bad form to deny her on account of…” He cast a glance over at the mediator, “…bureaucracy.” He moved over towards Xanarken and stood beside him, hands clasped behind his back, “He requested the services of my Inquisitor division on her behalf, knowing full well that they would not act in any way against the Prince. It was…something of a controlled show.”


    Xanarken made a face, and mumbled quietly to himself, “Eloquent.”


    “You’re saying your officer acted in full knowledge that it was a charade?” The Emperor questioned stiffly, “You couldn’t have just told her no?”


    “The same petition had already been denied previously,” Captain Gallifey explained on his own behalf, then, “But we deigned to take it more seriously when it came directly to me, from Her Highness herself. We explained the situation fully to her when she and the Princes came aboard, and she seemed to completely understand…she had no questions about it whatsoever, and was completely resigned to the decision, in fact. It was…Prince Aamin who pushed for the Inquisition to continue.”


    “Then where in the world are they now?”


    Iresha could feel himself starting to sweat, but he refused to speak.


    “I can take over from here, Captain,” Gabriel said, and stepped forward again, “There was an accident in the detention bloc where the Prince was being held. As you know, Limitless users who have become dangerous to the public will be fitted with a sensory-deprivation helmet – for their safety - to disorient them and prevent damage. There’s a protocol that must be followed when removing it, however, and unfortunately, that was not done. The Prince was so swiftly assaulted with the sounds and sights of his situation that his affliction was set-off, and…”


    “No…”


    Iresha looked up, still clinging, but with tears in his eyes now, terrified, “I didn’t mean to, dad…I didn’t know she was there… I swear…!”


    The Emperor stood in stunned silence for several seconds. When he finally got his wits about him again, he blinked hard, shook his head, and swallowed a pained breath, “…They’re both…? Where is my brother…?”


    “Prince Aamin abandoned ship shortly after the incident.” Gabriel explained, his words spoken in a more somber tone then; the entire deck was quiet, “The Captain sent search party out for him, but in the storm, he managed to get away. With the severity of his new injuries though, we don’t have much hope that he’ll survive the night.”


    Emperor Iresha nodded grimly, and soon thereafter, turned towards the Captain of his personal guard, “Send out another search. Maybe we’ll have better luck now that the storm has ended.”


    “Yes, Your Majesty!” She saluted, and turned away to start sending out the orders.


    “…And my wife. Where is she?” The Emperor turned to the Eidolon, “Tell me there’s something left of her for me to bury.”


    Xanarken and Rylen looked at one another, but the Fourth was the one to nod, “There is, Your Majesty. We will make arrangements to transfer her to your people. You have the condolences of the entire Luminary Council. Anything you need…just ask.”